Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

I also would like a pony to improve my balloon juice experience.

Republicans in disarray!

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

‘Museums aren’t America’s attic for its racist shit.’

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

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

White supremacy is terrorism.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Republicans would impeach Biden if he bit into a whole Kit Kat rather than breaking the sections apart.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

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

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Feet Bleat (Open Thread)

Feet Bleat (Open Thread)

by | 223 Comments

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I’ve never been a “girly girl.” I’m one of probably five straight women south of the Mason-Dixon Line who does not wear makeup.

I’ve never had a manicure. Never had a pedicure. Never been to a spa and have absolutely no desire to go.

But the other day a product came to my attention that promised to restore users’ feet to a state of baby softness, and I was interested!

I go barefoot most of the time, so my feet can use all the help they can get. The product in question looks like a pair of “toe socks,” but the inside of the socks feature a rubbery material supposedly impregnated with foot-friendly minerals and oils.

So, I bought a pair and wore them for the prescribed two hours. My feet felt pretty good at first! But it turns out I’m allergic to some substance that infused the socks.

So now my feet are scaly, rash-covered, itchy, leprous-looking appendages that can barely propel me around the house. Goddamn it!

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

223Comments

  6. 6.

    Skepticat

    Consider trying Johnson’s Foot Soap. It’s a tad old-fashioned, but then again, so am I (not to mention just old)–and I swear by it.

  10. 10.

    jharp

    Go walk in the ocean. Best damn thing you can do for your feet

    I recall getting a herpes whilst visiting Florida over spring break many years ago.

    Swimming in the ocean cut the healing time in half. Literally half. I shit you not.

  11. 11.

    HumboldtBlue

    This is why I no longer do rash things or act rashly.

    Medical bills are a bitch and I just received a letter from Anthem that my monthly premium will rise from about $180 per month to $918 per month. This country is so fucked. Back to hoping my eyesight doesn’t get any worse, hope has failed so far, but hey, at least I paid a few thousand dollars to never find out (how’s that 5k deductible working out? That was an awesome way to get a monthly premium out of my poor ass but still make it prohibitively expensive for me to see a doctor).

  12. 12.

    Yarrow

    That sounds awful.

    the inside of the socks feature a rubbery material supposedly impregnated with foot-friendly minerals and oils.

    Do you know if you have a latex allergy? It’s not uncommon and perhaps the “rubbery material” has some latex.

  14. 14.

    Mike J

    When you bathe, make sure you put on plain old socks before you put on your underwear. This is a common vector for athelete’s foot becoming jock itch.

    While this is probably not that fungus, you want to minimize chance of spreading, especially to places where it would be very uncomfortable.

  15. 15.

    donnah

    I’ve never done those things either, Betty. I’m sorry you got burned, so to speak. I’ve decided that I yam who I yam and don’t care about the same stuff everyone else does. And I stopped caring what other people think about me, too. So liberating!

    Hope your feet heal up soon.

  16. 16.

    Starfish

    I am so sorry, Betty! I am sensitive to whatever is in the hemp hand lotions. The store people are very “but it is natural” as if foxglove and brain eating parasites are not parts of nature.

  17. 17.

    Kathleen

    @Baud: That has a campaign slogan vibe. It might attract the highly desirable yet elusive, economically anxious white working class voters you should be lusting after.

  20. 20.

    Yarrow

    @Mary G:

    Mani/pedis are fun, you should try them once you heal up.

    They’re really relaxing, especially if they have the massage chairs. You can just do the pedicure part if you don’t want the manicure. Even Cole gets pedicures.

  22. 22.

    Kathleen

    @Starfish: Wow. Sorry to hear that. I have issues with most hand lotions because they cause my hands to burn or break out, especially when my hands are cold and dry in the winter. I have had great luck with Body Works Hemp Cream. Their Rose hand cream not so much. The only other one I can tolerate is Gold Bond.

  24. 24.

    J R in WV

    I got a tropical fungus while in the USN, has reoccurred for nearly 50 years now. Pills, even, sometimes… argh!

    No pix?? that great new Coolpix could document the pain and suffering, then you could ask for a refund x 10 $$$ to fix the tiki bar.

