Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

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

We still have time to mess this up!

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

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

Consistently wrong since 2002

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Ah, the different things are different argument.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

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

A consequence of cucumbers

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

After roe, women are no longer free.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

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

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Best News from the Super Bowl Promos

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Best News from the Super Bowl Promos

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Maybe I should tag this as a respite thread. But we deserve a break!

After David MacNeil’s dog collapsed last July and was given a grim cancer diagnosis with a life expectancy of one month, he took the 7-year-old golden retriever named Scout to the University of Wisconsin at Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, hoping for a minor medical miracle.

The veterinarians pursued an aggressive treatment that paid off: Within two months, Scout’s heart tumor was 90 percent smaller than its original size. Today, the lucky dog is healthy and all but free of cancer.

MacNeil, the chief executive of WeatherTech, the suburban Chicago manufacturer best known for its floor mats and custom automotive liners, was beyond grateful. On Sunday, his gratitude will be on display in one of the most coveted forms of advertising: a Super Bowl commercial.

The 30-second spot, titled “Lucky Dog,” is set to air during the second quarter of Super Bowl LIV on Sunday and tells Scout’s story from diagnosis to recovery as it spotlights the veterinary school at UW-Madison. The commercial ends with a call to donate, in which all money raised through the advertised WeatherTech link will benefit the school’s medical research. The school said in a statement that funds will be routed through the University of Wisconsin Foundation…

In a statement, UW-Madison notes that dogs and humans share similar cancer rates — about 1 in 4 dogs and 1 in 3 people will develop cancer in their lifetime — and similar tumor characteristics. As a result, some cancer therapies that were first developed for dogs are used to treat cancer in people…

 
Too, also:

… Jason Levine, Sabra’s chief marketing officer, told the Advocate in a statement that the company is showcasing a diverse group of people in its Super Bowl ads and is thus offering “something for everyone.”

Kim Chi and Miz Cracker are among seemingly unrelated celebrities who will be part of Sabra’s football promotional blitz. Another commercial includes rapper and singer T-Pain auto-tune singing about being ready for hummus before placing a hummus-dipped chip in his mouth. Teresa Giudice and Caroline Manzo of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” fame also star in another ad where they icily say one another’s name in a way only cordial enemies do as they feast on bread dipped in Sabra hummus…

Reader Interactions

119Comments

  12. 12.

    raven

    So it appears as if I was wrong.
    Cole says” one more time- I make the final call. Me. It’s not me being manipulated or doing someone else’s bidding, it is me looking at what has happened and acting on it.” Obviously my conversation with Cole prompted his post and, as I told him, I have never questioned his right to do whatever he wants to on this blog. I still believe the banning was wrong but you know what they say about two wrongs. I don’t intend this to prompt more conversation about the situation, just to clarify.

  15. 15.

    Shalimar

    The Middle East peace plan has East Jerusalem as the capitol of Palestine.  Trump said yeaterday that Jerusalem will remain united,  part of Israel.  He doesn’t even understand or support his own peace plan.  I’m not sure it is possible to be more incompetent than Donald Trump.

  17. 17.

    p.a.

    Oh boy can’t wait for the response here from u-know-who:

     

    The governor of West Virginia and the president of the Liberty University came together on Tuesday and urged conservative counties and cities in Virginia to leave that state and join its western neighbor.

  18. 18.

    Jeffro

    Did anyone else see that video of trumpov short-circuiting at his rally last night? Fox News cut away in a hurry.

    Dementia, man, it’s rough…

  19. 19.

    JWR

    @raven: You know, once I “lernt” how to decipher said bannee’s slightly odd banter, (though believe me, some of it led me to jump right past), I thought he had some really good ideas. But being a BJ backbencher, I’ve stayed out of the dust-ups, and can accept that there are details of which I am unaware, and so leave it at that.

    But if you’re back, then I see that as a good thing, as I almost always welcome your insights. ;-)

  24. 24.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @p.a.: Yes, “Come, be a part of WV where we have no money, no jobs, no infrastructure, no future and soon, no mountains. Misery loves company.”

  25. 25.

    Quinerly

    @Baud: great rental this year back right in Santa Fe after different rentals in Albuquerque, the bouncing around 7500 mile traveling trip in 2017, and the stay in the old coal mining village between Santa Fe and Albuquerque out on Highway 14. Great to be settled in close to everything I want to do in the city. Have a great day!

