BellGab.com Archive

Quote from: albrecht on January 12, 2017, 06:38:29 PM
Yeah, let us know what he thinks. His job is probably more boring that the Hollywood-version of them, lots more data crunching than action, I'll bet.

I asked him about Dutch on Friday, and he said hadn't heard of him, but would check out his site. He's also going to ask his co-workers if they know about him. He did say that he hasn't seen anything recently that has him thinking about packing up and moving, so that's somewhat encouraging. Stay tuned.

Quote from: Penis mv on January 15, 2017, 05:34:38 PM
"Albrecht.  He....He gets it."

Even though I can't always decipher what he says, albrecht may be the most genuine, honest person on BG, and I respect him a great deal for that.

Quote from: Kidnostad3 on January 15, 2017, 05:38:08 PM
Fair enough.  Would you prefer Hilliary?  Trump is no one's idea of a model human being. Is it possible that he might do good things despite himself?  I like the people he has assembled for his cabinet.   I'm trying to put aside my long held doubts about him and withhold judgment until he is in office for a while.

Okay, if it makes everyone happy, I voted for Kodos and I feel no obligation to defend my decision to anyone.

Quote from: Yorkshire pud on January 15, 2017, 05:17:18 PM
I thought you were trolling, but you really have no comprehension of what anyone says. And then try to be clever with those who you disagree with.

Its okay, don't respond.

Yeah, but what about the queen? 

Quote from: PB the Deplorable on January 15, 2017, 05:06:03 PM
I'm pretty much with you on most of that. 

Job One was the defeat of Hilary Clinton.  He accomplished that, and in the process defeated the insufferable Republican DC Establishment.  He has the putrid Media and the rest of the real Deplorables in high distress.  He doesn't really have to do much else for the next four years to have been a successful presidency.

Control the border, end any Moslem refugee resettlement in the US, get the economy going again, cut damaging regulations, end the abuses of ObamaCare, put our foreign policy back on a sensible course, etc, etc, and he can't help but be very popular despite the flaws you reference.  This should all be a slam dunk compared to how his predecessor has operated.

Based on his Cabinet picks, I'm hoping he'll sort of stay out of the way and let them run things by committee while he flies around tweeting and making pointless comments that people will soon learn to ignore.

That's a pretty tall order for someone who blusters through life reflexively reacting to external stimuli with all the thought and careful consideration of a Komodo dragon.

Quote from: Dr. MD MD on January 15, 2017, 04:55:04 PM
So, because you and your leftist buddies find him distasteful we should believe this Russia story?! 

Believe whatever the hell you like. It's not my concern.

I don't get why so many people here automatically assume that dislike of DT equates with a full embrace of a far left or any other kind of agenda. I've disliked him for many years because he's a crass, misogynistic blowhard with no self-control who has no ethical or moral center, and whose only core beliefs are self-enrichment and self-aggrandizement by any means necessary. I truly believe he has never given a shit about another human being except maybe his kids. Feel free to believe what you like about my politics even though almost none of you know anything about me, but don't assume they have anything to do with the disgust and loathing I feel for the president-elect. That's strictly personal.

Quote from: SredniVashtar on January 15, 2017, 03:57:33 PM
Well, because you are able to ask that question, while every other creatures can't. A few hundred years ago it was considered a jolly good day out in France to watch a cat being slowly lowered over a fire in a cage, and watch it gradually burn  to death. There are all sorts of practices that die out because we gradually realise they are immoral. I think it's referred to as the expanding circle of empathy, that slowly widens over time. A lot of animal cruelty can be traced back directly to Descartes, who believed that animals were no more than machines who didn't feel pain.

Yeah, that insensitive bastard Descartes always put himself before the horse.

Quote from: albrecht on January 15, 2017, 11:28:47 AM
I had not seen that before. Hilarious! 