  25. 25.

    zhena gogolia

    I’m bummed out too, as the coat I bought on rush order because I thought it would be warm enough for Chicago but not as bulky as my regular coat arrived today — and I can’t even get the zipper to work. It’s a piece of Trump. But I guess I should be happy my feet are okay. (It’s Orvis, by the way — they used to be very reliable but I think something’s happened.)

  30. 30.

    Mary G

    @Yarrow: I am also not a girly girl, but mani/pedis are self-care. I don’t even get the polish, I just like the soaking and callous removal and massage.

  31. 31.

    mai naem mobile

    That sounds painful. If you ar. E go f to do a soak I would do use a couple of betadine in a small tub(like those pink hospital tubs.) And I am saying betadine not iodine. The rust colored liquid they use during surgery.

  35. 35.

    acallidryas

    It’s for the best. If you’re going barefoot in Florida you need those calluses you’ve developed to protect against crab grass, broken pieces of shells in the yard, 200 degree pavement, and those spiky burrs on everything.

  38. 38.

    Fair Economist

    @HumboldtBlue: Because of the bizarre pricing changes which Trump’s mismanagement has caused, particular healthcare insurance plans have often soared in price. However, there is generally a different plan which will be a much better deal. Shop around before you pay.

  39. 39.

    Davebo

    I’m an over fifty guy, from Texas. And I gotta say, go get the mani pedi!

    Any guy who says he hates them haven’t had one. Plus you’ll be supporting your local Vietnamese community!

  41. 41.

    Kathleen

    @donnah: Yup. I don’t wear makeup either and am not stylish. My daughter in Tampa on the other hand is a girly girl who always wears makeup, styles her hair, and coordinates her wardrobe. She also loves to “camp”, which I consider a four letter “c” word, and she’s totally apolitical. I sometimes wonder if she’s my daughter. Don’t get me wrong – I love her dearly and she will always be my “baby” (she’s now 44).

  43. 43.

    cynn

    I have horrible toe fungus; I always wear closed shoes, which probably makes the problem worse. I have been tempted to soak my feet in a formaldehyde solution, since that was the only way to get rid of the awful plantar warts I had in high school. No good ventilation, though.

  44. 44.

    FlyingToaster

    This is where store samples are a freaking requirement.

    Before we buy a lotion, we go stand at [fill in the blank] and try it. If neither I nor WarriorGirl break out, then I buy one and we both try it for a few days. Hereditary atopy (primary symptom: atopic eczema, yeccch) is a bitch.

    She mangled her feet for her birthday, so I’ve been making her do the white-sock and safe lotion thing occasionally to make them heal up. WarriorGirl sympathizes with you.

  45. 45.

    Kathleen

    @Mary G: I’m with you. Not a girly girl, but mani/pedis are must have. I’m also fussy about my hair, as I am currently in “hair despair”. It feels like my scalp has given birth to a mutant alien spawn of Rand Paul and Donald Trump.

  46. 46.

    raven

    @jharp: When I surf fish I get what I think is Athletes foot. I get a big crack in between my little toe and it hurts like hell. I’ve googled the hell out of it and find no answers.

  51. 51.

    Kathleen

    @cynn: I had that when I was training for marathons. A manicurist suggested soaking in bleach. I never did that so I can’t testify to its effectiveness. Since I quit distance running the fungus has gone away. Good luck with that.

  52. 52.

    raven

    Thousands of Georgia Power customers were without electricity Monday night in downtown Atlanta.

    And that includes the SkyView attraction at Centennial Park.

    According to the company’s outage map, 4,757 customers were in the dark at 6:35 p.m.

    A spokeswoman for the company said power should be restored quickly.

    “It’s going to sound a little crazy, but a crane was picking up a heavy dumpster with trash and other materials and it fell on the (power) line,” Holly Crawford told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

  53. 53.

    Mary G

    A happy bit from NY Mag: Paul Manafort Will Not Be Allowed to Take Off His Ankle Monitor.

    Their trial isn’t set to begin until May 2018, but cabin fever is already setting in. Over the weekend, Manafort’s attorney, Kevin Downing, filed a motion in the United States District Court in Washington D.C. requesting bail and offering up several homes, including his Trump Tower condo, as collateral. Downing argued that Manafort isn’t a flight risk, in part, because his offshore accounts don’t have much money in them, and the majority of his assets are in the U.S. He added that despite his characterizations in the media, Manafort isn’t “a 68-year-old ‘Jason Bourne’ character.”

