Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

Republicans in disarray!

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

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

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

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

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

The words do not have to be perfect.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

This fight is for everything.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

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110Comments

  2. 2.

    Betsy

    I have a question for the peanut gallery: I’m going to Europe next week for a conference, and while I’m there, I’m going to meet up with a French friend of mine. She lives in Grenoble, but we’re staying with her aunt in Paris for a few days. What would be a good hostess gift for me to bring for the aunt? Normally I would bring a nice bottle of wine and/or box of good chocolates, but, coals to Newcastle, etc.

    Suggestions?

  4. 4.

    PaulW

    Got into an argument with my parents about the problems with unemployment, that to them it’s all the fault of Democrats (?!) and that if we got rid of 25 million illegals it’d free up the job market. I pointed out that there aren’t a lot of illegals blocking up the librarian and computer tech support job market. That the only thing getting rid of illegals would free up were the janitorial and $5 an hour jobs nobody else wants. So who was in the right of this argument.

  5. 5.

    Third Eye Open

    @stuckinred: You can’t make me believe that a massive camel toe was ever acceptable, regardless of your sexual orientation.

  6. 6.

    PaulW

    @Betsy:

    I have a question for the peanut gallery: I’m going to Europe next week for a conference, and while I’m there, I’m going to meet up with a French friend of mine. She lives in Grenoble, but we’re staying with her aunt in Paris for a few days. What would be a good hostess gift for me to bring for the aunt? Normally I would bring a nice bottle of wine and/or box of good chocolates, but, coals to Newcastle, etc.

    Flowers are always a nice gift to a woman. Also a gift card to an art gallery to decorate the house (getting a painting for someone could be awkward if it’s an artist or color pattern they don’t like).

  7. 7.

    dmsilev

    Spent this morning going through the 200ish fireworks photos I took last night. Most, of course, were pretty bad, but there were a few really nice ones (not on the web yet; they need to be cropped and otherwise edited), but it’s nice to see that lugging a tripod etc down to the river wasn’t wasted effort.

    dms

  9. 9.

    General Egali Tarian Stuck

    @PaulW:

    Flowers are always a nice gift to a woman.

    Yes. and with the double your wallet pleasure allowed by the summer growing season to pick them along side the road, or those dangling over the public air space of a sidewalk. Bad economy and all.

    Oh, and since it’s France, a good soft porn DVD could be a winner. Depending on several factors.

  10. 10.

    Amanda in the South Bay

    Quick q for the peanut gallery:

    Should I buy an iPod Touch or Zune HD? I’m looking for an affordable portable media player/wi fi device, and despite my general aversion to MS, the Zune is seriously tempting.

  11. 11.

    licensed to kill time

    @Third Eye Open:

    You know, it’s weird, guys in the 60’s and 70’s used to wear the shortest shorts all the time for jogging and stuff, but nowadays if you see some guy wearing shorts like that it’s almost shocking. Not to mention Speedos, they used to be the bathing suit every guy wore, but today it’s all baggies.

    I’ll tell you the biggest problem I recall from guys in short shorts: unexpected peepage.

  12. 12.

    Betsy

    @General Egali Tarian Stuck:
    Begging your pardon, but I don’t think just-picked wildflowers would hold up so well on the trans-Atlantic flight; nor do I anticipate having a lot of country roads to skip down in Paris once I land.

    The porn, though – always a winner.

  14. 14.

    dmsilev

    @Amanda in the South Bay:
    I’d say it depends on whether you want to use the thing for anything beyond a media player and web/email browser. As a media player, either the iPod or the Zune will be fine, but the third-party application marketplace is much much much richer for the iPod.

    dms

  17. 17.

