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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Saturday Evening Open Thread: But They’re Much More Fervent Liars

Saturday Evening Open Thread: But They’re Much More Fervent Liars

by Anne Laurie|  March 14, 20156:43 pm| 204 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Daydream Believers

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Conservatives no happier than liberals after all, studies find http://t.co/VBAgKYd3Ax

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 13, 2015

From the article:

… The existence of a so-called ideological happiness gap is so well established that recently social scientists have mostly tried to explain it.

But a new series of studies questions the gap itself, raising the possibility that although conservatives may report greater happiness than liberals, they are no more likely to act in ways that indicate that they really are happier.

“If it’s real happiness, it should show up in people’s behavior,” said Peter Ditto, a professor of psychology and social behavior at the University of California, Irvine, and an author of an article about the studies, which were led by Sean Wojcik, a doctoral candidate at the university.

“What our evidence suggests is that it’s limited to self-reports of subjective well-being,” Professor Ditto said. The article appears in the March 13 issue of the journal Science.

In fact, when behaviors rather than self-reports were examined, liberals seemed to have a small but statistically significant happiness edge…

As I beg to be bigfooted (hopefully, with puppy pics), what’s on the happiness-or-otherwise agenda this evening?

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Reader Interactions

204Comments

  1. 1.

    debbie

    March 14, 2015 at 6:44 pm

    Whoever believed conservatives were happier?

  2. 2.

    Debbie(aussie)

    March 14, 2015 at 6:45 pm

    @debbie: That surprised me too.

  3. 3.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    As I beg to be bigfooted (hopefully, with puppy pics), what’s on the happiness-or-otherwise agenda this evening?

    I plan to re-watch all the DVR’d episodes of Gravity Falls.

  4. 4.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 6:47 pm

    Conservatives no happier than liberals after all, studies

    They (conservatives) hate everything. Whoever thought they were happy? They are driven by rage and fear.

  5. 5.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 6:49 pm

    Speaking of agenda, planning a whitewater rafting trip for myself and my 10 yr old this year.

  6. 6.

    chromeagnomen

    March 14, 2015 at 6:51 pm

    they are fervently lying about happiness, too. hoocudanode?

  7. 7.

    debbie

    March 14, 2015 at 6:52 pm

    Apparently, Reagan’s corpse still isn’t allowed to rest:

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/scott-walker-reagan-bible-curator

  8. 8.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 14, 2015 at 6:52 pm

    @Corner Stone: Where?

  9. 9.

    Violet

    March 14, 2015 at 6:56 pm

    New thread! Yay!

  10. 10.

    Karen in GA

    March 14, 2015 at 6:56 pm

    The last of the painting is being done today (I hope, I hope, I hope) — kitchen, dining room, and touching up the railing. This guy’s thorough as hell, which is great — or at least it was, for the first 8 or 9 hours.

  11. 11.

    rlrr

    March 14, 2015 at 6:57 pm

    @debbie:

    Conservatives say this all the time when they’re not foaming at the mouth over the latest manufactured outrage…

  12. 12.

    sharl

    March 14, 2015 at 6:58 pm

    @Corner Stone: The one time I did that was great fun. Hope you guys have a similar experience.

  13. 13.

    Joseph Nobles

    March 14, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    Bigfooted? We barely got a new post after the Saturday Morning Open Thread in time for Monday morning in New Zealand. Not that I was watching the clock or anything… ;-)

  14. 14.

    Jacks mom

    March 14, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    I’m training my very smart puppy to walk on a leash. My vet told me to wait to take him to the dog park until he completes his puppy vaccinations so I’m taking him to friends who have two golden retrievers because I know they’ve been vaccinated. He’s very excited for a play date. (He told me so)

  15. 15.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 7:03 pm

    Since this is an open thread, can I ask for feedback on my etsy store from some of you? You can message me on it on Etsy, but I desperately need to pump up sales, so if you ever looked but didn’t purchase, why not? Be honest, I need real feedback here.

    http://www.etsy.com/shop/Skinluvvers

    I need to try to hit enough sales to make this sustainable, and to stop the immanent foreclosure on my house. And though Watergirl suggested I do another fundraiser, I really just want to earn my way out of trouble.

  16. 16.

    Pogonip

    March 14, 2015 at 7:05 pm

    Making a grocery list. My leg has healed enough that I can carry the heavy stuff on my own. I still think the joys of physical therapy are in my future because I still can’t mount steps. But at least I no longer have the embarrassment of my father, who just turned 88, getting around better than I am.

  17. 17.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 7:06 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Excellent question!
    Thinking about options, but need to make a decision shortly. Started out with Yellowstone and maybe doing something with http://www.flyingpigrafting.com/
    or looking into Utah or CO.
    Trying to do a 5 day trip with a mix of rafting and general other stuff/hiking/sightseeing.

    ETA, the issue with Yellowstone is flying in is a real pain in the ass, compared to CO.

  18. 18.

    kuvasz

    March 14, 2015 at 7:11 pm

    From my experience conservatives are happy being assholes, and since that is a 24/7 job, they would expect to be happier.

  19. 19.

    geg6

    March 14, 2015 at 7:14 pm

    They lie to themselves and everyone else about every other thing, so why not lie about their happiness?

    In my experience with the conservatives around me, they are the unhappiest, meanest and angriest people I know.

  20. 20.

    hilts

    March 14, 2015 at 7:15 pm

    Great article documenting NYPD sleazy tactics in cyberspace:

    Edits to Wikipedia pages on Bell, Garner, Diallo traced to 1 Police Plaza

    “Computers operating on the New York Police Department’s computer network at its 1 Police Plaza headquarters have been used to alter Wikipedia pages containing details of alleged police brutality, a review by Capital has revealed. “The matter is under internal review,” an NYPD spokeswoman, Det. Cheryl Crispin, wrote in an email to Capital after examples of the changes were presented to the NYPD.The edits and changes were linked to the NYPD through a series of Internet Protocol addresses, or IP addresses, which can be publicly tracked by various websites.”

    h/t http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/03/8563947/edits-wikipedia-pages-bell-garner-diallo-traced-1-police-plaza

  21. 21.

    MomSense

    March 14, 2015 at 7:16 pm

    @Jacks mom:

    I think we need to see pictures of your puppy. Today we went to puppy class and there was a little chocolate lab that was too cute for words. She sat with me for a bit instead of playing with the other pups and I just wanted to take her home with me.

  22. 22.

    Pogonip

    March 14, 2015 at 7:16 pm

    Bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com has video right up the Balloon Juice alley, of a cat welcoming its canine companion home after a 10-day absence. Title is “Awwww.”

    Once you have found her, never let her go…

    (I got a kick out of the dog’s attitude: “I missed you too [waving tail] but let’s not get silly about it![backs away, tail slows]”

  23. 23.

