Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

I really should read my own blog.

This really is a full service blog.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Reader Interactions

159Comments

  3. 3.

    beltane

    It’s supposed to go down to ten below tomorrow night, which is cold but not as cold as it usually is this time of year. Europe must have taken all our really cold weather.

  5. 5.

    Mary

    Who’s taking care of Lily and Tunch? Do you miss them? You should do a videoconference with them.

  7. 7.

    Terri

    No snow here in Tampa, but colder than a witches tit. Supposed to drop to the mid 20’s the next two nights. Which is REALLY cold for central Fla.

  10. 10.

    Max

    It’s actually quite nice in San Francisco. Might rain this weekend. Not cold though.

    But, it’s filled with DFH’ers, so there’s that.

  11. 11.

    panicbean

    @Terri:

    Same here in the panhandle of Florida. We have been here for 7 years and this is the first time I ever remember it being this damned cold. NOT liking this one bit, I tell ya! 15 degrees the other morning, and they say we may get snow tonight. Yikes!

    Stay warm, John!

  12. 12.

    Colette

    Has anybody here had a good experience (or a bad one, for that matter) with chiropractic for neck pain?

    @Max: Hey, I resemble that remark.

  14. 14.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @Lev:

    You may jest but our local RWNJ radio host (Lockwood Phillips, he is the owner of the station so he can get away with just about anything), has opened every single viewpoint show for the last two weeks with “hows that global warming working out for you” (we are getting record cold temps here in eastern NC) I would also point out that this same host, broadcasting to an area that includes Camp Lejeune, NC (largest Marine Corps base on the east coast), New River Air Station, Cherry Point, Camp Johnson, Camp Geiger and a host of other military bases (including Fort Bragg on the outer edges of his listening area) REGULARLY spouts “the government does not create jobs” yeah Lockwood, considering that 95% of the people employed in your listening audience are either employed because of the military or are retired from the military or civil service, that makes a whole bunch of sense.

  16. 16.

    Zifnab

    So how about that BCS Championship?

    *sigh*

    At the least, I have high hopes for Gilbert in 2010. And I could not be more proud of the UT defense.

  17. 17.

    Terri

    @ Collete
    I’ve had chiro adjustments for 30 years. Don’t like pain meds, wasn’t quite a candidate for surgery. Find a good reputable one that takes xrays and a complete history to rule out fractures,etc., (99% do all that). Hope you feel better.

  19. 19.

    Elie

    @jeffreyw:

    Man, how much do you weigh?

    I have gained 25 lbs looking at your pics.

    Why don’t you come over and make some of this stuff for me — you are driving me nuts!

  20. 20.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Colette: I am a fan of chiropractic techniques, and over the years have had excellent relief from neck/shoulder pain and lower back pain.

    What I don’t like about chiro is the business model. If you’re not careful you can find yourself commiitting to a long (open-ended, indefinite) course of treatment which can involve two or three adjustments a week. Needless to say, that gets very pricey very quickly, not to mention being a drag on the calendar. And they will usually offer special “deals” for quantity visits, and some want to have you buy very expensive supplements for which, of course, they get a cut. You can feel as if you’re in the middle of an Amway nightmare. (In fact, if you did a Venn diagram of chiropractors and MLMs, you’d probably find a significant overlap.)

    So yeah, I think the technology is sound and I would do it again, but be wary of the pitfalls.

    /Voice of experience

  24. 24.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Most chiropractors say treatments have to last to equal $2,000, cause that is what is required for a personal injury claim in some states, personally I think they are taught a class in chiropractor school “how to make sure the amount of treatments equals $2,000”. These people are not even allowed to call themselves doctors in the UK (the land of sochulist medicine). That should tell you something.

  25. 25.

    freelancer

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    Plus because of the UK’s ridiculous libel laws, when science educators call them out on their bullshit (and all the facts are on the educators’ side) they get sued. It would be like, if in the U. S. the Creation Museum and the Discovery Institute taking biologists to court for being ‘mean’ to their worldview.

  26. 26.

