Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

Chutkan laughs. Lauro sits back down.

Glad to see john eastman going through some things.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

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

Let’s finish the job.

Come on, man.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson: the bland and smiling face of evil.

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

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

So many bastards, so little time.

He really is that stupid.

You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Wednesday Evening Respite Open Thread: Rascality!

Reader Interactions

267Comments

  1. 1.

    Major Major Major Major

    Respite? Cheryl retweeted this and I love it. Beware the old Sami woman in the woods!

  4. 4.

    germy

    Do… Klingons have pets? Is this ever explored? I would imagine if they did, it'd mostly be attack creatures like falcons or whatever, but I'm still imagining one of them being like WHO IS AN HONORABLE WARRIOR? IT IS YOU. IT IS YOU.— Ada Powers (writer 4 hire) (@mspowahs) December 30, 2020

    that just reminded me of this: pic.twitter.com/l9VLBQR90R— Rational TThot, Malkavian Primogen of NYC (@ineffabelle) December 30, 2020

  7. 7.

    jl

    Thanks. Oregon Zoo looks like it rocks. I’ll put it on my NW bucket list.

    But should have had a trigger warning. Pogonophobia is real. Insensitive to O’Reilly and Colbert, and many others suffering from that debilitating condition

    Edit: and a danger to public health, given the high prevalence of Pogonoillaoblivia (irrational obliviousness to danger from bears in national parks). And I cobbled that together from Google translate, so the BJ Latin pedants can shut up in advance, thank you very much and have a good day, I say good day, sir.

    Edit2: Ursapicturaemania

    Edit2: Ursamortavotia

  14. 14.

    Ken

    @germy: Do… Klingons have pets?

    Probably not tribbles.

    My theory for the change in Klingon appearance between TOS and TNG is a species-wide allergic reaction to tribble dandruff.  The only evidence I have for this is Worf’s embarrassed “We do not discuss it with outsiders” in that DS9 time-travel episode.

  15. 15.

    jl

    @SiubhanDuinne: Oh, shit. Thanks. It is very good thing that I  supplied some very expert erudite Latinate alternatives, huh

    Edit: hell with it, bears look like they have beards, if you squint. My choice was actually correct. You are welcome. Physicians take a lot of poetic license with those names, and so can I. QED.

  20. 20.

    hotshoe

    @germy:

    I hope the Dr dies painfully, at home, without wasting any hospital space, and without infecting anyone else.

    Unfortunately, he says he is recovering. So I guess the best I can really hope for is long-hauler side effects.

     

    Goddamn each and every one of the bastards who deliberately have spread medical misinformation and made our lives worse.

  21. 21.

    MazeDancer

    @germy:

    Do… Klingons have pets?

    Yes.

    There is a snarling, monster kind of steel plated “dog” seated at the feet of the commander in one of the movies. Commander gets up and yells at lieutenant to “feed it”. “Dog” snarls viciously.

  22. 22.

    Emma from FL

    The one that I loved most in the video was the elephant throwing mud towards the camera. It was like “hey! I’m trying to take a bath here!” in a Brooklyn accent.

  23. 23.

    NotMax

    Reap. Sow.

    New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) on Wednesday announced that he is canceling his outdoor inauguration ceremony next month, citing “ongoing public safety concerns” over armed protesters who have gathered outside his home in recent weeks following a mask order he issued last month.

    In a series of tweets Wednesday, Sununu said that armed protesters outside his home have become “more aggressive” as they targeted his family. Source

  24. 24.

    Kent

    @germy:

    After downplaying COVID-19, Dr. Drew has COVID-19.

    “My early comments about equating coronavirus with influenza were wrong. They were incorrect. I was part of a chorus that was saying that. And we were wrong.”https://t.co/NHr5I8aCiF

    — Jennifer Hayden (@Scout_Finch) December 30, 2020

    These fuckers have SO MUCH TO ANSWER FOR.

    “I was wrong” does not begin to cut it.  They need to devote the rest of their fucking lives to fighting Trumpism and right-wing insanity if they hope to even come close to balancing the scales for the damage the have don.

  25. 25.

    cckids

    @Ken:My theory for the change in Klingon appearance between TOS and TNG is a species-wide allergic reaction to tribble dandruff.

    Not to nerd out, but the change in Klingon appearance is addressed in Enterprise;  there was some sort of plague that affected them.

    I really didn’t like Enterprise much, so never paid complete attention when the spouse was watching it, but the doctor on Enterprise helped find a cure. Was the plague man-made maybe? Or genetic-engineering related? Also possible. All that I can dredge up from memory is that it happened.

  27. 27.

    NotMax

    FYI.

    An unidentified group of U.S.-based philanthropists plans to send 150,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Iran in the coming weeks, Iranian media reported Monday, in a step that could bring the hardest-hit country in the Middle East closer to inoculating its citizens against the coronavirus.

    Details remained scarce in the report by semiofficial Tasnim news agency. It quoted the chief of the country’s Red Crescent Society as saying he expects the vaccine created by American drug maker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech to be imported by Jan. 19 “based on coordination with a group of benefactors in the U.S.”

    Iran has struggled to stem the worst virus outbreak in the Middle East, which has infected over 1.2 million people and killed nearly 55,000.

