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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

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Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

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You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / Greetings from the Surface of the Sun

Greetings from the Surface of the Sun

by John Cole|  December 29, 201810:57 am| 140 Comments

This post is in: John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House"

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It’s a lovely and beautiful day down here in South Beach, where if you are lucky, you can catch a glimpse of the world’s slowest dogsled team hauling an obese man around:

Riley and Prescott are very adorable, and excellent snugglers, but I have to say that walking them around the block is EXCRUCIATING. It honestly takes a solid 40 minutes just go one block. They go so slow that my fitbit does not even give me credit for the steps.

I can, however, completely see why some people are infatuated with Dachshunds, as they are really fun little dogs with a great deal of personality. Riley is an old soul- he and Lily are really the same temperament, freakishly so, have become boyfriend and girlfriend and are sleeping together curled up like an old couple who has been together forever. I’ve had Lily for over a decade, and she has never behaved like this with any other dog- even on the coldest of days up north she keeps some separation from Rosie and Thurston (although she and Steve spoon).

Prescott, on the other hand is 60% prima donna and 40% drama queen, and unless he is receiving CONSTANT attention, slowly mopes around like Marvin the Paranoid Android. I may need to have rotator cuff surgery after this because I spent most of the last 24 hours throwing a ball around the flat for him to fetch.

It’s just a beautiful day, albeit hot, so I am going to go out and explore and do some people watching. When I arrived, Todd, my friend, said “You should take the bike out” ad I dryly responded “Oh, yes, I will take that out after I go for my morning five mile run.” I don’t think he noted the sarcasm, and then pulled out the bike pump to inflate the tires.

At any rate, I have spent the last 24 hours eyeballing the bikes and contemplating going for a ride. When I was younger, I loved riding my bike, spending hours on one, but it has been decades since I have ridden one. My better judgment says NO, but I am afraid I will not be able to resist the siren’s call much longer. I think I may throw on some sporty shorts and a t-shirt, duct tape my health insurance card and driver’s license to my chest along with a DNR note and a plea to take care of my animals (and Todd’s), and head out.

We’ll see.

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Reader Interactions

140Comments

  1. 1.

    Yarrow

    December 29, 2018 at 11:08 am

    The doggies are adorable. Have fun on the bike. Wear a helmet if you can find one that fits you. It’s always smart to wear one. Speaking from experience.

  2. 2.

    Elizabelle

    December 29, 2018 at 11:08 am

    Enjoy that bike ride! Glad you are having a curmudgeonly holiday down there.

    And dachshunds do rock.

  3. 3.

    Elizabelle

    December 29, 2018 at 11:09 am

    Yup. Seconding the helmet recommendation.

  4. 4.

    mark

    December 29, 2018 at 11:11 am

    Like the old saying goes, once you learn how to ride a bike you never forget. It’s true. Good way to get some exercise.

  5. 5.

    DSC

    December 29, 2018 at 11:18 am

    at first, it might be a bit tough, but RWF (riding while fat) is liberating–it’s just a matter of getting your balance. Then it is wonderfilled joy.

  6. 6.

    donnah

    December 29, 2018 at 11:18 am

    I envy your time away, John, but I’m glad for you having it. Enjoy every moment and be safe!

  7. 7.

    Searcher

    December 29, 2018 at 11:20 am

    Shorty shorts? Dress in full road leathers so you still have some skin left afterwards.

  8. 8.

    patrick II

    December 29, 2018 at 11:21 am

    I am old and overweight. I got a three wheel recumbent bike named Terra Trike. It has eight gears, they also come with sixteen gears, they can hold up to 350 lbs (I don’t think either of us need that much) and are easy and fun to ride around.
    Anyhow, something to think about if you really enjoy riding but are reluctant to get on a two wheeler.
    TerraTrike

  9. 9.

    Matt Smith

    December 29, 2018 at 11:22 am

    I spent my whole childhood on my bike, and now it takes a supreme act of will to mount up. But then once I’m on it, it makes me happy.

    I also feel kind of political when I ride my bike, because I wear what I’ve always worn my whole life: a t-shirt and shorts or jeans. Where I live (Austin), everybody has all this fancy, expensive bike clothes and gear. I don’t understand the point… spent my whole childhood on my bike without a single piece of spandex or padding. So I ride in my regular clothes, in silent protest of the prevailing groupthink around what it takes to get on a bike.

  10. 10.

    oldster

    December 29, 2018 at 11:25 am

    Do it, Cole. Riding a bike is pure fun. Cheap, healthy, and no risk of STDs.

    When.I climb on my bike, I feel the years shedding. Twenty miles later, I’m as young as you are. You could be young enough to enlist again.

  11. 11.

    J.

    December 29, 2018 at 11:27 am

    That post reminded me of Bill Bryson (before he got really dark). I’m still chuckling — and looking forward to hearing about your continuing adventures in Miami Beach with the world’s slowest dog sled team.

  12. 12.

    Kineslaw

    December 29, 2018 at 11:31 am

    Miami Beach is a fun place to ride your bike. Some good, wide expanses and drivers that know to watch for bikes.

  13. 13.

    raven

    December 29, 2018 at 11:32 am

    When I was at Sapelo in the late summer I grabbed a bike and rode down to the beach to fish before sunrise. When I rode back I saw that I had somehow made it through a dozen huge potholes with out crashing and burning!

  14. 14.

    KBS

    December 29, 2018 at 11:36 am

    I hope you go for a ride, and I’d love to hear how it goes! Riding really does make you feel young again.

  15. 15.

    Jager

    December 29, 2018 at 11:40 am

    A friend of mine was stationed at Elmendorf AFB in Alaska, their low slung, male Dachshund hated Alaskan winters. With good reason.

  16. 16.

    Xavier Onassis

    December 29, 2018 at 11:42 am

    Reasons to ride a bike: It’s healthy, it’s economical, it’s good for the environment. But maybe the best reason, half the time when I’m driving, I’m grinding my teeth and wishing horrible deaths on people around me. That never happens on a bike.

  17. 17.

    Kay

    December 29, 2018 at 11:45 am

    At any rate, I have spent the last 24 hours eyeballing the bikes and contemplating going for a ride. When I was younger, I loved riding my bike, spending hours on one, but it has been decades since I have ridden one. My better judgment says NO, but I am afraid I will not be able to resist the siren’s call much longer.

    Do it, John. I too went decades without riding a bike but finally did one spring break in Florida and it’s as fun as you remember.

    Now I have a (beater) bike here at home I use occasionally. It’s like riding a bike … you’ll be your ten year old self in 3 minutes on that thing :)

  18. 18.

    FlyingToaster

    December 29, 2018 at 11:46 am

    @Xavier Onassis: You must not bike in Boston, then. The bike/anti-bike threads at UniversalHub are generally lit.

