Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Tick tock motherfuckers!

People are complicated. Love is not.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

Let there be snark.

No one could have predicted…

The words do not have to be perfect.

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

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

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

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

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

I really should read my own blog.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

You are here: Home / Open Threads / You Yanquis throw a Heckuva Garage Sale

You Yanquis throw a Heckuva Garage Sale

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Did you know that in New England they call a garage sale or yard sale a “tag sale.”

I KNOW! I didn’t either until I asked ABC because I kept seeing these signs everywhere and when she told me what they were, I got totally excited because I am a total sucker for a yard sale. People are always throwing out really good stuff and a lot of the time they simply don’t know what they have. For example, I picked up this beautiful trunk to day for a mere fifty dollars. The inside is hideous, but that can be easily fixed:

ALL THAT AND IT HAD A KEY!!!!!!

Ann Burr served as the “key” model for this photo, but took all the other ones, so that is why the photography is good.

Also, for the second day in a row I received free coffee at the Dunkin Donuts! Yesterday I let a woman who was blocking traffic in front of me in the drive thru, so I let her in and she paid for my coffee and ABC’s strawberry donut. Today, I let another lady in and when I got to the window the clerk again told me that my coffee had been paid for and to hve a nice weekend. So I just gave the clerk my coffee money as a tip. Apparently small acts of kindness (or as I like to think of it, not being a sociopath and letting people get out of dangerous traffic situations) are greatly appreciated in these hear parts.

Spent the morning holding the ladder for ABC so she could remove shutters (I am terrified of heights and for obvious reasons do not do ladders), and now am off to wash the car for our trip tomorrow, and get some new wipers, and pick up some flea meds for Marmalade. You all have a good one.

Reader Interactions

165Comments

  2. 2.

    MelissaM

    Tag sale is a strange term. I assume it’s because you “tag” your stuff for sale, but to me, yard or garage sale make much more sense. The trunk is a real score! Usually those inside parts get separated/go missing.

  4. 4.

    Nappy

    John, I have one that looks very similar that came from my grandparents. For some reason I have always thought (I assume someone told me this once) it came from Europe with one of them around 1900.

  5. 5.

    Spanky

    So, latches on the ends and lock in the middle … What the hell are those other two thingys?

  7. 7.

    Wapiti

    My dad, who’s in the antique business, explained to me just in the last week that tag sales are those where the prices are set: garage sales, estate sales where things are pre-priced, etc. Other sales could be run as auctions, reverse auctions, or just pure haggling.

  9. 9.

    BG

    This is such a happy post. Love starting my day reading about “not being a sociopath”

  10. 10.

    Spanky

    I got totally excited because I am a total sucker for a yard sale.

    Dear Dog, don’t anyone tell Cole about Brimfield.

  11. 11.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Steeplejack: Sounds like a kitteh’s name, if you ask me. We also call tag sales, garage or yard sales. I scored a corner pine tv stand for $10 in June! Connecticut feels like NY suburb to me. And their highways have crazy left exit ramps.

  12. 12.

    Jim

    That key is common to all trunks of that era. You can always find a spare in a junk store.

  16. 16.

    Steeplejack

    I am having trouble with A.M. Joy this morning. Some weasel* from the Heritage Foundation is wheezing on about how the wonderful free market will pick up the slack after the vampire squid of Obamacare is removed from the economy. Joy is pummeling him with the Nerf bat of truth, yet he persists. Amazing how many ways he is finding to skirt the question: why wasn’t the wonderful free market doing an awesome job before Obamacare?

    * Tommy Binion, Director of Congressional Relations. Tagged his name so Villago can slot him for the tumbrel manifest.

  17. 17.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Great trunk! Are the fittings real brass? Anyway, it’s beautiful.

    You know we need to see a picture, or preferably multiple pictures, of Marmalade.

    Good on you for being a non-sociopath, and good on the other drivers for buying your coffee and doughnuts. Nutmeggers sound like nice people.

    So glad to hear you being all happy in your life. Have a good car trip and a safe Fourth.

  18. 18.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    My cousin’s one of those people who can pick out undervalued stuff at yard sales, then sell it for a good price on eBay. Not retire to Pago Pago money, but it’s a mildly profitable hobby. If, as his wife reminds people who express admiration for his eye, you don’t count the garage and basement full of “crap” or “collectibles”, depending on one’s POV.

  19. 19.

    Tinare

    @MelissaM: I always thought tag sale made more sense ’cause you’re not selling the yard or your garage. ? But we do call em yard or garage sales, or even worse — flea markets, where I’m from, so…

  22. 22.

