Althouse: At the Thursday Café...

February 11, 2010

At the Thursday Café...

... get into your end-of-the-week attitude.

72 comments:

Synova said...: These pictures of orchids are making me crazy. I'm going to have to start buying plants. There are lots of mail order places that will ship them. Unfortunately I don't have any good place for them at all. No good light and no way to get decent humidity.; 2/11/10, 1:13 PM
BJM said...: Clowning up the front row pretty much sums up my week thus far. How about yours?; 2/11/10, 1:17 PM
HKatz said...: That's not a flower, it's a grumpy exotic bird.; 2/11/10, 1:28 PM
Unknown said...: A nice, long Valentine's weekend away someplace? Have fun, you crazy kids.

A little less than a week and The Blonde's cast is removed. That and the fact that things will be warming up soon will make the slings and arrows of last week a little easier to bear.; 2/11/10, 1:36 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: That's not a flower, it's a grumpy exotic bird.

I know what Eve Ensler would say it looks like.; 2/11/10, 1:47 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: @6:51 ...I think its one of the greatest achievements of this administration.

Joe Biden taking credit for "achievements" in Iraq is like Al Gore taking credit for the Internet.; 2/11/10, 2:00 PM
kentuckyliz said...: I had a weekend in the middle of my week. Work was closed yesterday and today. If I have to work tomorrow, it will feel like a Monday and a Friday all at once.; 2/11/10, 2:11 PM
traditionalguy said...: The saving of Iraq from Al Qaeda is a long-term victory won by the USMC in several major campaigns that convinced the Sunni Sheiks that they could trust us, and then they turned against the Al Qaeda thugs. If the Democrats in DC had their way in 2006, the Al Qaeda would be ruling half of Iraq today, all of the Druz would be dead and Iran would ruling the other half of Iraq. Biden is a pathetic liar.; 2/11/10, 2:17 PM
Irene said...: Does anyone still feel like a good laugh?; 2/11/10, 2:24 PM
Lynne said...: These pictures of orchids are making me crazy. I'm going to have to start buying plants. There are lots of mail order places that will ship them. Unfortunately I don't have any good place for them at all. No good light and no way to get decent humidity.

I knew a girl who said she raised orchids in her tiny apartment by keeping them on top of the fridge, next to the stove. She said the steam and warmth of her cooking made a nice habitat for them and they loved it up there. (You might try adding a grow light if it's a bit dark.) I also listened to an orchid expert a while back who said orchids were much tougher than people think.

(Did you see that html I used up there? Did ya? I'm learning!); 2/11/10, 2:47 PM
XWL said...: Frankly, the orchids Althouse has been snapping have been disappointingly unvaginal in appearance (in my opinion).

Have they been cultivating less vaginal looking flowers since O'Keefe's day, or was O'Keefe being highly selective in the flowers she painted?

(alternately, was O'Keefe really just painting lady parts, and adding a few colorful touches to make people think she was actually painting flowers?); 2/11/10, 2:49 PM
Synova said...: My baby sister had a baby boy yesterday. :-D

A red head!

Now my kids have seven boy cousins and one girl cousin.; 2/11/10, 2:49 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: (Did you see that html I used up there? Did ya? I'm learning!)

Here are some more Lynne.

Keep up the good work.; 2/11/10, 2:54 PM
Unknown said...: traditionalguy said...

The saving of Iraq from Al Qaeda is a long-term victory won by the USMC in several major campaigns that convinced the Sunni Sheiks that they could trust us, and then they turned against the Al Qaeda thugs. If the Democrats in DC had their way in 2006, the Al Qaeda would be ruling half of Iraq today, all of the Druz would be dead and Iran would ruling the other half of Iraq. Biden is a pathetic liar.

Granted, Fallujah was the jarheads' fight, but I believe the United States Army bore the brunt of the fighting and the work.; 2/11/10, 2:54 PM
Synova said...: "I also listened to an orchid expert a while back who said orchids were much tougher than people think."

The plants really are very tough to kill. I've managed to kill quite a few, though, since our move to New Mexico. It's a little harder to get them to bloom.

I'm going to see if I can find any pictures to stick on my blog.