  19. 19.

    Lee Hartmann

    December 29, 2018 at 11:52 am

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zLfBaUn22s

  20. 20.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    December 29, 2018 at 11:53 am

    Even if you do other forms of exercise, you find on the first hill you encounter that you can get out of biking shape quickly! I’ve never been a 50-miles-for-fun biker, but I do casual biking fairly often (especially around Philly on the bike shares). And if I’ve been off for even a couple of weeks, I’m amazed how hard the hills get to be.

    But you’re in Florida right now aren’t you? So I guess hills are not an issue. Don’t they use florida terrain to check rulers for flatness?

  21. 21.

    Scuffletuffle

    December 29, 2018 at 11:53 am

    @Matt Smith: I wear a tank top and shorts, too. I also ride like I’m a kid, take my time and stop frequently for scenic areas, plants and animals. I do not understand people who ride with their heads down and obsess about pedaling and mileage.

  22. 22.

    trollhattan

    December 29, 2018 at 11:56 am

    @FlyingToaster:
    It’s a universal rule that every cyclist is responsible for every bad thing they see a bicyclist do, which includes the generous sprinkling of homeless wandering downtown towing vast quantities of crap in one or more trailers the wrong way in the middle of a one-way street.

    When I’m challenged (usually at the office) to defend the actions of random cyclists I begin by asking whether they’re prepared to defend the mal actions of every motor vehicle driver once I’m finished.

    Until we’re prepared to craft discrete urban cycling paths the bike-car coexistence will remain a fraught one. I’m hoping the apparent success of Jump Bike et al will put some corporate oomph behind that.

  23. 23.

    Jager

    December 29, 2018 at 11:56 am

    @FlyingToaster:

    A guy in a beater Chevy Nova ran a red light in Cambridge and crushed my front wheel and fork one morning. I saw him at the last second and unassed my bike. My left leg lost about 3 pounds of skin.

  24. 24.

    Uncle Cosmo

    December 29, 2018 at 11:57 am

    Alle porte del sole,
    Ai confini del mare,
    Quante volte col pensiero
    Ti ho portato insieme a me –
    E nel buio sognavo
    La tua mano leggera.
    Ogni porta che si apriva
    Mi sembrava primavera.
    Alle porte del sole,
    Ai confini del mare,
    Quante volte col pensiero
    Ti ho portato insieme a me –
    Ti ho portato insieme a me –

    (Here’s a performance in Italian from a German TV show. Music starts ~0:16. Expand your linguistic horizons!)

  25. 25.

    p.a.

    December 29, 2018 at 11:57 am

    If what you say about Floriduh drivers is correct (and I have no reason to doubt) for dog’s sake find a park or bikepath.

  26. 26.

    TaMara (HFG)

    December 29, 2018 at 11:59 am

    The best thing about a bike – you go your own speed. Slow and steady is just as good as flat-out. Enjoy the wind in your beard!

  27. 27.

    RSA

    December 29, 2018 at 11:59 am

    @Kineslaw:

    Miami Beach is a fun place to ride your bike. Some good, wide expanses and drivers that know to watch for bikes.

    It can also be fun to watch kids playing volleyball on the beach–at least, that’s what I remember from a long-ago trip.

  28. 28.

    Ken

    December 29, 2018 at 12:01 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: Freely translating, “This damn door sticks, this damn door sticks. Why does it not open? I am pulling on it. Perhaps I should be pushing?”

    (I miss Terry Pratchett.)

  29. 29.

    OldDave

    December 29, 2018 at 12:01 pm

    Surface of the Sun? Oh, John – try South Florida in August sometime. Worse – Orlando in summer. At least down here we get the ocean breeze to moderate things. Orlando in summer? You have no idea.

    We’ve been addicted to dachshunds for some twenty years now, and there are four rescues currently in residence here. Dachshunds do suffer from a deplorable excess of personality.

  30. 30.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 29, 2018 at 12:04 pm

    Glad you’re finally having a vacation and that it’s going well, JC.

  31. 31.

    funlady75

    December 29, 2018 at 12:07 pm

    Oh John C……laughed so much….I luv BJ & all the great posters (Baud, Rikyrah, BC, MomS, raven, Imma,AL, Adam, EFgold, & so many more……I’m trying to think whatever else u can tape to your chest……LOL

  32. 32.

    CaseyL

    December 29, 2018 at 12:07 pm

    “Slowest dog sled team in the world” – love it! And doxies are wonderful dogs: when I was a wee child, a big ol’ dachshund was quite literally my best friend. Riley and Lily are gonna miss each other – he may have come north to visit :)

    Bike riding is kind of a sore point for me. I rode all the time when I lived back East, where things are mostly flat. I’ve tried to ride in Seattle, but the hills and slopes are everywhere, makes riding a slog and a chore. I miss it.

  33. 33.

    Burnspbesq

    December 29, 2018 at 12:15 pm

    @patrick II:

    Recumbents scare me. Lack of visibility to assholes in F-150s (where I live, “asshole in F-150” is redundant).

  34. 34.

    kindness

    December 29, 2018 at 12:18 pm

    I love my bike. Best purchase ever. I don’t road ride though. Don’t trust cars. I ride ranch roads & trails with my mountain bike. Nothing too extreme but lots of fun. My dogs love it too as they think I’m too slow when we walk. I go where I can safely run the kids off leash. It’s a wonderful thing to be running with the pack with ease.

  35. 35.

    trollhattan

    December 29, 2018 at 12:18 pm

    @Burnspbesq:
    Yup, flag-on-stick is a mandatory accessory for anybody using those on the street.

  36. 36.

    zhena gogolia

    December 29, 2018 at 12:19 pm

    she and Steve spoon

    Pictures please.

  37. 37.

    Yarrow

    December 29, 2018 at 12:20 pm

    John still seems to be tweeting so it doesn’t look like he’s got on the bike quite yet. Unless he’s tweeting while riding. If that’s the case, can’t wait for the story of how the bike fell in the ocean but he found the mustard after all this time.

  38. 38.

    frosty

    December 29, 2018 at 12:22 pm

    About 15 years ago we moved next to one of the best rail trails in the east and have been riding ever since. We pack the bikes and look for trails on our Road Trips.

    A couple years ago Ms. F bought a recumbent after one too many spills. She loves it.

  39. 39.

    Leto

    December 29, 2018 at 12:26 pm

    @Matt Smith:

    I don’t understand the point

    It’s because you’re now a “grown up” so you’re supposed to bike for “exercise” and to stay fit. And to do that you must be decked out in the latest wind defeating gear. At all times. And sporting your favorite telecom company. You’re now expected to track all of your PR times, how far you rode, how grueling it was… notice how “fun” never enters the equation.