  54. 54.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @raven: In the PNW, if you go hiking in the mountains, you carry a short length of fiber with you. If you get lost, bury the fiber, and a backhoe will find it.

  57. 57.

    ruemara

    @raven: That is a great documentary

    Edited to reflect that I don’t really care for manis, because that cuticle stripping thing ALWAYS messes up my fingers, but I’m in love with pedis. They just aren’t allowed to cut my toenails. I don’t know who started that strange style of overgrown nails jutting from your feet, but unless you’re using them to carve footholds in trees, they are gross.

  58. 58.

    Kathleen

    @raven: Yes! I really enjoyed it.
    Dumb question, but are you wearing shoes when you fish? Obviously I know nothing about surf fishing. Have you tried putting Vaseline on your foot and covering it with a sock when you go to bed?

  59. 59.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Just when I think humanity is almost completely dreadful, I’m reminded of how amazing we can be… thanks HB.

  60. 60.

    Kathleen

    @ruemara: What I found especially interesting was as huge as the business is the mainstream press (surprise), particularly business publications, don’t seem to write about it (shock). I also enjoyed watching the yearly competition.
    OT, but someone needs to do a biopic of Madam CJ Walker. What a fascinating woman.

  62. 62.

    Mnemosyne

    @raven:

    Most power companies have a wall featuring the last remains of the various squirrels that have taken out their transformers or power lines. Your local one probably does, too.

  63. 63.

    Mnemosyne

    Also, the only hand cream I can use is Aveeno Eczema Care. Anything else irritates my hands more than it helps them.

  64. 64.

    narya

    I’ve never had a pedicure and have zero desire to do that; one manicure (only because friends urged it on me before a wedding) and never again for that.

    I use aloe for nearly anything skin-related.

  65. 65.

    DanR2

    Judging by the drawing, the lawnmower accident feet need to be rubbed with isopropyl alcohol to remove any remaining irritants.

  66. 66.

    Mnemosyne

    @ruemara:

    When I get a manicure, I tell them to only push back my cuticles and not cut them. They think I’m nuts, but I’m the customer and I tip well.

  67. 67.

    germy

    My wife buys pure shea butter. It comes in thick chunks. She cooks it up with some other ingredients and pours it into jars. When it cools it becomes a soft lotion.

    It’s great for the skin and scalp, and smells nice. (Most perfume smells bother me, but shea has a nice, earthy aroma)

  69. 69.

    Gin & Tonic

    Had my colonoscopy/endoscopy today. At last I can eat.

    Unfortunately, something about the anesthesia wasn’t right, so I have clear memories of the doc shoving the instrument up my ass. Didn’t feel much, but a distinct sensation of being shoved around. Not pleasant at all. Ultimately found and removed four polyps, pretty normal for me.

    On the bright side, I came home and slept the sleep of the dead.

  70. 70.

    TenguPhule

    @Mary G:

    Downing argued that Manafort isn’t a flight risk, in part, because his offshore accounts don’t have much money in them

    Pull the other one, its got bells on.

  71. 71.

    Emma

    Late to the conversation but really, a good mani-pedi is a great foot and hand protector. Do NOT go to a nail-only factory shop. Get your hairdresser to recommend someone.

  72. 72.

    ruemara

    @germy: I do that too. I make custom blends of shea, coconut oil and essential oils. If I like you, i make you good shit.

  76. 76.

    TenguPhule

    @germy:

    He should be made to wear a cone of shame, as well.

    With the accompanying high explosive attachment to prevent him from trying to remove it.

  77. 77.

    debbie

    In a different time, I got weekly manicures and monthly pedicures. You haven’t lived until you’ve walked home in winter wearing flip flops. I moved back to the Midwest, didn’t see any place that I thought looked like I could trust it (one of my cousins got that flesh-eating bacteria thing after she let someone cut her cuticles), and just haven’t bothered since.

  78. 78.

    Gin & Tonic

    From the NYT story on the Rand Paul altercation: “The senator grows pumpkins on his property, composts and has shown little interest for neighborhood regulations.”

