Althouse: At the Sunset Café...

April 27, 2011

At the Sunset Café...

... you can keep your spirits up.

131 comments:

Titus said...: ARe we going to get to go to dindin before I leave Althouse?; 4/27/11, 5:28 PM
vbspurs said...: There are 9 layers in that tree trunk. You can't fool the likes of me, Althouse!

Cheers,
Victoria; 4/27/11, 5:29 PM
vbspurs said...: ..actually, that's a gorgeous photo. Very Halloween.

Why are trees so inherently scary? Is it the limbs which look like they're about to reach out and smother you?; 4/27/11, 5:31 PM
coketown said...: Posts on useless college degrees--of which mine was one--, flogging, kicking the bucket. But here we can keep our spirits up.

Thanks Ann. Angel of Mercy.; 4/27/11, 5:32 PM
Trooper York said...: I was busy painting the store all day and missed all the fun.

Four hundred comments about a birth certificate! And it wasn't even Sarah Palin's.

Holy overkill Batman.; 4/27/11, 5:46 PM
Trooper York said...: Oh and I am boycotting Coketown. Just sayn'; 4/27/11, 5:46 PM
rhhardin said...: The serpent today has a mid-body bulge about the size of a newborn bunny.; 4/27/11, 5:47 PM
Trooper York said...: The snake in the grass is the subject of the 400 comment thread.

Sharpen up.; 4/27/11, 5:48 PM
Unknown said...: Still looks a trifle wintry, but nice hues, Madame.

vbspurs said...

..actually, that's a gorgeous photo. Very Halloween.

Why are trees so inherently scary? Is it the limbs which look like they're about to reach out and smother you?

Or grab you. Something like that always gave me a skeletal vibe.

I guess our mutual ancestors, tromping over the moors and through the fens, dreaded getting tangled up in something like that.

The History Channel did a special, "Afraid of the Dark", where all the things that could happen to one a thousand, or even two hundred, years ago out in the dark were laid out. And few people were armed in them thar days.

Unless they were American.

A great little incentive to stay home and make babies.; 4/27/11, 5:49 PM
coketown said...: You can't boycott me, you jerk.; 4/27/11, 5:54 PM
Trooper York said...: I was watching an episode of "Hard Core Pawn" and the owner took his family to a gun store so everyone could learn to shoot. He was going to buy them all guns and get them carry permits. At the end of the scene he turns to the gun store owner and goes "So how about a deal on the holsters." And he goes "I told you I wasn't go to make a deal on anything, the price is the price." But he keeps asking so the gun shop owner rips off his mike and starts screaming "I knew you were gonna pull this shit...get the fuck out of my store...I don't want to sell you anything..just get out." They all get throw out on to the cold Detroit streets and Les Gold keeps saying "I don't get it. What happened? Why didn't he want to make a $3000 sale?"

You see Les has no self-awareness. Sometimes you don't care about making the deal even if you are going to make money. You can’t let someone get over on you. Especially on national television. Otherwise every mook on the 8 mile will want to make him a bitch.

Everything you need to learn about life you can learn from Reality Television.; 4/27/11, 5:58 PM
Trooper York said...: Hey Cokey relax. That was just a joke you jerk.; 4/27/11, 5:59 PM
Trooper York said...: And for your information I am an asshole not a jerk.

Sharpen up.; 4/27/11, 6:00 PM
coketown said...: The gun store anecdote reminds me of last year when I was working retail, and apparently some busty broad on MSNBC, or some network, gave her viewers this sound piece of advice: "The price on the shelf is never the real price. Don't be afraid to ask for a discount."

So for two fucking months 20% of the customers in the store decided they wanted to haggle like it was some damn Moroccan street market. And they always said that before I walked away: "I guess you don't want to make a $100 sale!"

See, we do want to make a $100 sale. We'd just rather make it to someone who isn't going to eat our margins. And we will make that sale, just to someone else.

As though nobody else in this town is going to buy that bag of dogfood and over-sized dog toy you had your heart set on.

They're jerks, too. Trooper York and retail customers. All jerks.; 4/27/11, 6:06 PM
Trooper York said...: Hey don't run off with all your shoes and glasses there jerky.; 4/27/11, 6:07 PM
Ralph L said...: Our trees have leaves (except the crepe myrtles). Too bad about Wisconsin's.; 4/27/11, 6:08 PM
Amartel said...: Those trees are scary? I think somebody has seen The Wizard of Oz maybe one too many times. The trees in the photo look like the vascular system or some other kind of reticulation. And they're purdy, too, against the evening sky.; 4/27/11, 6:10 PM
john said...: A state clemency board already has decided against intervening in the case of Daniel Wayne Cook.

The 49-year-old Cook was convicted of raping, torturing and strangling two men in 1987. He's scheduled to die by injection Tuesday at the state prison in Florence.

The Arizona Federal Public Defender's Office is asking the Supreme Court to review Cook's claim that his state post-conviction lawyer didn't effectively represent him in those proceedings.

Cook's attorneys are asking the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to review their claims that the drugs used in Arizona's executions are illegally imported and there may be problems with their efficiency.

And the US Department of Justice is also investigating this case to determine whether there is a systematic pattern of civil rights violations in death penalty convictions against men who’s first or middle names are “Wayne”.

I just made up that last part.; 4/27/11, 6:10 PM
David said...: I call false advertising.

I am in Madison today and there is no sun out.; 4/27/11, 6:11 PM
Ralph L said...: We used to bill our ~150 account customers at a higher price and discount it 5% to the cash price if they paid by the 20th of the month. Two years ago, we switched to a single price and a 4% late fee, which makes my life much, much easier. Now these old farts ask if I'm giving them the 5% discount (some never realized they had been paying the cash price all along).

Few of them have any idea that our markups are tiny compared to normal retail. Considering the equipment, repairs, diesel (now over $3k a week), and payroll expenses, it amazes me the company makes money.; 4/27/11, 6:22 PM
MadisonMan said...: I'm a sucker. I pay bills in cash, and usually as soon as I get the bill. But that's one reason I like Glass Nickel pizza in town: 5% discount it you pay by cash!