    If you ever wanted to find the bicycle Balloon Juice equivalent, look no further than Bike Snob NYC. Can’t recommend this site enough.

  40. 40.

    frosty

    December 29, 2018 at 12:28 pm

    @Burnspbesq:

    Recumbents scare me.

    Agreed. That’s one reason we stick to riding on trails. The other being grades a steam engine could manage.

  41. 41.

    Leto

    December 29, 2018 at 12:28 pm

    @Yarrow: Hopefully the mystery of the abandoned field Suburu will be solved too. Maybe South Beach is the Cole Bermuda Triangle, where all of our longest held questions will be answered?

  42. 42.

    raven

    December 29, 2018 at 12:30 pm

    The calendar came and Bohdi and Lil Bit will never know they switched names!

  43. 43.

    J R in WV

    December 29, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    So.

    Cole has driven a thousand miles to escape the dreary winter landscape of the central mountains, and now he’s bitching about the sun and heat in South Beach…

    Only on Balloon-Juice!

    My best friend as kid was a really big black and tan sausage dog we named Blackie. He was affectionate and we were close til I left for college. They really do have the greatest personalities.

    So one is active and one is not. A group always moves at the speed of the slowest member.

    The miniature Dachshunds, on the other hand, do not. They can be aggressive greedy little monsters, willing to bite for nothing.

    Be careful on the bike, I also recommend a helmet, you don’t need to be going fast to hurt your head.

  44. 44.

    terraformer

    December 29, 2018 at 12:45 pm

    Definitely do the bike ride – as others wrote, it’ll feel great and even better with the nice weather and scenery.

    Bonus, you’ll create memories that can be later related when half of it is covered by sea water.

  45. 45.

    Mary G

    December 29, 2018 at 12:48 pm

    I think someone who is as accident prone as Cole will come to the a bad end riding a bike around South Beach and we need these stories to keep us sane, but that’s just me. Florida terrifies me after reading Carl Hiasson novels, Adam’s posts, and those old Animal Cops shows where they were dragging prehistoric monsters out of garden sheds all the time.

  46. 46.

    J R in WV

    December 29, 2018 at 12:50 pm

    Also regarding recumbent bikes, we have a friend, our age, who has toured both in NZ and in Croatia with her son on recumbent bikes.

    Now, I am aware that saying that riding a recumbent bike all over in foreign countries doesn’t relate to riding one in the US, far from it. But spending a month on a bike camping out (mostly) with your adult kid sounds pretty good to me. Maggie loved it, was willing to do it again after all.

    Flags and flashing lights sound like a goo idea. When we took rickshaws from the Broadway theater back to our hotel, they had strands of twinkling led lights all over. Riding through Times Square on a Saturday night near midnight was nearly a hallucinogenic experience, what with the twinkling lights on the bike and the buildings covered with high-def video panels.

    It was expensive, but I highly recommend it. They had blankets and a clear plastic windscreen… wish I had taken the TG5 and shot a video, would have been fantastic.

  47. 47.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    December 29, 2018 at 12:52 pm

    You should totally go cycling, Cole. I haven’t done it for a few years now but I loved going out on the local bike trails and enjoyed the scenery going by as I did so. It was good exercise too. Definitely wear a helmet as others have said and bring a snack and some water with you. You don’t want to be without that after biking for a solid 30 min in the heat.

  48. 48.

    Uncle Cosmo

    December 29, 2018 at 1:05 pm

    @Ken: If I knew the Italian for “Nice try, but no cigar” I’d be posting it.

    (All you fans of I Tre Tirapiedi might note that “imbecile” is imbecille, pronounced eem-beh-chee-lay.)

  49. 49.

    Doc H

    December 29, 2018 at 1:07 pm

    Bikes rock.
    Dachshunds rock.
    Bike + dachshunds? Get on my level: https://www.instagram.com/p/BpH-g1BnKfm/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=m3tha4t8mfvm

  50. 50.

    rikyrah

    December 29, 2018 at 1:10 pm

    Cole, they look so cute ?

  51. 51.

    rikyrah

    December 29, 2018 at 1:11 pm

    Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) Tweeted:
    There it is. Trump has singlehandely destroyed the entire US Soybean commodity market. China has new suppliers so It’s not coming back. #Winning

    https://t.co/sbu8N3aroE https://twitter.com/MalcolmNance/status/1079034235040731136?s=17

  52. 52.

    rikyrah

    December 29, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    Evil azz demons ? ?

    Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) Tweeted:
    Border agents took antibiotics away from her sick baby & detained them in a freezing cell called an icebox. When she asked for help, agents called her an “invader” who “wasn’t in a position to be asking for anything.” After 5 days, the baby had pneumonia.

    https://t.co/vv9kD65b8y https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1078497680232534016?s=17

  53. 53.

    Ken

    December 29, 2018 at 1:15 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    Pictures please.

    This is a family blog.

  54. 54.

    Amir Khalid

    December 29, 2018 at 1:27 pm

    English Premier League news:
    Arsenal score first at Anfield, but two minutes later Bobby Firmino smashes in two in two minutes for home team Liverpool. Mo Salah makes a third for Sadio Mane, then on the stroke of halftime wins and scores a penalty. 4-1. Arsenal have been just blown away in this first half. Very hard to see them coming back in the second half.

  55. 55.

    rikyrah

    December 29, 2018 at 1:36 pm

    Uh huh ? ?

    One of the main criticisms of some Left leaning fundraising arms is Democrats ignore “forgotten voters.” They don’t “talk” to them. Beto visited EVERY county in TX. Rural, urban, suburban. Knock him if you want to, but he surely did not dismiss any voter like some of their faves. https://t.co/bRWeWsGVby

    — ReclaimingMyTime (@MonieTalks_1) December 29, 2018

  56. 56.

    Brachiator

    December 29, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    WTF?

    President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday freezing federal workers’ pay for 2019, following through on a proposal he announced earlier in the year.

    The move, which nixes a 2.1% across-the-board pay raise that was set to take effect in January, comes as hundreds of thousands of federal employees are expecting to begin the new year furloughed or working without pay because of a partial government shutdown.

    Trump told lawmakers he planned to scrap the 2019 pay bump for federal workers in August, saying the federal budget couldn’t support it. In addition to the 2.1% pay increase, the executive order also cancels a yearly adjustment of paychecks based on the region of the country where workers are posted, called the “locality pay increase,” that was due to take effect in January.

    Is this part of some weird government shutdown negotiation?

    The rich get tax cuts, workers get nothing.

    ETA. Great doggie photo!

    I don’t see many recumbent bikes. Maybe they are more popular nearer to the beach areas of Southern California.

  57. 57.

    gene108

    December 29, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    @mark:

    Like the old saying goes, once you learn how to ride a bike you never forget. It’s true. Good way to get some exercise

    If you learn as a young child. My mom learned as an adult and has forgotten.

