Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

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

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Let there be snark.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Books are my comfort food!

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

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

People are weird.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

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

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

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Reader Interactions

126Comments

  1. 1.

    sb

    I’m sorry but I literally can’t think of anything else. I was going to run Boston this year but standardized tests got moved up… I can’t think of anything else right now.

  4. 4.

    c u n d gulag

    Rand Paul went to speak at another historically “Blah” school the other day – Simmons College.

    My suspicion is that he’s trying to start a bidding war between HBO, Showtime, and BET, for his own 1-hour Comedy Special.

    Hmm…
    I wonder what he’ll call it?

    “That Honkey’s CRAZY!!!” might work.

  6. 6.

    Linda Featheringill

    The animals at my house are having a peaceful day. The dog succeeded in getting me up to let her out before the dreaded garbage trucks started in our neighborhood and is now sleeping under my desk. The elderly cat, who sometimes can’t get to sleep probably because of arthritis or something, and who gets really fussy if she has to miss a nap, is now in a deep morning sleep. The middle aged cat is quite and lazy, but she’s always quiet and lazy.

    The other humans here are all busy doing their own whatevers and I’m having a rather nice morning.

  7. 7.

    Bubblegum Tate

    We are making great advances in our war against gnats and aphids in our indoor herb garden. Onward to victory!

  8. 8.

    Rex Everything

    This, from Krugthulu, made me laugh:

    [A]lthough America is a vast, thinly populated country, with fewer than 90 people per square mile, the average American lives in a quite densely populated neighborhood, with more than 5000 people per square mile. The next time someone talks about small towns as the “real America”, bear in mind that the real real America — the America in which most Americans live — looks more or less like metropolitan Baltimore.

    I guess my mind just went to “the real America is a John Waters movie.” Which isn’t quite shall we say true, but is kind of Hell Yeah!-worthy anyway.

  9. 9.

    Mino

    Remember Eric Cantor and the STOCK Act? Well, both legislative branches managed to pass a little law by unanamous consent, no debate, and it was quietly signed into effect to render that act obsolete.

  10. 10.

    Violet

    It’s hot and humid where I am. Supposed to be a cold front coming in a day or so, but right now..ugh. An early reminder of why I detest summer.

  11. 11.

    Dracula

    Arizona looks to retake first place in the We’re Idiots Division.

    So a guy going to take $10K in Au for a car one day and not know if that chunk of metal will only be worth $8K by tomorrow? Yeah, this’ll end well.

  13. 13.

    Mnemosyne

    @sb:

    If it’s any consolation, think of it this way: the guy (whoever he was) was incompetent. He only managed to kill three people. The wounded got terrific care on the scene and will probably all survive. It’s not good, but it’s not nearly as bad as it could have been.

  16. 16.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Dracula: I read yesterday that John Paulson (hedge fund honcho) has lost $600 mill in the last week due to gold tanking.

    I shed a (very small) tear.

  17. 17.

    Violet

    I found a monarch butterfly caterpillar on my front stoop this morning. It appeared confused–went one way for a bit, then turned around and went the other. I tried to pick it up and move it out of harm’s way, but it didn’t want to crawl on the leaf I was using to scoop it. Eventually got it off to the side.

    Multiple monarch caterpillars on my milkweed at the moment and several butterflies flying around as well. I’m working to provide habitat for butterflies and hummers, and this year it does finally seem to be taking hold. Fun to watch.

  18. 18.

    Gin & Tonic

    @jibeaux: And despite the suckitude, they still have to pay A-Rod elebenty bajillion dollars for the next 20 years, or something like that, while he does more or less nothing.

  20. 20.

    Poopyman

    @Linda Featheringill: Well, the cats at Chez Poopy were having a peaceful day, but since there’s been so much scratching going on lately I pulled out the Frontline a half hour ago. Man! They hate that shit.

    So now everybody’s hating on me and avoiding coming near me. This should end about 5 seconds after the first one of them gets hungry.

