TampaYankee

pauleiro, Thanks for sharing your experience and insights gleaned from your first trip to Rio. ALways nice to have different views accorded by different individual experiences. In this case it is nice to have the prespective of a first time visitor who also is fluent in the native language. Enjoyed the read and appreciate your take on the differences between the saunas. You added additional breadth to my understanding of the scene. One example, the information about the rimming was new for me.

Good news IMO. Anything that narrows the base of the GOP will hasten it's demise and eventual rebrith as a genuine American Political Party that has diverse perspectives and offers diverse views and policies. By definition, orthodoxy cannot coexist with democratic thought and practice. For me as a former conservative voter, this guy fairly captures about 50% of what I find objectionable to the modern day conservtive/GOP establishment. (The other 50% has to do with the financial raping of America during the Bush years abetted by the GOP controlled Congress along with extreme incompetence in foreign policy, war management, and disaster relief.) Never heard of this guy before this article although he seems to be well known in conservative blog circles. Here is the link to the HuffPost article that gives some introduction to this guy for those who may not know of him. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/01/little-green-footballs-ch_n_375357.html Here is is column (reprinted below) that has attracted so much attention in the right wing blogosphere. Scroll down to Nov 30 column. http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/ Why I Parted Ways With The Right Opinion | Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 6:49:45 pm PST 1. Support for fascists, both in America (see: Pat Buchanan, Robert Stacy McCain, etc.) and in Europe (see: Vlaams Belang, BNP, SIOE, Pat Buchanan, etc.) 2. Support for bigotry, hatred, and white supremacism (see: Pat Buchanan, Ann Coulter, Robert Stacy McCain, Lew Rockwell, etc.) 3. Support for throwing women back into the Dark Ages, and general religious fanaticism (see: Operation Rescue, anti-abortion groups, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Tony Perkins, the entire religious right, etc.) 4. Support for anti-science bad craziness (see: creationism, climate change denialism, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, James Inhofe, etc.) 5. Support for homophobic bigotry (see: Sarah Palin, Dobson, the entire religious right, etc.) 6. Support for anti-government lunacy (see: tea parties, militias, Fox News, Glenn Beck, etc.) 7. Support for conspiracy theories and hate speech (see: Alex Jones, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Birthers, creationists, climate deniers, etc.) 8. A right-wing blogosphere that is almost universally dominated by raging hate speech (see: Hot Air, Free Republic, Ace of Spades, etc.) 9. Anti-Islamic bigotry that goes far beyond simply criticizing radical Islam, into support for fascism, violence, and genocide (see: Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, etc.) 10. Hatred for President Obama that goes far beyond simply criticizing his policies, into racism, hate speech, and bizarre conspiracy theories (see: witch doctor pictures, tea parties, Birthers, Michelle Malkin, Fox News, World Net Daily, Newsmax, and every other right wing source) And much, much more. The American right wing has gone off the rails, into the bushes, and off the cliff. I won’t be going over the cliff with them.

A worthy sentiment that I support. Thanks for the reminder for those of us who might not have noted the day.

What you say is true enough in a classical sense. Right-wing extremists is a more accurate designation but in effect they have co-opted the mantle of Conservatism and are successfully selling the sham. There is no significant organized Conservative power center willing to stand up publicly for the distinction. That goes in spades for elected officials. With the exception of a few isolated voices including Chris Buckley, Mark Mckinnon, David Frum, Steve Schmidt and a few others which have been marginalized as pointy-headed compromising impure theoriticians exiled to the gulags. The Club for Growth is the face of the present day Conservative movement, like it or not. The Right needs the equivalent of a Democrat DLC to re-establish a classical conservative power center on the Right. However, it is dubious that it could get the funding to organize and sustain itself against the blowing winds from the extreme Right and the Neocons. This saga will have to play itself out until the Right decides it is better to win than to be pure. I'm not sure that will ever happen short of a convulsive upheaval. By the time that they get tired of losing and revert to more classical Conservatism and a bigger tent the growing Democrat Minority Express may dash right wing hopes of ever effectively controlling national power again. As it is, their own selling factors are limited to tax give-back bribes and fear. I suspect they have entered their era of The Party of Obstruction which will pretty much define their ongoing influence.

Great song done by a nice chorus. One of my favorites from way back when The Hollys cut the original.

Had it Friday when the family could gather. It came out great -- unusually moist and tender. The drippings are too salty to use directly for gravy but good in small amounts for flavoring standard stock or broth. Tasty straight in very small amounts. The bird was fine. No extra salt needed at the table but not salty. Will do it again. Definitely worth the effort IMO. 2 gal water 1 cup kosher salt 1 cup brown sugar 2 lemons 4-6 sprigs sage 4-6 sprigs tyme 4 springs rosemary Remove neck and giblets, wash turkey inside and out, use a suitable container and let it swim in the deep end 12 hours outside on my screen porch in the 40s. I used a very large food bag, removed excess air and stored in a canning pot over night. Turn over after half way through if not completely submerged. Pat dry before roasting. Cook according to your package directions or your favorite specifics Brine can be extended if necessary by adding 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 half cup sugar to a gallon of water.

