Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“But what about the lurkers?”

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

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

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

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

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Second rate reporter says what?

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

“Squeaker” McCarthy

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

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.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Come on, man.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

After roe, women are no longer free.

I really should read my own blog.

“More of this”, i said to the dog.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Infrastructure week. at last.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Saturday Morning Open Thread: Cold Moon

Saturday Morning Open Thread: Cold Moon

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From the Washington Post:

The year’s final full moon rises Saturday evening. Its nickname, the “Cold Moon,” is apt for the first full moon of winter, and it will be bright in the night sky.

The 13th full moon of 2018, “the cold moon gets its name because December is the month when it really starts to get cold,” according to NASA…

This year’s Cold Moon will also be brighter than normal. This is because the full Cold Moon is coming during perigee. Perigee is when the moon is at or near its closest approach to Earth. When the moon is far off, it is in apogee. Perigee also causes higher-than-usual tides, which are ongoing and anticipated in the days ahead…


One positive note, for us sane not-Republicans:

Reader Interactions

209Comments

  1. 1.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Debra J. Saunders
    ‏Verified account @debrajsaunders

    Talking to reporter [Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley] said, “I don’t know that Sen McConnell is concerned about the country.”
    8:38 AM – 21 Dec 2018

    285 replies 553 retweets 1,555 likes

    HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA

    Now they’re attacking each other

  2. 2.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Blech.

    Good thing I called Healthcare.gov yestermorn. Spent better than an hour on the phone with Tony but I got that hash straightened out. Now all I have to do is send money.

  4. 4.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Manu Raju
    ‏Verified account @mkraju
    16h16 hours ago

    A source familiar with meeting between Trump and Senate Rs told me “it did not go well” because Trump had no endgame

    “He dug in. But doesn’t have a plan, offered no numbers.” Trump also tried to get Rs to go nuclear to change filibuster rules, but McConell said it wouldn’t happen

    241 replies 1,822 retweets 4,523 likes

    Drumpf’s usual endgame is to declare bankruptcy and leave his suckers holding his bad debts.

  7. 7.

    platonailedit

    Repeat this ad nauseum.

    It's official. The government has shut down for the third time in a year.

    Republicans still control the White House, the Senate, and the House.

    — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 22, 2018

  9. 9.

    satby

    @NotMax: Good morning ?
    Both my sisters’ birthdays were in September, one week apart exactly. I never did the math until I was older and my father had said of one that “she’s such a happy person because she’s 2/3 bourbon”. She was about 12 at the time, so I knew he hadn’t meant literally.

  10. 10.

    OzarkHillbilly

    An Amazon customer got a grim message last year from Alexa, the virtual assistant in the company’s smart speaker device: “Kill your foster parents.”

    The user who heard the message from his Echo device wrote a harsh review on Amazon’s website, Reuters reported – calling Alexa’s utterance “a whole new level of creepy”.

    An investigation found the bot had quoted from the social media site Reddit, known for harsh and sometimes abusive messages, people familiar with the investigation told Reuters.

    The odd command is one of many hiccups that have happened as Amazon tries to train its machine to act something like a human, engaging in casual conversations in response to its owner’s questions or comments.

    The research is helping Alexa mimic human banter and talk about almost anything she finds on the internet. But making sure she keeps it clean and inoffensive has been a challenge.

    Who’da thunk it?????????????

  18. 18.

    CarolDuhart2

    @NotMax: Not surprising. Lots of off time, and not a lot outdoors to do. Even now, with holiday activity in full force, most people have Christmas and NYDay off, with the urge to sleep in-one way or another. Add bourbon…and we have a lot of September and October babies.

  20. 20.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Platonailedit: Life happens.

    @raven: Yep. Had it all done 2 weeks ago then Thursday I got an unexpected lump sum disbursement that changed everything. In the process we also spotted a mistake I had made that would have come back to bite us in the ass too.

  21. 21.

    Mary G

    I have never liked Republicans, but these assholes are a whole ‘nother thing. The “fuck the little people” is out loud and proud these days. I want them crushed in 2020.

  24. 24.

    Plato

    Two people have been arrested in connection with a string of drone sightings that brought Gatwick Airport to a standstill.

    A 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman, from Crawley, were arrested in the town at about 22:00 GMT on Friday.

    Flights had been grounded for more than a day, affecting about 140,000 passengers, after drones were seen near the runway.

    The airport has since reopened and flights are operating on schedule.

  25. 25.

    Lapassionara

    @Plato: my nym almost types itself, so long as I am on iPad instead of phone. It’s the email address that takes some time.

    Good morning, everyone.

    Is Festivus over already? I still got some grievances to air.

