Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

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

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

“More of this”, i said to the dog.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

We still have time to mess this up!

You cannot shame the shameless.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Consistently wrong since 2002

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

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Usually wrong but never in doubt

The revolution will be supervised.

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Reader Interactions

46Comments

  5. 5.

    Gravenstone

    @rikyrah: If you have access to a 3D printer (or someone who does), you can find patterns for “ear savers”. Those let you loop the straps through them instead of behind your ears.

  6. 6.

    BQuimby

    Easy peasy – ZAZZLE.com, Cafepress.com – both allow you to customize anything – even masks.

  7. 7.

    WaterGirl

    I went to Cafe Press just now and found pages of masks.  The thing is, the ones they have don’t have pleats in them, and the ones with pleats work best of anything I’ve tried.  The shape they have at Cafe Press does not look like it would give very good coverage.

    So maybe this is a two-step process?  Find 3 or 4 mask types that people tend to like.  That will be the hard part.  I would guess that getting them printed with Tunch would be the easy part.

  13. 13.

    debbie

    @WaterGirl:

    Also, the illustration needs to be horizontal.

    Also, also, pleated will distort the design.

    ETA: What about those scarf/bandana-type masks?

  15. 15.

    E.

    Gloo Factory in Tucson, AZ. They are a union print shop suffering deeply from the COVID thing because much of their work is political signs, campaign printing, that sort of thing. Lefty, very pro-union folks. http://www.thegloofactory.com. You can get the union bug printed on the mask too! 520-740-0810, ask for Dwight.

  19. 19.

    raven

    @debbie:

    That brings us back to fishing face masks and neck gaiters designed for sun protection. Most are made from a single layer of lightweight, stretchy polyester and designed for comfort and breathability. Some have small holes or slits around the nose and mouth for better ventilation. I tested several different neck gaiters and face masks from several different manufacturers by holding them up to bright light, and all of them allowed significant light to pass through.
    That said, and with the caveat that I have not performed any scientific tests on face masks and am only working with knowledge I’ve found on the internet, any cloth face covering is better than nothing. And the benefits of a neck gaiter or fishing face mask are that it fits snugly, covers the mouth and nose securely, can be washed in a washing machine, and does not require any sewing to construct. To potentially improve its effectiveness, follow the CDC recommendation of adding layers. You could double it over, and/or use it to hold an additional layer or two of tightly-woven cotton over your mouth and nose. I added a layer of tightly-woven cotton cut from a pillowcase inside one of mine, doubling it over to hold the cotton layer in place. It fits snug and feels like it should provide some protection for myself and others.

    Again, according to the CDC, wearing any cloth face covering may help to slow the spread of the virus. If you wear a “buff” as a face mask, take care when removing it by putting your (clean) fingers under the neckline and lifting up from the bottom to top over your head. And do not let a cloth mask give you a false sense of protection. Continue to follow the guidelines on social distancing previously set forth by the CDC.

  20. 20.

    E.

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): There’s a very dystopian underside to super-discount custom printing. Wanna hear it? You know how those places are super cheap and also super fast? They do it by printing your order on giant ships anchored in international waters, filled with printing equipment and what I would guess are largely slaves. No environmental regulations (a big issue in commercial printing), no labor laws, no tax, no oversight. What a great deal, no?

  22. 22.

    WaterGirl

    @debbie: I won’t wear a scarf/bandana mask.  In my limited experience, there’s way too much fussing and adjusting with a mask like that.

    With the awesome pleated masks that Wolvesvalley made me, i put them on and don’t have to think about it again until I take it off.

    But masks will be like everything else… what I like, you may hate.  I doubt if it’s possible to find masks that most everyone will like.

    But the face shields on top of the mask?  I think that awesome photo of Tunch could work on those.

  25. 25.

    Another Scott

    Whenever I see that, I always hear “Obie” as in Office Obie from Alice’s Restaurant.

    Sorry.

    Relatedly, …

    Since 1967, Democrats have put 4 Justices on the Supreme Court.

    Republicans have put 15.

    In that time, Republicans won the popular vote 6 times and Democrats won it 7.

    Forget replacing RBG. The GOP shouldn't get another Supreme Court appointment this century.

    — The Mysterious LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) July 17, 2020

    We have to vote the monsters out. It’s what Tunch demands!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  26. 26.