    South of I-10

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Lol. Around here the treatment lasts just as long as it takes for the PI claimant to get the entire policy limit. $10,000 policy? $3,000 in meds and three months in treatment. There is one whose 6 page report is always exactly the same other than names and dates.

  28. 28.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @litlebritdifrnt: That’s interesting, never heard that but I’m sure it’s true of at least some chiros. Like every other profession there are good and bad chiros, ethical and unethical, money-grubbing quacks and genuinely carimng healers. Caveat emptor.

  30. 30.

    panicbean

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    Now that is amazing right there. Thanks for that. I posted it on my facebook page to amaze my family and friends in Maine. It always makes them happy to know we are freezing our tushies off here, don’t ya know.

  31. 31.

    CynDee

    @Terri: The Accuweather TV guy said that there will be “no accumulation of snow.” His partner broke in and stated that ” in Florida, no accumulation IS accumulation.” I have to admit that many of us northern transplants down here have, regrettably, become pretty delicate pansies, just undone at the thought of a 25-degree ABOVE ZERO night. Shameful.

  35. 35.

    Tattoosydney

    @collette

    My husband the doctor has nothing good to say about chiropractors, usually resorts to very rude words to describe them, and says he sees more back injuries caused by them than almost anything else. Find a good physiotherapist, and you are more likely to find someone who will fix your problem long term, rather than give you a temporary fix that actually makes things worse, and requires ongoing visits to (surprise) the chiropractor to “maintain” your treatment – and their bank balance.

  37. 37.

    Elie

    @jeffreyw:

    Are those 4.5 years additive over x number of years (like mine and mine are mostly where I dont want them)?

    Sigh

    I am still pretty active or I would weight 400 lbs. I love food and preparing it.

    Do you have a recipe for that soup or did I miss it on the website?

  38. 38.

    SiubhanDuinne

    You all need to watch Countdown. Laurence O’Donnell is guest-hosting and he is on fire. Finally, someone who’s not afraid to call Rudy “noun-verb-9/11” Giuliani a LIAR.

  39. 39.

    Tattoosydney

    @ yutsano

    Hello. Portugal lovely as usual. In porto this week. Very beautiful. Will upload pics to flickr when I have wifi again. Bought two bottles of exceptional port (cost 20 euros A GLASS at the shop to taste it) – you can imagine it’s quite good.

  40. 40.

    Colette

    @Tattoosydney (and all the others kind enough to respond): I’m pretty skeptical about chiropractic in general myself – but I’m also desperate, at this point, and the guy I’ve seen a couple of times comes very highly recommended. So far, it seems to be helping, and he’s already talking about cutting back and being able to stop soon. I just worry about – well, I just worry. My own GP, also a skeptical type, believes chiropractic is OK as long as it’s explicitly only trying to treat spinal problems and not all this “we can cure your child’s ear infections!” bullshit.

    Eh. I’m not sure if I want to be reassured or scared.

  42. 42.

    Mary

    For 10 years, I went to chiropractors, sports masseuses and orthopedists for my neck pain. I finally went to a neurosurgeon who referred me to a physical therapy rehab center for six months of therapy and I am cured. It’s been 5 years.

    I recommend a neurosurgeon for the neck and spine. Do what the neurosurgeon tells you.

  44. 44.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: I saw a show on TV where the host went to Lisbon and she went to a port tasting room. They showed the Euro prices for some of the glasses. YIKES doesn’t even begin to cover it. She also went to this beautiful hotel in a castle north of the city. They have a restaurant with these beautiful murals on the walls and ceiling plus fantastic food. I wish I could recall the name I would recommend it to you.

  48. 48.

    Maude

    @Colette: The fact that you are questioning is a red flag. Don’t go back. If you have neck pain, get your GP to find a good doc. If what you have is permanent, talk about pain med that doesn’t harm you.
    I am do sorry about your pain. I hope you can get sleep at night. Let us know how you do.

  50. 50.

    Tattoosydney

    @yutsano

    Sounds like the pestana palace to me. Very nice. We have gorged ourselves silly on exceptional food – sausage, cheese and wine here is all very cheap and SO good. I bought preserved plums from Elvas that would make you cry. Two weeks of Portuguese lessons starts on Monday. We need them if my dream of retiring to Lisbon and making coffee and cheese sandwiches for a living is going to come true.

