Figured we need one.
As good as my garden looks, my yard looks that bad. I tried to thin out some of the crabgrass a couple of weeks ago with an application of weed and feed, and it turns out that much more of my yard than I expected was made up of crabgrass and weeds than actual grass. My yard now has the markings of an Appaloosa horse, if an Appaloosa horse was the color of brown dead weeds with some green splotches.
On the upside, it is raining, so maybe some of the grass seed I’ve been frantically carpeting my yard with since my latest brilliant lawn-care adventure will take root.
*** Update ***
And now I see DougJ already had a new thread up. Never mind.
Corner Stone
His thread was for massholes. Nobody likes those people.
Steeplejack
But your open threads are much better than DougJ’s open threads.
Just got home from work and am glad that (a) there is a bit left of the All-Star Game for me to watch and (b) I missed all the Steinbrenner hoopla. Trying not to speak ill of the dead–and failing. He appeared to be a mean-spirited, vindictive dillweed with almost everyone, especially the little-people employees who couldn’t fight back, and that really bugs me. It overshadows a lot of what he accomplished.
Okay, will stop now.
General Stuck
The National League is up 3 to 1 in the ninth with one out. I am almost certain they will still find a way to lose it like the eleventy thousandth time in a row. But maybe not.
eta nope, they won. Now we can get back to the season and maybe the Reds will pull out a miracle too and win the central division, or at least a wild card.
demo woman
Deep thought .. When is an open thread an open thread?
Angela
You might want to look into sowing clover with your grass seed. I sowed my front yard in clover and I love it, no watering even during this heat wave and it still looks great. Only a few mows a season and no fertilizer needed.
Johnny Pez
An Emily Litella open thread.
demo woman
@General Stuck: Nice that McCann won the game for the national team. Go Braves!
Mnemosyne
One year ago tomorrow was the day that Charlotte crawled out from an engine block of a car and said to G, “Hey, you, monkey boy! Come take me home!”
Charlotte then.
Charlotte now.
Tattoosydney
Scary cuteness overload.
Pictures and sounds of Tasmanian Devil joeys. The photo at 2.08 remaining is just too adorable.
Luthe
It occurred to me the other day that there needs to be a good Ayn Rand parody novel written. Something with a title like The Dunderhead: A Novel of Going Galt. I even have a first line written.
The problem with this is that I would actually have to read Ayn Rand’s works to be able to parody them and I’m not sure I could stand to do it.
Anyone else want to do it?
slag
@Angela:
Clover, meadow grasses, or even moss would be good.
Spaghetti Lee
@Luthe:
For titles, I’m partial to The Swollenhead, or the old standby Atlas Wanked.
BGinCHI
What on earth does all this have to do with Angie Harmon?
For whom “Hasselhof” is a verb, btw.
TaMara (BHF)
@Angela: This. Clover means less fertilizing – especially if you don’t bag your grass and mulch it into the lawn as you mow, it seems to overtake weeds and it stands up to enormous amounts of dog pee. The only drawback is it is very slippery when wet (much more than grass alone).
TaMara (BHF)
@Tattoosydney: OMG, they are adorable.
Steeplejack
@demo woman:
There are three conditions that may individually or jointly signal an open thread:
1. When the title says “Open Thread” somewhere in it.
2. When there is a picture of, or significant narrative reference to, the household companions (and now, apparently, the obscenely productive garden) of John Cole.
3. When the chosen topic is so stupid or boring or that no one can stay on it for longer than 10 comments. Then the commentariat rises up as one and makes it an open thread.
M. Bouffant
Lawns are bullshit.
First used by nasty Limey landowners to demonstrate that they had so much land they didn’t need to use every square inch of it to grow crops, the lawn was taken up by nasty Americans who like to show off too, & of course lawn care has become the single most important determinant of whether someone deserves to own in a nice, gated community.
Look up what an eco-disaster golf courses are, & then stop & ask why you’d want one in front of/behind your house.
Put in something low-maintenance that won’t require continual poisoning, watering & care.
And stop obsessing over it!
Violet
I don’t worry too much about grass. Just ignore it and let it do its thing. Mow when needed. And then plant more stuff that works for you: vegetable plants, fruit and so forth. I know the doggies want some grass to play on, so make sure they’ve got a bit of it, but otherwise go with useful plants. And natives. Especially natives.