    WaterGirl

    @satby: Oh, absolutely.  But most everybody has masks already that work for them.  I’m thinking about face shields in addition to the masks we already have.

  28. 28.

    Ruckus

    @rikyrah:

    I make mine tie over the head and back of the neck because I also can not stand the ear elastic. Mine have a filter pocket and I use filter paper in them. I haven’t made enough and really am not planning on making a bunch because I’m really just marginally capable of sewing anything.

  29. 29.

    debbie

    @WaterGirl:

    Most of the masks I’ve accumulated are pleated; however, Tunch will look like an accordion if he’s printed on a pleated mask. Very undignified.

  38. 38.

    Lumpy

    Does it have to say OBEY? That seems to be reinforcing the wingnut idea that masks are about getting the public to surrender their rights, big government overreach, blah blah blah.

    I would suggest FEED but that might also be problematic for some people (YMMV) since it’s covering the mouth (I may be overthinking that, I’m not sure). I’m thinking about weight issues here.

    What about BALLOON-JUICE.COM or TUNCH FOREVER or MY MASK PROTECTS YOU, YOUR MASK PROTECTS ME.

  39. 39.

    Greenergood

    Tunch w/ balloon-juice.com underneath? But will also need similar artwork portrait of Steve – can’t live w/ just one mask …

  40. 40.

    Dog Mom

    You might try here.  They have some masks selling at Wegman’s with a logo ‘NY in a heart’ on the cheek similar to where the buffalo is. These are made well – a couple of layers of a cotton knit.

  41. 41.

    Gvg

    I don’t care for pleated ones. I thought I would hate ear loops but they aren’t as bad as I feared and they work far better for removing and putting back if you are in a situation where you don’t have to wear them all the time. Easier to change. My office allows us to shut our doors and take off masks when alone. Quick errands where you get out of the car briefly.
    If I have to leave it on, the around the head ones are better. To be honest, none are great. I’m having a lot of trouble with them. They really make me feel suffocated. I guess i’ll have another try this weekend. I’m not that fond of sewing and getting less all the time but I haven’t liked the ready made either.

  43. 43.

    Percysowner

    I hope you can give us options. I don’t like the pleated “surgical” type mask and I prefer over the head. I also know others like the pleated version, so if we could choose, that would be great. Honestly, I’ve bought several from Etsy and I’m getting the VOTE mask from the DSCC, but I’d love a Tunch mask as well. Even after this is all over, I can use the during flu season and maybe keep from getting that again. I DO get the flu vaccine every year, but in January I got it anyway, A mask might have helped.

  44. 44.

    BrumDaBronze

    New reader, here: hi!  I’m assuming Kitteh Tunch is a mascot, of sorts.  Kitteh is adorable.  :-)  I agree with the folks who mention the issues with the pleated masks; they would distort the design, which would make Tunch a very unhappy kitteh to have his face defaced, if you know what I mean.  ;-)

    May I suggest using the “muzzle” type masks?  They fit close around your face and seal, kind of like these: https://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Protective-Reusable-Cotton-Washable/dp/B087LXGQW6/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=masks&qid=1595033948&sr=8-8

    Or these (though, if you can find one like this without a seam down the centre, it would be better): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BFPHBR3/ref=sspa_dk_detail_4?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B08BFPHBR3&pd_rd_w=8jyes&pf_rd_p=48d372c1-f7e1-4b8b-9d02-4bd86f5158c5&pd_rd_wg=dPx4T&pf_rd_r=KDQ7XHH8H883W6CAFMA6&pd_rd_r=37d85e65-1ea8-4e34-8708-f48de25bba3e&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzSkE3QjZQRlpGQVdBJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODIwMjQ4Mk9DNEMzSzlDUDdVSSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTcwOTMwMjFDVExOUFRVNkdDRyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2RldGFpbCZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

    Last, something no one else has mentioned: I’m sure you’re familiar with Shepard Fairey, the street artist behind the famous Obama “Hope” poster.  He’s also responsible for the “Obey” street art, clothing-line, posters, and company.  So, the big “Obey” word, you might want to remove that from Tunch’s cute image to save confusion with Fairey’s stuff, or from looking like a copy, er… cat.  >^_._^<

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