    CaseyL

    @Third Eye Open:

    Er, actually: it doesn’t excuse this photo, but in the early 70s among young hunky men, even among straights, the fashion was to wear blue jeans “so tight people can see what religion you are” – showing off one’s package, IOW. I don’t know if that’s quite the same thing as camel toe (which bisects rather than displays), so maybe you’re right after all :)

  19. 19.

    currants

    @Betsy:

    I’ve been told one does not bring hostess gifts (one IS hostess gifts…sorry nope, wrong blog) in France. However, you can get away with bringing one because you’re American, so in that case I’d bring something local (YOUR local, of course)–representative of your area, or whatever strikes you as unique. Tasteful’s good, but outrageous can be a lot of fun (and may require explanation and a sense of humor on the part of your hostess or her niece). The French people I know don’t tend to have much extra space in their living quarters (and, unless family-connected, not much “decoration”… then again, they’re mostly university or music types, so maybe that explains it).

  22. 22.

    Betsy

    @currants:
    Oh, interesting. I didn’t know that. I’ve never met the aunt, so maybe I should just ask my friend what she thinks. I’m sure you’re right about not having much spare space, though – especially in Paris.

  23. 23.

    eemom

    @Third Eye Open:

    heh. That reminds, back in the long-gone days when FDL was a cool, fun blog, there was once a hilarious late nite thread that ensued because I didn’t know what a “camel toe” was.

  25. 25.

    MikeJ

    @currants: eDiplomat says you bring gifts, but I don’t know how accurate they are. They also say good quality or nothing, and for wine it should be exceptional quality or nothing. Flowers look to be the safest bet.

  26. 26.

    Third Eye Open

    @eemom: It’s ok, most people didn’t know what ‘teabagging’ meant before last year.

    @Comrade Mary: I didn’t even think about that. It does put quite the disturbing spin on a large portion of my childhood.

  28. 28.

    eemom

    @licensed to kill time:

    Not to mention Speedos, they used to be the bathing suit every guy wore, but today it’s all baggies.

    That’s kind of a good thing though, because not too many guys are, um, flattered by Speedos.

    It’s a little like the modern shaved head trend — looks good on only a small fraction of those who do it.

  32. 32.

    Svensker

    @Betsy:

    I’ve also heard that hostess gifts such as wine, etc., are not so much done in France. But since you are staying with her, a thoughtful small gift can never be wrong. Are you coming from the States? Then maybe something American? (I can’t think of anything appropriate! But maybe you can.) Or just go with something standard, like small fancy soaps.

  33. 33.

    MikeJ

    @dmsilev:

    but the third-party application marketplace is much much much richer for the iPod.

    On the other hand, you don’t need permission from any turtleneck wearing weirdo to write or run anything you want on the Zune. You can use official microsoft tools (XNA) for free and write in c, c#, or VB. Or you can use openZDK and write native c++. And even if you can’t do it yourself, other people can.

  34. 34.

    KG

    @PaulW: in short, both are right, I think. This recession is mostly demand side rather than supply side. People aren’t buying things, which means that businesses aren’t selling things, which means that the businesses aren’t buying more of the things they sell from up channel, which ultimately means that businesses can’t necessarily afford to hire new employees or keep current employees on (at the end of the day, owning a business is a huge risk and if you’re not making a good enough profit, you have to cut overhead, and employees are often the biggest part of overhead). Ideally, with unemployment high, you pay out more on unemployment benefits in order to get people to buy things and jump start the economy (but this doesn’t work if people are just using the money to pay off debts).

    On the other hand, a decent argument can be made that illegal immigrants are driving wages down on lower skilled jobs. If you’re an employer and you can pay someone $7/hr, cash, and avoid payroll taxes, unemployment insurance, workers comp insurance, and all the rest, would you do it? The idea is basically that these aren’t jobs “Americans won’t do” they are jobs that “Americans won’t do for minimum wage.” Of course, paying higher wages also means prices would have to go up, or fewer workers would be hired to maintain the profit margins.

  35. 35.

    srv

    @Betsy: All the hipsters are wearing those 70’s basketball shorts they find at Goodwill.