What I learned this week: Prior to 1976 in Wisconsin, it was illegal to sell contraceptives to the unmarried. Wow.; 4/27/11, 7:16 PM
Titus said...: I just pinched a loaf.; 4/27/11, 7:19 PM
KCFleming said...: Gas is near $4 a gallon here.

Seems to me the only way BHO resembles FDR so far is the paralysis.; 4/27/11, 7:22 PM
MadisonMan said...: I read that as pitched.

I'm missing American Idol tonight. And I like Carole King!; 4/27/11, 7:23 PM
KCFleming said...: The only way to keep my spirits up right now is to move them to a higher shelf.; 4/27/11, 7:24 PM
Titus said...: The real mother from The Fighter movie died.

Sad.

And the left will never take away our voices.; 4/27/11, 7:32 PM
Titus said...: Some of these southern states that have had bad weather are looking for funds by the federal government.

Disgusting. I expected more.; 4/27/11, 7:34 PM
Kirby Olson said...: Oh for a president named Chad with dimples!

Or for a president from Chad without dimples.

Or a pimpled president who was a cad without principles.

What WOULD make us happy? surely some combination of the above...?; 4/27/11, 7:45 PM
Paddy O said...: I pray that Freeman and all the others getting hit by those storms are staying safe! There are 25 deaths already being blamed on them. Hopefully no more.; 4/27/11, 8:08 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: The Potus and the Flotus came to Chicago to visit TFLOTUS. Hundreds of thousands of tax dollars wasted sot the POTUS and Flotus could make bold comprehensive history by taping the last last TFLOTUS show.

TFLOTUS is a carnival barker who runs a vapid and insipid sideshow which has made her a billionaire. So there you have it. POTUs, FLOTUS, and TFLOTUS.

Of course for the clueless TFLOTUS is The Fat Lady of the United States, Oprah Winfrey.; 4/27/11, 8:09 PM
Titus said...: How do you all feel about Six Sigma?

I am Six Sigma Certified and think it is BS. My husband is a Six Sigma Birther.

Thanks so much.; 4/27/11, 8:14 PM
Titus said...: Also what about tooth bleaching? I am doing it over the next month. I generally do a nice thorough bleaching every two years. My dentist says I have a perfect bite.

I only do sedation dentistry because I can't deal with the dentist or anyone sticking anything in my mouth. I actually get sedated for my teeth cleanings. Is that gay? I do a cleaning every 4 months which I like. Three months is to quick and 6 months is too long. 4 is just perfect.; 4/27/11, 8:19 PM
Paddy O said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/27/11, 8:20 PM
Sal said...: How do you all feel about Six Sigma?

From Wikipedia:
In the United States, Six Sigma certification for both Green and Black Belts is offered by the Institute of Industrial Engineers[16] and by the American Society for Quality.

Um, sounds interesting... Ok, it doesn't sound interesting at all.; 4/27/11, 8:21 PM
Paddy O said...: Woman is arrested for causing fetus' death
The Associated Press
Posted: 04/26/2011 10:51:16 PM PDT

ONTARIO - A woman from Hesperia has been arrested on suspicion of causing the death of a pregnant relative's fetus following a fight between the women last year.

Ontario Police Det. Jeff Crittenden said Tuesday that 27-year-old Nieshia Johnson is being held on more than $1 million bail for investigation of murder.

Crittenden said Johnson was baby-sitting for the relative last November when the women got into an argument, then a fight over Johnson disciplining the victim's children. Later, the victim went to the hospital for treatment and she lost her more than 8-week-old fetus.

It was later determined that the fetus was delivered prematurely due to blunt force trauma.

It's not immediately known whether Johnson has retained an attorney.

The Associated Press

For AP it's "causing a death of a fetus", for the police, it's murder. Can't have the law get in the way of a standard, politicized style.; 4/27/11, 8:21 PM
Titus said...: I am a Green Belt, my husband is a Black Belt.

I am a "implementer". He is on the "strategy" end of Six Sigma.; 4/27/11, 8:26 PM
Irene said...: Chicago's Cardinal Francis George has suspended Reverend Wright's social justicey friend, Father Michael Pfleger, from the Catholic Church.

This is what orthodoxy looks like.; 4/27/11, 8:37 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: ... you can keep your spirits up.

I liked the way Trump seemed ready for Obama's announcement. He didn't take a few weeks like Obama would have.; 4/27/11, 8:42 PM
Unknown said...: Irene said...

Chicago's Cardinal Francis George has suspended Reverend Wright's social justicey friend, Father Michael Pfleger, from the Catholic Church.

This is what orthodoxy looks like.

Well, it looks like this has been a very good day for the forces of Right.; 4/27/11, 8:44 PM
Sal said...: I initially thought Six Sigma was one of the those super-high IQ clubs. The ones that hire Mensa members to serve drinks and appetizers.; 4/27/11, 8:53 PM
Anonymous said...: Sunset.

An apt analogy ... today was the sunset on the government unions in Massachusetts as the Massachusetts House voted to strip the corrupt public employee unions of of their collective bargaining rights.

And not one stinking fucking hippie in sight as Democrats knifed the unions that put the in office.

Hahaha. You can't buy a Democrat. They don't fucking stay bought, suckers.

They're so preoccupied fighting a battle they already lost in Madison that they're losing the war every. where. else.; 4/27/11, 9:08 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Why doesn't the Chicago priest want to go to the high school? I don't get it.

And why don't the bishops stick around to explain more when something happens. That's something of a problem around here.; 4/27/11, 9:13 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: (In my opinion.); 4/27/11, 9:13 PM
Titus said...: Did you read the Chicago Tribune Article Freeman?

He said he wasn't qualified to run a high school.; 4/27/11, 9:15 PM
Titus said...: If a gay were to live in Arkansas where would they live?

Where is it hot and fab and has fab restaurants and parks and housing...and not get the shit get beat out of them?; 4/27/11, 9:18 PM
Michael K said...: I only do sedation dentistry because I can't deal with the dentist or anyone sticking anything in my mouth. I actually get sedated for my teeth cleanings. Is that gay?