I thought you'd enjoy that. He wrote it for "National Lampoon" sometime in the seventies. And here he is with Jodie Foster on SNL in 1976. I just wish I could find the clip of his impression of Elvis with knitting needles jammed into his eyes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny837E635D0

For some reason, whenever Reader's Digest and "circus related apocalypse" are mentioned in the same thread,I'm always reminded of Lesson 3 in Hot to Write Good, by the late, occasionally great, and mostly forgotten, Michael O'Donoghue.

Some of the old timers here may also remember the author's impassioned impersonation on SNL of Elvis Presley after someone jammed knitting needles int his eyes. Or not, depending on how much damage they did to their memories at the time. Unfortunately, it's not available on YT.

http://www.workableweb.com/_pages/tips_how_to_write_good.htm

Quote from: albrecht on January 14, 2017, 10:46:43 PM
Whatever happened to that magazine. It was great for a bathroom or to kill time. The only places I've seen them for decades are places like lake houses, hunting camps, fish camp, etc and years, or decades old. The Reader's Digest "condensed book" also could be one of the original source of America's "dumbing down."

My parents had a subscription for three decades, and I considered it one of my minor guilty pleasures. In spite of its prudish editorial slant, it offered a lot of practical information like the "I Am Joe's Uvula and Other Body Parts Series," and I was a big fan of the humor sections, Word Power, and Personal Glimpses.

And since you mentioned the condensed books, I always get a kick out of the faux library rooms in mid-range hotels that are desperately trying to look classy that are mostly stocked with those.

Quote from: albrecht on January 14, 2017, 10:42:43 PM
Ha. It is BG, so no worries. Jeez, what a crazy world. Local news just came on: leading stories were "cop kill heavily armed man who left his barricade outside a church" and "Houston cop in trouble. What was thought to be an investigation into bestiality claims, it turns out to be much worse" and "cops are trying to figure out how a deadly shooting and another robbery are connected."

Okay, if all that happened after the Ringling Bros. Circus pulled stakes and folded the Big Top for the last time, I'm more inclined to consider that as a sign of an impending, yet to be determined, apocalypse than I was a few minutes ago in the Random Thoughts thread.

Quote from: Walks_At_Night on January 14, 2017, 09:57:27 PM
Ringling Bros. circus to close 'The Greatest Show on Earth' after 146 years

I have mixed feelings about circuses, and just hope this isn't a sign of some sort of apocalypse.

Quote from: albrecht on January 14, 2017, 09:19:52 PM

6) The propaedeutic function.

I got my mouth washed out with soap by my mom for saying that when I was eight, and then got smacked upside the head for being a smart aleck when I helpfully opined that according to Reader's Digest, it would pay her to increase her word power.

Quote from: PB the Deplorable on January 14, 2017, 08:40:47 PM
You're a pretty smart guy, but your grip on politics and deciphering the political world around you is, um, quite lacking.  It's not unusual for a bright person such as yourself to be completely unaware of their gaping blind spots. 

You're welcome.

You may want to be careful, because he's sensitive when "gaping" is used to describe any part of his anatomy. 

Quote from: PB the Deplorable on January 14, 2017, 08:16:01 PM
Wrong on both counts.

During Obama's term they began including those turned around at the border in the ''deported'' statistics.  This administration has actually deported very few.  If we had real journalists in MSM, this confusion would have been cleared up and this fact included more broadly in related news articles.

As far as Executive Orders, the content is what matters.  EOs are meant to give direction to agencies under existing law, to further define Acts of Congress that explicitly give some degree of discretionary power to the executive branch, the ability to deal with emergencies, with taking certain action during war, and in fine-tuning policy choices - that's mostly what other presidents have done.  They are not meant for decreeing new law - which is what Obama has used them to do. 

Obama has abused EOs far more than any other president.