    *I could have made so much money if I’d kept my old OP’s

  36. 36.

    dr. luba

    @Betsy: I try to bring local specialties as hostess gifts when I travel. I’m from Michigan, and have found dried cherries to be a great gift–everyone seems to love them, and they’re not very available other places.

    I’ve brought dried morels in the past (to a friend who was a cook), silk scarves (which I pick up during my travels in India) and bits of Pewabic pottery. But I agree that consumable gifts are probably best, especially as I and my friends get older, and already have plenty of our own stuff.

  39. 39.

    Martin

    @Amanda in the South Bay: I know I’m a bit biased, but the iPod will do 10x what the Zune will. I always try to bake in as much future, unanticipated usage as possible and the iPod wins hands down on that.

  40. 40.

    eco2geek

    @Amanda in the South Bay: Compare the Zune entry on Wikipedia with the iPod Touch entry on Wikipedia. It’s no contest – the iPod Touch is way out in front in terms of its existing application base. Note that, typical for MS, the Zune management software only runs on Windows (vendor lock-in). iTunes runs on both Mac and Windows.

    @Betsy: This. Why would you take a bottle of wine to someone who lives in Paris, France, or try to get flowers to survive an airplane trip? Take them something that’s unique to where you live.

  41. 41.

    Amanda in the South Bay

    @Martin:

    Oh, I’m about 90% sure I’m going to get a Touch, its just that I haven’t heard much about the Zune, and it never hurts to get as many views as possible.
    If we lived in a universe where the Touch never existed, then sure, it’d be a pretty decent device. Its just that its the skim milk to the Touch’s creamy yummy whole milk.

    As an aside, I’ve been reading some horror stories about 2nd and 3rd Gen Touch users (as well as 3G phone owners) having problems upgrading to iOS4. Is this true?

  42. 42.

    Martin

    @MikeJ: OTOH, the iPod will get better wireless signal reception from space alien music sharing sites, which are about as likely to happen as Amanda is to find someone to write that really awesome openZDK app that would be unwilling to do it in HTML/Javascript and load as a webapp onto the iPod.

    I would also trust the iPod to be a better bludgeoning tool against a potential attacker than the Zune, if we want to stay on the topic of ‘theoretical yet hopelessly unlikely to happen reasons to favor one platform over the other’.

  43. 43.

    Third Eye Open

    @Martin: I hate Apple, but I love my 2nd gen Ipod. So, what is a coding-neophyte to do? Get SharePod and say goodbye to Itunes.

    Zune does have its advantages, especially if you’re into making your Xbox work with your chosen music-player.

  44. 44.

    FlipYrWhig

    @KG: But has the number of illegal immigrants working for low wages increased under Obama? I can see how illegal immigration could dampen wages, but I don’t see how “the Democrats” are responsible for unemployment by way of illegal immigration, like PaulW‘s parents are claiming. That just seems like an extrapolation from the idea that Democrats are “politically correct” and give the illegal immigrants free goodies, and hence that Mexicans are streaming across the border to reap the new Obama bounty.

  46. 46.

    robertdsc

    First day at the new job tomorrow. I got my hair cut and clothes laid out.

    Thank you all for the well wishes. I really appreciate them.

    I was thinking of Little Bitsy the other day. How is she, John?

    Moar Tunch plz, also too.

  48. 48.

    burnspbesq

    Is this where I come to bitch about the incredible, indefensible outrage of Mike Pelfrey being left off the NL All-Star team?

  49. 49.

    Martin

    @Amanda in the South Bay:

    Somewhat. The iOS 4 update is choking on some users data during the update process. I can’t tell how widespread it is, but it doesn’t seem to be terribly so. To be honest, this is one of the better benefits of the current iTunes arrangement in that if you get everything synced properly first, restoring it isn’t usually a problem. Inconvenient, sure.