    Karim Hemmati, the Red Crescent director, said his organization plans to receive an additional 1 million vaccine doses, which on Sunday the semiofficial Khabaronline.ir news website reported would come from China. The vaccines will be offered to citizens free of charge, Hemmati said.
    [snip]
    Meanwhile, hard-line officials in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard have rejected the use of foreign-made vaccines altogether. Last week, deputy chief of the Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Mohammad Reza Naghdi, said the Guard “does not recommend the injection of any foreign vaccine” candidates based on genetic material known as messenger RNA, which carries the instructions for cells to make proteins. Source

  36. 36.

    NotMax

    Anyone have Lizard People on your BINGO card?

    Investigators are exploring several conspiracy theories as potential motives behind the Christmas Day bombing outside an AT&T building in Nashville, Tennessee, including evidence that the bomber believed in lizard people and a so-called reptilian conspiracy, two senior law enforcement officials said Wednesday.
    [snip]
    Specifically, investigators are looking into the suspect’s previous trips to an undisclosed location in Tennessee where he would camp out in his recreational vehicle and, according to the suspect’s statements to others, hunt possible aliens, the officials said.

    In addition, investigators are aware of statements the suspect made about an internet conspiracy that powerful politicians and Hollywood figures are actually lizards or other reptiles who have extraterrestrial origins and are taking over society, the officials said. Source

  39. 39.

    debbie

    @NotMax:

    Similarly, NPR reported this morning that Israel had no intention of providing any vaccines for the Palestinians living in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel.  ? ?

  42. 42.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Kent: Now wait a minute – according to this USA Today article, Pinsky retracted and apologized for “downplaying the coronavirus epidemic” back in April. There was a lot of partial and contradictory information circulating before then. If we can cut Tony Fauci a break for discouraging people from obtaining masks (in an understandable but badly-put effort to reserve the then-inadequate mask supply for frontline health-care workers), we might not want to shit all over someone who made a mistake and ‘fessed up to it rather early in the process.

  44. 44.

    NeenerNeener

    Hey, it looks like there’s a new litter of Shiba Inu puppies as of today. I found the puppy cam on You Tube while watching the Dogs of 2020 video.

    Appears to be only 3 puppies in this litter.

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    @Baud

    It would be to laugh if it wasn’t so pathetic (emphasis added).

    Adherents of the unfounded conspiracy theory believe that politicians and other prominent people, including the Clintons and the comedian Bob Hope, who died in 2003, are actually lizard-like creatures sent to Earth and are responsible for a number of historic tragedies. Justin Bieber and the Obamas have also been named in the conspiracy theory.

  47. 47.

    LurkerNoLonger

    This is part of the Hawley statement objecting to the Electoral college certification:

    “I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws,” 

    Does anyone know what this is referring to? Or is it just bullshit? I’m strongly leaning towards the latter.

  57. 57.

    Spanky

    @japa21: Well. Fuck.

    “Good luck” seems trite and dismissive and altogether inadequate.

    We’re at least at a phase where we know what works and what doesn’t. You’re now part of your care team. Do what you need to do.

  64. 64.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Brachiator: I don’t understand the fear. I enjoyed “Yogi the Beard” when I was a kid.

    Hey Boo Boo!  It’s just your typical type beard oil basket!

  65. 65.

    lamh36

    Good evening BJ. Sitting here watching the old Wonder Woman episodes on HBOMax. Do ya’ll remember the one about the “Great Ape” Gargantua that the Nazi trained to attack Wonder Woman? Every fight was just dude holding Lynda Carter around the waist and Lynda Carter obviously trying to keep the top of her suit from being pulled down…smh LOL

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6be94f00a91c4cd1872d36bd03a4ad45b463a0c1574d2acc58e30581409bc1df.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/dc099a931bd20c889c11f7a52e8dbec098bf719309e5324a39fb02488b2f9ec5.jpg

  68. 68.

    mrmoshpotato

    @NotMax: Future generations aren’t going to believe this kind of shit took place because of being asked to wear a mask in public during a national (also global) health crisis.

    This is insane.

  72. 72.

    Tony Jay

    @cckids:

    I could be wrong (often) but I think it was some kind of abortive attempt to exploit the banned genetic manipulation techniques that created Khan and his fellow supermen.

    Enterprise was a bit rubbish, though. Other than the two part Mirror Universe episode.

  73. 73.

    frosty

    @japa21: Whoa. Best wishes for a good recovery. As others have said, the docs and nurses have a much better idea of how to deal with  COVID than they had in March.

  74. 74.

    Bill Arnold

    I like to think of this story as a Baba Yaga origin story, before she built the hut inspired by her friends:
    The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat, by Brooke Bolander

    The Princess went back with the three beautiful sisters to their forest home, where she built a little crookety cabin in a sun-dappled clearing ringed ‘round with fern and foxglove and other plants that should not have gotten on together but made an exception in her presence.

  77. 77.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Kent: They need to devote the rest of their fucking lives to fighting Trumpism and right-wing insanity if they hope to even come close to balancing the scales for the damage the have done.

    Can their part of this fight take place while they’re also doing housekeeping and emptying bedpans in hospitals?

  82. 82.