    Everyone who is surprised at that last phrase, raise you hand.

  80. 80.

    NotMax

    Strictly out of curiosity, anyone here a member of (or know someone is) the TCM Wine Club?

    Not something I have any interest in joining, it’s more that each month that passes the wines they tout seem less and less appealing. Frankly, the whole thing has always struck me as a ‘let’s slap a new label on a wine already being marketed and call it special’ type of operation.

  82. 82.

    germy

    @ruemara: She’s been blending shea and coconut. Lately she’s been using beeswax also. I love the smell of pure shea butter! As does our cat for some reason.

  83. 83.

    Humdog

    @HumboldtBlue: and I know so many people in Humboldt County who do have medical issues but cannot find anyone local who can/will help them. I’ve been working worth a team of doctors and it took three years for a diagnosis. Then I find no one local can help with one of the two things needed to help cure me. I have insurance and have spent $33K in three years just on copays, coinsurance, and prescriptions not covered by insurance. Anthem is the only real game in town.
    Really, healthcare is the only real drawback for living in this redwood paradise as far as I am concerned. If my family gets less healthy we may simply have to move, but I have loved it here for 26 years.

  86. 86.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Baud: Speaking from experience? You will certainly have some interesting tidbits to share with the American people during your first SOTU.

  90. 90.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @NotMax: Speaking of TCM, they’re running “Casablanca” on big screens across the country this coming weekend.

    I’ve never seen it on a wide screen so I’m catching the Sunday matinee.

    People may remember how cool it was when they ran “North by Northwest” this summer.

    You can find where it’s being run in your locality at this (link)

  91. 91.

    Emma

    @Mnemosyne: My manicurist would never consider cutting cuticles unless it’s loose or threatening a hang-nail. It’s not done in “current practice” or so I am told.

  92. 92.

    JPL

    @Gin & Tonic: I’m shocked, just shocked. If it’s a gated community, they could have fined him. If Paul lived next to me, I’d buy round-up and take care of those vines growing on my side. When I first heard about the altercation, I assumed it was about dog poop.

  94. 94.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Gin & Tonic: Libertarian to a fault. Thankfully he has that good government health insurance he’s trying to keep away from the rest of us peasants.

  99. 99.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Humdog: Yes. I was due for followups on both, and specifically asked to have this done. Only one prep period then. I’m assuming they used a different scope on each side.

  102. 102.

    jl

    @Patricia Kayden: I don’t believe the stuff about the Paul/Neighbor fight being over politics or adultery. Clearly, only something like leaves and compost blowing across property lines could spark something like that.

    First thing I thought of was that there is a famous economic theorem (the Coase Theorem) that libertarians misapply that proves (proves!) that a fight like this can never happen. Property rights are are well defined, and voluntarily agreed to neighborhood property owner community regulations govern blown garden refuse. If these did not suit Rand Paul and/or Neighbor, they would negotiate things out in a gentlemanly way, and make some side payments. And arrive at a libertarian paradise!

    I notice Krugman has a funny tweet about it.

    Edit: Coase himself was not a libertarian and did not apply his theorem the same way libertarians do.

  103. 103.

    No Drought No More

    Which begs the question: just what is the criteria a Florida woman must meet before she’s considered a “swamp thing”?

  104. 104.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady): Yes, I’m glad it’s over. I have no recollection of them saying anything, but this doc also likes to have music on.

    I guess I’m glad they sedated me correctly when they were putting screws in my arm. I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have wanted to feel that.

  106. 106.

    Silent no more

    Totally off topic, but I’m hearing that the finger-displaying biker in DC got fired from her job. I wish I could offer her one.

  108. 108.

    WaterGirl

    You know how on the award shows they honor people who have died during the past year? So-and-so, actor, flip to the next photo of so-and-so, director. I want to see that for all the traitors who get caught up in the Russia scandal.

    Paul Manafort: money-laundering, treason, theft, lying under oath, sentenced to 14 years. Flip to the next photo… I’m sure there’s a song out there that would be an appropriate backdrop. I predict 200 people or more.

  111. 111.

    NotMax

    Speaking of feet, still waiting for mine to stop growing. Used to wear an 11½, now some 13s are almost tight.