    For you, that’d not be a big issue. What seems to be bulletproof is doing a ‘restore’ from the iOS 4 software. So if you get a touch, don’t do anything until you get iOS 4 installed, and have it do a full system restore from iOS 4 rather than an upgrade. You lose all your data, but then, you don’t have any yet.

    I’m not a big fan of x.0 updates on any platform. I always wait for the first round of bugfixes to go out before upgrading. Save myself a lot of grief that way. But iOS 4 was a bit tentative on the release date – they barely got it in under the wire, so I wasn’t surprised to hear there were a few problems. The iPad really screwed up the timetable rather badly this year.

  50. 50.

    schrodinger's cat

    @robertdsc: Request for Tunch pics seconded. This blog has gone to the dogs. They are cute and all but the great white one, must not be ignored.

    Good luck on your first day robertdsc!

  51. 51.

    Lolis

    @ Betsy

    I like to give people locally made salsas, like a salsa verde and a nice fresh salsa casera. Of course most of them are in glass so you would have to wrap them very carefully to put them in your luggage. But salsa is something they don’t have a whole lot of in Europe.

  52. 52.

    canuckistani

    @Betsy:

    My Parisian relatives love it when we bring maple syrup, which is unobtainable there for any reasonable price. If it’s a local product for you, it should work out quite well.

  53. 53.

    Martin

    @Third Eye Open: You can get a dev license for $99 and go to town on it – Apple offers site-licenses to universities so students can usually get it for free. You use your own signed certificate to sideload apps on your device. Works great. I have a team of students at the office working on some in-house apps for me (and hardware to go with them).

  54. 54.

    Betsy

    @everyone – thanks so much! Maple syrup is perfect, actually, because I’m coming from New England. I might also hit up a few local craft fairs for something nice.

  55. 55.

    MikeJ

    @Martin: But you have to have a dev license to load apps that Apple doesn’t approve of.

    I wasn’t suggesting that she pay someone else to write neato apps for her. I was suggesting that being free to do what you want with your computer is a good in and of itself, even if it’s something that you’re never going to do yourself. I realise most people won’t write cool apps, but if you have to pay a ransom to do it you’ll turn programming into esoteric weirdness that only the high priests are allowed rather than fun and discovery.

    Give me a world full of hackers. It doesn’t bother me at all that others choose a world full of marketing people. Just don’t tell me I’d be better off there.

  56. 56.

    Violet

    @Betsy:
    Bring something small and consumable that is local to your area. If there’s nothing interesting that is local to where you live, go with something that’s very American or North American. The maple syrup and dried cherries are good suggestions. My English family likes things with Mexican spices, as those are very hard to find in the UK.

  57. 57.

    stuckinred

    What to give someone who lives where they fight with their feet and fuck with their faces?

  58. 58.

    Violet

    @Betsy:
    Betsy, be careful with maple syrup. It’s can be seen as a “liquid” and if it’s in a glass jar you will not be able to carry it onto the plane even if it’s not considered a liquid. Not sure if you’re going all carry on baggage or checking luggage, but it should be fine in checked luggage. Not fine for carry on.

    You can pack it just fine in your luggage, but something like that will almost certainly get your luggage searched. Not a big deal, but you’ll get the paper telling you the TSA searched your luggage.

  59. 59.

    Martin

    @MikeJ:

    I was suggesting that being free to do what you want with your computer is a good in and of itself, even if it’s something that you’re never going to do yourself.

    And yet nobody ever raised this as an issue prior to the iPhone, or as an issue to game consoles, or DVRs, or GPS devices, or in-dash navigation and entertainment systems, and so on – none of which allow you do what you want without the same hacking effort that the iPhone requires.

    You want the freedom to do what you want, and I want the freedom to keep out the malware and viruses and whatnot, and to not have to buy Norton for my phone. Sorry, but I don’t subscribe to the libertarian/Somalia ideology when applied to my computing devices, and I think you’ll find the overwhelming majority of consumers agree with me.

