(via Upworthy)
Because who couldn’t use a few laughs, right now? (and also, Pat Dollard isn’t fit to clean Maysoon Zayid’s high heels).
Reader Interactions
39Comments
Comments are closed.
Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
Hot air and ill-informed banter
Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.
Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.
I did not have telepathic declassification on my 2022 bingo card.
Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.
If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.
This blog will pay for itself.
Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.
“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”
Why did Dr. Oz lose? well, according to the exit polls, it’s because Fetterman won.
When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.
Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.
Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.
The words do not have to be perfect.
The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.
I really should read my own blog.
You cannot shame the shameless.
Eh, that’s media spin. biden’s health is fine and he’s doing a good job.
“More of this”, i said to the dog.
People are complicated. Love is not.
You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.
Republicans in disarray!
“Squeaker” McCarthy
Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.
PurpleGirl
Thanks for this AL. I didn’t know who she was but I enjoyed the whole TED talk.
(Now back to watching kittens, including one cat who’s giving birth on cam.)
ranchandsyrup
We have houseguests again. Great to have a bunch of kids running around until it’s not so great any more. They wore me out tonight.
ruemara
I made sure not to post that Dollard link. I have muslim friends and one is newly pregnant. She doesn’t need that in her mind.
I have some possibly good news. I may have found at least a part time job. We’ll see. Not enough pay, of course, but there may be enough hours so I can cover my apartment and utilities. Working both until my main gig runs out, plus maybe a little parental assistance, more opportunities for overtime and things could stabilize. For which I would be most grateful to the universe.
Betty Cracker
I can’t sleep, so I’m watching this dumb program on the Weather Channel about weather events caught on camera. I’ve been in hurricanes, hail storms, flash floods, forest fires and heavy seas, but never an earthquake, and I hope to keep it that way. Damn if that doesn’t look scary as hell.
YellowJournalism
I heard there was a new thread up here. Some lady was telling about it downstairs.
Betty Cracker
@ruemara: That’s great news! Hope it works out for you!
Steeplejack
@Betty Cracker:
Craig Ferguson’s show on CBS right now. Give it a go.
YellowJournalism
@Betty Cracker: Been in an earthquake. Nothing scarier than watching helplessly as a five-foot antique glass mirror waves and bounces away from a wall while you’re essentially trapped standing just ten feet in front of it. Also, you’re slightly more worried about the barking dog in the kitchen who doesn’t understand what’s going on.
Amazingly, the mirror stayed connected to the wall at the top and never fell.
Mnemosyne
@ruemara:
Yay! You know we’re all pulling for you.
@Betty Cracker:
Meh. I’ve been in California for 20 years and I’d rather deal with an earthquake than a tornado. With an earthquake, you’re actually better off outside where nothing can fall on you, unlike a tornado. Plus it only lasts a few minutes (though there are aftershocks for a few days afterwards, too).
Mnemosyne
@Steeplejack:
Yes! I second that! Ferguson is probably the most underrated talk show host out there.
ruemara
@Betty Cracker: This is why I’m watching NInja Assassin. You never see those causing mass weather disturbance. Even cleaned up, this is one damned gory movie. I have the tastes of a 13 year old boy.
Betty Cracker
@Steeplejack: Thanks! Saw his stand-up thing on Netflix, which was hilarious.
Mike E
Finished watching the end of a ragged 2-2 US v Mexico game, our side played like shit in their end of the field but Michael Bradley is a badass who figured in both goals.
@ruemara: 2014: It’s not as bad as everyone is making it out to be…please?
Betty Cracker
@ruemara: “Only one ninja was harmed during the making of this film…the rest were killed!” ;-)
ruemara
@Mike E: This year’s slogan? I can live with that. But my goal for this year: “As much awesome to make up for 14 years of SUCK, as possible”. The audio mixing is terrible. As usual. When will people give priority to dialogue over atmosphere?
@Betty Cracker: HA! Only one was seen! Tread lightly! Also, this guy is HAWT.
Scamp Dog
@Betty Cracker, @YellowJournalism: I experienced a couple of earthquakes when I lived in Taipei many years ago. The first one was just a little rumbling and was over in a few seconds, so I thought “hey cool, that’s an earthquake”. The second one didn’t feel mech stronger, but it just kept going. After about 30 seconds, I was thinking “ok, that’s enough, you can stop any time now”. Nerve wracking, but fortunately nothing bad happened that day. L
Betty Cracker
Did y’all know there’s such a thing as Cinnabon vodka? Wonders never cease!
Mart
I did not laugh at thte end of Maysoon’s TED talk, but cried. She is great. Thanks for the link.
Cain
@ruemara:
If you were in my sphere of influence I would be all up in trying to get you a job. A good job, a well paying job with good healthcare. Unfortunately, you’re not in a city I know people in or doing stuff I know. :/
Still, maybe I can put out some feelers. I’ll send you something through G+.
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
He’s an extremely good interviewer, especially since the interviews never really go anywhere. They’re like letting you eavesdrop on a conversation at a reasonably cool party.
And he has a lot of authors on, especially crime writers that you never see anywhere on TV.
KG
@Betty Cracker: grew up in southern California, so earthquakes are nothing for me. Usually it’s a free foot massage. Also experienced a few hurricanes, those were rather boring. Wild fires are the ones that bother me, because there isn’t much you can do other than GTFO.
Hill Dweller
I’m watching the original Friday the 13th, which I’ve never seen, on IFC. It is really cheesy.
Steeplejack
Going to bed, no doubt right before Cole launches an epic rant and/or music thread.
? Martin
@KG:
They’re boring right up to the moment that you realize the roof is coming off or the storm surge is coming through the wall and there’s not a goddamn thing you can do while the next 3 hours of hurricane tears you apart.
