John just informed me that Christopher Walken Twitters. At least he does in the same sense that Steve Jobs has a blog.
Anyhow. What was I saying? Open thread.
Reader Interactions
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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
The problem people have with Biden’s age is the color of the VPs skin.
A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.
There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.
Trump makes a mockery of the legal system and cowardly judges just sit back and let him.
FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.
“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”
Technically true, but collectively nonsense
And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.
There’s always a light at the end of the frog.
Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.
Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.
There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.
Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.
Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.
In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.
Every day Vance writes another chapter in the book called “Worst VP Pick Ever”.
Fani Willis claps back at Trump chihuahua, Jim Jordan.
Second rate reporter says what?
Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!
Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.
If you are in line to indict donald trump, stay in line.
“Cheese and Kraken paired together for the appetizer trial.”
with the Kraken taking a plea, the Cheese stands alone.
Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.
You are here: Home / Open Threads / Excellent Links / I Carried This Twitter Feed In My Ass For Five Years Just So I Could Give It To You
MikeJ
This is comedy genius.
Riggsveda
John Cleese does, too. (Twitter, not pogo while drunk).
Tattoosydney
The frightening thing is that I’d still give it a 50/50 chance that it’s the real Christopher Walken…
Cain
Jeezus, if that’s really him, he’s freaking funny.
cain
guest
he’d only tweet if you paid him.
Lost Rocks While BSG Sucks
Even if it isn’t the real Christopher Walken, I’d still keep following that guy — because it is frikking hilarious.
His & Stephen Fry’s tweets always brighten my day. I mean, just look at this:
http://www.mobypicture.com/user/stephenfry/view/126330
That’s just priceless.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
Stephen looks very fit!
smiley
Indeed. That, my friends, is some good shit.
smiley
Open thread, eh? Okay, then what’s the consensus on refrigerating condiments?
Brian J
Economist Robert Frank has a great column in The New York Times, arguing that we don’t need to be worried about deficits that help stimulate demand during slow periods and/or add value to the economy overall by doing things like educating the population and improving infrastructure. This is particularly true in the short-term, and while we need to be worried over the longer term, there are ways to raise more revenue, like his favorite idea, a progressive consumption tax. I’d like to know more about the specifics of his arguments and others like him–specifically, what they feel the breaking point is–but it’s great to have some push back against the idea that somehow, deficits caused by spending are horrible while deficits caused by tax cuts are just fine.
Also, what does everyone think of the idea of allowing immigrants who buy homes to get special visas? The argument is that we’d be allowing an educated, wealthy, likely job-producing population to come to the country, which would help our economy in a number of ways. And supposedly, it wouldn’t really change the total number of immigrants, if that’s an issue. Barry Ritholz describes the idea in more detail, and from what I gather, it doesn’t sound like something that would be that hard to sell politically. I don’t live in an area that has been hit hard by the foreclosure crisis, but I imagine that most wouldn’t really care who is moving into an area as long as it’s not the lowest rungs of society, which this wouldn’t be. What does everyone else think of this idea?
Tattoosydney
@smiley:
No (except wholegrain mustard, and anything that doesn’t have vinegar in it (like cranberry sauce)).
Josh Hueco
Christopher Walken = BOB?
JL
@Brian J:
The author of the column is not Barry. Barry has stated several times that he thinks housing prices need to fall further. Unfortunately, immigrants are looked upon as the lowest rung of society in the south. I don’t know if the plan would work. Why wouldn’t this be a situation where you are replacing one bubble with another? He does state that the immigrants would not be allowed to bring additional family members such as cousins to live in the house. Household members are normally decided by zoning laws so I’m not sure how that would work.
aimai
I need to know if that is really christopher walken because if it is its the greatest dovetailing of character and actor I’ve ever seen.
aimai
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
smiley, I totally misread the last word the first time.
Anything that has lots of vinegar and little or no sugar should be fine unrefrigerated. Pantry: soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard. Fridge: ketchup, relish, mayo, commercial salad dressings.
Brick Oven Bill
Christopher Walken is not me!
Pickles are perhaps my favorite condiment and the answer on pickle refrigeration is maybe. Refrigeration retards* the growth of bacteria, but man evolved for a long time without refrigerators, and determined other ways to retard the growth of bacteria.
Pickling, for instance. This seems to be a good recipe. Some pickles should be refrigerated, and others do not have to be. The best way to determine if your favorite brand of pickle needs to be refrigerated, is to look at the grocery store. If it is in the refrigerated section at the store, then you should probably refrigerate them at home too.
If you make your own pickles at home, and do not wish to refrigerate them, use a lot of salt, as this also retards the growth of bacteria. I recommend growing cucumbers and making homemade pickles. They are very easy and very good.
*PC clarification: ‘retards’ meaning ‘slows down’, and should not be confused with the President’s bowling skills, the Special Olympics, or the President’s speech patterns without his teleprompter.
joe from Lowell
He hid this uncomfortable piece of metal the only place he could.
Mainer
Do you think it pisses off the right wing that two of three Americans think Obama’s doing a good job? http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Job-Approval.aspx
Or do you think they’re just going to just keep trying to convince themselves that Obama is a bad communicator?
Laura W
@Tattoosydney: Sheepishly slinks off of couch, pulls Cheeky Ginger and Lemon Sauce from fridge. Tries to read impossibly small print on back. "Refrigerate after opening." Feels redeemed.
SGEW
I do not know how to react to the return of Bill. I am completely torn. On one hand I look forward to his writing (much as I enjoy Mr. Walker’s tweets, or certain outsider novelists), but on the other hand I dread wading through more racist, sexist, and neo-aristocratic manifestos.
Here’s a thought: what would be better?
A) B.O.B. posts his offensive, bigoted thoughts along with his more trenchant (and jarringly intriguing) observations. Soon, all of his comments are ignored and/or derided, and he winds up being "suspended" again or outright banned. A victory for common decency or a strike against free speech? A conundrum.