    Pogonip

    March 14, 2015 at 7:18 pm

    @Corner Stone: I would be cautious about rafting with pigs flying overhead. Unless you can raft while holding an umbrella.

  24. 24.

    Pogonip

    March 14, 2015 at 7:20 pm

    @MomSense: Yes! You can never have too much pupness.

  25. 25.

    MattF

    March 14, 2015 at 7:20 pm

    On the subject of German words that express things you can’t express in other languages in one word:

    http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=18189#comments

    I think there really needs to be a word for this. Preferably in German.

  26. 26.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 7:21 pm

    @Pogonip: “Pig secure! We have secured a pig!”

  27. 27.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 7:23 pm

    @MattF: Talk about the ultimate rabbit hole. It’s like a recursive rabbit hole.
    God help us all.

  28. 28.

    Patricia Kayden

    March 14, 2015 at 7:26 pm

    I’ve heard that religious people are happier than atheists but never heard that conservatives were happier than liberals until just now. That would be very hard to believe given the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage.

  29. 29.

    bcw

    March 14, 2015 at 7:28 pm

    The Times article is one recovery step back from what has to be their finest Liberal/conservative article where they took Liberals to task in a “all one happy family article” as misrepresenting and misunderstanding conservatives because they described conservatives as more unsympathetic than they “really” were. Their basis for this claim? The answers to questionnaires taken by conservatives. For instance in their answers, the conservatives cared about the poor and had no prejudices.

  30. 30.

    Violet

    March 14, 2015 at 7:31 pm

    @Corner Stone: Check out the rivers you’re looking at running. Are they dependent on snowfall thaw? If so, check out snowfall in the area. The pictures you see on the websites may be of spring thaw levels or high water, not necessarily average or low water conditions. June may be higher water; August may be low season. All depends on your river. The droughts out west may affect rafting but the websites won’t tell you that because they want to sell you a trip.

    Check age requirements for the kid. Can’t remember how old he is but cutoff for longer trips may be 12 or on harder rivers 15. All depends on how it’s set up.

  31. 31.

    JPL

    March 14, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    @satby: How are the store sales going?

  32. 32.

    JGabriel

    March 14, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    More on the Happiness “Gap” from NYT:

    But such self-reports, they argue, are susceptible to people’s habit of evaluating themselves in an unrealistically positive manner, a tendency that psychologists call self-enhancement.

    A fourth study in the series surveyed visitors to YourMorals.org, a psychology research website, in which participants filled out questionnaires measuring life satisfaction and the propensity to self-enhance. As in previous research, conservatives reported greater happiness than liberals. But they were also more prone to self-enhancement, the study found.

    “Conservatives’ reports of happiness do seem to be bolstered by this self-enhancing tendency,” Mr. Wojcik said.

    So Conservatives say they’re happy in the same way idiots think they’re smart: because they don’t know any better.

    That’s … sad.

  33. 33.

    SiubhanDuinne

    March 14, 2015 at 7:35 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    How did you like the opera?

  34. 34.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    March 14, 2015 at 7:35 pm

    I can’t understand why it matters who is happy in a definitional sense. Should I be calling up my rightwing relatives and gloating to them that I’m happier?

  35. 35.

    raven

    March 14, 2015 at 7:36 pm

    Tulip Magnolia up the street.

  36. 36.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 7:36 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    Should I be calling up my rightwing relatives and gloating to them that I’m happier?

    Except for the talking to them part?…Yes?

  37. 37.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    March 14, 2015 at 7:37 pm

    @Corner Stone: Why?

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    March 14, 2015 at 7:37 pm

    For movie fans (or, more precisely, people who like to read about movies), Danny Peary has taken the essays from his out-of-print “Cult Movies” series of books and turned them into three eBooks on Amazon sorted by Crime, Horror, and Midnight Movie. Peary writes for a general audience, but in enough depth to please critical studies majors like me. Each eBook is under $4 and definitely recommended.

  39. 39.

    Patricia Kayden

    March 14, 2015 at 7:38 pm

    @bcw: Because it’s so evident that conservatives have no prejudices and care for the poor, right?

  40. 40.

    Violet

    March 14, 2015 at 7:38 pm

    @satby: Suggestions from skimming your store:

    Your banner photo seems dark and isn’t illustrating the soaps as effectively as it might. Not sure that matter much but when your store came up I didn’t know what the picture was of.

    Under the “Shop Sections,” some of the first letters of the section titles are capitalized, some are not. Choose either capitalized or not and be consistent.

    Have you tried visiting some local small shops near you to see if they’ll carry your product? That wouldn’t be purchases off etsy but would still be sales of your product. Nice soaps are just the kind of thing small cute shops like to carry. I think you live out in the country, but maybe a nearby town?

    Also, if there are “healthy living” bloggers you read you could send them a free sample and see if they’ll plug it.

    What happened to the mustache oil?

  41. 41.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 7:39 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: I think my answer leads to the result of a silent satisfaction that you’re undeniably happier.

  42. 42.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 14, 2015 at 7:39 pm

    @debbie: Happy, schmappy, ‘wingers is fucking weird

    “And they brought over a pair of white gloves to me and they said, ‘No one has touched this since President Reagan. It is his mother’s Bible that he took the oath of office on. Mrs. Reagan would like you to hold it and take a picture with it’,” Walker said in a YouTube video of part of the speech posted by a reporter for the liberal magazine The Progressive.
    Audience members can be heard gasping, then applauding as Walker tells the story.

    (and the story says, Walker is full of shit)

  43. 43.

    Baud

    March 14, 2015 at 7:43 pm

    I care about the relative differences in turnout, not happiness.

  44. 44.

    raven

    March 14, 2015 at 7:43 pm

    Back yard with the bradford pear tree blooming and stinking!

  45. 45.

    JGabriel

    March 14, 2015 at 7:44 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    Should I be calling up my rightwing relatives and gloating to them that I’m happier?

    Nah, we’re liberals. The non-confrontational route of being smugly satisfied with ourselves while not gloating about it is much more fulfilling.

    For most of us, anyway. Personally, I prefer the gloating.

    Edited to Add: @Corner Stone: Ha! I swear I hadn’t read your post till after I’d written mine. Great minds, etc.

  46. 46.

    Katy

    March 14, 2015 at 7:44 pm

    @satby: Nice site, pretty soaps, but … the only reason I’d ever buy pretty soaps (and your goat’s milk soap is VERY pretty) is to give them away at Christmas. If I buy them now, will they last till next Christmas? I mean, they’re goat’s *milk* soap … Skin creams, on the other hand – you could maybe feature skin creams for aging skin? shea butter? baby boomer bait?