    Mary G

    I learned that term from Martha Stewart and thought it sounded pretty snooty, but apparently it is just an East Coast term. When I got divorced I furnished my whole apartment with stuff from garage sales and a junk store on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena back when it was full of pawnshops and panhandlers and not all fancy like it is now. I still have a Turkish rug I got that smelled of pet pee that the guys who cleaned it for me offered me 14 times what I paid for it.

    The story of Cole the alleged curmudgeon getting his coffee paid for twice because he’s such a mensch is why I love Balloon Juice. We need a picture of Marmalade pls. I am thinking cat, too , but need to know.

  23. 23.

    planetpundit

    JC I have thata that trunk’s twin; have had it for 5o+ years. A friend’s father was Superintendent of the Great Northern RR for 40 years he used it when he traveled as luggage. The interior of mine is not as artistic as your’s :)

  28. 28.

    GregB

    If you make it up to NH there are a few routes that are chock full of consignment and antique shops. Route 101A from Nashua to Milford is one.

    Plus the Hollis Flea Market on Sunday is lollapalooza for horders.

    And yes Brimfield Mass.

  30. 30.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    I have a similar trunk – two actually, and I put a piece of glass on the top of one of them and used it as a coffee table for a long time. It should serve you well. Love the Dunkie’s story – no matter how many of them there are – and just let me say where I am (Boston) they’re everywhere – there’s a line. My theory is they put opioids in the grounds.

  31. 31.

    zhena gogolia

    What the hell part of Connecticut are you in with all these polite people? Must be Fairfield County.

  33. 33.

    Svensker

    Tag sale in NJ, too. Also called porch or stoop sales — because in those parts of NJ, people don’t have yards or garages.

  36. 36.

    MelissaM

    @Tinare: It’s all what your used to, probably. Another head waggling moment for me came when I learned Cheeseheads (folks from north of the Cheddar Boarder, aka Wisconsonites) call drinking fountains “bubblers.” I’m fine with bag/sack, soda/pop, but bubbler??

  37. 37.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Steeplejack: These people think they know how markets work, but they basically have no clue, because “markets” are actually a religion to them, not a social construct subject to social manipulation.

  38. 38.

    Eric U.

    @Villago Delenda Est: free markets work sometimes, but not in healthcare. A patient has just about zero choice. Well, we can fly to India, that’s about it. The providers know we will pay a lot of money to stay alive, and jack prices accordingly. This was an experiment started by Reagan, so we really don’t have that much experience with it.

    Pretty sure they are always called yard sales here in Central PA. A couple of years ago, we were riding bikes a long way, and it wasn’t supposed to rain. Started raining just before we got into this little town. Turns out they were having a town-wide yard sale. I blame them for getting wet. There are no yards in that town. I assume most of the buildings were built in horse and buggy days, there are a lot of Amish there to this day. And the local store has a hitching post that is still commonly used.

    My sister ran off with most of my mother’s antiques. Then she sold them when she got into a dehoarding stage. I used to resent the fact that she absconded with everything, but now I see it as a blessing. I have one family heirloom, a spool chest from grampa’s store. It’s a burden, and I wish I had more relatives on that side so that I could find someone to give it to.

  42. 42.

    Baud

    @Steeplejack:

    Some weasel* from the Heritage Foundation is wheezing on about how the wonderful free market will pick up the slack after the vampire squid of Obamacare is removed from the economy.

    The market for organ harvesting would be quite robust.

    Pro tip: Invest in livers.

  43. 43.

    Aleta

    Road trip with interesting kids, talking and joking or just overhearing them be themselves in the back, that part is fun.

  44. 44.

    Mnemosyne

    Sitting at a diner waiting for them to bring me my eggs and bacon. Today is the day our cleaning people come, so I had to stash the cats in the parking garage (inside my car, of course!) and wandered out for breakfast. After this, I’ll probably head to the Huntington. I’m going to try not to overdo it though — air quality is awful right now after a couple of wildfires.

  46. 46.

    Karen

    @MelissaM: called bubblers since when they were on in they slow bubbled water until you turned it up high enough to drink from; at least that is what I was told after living in parts of country where they weren’t called bubblers and the sweet innocents that children are to others who call things by a different name

  48. 48.

    ??‍? Martin

    Yeah, in MA I picked up a somewhat battered but repairable wooden ship trunk late 18/early 19 century for a steal. Shipped it home and after a number of weekends of work it now proudly serves as a coffee table and our bug-out box of personal effects – photo albums, etc.