B) B.O.B. self-censors himself, and agrees to never mention race, gender, democratic principles, or the poll tax ever again. He may otherwise participate in comments here. However, this may give him a legitimacy I argue he does not deserve, as he is, in fact, a racist, sexist, neo-aristocrat who should be shunned in decent company. Additionally, self-censorship is still censorship, and apposite to the American standard of freedom of expression. Also a conundrum.
C) B.O.B. takes some time off; maybe gets around to writing that novel, finishing that new oven, installing that electric train set, whatever. Takes some time with the . . . family? Friends? (?) Maybe thinks about why his political and philosophical views drive otherwise tolerant people to distraction. Meets some people of different ethnic heritages and/or gender. Reads some post Civil War American history. Then either returns with some respectful understanding of our differences or mans up and joins the Klan. Pick a side, Bill.
smiley
@Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse: Sorry Mary, go look at your katchup@Brick Oven Bill: Sorry, Bill, I referred to you as Brick Oven Bob earlier. My bad.
Brian J
@JL:
I guess it was dumb to assume that BR probably agreed with what the other guy said, but I there I went.
Anyway, I don’t know if this would create another bubble so much as ease the landing or bring prices back to a natural level. It’s probably not large enough to create a bubble like the one we saw over the past few years.
Still, even if prices need to fall, aren’t there enough good points about a program like this that it’s worth recommending? From the description on the site, it seems like there are.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
My ketchup is Heinz. Ingredients in descending order: tomato paste, liquid sugar, white vinegar, salt, onion powder, spices.
Anything with more sugar than vinegar doesn’t fit my pantry criteria of "lots of vinegar and little or no sugar". And Heinz agrees with me, as the bottom of the label says "Refrigerate after opening."
The Moar You Know
@SGEW: I like Backyard Crematorium Bill just how he is. He has some stupid ideas, as do I, but his are a lot more entertaining.
Sometimes it’s really good to revisit ideas, such as the poll tax or protectionist tariffs, as a reality check, to make sure that "yes, this really was as bad an idea as people 100 years ago thought it was". I look at BOB as an almost theological sceptic, one who throws out both obvious (IQ varying by race) questions and non-obvious questions (the merits of backyard crematoria and electric railroads).
I wouldn’t change a thing about him. He is certainly easy enough to ignore if you feel you must, just a few live pixels on a screen. As are we all.
smiley
@smiley: Um, I screwed that up. I think you know what I meant.
Laura W
@Brick Oven Bill:
This is very helpful to me, Bill. Since moving to NC I’ve discovered Mt. Olive sweetened with Splenda pickels and love them much. I always put them in the fridge after I open them, but I would really prefer them at room temp. I am not going to chill them any longer. I hope I do not get sick.
Mt. Olive has what I consider to be the most awful and annoying web site I have ever seen. It’s probably worth a look for that
horrorhonor alone.Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
Laura, that site is why we Flash developers can’t have nice things.
Brian J
@JL:
By the way, about any potential immigrants and their reception: I am not sure we need to worry. My guess is, those who really care about this are worried about a certain class of people (and I don’t mean this in a negative way), but this proposal wouldn’t really apply to them. Simply put, if the ignorant hick is worried that a Mexican is going to take his job, he can sleep soundly that this proposal probably wouldn’t make a difference. However, if he can’t get over the fact that Indian engineer might live a few blocks away, he’ll have a problem.
But if what I’ve read is any indication, people in the South are more accepting of those who easily fit into a professional class. Or so that’s why, some say, Bobby Jindal was able to be elected in Louisiana.
And again, assuming people would actually move into these areas, or the affects would carry over, are those who are struggling really going to care who is living near them? If your house is surrounded by foreclosed homes, and yet decent people, no matter what their background move in and make the area better, wouldn’t you be grateful?
smiley
@Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse: I’ve never seen that and I’ve never refrigerated catchup. I grew up in a Heinz catchup family and it was never refrigerated. I use Hunts now and it doesn’t specify refrigeration. I don’t think Heinz’s used to either.
John Cole
I like Claussen’s or Nathan’s myself.
John Cole
Also, Heinz is the only ketchup. The rest is swill.
Laura W
@Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse: Christie!
LOL, Mary. I only used 3 of the links and had to back away quickly before something that looked like a talking pickle freaked my mind fully out.
Christ!
Ninerdave
@John Cole:
I tried to make my own ketchup once. It stunk to high heaven and tasted just like the store bought stuff.
Random thought.
What’s the difference between Ketchup and Catsup?
smiley
@John Cole: I saw a show comparing Ketchups and Hunts won, so I tried it. It’s fine, and just a little cheaper. I understand your western PA bias, however.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
Yeah, smiley, generations of people have eaten unrefrigerated ketchup without dying. There must be something magical in there to balance that truckload of sugar.
Ninerdave, they’re different spellings for the same thing. The original catsup (Ké Tsiap (茄汁)) was a fish-based sauce from Asia. (wiki)
Brick Oven Bill
S.G.E.W., you need to chill out. Put down the Rubik’s Cube. I am not an Aristocrat as Aristocrats do not drive Ford Focuses to their new job that they are very happy to have working in a pre-fab metal building performing machining.
The Punic Wars, between young Rome and Carthage were from 264 to 146BC. In contrast, the Chinese started mining salt in 6,000BC, for the preservation of food, meat in particular. This was a significant advancement for man as it allowed him to store food through seasons and for contingencies.
I have previously relayed that I have an Armenian friend, who is very smart. He believes that salt is going to become much more expensive. Think about the saying ‘a man worth his salt’. This saying comes from the days before refrigeration and teleprompters.
"No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause." – Theodore Roosevelt
John Cole
@Ninerdave: I’ve only ever seen it called catsup south of the Mason-Dixon. Other than that, no clue.
smiley
@John Cole: Hebrew National dogs are excellent too except for the annoying fact that they package them in 7-packs (and yes, I know why).