  60. 60.

    lamh32

    Interesting read from Tim Wise:

    Collateral Damage: Racism, the Economy and the High Cost of White Ambivalence
    by tim wise

    After receiving an e-mail recently from an unemployed white man, upset about my focus on racism in my writing and activism, I felt compelled to write the essay below. His legitimate frustrations at his economic plight called out for compassion, as well as a systemic analysis by which he might better understand the reasons for his predicament — and that of so many more like him. So below please find my analysis, which makes the case that it is precisely our historic and contemporary ambivalence as a nation to the suffering of folks of color, which now explains why so many whites are also staring an inadequate social safety net in the face…

    Read the rest at link…

  61. 61.

    stuckinred

    @lamh32: You should read the comments in the Athens, Ga paper about the African American AD who lost his job for DUI and was with a 28 year old white woman.

  63. 63.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Betsy: I was gonna say not flowers because not ALL women would appreciate flowers (ahem), and the other ideas are much better, anyway.

    @Amanda in the South Bay: I know this is anecdotal, but I have a good friend who has a Zune and loves it. She is a music fiend, too, so it’s not as if she would sacrifice sound or range or anything like that.

    Goddamn it. It needs not to be so fucking hot here.

  64. 64.

    eco2geek

    @MikeJ:

    On the other hand, you don’t need permission from any turtleneck wearing weirdo to write or run anything you want on the Zune. You can use official microsoft tools (XNA) for free and write in c, c#, or VB.

    That’s funny, considering how Microsoft practically invented vendor lock-in.

    It should be noted that the software you use to manage the Zune only runs on Windows (unlike iTunes, which runs on Windows and Mac). It should also be noted that Microsoft’s development environments for VB and C# also only run on Windows.

    In a post that’s awaiting moderation (was it P.a.r.i.s..F.r.a.n.c.e that did it?) I recommended reading the Wikipedia entries on both devices before buying a Zune.

  65. 65.

    Mnemosyne

    @Betsy:

    I remember reading years ago that French’s mustard — just the plain yellow kind — was a popular gift just because it was difficult to get in Europe.

    It might not be a bad idea to ask your friend if there’s something you can bring from the States that her mother would like that’s too difficult/expensive for her to have shipped there. Maple syrup sounds like a winner to me.

  66. 66.

    Betsy

    @asiangrrlMN:

    I was gonna say not flowers because not ALL women would appreciate flowers (ahem), and the other ideas are much better, anyway.

    Indeed. I think flowers are a useful gift because they can be a kind of universal gesture of goodwill when you don’t know a person, especially in a place like France where that’s a common use for them. But definitely not because all women like them.

    Goddamn it. It needs not to be so fucking hot here.

    This, also too. And it’s going to be worse here tomorrow. Ugh.

  67. 67.

    Cat Lady

    @Betsy:

    Bostonian here – also vote for maple syrup – my daughter lived in Paris for a semester and brought her host mother maple syrup (huge hit), a cranberry scented candle (cranberries are another rare item), and a pretty tote bag from the MFA in Boston. You’d think that the MFA bag would be redundant with all the great museums there, but it was very well received. Anything locally made or referenced will be appreciated.

  68. 68.

    aliasofwestgate

    I have a Zune 120GB and its heavenly in terms of music for me. I’m not much in wanting to hack certain things, although the only thing i lament is that it can’t show me asian character texts. Something the Zune HD does as default, and being that i’m not the hacker type tehre’s no way i’m opening up my little treasure trove of tunes to get that function. So i’ll wait a while for the HD to come down in price, and get one of those eventually. (yes i love my share of japanese pop and rock, and i’m just starting to explore south korea’s pop and rock genre :P)

    That said, besides a short battery life if you run something like a movie or tv show on it, but i’m figuring out ways around that quirk too. It’s excellent for music, hands down and pretty easy to work. At least for me it is, anyway.