  26. 26.

    Betty Cracker

    @Shalimar: I saw a CNN clip with Christiane Amanpour interviewing that walking squash seedling Jared Kushner about the so-called “peace plan.” The arrogant, trifling droplet of sour milk managed to preemptively insult the Palestinians repeatedly as he characterized the “peace plan” as an invitation to engage in “respectful” negotiations.

    As we know here in the reality based community, peace plans are the work product of negotiations between opposing parties, whereas this document masquerading as a peace plan is actually a Likud wish list. Its purpose is to give Trump something to crow about and provide justification Netanyahu will use shortly to annex swathes of the West Bank as both evade corruption charges.

    During the Amanpour interview, Kushner even manages to whine about having to spend so much of his precious time on the “peace plan,” what with all the other pressing concerns in his portfolio. The one thing I can say with confidence after sitting through that interview clip is that Kushner deserves the Trumps, and the Trumps deserve Kushner.

  32. 32.

    Quinerly

    @JPL: still on my regular 5:00 AM St. Louis wake up time which unfortunately is 4:00AM here. I eventually adjust internal clock but taking longer this year. 10 days into 6 weeks and I think the side train trip to and from Winslow, AZ last week didn’t help. Plus, tons of coughing Amish in the observation car. Have picked up a sinus thing I’m trying to shake. At least my appetite is back! ?

  33. 33.

    Anya

    I hope someone would clarify that having too many IPs does not make someone an automatic troll suspect and negate any input they might have. I say this because in one day I might be using several IP addresses: As a general policy, I use a VPN, but I also travel a lot (work and academic research). Not everyone who has so many IP addresses is a someone with a sinister agenda.

    I don’t really know the latest controversy but I saw a comment from one of our front pagers (Cheryl) stating as a proof why she thought the banned commenter was a malevolent troll.

  35. 35.

    satby

    @satby: funny:

    The Hoarse Whisperer

    @HoarseWisperer

    11h

    Apropos of nothing, Trump throws out a reference to “Crazy Bernie Sanders”. Wanders back into bragging about murdering terrorists. This is already like MAGA slam poetry. Random read meat phrases absent any real meaning. Like an endless stream of low-intellect fortune cookies.

  36. 36.

    schrodingers_cat

    What happened? Who got banned? I am away from the blog for a couple of days and there is an entire Mahabharata that I miss. Can someone please enlighten me? Thanks.

    I take it that this is the same incident that prompted blog father’s no comments post.

  40. 40.

    Baud

    @Anya:

    My reading of Cole’s post is that it’s not the number of IPs to access the blog that was the problem, but the number of Facebook messenger accounts used to contact Cole. But that’s just a guess. This whole thing has been over my head.

  42. 42.

    satby

    @Anya: that wasn’t the reason, just part of a whole pattern (edit: of behavior), as was mentioned further on. And John’s post makes that pretty clear too. Seems there was some behind the scenes hostility communicated that factored in.

  43. 43.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    Balloon Juice needs a Super Bowl ad.  Individual shots of random people typing furiously away behind a screen.  Cut to green balloon floating away peacefully above a barren wasteland.  End scene.

  44. 44.

    debbie

    @satby:

    The NPR reporter that was kicked out of the pool for Pompeo’s Ukraine visit was on this morning and there was no indication she was still banned. You could be right.

  46. 46.

    Ken

    @Steeplejack (phone): Now I’m torn.  I’ve been doing my bit to train the search algorithms by googling “Trump dementia” twice a day.  After reading that Twitter thread, I am considering switching to “Trump frontotemporal dementia”, but will that dilute my previous work?

  47. 47.

    Nicole

    Good morning! I am equal parts annoyed and proud of our dog. Annoyed because she woke us up whining at 3:30, but proud of her because when I finally accepted she wasn’t going to shut up and took her out at 4:45, it turned out she’s been holding in a case of the runs. I don’t know who owned her before us, but whoever they were, they did a really good job house training.

    Of course, she’s snoring away in her crate now, while I have to get the kid to school on little sleep…

  49. 49.

    satby

    @debbie: I refuse to listen to NPR anymore. They whitewash and try to normalize Trump as much as the NYT does and pretty inevitably put a soft Republican party slant on what’s supposed to be a straight news story.