  26. 26.

    JPL

    The democrats really need to run ads with trumps quote taking responsibility for the shutdown. This being a day that ends in y means that whatever the president does, it will be unsettling. Stay alert.

  29. 29.

    Sab

    Our horrible next door slumlandlord managed to sell the property before full winter blew the waterpipes. Plus he sold to an owner not a landlord. New owner is young. Hopefully she will be okay with the goat clearing project. I love goats.

  31. 31.

    Schlemazel

    @NotMax:
    I went to school with a girl named “Noel”. In high school someone joke if she had been born in December & was a Christmas gift. She said no, her birthday was in August. You could see the wheels turn for a moment . . . “Well maybe I was”

  34. 34.

    Cermet

    That so many live pay-check to pay check means this will cause large credit card debt (damn fucking banks will be happy.) Still, the fever needs to break one way or another. The low life’s (i.e. average dumb ass white men) will need to see their welfare checks (the SS disability) stop before they howl like the racist piles of stupidity they are and then, the orange fart cloud will see his base support steadily evaporate. Then the real panic will set in and we can watch that as wipe piece of used toilet paper back down and suffer the humiliation that will really erode his base in a manner that will frankly, leave a mark on this 6 -year old’s ego.

    This will weaken the grip the repitlian party has on the senate come 2020 when the fart cloud is swept away in another (alas) small blue wave.

  35. 35.

    Frankensteinbeck

    Presumably Nancy has a bill ready to be voted on as soon as she takes power, in case this isn’t resolved first. I wonder what it looks like, and whether her caucus has seen it?

    It’s unlikely to come to that. Trump has no willpower, and people are going to keep yelling at him and saying in public that he messed this up. I’m wondering if Ryan and McConnell didn’t hand him a clean bill and make him sign because this is the part of dealing with a spoiled asshole where you make them say out loud they can’t always get their way, to reduce further tantrums.

  37. 37.

    CarolDuhart2

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: But winter is winter, even when there are no winter holidays. People stay in more and sit by the fire instead of going out, and there is snow in Korea, so perhaps a few snow days there too.

  39. 39.

    Gvg

    I think his current stuck on the wall mode comes from him wanting to get back to the cheers from his base at those rally’s when he said we will build the wall. He craves adoration like an addiction. Right now, every body is yelling at him. He doesn’t understand those rally’s were just a small percent of the country, even among his supporters.

  45. 45.

    debbie

    @satby:

    I was one of those, though it was more likely scotch than bourbon. Not at the holidays, though; my parents and their friends absolutely loved to party.

  48. 48.

    debbie

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I heard yesterday that Amazon collects the tapes from customers’ Ring (a video doorbell thing) and is sending them back to the developers in Ukraine so they can “train” their algorithms to be more accurate.

  50. 50.

    p.a.

    I really can’t see this heading anywhere but to a war with some “small, piss-ant country” to try to salvage the situation.
    S. Johnson: “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.”
    Internet wag: “Patriotism is the first refuge of the scoundrel.”

  52. 52.

    A Ghost To Most

    @Sab:

    Hopefully she will be okay with the goat clearing project. I love goats.

    Mountain goats would be right up your alley. We sometimes drive up high just looking for goats.

  53. 53.

    Immanentize

    Hello all!

    A bit more Christmas shopping this weekend. Also, more cookie baking! On Monday, I pick up this fabulous Buche de Noel that a local bakery makes. It is chocolate cake rolled with raspberry jam filling with a mocha frosting. Looks like a log, too, complete with merangue mushrooms. I’m already loosening my belt….

  54. 54.

    Immanentize

    @p.a.: I like Bob Dylan’s version best:

    They say that patriotism is the last refuge
    to which a scoundrel clings
    steal a little and they throw you in jail.
    Steal a lot and then they make you king.

  55. 55.

    Schlemazel

    @Immanentize:
    I have made a couple of those but fill with pastry cream. They are a lot of putzy work, I can’t imagine they are cheap. Still delicious and a great way to celebrate – enjoy

  56. 56.

    Immanentize

    @Schlemazel: I got it because the father- and brother-in-law will be decending from Texas for a week with us. They have probably never seen one, so –Treat!

  62. 62.

    SFAW

    @Plato:

    Eta: hey, it worked. Fucking tired of typing nym every 5 minutes.

    Then find a different ee cummings poem to reference, ya wimp. Because dropping the “nailedit” kills that ref.

    Or are you just going through your Shitgibbon-thinks-he’s-the-bestest-most-smartestest-“person”-EVAH phase, and think you really ARE on a par with Plato?