Nice HTML ;-); 2/11/10, 2:54 PM
Anonymous said...: "My baby sister had a baby boy yesterday. :-D A red head!"

YAY!

WV: lotlicar: I'm not sure how to describe it, but I do want to drive one.; 2/11/10, 2:59 PM
ALP said...: I would LOVE to see this photo with the ceiling background replaced with a solid color!; 2/11/10, 3:03 PM
Synova said...: A couple of my orchids I haven't killed yet. :-); 2/11/10, 3:12 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Looks like Big Bird when he is old and wrinkled. But, in fact, the Muppets don't get any older do they?

And congrats to Synova's sister!

wv = nonshi = short for the nonsensical shit Alpha writes here; 2/11/10, 3:13 PM
Anonymous said...: Oh those orchids are just scrumptious on a frozen Thursday afternoon.; 2/11/10, 3:15 PM
Unknown said...: Redheads are always exciting!; 2/11/10, 4:02 PM
TMink said...: I have had two slow days in a row, but things pick up as I go drink beer and smoke cigars with my friends tonight. It is a monthly gathering, and well looked forward to.

I hear that they have new, multiple beer taps at the watering hole too! That will be a nice upgrade. What cigars to get? I think a couple of La Gloria Cubanas will do.

Trey; 2/11/10, 4:26 PM
traditionalguy said...: Edutcher...You are correct that the Army did lots of fighting outside of Fallujah, and it all counted. But the Al Qaeda in Iraq will never forget Fallujah one and two.; 2/11/10, 4:35 PM
kentuckyliz said...: That orchid in the foreground looks like an angry bird.; 2/11/10, 4:35 PM
Hazy Dave said...: @XWL: Maybe you should check out this new mouse design (via gizmodo).; 2/11/10, 4:36 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: I concur with HKatz. Ostrich orchid hat fashion show.; 2/11/10, 4:38 PM
ricpic said...: The Jack-In-A-Box orchid
Would scare the other flowers,
Shouting "Here I am, rash red!"
Startling the slumbrous bowers.; 2/11/10, 4:52 PM
AllenS said...: Updated Former President Bill Clinton was taken to a New York hospital today after experiencing chest pains, and underwent a heart procedure, his office said.

Earlier today, I said:

I'm sure everybody has watched the Haiti relief commercial that former POTUSs George Bush and Bill Clinton have done. How did Clinton become so pink? Check it out next time it's on.

2/11/10 9:25 AM; 2/11/10, 4:57 PM
Sarah from VA said...: My grandmother used to keep orchards. She had a special little greenhouse for them right off her garden. Her children have picked up the job of caring for them after she died, and they still show off all the work she did gathering/propagating/growing them. I can't ever see an orchid without thinking of her.

(Other things that make me think of her: fruit leather, apricot trees, and the nursery rhyme about an old man taken by the left leg and thrown down the stairs. She was always threatening to throw us down the stairs.); 2/11/10, 5:09 PM
ricpic said...: A Jack-In-The-Box orchid
Popped up amidst the flowers,
Shouting "Here I am, rash red!"
Startling the slumbrous bowers.; 2/11/10, 5:11 PM
Trooper York said...: I hope President Clinton is allright. I may not agree with his politics but I wish him the best.

You can say a lot about him, but he was always real.

Get well dude.; 2/11/10, 5:13 PM
ricpic said...: And we're supposed to care about the health of the former head rapist?; 2/11/10, 5:13 PM
Trooper York said...: Well I didn't like him much as President and voted against him but he was a hell of lot better than what we have now.

It's little enough to wish him well when he is feeling poorly.

Plus his contributions keeps one of my favorite strip clubs open and I don't want to belittle that you know.; 2/11/10, 5:16 PM
AllenS said...: Trooper,

Give a shout out to Titus and Ritmo

Good time for a trifecta.; 2/11/10, 5:21 PM
knox said...: disappointingly unvaginal

LOL; 2/11/10, 5:42 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Ditto On President Clinton.

I hope he gets well soon.

(ps.. we don't need to be told to be respectful do we.. ie tit-for-tat Rush's chest pains?); 2/11/10, 5:50 PM
Trooper York said...: AllenS buddy, what's the problem man?

