• Profile logout login

#recessionomics#gtblogging

Gawker

Share Cancel
   
Upload an image | Add an image URL
×

logging in
  • FAQ. Include # before tag:
  • #tips,
  • #stalker,
  • #opencaption,
  • #internalmemos,
  • etc.

New York, 11:31 AM
Thu Dec 10
59 posts in the last 24 hours

Team

Tip Your Editors:

Tipline: 646-214-8138

Editor-in-Chief:
Gabriel Snyder |

West Coast Editor:
Richard Rushfield |

Contributing Editors:

Valleywag:
Ryan Tate |

Media:
Hamilton Nolan |

Politics:
Alex Pareene |

Investigations:
John Cook |

Entertainment:
Brian Moylan |

Nights:
Adrian Chen |
Azaria Jagger |
Ravi Somaiya |

Weekends:
Foster Kamer |

Video Editor:
Richard Blakeley |

SUBSCRIBE TO Gawker RSS

New: Breaking news and daily top stories via email
4260 Subscribers
Gawker
  • Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Richard Petty Bourgeoisie Richard Petty Bourgeoisie
    12/09/09

    In reply to All Americans Now in Prison Industry, One Way or Another
    You know who really loves prisons? Shithole towns in the Southwest with 4,000 residents. You see, these faux libertarians don't want no government interference in their lives, BUT if you're gonna build a prison AND them mudpeople prisoners is gonna git counted as unemployed residents with zero income AND this makes their fine, proud town look really, really poor without any of the actual effects of poverty AND helps them become eligible for state and federal funds, well, they'll take yer stinkin' money, but you best not touch their guns!!!
     Reply
    Richard Petty Bourgeoisie was starred Richard Petty Bourgeoisie was unstarred
    Image of raincoaster raincoaster
    12/09/09

    @Richard Petty Bourgeoisie: If you can pair it with a casino you'd have the perfect Shithole Town complex. And you wouldn't even need a paddy wagon! Just walk them from one building to the next.
     Reply
    Edited by raincoaster at 12/09/09 3:29 PM raincoaster was starred raincoaster was unstarred
    Image of Richard Petty Bourgeoisie Richard Petty Bourgeoisie
    12/09/09

    @raincoaster: Why have two separate buildings? I'm picturing weekend furloughs where the inmates get $200 of state/federal money, but are only allowed to go upstairs to the casino. The machine will feed itself!
     Reply
    Richard Petty Bourgeoisie was starred Richard Petty Bourgeoisie was unstarred
    Image of BettyCrocker BettyCrocker
    12/09/09

    In reply to All Americans Now in Prison Industry, One Way or Another
    I don't even smoke, and I want a gun that shoots fire so I can light a cigarette.

    Either that or I want a Lady Gaga sparkin' bra.
     Reply
    BettyCrocker was starred BettyCrocker was unstarred
    Image of fuckingoldman fuckingoldman
    12/09/09

    In reply to All Americans Now in Prison Industry, One Way or Another
    Three hots and a cot plus free cable and free healthcare. Quit your bitching.
     Reply
    fuckingoldman was starred fuckingoldman was unstarred
    Image of Uncle_Billy_Slumming Uncle_Billy_Slumming
    12/09/09

    In reply to All Americans Now in Prison Industry, One Way or Another
    What a coininkydinkal post. The guys who run that G4s/Armor Group International are way up there in the prison-industrial complex.

    [gawker.com]

    The only problem with putting the banksters in regular prisons is that the regular population makes friends with them and protects them in hopes of winning favors. (Don't know how much this happens... only have a few data points. We should try it with a huge group and see how it really works)
     Reply
    Uncle_Billy_Slumming was starred Uncle_Billy_Slumming was unstarred
    Image of raincoaster raincoaster
    12/09/09

    @Uncle_Billy_Slumming: I actually just finished reading Stung, an amazing book about a banker at CIBC who took the bank for ten million, gambling it all away. His notes from prison were quite fascinating:

    [www.mcclelland.com]

    'Day leave has been cancelled, since all the guards who'd escort us are needed to do security for the pope's visit. One of the inmates said, "Who the fuck does this pope think he is?" '
     Reply
    raincoaster was starred raincoaster was unstarred
    Image of raincoaster raincoaster
    12/09/09

    @raincoaster: Oh, also fun: in prison, he ALWAYS insisted on being the banker in monopoly. When he tried that with the Hell's Angels, they replied "The fuck you will."
     Reply
    raincoaster was starred raincoaster was unstarred
    Image of Uncle_Billy_Slumming Uncle_Billy_Slumming
    12/09/09