  49. 49.

    p.a.

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: I went to a DD last week and didn’t get charged because the previous customer paid forward. There was no one in line before me! They did it ‘just because…’. I of course had to spring for a medium for the next person.

  50. 50.

    Roger Moore

    @Steeplejack:

    Amazing how many ways he is finding to skirt the question: why wasn’t the wonderful free market doing an awesome job before Obamacare?

    EMTALA, of course. This is the the same basic dodge Free Market absolutists will always use when presented with examples of the market screwing up: we’ve never had a market that’s truly free from some kind of government intervention. That means they can always point to whatever minimal regulation was out there as justification for why the market didn’t work. There’s literally no case you can point to that they can’t ignore that way.

  51. 51.

    TriassicSands

    @Baud:

    Is that big enough to fit a body?

    Probably not to fit the body we need to fit in it — not talking murder, merely comfortable transportation out of the US to the dictatorship of her or his (ahem) choice. And the interior is more than tasteful enough for the occupant I have in mind.

  52. 52.

    Greg Ferguson

    It is a fucking joy to hear you happy, Cole! Bless ABC! And Dunkin’, and anyone else who is supporting you…

  53. 53.

    Gvg

    Ok I have been wondering since your last post from up there why they were called nutmegers, since I thought the tree was tropical and wouldn’t grow there. I looked it up on Wikipedia, and the answer surprised me. Guess people have always been cynical gossips.

    Connecticut received its nickname (“the Nutmeg State”, “Nutmegger”) from the claim that some unscrupulous Connecticut traders would whittle “nutmeg” out of wood, creating a “wooden nutmeg”, a term which later came to mean any type of fraud.[16]

    I have also lost the pie filter in both mobile and desktop modes on iPad safari.

  54. 54.

    Uncle Cosmo

    The UK are =;^D much enamoured =;^p of boot sales, which only rarely involve the vending of anything so simultaenously intimate and practical as a pair of boots. Apparently the custom grew up at a time when most of them lacked a yard for a yard sale or a garage (pronounced gehr-ahzhe) for a garage sale, so they loaded up their autos & drove to the nearest vacant lot & sold the junk en masse out of the boot, which is Britspeak for the compartment at the rear of the vehicle.(acknowledged by their distant cousins the Can-Eh-Jens in their own peculiarly North American term for the event, trunk fair).

    (NB I love the British lexicon for driving – pardon, motoring – matters. Two peoples separated by a common language, indeed!)

  56. 56.

    normal liberal

    @??‍? Martin:
    The secondary bug-out use is brilliant-now I’m regretting the small trunk I had as a kid, which I’m sure my parent disposed of in, yes, a garage sale.
    Although if you have to bug out on foot, there may be drawbacks…

  57. 57.

    Steeplejack

    The Tour de France started today. It’s my usual TV daytime wallpaper every July. Gorgeous scenery, and the commentators maintain an almost golf-like level of quiet civility unless disaster strikes—which it does, occasionally. Good background media.

    Not much to see today, though: individual time trials in rainy, cold Düsseldorf (63°F/17°C). Several riders have taken a spill on the slick pavement. Tomorrow is Düsseldorf to Liège.

  58. 58.

    Aleta

    A small initialed deerhide trunk was in my mom’s attic, along with the 1830s trapping diary of the relative it belonged to. Too late I found that clothes moths and carpet beetles had come along with it, and they denuded it. (How come denude doesn’t mean to clothe or cover?)

  59. 59.

    Big Ole Hound

    See what happens when you leave WV in the rearview. Folks get polite and other civilized shit in BLUE New England.

  60. 60.

    pamelabrown53

    @??‍? Martin:
    Your trunk sounds beautiful, Martin. Great place to store photo albums, too. Would love to see a pic or 2! Any before and after?

    Just finished hanging my mounted, framed butterflies after adding a few, so had to come up with a new arrangement. They make me smile every time I pass by them.

  62. 62.

    Luthe

    @zhena gogolia: You obviously don’t live in Fairfield County. ;)

    Well, the northern part is ok, but the southern part is rich asshole territory.

  67. 67.

    Noncarborundum

    @Svensker: Strange. I grew up in New Jersey but I don’t know that I ever heard the term “tag sale” until I moved to the Boston area. For that matter, most of the signs around where I live (western suburbs) refer to yard sales, not tag sales.

  68. 68.

    gene108

    @Steeplejack:

    why wasn’t the wonderful free market doing an awesome job before Obamacare?