  51. 51.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: Collette found it. I recognize it from the grand pink entrance. The palace is beyond stunning.

    Off to dinner with my folks. Talk to y’all when I get back!

  54. 54.

    demimondian

    Oh, and it’s 45 and raining here, exactly as it will be doing for the…oh, next four months or so.

  56. 56.

    Jager

    Once when I was single, I was snowed in at the Detroit Airport. It was the good old days so the airline put us in the Hilton. I checked in and went down to the bar, it was packed with traveling types, one of whom was a tall, good looking, redheaded woman…the next 40 odd hours were some of the best of my life. Check out the bar John!

  59. 59.

    SIA

    @Colette:I see my chiropractor once a month. Get a recommendation, as in all fields there are some quacks. I love my guy here in Atlanta, who’s into nutrition and natural healing, acupuncture and chiropractic. Much, much better for the old bod.

  60. 60.

    Sentient Puddle

    @Gravenstone: We got five to go, people! So very close!

    Note: If you roll a blood elf, you get the added benefit of me being able to run to you within minutes, but with the downside of every other damn person (except me) being a blood elf.

  61. 61.

    SIA

    @SiubhanDuinne: I’ve been surprised on how many times I’ve heard some media types including Tweety pushing back on Rudy’s nonsense.

    BTW looks like I was chatting up the weather etc on the wrong thread, sorry Doug J.

  64. 64.

    Skepticat

    @demimondian: Ooooh, that never crossed what passes for my mind! But our boy John’s too well-behaved for us to worry about that. Isn’t he?

  66. 66.

    Sanka

    Oops:

    This has become a losable race for Democrats

    Take this polling data with a grain of salt only because it comes from an obviously right-wing biased polling outfit, like Rasmussen like you should any polling data.

    Oh wait.

  68. 68.

    AhabTRuler

    @demimondian: He only went there for the pussy. He took the crack to get the pussy.
    Barry may have been (hey, still is) a corrupt politician, but he was no Phil Gramm, and the Feds still had to entrap him to get him.

  69. 69.

    Sentient Puddle

    @Sanka: The comments on that one hurt my brain. It’s like the Brown supporters think they can go all Green Lantern on this and win. Uh…not bloody likely.

    Speaking of Rasmussen, Nate had an interesting post up about them. Evidently, their likely voter models skew incredibly heavily towards people who have formed an opinion about insurgent candidates like Rand Paul and Marco Rubio.

  70. 70.

    AhabTRuler

    @demimondian: He only went there for the puṩṩy. He took the Crack to get the puṩṩy.
    Barry may have been (hey, still is) a corrupt politician, but he was no Phil Gramm, and the Feds still had to entrap him to get him.

    ETA: I would say that Phil Gramm should be sodomized with a small country, but a) sodomy should be a joy and a reward, not a punishment (unless, hey, that’s your thing) and b) it’s very unfair to the country.

  72. 72.

    demimondian

    @AhabTRuler: Entrapment? Nah — I don’t think so.

    I lived just outside of DC during the whole sorry episode. Barry had a major nose problem, and just wasn’t thinking.

  73. 73.

    demimondian

    @Sanka: Those comments are pretty pathetic, though — on both sides. It’s clear that Coakley has run a poor campaign, and it’s also clear that the Brown-$hit$ are…well, out of it.

  74. 74.

    Anne Laurie

    @Colette:

    I’m pretty skeptical about chiropractic in general myself – but I’m also desperate, at this point, and the guy I’ve seen a couple of times comes very highly recommended. So far, it seems to be helping, and he’s already talking about cutting back and being able to stop soon. I just worry about – well, I just worry. My own GP, also a skeptical type, believes chiropractic is OK as long as it’s explicitly only trying to treat spinal problems and not all this “we can cure your child’s ear infections!” bullshit.
    __
    Eh. I’m not sure if I want to be reassured or scared.