  47. 47.

    hilts

    March 14, 2015 at 7:46 pm

    RIP Daevid Allen

    Tribute to Daevid Allen by his son Orlando:

    “And so dada Ali, bert camembert, the dingo Virgin, divided alien and his other 12 selves prepare to pass up the oily way and back to the planet of love. And I rejoice and give thanks. Thanks to you dear dear daevid for introducing me to my family of magick brothers and mystic sisters, for revealing the mysteries, you were the master builder but now have made us all the master builders. As the eternal wheel turns we will continue your message of love and pass it around. We are all one, we are all gong. Rest well my friend, float off on our ocean of love. The gong vibration will forever sound and its vibration will always lift and enhance. You have left such a beautiful legacy and we will make sure it forever shines in our children and their children. Now is the happiest time of yr life. Blessed be.”

    h/t http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/13/gong-founder-daevid-allen-has-died-aged-77

  48. 48.

    Baud

    March 14, 2015 at 7:46 pm

    @raven: Pretty.

  49. 49.

    debbie

    March 14, 2015 at 7:46 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Right. Now, isn’t that a Brian Williams-level whopper?

  50. 50.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 7:48 pm

    @geg6: I agree. Always there’s a grievance about something. Always. And mean is putting it nicely.

  51. 51.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 7:50 pm

    @JPL: Been lagging, and I am working on why.

  52. 52.

    debbie

    March 14, 2015 at 7:51 pm

    @satby:

    Would you ever consider selling your soaps at local crafts or street fairs?

  53. 53.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    March 14, 2015 at 7:51 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Wearing white gloves to handle artwork or artifacts is bog standard museum and archive practice. The natural oils on people’s hands can be very destructive, so gloves are worn.

    Interestingly, some book archivists do NOT wear gloves — they feel that the risk of accidentally tearing a page while wearing gloves is higher than any damage your ungloved hand can do. But any halfway decent archive or museum would absolutely make a member of the public wear gloves before touching an artifact.

  54. 54.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    March 14, 2015 at 7:51 pm

    @JGabriel: I’m of German extraction. Happiness always takes a backseat to Duty.

  55. 55.

    Mike in NC

    March 14, 2015 at 7:51 pm

    Modern American conservatives cannot possibly be happy because they are continuously under assault by the blahs and the browns and the gheys and the mooslims and the fems, etc. etc. etc. They are society’s greatest victims.

  56. 56.

    raven

    March 14, 2015 at 7:51 pm

    @satby: My wife has a page for fabric and it was ok for a while but it’s pretty much crashed and burned.

  57. 57.

    mdblanche

    March 14, 2015 at 7:52 pm

    The President is awesome. That is all.

  58. 58.

    raven

    March 14, 2015 at 7:52 pm

    @Mike in NC: There happy when the piss of liberals which is almost always.

  59. 59.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 14, 2015 at 7:54 pm

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): the gloves didn’t phase me, it’s those mouth breathers gasping about “Reagan’s bible!” and Walker was lying about The Blessed Blower Nancy requesting the photo, he asked to hold the book

  60. 60.

    Frankensteinbeck

    March 14, 2015 at 7:54 pm

    @Corner Stone:
    You watch Gravity Falls?!

  61. 61.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 14, 2015 at 7:56 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: That explains why you and Cole get along.

    On the OP: how are we supposed to believe anything coming out of UC Irvine? They banned the US flag! Sounds like a bunch of commies down there, if you ask me.

  62. 62.

    MattF

    March 14, 2015 at 7:57 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think the MSM’s admiration for Scott Walker is fraying.

  63. 63.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 7:58 pm

    @Violet: Thanks! I’ll look for a different banner photo. And fix the shop sections (I suck at copy editing).

    As to your other suggestions, I have sent samples to healthy living bloggers and mommy bloggers, and put product in 4 stores total. One went out of business, two others are only doing so-so and not promoting them, the last one is new and this is my first month. I’ve handed out scores of samples too, and will be at a farmer’s market this summer.

    It’s beard oil and it’s there. I need to take better pictures of that, and my kid suggested a more “manly” label than my Skinluvvers one.

    I really appreciate you looking and helping Violet, thanks!

  64. 64.

    TheMightyTrowel

    March 14, 2015 at 7:58 pm

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): not necessarily true. Depends on the museum and the artefact. Cotton gloves are a particular problem because they’re slippery and full of particulates. Latex gloves are much more common because you’re less likely to drop stuff wearing them and even then not at all necessary for most things.

  65. 65.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 14, 2015 at 8:01 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Enjoyed it very much. I’ve always liked Rossini but had never seen this one.

  66. 66.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 8:01 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: “Is it a rock, or is it a face?”
    “I think it’s a metaphor”

  67. 67.

    Frankensteinbeck

    March 14, 2015 at 8:03 pm

    @Corner Stone:
    While the season finale gets all the hype, I preferred Romn- I mean, Northwest Mansion Noir.

  68. 68.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 8:03 pm

    @Katy: Hmmm, I do one all purpose cream. But why wouldn’t you buy soap (or only buy it as gifts)?
    I think that’s info I can use.

  69. 69.

    JPL

    March 14, 2015 at 8:04 pm

    @Katy: Last year the whole foods closed near me and had their soaps at 30 percent off. Like you, I wouldn’t mind purchasing xmas gifts early.

  70. 70.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 8:04 pm

    @debbie: Planning on that this summer, but I have a job too, so the store is my main outlet.

  71. 71.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 8:05 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: “Ancient sins! Ancient sins!”

  72. 72.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    March 14, 2015 at 8:05 pm

    @TheMightyTrowel:

    We mostly handle unframed artworks on paper. The collections folks wear cotton gloves and the digitization folks wear nitrile gloves so there’s less dust around the cameras. We have some resin objects but, again, the people who handle those wear cotton gloves.

    ETA: I’m an admin assistant, not a trained collections person, but I have done some artwork handling in this job and it’s always with gloves.

  73. 73.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 14, 2015 at 8:05 pm

    @raven: And my 6-foot high piles of snow are down to about 4 feet.

  74. 74.

    Woodrowfan

    March 14, 2015 at 8:06 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    I’m of German extraction. Happiness always takes a backseat to Duty.

    Work first, THEN invade France. :)

  75. 75.

    JPL

    March 14, 2015 at 8:06 pm

    @satby: Sometimes it’s easier to spoil others. You could add holiday gift packaging, i. e. egg shaped in a box for Easter.

  76. 76.

    sharl

    March 14, 2015 at 8:07 pm

    @TheMightyTrowel: Are nitrile gloves ever used in your profession? The folks I know who develop paint/coating formulations prefer them to latex gloves, since nitrile seems to perform similarly in keeping tactile sensory losses to a minimum, while being a bit more chemically resistant. I assume archaeology is mostly “dry” work, so chemical resistance is presumably not a very big issue for you guys.