    Really suspect what the sizes themselves represent have changed over the years.

  113. 113.

    TenguPhule

    @Gin & Tonic:

    “The senator grows pumpkins on his property, composts and has shown little interest for neighborhood regulations.”

    So Rand Paul was rotten on his property.

  115. 115.

    TenguPhule

    @Mike in NC:

    Wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Rand Paul was operating a puppy mill for pit bulls child sex slave ring in his basement.

    Corrected for accuracy.

  118. 118.

    TenguPhule

    @JPL:

    When I first heard about the altercation, I assumed it was about dog poop.

    Presumes a Rand Paul is capable of holding affection for dogs not in evidence.

  119. 119.

    Corner Stone

    I commented in another thread that I think If Rand has any principles he will bear the entire cost of medical costs personally. I want to know if he price shopped around for an ER or Doctor who would reset his ribs and inspect his lungs to see if they had collapsed.

  120. 120.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @jl: Libertarians are utter idiots who demonstrate, repeatedly, that they know nothing of human nature, and have zero self awareness of their own natures.

  121. 121.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @ruemara: I just tell them I don’t cut my cuticles and they’re fins with that.
    I am not girly at all, and I was surprised to discover what a treat manis & pedis are. I’ve gotten to be kind of a regular at the place where I go and it’s become fun. One day I’d picked out a kind of subtle taupe and was waiting for my tech to get her tools. The (wife) owner walked by and took it off the table; she said “it’s spring; go pick a color.” So I did.

  123. 123.

    Major Major Major Major

    Well, after an hour and a half meeting, I am pessimistic about my new project. It reflects the usual lack of ontological clarity from management, which is doom for any sort of library-like tool. I suppose we shall see. The actual nuts and bolts are straightforward.

  128. 128.

    Yarrow

    You know how on the award shows they honor people who have died during the past year? So-and-so, actor, flip to the next photo of so-and-so, director. I want to see that for all the traitors who get caught up in the Russia scandal.

    Paul Manafort: money-laundering, treason, theft, lying under oath, sentenced to 14 years. Flip to the next photo… I’m sure there’s a song out there that would be an appropriate backdrop. I predict 200 people or more.

    @WaterGirl: I think Motorhead’s “Traitor” would do nicely as an accompaniment. Link.

    You stand accused of treason, you offer no good reason
    You are a bloody liar, yours is the stake the fire,
    You say you are innocent, but you be caught and spent
    And now you pay the price, for avarice, your vice
    Intrigue your sole desire, you sold your wife, your child
    You sell your oldest friends, you sold your countrymen
    And yet we know your name, traitor, traitor

    And now your face is shown, and so your fate is known,
    We have discovered you, we have uncovered you,
    You say you were led astray, fall on your knees and pray,
    Pity is not for you, we’ll make things hot for you,
    Our hearts we make to harden, for you there is no pardon,
    For you the spike awaits, upon the traitors gate,
    And crows will eat your eyes, traitor, traitor

  132. 132.

    PST

    @Gin & Tonic: Congratulations on having nothing but polyps. I had my scoping last week with similar good results. But there was a bonus when I read the report. I had scored a 9 on the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS). At first I felt bad, figuring it was a 10 point scale and my colon had been less than pristine. And it is a 10 point scale, but scored 0 to 9. I was perfect! I haven’t been so proud since the SAT scores came out.

  134. 134.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @WaterGirl: I so hope you are right about the numbers and also hope you are well. And all your critters and your lovely garden.

    PS – has your email changed?

  137. 137.

    lgerard

    Even I get a pedicure every few months

    Of course, it is done by an elderly podiatrist at a hospital, so I guess it is not the same thing

  139. 139.

    Mnemosyne

    @Humdog:

    Rural healthcare is always going to be tough, because the market is so small. Even Canada has issues getting healthcare delivered in the more rural provinces.

  140. 140.

    barb 2

    Classical symptoms of latex contact allergy. I know because I had my feet on a pad that had been infused with latex — the red dots turned to blisters and then sores. I’ve been going to a wound clinic for a year because I couldn’t see the bottom of my feet. I only knew they hurt. Now I’m super sensitive to anything latex — and I can’t walk until my feet heal.

