Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

People are complicated. Love is not.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

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

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

This fight is for everything.

Let’s finish the job.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

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

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

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

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

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

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

Not all heroes wear capes.

Come on, man.

You are here: Home / Music / Late Night Open Thread: Year of the Rabbit

Late Night Open Thread: Year of the Rabbit

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Gong xi fat choi! — Happy Lunar New Year of the Rabbit!

Traditionally, Rabbit years are supposed to provide a respite from the turbulence of the preceding Tiger years’ political unrest and environmental catastrophes. Social, intellectual, and creative activities are favored and those who live by such activities will prosper. And as might be expected from such a change of emphasis, “Justice is everywhere. Nobody escapes the long arm of the law in Rabbit years. Stay away from clandestine acitivity.” We can but hope.

Commentor Redshift sent me .mov files of the baby bunnies they’re fostering, but I couldn’t figure out how to embed them here. So you get generic Youtube…

… and for something completely different, commentor Riggsveda suggested this animation by Edouard Sailer:

Reader Interactions

60Comments

  6. 6.

    Redshift

    Commentor Redshift sent me .mov files of the baby bunnies they’re fostering, but I couldn’t figure out how to embed them here. So you get generic Youtube…

    Dang. I guess I’m going to have to figure out that whole YouTube thing…

    You can find several of them (along with enough other rabbit stuff for a whole year) at our House Rabbit Society chapter facebook page.

  7. 7.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: In some Asian calendars, the wabbit is replaced by the cat. So kinda yes, but kinda not so much.

    Hi hon. Noshing on a BLT and light housework. Get to do my taxes this weekend. Fun shtuff.

    @Tattoosydney: Hi hon to thee as well. You buckling down for Yasi?

  8. 8.

    J. Michael Neal

    My job interview went well. I think. I can’t really tell. I probably talked too much, but who knows. I really want this job. It seems like a good place to work, and it sounds interesting.

  9. 9.

    Joshua Norton

    Gung hay fat chance! It’s something we say in San Francisco. Usually after the 3rd bottle of rice wine.

  12. 12.

    Tattoosydney

    @Yutsano:

    @Tattoosydney: You buckling down for Yasi?

    You funny. I hope those storms in New England don’t impact on you too badly.

  16. 16.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: Other than increasing my workload because half the damn East is closed? Not so much. Point taken.

    @asiangrrlMN:I iz here. I iz trying to wear out Lexie with her new favorite toy (a cloth mouse, she LURVES carrying it around) and debating cereal consumption before the night is over.

  17. 17.

    Tattoosydney

    @J. Michael Neal:

    My job interview went well. I think. I can’t really tell. I probably talked too much, but who knows. I really want this job. It seems like a good place to work, and it sounds interesting.

    Best of luck JMN.

    Of course, don’t feel you have to answer if it’s too personal, but I used to work a lot in the area of discrimination law, and my employment lawyery brain wanted to ask a question after the thread where you discussed your feelings before the interview.

    Are you up front about your Asperger’s in your interviews?

    /Edited to recognize that you probably have no idea what reactions you get from the interviewer

  19. 19.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: To butt in here (disclaimer: IANAL but I have done hiring):

    Are you up front about your Aspergers in your interviews?

    FWIW, they cannot legally ask him any questions related to this. And they cannot refuse to hire him simply on this basis. So even if he did bring it up, they can’t use it as a point either in favour or against. And if they did, he could sue them into oblivion.

  21. 21.

    Mark S.

    You all have to read this. I know it’s Townhall and Dennis Prager, but it is a very thought provoking article–

    Of course I’m bullshitting, but it does contain such priceless lines as:

    “Through the use of public opprobrium, laws and lawsuits, Americans today are less free than at any time since the abolition of slavery (with the obvious exception of blacks under Jim Crow).”

    “Why does the name Florida State Seminoles offend Indians? One caller to my radio show once responded to that question by asking me how I would feel as a Jew if some team took the name “Jews.” I told him that I would be thrilled. For nearly 4,000 years, Jews have been looking for fans”

    “Now, the left has announced that words such as “target” and “cross hairs” are offensive — on the idiotic pretense that such imagery causes people to murder. If I were the CEO of Target stores, I would be concerned — will my company be sued because of its name and logo?”

    As Insty would say, go read the whole thing! Indeed.

  23. 23.

    Suffern ACE

    @Mark S.: I read that article before…in 1989 in my college newspaper. I wish someone would have made them grow up and get real jobs.

  24. 24.

    Tattoosydney

    @Yutsano:

    FWIW, they cannot legally ask him any questions related to this. And they cannot refuse to hire him simply on this basis. So even if he did bring it up, they can’t use it as a point either in favour or against. And if they did, he could sue them into oblivion.

    Yep. It’s much the same here, although our courts don’t hand out the massive amounts of money yours do.