  69. 69.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Betsy: Yep. I would agree with the universal theme of flowers (I mean, it’s hard to be offended by flowers), but I think edibles are better. I would say chocolates, but it’s freaking France.

    @lamh32: Thanks for linking to that essay. He is right on with his analysis of the myth Americans are fed (hard work, play by the rules, do the right thing, and you will succeed) and how easy it is for the majority to ignore the falseness of the myth until they themselves are confronted with it. However, Tim is much more sympathetic to Jeremy than am I. I’m afraid my initial response to Jeremy was, “Sucks, don’t it?”

  70. 70.

    Betsy

    @Cat Lady:
    Awesome.
    Hooray for the Balloon Juice hive mind.

    It’s farmer’s market season, so I think I’ll stop by and see if one of the stands selling preserves has something cranberry or blueberry-oriented, throw in some good local syrup, and call it a gift.

  72. 72.

    burnspbesq

    We’re saying goodbye to one of our Great Pyrenees today. Despite best efforts to treat it, her hip dysplasia has advanced to the point where she can’t get up from a sitting or lying position and can’t keep her feet under her on tile or wood floors. We’ve been through this slow decline with other Pyrs, and even if you know what’s coming it really sucks.

  74. 74.

    KG

    @FlipYrWhig: ah, yeah, I was addressing the underlying points rather than the issue of blame. I think blaming either party for illegal immigration at this point is just incredibly stupid.

  77. 77.

    PurpleGirl

    Betsy: If you decide on taking a special food product from the US, check with the French consulate/customs if there any restrictions on bringing in food products. You wouldn’t want to get to France and have the gift confiscated.

  79. 79.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh32:

    I really liked his “canary in the coal mine” example of how the trick mortgages that were eventually mass-marketed to the whole (white) country were first tested out on poor/black/brown people and, when no one raised a fuss, they were expanded out until they brought down the whole damn economy. There are a whole lot of similar examples (like credit card fees) that point to the same way of using poor/black/brown people as guinea pigs for “novel” ways of separating people from their money.

  80. 80.

    CaseyL

    @Betsy: Local comestibles are almost always a good idea: They’re definitely “made in US” and your overseas friends aren’t likely to have ready access to ’em.

    Besides maple syrup, there’s Pacific salmon (smoked or not; can be wrapped for travel up to 48 hours, I think); dungeness crabs (also from the Pacific NW) or blue point crabs from Baltimore or Stone crabs from Florida; or check out Harry & David (gourmet fruit, nuts, cakes, cookies, etc.)

    Not sure if you can swing any of these in a week, though, unless you live in those areas.

  82. 82.

    lamh32

    @asiangrrlMN:

    I’ve been a fan of Tim Wise for a while now, ever since the election, when he was one of the ONLY white journalist to see the racism in alot of the coverage of then Presidential candidate Barack Obama, that probably went over many of the “majority” culture’s heads, that is until it became so blatant, that they just couldn’t not see it.

    Also, Tim is one of the few white journalist, who routinely go on “urban” radio and discuss racism in the news media. Tim is always on The Tom Joyner Morning Show, one of the most popular national syndicated can’t tell ya how many times I’ve heard him do interviews with the Roland Martin on that show.

    He’s really good.

  83. 83.

    ellaesther

    @burnspbesq: I’m so sorry to hear that. They place their lives in our hands, and just as it’s our duty to make the living good, it’s also often our sad duty to make their dying easy. I hope it goes well, and that you are surrounded by love as you let her go.

  85. 85.

    Third Eye Open

    @ellaesther: Oh, I care. How about you and your cobbler come over for dinner, and Thai Gumbo and I will be waiting. Who has the french-vanilla ice-cream?

  86. 86.

    ellaesther

    @asiangrrlMN: Hey! Did this Tim Wise character copy exactly what I said on my own site? Where you even commented, if I’m not mistaken? http://emilylhauserinmyhead.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/the-babies-mom/ (Nope, I’m not mistaken!)