    It was. Per right-wing talking heads of 7-8 years ago America had the greatest healthcare system in the world, before Obama screwed it up.

  70. 70.

    Arclite

    Hmm, I grew up in CT and we always called them garage sales. Also I had a trunk like that as a kid.

  71. 71.

    Heidi Mom

    @MelissaM: In Cumberland County, PA, there’s a town called Boiling Springs, because of the natural springs around the area, and their high school teams are called, I kid you not, the Bubblers. Points to them for not insisting on a super-macho name, I guess.

  73. 73.

    geg6

    Yard sale or garage sale here in Western PA, depending on whether you have a garage or not. My sister’s neighborhood, which is pretty upscale, has a big one every summer where you can score some awesome stuff.

  74. 74.

    MomSense

    In Maine they are usually called yard sales and sometimes garage sales. A tag sale is a rare occurrence up here.

  75. 75.

    normal liberal

    @p.a.:
    I call bullshit on Harvard’s map. I grew up in Chicago and central Illinois, and it was always “drinking fountain.” The water is assumed.

  78. 78.

    MJLiberal

    MomSense

    Thanks – saw them in New England years ago, but when DD came to CO – everyone thought I was crazy.

  80. 80.

    Murmeltier

    Hi there, lurker joining the fray. Geeno is my spousal unit, & told me what “a snarling pack of vitriolic jackals” you all are. He also praised the quality of the front pagers & commentariat. So now I get the FB feeds so I know what the heck he’s talking about.
    Anyway, nice find, John! I used to have a trunk just like that.

  81. 81.

    Mnemosyne

    Repeating an offer I made last night — if anyone is doing Camp NaNoWriMo starting today and would like to join a Balloon-Juice cabin, drop me an email through my linked website or send a Gmail to Mnemosyne dot muse. So far it’s me and Miss Bianca, but I have emails out to a couple more people I know from the site.

  82. 82.

    Mnemosyne

    @MomSense:

    You! You should join me and Miss Bianca for Camp NaNoWriMo (assuming you have time, of course). See info above. The nice thing about Camp NaNo is that you can have a flexible goal — you’re not required to write 50K in 30 days as with regular NaNo.

  85. 85.

    Another Scott

    Nice trunk. My dad had something similar (maybe bigger) from his time in the Navy. Didn’t have the psychedelic lining though. ;-)

    In other news, via Attackerman on Twitter, DB: IC fears Donnie will give away the store on meeting with Vlad:

    Their misgivings highlight concern that Trump’s inexperience and Putin’s ability to flatter will slowly degrade the U.S. alliance with Europe over time, and boost Moscow back to near-superpower status while extracting no changes to its aggressive, expansionist behavior.

    Trump’s administration has been dogged by investigations into Moscow’s calculated campaign to influence the 2016 presidential elections in Trump’s favor. Before he became president, Trump fawned over the “real leader” in the Kremlin who he hoped would become his “best friend,” and he couldn’t quite make up his mind whether he had ever met Putin.

    In the White House, Trump has been reluctant to publicly blame Russia for the election hacking, while showing no such reticence in publicly rebuking NATO allies for not investing enough in their own defense.
    “If Russia hacked, if Russia did anything having to do with our election, I want to know about it,” he told NBC on May 11, despite his own Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats telling lawmakers on the same day that “only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized the 2016 U.S. election-focused data thefts and disclosures, based on the scope and sensitivity of the targets.”

    That’s partly why some European officials remain wary of any rapprochement between Trump and Putin, despite pledges by Pentagon chief Jim Mattis this week to increase resources to protect NATO members—and despite the Trump State Department re-upping sanctions against Moscow over its annexation of Crimea and continued military interference in Ukraine.

    “There’s definitely some anxiety overseas. They are worried about a deal that may be struck in the meeting on the fly,” said Brookings Institution’s Thomas Wright of his conversations with European officials. “Putin is very good at these first meetings. He has an agenda and knows how to maneuver people. If Trump isn’t prepared, the longer he stays in the room, the more dangerous it is.”

    Given the way Donnie behaved with the Russians in the Oval Office, their concerns are justified.

    Reuters: Merkel issues warning to Donnie

    The G20 Summit is July 7-8.

    (sigh)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  87. 87.

    Karen

    @p.a.: interesting, all I knew was paternal side of family called them bubblers and rest of relatives laughed; when got to CA in grade school no one had ever heard of them called bubblers. But at that time San Jose was new and most of the children went to school with were from other parts of world

  88. 88.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Steeplejack:

    Gorgeous scenery, and the commentators maintain an almost golf-like level of quiet civility

    Phil Liggett is, IMO, the best English-language sports announcer/commentator, regardless of sport, period.