Did I do something to piss you off? Cause if I did I appolgize.; 2/11/10, 6:03 PM
Beth said...: Yay for Synova's red-headed nephew.

We have a cold snap - rainy sleet all night, forcing parade cancellations. More importantly, how to keep my orchids warm. I have them in a little covered shelf on the porch, with a gro-light and a blanket. I hope that works.

Synova, orchids sometimes bloom after a change in temperature. Mine always do so after a little drop, maybe 15 degrees or so, in the early fall.; 2/11/10, 6:07 PM
Beth said...: My weekend spirit started early. 800,000 fans turned out Tuesday for a parade to celebrate the Saints - that's a lot of people all crammed into a few miles of downtown. The city planned the parade the day after they beat the Vikings, so win or lose at the Superbowl, we would have been there cheering. Ten floats carried the team members, interspersed with marching bands. Two fighter jets led off with a flyover. That was awesome-they were so low my body vibrated and I thought, "damn. I'm glad those are ours."

People came in from all over - so many people who are dispersed by Katrina came back home to watch the Superbowl with friends and family, and stayed for the parade. People from Alabama and Mississippi also drove in, long-time fans of this regional favorite. The floats were borrowed from other krewes and offered a little humor: our ball-stealing secondary rode on a pirate-themed float, while the kickers rode in a giant red, sequined pump, from the women's krewe of Muses.

Tomorrow night I'll see a couple of my favorite parades but I plan to take it easy for the rest of Carnival.; 2/11/10, 6:16 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: ..he was a hell of lot better than what we have now.

The projection, even by Obamas own numbers is that the Clinton era saw the last time the US guvment had a balanced budget.; 2/11/10, 6:18 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: The event will be on PBS tomorrow night, February 11 at 8 p.m. ET.

I'm going to go ahead and tune in just in case we get a quiz.; 2/11/10, 6:43 PM
LonewackoDotCom said...: Here's a question: would it have been completely impossible for someone inside the government to have known about 9/11 and done nothing or to have taken steps to bring it about?

If you said it would have been completely impossible, you're insane.

If you said it would have been possible (with some degree of probability from extremely small to extremely large), congratulations: according to our wonderful commentariat you're a Troofer.; 2/11/10, 6:44 PM
Synova said...: What are you talking about wacko?

If it's the lady who said that "very good questions have been raised" then she foolishly channeled Rosie O'Donnel and every other moronic Truther who thinks that "asking questions" one refuses to answer is the epitome of deep thought, then yeah, she's in Truther territory.

You skirt it, too, with the "but it's not IMPOSSIBLE" standard.

Well, no, it's not IMPOSSIBLE that Obama is an alien from Ceti Four.

Just prove he's not.; 2/11/10, 7:02 PM
Anonymous said...: I just smoked some weed in the hope that I could look at that orchid picture and it would start talking to me. But, sadly no, it didn't work.

The spread-wide-pussy orchid from the other day was waaaaay better. Trust me, I sell porn for a living and I know good stuff when I see it.

PALIN FOR EMPEROR!; 2/11/10, 7:10 PM
Unknown said...: Synova said...

What are you talking about wacko?

If it's the lady who said that "very good questions have been raised" then she foolishly channeled Rosie O'Donnel and every other moronic Truther who thinks that "asking questions" one refuses to answer is the epitome of deep thought, then yeah, she's in Truther territory.

If wacko is channeling anybody, it's probably Adm. Charles Theobald, commander of the North Pacific Area during the Aleutian campaign in WWII and Husband Kimmel's chief defender. He was the one who started the "Roosevelt knew" business. He was once described as "having one of the best brains and worst dispositions in the Navy".

Truthing goes way back before 9/11.

As for Willie, I said in answer to AllenS in another thread, it sounds like the life he led is catching up with him. If you look at his recent appearances, even though he dropped some weight (perhaps because of it), he doesn't look at all well.