Thanks Coop. Hope you had a nice holiday. I too look forward to our next get-together. Fond memories of the last one.

Definitely a major hottie. The movie trailer left me breathless. Thanks again for sharing.

Thanks for the clip. Great eye candy good music. Looks like the Germans haven't given up on zeppelin travel.

I am certainly left to wonder. As you point out, we have no way of what was not aired and I suspect he had a point to make which he did nicely and not heavy-handedly. I have observed Ms Palin since her arrival on the scene. I'm clueless as to what people see in her that make them believe she is presidential timber. Is is not that she is conservative. I have voted for more conservatives than not. It is simply that she is hollow as a gord. I grant that she has appeal as a celebrity to some. So does Parris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan. I don't understand the appeal of any of them. Nevertheless, there it is. Celebrity is not qualification for the presidency or even for a political spokesperson that should be taken seriously. Probably true and sad but true. But the fact that this phenomenon spans the political spectrum does not make it any more appealing or acceptable or any less apalling. What is a disturbing difference in this case is that this Palin madness is becoming organized by monied interests and coordinated by those interests and by cable 'news' organizations -- all for a political celebrity hollow as a gord. I believe that there are some superficial shared values betweeen those interests and Palin but I also believe there is a 'useful idiot' campaign afoot by some of those interests. Useful idiots are universally bad news for those who are not the controlling interest. For those controlling interests there is also a problem that useful idiots go off script occasionally. This is especially problematic when they have the power of the Supreme Executive in a national governement. Bush was a boon to the richest of the rich with big tax cuts, a boon to big business through deregulation, failure to enforce laws on the books that impeded big business at the expense of the environment or consumers. Bush was a boon to adimistration connected businesses by privatizing two wars with multi-billion dollar contracts that ripped off taxpayers and denied citizens protection from and recourse to rape and abuse and false imprisonment, not to mention tens of soldiers electrocuted by shoddy work, while DOD and the State Departement looked the other way. He and the Republican Congress rolled back bankruptcy protections laws at the behest of Big Banks. Bush was a boon to neocon crusaders out to remake the world although he was over his head as Commander-in-Chief. He was over his head as Disaster-Responder-in-Chief. Bush did go off script with the drug prescription program. We don't need another useful idiot, one even that is more of a blank slate. I respect serious (and honest) conservatives with three dimensional intellects and with knowledge and perspective to feed that intellect and the guts to show it. Unfortunately, few elected Republicans exhibit the guts to put forward serious thoughtful propostions for dealing with serious issues. The have opted to be obstructionists and mouth the platitudes of the tea partiers and monied interests. For domestic problems one solution fits all -- lower taxes. For foreign problems one solution fits all -- send troops. As an intellect, Sara Palin may not even rise to two dimensions. If she does, then she has kept it hidden so far. I agree. I have always voted for the man over party. I did so this last election. Even so, I can say for the first time I couldn't conceive voting for any Republican after their policies of last eight years in office. Even so, I have been less bothered by party-line voting because the parties always managed to come up with qualified candidates, more or less. I don't recall either major party or significant blocks of either party seriously pushing, in my lifetime, a totally unqualified candidate before Palin. I appreciate that. When I was growing up in Florida it was a one party state. Republicans were an endangered species and the Democrats had no organization other than 'every man for himself'. There are many conservative southerners that continue to embrace the Democrat label on the local level. However, it is pretty clear that there is great divergence with the national Democratic Party as it has evovled as the party of the Coasts along with a rapidly growing segment of minorities. Exactly. That is what is so disturbing to me and that interview video captures that. I have nothing against hockey moms with kids and everday problems. I come from plain people, they run in my blood. The fact that I may relate to someone doesn't mean I would choose them for my open-heart surgeon. Some people seem to place no more concern for whom they choose for president than choosing the friendlier check-out lane at the supermarket. They don't seem to appreciate that whoever is President literally has our lives in his/her hands and that means our potential deaths as well. How would Sarah have faired in 'The Days of October'. I do not ever want to find out. You are right. I cannot fathom the vehement support from the right unless they believe brash and uninformed with no ambition to beome informed is desirable. They do not seem to put much store in being able to construct coherent responses to questions either. For the left I think the explanation is three fold. First, she played the usual attack dog VP candidate role in the campaign, but did in a Sean Hannity type vein from behind that folksey hockey mom image. I think that added insult to injury for many of the other politcial stripe. Second, once you get past her God, Country and Apple Pie schtick, she is an empty dress -- at least to date. Third, I think it drives many crazy that she is taken as seriously as she is, as measured by the amount of ink and air time given to her by mainstream media with regard to her being taken as a political 'heavy weight'. Over the long run I think Palin will sink from her own dead weight after a good run of publicity in the near term. She will either end up a Radio Rush Limbaughette, or go down in flames in a Presidential Primary. Maybe both. If I had to bet I'd bet she is in it for the money. She is a sellable commodity for now.