When I ran the trauma center, we got this 13 year old girl in who was not breathing and they couldn't figure out why. It turned out that she had gone to her mother's dentist, a creep named Tony Protopapas, who did a lot of advertising. I pulled some cotton rolls out of her pharynx but she was brain dead.

While she was in ICU, before we pronounced her, the mother went back to Tony for more dental work. He was convicted of second degree murder.

He is still in prison 25 years later and complaining about his rights.; 4/27/11, 9:26 PM
Simon said...: I have something to say. During my time away, I noticed that while most blogs have comboxes, most are fire and forget. People read the post, ventilate their "opinion," and move on; if they stick around, it's only to mudsling. You don't get a lot of conversations. Issues can't really be discussed; you can't really get to develop relationships with regulars, even at arms' length. I missed that about this place. It's valuable and rare.; 4/27/11, 9:31 PM
vbspurs said...: Pogo wrote:

Gas is near $4 a gallon here.

What! It's at 5 dollars in Miami Beach. Even at the no-name stations, and not buying my preferred Shell V-Power.

wv: Nolita (A gal from NOLA...Beth?); 4/27/11, 9:35 PM
chickelit said...: Titus said...
I am a "implementer".

Who wields the Kalscheur implements?; 4/27/11, 9:36 PM
vbspurs said...: Simon, yes.

I'm not sure why -- maybe we're all keeping it light, even in the insulting arena. Fire and forget, as you say. Beats having to think too deeply to the chasm we see our nation approaching.

Either that, or we're all a little older and forget to make our points.; 4/27/11, 9:37 PM
Synova said...: "Why are trees so inherently scary? Is it the limbs which look like they're about to reach out and smother you?"

Dark trees are scary. I think that it's a sort of primal fear of the night and anything that obscures our view of what might be hiding. Sort of like the fear of bugs and mice and snakes (I'm convinced) is a fear of what we can't see clearly because it is small and darts about. Both the night, and certainly the forest, and small darting things are lethal often enough that the fear is far from irrational. (I'm afraid of neither the dark nor creepy-crawlies, but it makes sense to me that some people are.); 4/27/11, 9:38 PM
Titus said...: Geez Michael thanks. So someone could of been molesting me while I was under.

Great.

Although the first Arkansas guy in the Katy Perry parody video could of molested me, but I would of preferred it while I wasn't sedated.

He's fucking HOT.

My sense, after watching that video is, that those Arkansas studs go for full Brazilan down there.

Which leads me to my next question. Womyn, if your man has a shaved hog region what are your thoughts?; 4/27/11, 9:42 PM
vbspurs said...: Coketown wrote:

See, we do want to make a $100 sale. We'd just rather make it to someone who isn't going to eat our margins. And we will make that sale, just to someone else.

This is probably why many people shop corporate, and not mom-and-pop. You can be brazen and cheap with the corporations, because their profit margins don't cut into their mortgages and college funds.

I would love to be able to haggle, even with small business owners, but unlike my mother, I am very embarrassed when asking for a discount of any kind. It's like I'm proclaiming I'm too poor to be able to afford it.

Business people use this embarrassment to their advantage, especially car dealerships.; 4/27/11, 9:42 PM
vbspurs said...: Paddy O wrote:

I pray that Freeman and all the others getting hit by those storms are staying safe! There are 25 deaths already being blamed on them. Hopefully no more.

You're a good man, Paddy. I, of course, wish the same about Freeman and all who are in peril due to our weather woes, but TBH, the first thing I thought of when hearing about the storms in Tuscaloosa, today, is the famous Marx Brothers skit about shooting elephants

"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know. Then we tried to remove the tusks. The tusks. That's not so easy to say. Tusks. You try it some time. As I say, we tried to remove the tusks. But they were embedded so firmly we couldn't budge them. Of course, in Alabama the Tuscaloosa, but that is entirely ir-elephant to what I was talking about."

Howl.; 4/27/11, 9:47 PM
Titus said...: Simon, get with it.

This is the new new.

It's all about fire and fly.

And I totally love Opes Dei. Didn't one of their leaders abuse kids and drugs? Fab.

Do you have a red bush? If so, that is interesting but not hot.; 4/27/11, 9:50 PM
KCFleming said...: "but unlike my mother, I am very embarrassed when asking for a discount of any kind."

You and me both. Hate hate hate haggling.

Even worse, I avoid some small stores because I don't want to leave without buying something.

How stupid is that?; 4/27/11, 9:56 PM
vbspurs said...: Tit-u-s wrote:

And I totally love Opes Dei. Didn't one of their leaders abuse kids and drugs? Fab.

You're thinking of the Mexican "Legion of Christ", with their Regnum Mundi movement. Their leader Marcial Maciel was a piece of work. Disgusting person who I hope is lost in a forest of dark, scary trees forever.

Pope John Paul II will be beatified this Sunday, 1 May.

I adored John Paul, but his one fault was turning a blind eye to Opus Dei, Legion of Christ, and other rich people orders, simply because he admired their staunch Catholicism.

S-T-A-U-N-C-H.; 4/27/11, 9:58 PM
Titus said...: Pogo is totally fab for not haggling.; 4/27/11, 9:58 PM
Titus said...: Thanks Miss Vicky. He was a piece of work wasn't he.

How weird.; 4/27/11, 9:59 PM
vbspurs said...: Pogo wrote:

How stupid is that?

Wow! And I dislike going into boutiques to buy my dresses because I hate being hounded by saleswomen the moment I enter. I now have that American habit of just wanting to be left in peace when shopping.

Between me and you, Pogo, it's a wonder small shops survive.

wv: sumpe (sumpe tings up); 4/27/11, 10:00 PM
Simon said...: Titus, Victoria:
One of the Twelve was a traitor, and they were personally chosen. It doesn't surprise me that there are a few bad apples in the barrel. They have to be dealt with, but it makes little difference in the last analysis.; 4/27/11, 10:01 PM
Anonymous said...: Has anyone watched the YouTube videos showing the PDF layering of Obama's birth certificate?

Not sure what to make of that.

I'm pretty sure that a scan of the original 1961 image wouldn't have layers.

So what's the explanation for the layers?; 4/27/11, 10:02 PM
Titus said...: When I read stories about that man or any other "leader" who works with children I am dismayed.