    ETA: Of course, if you still want to stick with the cummings ref, picking “WTSherman” or “GenSherman” wouldn’t be bad.

  65. 65.

    Immanentize

    @p.a.: “You Sweetheart You,” from Infidels.

    ETA normally I would post the link, but my linker seems broke on my phone this morning….

  71. 71.

    debbie

    @Schlemazel:

    I’ve watched Martha Stewart and Mary Berry make them. “A lot of work” is an understatement! I doubt I’d last long enough to sculpt the mushrooms.

  72. 72.

    Cheryl Rofer

    Looks like my (and others’) admonitions about “super moons” being a load of nonsense have been heeded. Or the media just got tired of the meme.

    This year’s Cold Moon will also be brighter than normal. This is because the full Cold Moon is coming during perigee. Perigee is when the moon is at or near its closest approach to Earth. When the moon is far off, it is in apogee. Perigee also causes higher-than-usual tides, which are ongoing and anticipated in the days ahead…

  73. 73.

    p.a.

    @Immanentize: Ever check out Theme Time Radio Hour, hosted by Dylan? Still available online, file under ‘American musicology 101.’ Don’t know how much he was involved in the programming, but it was a really great production.

  77. 77.

    lamh36

    @lamh36:

    Alright Aquaman review: A- ! James Wan and Jason Mamoa may have single-handedly revived DC’s prospects in this comic movie game…if they keep doing stuff like Wonder Woman and Aquaman…they might just have a chance against Marvel, esp since so many of the original Avengers are leaving.

    Anyway…things I liked MAMOA!!! He somehow, some way has found a way to make Aquman, Arthur fuq’n Curry….BADAZZZ!!!! No offense to Aquaman before Mamoa, but he was kinda lame, a member of Justice League, but still KINDA lame. No more… there is nothing lame about Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman…hell, he mananged to make that darn green and yellow suit go from lame to HAWT, HAWT, HAWT!!!

    If you like DC Comics and you love comic book movies, and you want to see a movies that just fun with STUNNING visuals…go see Aquaman you won’t regre it! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/95aa967e68fe3f67fe6776152f09b1847fe3ee8d8b57bdaca13e20a3d82316a6.jpg

  79. 79.

    lamh36

    @lamh36:

    My 2nd movie of the night was Bumblebee. I had no plans to see Bumblebee. I mean, I liked the Transformers cartoons as a child, and the first couple of Micheal Bay movies was ok, but I didn’t see the last 2 and had no interest in this one. But I saw Aquaman with my cuz and he was going to see Bumblebee right after Aquaman in theatre on the other side of town, so with my AMC A-list I was able to add the movie and reserve my seat next to my cuz. I’d heard folks say really good things about Bumblebee, so I figured I’d enjoy it, but I never expected to enjoy it as much as I did. It had heart and a great story, and aside from John Cena hamming it up…I really enjoyed the action sequences and the more emotional moments!

    Bumblebe gets a DEFINITE A from me! Best Transformers movie of the bunch!

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/24994eb667f752b66685950020cccca6a5d1984a4c3dcbad5f08fa9d0ae8b730.jpg

  82. 82.

    waratah

    @Immanentize: My sister sent a photo of one of hers last night. She ordered three for different family Christmas dinners. I thought I might see if I could find one this morning. They are rare in my part of Texas but I have seen some.

  84. 84.

    CarolDuhart2

    @Sab: Check out Cinci and Cleveland local bakeries. Lot of German/Austrian/Polish influence there.

    You got me thinking about my October birthday. My dad used to work construction, but wasn’t a skilled (electrician, plumber) one. Construction was slow during December and January-only indoor work was being done. Guys did get some sort of bonus around Xmas time, so plenty of time to hang out as well.

  85. 85.

    germy

    @Plato:

    Test for shorter nym.

    Eta: hey, it worked. Fucking tired of typing nym every 5 minutes.

    That’s why I dropped the shoemangler.

  86. 86.

    Immanentize

    @p.a.: no, but I will. Thanks.

    One of my favorite Dylan things is this odd televised? Version of The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol which is one of my favorite songs.

    the ladder of law has no top and no bottom

    But what’s great is the setting — it’s supposed to be in a lumber camp bunkhouse? What? Men smoking pipes, writing letters, reading, pin ups on the walls. It’s friggin brilliant.

  87. 87.

    Sab

    @Immanentize: I had my sign up interview day before yesterday, six weeks after I went to the office to sign up in person. Hopefully the paperwork procesed before the shut down.

    This sucks for all the routine federal workers just doing their jobs.

  88. 88.

    germy

    @lamh36:

    Anyway…things I liked MAMOA!!! He somehow, some way has found a way to make Aquman, Arthur fuq’n Curry….BADAZZZ!!!!