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
Congratulations! You did a good, good thing.
Little Boots
Again, because everything sucks, forever, your garden looks fine, everything else is fucked.
Little Boots
Why exactly is it that periodically everything about commenting on this site decides to suck forever. what is that about?
Little Boots
And don’t let Doug fool you. His threads suck too. It really is amazing.
I blame Sarah Palin, but then, I always do.
Steeplejack
@Little Boots:
Menopause or low blood sugar, I’m guessing.
Little Boots
On a somewhat more intelligent note, this country is not stupid enough to put the Republicans back in charge in November, is it? I know this is one of the stupidest fucking countries in history, but still, it’s not THAT stupid, is it?
suzanne
Do you know there’s ads for J.D. Hayworth on the front page?
Why do I find this so damn amusing?
slag
@M. Bouffant: Hehe. We often mock lawns around here. We started calling them “British lawns” because they look exactly like something aristocratic Brits with too much time and too many servants on their hands would have created. And, as it turned out, that’s exactly what they are:
Too predictable.
Sorry, Brits, you gave us a lot of nice things. The lawn wasn’t one of them.
Little Boots
Steeplejack, how many comments of yours have been eated. I’ve been clever, twice now, really, stop snickering, but really, how much gets through? stop the madness. Is all I’m saying.
suzanne
@Mnemosyne: That baby is just adorable. Awwwww.
Little Boots
I like this site, and I forgive it almost all, but seriously, get a decent comment software. Is what I’m saying.
Mnemosyne
@Steeplejack:
We sometimes worry that we accidentally kept someone’s lost kitten because she and her sister were so socialized to humans. It really was like they spotted G and thought, “Oh, good, a hooman to take care of us. All our troubles are over.” Ferals just don’t think like that.
Either that, or they just knew a soft touch when they saw one. ;-)
Little Boots
silence=consent.
Little Boots
And yes, everyone should be nice to kittens. always.
Chad N Freude
@Tattoosydney: So where was Bugs Bunny in all this?
Little Boots
Actually, silene=balloon juice, apparently.
after a certain hour, at least.
Little Boots
dammit, silence, not silene.
The Main Gauche of Mild Reason
@Little Boots:
See 2004 election. SATSQ.
Little Boots
That scares me, the Main Gauche, that scares me a lot. But still, but it’s been less than 2 years since the worst, bar none, administration in history. Are we really that crazy? Maybe. But really? If so, well, then there really is no hope.
No Body at all
DJ or JC… and everybody that responds.. I like ’em all. This blog is the best for all fired up and take a deep breath. Guess that’s why I keep comin’ back
Little Boots
I mean, it’s one thing for me to be a bit of dick with people who are, I gotta say a little uptight, but basically decent. That ain’t the problem here. the real problem is that LOTS and LOTS of people like Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann. That is truly fucked up.
demimondian
@Angela: I’m a huge fan of clover — although most grass seed mixtures actually contain clover — because not only does it stay green in the summer, it fixes nitrogen, unlike grass.
Little Boots
grass seed. yeah. grass seed.
Steeplejack
@Little Boots:
Sorry, couldn’t resist. I thought you were experiencing psychological dolor, not technical difficulties.
Little Boots
bit of both, steeplejack. Let’s all put our cards on the table here.
Little Boots
seriously, I do want to know what all of you think, Republicans in November? Say it ain’t so, Joe!
Tattoosydney
@TaMara (BHF):
Well, aside from the growling sounds that sound like they are being dragged backwards through a trash compactor.
Anne Laurie
@Violet:
That is the key issue — “grass”, loosely defined, stands up to foot traffic (and dog waste) much better than just about any other ground cover. We’re gradually converting most of our yard from crabgrass/quackgrass/other-horrible-weed to “other” (raised beds, specimen plants in mulch, ground cover) but the dogs require a certain amount of grass-equivalent for their exercise areas.
frosty
I have an extremely brown lawn, which pleases me no end, because it requires no mowing. Or any other kind of maintenance.
I am looking forward to the day when the clover creeping up from the patio and the strawberry creeping down from the apple tree meet and I will never have to mow the back yard again.
Bwahahahahah!
PS Lawns suck, and lawn care wrecks your local streams, rivers, lakes, and bays after all the fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides get washed into your storm drain and directly into the creeks. You *did* know those inlets aren’t connected to a sewage treatment plant, didn’t you?