Sadly, she IS the perfect candidate to inspire and represent this collection of blank slates. Before this video, I found it difficult to grasp just how and who this lady could appeal to. Thank god mindless TV, shiny objects, evangelical churches keep these poeple from playing in the streets. I really had no idea just how badly we have failed, as a country, to have a broadly educated and informed populace. Kudos to the interviewer. Unlike Borat who encouraged and actively set people up, this guy did an excellent job of conducting absolutely grey interviews and letting the interviewees set themselves up to display their own shocking limitiations and shortcomings. Yes, very scary indeed.

BG, thanks for the kind sentiment. I have you and Will and an early incarnation of Woodlawn/Regulation to thank for sucking me into the forums with your exchanges in a marvelous thread: What it Means to be Gay. Prior to that I had stumbled in on a couple of occasions, never seeing anything of the slightest interest. The rest is history. There were several great thought provoking posters and exchanges back in those days. I thank you and others for that. I had hoped we might rekindle some of that interest and excitement at MER. Unfortunately Bob Dylan had it right about the times changin'.

Actually, it is every postal zone in the State of Florida, at least I believe it is so.

I'm always happy to see an escort use what is a very lucrative income to better his position either through education for another career opportunity or through wise investments for the future that follows the escorting years. This in contrast to squandering that potential on abusive personal excess.

Ditto for me. For the first time I'm going to try a brine on my turkey this year. Tried a brine on a pork roast last week and it really came out well. Some of these TV chefs really swear by brining. We'll see.

Thanks for the clip. Shirley always has been one of my favs since she came to my attention in the early Bond years. She still does it for me. She and Barbara and Liza and her mom, Judy -- all amazing talents. BTW, what's with all of these black stars and celebs that have faded in complexion to become literally a pale shadow of their former selves. What would Nat King Cole look like today? P.S. There are a lot of guys I miss from the old days -- many many. For the most part your list misses the mark for me. Should I begin a list it would go on and on. Although a great many come to mind, there is one whose absence really saddens me -- Traveller. He was witty, knowlegable, informative, succint, and of great personal benefit to me through sharing information. Also, he was more than a bit crazy. I regret that I never had the opportunity to meet him in person. P.P.S. I had no idea that you went that far back. Did you use the same screen name in the past?

That meshes with what an ABC spokesman said about it coming from out of the blue. While it has gotten him lots of PR, I suspect he will come to regret it much as Janet Jackson did, with the attendant fall-out that will persist for some time. He may not be as mainstream as Jackson, or want to be, but that is where the big bucks are. This episode probably will guarantee he likely won't cross over anytime soon. He won't fade into oblivion and become homeless but his income potential took a big hit.

We could avoid this disparity by setting the software to deny uploading of any photos to the forum as other sites do. That would certainly save us money on hosting service fees as additional sever memory is not free. I resent the analogy. It is not only offensive, it is stupid. This a feature of the forum software which is a commercial off-the-shelf package. We are not going to deviate from the commerical product by customizing the software. That is a bad move from cost and maintenance perspectives. We are not going open the forum to post privleges by nonmembers so that lukers can play on a level playing field with members. Then there is the point that registering for full access is no more effort than scratching one's ass. Also, did I mention that registration is FREE. Small price to pay for anyone that wants to see the photos.

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Consistency can be a burden. Maybe I have a short circuit somewhere.

His parole has already been effectively violated. There is no reason not to believe that he would have made bail if he wasn't already on parole. But he was. The charges supported a prima facie violation. Fait accompli. No other conclusion can be drawn IMO. A conviction on the new charges is not necessary to prove a parole violation. There may be several reasons why he might not be convicted yet be found in violation. Hopefully he is in a position to refute both the charges and the violation when the time comes.

The elaboration is no more enlightening than the original remark, but I am resigned to leave it at that. I've said it before and I'll say it one more time... a Forum is made up of the sum of its contributors. All the admins can do is provide a room, establish and enforce policies for privacy concerns, civility and open particpation. Additionally, the site has the responsbility to maintain forum security necessary to inhibit and otherwise police abuse. As a site and as admins, I think we have done all that we can do that is likely to make any real difference over the long run. People either wish to participate at a critical mass level or they don't. One complaint has been received that the onus of a login to post has discouraged posts. Maybe so, but I suspect it may have more to do with viewing non-hot-linked forum photos which also requires a login. I just haven't had the numerous complaints about logins that leads me to believe that we have lost hundreds or thousands of posts over the years or more recently. Bottom line: you guys collectively make the forum what it is. If your post is to encourage others to participate then good for you. If it is meant to prompt us admins to come up with some great new idea that turns darkness to light, well... I'm not a big believer in utilizing remote mind control techniques, nor are we in a position to offer tax credits for particpation. People are either motivated on their own to participate or they are not.

Yes, I misspoke. I meant probation. Got the wrong 'P word'. That sometimes happens at my age.

That link seems dead. Recall that there are two different issues: parole violation and new infraction. Not clear that both are related to next court date.

Nothing another 60 days in the gym and a 'cutting diet' wouldn't hurt.

Fairweather friends... well actually ill weather. When the ill winds blow over there some of them congregate here. Sort of like 'any port in a storm'. But like an abused spouse they always return home for more of the same. Books have been written about the psychology. Read them if you wish to know why. Please elaborate.