  91. 91.

    Karen

    @Gin & Tonic: @Karen: well, this is first time have lived this far east; I swear most of the people here in Maine sound like they are talking with mouthful of mashed potatoes. That my hearing lose is genetic doesn’t help, cause even when used hearing aides all it did was sound even more like mouth full of mashed potatoes

  93. 93.

    Another Scott

    @Karen: Patheos, perhaps?

    Trump Preparing Giveaways for Putin?

    July 1, 2017 by Ed Brayton 22 Comments

    Donald Trump is set to have a one-on-one meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, something his advisers have told him not to do, at a summit this coming week. The Guardian reports that he has told his staff to come up with things he can give away to Putin as concessions for….no one knows for what, actually.

    […]

    The Guardian piece cited doesn’t use the term “give away” or “giveaway”, but the gist is there.

    SmartyPants at WaMo also too.

    It has the potential to be yet another disaster for the USA, just as McConnell and the rest of the Teabaggers try to ram their horrible health bill tax cuts and policy and benefit decimations through the Senate (and consequently through the House).

    We’ve got to fight them every single day and not get distracted.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  96. 96.

    Mnemosyne

    @Steeplejack (phone):

    I haven’t been using it as often as I should — hence the doing of Camp NaNo to try and jump-start my book — but I really like it when I do use it. It’s very handy having a laptop-like thing with a touchscreen, and I feel a lot less nervous toting it around than I do with my MacBook Air. If something disastrous happens to it, I’m only out $300, not $1,500.

  97. 97.

    Aleta

    Trudeau today:

    At the heart of Canada’s story are millions of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. They exemplify what it means to be Canadian: ambitious aspirations, leadership driven by compassion, and the courage to dream boldly. Whether we were born here or have chosen Canada as our home, this is who we are. …
    We also recognize that for many, today is not an occasion for celebration. Indigenous Peoples in this country have faced oppression for centuries. As a society, we must acknowledge and apologize for past wrongs, and … continue to build our nation-to-nation relationship with the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nation.
    Our efforts toward reconciliation reflect a deep Canadian tradition. … Our job now is to ensure every Canadian has a real and fair chance at success. We must create the right conditions so that the middle class, and those working hard to join it, can build a better life for themselves and their families.

    David Simon‏@AoDespair All due respect from a land of stunted aspiration, leadership driven by fear and avarice, and the cowardice that dares no collective dream.

  98. 98.

    The Lodger

    @p.a.: Portland, OR isn’t on the map but the city’s n etwork of free drinking fountains is called the Benson Bubblers, after the man who had them built.

  103. 103.

    scav

    The French (at least in the south) seem to call them Vide Greniers (empty attics, presumably using the verb) if affectionados of the genre travel there.

  105. 105.

    efgoldman

    Did you know that in New England they call a garage sale or yard sale a “tag sale.”

    Almost all the signs tacked to telephone poles around here, call ’em “Yard Sales”. (“yahd sale”). The ones advertised in the local weekly paper are usually estate sales, often with more expensive stuff. When we were first marries ~40 years ago, we saw a Royal Doulton complete china service for 12, including serving pieces, for $75. We didn’t have $75 to spare in those days.

  107. 107.

    pamelabrown53

    @Another Scott:
    Thanks for the “smartypants” link. Here’s what makes me beyond nuts: we know , Russia, i.e. Putin, interfered with our election. What the we, the people, don’t know is how extensive and how deeply Trump’s campaign colluded with Putin. If Trump was innocent (beyond being duped by promises of yuuge Trump signs all over Russia) wouldn’t he be trying to kick Putin’s ass? The disconnect is freaking me out.

  108. 108.

    efgoldman

    @MelissaM:

    call drinking fountains “bubblers.” I’m fine with bag/sack, soda/pop, but bubbler??

    New England,. too. Pronounced “bubblah”

  109. 109.

    Laura

    @Gin & Tonic
    @trollhattan:
    @Gin & Tonic:
    What you said. Phil is cycling!
    Got to agree with the both of yous. The spouse is an avid/rabid bike racing fan. Today starts the annual up before dawn TV watching marathon and finishes with the evening wrap up.
    Me, I love when big, messy Bobke joins Phil in the booth.

    And like Karen, I had the same dress with the print inside JC’s nifty trunk. Steve’s gonna love it as the replacement for the cd box.

