There's a couple things wrong with this story, but what the Hell.

It started like any other weekend.

"We dared him to do it and it seemed like a good idea after a few hours of drinking," said one friend.

"There was a loud crack and then he started to float away. We thought it was funny at first but then he started to scream for help."

...and THEN they started laughing so hard they could barely breathe, probably.

Men.

This might be a good thread for 'Stupidest thing I ever did while inebriated' stories.

You wanna?

Posted by: LauraW at 07:48 AM | Comments (124)
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Last night word spread that Senator John Cornyn was trying to recruit MSNBC's Joe Scarborough to run for the Senate from Florida.

This seemed like an unconscionable effort by Cornyn to double-down on his Charlie Crist over Marco Rubio stupidity. Now it appears the original story had the state wrong. It's not Florida but New York that Cornyn was talking to Scarborough about.

Brian Walsh, communications director of the community, said NRSC chairman John Cornyn had a "casual conversation" during the 2010 election cycle with Scarborough about the ex-congressman possibly running for a Senate seat -- but in New York.

That makes a lot more sense.

So other than the state and the election year, the originally story got everything right. Multiple layers of fact checking and all.

Added: Both NY Senators, Schumer (regular 6 yr term) and Gillibrand (a special election for the last 2 years of Hillary's! term) were on the ballot last November. Gillibrand will be on the ballot again in '12 for a full term. I'd actually love to see Scarbrorough challenger her (he's good for NY, terrible for Florida) but if he didn't run when she was a vulnerable first time statewide candidate, I doubt he'll run against her in a presidential year after she has 3 years under her belt. No, the Chuck and Kirsten show will play in NY for as long as they want.

Posted by: DrewM at 07:07 AM | Comments (77)
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What Hitler is currently being quoted as saying:

"We must close union offices, confiscate their money and put their leaders in prison. We must reduce workers salaries and take away their right to strike"
- Adolf Hitler, May 2, 1933

Soon after the NSDAP came to power in 1933, all trade unions and worker organizations were declared illegal and the DAF was setup in their place as the sole labour organization of the German Reich. The concept of the DAF was to ensure the political stability and smooth operations of all German industry and commerce. It was through the use of mass organization, much like all other NSDAP-era organizations, that labour was to be formed into a single militarized group where "...a certain amount of well supervised misery, combined with daily work begun with drums beating and ended with drums beating..." would be used to solidify the labour front of the German Nation.

Membership in the DAF was voluntary, but any person who was a worker in any area of German industry or commerce more-or-less was a member by default. Membership dues were given in the range of 15 Pfenning to 3 RM, depending on the catagory a member fell into in the large scale of 20 membership groups. A substantial amount of money was raised through dues, in 1934, the total intake was 300,000,000 RM.

The DAF was composed of two main areas, the Nationalsozialistische Betriebsorganization, or National Socialist Factory Organization (NSBO) and the Nationalsozialistische Handels und Gewerbeorganization, or Natational Socialist Trade and Industry Organization (NSHABO).

Another major part of the DAF was the KdF, or Kraft durch Freude - Strength through Joy. This organization, as a subset of the DAF, was tasked with providing activities such as trips, cruises, concerts, and cultural activities for the German workers. These events were specifically directed towards the working class and it was through the KdF that the NSDAP hoped to bring to the "common man" the pleasures once reserved only for the rich. By opening the door for the working class to easily and affordably take part in activities once reserved only for the rich, it was hoped that the labor force could be lulled into being more flexible and productive. One of the most famous aspects of this were the numerous trips and cruises provided by the huge fleet of ocean-going liners controled by the DAF/KdF, such ships as the Wilhelm Gustloff, Robert Ley, and many others. The Volkswagon was also a partial product of the DAF/KdF organization as well.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:50 AM | Comments (184)
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Friday.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 02:53 AM | Comments (389)
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Above the post update [rdbrewer]: Video from YouTube. For those of you who have been up, you have probably seen most of these scenes already. The footage of the big wave starts at about 2:10.

I want to underscore what they've been saying all night, that the Japanese prepare and drill for this kind of thing. Also, even though the epicenter was only 100km off the coast, the first places hit had about 30 minutes warning. They know because--according to the report I saw--there was a "trial run" a couple of days ago after a 7.2 magnitude quake struck in the same spot. The reason why there was that much warning is because the high speed one hears about (700-800 mph) is the speed of the wave in the open ocean. Near the shore, the waves slow down and pile up. So, again, the people closest to the epicenter had about 30 minutes warning. That doesn't sound like much, but the Japanese know what they're doing. So it might not be as bad as it seems.