  21. 21.

    ericblair

    @Dracula:

    Arizona looks to retake first place in the We’re Idiots Division.

    Looks like the only real effect is to remove the state commodities tax for gold trading. The AZ government won’t take gold for taxes or (I assume) any other fees, because, gee, it’s a real pain in the ass in a modern economy.

    I’m waiting for the comedy of trying to trade gold coins after they’ve been sitting in someone’s car for three hours in 125 degree heat.

  22. 22.

    jeffreyw

    Cooking more coffee out in the garage. Cool and overcast day with occasional sprinkles. Katie is on the concrete pad just behind me. We are trying to ignore her as she seems to prefer that. I have most of the patio veggies planted in their containers, along with a pared down inventory of herbs. I’m trying some “mini bell” peppers this year with three seedlings in a large pot.

  23. 23.

    Poopyman

    @Rex Everything:

    I guess my mind just went to “the real America is a John Waters movie.” Which isn’t quite shall we say true, but is kind of Hell Yeah!-worthy anyway.

    I dunno. People are really a little strange under the surface, probably well past the 2 wetsuits and a dildo level, too. I think John Waters’ true genius is that his movies are only a slightly twisted reflection on America and not a parody.

    But then I don’t live that far from Baltimore.

  24. 24.

    Face

    Not quite Boston, but LaGuardia Airport evac’d due to “suspicous device”. Get used to these for the next few weeks, as everytime someone leaves a pop bottle or empty McDonald’s bag in a gate waiting area all sorts of people will lose their shit.

  29. 29.

    Suffern ACE

    @Mino: It’s not exactly obsolete. Fewer public officials in the database and non-searchable. This is similar to trying to get hedge funds and private asset managers to file SEC forms. For years, they would file paper copies knowing that scanned image files of paper copies are difficult to mine for data. I know that is the point. The articles don’t say who is supposed to file.

  31. 31.

    Slim Shady

    Just a tad Boston related.

    Tonight’s NBA game was cancelled. Not postponed, mind you, cancelled. The playoff pairings are set, the game doesn’t matter. Last spring my nephew, a huge Miami fan (I’ll forgive him someday, he’s only 8) got tickets to the Celts/Heat for Christmas. He was psyched! Come game day, no Lebron, No Bosch, No … the other guy (I get Howard and Wade mixed up, one of them though), No Garnett, No Pierce. No Rondo (one of these big 6 played actuall, just one & I’m not going to look for which one).

    Apparently, this game didn’t mean anything. I’m sensing a pattern. What is it about NBA games in late March and April? Could it be the NBA season is about 2 months too long? At least tonight’s ticket holders will get most of their money back.

  33. 33.

    Ben Franklin

    Republicans like Obama’s idea. ‘Natch

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/republicans-embrace-obamas-offer-to-trim-social-security-benefits/2013/04/15/9de1c594-a448-11e2-9c03-6952ff305f35_story.html

    At the same time, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said he has moved to tamp down criticism of Obama’s proposal, which quickly bubbled up from GOP lawmakers in swing districts, such as Rep. Chris Collins (N.Y.), who accused the president of cutting spending “on the backs of our seniors.” And Rep. Greg Walden (Ore.), the chairman of the House Republican campaign arm, called Obama’s plan “a shocking attack on seniors.”

  34. 34.

    cmorenc

    I am trying to grow a small hedge of Rosemary beside my house, but it’s been attacked by a persistent bad infestation of some kind of mite which sucks the aromatic sap out of the plants and leaves the plants alive but anemic-looking, pale, and speckled with brown instead of being vibrantly green. Rosemary is supposedly one of the more robust, insect-resistant herbal shrubs (in fact, many “organic” insecticides include Rosemary oil as one of their key components). I periodically treat it three or four times per year with insecticidal soap or other treatments which are still friendly to its use as a culinary herb, which works for awhile but after three weeks or so the infestation begins to return with increasing ferocity and must be re-treated to fight it back.