  110. 110.

    efgoldman

    @??‍? Martin:

    in MA I picked up a somewhat battered but repairable wooden ship trunk late

    I still have a couple of my dad’s Army footlockers from the 1950s. Goddamned things are indestructible, held together by multiple coats of olive drab, khaki and black paint. I think mrs efg uses them to store linens

  111. 111.

    pamelabrown53

    @Aleta:
    Thanks, Aleta, for the excerpt from Trudeau’s speech: he reminds me of President Obama who routinely appealed to our better angels. He shares his vision of an inclusive society, whereas Trump routinely foments not only division but validates the worst of the worst.

  114. 114.

    Mike in NC

    I married an antique shop addict. We’ve done numerous road trips in New England, Pennsylvania, Virginia, etc. Last week it was Dade City and Micanopy in central Florida. In the fall we’re going to the Brimfield Fair for a few days.

  116. 116.

    Skepticat

    What a great find, although apparently someone stole the extra wallpaper from my childhood bedroom for the lining. (No wonder I often had nightmares.) A Yankee (having lived primarily on the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts for most of my long life), I seldom if ever heard the term tag sale; yard sale and garage sale are more familiar to me. That said, whatever they’re called, they’re great resources for treasures such as this trunk, though they’re probably also partially responsible for our tendency to be hoarders.

  118. 118.

    japa21

    @efgoldman: It’s also a bubbler in Wisconsin, but pronounced correctly. I think it got its name from the early version where the water came up from the middle and just sort of bubbled out.

  119. 119.

    efgoldman

    @japa21:

    I think it got its name from the early version where the water came up from the middle and just sort of bubbled out.

    The public fountains in parks and playgrounds (as opposed to school corridor ones) “bubbled” constantly; the water never turned off. I suspect it was partly for sanitary reasons, partly to keep the pipes from freezing, partly to avoid constant repairs on the valves.

  120. 120.

    germy

    The more things change, the more things stay the same. I’m rereading an essay collection by Robert Benchley (written under the pseudonym ‘Guy Fawkes’) “The Wayward Press”.

    Press criticism from the 1930s.

    A description:

    Fawning celebrity stories drew his ire, e.g., trivia dealing with John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford. Editorial homage by the Times and the World — “to give the greatest possible value to their respective classes” — was blatant free advertising. He often exposed advertising masquerading as news.

    Elsewhere, Benchley documented the shameless mixture of manufactured news and advertising ballyhoo into stories for auto and boat shows. Benchley deplored the Journal’s use of Nelson Harding (a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner for editorial cartooning) as an illustrator for a boat show advertisement.

    Poor writing, doctored photographs, bogus news accounts, sloppy makeup and questionable quotes, especially, roused Benchley. He questioned quotes “that we think do not ring true and we do not believe them to be accurate quotations.” Examples appeared regularly in ‘The Wayward Press’ to illustrate Benchley’s contention that “reporters and rewrite men put words into the mouths of their characters which no one would ever say.”

    He deplored the press performance during the Lindbergh kidnapping trial. He wrote the “decline in the standards of journalism, and this decline was nothing short of a debacle.” Benchley cited the Times, the collective Hearst press the tabloids, the Herald Tribune, the World-Telegram, the Post and Editor & Publisher for printing “incredible stories — we cannot even read them through without nausea.?” The lack of “integrity of news gathering” during the Lindbergh trial, Benchley wrote, “was a mockery of a profession of which some people used to be very proud.”

  122. 122.

    Major Major Major Major

    @germy: yeah, I feel like people who bemoan the current state of the media as some sort of fall from grace share a malady with other various groups who mistake pockets of relative postwar sanity with ‘normal’.

  123. 123.

    NotMax

    For the “shocked, shocked” file:

    Churches should have the right to endorse political candidates and still keep their tax-free status, say House Republicans targeting a law that prohibits such outright politicking from the pulpit.

    …With little fanfare, a House Appropriations subcommittee added a provision that would deny money to the IRS to enforce the 63-year-old law to a bill to fund the Treasury Department, Securities and Exchange Commission and other agencies.
    [snip]
    The bill specifically forbids the IRS from spending money to enforce the law against “a church, or a convention or association of churches,” unless the IRS commissioner signs off on it and notifies Congress.

    The bill doesn’t mention other types of non-profit groups, or even synagogues or mosques, said Nick Little of the Center for Inquiry, which promotes secularism.