    Or is it just possible that I’m not the only one to bought the myth (“hard work, play by the rules, do the right thing, and you will succeed”) and found it wasn’t so…. Hmmm. I think I might not be the only one.

    Though I like the notion of suing Tim Wise for plagiarism. I’m sure that would go well.

  87. 87.

    CJ

    @Calouste:

    I always thought the subscription model ended up corrupting your music as soon as you stopped paying the monthly fee.

  89. 89.

    QDC

    @Amanda in the South Bay:

    I have a Zune HD and an iPhone. The Zune software is far better than iTunes, and I think the Zune HD is a better music player. I mostly like the ZunePass, which lets you download pretty much anything you want from the music library for a monthly subscription (and you get 10 tracks to keep).

    That said, I’ve never used the Zune as anything other than a music player, and I love my iPhone for all sorts of things. If you need it to multitask, the iPhone is obviously a better bet. But for the record, the ZuneHD is probably the best pure media player out there. It even looks cool.

    @Calouste: Yes! The subscription model is why I have one too. And I figure $15/mo., with 10 free songs a month (worth about $10) makes it an awesome deal. Even without the free tracks, I always figured it was equivalent to one CD a month, and it keeps you from buying a lot of bad music.

  90. 90.

    eco2geek

    @ellaesther: Good for you! Do you need taste testers?

    Yesterday morning was not fun; we have a mouse infestation (4 down; unknown how many to go) and I went to get a clean dishtowel only to find out that mice had been in the drawer pooping on them. Then I went to put syrup on my french toast only to find ants on and in the bottle.

    Some days it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed. Even if it is a holiday.

  91. 91.

    Mnemosyne

    @ellaesther:

    I made a peach cobbler last week and realized after it had gone into the oven that I had forgotten to put any sugar in the cobbler dough.

    It turned out reasonably okay since the filling was super-sweet and we put vanilla ice cream on top, but still … d’oh!

  92. 92.

    Ruckus

    @burnspbesq:
    Can’t say it any better than this.
    @ellaesther:
    I’m so sorry to hear that. They place their lives in our hands, and just as it’s our duty to make the living good, it’s also often our sad duty to make their dying easy. I hope it goes well, and that you are surrounded by love as you let her go.

  93. 93.

    ellaesther

    @Mnemosyne: There’s a great scene in the Little House books, where Laura and Almanzo have just gotten married and she’s hosting her first threshing, serving just endless numbers of men in and out of her kitchen, and they get to the pie, and she’s forgotten the sugar. One of the threshers says something to the effect of “Well, isn’t this just how I like it? Now I can add exactly how much sugar I want!” and he peels off the top crust and slathers on the sugar. I love that scene!

    And apparently, you and Laura Ingalls Wilder are one in spirit! You could do worse.

  95. 95.

    burnspbesq

    Thanks for the condolences, y’all. I kinda think that having other dogs and cats cushions the blow. The kid is gutted, though. Cue was his first dog, and he picked her.

  96. 96.

    Third Eye Open

    @ellaesther: Thats the wonderful thing about my Gumbo, it will take all manner of totally Kosher protein foodstuffs. Its the lemon-grass that makes it.

  97. 97.

    catclub

    @FlipYrWhig:
    1. It is very clear from things like net transfers back to home countries that illegal immigrants are having a hard time.
    Surprise! A lot worked in the construction industry, which has had a huge meltdown.

    2. Someone posted this two pronged manuever:
    Ask right wing loon what they think about illegal aliens.
    (Cover ears).
    Ask right wing loon what they think about unions.
    (Cover ears).
    Tell RWL that union organizing it at an all time low,
    but union shops do not have illegal immigrants working there.
    It is the non-union shops that have illegal immigrants.
    Stand back while RWL’s head explodes.

