• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

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

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Petty moves from a petty man.

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

In my day, never was longer.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Open Thread

by Tim F|  February 9, 20102:23 pm| 74 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Photo Blogging

FacebookTweetEmail

On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.

From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.

Submit Your Photos

My SNOWPOCALYPSE pics are up on Flickr.

snow-1

Email me a link to yours and I might post a few in some new photo threads.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Comment Of The Day
Next Post: Paterson »

Reader Interactions

74Comments

  1. 1.

    arguingwithsignposts

    February 9, 2010 at 2:24 pm

    Howard Kurtz thinks it’s all about him, via Twitter:

    Obama holds presser day after my column on not holding pressers. Coincidence? Ha!

  2. 2.

    licensed to kill time

    February 9, 2010 at 2:31 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    The horror, the horror!

  3. 3.

    SenyorDave

    February 9, 2010 at 2:33 pm

    I saw Kurtz’s show “Reliable Sources” while at the gym a few weeks ago (captive audience). I went home and took a massive dump. Coincidence? Ha!

  4. 4.

    Butch

    February 9, 2010 at 2:37 pm

    Tim, here in the mountains the seasons are almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction.

  5. 5.

    Pangloss

    February 9, 2010 at 2:37 pm

    You know who else lived where it snowed? Hitler.

  6. 6.

    arguingwithsignposts

    February 9, 2010 at 2:38 pm

    @Pangloss:
    That’s a mighty quick Godwin you’ve got there.

  7. 7.

    Snowblinded

    February 9, 2010 at 2:39 pm

    Your homepage, at “https://balloon-juice.com” has a very detailed, full-screen, hi-res depiction of the white out.
    Those, like I, who get here some other way can see it by clicking “consistently wrong…” above.

  8. 8.

    beltane

    February 9, 2010 at 2:40 pm

    Nice to see snow somewhere. This has been by far the mildest winter in the ten years I’ve been living here, not that I’m complaining.

    And for your afternoon LOLZ, Sully has posted his long-form birth certificate. Has anyone ever demanded to see it?

  9. 9.

    beltane

    February 9, 2010 at 2:45 pm

    Is anyone following the situation in Greece? I’m wondering how severe the rioting will be when they implement the austerity measures demanded by the Germans. Will the whole country burn, or just parts of it?

  10. 10.

    dmsilev

    February 9, 2010 at 2:45 pm

    WInter photos, huh? I’m fond of this one. It’s from a few years ago, taken at the concert pavilion in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago (This is what it looks like when it’s in use, during less frigid seasons).

    -dms

  11. 11.

    Punchy

    February 9, 2010 at 2:45 pm

    That bus driver needs to be fired. Who the fuck drives a bus with that much snow in the windshield?

    Dumbass.

  12. 12.

    Dork

    February 9, 2010 at 2:48 pm

    Is anyone following the situation in Greece?

    I’ll give you a recap: Travolta runs around dancing a lot, Olivia Newton John looks old-school hot, and there’s lots of hair products in everyone’s coiffure.

    Forgot how it all ends.

  13. 13.

    Dan B

    February 9, 2010 at 2:49 pm

    Just a guess – South Goodman Street, near the divinity school and the park?

  14. 14.

    Sentient Puddle

    February 9, 2010 at 2:49 pm

    Next winter, when I hear that a blizzard is going to hit some part of the country, I’m going to book a flight there. Snow is just so beautiful, and I just don’t get enough of it (although saying “none” might be more accurate).

  15. 15.

    Mario Piperni

    February 9, 2010 at 2:51 pm

    Meghan might be a McCain, but she does make sense at times. Her trashing of teabaggers is spot on…almost.

  16. 16.

    mr. whipple

    February 9, 2010 at 2:51 pm

    Where that pic from, and why is their snow removal so piss poor?

  17. 17.

    JenJen

    February 9, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    Pretty Snowy Tuesday in Cincinnati.

    Love the way that red Stop Sign sticks out in an ocean of snow-white.

  18. 18.

    Shinobi

    February 9, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    Did you guys see this great video? The teddy bear is especially poignant.

  19. 19.

    tamied

    February 9, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    Thanks Tim, I’ve missed the photo threads. We need a break with all the whining going on.

