May 19, 2013

At the Red Tree Café...

Untitled

... it's getting late, so come on in here.

ADDED: I'm really not sure whether I took this photo or Meade did. It comes right around the point where he took the camera away from me.

59 comments:

Anonymous said...

Red Tree is Menacing. It pulls you into its subtle Vortex, where Swaying tendrils reach and pry and rough black bark scrapes across your Skin. The Ducks wait just out of Range: their Job is Next.

jimbino said...

On "This American Life" this morning, I heard Ira Glass report on college students' sit-in to urge their school do disinvest in what they consider polluting and global warming petrochemical firms like Exxon-Mobil.

Can anyone explain how selling your stock at a loss to another investor does anything to advance that cause? Indeed, Exxon-Mobil could benefit by buying up their stock at a fire-sale.

Anonymous said...

Red Tree sense your Fear. Your Fear will reach straight through to its roots.

rhhardin said...

Nice Belmont Club analysis of Obama's historical ruthless malevolence and recently recklessness.

The latter is likely to get him.

Big Mike said...

Today, Barack Obama informed an incredulous nation that he is a Black Man.

Anonymous said...

In an Earlier Era the Townspeople would tie unwilling Sacrifices to the Trunk of Red Tree. Red Tree would Do The Rest.

Patrick said...

Despite the rain, not a bad weekend. Parental visit didn't go as bad as it sometimes does, 5 year old learned to ride a two wheeler and 11 year old started cutting the lawn.

Still very tired.

rhhardin said...

Red tree with dog

The far point of the evening walk.

edutcher said...

Late?

No, the nice weather is just getting started.

edutcher said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mesquito said...

Today I saw a boy with a toy six-shooter stalking another similarly equipped among some among some idle farm machinery. I found it reassuring that they still do that. Well, they still do it here where normal Americans can still be found.

Where you live the little fuckers probably spent the day on hyper-planned, politically-correct "play dates."

Anonymous said...

Neighbors would report of waking one morning and discovering that Red Tree was now on their Door Step. The Meaning was Obvious.

Anonymous said...

The next morning Red Tree would be Gone, now on to another's Door Step several blocks away. Unnerving, that.

Anonymous said...

Red Tree possesses Great and Mysterious Powers, and its Leaves smell of Dread.

Cody Jarrett said...

POTUS tells us he's black, and that black people have to be better to get ahead.

He's living proof that's not true.

Unknown said...

Where I live my nephew drilled a nice 3/16 hole it the bone of his thumb while trying to fix a knife handle. The x-ray is quite cool looking. it goes right through the wide part of the distal phalanx with a nice margin on each side. He couldn't have made it more perfect if he'd planned it.

pm317 said...

Yahoo! is buying tumblr.. I like tumblr and I blog with it. I like the simplicity of it and fear Yahoo! will ruin it. That David Karp is one good looking guy (should I say kid?).

Anonymous said...

From www.theshadowlands.net: Menasha - Valley Road - Story goes it was about 100 years ago when a groom was thrown from the carriage on the way to his wedding and died when he was caught in a tree, strangling on his bow tie. They say on certain nights, you can still see him hanging there.

A connection with Red Tree, perhaps?

pm317 said...

So Obama pulled out his "get out of jail er.. scandals" card, the race card today. Pathetic. On the campaign trail in 2008 especially, when he trotted out all those fine sounding words and ideals, one could almost believe, may be he was different. For some of us though, it sounded as believable as the lone virgin in a whorehouse. We were right. And as Chi Trib's Kass would attest, there are no virgins in Chicago's whorehouse.

MadisonMan said...

Can anyone explain how selling your stock at a loss to another investor does anything to advance that cause?

XOM is near a 52-week high. Not sure how you could sell it at a loss.

sakredkow said...

XOM is near a 52-week high. Not sure how you could sell it at a loss.

I was going to suggest that if he knows so much about it maybe he could advise them how to do it right.