    Geminid

    @debbie: if you are interested, there is good coverage of Palestinian Covid-19 vaccine questions if you google the topic. Israel in fact does intend to inoculate it’s own citizens including Arab Israelis and Israeli citizens living on the West Bank, and leave Palestinians living under it’s control in the West Bank and Gaza to obtain the vaccine on their own. Russia is promising to deliver 4 million doses of it’s “Sputnik” vaccine to Palestinians, starting next month; the UAE will pick up part of the tab.  Qatar provides a lot of financial support to Gaza, and will probably buy some vaccine for those folks.                    The liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz has an  editorial today strongly  emphasizing Israel’s legal and moral obligation to ensure Palestinians are vaccinated. It may be paywalled for some, though.

  85. 85.

    Tony Jay

    As a member of the Labour Party I’m at risk of suspension and expulsion for even reading that comment.

    Though given today’s colossal shitshow I don’t think I’ll have that conflict of interest much longer.

  88. 88.

    JMG

    My last Christmas present arrived! It is intentionally late because my son and his fiancee did not come here for the holiday until last night. In early December he had an emergency appendectomy and although he is fine, 16 hours in a Brooklyn hospital caused him to reset his quarantine clock to zero. Anyway, he changed the delivery date of the present so he could be here. It’s a big package from Katz’s Delicatessin! Pastrami, corned beef, brisket, latkes, pickles, mustard, knishes!!! There’s a whole pastrami in there. Cooking instructions say boil it for three hours. I’m thinking of sending to my cardiologist. Not sure I want it around next month.

  98. 98.

    cckids

    @Tony Jay: That sounds right. I was vaguely remembering some type of gen engineering gone wrong.

    And yes, Enterprise has so much wrong with it, with such a great premise. Worst written Trek show, by far.

    Loved the Mirror episodes, though, you could tell the cast was finally having fun.

  99. 99.

    jl

    @Roger Moore:  IIRC Jones seems to have gotten out of his previous jam by testifying that he is really a clown who doesn’t mean anything he says, it’s all for yuks and giggles.

    I wonder whether the judge made him put a disclaimer on everyone of his broadcasts, for every second. Actually, should be a disclaimer on all of his public communications, including interviews and any random clip that bubbles up on youtube.

    “Hi, I’d be glad to answer some questions, but first a disclaimer: I am a clown and don’t mean anything I say.”

  101. 101.

    jackmac

    @germy: Klingons had targs for pets, according to a Star Trek WIki page. “The Klingons enjoyed hunting wild targ but also maintained agricultural herds for consumption and commonly kept targs as pets.”

     

    @germy:

  102. 102.

    JAFD

    @japa21: OK.  You’re in a battle, but you can win it.

    Relax.  Conserve your strength.  Trust your doctors and nurses.

    DON’T WORRY.  Your welfare – and survival – is now Somebody Else’s Problem – a whole bunch of somebodies.  Let them take care of it.

    Keep smiling.  Take it one day at a time.  Try to be as pleasant as possible to the doctors and nurses, they don’t have it easy either.

    Be confident that you’ll recover.  This, too, shall pass.

    That be accumulated advice from time after my heart attack.  Worth twice what you paid for it ;-)

    So sending some thoughts and healing energy and requests for favorable interventions by Higher Powers your way, too.

  104. 104.

    WaterGirl

    @Mag: No one could find the original, and it would have cost $ to have him recreated from scratch.

    Two or three different people volunteered to have a go at it, but one set didn’t work out and the other two never got back to me.

  109. 109.

    Dahlia

    @Tony Jay: Would you like to share any thoughts about today’s development in Brexit?  Chris Grey is quite thorough but he lacks your flair.

  111. 111.

    John Revolta

    Yikes. From the article:

    (Dr. Drew) Pinksy said his positive test was a relief of sorts.

    “Because I had this terrible acute febrile illness and was testing negative, and if I did not have COVID, I had acute lymphocytic leukemia, which I did not want to have because that’s the only thing that would do what was happening to me”

    But, it’s just like the flu!

  115. 115.

    jl

    @Baud: ” Baud!/Lizard! 2032! ”

    Seems pretty damn fancy pants and elitist for the Baud! XXXX! Base. Keep it simple, western fence lizard. Every future tramp used to chase them across vacant lots and quick stop parking lots, for various reasons and with varying degrees of desperation.

  116. 116.

    japa21

    Thanks to everyone for their thoughts.  I am positive.  Also have pneumonia which doesn’t help. Still waiting for my bed. May have to wait to tomorrow as I don’t have my charger with me.

  117. 117.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @lamh36: 1) is that the Young Doocey asking the question?

    2) what are the “allegations of wrong-doing” against Warnock? I’m a political junkie and that’s the first I’ve heard

  118. 118.

    randy khan

    @LurkerNoLonger: 

    I do, and it is.

    One of the arguments made in, among other dumb cases, the Texas suit was that the disputed (well, at least disputed in the minds of the crazies) states had not followed their own election laws, which somehow rendered the results invalid. In Pennsylvania, in particular (but also Wisconsin, and maybe other states), those issues were raised in state lawsuits, and the State Supreme Court ruled that the actions by state election officials were consistent with the law. So Hawley basically is saying that state Supreme Courts got the state law issues wrong. Since he does not appear to ever have been a lawyer in any of those states, I think it’s safe to say he knows next to nothing about their election laws and, in any event, when a state Supreme Court says something is the law of that state, it’s hard to explain why anyone should listen to someone who says otherwise.