  20. 20.

    mr. whipple

    February 9, 2010 at 2:56 pm

    Happy Newz to feed the Bots:

    “International cooperation depends on mutual respect, and today’s Gallup poll shows international respect for the US has blossomed in the first year of Obama’s administration.

    Perceptions of U.S. leadership worldwide improved significantly from 2008 to 2009. The U.S.-Global Leadership Project, a partnership between the Meridian International Center and Gallup, finds that a median of 51% of the world approves of the job performance of the current leadership of the U.S., up from a median of 34% in 2008.”

    http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/2/9/835488/-Gallup:-World-Regains-Confidence-in-US-Leadership

  21. 21.

    Napoleon

    February 9, 2010 at 2:58 pm

    @Punchy:

    I think it is sitting parked by the side of the road.

  22. 22.

    Derek

    February 9, 2010 at 3:00 pm

    Again. Four and Half FEET. In Arizona. Why wasn’t that a big deal and this light dandruff a “pocalypse” . Then again there are like six people in Flagstaff.

  23. 23.

    tesslibrarian

    February 9, 2010 at 3:06 pm

    @Derek: Because the networks don’t have offices in Flagstaff. This storm impacted *their* lives, so it’s Major News.

    The Dems should have passed HCR while the media was busy composing their competitive stories about who had the harder time clearing their driveways.

  24. 24.

    Mark S.

    February 9, 2010 at 3:13 pm

    @beltane:

    Krugman here talks mostly about Spain but it seems the main problem is that the smaller Euro countries don’t have control of their monetary systems:

    If Spain had had its own currency, that currency might have appreciated during the real estate boom, then depreciated when the boom was over. Since it didn’t and doesn’t, however, Spain now seems doomed to suffer years of grinding deflation and high unemployment.

    This is about the edge of my understanding of economics, so I’ll take his word on it.

    If there are any economists in the house, what do Keynesians think that smaller, poorer countries should do during a recession? It would seem to me that these countries do not have the option to run huge deficits and spend themselves out of the recession. Does anyone know?

  25. 25.

    Martin

    February 9, 2010 at 3:15 pm

    Ok, this move by Gibbs is pretty fucking funny.

  26. 26.

    Martin

    February 9, 2010 at 3:17 pm

    @Mark S.:

    If there are any economists in the house, what do Keynesians think that smaller, poorer countries states should do during a recession? It would seem to me that these countries states do not have the option to run huge deficits and spend themselves out of the recession. Does anyone in the GOP know?

    Adjusted for relevancy.

  27. 27.

    twiffer

    February 9, 2010 at 3:18 pm

    so, half to maybe a foot tomorrow in CT. finally, some snow. naturally, it’s 40° right now, to make sure the last remaining traces of the prior snowfall are gone.

  28. 28.

    mr. whipple

    February 9, 2010 at 3:19 pm

    “That was another crack at Palin, who asked Obama supporters, “How’s that hopey-changey thing working out for ya?””

    Wow, didn’t know Palin said that. She’s getting her material from the pout-o-sphere.

  29. 29.

    Libby

    February 9, 2010 at 3:22 pm

    Feeling left out. No snowpocalyse for me. But I did run across this great time lapse video of the last one in DC. It’s a youtube for those who might be blocked at work. It’s short. Maybe half a minute.

  30. 30.

    daverave

    February 9, 2010 at 3:23 pm

    Ah yes, ’twas the Blizzard of ’78 in Boston that drove daverave to NorCal in search of sunnier climes. Those piles of snow get way ugly in any city after a few weeks. Eventually they turn black from road grit, etc.

    I don’t suppose these storms will have a similar “go west young man” effect given how EVERYONE knows what a mess CA is these days. For that silver lining, I am grateful.

  31. 31.

    arguingwithsignposts

    February 9, 2010 at 3:25 pm

    Via Rachel Maddow on Twitter: The newest “moran” image.

  32. 32.

    Libby

    February 9, 2010 at 3:25 pm

    @Martin: (at #25) It’s hilarious but ill-advised I think. Shiny object for the media. Now the WH gaggle will obsess about that instead of reporting what POTUS said.