General Stuck
@Tattoosydney:
I think that only increases their adorableness.
Little Boots
dogs. dogs are wonderful, always.
BUt everyone focus on the bitter, goddammit! We in trouble, girls!
Mnemosyne
@Tattoosydney:
“Scary cuteness” is right. Why do you guys get such frickin’ weird animals down there?
Okay, technically I know why, what with the isolation and all, but come on. Platypuses? Tasmanian devils? Sea dragons? WTF?
Anne Laurie
@Tattoosydney: Thank you for that video — I love the devils! Second only to wombats on my list of favorite marsupials…
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
I think there is a difference between abandoned cats (or the kittens of abandoned cats) and truly feral cats. I have some friends in Atlanta who have a lot of experience with both, and there is a world of difference.
One of their current cats was acquired just like yours was: scraggly little kitten hopped out of the empty, weeded lot next to one partner’s photography studio and said, “Take me, I’m yours!”
Currently they are dealing with some ferals in their subdivision, which backs up to a county park/forest. They are trying to capture them, get them fixed and try to get them adopted, but the ferals–even the kittens that one female recently had–are incredibly wary of humans. They will come and lounge around the backyard and lower deck, even eat the food that my friends put out, but if my friends try to get close to them they are gone in a flash. My friends have caught some of them with (humane) traps–more of the kittens than the adults–but there are a few who are like those Japanese soldiers still holding out on some island in 1953.
Little Boots
If THIS is why people don’t vote in November, well, the God of the Gulf, will need an explanation.
Steeplejack
@Little Boots:
I think they will gain a few seats–it’s inevitable in a midterm election–but I don’t see them retaking either house. It sure would be nice to have some good news between now and November, though [*cough* jobs *cough*].
Little Boots
Yeah, I think you’re right steeplejack, but I wish my party would get a little crazy and act like they give a shit every so often.
Steeplejack
@Little Boots:
Yeah, I would like to see some of the Dems–not Obama!–get a little “exercised” and give the Republicans a taste of their own medicine. Sort of like when Barney Frank (I think it was him) went off on that woman in the town hall meetings last year and basically said, “What planet are you from with this bullshit?”
Little Boots
And John knows what I’m talking about. Do Republicans ever sleep? Do they ever stop spouting the talking points? Could Dems do a tiny bit of that, ever? Is that impossible? Why?
Mnemosyne
@Steeplejack:
Apparently some feral rescue groups are doing an interesting thing now: with the adult or near-adult males, they do a vasectomy instead of neutering them. That way, they keep all of their territorial instincts (which helps keep new males from joining the colony) but can’t actually father more kittens.
Little Boots
Yes, yes, yes, steeplejack, I know you’re never supposed to call out the morons, but the truth is, america loves it. Ever seen reality tv.? Tell the dumb fucks to stop being dumb fucks, you will be popular like you wouldn’t believe, pols.
And I agree, NOT Obama, congressional candidates. You’re on just the right level. Your constituents and the whole country will love you for it. Jobs, not Nutjobs. Make it your slogan.
eco2geek
@Tattoosydney:
They have some sharp-looking teeth, too. But the hoomins taking care of them don’t look too worried.
Hit ‘Em Up Style – a musical tutorial on how to get revenge on that cheatin’ spouse.
Tattoosydney
@Mnemosyne:
Nuclear waste dumping.
Steeplejack
@Little Boots:
Yeah, I agree with you. Mainstream America (supposedly) loves that confrontational, in-your-face style in reality TV, and the Republicans have strived mightily to reduce our political discourse to the level of reality TV, so why couldn’t some
DemocraticDemocrat politicians take a dollop of that and do it in a slightly dialed-down mode? I think it would work great for them. It might even start to dispel the notion that they’re all earth-tone-wearing pussies. And it would put the Republicans back on their heels. Nothing flummoxes a bully like taking a biff on the nose.James in WA
@M. Bouffant:
I agree, but many writers of neighborhood covenants don’t. I love my home and neighborhood — I’m perched on the side of what has been called “the greatest mountain bike recreation area in the lower 48,” with a view of the bay, a huge backyard garden, and I’m only 50-ish minutes away from world-class mountaineering (my passion). The only drawback? The covenants require a lawn from the property line to the setback. And not clover, either, since it’s considered to be a weed out here. Just grass.