I will have you know that I will only do it with another consenting adult and I am the one who has to be pursued.

I could never pursue another. Too much fucking work. I don't have the fucking time.; 4/27/11, 10:03 PM
vbspurs said...: My God, Simon, I never thought of that before!

One of the Twelve was a traitor, and they were personally chosen.

If even Jesus can err in His choice of mates, maybe I don't have to be so hard on myself for having hung around those who betrayed my trust in my youth.

I love talking to people like Simon and Paddy.; 4/27/11, 10:05 PM
Unknown said...: Simon said...

I have something to say. During my time away, I noticed that while most blogs have comboxes, most are fire and forget. People read the post, ventilate their "opinion," and move on; if they stick around, it's only to mudsling. You don't get a lot of conversations. Issues can't really be discussed; you can't really get to develop relationships with regulars, even at arms' length. I missed that about this place. It's valuable and rare.

Keep in mind that the trolls don't want debate or conversation. They want to kill it. They're here to spread FUD (among other things) and particularly slime certain events and people.

A lot of the invective here comes from them. Most of us get along. Sometimes a few get on each other's bad side, but it goes away.

Titus said...

Simon, get with it.

This is the new new.

It's all about fire and fly.

And I totally love Opes Dei. Didn't one of their leaders abuse kids and drugs? Fab.

You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You seem to want to slime the Catholic Church - this is the second time I recall you've said something like this.

Nobody comes at you about abuses by homosexuals, and a little tolerance and respect is the least you should give in return.

Abuse is abuse. There's nothing "fab" about it. From what you've said over the years, you didn't like it when it was done to you.

What gives you the right to do it to anyone else?

PS Thanks, vb, for setting the record straight. It's good to have someone around who is up on these things; 4/27/11, 10:05 PM
Titus said...: In the meantime Cardinal Bernard Law is now sitting pretty at the Vatican. Very very sad.; 4/27/11, 10:06 PM
vbspurs said...: Quayle...sigh...I believe it's to do with the programme used: Illustrator and not Adobe Photoshop. One of our commenters explained it in the massive Birth Certificate thread.

But let's get back to Titus being fabu.; 4/27/11, 10:07 PM
Titus said...: e I was being sarcastic.

I don't think abusing any child is fab.

I could never, nor would ever abuse a child.

It is sick, disgusting and totally gross.; 4/27/11, 10:08 PM
Anonymous said...: Re the layering of the PDF: National Review had the explanation.; 4/27/11, 10:10 PM
Anonymous said...: Yes, back to Titus. Sorry for the inane interruption.; 4/27/11, 10:11 PM
vbspurs said...: Edutcher wrote:

Abuse is abuse. There's nothing "fab" about it. From what you've said over the years, you didn't like it when it was done to you.

Whilst there are some things one should never ever joke about, child abuse being TOP of that list, I think I can decode Titus better than most, don't ask me why.

He was being...Titus-y. I'm sure he doesn't condone such practises.

(Pre-send: And I see he's posted that, thank God); 4/27/11, 10:11 PM
KCFleming said...: "that American habit of just wanting to be left in peace when shopping."

I go full metal autistic in stores.; 4/27/11, 10:12 PM
Titus said...: e I was born and raised a very strict catholic.

My parents go to Mass every day.

They are well aware of the sins that the priests have committed.

So now, they are in their 70's and have to listen to a mass by a 80 year from Africa and they don't understand a word he says...because there are very few English speaking priests left.

I ask them about the mass they attended and all they can say is I accepted the body of Christ.; 4/27/11, 10:12 PM
Anonymous said...: "Where is it hot and fab and has fab restaurants and parks and housing...and not get the shit get beat out of them?"

Branson, dude.

You MUST go to Branson.

It is the gay Mecca of the Ozarks.

Except in this Mecca, the Husseins don't chop off your penis and stone you to death.

That's illegal there.; 4/27/11, 10:16 PM
vbspurs said...: Quayle, thanks for the NRO tip. Here's the link to the debunking by Nathan Goulding.

Glad to see a right-wing publication is taking the bullsh*t by the horns on this matter.; 4/27/11, 10:17 PM
Wince said...: Titus said...
I only do sedation dentistry because I can't deal with the dentist or anyone sticking anything in my mouth.
4/27/11 8:19 PM

Can I really be the first commenter who's observed that this would tend to severely limit Titus's options?; 4/27/11, 10:17 PM
MadisonMan said...: I learned this week that the mother-in-law is now going to the Lutheran Church because she's had it with the conservative Spanish Catholic Priests that the Bully Bishop has bivouaced in rural Dane County.

I was surprised to hear that. When you lose the 80+ year-olds, you're failing.; 4/27/11, 10:21 PM
Simon said...: Victoria, and remember, even Peter wavered, had a moment of doubt and denial. I'm sure they all did.

I tend to agree with Titus about Card. Law. I would have preferred the Holy Father to be more aggressive in dealing with the bishops involved, but (ironically, given his faux reputation as a rottweiler), he is more pastoral, patient, and forgiving than I would have been.; 4/27/11, 10:22 PM
Titus said...: And Miss Vicky you do get me.

Yes, I am gay but I am not some weird pedophile.

I don't got to Pride Parades, don't participate in "gay groups" and am not some freak. And you will never find me at some "political organization".

You will find me alone with my dog and my family and my husband. I do go on long walks in the middle of nowhere with the dog. Is that political?

Totally "normal" and really really boring. Although my family and I now give scores for Dancing With The Stars contestants.

How pathetic is that?; 4/27/11, 10:22 PM
Simon said...: MM, I'm afraid that I find that utterly pathetic, shallow, and faithless of her. Just really reprehensible. From everything I've read, the bishop and the spanish priests brought in have raised hackles purely by teaching the faith as it actually is, and following the traditional practices of the Church, instead of giving free reign to heresy. If someone leaves over that, it simply proves St. Augustine's observation that many who appear to be inside are actually on the outside.

Or perhaps I'm wrong. Tell me, what horrible heterodoxy has spurred her from the pews?; 4/27/11, 10:25 PM
Anonymous said...: Miss America of 2003, Suzie Castillo, says she has been raped by TSA agents at a Dallas airport, and she has released a tearful contemporaneous video of her molestation while still at the airport just moments after her rape.