  33. 33.

    licensed to kill time

    February 9, 2010 at 3:25 pm

    @Martin:

    Funny! I like Gibbs’ dry humor. I’ll take it any day over Sarah!’s snide, mean schtick. I hope it gets her panties in a twist and she spews all over her Facebook, neener neener.

    (Ok, I realize that was not very mature of me. snicker.)

  34. 34.

    Libby

    February 9, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    @Shinobi: Sorry I double-posted. Posted first and then read up thread.

  35. 35.

    Libby

    February 9, 2010 at 3:29 pm

    @JenJen: I never realized Cincy was so pretty a city. Your snow pix are my favs on twitter.

  36. 36.

    different church-lady

    February 9, 2010 at 3:30 pm

    Watching you guys freak out about snow is so much fun.

    Signed,
    Northern New England.

  37. 37.

    LLeo

    February 9, 2010 at 3:31 pm

    Re: why snopacolyse on the east coast and not flagstaff

    No disrespect to flagstaff but this snow imacted millions of people; DC to Philly alone has to be like 15million people. The I-95 corridor is a massive trucking and Rail route. It’s like what happens to the west coast when an earthquake hits SF.

  38. 38.

    Catsy

    February 9, 2010 at 3:31 pm

    It’s funny you should use the term “snowpocalypse”. One of the Lego groups on Flickr in which I participate is called “ApocaLego”, which somewhat self-evidently is intended for pictures of post-apocalypse-themed Lego creations. Since there’s always a glut of new builds whenever people are stuck inside from the snow, one of the admins spun up a new contest called “Blood in the Snow”, where the object was to build something depicting life after a “snowpocalypse”, when the world has ended in an ice age or some such.

    This was my entry: http://www.flickr.com/photos/catsy/4336903278/

  39. 39.

    Morbo

    February 9, 2010 at 3:33 pm

    @Martin: Except it’s not really the small ones here, but the big ones which are in trouble.

  40. 40.

    Napoleon

    February 9, 2010 at 3:35 pm

    @Mark S.:

    The bigger ones do not either. Think of it in terms of the US, in that every state in the US has to use the US dollar, except now imagine instead of having the Federal Government we now have all you have is basically an entity that can print money and not a whole lot more. No running deficits to keep the economy running, no road building projects in the various states, no payments to states to cover extending jobless benefits, etc. etc. Plus you don’t have a country like the US where if you loose your job in Dallas its real easy to move to Denver.

  41. 41.

    KCinDC

    February 9, 2010 at 3:38 pm

    There’s a Burger King impostor opposing health care reform.

  42. 42.

    Omnes Omnibus

    February 9, 2010 at 3:38 pm

    @different church-lady: Hereby seconded,

    Signed,

    Wisconsin and the rest of the Upper Midwest

  43. 43.

    Martin

    February 9, 2010 at 3:39 pm

    @Catsy: Very cool. My son got a shiny webcam and software for Christmas and is now learning to make Lego stop-motion. He’s eagerly awaiting the boy across the street to get his college admissions letter so he can inherit his fuckton of Legos – there’s no hope of ever satisfying the addiction…

  44. 44.

    geg6

    February 9, 2010 at 3:40 pm

    Well, it’s started again. They are now saying look for another 6-10 by tomorrow evening and winds over 35mph, leading to what they are calling “ground blizzards.” Apparently, that is snow that has already fallen but will be blown around so much that it will seem to be a blizzard white out. Fuckfuckityfuckfuckfuck.

    I hate winter. Especially February.

    Edited to add: Hey, Tim! Is that Squirrel Hill or is that Highland Park? It looks awfully like an area of Highland Park that I know, but with the snow and all, it’s hard to tell.

  45. 45.

    jeffreyw

    February 9, 2010 at 3:41 pm

    Hasn’t slowed the rush hour traffic around the bird feeder.

  46. 46.

    asiangrrlMN

    February 9, 2010 at 3:42 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts: Charitably, maybe the sign-holder meant a mash-up of homeschooler and home-scholar. Hahahahaha! Moran.

    @Martin: Love. It. His dry delivery is the best.

    And, a haiku.

    Minnesota snow.
    Or, rather, a lack thereof
    I haz a big sad.

  47. 47.

    asiangrrlMN

    February 9, 2010 at 3:44 pm

    @geg6: I would take it all from you if I could. All of it. Little comfort, I know.

