Priceless

[cywelchjr]

I have to say that the snopes article makes a lot of sense. I understand that cell phone issue, and yes, they can be VERY cheap, and frankly within parameters really are pretty much a need, not a want. Also knowing that it's a privately funded kitchen makes a HUGE difference to me. Not only that, but apparently the type of food and service is part of what they are trying to do to re-integrate the homeless into society, great job.

[DGXSER]

What I find very interesting is that the "Snopes" folks are merely countering one persons assumptions with other possible assumptions. There is no facts. Sometimes I think sites like SNOPES is just as guilty of the schtuff they acuse others of doing. Another way to sensationalize something to get hits on THEIR website.

[Ralphy]

Well whatever the controversy over that picture I think its fair to say that scenario is being played out every day in every city around the world while fat cat politicians and ceo's sit back laughing at us so called "little people" our so called leaders are blowing bubbles and you know what happens when you try to catch bubbles? your left with nothing.

[Fix]

At least the snopes folks list verifiable sources. I, of course, check those sources myself.


Sources:

Brown, DeNeen L. "For a Day, First Lady Becomes a Lunch Lady."
Washington Post. 6 March 2009 (p. C10).

Sweet, Lynn. "Can Michelle Influence what We Eat, Too?"
Chicago Sun-Times. 6 March 2009 (p. C10).

Associated Press. "First Lady Puts Service on the Menu."
The Australian. 7 March 2009.

Sorry if I'm coming across adversarial.. I'm not trying to be. Just naturally skeptical, I guess.

[DGXSER]

No problem Mike,

I'm just equally skeptical of the SNOPES folks. I am convinced any form of media including a website has an agenda to support and that their first agenda is their bottom line. Skeptic is me!!

Even XS11 has a cost to operate and we the benefactors hopefully do what we can to support it when we buy a nice mod like a fuse box or patch by giving an extra buck or two each time.

How does SNOPE support their cost? Has to be through advertisements which takes hits to support so...... Kinda like "Mythbusters", other than the cool stuff they blow up and do, no one to tune in to see them confirm every myth they test.

OK rant over, back to your regularly scheduled thread!

[Ashencone]

I like the look on the face of the secret service agent behind her... head turned sideways like he's just about to draw his weapon.. lol.


Tod

You mean a look that says: "That phone's nicer than mine, what the!"

[crazy steve]

I never get tired of these things on the internet. My mom forwards the same stuff without looking into it either.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/soupkitchen.asp

Yeah, those pesky, inconvenient people who post stuff that debunks certain political agendas are SUCH a drag.....

'78E original owner

[trbig]

What in the world are they doing serving gourmet food like mushroom risotto? We need to help the helpless, but we need to be not wasting our money on fance stuff and provide them with good solid healthy food.

A lot of these "Soup kitchens" rely on local businesses to donate whatever food they had extra for the day. If you're hungry... a big ol' plate of macaroni and cheese is going to be better than nothing... healthy or not.


Tod

[Trainzz]

As someone who was once in his life a Dempsey-diver, I can't fault anyone who needs this service or who provides it.

[Wildkat]

A lot of these "Soup kitchens" rely on local businesses to donate whatever food they had extra for the day. If you're hungry... a big ol' plate of macaroni and cheese is going to be better than nothing... healthy or not.

That's how it is at our local shelters... Also, many churches have sandwich making nights and then deliver them to the shelters... We've often taken over food leftover from school functions... food doesn't go to waste and hungry people are fed...
As for mushroom risotto being gourmet... only in name... If you look at a recipe for it... it's basically nothing more than rice and mushrooms... both fairly inexpensive ingredients and a little goes a long way...

[Guy_b_g]

AS to Snopes...yes the website is about advertizing and making money.

It is also about educating the public on what is true, what is false and what is in the "grey area".

Just because the website makes money doesn't preclude it from being a valuable forum for debunking falsehoods or verifying truths.

Don't just dismiss Snopes out of hand...you might want to take a closer look at it, the site has no political agenda that I can discern, the agenda there is rating the truth or falsehood of statements, rumors and urban legend with no regard to party, religious organization or racial or sexual bias. They always find the context of what they are researching and print it with the item in question. Sometimes even statements that sound awful or politically incorrect and which were actually made, are put into contexts or removed from contexts that completely change the actual intent of what was said or done. It's called "spin".

The service that Snopes provides is twofold:
1. They provide verification of truth or falsehood of the actual item.
2. They remove the spin so you have an understanding of the actual intent of the statement or the relevance of a particular point of view regarding an event.

Those with a political axe to grind only use sites like Snopes to debunk items they don't like or agree with, and dismiss those sites as irrelevant when it inconveniences them.

By political axe I mean a tool that's ambidextrious, it can be swung either from the right or the left.

[Fix]

Yeah, those pesky, inconvenient people who post stuff that debunks certain political agendas are SUCH a drag.....

'78E original owner

Only a drag if what's posted is false or sensationalized. Grind your political axe elsewhere, please.

[mstic2000]

SWMBO works for Social Services here for the last 30 yrs. She's seen it all. These people know how to work the system like you would not believe. They drive in with their new white Cadillac Escalades with a back seat full of kids and of course running up to the doors with cellphone in hand talking away, all decked out in their gold jewelry right at 5 O'clock to get their papers turned in. There has been quite a number of times I've sat there thinking to myself, "damn! some of these people are living way better than me & SWMBO who work!" They have even come right out to her face many times and told her, "you're WHITE and you OWE me!" (she loves that one!)

A number of years ago I was a manager for a grocery store here and during the 1st week of the month when foodstamps were issued. People would be driving in with their new cadillacs, etc. all decked out in their gold and paying with foodstamps??? What really fascinated me was on a regular basis they would have so many shopping carts full of food that they would inadvertently forget a shopping cart full of food (after paying for it with foodstamps) and wouldn't even come back for it! This happened on a regular basis during the 1st of the month! I just could not believe it.

A few years back we had a neighbor, single woman on assistance with 3 kids all from different fathers and a boyfriend who would beat the heck out of her like clockwork at 3-4am EVERY Monday morning after they had been drinking all weekend. Social Services were cutting back on the amount of assistance they were handing out to these people and I told SWMBO, "you watch she's going to have another kid to make up the difference in what she is being cut on assistance." And sure enough wasn't a few months later she was running around with the ol belly sticking out!

Ok, I'm done ranting.

Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of people that really need this assistance to survive but there is ALSO a whole lot of waste going on too! What's really sad is that the people that REALLY need it are usually the ones that can't get it because they don't know how to work the system and get around the stipulations like a lot of the ones that really don't need it do.

I think with the current administration in place in the white house we ain't seen nothin yet!

[crazy steve]

Only a drag if what's posted is false or sensationalized. Grind your political axe elsewhere, please.

No axe here, just making a little fun of those who do have axes and don't always hit the mark.... and they usually don't have a sense of humor either....

'78E original owner

[LoHo]

Do you think having Michelle serving might have attracted a more diverse crowd than the usual bunch? Maybe some locals who have a job, but wanted to see the First Lady?

Has anyone gotten the obligatory picture of Obama looking through the binoculars with the caps on yet? We have one of every president since Lincoln, I think. Then we can all point and laugh and say, "Hah! Look at the minority/pacifist/socialist/liberal/commie/civilian! What a dummy!"

Someone with a political axe to grind on this site!? Pshaw! Pshaw, I say!