YellowJournalism
@Mnemosyne: I moved from an earthquake zone to a Tornado zone. The closest I’ve been to a tornado so far is a severe warning, but it scared the shit out of me. I was driving home with my two boys and had to detour to get to shelter. This all happened not long after the one that hit Sooner’s area, so I was already in a really bad mindset that made it ten times worse than what the warning was.
I work in a building that, basically, if a tornado hits, we are fucked. It’s also near train tracks that constantly have oil companies bringing hazardous materials by. Derailments have been in the news a lot up here, so everyone is paranoid and thinking the worst about that.
Amir Khalid
The doctor cut her mother six times? In six different directions? How does he still have a medical licence?
I saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier yesterday. It’s a proper grown-up political thriller, with more believable characters than the new Jack Ryan. I suspect Hydra does have an analogue in real life, the vast right-wing conspiracy Hillary Clinton used to talk about. 300: Rise Of An Empire was exactly what I expected; I’m glad I saw it in 2D.
I’m waiting for Rio 2 and Mr Peabody and Sherman to show up in 3D. Until then, I’ve now seen all the worthwhile movies playing at TGV Suria KLCC — unless I want to take a chance on something called Zombi Kilang Biskut (The Cookie Factory Zombie, or Cookie Factory Zombies).
kdaug
@Mnemosyne: @YellowJournalism:
Don’t get me started on tornadoes.
I was working in North Austin when the F5 in Jarrell hit. We were on the 4th floor of an office building, the sky was pitch black (4:30ish), and the windows were breathing – in/out/in/out. We bailed to the stairwell. One jackass decided to try to bring his motorcycle up under the awning – I’ll never forget seeing him and his bike going sideways down the parking lot. Just wind, pushing him and ~300lbs of steel across the concrete.
We were 40 miles away.
The most amazing – striking – thing: The overhead photos the next day. It looked like a cleanup crew had been there for a week. There was no debris, no wreckage, no nothing – the tornado had lifted the asphalt from the road, and there was literally nothing left but concrete slabs and dirt. You could kind of tell where the roads used to be, but all the boards, shingles, etc? Gone. Trees, bushes? Gone. Anything that wasn’t a foundation? Gone.
The local weather guy said, (and I quote roughly), “Normally we tell you to stay out of your cars when a tornado approaches. But in the case of this fucker, you’d best just run.”
Patricia Kayden
@ruemara: Good to hear. Hope it all works out for you.
JPL
Good Morning! All this talk about weather is bringing up not so fond memories. Fortunately, I only lost trees and a fence during the small tornado last year but clean up is still expensive. Spring has arrived and we are suppose to have thunder storms tomorrow.
WereBear
@ruemara: May it be so! I have been sending good thoughts your way of late, knowing your situation.
Not that I expected that to turn things around all by themselves, ya know…
Ruckus
@Betty Cracker:
I think it depends on how you view events you have no control over.
The ride can be interesting, the aftermath not so much. I think the emotion is more hate than fear.
Especially if a past one has cost you dearly.
Although looking at heavy objects headed your way with absolutely nothing you can do about it does change your perspective.
Paul in KY
@ruemara: Glad to hear that. Hope you get a permanent job real soon.
The Ancient Randonneur
That uniform you see in the Twitter profile pic of Dollard: he didn’t earn that. He was a journalist. But, yeah, Pat, nothing like pretending to be a Marine or soldier to endear you to all the real Vets.
Seanly
I’m a structural engineer. I did my masters research at Clemson on wind on low-rise (aka house) roofs.
If I had my druthers, I’d want to be home during an earthquake. Failing that, most modern office buildings should be safe. I wouldn’t want to be in a hurricane & definitely not in a tornado. I lived for several years as a kid in Little Rock AR and there were a few times that I had to hide in the downstairs bathroom with sofa cushions around me.
I would not want to be in any type of tall ceiling box store during either an earthquake or wind event (hurricane, tornado or even straightline winds over 40 mph). While the box stores are generally safe, the typical floor to column connection is what we call pinned (no translation but can rotate at the base) and the same at the top. This works great for the vertical loads, but you need horizontal stability also. This is usually provided via the cinder block walls. But if the wind picks up the roof slightly, then the columns & roof are no longer stable while there is wind blowing on them. A properly detailed & constructed wall will continue supporting the roof, but I wouldn’t want to push my luck.
chopper
@kdaug:
haven’t dealt with an earthquake, but the town i grew up in was hit by an F5 so i think i’ll take the quake.
Mnemosyne
@Seanly:
The major losses of life we had here after the Northridge earthquake were in “soft story” apartment buildings with an above-ground parking garage supporting the rest of the building (usually 2 or 3 more floors). When the garage collapsed, the rest of the building collapsed on top of the people living on the first floor.
As you said, in an earthquake, it’s usually stuff around you that can fall or collapse on you that kills and injures people, not the earthquake itself.
Denali
Thank you for sharing this clip.
Ruckus
@Seanly:
A customer of mine had his tilt up separate at the wall/roof junction during the 94 Northridge earthquake. Only one panel but it pulled the ones next to it out away from the wall/roof junction as well. There was about a foot of daylight along the one panel. The panel was OK, had to be pushed back into place and tied back to the roof. The tilt up I was in suffered no building damage. On the other hand my stuff inside was a total disaster.
Sondra
Thank you so much for this wonderful video. My best friend and I work with Special Needs Children teaching them to ride horses. All our CP kids are much younger than this amazing woman, but we have high hopes for our CP kids and this video will be an inspiration for their parents.