  58. 58.

    gene108

    December 29, 2018 at 1:43 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Trump announced the pay freeze months ago.

  59. 59.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    December 29, 2018 at 1:43 pm

    @rikyrah:
    But you can be sure the Soybean farmers will support Trump to bitter end, on some futile hope that their “economic pain” will end soon.

    I read a Politco article from back in early November that explained why they were still supporting Trump. Apparently, they actually think that because negotiations with the EU, Japan, etc are going well that means that Trump is “winning”; the 12 billion in emergency subsidies also means that Trump hasn’t forgotten them or something and that this is worth it for US national security.

    I’ve never seen anything like this. These people sound more like Soviet citizens pushing the party-line than Americans.

  60. 60.

    Michael Cain

    December 29, 2018 at 1:44 pm

    @Burnspbesq: A few weeks back I was out riding and stopped to chat with someone older than myself about their recumbent. That was one angry old dude, 84 and recovering from his quadruple bypass, who hated the recumbent but rode it because (with the four-letter words removed), “My cardiologist is afraid I’ll fall so my kids stole my regular bike and gave me this.” His final words before he jammed his helmet back on and took off were, “Don’t ever let the f*ckers take away your regular bike.” So I have a goal now: still be riding the regular bike in 19 years when I’m 84 :^)

  61. 61.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    December 29, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    @Brachiator:
    @gene108:

    Just saw that. I thought there were rules and laws in place that governed how federal employees are paid. Can the President legally unilaterally cancel a pay raise?

  62. 62.

    NotMax

    December 29, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    Magic 8 ball sez: I got a bad feeling about this.

  63. 63.

    Gvg

    December 29, 2018 at 1:49 pm

    @Michael Cain: why are recumbents considered safer from falls? They look tipsy to me. How could you catch yourself when it starts to fall?

  64. 64.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    December 29, 2018 at 1:49 pm

    @NotMax:
    About what? Cole’s Excellent Bike Adventure? Eh, I’m sure he’ll be fine. It’s not like he has a tendency to get into accidents, right?

  65. 65.

    Quinerly

    December 29, 2018 at 1:53 pm

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??: I pulled this from Axios: https://www.axios.com/trump-executive-order-freezes-federal-worker-pay-raise-20368531-713a-46f3-8d57-2f3f70197220.html

  66. 66.

    Amir Khalid

    December 29, 2018 at 1:56 pm

    Firmino finishes off a penalty to bag his hattrick. Liverpool 5-1 Arsenal.

  67. 67.

    Brachiator

    December 29, 2018 at 2:01 pm

    @gene108:

    Trump announced the pay freeze months ago.

    He announced it months ago. The follow through was Friday.

    The GOP promised that the tax cuts would piss prosperity down on everyone. But now, freezing pay increases are vital to keeping the economy healthy. And, oh yeah, he needs billions for his wall.

  68. 68.

    Ruckus

    December 29, 2018 at 2:02 pm

    @NotMax:
    About what? There are so many things today to have a bad feeling about.
    1. Cole on a bike.
    2. No federal pay raise for our employees.
    3. Limited government happening because he’s a moron about money, government, human beings, the truth, reality, the economy, oh what the hell, he’s a moron about everything.
    4. The world economy. Except that the world is not the same place it was 50 yrs ago, we may be an important part but we are not necessarily the center that holds the whole thing together, if we ever really were.
    That ought to be enough for the moment.

  69. 69.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    December 29, 2018 at 2:02 pm

    Regular bikes hurt my butt. I like the ones at the gym where you sit in a chair wide enough to be a tractor seat.

  70. 70.

    Brachiator

    December 29, 2018 at 2:04 pm

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??:

    the 12 billion in emergency subsidies also means that Trump hasn’t forgotten them or something and that this is worth it for US national security.

    Funny how these billions are “subsidies,” and not welfare.

  71. 71.

    Ruckus

    December 29, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    @Brachiator:
    And, oh yeah, he needs wants billions for his wall.

    Fixed that for you. His desires are not our needs.
    You remember the other day that I said Amazon sucks at delivering packages?
    They lost the first one, ordered on the 17th, the replacement package was supposed to be here the 27th, now delayed, was told that it was in Ontario CA for delivery on Friday, USPS has not received it as of 2 minutes ago so it probably won’t be delivered today either.

  72. 72.

    laura

    December 29, 2018 at 2:17 pm

    I traded in my late dad’s dodge Durango and bought the old lady station wagon bike after watching way too many old try and get up the balcony stairs at a geezer rock show (-hot tuna electric for those keeping score).
    It’s a step through so no more swinging a leg over, 8 speeds and a battery assist wheel that runs on a phone app that ramps up the pedal power. Saddle bags for shopping. I’m gonna grow so old on this bike even though I feel like 10 when on a roll.
    Cole, get on that bike!

  73. 73.

    Redshift

    December 29, 2018 at 2:23 pm

    @Gvg: Lower center of gravity. Your weight is at the same level is the axles, rather than a foot or two above them, which makes them less tipsy. Plus, if you do manage to tip over, you don’t have as far to fall, and you’re unlikely to go flying over the front wheel.

  74. 74.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    December 29, 2018 at 2:24 pm

    @Quinerly:

    I noticed that Trump never bothered to provide evidence for why a 2% wage increase for federal workers would be “unsustainable”. Great job Mnuchin! Only the best people. Believe me!

  75. 75.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    December 29, 2018 at 2:27 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Funny how these billions are “subsidies,” and not welfare.

    Socialism for White People. They feel it’s earned because they personally work so hard out in the fields by riding in air conditioned farming equipment that does most of the real hard work for them. Not like those lazy colored layabouts in the cities, no sirree.

  76. 76.

    Quinerly

    December 29, 2018 at 2:29 pm

    Human composting to become legal in Washington state?
    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/washington-could-become-first-state-legalize-human-composting-n952421?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_ma

  77. 77.

    Quinerly

    December 29, 2018 at 2:31 pm

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??: just read a blurb that his order probably will be reversed in the new budget. I’ll try to find the link.

  78. 78.

    Aleta

    December 29, 2018 at 2:32 pm

    Just came home from beach walk with 3 dogs, because my sil and niece met us in Gloucester and each brought theirs. Warm day; nice walk. Ours usually gets spry and as racy as he ever does on a beach, but
    especially with the 2 and 8 yr olds galloping over their newfound beach he was looking old-slow. Lately I can’t tell if a slow down is just his age or due to some pain or gum infection that could be treated.

  79. 79.

    MomSense

    December 29, 2018 at 2:33 pm

    @Matt Smith: I do the same and I also got a GD comfy saddle with some damn padding.

  80. 80.