  52. 52.

    Ken

    @debbie: No puppet!

    Besides, I suspect Trump is the one insisting on these appearances.  Any of his handlers who aren’t abject toadies and lickspittles (possibly an empty set) are undoubtedly wincing every time he goes out.

  54. 54.

    Quinerly

    @Ken: I just Googled prefrontal lobe dementia. Symptoms seem to fit perfectly but usually hits before 65 years of age. Also, reading that the rally was unusually short with little mention of impeachment. Also, chatter on his talking about federal judges like they were used cars…. “Brand new beautiful federal judges.”

  56. 56.

    debbie

    @Quinerly:

    His diminishing capacity for speech is clearly evident when compared to his interviews back in the 1980s or early 1990s. He used to use big words and his sentences made sense. Now he can’t even get his mouth to work right.

  59. 59.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @p.a.:

    If Va is already blue, it will cost x? Electoral votes.

    That’s their fever dream, but I wouldn’t be too concerned yet. I don’t know what all is involved but I suspect it isn’t as easy as they would like it to be. There has been talk of the panhandle of NE seceding and joining WY for decades.

  62. 62.

    Nicole

    @satby: The play I’m rehearsing is in tech today, so it’s going to be a long day, but so it goes. Unfortunately, the pooch never gets ill on a weekend. ;)

  64. 64.

    JWR

    @Steeplejack (phone): I just slowed down Trump’s mangling of the word “criminals” and it would appear to be something like, “crimina-cuhhuh-look look wait”, bailing after the cuhhuh, right into the first of the two following “looks”.

  67. 67.

    Another Scott

    @p.a.:

    BlueVirginia.us:

    This seems like an Onion parody, but apparently these guys – WV Gov. Jim Justice and Liberty “University” President Jerry Falwell, Jr. – are serious. According to Falwell (see video, below), a far-right theocratic extremist – whose “university,” by the way, shouldn’t be receiving a penny in public funds – “what’s happening in Virginia right now is a tragedy in the making Democratic leaders in Richmond through their elitism and radicalism have left a nearly unrecognizable state in their wake.” And worst of all, from this grifter’s perspective:

    “…the Democrats are…doing even more damage by making it difficult for the most needy college students in the state to finance their education. A recent budget proposal aims to eliminate student aid for thousands of online students attending private colleges while increasing aid for more more affluent resident students attending those same colleges…2,000 of those students are Liberty University online students.”

    So basically, the motivation here seems to be about Falwell’s pocketbook. In response, Falwell refers to the “fluid border” (huh?) between Virginia and West Virginia and how there’s an “open invitation” for “counties in Virginia to join the ranks of those in West Virginia.” Falwell further refers to a “VEXIT” movement, in which cities and counties might leave Virginia and join West Virginia.” Falwell continues with his tirade:

    C.R.E.A.M.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  68. 68.

    Princess

    My husband thinks it’s not dementia — he thinks Trump is having multiple mini seizures. His first wife had something similar. That would explain the Walter Reed visit — they needed to do a scan. It’s remarkable that Trump is aware when it happens and has been trained to recover from it. Why they don’t use this as an excuse to have him resign and be replaced by Pence, I will never know.

  73. 73.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Baud:

    I read that thread. I got who was banned. I was never a fan of his schtick but its still seems like a mystery  as to why.  I didn’t understand JGC’s evening post either. Much of it went over my head. Oh well.

  75. 75.

    Another Scott

    In other news, GovExec:

    Research shows that voters adopt positions and perceptions based in part upon the politicians they support.

    For example, in one experiment, researchers presented people with statements like “The U.S. debt is $18 trillion” or “Vaccines cause autism,” sometimes giving the statement no attribution and sometimes attributing it to Trump. Republicans and Democrats did not differ so much on statements without attribution as they did when the statement is attributed to Trump. Republican supporters were far more willing than Democrats to believe statements attributed to Trump.

    But this Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows something even more unusual. Respondents changed positions that were once consistent with their party or ideology according to Trump’s preferences – even when doing so contradicted their usual views.

    Unfortunately, people are tribal.

    Whoever can bottle the “likability” pheromones and exclusively use them on sensible politicians with sensible policies will have the next Google.

