Althouse: At the Graffiti Bridge Café...

November 3, 2010

At the Graffiti Bridge Café...

(Enlarge.)

... you can write anything you want.

50 comments:

chickelit said...: At first I wondered how the taggers did their work. Did they hang from the walkway? Did they stand in boats? Did they wade in shallow water?

On closer inspection I see that there are two bridges: an arched freestanding pedestrian bridge in front and a railroad bridge behind it.

Am I right?; 11/3/10, 11:06 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: O.K., I've got this blog, right,...; 11/3/10, 11:22 PM
Lucien said...: Althouse:

Two Questions:

1) How are your verification words for the site chosen? Sometimes they suggest real words. A contest to come up with definitions for them could be fun.

b) Do you ever save any of the posts that you decide to delete? One imagines that over a few years you could come up with some interesting compilations. (BTW have you heard of/tried "disemvoweling" offending posts?)(OK, that was a third question.); 11/3/10, 11:39 PM
Mumpsimus said...: Best election comment so far:

"...this is the moment when the rise of the oceans begins to accelerate and our planet begins to sicken."

Tom Maguire at MinuteMan; 11/3/10, 11:47 PM
Clyde said...: Chickelit says that there are two bridges in the picture, but there are actual four. Two of them are real, solid structures; the other two are merely reflections in the water of the real bridges.

Now, what happens if some people claim that the reflections in the water are the REAL bridges, and then try to walk across the river on them? Answer: They'll fall in the river and get swept away downstream.

For a long time in this country, we didn't have the crazy spending and debt that have accumulated over recent decades. We've had people from both major parties who have egregiously wasted our money on boondoggles and graft. It was bad when the Republicans held the Congress prior to 2007, and it has just accelerated since Obama came into office in 2009.

And then, some people stood up and said, "This is crazy! Stop the insane spending!" And the Congressmen sneered down at them in the town halls and said, "We'll do whatever we darn well please, peasants! We can walk on that bridge to nowhere in the water, after all. We're incumbents, you see, you can't get rid of us!"

Some of the water-walkers found out last night that their bridge wasn't real after all. And the rest of them had better get back on that REAL bridge if they don't want to get swept downstream in 2012. That REAL bridge? It's fiscal sanity.; 11/4/10, 12:21 AM
Clyde said...: You never know where curiosity and a search engine will lead you. I was curious about who the singer in the UPS "That's Logistics" commercial was, so I did a quick search and found out that her name is Nadia Ackerman. Not surprisingly, she seems to be based in New York. I watched this video for her song "The Circus Is Back In Town" and the opening sequence in her apartment brought on a strong sense of deja vu; it reminded me of my brother Karl's apartment in Manhattan, although she seems to have more of an affinity for purple than green. I'm guessing that he would probably recognize some of the locations.; 11/4/10, 1:38 AM
Sprezzatura said...: Althouse:

Two Questions:

1) Do you have high quality (aka elitist) pizza cutters?

2) How much wood can a woodchuck chuck?; 11/4/10, 2:14 AM
XWL said...: "... you can write anything you want."

Way too much freedom implicit with that statement. Folks might spew non state-sanctioned ideas.

It was notions such as that (aka 1st amendment), coupled with those evil court decisions gutting McCain-Feingold, that lead to all sorts of speech entering the airwaves and corrupting the minds of all those good people that had voted for Obama and other Democrats only 24 months prior.

Must be outside influences funded by foreign money laundered by chamber of commerce types that lead to the results we saw on Tuesday.

There's simply no other explanation possible, it's not like the electorate disliked all the wonderfully progressive progress President Obama prodded through Congress...; 11/4/10, 3:16 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Arizona (the one that signed the tough immigration law.. remember?) rewarded Gov Jan Brewer by sending her back for a complete four year term.

Thereis almost nothing about this.. and then what is there is by the Canadian Press.

I wonder why ;); 11/4/10, 4:28 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: So What Was Tuesday?