    Michael Cain

    December 29, 2018 at 2:38 pm

    @Redshift:
    Yeah, the distance you’re falling. Constant acceleration, so the farther you fall the faster you’re going; energy goes up as the square of velocity; more energy that has to be dissipated on impact means more damage, broadly speaking. The rider’s center of mass on a regular diamond frame is at least twice as high as their center of mass on many recumbents, particularly those with smaller wheels.

    At normal speeds, a higher center of mass actually increases side-to-side stability. New recumbent riders usually think the shorter bike is “tippier” than what they’re used to.

  81. 81.

    Keith P.

    December 29, 2018 at 2:41 pm

    When I was younger, I loved riding my bike, spending hours on one, but it has been decades since I have ridden one.

    Flashback to Cole dressed as Pee Wee Herman doing various stunts on an overly-elaborate bike.

  82. 82.

    raven

    December 29, 2018 at 2:47 pm

    @Quinerly: This was just outside the wire in Korea, they called the fertilizer “honey buckets”.

  83. 83.

    raven

    December 29, 2018 at 2:48 pm

    @Quinerly: The have used it on the rice paddies for centuries.

  84. 84.

    raven

    December 29, 2018 at 2:49 pm

    What the fuck with moderation???

  85. 85.

    Raven

    December 29, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    @Quinerly: It was quite fragrant in August in the Land of the Morning Calm.

  86. 86.

    Martin

    December 29, 2018 at 2:57 pm

    @Michael Cain: It’s not the distance of fall, per se. Having the center of mass higher than the pivot point of the front wheel means that if you manage to stop faster than the tires can absorb the energy, your center of momentum causes the bike to rotate forward (you fly over the handlebars). A HUGE percentage of bike injuries are due to this. It’s easy to do – hitting a curb, etc. (I’ve done it several times in my life) and making matters worse – you are now flying headfirst leading to even more damaging injuries.

    By shifting the center of mass down below that point – part of why recumbents still have large wheels makes it nearly impossible to endo. Low-side crashes are annoying, but usually aren’t that injurious or fatal. High-side can be, but again, recumbents minimize that possibility. Endos are basically impossible.

    The downside to recumbents is the lack of visibility – both for the rider and vehicles around them. They tend to be less maneuverable as well, though that varies with the design.

    Bottom line WRT bike safety is that everything the rider does to make themselves safer is almost pointless when a car gets involved. It helps a bit here and there, but staying away from cars is what keeps you safe. The US fascination with pushing the safety onto the rider rather than just opening up more room for bikes is completely counterproductive. The Netherlands has the lowest incidence of bike injuries and the lowest incidence of helmet usage. Essentially, they made bike riding enjoyable and convenient enough to push the cars out of the congested spaces, and that’s what made it safe.

  87. 87.

    J. Adams Jefferson

    December 29, 2018 at 3:10 pm

    This, by the way, is not an optimistic weather forecast, only an observation that the gyre can still get wider.

    The Last 100 Days of the Trump Presidency (cc: @Thomas L. Friedman)

    Salient implications:

    The time has come…to talk of many things. A conversation’s already happening, and it must be announced to Trump, doesn’t matter how or where, in a room, on social media or antisocial media (you take your pick, which is which).

    It goes like this. You always thought we were cowed by your greatness, Donald. You thought everyone gave way to you because we feared you could turn the base against us. Sure, some are rodents. They were never in charge. President McConnell holds the reins. We could have slapped you down at any moment, on Day One, just for example, by enforcing the bribery clause of the Constitution. Don’t you get it? We choose not to. We like your Unreality TV. Nobody can foam at the mouth like you, kid. You’re one of a kind, a real gift. You dazzle ’em and bamboozle ‘em.

    But, see, you were always Coffee-Boy Trump to us. You just do exactly what we want, then we let you be the goofball with golf clubs. Sure, the showmanship helps us get away with it, but nobody’s gonna sweat it if we have to cut you loose. We’ll find somebody else to screw the oysters.

    The 1871 line drawing illustration by Sir John Tenniel, from Through The Looking Glass, is actually entitled Briny Beach, so I’m not even off-topic.

    Cheers…

  88. 88.

    Brachiator

    December 29, 2018 at 3:13 pm

    @Quinerly:

    just read a blurb that his order probably will be reversed in the new budget. I’ll try to find the link.

    From the CNN story

    Lawmakers could include a pay raise for 2019 in a spending bill to reopen the government, but negotiations have been at an impasse over money for Trump’s border wall.

    Trump would probably go along, since the pay raise since it would be buried in another bill, but he would still be able to brag about how tough he was.

    Meanwhile, he is slobbering over his base here. He has already claimed that most of the workers affected by the shutdown are Democrats.

    So, federal workers are Democrats who are parasites and deserve nothing.

    Soldiers are Republicans who deserved that whopping 10 percent raise he gave them. A huge wage, the biggest in the history in the universe. And the most deserved after Obama stiffed them.

    But of course, this is a big lie. The military is getting a raise, but it ain’t 10 percent. And they got bigger increases during the Obama administration.

    A reporter noted that Trump lied twice as much during his second year than during his first year in office. Look for it to accelerate even more in 2019.

  89. 89.

    HeleninEire

    December 29, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    John Cole. On a bike. The same John Cole who injures himself mopping.

    Not sure how I feel about that. But for sure I want pictures.

  90. 90.

    Chris Johnson

    December 29, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    @Quinerly: Definitely greener than just burning the politicians

  91. 91.

    Miss Bianca

    December 29, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    @Martin: for me the issue of recumbents is the thought of having to *re-learn* how to ride a bike. Seems to me they would be hard to get the hang of, and I don’t feel like tipping over onto the ground while I’m learning, even if it isn’t very far to fall.

  92. 92.

    Brachiator

    December 29, 2018 at 3:20 pm

    @Ruckus:

    You remember the other day that I said Amazon sucks at delivering packages?

    Maybe Jeff Bezos does not like you.

    Amazon recently claimed that they shipped 1 billion packages to Prime members, but didn’t say how many were actually delivered.

    I hope you get your delivery. I know it’s a pain when there are delays and screwups.

  93. 93.

    danielx

    December 29, 2018 at 3:22 pm

    My better judgment says NO, but I am afraid I will not be able to resist the siren’s call much longer.

    Why do I think this will end in a blog post from an ER?

  94. 94.

    Quinerly

    December 29, 2018 at 3:23 pm

    @Chris Johnson: My thoughts went first to the 1980 movie “Motel Hell.” I’m a bit warped today. ?

  95. 95.

    Booger

    December 29, 2018 at 3:25 pm

    @J.: Bill Bryson got dark?