I believe in limited presidential powers and have no use for signing statements or any other unilateral executive actions  no matter who is president. Some people, including Dick Cheney and some prominent FFs, endorse the theory of the powerful unitary executive, but others beg to disagree. Hope this isn't too nuanced for you. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitary_executive_theory

Quote from: Kidnostad3 on January 14, 2017, 02:38:14 PM
First of all the polls themselves.  Are you forgetting how wrong they were throughout the election cycle and how it was pointed out that the samplings were not representative and the questions were couched with a premise that was tantamount to a leading question.  Show me the detailed poll parameters and sampling data and I might change my mind. 

In using the word specious I am perhaps conflating the contents of the subject article with other articles I have read recently and my past experience with CNBC.  After reviewing the article I think a  a better term would be "polling designed with a result in mind."    If you buy that the polls are fair and accurrate fine but I still think they are bogus. 

As far as CNBCs reputation goes, are you really going to tell me that you have not heard utterances by CNBC commentators that lacked circumspection and left out important details. That is the definition of specious.   When I was watching CNBC such comments were made with such regularity as to make me suspect that there was an agenda behind them.  Nothing I've seen lately has changed my mind.

Where does that article mention polls? I think we're on different pages here. My initial and only point is that not many people consider CNBC to be a liberal news outlet. I used to watch it regularly because I do a lot of investing, and never got that impression. If you believe otherwise, I'm not going to argue. I do agree that the investment advice its talking heads dish out is next to worthless.

Quote from: Yorkshire pud on January 14, 2017, 01:17:25 PM
I'm still not sure if Trump is for or anti Wall Street 'swamp. And whether or not he'll push to get the architects in the banking world held to account over 2007-08.

Is there a mention of Trump in that article that everyone but me can see?

Quote from: Kidnostad3 on January 14, 2017, 12:43:16 PM
I do indeed remember that rant.  Here's the thing, I don't contribute to the Neilson ratings of any NBC connected news outlet and haven't for some time.  My reasons for not doing so are many but then you probably already know what they are so they don't bear repeating here.  I do remember when I was still watching CNBC I was to too  often impressed  by the wrongheadedness of their commentary especially that of Jim Kramer. If I want business news I watch Forbes.

But that's all history now so let's deal with the piece in question.  In my opinion it was full of sophistry and anti Trump pap.  So no it did nothing to improve my assessment of CNBC.  You on the other hand apparently have a different opinion about the piece.

Please point out where you see that, because it looks like a pretty straightforward piece of reporting to me. Totally agree about Cramer, who's a buffoon and and idiot. I've been hoping for years that his heart will explode some day in the middle of one of his rants.

Five years ago, the American political landscape changed due in large part to one fed-up CNBC journalist.

Rick Santelli, who covers the bond markets at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, had seen enough as Washington policymakers began funneling what would be trillions of dollars to bail out various sectors that had been hit during the financial crisis.

Pushed to the brink, Santelli, speaking on the "Squawk Box" show, exploded into a rant resembling the famous "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" diatribe from the character Howard Beale in the 1976 movie "Network."

As he closed the segment, he turned to traders on the floor and asked them if they would like to bail out their neighbors who had spent too much money on their homes. A chorus of "no" ensued. Earlier in the segment, he suggested he and some others in Chicago planned that summer to throw a "tea party" to show their anger.

Closing, he turned to the camera and asked, "President Obama, are you listening?"

Explosive events would follow: Santelli's urging took hold, with millions of U.S. voters forming multiple tea party affiliations across the country that helped elect numerous candidates and change the conversation of American politics.

Much has changed since then. Santelli believes most of it, at least in terms of public awareness and activism, has been good.

Quote from: Kidnostad3 on January 14, 2017, 08:17:55 AM
It has NBC in its name just like MSNBC so...  But if you tell me CNBC is apolitical and totally unbiased when it comes to Trump I'll believe you.  Thousands wouldn't, but I'll believe you. 

Maybe things have changed there since I quit watching it after they missed the crash of 2008, and I'm guessing you've never watched it or you would have known about this:

http://www.cnbc.com/2014/02/24/5-years-later-rick-santelli-tea-party-rant-revisited.html

Quote from: Kidnostad3 on January 13, 2017, 04:32:03 PM
You are actually quoting CNBC?  Why don't you just quote the DNC daily talking points. You and CNBC are full of shit.