  77. 77.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 8:09 pm

    @JPL: Soap lasts years, but the pretty scents don’t unless you seal them in an airtight wrap. The harder they get the longer it lasts when you use it.

    But I wouldn’t buy it now to give at Christmas.

  78. 78.

    Villago Delenda Est

    March 14, 2015 at 8:09 pm

    @debbie: You know, this story reminds me of the Blutfahne, the flag alledgedly soaked in the gore of Nazis shot by Munich police in the Beer Hall Putsch of November, 1923. Hitler would hold the Blutfahne in one hand and then touch new Nazi banners (for SS regiments, or Gaue or something of that nature) mystically transferring the spirit of the dead Nazis to the new flag, consecrating the new flag.

    So here we have Scott Walker mystically acquiring the spirit of the sainted Reagan via a bible.

    The Rethugs really have gone off the deep end with their Reagan idolatry.

  79. 79.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 14, 2015 at 8:11 pm

    @Woodrowfan:

    Work first, THEN invade France. :)

    It’s the German way, has been for centuries.

  80. 80.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 14, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Slightly longer answer – I thought Joyce DiDonato was spectacular, as was Juan Diego Flores. I wasn’t as fond of Daniela Barcellona – good voice, but I just couldn’t get past the gender-bending for some reason. Sure, the whole plot is ridiculously far-fetched, but that’s opera. Having never seen or heard La Donna del Lago, I kept hearing stock phrases and techniques that keep coming up in Rossini, but all composers recycle material. Actually this was our first simulcast, and I was surprised that the theater was nearly full – an all-Medicare crowd, for sure, except for us. But overall very enjoyable, and something we will definitely do again. Yes, acoustically it’s not the same, but you get to see things more clearly than from any Met seat that I could afford.

  81. 81.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 14, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: I wonder if Nancy’s minders are preparing a cover story for Walker

  82. 82.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 14, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: And yet, St. Ronnie himself would have difficulty being elected dog catcher as a modern day Republican.

  83. 83.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    @JPL: true. I told Watergirl earlier in an email I have to update anyway. Was thinking of offering specific combinations in baskets instead of custom only, just because I think all the possible choices make it too hard for some people to decide.

  84. 84.

    MomSense

    March 14, 2015 at 8:14 pm

    @satby:

    They look beautiful! Will definitely order and I agree with watergirl that a fundraiser is a good idea especially since you do such good work rescuing animals.

  85. 85.

    raven

    March 14, 2015 at 8:14 pm

    How bout them Cyclones!!!!

  86. 86.

    Villago Delenda Est

    March 14, 2015 at 8:15 pm

    @BillinGlendaleCA: For example, celebrating the reunification in 1990 with a “fun run” across Poland.

  87. 87.

    Villago Delenda Est

    March 14, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    @BillinGlendaleCA: It’s like the story of the Man who shot Liberty Valance, go with the legend, not with reality.

  88. 88.

    Baud

    March 14, 2015 at 8:17 pm

    @Woodrowfan:

    Work first, THEN invade France.

    Then get drunk, THEN invade Russia.

  89. 89.

    MomSense

    March 14, 2015 at 8:19 pm

    @raven:

    My pear trees are no more. The plow got them by pushing about 10 feet of snow on them and over them and they were not near the road.

    Oh and it is sleezing (sleet and freezing rain) tonight. This winter is brutal.

  90. 90.

    Citizen_X

    March 14, 2015 at 8:20 pm

    @debbie:

    Apparently, Reagan’s corpse still isn’t allowed to rest:

    Well, then, deal with it the old-fashioned way: stake it through the heart at a crossroads under a full moon. That’ll keep it from wandering.

  91. 91.

    Tenar Darell

    March 14, 2015 at 8:22 pm

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Mr. Bean, Library Destruction. Fair warning, if you’re an archivist or restorer watching this will be both painful and hilarious.

  92. 92.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 14, 2015 at 8:22 pm

    @Citizen_X: Careful with that, they do have signs warning of rattlesnakes in the area around his grave.

  93. 93.

    MomSense

    March 14, 2015 at 8:22 pm

    @satby:

    I know some small batch yarn producers who created clubs. People sign up for automatic billing and get different yarns each month. It gives them a little stability with income.

    ETA They all are on Instagram and seem to get business from posting photos there.

  94. 94.

    sacrablue

    March 14, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    @raven: My entire neighborhood stinks at the moment. The local municipal utility gave them away to homeowners to encourage shading of houses. Apparently they had great success. We had ours cut down two years ago. I’m going to have to skip my morning walk for the next week. I hope I don’t gain ten pounds in the process.

  95. 95.

    Svensker

    March 14, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    @satby:

    I agree with Violet. Didn’t notice the capitalization, but your banner isn’t inviting — looks like dark blocks of…something? Looks very masculine and clinical. You have a couple of very pretty soaps, like the unscented goats milk and another green one that has the stamp on it — I’d highlight those in a photo. Otherwise I found your shop quite appealing.

    Hope things go well for you!

  96. 96.

    PsiFighter37

    March 14, 2015 at 8:24 pm

    Got my lease renewal offer today. 10% hike. Fucking Manhattan is so expensive to live in. See if I can negotiate them down to 3% at most…

  97. 97.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    March 14, 2015 at 8:24 pm

    @satby:

    That was going to be one of my suggestions — a lot of people like to be able to see combinations so they can either buy that combination as-is or request a custom version with a few tweaks. Not everyone likes to make all of the choices themselves. You could post themed baskets in time for particular gift-giving occasions, so a Mother’s Day basket, a bridesmaids’ gift basket, an Easter gift basket, etc.

    Also, style-wise, I think the plain (smooth) soaps may be too plain, or else the colors aren’t showing well. The stamped soaps look really nice in the pictures.

    Oh, and G kept saying he was going to try the beard oil, but he shaved his beard off after he got laid off. You can lead a horse to water …

  98. 98.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 8:26 pm

    @raven: LOL!
    Love the pics!

  99. 99.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 8:29 pm

    @MomSense: what a great idea!
    I’m going to think about how to do that!

  100. 100.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    March 14, 2015 at 8:29 pm

    @satby: John, give this long-time Balloon Juice regular a shout-out on the front page. Would it fucking kill you to use the blog for good one time?

  101. 101.

    Mike J

    March 14, 2015 at 8:32 pm

    @MomSense:

    Oh and it is sleezing (sleet and freezing rain) tonight. This winter is brutal.

    Here in Seattle, Neal Stephenson tweeted:

    Finally raining. I was getting worried that the moss on my car was going to die.

    I was pissed off that I was busy Thursday when it was sunny and 66°F. I need to go sailing. I built a mast mount for my gopro and I need to test it. Then I need to design/build a mount for the top if the mast (and a way to get it there.)