  124. 124.

    jl

    Just heard a news report that McConnell is just outright saying he ain’t going to do the $2K checks, just eff it all, fuggedaboudit, screw everyone and they can just suck it up. Seems to be very theatrically throwing down his own BS poison pill plan and stomping all over the $2K check and spitting on it.

    I am not as savvy and with it politically as other wise commenters here are. Or imaginative enough to spin plausible sounding political punditry BS out of my ass (yes, I am a crappy BJ commenter, why do you ask?).

    What is he doing? I don’t see how this is helpful at all for the GA runoff.

  126. 126.

    Geminid

    @debbie: The Israelis are beginning their fourth election campaign in 14 months. Election Day will be in late March. Some influential Likud politicians are thoroughly disgusted by Netanyahu and have defected to form a new party. And the long serving Mayor of Tel Aviv has also formed a new party. Candidates for Knesset run nationwide on party slates. If a slate wins 10% of the vote the top 12 candidates on their List win seats in the 120 member Knesset.

    Your regard for Netanyahu is shared by a lot of Israelis, especially politicians, since he has double crossed most of them one time or another. His 12 year run as Prime Minister may actually end this time.

    Israeli politics are hard to keep up with, but The Jerusalem Post and The Times of Israel are covering the election, and are not paywalled, unlike the better Haaretz.

  127. 127.

    randy khan

    It would seem churlish to complain that there weren’t enough otters in the video, so I won’t.  Otters seem to exist to be joyful, and I’ve never seen one that didn’t seem to be happy.  And seeing the video reminds me of a really delightful interlude with my then-girlfriend at the Seattle aquarium watching some otters cavort and, not much more than a year later, of seeing an otter carefully and contentedly eating a fish in a little park – and practically posing for photos for amused onlookers – in Florida during our honeymoon.

    Also, the porcupine was great.

  128. 128.

    daryljfontaine

    @lamh36: “In case you didn’t hear it the first… or the second… time, let me repeat myself clearly and distinctly on camera for the benefit of your generally low-information viewing audience.”

    D

  130. 130.

    randy khan

    @jl:

    It’s not helpful for the GA runoff, which means he’s either concluded that the elections are lost (which would be swell) or that the impact of the $600 v. the $2,000 already is baked in (possibly with a side of thinking that Loeffler and Perdue are making it sound like they’d vote for the $2,000) and so that not doing doesn’t make any difference.

    There might also be a bet in there somewhere that a 50-50 Senate doesn’t get much done because the Dems won’t kill the filibuster.

  132. 132.

    Another Scott

    @jl: He probably figures the Georgia results are baked in and nothing he does will affect it.  He knows that the House has left town and there’s no chance they would accept his poison pills, and there’s no time for a conference to paper over the differences.  (This Congress ends at noon on Sunday.)  Since he won’t let the House bill come up for a vote, the $2000 is dead this year.

    IMHO, this has been his plan since the House passed the HEROES act on May 15.  He was going to try to run out the clock and at the last minute stampede the Democrats to accept liability protection for businesses in exchange for little else.  As usual, he failed in getting what he wanted, so he’ll let the country burn for another few weeks (until the Democrats take over) as punishment.

    We need to win Georgia!!

    My $0.02.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  137. 137.

    debbie

    @Geminid:

    I was just listening to an interview with an Israeli reporter on the BBC’s The World who said Bibi is angling for retroactive immunity. I don’t remember his reasoning, but I do remember thinking it was very Trumpian. I’m also cheered to know parties are being formed to counter Bibi.

    Most of the people I know here are less strident than I about him, so it’s good to get your perspective. Many thanks.

  140. 140.

    debbie

    @WaterGirl:

    I remember saying pretty much the same thing to my parents back in the 1970s. I think that’s the closest I ever came to getting kicked out of the house. Even closer than when I argued with my father about Vietnam and Richard Nixon.

  142. 142.

    debbie

    @randy khan:

    I think he’s doing it to make Biden have to ask Congress for the stimulus payments. McConnell really wants to beat Biden over the head with his own power.

  143. 143.

    mrmoshpotato

    @debbie:

    I was just listening to an interview with an Israeli reporter on the BBC’s The World who said Bibi is angling for retroactive immunity.

    Political immunity or COVID immunity?

  145. 145.

    lamh36

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think they’ve been pushing some stuff about an arrest or something and an inciden w/his ex-wife that when you read the details really just sound like your run of the mill bad divorce scenario where one of the divorcee is not quite truthful and in a vengeful mood.

    Nothing that will matter to any voter in this election.  It’s about about voter turnout

  147. 147.

    jl

    @randy khan: @Another Scott: @debbie:

    On my good days, I do hope and strive to be somewhat less depraved than McConnell, and I do have some difficulty understanding his way of thinking.

    But, if I were trying to win GA and create a good foundation for my first attempt at an epic Biden beat-down, now would be a perfect time for the standard McConnell boilerplate: posture around as if trying to get something done, pretend to try to compromise while keeping one fatal poison pill in the bill, lie to big time corporate media talking heads that it is very sad that the Democrats won’t compromise. More drone, the better.

  149. 149.

    frosty

    @WaterGirl: Really? After reading about all of the talented commenters on B-J no one could recreate Balloon Man? I has a sad. Seems to me (not knowing diddly about it) that it wouldn’t be so tough.

  150. 150.

    jl

    @frosty: When BJ did the last redesign, I asked for a magic touch-screen balloon man who, when activated, would put me in the balloon, and sail me away somewhere over the rainbow to a pot of gold.