  96. 96.

    trollhattan

    December 29, 2018 at 3:27 pm

    @Miss Bianca:
    Having fiddled with but not embraced recumbents, some observations:
    They’re longgg, making them track well and not so good at avoiding things.
    They use some different muscles than traditional bikes, so a transition is in store for folks who have been riding.
    Obvious benefits to those with back or shoulder-arm-hand issues.
    Low aerodynamic drag=faster with the same level of effort.
    Climb hills? Uhhh, not so hot. Fast descents are interesting due to how close the pavement is.

    Having seen a few different models there is no accepted form, so many to choose from. They’re not cheap.

  97. 97.

    HeleninEire

    December 29, 2018 at 3:28 pm

    @raven: I didn’t do it.

  98. 98.

    Aziz, light!

    December 29, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??:

    I thought there were rules and laws in place that governed how federal employees are paid. Can the President legally unilaterally cancel a pay raise?

    It’s traditional to give us federal workers a small cost of living bump each year (and adjust our locality pay rate as particular local costs rise) but the law does not require it. In his first term, Obama froze our pay one year to appease the rethugs, and they cheerfully pounced on it and kept our salaries frozen for two additional years. So we are all making about 10% less than we should be making. Most R pols acknowledge that we got screwed and that giving us our annual raise is the right thing to do, but they can’t resist indulging Trump’s cruel whims.

  99. 99.

    opiejeanne

    December 29, 2018 at 3:30 pm

    @Burnspbesq: And why are those trucks almost always black? that’s got to have some meaning.

  100. 100.

    HeleninEire

    December 29, 2018 at 3:31 pm

    @raven: But you know what it may be. The drop down menu for my nym had crazy ass shit there. My real name, my BJ nym, and another word that had nothing to do with the price of tea in China.

  101. 101.

    Aleta

    December 29, 2018 at 3:35 pm

    Good grief. Now Trump wants to recast himself as Monty Hall. (So many times I think I see the formative influence of 50s-60s TV on him. His joy as he and his father watched water cannons, protestors beaten or riots caused by police, for ex. His (fake) summits with a Russian dictator. His claims about his ‘space program.’ )

  102. 102.

    Brachiator

    December 29, 2018 at 3:39 pm

    Well, this is interesting…

    A major 11-country agreement goes into effect Sunday, reshaping trade rules among economic powerhouses like Japan, Canada, Mexico and Australia — but the United States won’t be a part of it.

    That means that Welch’s grape juice, Tyson’s pork and California almonds will remain subject to tariffs in Japan, for example, while competitors’ products from countries participating in the new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership will eventually be duty-free.

    Japan will offer similar tariff relief to the European Union, in a separate trade deal set to go into effect on February 1….

    The current signatories have left open the possibility that the United States and other countries — including China — could join in the future if they agreed to the terms….

    Withdrawing from the TPP fulfilled a campaign pledge for Trump, who had called the agreement a “disaster” and argued that it would harm American workers and manufacturing.

    So, Trump was “tough,” and refused to make a deal, and the rest of the world just went on doing what they needed to do.

    And curiously, some liberals or progressives were unhappy with Obama pursuing a deal. Okay. What do they want now and how are they going to get it?

    Link…

    https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/29/politics/tpp-trade-trump/index.html

  103. 103.

    Raven

    December 29, 2018 at 3:47 pm

    @HeleninEire: I had it right thrice but it was in Safari, when I switched to Chrome it worked

  104. 104.

    Frankensteinbeck

    December 29, 2018 at 3:51 pm

    @Brachiator:

    So, federal workers are Democrats who are parasites and deserve nothing.

    I grew up in the 80s surrounded by people who believe this. Every time you hear a Republican use the word ‘bureaucrats’ this is what they mean. They’re convinced a staggeringly large portion of the national budget, possibly most of it, is ‘waste’ paying people to create and process confusing forms that do no good for anyone. This is connected in some nebulous way to their money being spent on welfare for lazy browns and ‘special interests’ who are white people that want the government to coddle the undeserving for Reasons.

  105. 105.

    Matt Smith

    December 29, 2018 at 3:53 pm

    @Scuffletuffle: I sing. Can’t obsess about mileage when you’re saving your breath for singing!

    @Leto: Thanks for the tip! I’ll check it out.

  106. 106.

    Brachiator

    December 29, 2018 at 4:00 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    They’re convinced a staggeringly large portion of the national budget, possibly most of it, is ‘waste’ paying people to create and process confusing forms that do no good for anyone.

    It’s sad. These people see “waste” but not the outright theft and corruption of Trump and his gang.

    ETA. Odd. I have another comment in moderation, but I don’t see any offending words.

  107. 107.

    Brachiator

    December 29, 2018 at 4:04 pm

    I tried to post this CNN story, but got stuck in moderation. Maybe this fragment is okay.

    A major 11-country agreement goes into effect Sunday, reshaping trade rules among economic powerhouses like Japan, Canada, Mexico and Australia — but the United States won’t be a part of it.

    The details are interesting.

    And yet, somehow Trump thinks he is winning.

  108. 108.

    J R in WV

    December 29, 2018 at 4:16 pm

    @Gvg:

    why are recumbents considered safer from falls? They look tipsy to me. How could you catch yourself when it starts to fall?

    If you can’t balance on a 2 wheel bike, you will fall over, no catching yourself.

    But the recumbents being discussed here are not 2 wheel, they’re either 3 or 4 wheel bikes.

  109. 109.

    Jay

    December 29, 2018 at 4:27 pm

    “HOST: “His title is the special presidential envoy to the global coalition to counter ISIS. How is it that the president doesn’t know his — the point person in the battle against ISIS?”

    MULVANEY: “You know the answer to that, the administration is thousand — the executive branch of government is millions of people. I have no idea who that person is.”

    HOST: “You don’t know Brett McGurk.”

    MULVANEY: “Never heard of him until yesterday. There is an Obama appointee who saw an opportunity.”

    HOST: “He was a Rehnquist clerk, he served throughout the Bush administration, he was a lifelong Republican, he is not an Obama appointee.”

    MULVANEY: “Did he take that position under the Obama administration?”

    HOST: “He was held over from the Bush administration. This is not a Democrat, sir.”

    MULVANEY: “I’m certain he is well known in the folks who follow this topic. The fact that the president of the United States doesn’t know him I don’t think should cause anybody any concern.”

    It looks like the new chief of staff, a Freedom Caucus hack, is just as ill-informed as his boss. If he really thought that McGurk was some left wing partisan then he’s getting his news from Fox too. ”

    https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2018/12/if-they-arent-on-fox-do-they-exist.html?m=1

  110. 110.

    nasruddin

    December 29, 2018 at 4:30 pm

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??: The smarty-pants expression for this is “cognitive dissonance”, the street word is “numbskull”. Everybody has a pain threshhold & eventually it gets thru, but it can take a long time & a lot of injury.