    I love(d) my chiropractor, who I visited only every 18 months or so, never for more than 4 weekly visits at a time. (She’s retired, alas, & turned over her practice to someone I haven’t needed to use, yet.) She could treat my sciatica & get me functioning within 48-72 hours, when all the specialists at my HMO could offer was ‘bed rest, painkillers, and we’ll see you in six weeks if things haven’t improved’. Thing about chiropractors is, they’re at least as varied as “real” doctors… but when someone runs into trouble with a G.P., that’s seen as “a fortunately rare exception”, and when the same thing happens with a chiropractor, it’s “why are these deluded quacks & snake-oil salesmen even permitted to set up shop”? I’d go with the ‘evidence’ of your own body / comfort level; if the treatments are providing relief you haven’t been able to obtain elsewhere, you’re comfortable with the practitioner, and you can affort them, why not use what works? The fact that your guy is talking about a fixed course of treatment that will end when you’re no longer suffering is a positive; so is the fact that your GP knows what you’re doing.

    One factor that comforts me — more and more veterinarians are sending dogs, cats, and horses to chiropractors, because it can work in cases where surgery isn’t possible/practical. And, sure, dogs are probably susceptible to the placebo effect to some degree, but I don’t think cats would bother lying about whether or not their pain has improved {grin}.

  75. 75.

    Elie

    @jeffreyw:

    I getcha — no need to be specific…

    appreciate the link and will make this during the winter…

    Over the holiday — New Year’s Eve to be specific, I made a Brazilian black bean feijoada with all the trimings. No pics, remarkably easy and rich…What did me and everyone in was the conchaca cocktails before during and after… amazing we stayed on our feet able to welcome in the New Year.

    I love feijoada — black or brown beans become creamy when cooked just right with seasonings and pork. I like its history — from the Portuguese to the black slaves to the indigenous people of Brazil — all contributing a part to the food tradition that is deeply in my childhood memory – and replayed regularly…though I can’t recapture all of the flavors and senses of Brazil and the food untampered with our chemical processes…I still cant get old recipes for Brazilian cake and puddings to come out right in the US…i’ve more or less given up. However, with the increased interest in local foods, and organics, I have hope!

    I subscribe to the Brazilian and Black American tradition of big butt women who are healthy but not necessarily twiggy.

  76. 76.

    burnspbesq

    Wow. We’ve had some great politico-sexual scandals in this country from time to time, but you have to just be in awe of the one that is currently unfolding in Northern Ireland.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-first-lady-her-young-lover-and-a-scandal-that-could-hand-power-to-sinn-fein-1862387.html

    Un-flippin’-real. Only problem is that if it takes down the current government, it could unravel the entire power-sharing arrangement. Which would be doubleplusungood.

  77. 77.

    CynDee

    @Colette:
    Ditto what SIA said about referrals.

    Also, go to the library. Educate yourself about spinal anatomy and the areas of the body served by each nerve coming out of the spine. I sense that you have fears because you don’t understand why you have the pain and have to ask a stranger to explain it, and hope that you can trust what they say.

    The only reason I am walking around is that I have had regular treatment by skilled and dedicated chiropractors. After my auto accident (no broken bones but some compromised discs and soft-tissue injuries) I was routed by my doctor to — get this — eleven different Medical Doctor specialists and physical therapy clinics. NONE of them helped me, and the time and money spent was tremendous. I got no relief until I went to a small-practice chiropractor.

    MDs often want to treat you symptomatically with strong drugs, both injections and pills. Some will even recommend surgery. Never consent to surgery without a second or even third opinion.

    A good chiropractor treats the cause of your pain by aligning your spine, which keeps muscles from knotting up. This removes pressure on nerves. No one expects their car to work right without the alignment adjusted regularly, but they don’t make the connection that their bodies need likewise to be kept in alignment in order for muscles and organs to function well and painlessly.

    It pays to find out where your prospective chiropractor was educated. Some schools focus on a business model, while others focus more on healing. I always choose Palmer graduates, and I have found good ones in small towns and large cities. This is not to say that they are the only good chiropractors. I once went to a chiro doc from another college who really helped me with a skiing injury. His technique was different, but he was skilled and reputable.

