patrick.net

"I tremble to think of the “elders” where I grew up making these decisions without some oversight. The Taliban look tame compared to those bigoted, ignorant crackers."

Ditto. There is still such a good ol' boys network in some places, even today, it's scary.

"He has an empty velvet sack, no huevos, so I really don’t know what his problem is."

My cats were neutered too and still wandered away on rare occasions. It's just in their blood, I think. Or maybe it's their version of a midlife crisis.

Prison is not one of those programs. A kid goes in and a monster comes out. It is a system to breed hardcore criminals.

In California more more is spent on prisons than schools. So if you look at it, we're still supporting eduction, just a different sort.

In California more more is spent on prisons than schools. So if you look at it, we’re still supporting eduction, just a different sort.

I propse a prison-less society. Confinement can entirely be replaced with social service, caning, and execution.

Or... at least prisoners should be made to produce mass quantity of plastic crap. No more cheap imports needed!

"Jamie, thanks for the idea, I called the Mrs. and had her put a bowl out. Good idea, perhaps the other panhandling felines will tell him where he can get a hand out."

I really believe they have an underground network, and Mr. Fuchs is sure to get word. ("Yo man, sucka down the streets got free food just sittin out!" "Gotta get me some of that.")

If you get desperate you could also try sprinkling cat nip all around and putting out bowls of water with the food. Free food, free weed, free drink, what cat could resist? Of course, you might be kept up at night by the cat party going on outside, but it will be worth it to get your cat back.

If you get desperate you could also try sprinkling cat nip all around

LOL, they have the biggest catnip bush you've ever seen. Mr. Fuchs (pronounced fooks btw) doesn't really hit the dope, kind of like the cat version of Jack, Georgie on the other hand can't get enough and has the following schedule, wake up, get high, sleep, wake up, eat, get high, sleep, repeat.

He will be back though I am 99 per cent sure.

Thanks Jack, I am embarassingly attached to them. I just dig their style.

Your cat will probably talk to you if he’s temporarily trapped

Jack, right on the money with that one, he would definately yell if trapped. I have been wandering the neighborhood yelling out "FUCHIE, FUCHIE" and then I listen for the jingle jangle jingle of his collar. Orange fucker cat is getting hobbled when he returns, I swear.

I get really overwhelmed and depressed thinking about our criminal justice system. Why do we have such a violent culture to begin with? That's what I always wonder.

When we lived in Europe, we let restaurant owners carry our kid around while we were eating, take him in the back to see the kitchen--whatever. Here if you even touch someone else's kid, you'll probably get strange looks.

There I was always worried about taking walks through the woods or countryside alone with my son, but my German friends acted like I was completely paranoid, because they'd never heard of anything happening to women walking alone in that town.

German hospitals are not all freaked out about people stealing babies, and don't have the security measures we have, because it doesn't happen there.

While were were there, some American kids were dropping rocks off an autobahn overpass and killed a pregnant woman whose car they hit. There was a big uproar when the Germans wanted to prosecute the kids under their system, because it was harsher. Maybe that's part of the problem--we're more concerned about the rights of the accused than we are the rights of the victims?

tinyurl com/aj6ty

The Fuchs and the G

While were were there, some American kids were dropping rocks off an autobahn overpass and killed a pregnant woman whose car they hit. There was a big uproar when the Germans wanted to prosecute the kids under their system, because it was harsher. Maybe that’s part of the problem–we’re more concerned about the rights of the accused than we are the rights of the victims?

Those kids should be executed and their parents should be caned.

Surfer-X, I couldn't get your link to work. Can you post again?

"Those kids should be executed and their parents should be caned."

It was a really awful thing. I agree with you. I couldn't even follow the progress of the story because I found it too painful to hear details. I fully supported them being prosecuted by the Germans, because it was a German citizen they killed, on German land.

Jamie,

tinyurl.com/aj6ty

You have to put a . in between tinyurl and com

"You have to put a . in between tinyurl and com"

Oh duh. I need a better computer monitor. The cats are too cute. Love the pissed off looks.

Love the pissed off looks.

Georgie has absolutely perfected the stink-eye. False advertising really as she's the sweetest love ever.

tinyurl.com/aj6ty

Oh no you dinnit! The Surfer man has a blog! Now I have two reasons to stay up too late.

Btw, my cat has that look down!

Past tense I guess

Stink, stank, stunk

stinkeye, stankeye, stunkeye? or as with me, "skankeye"

As I've been known to say, "we like our women skanky not cranky"

Hey Jack, don't want you to drop dead. All wisecracks welcome. ;)

There I was always worried about taking walks through the woods or countryside alone with my son, but my German friends acted like I was completely paranoid, because they’d never heard of anything happening to women walking alone in that town.

German hospitals are not all freaked out about people stealing babies, and don’t have the security measures we have, because it doesn’t happen there.