    Throw those socks away! NOW! I’ve researched this and talked to lots of people who have a latex contact allergy. The red dots and itchy feet are classical allergy symptoms. There is a Benadryl spay for itchy skin — use that on your feet to stop the allergic reaction. Keep that for the next time you have a reaction. Latex is not listed on a whole lot of consumer goods which use the horrible junk. Be thankful you did not have the socks on your feet longer than two hours.

  141. 141.

    NotMax

    @JPL

    Apparently he does.

    The attack was a shock for the community in Bowling Green, where a neighbor says he would often see Paul and Boucher out walking their dogs on the normally quiet streets.
    [snip]
    …Both of them walked their little dogs at about a mile and a half circle, a nice little dog trot. I’d see them out walking, maybe they might stop and speak with each other.” Source

  142. 142.

    NotMax

    FYI.

    The small city of Bonn, Germany was inundated with thousands of delegates today for this year’s UN climate summit. Over the coming two weeks, negotiators will hammer out the rule book for the Paris climate agreement reached two years ago.

    The VIPs will not arrive until next week for the intensive final days of the summit. But already, the politicians are gearing up for a battle between people claiming to speak for the United States.

    …President Trump is sending a small delegation to Bonn that will try to continue to shape the rules of the agreement.
    [snip]
    For the first time ever, the United States did not set up a pavilion at this year’s UN summit – the only developed country not to do so. But a rival group of US governors, mayors and business leaders, called the We Are Still In coalition, is opening a “US Climate Action Center” pavilion on Thursday. It is led by California Governor Jerry Brown and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
    [snip]
    All of this means there will be two competing US delegations at this year’s summit, which has left people wondering who really speaks for the United States.Source

  145. 145.

    jl

    @NotMax: Most will favor the group that had the immense business know-how, managerial talent, ingenious foresight, PR savvy, and sheer will power to up a stinking pavilion.

    Edit: I heard a news report that said the Trumpster’s will give a presentation at the conference that will show how, actually, believe it or not, coal, is the solution to both world energy and climate problems. I wonder whether that was a joke that got into the news report by mistake. If true, might make a good front post.

  146. 146.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    PoliticsVideoChannel‏ @politvidchannel

    Trump tells Japanese dignitaries he never knew there were ‘so many countries’ until he was elected

    70 replies 102 retweets 84 likes

  148. 148.

    jl

    @NotMax: ‘little‘[!?] dogs. Rand Paul has a little yappy dog?
    I guess Rand is the one who will take the really big dumps around the house, thank you very much.

  156. 156.

    TenguPhule

    @jl:

    I heard a news report that said the Trumpster’s will give a presentation at the conference that will show how, actually, believe it or not, coal, is the solution to both world energy and climate problems.

    And if its Mike Perry, the solution to the world’s sexual assaults too.

  158. 158.

    Millard Filmore

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Interesting that so far, Wikileaks has no involvement in the Paradise Papers.

    Maybe they were offered and refused, or they have a copy but the originators didn’t see them published so re-released them to a different party.

  167. 167.

    Mary G

    I tried to read a bit of Carter Page’s testimony where he was being questioned by Adam Schiff and I had to stop. What a bozo (with apologies to bozos everywhere). This doesn’t sound good for somebody:

    #CarterPage transcript for #TrumpRussia invest. is up. You should know:-Met w/ Gazprom/Rosneft-Clovis made him sigh NDA (knew of trip)— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) November 7, 2017

  171. 171.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @Kathleen: It an amazing difference seeing classics not only on a big screen but also in a communal setting.

    I saw Citizen Kane a number of times and then I saw it on a big screen in college with a full house and it was just so different: the infectious humor, the shared darkness; somehow the pace of the movie was faster.

  174. 174.

    Mary G

    @Major Major Major Major: I have never been able to read even one of his “short” columns all the way through. When he was popular for going after GWB I could never figure out why, so many other people did it so much better and shorter.

  180. 180.

    Betsy

    Oh no! I hope your feet heal soon.

    Props for making me laugh through your pain with the cute MSPaint drawing. You sure have a resilient sense of humor.

  182. 182.

    Mart

    Man that reads like a Cole I broke my body for no good reason post, minus a few fucks. Being “sensitive” to elixirs, I try a small dab to see if it takes off. Of course that only applies when I remember to be safe…

  185. 185.