    Yet, at my other house down at the beach, I’ve got a large, vigorously healthy Rosemary bush beside my driveway that’s so robust that some of its branches spilling over the driveway survive being occasinally run over by car tires, plus it’s a salt-resistant plant that happily grows in a rugged barrier island marine environment. Never a trace of any mites or other pests bothering it, plus it produces abundant, beautiful, delicate purple flowers for several weeks each spring and early summer. Meanwhile back home, my Rosemary bushes in my would-be hedge never quite get healthy enough to produce the purple flowers.

    Suggestions anyone?

  36. 36.

    Mino

    @Suffern ACE: Since the basic purpose of the act was to name and shame, what possible use is it now?

    Though perhaps they figured they have no shame anyway. And they would be right.

  37. 37.

    scav

    @Dracula: I love the detail the if one uses }~{Gold}~{ as its actual ”monetary value” instead of trading }~{Gold}~{ as a commodity (and invoke the manna of the
    Gold Standard three times into a mirror?), somehow that will relieve the volitility in the }~{Gold}~{ market. Have they really just managed to poof! disappear the free market value when calculating value in their own FREE(duuumz!)Market System?

  38. 38.

    sb

    @Mnemosyne: All true. I’m uncomfortable getting into it what with this being a no-Boston thread and all but FWIW, my family were all going to fly out to Boston, make a big deal about their former overweight and out of shape relative crossing the line in America’s most famous marathon; they were going to wait for me at the finish… yeah, I’ll think of something else now.

    And again, you’re right. This could have been so much worse than it was and it was plenty bad enough. An 8-year old kid?

    Okay–enough now. Non-Boston thread. So I’ll say this loud and proud as a teacher: Standardized Tests were not created by humans as we know humans to be. They were, in fact, created by the minions of some malign entity that may or may not be Satan with the sole purpose of punishing those who are younger. I am convinced of this. An exorcism is needed.

  39. 39.

    jeffreyw

    @JPL: Yes, due to the other boys chasing her off several times. She isn’t too afraid of Jack but Buddy sends her running. This has been a huge problem that we are just now getting a handle on. The presence of any of the cats will deter her from the food bowl. I’ve seen Toby chase her and even Bitsy can back her down.

  40. 40.

    Suffern ACE

    @ericblair: And suprise, the capital gains tax is removed as well.

    I once had to wait in a line at the township clerks office and some guy was paying a $5,000 tax bill in $5s and $10s. Took the rest of us forever because that dodo wanted to make a point. I imagine going to get a fishing license and having to wait for the assayer to announce that some freaks gold is genuine is going to bring out the good humor in everyone.

    I’m still not certain what the bugs expect to gain. If their PM is the only real money, they are supposed to be using their dollars anyway if they were being economically rational.

  41. 41.

    jamick6000

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/howard-dean-obama-might-drive-me-out-of-the-democratic-party

    Howard Dean has had it with President Obama’s budget proposal, saying the plan put forward by the White House might just drive him from the Democratic Party he once led as DNC chair.

    On Sunday night, Dean tweeted that the restoration of some defense sequestration cuts contained in Obama’s budget proposal were a step too far when coupled with the president’s entitlement cut proposal that progressives like Dean are already livid about.

    “If this is true I may have to become an independant [sic],” Dean wrote, before linking to an April 10 article by Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s Josh Green.

    Dean doubled down on his threat to leave the part in an interview with BuzzFeed Monday. The White House did not respond directly, but an official did push back Monday on the thrust of Dean’s attacks.

    “I just think that’s unacceptable,” Dean said. “If this passed I would have to reevaluate if I belong in the Democratic Party. If this were passed with Democratic votes, I think it would be impossible to be Democrat.”

    “I would have to oppose any Democrat that is supportive of this,” Dean added.

  42. 42.

    Poopyman

    @cmorenc: You might try spraying a horticultural oil, but I’m really just spitballing here.

    Never had an issue with Rosemary here in Tidewater MD, except killer cold about every 4-5 years. Where are you?