From what you say, he doesn't really know much about it.

Anonymous said...

Townspeople learned to look for personal missing items at the foot of Red Tree: car keys, a watch, a ring, somehow their items were spirited away to the Tree. In the case of the ring the owner noticed that the band was now a full size smaller than when it had vanished, and of a different color. Mysteries abound beneath Red Tree.

yashu said...

Red Tree was once Giving Tree.

Now it's time for payback.

Henry said...

I just finished the last volume of Manchester's Churchill, co-written by Paul Reid.

I know that Amity Shales has written how Roosevelt liked to play dice with economic policy from his bathtub, but when it came to military diplomacy, Roosevelt was hands off. How does a hands-off president handle diplomacy in a difficult situation? He goes back-channel with a loyal, connected, friend.

In Roosevelt's case, the friend was Harry Hopkins.

Obama is also a hands-off president. But, unlike Roosevelt, he seems to have no friends. At least he seems to have no friends who have connections; and, he seems to have inspired no one who is connected to be loyal.

Anonymous said...

Two Sentinel Ducks often circle the Ground beneath Red Tree. It is considered Wise to give them a Wide Berth.

Anonymous said...

It is said that the Leaves and Bark of Red Tree can be brewed into a Tea that possesses Strange and Vivid Powers. However: once you have Accepted Red Tree into Your Body it Will Always be with you, and Will Never Leave.

Anonymous said...

In the Summer of 1973 two young girls operated a Lemonade Stand in front of Red Tree for one day. They never choose to locate the Lemonade Stand there again.

edutcher said...

Henry said...

I just finished the last volume of Manchester's Churchill, co-written by Paul Reid.

I know that Amity Shales has written how Roosevelt liked to play dice with economic policy from his bathtub, but when it came to military diplomacy, Roosevelt was hands off. How does a hands-off president handle diplomacy in a difficult situation? He goes back-channel with a loyal, connected, friend.

In Roosevelt's case, the friend was Harry Hopkins.


Harry Hopkins wasn't his friend, he was his consigliere. He was also a Russian agent.

When Roosevelt went to war, after a stint of playing politics with military policy (he referred to the Navy as "Us" and the Army as "Them"), he settled down and listened to the one man who knew more than just about anyone else - George Marshall.

Smartest thing he ever did.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

”You cannot take the freedom of law-abiding Americans, whether you disagree with them or not, and keep your own freedom. When you do that, you go to jail.” That shifting in talking points is interesting. It suggests a decision has been considered, perhaps only by a faction in the Republican Party, to take the “calculated risk” of closing with the Obama political machine and up the ante.

I wish... but, I don't know that the republicans are eager to go to the mattresses... it just might be bravado on the part of Boehner... something to say in front of the troops. Notice who he looked for to co-sign... Bobby Jindal. I have nothing against the guy, but the move smells of some kind of dog whistle too complex for me to even try to comprehend... except for some rudimentary certainty of how racial politics cannot be discounted in this battle... if there is a battle.

Something else to take into account is that republicans may not look back at the Clinton impeachment as fondly as they would like, or as close to victory as necessary in order to have the confidence of political will necessary to lunch another strike... again.

Lets remember, for all the posturing and grandstanding about doing the right thing, and standing up for the rule of law or whatever... impeachment is a bare knuckles political show trial... and we know how that turns out for Obama... Romney was from central casting and look how that turned out.

As they say, no guts no glory.

I'm not saying its 'impossible'... I'm just saying more whistleblowers need to come forward, enough to impress the press. And the Nate Silver numbers are no where near critical mass.

pm317 said...

rhhardin said...
----------------

Good article. Some of us have kept track of Obama's thuggery and ruthlessness since 2007 but the confounding thing is that it is all very subtle, because of his speechifying in a totally benign way, enough to hoodwink the low information voters. I had an argument with my nephew during the election last year and I called Obama a thug and a bully -- this was the time he was making Romney into a murderer. My nephew was shocked as if I had called Dalai Lama a thug.