  102. 102.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 8:34 pm

    @Svensker: Thanks!

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Funny! But I just made some today for my friend’s husband, he’s a biker with a ZZ Top guy beard. To demonstrate it for her I had her put it on the back of her hand to see how fast it absorbed without feeling oily. And told her it makes a great nail-cuticle oil. I know she was looking forward to using it herself, but she said when she did the drops on the hand thing to her husband he took the bottle right into his bathroom and she knows she’s not going to get it back :)

  103. 103.

    Debbie

    March 14, 2015 at 8:37 pm

    @satby:

    The few things I’ve bought on Etsy I first found through other places, like Uncommon Goods catalog. I think Etsy’s tough to browse.

  104. 104.

    MomSense

    March 14, 2015 at 8:39 pm

    @satby:

    I’ll message you. I’ll do the Instagram postings for you if that would help.

  105. 105.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 8:40 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: You know they FP’d a fundraiser for me last fall when I needed vet help, don’t you?

    It’s just that I had almost no “job” income for the last 3 months of last year. Put me massively behind, and cracking up the car took the rest. My kids want me to just find new homes for the rescues and walk away from the underwater house, but these 11 wouldn’t be here in the first place if they were more adoptable. Watergirl (who is a goddess) is helping me redo my resume and I will get a better job. I just need to hang on to that point.

  106. 106.

    Violet

    March 14, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    @satby: You’re welcome! I agree, a more manly label would be better for the beard oil. Maybe a sub-label under your main label. Perhaps you could start with a “For Men” sub-section on the left side.

  107. 107.

    MazeDancer

    March 14, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    Satby’s soaps are lucious. Everyone should go buy some. The scents are wonderful, and happily not heavy, just delightful and refreshing. They make outstanding gifts. Especially when you tell animal lovers that these beautiful things are made by someone who supports animal rescue from her sales.

    Mother’s Day is not far away, either.

  108. 108.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    @MomSense: Thanks!

  109. 109.

    MomSense

    March 14, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    @satby:

    Nail cuticle oil sounds perfect especially for those of us dealing with dry winter hands. The beard oil is good for cuticles?

  110. 110.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 8:45 pm

    @MomSense: it is! I reformulated it to be 3 “dry” oils, peach kernel, meadowfoam, and argan, and I love making it because I rub what’s left in the beaker all over my hands and nails.

  111. 111.

    Cckids

    March 14, 2015 at 8:46 pm

    @Corner Stone: Gravity Falls rocks, from the episodes I’ve seen.

  112. 112.

    Geeno

    March 14, 2015 at 8:47 pm

    Planning Mom’s funeral. She passed today after a two-week series of acute intestinal issues.

  113. 113.

    Jacks mom

    March 14, 2015 at 8:48 pm

    @MomSense: There is just something about these Labs. I am not a dog person and I am totally in love with this dog. He is smart as a whip and cuter than hell.
    I’m still not able to post pix. I did post one that a kind BJ person fixed so that people could see him.
    I’ll keep trying.

  114. 114.

    SiubhanDuinne

    March 14, 2015 at 8:48 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    I don’t have a problem with pants roles (although the elderly couple next to me were completely squicked out when Elena and Malcolm kissed in Act One — personally, the burning crosses had me more aghast) and I thought Barcellona was an incredible singer, with one of the most supple voices I’ve ever heard. DiDonato and Flórez were, as always, wonderful. They’ve worked together so much, they’ve developed a good onstage chemistry. And I thought the opera had some of Rossini’s most winsome music with, as you say, both echoes and foreshadowings (if not outright lifting) of some of his better-known operas. For me, it was a highlight of the season.

  115. 115.

    Villago Delenda Est

    March 14, 2015 at 8:49 pm

    @Geeno: My deepest condolences, Geeno, to you and your entire family.

  116. 116.

    NotMax

    March 14, 2015 at 8:49 pm

    Soup Blog Nazi: “No bigfoot for you!”

  117. 117.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    March 14, 2015 at 8:49 pm

    @MazeDancer:

    The animal rescue could also be a good marketing thing right on the Etsy site. There’s a line of yarns that started doing really well because they’re tied in the animal rescue and dyed/named after her various cats:

    http://ancientartsfibre.com/Meow_Collection_Info.html

    Maybe formulate some soaps named after the current residents? It’s time they earned their keep, right? ;-)

  118. 118.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    March 14, 2015 at 8:52 pm

    @Cckids:

    I’m hoping to transfer and work for that division (though not that show, one of the new ones that was greenlit). Fingers crossed.

  119. 119.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    March 14, 2015 at 8:54 pm

    @Geeno:

    I’m so sorry, Geeno. We lost my dad in 2013 after a long struggle with multiple issues (including COPD and kidney failure) and we were just so wrung out at the end of it all.

  120. 120.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 14, 2015 at 8:55 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Yeah, my wife had a really hard time with the burning crosses.

  121. 121.

    cckids

    March 14, 2015 at 8:55 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    “And they brought over a pair of white gloves to me and they said, ‘No one has touched this since President Reagan. It is his mother’s Bible that he took the oath of office on. Mrs. Reagan would like you to hold it and take a picture with it’,” Walker said in a YouTube video of part of the speech posted by a reporter for the liberal magazine The Progressive.
    Audience members can be heard gasping, then applauding as Walker tells the story.

    Jesus. That reminds me of the Brady Bunch episode when Marcia was kissed by Davy Jones “I’ll never wash again”. . .

  122. 122.

    Jacks mom

    March 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm

    @satby: I love your soap. I will definitely buy it again. Etsy is a good start but can you get into a locale retail business? We have a nursery (plants) here that really supports local people that make soap, do seasonings etc. I hope you are able to work it out because I’m a fan of the product.

  123. 123.

    MomSense

    March 14, 2015 at 9:00 pm

    @satby:

    Adding to my cart.

  124. 124.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    March 14, 2015 at 9:01 pm

    @cckids:

    I’m probably giving Walker too much credit when I think he was too stupid to understand that they meant no one had touched that object without gloves since it had been brought to the library after RR’s death. He probably knows it and is just making shit up to try and make it sound more impressive that he was allowed to hold an object that no one else had cared enough to ask about in the 15+ years it’s been there.

  125. 125.

    MomSense

    March 14, 2015 at 9:01 pm

    My dog loves opera! I didn’t think it was possible to love her more.

    Watching Diva on xfinity on demand. It’s free!

  126. 126.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    March 14, 2015 at 9:02 pm

    @satby: I wasn’t here for that so it never happened.

  127. 127.

    MazeDancer

    March 14, 2015 at 9:05 pm

    @Mnemosyne (tablet):

    Couldn’t hurt to mention the animals. Maybe there could be a happy fragrance bar that has a picture of the 11 happy animals who otherwise would have no home on the label. Further explaining Satby’s wonderful work.