  43. 43.

    maya

    @Violet: I’ve been feeding hummers for about 20 years. Started with three resident Annas. Now – there’s an army of them around at various times: early spring, fall and especially when the Rufous hordes come to town in late June for their two – three week migratory stay before moving on. Constant refilling of three feeders in addition to the many wild flowers that abound here. (NorCal)

    Over past two years I have noticed one or two Rufous looking hummers here all year round, which is not like them. These particular hummers do not make the noise nor flash the fan tails as Rufous are prone to do. Wondering if there was some interspecies canoodling going on. Not likely, but…..

  44. 44.

    Cassidy

    @Slim Shady: It isn’t that it’s too long, but it seems talent has become more concentrated lately and when someone is having a damn fine season they have the luxury to rest their stars towards the end. It’s the nature of sports entertainment.

  46. 46.

    JustPeachyAndYou

    Dug out of 15″ of wet spring snow and more on the way. Fortunately the major roads are plowed, to the drive to work was uneventful (except for assholes who believe their luxury 4WD SUVs make them immune to the laws of physics). Our town depends on mountain snowpack for water, so I can’t complain too much about the forced aerobic exercise of shoveling the sidewalks (otherwise, I’d be a COMPLETE slug).

    I’m with Cole in refusing to watch cable news death porn and breathless, repetitive speculation on suspects, motives, and messages. Heard a bit of BBC World this morning, and their announcers were commenting that this sort of thing happens all the time elsewhere in the world, but when it happens in the U.S., everyone feels obliged to report on it endlessly. The announcers sounded resigned to their fate.

  47. 47.

    Bubblegum Tate

    @cleek:

    This stuff has been a big help. I kind of wanted to avoid spraying stuff on the plants, but this is pretty low-impact on plants and high-impact on the damn bugs. Just spray the soil down in the morning, and spritz the actual plant stalks if you see aphids (which we had on our parsley).

    The other advice we got was to make sure we weren’t overwatering, which we likely were. The theory is that if you water too much and leave too much moisture, that’s where the gnats lay their eggs.

  49. 49.

    Violet

    @cmorenc: What’s in your soil where the sad rosemary plant is? You said right by the house–is it an old house? Could there be old lead paint leeched into the soil? Builder’s rubble? Is the bed actually on top of concrete or something else and the roots have nowhere to go? Or is it in a place where it gets in standing water from time to time so it can’t drain?

    Suggestions would be to build soil quality. Get the very best organic fertilizer and compost you can find. Ask a local garden center–don’t waste your time or money on anything from a big box or chain store. Put down the fertilizer and dump a whole load of compost on it. Get a good quality foliar feed and spray that on it once a week or maybe every two weeks if you’re doing a soil fertilizer. I also use molasses (just regular, from the store) as a foliar feed/spray. Helps increase beneficial microbial activity.

    Outside of some issue, like bad location (drainage, no room for roots, too much shade), it sounds like you’ve got a soil problem and you need to build the soil to help the plant.

  50. 50.

    Ben Franklin

    @jamick6000:

    “I would have to oppose any Democrat that is supportive of this,

    But, there’s so many of them. I think some cages need to be rattled.

  51. 51.

    WereBear

    @Violet: I detest hot & humid. Thus, I fled north… until I’m in a gardening zone 3.

    Summers are marvelous, though!

    I’m on vacation this week, to “get stuff done.” However, Mr WereBear is on his vampire schedule… so I’m getting nothing done.

    Ah, I’ll sit back and read and watch movies. That’s my idea of a vacation, anyway.

  52. 52.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @jamick6000: Call me when the proposed budget passes and is signed. Now having said that, Dean is doing exactly what people should be doing if they oppose it. Here’s the thing; if the proposal is a serious, meant to pass item, it should be opposed loudly, but, if is is a meant as posturing for centrist credibility by the White House, is still should be opposed loudly. The White House’s motives don’t have any effect on what people should be doing.