You can watch the video here:

http://youtu.be/LmADZpqhKhQ

Don't take your little daughters to the airport unless you want their vagina's felt up by government perverts.; 4/27/11, 10:27 PM
vbspurs said...: Yes, I am gay but I am not some weird pedophile.

It's wrong to think that gay men are paedophiles. They may be potential paedophiles, but for the same reason heterosexual men are -- because they're sick people, regardless of sexual orientation.

Incidentally, I love luxury, same as you, Titus. I cannot prove this beyond some awkward phrases of explanation, but I think it's because we were raised Catholic.

There is something about the gold crucifixes, the richly hued vestments, the engulfing of the incense that impresses you as a child, opening up the idea in your mind that there is a vast, sophisticated world out there, and it's within your grasp.; 4/27/11, 10:28 PM
Anonymous said...: If Titus does go to Arkansas, I believe the appropriate colloquialism for the business district would be "shaved Razorback" rather than "shaved hog". But I've never been there. So I could be wrong.; 4/27/11, 10:38 PM
Unknown said...: Quayle said...

Has anyone watched the YouTube videos showing the PDF layering of Obama's birth certificate?

Not sure what to make of that.

I'm pretty sure that a scan of the original 1961 image wouldn't have layers.

So what's the explanation for the layers?

The layering technology is an Adobe specialty. It's part of the key to Photoshop (or, in this case, Acrobat); you can create graphic effects by manipulating layers. From an Adobe website explaining the technology, "You can rename and merge layers, change the properties of layers, and add actions to layers."

Not sure what anyone would do with it in this case, although there is the potential for all manner of things nefarious.

The only thing I noticed that looked odd (don't mean to dredge this up again, vb) was the description of BHO I's race as "African".

Certainly, if you wanted, you could scan in the original and have all kinds of fun manipulating certain fields. This is why some people are a trifle intrigued that a .pdf and not a photostat was used.

Make of it what you will.

PS Titus, OK, glad you said what you said about abuse.; 4/27/11, 10:39 PM
vbspurs said...: Hey! I just waded into the crap swamp that the Obama birth certificate thread has become, and read Titus admitting he's a Jew. What gives, Catholic Boy? Is your hog snipped or what?; 4/27/11, 10:43 PM
Unknown said...: vbspurs said...

There is something about the gold crucifixes, the richly hued vestments, the engulfing of the incense that impresses you as a child, opening up the idea in your mind that there is a vast, sophisticated world out there, and it's within your grasp.

Someone once described the Mass, particularly the old, Latin Mass as some of the greatest show biz in history. He wasn't being nasty, just trying to give non-Catholics an insight into it's power to captivate.

You walk into a Catholic church and you enter a different world.

WV "nonsters" Things that disappear when you turn on the lights.; 4/27/11, 10:44 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: As long as we are on religion..

Maybe, before we go to bed, we should say a prayer for the tornado victims.

See Drudge.; 4/27/11, 10:46 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Titus, I don't know about the rest of the state, but you could live anywhere in Northwest or Central Arkansas. I know you like to poke fun at Arkansas as some sort of angry hillbilly backwater, but we had out and proud gay people at my high school, and that was over a decade ago.

MUL, I mean Ut, Branson is not located in Arkansas.; 4/27/11, 10:50 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Paddy and Victoria, thanks for the well wishes regarding storms. The area where I live didn't get any tornadoes today.

But the local weather man did post this, so there were more than a few tornadoes elsewhere in Arkansas today.; 4/27/11, 10:53 PM
Titus said...: Miss Vicky there is a little bit of jew in me. BUTTT our family our practicing catholics.

Does that make sense?; 4/27/11, 10:54 PM
Titus said...: Any Miss Freeman you know I am just joshing.

I could live in Arkansas or anywhere.

Hell, I was in India for the past 6 month and they don't even know what "the gay" is.

Hot Springs is tempting.

I just want warm weather and people that won't bash me.

Hugs and love,

titus.; 4/27/11, 10:58 PM
vbspurs said...: Miss Vicky there is a little bit of jew in me. BUTTT our family our practicing catholics.

Does that make sense?

During World War II, several European monarchs expressed their solidarity with the plight of the Jews in the Holocaust. One such was the the very Catholic Belgian Queen, Elisabeth (namesake niece of the Empress Sisi of Austria). She was actually given a Papal title, like Rose Kennedy, who became a Vatican Marchioness, for being so devout.

You know what she had done at risk of being arrested by Gestapo? She had hung a Star of David around her neck, alongside her Catholic medallions.

Because when the going gets tough for Jews, we're all of us Jews, Titus. So yes, I understand you yet again.; 4/27/11, 10:59 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Hot Springs is tempting.

I lived there in the historic downtown area for a little over a semester in high school. If you're into scads of homeless people (It's on some kind of vagabond seasonal route.) and drunks vomiting into the curb next to you, it is great.

Though for your parents sake, I will say that it has an excellent Catholic church.

Okay, there are also some cool things there, but overall I found it rather depressing.; 4/27/11, 11:05 PM
Titus said...: OK, Freeman Hot Springs does not seem so tempting now.

Any other options????; 4/27/11, 11:10 PM
Ralph L said...: Miss Vicky there is a little bit of jew in me
I thought your husband was Indian.

wv - worejac - for the lazy and cheap.; 4/27/11, 11:47 PM
john said...: I didn't go through all 580+ comments on the Obama birth certificate thread, so I don't know if this was already brought up: the name of the "Local Registrar" is "U K L Lee".

FAKE!; 4/27/11, 11:49 PM
Ralph L said...: vbspurs, Americans cannot accept foreign titles--it's in the Constitution.; 4/27/11, 11:50 PM
vbspurs said...: Ralph, I understand, but as I understand it, Americans can receive foreign honours, not use them. Thus Bill Gates and Norman Schwarzkopf are literally knights of the realm, and went to collect their honours from the British queen...but they are not actually called Sir.

http://articles.latimes.com/1991-05-21/news/mn-2419_1_h-norman-schwarzkopf

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/02/world/main677481.shtml

Same dealie with Rose Kennedy. She collected it, but didn't call herself a Marchioness.; 4/27/11, 11:56 PM
vbspurs said...: Correction: Countess!