    Didn’t happen. And Cole still claim’s it’s a full service blog.

  153. 153.

    JoyceH

    Reporter on CNN just said that Trump is returning to DC tomorrow, skipping his NY Eve bash. Uh-oh, is he planning to stir up more trouble?

  154. 154.

    Geminid

    @randy khan: The people at Springdale Water Gardens, over in the Shenandoah Valley, noticed they were losing Koi fish. The fish were quite expensive, so a camera was set up to catch the thief. It was an otter, trekking a half mile from its creek to visit the koi buffet.

  156. 156.

    JPL

    @JoyceH: Probably trying to goad Iran into a strike,cuz he can’t be replaced during a war.   Wish I was just kidding, but I’m not.

  157. 157.

    jl

    @JoyceH: Trump wants to drum up more GOP support in Congress for his heroic last stand, or miraculous out of nowhere victory, on January 6?

    THE COUNTENNENNENNINGGINGG!

    Edit: Trump has shown he can comprehend the possibility that he won’t hold on to power, but his delusions keep drawing him back in. And whatever happens, Trump surely wants a huge, top, terrific, the best, show. High production values, a winner. Highest rated ceremonial electoral college vote in Congress ever.

    Edit: goose his election fraud fund scam and ticket sales for his first post-administration re-election rally. He really wants those rallies, if he can stay ahead of the law and his creditors.

  159. 159.

    JoyceH

    I’m hoping he’s just too grumpy to go to his NYEve party but it would be too obvious if he was there and just sulked in his quarters and didn’t show up.

  166. 166.

    trollhattan

    Uh…wow.

    “The Secret Service is making some staff changes in the presidential detail that will guard President-elect Joe Biden, amid concerns from Biden allies that some current members were politically aligned with President Trump,” the Washington Post reports.

    “As Biden readies his new administration, the Secret Service plans to bring back to the White House detail a handful of senior agents whom Biden knows well from their work more than four years ago guarding him and his family when he was vice president.”

  167. 167.

    jl

    @trollhattan: After Trump treated them badly for four years, there are still Secret Service people who are aligned with Trump? They were on other assignments away from the WH?

    Maybe they are all covid long haulers with lingering brain fog?

  171. 171.

    Doc Sardonic

    @Winston: First off..Ivermectin is a de-wormer you give to your dog, cat, horse, pig, sheep, etc. Second… doxycycline and Zithromax are anti bacterials. Last time I checked COVID is a virus, not an intestinal parasite or clap. Fucking dumbass

  172. 172.

    Ken

    @jl: When BJ did the last redesign, I asked for a magic touch-screen balloon man who, when activated, would put me in the balloon, and sail me away somewhere over the rainbow to a pot of gold. Didn’t happen.

    Hey, I’ve been working on it, and should have it ready to roll-out in January. Really cool, my first Flash animation project.

  179. 179.

    Winston

    @Doc Sardonic: I don’t know. Glad to have a snark expert aboard since this is the main function of this blog. My doctor from Cuba tells me that in Cuba, they use this. Cuba has kinda the lowest incident of cases and deaths in this part of the world. Perhaps you can explain that.

  180. 180.

    J R in WV

    @japa21:

    More later but I am about to be admitted to a Covid unit, but not ICU.

    OH, noes, Japa21. I hope they get your treatments,  and ready to be discharged soonest!.!. Best wishes from W Va!!!

  181. 181.

    burnspbesq

    @Ruckus:

    Mocking USC makes about as much sense these days as mocking NYU. It’s orders of magnitude better than it was when I was there (1979-82). They’ve put all that cash to good use. I especially like the stories about spoiled rich legacies who couldn’t get in because the admission standards got so much more stringent.

  182. 182.

    raven

    @zhena gogolia: It’s an L4 problem and surgery is an option. I told the doc I wasn’t doing anything while Bodhi is still hangin in there because I have to be able to carry him. She was down.

  185. 185.

    Another Scott

    Election respite-ish.

    Good morning to the dude who walked into the early voting venue yesterday and answered “are you here to vote?” with “I’m here to ruin Mitch McConnell’s fuckin’ day”

    — Céline went to France twice so she’s French (@selina3sticks) December 30, 2020

    :-) More, more please!!

    (via LOLGOP)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  190. 190.

    Doc Sardonic

    @Winston: mainly because Cuba, much like New Zealand and Hawaii are limiting entry as well testing and quarantining everyone as soon as you deplane. But if your Cuban doctor is using that protocol for COVID maybe I should have him take a look at my cat.

  197. 197.

    Bill Arnold

    @Winston:
    Why did you link those? Is there any science backing it? (Not watching a crackpot video; will read scientific papers though.)
    There’s a bit for vitamins D, C and Zinc, though not strong.
    Last I looked the evidence for the other ingredients in that brew was slim, though at least they’re harmless though I don’t know about the Robitussin or the claritin.
    Evidence for aspirin is weak
    e.g.
    Mortality and pre‐hospitalization use of low‐dose aspirin in COVID‐19 patients with coronary artery disease (18 December 2020)
    “Collectively, our study suggested that the pre‐hospitalization use of low‐dose aspirin was not associated with the clinical outcome of patients with CAD hospitalized with COVID‐19 infections.”,
    though the theory (clot reduction to reduce morbidities) is plausible.

