(Ballard Street via GoComics.com)
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Matt Taibbi, it seems, achieved the first and possibly last successful Thunderclap, reports The Verge:
Yesterday at noon Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibi sent the inaugural Thunderclap, when he and 1,921 other people Tweeted simultaneously at a pair of U.S. senators. Taibi used an app, Thunderclap, built by a small team in New York. The service lets Twitter users break above the din by organizing for a mass messaging, a wave of tweets that hits at the same time.
Twitter suspended the startup’s OAuth token today, after it sent its second “thunderclap” to Congress. Twitter told the Thunderclap team it was violating the site’s terms of service by “sending multiple @ mentions and automating sending tweets.”…
Speaking of taking all the fun out of things, Paul Constant at the Stranger reports that the Paulistas are distraught:
Last night, Ron Paul announced that his delegate total was not enough to win the Republican presidential nomination. Instead, he says that his delegates—about a fifth of the delegates available—could “grow our movement and shape the future.” How he intends to “grow” his “movement” is unclear—he’s not even angling for a speaking spot at the convention…
Much more nutpicking explication at the link. Dr. RonPaul’s fiercest supporters cannot understand why their standardbearer should fail them now, but perhaps RandPaul’s shiny new endorsement of Willard “Mitt” Romney has something to do with it…
ETA: If something about the blogosphere seems just a little less ugly and rancid today, consider TBogg’s explanation of “The Silence of the Lames“…
Apart from leaving defiant graffiti in the wet cement of history, what’s on the agenda today?
Schlemizel
The best this Paul can do is to keep away from public speaking – the less people know about his actual ideas the more they can project their own beliefs on him. That is the key to any growth in his popularity
As for growing his movement I would suggest more roughage in his diet.
c u n d gulag
I suspect that ‘growing the movement and shaping the future,’ involves Ron’s son, Sen. AquaBuddha (R- WTF) – who’s like some semi grown-up kid with ever-unruly hair, who suffered from some sort of brain trauma that led to serious permanent damage, causing him to be a sociopathic Libertarian nitwit.
OY!
Aimai
I drink their bitter years. The Ron Paul bandwagon has always been filled with low information/ high hysteria voters. They are very fixated on the “one solution” that will “solve all our problems” do eventually they will fall for some other gold buggering, weight loss, wrinkle cure, that promises them a six figure income while working at home thanked to this one simple trick the government doesn’t want you to know about.
MrCheesyPuff
The Ron Paul Cult of Personality taking a hit? I’m surprised the Paulites don’t have a Little Red Book to wave around. But as with all CoPs, I don’t expect that they will transfer their fervor to AynRand Paul the Lesser.
NotMax
Bringing this horrendous event up only because I haven’t seen it addressed even peripherally here (emphasis mine).
Raven
Is there a way to beat the NYT paywall in an iPad?
PeakVT
@Raven: If you can, delete any cookies from nytimes.com.
bemused
I need to buy a new toaster today. How hard can it be to find a reliable, basic toaster that doesn’t take up a lot of space on the counter, won’t die on me within a couple of years and doesn’t an arm and a leg? I’m sure I will be standing in front of the toaster section bothered and bewildered. I’ve had much less trouble deciding on bread machines, coffee makers and can openers. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Raven
@PeakVT: K, thx.
PeakVT
@NotMax: What do you suggest we do, given that both of our political parties seem to think blowing up wedding parties is okay, and strategic leaking to the press is a grave threat to the nation’s security?
Mark S.
@bemused:
This one’s worked fine for me the last couple years.
Elizabelle
NYTimes on the Supreme Court’s 44% approval rating.
The comments are venomous against the Court, and deservedly so.
Wonder if the Grey Lady is trying to remind the justices of public reaction should they overturn Obamacare?
Sly
Or maybe people who cluelessly transpose modern libertarianism onto the political culture of late 18th century proto-industrial society are just too pig fucking ignorant to understand anything.
bemused
@Mark S.:
Hey, thanks. Style and size appeals to me and the price is definitely right.
mai naem
@bemused: We had a cuisinart one for like 10 yrs, then I bought a kitchenaid one which broke in less than a month and I paid at least three times for the new one. Ridiculous. I could go off on a rant on this crap. All this Made in China/India/Phillipines/Vietnam save a buck crap is just garbage that doesn’t last beyond year. Its wasteful. I want good quality stuff not disposable stuff that matches whatever color trend that HGTV has declared the trend for the season. Oh, and I hate Tuscan crap. Are you kidding me? You want me to put this ugly humongous dark brown furniture everywhere?