So I either water and tend my lawn, or someone does it for me. Which means pulling up crabgrass and fighting clover infestations, and then overseeding again to try to get on top of it.
Sure, I could move to a backwoods cabin, but I like where I am. I’m willing to tolerate the lawn requirement.
@frosty:
My storm drain goes directly into Puget Sound. So I don’t use fertilizer, herbicides, or pesticides in the summer, and I don’t salt in the winter. Compost twice a season is all. I also don’t mow with a two-stroke gasoline engine.
It’s possible to have a nice lawn that meets neighborhood regs, it’s just a lot of work. I consider it to be an extension of my garden. Oh, and it helps that I ripped out 2/3’s of it and hired a master stone mason to build a kick-ass alpine rockery :)
hamletta
@Luthe: So…not a Wonkette fan, I take it?
Little Boots
When exactly did we decide to be Eisenhower, Mamie Eisenhower? Get mean, Democrats. Everyone knows we have it in us. Show it.
hamletta
@James in WA: Well, it’s a little easier in the Pac NW, which more closely resembles the climate of our former English overlords.
It’s a fool’s errand in many other parts of the country, requiring gobs of chemicals, bagillions of gallons of water, or both.
Yutsano
@hamletta: I am a huge fan of xerography. In fact the first thing my friend did when he bought a house in Phoenix was rip out all the grass and plant a bunch of native life. I went and saw the final result, it really foes look amazing, plus he gets a tax break that essentially halves his property tax bill.
James in WA
@hamletta: True that. I moved here from Colorado. A green lawn in Denver? HAHAHA!
RadioOne
Kind of amazed by how the AL east is totally blowing away the other MLB divisions. The Red Sox right now are third in their division, but are beating all but the Atlanta Braves in division leaders. Don’t get me wrong, the AL east has always dominated, but three teams in the division beating pretty much everyone else in the league is nuts.
slag
@Yutsano: Xerography? Xeriscaping?
Steeplejack
@Yutsano:
What the hell does photocopying have to do with gardening?
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Sometimes I keel myself. Really.
I think you mean xeriscaping or, less felicitiously, xerogardening, which sounds like something you do from a small science-fiction helicopter.
ETA: And now I run away to sleep so you cannot curse me. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. *cough*
Yutsano
@slag: @Steeplejack: Uhh, yeah, that. I kinda had a feeling it didn’t look right. Just call me Mrs Malaprop.
slag
@Yutsano:
Haha. It’s late. It happens. I do all kinds of weird stuff when I’m tired.
fucen tarmal
@James in WA:
whoa whoa whoa there kojak, i love the environment and all, but not when its that or me busting my ass on some freeze/thaw, black ice. and folks say i’m not a moderate.
although in fairness i do try to use the less damaging chemicals. also too, my mother and her co-elderly biddies need someone to make sure they have egress, and they don’t walk so good…be damned if i am doing all that without some helpful chemistry.
burnspbesq
Craziness. There are 30 national teams competing in the world championship in lacrosse, which begins on Thursday in Manchester, England. Gotta wonder about some of these teams. Does everybody in Latvia who owns a stick automatically make the national team? Is the Mexican team all guys who went to high school in San Diego?
Steeplejack
@slag:
Yes, we keed because we luff.
Yutsano
@burnspbesq: One would think the Mexicans would have a leg up on everyone else, as lacrosse is descended from a Native American game and the Aztec sports weren’t all that far off. Though the end results of the Aztec sport were often, umm, bloody.
Joel
@James in WA: Is this Bellingham where you’re at?
Not a lot of lawns down here in Seattle – except in the throwback neighborhoods (Crown Hill, Laurelhurst, Viewridge)…
suzanne
@Yutsano: Yeah, I live in Phoenix, too, and xeriscaped yards can be really lovely. Only problem is that they often actually increase household water consumption, because grass reduces heat island effect, and the HVAC doesn’t consume as much power and need as much water to work. Creating microclimates with native plants takes some skill and research, and most people are too lazy and just cover the yard with gravel and a couple of plants that require a drip system to survive.
Phoenix has encouraged planting lawns for this reason, while Tucson discourages it.
eco2geek
More music to ponder your lawn by:
Now is that gratitude?
Leave your body and soul at the door.
