Grim fallout from Japan’s nuclear crisis. Bodies of hundreds of disaster victims found near the increasingly troubled Fukushima Daiichi plant remain uncollected amid fears they might contaminate mourners with intense radiation.
Meanwhile, in a losing battle, “suicide squads” of nuclear workers reap hefty paychecks, but get by with little food or sleep, all while facing the possibility of death.
No troops! So how about the CIA…? American spies have landed in Libya to help direct allied airstrikes and also reach out to rebel operatives, presumably to check them out before we covertly funnel them weapons. Because that always goes well. In one big blow to Moammar Gaddafi’s regime, a bigshot defector is apparently singing for the West.
Going the way of Wisconsin, Ohio’s legislature, after months of acrimony, approves an anti-labor law of its own. They might beat America’s Dairlyand, though. A judge confirms the Wisconsin law is on hold while a legal challenge gets sorted out.
While her miraculous recovery continues, Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords has become the subject of rampant (if wishful) speculation that she might be well enough to run for—and seize for the Democrats—an open U.S. Senate seat next fall.
Who knew “transit criminology” was an emerging field? After years of sliding downward, crime on MAX trains has ticked upward. When’s the last time you saw a fare inspector?
Bedbugs are so 2010. Here’s your next insect epidemic: STINK BUGS! (AND THEIR ROTTING GARBAGE AROMAS!)
I’m sympathetic, but hardly surprised.
Governators are forever. Stan Lee is going to make a Batman-ish cartoon show about Arnold Schwarzenegger: politician by day, superhero at night. Maybe he could fix this, since, you know, it’s kind of his fault.
He wasn’t always this punny in press conferences. Just sometimes.
The stink bugs have reached Washington and California? Bad news. My mom lives in the Virginia countryside, and she says they’re almost at biblical plague levels there. They could possibly be an even bigger threat to Oregon than Kevin Federline’s sperm.
If someone else doesn’t comment here soon, I’m going to start typing in caps. And it won’t be pretty.
I have seen stink bugs around my yard in southeast for the last month or two. I have not been killing them so the stink is not an issue. After reading that story I feel guilty for leaving them alone.
You know, I kind of wonder what the hell happened to this blog. There used to be a fairly robust barrage of comments in the GMN posts on a regular basis. Now, hardly anything. Two of the three comments today are Todd, and the other one is unregistered. For all I know, comment three might also be Todd.
It seems the death of all-caps bombast sort of killed the comments section here. ‘Tis a pity.
Sorry Todd, We’ve had the Brown marmorated stink bug for going on seven years now! The first one was trapped in Ladd’s Addition in August 2004.
In case you want to know more: http://egov.oregon.gov/ODA/PLANT/docs/pdf/ippm_halyomorpha.pdf
$1,200 a day is not enough of a bonus to get me in to fix those reactors, even with the nobility of ‘dieing to save the city’ or whatever.
Even if they kept up that pay rate for a month, that’s only an extra $36k before taxes. And how much radiation are you soaking up for that? For…a new car? A new domestic car? Sheesh.
@Reymont: On the flipside, you might end up with a new car *and* superpowers. If you don’t die.
Hmm, interesting. I have been seeing those bugs in my house for the past two years every now an again, and I definitely squash them, but I have never noticed an odor… maybe the bugs that look like those which I am killing are different? And sometimes I have squashed one and left it for a while, too scared to go near it to dispose of it. You’d think I would have definitely noticed a smell… Hmm, they really do look like the one in that photo…
@rosebengal: Worrisome. In Virginia they swarm by the millions, invade the houses…and the climate there isn’t *all* that different from ours.
http://foresthills-regentsquare.patch.com/…
@JStreckert: For all I know, you may *all* be me. I won’t really be sure until I get back on my meds.
Ah, I’ve wondered what those slow little gray beetle things were. I’ve seen them in various apartments here for several years and squash them every time, at least the times I get to them before my cat eats them. His poop definitely smells terrible but the bugs, not so much.
@T.K. And how much would it cost to replace this one, if they don’t save it? Billions? So to avoid that cost, they’re offering people ‘thousands’ of dollars to risk their lives? Is there a cartoon villain accountant somewhere, twirling his mustache?
If it were up to me every regular blogtown commenter would post an unregistered comment on GMN. I can make this bold suggestion without fear of ridicule on future threads because you will never know it was me.
Also, those reactor workers are already superheroes, but yeah, they should get enough money for a foreign car at least.
@stank: uh, why would you suggest that? I don’t get it.
p.s. You stink.