    All they care about is the Christian groups, and in particular, it will end up as the extreme religious right Christian groups,” Little said. “If this goes through, this would add just another way in which unregulated dark money could be used.” Source

  125. 125.

    pamelabrown53

    @Another Scott:
    Agree. I’ve been following Nancy LeTourneau for years. What made me an avid reader is how she always tries to elevate the discourse. At times she’s written about her spiritual influences, I.e., Reinhold Niebuhr. I believe that is the nexus with her connection with President Obama.
    Thoughts?

  126. 126.

    john fremont

    @Steeplejack: This gets back to the question Jim Wright at Stonekettle Station was asking a few weeks ago. Why do these guys have to keep reassuring us that the free market will provide health insurance to everyone that needs it? Why do they care? Some people don’t have Netflix or Cable TV subscriptions because it’s gotten too expensive. Are conservatives quietly conceding that health care is a service that everyone should be able to have regardless of ability to pay?

  128. 128.

    pamelabrown53

    @germy:
    OMG, Thank you, germy for that info. It supports my belief that Robert Benchly is one of Hollywood’s underappreciated talents. He was a great satirist who used his clout and $$$ he earned as a character actor to fund and star in satirical shorts.

  129. 129.

    efgoldman

    @NotMax:

    Churches should have the right to endorse political candidates and still keep their tax-free status, say House Republicans targeting a law that prohibits such outright politicking from the pulpit.

    BULL! also SHIT!
    They want to be political actors, let them pay fucking taxes.
    As it is, many of them have skirted, and many have gone over, the line.
    Burning at the stake as fucking heretics is too fucking good for some fucking people.

  130. 130.

    germy

    @pamelabrown53:

    He was a great satirist who used his clout and $$$ he earned as a character actor to fund and star in satirical shorts.

    Out of principle Benchley resigned from Vanity Fair, when his good friend Dorothy Parker was fired for writing an unflattering review of actress Billie Burke (wife of producer Florenz Ziegfeld). And when his boss, Ernest Gruening, was unjustly fired by Tribune publisher, Ogden Reid, Benchley resigned in protest. In short, Benchley was a man of principle, with professional integrity.

    From what I understand, Gruening was fired simply for having a German last name. This was during the first world war; during that period’s own anti-immigrant hysteria.

  131. 131.

    NotMax

    @pamelabrown53

    Word was that his schedule in Hollywood was to arrive on the sound stage at 10 and finish up by 2 in order to be able to belly up to the bar by 3.

    Nice work if you can get it.

  133. 133.

    Karen

    Just had friend on facebook pose the question whether or not dolt would start war before his powers to do so were taken away; since a few of her friends are rabid dolt worshippers the comments should prove intereting.

  134. 134.

    germy

    @NotMax:

    Churches should have the right to endorse political candidates and still keep their tax-free status, say House Republicans targeting a law that prohibits such outright politicking from the pulpit.

    Alright then, let’s get the Unitarians going door to door for the next Democratic presidential nominee.

  139. 139.

    pamelabrown53

    @NotMax:

    Not sure what you’re saying. Are you providing a fact, a judgment or both?Too many of our artists succumbed to addictions and other destructive behaviors. I just wonder if some of them didn’t acquire the requisite armor to live a long life. Instead, they were incandescents who were both brilliant and flawed. No role model for living life but contributed to the rest of us despite their destructiveness?

  140. 140.

    Sab

    @Skepticat: In NE Ohio we have tag sales and garage and yard sales. The tag sales are mostly estate sales run by professionals in the deceased’s home. I think it’s to take advantage of the garage/yard sale exemption from sales tax.

  143. 143.

    Ruckus

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    In 1970 we took a buddy to LAX, he was going to boot camp for the National Guard. At the luggage conveyor there was a young man loading each bag. Anything that looked like civilian luggage got picked up and placed on the conveyor. All duffle or seabags got an overhead slam down onto the conveyor. Talk about bad luggage handling.

  144. 144.

    Another Scott

    @pamelabrown53: She’s got a good background for talking about politics and how it affects real people. It’s not all “RahRah Go Team” when it comes to politics the way it is for so many people – she walks the walk.

    I don’t recall how I came across her – maybe it was at BoomanTribune, when I read things there more regularly (he seemed to mention her blog fairly regularly). Since then, I’ve always liked her level-headed writing. I was pleased when she got occasional guest posts at WaMo and even more so when they picked her up as a daily contributor.

    Her “ImaSmartyPants” tongue-in-cheek handle was icing on the cake. :-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  145. 145.