The truth is always the simplest explanation. Here it goes in simple language from the beginning: Obama was elected largely because of public furor over Bush/Iraq. The fawning media hid his socialist background. He ran as a centrist. The Wall Street meltdown wiped away the small McCain/Palin lead. Obama in his hubris took that flukish set of events and reinvented them into proof that he could deliver to the left a once-in-a-century EU-style socialist makeover of America. That effort polarized the country, stalled the recovery, and terrified the private sector into stasis. Obama, who was always himself given something (take your pick—Harvard admission, Harvard Law Review billet, Chicago Law School tenure offer, Noble Peace Prize, etc.) without requisite achievement, is thus stunned that the economy is not an animate Law dean whom he can hope and change into compliance. So naturally he is angry and has turned to almost everything in the past that worked: the race card, the get-out-the-minority vote card, the enemy Republican bad actors, the greedy rich takers, etc.. But now none of the old “them” bogeymen work; the more that tactic is tried, the more the economy stalls and the people get angry. It’s that simple. He can talk all he wishes, but until he offers fiscal responsibility, private sector encouragement, reassurance of adhering to singular American capitalism, and pro-jobs tax policies, he will continue more of these Orwellian, thinking-out-loud press conferences.; 11/4/10, 4:46 AM
Unknown said...: A bridge over tranquil waters?

Nice metaphor, Madame, and a beautiful pic, emblematic, I'm sure, of your desire to return to a more tranquil bloggy existence.

PS Lem, that VDH column is a very good summation.; 11/4/10, 6:13 AM
KCFleming said...: Thankfully, there appear to be no trolls under that bridge.; 11/4/10, 6:41 AM
KCFleming said...: Althouse is #1!!; 11/4/10, 7:27 AM
KCFleming said...: 14 million page views in a year? Yow.; 11/4/10, 7:28 AM
Bob_R said...: Surrender Dorothy; 11/4/10, 8:21 AM
Fred4Pres said...: I want to walk over that bridge.; 11/4/10, 8:33 AM
Paul Brinkley said...: Surrender Dorothy, indeed.

The Mormon Temple in Kensington, MD is one of the most well-known landmarks in DC, because of its visibility from the Beltway - indeed, some stretches of the Beltway line up with it exactly, as it winds back and forth.

Here's a picture of it as seen from the Beltway.

It was a matter of time before someone decided to spray paint SURRENDER DOROTHY on one of the bridges crossing the Beltway at that point. No one knows who did it. The Mormons had the MD State Police remove the graffiti. It kept coming back. To this day, that bridge is under constant vigilance.

wv: swosic - what the Wicked Witch gets a bad case of on the broom as she's swooshing up and down.; 11/4/10, 8:39 AM
Nihimon said...: You task me, Althouse. You task me. But I just can't quit you, even though I've tried; especially after you announced for Obama.

But I realized (again) after watching your diavlog with Matt Welch that you are just a wonderfully thoughtful person, with an obviously open and inquisitive mind.

I'm sorry for the snide things I've written here. And thanks for writing a great blog.; 11/4/10, 8:48 AM
Misty said...: Reminds me of Lennon's Wall in Prague's Mala Strana district. And yes, it's Lennon as in John, not Lenin as in Vladimir, and it's called the Imagine Wall. I was surprised to see it there, but on the other hand these were an oppressed people for so long. Nice photo, btw.; 11/4/10, 8:51 AM
q12345q6789 said...: 1. Congrats on the rankings.
2. Reminded me of my hometown's (locally famous) "Graffiti Bridge" in Pensacola FL.

http://www.pensapedia.com/wiki/17th_Avenue_railroad_trestle; 11/4/10, 8:56 AM
former law student said...: With no demand for his engineering talent in America, my cousin, laid off last year, is accepting a job offer in Germany. That is the place our grandfather left almost a century ago for a better life.

Reverse braindrain, anyone?; 11/4/10, 9:06 AM
The Dude said...: The "free speech tunnel" at NC state is being blocked today by some who oppose what was spray painted there. Hate speech, they call it. Well alrighty then...

WV: mesti - political correctness sometimes gets mesti.; 11/4/10, 9:06 AM
MadisonMan said...: You task me, Althouse. You task me.

Chase her around the moons of Nibia, it might help.

But whatever you do, don't go into the Mutara nebula unless you can think three-dimensionally.; 11/4/10, 9:09 AM
KCFleming said...: "Reverse braindrain, anyone?"