Punching in, punching out, is that really what life’s all about?
Yutsano
@suzanne: He lives in Scottsdale actually, so it’s possible the rules are different. He also did his research on the yard and what would be required before he ripped out the grass. I have to say he did quite remarkably, and he does very little maintenance and no actual watering. Weeds piss him off to no end though.
@eco2geek: Basta. I was saving a few of those for the next 80’s open thread.
James in WA
@fucen tarmal: To be fair, I only get about two weeks of hard freeze a year, if that.
Although I didn’t salt in Colorado, either, and that was about four months of hard freeze on any given year during the 28+ years that I lived there. Often less, but you never knew. It snowed on my birthday (mid june) once. But scraping those walks all the time was a real PITA, to be sure.
Colorado fucking sucks, and not just because of James Dobson. Winter storms until april or may, then blistering summer, then hail storms that destroy your garden, and then winter again in october. During blistering summer you get the added benefit of uncontrolled wildfires.
suzanne
@Yutsano: Then it sounds like he did a better job than 99% of the people who xeriscape around here. Desert plants are so beautiful, and yet most people just have these gravel hellholes. Sometimes they get adventurous and put in TWO colors of gravel. BARF.
James in WA
@Joel:
Yup, the land of DFH’s and the infamous Iraq War Dead sign. Seattle plots are a lot smaller for good reason; we can still be a bit more expansive up here.
jl
I’ve seen some beautiful native grass lawns in the SF Bay area. Not sure how easy they are to maintain. The yard in back of my flat has been slowly converted to garden, except for a small patch next to the building.
In CA, there is a big CA native plants movement and you can get lots of advice on how to reduce the size of the lawn and go native with what is left. And example below, which is old but I chose it because it has a nice picture:
http://calnativeplants.blogspot.com/2007/01/february-2007-los-feliz-ledger-column.html
I searched ‘native grass lawns West Virginia’ and this is the only suggestion I saw: Buffalograss!
http://www.american-lawns.com/grasses/buffalo.html
Cole should consider going native, maybe with buffalograss.
Yutsano
@suzanne: First mistake he didn’t make: NO GRAVEL. Second thing he did right: if it needs constant watering beyond the natural desert moisture requirements he didn’t plant it. He still needs to pull junk out of there and there is a small strip of grass for his two dogs (a Chihuahua mix and a rat terrier) to do their business on in the backyard, but otherwise it’s as close to a tiny piece of desert as you can get. He has those little globed shaped cacti, they’re very cute.
eco2geek
@Yutsano: Question: what contemporary music do you like? I sort of stopped seriously listening to pop music when the 80s were over, for various reasons.
James in WA
@eco2geek:
It’s probably an understatement to say that there has been some really good stuff since then. Although “pop” as a genre seems to have degenerated into complete crap.
Don’t know what you’re listening to, eco2geek, but there is some good indie/progressive rock out there. The Decemberists have some really cool writing and their tunes can be catchy. “My mother was a chinese trapeze artist” runs through my playlist a lot. Arctic Monkeys are pretty good. Kings of Leon are an acquired taste, but rich if you like them. If you like punk, then Spinnerette made a good first album.
I kept telling myself that I’d attend the Sasquatch Festival again this year, but apparently I’ve missed it, since I’m old and forgetful.
Yutsano
@eco2geek: I bounce around to whatever I think sounds good. I’m a classically trained singer so I have a constitutional aversion to AutoTune (still haven’t forgiven Cher for unleashing that travesty upon the world) but I listen to everything from Kylie Minogue to Tim McGraw. If I can sing along so much the better.
fucen tarmal
@James in WA:
i live in pittsburgh, other than this past year we are fairly mild in the winter compared to some places, we are just south of the lake effect snow, and moisture from the south usually raises the temp just enough, in the city. between mine, my mom’s and her 2 friends though, i have everything x4. my preferred time to do it is about 5 a to 7a circling over to mom’s for free breakfast! i try to be as silent as possible, as these are city homes with close neighbors who wouldn’t appreciate the early morning scrappage.
but hey, if it runs off into the water, its heading for ohio, so that’s the least of their problems, amirite?
burnspbesq
@James in WA:
And some bands that emerged in the 80s – Crowded House and Los Lobos come immediately to mind – are still making great music.