Laura W
@smiley:
When I lived in CO I loved their Polish sausage. Even the knockwurst if the sausage was not available.
Can’t find either to save my life here. Can only eat the franks so often.
One of you folks should fire up the damn grill. What a perfect evening for a picnic. POTUS on 60 Minutes, wall-to-wall BBall…
JenJen
@smiley: Hebrew National hot dogs are THE WHIP. Accept no other hot dog, ever!
smiley
@Brick Oven Bill: I live about 30 miles from the Atlantic ocean. I’m fine for salt. However, the cheap, efficient desalination of ocean water for human consumption is possibly one of the most important challenges we humans face. I think it should be on the same par with fixing global climate change (and they are very related) or traveling to Mars (eyes rolling).
smiley
@Laura W:
@JenJen:
Did you know that they have a fat-free dog now? Haven’t tried them but I can’t imagine…
big woo
I think it really is Chris Walken. He used to have a blog on LiveJournal that was hilarious.
Also, one should never refrigerate ketchup. It kills the taste.
TheHatOnMyCat
@Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse:
Quite true. It all depends on how long you intend to keep the catsup.
Sooner or later, unrefrigerated, it starts to ferment. It gets little bubbles in it and starts to taste sour.
Refrigeration is the only way to slow that down to a crawl.
If you use it in a few days, no big deal. If you keep it for 3 weeks, it is going to ferment on you unless you chill it.
Fermented catsup won’t kill you but it tastes like crap.
TheHatOnMyCat
Yeah, see my post at 44. Unless you use it up quickly, it will ferment. If you like fermented catsup, then knock yourself out. I think it tastes like the washwater that comes out of your washing machine. Okay, washwater tastes better, I’m kidding.
El Cid
Ketchup is one of the products that actually taste better when it says "organic" on the label. I don’t know if it’s the organic nature of the produce or the different ingredients. But like many dairy products the organic tastes better.
Brick Oven Bill
Question: Why to the Germans have Bratwurst and the Italians Salami?
Answer: Sausage too, is all about refrigeration, bacteria, and latitude.
The Germans could grind up their pigs in late fall and make bratwurst, because the cold German climate would refrigerate the moist sausage, and retard the growth of bacteria.
The Italians, on the other hand, did not have cold winters, so bratwursts would have rotted and given them food poisoning. So, to retard the growth of bacteria, the Italians learned to remove moisture from the meat, retarding the growth of bacteria, and also to add spices, including salt. This way, no refrigeration was needed.
I agree with smiley about the importance of salt and have actually tried making sea-salt in the kitchen. I don’t know if anyone else has tried this, but I could not get mine to fully dry.
smiley
@TheHatOnMyCat:
Never experienced that and I’ve kept Ketchup around for months. However, it makes sense because I’ve had orange and tomato juice turn in the refrigerator. If unrefrigerated ketchup turned in my pantry, I am unable to detect it.
Comrade Michael "Oh Please" Brown
Cristopher Walken on Twitter? Wow. I thought Bill Griffith had stopped writing Zippy the Pinhead.
big woo
@TheHatOnMyCat:
Point taken, but after three weeks it has overstayed it’s welcome anyway.
Laura W
@smiley: Did not know. That probably falls in line with decaf coffee and no alcohol wine in my little world. Like, why bother?
Freakin’ Trojans. GET ON IT!
Anne
Need Tunch’s commentary on March Madness.. missed him on Friday.
smiley
@Brick Oven Bill:
Um, my point was about drinkable fresh water, not salt. We have plenty of salt. We’re losing fresh water.
JenJen
@smiley: Haven’t tried the fat-free Hebrew National, but I started buying the reduced-fat ones a year or so ago, and I’m so used to them now that I don’t notice the diff.
Josh Hueco
Totally OT, but I’m trying to change my address on the Selective Service’s webpage (SSS registration being a precondition of federal employment), and of the choices for country of residence on the form, there is no United States, but there is a "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics," a nation that hasn’t existed in nearly 20 years. How do you say FAIL in Russian?
smiley
Okay, desalination doesn’t fly here. Too bad.
Brick Oven Bill
I am sorry I missed your point smiley. Yes, fresh water too is very important. The Southwestern States are in trouble. The cities were water-modeled for around three people per living unit, at around 1000 gallons per day.
But with the economic problems and the influx of illegal aliens, there will be many more people per home, and the water usage per home will go up. It is not unusual for those guys to live twelve to a home.
Here is a very interesting article that indicates that food may very well be a big problem in 2009 because of drought.
Laura W
@smiley: Give it 5 min. and it’ll be sexy again.
All the games are ending. Trojan Losers!
Ash
I don’t have time to read 57 posts, but the Christopher Walken Twitter is sadly a fake.
Studly Pantload, Would Be Minion of John Cole
@Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse:
I read that wiki entry not too long ago. Was fascinated that in the merry ol’ UK you can purchase mushroom catsup, as they use the term catsup to cover a number of saucy condiments.
James K. Polk, Esq.
Speaking of pickling, i am making some sauerkraut now. Plain flavor stuff, last time was lemon garlic dill.
Krista
The only condiments that I don’t refrigerate would be vinegar, oil, and foodstuffs like peanut butter, Nutella and the like. Everything else goes into the fridge. Which kind of irks me as being a waste of fridge space because I eschew most condiments. I only eat ketchup with McDonald’s fries, loathe mustard with a passion, and have not been able to eat relish since the age of three when my cruel older sister put some on a spoon and told me it was a new kind of candy.
Question: do any of you people put ketchup on your eggs, or is that just some weird-ass Maritimer thing?
Dennis-SGMM
The visas for home buyers idea reeks of desperation. It would be ironic if the main applicants for the program were members of the Mexican drug cartels.
JL
@Krista: I still do occasionally. Although I reside in the south now, I grew up in New England.
valdivia
Obama is pretty great on 60 min, anyone else watching?
