AdamSmith

P.S. That is our local mental hospital here in Raleigh. Get the comparison? In other words, what Suckrates just said.

Right! Instead of there, just save time and go directly to http://www.hollyhillhospital.com. ...Same difference.

Whether you love the NYT's Thomas Friedman or otherwise, this is moderately hilarious... http://thomasfriedmanopedgenerator.com/Two+Worlds+Cracking+Up+4ca0fa ...a site that auto-generates a vacuous op-ed in just his style. Scroll to the bottom and click the <Generate New Column> button to generate another, and another, and... Disclosure -- I came across that in this Village Voice piece: Thomas Friedman, Still the Worst By Nick Pinto Wed., Apr. 24 2013 at 3:12 PM Write Comment Categories: New York Times NYTFriedmanForum.com The Oracular Orifice At this point, it is hardly a novel observation that Thomas Friedman, the mustachioed gentleman sitting atop some of the loftiest real estate in all of journalism (and also some pretty swanky residential real estate), is The Worst. We know. We know about his simpering defense of the Iraq invasion, about his comical taxicab journalism, about his techno-triumphalism and snake-oil jargony neologisms and the relentless and vapid celebration of globalized capitalism. We know because of the hilarious work of Belén Fernández, and the dogged antagonism of Hamilton Nolan and Matt Taibbi, and the world-flattening technological triumph that is the Friedman column-generating algorithm. Jesus, it is 2013. Fish. Barrels. We know. And yet ... Did you know that Thomas Friedman is convening a Global Forum for the New York Times called Thomas L. Friedman's The Next New World? Did you watch the promotional video on that page about how we all feel that the plumbing got hyperconnected while we were sleeping but we're not talking about it? Did you watch it all the way to the end? Did you snarf your coffee when Thomas Friedman dropped the knowledge that "If you don't start your day every day by asking this question, 'What world am I living in?', you're going to get yourself in a lot of trouble?" Did you know that agenda items will include such gnomic mysteries as The World We Live in Now Threats or Possibilities What Happened to Power? How the Digital Revolution Is Accelerating Everything What You Don't Know Is Coming Doing Business in the Next New World What an Education Is Going to Mean What Energy Is Going to Be Did you note approvingly how well the speakers list at this one-day Global Forum matches the demographics of our globe itself, whose human population is composed of 85 percent white guys? Did you know that if you act now, you can attend for the discounted rate of $995, joining 400 other invitees "drawn from the C-suite, from banking and V.C., from government and think tanks?" You can. You could. You should. What world are you living in? http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/04/thomas_friedman.php

...Original credit:

Ma cherie! When one is out at the club getting a lap dance, sometimes sex in public requires one to remain more or less discretely clothed during the act.

Hito, please get a clue. If Bush were not president, it would have been Gore. Bush took out Saddam pure and simple to avenge Saddam's attempt on W's daddy's life. Gore had neither that motivation nor the neocon nuts around him intent on regional regime change. Nor, further, the Halliburton-axis oil interests in the region. Gore has his own flaws. But that war would not have been one of them.

Or maybe he is homosexual but fucked up by his Church which he chose arguably to help him reinforce his denial.