  111. 111.

    nasruddin

    December 29, 2018 at 4:33 pm

    @Ruckus: Is it in the hands of “Amazon logistics”? If so, say prayers. And send thoughts.

  112. 112.

    Brachiator

    December 29, 2018 at 4:36 pm

    @Jay:

    It looks like the new chief of staff, a Freedom Caucus hack, is just as ill-informed as his boss. If he really thought that McGurk was some left wing partisan then he’s getting his news from Fox too. ”

    More and more, it looks as though the federal government is running on autopilot, with incompetent hacks in charge.

    Years ago, I worked for a company with an excellent industry reputation. Over time, competent people were purged. The company continued to coast along for a while, but eventually the ratio of idiots to competents tipped in favor of the stupid, and the results were not pretty.

  113. 113.

    nasruddin

    December 29, 2018 at 4:41 pm

    @Jay: Mulvaney is at least as ill informed as Mr Trump, but he’s somewhat house broken. Mulvaney, remember he’s the guy that said meals on wheels & simillar programs shouldn’t be funded because it wasn’t producing results. He’s not a shining light.

  114. 114.

    Dan B

    December 29, 2018 at 4:51 pm

    @trollhattan: Vancouver BC developed an old industrial area, False Creek, after Expo. The residential towers ground level units have terraces that are a few feet above the sidewalks -pedestrian only sidewalks. There is a planting and tree strip and a wheeled only path. Then another planting strip and the road. People sit on their terraces when the weather us good providing “eyes in the street”. The separation of wheeled / cars / pedestrian is wonderful. Lots of locals everywhere. Some people complain about the soulless towers but the street level experience is first rate.

    Now if they only had an economy that was less dominated by real estate.

  115. 115.

    opiejeanne

    December 29, 2018 at 4:51 pm

    @Gvg: It’s got three wheels. Hard to tip over but would be almost impossible to tip over if the single wheel was at the rear and the twins were in front.

  116. 116.

    Jay

    December 29, 2018 at 5:10 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Speaking of young bucks living high on welfare and Goberment Cheeze,

    “Now, a Nation investigation has uncovered an explanation for the Pentagon’s foot-dragging: For decades, the DoD’s leaders and accountants have been perpetrating a gigantic, unconstitutional accounting fraud, deliberately cooking the books to mislead the Congress and drive the DoD’s budgets ever higher, regardless of military necessity. DoD has literally been making up numbers in its annual financial reports to Congress—representing trillions of dollars’ worth of seemingly nonexistent transactions—knowing that Congress would rely on those misleading reports when deciding how much money to give the DoD the following year, according to government records and interviews with current and former DoD officials, congressional sources, and independent experts”

    https://www.thenation.com/article/pentagon-audit-budget-fraud/

  117. 117.

    Bill Arnold

    December 29, 2018 at 5:14 pm

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??:

    These people sound more like Soviet citizens pushing the party-line than Americans.

    The Soviet Union is no more. There is only Russia. (Russian Federation). (Cough)

    But you can be sure the Soybean farmers will support Trump to bitter end, on some futile hope that their “economic pain” will end soon.

    Bankruptcies will happen, that would not have happened without a trade war. Consequences, including suicides.
    Breakingviews – Financing drought cracks farmers’ loyalty to Trump (December 24, 2018)

    Benjamin also noted, though, that credit has become tight and many farmers have used what liquidity they had. In the first few months of 2019 they’ll be looking for financing for the next harvest.
    Thanks to tariffs worsening the pain low commodity prices have already inflicted, it’ll be hard to get. U.S. net farm income in 2018 is expected to almost halve to $66.3 billion compared to five years ago, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts. During that same period, farm debt rose by 30 percent to $410 billion.

    (bold mine)
    These were easily predictable consequences.

  118. 118.

    burnspbesq

    December 29, 2018 at 5:32 pm

    @Brachiator:

    IIRC, Our Progressive Betters didn’t like the TPP primarily because Obama didn’t try to force the other parties to upgrade their labor and environmental laws to U.S. standards. Y’know, respecting other countries’ sovereignty and shit.

  119. 119.

    burnspbesq

    December 29, 2018 at 5:38 pm

    @opiejeanne:

    And why are those trucks almost always black?

    Cyclist and pedestrian blood and brains look best against a black background.

  120. 120.

    Jay

    December 29, 2018 at 5:39 pm

    @Brachiator:
    @nasruddin:

    It’s the inevitable result of this being the 4th Generation of the Reichwing Faux Bubble.

    The first generation consumed lots of different media and reports, knew how the “systems” worked, mostly to push back against that “stuff” on the Bobblehead shows.

    The Second Generation consumed much more Reichwing media, and much less other media, mostly to create simplistic push back and catch phrases to push back on the Bobblehead shows.

    The Third Generation added Still Dead Briebart and other winger sites, and just dismissed anything that contradicted their world view and bubbles.

    Now it’s the Fourth Generation, that believes the world is as the Reichwing reports it, that Schoolhouse Rock’s “ How a Bill becomes a Law” is socialism and Democratic Party obstructionism, and that “Big Pillow” is part of the Deep State.

  121. 121.

    Jay

    December 29, 2018 at 5:47 pm

    @burnspbesq:

    And once Dolt 45 pulled out, labour, wages, workers rights, soverignity concerns and environmental concerns were added in to TPPII.

    And while TPP, which was supposed to “surround” China via trade is dead, TPPII will probably include China in it’s first round of expansion.

    Doesn’t really matter, since Poppy Bush, treaties with the US arn’t really worth the paper they are written on.

  122. 122.

    Miss Bianca

    December 29, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    @Bill Arnold: And yet, according to the article, that headline appears to be projection or wishful thinking – since the article dutifully notes all these goobers have not had their heads turned by reality, but are still dutifully sticking by Trump’s line of BS.

  123. 123.

    Ruckus

    December 29, 2018 at 6:14 pm

    @Martin:
    When I was in northern Europe 40 yrs ago a lot of cities had bike lanes curbed off of the motor vehicle lanes. Or at least a full sized lane for bicycles.
    Also a lot of people ride bikes there a lot. I’ve seen y tubes from Norway where a fellow rides his bike from home to RR station. Train 38K. Gets his other bike out of the locker and rides a click to work. Summer and winter. In the winter there were as many bikes as in the summer but far less cars. His work has a locked garage area for bikes with repair tools, air pump and patches.
    This is normal, partly because of the high price of gas, and partly because it’s made to work for most people. The train station had lockers and lock up areas for 20,000 bikes and was building another locker area. More bikes – fewer cars, more trains – less need to drive to work. We sell huge pickups by the train load.

  124. 124.

    schrodingers_cat

    December 29, 2018 at 6:19 pm

    @Bill Arnold: Trade wars are easy to win, he said.