JL
@valdivia: Maybe politico will rethink their hit piece on President Obama not being a great communicator. Somehow, I don’t think that Bush read to many briefing books.
JenJen
@valdivia: I am. I’m still waiting for him to apologize to Boehner, McConnell, et al for his TOTALLY FAILED PRESIDENCY. ;-)
The Cherry Blossoms look gorgeous.
I wonder why POTUS has chosen Steve Kroft as his go-to man in the media? I like Kroft, just curious as to why he seemed to have won the Golden Ticket.
Mike in NC
@ JL:
Fixed
valdivia
@JL:
ha. warped as they are I am sure they saw the interview as confirmation that he does not know how to communicate
@JenJen: I like Kroft, he is good at asking follow up questions without the hamming up and antagonism of David Gregory. I also think that the choice of 60 minutes is deliberate–a news program that is geared towards the family, sort of old time media but good old time media no?
El Cid
Just watching 60 Minutes. I still love that guy Obama. Sure I get my disagreements. But I still like him.
JL
There are already over a thousand comments on Obama’s interview on CBS. The whackos came out early to criticize.
Steeplejack
@Laura W:
Warning! You’re taking health-related advice from Brick Oven Bill. Think about it.
There are plenty of foods you buy at the grocery store that aren’t refrigerated but should be after you open them, e.g., ketchup. . . . Just checked two jars of pickles, and both have "Refrigerate after opening" on the lids.
Did I mention the part about taking health-related advice from Brick Oven Bill?!
geg6
Krista, ketchup on eggs is very common in Western PA. I thought it was unique. Guess not.
valdivia
@El Cid:
I just love hearing him answer questions. His humanity, not just his intelligence comes through.
And I think this reaction is widely shared. After all the outrage, where are obama’s numbers? Gotta love those.
JenJen
@valdivia: Agreed on Kroft. And you’re right; 60 Minutes is, I’m sure, still the most-watched news program, so choosing Kroft has the added value of attracting the most viewers.
Steeplejack
@JenJen:
Amen on the Hebrew National dogs.
Mizzou got through in a squeaker. Yee-haw! Couldn’t find the game on TV, had to follow the end on the ESPN "crawl."
JenJen
HEY, I didn’t see any Tire Swings on Sasha and Malia’s swingset! What gives? :-)
Speaking of tire swings… during the general election campaign, then-Senator Obama held a rally on an absolutely perfect summer day at Ault Park in Cincinnati. I attended quite a few campaign events (Ohio gets A LOT of electoral attention), but this one was my favorite.
As 35,000 of us left the park and walked through the most affluent part of the suburb of Hyde Park, there was one woman standing on her spacious lawn screaming at all of us at the top of her lungs. She was determined; we could hear her blocks away.
As we approached, we noticed many McCain/Palin signs in her yard, but what really struck us was that she was walking her pony. For real, this woman had a miniature horse, and she was walking it around her front yard while calling all of us Socialists. Everyone would just stop and stare at her while she ranted and raved. I truly wish I’d have taken more photos of her, but I do have this one… and what’s that off to the right, in her yard? A TIRE SWING.
It was as if we hit the motherlode… McCain/Palin Supporter, A Tire Swing, AND WE FOUND THE PONY. :-)
John Cole
So why are Hebrew National dogs packaged in groups of seven?
BTW- What are they criticizing about the Obama interview? I didn’t see anything I would consider controversial, let alone offensive.
valdivia
@John Cole:
his being in the white house is offensive, don’t you know?
Litlebritdifrnt
Hey guys, Kevin K. had to say goodbye to Hubcap today, the medical problems were just too much, go over to rump roast and give him some love, I am sure that he is in dire need of it right now. There is nothing in the world worst than having to make a decision to put a pet to sleep for their own good, and to relieve them from their pain, because it is against every instinct you have to keep them around for a while for yourself. It takes guts and an utter love of your pet to do this. Kev K. had to make that decision and I am sure it is killing him right now. Give him a hug. (Imagine John in the same situation with Tunch, replace Kevin and Hubcap, you get the situation).
Svensker
@Ninerdave:
What’s the difference between Ketchup and Catsup?
The spelling.
Tomato catsup (ketchup) is a late comer to the ketchup world. In the early 1800s mushroom ketchup and walnut ketchup were the common types. One day I’m going to make both of them.
Laura W
@Steeplejack: Thanks, Pal. I clearly lost my mind for a minute.
Perhaps when I realized the Trojans sucked, I figured my life was not worth living anyway?
It could’ve been a veiled attempt at suicide. DBBP.
Death by botchulistic pickels.
anonevent
@Steeplejack: There are a lot of foods labeled like that solely to cover the producers ass, not because there’s any scientific evidence of it helping. Did you know, according to my jar of Clover Valley Grape Jelly & Peanut Butter, it contains peanuts. Says so right on the jar under the list of allergens.
JenJen
@Ninerdave:
Michael Quinion answers your queries!
Litlebritdifrnt
@Krista:
When I make myself a full English breakfast (sausages, English bacon, mushrooms, tinned tomatoes, heinz baked beans, fried bread and fried eggs) I always put ketchup on my fried eggs, even though I will then break the egg yolks and mix the entire thing up with the ketchup, bean juice, and tomato juice and dip heavily buttered slices of bread into it. Man I am just drooling right now thinking of those heavily buttered slices of bread dipped into that goo. :)
Svensker
Re: keeping pickles in the fridge or not.
While I appreciate BOB’s idea of refrigerator case pickles IN the fridge and the others not, I don’t think that flies, unless you have an old fashioned cold pantry. Once canned pickles are opened, they are subject to an influx of bacteria, which of course grows so much more nicely at warmer temperatures. I doubt you’d get sick from unreefered pickles, but they might be likely to grow an unappetizing "mother" — whitish surface skin.
Comrade Stuck
@valdivia:
Yes. The same reason they went after Clinton, who at least gave them some ammo. So far with Obama, it’s Michelles nekked arms and the suspicious garden growing who knows what.