I have to disagree with those who say he would be better than The Zero. Take a long, hard look at the first two and last two years of his administration and see if they look familiar.; 2/11/10, 7:11 PM
traditionalguy said...: Lonewaacko...What about the Pearl Harbor attack? The pure stupidity of every person in the FDR Administration and in the Armed forces for the three months from FDR's oil embargo on Tojo up to the moment the Arizona blew up was incomprehensible. (Except for the skipper of the USS Ward). People are just not as alert and focused on dangers as we like to imagine. Did the FDR guys get what they wanted to get the War with Germany kick started? Yes. Did they plan and execute Pearl Harbor? No way. Did the Japs make a world class blunder by their sneak attack on a sleeping Scots-Irish population ? Yes, the worst blunder in world history. Incidentally who got themselves a brand new U-235 fission device today? What us worry?, says Alfred E Obama.; 2/11/10, 7:20 PM
Mark said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/11/10, 7:23 PM
Mark said...: Okay, I'm looking for an Obama fan to explain to me why this isn't an outrage:

Feds push for tracking cell phones

The technique to capture the robbers in the case looks reasonable, and I'm sure reasonable arguments could have been made in support. Then you get to how the Obama administration has argued it case, and suddenly it doesn't:

In that case, the Obama administration has argued that warrantless tracking is permitted because Americans enjoy no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in their--or at least their cell phones'--whereabouts. U.S. Department of Justice lawyers say that "a customer's Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when the phone company reveals to the government its own records" that show where a mobile device placed and received calls.

No reasonable expectation of privacy in their location.

That's hope and change for you.; 2/11/10, 7:27 PM
Anonymous said...: It just got back to normal around here in the western 'burbs of Philadelphia after the big blizzard, we lost power yesterday around 1 pm, and it came back on today at 4 pm. Many branches and trees down, but it seems like all will be well soon.

Two days off from work, and no ability to work at home, though, so I've got a lot to catch up on.; 2/11/10, 7:37 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/11/10, 7:44 PM
Anonymous said...: Wow. Just heard the news about Clinton. Terrible. May he rest in peace.

I will list some of the things I remember most about the Great Willie:

I remember 1992 when Clinton, just one month into his presidency, made that fateful trip to Berlin, where he demanded to the Soviets: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear this wall down!".

I remember 1995 when Clinton invaded Iraq and removed Saddam Hussein from power, installed a peaceful democratic government, and provided for the flourishing progress of the country for ten years (until W came in and ruined it!).

I remember 1998 when Clinton challenged Obsama bin Laden to single combat, only to see that slimy raghead turn and run away when he knew he was beaten.

I remember 1994 when Clinton, moonlighting from his job as President, started Netscape Communications, leading to the great Internet revolution.

So many great things to remember about Bill Clinton. He was such a great President.

Not the best, because he got a blowjob from an Intern while on duty, but still in the top tier.

Palin will be better tho'.

PALIN FOR EMPEROR!; 2/11/10, 7:46 PM
Cinderella said...: Wow, that's a beautiful photo.; 2/11/10, 7:48 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: A little premature Julius.

Clinton is not dead; 2/11/10, 7:56 PM
Trooper York said...: No he is not.

He is just dead to Hillary.; 2/11/10, 8:09 PM
Anonymous said...: @Lem-

A little premature Julius.

Oh, come on! Do you believe everything that you read in the P.C. liberal Leftist media? By posting that link here, you are just promulgating the Democratic push poll talking points!

Next thing you'll be telling us, Lem (you closet Marxist!), is that America is not actually the homeland of the Scot-Irish people.; 2/11/10, 8:11 PM
Anonymous said...: Sorry I forgot this in that last comment:

PALIN FOR EMPEROR!

Lem had me all riled up with his Leftist craziness and it slipped my mind. Apologies to our soon-to-be Lord and God.; 2/11/10, 8:14 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Ok.. you convinced me your smoking something ;); 2/11/10, 8:15 PM
MadisonMan said...: Congratulations on the new nephew Auntie Synova. I assume not Uncle based on your picture. Either way, I hope all goes well for the new kid.

wv: cheap; 2/11/10, 8:40 PM
MadisonMan said...: ..and Mark, that cell phone locating - and revealing - by Phone Companies is being done already. It does beg the question: Who owns that data? It's pretty clear to me that the cell phone provider does.