  125. 125.

    Ohio Mom

    December 29, 2018 at 6:20 pm

    Even though I was an art major, I can see that all this “winning” (the collapse of the soybean market, the costs incurred by not signing on to TPP, the government shut down, etc.) will be rippling through the general economy.

    How much time do you all give it before the economy starts tanking?

  126. 126.

    Bill Arnold

    December 29, 2018 at 6:21 pm

    @Miss Bianca:

    …since the article dutifully notes all these goobers have not had their heads turned by reality, but are still dutifully sticking by Trump’s line of BS.

    Yeah, it was speculative. I looked around a bit and didn’t find much in the way of stories about Trump-supporting farmers publicly expressing doubts about their support. But it will be biting them increasingly hard. (I’m assuming at least a few journalists are working on long-form unhappy-US-farmer stories.) I’m not how these people (DJT-supprting-farmers) will react when they see the resentment some of us have about paying tax dollars to support a small (and Republican) percentage of the people being hurt by the DJT’s trade aggressions.

  127. 127.

    Bill Arnold

    December 29, 2018 at 6:33 pm

    @Ohio Mom:

    How much time do you all give it before the economy starts tanking?

    I don’t think a crash in inevitable, but they (DJT Adminstration) are trying hard to engineer one. The parties involved may not realize this/believe this. But remember last weekend when Mnuchin put out a statement that he had contacted a bunch of banks[0] to make sure that they were prepared, and markets immediately shed a bunch of value? That was either spectacularly inept or a blatant attempt to panic the markets. IMO; there are other opinions, that make less sense to me. (I hope the SEC[1] is looking very carefully at short seller activity.)

    [0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/12/23/treasury-secretary-makes-unusual-pre-christmas-call-top-bank-ceos-amid-market-mayhem/
    [1] The SEC is ostensibly independent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Securities_and_Exchange_Commission

  128. 128.

    cliosfanboy

    December 29, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    I love Weiner dogs. And terriers too, but love my little dachshund…they definitely can be little drama queens..

  129. 129.

    Brachiator

    December 29, 2018 at 7:12 pm

    @Ohio Mom:

    How much time do you all give it before the economy starts tanking?

    I don’t think that the economy will tank. It will continue to sputter, and the administration will lie about it, and be unable to respond adequately. Trump will blame the Fed and whoever else he can for his own failures.

    One wild card. The tax cuts undeniably helped the wealthy more than anyone else. But no matter what you read, no one knows what tax receipts and refunds will be from this upcoming tax season. Because of the stupid way much of this was implemented, no one is sure whether people were able to adjust their federal withholding or estimates correctly to account for the new changes.

    Also, I recently taught a tax update class and some of the small shop tax preparers who do returns for truck drivers were shocked to learn that these clients will lose all of their employee business expenses.

  130. 130.

    Amir Khalid

    December 29, 2018 at 7:49 pm

    @Brachiator:
    One must remember: Trump’s criterion for winning extends no further than him getting his own way. If he pulls America out of a multilateral trade pact he has won; if America suffers for it, that’s not his concern.

  131. 131.

    Ruckus

    December 29, 2018 at 7:51 pm

    @Brachiator:

    for truck drivers were shocked to learn that these clients will lose all of their employee business expenses.

    Is that truck owner/operators or trucks exclusively or anyone in a small self owned business?
    If it’s very general that’s a lot of people who are going to take it up the ass for individual 1/republican congress, a lot of whom may have voted for the republicans to screw them.

  132. 132.

    Ruckus

    December 29, 2018 at 7:59 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Amazon recently claimed that they shipped 1 billion packages to Prime members, but didn’t say how many were actually delivered.

    Yeah that’s the way to make your self famous. Lie about your accomplishments. Hey look it got a fucking asshole moron elected to president, where he’s proven to be far worse than anyone’s fears before the election was stolen for him.
    In one of my “chats” with Amazon customer no service they told me to expect the second package the next day. Told them I’m not holding my breath.
    ETA USPS has not yet received any package for the last 25 mile delivery segment as of about 20 sec ago. Not getting here today.

  133. 133.

    NotMax

    December 29, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    @Ruckus

    Could be misremembering but I seem to recall that for the self-employed any claims/deductions for an office at home were eighty-sixed.

  134. 134.

    Miss Bianca

    December 29, 2018 at 8:08 pm

    @Bill Arnold:

    I’m not how these people (DJT-supprting-farmers) will react when they see the resentment some of us have about paying tax dollars to support a small (and Republican) percentage of the people being hurt by the DJT’s trade aggressions.

    How are they going to see it? They won’t see it on Fox News, they won’t hear it from their neighbors. Unless a significant portion of the population starts actively protesting it – and protesting it in rural areas, not just cities – I don’t see how these farmers are going to hear any such thing. They will consider these subsidies their God-given right from their God-given Antichrist, Donald Trump, and any bad repercussions from their markets crashing will be attributed to the Devil and liberals.

    I only wish I were just kidding.

  135. 135.

    NotMax

    December 29, 2018 at 8:09 pm

    @Ruckus

    Other side of the coin is that in all my phone interactions with Amazon customer service have found them to be courteous, efficient and bend over backwards helpful in quickly and satisfactorily resolving problems.

  136. 136.

    Ruckus

    December 29, 2018 at 8:13 pm

    @NotMax:
    Really, what can customer service do? They have already reshipped the item a second time. Some of the chats are just normal trying not to make the matter worse and if possible fixing the issue. The last one was over the top bullshit. So I’ve been lied to that the second package is where it’s supposed to be, two days ago, the first package has never been found as far as I can tell and the second one looks to be in the same place.

  137. 137.

    Ruckus

    December 29, 2018 at 8:18 pm

    @NotMax:
    That’s going to piss off an awful lot of people. Oh well, vote for shit, expect shit.

  138. 138.

    NotMax

    December 29, 2018 at 8:22 pm

    @Ruckus

    Doesn’t help with your immediate concerns but they can pass a report up the ladder so what or where the bottleneck is can be investigated.

    Of course, living in Hawaii shipping delays come with the territory. Amazon pads their anticipated delivery estimates to here quite often to accommodate that. Expected to be delivered Friday ends up being delivered the Wednesday before, for example.

  139. 139.

    catclub

    December 29, 2018 at 9:14 pm

    @Michael Cain:

    At normal speeds, a higher center of mass actually increases side-to-side stability. New recumbent riders usually think the shorter bike is “tippier” than what they’re used to.

    yep, the natural period of a pendulum is proportional to its length, so longer pendulums seems less tippy. It is easier to balance a long stick on your hand than a short one, partly because of this.

  140. 140.

    2liberal

    December 29, 2018 at 11:44 pm

    If you do your bike ride multiple short rides would be a wise move.

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