JGabriel
@eco2geek: Adding to James recommendations: Arcade Fire, New Pornographers, Neko Case, TV on the Radio, Animal Collective, LCD Soundsystem, Joanna Newsom, St. Vincent, Yo La Tengo (not exactly new, but still making albums), Deerhunter, The Hold Steady, Phoenix, etc.
.
burnspbesq
@James in WA:
Also, Drive-By Truckers, TV on the Radio, New Pornographers, Keane, Kaiser Chiefs.
eco2geek
@James in WA: Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll check them out. I’m not too keen on punk or rap (although I liked X – “Ain’t Love Grand!” for example) but just about anything else goes. Really ought to know more about the Decemberists since they came from my town. :-)
Good night.
Yutsano
Bizarro food combo that shouldn’t work but does: cotto salami, fresh sage, and gorgonzola. Damn good grilled sammich I must say!
The Main Gauche of Mild Reason
What happened to the late night music threads?
Mark S.
Hit the road, Virginia Foxx. I have a new wingnut crush, Sue Myrick:
Jesus, can white people tell any people of color apart?
We used to see Farsi tattoos all the fucking time in prisons back in the 1930’s. I think Capone used to sport one; I know Bonnie and Clyde did.
The moral of this story is:
Yutsano
@Mark S.:
Yeah right. Like this nutjob Myrick can tell the difference between Arabic and Farsi just from a glance at a tattoo. They’re all brown anyway amirite?
asiangrrlMN
Hello, late-night shift. Who’s still up and in da house?
@Mnemosyne: Charlotte is way too freaking cute. Happy adoptaversary to her!
@Tattoosydney: Hm. For some reason, not so cute to me. Maybe the garbage disposal sounds. Not sure why.
@Yutsano: Yes. Cher can DIAF if she is the one who popularized the vocoder. Hate that thing.
asiangrrlMN
You cannot tell me that I have hit the dead spot of commenting here at BJ. All the late-nighters have gone to bed and none of the early morning peeps are up yet? No way!
Well, then, I guess I will just have to talk to myself–not that I don’t do that already. Or, I could just go to bed, I guess. Sigh.
Fine. I am posting this link for myself.
asiangrrlMN
midnight is long gone
yesterday has bled away
only the scars remain.
There. My haiku for the night.
Oh, OK, fine. I’ll take the lampshade off my head, turn off the lights, and go home. Night!
frankdawg
@Yutsano:
I don’t know that the Mexican team would have a leg up as the game was common with Northern nations, I have never seen a record of it in the Southern Plains.
There is a team from the Iroquois Nation (frequently sited as the originators of Lacrosse) that wants to play but is being held at the US border because they lack proper Canadian passports or some fool thing.
frankdawg
@Yutsano:
I used to work with a guy that came to the US from China & was very sensitive about misidentifying Asian ethnicitys. We were at a convention once when this doof came up to him & said “You must be Mr. Nywin?” (NOT a Chinese name!). My friend looked him in the eye & said “No, you must be Mr WHITE.”
bob h
How can you work outside in this heat? I cannot do anything without sweat pouring into my eyes, and have just put everything on hold outside.
Jasper
Grass that’s appropriate for the climate doesn’t need much work or chemicals to do fine. Plant the seeds in the Fall (and only in the Fall), it will establish roots over winter, then mow at the highest setting to encourage a deep root system. Once it’s established, the grass needs very little if any water – only in extended drought, just enough to keep it alive. And grass turns brown LONG before it begins to die from lack of water.
I’m in the southeast and most people cut grass way too short, which doesn’t let deep roots develop and also lets light hit the weed seeds. Combine short grass with shallow roots, lots of water because of shallow root system, and sun, and the weeds thrive unless you cover them with chemicals constantly.
There are eco friendly lawn services, and for do it yourselfers the local university should be able to recommend grass that works without a ton of chemicals.
Ab_Normal
@Luthe:
I recommend Sewer, Gas and Electric by Matt Ruff, if you’ve got a high weirdness tolerance. Ayn Rand (okay, an AI based on Ayn Rand, and personified by a talking head in a hurricane lantern) is a minor character. Another of the protagonists is an expy of Hank Rearden. (Oh, and a mutant sewer shark named Meisterbrau…)
burnspbesq
@frankdawg:
Why are they coming through the US? There are plenty of flights to LHR from both TO and MTL.