NotMax
@PeakVT
For one thing, don’t let stories such as this one go unexamined and washed away by the news cycles.
At the very least, exposing those who think it is okay to the existence of vocal abhorrence of such events by those who do not may — may — cause someone to think twice next time.
If not told “No” then there is absolutely no rationale for those populating the rarified positions of relevant authority to not see green lights for their actions.
Yes, it often seems like railing against the tide, but silence, sadly, grants consent.
NotMax
@bemused
Bought a toaster at a restaurant supply store well over 30 years ago, and it still operates just as well as it did on day one.
Either Waring or Toastmaster, I forget which brand. And takes thick slices, bagels, and oversized slices (like rye bread) as well.
Pricey, but durable.
My kitchen could be a museum — still use a waffle iron that dates from the Truman administration. Ditto for the blender (thick glass container, not plastic).
bemused
@mai naem:
I hear you! I go off on the same kind of rants periodically.
Our first kitchen stove as newlyweds was an electric Frigidaire. Now I would love a gas top and electric oven. Anyway, the oven on this stove was awesome. Mother-in-law used it while babysitting for us and loved it. The only reason we had to give it up was that the interior walls began deteriorating and we were afraid it and the house would go up in flames. I still think about how great it was to bake in that oven.
We have a flexsteel sofa and chair and I love the size and style. Unfortunately, it would cost about $2,000 to reupholster them.
kc
@PeakVT:
I guess we should just shut up and learn to like it, as long as one of our guys is doing the bombing.
bemused
@NotMax:
We have a decades old Waring blender with heavy glass container…not giving that up.
I would cut off the arm of the person who tried to take my old stainless steel peeler/corer made by Ekco. Best peeler ever and I can’t find another like it. I wanted to find more to give to kids for their kitchens. It has a hard plastic handle and I have already decided that if the plastic handle ever breaks, I will find someone to make a handle out of wood or something else for it.
NotMax
@bemused
re: peeler
Maybe here?
Maude
@mai naem:
I got a Waring food processor at a yard sale a few years ago. I love it.
Well, this morning I snubbed someone I’ve known over 10 years.
I’ve been having had a housing problem, she told me it would be okay to be homeless and lose everything. This was at least a month ago.
This morning,I was close to the bank and I just went inside.
It was interesting that I did that. I couldn’t be a hypocrite.
My other rant is about another woman that works at the same place that I have also known that long.
I desperately needed to go to the store for food when I was just getting over pneumonia. She said she would take me and then the next morning reneged.
I am 5’4″ and 93 pounds now. This is better than I was when I asked her. I was 90 pounds then.
This has been The Petty Rant of the day.
gelfling545
@bemused: They will all die in a couple of years so go for cheap.
bemused
@NotMax:
Nope, not the same. My peeler is a conical shape and the edges are are serrated. I will have to keep my eyes peeled at antique stores to possibly find that type again.
bemused
@bemused:
That doesn’t sound a bit petty to me. People can be such asses.
flukebucket
Somebody catch me up on the Socialist Party Obama joined back in the 90’s at the behest of ACORN. Limbaugh put it out on the airwaves yesterday and my wingnut friends are ecstatic.
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
@flukebucket:
Sounds like pure bullshit…hence it’ll be a national talking point by tomorrow.
Villago Delenda Est
What happens when the personality betrays his cult?
I guess we’re finding out.
Did Stalin ever do this to his fervent followers?
ruemara
@Maude: That ain’t petty. That’s just righteous anger. I feel exactly the same way about…far too many people.
tkogrumpy
@Schlemizel: Beautiful!
tkogrumpy
Today I will interrupt my crusade to save the world to attend the high school graduation of my adopted grandson, a ceremony I was sure I would never live to see.Watching the growth of this talented and caring young man has been a highlight of my life, and gives me hope for the future.
Full of Woe
@bemused: Does your peeler look something like this? If so, that’s a pretty serious-looking piece of hardware.
Maude
@ruemara:
Thank you, coming from you it is very comforting.
Juju
@c u n d gulag: That hair has to be a toupe.
bemused
@Full of Woe:
That’s it!