  53. 53.

    scav

    @Poopyman: can’t rosemary be rather picky about humidity? all the examples of really healthy ones so far (and my mothers) seem to be nearer the beach. They certainly seem to go on about it for indoor rosemary. Maybe a stressor leaving it vulnerable to,whatever it is?@cmorenc: also, have you had any luck with other rosemary plants at home? Different location and soil might be an idea esp if the plant keeps getting re-infected. Might be a pool of the crud in the soil now? I’m blueskying it here.

  54. 54.

    Roger Moore

    @pamelabrown53:

    Any chance Cheney could be arrested for the war criminal he is while in the UK?

    No. They’re as guilty for Iraq as we are, so they’d look like complete hypocrites unless they arrested Tony Blair first. Since they haven’t done that despite the abundant opportunities, there’s no way they’re going after Darth Cheney. He shouldn’t cross the Channel, though.

  55. 55.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @handsmile:

    Downing Street has confirmed that Dick Cheney and Henry Kissinger will be attending Thatcher’s funeral.

    Two A-List war criminals. How appropriate.

    Ding, dong, the witch is DEAD!

  58. 58.

    ET

    I know this is a non bombing thread but I have to kvetch on CNN. Their headline is

    President Obama today called the Boston Marathon bombings “an act of terror” against civilians.

    CNN really has gone down the shithole. After making it a point of saying he hadn’t and look stupid now they are saying he did and looking stupid. I know this is an outgrowth over what happened in Lybia and the GOP whinging over what words were/weren’t used when but god – they need to be a news organization if that is what they say they are and stop with the handwringing, backward-looking, CYA.

  60. 60.

    Violet

    @maya: We get the hummingbirds heading north in the spring–but don’t see all that many of them. The big time here is in the late summer/fall when they migrate south. Haven’t lived in this house for too long, so it has taken time to get the plants up to a level where they are attractive to butterflies and hummers. Had bees the first summer, which are good, not as much fun to watch.

    The hummingbird feeder is right outside my kitchen window, so watching them when I’m at the sink is big entertainment. Love hummers. We mostly get ruby-throated and the occasional Rufous. Supposedly some are resident year-round, but I haven’t had that happen in my yard.

  61. 61.

    Poopyman

    @scav: Well, if you want humidity, we haz it! But for one reason or another I rarely see powdery mildew around here, Then again our soil is very sandy, probably a lot like cmorenc’s beach place.

  62. 62.

    cleek

    @ET:
    MSNBC too. and they have it in their “politics” section, not in the US news section. because, Obama’s response to attempted mass murder should be viewed as a political issue?

  63. 63.

    Roger Moore

    @maya:

    Over past two years I have noticed one or two Rufous looking hummers here all year round, which is not like them.

    They could be Allen’s, which look very similar to Rufous but have different migratory patterns. Also, too, people have seen hummingbirds change their migratory patterns- especially hanging around in summer territory year round- in response to human-provided feeding opportunities, so it’s possible that a few Rufous hummers have just decided to stay and live off your largess.

  68. 68.

    Fort Geek

    Happiness is a new 500gb hard drive…when my other three are all critically low on free space.

    It’s amazing how much crap I’ve collected since 1988–about 14 gigs just in the “Documents” folder. Times like this I feel like a hoarder. At least I don’t have to make trails through the files so I can get to the bathroom. :p~~

  71. 71.

    Roger Moore

    @wuzzat:

    I didn’t think vampires could cross running water…

    That depends on who you listen to. Bram Stoker made crossing running water a problem, but Dracula could avoid it by having himself carried across (so flying or taking a train would work) or by crossing at the turn of the tide. Other vampire literature doesn’t mention any problem.

  72. 72.

    maya

    @Roger Moore: Yup. I think you’re right. They most likely are Allens which are native to the area but never seen around here before. Much more sedate then the frantic Rufous around the feeders.

  73. 73.

