Weekend Open Thread: A Watercolor Blade Runner

By

Greg Diamond

– June 22, 2012Posted in: Arts, Fresh Juice, movies

"Misty watercolor memories of the way ..." -- sorry, wrong movie.

Hat tip to Slate.com:

This is your weekend Open Thread.

About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)

13 Comments

1. Reply

   cook

   Posted June 22, 2012 at 11:38 PM

   Vern believes in global warming / climate change.

   Autos are said to be a chief cause.

   So why spend limited resources on new and improved freeways when limiting auto use (private ownership) to the point of -0- is what’s being called for?

   Also since the mass burning of natural gas and coal, etc. (Fossil fuels) are also sources of greenhouse gasses, and those power plants would need to be mothballed. There would not be enough electric power to supply electric trains for mass transportation. (Unless the evil atomic power plants are put back into the picture)

   So what is it to be? Bicycles and helium airships and only sail power at sea?

   • Reply

     Vern Nelson

     Posted June 23, 2012 at 11:25 AM

     uh…. it’s a complicated world, Cook, and I try to deal with it.

     We’re not gonna pry cars away from Americans any time soon.

     With this 405 Toll-gate, I’m fighting against what I’m usually fighting against – a little conspiracy of well-connected rich guys to rip off the public and stuff their pockets a little more. It’s something that never goes away and always needs fighting.

     • Reply

       Greg Diamond

       Posted June 23, 2012 at 1:35 PM

       Pinky and the Vern:

       PINKY: Gee, Vern, what do you want to do tonight?

       THE VERN: The same thing we do every night, Pinky — try to prevent someone from taking over the world!

2. Reply

   Ron & Anna Winship

   Posted June 23, 2012 at 8:18 AM

   *The road to Bandini Mountain is filled with ruts and potholes. The Republican stonewalling against: Global Warming Legislation, Child Sexual Abuse Laws, Higher CAFE Standards for vehicles around the world, International Trade Agreements which require Environmental and Labor Standards that match the Western Countries, Retrictions on Big Agriculture and required GMO Labeling, Setting US Water Quality Standards for all States, Setting FDA and Dept. of Agriculture Standards for both Food and Drugs in this country and of course – Demanding that “Actual Polluters”….not be able to just buy “Credits”…..but actually fix their pollution problems.

   What seems academic is: All immigration should be restricted to ZERO until all the above are addressed and corrected. We do not need to add more people of any ethnic background to our population – until our society starts to look like Switzerland!

   Good Grief – when are people going to stop “kicking our problems down the road without resolution and for how long must it continue until the wheels come off the cart?”

   • Reply

     Greg Diamond

     Posted June 23, 2012 at 1:37 PM

     Re immigration, from the Colossal Cave Adventure:

     “You wave your wand. Nothing happens.”

3. Reply

   cook

   Posted June 23, 2012 at 11:37 PM

   Another one of my pet peves: MJ is totally safe to use and never has hurt anyone, ever.

   OCR
   Published: June 23, 2012 Updated: 9:07 p.m.
   Child killed, 2 injured in suspected DUI
   Police said the woman appeared to be under the influence when she hit a woman and her two young daughters.
   Cowan failed a field sobriety test at the scene and had a container of marijuana on her dashboard, Bertagna said.

   • Reply

     Greg Diamond

     Posted June 24, 2012 at 1:24 AM

     Actually, I’m with you on that one. I take a lot of flak for it from other MMJ activists, too. I think that it is likely that marijuana intoxication has led to car accidents and the like. Of course, I’d say the same of Benadryl and many other over-the-counter medications.

   • Reply

     Vern Nelson

     Posted June 24, 2012 at 7:26 AM

     Police said the woman appeared to be under the influence when she hit a woman and her two young daughters.
     Cowan failed a field sobriety test at the scene and had a container of marijuana on her dashboard, Bertagna said.

     Where does it say that marijuana made her fail the sobriety test?

     Where does it say that she was even using marijuana?

     Sounds like a drunk lady who also had pot with her, at least from what you’ve given us. So what?

     I’ve heard tell of some people getting DUI’s who also have books with them – sometimes great literature and history! When do the burnings begin?

     • Reply

       cook

       Posted June 24, 2012 at 12:21 PM

       We will see what happens at her trial.

       • Reply

         Vern Nelson

         Posted June 24, 2012 at 12:38 PM

         yeah … just from the bit you quoted, I’m not sure pot had anything to do with her bad driving. Maybe it did. Any time you’re driving with your judgment or co-ordination impaired by any drug you took voluntarily (usually it’s alcohol) you should get a DUI.

         I do have stoner friends who frequently say “I’m too stoned to drive.”

4. Reply

   cook

   Posted June 24, 2012 at 4:41 PM

   Love the open thread.

   What should be done about all those abandon campaign signs?

   I think each city and the county should adopt a ordnance to:

   Register (with a fee) in each city and the county where the signs will be placed
   Pay a CRV on each sign (the signs would need to be numbered)

   Allow one week after the election to collect by campaigns before allowing anyone to return the signs for the CRV.

   Anyone who wants to personally keep a sign would take the sign in for its number to be cancelled, the city or county keeps the CRV.

   After 2 to 3 weeks as per ord. The unaccounted for signs, the CRV is forfeited to the city or county.

   • Reply

     Demagogue

     Posted June 24, 2012 at 5:14 PM

     That’s going to take away from the cops time spent enforcing the MJ laws.

5. Reply

   Ron & Anna Winship

   Posted June 26, 2012 at 3:29 PM

   *The bad news from the news room. The City of Newport Beach PD is now running
   DUI check points on Dover Drive from PCH every Friday night.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.