Laura W
@Svensker: Only BOB could instigate a pickle kerfuffle on BJ. God Bless the Maniac.
mcd410x
To echo a comment John (or someone) made about BSG, the children in the latest version of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" all have collagen lips implants, too, which is triply bizarre considering this is WWII England we’re talking about.
Or perhaps, that’s how the Brits held off the forces of evil.
John Cole
I’m still curious about the National Hebrew hot dog thing. Why do they come in packs of seven? Is this some sort of nasty joke? Or do they really come in packs of seven? I could have sworn I have had them before, but I don’t remember counting them.
valdivia
@John Cole:
I know nothing about them 7 packs of hot dogs but will guess it is biblicallly related to the 7 days of creation?
valdivia
OT and depressing.
Kirk Spencer
@Steeplejack: Actually, in this case BOB is mostly right – at least for pickles. (If you buy mayo, you’ll notice that it’s usually not refrigerated at time of purchase. I would heartily recommend you put it in the refrigerator once you open it, however.) The caveat is largely like the one for refrigerating ketchup – the longer it’s out (in days, not hours) the more likely something will go wrong.
Non-refrigerator control of bacteria tends to be done by keeping things too dry or the ph being out of the comfort zone. Sugar and salt do the drying. Vinegar makes things too acidic, while less common treatments can be used to make things too base (lutefisk is a bad but easy example. sigh) The risk at all times is that whatever you’re setting out isn’t dry/acid/base ENOUGH. The most insidious risk is when it WAS enough, but exposure to the moisture in the air has diluted the whatever and moved it (barely) into the safe zone. Or (for catsup) it may have separated, or (for pickles) what’s pickled may have floated high enough out of the protective brine to lose the protection, or…
If it’s going to sit out for a long time – say, more than a week – I’d be cautious. If you’re going to eat the pickles or whatever within a week, keeping them out is probably fine.
Laura W
@John Cole: I’ve been waiting for smiley to answer that too but according to the smart kids on yahoo, via the google, 7 is perfection?
Oh, like Bo Derek?
No, that was 10.
Never mind.
Comrade Stuck
@John Cole:
A Kraut’s Half a metric dozen.
Or, an extra hot dog for your new bed.
Laura W
I’M SO CONFUSED!!
John Cole
BTW- Anyone know how long it takes for Tylenol PM to kick in?
I have had a low grade flu-like bug for what seems like forever. It comes and it goes and I have just been feeling run down and can’t think clearly and am tired all the time. I just can’t shake the damned thing.
Guess I have to break down and hit the doctor.
John Cole
Just put the damned pickles in the refrigerator. They taste better cold and are crisper.
JL
Just how long can you keep condiments in the fridge?
JL
@John Cole: Night John.
valdivia
@John Cole:
I would go to the Dr, I had what I thought was a a long running cold or bug which turned out to be pneumonia. Now I am neurotically going to the dr for every cold.
Fencedude
Condiments should always be refrigerated, obviously.
But what do I know, I keep my bread in there too.
Fencedude
@JL:
Depends, but for most of them "forever".
Mayo tends to get a little wonky after a year or so, but ketchup and mustard will last for a ridiculously long time.
Comrade Stuck
@JL:
That’s so sweet. Don’t forget to brush your teeth first and say yer prayers.
John Cole
Was this a subtle cry for a new open thread?
gbear
They never seem to work at all for me. The PM portion of the med is just benadryl. I keep a bottle of Waldryl around(Walgreen’s generic benadryl). That seems to work better than T-PM if I’m just trying to get a night’s sleep. I’d recommend taking a couple about 8.5-9 hours before you want to get up. Anything less and you’ll have trouble getting going in the morning.
Kirk Spencer
@John Cole: Yes, they come in packs of seven. No, I don’t know why. I’ve seen many, many explanations from people, but I’ve never seen one from the company’s representatives.
@Laura W: Oh, I can make it worse (grin).
Seriously, in regard to pickles BOB’s advice is correct. If it wasn’t refrigerated on the shelf, you can leave your pickles out of the refrigerator at home. They won’t be as crisp (usually). Left out long enough (over a week maybe, over a month probably) you start risking other problems as commercial pickling products are more for taste than preservation – but it is still pickling and so has some preservative effect. All things have some risk, it’s your choice how much you’ll tolerate.
Comrade Stuck
@John Cole:
Oh boy, a condoment thread. Sounds exciting. My Monterey Jack cheese has sprouted legs. What should I do?
JL
@Comrade Stuck: Tylenol PM knocks me out after 20 minutes.
@John Cole: Hopefully with a few pictures of of Tunch.
Laura W
@JL:
I carried this jar of pickles in my ass for five years just so I could give it to you?
John Cole
Actually, we need a thread to plan my garden at some point. I have figured out the timeline. I have to turn all the topsoil and let it rot for a couple weeks, and hope to get that done this week.
Other than that, I looked over my vegetable list and all I had was a number of varieties of tomato, some wax beans and green beans, a number of peppers, and a few odds and ends. I need to round that out, preferably with things I can can.
Comrade Stuck
A little advice. If you have time, buy seed for Tomatoes and grow them from seed inside in small planters. It’s kind of late, but still time before last frost in late April or early May. They don’t have to be big to transplant and will likely do better than buying bigger plants grown in south and a different clime. At least that’s been my experience.
Svensker
@JL:
Is that a challenge?
JL
@Laura W: My pickles are already close to a year old. The reason I asked, though was because of a raspberry salad dressing that I put on my salad tonight. It tasted odd but since I’m still here, I assume it’s okay.
Rosali
@John Cole: Habaneros, scotch bonnets, and jalapenos.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
If you’re growing tomatoes, you are absolutely required to grow basil as well. It’s the law.
And some rosemary would be nice, too. And if you’re not one of those poor souls who thinks cilantro tastes like soap, oodles of cilantro. When it finally goes to seed, you’ll have little coriander seeds for your curries, too.