Heckuva job, Barry!

I may come to a similar choice within the next two years, should Obamacare unfold as predicted.; 11/4/10, 9:21 AM
jungatheart said...: Where would you go, Pogo?; 11/4/10, 9:31 AM
lemondog said...: Forbes The Most Powerful People on Earth 2010

There are 6.8 billion people on the planet. These are the 68 who matter.

And #1 is.....; 11/4/10, 9:33 AM
KCFleming said...: Layoffs at South Bend, Ind. hospital blamed on Obamacare.

"With St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate still sitting above 10 percent, things could be getting worse thanks to cuts at Memorial Hospital. Those cuts began back in June and hospital leaders say there's no end in sight.

While hospital leaders admit the economy sparked this problem, it says the Obama Health Care Reform Act gave the hospital a one-two punch. While more people may soon get more health coverage, Obama’s plan cuts reimbursement dollars for hospitals at a time administrators say they could use them most.

"Health care reform in its current state has already started to cut reimbursement rates to hospitals across the region and the country and we expect that reality to get worse moving forward."

It’s a catch 22; increased health insurance at the cost of hospital staffing."; 11/4/10, 9:34 AM
KCFleming said...: deborah said...
Where would you go, Pogo?"

Imagine there's no countries.
It isn't hard to do.

Obamacare turns it all into a wage question alone. And wages here will fall considerably. Not so in other nations.

I'm not making some kind of threat, just saying out loud what I need to be prepared to do, to steel myself for something I dread. My anscestors did the same thing 160 years ago. I can, too.; 11/4/10, 9:38 AM
former law student said...: Obama’s plan cuts reimbursement dollars for hospitals at a time administrators say they could use them most.

If I understood the article correctly, the Obama administration is cutting entitlement spending.

And the response of conservatives is not praise?; 11/4/10, 9:43 AM
KCFleming said...: They will have cut spending in one area, but increased total costs.

They did not cut the administrative demands or fixed costs for the hospitals, just what they will pay for services.

the only rational response is to lay off staff and increase waiting times. Just like in England.; 11/4/10, 9:53 AM
AllenS said...: fls,

It's one thing to cut entitlement spending, it's another thing to not cut entitlement. That's the problem.; 11/4/10, 9:53 AM
KCFleming said...: Thomas Sowell said it better:

"Politicians may talk about "bringing down the cost of medical care," but they seldom even attempt to bring down the costs. What they bring down is the price — which is to say, they refuse to pay the costs.

Anybody can refuse to pay any cost. But don't be surprised if you get less when you pay less."; 11/4/10, 10:04 AM
The Dude said...: Liberals huff unicorn farts - you have to make allowances for their altered state.

When your ancestors came here 160 years ago, Pogo, there was still frontier.

When mine came here nearly 350 years ago, the continent was almost all frontier. Save for some frozen wastelands, mostly in socialist countries, there is no more frontier. Can't light out for the territories these days. Perhaps it is time to buy a few acres of woods and retire to the life of a country gentleman/retired old dude/whatever.; 11/4/10, 10:08 AM
former law student said...: Pogo -- there's still the Outback.

But Australia has become a wussy country, publicly apologizing to the aborigines once a year, declaring a simple pump gun to be a banned "assault weapon," and permitting ownership of a .22 rifle only after an exhaustive vetting process.; 11/4/10, 10:25 AM
former law student said...: Anybody can refuse to pay any cost. But don't be surprised if you get less when you pay less.

Every other field of human endeavor has had to drive costs down. Get more efficient, or get out of the business.; 11/4/10, 10:27 AM
AllenS said...: Get more efficient, or get out of the business. = red pill, or blue pill?; 11/4/10, 10:28 AM
KCFleming said...: "Every other field of human endeavor has had to drive costs down. Get more efficient, or get out of the business."

No shit. But you didn't read correctly. The gubmint isn't addressing costs at all, just price.

So the way the hospital in Indiana responded was to cut staff. Leaner to be sure. More such cuts and they will indeed "get out of the business".

Who will take their place, I wonder?