Too true... 10 of the worst examples of management-speak Only if you have the core competencies will you be able to action the key deliverables ... Steven Poole drills down into the strangled vocabulary of office jargon Steven Poole The Guardian, Thursday 25 April 2013 09.01 EDT Blue sky thinking? Photograph: i love images/Alamy Among the most spirit-sapping indignities of office life is the relentless battering of workers' ears by the strangled vocabulary of management-speak. It might even seem to some innocent souls as though all you need to do to acquire a high-level job is to learn its stultifying jargon. Bureaucratese is a maddeningly viral kind of Unspeak engineered to deflect blame, complicate simple ideas, obscure problems, and perpetuate power relations. Here are some of its most dismaying manifestations. 1 Going forward Top of many people's hate list is this now-venerable way of saying "from now on" or "in future". It has the rhetorical virtue of wiping clean the slate of the past (perhaps because "mistakes were made"), and implying a kind of thrustingly strategic progress, even though none is likely to be made as long as the working day is made up of funereal meetings where people say things like "going forward". 2 Drill down Far be it from me to suggest that managers prefer metaphors that evoke huge pieces of phallic machinery, but why else say "drill down" when you just mean "look at in detail"? 3 Action Some people despise verbings (where a noun begins to be used as a verb) on principle, though who knows what they say instead of "texting". In his Dictionary of Weasel Words, the doyen of management-jargon mockery Don Watson defines "to action" simply as "do". This is not quite right, but "action" can probably always be replaced with a more specific verb, such as "reply" or "fulfil", even if they sound less excitingly action-y. The less said of the mouth-full-of-pebbles construction "actionables", the better. 4 End of play The curious strain of kiddy-talk in bureaucratese perhaps stems from a hope that infantilised workers are more docile. A manager who tells you to do something "by end of play" – in other words, today – is trying to hypnotise you into thinking you are having fun. This is not a game of cricket. 5 Deliver What you do when you've actioned something. "Delivering" (eg "results") borrows the dynamic, space-traversing connotations of a postal service — perhaps a post-apocalyptic one such as that started by Kevin Costner in The Postman. Inevitably, as with "actionables", we also have "deliverables" ("key deliverables," Don Watson notes thoughtfully, "are the most important ones"), though by this point more sensitive subordinates might be wishing instead for deliverance. 6 Issues Calling something a "problem" is bound to scare the horses and focus responsibility on the bosses, so let's deploy the counselling-speak of "issues". The critic (and managing editor of the TLS) Robert Potts translates "there are some issues around X" as "there is a problem so big that we are scared to even talk about it directly". Though it sounds therapeutically nonjudgmental, "issues" can also be a subtly vicious way to imply personal deficiency. If you have "issues" with a certain proposal, maybe you just need to go away and work on your issues. 7 Leverage Another verbing, as in the parodic-sounding but deathly real example reported by Robert Potts: "We need to leverage our synergies." Means nothing more than "use" or "exploit", but might be attractive because of the imported glamour from high finance, though that may now be somewhat tarnished. Give me a place to stand and I will move the world, said Archimedes. He didn't say he would leverage the deliverables matrix. 8 Stakeholders People in the company who are affected by a certain project; also, sometimes, business partners and customers. This term, plump with cheaply bought respect, seems to have infected corporate-speak from New Labour politics, where "stakeholders" were not wooden-spike-wielding vampire hunters but people with an interest (usually financial) in some issue. Business analyst Emma Sheldrick offers some useful translations. "Manage our stakeholders," she explains, means "placate the people who are asking the intelligent questions about why something is being done"; while "Update our stakeholder matrix" really signifies "we need to take off the people who disagree with the task at hand and find some new ones who agree." 9 Competencies Only if you have the core competencies will you be able to action the key deliverables for your relevant stakeholders going forward. Perhaps "competencies" has displaced "abilities" because of a perceived slight to people with disabilities, and "skills" because that just sounds too elitist. Whatever the reason, its usage graph on Google's Ngram Viewer shoots up from 1990, alarmingly like the graph of global temperature. There is no evading the stylistic devastation it represents. 10 Sunset An imagistic verbing – "We're going to sunset that project" – that sounds more humane and poetic than "cancel" or "kill". When faced with the choice between calling a spade a spade and cloying euphemism, you know which the bosses will choose. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/apr/25/top-10-worst-management-speak

Hilarious. Reminds of the anecdote that in filming 'Blue Lagoon' they dug a trench in the sand below camera range for Brooke Shields to walk in, so she would look suitably petite next to Chris Atkins. Not that he was short, just she was a bit Amazon.

So I am wasting time flicking through an altogether in-character Reader's Digest feature "13+ Amazing Uses for WD-40," and I come to: 22. Remove Stuck Prostheses http://www.rd.com/slideshows/13-amazing-uses-for-wd-40/?trkid=outbrain-all#slideshow=slide22 The rest are all straight-up, more or less. Was some bored copy editor having his fun?