From Wiki -- "In 1951, Pope Pius XII granted Kennedy the title of Roman countess in recognition of her "exemplary motherhood and many charitable works."; 4/28/11, 12:02 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Titus, the obvious place to live or visit would be Fayetteville.

Some would argue Little Rock, but I wouldn't.; 4/28/11, 12:04 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: This is amusing:

From The Chaplin Encyclopedia:

"In 1926, when Chaplin's affairs were (to say the least) complicated, "Vanity Fair" approached various famous men to detail their requirements for 'the Ideal Woman'. They were perhaps unaware that this was probably the worst possible time to broach this subject with Chaplin, who contribution, they felt, 'strikes a rather acid note at times, for one so versed in the poignancy of simple sorrow'. One can hardly wonder at it, but his response was as follows:

1. When in my company, she never admires the other men.
2. If I am obliged to leave her in order to keep another engagement, her disappointment is always keen enough to be flattering to me, but never quite keen enough to keep me from going where I am going.
3. Her diamond bracelets never need cleaning.
4. Her shoulders are never shiny.
5. She never takes advantage of a voluptuous situation to narrow her eyes.
6. She always reads all of the Sunday papers (the funny sheet first) but, having read them, she refolds them neatly and leaves them as they were.
7. She knows the words of no popular dance music, or, if she does, never sings them in my ear when dancing.
8. She uses only a faint eau de toilette during the day, but sprays herself plentifully with L'Heure Bleue upon retiring.
9. I am not exactly in love with her, but
10. She is entirely in love with me.; 4/28/11, 12:04 AM
Unknown said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/28/11, 12:22 AM
Palladian said...: "8. She uses only a faint eau de toilette during the day, but sprays herself plentifully with L'Heure Bleue upon retiring."

Wow, good taste, that Chaplin. I have a bottle of Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue dating from the 1930s that smells wonderful, but even the current stuff is sublime. Orange flowers between clove and dry violet, conjuring the wavering illusion of the smell of warm, nutty pastry and gum-balls, hinting forever of an imminent dessert, but never quite edible. A masterpiece.; 4/28/11, 12:27 AM
chickelit said...: @Palladian: How would you compare Creme Yvette and creme de violette? Discriminating tastes would like to know link.; 4/28/11, 12:44 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: Judas was one of the few who came over from Jesus' cousin, John. John had his own group of twelve disciples who could not understand why Jesus never intervened on John's behalf when John was arrested and imprisoned. John's group was split following the execution of John. Half went to Philadelphia (Turkey), the other half joined Jesus.

There were three main prevailing ideas concerning what the Jewish messiah would be like. The prevailing conceptualization was of a hero who would rid Israel of Roman rule. Judas held that view. He always thought Jesus should do more given his obvious abilities. In that he was regularly disappointed. Judas was the accountant for the group, holder of the purse, overseer of payments (lots of tents, equipment and so forth), receiver of donations, distributer of alms. In that role Judas was supremely honest and able. His most destructive personality flaw was vanity. Jesus would have known of all of this, his strengths as well as his weaknesses and what he was up to. Jesus did after all say directly into Judas' ear at the night of the last supper up there in Mark's parent's attic, "Go do what you must do." Terrified that Jesus saw right through him, Judas ran from the room. There was a mistake. The mistake made by the people who insisted on such a horrible and ignominious execution for the giver of life, one that the Romans learned from the Phoenicians, a particularly cruel race, a method of execution not performed on Roman citizens, one reserved for slaves.; 4/28/11, 12:55 AM
Palladian said...: "@Palladian: How would you compare Creme Yvette and creme de violette? Discriminating tastes would like to know"

Oooh! Funny you should mention the subject as I've recently returned to my several years-long project of composing a violet fragrance! Lots of species of violet flowers have a scent, but several stand out, the most important one being Viola odorata, the sweet violet. Being primarily a European plant, many Americans are unfamiliar with its scent (and flavor), but violet was once an extraordinarily popular class of perfumes and flavorings. Another species well known for its delicate scent is the so-called "Parma violet", or Viola alba, whose name often appears on violet-scented and flavored products.

Violet flowers themselves can theoretically be processed to create a natural violet flower absolute, but this has never been done on a large scale because it would be vastly expensive due to its low yield. The scent (and flavor) of violet is generally created using synthetic chemicals called ionones. These materials are present in many flowers but are much more cheaply produced by chemical synthesis. Even products made from violet flowers, such as the candied violets used decoratively in traditional desserts, are often enhanced by ionones.

The wonderful thing about violet scent, when it's done well, is that it's simultaneously sweet and floral and yet also dry and woody and iris/orris-root-like. To me violet is the scent of nostalgic melancholy, the naivety and sweetness of youth as perceived by the memory of someone who left youth behind long ago. To me, violets are the scent of the late 19th century and early 20th century, the odor equivalent of Brahms' piano intermezzi.

As for the liqueurs, I have actually tasted both Crème Yvette and Crème de Violette and as far as I can remember Crème Yvette (the example I tasted was very old, like a bottle from the 1960s) was much less of a straight violet flavor, more of a violet-tinged, vanillic crème de cassis. The Crème de Violette I have tasted (I don't remember the brand) was much more strongly a violet-flavored product, like a slightly dry tasting liquid version of violet candy like Choward's Violet gum. You could probably crudely replicate Crème Yvette by mixing a cassis liqueur with Crème de Violette, or even steeping a box or two of violet candy in a quantity of cassis liqueur.

I'm intrigued by Ron's suggestion of a violet cocktail. I think that a violet liqueur would nicely compliment the iris/orris root component of gin botanicals, especially a particularly orris-forward gin such as Bombay Dry.; 4/28/11, 1:22 AM
Beth said...: Hi, VB: nope, that's not me. I see it as a play on "lolita", perhaps.; 4/28/11, 1:29 AM
chickelit said...: @Palladian: You are a wealth of violet knowledge, and i bow to you...OMG, how could you have composed such a response so fast, if not from just pure knowledge?