    As with other doctors, I avoid practitioners whose offices are expensively decorated or are in luxury buildings. I look for a clean, neat office that is professionally adequate, but not flashy. I talk to people in the waiting room and find out if they feel they are being properly helped.

    A reputable chiropractor will not treat you for the first time without X-rays that show the condition of your spine and vertebrae. Most chiropractic x-rays are much less expensive than those of MDs and hospitals.

    A reputable chiropractor is willing to discuss his or her techniques and whether other methods of therapy, such as massage or surgery, may be best for you. The chiro should be ready and willing to explain the source of your pain and what all the options are for treating it. For example, tense or injured muscles can put pressure on nerves. When the spine is properly aligned and muscles are relaxed, the pain diminishes and in time disappears. You will likely need multiple sessions at the beginning, because knotted muscles keep tending to knot up again. Then you can get by with a “tuneup” now and then.

    A reputable chiro will explain anything you are worried about. It scared me to death when I heard things in my neck cracking. I thought it was bones. What a fright. The chiro doc explained that when a tight muscle is released, there is a little vacuum of air that gives way; that is the cracking sound.

    If you know that your pain is not caused by a recent accident, you can seek out a chiropractor who does NOT deal with accidental injuries that are tied to insurance claims. Doing this eliminates the baggage associated with chiropractic that is based on insurance business models.

    All the best to you.

  78. 78.

    AhabTRuler

    @demimondian: What do you call it when an individual working with Federal Investigators says they’ll have sex with you as long as you just have some crack first. Again, I ain’t saying that Barry had any problem with smoking the crack (and you should keep up on the news, prior to the kidney transplant he still had a bit of a nose problem), but he was still entrapped.

  79. 79.

    demimondian

    @burnspbesq: Wow. That’s quite an achievement. The First Lady takes a lover — admittedly, one who is barely legal — and the First Minister faces a shellacking?

    I agree, though, if it brings Sinn Fein into power, that could be a problem.

  80. 80.

    demimondian

    @AhabTRuler: I don’t call it entrapment if he sought out the prostitute himself.

    C’mon. We both know that the Republicans set him up because they wanted to be able to beat on the DC government again — not to mention, Barry had committed the unforgivable sin of getting elected while black — but…yeah. He made his own (hotel) bed.

  81. 81.

    burnspbesq

    @demimondian:

    This. Gerry Adams needs to take Martin McGuiness down an alley somewhere and beat some fookin’ sense into him, or this could all go disastrously wrong.

  82. 82.

    AhabTRuler

    @demimondian: But that’s the point. They didn’t bust him for soliciting, they busted him for the Crack, which the prostitute initiated.

    And I have to disagree with your analysis. While the reasons you point out (and I would argue that it was the political establishment, not the Republicans, that wanted Barry to go down) surely played a part, Barry’s most egregious sin was that he was brazen about it. That is a perquisite enjoyed only by Republican Presidents and Congress, and it could not be suffered.

  85. 85.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    First indications are that members of his party, the Democratic Unionists (DUP), are reacting to the disclosures with strong disapproval. The party is highly religious and lays heavy emphasis on Christian family values.

    I’m shocked–shocked!–that a person in such a party would get mixed up in a sex scandal.

  86. 86.

    Darryl

    January 8th, 2010 at 7:16 pm Reply to this comment
    Lev
    THAT MEANS TEH GLOBAL WARMING IS A FRAUD! ! ! 1 !

    I want a t-chip. It automatically filters out “So much for global warming!” stories every time there’s a cold snap somewhere.

    (t stands for tard)

  87. 87.

    Elie

    @jeffreyw:

    Oh my — that looks really delicious..

    I love the whole bean family for hearty, flavorful and relatively easy food experiences

  88. 88.

    demimondian

    @Notorious P.A.T.: It’s a sex-and-money scandal; she appears to have helped her toyboy to get government favors. (Now you in the back sniggering about “hers, too”…you know who you are!…stop it! This is a dignified [/snerk][coff]…[snee]… As I was saying…)

    I’m afraid that this is more John Ensign than Larry Craig, tho.

  89. 89.

    SIA

    @jeffreyw: Looks yummy. What’s the yellow I’m seeing – corn? Pepper? We’re just finishing up my last batch of red beans. I’m no gourmet but a good grunge cook, and they were rather good.