Nice trailer...

Creepazoid! What a throwback. Last time I saw this was in a bar (straight, of course) in Lynn, Mass., near the horse racing tracks north of Boston, the bar run by the Mafia (of course), where each booth had a telephone that let you call a person in any other booth, to tell her that you were the one who just sent over a drink, and to ask if she wanted to dance. It was a great old Mad Men-era kind of place where the men's room had a wall-mounted cologne dispenser. For 10 cents you pushed in a long button and received, out of a nozzle into your cupped hand, a squirt of Old Spice, Brut or English Leather, your choice. Wonder if that will be Sir Richard's next in-flight innovation?

I agree with wayout. Just simple courtesy to learn and follow the basic etiquette of wherever you are the guest. Your hosts always appreciate it so much. Especially -- re Gates -- when greeting the head of state!

I posted about this before, but here it is in the calendar again. I have visited the very spot shown in the video, but alas not during this festival! Kanamara Festival aka the Penis Festival http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bMHd3X6YzAw by Rebekah Sager On the first Sunday of April in Kawasaki City, Japan, the Kanayama Shrine holds a festival known casually as the “Penis Festival” on account of its huge array of multi-colored members. Known as one of Japan’s oddest festivals, the fest draws huge throbbing crowds from around the world. Visited by foreigners, especially Europeans and Americans, the unique event, has a noticeably global atmosphere. Throw in wall-to-wall penises and you get chaos. Entering the Shrine grounds you immediately notice the “Elizabeth Mikoshi” which is the centerpiece parade float in the shape of a massive bright pink love muscle. Lined up next to it were the wooden “Big Mikoshi” and “Kanamara Boat Mikoshi” made of iron also in the shape of a phallus. Stands and tables peddling a variety of penis themed goods abound: T-shirts, candy, figures, towels, candles and more all bearing the image of sex organs. The Kanayama Shrine was originally dedicated to the god of blacksmiths. However, the Kanamari Festival arose from the shrine being used by local inn workers dabbling in prostitution (meshimori onna). Beyond the obvious, this festival actually has a long history of prayers being answered for happy marriages, safe childbirth, romance, business, and fertility. In recent years it has become known internationally as a festival to ward off AIDS. http://firsttoknow.com/kanamara-festival-aka-the-penis-festival/

One of my favorites. Thx for the excellent review.

I intend for my penis to last at least as long as I do, thank you very much!

Durex's vibrating pants: foreplay gropes its way to the future Could internet-enabled Fundawear revolutionise long-distance relationships? The Guardian Durex Fundawear shorts: will they generate any buzz? They call it Fundawear: a bra, his and hers electric pants, and an app to control them. Its creators Durex Australia claim it could be the "future of foreplay", enabling long-distance lovers to touch and tease each other from halfway across the planet. Or at least have a bit of a cheeky grope. The technology made its debut on Wednesday, of a young couple giggling as the man uses the power of the internet to prod his beloved girlfriend in the breast. "It feels like you're touching me," she says, for the benefit of the more sceptical viewer.In two accompanying videos, a photogenic pair of designers explain the difference between and your average pair of vibrating knickers: the have been fitted with miniature actuators to produce something more like the sensation of touch. There are five of these actuators, the technology used to make mobile phones vibrate, in each cup of the bra, and six more in the pants, with corresponding buttons on the smartphone app.Durex is describing Fundawear's combination of touch technology, long-distance control and underwear as "a world first". But there are plenty of similar – if quite a bit racier – products on the market. Take Vibease, for example, a miniature vibrator with its own text and picture-messaging app, launched on Google Play last September. Or, for the more adventurous, LovePalz, "the world's first internet-enabled sex toy", which doesn't have an app but more than makes up for it in brazen sexual realism. The LovePalz kit consists of a pair of devices, one yonic and one phallic, named a Hera and a Zeus. Connect online with them and the devices "sense your motions and immediately send them real-time to your lover". Even prudish couples keen for more innocent physical contact have options. Last year students at MIT created the Like-A-Hug jacket, which inflates to "hug" the wearer whenever someone "likes" one of their Facebook posts. And in 2006 London-based designers CuteCircuit created an internet-controlled HugShirt, which used special sensors to measure hug strength, skin warmth and heartbeat. So is Fundawear a revolution in long-distance loving? Or just a fancy pair of vibro-pants? And will separated lovers really be touch-starved enough to pay money for a long-range boob prodder? Durex Australia reckons so. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2013/apr/19/durex-fundawear-vibrating-pants-foreplay-future

