blasterrataterragrata

“The few who understand the system will either be so interested in its profits or be so dependent upon its favours that there will be no opposition from that class, while on the other hand, the great body of people, mentally incapable of comprehending the tremendous advantage that capital derives from the system, will bear its burdens without complaint, and perhaps without even suspecting that the system is inimical to their interests.”
The Rothschild brothers of London writing to associates in New York, 1863.

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Have you noticed how so many young people in the service industry reflexively say "no problem" over and over again to a myriad of requests. Naturally when I hear somebody constantly telling me that there is no problem, I get to thinking maybe there is one...

I believe that this is a relatively new phenomenon and sign of a deeper disconnect. I think that the no problem reply is largely heard in situations where the recipient is old, that is, over 30.

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A lot of very nice well meaning people I know that I like very much are linking to me and endorsing me and doing all sorts of nice stuff for me on linked in. Thank you folks. I just don't see the purpose in the whole artificially "networked up" Linked In thing. Has anybody ever actually done anything constructive or make a profitable nexus there? Why does it seem like a total waste of time to me?

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Is there a woman in San Diego that has not had Bob Filner's hand on her tuchas? Please step forward.


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Ed sent me this quote from R.D. Laing:

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Frogs dig dudes that can multitask.

In a study of gray tree frogs, a team of University of Minnesota researchers discovered that females prefer males whose calls reflect the ability to multitask effectively.  In this species (Hyla chrysoscelis) males produce "trilled" mating calls that consist of a string of pulses.
Typical calls can range in duration from 20-40 pulses per call and occur between 5-15 calls per minute. Males face a trade-off between call duration and call rate, but females preferred calls that are longer and more frequent, which is no simple task.
The findings were published in August issue of Animal Behavior.
"It’s kind of like singing and dancing at the same time," says Jessica Ward, a postdoctoral researcher who is lead author for the study.

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Puffer fish in Japan are the mysterious artisans who create these beautiful underwater sculptures. Interesting concept, fellow sentient creatures creating art for the purpose of attraction.

From Decoded Science:

In what must feel like a herculean task, building the nest takes about 7 to 9 days and follows a strict plan, as if male pufferfish have detailed construction drawings. During the first few days, males use their fins to set up the basic shape of the nest. With ingenious and meticulous finning, they create an intricate pattern of ‘ups’ and ‘downs’, forming valleys and peaks on the outside of the nest. The central zone, in contrast, needs to be flat. For this, males swim frantically backwards and forwards in this area, to stir up the sand.
Not happy with the result, males often return to the outside area to perfect every single peak and valley, ensuring that they’re clearly defined and identical. The fact that they spend a few days doing this shows how important it is.

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29% of Republicans in Louisiana blame President Obama for the government's Katrina response. Only problem? He wasn't in Presidential office yet. In the words of Emily Litella, never mind.

Twenty-eight percent said they think former President George W. Bush, who was in office at the time, was more responsible for the poor federal response while 29 percent said Obama, who was still a freshman U.S. Senator when the storm battered the Gulf Coast in 2005, was more responsible. Nearly half of Louisiana Republicans — 44 percent — said they aren't sure who to blame.

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"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion"- Albert Camus

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If everybody is hip, is anybody hip? (me, calculating belly button piercings poolside at the trump)