    Justice League was a crappy movie, but Mamoa was great. There’s a scene where he accidentally sits on Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth, and starts getting in touch with his feelings about their mission, shit talks each other member, to their amusement and his embarrassment (when he realizes what’s happened).

  89. 89.

    Plato

    maga.

    News that the White House had ordered the Pentagon to draw up plans for a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan provoked widespread criticism that the move would kneecap efforts to broker a peace deal to end America’s longest war.

    But there was one group on Friday celebrating the reports — the Taliban.

    Senior members told NBC News the news was a clear indication they were on the verge of victory.

    “The 17-year-long struggle and sacrifices of thousands of our people finally yielded fruit,” said a senior Taliban commander from Afghanistan’s Helmand province. “We proved it to the entire world that we defeated the self-proclaimed world’s lone super power.”

  90. 90.

    Immanentize

    @lamh36: Thanks, Lamh! Mamoa is interesting generally and I think DC finally figured out their dark avenger crap was getting old. Glad to hear they are learning! I will probably see it next week.

  91. 91.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Immanentize: Good morning! Your buche de noel sounds yummy. I’m late to the game, but wanted to congratulate Immp on his acceptance to Rice. My elder son went there too (mid aughts) and it’s a great school and beautiful campus. Helping him move into his dorm in August freshman year was an experience: I never had to breathe liquid air before. Houston gives HUMID a whole new meaning. But back to the point, well done to both of you!

  92. 92.

    Immanentize

    @debbie: oh Debbie, you are making me relive my past! Hoho’s or Ring Dings daily.

    Also, your comment about your parents liking to throw a party? I used to say that Julie and I wanted to raise the Immp like I was raised — by well dressed parents with cocktails in their hands. “Go run outside and play.”

  93. 93.

    lamh36

    @debbie: I keep my claim on Idris! But I reserve the right to challenge for Mamoa if a time comes when I’m done wit Idris (i.e. never??)

  94. 94.

    Brachiator

    @NotMax:

    More Babies Are Conceived Over the Holiday Season Than Other Times of Year

    I presume that the Texas/New York differential is due to people using birth control.

  95. 95.

    Immanentize

    @Sab: I just had my in-person interview for Global Travel pass at DHS. The agent told me that I should get the card in 10 days, unless the Government shuts down. They have to work without pay…. I felt very bad for them.

  97. 97.

    Amir Khalid

    @Immanentize:
    I remember reading William Zantzinger’s obit about a fortnight before Obama’s inauguration in 2009. Zantzinger remained a nasty piece of work all his life.

  98. 98.

    Immanentize

    @O. Felix Culpa: Thank you. He is really excited and so am I. The other schools he applied to are all R-1 research universities. I think he wisely chose the school with the best undergraduate focus and programming. He can go to an R-1 for his master’s, etc. Or he can go start up some new business and make huge buckets of cash so he can take care of me in my dotage.

  99. 99.

    debbie

    @Immanentize:

    My parents and their friends once threw a party where they rented a bunch of horses and rode, drinks in hand, throughout the neighborhood. City Hall was unamused by the “materials” they left behind them.

    I remember many stories of hangovers. Later, when I had my own, I couldn’t figure out how they dealt with them and with kids.

    ETA: My youngest brother was my mother’s favorite. She would buy 12-packs of HoHos just for him. He would hide the box; we other kids of course found them and “borrowed” from the box. One of the most piteous sounds in our house was the wail of my youngest brother when he opened the box and found only crumpled-up wrappers.

  100. 100.

    lamh36

    @debbie: @germy: @Immanentize:

    Forgetting Mamoa’s hotness…the movie was visually stunning. I mean it’s 90% underwater yet it was effortless. I saw it in Dolby Digital…and there was time like you felt like you were underwater (in a good way). There were literally so many scenes where my cuz and I were in awe of the visual effects. I mean there is no need to even try to “get past the VFX”. it’s an underwater kingdom…ain’t no way you couldn’t do it without special effect!

    Much as i live Mamoa … he no “actour” (say it with a haughty british accent ?) and neither is Amber Heard, but James Wan obviously knew the limits and range of his stars and made a movie to fit their skills!

    The VFX battle sequences and ALL the underwater stuff was EPIC!

    Well done Wan and company!

  103. 103.

    Corner Stone

    @lamh36:

    But I reserve the right to challenge for Mamoa if a time comes when I’m done wit Idris

    Jason Mamoa is smoking hot. Just typing his name makes me throw my panties at the computer screen.