So Grover can read the poll numbers. Regardless, can only be for the good that he comes out full-throated in favor of the immigration bill. Loaded, no less, with all the empirical studies his side long ignored. Immigration reform is a no-brainer to help the economy People are an asset, not a liability. The Senate's immigration bill would reduce America's deficit and should be passed soon Grover Norquist guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 April 2013 08.30 EDT Grover Norquist has been described as the 13th member of the supercommittee, such is his influence over Republicans. Photograph: Haraz N Ghanbari/AP People are an asset, not a liability. The United States is the most immigrant-friendly nation in the world and the richest country in the world. This is not a coincidence. Those voices that would make us less immigrant-friendly would make us less successful, less prosperous, and certainly less American. Today, some 11 million "undocumented workers" live in the shadows in the United States. Sixty percent of them crossed the Mexican border or the Canadian border without government approval and 40% arrived by plane and overstayed their visas. The 844-page immigration reform bill submitted to the Senate by the "Gang of Eight" senators would allow the 11 million to earn legal status by submitting to a background check to weed out those with felony convictions, paying back taxes and a fine. They would then be Registered Provisional Immigrants (RPI), allowing them to work anywhere in the United States, denied means-tested federal welfare benefits for 10 years, and only after the 10 years become eligible for the 3-5 year process of becoming citizens. This legislation would greatly strengthen the American economy. When a similar immigration reform measure passed in 1986, those immigrants granted legal status saw their incomes rise by 15% simply because they could move around, hold a driver's license, and interview for work without fear. Their legal status made more employers willing to hire them. To understand the magnitude of this increase in productivity by millions of workers in the American economy, imagine if your sibling or child was told to go out and make the most of his or her talents with the imposed handicap that they not hold a legal driver's license, are forbidden to fly on commercial airlines for want of documentation, and could only work for individuals or firms that did not check for citizenship. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former director of the Congressional Budget Office, recently published a dynamic analysis of how immigration reform might affect GDP and projected that such a reform would increase GDP growth by 0.9% each year. Over a decade, this would reduce the projected federal deficit by $2.7tn without raising taxes – largely through present taxation on more workers and rising incomes. The Cato Institute commissioned a study by professor Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda of UCLA that projected $1.5tn in economic growth (pdf) in response to an immigration reform similar to the Senate plan, and conversely, should the United States take the advice of those who would deport all "illegal immigrants", GDP would fall $2.6tn over the decade. One notes that immigrants or their children have founded more than 40% of all Fortune 500 companies in the United States, employing more than 10 million people worldwide. And the Kauffman Foundation, which studies entrepreneurship, found that in 2012 immigrants were twice as likely as native-born Americans to start a new business. The traditional naysaying by opponents of both legal immigration and allowing earned legal status for those without papers today have been smacked down by studies by Heritage Foundation senior fellow Julian L Simon's Nine Myths About Immigration, and the Heritage Foundation's 2006 study by Tim Kane and Kirk Johnson that pronounced: "Whether low-skilled or high-skilled, immigrants boost national output, enhance specialization, and provide a net economic benefit." Right now, the Republican House of Representatives is at loggerheads with the Democrat-controlled Senate and the Obama White House over the question of tax hikes and/or spending restraint. There is one piece of legislation now before Congress that would dramatically reduce the deficit over the next decade. That bill has widespread and bipartisan support from Tea Party leaders like Senator Rand Paul (Republican, Kentucky) and Marco Rubio (Republican, Florida) as well as the US Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO labor federation, and the American Farm Bureau. That deficit-reducing legislation is S744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/24/immigration-reform-grover-norquist-support