    (Of course, normal people don’t have the time or inclination to pay much attention to political positions anyway, so they assume that people they trust do that heavy lifting for them, also too. (IOW, they’re not necessarily wedded to a particular party position before being asked in these surveys.) That’s why democracy needs sensible people in office.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  77. 77.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @Betty Cracker: And they all deserve to do serious time in a Federal penitentiary.  Remind me someone, what the hell qualifies this idiot Kushner, to act as diplomat/negotiator for the United States?  He is a real estate developer/slum lord and was a newspaper publisher. And while he went to Harvard he only got in after his daddy donated 2.5 million.

  81. 81.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @EmbraceYourInnerCrone: Remind me someone, what the hell qualifies this idiot Kushner, to act as diplomat/negotiator for the United States?

    You have to ask?

    ETA s////s////s////s////s I know you don’t.

  82. 82.

    Ramalama

    @mardam422:

     

    OMG!! Drag queens during the Super Bowl. This is gonna be goooooooooood.

    Can’t tell if this is a case of ‘the pendulum’ swinging back in the correct direction. But cool nonetheless.

    I won a small college scholarship from a national drag organization. I was presented the scholarship from a drag king, so they can’t all be queens.

    My people.

    Once removed.

  83. 83.

    Shalimar

    @Betty Cracker: Kushner sounds like a 12 year old playing a video game.  If only he could find the right cheat code, he can get past this Middle East peace level and finally move on to the wall-building.

  84. 84.

    dnfree

    I hope this thread isn’t completely dead before I share that the same Vet school saved the life of my daughter’s rabbit, with I believe some of the same technology and caring. The bunny has now passed on but she got another year-plus of being one of the smartest and best-loved bunnies around. Sniff….

  85. 85.

    Gin & Tonic

    @EmbraceYourInnerCrone: You know, my son (and his colleagues/classmates) worked very, very hard, and paid significant money to get his MA degree in diplomacy. To say this infuriates and enrages him and his colleagues barely scratches the surface of their emotion.

  87. 87.

    artem1s

    @p.a.:

    The governor of West Virginia and the president of the Liberty University came together on Tuesday and urged conservative counties and cities in Virginia to leave that state and join its western neighbor.

    good god. Know Nothings are ruining this country.

  88. 88.

    Quinerly

    @rikyrah: thanks. Doing well. Seeing old friends, making new ones, I hope. Strange with no dog to worry about. Pangs of guilt from time to time. I’m seeing how easy it is to travel without a large, special needs fur baby. Both Poco and Leo had issues. Leo was doggie aggressive and Poco had separation anxiety. Have a great day.

  91. 91.

    Gin & Tonic

    Incidentally, SoS Mike “Do you think Americans fucking care about Ukraine” Pompeo is due to arrive in Kyiv tomorrow.

    From an English-language Ukrainian source:

    And officially, at least, Pompeo’s visit will “…highlight U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Secretary will also attend a wreath laying ceremony at St. Michael’s to honor those who have fallen in the Donbas, and meet with religious, civil society, and business community leaders,” according to the U.S. State Department.

    Hope he at least appreciates the sights, as St. Michael’s (Golden-Domed) Monastery is truly beautiful.

  95. 95.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @satby: Heh, it;s a dirty job but somebody had to do it. I finally got my flower seeds ordered last week (mostly wildflowers so I need them NOW) and I’m currently trying to put together my veggie seed order. I’m trying really hard to not go overboard but it ain’t easy.

  96. 96.

    WaterGirl

    The final line of Cole’s post, posted without comment.

    This post will have no comments because there is nothing to fucking talk about. The end.

  101. 101.

    WaterGirl

    @OzarkHillbilly: Ozark, you mentioned planting wildflower seeds in the garden thread, too, but I wasn’t able to catch you in time.

    Is that true for all flower seeds?  I usually plant flowers from the nursery, but what if I want to plant cosmos or poppy and other seeds?

    Do those also need to be planted about now?  Would I just sprinkle them on the ground, or do I need to do something special?

  103. 103.

    Gin & Tonic

    @WaterGirl: He doesn’t arrive until tomorrow. I doubt he’ll be snubbed, but it may be a chilly reception.