  104. 104.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Immanentize: There is huge benefit in going to a school that actually likes and cares about undergraduates. He chose well. I lucked into such a university and was shocked when I attended grad school at a certain institution in Cambridge (not the tech school, the other one) at how much contempt the faculty had for all students, especially undergrads. Maybe just my benighted department, but still…. I also remind my sons that their future joy will be to take care of me in my dotage.

    ETA: Some of my son’s classmates have done very well indeed, so buckets of cash even with just an undergrad degree are possible. :)

  107. 107.

    Immanentize

    @O. Felix Culpa: It was not just your department (and I have no idea which that was). Rather, it is the crimson ethos. Perhaps required at the moment of hiring, perhaps once hired there is a huge contempt machine that you must pass through to get a star on your belly or something.

    ETA but that attitude is also already present in a number of students who hold other students in contempt — See Rafael (Ted) Cruz.

  109. 109.

    Brachiator

    @lamh36:
    Thanks for the notes on Aquaman. It’s on my holiday list. I am especially glad to see that the director is a person of color, James Wan.

    That said, the best comic book movie of the season, and one of the best movies of the year, is the new animated Spider Man movie. It is inventive, dazzlingly creative visually, and has more heart than most mainstream films. It also deserves to be seen on a big screen.

    ETA. All in all, this has been a great year for movies.

  114. 114.

    Mandarama

    @Immanentize: I’m glad to see you here and catch up on the Immp’s great news! I wondered if he was applying ED anywhere. So he is off to Rice? Many congrats!!

    Thing 1 got good news as well…he applied early action to two places. MIT deferred him to RD, and he was accepted at UChicago! He still plans to apply to Harvey Mudd. Those 3 were his loved schools. But I’m rooting for UChicago, where my friends Michelle and Barack will be. ?

    Hey, we survived the app process, Immantize! Yay!

  117. 117.

    Immanentize

    @rikyrah: so true. But the first signs of senioritis are appearing. Next semester I will be working hard just to get him to attend…

    Just on a side note, it’s been really helpful to the Immp that he found smart friends. His buddies are also landing really well. Which is I am sure a product of shared knowledge which leads to self-improvement.

    Which is why I live you all here at BJ (even the trollish)

  121. 121.

    OzarkHillbilly

    A growing anti-vaccine movement in Europe, fuelled by social media and anti-establishment populists, is putting lives at risk and may be to blame for measles outbreaks surging to a 20-year high, health experts are warning.

    A fresh Guardian analysis of WHO data shows that measles cases in Europe will top 60,000 this year – more than double that of 2017 and the highest this century. There have been 72 deaths, twice as many as in 2017.

    Health experts warn that vaccine sceptics are driving down immunisation rates for measles, HPV against cervical cancer, flu and other diseases – and that their opinions are increasingly being amplified by social media and by rightwing populists equally sceptical of medical authorities.

  122. 122.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    It’s not just the loss of the paycheck. The legal paperwork created by a furlough and the disruption caused by having to plan around furloughs and budget uncertainty means that every single agency loses days. Across the government I’d guess that the cost of each shutdown is in the billions, that is never recovered.

    For nothing. No purpose.

  124. 124.

    Corner Stone

    I just came across this on the twits and I am loving it. Click through if you get a minute.
    !!!WARNING: Horrific photo of Trump!!!
    It’s from the DPRK_News twit feed.
    I, along with most here, do not prefer to see Trump’s grisly visage. But I stumbled into it and here we are. The picture is perfect – challenge coins on one side and a pic of mom and dad on the other. With a chuffed up disgusting orange toad in the middle.

  125. 125.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Mandarama: U of C – great school. Younger son went there for undergrad, as did I for a grad degree. It’s a nerdly place with smart and quirky students. Requires some toughness vis-a-vis weather. Hyde Park is wonderful, although not well-connected to the rest of the city. Congrats on your son’s acceptance! Any of the schools on his list would be great.

  128. 128.

    hueyplong

    @p.a.: If not already answered, I think it’s “Sweetheart Like You,” from the early 80s. I have the CD somewhere.

  129. 129.

    rikyrah

    @O. Felix Culpa:
    Oh, it’s not that disconnected. Just get on a bus, and you can be downtown in a short time. The lake is right there. The Obama Library won’t be far. My favorite museum is there. I love Hyde Park ?

  130. 130.

    sab

    @A Ghost To Most: We rented some goats last summer to clear our tiny yard that we had neglected due to poison ivy. They were amazing and also adorable. Ate everything two days ahead of owners projection. Also attracted every toddler (with parent) in the neighborhood (pettibg zoo)%. Just stood and chewed, with occassional bahs to humans who might have food.

  132. 132.