One of the possible answers is No one. Health care has enormously expensive barriers to entry. Good luck with that understanding of economics, fls.

Don't get sick, is Uncle Barry's plan, for he shares your ignorance.; 11/4/10, 10:38 AM
former law student said...: No shit. But you didn't read correctly. The gubmint isn't addressing costs at all, just price.

The government is WalMart, and the South Bend hospital is a supplier. WalMart dictates prices to its suppliers, who must find a way to cut costs.; 11/4/10, 10:42 AM
former law student said...: Conservatives love WalMart (Clarence Thomas boondocks in their parking lots, right?) and don't feel bad when mom and pop retailers must close their doors.

The future of mom and pop medicine is limited in this country.; 11/4/10, 10:44 AM
KCFleming said...: Wal-Mart's supply chain management of low-cost low-end items is classic capitalism, although focused on one market segment.

The Ace hardware chain actually did quite well in competition with Home Depot and Wal-Mart, because they offered service for their higher prices.

but when the gubmint dictates all prices, no choices are allowed. No competition will exist at all, just crony capitalism, i.e., fascism.; 11/4/10, 10:58 AM
Nihimon said...: But whatever you do, don't go into the Mutara nebula unless you can think three-dimensionally.

I don't think I'll scream "Aaaaaaannnnnn!" either...; 11/4/10, 11:19 AM
Anonymous said...: I look at the picture and wait for some Chip Ahoy animation.

Just read that it took Lisa Murkowski five attempts to pass the Alaska bar exam. Five.; 11/4/10, 2:19 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: ...and she only managed to pass that last time because she was allowed to bring in a piece of paper with the correct spelling of her name.; 11/4/10, 2:56 PM
Michael said...: I once spoke with an old woman on a rural road on Kauai. I wanted to buy her property and was sucking up to her and began by saying it was too bad there was a new WalMart on the island because it was clearly destroying the character of the place. She looked at me like I was crazy. Then she went into a speech about all the things she could now get locally that before she had to get from Honolulu or the mainland. Conservatives and customers like WalMart. Hippie shit liberals think it very uncool. It doesn't bother them that the "local" stores that "got put out of business" gouged the locals for decades.; 11/4/10, 3:06 PM
former law student said...: Conservatives and customers like WalMart.

Then you'll love the discount, no frills approach to health care.; 11/4/10, 3:08 PM
Synova said...: "But Australia has become a wussy country, publicly apologizing to the aborigines once a year, declaring a simple pump gun to be a banned "assault weapon," and permitting ownership of a .22 rifle only after an exhaustive vetting process."

I'd heard the claim from an independent film maker in Australia that it's not just guns, it's anything that looks like a gun, requiring impossible-to-get permits for replica prop weapons. It was insane.; 11/4/10, 4:02 PM
Penny said...: "Every other field of human endeavor has had to drive costs down. Get more efficient, or get out of the business."

Hospitals, on the other hand, often have a captive audience, and a government that has been subsidizing payment for people who use a hospital like it's a bus stop giving free rides anywhere you want to go around their little "town". The poor, the uninsured the ever expanding Medicare crowd, not to mention the benefit rich public employee union workers, have no qualms about lining up in waiting rooms to get on the free bus.

True emergency or visits "just to be sure"? Behavior is one and the same if there are no, to low, associated costs.

And hospitals LOVED this. So much so, that they are about as efficient and cost conscious as your state and federal government.

So Mr. Sowell? I am pleased that the government is bringing down their reimbursements, FINALLY! Now let's see how well hospitals respond to the pressures that private industry has had to deal with...well...as far back as I can remember.

Oh, and Mr. Hospital Administrator? This is America, where the paying customer is STILL King. If you doubt that, expect to see a new hospital just down the road...and sooner than you think.; 11/4/10, 5:39 PM
kentuckyliz said...: Damn hippies.; 11/4/10, 8:50 PM
Michael said...: No, FLS, I will not like Obamacare and to conflate that with WalMart and its variety of quality items at decent prices makes clear, again, that you do not know what you are talking about. This is not a topic that permits cutting and pasting from wiki or goodjobsfirst to substitute for thought.; 11/5/10, 9:49 AM