You do know that the violet is the State flower of Wisconsin?

My own personal connection to these flavors is via my love for the cerulian-hued Aviation cocktail.; 4/28/11, 1:50 AM
MamaM said...: In the ancient script, the mention of an expensive perfume accompanies the story of Judas and the betrayal.

Here too, one comment apart.; 4/28/11, 1:59 AM
vbspurs said...: Dear Santa, Tooth Fairy, and Easter Bunny,

For my next birthday, can I ask you for 100 Palladians in exchange for all the blogtrolls on Althouse? Thank you so much, and all that.

Cheers,
Victoria; 4/28/11, 2:03 AM
vbspurs said...: I suppose Chaplin finally found the perfect woman in Oona O'Neill, his last wife, although I'd say Paulette Goddard's shoulders were the least shiny of them all.

Freeman, that was one of the best palette cleansers I've ever seen on this blog. Thanks!; 4/28/11, 2:08 AM
Palladian said...: "My own personal connection to these flavors is via my love for the cerulian-hued Aviation cocktail."

Indeed, a wonderful cocktail but, unfortunately, often done without the violet, which is essential.

Almost any cocktail with gin is good in my book. I'm polishing off my daily bottle as I write.; 4/28/11, 2:11 AM
Palladian said...: "For my next birthday, can I ask you for 100 Palladians in exchange for all the blogtrolls on Althouse? Thank you so much, and all that."

Dearest Victoria, I can be had quite cheaply, for little more than room and board, a bottle of gin and a lot of solitude.

Here's what violets sound like, to me... And last week, I drew in a medieval cloister, in the rain, and was inspired by the fading spring violets which cast their scent but a few inches before it was pelted into the dirt by the rain...; 4/28/11, 2:17 AM
chickelit said...: Almost any cocktail with gin is good in my book. I'm polishing off my daily bottle as I write.

A man after my heart... gin is also my favorite.; 4/28/11, 2:22 AM
vbspurs said...: Here's what violets sound like, to me

Chills! I am unwinding right now, before going to bed, coincidentally with a Glenn Gould mp3 (Mozart's K 331).

I drew in a medieval cloister, in the rain, and was inspired by the fading spring violets which cast their scent but a few inches before it was pelted into the dirt by the rain...

Divine...my fave so far, as I haven't finished yet, is Composition (Architectural Study). There's something of Chagall's lines in it, that I adore.

Good night, dear talented Palladian, everyone. Tomorrow is another day, should we be so fortunate to see it.

Cheers,
Victoria; 4/28/11, 2:23 AM
Palladian said...: "I am unwinding right now, before going to bed, coincidentally with a Glenn Gould mp3 (Mozart's K 331)."

Excellent. It's funny, most people hate Gould's Mozart, because it was a rare thing in classical music: satirical. Gould, generally, hated Mozart, and many of his renditions of Mozart's sonatas are anything but unwinding: played at breakneck speed (generally ignoring Mozart's tempi and dynamic indications) with a harsh and belittling articulation. The sonatas that Gould liked are played wonderfully, such as his K. 284 in D major... but the ones he hated, such as K. 545, are played so angrily and hatefully and spitefully as to be hilarious and anything but pleasant. I quite like his K. 331, however, and unlike most pianists he actually plays the Rondo, "Alla Turca" at what I consider a proper tempo for Mozart's indicated "allegretto".

Anyway, for those of you who think you know Gould's playing, do listen to his recordings of the Brahms Intermezzi for a complete surprise.; 4/28/11, 2:51 AM
KCFleming said...: I'd bow to Palladian, but that's be pointless.

And Freeman is discovering the wonder of silent films, a favorite of mine that I rarely mention, as few share the fascination.; 4/28/11, 7:12 AM
Simon said...: edutcher said...
"Someone once described the Mass, particularly the old, Latin Mass as some of the greatest show biz in history. He wasn't being nasty, just trying to give non-Catholics an insight into it's power to captivate."

My first experience of the latin Mass as captivating--it was difficult, austere, hard to follow. But there's something about it that makes you want to go back for more, and as you get comfortable with the language and structure, it becomes very rewarding, I think. The core of the Mass existed by the second century, the essentials of its ordo were intact by the fifth century, see Jungman, The Mass of the Roman Rite 44 (rev. ed. 1959), and attending a TLM gives a strong feeling of being fully in the tradition of Christian liturgy, that you are doing (although this is actually a serious overstatement) what has been done always and everywhere. I'm not a critic of the novus ordo, but it doesn't have the same feeling of continuity, universality, and rich austerity.; 4/28/11, 7:33 AM
Simon said...: Just to add an image to my comment above: the best way to envision tradition, it seems to me, is as a mighty river, created by the aggregation of enormous numbers of individual drops over time. The novus ordo has the feeling of an anabrach: same water, but somehow more restricted, somehow out of the mainstream. The thing about tradition is that it's always apparent when someone meddles too much; tradition doesn't exclude development and decision, but when one person or generation takes it upon themselves to change too much, there are telltale signs; the river starts to look like a canal.

And that, of course, is the great threat of liberalism. They don't like the river; they don't like being on the water, they don't like where the water came from, they don't like where the water's been, they don't accept the notion that the river ought to exist (still less carry anyone, least of all them), and so they try to divert it here and there, but ultimately their goal is to dam it up completely and walk.; 4/28/11, 7:56 AM
KCFleming said...: Well said, Simon.; 4/28/11, 7:57 AM
Paddy O said...: Freeman, glad to know you're not in the area being hit the hardest.

I have friends on Facebook who were posting from their basement last night, and one of them, this morning, posted that a work colleague of his had 3 family members die when a tree fell on their house last night. So tragic.