    @jeffreyw: Holy shit. That’s a hell of a lot of birds.

  48. 48.

    GReynoldsCT00

    February 9, 2010 at 3:46 pm

    @asiangrrlMN:

    My friends in Minnesnowta got clobbered yesterday… how’d you miss out?

  49. 49.

    asiangrrlMN

    February 9, 2010 at 3:49 pm

    @GReynoldsCT00: Where are they? The south got hit hard. We in the cities, not so much.

    By the way, I would like to lodge a meaningless protest against Yahoo! Yesterday, their headline was, “The five worst cities for snow.” Meaning, the five cities that get the most snow. Hello? For some of us, those are the five BEST cities (and yes, Minneapolis made the list).

  50. 50.

    burnspbesq

    February 9, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    Greetings from row 8 on what may be the last plane to get into JFK for a couple of days. Love NY when it snows, just wish I had packed more appropriately when I left home on Saturday.

  51. 51.

    John PM

    February 9, 2010 at 3:55 pm

    We are in the middle of what is being referred to in Chicago as the “Snowmageddon,” with up to 14 inches expected by tomorrow morning. However, I don’t think we are going to get that much. If school is cancelled tomorrow, my boys will definitely want to go sledding.

  52. 52.

    PeakVT

    February 9, 2010 at 3:55 pm

    @Mark S.: Theoretically a poor country can borrow as much relative to its GDP as a rich country. But poor countries usually have governance problems, which limits their borrowing. For instance, would you trust bonds issued by the government of Nigeria more than ones from much smaller Botswana?

    PS: Sunny and cloudless today where I am. The remaining snow here is mostly grungy curbside piles.

  53. 53.

    geg6

    February 9, 2010 at 3:57 pm

    From the DADT casualty files, this is good, good news:

    http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/02/09/Dan_Choi_Back_in_Active_Duty/

  54. 54.

    Catsy

    February 9, 2010 at 3:57 pm

    @Martin: Tell me about it. I’m 36 years old and my Lego collection is probably bigger than my son’s by a factor of twenty. But he gets to play with all my unsorted parts and I give him pieces I have in excess bulk, so it’s all good. :)

    And for what it’s worth, I am deeply envious of all you east-coasters right now, even with all the disorder a snow like this brings. I was living in Maryland during the big blizzard of ’80, and I’ve wanted another one ever since. We got seriously cheated out of a real winter this year in Seattle.

  55. 55.

    GReynoldsCT00

    February 9, 2010 at 4:00 pm

    @asiangrrlMN:

    They’re in Minnetrista…

  56. 56.

    Tim F.

    February 9, 2010 at 4:02 pm

    @geg6: The pics come from the Oakland area, esp. the top of Center Ave. (above), the Panther Hollow Bridge and Bayard St.

  57. 57.

    asiangrrlMN

    February 9, 2010 at 4:03 pm

    @geg6: Wheeee! I’m so happy to read this. Thanks for linking.

    @Tim F.: And, are we allowed to look at your pics on Flickr?

    @GReynoldsCT00: Huh. They are to the west. Maybe that means we’ll get some!

  58. 58.

    geg6

    February 9, 2010 at 4:05 pm

    @Tim F.:

    Damn, I should have known that considering the misspent four years I lived there. If I can’t recognize Panther Hollow, I must be getting old.

  59. 59.

    gwangung

    February 9, 2010 at 4:09 pm

    @geg6: Boy, what a defeat for Obama…

  60. 60.

    scav

    February 9, 2010 at 4:36 pm

    @John PM: Yeah, they’d think we’d never seen a foot before.

  61. 61.

    gypsy howell

    February 9, 2010 at 4:38 pm

    I like how the national weather service is calling it “AN EXPLOSIVELY DEVELOPING NOR/EASTER” in my local forecast.

    I swear I hear “Ride of the Valkyries” blasting from the helicopters circling overhead.

  62. 62.

    chopper

    February 9, 2010 at 4:40 pm

    wait, i thought snowpocalypse was the one in december, this last one was ‘snowmageddon’.

    and apparently this next one is the second coming of snowman jesus.