    Cassidy

    I’m moving next month into a home we’ll be renting. No more apartment, yay! I love the land and I’m thinking after a year of renting, if we like it like I think we will, I’m going to try and buy it. The backyard is huge and I can already see all the plants I want to put in after going to the butterfly garden at the zoo this past weekend. The fron yard is huge as well and I’m thinking the flowering plants that make up the border need more color, but we’ll see after spring. I’ll have to add a floor to the house if we buy it, so that could be a dealkiller as well.

  74. 74.

    ? Martin

    @Suffern ACE:

    I imagine going to get a fishing license and having to wait for the assayer to announce that some freaks gold is genuine is going to bring out the good humor in everyone.

    That’s a feature. If they approve this, everyone in Arizona should go get about $100 worth of gold (about 2 grams – a little less than a dime weighs) and go to the state capitol building cafe and buy coffee and a donut. Then come back at lunch and buy a hot dog. If they complain, make it clear that it’s legal tender and they MUST accept it.

    The only solution to stupid fucking laws enacted by fucking assholes is to bring even more assholes on the scene to fully illustrate what a stupid fucking law it is.

  75. 75.

    handsmile

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Crap to be sure, but the entire ceremony is the very opposite of holy.

    @pamelabrown53:

    Roger Moore (#54) has it precisely right. I think I’m most surprised that Dr. K agreed to be disinterred for the occasion; his bill of indictment is particularly long and vile.

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Bloody Margaret might be dead, but how much longer must we wait to tramp the dirt down on their graves? (as cosmic justice will be the only solace available to us)

  77. 77.

    raven

    @Omnes Omnibus: I jumped in my truck with the dogs to hit the Y for my laps and two women were on the corner carrying this huge table. I stopped and asked if I could help and they were delighted. Turns out I had met one, the mom, a couple of weeks ago. She is a newly minted PhD from UW and has been here about 5 months. Their house is 5 blocks away so it was good that I stopped. When we got there it turned out it was too big to fit through the door so it was even better that I had my toolbox on the truck and was able to take the legs off.

  78. 78.

    Roger Moore

    @handsmile:

    how much longer must we wait to tramp the dirt down on their graves?

    Don’t be surprised if Dick Cheney decided to be cremated and have his ashes stored in an undisclosed location* to avoid terrorists grave desecration.

    *It will turn out to be the family crypt.

  80. 80.

    SatanicPanic

    @Suffern ACE: That’s terrible. Lately when I hear “Traditional Chinese Medicine” I get the same irritated shudder that I get when I hear “Tea Party Patriots” or “NRA lobbyist” or “reality TV producer”

  84. 84.

    Thor Heyerdahl

    Most overheard quote at the Thatcher funeral, “Good to see you again – I thought you were dead.”

  85. 85.

    Violet

    @raven: Have you checked a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore? They do get flooring in from time to time, but you have to be quick.

    Also, check with any builders in the area. When they tear down older buildings, they sometimes have flooring. Someone I know floored their house with an old basketball court.

  86. 86.

    raven

    @Omnes Omnibus: Nah, they just love to go anywhere. There are big trees I park under so they are safe. The trees are as far away from the building as it gets and people HATE to walk to go work out!

  90. 90.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @Violet:

    Someone I know floored their house with an old basketball court.

    “The wood is beautiful, but we can’t stop dribbling!”

  91. 91.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @scav:

    Works on several levels, considering that the Tory crybabies coerced the BBC into not playing the song from the Wizard of Oz.

  92. 92.

    raven

    @Higgs Boson’s Mate: That’s funny. I was at a conference last year and some folks were having trouble with a display. Happened to have stuff in my computer pack that I used to fix it. A woman said “you’re a real McGyver”. I’d never seen it so I had to look it up to see what she meant. Field expediency rules!

  93. 93.

    Cassidy

    @raven: A second one. The house is currently one story, 3 br with a converted garage for a fourth br. If I buy the house, I want to add a second story, and convert the three br’s downstairs into a master suite and the garage into a living room/ play area for the kids. It owuld probably be cheaper to do add a loft/ master suite as the second story, but I don’t want the kids downstairs and vulnerable. I prefer single story homes, but I don’t want to give up any land either, so adding a room isn’t my first choice.