  201. 201.

    NotMax

    Feeling the eldertude today. Trip to the laundromat and a fast in and out at the market to pick up some dairy items needed for planned New Year’s menu plumb tuckered me out. Hot, hot hot and sticky, sticky, sticky weather out there today. Zero breeze, lowering gray skies. Gonna be several hours before shall be able to muster the energy to fold and put away the laundry.

    Looked at the price of ricotta cheese and damn near bruised my masked chin on the floor as jaw dropped. Cottage cheese will have to suffice.

  202. 202.

    Winston

    @Winston: Cuba has the reputation of having the best medical infrastructure in the western hemisphere and since they are socialists all the medical is free to all their citizens.

  204. 204.

    Another Scott

    @Winston: Not Doc, but extremely easy to verify what he said.  e.g. https://cubatravelservices.com/notice-for-travellers-covid-19/

    […]

    Latest Updates:
    December 23, 2020

    Airlines have now resumed their flights into Havana (José Martí) International Airport from dedicated airports including Miami International Airport and Tampa.

    Cuba requires all passengers to complete a PCR test upon arrival in Havana International Airport. The Cuba Sanitary Fee is $36.25 which includes a $6.25 processing fee. Tickets booked after December 1, 2020 should have this included in the ticket price. Please check this with your airline.
    From January 1, 2021, travelers are additionally required to present proof of a COVID test with negative results, taken in your departing country in the last 72 hours.

    For American Airlines passengers that have purchased their tickets to Cuba from Miami prior to December 1, 2020, can process their Cuba Health Screening Fee online prior to departure.
    Click here to go to the American Airlines Health Screening page

    All travelers are required to fill out a Health Declaration form before checking in for your flight to Cuba. It is recommended to bring a printed copy of this form once completed.
    Click here to obtain your Cuban Health Declaration Form

    Visitors may need to quarantine at the accommodation until they have received their PCR test results. Returning citizens and residents are as of date still required to quarantine for 7-14 days upon arrival.

    Travelers visiting Varadero are required to have COVID-19 insurance and must bring proof of their hotel reservation. All tourists are required to stay in the ‘safe tourist corridor’ zone.

    […]

    HTH.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  205. 205.

    Tazj

    @jl: I’m not a savvy myself but I’ll express my opinion about what might be McConnell’s spin on this. In his floor speech he complained about people getting the $2000 checks that didn’t need it and that this was a waste. I think he also said that this wasn’t really helping the most desperate and needy people. I think John Cronyn also said something like this.Democrats are wasting your money on people who don’t need it. They also want people to believe that everyone gets a $2000 check regardless of their income.

    When I heard part of his floor speech I thought the same thing as you, how does this help them in Georgia? I don’t know but maybe they’re hoping being in favor of something helps them now (the relief Bill plus $600)  but railing against another $1400 will help them drag the economy  against Biden later.

  208. 208.

    jl

    @Tazj:  Thanks, I didn’t hear the whole floor speech, just some soundbites in the news report. McConnell shit all over the $2K check much more than my impression from the report.

    I can see the angle: portray the Dems as still giving away money to the undeserving. But AFAIK, they didn’t propose any constructive alternative (which they never do) at all. And, there is a danger here, that is not usually present, that many GOPers will know damn well they or those they know need the money, so the BS will show through. And Trumpsters don’t care about arguments, they want what the Boss says. And, Loeffler and Perdue have backed Trump, right?

    Still seems puzzling, and rare misstep by a political Kabuki pro.

  209. 209.

    Winston

    @Bill Arnold: I don’t know. I am not a doctor. My Doctor told me this protocol is used in Cuba. She is Cuban. The protocol is being tested in the Keys. I’m just posting this for general information. Perhaps you get exposed and can’t get a test or vaccination. Maybe this is something you could keep on hand, just in case.

  210. 210.

    Ruckus

    @burnspbesq:

    I believe you. I’ve only been there in this century, my sister’s memorial was held there, because she was a teacher. All the students that I met seemed pretty normal collage aged kids and as the Metro goes right by the campus on my way to the VA hospital, it looks like a totally different place than has been described to me from about your time. The closest I was way back then was that I went to college after the navy and went to an all day seminar at the med school as I was premed. Got to see a cadaver and everything.

  217. 217.

    John Revolta

    @jl: Looking back I’m kinda embarrassed that I spent so much time trying to figure out how Yertle was going to wiggle out of this. Doing nothing is his signature move, after all, and why not? It works for him every time.

  219. 219.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @John Revolta:

    The strategy is that McConnell is a mean shit who loves watching Americans suffer.  He doesn’t want to pass anything, at all, and has the power of veto over all legislation.  The $600 was a miracle.  McConnell is a worse threat to America than Trump, but at least we’ll only have one of them to deal with in a few weeks, not both.

    EDIT – And one thing I’ve noticed lately is that his mask has been progressively slipping.  He used to be really great at pretending to be responsible.  More and more lately, he’s just been open about what a sadistic shit he is.  I suspect it’s part of his health deteriorating.  I loathe saying this, but I want him to die, because it’s the only way I can think of to stop him hurting people.

  220. 220.

    rikyrah

    I? felt ? this ?

    Sentiment about the vaccine

    They can shoot that shit into my eyeball for all I care, I just want to be able to go out into public again without worrying about dying a week later.— Dan ?? (@realDan203) December 31, 2020

  224. 224.