  90. 90.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    (t stands for tard)

    Heh ) When I was a kid it was this cold every winter. Now, it’s a news story. But no, we can’t be seeing global warming! ! !

  91. 91.

    Spork

    We still need four signatures to get the BJ WoW guild going. Get off your ass slackers, come to Eiitrigg, horde, /w Mazog (Sentient Puddle) to sign up.

  95. 95.

    Uriel

    In a hotel room with lots of snow outside.

    Wait- I think I’ve heard this story before.

    As I recall, it doesn’t end well for the guy in the hotel

    (And before anyone accuses me of instapundit-like abstruseness there, I should mention: +2 glasses of wine, and +500 mg of codeine. The latter try and dull the edge of the pound-your-head-into-the floor-pain from a molar that spontaneously cracked in half vertically while enjoying a beef fondue meal featuring the latter. So I’m allowed to babble.)

  96. 96.

    Svensker

    @Uriel:

    The latter try and dull the edge of the pound-your-head-into-the floor-pain from a molar that spontaneously cracked in half vertically

    Oh my God. That’s horrible. I have sympathetic shivers and creepy crawlies.

    Poor baby!

  97. 97.

    Sentient Puddle

    @Yutsano: I can assure you that I do not have a life. In fact, after this work week, where I whooshed past a few deadlines due to everybody else just getting in from holiday and me inadvertently causing a panic amongst engineers a few times by making them realize they weren’t all on the same page, I most certainly deserve a night where I can do whatever the fuck I want.

    And whatever the fuck I want currently involves not having a life.

  98. 98.

    Sentient Puddle

    And speaking of not having a life, we may be a few minutes away from having a WoW guild! If not, uh, still need two signatures.

  105. 105.

    Yutsano

    @demimondian: That is not gonna go over well Down Under. There have been a few incidents involving anti-Indian violence down there especially among students. Both governments have exchanged growls over it. This ain’t gonna help.

  109. 109.

    Yutsano

    @Uriel: From everything I’ve seen no. I think their baseline is what Medicare covers and Medicare doesn’t have dental or vision except under limited circumstances. I could be wrong, however, as Medicaid covers both dental and vision.

  114. 114.

    General Winfield Stuck

    There have been some good fliks added to Netflix instant the last few days. I’m watching The Last Emperor now, but also The Last Picture Show and several others.

  118. 118.

    Sentient Puddle

    WoW guild update: We are now one signature to go! Can someone hop in and put us over the top tonight?

  119. 119.

    jeffreyw

    @Something Fabulous: Ah, I’m guessing you are curious about the big white glob? All I had in the house was some sliced white american cheese. Finished with sauerkraut and some brown mustard.

  123. 123.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    There have been some good fliks added to Netflix instant the last few days. I’m watching The Last Emperor now, but also The Last Picture Show

    How about “Last of the Mohicans” or “Last House on the Left” or “The Last Dragon” or “The Last Starfighter”?

  124. 124.

    Martin

    Wow, Cali might get a little less fucked up.

    California universities are known around the world as the crown jewel of California’s education system. Until recent years, California’s priorities were clear: the state dedicated approximately 10 percent of its General Fund to higher education and just three percent on prisons. Today, California spends more than 10 percent on prisons and seven percent on higher education.

    The Governor is proposing to change our state’s constitution to permanently ensure this never happens again. Currently, California taxpayers spend $18,000 more per prisoner than the next 10 largest states. Under the Governor’s initiative, no less than 10 percent of taxpayer money would be allocated to fund public institutions of higher education; and no more than seven percent of Californians money would be allocated to support of the state prison system. These mandatory limits would begin in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

    Now, I’ve no doubt that by 2013 Cal State San Quentin will open in order to get around this little inconvenience, and the legislature will just borrow against the money it owes higher ed, just as it does with K-12, and say that they’ve paid it, but progress is progress.

  127. 127.

    The Moar You Know

    Has anybody here had a good experience (or a bad one, for that matter) with chiropractic for neck pain?