CNBC is a lot of things, including the self-described business network whose self-styled experts were so busy pumping the too big to fail financial institutions they failed to predict the economic meltdown of 2008, but this may the first time it was ever accused of being a mouthpiece for the DNC. If Larry Kudlow were dead, he would be rolling in his grave right now.

Presented for your consideration:

http://www.snopes.com/trackdown-trump-character-wall/

Quote from: aldousburbank on January 13, 2017, 12:07:57 PM
1/20/2017- Some Velvet Morning When I'm Great!

Different Lee.

Quote from: albrecht on January 13, 2017, 10:19:12 AM
http://www.syracuse.com/celebrity-news/index.ssf/2017/01/william_peter_blatty_dead_the_exorcist_writer.html
Author William Peter Blatty dead.

I wonder what the hell ever possessed him to write that.

Quote from: albrecht on January 12, 2017, 07:25:26 PM
That actually sounds more exciting than I thought. Unless he is just crunching numbers in some cold office near the Arctic Circle.
ps: TCM has been playing "Harvey" recently and it is available "on demand." Such a great movie and just plain hilarious. Shows how you can make a very funny movie, with also some social commentary and meaning, without resorting to crude jokes or profanity. Something from which today's directors and writers could learn.

Nah, the way he talks it's not as glamorous as it sounds.

I never tire of watching "Harvey" and caught it again on TCM the other day. My mom couldn't stand Jimmy Stewart and insisted that Joe E. Brown did a much better job as Elwood P. Dowd in a stage production she saw, but I can't imagine anyone other than JS in the role.

Quote from: SredniVashtar on January 12, 2017, 07:06:12 PM
More fake news. Is its name Harvey?

You wish you had a pooka for a friend, polecat boy.

Quote from: albrecht on January 12, 2017, 06:38:29 PM
Yeah, let us know what he thinks. His job is probably more boring that the Hollywood-version of them, lots more data crunching than action, I'll bet.

His job sounds worse than boring, because he has to spend a lot of time up near the Arctic Circle.

Former SCTV and SNL cast member, Tony Rosato. I remember reading about his strange and tragic struggle with Capgras delusion syndrome, which caused him to believe that his wife and children had been replaced by doubles. RIP.

http://www.thewrap.com/snl-sctv-alum-tony-rosato-dies-at-62/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capgras_delusion

Quote from: albrecht on January 12, 2017, 06:06:55 PM
That happens a lot, but never say never. There is no such thing as "settled science" everything should be questioned, retested, alternative ideas brought to bear, etc. Science and technology is full of stuff that was "ridiculous," "impossible." "crack-pot" and even cases of non- degreed or unprofessional advancing some technology, invention, or scientific theory. At some point with the sheer amount of computer power and sensors (and who knows what else) that we would at least start to come pretty close in earthquake prediction.

I have a friend in Victoria, BC who does earthquake research for a living. I'll see what he thinks and find out if the sensors he and his team monitor are picking up anything that has them concerned.

Quote from: Juan on January 12, 2017, 02:50:30 PM
The allegations are that the agency actually props up the big banks, not consumers, despite the bill's title.
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2016/02/time-to-eliminate-the-consumer-financial-protection-bureau

I don't know who is really right.

I agree that the lack of accountability is a problem, especially if it's unconstitutional, but that could be remedied with a few tweaks of the language. However, eliminating it would just be throwing out the baby and keeping the dirty bathwater. The part about the CFPB inflicting "serious harm on the U.S. economy" is a bit hyperbolic, and I seriously doubt any bank executives are going hungry because of it.

Conclusion

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau inflicts serious harm on the U.S. economy. Beyond that, the CFPB’s structure eliminates political accountability to such an extent that the bureau runs afoul of the Constitution.