  63. 63.

    chopper

    February 9, 2010 at 4:42 pm

    @John PM:

    i’ve had the last two days off, and likely tomorrow as well. hell, maybe even the week. federal employment has its benefits…

  64. 64.

    ulee

    February 9, 2010 at 4:44 pm

    Next comes the meteor, then earthquake, then flood. Then the saints come marching in.

  65. 65.

    Ash Can

    February 9, 2010 at 4:53 pm

    @Catsy: What fun! I have a 10-year-old son, and Lego basically owns our household. And I’m fine with that; it’s great to see him enamored with such a great building toy. (Oh, and BTW, I was in grad school in DC for the big-ass blizzard of ’83. One of the funniest damned things I’ve ever seen.)

    @Martin: Oh my. I hear you. In our case, I deserve much of the blame, since I’m a garage-sale junkie and every so often come across a whole metric shit-ton of the things. Naturally, I can’t resist a bargain, which is why Bottle Rocket is pretty much in Lego heaven now and I don’t know where to store them all.

    @jeffreyw: Those look like grackles. Are they always around where you are, or are they headed back north?

  66. 66.

    Ash Can

    February 9, 2010 at 5:02 pm

    And lest I forget, a couple of goodies via the GOS.

    First, even the Moonie Times is acknowledging the hypocrisy of the GOP congressdorks on the stimulus.

    Second, for those of you worried about Obama being too focused on “bipartisanship,” chill the fuck out. (And, as a bonus, he flipped Boehner off too. Well, not literally. But you get the idea.)

  67. 67.

    russell

    February 9, 2010 at 5:16 pm

    That’s the snow-pocalypse?

  68. 68.

    jeffreyw

    February 9, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    @Ash Can: Yep, they’re grackles. We have ’em all year, but they tend to spread out in the summer.

  69. 69.

    Catsy

    February 9, 2010 at 5:39 pm

    @Ash Can: Want to see something scary?

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/catsy/2664586936/in/set-72157606140602554/

    That back wall, the one with the wood paneling? Now has another two of those Ivar shelving units from Ikea that you see on the right–and all the shelves are filled with Lego storage.

    I’m pretty sure there are support groups for this sort of thing.

  70. 70.

    Platonicspoof

    February 9, 2010 at 6:52 pm

    Clear, 53 degrees, no wind, perfect for biking – Portland, OR.

    “Progressives are made of Marxist stew.”
    G. Beck, 02/09/10.

  71. 71.

    JenJen

    February 9, 2010 at 7:38 pm

    Snowy Tuesday in Cincinnati!

    http://twitpic.com/12825z

  72. 72.

    Gus

    February 9, 2010 at 7:55 pm

    @Sentient Puddle: Yes, snow is beautiful for as long as two weeks. In Minnesota we’ve had snow on the ground since November, and I am really fucking sick of it. Goin’ to FL for some spring training in a few weeks.

  73. 73.

    Ash Can

    February 9, 2010 at 8:29 pm

    @Catsy: Woo-hoo! Good thing chances are basically nil that my son will ever be in your work space. He’d trash the joint.

  74. 74.

    Catsy

    February 9, 2010 at 9:24 pm

    @Ash Can: Hah! You should see it now. It /is/ trashed. I really need to sort the last few boxes; I’m running out of certain parts and we’re running out of floor space in our den.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - Mike in Oly - Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area
Image by Mike in Oly (5/24/25)

Recent Comments

  • H.E.Wolf on New Angel Match for the PA Supreme Court Effort by The Civics Center (May 24, 2025 @ 12:48pm)
  • Rockstar on New Angel Match for the PA Supreme Court Effort by The Civics Center (May 24, 2025 @ 12:45pm)
  • Another Scott on New Angel Match for the PA Supreme Court Effort by The Civics Center (May 24, 2025 @ 12:39pm)
  • zhena gogolia on A Lot of Good People Out There, Here’s One of Them (May 24, 2025 @ 12:32pm)
  • Professor Bigfoot on Late Night Open Thread (May 24, 2025 @ 12:29pm)

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
War in Ukraine
Donate to Razom for Ukraine

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Meetups

Upcoming Ohio Meetup May 17
5/11 Post about the May 17 Ohio Meetup

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Hands Off! – Denver, San Diego & Austin

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!