(Yeah, some Tunch pics would be great. I’m absolutely catless for the first time in twenty years, so following other people’s cats is crucial for me right now.)
Svensker
@John Cole:
Okra is good — we had fantastic okra last summer and feasted and went all out with the cajun and greek cookbooks. Yum. And zucchini, of course. A few years ago we planted an Italian summer squash called trombocini (or something) that grew these crazy long skinny squash that looked like trombones. Sort of zucchini taste but better, and they made fantastic Italian pickles – with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano.
Chard is also good, although not for canning, but you can pick it young for salads, or let it grow for greens, again with the olive oil and garlic.
Carrots? And lots of different lettuces, of course.
JL
@John Cole: Beets are easy to grow. The younger leaves are tasty in salads or stir fried.
Brachiator
@Brian J:
This strikes me as intellectually dishonest. Frank believes in some kinds of social spending, and think back-fills his argument with rationalizations. Spending on education and infrastructure may be a net social good, but no one can definitely declare that it will improve the economy. Increased spending on education in the late 1940s through the early 60s occurred during a period of economic expansion. Here, things happened in parallel.
The UK has a kind of consumption tax (the VAT). It is not necessarily making their economy stronger or increasing tax revenues that can be used for social programs. And no matter how Frank tries to dodge, consumption taxes will hit the middle class harder because there are fewer wealthy people in absolute numbers than middle class folk, and the wealthy can muffle the impact of consumption taxes by shifting when and where they make purchases, by leveraging their bigger purchases to secure discounts, and by outright evasion.
This is another "solution" in search of a problem. There is something noxious about trying to base "rewards" on who you think is more worthy. And pointless.
A segment on Sunday’s ABC Evening news is illuminating. It featured the granddaughter of the founder of Bank of America, who thinks that the current crop of executives are boneheads. But the segment reminded viewers that Bank of America was founded as the Bank of Italy in 1904, in part as a reaction to the conventional wisdom that Italians and other immigrants were too poor and too uneducated to be deemed worthy of business and home loans.
John Cole
I don’t know if it is the Tylenol PM I took, but I am watching Stepbrothers, and normally I would think it was just crude and stupid, but I have belly laughed about ten times so far.
I had to rewind the part where he punched Derek in the head and fell out of the tree house and watch it 4-5 times.
TheHatOnMyCat
Make a sandwich.
srv
Obama to usher in colonial era in Afghanistan.
Tattoosydney
@big woo:
Yes. Refrigerating tomato sauce (as we in Australia call it) is wrong.
@Laura W:
I haven’t refirigerated mine, but then each bottle is used up so quickly that I think spoilage is a minor concern.
@Brick Oven Bill:
I made my own bread and butter pickles a few weeks ago, and I was awe struck at how good they were, and how easy… recipe here. (I doubled the recipe, but put in less than double the amount of spices, which seemed to work well.) These pickles are muito esplêndido.
Comrade Stuck
@TheHatOnMyCat:
Good Answer!
Brian J
I’m not sure how he’s being intellectually dishonest. What specifically were you referring to?
His claim is that a more educated country that is better to, broadly speaking, do business (or however else you wish to phrase the benefits of infrastructure investment) will be a wealthier country. Is that always true? Not necessarily, I would imagine, in the same way that a healthy cardio routine won’t always prevent one from having a heart attack. But still, unless he’s just basing his claims on tenuous connections or making them up out of thin air, he’s looking at what’s happened in the past, which is usually one way of predicting what might happened in the future.
The VAT is, from what I can tell, different than what Frank has referred to many times.
Perhaps it’s just me, but I feel like the addition of ways to find additional strengthens his argument. He’s not pretending as if the deficits and debts don’t matter. On the contrary, he’s acknowledging that the country does face long-term fiscal challenges, and one good way to meet them is by levying a progressive consumption tax.
As Matt Yglesias said, the aforementioned plan isn’t the miracle some, including perhaps me, seem to think it is. But it doesn’t like a highly complicated plan, nor does it seem to require massive infusions of taxpayer money for a scheme that may not work. We get something we want, through a better housing market, a more educated population, and a better economy, and the immigrants that would take advantage of this program get something they want, citizenship. No, it’s not a free lunch, but it’s a way to kill a lot of birds with one stone.
Maybe it’s just not my day, but we seem to be having two different conversations. I’m not sure what your point is by mentioning this.
JenJen
Nicolle Wallace’s columns for The Daily Beast are hysterical; I’m really starting to think she’s the core of the meme trial-balloon machine, throwing out increasingly silly reasons why Obama is a hypocrite-failure-snob to see if any of them stick. I think she’s vying with Michelle Malkin for attention, and losing.
Anyhow, today she gleefully picks up the Let’s Make a Recession/Katrina Comparison torch (thanks for nothing, Frank Rich) and runs with it.
Obama Has His "Brownie Moment" – Nicolle Wallace
Church Lady
For those "Big Love" afficianados, what did you think of tonight’s season finale? Do you think Roman is really dead? What do you think will happen as a result of Bill starting his own church/religion? Will Albie and his followers allign with Bill? If Roman is really dead, what will happen with Juniper Creek? As with all good season finales, there are more questions than answers. It wasn’t a true cliffhanger, but will leave me pining for next season.
donovong
@john cole:
If you plant zucchini, DO NOT PLANT MANY!! Any more than two plants and your neighbors will hate you for dumping your considerable excess on them. The stuff is the vegetable equivalent of horny rabbits.
Green peppers, field peas and butter beans. Freeze the field peas and butter beans and savor them all winter.