    Yarrow

    @Corner Stone: Challenge coins? Is that what those things are? They always looked like coffee pods to me and I wondered why he had those on his desk.

    It’s so weird that a guy in his 70’s with five kids and however many grandkids has no pictures of any of them on his desk. Just his parents. Even if I knew nothing else about him, that would tell me the guy has some weird parent issues.

  133. 133.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @rikyrah: Respectfully disagree. I lived in Hyde Park for many years as a student, university employee and eventual commuter to the South Loop, as did my son after me. It’s a wonderful place. Yes, you can take a bus to the Loop and onward to the north side, but there’s a psychological as well as geographic separation between Hyde Park and the rest of the city. Not insuperable, of course, but it’s there.

    ETA: That’s not a reason not to go to school or live there – I agree it’s a lovely community – but I’ve always found it helpful to get reasonably full info on the nuances of a place.

  136. 136.

    Corner Stone

    Going to be almost 80F today here in the Greater Houston Metro Area, and about 75F on Christmas Day. Yay, Winter time!

  137. 137.

    Yarrow

    @Corner Stone: @Corner Stone: I doubt it too. I think he would see pictures of his kids and grandkids as taking attention away from him or something. The only photos he has displayed are of dead people.

    It’s just weird. The “public desk space” is part of how he presents himself to the world. He’s obsessed with image so he knows that. Coffee pods (okay, challenge coins) and pictures of mom and dad. There’s a guy with no issues.

  139. 139.

    B.B.A.

    At least this time around, there are full-year appropriations in place for some departments. Defense, VA, HHS are not shutting down.

    This is cold comfort to employees at the closed departments (State, DOJ, Homeland Security…), but it’s something.

  141. 141.

    RobertB

    @Sab: They have them in Ohio. Look up ‘La Chatelaine Dublin Ohio’. I’ve bought one for Christmas, and it was okay, not great.

  142. 142.

    Another Scott

    @O. Felix Culpa: Another Maroon here (AB Physics). Although I didn’t get great grades there, I learned a lot there and was able to take courses in things that greatly expanded my world view (FE Civ, Russian Lit, Ecology, etc., etc.) that I fear too many people who get pushed into “get trained for a tech job right now now now!!” schools sorely miss. Tech training is quickly obsolete. Having a liberal arts education, even in STEM, is important. Maybe especially in STEM. Especially these days.

    I made a good choice and very frequently look back with fondness.

    Best of luck to all the youngsters out there trying to pian their futures!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  143. 143.

    Ridnik Chrome

    The government will partially shut down at midnight tonight, the first time in 40 years it have been closed three times in a year.

    I see that Nigel Molesworth is alive and well and posing as someone named Jim Sciutto.

  144. 144.

    Mandarama

    @rikyrah: @O. Felix Culpa: Thank you both! I know he still could end up at one of the other schools— he fell in love with southern California — but Chicago is my hope because it’s easier to get to from TN, its culture seems like a great fit for him, and the Obama connection ❤️.

    Based on message boards I’ve been reading, Hyde Park and every other place is now super connected because of ridesharing! Students apparently take Uber everywhere and split the costs, although some of them swear by public transit as well.

  145. 145.

    zhena gogolia

    So on a thread down below, I expressed the opinion that a person who plays loud music at 3:30 AM is still a jerk, no matter what his personal hardships. My comment was removed. This is pretty disturbing to me.

  146. 146.

    Ken

    @Ridnik Chrome: Was there a triple shutdown in 1978? Or is that how far back he checked?

    (I suppose “40 years” could be used in the Biblical sense, where 40 sometimes just means “a large number”.)

  147. 147.

    Immannetize

    @Mandarama: Congratulations to Thing 1 and YOU! So fine. One of the Immp’s best friends is deferred at U. Chi. until he submits this semester’s grades. Such an excellent place — but watch out for the law and economics butt heads! Happy Days, indeed.

  148. 148.

    Plato

    Chris Murphy: "This is so stupid. Congress and the W.H. had a bipartisan agreement to fully fund the government, but now we're in a shutdown because the president threw a tantrum about his border wall that no one on the border even wants and he promised Mexico would pay for."

    — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 22, 2018

  149. 149.

    Mandarama

    @Another Scott: The core curriculum is actually one of the features Thing 1 was looking for in a school. Chicago’s is great. Both MIT and Mudd have liberal arts requirements, which he wants even though math is his real love. He eliminated some schools based on the fact that they didn’t have those requirements – – Brown, Penn. Not that you couldn’t pursue them, but the disciplines are siloed.