Chip Ahoy said...

In the early days of the remote past when all manner of Old World peoples tentatively crawled upon the lands of the Newly discovered World, but mostly keeping near to the water's edges, a wandering troupe of French explorers hazarded up the broadest of all the rivers they saw and then ventured onto land to explore the very first worthwhile bluff that came into their sights in that day and age whereupon they encountered the spectacle of a perfect ring of red trees.

Very red. Tree trunks, actually, well, small trees, saplings. and not that many leaves at all, in fact pretty much leafless, but still, it was a startling sight for it's perfection and its odd ritualistic satanic quality and the sight of it set their hair up and gave everyone a rush of gooseflesh. So one the men said, "Let's call this place Branche Cramoisi and get out of here." And another guy goes, "No way dudes, let's call this place Arbol Framboise, I feel a bit sick already, let's go." And another said, "No, no, no, there are no leaves on these red trees, let's call this place Coller Écarlate and be gone."They could not decide democratically like that, none of them were excellent at nomenclature, so they tried rock-paper-shears and finally but rapidly ended up calling the place Baton Rouge and were done with it.

pm317 said...

Obama scandal bracket. I think Rs should stay as far as away from the I word.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

For a minute there I pictured a batter running down the first base line in a rooster uniform... the Cincinnati Roosters.

That's just too scary for words.

Sorun said...

"POTUS tells us he's black, and that black people have to be better to get ahead."

My interpretation of what he said is that blacks have to work twice as hard to be just as good.

That actually fits with the empirical evidence.

bagoh20 said...

Our people have developed a general retardation:

Water balloon fight? Call the cops and have them bust some heads.

bagoh20 said...

""POTUS tells us he's black, and that black people have to be better to get ahead."

My interpretation of what he said is that blacks have to work twice as hard to be just as good."



Getting ahead and being good are too very different goals.

yashu said...

It is said that the Leaves and Bark of Red Tree can be brewed into a Tea that possesses Strange and Vivid Powers. However: once you have Accepted Red Tree into Your Body it Will Always be with you, and Will Never Leave.

Joni Mitchell drank of Red Tree once, shortly before her folk breakthrough: red sap burgeoned into blue-green song.

Many decades later, to her horror, multi-colored tendrils protrude from her skin, like mushrooms after a rainstorm.

Big Mike said...

At any rate, Joe Biden says it was mighty white of Obama to own up to being black. Mighty white.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I went back and read the article again... the arrogance of Obama may be his own self destructive undoing.

The big book talks about something called "incomprehensible demoralization"... I suffer from a political version of that.

pm317 said...

The 10PM phone call between Hillary and Obama is gaining attention. And Hillary seems to have volunteered that information in the hearings. So why did she do it? And it seems Obama was the one calling her, you know to get the update, as she put it. So why did he call her? My theory is to give her the video talking points.. and soon after that call she put out a statement.. as ambiguous as can be blaming the video. Yeah, he was AWOL for saving those people during the attack because he was busy conferring with his minions on how to spin it. He was involved alright but involved in the wrong stuff as usual.

rcocean said...

Lessons learned from Obama:

1) Democrats will vote - and support - anyone with (D) after their name. No matter what.
2) Obama will be our first - and last - black president.
3) In the 21st century, we can afford an "Affirmative action" President
4) But, if the shit ever hits the fan until 2016, we're in trouble. BIG TROUBLE. 'case we have a intellectual pygmy and moral cipher in charge. But then we survived LBJ and Clinton.
5 That people accepted Obama but thought Palin was "unqualified" shows there's something deeply wrong with the US public.

cf said...

I am thinking about what to bring to the IRS at noon on Tuesday.

what do you guys think of this one?

http://twitpic.com/cruha5/full

Sorun said...

If Obama wants to go down the tired old path of blacks having to work twice as hard as everyone else, he needs to show some evidence. The evidence that exists is dismal literacy, education, incarceration, and unwed pregnancy rates.