    Animal lovers to whom I’ve given the soaps all loved the products, but they especially loved the source. The great animal wotk that Satby does gave me an excuse to cover gifts for people who don’t actually need anything and for whom it is nigh on to impossible to shop.

  128. 128.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 9:06 pm

    @Debbie: I’ll have to check that out, thanks!

  129. 129.

    cckids

    March 14, 2015 at 9:06 pm

    @satby: Hi, I just visited your Etsy shop, your products look wonderful. I agree with Violet about changing your banner pic, also with JPL on the Easter idea.

    Further on the “occasion” theme, I think if you can put together more baskets & flog the hell out of Mother’s Day/spring birthdays/bridal shower/new mom-shower type ideas it would help sales as well. See if you can get literature (business cards, flyers, etc) that feature your Etsy address into bridal shows or shops. Your products would complement their items without necessarily competing.

    Have you thought about putting the same items up on Ebay (with a fixed price)? or Amazon? I’m seeing more & more handcrafted items both places. Amazon’s fees are kind of high, so definitely figure that in, but there is massive exposure there.

    For me personally, I’ve been wanting to get some items, but have had a horrible spring for finances, but after April 15th, I’m heading your way.

    Best of luck!!

  130. 130.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 9:07 pm

    @MazeDancer: {{MazeDancer}}

  131. 131.

    Doug r

    March 14, 2015 at 9:09 pm

    @Corner Stone: conservatives in denial? Whocodanode?

  132. 132.

    Roger Moore

    March 14, 2015 at 9:09 pm

    @sharl:
    Nitrile also has some desirable safety properties if/when the glove starts to degrade from storage. Latex gloves can develop pinhole leaks without any obvious warning sign, while nitrile will tear if you try to stretch it when it has even a tiny hole. There’s also the whole issue of latex allergies, which are pushing out latex gloves in a lot of applications.

  133. 133.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 9:09 pm

    @Geeno: I’m so sorry Geeno! Condolences to you and your family, that’s so hard.

  134. 134.

    cckids

    March 14, 2015 at 9:10 pm

    @Geeno: I’m so sorry. Peace to you & your family.

  135. 135.

    raven

    March 14, 2015 at 9:12 pm

    @sacrablue: They have some nasty needles at the base as well.

  136. 136.

    Smiling Mortician

    March 14, 2015 at 9:13 pm

    @satby: Coming late to the discussion, but I think your products look great. They seem to be a more reasonably-priced alternative to Lush products, which I buy on a regular basis. I’ve bookmarked the site and plan to place an order soon. Thanks for the link!

  137. 137.

    JPL

    March 14, 2015 at 9:14 pm

    @Geeno: How sad and I am so sorry for your loss.

  138. 138.

    PurpleGirl

    March 14, 2015 at 9:16 pm

    @mdblanche: Yes, Barack and Michelle are awesome.They are such a good couple.

  139. 139.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 9:18 pm

    Still have no clue why a toilet paper company is trying to convince me to go commando.

  140. 140.

    MomSense

    March 14, 2015 at 9:18 pm

    @Jacks mom:

    Send the pics to Anne Laurie and she will do a post for us!

  141. 141.

    MomSense

    March 14, 2015 at 9:20 pm

    @Geeno:

    I’m so sorry for your loss.

  142. 142.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    March 14, 2015 at 9:23 pm

    @Corner Stone: If you have to ask..

  143. 143.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    March 14, 2015 at 9:24 pm

    @raven: The tulip magnolia is prettier and less horrifying to smell. Bradford’s are obnoxious, though pretty and the fall foliage is lovely. Thankfully there aren’t any Bradfords closely up or downwind of our cul de sac.

    I’ll take a redbud any day, and I want to get one in at the bottom of the back yard this year.

  144. 144.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 9:25 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: I’m pretty much commando right now. Still not sure why anyone thinks they have to convince me to go there.

  145. 145.

    Karen in GA

    March 14, 2015 at 9:25 pm

    @Geeno: I’m so sorry. My condolences to you and your family.

  146. 146.

    raven

    March 14, 2015 at 9:27 pm

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Our flowers are starting, all those bulbs she planted are hopping and the lenten roses are out.

  147. 147.

    Svensker

    March 14, 2015 at 9:28 pm

    @Geeno:

    So sorry to hear that. It is a hard thing. Hugs.

  148. 148.

    ThresherK

    March 14, 2015 at 9:29 pm

    @Geeno: Condolences to you and yours.

  149. 149.

    raven

    March 14, 2015 at 9:30 pm

    @Geeno: Aw, sorry to hear that. Joe Bidens words may help after a while:

    ““There will come a day, I promise you, and your parents, as well, when the thought of your son or daughter or your husband or wife brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye,” he said. “It will happen. My prayer for you is that day will come sooner or later. But the only thing I have more experience than you in is this: I’m telling you it will come.”

  150. 150.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    March 14, 2015 at 9:30 pm

    @satby: I think etsy could be a hard slog for soaps – there are so many soap shops out there. Most of my soaping pals do most of their sales at markets and fairs. Some have found some consignment spots in small stores, and one has a booth in an antique mall. All of them have taken years to build their businesses. Have you looked in the marketing section of The Dish? Loads of good advice there.

  151. 151.

    ThresherK

    March 14, 2015 at 9:34 pm

    @Corner Stone: Our one time flying to Yellowstone from the East was into Salt Lake, then Bozeman.

    This was in the winter, which means a lot less traffic, and the place we stayed in Yellowstone was quite close to the West Yellowstone WY entrance. Your literal mileage may vary.

  152. 152.

    Violet

    March 14, 2015 at 9:35 pm

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): This is a great suggestion! @satby: Can you re-name some soaps or come up with some new combinations where you name a soap after a rescue dog or cat. Maybe get a good photo of them to put on the website.

    If you partner with a rescue and donate some percentage of your profits to them can you in return ask them to post a link to your etsy shop?

    Could you make a pet-friendly version of a soap?

  153. 153.

    Violet

    March 14, 2015 at 9:36 pm

    @Geeno: Very sorry for your loss.

  154. 154.

    Anne Laurie

    March 14, 2015 at 9:36 pm

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): “White (cotton) glove treatment” has achieved a marketable sense of glamor & luxury — tv ads for local movers and carpet cleaners talk about “giving your household goods the white glove treatment” as a benefit to using their services. And every local quilt show gives their volunteers white cotton gloves to use so visitors don’t have to (are not allowed to) touch the quilts, but also because those gloves identify the volunteers even across a crowded auditorium.

    Latex (or nitrile) gloves are for CSI-style crime scenes. Much more flattering, to the general public, to be told these items are precious & must be treated like the Downton Abbey butler treats His Lordship’s silver, than to be greeted with ‘rubber’ gloves for fear of contamination.