    @raincoaster:

    That brings up the question that's been churning around in my febrile brain for a while now: Who's on top? We have the "establishment" in bed with the bad guys, but are is the establishment smart enough to control the brute force and threats of the bad guys they use/think they are using? (I guess we can't really draw a solid line between the two.. maybe it's a matter of who is willing to get their hands dirty, and who isn't? Who sits on the board at the Met versus who deals meth?)
     Reply
    Uncle_Billy_Slumming was starred Uncle_Billy_Slumming was unstarred
    Image of raincoaster raincoaster
    12/09/09

    @Uncle_Billy_Slumming: The Establishment has always been the bad guys. The title of the best-selling biography of Conrad Black is "The Establishment Man" and Peter Newman chose him to write about because he was, to Newman, the DEFINITIVE establishment figure.

    Which in every way he still is.
     Reply
    raincoaster was starred raincoaster was unstarred
    Image of Uncle_Billy_Slumming Uncle_Billy_Slumming
    12/09/09

    @raincoaster: I think that's what I was trying to say. One sleezy continuum. The hood that shoots you on the street or the suit that's responsible for millions of lives lost from oil, tobacco, finance, etc.

    Not sure why I'm trying to make distinctions... probably an ingrained prejudice.
     Reply
    Uncle_Billy_Slumming was starred Uncle_Billy_Slumming was unstarred
    Image of Uncle_Billy_Slumming Uncle_Billy_Slumming
    12/09/09

    @raincoaster: Oh this is interesting. There was a post at www.baselinscenario.com written by one of the young turks of the econblog community (rortybomb). The post noted that he was now associated with the Roosevelt Institute. I did some digging on the Roosevelt Institute people... lots of Dutch folks, ex OSS ambassardor fellow, Rockefeller, Conrad Black, tobacco industry alumnus, etc. etc. First it got "caught" in their spam filter. One of the hosts told me they pulled it out, but then it "awaiting moderation." I just went back to get the link for you because of the Conrad Black connection, and the post was completely gone. Post and comments, *poof*. Can't wait to see... oops.. now it's back. Looks like someone did the classic "take it down!" then "wait, put it back up! It will look worse if people know we just disappeared it"

    Anywho, here it is:

    [baselinescenario.com]
     Reply
    Uncle_Billy_Slumming was starred Uncle_Billy_Slumming was unstarred
    Image of raincoaster raincoaster
    12/09/09

    @Uncle_Billy_Slumming: That's hilarious: I'm writing a short story in the Cthulhu Mythos tradition with a Conrad Black-like figure as the demon-haunted protagonist. So proof of superhuman powers is just what I'm looking for to make it compelling.

    (any resemblance to figures living or dead would involve them admitting their wives are not fully human, but I'm still expecting to get sued anyway)
     Reply
    Edited by raincoaster at 12/09/09 4:51 PM raincoaster was starred raincoaster was unstarred
    Image of Juancho Juancho
    12/09/09

    @raincoaster: I wish Americans had an understanding of Conrad Black like you neighbors to the north. He's like Warren Buffett crossed with Rupert Murdoch and a dash of Beelzebub.
     Reply
    Juancho was starred Juancho was unstarred
    Image of raincoaster raincoaster
    12/09/09

    @Juancho: It's even more fucked-up than that. He's really too epic a figure to exist in this world.

    Did you know when he was about 12 his dad climbed the huge, impressive staircase in the main hall, called the boys down to breakfast, and then threw himself from the second floor to the first, so the kids would find him?

    Some day someone will write an opera about Conrad Black.
     Reply
    Edited by raincoaster at 12/09/09 5:03 PM raincoaster was starred raincoaster was unstarred
    Image of flugennock flugennock
    12/09/09

    @Uncle_Billy_Slumming: Something I learned a while back from covering the likes of Freak... uh, Free Republic and Stormfront for the IMC:

    Screen dumps and PDF are your friends.
     Reply
    Uncle_Billy_Slumming promoted this comment flugennock was starred flugennock was unstarred
    Image of Uncle_Billy_Slumming Uncle_Billy_Slumming
    12/09/09

    @flugennock:

    Cheers. I used to be diligent about that, but then, I thought: "I'll just dedicate a hard drive and do it automatically." But then I didn't. But... very true. The post came back but there's no way to tell if it changed or not. We should have a system set up for the public good, audited by random, trustworthy folk, that collects all the published info and tracks changes. Google... want to do something useful? The wayback machine isn't reliable... things disappear from google cache... we need an easy, dependable way of making sure the nazis don't burn our books.
     Reply
    Uncle_Billy_Slumming was starred Uncle_Billy_Slumming was unstarred
    Image of Uncle_Billy_Slumming Uncle_Billy_Slumming
    12/09/09

