bjorn_skurj

Look, when they announce Social Security is going tits-up, I am going to riot like a Greek Frenchman whose just been told he can't retire until he's 44 and he has to pay retroactive tuition.

Sweden just started charging this year for students from non-EU countries. So far, no riots.

Really - we Americans have no right to say we are doing a better job on education than anyone at this point.

The same is true of Sweden. (I have it on good authority.) It's all about a society's raison d'etre - to take care of its members no matter what happens to them or to provide a basic framework of safety and efficiency and let people more or less fend for themselves. There are good arguments for both approaches.

In Los Estados Unidos, it's not so much about education being so expensive that most people can't get one. It's about how much debt a college grad is saddled with once they get their sheepskin and how that affects their future choices in life.

We used to be quite a riotous people, but then we calmed down quite a bit. At this point in history, probably the only thing that would get people onto the streets would be the announcement that Social Security and Medicare will be discontinued and the trust funds turned over to the rich. Or if the draft came back. But maybe not even then.

Vampire Weekend. I love to hate those fuckers so bad, I am getting wood.

It sounds a lot like Dash 7, but I do not think it is Dash 7.

VC mulled DOS attack on TWBMB, saying it wants to "cut the head off the snake."

I had to look that one up. Must have skipped that day of math class.

The election of Abraham Lincoln started a war, so I would say in that case at least, yes.

This is what that movie is centered on.

I doubt very much these troops were told, or even given a hint, of what would happen to them.

I think Wilco will do a qawwali album before they will do another AM-style album.

I don't know, but I am sure the noise one makes when one's taint is tickled is similar to the very comical noise I made this afternoon at the doctor's office during the prostate check.

I will renew my call for a good ol' ass-kicking rock record from Wilco, a la "Pleased to Meet Me."

Yeah, that amuses me as well. For at least the first few times I saw that reference I was like, "The former East Germany has a video game?"

If he can get the Mets to second place, God bless him. He is probably not the evil devil he has been made out to be, but will not have a lot of good will with the fans, as we all wanted Wally Backman.

Or Diamanda Galas coffee! Now that would put hair on your chest.

Happy birthday again!

Heh. I would like to drink Einsturzende Neubauten coffee, or perhaps a Missing Foundation latte.

What's "rent boy" in Latin?

I can only hope the Giants add Michael Vick to the list of QBs they've maimed this year, but the guy may well be unstoppable. If this game was at the Meadowlands, I would have pictures of his dogs flash on the scoreboard screens whenever Philly was on offense.

The remastered "Darkness" is knocking me flat with its awesomeness. "Racing in the Street" made me ache with melancholy and longing. Haven't even started with the bonus stuff yet.

Here's the link to the Wall Street Journal story the blog post was based on. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703326204575617004052395816.html#ixzz15OSuK9uJ For me, this doesn't really mean anything as I have all their songs anyway, but what the hey - it's another ton of money for them to make. I'm sure it will be lovely beside the ton they got last year from the remasters.