    Tazj

    @jl: I certainly hope it’s a misstep for him.

    Everyone if you get a chance watch Jon Ossoff’s interview on Fox News, it’s hilarious. “Kelly Loeffler is campaigning with a Klansman.”

  225. 225.

    John Revolta

    @Frankensteinbeck: Of course, I agree with all of this. Thing is, if he wants to keep his power, he’s got to have those two GA seats. I expected something a little more I dunno, crafty out of him, but, as I said, doing nothing seems to be his main tactic, and it rarely fails him.

  226. 226.

    bemused senior

    @JMG: I have ordered whole pastrami three times from Katz’s deli for the obligatory family Hanukkah party. It is delicious cooked following the instructions. Bon appetit!

  227. 227.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    I loathe saying this, but I want him to die, because it’s the only way I can think of to stop him hurting people. 

    No need to feel bad when wishing ill on that evil, fascist turtle.

  229. 229.

    Winston

    @Ken: Well ivermectin prevents parasites and viruses from reproducing according to the advocates. I don’t know. What I do know is my Doctor told me, it is used in Cuba and go check Cuba out on worldometers.info

  230. 230.

    Ken

    @Winston: The NIH currently recommends against ivermectin for COVID treatment, except as part of a clinical trial.  Such trials aren’t unusual; probably hundreds of existing medications have been tried against COVID. Derek Lowe’s “In the Pipeline” blog has had fairly good coverage of these repurposing trials.

    There have been relatively few successes, and most of those are not because of anti-viral activity, but because they reduce the immune response that causes the “cytokine storm” that kills (killed) so many in the first wave of the pandemic.

    Edit: That NIH page ivermectin inhibits the virus in vitro, which makes further trials reasonable. But also remember Randall Munroe’s take on what in vitro means, an assessment that I think Derek Lowe (a medicinal chemist, when he’s not being diverted by a pandemic) shares.

  231. 231.

    satby

    @Winston:  You’ve tried to flog ivermectin in a couple of threads now and Ken’s response is pretty much the same as the one I gave you a few days ago. Next you’ll be suggesting oleander.

  235. 235.

    mrmoshpotato

    @satby: Let’s go ask WebMD about COVID!

    Spoiler – We all have cancer.

    “But I was just looking for remedies to soothe a scratchy throat!”

  237. 237.

    Citizen Alan

    @debbie: Is there any meaningful difference between Likud and the Nazi party? I’ve said for years that the eyes of the world were on Bibi Netanyahu in a way they were never on Adolf Hitler, and that fact–and nothing else–is why the majority of Palestinians haven’t been herded into concentration camps and exterminated.

  238. 238.

    Suzanne

    2020 just continues to be a fucking piece of shit. I think I told y’all about my friend whose dad died, then her mom fell and broke her shoulder the following day, then got surgery the day after that, then my friend’s husband didn’t pass the Rona screening at the hospital when they went to get her mom…. turned out he had COVID and ended up needing to be hospitalized himself.

    Anyway, her husband’s mom died yesterday. My God. What the fuck.

  239. 239.

    NotMax

    @satby

    Appreciate that. However almost never have milk in the house. And that amount of milk would cost like twice what the tub of cottage cheese did.

    It’s for a noodle kugel, which I’ve used cottage cheese in previously with success, so not a big deal to substitute. Now if it were, say, lasagna that would be a horse of a different color. Tucked away your linked recipe for future use should that situation arise.

  240. 240.

    CarolDuhart2

    @JPL:  Well, he thinks that.  But it only works while running for re-election, not after the election.  Daddy Bush tried to start something with Clinton, and it didn’t work too well.  After the election too, I recall.

  241. 241.

    Another Scott

    I guess we’re done respitizing in this thread??

    dick_nixon has a 3 minute summary of what he thinks the BoJo-EU Brexit agreement means:

    We’ll now try to sum up main points of the “Brexit” agreement. Keep in mind, please, that space is limited and the agreement is new.

    — Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) December 31, 2020

    He thinks this effectively hastens Irish reunification, and I think that’s probably right (but it will still be a slow process).

    He thinks that Scotland will leave the UK at the “earliest opportunity”. I think a later reply may be right that Scotland would like to leave but there are too many obstacles to joining the EU on its own.

    The (limited – it doesn’t include a lot of stuff) agreement certainly does not sound like anything good for the UK.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (“Looking forward to Tony Jay and Robert Sneddon and the rest of our UK friends’ comments.”)

  244. 244.

    WaterGirl

    @Suzanne: I am having trouble processing all that, just reading about it.  I had to parse it like a word problem.

    Your friend’s:
    Dad died
    Mom broke her shoulder and had to have surgery
    Husband hospitalized for covid
    Mother-in-law died

    There are no words.  I am so sorry.  I hope her husband recovered from COVID. Does she have kids?

  245. 245.

    Nutmeg again

    @raven: Best of luck whatever your path. I actually wanted surgery, and was told at my last workup that I’d have to be significantly more (more, hah!) debilitated, i.e., incontinent and wheelchair-ish before I was a surgery candidate. Of course there is not effing much that can be done in the meantime. Bitter? nah.
    If you figure out a genius solution, please post!

  247. 247.