    @raincoaster:

    Hmmm... in light of the post on the gambler on Gawker today, one wonders if we shouldn't look into all the high-rolling losers to see if they aren't laundering money.
     Reply
    Uncle_Billy_Slumming was starred Uncle_Billy_Slumming was unstarred
    Image of raincoaster raincoaster
    11:14 AM

    @Uncle_Billy_Slumming: I wish I could get that job. I knew a Palestinian arms smuggler once who would just say "I won it at the casino" whenever any particular government wondered why he was travelling with so much cash. What's funny is, his day job was as a manager at Starbucks.

    I realize this sounds like bullshit, but it's not. What can I say? I'm a weirdness magnet.
     Reply
    raincoaster was starred raincoaster was unstarred
    Image of jordos1 jordos1
    12/08/09

    In reply to There's Never Been a Better Time to Try Your Hand at House Flipping
    Parents bought house for under ~2ook in late 1970s, sold it for 50 times in 2006. Only good investment my dad ever made, and he didn't even plan it. Now he has the money but misses his dream home terribly. Says selling was a mistake. True story.
     Reply
    jordos1 was starred jordos1 was unstarred
    Image of Banjo-Sea Kitten Banjo-Sea Kitten
    12/08/09

    In reply to There's Never Been a Better Time to Try Your Hand at House Flipping
    If you want to be scared straight, watch "Property Ladder." The flippers tend to be unrealistic, somewhat bumbling and fast and loose with their cash. Budgets: never knew ya! Oh and that one guy ate a live cockroach from under the floor of the L.A. mansion he was restoring. You can see how craaazy people are these days.
     Reply
    Banjo-Sea Kitten was starred Banjo-Sea Kitten was unstarred
    Image of Tambar Tambar
    12/08/09

    @Banjo-Sea Kitten: I recall the guy who was going to take the 'newer' carpet from his home to redo a condo. urgh.
     Reply
    Banjo-Sea Kitten promoted this comment Tambar was starred Tambar was unstarred
    Image of Banjo-Sea Kitten Banjo-Sea Kitten
    12/08/09

    @Tambar: No. Fail.
     Reply
    Banjo-Sea Kitten was starred Banjo-Sea Kitten was unstarred
    Image of PaisleyPajamas PaisleyPajamas
    12/08/09

    @Banjo-Sea Kitten: I adore that show. From minute one there's such a sense of impending doom behind the homeowner's starry-eyed optimism!
     Reply
    PaisleyPajamas was starred PaisleyPajamas was unstarred
    Image of Banjo-Sea Kitten Banjo-Sea Kitten
    12/08/09

    @PaisleyPajamas: Well-said. And I love Kirsten Kemp. She is one darling bad-ass.
     Reply
    Banjo-Sea Kitten was starred Banjo-Sea Kitten was unstarred
    Image of Tambar Tambar
    12/08/09

    @Banjo-Sea Kitten: Even the dubiously impartial hostess cringed when he said it.
     Reply
    Tambar was starred Tambar was unstarred
    Image of CumaeanSibyl CumaeanSibyl
    12/08/09

    @Banjo-Sea Kitten: I love that show so, so much. Kirsten Kemp's doubtful eyebrow is killer.
     Reply
    CumaeanSibyl was starred CumaeanSibyl was unstarred
    Image of Banjo-Sea Kitten Banjo-Sea Kitten
    12/08/09

    @CumaeanSibyl: The Eyebrow. Whew. Betta run.
     Reply
    Banjo-Sea Kitten was starred Banjo-Sea Kitten was unstarred
    Image of Richard Petty Bourgeoisie Richard Petty Bourgeoisie
    12/08/09

    In reply to There's Never Been a Better Time to Try Your Hand at House Flipping
    Sorry, but "Buy it, fix it, flip it" will never supplant my personal motto: "Smack it up, flip it, rub it down."
     Reply
    Richard Petty Bourgeoisie was starred Richard Petty Bourgeoisie was unstarred
    Image of Bottle-Of-Smoke Bottle-Of-Smoke
    12/08/09

    @Richard Petty Bourgeoisie: Oh, no?
     Reply
    Bottle-Of-Smoke was starred Bottle-Of-Smoke was unstarred
    Image of Maxichamp Maxichamp
    12/08/09