It's all so weird to me too. We live in such a small world these days. Here in SoCal the weather is simply ideal -- sunny and warm, but not too warm. Yet, friends are dealing with extraordinary awful weather that's causing major tragedy and upheaval. And we find out instantaneously, so we're caught in the midst of two almost entirely opposing moods. That's a weird emotional reality to be in, which is almost constant in this day and age. This isn't a new thought, but it is hitting me this morning.; 4/28/11, 8:15 AM
Simon said...: For those wondering what the fuss is about MM's dissident relatives, I suspect it's this. (Not saying that MM is a dissident, obviously, but it's pretty apparent that he knows one.) It's disgraceful what has happened up there, and Bp. Morlino has my support and prayers.; 4/28/11, 8:24 AM
Paddy O said...: You know the feeling when you go to a favorite restaurant or other spot, where you once met all these really interesting people and find it filled up with much less interesting people, who are irritating and boring?

You keep coming back to that place, both for the memories and because you like the food, but mostly because you hold onto this hope that maybe at some point the interesting, witty, intelligent folks will show up again, justifying the reason you started coming in the first place.

And maybe, just maybe, only the interesting, intelligent people will be there at the same time, without all the clutter of boors old and new. You don't dare hope too much this might happen. But a glimmer of hope does remain. You wander in and look around, hoping not to be disappointed again, hoping that just for a brief while, in some corner of the hangout, there's a consistently interesting conversation going on between interesting people.

This thread is the fulfillment of this hope. Thanks all.; 4/28/11, 8:31 AM
KCFleming said...: I'd trade those "pre-Vatican II" priests for my socialist priest any day.; 4/28/11, 8:45 AM
MadisonMan said...: MM, I'm afraid that I find that utterly pathetic, shallow, and faithless of her.

Matthew 7. Verses 1-2.; 4/28/11, 9:20 AM
Ralph L said...: Violets are #%@&#* weeds.; 4/28/11, 9:21 AM
Simon said...: Victoria, God save us from the heretics who (to judge from their behavior) believe their church (sic.) was founded when their lord and savior, Blessed John XXIII, convoked the Second Vatican Council in order to save us from our latin. He will come again in liturgical dance to judge our felt banners.

Oh, if Papa Roncalli could have foreseen the vinegar that would be manufactured from the grapes of his council! The vine was good and the grapes adequate, but his holiness would weep at what those vicious vintners would do with them. How telling that after years of being fed on vinegar, some of Bp. Morlino's flock can't stomach real wine. We have a long road ahead before the wounds of the postconciliar era—not the concil itself, mind you but the lies and damage done in its name by its faithless executors—are healed.; 4/28/11, 11:02 AM
MadisonMan said...: I see far more similarities between some Bishops and the Pharisees than I do between those Bishops and Christ.

It won't surprise you, I suspect, to know that my cynicism re: Politicians also extends to Bishops -- who, I suspect, must be very political to ascend to their office.

More secularly, think of the Bishops as the State Govt trying to maintain local control. (For Roman Catholics, the Federal Bureacracy is in the Vatican). Our parish has state taxes in the form of the Annual Diocesan Appeal. Such taxes maintain a bureacracy that may or may not be needed.; 4/28/11, 11:17 AM
Simon said...: MM, no one doubts that we have now, and have always had, our fair share of bad bishops. As I indicated upthread, so long as the ratio stays on the right side of one in twelve, I think we're doing okay by historic standards (although I question the characterization of Judas as a mistaken choice, which has dangerous implications if pursued). Nor am I surprised that people have become cynical about bishops; that's a natural development of bad bishops and mistakes by good bishops. When authority becomes institutional rather than personal, when chanceries become bureacracies, that's discouraging. And how can they have moral authority, people ask, when they covered up child abuse? (By which they really mean, since the vast majority of bishops did no such thing, how can we believe in the episcopal charism when it has obviously failed so many bishops?) Why won't they lead? (By which they really mean, since many bishops are leading, why won't they lead on the issues I care about?) And many of these criticisms hit home. Francis Cardinal George is the toast of the town today for finally dealing with Fr. Pfleger, but at risk of being a party pooper, I am told that Pfleger has been a problem for years, so why is Card. George only acting now, having been Pfleger's ordinary for fourteen years? Why have neither of Nancy Pelosi's bishops, Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco or Donald Cardinal Wuerl of Washington D.C., excommunicated her? Why does Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City continue to allow the heretical, schismatic fishwrap National Catholic Reporter to use the name "Catholic"? You see, it's not just the left who have gripes about some of our prelates.

But at the same time, other bishops have found their backbone. Yours is one of them. Bishop Olmstead of Arizona is, too. Archbishop Dolan is terrific, and hearts skipped a beat everywhere when Raymond Burke was made a cardinal. And there is a robust orthodoxy alive and well in the laity, particularly young members, many of whom, astonishingly, see through this faux watered down catholicism / "fortified anglicanism" peddled by the likes of NCR.

We have to realize that the Church has been through a rough period—most of it, it seems to me, traceable to the aftermath of Vatican II, when in a pre-globalcomms era, the council was seized on by modernist clerics and laymen as a vehicle, used not for what it said but as an event, warranting whatever fantasies and heresies the self-styled executor liked. I have been astonished at how often "the council" is brandished as a weapon against what the council said! It's going to take time, but she will recover. But it IS going to take time. Given time, and given a more balanced appreciation of the episcopal role and charism—which isn't to be right all the time, for pete's sake, or even to be saintly—things will recover. And part of that process of moving into the future is the recovery of something very old: The first two spiritual works of mercy. What is Bishop Morlino doing? Admonishing sinners and instructing the ignorant (heresy is a sin, and many heretics have been so poorly catechized that they don't even realize that they're heretics). Is that going to be painful for the folks who think they're right? Of course. No one likes to realize that they're wrong. But it has to be done, it's for their own good, and if they abandon the Church as a result, that simply proves the point that, again as Augustine said, some who seemed to be on the inside were actually on the outside all along.

By the by, several scholars have argued that while it's counterintuitive, Jesus was a pharisee.; 4/28/11, 12:06 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/28/11, 1:11 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: After reading Simon's link, I wish our churches had those "problems." (Except for 1a and D. I think those are legitimate problems everywhere. It is annoying and, I think, absurd when parishioners are to accept priests as infallible and as de facto competent financial planners. And 4 would really tick me off if I had a daughter.)

However, I am also in sympathy with MadisonMan's sentiments. There is the beauty and truth of tradition, but there is also the politics and pettiness of bureaucracy.; 4/28/11, 1:11 PM