  96. 96.

    raven

    @Cassidy: Our upstairs was a great unfinished space when we bought it. I put in knee walls and a 3/4″ tongue and groove plywood floor and it has held up quite well.

  99. 99.

    wuzzat

    @Roger Moore: Darn it. Another line of defense bites the dust. Forget defense spending — find me a good way to ward off Cheney and his vampire children.

  104. 104.

    Violet

    @Cassidy: Make sure you check that the house foundation can bear the load of a second floor. If it can’t, fixing the structure so it can support the load can be very expensive.

  105. 105.

    raven

    @Violet: I was fortunate that my wife’s dad was a builder and former seabee architectural engineer. We cantilevered the floor joists over the load bearing walls and tied the knee walls in.

  106. 106.

    sacrablue

    @Poopyman: I think I can top you in the realm of kitty anger. One of my cats had to have his tail partially amputated yesterday. He has what some vets believe is a form of epilepsy that causes him to attack his tail. Last week, he managed to bite off the tip and expose about two inches of bone. His tail is now about four inches shorter. He will probably be on diazepam for the rest of his life. Try explaining that to the pharmacist! He is one very unhappy boy at the moment and he is now officially the most expensive formerly feral cat in the universe.

  108. 108.

    Thor Heyerdahl

    @Omnes Omnibus: And will this be where Obama pulls out another Jedi mind trick against the Republicans? Use Bohner’s support of it against the Republican Reps who have come out against it? Tell the American public that Republicans couldn’t come to a bargain since they’d only take half the deal?

  109. 109.

    Roger Moore

    @wuzzat:

    Forget defense spending — find me a good way to ward off Cheney and his vampire children.

    I think the traditional defense is garlic and the sign of the cross, followed up by oaken stakes. Once you stake him, you have to cut off his head, fill his mouth with holy wafers, and bury him in an unmarked grave at a crossroads at midnight.

  110. 110.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Thor Heyerdahl: I have been of the opinion that Obama never intended this proposal to be enacted. I think he is playing for attention from the centrists and MSM while the Congressional Dems are supposed to be howling. And yeah, I think Obama argues that he was willing to agree to certain things that he doesn’t like, but that the GOP simply would not do the same. Will it work? I don’t know. Was a good play? I am uncomfortable with the idea of even putting SS even notionally on the table, but I also don’t have the Obama team’s political savvy.

  111. 111.

    handsmile

    @scav:

    The Guardian (of course) answers that question: “Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead! What the BBC broadcast”:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/apr/14/ding-dong-witch-dead-broadcast

    On Sunday, the BBC’s Radio 1 music chart show played a 7-second (!) excerpt, followed by almost a minute of commentary explaining why this 1939 song was now appearing on the current music charts (because I’m sure that was a mystery to BBC listeners).

    From an earlier Guardian or Independent article, I read that such editorial interference/interruption had never been employed before on this long-running “top of the charts” music program.

  112. 112.

    MomSense

    @Violet:

    That is so cool! I planted a butterfly garden two years ago and it has been so much fun. Of course everything is still under the ground where I am but I am dreaming of summer visitors.

    Last year our yard was full of bees, and butterflies, and hummingbirds. OH MY! I was carefully taking pictures of 3 monarchs on one Sedum cluster when I heard a sound and looked up to find a hummingbird right in front of my nose. I couldn’t move and wasn’t able to take a photo but it was such an amazing thing to have a hummingbird six inches from my face for 30 seconds.

    We once kayaked through a monarch migration. They were going from island to island. One of our friends found one struggling in the water and he rescued it. First he put it on the bow of his boat but it kept trying to fly off and landing in the water again. So he had to put it under his spray skirt and safely transported it to the island where the rest of the monarchs were. I don’t know if it survived but we tried!