Just unbelievable.

As of 3:35am EST, there have been 7 quakes (5.8-6.2) in the last hour, the last HOUR alone. And those are just aftershocks.

In the US...

Hawaii is under a tsunami warning and sirens are going off in Honolulu.

Here's time information for Hawaii and Pacific rim.

Alaska and mainland US are under various advisories or watches.

Starting to see reports that west coast is being bumped up to a Tsunami Warning.

If you are out that way, keep up with your local news for information and potential instructions. This isn't a joke guys. The tsunami(s) may not be as large by the time they get across the Pacific, water is powerful stuff. It doesn't take 12-15 feet waves to ruin your day.

Time information here.

Right now, parts of Japan have simply been devastated. There's no real handle on casualties yet but it's pretty clear those will be significant.

I fear this is going to be a common story.

@AlBoeNEWS: Japan Meteorological Agency: Town of Kurihara has been completely destroyed

If this is the same town (and judging by the map it's in the right area), the population is in the neighborhood of 77,000.

God help them all.

Update [rdbrewer]: Genghis sent this comprehensive list of media outlets in Japan.

Posted by: DrewM at 11:42 PM | Comments (401)
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This is about the worst case scenario. It's beyond catastrophic. Keep in mind, the images we are seeing are of very discreet areas where there just happen to be camera crews. Similar scenes are probably being repeated over dozens if not hundreds of miles of coastline. And that's just Japan. We still don't know about other areas across the Pacific and won't for hours.

Seeing estimates from 7.9 magnitude to 8.1. 8.9?

CNN says USG calls it an 8.8. That is about as bad as it gets.

REUTERS: 4 meter tsunami (about 13 feet) hits Japan.

HAWAII PREPARING:

Hawaii Civil Defense says if there's a wave, it will hit about 3am local time. it's 9:33pm now (2:33am eastern). Warning sirens going off in Honolulu, emergency ops center is open.

"We're looking at a potentially very serious event here," said city Department of Emergency Management spokesman John Cummings.

Pacific tsunami arrival times (if there is one in an area).

US West Cost under a tsunami watch, arrival times (if there is one).

Let's hope this is not what happens.

Japan update: Weather agency warns of tsunami as high as 10 feet hitting northeast - AP

Hawaii and much of the Pacific Rim is also under a Tsunami warning.

JMA issued a tsunami warning, saying a major tsunami could strike parts of the Pacific coast. A tsunami warning is also issued for Russia, the Marcus Islands and Northern Marianas. Meanwhile, tsunami watches have been issued for Guam, Wake Island, Taiwan, Yap, Philippines, Marshall Islands, Belau, Midway Island, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Kosrae, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, and Hawaii.

CNN is picking NHK TV from Japan showing a huge plume of black smoke in Tokyo but it's not clear if it's earthquake related or not.

CNN reporter on live says there an aftershock hitting right now (1:17am Eastern Standard Time).

Tsunami hits?

#Tsunami sinking trucks at port in Iwate-ken.

Not good: NHK TV showing a number of cars partially/fully underwater in what looks like a port or marina area.

Depth of quake 24k, CNN guy says that's not very deep.

This could be very, very bad.

Oh God...huge waves hitting somewhere in Japan. Live on CNN.

Via rdbrewer Google map for epicenter. CNN says it's 150 miles but tsunamis travel about 800kph.

Via Andy Levy, NHK internet stream.

Damage reports are showing up on Twitter from across Japan.

We have fires from quake reported as far south as Chiba, Tokyo and Yokohama.

Landslides and building collapses are being reported as well.

Two 6.4 aftershocks have been recorded as well.

Felt as far away as Beijing?

Posted by: DrewM at 09:10 PM | Comments (377)
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The genius who picked Charlie Crist over Marco Rubio is back to his old tricks in the Sunshine State.

Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), told The Hill on Thursday that he has talked to Scarborough a couple times about a Senate bid. And he indicated heÂ’s still working on persuading the MSNBC host to run for the upper chamber.

“I’d be delighted to talk to him a third time,” Cornyn said.