Jamie,

When did you live in Germany? If it's been a while, then things there, quite sadly, have been changing for the worst. Both the strains of reunification and the massive influx of immigrants (not to reopen that debate again, however) have seen a pretty dramatic rise in violent crimes, especially against children. In the same period, violent crime in the US (in aggregate, don't flame me here folks), has decreased per capita. I think Germany is having a lot of trouble dealing with newfound diversity from more violent societies (I won't name them, but anyone familiar with Germany knows the two primary sources of immigration, and neither are the US). Many German high-security prisons have come to resemble their US counterparts. No longer do they call them schwedischer Garten (Swedish garden), because they are such terrible places.

Here's what urbandictionary has to say

Derogatory term for a (usually younger) female, implying trashiness or tackiness, lower-class status, poor hygiene, flakiness, and a scrawny, pockmarked sort of ugliness. May also imply promiscuity, but not necessarily. Can apply to any race, but most commonly used to describe white trash.You know that girl Crystal that lives in the trailer park? She's a total skank.

Although I believe it is not necessarily a derogatory term.

The thread will remain intact for at least a few more hours now!

Is that a prediction?

Who me? Nah, Jamie's the troublemaker. She's much funnier than I am.

I am not a bad girl. Am not am not am not.

See you later Jack. I have to leave also.

In the same period, violent crime in the US (in aggregate, don’t flame me here folks), has decreased per capita.

Perhaps because of the credit/housing bubble? Instead of shooting that shop owner for that loaf of bread one can simply use credit card or tap that house?

>

From 1998 to 2003, so pretty recently.

>

Probably my ignorance of a Germany that once was kept me from seeing negative changes.

BTW, I didn't mean to suggest it was a crime-free society or that they don't have their own huge share of problems. I was just mentioning the issues that brought home to me how violent America can be. I forgot to qualify my earlier post.

>

Interesting. I don't think I ever got a real insider's view of that country, so there is a lot I was ignorant of. I found it hard to make friends there, and after five years only had two good German friends (but one of them was actually Chinese married to a German and befriended me just because she was so releived to hear me speaking English to my son on the sidewalk one day :-)).

Just my everyday impressions were of a place that was safer than the average US city. Then too though, I think media saturation manipulates my view of the US, so that maybe I'm more worried about crime than I need to be.

Oh darn it, I made my quotes disappear again!

Posting again with Randy's quotes:

"When did you live in Germany?"

From 1998 to 2003, so pretty recently.

"If it’s been a while, then things there, quite sadly, have been changing for the worst."

Probably my ignorance of a Germany that once was kept me from seeing negative changes.

BTW, I didn't mean to suggest it was a crime-free society or that they don't have their own huge share of problems. I was just mentioning the issues that brought home to me how violent America can be. I forgot to qualify my earlier post.

"Many German high-security prisons have come to resemble their US counterparts."

Interesting. I don't think I ever got a real insider's view of that country, so there is a lot I was ignorant of. I found it hard to make friends there, and after five years only had two good German friends (but one of them was actually Chinese married to a German and befriended me just because she was so releived to hear me speaking English to my son on the sidewalk one day :-)).

Just my everyday impressions were of a place that was safer than the average US city. Then too though, I think media saturation manipulates my view of the US, so that maybe I'm more worried about crime than I need to be.

Sounds like two kids I went to high school with…..They climbed onto a strip mall roof and dropped a cinder block onto the head of a person walking by and killed him……They were 16 yo…. I believe they were given a jail term. These guys should have been killed and the parents of the victim should be the ones to decide whether they should die or not….. Perhaps the same way they killed the victim!

Such evil kids should be damned to hell. But I will let St. Peter decide.

Is this a blog about the housing bubble?

Huh?

Perhaps a new thread should start.

Any idea?

That’s my idea Peter… What do you think?

Good idea! It is done.

Someone had suggested Octoberfest, so what’s to celebrate about what is going on in housing in America? The positives, the upside, the great dream, tell us your stories—

Celebrate? Not yet. The time will come.

Just my everyday impressions were of a place that was safer than the average US city.

My impression too...but my visits to Germany have been infrequent. I'm guessing there's a bit of tension due to unemployment levels in the former east. By contrast, the towns I spent time in Switzerland (Zürich, Winterthur), you can seemingly walk anywhere, anytime without worries. I'll never be that carefree in any American city.

By contrast, the towns I spent time in Switzerland (Zürich, Winterthur), you can seemingly walk anywhere, anytime without worries. I’ll never be that carefree in any American city.

I was walking at night in Stockholm sometime ago and I felt perfectly safe. I figured that an oil-rich socialist country must be safe enough.

I would never do that in San Jose.

Someone has to send them to him first!

I guess if the Court of Law does not send him the Court of Karma will!

DAMMIT

I miss the best thread ever. Startups *SUCK*.

Cheers,
prat

"I miss the best thread ever. Startups *SUCK*."

Aw, you should quit working and come play with us more often, prat. Since I am engaging in the work-related funk of the decade, I seem to have endless time on my hands these past few days. Funny how much I can accomplish on the internet when I don't do any work!

Hey all, we do need an endless thread for October (Social Effects from September still hasn't died). I think "Huh" should be it.