If these Obama scandals get really hairy, I expect to see him show up in dashiki, like the one Marian Barry would wear when he's in trouble or running for mayor.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

My theory is to give her the video talking points.. and soon after that call she put out a statement.. as ambiguous as can be blaming the video.

On the wish plus side... the fact that no Starr like prosecutor has been named keeps Obama from having a target to aim at... and if he names one... knowing that he made that call... Ok lets come down... what was it that Khammer said the other day?

Let the facts speak for themselves... maybe the old goat was onto something.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Keep the subpoenas flowing and the dam eventually will break.

Chip Ahoy said...

Eurovision 2013

There is some very weird stuff. They are big on giant dresses, people on stilts, men in skirt, somewhat crap choreography. One woman is inserted into the spout of a gigantic upturned funnel, a white dress that imprisons her so there is no movement, and colors are projected onto her dress ending in fire. It's dramatic in a doll-like way but impractical in a beyond-Lady Gaga way because there is no movement for her at all. But all the entries are YouTube.

Denmark winner she's sitting on the floor and she's got drummers, like colonial tymes.
Azerbaijan placed 2nd (Where Harry Potter's prison is) too tortured. Me no likey.
3rd, Ukraine, weird. a real giant but not real viking carries her out, no me gusta.
Ireland very good, sorta gay.
4th Norway ★★★
Great Britain sounds country to me
Greece Lies all lies, alcohol is NOT free
Romania, Cezar, dude's a soprano, but he sounds weak until the end where you get a hint as to what the castrati were about, but just a hint. So skip to the end where there's some power otherwise, very strange. Okay, I'm not sure, is this a male soprano or what?

It's was easy on YouTube to go [eurovision 2013 ____ ] right down the line and see them all.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I want to hear from the Nuland woman.

What?

Come again?

kcom said...

Obama denies role in government

Synova said...

"Romania, Cezar, dude's a soprano,..."

One of my kids said... Gay Vampire Opera...

(I'm not sure if that means I failed as a parent or not.)

Synova said...

Dang, kcom, that's in the New Yorker.

pm317 said...

I just spent sometime looking at this Tumblr founder's blog, you know the 26 year old..he is an Obama fan.. I can't understand how all these smart people are so gullible?

Synova said...

I still like the... 2009? winner. The Russian guy from Norway playing a fiddle and singing "I'm in love with a fairy tale."

Cute as a button.

(The 2006 winner is sort of disturbing.)

Synova said...

Lot of Scandis....

Synova said...

As there should be...

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Nuland was on the defensive early on... I wonder why?

MayBee said...

Eurovision is so horrible it's wonderful. Last year we stumbled across it and didn't know what we were seeing. This year we made sure to stay in and watch it. The BBC has Graham Norton do their telecast, and he is snarky and hilarious.

The backup dancers are always with watching. The kids on Dance Moms have more skills.

edutcher said...

rcocean said...

Lessons learned from Obama:

1) Democrats will vote - and support - anyone with (D) after their name. No matter what.
2) Obama will be our first - and last - black president.
3) In the 21st century, we can afford an "Affirmative action" President
4) But, if the shit ever hits the fan until 2016, we're in trouble. BIG TROUBLE. 'case we have a intellectual pygmy and moral cipher in charge. But then we survived LBJ and Clinton.
5 That people accepted Obama but thought Palin was "unqualified" shows there's something deeply wrong with the US public.


6 It's been 150 years since we had a POTUS from IL and it will be another 150 before we have another.

PS Regarding 4 -

When LBJ and Willie were in, the Moslem crazies didn't have access to nukes.

edutcher said...

One point not mentioned yesterday, the head of AP called DOJ's subpoenas of it records unconstitutional.

The dam is really starting to crack.

rhhardin said...

Today's Epstein on the constitution is probably good.

I can't play it until 10am when automatic recording of Imus is over.