    RobNYNY

    @MelissaM: The old porcelain ones in my middle school did make a gurgling sound, not like the modern metal ones that squirt jets of water.

  146. 146.

    ruemara

    Sink is fixed. And the kitchen is filth. The roommate has decided he’s prepping to move so I get to unfilth the kitchen, bathroom et al. This is very stressful.

  147. 147.

    Another Scott

    @efgoldman: Johnson Amendment – Repeal Efforts:

    Efforts to repeal the Johnson Amendment have been criticized for a number of reasons. One concern is that political campaign contributions funneled through 501(c)(3) organizations would be tax-deductible for donors, and that such contributions would not be disclosed, since churches are exempt from reporting requirements required of other 501(c)(3) organizations. Under this critique, repeal would have the potential of creating a mechanism where political contributions could be made in violation of relevant campaign financing laws.[20][21][22] Polls have shown that majorities of both the general public and of clergy oppose churches endorsing political candidates.[23] The National Council of Nonprofits released a statement opposing the proposed repeal legislation.[24] Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofits, foundations, and corporations has also stated their opposition to the proposal to repeal the Johnson Amendment.[25]

    (Emphasis added.)

    Tax deductible secret political contributions, overwhelmingly for one side of the political spectrum, would be the obvious intended result, and of course it would be a disaster.

    Donnie and his kids must have figured out a grifting angle for his “foundation” and as well.

    The Wiki link above says the Johnson Amendment was uncontroversial at the time – no votes or arguments against it. Times certainly have changed… :-(

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  150. 150.

    MomSense

    @Mnemosyne:

    I really should! I need to go find a cabin in the woods for two weeks in Washington County where there is no cell service, wifi, or cable and just write.

  152. 152.

    geg6

    @glory b:

    Hopewell Township, Beaver County. I forget the name of the development, but will give you a heads up when it happens. And no problem with black people. Although there are Trumpsters in the neighborhood, black families live there, too.

  153. 153.

    d58826

    @Another Scott: The meeting should be short and sweet:
    Vald – Pleasure to meet you, again, Mr. President
    Der Fuhrer – I have a list of things to discuss but first KEEP THE H** OUT OF OUR ELECTIONS. If we see in as so much an ‘I Like Ike’ bumper sticker on one of your vehicles we will sanction every thing up to and including the Bolshoi Ballet.
    Have a good day. Bye

  154. 154.

    glory b

    @geg6: Every now and again, I go to Monaca for woek, so I’m kind of vaguely familiar with the area.

  155. 155.

    d58826

    Not an original question but what kind of ‘Christians’ are we raising in this country? The House has delayed passing a budget, again. Why – they can’t agree on how much to cut food stamps.

    Now with a moments though it does have a grim logic. When malnourished folks w/o medical ins. get sick they are more likely to die quicker. The Allen Greyson plan!!

  156. 156.

    Mnemosyne

    @ruemara:

    Your landlord should be paying to do that, IMO. When we had a toilet back up (just water, thankfully), the management company sent rug cleaners to steam-clean the bedroom carpet so it didn’t get moldy.

  157. 157.

    d58826

    Well so much for giving the first lady the benefit of the doubt

    First lady Melania Trump on Friday blasted comments from MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski, saying the “Morning Joe” co-hosts “don’t know me.”
    In an interview with InStyle magazine released Friday, Brzezinski said that “Melania’s got the worst job in the country” and was doing it for her young son.
    “I’m just telling you, Melania’s got the worst job in the country and I don’t think she wants do it a lot longer. I think she will do it for as long as she has to for her son, and that’s it,” Brzezinski said.
    The first lady responded in a statement through her press office to multiple outlets on Saturday, criticizing the “Morning Joe” co-hosts for using her to “further their own agenda.”
    “It is sad when people try to further their own agenda by commenting on me and my family, especially when they don’t know me,” the statement read.

    Grown from the same low growth pond scum as her husband.

    http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/melania-trump-responds-to-mika-brzezinski-you-dont-know-me/ar-BBDx4sX?ocid=spartandhp

  160. 160.

    jake the antisoshul soshulist

    That size trunk was often called a “Steamer Trunk” because it would indeed have been used a baggage on a steamship.

  164. 164.

    Murmeltier

    @d58826: I’m not sure if you should blame or thank Geeno for that one. After 26 years, I just have to go w/ the flow.

  165. 165.

    satby

    @Murmeltier: You’re probably one of the only people Cole has personally welcomed to the blog. ABC really is mellowing our guy. Another sign of the happy that makes me happy for him!

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