  155. 155.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    March 14, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    @Geeno: I’m so very sorry.

  156. 156.

    Anne Laurie

    March 14, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    @Geeno: My condolences on your mother’s passing.

  157. 157.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 9:38 pm

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): I will thanks! And I do have high hopes for the market I’ll be selling at this summer. As well as the new shop I’m in now.

  158. 158.

    gelfling545

    March 14, 2015 at 9:39 pm

    @Jacks mom: Flor had a play date last Sunday with a friend’s pug named Frodo. Afterwards she just about passed out & slept till morning. At one point they were running in circles around each other in opposite directions.
    Unfortunately, she is learning bad habits from the cats whom she annoys regularly & tried to swipe at me with her claws today. Time out for Flora. :(

  159. 159.

    RSA

    March 14, 2015 at 9:40 pm

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Cool, thanks for the Peary recommendation. I’ve picked up the horror collection.

  160. 160.

    Karen in GA

    March 14, 2015 at 9:40 pm

    @satby: I can’t add to the feedback everyone else has offered — you got some great suggestions. But I’m really looking forward to trying the lavender and summer soaps that I just ordered, and I’m posting a link to your shop on my FB page.

    Good luck!

  161. 161.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    March 14, 2015 at 9:40 pm

    @satby: Why not offer it as a cuticle oil also? As probably 17 people have already suggested.

  162. 162.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 9:41 pm

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): @Violet: good ideas!

    I joined 2 marketing and shop critique groups on Etsy and got better suggestions here in a couple hours than I ever got there in weeks! Thanks everyone. And thanks especially to all of you who are customers, you rock!

  163. 163.

    Violet

    March 14, 2015 at 9:47 pm

    @satby: Also would suggest putting together some gift baskets or grouping soaps together with some spring themes. Colorful eggs and Easter baskets for Easter. Flowers for Mother’s Day. That kind of thing. Put those on the front page and rotate seasonally.

    The photos at the moment look a bit dark. The header especially but the rest of them seem a bit darkish, at least the smaller ones before you click on them. It sort of feels like winter. If you could re-display with bright flowers or something that says “Spring!” then it might catch the attention of people who wander by.

  164. 164.

    Doug r

    March 14, 2015 at 9:48 pm

    @chromeagnomen: I knew I should have read the thread before commenting

  165. 165.

    raven

    March 14, 2015 at 9:50 pm

    @efgoldman: And that’s what I like about the south!

  166. 166.

    Howard Beale IV

    March 14, 2015 at 9:51 pm

    @satby: As the late master of the age, Idries Shah has stated: “He who tastes, knows.”

    So I placed an order.

  167. 167.

    Corner Stone

    March 14, 2015 at 9:52 pm

    @ThresherK: It’s either Bozeman or Jackson for Yellowstone, IMO. I think it would be worth the extra hassle as my son is old enough for a life long memory of visiting there before it’s completely gone to the dogs.
    But I have friends who have done WWR in CO and had a very good time. Still looking into Utah’s parks.

  168. 168.

    Violet

    March 14, 2015 at 9:54 pm

    @efgoldman: My bulbs are a riot of color at the moment. Tulips, daffodils, irises, hyacinth, freesia. They’re just gorgeous. I should take a picture.

  169. 169.

    Doug r

    March 14, 2015 at 9:56 pm

    Anyone find Putin yet?

  170. 170.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    March 14, 2015 at 9:57 pm

    @Doug r: In search of the mustard last I heard, but there’s probably been an update.

  171. 171.

    Germy Shoemangler

    March 14, 2015 at 9:58 pm

    @Doug r: Reading mean tweets on Kimmel.

    Meanwhile:

    New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) told leading GOP policy analysts this week that he will make overhauling Medicare, Social Security and other long-term entitlement programs a centerpiece of his likely presidential campaign, according to participants in the talks.

  172. 172.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 14, 2015 at 10:03 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: my quadrennial prayer: Let them run on their actual agenda.

    When the new House launched the year with an anti-abortion bill, I saw Michael Steele on MSNBC sanctimoniously arguing that everyone knows the GOP is anti-abortion, barely two months after an election where they did their best not to mention it.

  173. 173.

    PurpleGirl

    March 14, 2015 at 10:04 pm

    @Jacks mom: Can you send the pictures to Anne Laurie? I’m sure she would help you by posting them for you.

  174. 174.

    Chris

    March 14, 2015 at 10:05 pm

    @JGabriel:

    So Conservatives say they’re happy in the same way idiots think they’re smart: because they don’t know any better.
    …
    That’s … sad.

    Yeah. I’d heard the “conservatives are happier” claim before, and while I never bothered to really check up on it, it didn’t seem implausible to me… because being oblivious is a time-honored path to happiness.

    The other reason is that poor people, working class people, and other people who live paycheck to paycheck are more likely to be liberals. And all that stress can’t possibly be good for the happiness (in fact I know it isn’t).

  175. 175.

    Germy Shoemangler

    March 14, 2015 at 10:06 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Elise Stefanik campaigned on “saving” social security and medicare. In her campaign commercials she can be seen giving speeches to senior citizens. Her opponent tried to explain that she is a protege of Karl Rove, and that her plans to save SS and medicare were basically to privatize them.

    When a reporter tried to question her on specifics, she literally ran away.

    She won.

  176. 176.

    Baud

    March 14, 2015 at 10:08 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Why shouldn’t they? Senator Udall ran on on protecting abortion rights and got his ass handed to him.

  177. 177.

    Mike J

    March 14, 2015 at 10:10 pm

    Clint Dempsy! 19 seconds to score!

  178. 178.

    Jacks mom

    March 14, 2015 at 10:12 pm

    @gelfling545: So far Jado and the cats are ignoring each other. Well the cats are ignoring him and he is trying to get their attention.

  179. 179.

    Violet

    March 14, 2015 at 10:14 pm

    @Jacks mom: Posting pictures isn’t hard. you don’t need to get all fancy using the “Link” button above the posting comment box. Just copy and paste the URL or link directing into the comment box.

    For example, you can upload pictures to Imgur without needing an account. When the picture is uploaded, just copy and paste either the image link or direct link into this box. The picture is then linked. Most image hosting sites should work like that.

  180. 180.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 14, 2015 at 10:14 pm

    @Corner Stone: I’d also suggest considering southern Utah, like the Green River. 4 hour drive from SLC, which is easy to fly to, and the Canyonlands/Moab area is spectacular. Be aware of the class of rapids you’ll be rafting and their suitability for a 10-year-old. I’ve rafted Class IV and Class V rapids here in the east, and wouldn’t dare them with a 12-year-old, let alone 10.