Fantastic, just what we need...to run one of the original No Labels gang. What? David Frum didn't return Cornyn's calls?

Here's Scarborough talking about his cross aisle outreach to his good friend...Maxine Waters.

Waters was considered one of the more extreme members by conservative groups. She certainly played to type in one memorable Judiciary hearing at which she suggested that all Republicans supporting a certain piece of legislation were racist.

It was too much for me to take.

After the committee broke for a floor vote, I walked over to the Los Angeles liberalÂ’s seat and began talking to her. Waters collected her papers and started walking toward the House floor. For the next 10 minutes, we exchanged tough words that neither of us really heard, but I kept following her. By the time we got on the floor to vote, she turned to me and a smile spread across her once stern face.

“You know what, Scarborough. You’re crazy!” Waters said as she turned and walked off.

I spent the next few months seeking her out on the House floor. I would hug her during important votes after she let me know it made her nervous.

“Stop, Scarborough! You’re going to hurt my reputation back home!” she would shout in mock horror. She would return the favor during votes in which conservatives would more likely be watching.

Ten years later, when I return to the House floor, there are few members of Congress I enjoy seeing more than Maxine Waters. The fact that our friendship began in a heated exchange makes it more special.

Waters slanders Republicans in public and Joey chats her up in private. Awww...Adorable.

Seriously, I think it's important not to let politics get in the way of personal relationships. Life is too short and politics isn't a major part of a healthy and full life. That said, when you're an elected member of Congress or you want to be a leader of your party, you can't let slurs like Waters' go with a shrug and a "Oh that Maxine. What a scamp!". You have to challenge people like Waters when they slander you and your supporters like that.

It's the same with guys like Orin Hatch and Ted Kennedy. It's fantastic they were such chums but it never stopped Kennedy from slandering Republicans and conservatives whenever he needed to. What good are guys like Hatch and Scarborough if they don't stand up for their supporters and make people like Kennedy and Waters pay a price for slandering them? That's not personal, that's business. Democrats know that, we don't need Republicans who don't.

Scarborough for Senate? Pass.

Posted by: DrewM at 06:28 PM | Comments (98)
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"Who is this tool? Where are Meat & Gangrene?"

Shhh. It'll be ok. I've been to this rodeo before. Just sit back, stick your head in the sand like a penguin, and think of England.

I don't know about the rest of you, but it seems like forever since we felt the cleansing purity of a flame war.

Maybe it's because there's just too damn much agreement on here.

My observation is that flame wars are usually lit in order to release tension. So if you want a flame war, you all need to raise the tension.

To that end, I propose the following experiment in ambiguity.

Your job, morons, is to make as many ambiguous comments about the following topics and each other as possible.

If there is room for plausible misinterpretation, revel in it. Roll in it like a dog would in a week-dead hippie. Dive in head first, and get streaked from stem to stern. You likely won't notice the added stench anyway.

Then get up and shake off that stank on as many hapless bystanders as possible.

Specificity of any sort and the explaining of any previous comments that does not add further ambiguity is highly discouraged. Although I imagine coming up with any guidelines that would register in any measurable way to this lot is an exercise in futility.

With that business taken care of, let's proceed to all the links that are fit for the ONT.

more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 06:06 PM | Comments (745)
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All too true, alas. We crouch in the middle of the highway like a terrified rabbit, watching the oncoming car in a deadly kind of paralysis: we know it's going to kill us if we don't move...but sill we don't move.

Pull quote:

s Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.), who served on the deficit commission and supported its recommendations, pointed out at a press conference this week, the United States has, historically, paid an average of 6 percent interest on its debt. It currently pays about 2 percent. If rates were to return simply to that historical average, it would involve an increase to our overall interest bill of $640 billion — to be paid immediately. “An impossible situation,” in Coburn’s words.

Doom! DOOM! DOOOOOOOOOOM! Flee! Run for your lives!

[EDIT]

President Obama is set to give a press-conference tomorrow to discuss oil prices. Either he's getting some disturbing vibes from the situation in Saudia Arabia, or he suddenly had another brainstorm on how high-speed rail will save us all.
more...

Posted by: Monty at 04:37 PM | Comments (217)
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As commenters say: Sizzle, winning, duh.

Posted by: Ace at 12:50 PM | Comments (426)
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