    Amaranthine RBG

    @jl:
    There’s no trade in an externality like leaf litter or unpemitted compost heaps or whatever, plus transaction costs involving real estate are high so that likely prevents Pareto efficiencies.

    Plus, I’m still betting on the jilted lover angle for Paul and his “””neighbor”””

  187. 187.

    Millard Filmore

    @Cheryl Rofer: As someone around these parts here (BJ or DKOS) said recently, “you get what you negotiate for”. You will do better if you join a union!

  190. 190.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    “Trust me, I’m, like, a smart person.”(pointing to his temple) Jan 21, 2017

    Trump tells Japanese dignitaries he never knew there were ‘so many countries’ until he was elected. Nov 6, 2017

  191. 191.

    jl

    @Amaranthine RBG: The Coase theorem is a negotiated solution to externalities. Low tansactions costs in this case because they walk their little yappy dogs together and have plenty of time to time. What is crucial is that property rights seem to be very clearly defined.

    Coase theorem = no fight could possibly have occurred (at least if you are a libertarian). It must be Fake News.

  193. 193.

    Kathleen

    @Yarrow: I’m sure NPR will give this the thoughtful, factual, context and coverage the topic deserves.

    Oh, who f**k am I kidding.

  194. 194.

    satby

    @Starfish: could be you’re allergic to the hemp itself (not unlikely if you have any allergies to plants), but it could also be the preservatives. @Yarrow: petroleum jelly and lanolin (ick)
    @debbie: you guys are killing me

  199. 199.

    Yarrow

    @satby: Yeah, but it has worked for several people I know when nothing else did, from natural oils to fancy lotions. I always think it’s worth a mention for that reason.

  202. 202.

    Rugosa

    @cynn: I have Smelly Feet. [Shameful confession emoji] I use an antiperspirant on my feet and the problem is minimized. It may help with your fungus problem by drying up the environment. Get an unscented product if you think allergy is a problem – fragrances/perfumes can be very irritating molecules.

  206. 206.

    satby

    @Yarrow: before I started making stuff I used it for my eczema. It was ok for the scaly skin once the blisters broke open, but I had continued outbreaks. But I’m allergic to animals, so the lanolin was the problem there.
    @FlyingToaster: this is the right idea really. Because everyone can develop allergies to anything at any time test, test, test.

  210. 210.

    MoxieM

    Living in the land of cracked winter hands (ouchie!) I highly recommend Carmex–the little pot of greasy junk. It’s great for the cracks that you get along the sides of fingernails. My other personal recommendation for that hurty condition is plain old Chapstick. Yes! it works (wax and some kind of grease, probably petroleum based.)

    Even better, you can keep on in the car, and use it while stopped at a light. Both soothing and curative.

    For rubber-foot-reaction I could not say, but have you tried taking a Benadryl just to see if the swelling & itch subsides? Years ago my mom dove into a nest of red jellyfish (off the coast of CT, those are the kind that sting), and she ran home and took Benadryl. She probably also drank a Gin & Tonic, but I’m pretty sure she ascribed her reduced reaction to the Benadryl.

  212. 212.

    Rugosa

    @germy: Hi germy,

    Does she have a recipe she can publish? or is this secret lore? I have sensitive skin and make up my own potions with oils and butters.

  213. 213.

    satby

    @Rugosa: there are recipes all over the internet and Pinterest for shea butter and other whipped butter concoctions. Just Google and pick what appeals to you.

  214. 214.

    mainmata

    Having worked in Indonesia for a long time, massages are wonderful and therapeutic both mentally and physically.

  220. 220.

    Aaron

    A guy here: I use my cordless dremel with a sanding drum occasionally to reduce the build up of dead skin on my underside of my feet.

  222. 222.

    ljdramone

    @ThresherK:

    What’s the over/under on number of theaters with Neo-Nazis in the audience singing along with Horst Wessel Lied?

    The German song that gets drowned out by “La Marseillaise” in Casablanca is actually “Die Wacht am Rhein”(“Watch/Guard on the Rhine”), not the Horst Wessel Song. “Die Wacht am Rhein” was composed in the mid-19th century, and was an unofficial German national anthem from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 through 1945.

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