  99. 99.

    currants

    @ellaesther:

    *grin* you’d prolly like “ReReading America” (aka The Marxist Reader)–they have an entire section devoted to the great American mythology….

  100. 100.

    Amanda in the South Bay

    Oh yeah, the $15.00/month download thing is a pretty nifty thing, definitely one of the pros for the Zune. Supposedly the OLEF screen is pretty neat, and I’m sure it does its job well as a media player.

    I’m just as interested in the whole portable wifi/app side though, since I got rid of my netbook and don’t feel like lugging my laptop to the coffee shop just to browse stupid shit. Plus, considering how much time I spend on public trans, I want that gigantic Apple App Store.

    I’m not an Apple fan girl by any stretch (unless they offered me a job) but I keep coming back to the Touch everytime I look at alternatives (and a giant “bleh” to the Archos 7 tablet-I’m sure there are going to be better Android devices in the future than that piece of junk).

    That said, the Palo Alto Frys has the 16GB Zune HD for about ten dollars cheaper than the 8GB 2G Touch, so as always my pocketbook will play an important role, but I’m still prob gonna get the Touch.

  101. 101.

    Betsy

    @Linda Featheringill:
    Oh man I love maple sugar candy. Especially the part about how it’s just pure sugar, but somehow it’s ok it eat it as candy because it’s shaped like a maple leaf. :D I’m not worried about bringing a liquid, though, because I need to check a bag anyway. I’ll just put it, well-wrapped, in my checked luggage.

    @PurpleGirl:
    Good point. I’m guessing from other people’s testimonials that syrup and jam are ok, but I will check.

  103. 103.

    tatertot

    @Betsy:

    Any idea what kind of music she likes? Or what theatre is going on in Paris? Tickets to some event is always quite nice, and people will even change their plans to go to unexpected events if the tickets are a gift.

  104. 104.

    Betsy

    @tatertot:
    Not a clue – I’ve never met her. I’m good friends with her niece, who I ended up sharing a flat with in Galway when we were both living there in 2001, but I know nothing about the aunt. And, unfortunately, theatre tickets are a little out of my price range right now. I’m only going to Europe because the workshop organizers are paying for my airfare and hotel while I’m there (HELL YEAH!!), so I was able to tack on this side trip to Paris to see my friend. Otherwise I would never be able to go.

  105. 105.

    stuckinred

    @burnspbesq:
    I’ve posted this before:
    “Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody and beingnice, right?” The four-year-old continued, “Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

  106. 106.

    stuckinred

    @burnspbesq:
    I’ve posted this before:
    “Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody and being nice, right?” The four-year-old continued, “Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

  108. 108.

    CynDee

    @ellaesther: That is a Lovely Achievement. And may you get the greatest of pleasure out of every cobbler you ever make.

    And we’ll be right over.

  109. 109.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @burnspbesq: I’m so sorry!

    @Betsy: I’m sure you know this, but don’t gift wrap the maple syrup! The TSA and customs folks will only unwrap it. Instead, pack a decorative gift bag of the right size and a wodge of tissue paper and put it together on the Other Side.

  110. 110.

    asiangrrlMN

    @lamh32: Isn’t he the White Privilege guy, too? Sad to say, but an essay like this has more punch when written by a white (presumably straight) guy than it does when written by a minority. Plus, he doesn’t have either the guilt-ridden vibe going on or the condescending vibe, either. He’s really good.

    @burnspbesq: I’m so sorry to hear this. My deepest condolences to you, the missus, and the little one. May a white light guide your precious companion to the other side, and may she visit you from time to time just to make sure you’re all right.

    @ellaesther: Ha! You are so right. It’s exactly what you said, and, yes, I did comment, didn’t I? And, I said pretty much what Wise said–I didn’t buy into the myth for many reasons, but at least in part because I knew that hard work, playing by the rules, etc., didn’t guarantee anything.

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