    I’m interested in the more practical issue of what one does in interviews. For example, I would always mention (or at least clearly infer) that I am gay in any job interview, simply because I wouldn’t want to work for anyone who didn’t want to hire me on that basis.

    If you’re blind (for example), then you can’t get away with not mentioning it at some point, because your employer needs to know in order to undertake reasonable accommodations for your disability (under the law here, anyway).

    I imagine (perhaps incorrectly) that Asperger’s falls into a slightly different category – that it is at least conceivable that a person might not want/need to mention it in the first (or subsequent) interviews.

  26. 26.

    Ailuridae

    @freelancer:

    I’m lost – you seem to be quoting something there but don’t link it. I’m not going blindly into Radley’s libertarian cesspool so help a brother out!

  27. 27.

    Tattoosydney

    @Yutsano:

    There is also the issue that in some professions, Asperger’s may not come with any perceived stigma.

    It’s certainly not a negative factor if you are, to pull an entirely random example, a tax lawyer.

    /edited slightly

  28. 28.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: The law here is very similar, mostly due to Ted Kennedy and his championing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Even if JMN were to mention the fact, the employer would be subject to reasonably accommodate him up to the point where it would cause major economic impact or the accommodation would render the job function useless. I don’t think there’s very much that JMN couldn’t do because of his condition, so there would be little down side in not even bringing it up unless he thought it were necessary.

  29. 29.

    CaseyL

    I’m on a Hallelujah kick.

    A few weeks ago, a friend emailed me a YouTube video, “Free Hugs.” Some people in Italy – I’m not sure which city – went out and about holding signs offering (in Italian and English) Free Hugs. The video is beautifully edited to show how very few people took them up on the offer at first – suspecting a trick, or a sales pitch, or something creepy – and then, more and more people start hugging. Hugging the folks with the signs, then each other, then there are group hugs.

    The video was touching, but what really got to me, and had me crying my eyes out, was the music. Didn’t know what it was and had no way to find out. But it stuck in my mind.

    Fast forward to last week, visiting my friend Rita, who put a CD on and said “You don’t have to listen to anything but the first song, but for that song, I not only want you to listen; I want you to not say anything until it’s done.”

    And the music started, and within seconds I was a soggy mess because… I recognized that song! It was the one from the Free Hugs video! And it’s called “Hallelujah”!

    The song on the CD was sung by the Canadian Tenors; the version on the Free Hugs video was sung by Alexandra Burke (who won one of those reality TV shows singing it).

    I have since become obsessed with the song, trying to track down every version of it ever. I must be, like, the last person in the Western World to “discover” it. (And, no, I didn’t remember that they played the Jeff Buckley version over the last few minutes of that West Wing episode where the Secret Service agent gets killed in a convenience store.)

    I can’t decide which version is my favorite. But I love, love, love this song, and can’t listen to it when anyone’s around, because I always, always, always, cry when I hear it.

  31. 31.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney:

    It’s certainly not a negative factor if you are, to pull an entirely random example, a tax lawyer.

    Since this is very close to his field of expertise, your stab in the dark isn’t so wild. And I do know an RCMP constable with Asperger’s, so there are certainly many examples where those with the condition can succeed and thrive.

  32. 32.

    Ailuridae

    @Mark S.:

    When I bartended in college my boss was a huge Prager fan. So From shutdown time to leaving I watched him every day for two years. It was brutal but he was much more reasonable then (mid-90s). I read him now on occasion that he is linked here and come to the realization that 1) he has lost his mind in the last 15 years or 2) he is really opportunistic.

  33. 33.

    J. Michael Neal

    @Yutsano:

    FWIW, they cannot legally ask him any questions related to this. And they cannot refuse to hire him simply on this basis. So even if he did bring it up, they can’t use it as a point either in favour or against. And if they did, he could sue them into oblivion.

    This falls into the category of true, but . . .

    They cannot refuse to hire me because of my Asperger’s. Or my history of depression. However, they can decide not to hire me, and if they can come up with any plausible reason for not doing so, I’d never be able to prove discrimination.

    I’m pretty sure that that’s exactly what’s been happening with my age. They aren’t allowed to discriminate on the basis of age, but it is very strange that all of the non-Chinese 24-year olds in my class got hired pretty quickly, and I didn’t.

    In this case, I almost decided to mention the Asperger’s. I’m pretty sure that it would have been dumb to do so, but being really open about things is typical of aspies. It really bugs me not to mention it, because it seems like something that is relevant to all of us deciding whether a particular job is a good fit. However, the tendency of employers to automatically decide that it means that we’d be a bad fit certainly discourages anyone from bringing it up.

    There is absolutely nothing about the job search process that rewards honesty.

  35. 35.

    freelancer

    @Ailuridae:

    I didn’t link it so that he didn’t get a trackback and start inundating this site with BS defenses in the comments whilst our glorious and infallible Front Pagers are asleep and have a chance to credibly respond and make their opinions known. In short, I didn’t want to invite a spar before Doug and John had a chance to see the mêlée for themselves before they jumped in. It’s the second post at his site right now.

