4/17    China's Shaolin Temple installs luxury restrooms - http://USATODAY.com:
        http://www.csua.org/u/lb7
        Restrooms worth $430,000 at a Buddhist temple.  WTF!!??
        \_ religion pays.

4/17    Turns out McCain makes a LOT more money than me. WTF. Are there
        ANY candidate who makes normal amount of money, instead of those
        who are born are are married into money?
        http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/18/916355.aspx

4/17    McCain makes decent amount of money, but not rich:
        http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/18/916355.aspx
        (US Navy Pension pays $58K a year? WTF?)
        \_ McCain, combined with his wife's wealth, is probably
           the third or so richest member of senate.
        \_ You didn't know military pensions pay very well?  That's one of
           the big incentives to stay in a long time.
           \_ except your exposure to carcinogens and other health
              risk factors go up significantly.
              \_ Umm, ok?  Also risk of capture, torture and death go up?
           \_ The pension usually pays 50% of active duty salary, but it
              varies with years of service. Free medical for life, too.
           \_ There are not too many jobs where you can retire after 20 years.
        \_ I make more money than him.                  -dotcomer
                                  \_ Him has better grammar than you.
                                     \_ Him did it!  Him's the one!
           \_ You made more than $418k in 2007? Hot damn, good for you!
           \_ He can get a law passed that will end your career in a heart
              beat.  Unless you're an AZ voter, you can't do squat.
              \_ except the dot comer is already rich and doesn't need a "job"
                 \_ One good tax law and dotcommer is in the poor house.
                    McCain: 2, Dotcommer: 0.
        \_ His wife, however, is completely loaded.  Remember when Kerry was
           being made fun of because all of his money came from the Teresa
           Heinz fortune?  I expect the media will be mocking McCain for this
           any day now....NOT.
           \_ I most of the stuff in that vein I saw was contrasting Kerry's
              words with his actions.  For example, he says "SUVs are evil"
              but owns one.  "Rich should pay more taxes" wife only pays
              14%, etc.
        \_ McCain is rich, but the money is locked up in his wife's beer
           company. He has a pretty sweet arrangement: married to a woman
           18 years his younger, who is also his sugar momma. Where can I
           find a woman like that?
           \_ No, the question is HOW DID MCCAIN DO IT? He must have
              secret mojo that we desperate sodans don't have. What does
              it take for us to get his secret mojo?
           \_ If I married a woman 18 years my junior I'd go to jail.
              Well, unless I did it in Yemen.
              \_ If I married a woman 18 years my junior I'd go to jail for
                 polygamy.
                 \_ Unless you did it in Yemen.
                 \_ Just upgrade, like McCain did.
              \_ You can marry a 14 year old in Alamaba, if you can talk
                 both parents into attending the wedding.
        \_ Can you imagine if Hillary tried to get away with what he's doing?
           "Oh, Bill's finances are separate and private, we're not going to
           release those."  One standard for Rs, another for Ds.
           \_ Wow. Just wow.  To borrow a phrase: epic fail.
              \_ epic fail
           \_ You have a short-term memory. Did Teresa release hers in 04?
               \_ At first she didn't and the press hounded her until she did.
               \_ She released a "summary."  Besides, we're still not
                  actually in the race yet, it's still the Dem primary.
                  Why would the press hound McCain now?  It is currently
                  not particularly news worthy.
                  \_ McCain has been getting away with murder for years.  I
                     expect the press to roll over for him in the general just
                     like they always have.  Reporters *love* him.
           \_ "Liberal" media.

4/17    What do you think, will Bush drop below even Nixon? What if
        the recession turns out to be a real downturn?
        http://www.csua.org/u/l9v (Gallup)
        \_ What I care more is, is there any correlation between
           approval ratings and say, stock prices?
           \_ yes.
        \_ BDS?  It doesn't matter.  What I care about is the future of the
           country: our security, economy, and general living conditions of
           the citizens.  I don't care which party can achieve this, although
           I suspect neither cares about anything but attaining and keeping
           power.  A focus on the trivial such as Bush's current poll numbers
           or approval ratings vs. stock prices is not helpful.
           \_ You are correct no doubt: the 23 percent of Americans who rate
              Bush as the worst President ever are deranged, while the 1% who
              rate Bush as the Best Ever are all Patriotic right thinking
              Americans. Only by confronting and examining our mistakes can we
              hope to learn from them, I think. But perhaps it is still too
              early to do a post-mortem on the Bush Administration.
              \_ Yawn.  You totally miss the point.  It does not matter at all
                 what anyone thinks of Bush right now.  The moment you start
                 talking about polls and ratings you're off track on what
                 matter.  I agree about studying history and not repeating
                 mistakes and such but you can't study it while you're living
                 it.  Instead, we should be examining the candidates we have
                 and asking *them* the tough questions.  Bush = zero importance
                 in a few month and nearly none right now.  Anyway, given the
                 trash running, we're in for at least four more years of
                 idiocy no matter who wins since all three are clowns in their
                 own way.  Mindless "change" rhetoric, a repeat of 90s psycho-
                 drama, or bog standard ego boosting and corruption.  Yay....

4/17    Speedracer the movie teaches kids that cars=fun, speed=exciting,
        freedom to drive however you want whenever you want=American. Fuck
        movies that preach right-wing individualism. Pass this message to
        your progressive friends.
        \_ Didn't that movie come out ten years ago or so? Why are you
           just getting around to reviewing it now?
           \_ Actually there is a new Speed Racer movie coming out this
              summer.
        \_ Is the movie similar to "The Fast and Furious"?
        \_ The production design looks awesome, tho. And Christina Ricci
           starving herself was the best decision she ever made. Hot.
           \_ She used to be hot when she had 32D bosom.
           \_ She used to be hot with 32D.
              \_ My gf read a casting call looking for a body double for her
                 back in the "Sleepy Hollow" era. The casting call asked
                 for a 5'2" woman with 32C chest. My gf had the right body
                 but didn't try out for it.
                 \_ Must be before her stupid breast reduction in 2001.
                    http://www.strangecelebrities.com/images/content/5359.jpg
                    \_ Are you sure that is breat reduction? It just looks more
                       like she lost some weight to me.
                       \_ http://www.nndb.com/people/752/000025677
        \_ Woot!  You got 3 responses to your lame troll!  At least they were
           smart enough to ignore it and just discuss the movie itself.  Better
           luck next time!

4/17    Prosper Update:
        I am currently making 14% on my money, but I have four loans
        late and in collections. If they all end up defaulting, my
        real rate of return so far will be more like 5%.
        \_ Yikes! But thanks for the update.

4/17    Did Obama flip off Hillary at 0:20?
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhkq11UExcw
        \_ do you really need to ask that?
        \_ What else would expect from a Stalinist?
        \_ What else would you expect from a Stalinist?
           \_ Troll harder, troll-san.
              \_ One troll deserves another.
              \_ One good troll deserves another.