    @Colette: DO NOT GO TO A CHIROPRACTOR, THEY ARE NOT DOCTORS.

    Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, go see a neurologist and get a referral to a physical therapist. I’ve got two back issues; one caused by a mountain bike crash, one caused by the chiropractor who “fixed” me REAL good, but the pain and associated issues are much better thanks to a decent physical therapy/exercise program.

    I’ve heard way too many horror stories, not even including my own, to tell people that they should run, not walk, from chiropractors. People practicing medicine who couldn’t cut it in medical school, or didn’t want to do all the work, can’t be anything but bad news.

  128. 128.

    Yutsano

    @The Raven: I knew it was in Seattle Center (I can see one of the pavilions in the background) I just hadn’t heard of the city doing anything like that before. That looks fantastic. I wonder if it will become a tradition. Maybe local artists bidding to do the next display or something?

  133. 133.

    The Raven

    @Colette: Gah! Chiropractic manipulation of the neck is risky, though I suspect some people have had good experiences. Stick with massage, and, if at all possible, at least see a good doctor first–neck pain can be symptomatic of other problems than joint and bone.

  134. 134.

    Chuck Butcher

    @Spork:
    I know nothing about WOW, but tonight I downloaded the trial version of Licht King or something like that. Not signed into it yet since battlecraft or something like that locked up the computer. So what am I trying to do? IE BJ horde?

  137. 137.

    Sentient Puddle

    @Chuck Butcher: Battlecraft? That doesn’t sound familiar. Is that the downloader? Installer? Neither?

    If I can make sense of this (and no guarantees that I can because it’s been a while since I’ve had to deal with installation problems), I can try to walk you through what you need to do.

  138. 138.

    freelancer (itouch)

    So I never thought the epic bomb that is the primetime Jay Leno show would have become such a clusterfuck as this for NBC in my wildest dreams. This is like Christmas got a (to be continued…) and is picking up again. Awesomesauce.

  141. 141.

    burnspbesq

    @demimondian:

    Quite a nifty little threesome Mrs. Robinson has going there, fucking a 19-year-old boy and the entire Ulster peace process at the same time.

    We Irish are the dumbest motherfuckers God ever created. Took us 300 years to figure out that the real conflict wasn’t poor Catholics vs. poor Prods, it was poor Irish against the Poms. And now all the progress that has been made since Good Friday is at risk because some politician couldn’t keep her pants on.

    God DAMN it.

  143. 143.

    Martin

    @burnspbesq:

    I don’t really think that was lost on us, but poor fuckers that are sick of being poor fuckers are universally bad judges of where to direct their anger.

    See Teabagger.

  150. 150.

    MikeJ

    @freelancer (itouch): The recently sunk fuckwits seemed to be flying a pirate flag. They may think it’s cute, but fuck, what would you do to pirates? They’re lucky nobody came back to finish them off.

    If I had a run in with pirates I don’t know that I’d release video of it. Just let them disappear off the face of the earth.

  152. 152.

    Tattoosydney

    @ahab

    Late reply, but…

    Yes, portugal has esentially decriminalised all drugs – they are treated as a counselling issue, and the money spent on other stuff like hospitals. What do I know, but it seems to work.

  153. 153.

    Sentient Puddle

    The Balloon Juice WoW guild is now officially up and running! on Eitirgg horde side.

    Current officers are Mazog, Robotsoul, and Fallandra. Send any of those a whisper to get into the guild. Which is a lot more convenient than making Mazog run to wherever the crap you are for a signature!

    And yes, I’m still going to be spamming the shit out of this in other open threads.

  156. 156.

    Gravenstone

    @Chuck Butcher: Chuck, when you’re on just type /who character name (ex. /who Mazog). That will tell you whether someone you know is online. If they are, you can click on their name to open a private message (called a whisper in game) to them. Alternatively, you can type /who Also Too and it will report who in the guild is online. Same thing, click on a name to send them a whisper and if there’s an officer available, they can toss you a guild invite from anywhere.

  157. 157.

    demimondian

    @The Raven: The Seattle Center has been doing decorations since before *I* moved here, fifteen years ago — and we went down there because it was a tradition back then.

Comments are closed.