Damn, I wish I had a space for a garden again…
guest
@Brachiator:
Frank believes in some kinds of social spending, and think back-fills his argument with rationalizations. Spending on education and infrastructure may be a net social good, but no one can definitely declare that it will improve the economy. Increased spending on education in the late 1940s through the early 60s occurred during a period of economic expansion
the gi bill produced an educated work force which is what helped to expand the middle class. a generation whose families never had a tradition of going to college before was finally able to do so. the program helped to produce a new class of professionals.
the program’s origin stemmed from when the military realized they had trouble training people because not a few were remedial to illiterate. the depression produced a work force who had dropped out of school to make ends meet. do you really believe the economy would have been able to expand with a poorly educated work force?
today’s shortsighted conservative who would have dismissed the gi bill as wasteful spending and have voted against it.
El Cid
DOOMED!!! DOOMED I SAY!!!
Whereas, of course, if we block Obama’s budget plan and cut taxes on the rich and cut out all these oppressive regulations we’ll dine this night in PARADISE!
Steeplejack
@John Cole:
I couldn’t find anything about this. And the ones I buy (slightly bigger, longer ones) come in a four-pack.
Comrade Stuck
@El Cid:
Well, at least this time it won’t be from a massive terrorist invasion, just a Chinaman with an IOU. Kind of weak tea from the Rovian Jackals, if you ask me.
guest
@JenJen:
phew, she’s a rightie. disregardable. what the hell has happened to tina brown?
michael brown was a dilletante. geithner is working his butt off, juggling how many plates?
MikeJ
I tried a garden last year, but I have 140′ trees in my back yard. Ideas for things that don’t actually require sunlight?
guest
@El Cid:
clinton left bush a $5 trillion dollar surplus.
randiego
Obama was excellent on 60 Minutes. He was also very good on Leno.
It strikes me that he’s very good generally. He seems very much in charge of himself, very much together as a person. Name me another candidate that could be handling all this and doing better.
Brian J
@ El Cid:
I’ve decided that, if I can actually remember to do it, I’m going to start asking conservatives who make a similar argument what of value was added over the last decade. Have we advanced in any significant ways? Are we better off in any way? Is the country more educated, healthier, more financially secure? Is the country stronger, physically or intellectually? Have we made any progress scientifically, or as much as some think we could have?
It seems we’ve added massive amounts of debt with very, very little to show for it. I’m aware that there’s a limit to how much debt a country can take on before there are serious problems, like rising interest rates or inflation, but we’re talking about spending money on things to make us better off. We’re talking, it seems, about adding value. No, a country and a person or household aren’t the same, but if you can look past the limitations of the comparison for a moment, it’s not that different from a person taking on debt to receive a worthwhile advanced degree. The extra debt, if it’s not going to crush the person in the future, is very much worth it.
Or, as Dean Baker puts it, there’s no reason to think that future generations won’t be better off than we are now, short or war or environmental disaster.
Jennyjinx
Just an FYI: (someone already mentioned this above)
But the Christopher Walken account is fake and was for a time open to the public.
Here’s the Google cache of the original post at Clusterflock:
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:U6bQrRO4tC0J:www.clusterflock.org/2008/10/more-twitterflocking.html…
How is used to work (I have no idea if it still does and don’t want to find out:
http://www.clusterflock.org/2008/04/christopher-walken.html
It’s still downright hilarious, though.
Comrade Nikolita
@randiego: I agree. :)
~
Mick Romney was on CNN earlier spewing some garbage about how he apparently "hopes liberal policies will fail" and going on about how good Palin was for the McCain ticket, blah blah blah. I almost muted the TV to lol at him.
El Cid
@guest: Without asking the great Gazoogle, I thought it was about $500 Billion.
Brian J
@ Comrade Nikolita:
Don’t ask me where someone made this very good point, but while others are pissed at Obama for making a dumb joke with Leno about the Special Olympics, Sarah Palin is denying her state $160-170 million in education spending, some of which would go to special ed students. Which is more offensive?
With idiots like this in contention in 2012, will Obama have to do little more than not pee himself on stage to win?
guest
@El Cid:
i knew i should have quoted where i got that from instead of going off the top of my head. i had the phrasing wrong. from palast’s book:
"bill clinton left office bequeathing a budget surplus projected to a total $5.6 trillion for this coming decade, but george bush blew it all, stone sober.
p 145
projected is the key word. and yes, that was t as in tango.
Tattoosydney
@MikeJ:
Mushrooms?
Steeplejack
@Kirk Spencer:
Oops, I forgot the grandest Internet tradition of all: that even the most trivial subject can ignite lengthy, tedious, technical debate, usually degenerating into flame wars.
So BOB’s blanket statement–"Buy it warm, leave it out, buy it cold, chill it out"–is correct, at least for the one case of pickles. But not mayonnaise, which you mentioned. Okay, got it. But, sure, he’s "mostly correct." I’ll take that to the bank.
Look, in my spartan existence here in the Fortress of Solitude, refrigeration is a convenience, which I avail myself of so that I don’t have to do complex time series studies to analyze just when condiments or other foodstuffs are going to go bad. I am aware of the non-Internet tradition that pickling is a way to preserve food past its normal "use by" date. But I occasionally have a jar of pickles that is not likely to be entirely consumed within a week after opening, so, what the hell, I throw it in the refrigerator. But I’m crazy that way.
I guess my point was more what I said to Laura: be careful when taking health- or safety-related advice from a poster whose worldview is a little, uh, eccentric.
Okay, let the Cheeto dust fly. (I think we can all agree that Cheetos do not need to be refrigerated after opening.)
guest
from nytimes , jan 31, 2001:
…the Congressional Budget Office informed members of Congress late today that it expects the surplus to swell to $5.610 trillion over the next decade, in line with estimates that have been circulating on Capitol Hill for weeks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/31/us/surplus-estimate-hits-5.6-trillion.html
republicans don’t have a leg to stand on in claiming fiscal responsibility. look what they blew.
Steeplejack
@John Cole:
I don’t want to reignite the neti pot discussion, but I think you should consider doing nasal irrigation once or twice a day, if you are not already. A lot of "flu-like bugs" resolve to low-grade sinus infection and post-nasal drip. Or, if it is a lingering cold, chances are it lives mostly in your nose and throat. Wouldn’t hurt to try the irrigation for a few days.