    Suzanne

    @WaterGirl: Yep, you got it right. Her husband is doing okay post-COVID. He’s still getting worn out easily. (And he is a healthy young dude who lives in Denver and spends lots of free time climbing mountains and hiking.) They don’t have kids. Both of her parents had had strokes in the past decade and needed a lot of care, so my friend and her husband have (had) her parents living with them, and they didn’t feel that they could care for her parents and kids, and have jobs. All of this happened in the last month. Good Lord.

  248. 248.

    JoyceH

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Let’s go ask WebMD about COVID!

    Spoiler – We all have cancer.

    Did you ever see the cartoon of “Charlotte’s WebMD”? Spider spells out in her web, “It’s Probably Cancer”

  251. 251.

    mrmoshpotato

    @JoyceH: No, I haven’t.  I just know the joke that if you “research” something on WebMD enough, it’ll tell you it’s probably cancer.

  252. 252.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @raven:

    I’m dealing with L3 right now so I’m right there with you. They want to try shots to try to reduce inflammation and make some room in there for things to move. I’m fighting it with exercising but the RA makes some exercises difficult. People keep telling me that I look real good for my age so I know I have to look pretty bad…lol

    Good luck in dealing with it!

    @Nutmeg again:

    That’s odd, my doc has no problem with surgery if the pain management and exercises are not successful.

    Get a second opinion.

  254. 254.

    jonas

    @jl: Trump may have given them Covid, but he also treated them to week after week at luxury golf resorts courtesy of the American taxpayer. Not a bad deal, I guess. Biden will probably spend weekends at some lame-ass place like Camp David.

  255. 255.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Citizen Alan:

    One of the obits I saw earlier today said that Ginger is the last remaining cast member.

    (ETA: Tina Louise. Sorry, blanked on her name until the second after I hit Send.)

  256. 256.

    Bill Arnold

    @Tazj:

    They also want people to believe that everyone gets a $2000 check regardless of their income.

    True that they’re pretending that there is no income test, and its even a bit more strict than they’re not admitting; the income test is from the last tax return, 2019, which means that people with a 2020 income that dropped substantially, to well below the threshold, during the pandemic recession, might not get a check. (Income tests that use annual income are a blunt tool.)

  258. 258.

    JoyceH

    I saw the video of McConnell saying there was no way this 2K bill could pass. Of course, he’s lying, but did anyone else think he sounded different? His voice seemed to me to be a lot more muffled and mumbly than usual. Tooth problems? Brain problems?

  259. 259.

    Ruckus

    @raven:

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    I herniated the disc between L4-L5 about 10 yrs ago, it was fun getting  as far back as I’ve come but like a lot of things, no good deed goes unpunished. That’s my story, if your’s is a worse problem I hope there is something that can be done because a back that doesn’t pull it’s load is less fun than most anything.

    I hope both of you feel better asap. Be warned that once weakened it’s easy to have it get worse – again, so follow docs instructions and do the work. And realize that some days being old is a stone bitch, only made OK by the fact that it’s better than the alternative.

  260. 260.

    Ruckus

    @JoyceH:

    Well we know he has brain problems, he’s a republican.

    But it wasn’t long ago that pictures of him looked like death warmed over. Within the last 30-60 days. He had polio as a kid and the people I know who had polio have numerous problems as they age. One I talk to regular is my age, 7 yrs younger than turtle and she’s for the most part wheelchair bound.

  262. 262.

    Anotherlurker

    @mrmoshpotato: I was experiencing severe itching, numbness, stabbing pain and uncontrollable itching in my left eye.  I also had lesions on my cheek, in my nose and in my mouth, again only left side.  I was also totally knackered.

    I check out WebMD and enter my symptoms.  The first thing that comes up is Tearduct Cancer.  Scared the shit out of me.

    Went to the Doctor ASAP and was diagnosed with Shingles.  It turned into a 1 year + ordeal.

    Doc ordered me to stay away from WebMD.

  263. 263.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Ruckus:

    Yeah, getting old sucks but the alternative sucks a lot more! I’ve had C5 though C7 fused, plated and screwed so I’m in no hurry to go through that crap again. Luckily I’m not overweight so that helps a lot with the problems I am dealing with. I had another birthday a few days ago and my neighbor asked how old I am. When I told him he said “You get around pretty good for a guy your age” and when he saw that I was choking back laughter he tried to clarify it by saying that it seems a lot of people my age look a lot worse.

    I couldn’t stop laughing and nether could my wife when I told her. I told him thanks for the compliment. :)

  265. 265.

    evodevo

    @Ken: Yes.  This.  No one teaches genetics anymore, so most people don’t realize that a large percent of their genome (up to 18%) consists of deactivated retrotransposons from millions/billions of years ago lol (See: LINES and SINES)

  266. 266.

    J R in WV

    @JPL:

    Probably trying to goad Iran into a strike,cuz he can’t be replaced during a war.

    This is not accurate. There is no requirement of any kind to keep a president in office during a war. That’s why elections are held during wars, in case the people decide to replace the commander-in-chief during the war.

  267. 267.

    SteverinoCT

    @Bill Arnold: 

    I like to think of this story as a Baba Yaga origin story…

    Late to this, but Orson Scott Card has an interesting novel, Enchantment, which is a twist on Sleeping Beauty. Baba Yaga is in there, and her hut on chicken legs is inspired by a passenger jet airplane with its landing gear.

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