    In reply to There's Never Been a Better Time to Try Your Hand at House Flipping
    Bring back Tom Vu informercials!
     Reply
    Maxichamp was starred Maxichamp was unstarred
    Image of Mrs. Beeton Mrs. Beeton
    12/08/09

    In reply to There's Never Been a Better Time to Try Your Hand at House Flipping
    I can operate a cash register and make a fucking bombass cup of coffee, but I can't hammer a nail to save my life, and you probably can't either. When flipping, hire olds to do your carpentry and wiring on the cheap! They probably accidently learned a skill in their youth. (Their youth was the '50s.)
     Reply
    Mrs. Beeton was starred Mrs. Beeton was unstarred
    Image of Oy Veh (Informality Reigns) Oy Veh (Informality Reigns)
    12/08/09

    @Mrs. Beeton: Thank you for clarifying that the Olds had their youth in the 50's--'cause it means that I'M NOT OLD!! YEA!!
     Reply
    Oy Veh (Informality Reigns) was starred Oy Veh (Informality Reigns) was unstarred
    Image of simplicissimus simplicissimus
    12/08/09

    @Mrs. Beeton: The other approach to rehab on the cheap is to redefine your personal aesthetics around the word "rehabbed," and simply live in the house as-is. That way, crumbling plaster, exposed brick, capricious plumbing, and the "rain-powered sprinkler system" in the roof eventually burrow their way into your brain as things of beauty. Much simpler in the long run.
     Reply
    Mrs. Beeton promoted this comment simplicissimus was starred simplicissimus was unstarred
    Image of Rhymenocerous Rhymenocerous
    12/08/09

    In reply to Plenty of People Have Yachts and Rockets These Days So What Is Your Problem?
    How is there not a reference to Yacht Rock in this entire post and its comments?
     Reply
    Rhymenocerous was starred Rhymenocerous was unstarred
    Image of LatestBy LatestBy
    12/08/09

    In reply to Make Thousands of Dollars from the Comfort of Your Own Home
    When Jesus wins, we all eat, and we all drink.

    But we have to bring him loaves, fish and water (to change into wine) first.
     Reply
    LatestBy was starred LatestBy was unstarred
    Image of Botswana Meat Commission FC Botswana Meat Commission FC
    12/08/09

    In reply to Make Thousands of Dollars from the Comfort of Your Own Home
    Is Jesus hiring right now? Jesus! I can bring many assets to your organization!
     Reply
    Botswana Meat Commission FC was starred Botswana Meat Commission FC was unstarred
    Image of momof3wildkids momof3wildkids
    12/08/09

    In reply to Make Thousands of Dollars from the Comfort of Your Own Home
    Ok, I love this guy. This is a green industry I can get behind!
     Reply
    momof3wildkids was starred momof3wildkids was unstarred
    Image of raincoaster raincoaster
    12/08/09

    @momof3wildkids: Yep, best motivation to properly look after the trash ever!

    I've also seen people at the track do this and win. Definitely one of those bittersweet "Yay for you but ew you scrounge in racetrack gutters for a living all day long and god I need a drink now" moments.
     Reply
    raincoaster was starred raincoaster was unstarred
    Image of miss_msry miss_msry
    12/07/09

    In reply to Plenty of People Have Yachts and Rockets These Days So What Is Your Problem?
    Is that top photo CGI, because I have some CGI money to make the down payment?
     Reply
    miss_msry was starred miss_msry was unstarred
    Image of The Real JR The Real JR
    12/07/09

    In reply to Plenty of People Have Yachts and Rockets These Days So What Is Your Problem?
    omg... I'm in love with this yacht. When i win the Mega Millions, I'm totally circling Manhattan for larks in this baby... DAILY.
     Reply
    The Real JR was starred The Real JR was unstarred
    Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

Login

Enter your username and password.

Please enter a username.
Please enter your password.
logging in
Login via Facebook | Sign Up | Forgot Password?

Reset Password

Please enter your email address to have your password reset.

Please enter your email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
requesting password reset

Register

Registering will give you a user profile and the ability to add other users as friends. To become a commenter, however, you need to audition.

Want to know more? Consult the Comment FAQ and legal terms.

Please enter a username.
Please enter a password.
Please confirm your password.
Passwords are not identical.
Please enter a valid email address.
registration sent, waiting for reply

Submit Your Comment

You don't need to login to comment. Just enter your email address below.

See how your address will be displayed in the Comment FAQ.

Please enter a valid email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
logging in

Login with your Facebook or Gawker account.

Sign up here.



  • Archives
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Legal
  • Help
  • Report a Bug
  • FAQ
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.