    Just google “The Agitator” and you can go from there. I swear, I haven’t exaggerated what he says about this site, and I’m fairly confident that I haven’t misrepresented his position.

  36. 36.

    Yutsano

    @J. Michael Neal: I am guessing (from your mentioning that this was a first interview) that you will hopefully have another chance to impress them. You’re really not legally obligated to say anything about a potential disability until you’re hired. So if you feel it’s appropriate to hold it in until then, you can. But if you feel you might need reasonable accommodation, then mentioning that fact sooner rather than later is more honest. It’s your call here of course.

  37. 37.

    MikeJ

    @Tattoosydney:

    I imagine (perhaps incorrectly) that Asperger’s falls into a slightly different category – that it is at least conceivable that a person might not want/need to mention it in the first (or subsequent) interviews.

    In Silicon valley everybody either has Asperger’s or think they do. In geeks single mindedness is something they look for, and people on the Aspie end of the spectrum tend to gravitate towards geekery too.

  38. 38.

    Origuy

    The firecrackers have started at the Asian stores down the street. My neighbors in the complex will probably set theirs off soon. I hope it doesn’t go on all night, but it usually does on the first night of the new year. I keep saying that I’ll store some away for Guy Fawkes Day, but I never do.

    Edit: The neighbors have started. Gung hay fat choy!

  39. 39.

    J. Michael Neal

    @Yutsano: It’s not a question of legal obligation, and it isn’t really about my needing an accommodation. I just have a very strong impulse to be open about things. To me, it doesn’t feel right not to mention it.

    I’ve gotten better about learning to squash that impulse in some situations where it could be a big negative. Some. Job interviews are one. I still feel uncomfortable, but I can do it.

    Given that I went 42 years without being diagnosed, my guess is that I could fake it just fine indefinitely without telling. I’m just not very likely to do so.

  42. 42.

    Yutsano

    @J. Michael Neal: As I said, it’s your call. I would personally keep it under wraps unless you find that situation untenable. You have to live in your skin after all. :)

  44. 44.

    Angry Black Lady

    i have a lot of books. a shit ton of books. i’m never going to read the entire v.c. andrews series. why do i need my nancy drew books from 6th grade? i keep thinking i should get rid of some, but i can’t.

    that’s right. i just barged on in with a completely random thought.

    that’s how i roll, bitches.

  47. 47.

    Yutsano

    @Angry Black Lady:

    why do i need my nancy drew books from 6th grade?

    Becuz u iz a pack rat? I’m the opposite: I never have more stuff than I can comfortably pack and move within 24 hours. It means limiting the book supply however.

  48. 48.

    Valdivia

    @Angry Black Lady:

    I have the same problem. Too many books. But can never get rid of them. Which is why except for work and some classics I now get most of them digitally, less crowding around the house!

    ETA–hi Yutsano! Long time no speak. Hope all is well.

  49. 49.

    Angry Black Lady

    @Yutsano: i can’t comfortably pack for a long weekend within 24 hours.
    @Valdivia: that’s how i rationlized keeping them. it’s rare that i buy nondigital books these days. i’m thinking about incorporating them into my wacky interior re-decoration thing i’ve got going on right now. like stacking them against a wall or something. i like old bookstores and how the books are all crammed in every which way. i have to make messy look cool. that’s the trick of it.

  50. 50.

    Yutsano

    @Valdivia: Hi sweets! All is quite well, my kitteh is an adorable terror and I might actually be impressing my bosses at work. So hopefully I get to stick around this place for a bit.

    @Angry Black Lady: Old Navy brat skill. We got the 48 hour move notice when I was growing up more than once. Cramming it all in or leaving it behind were your two options. And if you left it, it wasn’t getting replaced any time soon.

  52. 52.

    Valdivia

    @Angry Black Lady:
    I love havng books around and have always made them part of the decor both in the living room and in my room so I totally get that. I even used to, before the digital thing, take a few books too many in trips, Amy the suitcases a little heavy!
    @Yutsano:
    So glad go hear that! May the year of the rabbit bring only good things.

    Ok peeps really heading for bed now. Buenas noches. :)

  53. 53.

    Yutsano

    @Valdivia: I will definitely keep you posted if I end up taking over 1111 Constitution. Dunno if I’ll end up working there, but a Marine thinks it’s a decent idea.

  57. 57.

    lemma

    @stuckinred – I have 2 of the Howard County bunnies. They are about 3 months old and doing well. Thanks for bringing them to my attention!

  59. 59.

    JasonF

    I need to move so I can get a new bunny. I have one right now and he’s awesome, but my household is supposed to be a two-rabbit household and it feels lonely with just one.

    Chicagoland peoples, HRS Chicago is OK, but the Red Door Animal Shelter on Chicago’s north side rescues rabbits and they are absolutely phenomenal.

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