A freaky Friday OPEN thread
Shot by Dan on Campbell Ave. | Adjusted with Pixlr Express
“All the freaky people make the beauty of the world.”
Michael Franti
January 4, 2013 - 10:00 AM
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January 4, 2013 - 10:00 AM
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Saturday, May 25, 2013
THE ROANOKE TIMES
Why is it breaking news that Black Pastors are backing uranium ban? What do white pastors think? What about Mexican pharmacists? What do Chinese restaurant owners think?
Am I missing something here?
LOL Justin
The rest of them are “green with envy Justin.
Justin, thanks for saying that. It perplexed me as well.
How green are they, Ron? LMAO! Good one!
Politics aside..
You might have seen today’s sports article about the Chance Harman Classic. http://www.roanoke.com/sports/highschool/wb/318606
Coach Brian Harman lost his son to a Brian Tumor in 2006. He has turned that tragedy into an incredible Charity that has exploded. Just thought I would spread the word about tomorrow’s event. http://www.chanceharman.org
Three cheers for Ken Cuccinelli, led by the Fairfax County libs!
How ’bout the announcement today about our attorney general’s victory over the EPA? What a story! The EPA caused a big water-pollution flap up in Fairfax County (governed by libs, by the way), and the lib-Board of Supervisors implored our conservative attorney general to sue those lib-bast…, oops, …sue the epa. And, the conservative cause prevailed, and the benefit accrues to all who live, work, and drink water in Fairfax County!
Hip, Hip, Hooray!
Justin
They learn a lot about uranium mining in Bible College. But it is good to see the Roanoke Times supporting the church getting involved in politics.
For those who pay lip service to supporting our troops by waving the flag and mouthing platitudes, Michael Moore has nailed exactly how Ifeel about this issue:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/support-the-troops_b_2402749.html
Justin, I’m holding out to see whether they prefer Coke or Pepsi.
Speaking of a “freaky Friday open thread,” this one fits the bill. Maybe these guys also spent some time in a uranium mine. What do you think fellow bloggers???
http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/Beer-Lawsuit-Inmates-Idaho-185467361.html
Anyone following al gore’s recent influx of 100 million by selling his business to some of the biggest producers of “greenhouse gasses”?
The hypocrisy of gore knows no bounds. First the makes millions by selling bunk to the ignorant, that fossil fuels are killing our planet (while his carbon footprint is that of a small town). He follows up with attempting a business model that completely fails; only to be finally bailed out and make a fortune with money that comes from that which he pretended do despise.
He might, very well, make more millions by giving seminars to blood diamond dealers.
I don’t begrudge the man a living, but… if I were one of his “faithful liberal minions”; I might take time for pause.
But hey… he might take his 100 million and give it away like Dan believes Gates and Buffett have already done so that he can live in the same poverty as they live.
Someone pass me another kool-aid…
hey Ron,
I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win such a lawsuit, particularly if they get the kind of idiot jury who awarded the lady a gazillion dollars when she spilled hot coffee on her legs.
If you’ve never had a meal at the Anchor Inn you’ve missed a great experience. Sorry to see it close.
http://wtkr.com/2012/12/26/locals-favorite-seafood-spot-to-close-after-decades-of-service/
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win such a lawsuit, particularly if they get the kind of idiot jury who awarded the lady a gazillion dollars when she spilled hot coffee on her legs.”
–Comment by Frank
The idiot jury did not award “a gazillion” dollars. They awarded that lady $160,000 damages for medical costs, pain & suffering, plus $2.6 million in punitive damages against McDonald’s, which had been warned repeatedly that its coffee was WAY too hot, and had caused many other injuries.
The award was overturned by the trial judge and they settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
From Wikipedia:
Liebeck was taken to the hospital, where it was determined that she had suffered third-degree burns on six percent of her skin and lesser burns over sixteen percent. She remained in the hospital for eight days while she underwent skin grafting. During this period, Liebeck lost 20 pounds (9 kg, nearly 20% of her body weight), reducing her down to 83 pounds (38 kg). Two years of medical treatment followed.
Settlement offers
Liebeck sought to settle with McDonald’s for $20,000 to cover her actual and anticipated expenses. Her past medical expenses were $10,500; her anticipated future medical expenses were approximately $2,500; and her loss of income was approximately $5,000 for a total of approximately $18,000.[15] Instead, the company offered only $800.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants
Frank, it’s clear from the facts that it was McDonalds’ own damn fault that it ever got to the stage of the jury verdict (which seems excessive). But the jury was practicing EXACTLY what economist and philosopher Adam Smith counseled in “Wealth of Nations,” the founding document of capitalism. Punitive damages get a big company’s attention and persuade them to change their ways. You might ask Suzie about this. She is (or at least was) a big big fan of Adam Smith’s.