And you don’t need a neti pot. I just snuffle the salted water from a coffee cup. But I do use the "pharmaceutical grade" salt; it’s ground finer and dissolves better.
Steeplejack
@MikeJ: Mushrooms.
Steeplejack
Damn you, TattooSydney! (Couldn’t edit previous post.)
Comrade Kevin
On a completely different subject..
You know what’s a sign of a terrible Simpsons episode? when you laugh more at King of the Hill.
incontrolados
There is something wrong with a company being able to advertise with the president’s image. There is some thing wrong with that company being able to rip people off using the presidents image.
Did this happen with Bush?
Nope.
Who do you think this is makerting to?
It’s all rotten to the core.
Steeplejack
@Comrade Kevin:
Hey, I have a soft spot for King of the Hill. And The Simpsons has been erratic in recent years. It has been better lately than the sucko period of two or three years ago, but still . . . It’s no longer automatic comedy gold.
Wonk
@Church Lady: I’m a "Big Love"-er (heh), and I thought this season was fantastic, especially the last few episodes.
I love the awkward comedy moments, like tonight when Roman asked Bill if he enjoyed sexual relations with all of his wives equally (ewww, right, since one of those wives is Roman’s daughter) – and then was like "Do you want the other half of this sandwich?" Their man-kiss was hilarious too.
As for Roman being dead, the spoiler rumor was that a "major male character" would end up dead in the finale. My hunch was always that Joey would kill Roman (yeay, me!) – but since Alby was injured as well, I’m wondering if they might fake us out and have Roman survive and Alby die. Hope not, Alby has grown on me, the freak.
Okay, I’ll shut up now. I sound like my mom talking about General Hospital with my Aunties.
Comrade Kevin
@Steeplejack: I don’t dislike King of the Hill, by any means. It’s just not usually a laugh-out-loud thing for me. As for the Simpsons, that Ireland episode sucked donkey balls.
Brachiator
@Brian J:
Spending more on education does not necessarily lead to a more educated country, nor does it lead to a wealthier country. Frank knows this. He wants to spend more on education because of his ideological preferences, and manufactures an outcome which justifies his beliefs. He is not looking to the past in this. He is on more solid ground when it comes to investing in infrastructure, though even here the benefits are more indirect than Frank allows.
No, I think we are on the same page. I’m not big on "lessons of history," but people who think that they know who the most desirable immigrants might be have been wrong 100% of the time.
Nope. However, simply spending more on education does not produce a more educated workforce, or a more productive one. Four year colleges are more expensive than they should be, and both four-year and community colleges are cluttered with courses and programs that are more relevant to a 19th century economy than a 21st century economy. I think that Obama and his advisors understand this, but they have to contend with both conservatives and liberals who love to oversimplify complex problems into "Spend!!" or "Don’t Spend!!"
burnspbesq
@Krista:
I did when I was younger, but I graduated to Tabasco.
guest
@Comrade Kevin:
you better run, thems fightin words:
http://img.wonkette.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/mob-simpsons.jpg
burnspbesq
@guest:
Too many torches in that mob, not enough pitchforks.
burnspbesq
Oh, my.
I have no idea how to react to this, which appears to be a page from a coloring book for Evengelical children.
http://raptureponies.com/2009/03/09/em/
Church Lady
@Wonk:
The man kiss wasn’t funny – it was pure unadultrated evil, but I think it ties in with Roman’s assertion that he didn’t wait for God to annoint him (paraphrasing here), but took what he wanted. That the show ended with Bill forming his own church for his family and having everyone partake of communion. Does this mean Bill will become the new Roman, a phophet of his own making? My guess is that may be the direction the show might take. If Roman truely is dead, Juniper Creek will need a new leader. Who better than the grandson of the prophet Roman ousted in his quest for power?
If Roman is dead, I’ll miss Harry Dean Stanton and his dentures.
mclaren
Oh lordy. I just discovered THE best Obama political cartoon EV-AR (but you have to be familiar with the classic Bruce Campbell horror film The Evil Dead to get it)…
Brachiator
I’m really glad that Obama decided to skip the Gridiron Dinner. The mutual butt-kissing between journalists and politicians is as out of touch with the state of the nation as an AIG bonus. And with the newspaper industry in free-fall, these self-important clods are like the last days of the dinosaurs. From the AP story:
AnneLaurie
Well, if they’re deciduous, you might be able to get a crop of greens to the "mesclun" stage before the trees leaf up enough to block off the sunlight. Same thing with strawberry plants, which tend to prefer "filtered" light as the temperatures go up anyways. Apart from that, you’re the target market for stuff like the Aerogarden…
Perry Como
@John Cole: Try making your own. Seriously, it’s like making your own hot sauce or making your bbq sauce. Making your own ketchup is a good experience.
Ash Can
In other news, Alaska’s Mt. Redoubt is piling on Bobby Jindal for his asinine volcano-monitoring remarks. (Yes, it’s a link to a GOS story. It’s light on political commentary and features great photos and links to government and local news sites. One-stop shopping.)
Krista
Yes, hot sauce on scrambled or fried eggs. Now THAT’s the stuff.
smiley
@valdivia: Sorry, very late so probably no one will see this (I usually turn off the computer around 8 PM) but, yes, it’s a religious thing. Seven candles in the menorah, etc. It’s annoying because the dogs come 7 to a package but buns come in packages of 8.
smiley
@smiley:
Um… I stated that as fact when it is, rather, just a presumption on my part.
valdivia
@smiley:
thanks! I always check old threads. I knew it had to be a religious numerology thingy.
guest
@mclaren:
i don’t know the reference but still found it cool.
classic? aren’t all zombie movies the same?
burnspbesq
@mclaren:
That is total genius. The one in the upper right hand corner of the page isn’t far behind.