  181. 181.

    satby

    March 14, 2015 at 10:14 pm

    @Baud: the frustrating thing is people know the GOP policy positions but don’t believe they would actually DO what they say they will; or that if they do it will only affect those undeserving people anyway.

  182. 182.

    Germy Shoemangler

    March 14, 2015 at 10:16 pm

    “Anyone find Putin yet?”

    Being inducted into a Navajo tribe

    Spelling out “Greetings From Asbury Park” with a group of schoolchildren

    Rehearsing for Dancing With The Stars

    Reading to the blind

  183. 183.

    NotMax

    March 14, 2015 at 10:20 pm

    @Violet

    Another which has been around forever (in internet time) is Thumbsnap. Free and easy.

  184. 184.

    Violet

    March 14, 2015 at 10:20 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: A reputable rafting company should have appropriate age limits for who they allow to go on their trips.

  185. 185.

    Baud

    March 14, 2015 at 10:22 pm

    @satby: For a lot of folks, the GOP is family, while the Democrats are outsiders. It doesn’t matter what the GOP says or does, they are always welcome into the fold.

  186. 186.

    NotMax

    March 14, 2015 at 10:22 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler

    Playing Risk with BiP.

  187. 187.

    PurpleGirl

    March 14, 2015 at 10:37 pm

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): OMG, I love the concept; I love the yarn colors and their names. And they sell their yarns at a store I know (and like) in Manhattan.

  188. 188.

    PurpleGirl

    March 14, 2015 at 10:44 pm

    @Corner Stone: One of the stupider commercials currently on. I’ve no idea what they mean by ‘commando’. And the people pulling down a bit of their clothes doesn’t add to understanding it at all.

  189. 189.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 14, 2015 at 10:55 pm

    @PurpleGirl: “Going commando” means not wearing undergarments.

  190. 190.

    01jack

    March 15, 2015 at 12:06 am

    @Gin & Tonic:
    So that’s really a thing?
    A commercial for TP, “If you’re not gonna wear pants you really need our product”?

  191. 191.

    rikyrah

    March 15, 2015 at 12:22 am

    How can conservatives be happy? They fear everything and hate everyone who isn’t them.

  192. 192.

    mdblanche

    March 15, 2015 at 12:33 am

    @NotMax: They’d better stay off the subway.

  193. 193.

    ruemara

    March 15, 2015 at 12:50 am

    @Geeno: My deepest condolences to you, your family and her friends.

  194. 194.

    CanadaGoose

    March 15, 2015 at 1:43 am

    @satby: Tried to order. Using US Paypal, shipping to a US address, it still wanted me to pay in Canadian dollars. That will not do. If you can figure out why and help me, I’ll try to order again.

    (First I had to set up a bloody etsy account which I didn’t want but I’m trying to be helpful here!!)

    Send me an email if necessary madeirapark (at) gmail.com

  195. 195.

    Matt McIrvin

    March 15, 2015 at 4:44 am

    @Gin & Tonic: We’ve seen a couple of those Met Live simulcasts… actually in one case I think it was a re-cast, not live. The thing I noticed is that the movie theater looked to be entirely filled with retirees, but the crowd in the audience shots at Lincoln Center was considerably younger, even including some kids.

  196. 196.

    Cervantes

    March 15, 2015 at 7:56 am

    @Geeno:

    My condolences. Here’s to her life, and all she made possible, and remembering her soon in better days.

  197. 197.

    Iden Hill

    March 15, 2015 at 8:08 am

    It’s the Kreuger-Dunning effect. Very,very stupid people are to stupid to know they’re very,very stupid.

  198. 198.

    opiejeanne

    March 15, 2015 at 9:26 am

    @satby: It could be the name. Skinluvvers does not suggest soap to me, and maybe it’s just because I’m a twisted individual, but it conjured up horror stories. (It puts the lotion on its skin.. )

  199. 199.

    opiejeanne

    March 15, 2015 at 9:42 am

    @satby: Despite my comment about the name, I intend to buy some as gifts. People have a lot of birthdays right about now, and your soaps are beautiful.

    In the meantime, I posted links to my favorites on Facebook, and I have quite a few friends who might be interested.

  200. 200.

    WereBear

    March 15, 2015 at 10:05 am

    @satby: I’ve put your store into my Tweet & Facebook queues with the Animal Rescue angle.

    Great suggestions here! And as far as marketing goes, we’re coming into farmer’s market season and I see lots of people selling their handcrafts that way.

  201. 201.

    Matt McIrvin

    March 15, 2015 at 10:53 am

    @rikyrah: Hate makes some people happy.

    I actually never questioned the original claims much, because it seemed to me that it probably would make you happier to be certain that you were right about everything, which is an apparent characteristic of most of the conservatives I’ve known.

    On the other hand, in some cases there seems to be an anxiety right under the surface (especially with the religious-right types) about whether they’re personally committed enough.

    And the fear is real, too. I listen to these folks now and there’s this palpable terror that ISIS or somebody is coming to get them that’s pitiable to hear.

  202. 202.

    Rook

    March 15, 2015 at 10:57 am

    So, once again, conservatives are proven to lie about everything!

  203. 203.

    gorram

    March 15, 2015 at 12:13 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Some people here do seem to be taking this that way, but I think there’s maybe something interesting that this indirectly is about. There’s been a lot of discussion in recent years (here and elsewhere) about common conservative thought processes being very vocal about certain feel-good ideals (people should follows the rules! and people should be happy!) but that things fall apart once the rubber hits the road.

    Especially among more powerful or wealthy conservatives it seems like cover for violating their own precepts – that they at least appear fair, appear unprejudiced, and appear happy. That’s my reading of the Romney family for instance, that they’re boiling over with anger and ideas about those they see as beneath them, but they know they can’t outright say most of those things (unless in the right company). That said, that class of conservatives have no monopoly on that way of approaching the issue. For less powerful ones this is maybe one of the reasons for their perpetual “resentment” – “I played by the rules and did what I was supposed to (at least for the most part) and didn’t get everything I wanted!”

    I just see this as more examples of that broader process playing out, and maybe an indication of why its so successful in certain peoples’ lives. They’re really just that good at building a false reality that certainly seems better that even social scientists who should know better accept it as true. Basically, they’re really convincing liars. I’m at a loss for how to shatter those illusions (and when and how we can and should do that), but that’s at least what I’m getting out of this thread.

  204. 204.

    pluege

    March 15, 2015 at 12:22 pm

    differences in self reporting are obvious:

    conservatives conflate happiness with egotism, narcissism, and self-absorbed arrogance, i.e., they’re in love with themselves

    Liberals, being endowed with empathy, cannot count themselves truly happy as long as there is suffering in the world.

    this is the fundamental difference: conservatives hate everybody except themselves, Liberals love everybody including themselves.

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