I have zero expectation of privacy with a cell phone. The transmitted signal is I believe encrypted, but I recall reading something last month that half the key has been decrypted. What one entity can encrypt, another can -- given time -- decrypt. Only a matter of time.; 2/11/10, 8:46 PM
JAL said...: Congrats to you sister and her family on their new addition.

Lyssalovelyredhead is biased. Ya think?

I have an orchid that finished blooming. Sigh. How many years do I have to wait?

I know from nothing about these things. They look nice and bloom forever ...

And those red ones of yours Synova are terrific!

edutcher -- hope your wife is up and chasing you around quickly!; 2/11/10, 8:54 PM
JAL said...: This afternoon's orchid looks like something out of Disney's Alice in Wonderland.; 2/11/10, 8:57 PM
Mark said...: MadisonMan, it's not the fact that the raw data is being released to the government (and here I'm assuming it's just the numbers and not things like names and SSNs), it's the Administration's line of defense.

I damn well do expect that I have some rights to privacy regarding where I am at any given time.

If my number is one of thousands on a list of numbers that is part of a set of lists being mined for links to a specific crime, that strikes me as well within what the government can and should do to solve and, better, prevent such crimes.

But if the government can do that kind of mining, with no legal limits on when or why they do that kind of mining, and have no limits on the depth of data they can search (again, names and SSNs) then nobody should make any calls from Tea Parties any more, now should they?; 2/11/10, 9:08 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: BLOOD IN THE WATER? Dem Official: Patrick Kennedy Not Seeking Re-election.
“The official spoke to The Associated Press only on the condition that his name not be used because he was not authorized to speak ahead of the official announcement. The decision by the eight-term congressman comes less than a month after a stunning Republican upset in the race for the Massachusetts Senate seat his late father, Edward Kennedy, held for almost half a century.”; 2/11/10, 9:28 PM
JAL said...: Hey Lynne -- unfortunately Lem's link included a bunch of stuff that doesn't work here. :-(

The main missing code is the stikeout one. Something many could use with great flair and good humor here.

You have to stick with the ones below the comment box, pretty much.

Except when you want to do a link.

Which you do like this: (a href="whatever the internet address is"=)Click Here to Read The Paper(/a)

All the parentheses above are really < >s instead of ( )s, but of course I can't put them in or it won't post.; 2/11/10, 9:53 PM
EnigmatiCore said...: "would it have been completely impossible for someone inside the government to have known about 9/11 and done nothing or to have taken steps to bring it about?"

Yes. Completely impossible.

Why don't you ask a tougher question?; 2/11/10, 10:01 PM
HKatz said...: Chip, the ostrich fashion show is pretty awesome :) Pretty and awesome.; 2/11/10, 10:05 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Hey Beth,
I heard since the Saints won the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras is next week, if you show up at Betty Ford Clinic and tell them you are from New Orleans you go to the head of the line and get treated for free.

Just thought you would like to know.; 2/11/10, 11:11 PM
Beth said...: Thanks, Peter. I'll pass that on, but I've been enjoying the pure high of the Superbowl win. We cracked open a few bottles of Veuve on Sunday, though, and it was gooood.; 2/12/10, 12:14 AM
Penny said...: Althouse, this orchid series has been exquisite. Why do I feel this might be the last of the bunch? Hope I am wrong.

Once again, Chip, you add value with your own special take...floral hats for the ostrich in your life. I can say with certainty, that if EYE had a hat like that, no way would I be sticking my head in the sand, thereby ruining it.; 2/12/10, 12:20 AM
Revenant said...: Here's a question: would it have been completely impossible for someone inside the government to have known about 9/11 and done nothing or to have taken steps to bring it about?

It isn't completely impossible that the World Trade Center is still standing, and the people around me are just conducting an elaborate practical joke at my expense.

But it would still be irrational to seriously entertain the possibility, at this point.; 2/12/10, 1:15 AM
Ralph L said...: That orchid in the foreground looks like an angry bird.
No, it's a Far Side dog smiling with his tongue out. It's also on a stick.

JAL, the second = in your link instructions shouldn't be there.; 2/12/10, 1:29 AM
JAL said...: Ralph L is right. Ditch the second =

I was doing it without doing it. (Sorry Lynne. Thanks Ralph.); 2/12/10, 9:11 AM

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