    I’m glad there are so many jackals who know these schools and their locations… I may be hitting y’all up for advice. For example, I don’t even know what real outerwear is. (Lifelong Southerner.)

  150. 150.

    Miss Bianca

    @lamh36: oh, good, glad to hear it, because the theater I work for just booked it for January…and we had to scramble to get it, after the evil distributor of “Green Book” pulled it from us. : (

  151. 151.

    Yarrow

    @zhena gogolia: Are you sure it was removed and not just FYWP? I’ve had some weird things happen comment-wise here. Sometimes I see multiple people replying to a comment by someone that I simply cannot see. The original comment is not visible to me. No, not the pie filter. I just can’t see it but obviously others can. I’ve also seen comments appear and then disappear. Maybe something weird like that happened?

  153. 153.

    SFAW

    @Plato:

    Living rent free. Meh for me. Bummer for ya.

    Don’t flatter yourself. Few things lower on my “priority list” than you, but candy-assed whiners always merit a response. Well, maybe not “merit,” but …

    Too bad if I gave you a sad.

  154. 154.

    Immannetize

    @Mandarama: Congratulations to Thing 1 and YOU! So fine. One of the Immp’s best friends is deferred at U. Chi. until he submits this semester’s grades. Such an excellent place — but watch out for the law and economics butt heads! Happy Days, indeed.

  155. 155.

    lamh36

    @Brachiator: Hell yes. It also deserves Best Animated Feature over dare I say it…ANY of the Disney animated awards contenders. Here hoping SONY pushes its awards PR hard for that film.

    I saw it lasts sunday and it was SOOO. And my cuz, my nephew and I also LOVED the soundtrack!!!

  156. 156.

    Immannetize

    @Mandarama: Outerwear — not one thing but layers, my friend. It might be 15 degrees outside with a howling wind off the lake in Chicago, but some classrooms will be cookers while others are chilly. I love Chicago and have lots of great friends there — mostly teaching at Northwestern. If Thing 1 ends up there, at least he will have a few criminal defense attorney contacts. You know, just in case….

  158. 158.

    Plato

    @SFAW:

    Too bad if I gave you a sad.

    Projection too much?

    Meh. Keep yelling at the clouds, old man. You are unworthy of my time.

  159. 159.

    Fair Economist

    @Plato:

    Test for shorter nym.

    Eta: hey, it worked. Fucking tired of typing nym every 5 minutes.

    Looks like Plato, um, nailed it!

  161. 161.

    Plato

    The President of the United States should not be discussing any criminal case in which he has been implicated with the Acting Attorney General.

    This is wrong, unethical and eviscerates post-Watergate policy. Whitaker should not need an ethics opinion to know this is inexcusable. https://t.co/CTRiv4k6Xg

    — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 22, 2018

  162. 162.

    Amir Khalid

    Oh my. Premier League defending champions Manchester City trail 15th-place visitors Crystal Palace 1-2 at halftime. A Crystal Palace win would leave City four points behind Liverpool without a match in hand.

  163. 163.

    Fair Economist

    @Mandarama: UC is the better school, but I’ll hope for Harvey Mudd because then you’ll probably visit out here and I’ll get a BJ meetup!

  167. 167.

    SFAW

    @Plato:

    Now who’s living rent free? Keep pretending on that, child. Nice try with the “projection” thing.

    And, since typing seems to stress you, you can just abbreviate your next response to “Waaah!” It’ll have approximately the same content value as whatever half-witty reply you can “think” of, but it won’t stress your little fingies as much.

    Glad I could help.

  169. 169.

    Plato

    Russia’s anti-doping agency (Rusada) is again on the verge of suspension after a World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) inspection team was denied full access to a Moscow anti-doping laboratory.

    Wada lifted a three-year ban on Rusada in September which followed a major scandal over state-sponsored doping.

    Access to the Moscow laboratory data and samples before the end of 2018 was a condition of Russia’s reinstatement.

    “The team was unable to complete its mission,” Wada said.

    Ya think, corrupt wada assholes?

  171. 171.

    Mandalay

    I keep thinking I have lost my ability to be shocked by anything a Republican politician says, but Lindsey Graham went that extra mile:

    Graham had also urged Trump to stand strong on the border wall. “I thought he had a good position. You shouldn’t take these things on if you’re not going to see it through. I thought $5 billion was a reasonable amount given the caravan.

  174. 174.

    Plato

    Instead of spending $5 Billion for a portion of the wall, how about giving every single state $100 million to boost teacher pay and upgrade the classroom?

    Seems like a better investment to me…

    — Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) December 22, 2018

  175. 175.

    Kathleen

    @Immanentize: I have vinyl recording of Judy Collins performing this live in 1964. Her rendition is stunning. If I weren’t on this effing phone I’d provide link.

