lost highway

Thanks for this. I've been looking for something of this kind. Kind of like the Tropicalia comps from Brazil.

I will also say they speak one of the most comprehensible (for me) dialects of Spanish in the continent.

I must confess, I don't think I'll go to this. It's hard for me to shell out more cash to see two bands I see every year in worse seats, just for an opportunity to see someone I would have rather seen twenty or thirty years ago. That said, I'm sure everyone will have a blast. It's freaking Wilco and My Morning Jacket. They never phone it in.

I was about to say all of this. I had a very similar experience. Their pre-colonial history is absolutely fascinating (if you're into that kind of thing). Definitely had one of the two or three most sophisticated empires in the new world. There are tons of great books on all of that. Music-wise, other than the indigenous pan flute stuff that has been pretty heavily co-opted by the new age scene, there are a lot of cool cumbia groups down there. I heard some great examples live, but haven't found any good albums. Like a lot of South American musical products, I find the production ruins

People drive all over town with stickers proving how far they can run.

That guy played an acoustic guitar like it deserved a beating, and his voice was a very sweet texture. This would be the most fitting pick for his memorial:

You just made this my nostalgia listening for the week. I predict sometime around after the second cup of coffee hits my veins on the way to work.

For the win.

It does make a difference. Australia is a safer free nation. They've done quite well under their ban.

Sandy Hook is a huge piece of the narrative, and a moderate addition to the statistics. Firearm policy is about the big statistical picture. Background checks are part of the narrative, but not the bulk of what could be done with firearm policy in our country. Gun owners seem to really get off on how a law wouldn't matter in some particular instance. It's as if to say all of the people in the car crash were ignoring the speed limit so we should have none.

The missing piece of this argument is one side says any measures to control guns can not eliminate gun violence. Who said anything about eliminating it? The goal is to reduce it.

I think the perspective is that it draws people in who have no other means of attaining a higher education. They offer their services, the government (hopefully) pays out as promised. I can see on one hand how that is taking advantage of a public sponsored program, but on the other that strikes me more as being publicly employed (in a pretty intense way) than receiving a handout.

Me too.

Is that the person Jules was referring to? Tweedling, you're right that the personal focus detracts from the real interest of the conversation. I confess I know of no other way to respond to use of personal anecdote. Argument A: Some people make good money and shouldn't complain about contributions to the safety net. Response B: I know someone who makes X and it's not enough for their growing children and family needs. At this point you can be polite and not say anything, because it would be somewhat personal. Or you can kind of wonder the choices someone has made with six figures that

I'd like to talk to them about their financial strategies. Have them give me a call.

I think you would need to be a lot more educated on the topic than ANYONE in this thread to make a conclusive, data-backed statement about just how many people are abusing it these days. It is funny to go from talking about how little 100k is to talking about how people are pimping their life on welfare.

And if she were laid off the government would help provide food for her family. That's the safety net. That's the communal obligation. As for Texas I understand the businesses bare the brunt of your fiscal needs.

Well, wealthy is kind of a subjective judgement. If you have a million dollars it's easy to say that you aren't wealthy as you look at a 5 million dollar lifestyle. There seems to be some mechanism that makes people feel like the words 'wealthy', 'upper class', or even 'upper middle class' are some kind of slurs. I find that weird. The point is perspective. At this particular moment in my life, my salary puts me almost dead center for median individual income. With that knowledge comes the fact that if you're at the center peak of a bell curve you have millions of people sloping down

I could- of course- be mistaken, but I thought in an earlier economic discussion you had complained about the government commandeering six figures of your yearly income. Either way, median income is around $43k. If you make more than that, then by definition you make more than most people. Yes, it's a narrow majority, but as you look into the $100k area you have to understand that you live in a country, nay, a world populated by people who don't make that much. It's not a judgement on your quality, just your relative singularity.

From you.

So, you make more money than most people. You are paying for someone else's grandfolks, same as someone paid for yours. Welcome to America, a social democracy.

There is no history of a major nation taking austerity measures and seeing economic benefits as a result. Also if you don't believe in social security then you don't believe in one of the forces behind middle class stability in the last 7 decades. It also means you don't believe in socioeconomic class.

Obama's new budget proposal cuts social security by $100 billion. I don't like it.

It reminds me of Smashmouth. I know that's a bit strong- and underneath I hear the scrappy soul pop tune it is at its core. Nonetheless the production made it sound like it was on the soundtrack for an Adam Sandler movie that flopped.