  113. 113.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @handsmile: The point, nevertheless, was made and the commentary probably helped to drive it hove. The pro-Thatcher people who interfered probably did their cause more harm than if they had just let things take their course.

  114. 114.

    MomSense

    @Poopyman:

    Definitely not attractive enough for twilight. Not even attractive enough for walking dead. I don’t think hollywood is capable of that much ugly.

  115. 115.

    Roger Moore

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I have been of the opinion that Obama never intended this proposal to be enacted.

    I don’t know about that. He may support CCPI for policy reasons, since it was actually created with the idea that it solved real problems with the old CPI methodology. And at the very least, I think his willingness to trade CCPI for tax increases was real. Obama really wants a deal that reduced the debt in the long term, both because it’s good policy and because it helps to defang the Republicans’ repeated attempts to hold the national finances hostage in the name of fiscal responsibility.

  116. 116.

    handsmile

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Perhaps so. I would like to believe that such official heavy-handedness would primarily serve to expose the BBC’s ethical expedience and political cowardice in this matter. But I rarely share your optimistic disposition. :)

  117. 117.

    James E. Powell

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    If it is a bluff, I am curious why the House Republicans never call Obama’s bluff. They can always back out of the deal in the senate. They most likely won’t need to since Reid & the Democrats will kill it for him.

  118. 118.

    stinger

    @scav: I believe rosemary is a lot like lavender, which thrives in places like France (the rocky, non-humid parts of France) and doesn’t do well in rich soil or with wet feet. I’d avoid fertilizer and even compost, and make sure it has plenty of drainage. My own soil is high in clay, so I start with gravel, raise the level by adding plain soil mixed with sand, then use gravel for mulch instead of the wood chips everywhere else. Last summer’s drought didn’t harm either the rosemary or the lavender.

  119. 119.

    Cassidy

    @Violet: I’m going to have a couple of contractors come out and take a look before I offer to buy. If it adds up then yes, and if not, no.

  120. 120.

    Trollhattan

    @cmorenc:

    Rosemary? Nothing specific comes to mind, other than wondering whether it’s in a poor spot and they’re able to attack because the plants are weak. I have a two or three and they grow vigorously, enough to require heavy yearly trimming. They seem to love light and heat and yet seem to do most of their growth in winter–blooming late winter-spring.

    I’d check for sun, soil and drainage. Once established they need zero care, in my experience, other than fending them off with a sharp weapon.

  121. 121.

    handsmile

    @MomSense:

    [Once more, I reply to you ex post facto from a previous thread….]

    Re DaPonte String Quartet
    We’ve enjoyed their concerts at several venues in recent years. Last summer we heard one of their programs at the Boothbay Botanical Gardens (our first, but certainly not last, visit to that beautiful site). While it may be a little peculiar for someone “from away” to be making this recommendation, the DaPonte’s annual September benefit for and at the Old Walpole Meetinghouse (South Bristol) should not be missed. An exquisite concert by candlelight!

    Also too, sea kayaking would be a definite possibility! Meet-up plans to be developed once the summer looms.

  123. 123.

    Roger Moore

    @James E. Powell:

    If it is a bluff, I am curious why the House Republicans never call Obama’s bluff.

    It’s not a bluff, and it’s not a negotiating position. It’s a serious policy proposal in which Obama has spelled out clearly what he’s willing to give up and what he expects the Republicans to give up. They’re afraid to agree to it because it involves breaking their no taxes ever pledges. More importantly, they won’t agree to the deal because they don’t want a deal. Making a deal gives Obama a victory, and fixing the long-term debt problem undermines their ability to sabotage the economy with endless fake budget and debt ceiling crises.

  124. 124.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Roger Moore: I am still going with negotiating position, but, having offered it, Obama is probably willing to go with it in the unlikely event that the Republicans say yes. Which they won’t for the reasons you stated.

  125. 125.

    MomSense

    @handsmile:

    Here’s to summer! For a little state, we certainly have sooo much talent. Every week there are too many great concerts or art openings to choose from.

    Closer to summer we will get serious about planning.

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