@stank:
“If you don’t sue, we’ll give you a Trans-Am…”
That I’ll never drive ‘cos I shake all the time
–Dead Kennedys, “Kepone Factory”
@ ROM – Why not? To show solidarity with your fellow commenters and be part of the group rather than an individual. To allow yourself the opportunity to say something you may otherwise refrain from saying under your own name/pseudonym. To allow for a true marketplace of ideas where the funniest or most erudite comment rises to the top, even if Todd says it.
p.s. It is not me, it is the bugs, I swear.
I’m pretty sure that being bathed in huge amounts of industrial radiation will turn those Japansese Nuclear power plany employees into actual superheroes with actual superpowers. It’ll be like that awful shoe Heroes. But with only Hiro. Or whatever.
I see. Thanks for explaining, stank. Yeah, it’s evident that some of Mecklem’s “guffaws” fall on deaf/annoyed ears, in part because he’s earned a rep as a “the Danny Tanner of blogtown.” But if our preconceived notions were cast off for a thread or so, would we start cracking up?
@Reymont — The minute they cooled those 4 reactors with salt water they were ruined. Those workers are doing clean-up. The clean up at TMI which was in better shape took 5 years.
TriMET now has six fare inspectors left after the layoffs.
@ROM – It would only be for one post per day and we will never know what magic could happen unless we try.
@ROM, Rosy – Unregistered or GTFO.
Don´t make fun of Mack Meclems, it´s not funny. And say what you will but the only bugs I´ve seen around are those in my computer that makes the photobooth take a pic every 5 minutes. Either comp bugs or some one who was fucking with the automator while I was not around.
ANONYMOUS ALL CAPS COMMENT. THERE. *flees blogtown forever*
GMN doesn’t suck because of no caps, and it doesn’t suck because of registered comments (though maybe that would be fun to do for a week?).
GMN sucks because it was hijacked by a couple prodigiously unfunny and inscrutable (respectively) commenters who made dropping in here every morning as appealing a prospect as unanesthetized rectal surgery.
Get off my jock, stank. You fail by immediately imposing a bunch of rules.
@stank: If people want to login, no need to berate them. Just ask nicely. Make this a velvet revolution, not a coupdetate.
I can’t see you guys, my show registered comments button is set to off.
I’m on Colin’s merry-go-round, now it’s covered with cooties!
*repeat fifty times*
It’s funny you’d mention that, ROM, as I’m also seen driving a Ford Taurus in many episodes.
@Todd – Is it beige? 🙂
@Reymont: As todd is already the boringest person on the planet, I can only assume that his automobile would be beige.
Nice try, “Victor Once.” Next time pick a handle that isn’t an anagram for “I, CC, overt? No!”
Besides, would “the boringest person on the planet” have his beautiful squat toilet photo posted by someone who’s living in Kabul, Afghanistan? Well?
Hey, where did everybody go?
http://nickandlizgoglobal.blogspot.com/201…
Enough with the toilette/color jokes! I have a Daphne Blue Mustang and am pretty proud of it!
(no, I don´t have no pics, you online stalker** – just making sure… – neither am troubled by the color of my super sonic ride -)
…some one had to stop the violence in this thread…with the recurses available at hand…come on.
I will continue to comment, I will continue to be anonymous (unless you see me at a Blogtown meetup) and I will continue to be registered. That is all.
time to put this thread on…ICE!
Wow, a somewhat active conversation is going on! Despite my (admittedly idealistic) belief in registered/identifiable commenting, it would be interesting to see what happens if we all started posting unregistered for a day or so.
My prediction: It will be a mighty avalanche of insults, dick jokes, and laissez faire ass-hattery. Could be fun for a short while.
Are you commenting at Laissez-Faire?
Insults, ass-hats, dick jokes and ROM.
Remember me to Colicky Colin,
He and Graham finished Summer’s wine.
I don’t like the unregistered comments. It’s too annoying to click on them, but if I don’t I miss part of the thread. I’d be fine with them if they went back to being shown by default. GMN has been hijacked with one-sided conversations that prove nothing and offer even less by way of entertainment.
I don’t particularly miss the caps. But they did encourage commenting.
@Fruit Cup, my browser has little buttons at the top for ‘registered on/off’ and ‘unregistered on/off’, hope that helps.
See everyone tomorrow!
(Since I haven’t commented enough on this thread) I AGREE WITH THE CUP. The default should for unregistered comments to show. Maybe if we get swamped with spam at some point I’ll change my mind. (Yeah, go ahead and suggest a “Mecklem Off” button, someone.)
@stank, yeah, I’ve tried that. But I typically clear my cache after a session. Which I think makes it reset.
@Spindles: OK, that was pretty good. And you got quoted in the print edition too. Credit where it’s due.
We can´t go back to caps…whoever invented that, invented a hellish artifice. But I agree that there´s gotta be a change. Like: “crayon on top of other peoples comments .app”, for a week or so. Every 3 days in a month. Anonymously, of course…