    Personally, I think they should take him out east, to show him where Russian forces are planting (internationally-banned) anti-personnel mines.

  104. 104.

    The Moar You Know

    I have a golden retriever that, put simply, has changed me and my entire life.  This commercial made me cry my eyes out.  The UW School’s video piece, asking for donations, did even more so.

  105. 105.

    WaterGirl

    @Gin & Tonic:  I think that’s a great idea.

    Then it seems odd that they mentioned all those specific things that he would be doing and never mentioned a thing about meeting with the President of Ukraine.

  106. 106.

    Gin & Tonic

    @WaterGirl: Well, meetings with the President and the Foreign Minister are on the official schedule. I’ll see how it gets covered tomorrow.

  108. 108.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @WaterGirl: Not all of them. I’ve never had any problem with cosmos or zinnias. What I do is put the seeds  in a jar (so critters can’t get to them) and leave them outside. Then when my plots are ready I sow them.

    I have noticed that the smaller the seed the shallower one plants it (pinhead seeds just get broadcast on top and pressed in) but that is not universally true, so look them up on the internet and follow the directions you find there, or at least the consensus. Seed packet directions seem to be rather generic so I am not as trusting of them.

  110. 110.

    p.a.

    From Fred Clark at slacktivist:

     

    Today is the birthday of Tamás Erdélyi, born in 1949 in Budapest to Jewish parents who had hidden with neighbors to survive the Holocaust. The family fled Hungary during the revolution in 1956 and arrived as refugees in Queens, where Tamás grew up, went to high school, joined a band, and changed his name to Tommy Ramone.

    Tommy became the drummer by default, since nobody else in the band could keep up.

  111. 111.

    WaterGirl

    @OzarkHillbilly: Yeah, it wasn’t a tough choice for me:  ask Ozark, or trust the lying bastards who write the text on seed packets and on flower stickers.

    I wonder if I can get away with just sprinkling them on the ground at the right time, figuring that the dogs running around will push them in to the ground a little bit?

    So the point is for the seeds to be exposed to the weather, in a jar, rather than on the ground?  What happens when it rains or snows and moisture gets in the jar?  Or does the jar have a lid on it?

  114. 114.

    Quinerly

    @Steeplejack: thread is dead, but maybe you will pop back.

    John Lennon went to live with my best galpal and her kitty, Tinker Bell. September. He was so lonesome without little Ivan and I knew I had that long trip to NC coming up to deal with Hurricane Florence and fight with the HOA Board. He is so happy with my friend and “Tinks.” Tinker Bell had lost her old man companion kitty and was also lonesome. Everybody concerned is thrilled. Thanks for asking.

  115. 115.

    texasdoc

    @debbie: I heard that interview of Elizabeth Warren by Steve Inskeep and was tempted to throw something at my radio because of the way he kept interrupting and talking over her, before she had even answered his previous question.  And most of his questions were more in the form of objections than questions, as in “how could you possibly expand and modify your health care plan taking practical considerations into account, when you previously signed on to Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for all?”  Aargh!!

  117. 117.

    J R in WV

    @p.a.:

    The governor of West Virginia and the president of the Liberty University came together on Tuesday and urged conservative counties and cities in Virginia to leave that state and join its western neighbor.

     

    I can’t help but wonder if Gov Justice (who can’t seem to pay his tax bills, nor any bills, really!) and Liberty University are actual aware that West Virginia originally seceded from Virginia over the issue of slavery and racism? And that areas leaving Virginia for West Virginia will be jumping from the heated swimming pool into the frying pan? as the state budget in WV is linked to the coal bidness and is thus doomed.

    I’m actually pretty sure it isn’t constitutional for bits of one state to flee into another state… without approval from both states. Good luck with that!

  118. 118.

    J R in WV

    @Anya:

    I hope someone would clarify that having too many IPs does not make someone an automatic troll suspect and negate any input they might have.

    I think in this case Ol’ Blue may have been banned, or put on a time out, and set up a whole new persona to continue to hassle Cole. But I do not know that and am merely guessing from the fragmentary information I have.

    I think my IP address changes a lot, as Google thinks I am in a different state every day… From western NY state to Hattiesburg MS to various rural California towns. May be related to sat service downlink locations? Hope to never connect to the interwebs from anywhere in Mississippi, ever!

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