McD’s could have settled with the lady for the actual costs of the injury plus $2,000. But they tried to cheapskate their way out of it.
You can be damn sure the the eventual settlement was more than 20 grand. And, McD’s reduced the temperatures of its coffee after the verdict, which (besides compensation for the lady) was the point of bringing the lawsuit in the first place.
(But facts don’t matter, eh?)
The McDonald’s lawsuit was legitimate. Another case of people believing what they’re told by others and not checking out the story.
As for the inmates suing the beer and wine companies, it’s as stupid IMO as smokers suing tobacco companies when they get cancer. You know the effects of what you’re doing. No alcohol or tobacco companies force people to drink or smoke.
McDonalds had already had issues with their coffees temperature. People always cite that particular lawsuit as some prime example of frivolous litigation, but that’s crap. No food should bring third degree burns even if you swim in it.
15: (McDonald’s) tried to cheapskate their way out of it.
comment by Dan
Worse than that, Dan, they tried to use the gross inbalance in the legal status and resources between an individual and a giant corporation to avoid their responsibility. For deep pocketed McD’s, legal costs by both in-house and outside counsel are balance sheet recoupable in various ways, unlike an individuals out of pocket costs and time hassle. And worse, the diffusion of responsibility afforded by it’s corporate status meant that no one at McD’s needed to accept personal responsibility. These differences with real living persons are among the reasons why unlimited corporate personhood is so absurdly wrong, beyond corporate free speech issues.
“Worse than that, Dan, they tried to use the gross inbalance in the legal status and resources between an individual and a giant corporation to avoid their responsibility. For deep pocketed McD’s, legal costs by both in-house and outside counsel are balance sheet recoupable in various ways, unlike an individuals out of pocket costs and time hassle.”
–Comment by Warren
Indeed. And to add to that: I believe there ought to be a special penalty for big corporations who are clearly at fault in incidents like this, and who have rebuffed efforts at settling cheaply and fairly, as the victim in the coffee case tried to do, purely because they believe they have the wherewithal and resources to hammer a little-guy plaintiff. If the little guy sticks in and wins the case, after the corp has rejected settling for something reasonable, $10 million might be the right number for the special penalty.
Because the courts right now are totally stacked in favor of the deep pockets.
$10 million might be the right number for the special penalty.
No mention of how much the trial lawyers woould get, of course. Dan is somewhat beholden to that group, I suppose.
Henry @156pm, I am sure they do… right after Evolutionary Biology and before The Laws of Thermodynamics.
Kristen, I would like to know that too! Perhaps next we could poll White Muslim Imams on how they feel about goat stew, with or without sand.
good research, dan. Now I remember why Mky D’s coffee is luke warm.
hey, what about the lawsuit over some sperm donor in Kansas being sued by the state for child support for the sperm he provided a couple of lesbians so one of’em could have a kid? lot’s a crazy lawsuits out there!
Where is Mark Jurkevich and the Mark around the World>/b> when you need him?
Anyone, other than I concerned about the following?
http://tinyurl.com/asgmen2
**
The Offenses Clause & Universal Jurisdiction Over Terrorists
Eugene Kontorovich • January 2, 2013 2:53 pm
A few days before Christmas, the U.S. indicted three men at the Federal District courthouse in Brooklyn for plotting suicide bomb attacks. This is an extraordinary, almost unique case: none of the people or conduct has any connection to the U.S. The defendants are foreign nationals, captured by some African government on their way to join up with al-Shabab, the Somali Islamist group. To be clear, there is no suggestion that they planned to target American nationals or facilities, or had even ever been to this country before.
This is an aggressive – and unconstitutional – assertion of universal jurisdiction. The U.S. is prosecuting foreign nationals for their participation in a foreign civil war. Congress, as the Supreme Court recently reminded us in the Health Care decision, is truly one of limited regulatory powers, and thus the first question about such a case is what Art. I power gives Congress the power to punish entirely foreign conduct with no U.S. nexus.
The men have been charged under the “material support for terrorism” statute, 18 USC 2339B . Apart from the many controversies about the substantive sweep of the law, it casts a very broad jurisdictional net. By its terms, it applies to foreigners who support designated foreign terror groups with no connection to the U.S. In other words, it makes terrorism anywhere a federal offense.