  178. 178.

    Amir Khalid

    A penalty, and Palace lead City 1-3! It looks like the big upset result of the weekend. It seems Santa is smiling upon Merseyside. ETA: Another potential upset: 12th-place Leicester City lead 0-1 at 4th-place Chelsea.

  179. 179.

    delk

    @Mandarama: base layer underwear—night and day difference when I going outside. Gloves—a few pairs because he will more than likely lose one. They make them with special finger coating so he can use his phone without taking his glove off. Hat that covers ears—super important. Waterproof boots—snow turns to slush, especially around curbs. So easy to step in a slush puddle when you are not paying attention. Scarf—stops the cold going down your neck plus can be used to wrap around your face. Coat—I like a Parker style that comes down at least mid-thigh—covers the parts that men prefer to keep warm :-)

    ETA Everything will be on sale in the spring.

  181. 181.

    Gelfling 545

    @Immanentize: I make a bûche de Noël every year on New Year’s day. It’s my sister’s birthday cake. I play around with the fillings & frostings from year to year. The apricot filled one was nice last year. I added a dribble of apricot liqueur to the frosting.

  183. 183.

    zhena gogolia

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    It’s Tamara’s thread. I’ve seen her get upset by people expressing dissenting opinions, but I’ve never had a comment removed before.

  184. 184.

    tobie

    @Mandalay: Lindsey Graham is up for reelection in 2020. I hope the national and state Democratic parties start doing everything they can to get people involved now. It should be a multi-pronged campaign: Fight for $15/hr wage in urban areas; protect streams in rural areas; job fairs in all areas; and of course making sure everyone who is eligible is registered to vote. Graham is particular kind of nasty, rancid Republican. I first became aware of him as one of the meanest Rep congressmen during the Clinton impeachment hearings, and he’s only gotten worse since then. I’d love to see him voted out of office. He’s played a huge role in whipping up hate and making the country ungovernable.

  188. 188.

    Amir Khalid

    Cty have eight minutes plus injury time to find three goals if they want to stay within a point of Liverpool at the top of the table.

  190. 190.

    debbie

    @zhena gogolia:

    Having had more than a few neighbors just like that one, I share your opinion. I also share others’ opinions that it wasn’t intentional or deliberate. But, I’m often wrong. Send an email.

  196. 196.

    J R in WV

    @zhena gogolia:

    My comment was removed. This is pretty disturbing to me.

    You seem to make everything about YOU, when most likely WordPress, which you have complained about bitterly before, just dropped it into the bit bucket, as it has done to other comments in the recent past. In other words, not about you and your comment, but a routine burp in the digital world.

    Your attitude is deeply disturbing to some…

  198. 198.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Mandarama:

    Based on message boards I’ve been reading, Hyde Park and every other place is now super connected because of ridesharing!

    Ah, the kids these days. They don’t know how good they have it and…how hard we had it. ;) This is useful updated information. Thank you. (Dead thread, but old dog who was busy in a meeting wants to acknowledge newfangled tricks.)

  199. 199.

    WaterGirl

    @zhena gogolia: What makes you think so? I can’t think of a single front-pager who would delete a comment like that. Now, if you have email from a front-pager explaining that they deleted it, that’s a different story.

    For your comment not to post, a front-pager would have to have seen your comment and delete it before it even posted. There’s no “pending” unless it’s caught by the spam filter or just some sort of FYWP glitch.

  202. 202.

    zhena gogolia

    @WaterGirl:

    It posted and was up for a while and then disappeared. That’s never happened to me before. But let me not make it “all about ME,” as I’m so well known for doing.

  204. 204.

    Mandarama

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    Ah, the kids these days. They don’t know how good they have it and…how hard we had it.

    Truth. A brilliant idea on college campuses that I wish I had access to 30 years ago is Zipcar. Little compact cars with their own dedicated parking spaces in the student lot, and the kids use their ID cards to rent them and drive to Target, grocery stores, etc. Like a two hour rental. We have the same thing on my campus with bikes and scooters for shorter distances.

    Come to think of it, rather than having access to Zipcar, I wish I had INVENTED Zipcar!

  205. 205.

    Pogonip

    The Cold Moon won’t be bright around here; we’ve been fogged in for 4 days, right after an unusually sunny spell.

  207. 207.

    zhena gogolia

    @WaterGirl:

    Tamara just posted — she doesn’t know what happened either. So I’m glad it wasn’t removed for cause.

    Yes, I am touchy and crabby. Blame it on the disintegration of Western civilization happening before our eyes as Christmas approaches.

Comments are closed.