SNIP
**
Hello world! The US has declared itself the universal police force.
Re: wayne goodman @ 2:54 pm
I agree with many of the points, which he is laboring to make. However, his “I don’t. And neither do you” is presumptive, is wrong for some of us, and is offensive (IMHO).
Golly gee whiz, I’m absolutely astounded that Frank would spread incredibly flase BS without checking out the facts first. He’s NEVER done that before.
@9:20 This sucks, Dave H.
Here’s an interesting (and disturbingly true) article by Glenn Greenwald about the “War on Terror”. http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/01/04-6
RE: Comment by wayne goodman — January 4, 2013 @ 2:54 pm….
That was a FANTASTIC screed by Michael Moore that you linked to Wayne! Thanks for sharing. Here’s the link for anyone that missed it! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/support-the-troops_b_2402749.html
Yeah, what happened to Mark Around the World? I miss those. They also diverted a solid 20% of a certain anonymous blog entity’s insults for a day or so. That was a nice side benefit.
More Mark J columns please.
JW et al,
Mark is back in Poland following a lengthy Christmas vacation. Mark Around the World returns Wednesday! From here on out, time permitting, he’ll be doing one a week.
If anyone else is interested in doing guest posts write them in word and email the doc to me. Try to keep it to under 700 words, please. My preference is for fact-based columns/posts that may be eye opening to others.
Got a great story about an interesting adventure, such:
The Day Pat Robertson’s Bodyguard pulled a gun on me?
or
My Strange and Hilarious Brush with the Church of Scientology?
or
Are you an expert on an arcane subject that would be of interest to others?
You can write a Guest Post, too!
They also diverted a solid 20% of a certain anonymous blog entity’s insults for a day or so.
John W. and Gdad must have had the same math teacher.
Suzie, you are not the only anonymous blog entity around here and certainly not my least favorite.
Just a little freaky information on this freaky friday open thread.
March 14, 2015-9:26:53
Will Be Epic!
Why?
3.141592653 = Pi
And the Lord spake, saying, “Tolerate not those who struggle with math. Insult them in their ignorance, even if thou art barking up the wrong tree. Through folly of ego and derision are you to give glory to me.”
II Suzitihians 4:23-24
Comment by Ron May — January 5, 2013 @ 12:55 am
Did I just witness a nerdgasm in Dan’s blog?
Hey Ron speaking of nerdgasms, I heard on NPR today about these scientists who took a gas BELOW absolute zero. Pretty cool stuff!
pi r squared.
No, pi are round, cornbread are square!
J.M. White,
It’s probably just the meds I’m taking for the cold I’m fighting right now.
I beg to differ, Art. My cornbread is round because it’s baked in a cast iron skillet, the way God intended.
Some years ago I used to make cornbread in a liberally greased, preheated-to-HOT cast iron skillet. Damn it was good, the bottom was always extra-crunchy. Wish I could find the recipe!
That’s why I love cast iron skillets, the crunchy crust they put on the corbread.
Wayne, thanks for sharing the Michael Moore piece. He’s maybe a little off base at times, but he got this one right, from my view. Mr. Moore got it right in “Roger and Me” and “Bowling for Columbine,” too. I do enjoy essays that challenge my beliefs and make me uncomfortable.
“John W. and Gdad must have had the same math teacher.”
Now suzie is seeing her name even where it isn’t mentioned. Delusions of grandeur? Anyway, suzie, we all know that until just recently, you often put up 25 percent of a thread’s posts.
Seasoned cast iron cookware is a great thing to look for at garage sales.
Sure is, Kristen.
Debbie & Kristen, I have a cast iron skillet I have had since I was in the Marines (13 years) and I cook everything in it! My favorite is to “fry” its actually baking chicken thighs in my skillet.
I also had a good friend of mine that would hold chicken stews every year ad he used his great grandmothers cast iron caldron. It was well over 100 years old and the stews were amazing! I am always on the lookout for an antique cast iron dutch oven to make stews in. Anyone know where I could find one?
Comment by J.M. White — January 5, 2013 @ 1:08 am
Can I get a RAMEN brothers and sisters?!!
Re: Debbie @ 6:17 am & Dan Casey @ 9:11 am & Debbie @ 9:19 am & Kristen — @ 11:04 am
Hey, we can agree on somethings.
Dave Hicks
We have my wife’s grandmother’s cast iron and a blue enameled one from my grandmother that was made in Waynesboro in the 1920s. The blue one we use more for decoration but the other is great for cooking.