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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Peak wingnut was a lie.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

All hail the time of the bunny!

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

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

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

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

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

This blog will pay for itself.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

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You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Friday Morning Open Thread: Niggling Frustrations EVERYWHERE

Friday Morning Open Thread: Niggling Frustrations EVERYWHERE

by Anne Laurie|  April 9, 20218:59 am| 92 Comments

This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Open Threads, Vice-President Harris

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Reporter: VP Harris was seen at a bakery in Chicago, is she still working on immigration?

Psaki: ‘The VP was visiting Chicago to talk about COVID … while she was there, like many Americans, she got a snack. I think she’s allowed to do that.’ pic.twitter.com/x0WD6WPFVf

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 8, 2021

In lesser, local news… FYWP decided to lock me out, just as I was finishing the overnight COVID-19 update. WaterGirl was kind enough to post it for me, but that’s why it didn’t show up when you expected it.

Hopefully, it’ll be good for a while now!

NPR host to Marty Walsh just now: “It’s not obvious why a Labor Secretary would be pitching an infrastructure bill.”

I swear that really just happened.

— phillip anderson (@phillipanderson) April 7, 2021

It's wild to watch people who just spent like a year complaining that they can't go to work because they need to watch their kids and schools aren't open decide that taking care of kids is now not vital economic infrastructure. https://t.co/i7nWesdcUM

— Leonid Baezhnev ?? (@rev_avocado) April 7, 2021

I feel like that child and elderly care benefits poll in the 70s, so having very savvy pundits debate it is good messaging actually. https://t.co/xuW93TGQQj

— Alex Hazanov. (@alexhazanov) April 7, 2021

NEW: $5 billion in stimulus funds tabbed for reducing homelessness. President Biden wants to get 130,000 people off the street over the next 12 to 18 months. https://t.co/9ffJlGbqfg

— Tracy Jan (@TracyJan) April 8, 2021

“‘This is just not the reality of how the overwhelming majority of Ohioans get around,’ Rep. Troy Balderson R-Zanesville told The Dispatch.”

No, it’s not, because WE DON’T HAVE THE OPTION. https://t.co/LFS0Mx5tAY

— Bear Braumoeller (@Prof_BearB) April 9, 2021

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Previous Post: « COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Thursday/Friday, April 8-9
Next Post: The high cost of avoiding Emergency Departments »

Reader Interactions

92Comments

  1. 1.

    Kathleen

    April 9, 2021 at 9:04 am

    Good Morning. So Snackgate is now a thing.

  2. 2.

    Kathleen

    April 9, 2021 at 9:05 am

    Good Morning

    So Snackgate is now a thing.

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 9, 2021 at 9:12 am

    Blech.

  4. 4.

    Immanentize

    April 9, 2021 at 9:13 am

    @Kathleen: 
    You obviously like to double down on snacks!

  5. 5.

    Spanky

    April 9, 2021 at 9:13 am

    “Reporter”
    “NPR host”
    OK, tweeters and bloggers, NAME NAMES. I wouldn’t mind if Ms. Psaki called the reporters BY NAME every time, or better yet had them introduce themselves for each question, so they’re attributed in every video of their stupidity.

  6. 6.

    Immanentize

    April 9, 2021 at 9:14 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: right there with you, brother!

    Two of the burners on my gas range top quit.  I’ve fixed it before, but this is some friggin electric brain problem.  Money will be burnt to replace it….

  7. 7.

    Ken

    April 9, 2021 at 9:15 am

    In Illinois, there’s discussion of the homelessness issue. The pandemic has demonstrated what many homeless advocates have been saying for years — it is actually cheaper to put people up in hotel rooms than to have them living on the street. The problem is that the costs for the latter aren’t a single line item in a state budget; they’re in the form of more 911 calls for police or ambulance, hospital emergency room visits, and so on.

  8. 8.

    Barbara

    April 9, 2021 at 9:17 am

    Because infrastructure builds itself with no labor involved, except the architect. Just like in Minecraft.

  9. 9.

    BruceFromOhio

    April 9, 2021 at 9:22 am

    “‘This is just not the reality of how the overwhelming majority of Ohioans get around,’ Rep. Troy Balderson R-Zanesville told The Dispatch.”

    Mid-state neanderthal. These regrettably outnumber everything else, so he’s not wrong.

    Reliable passenger rail transit running from Cincinnati to Columbus to Cleveland? Passenger service from Cleveland to Chicago that doesn’t require a 3:30am embark? I can think of a whole lot of localvores, breweries and wineries that might really dig this. Make room for a bicycle car and the tourism would be even more fun. The Europeans have shown how it works.

  10. 10.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 9:23 am

    History mystery.

    Did she or didn’t she? Someone who was present at the time related the incident differently than the accepted wisdom.

  11. 11.

    Nicole

    April 9, 2021 at 9:24 am

    As someone said earlier, SNL is really missing an opportunity for a recurring sketch of Psaki fielding dumb questions from lazy reporters. Much funnier than “Biden is senile!”

  12. 12.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 9, 2021 at 9:25 am

    @Barbara: Yep. I made a whole career of watching walls assemble and then stand themselves up, roadways pour themselves, etc etc etc..

  13. 13.

    leeleeFL

    April 9, 2021 at 9:25 am

    I am beginning to think Many Very Important People are dumber than dog poop!

    Also, too, I am working hard at lowering my Blood Pressure. This kind of thing is counter-productive!

    Seriously, dumber than dog poop!

  14. 14.

    Immanentize

    April 9, 2021 at 9:27 am

    @BruceFromOhio: In Texas, there have been long held plans for a “triangle” fast train service — Austin to Houston to Dallas to Austin and vice versa.

    You know who kills that plan?  Yes, gas producers (although Texas gas is low) and the local airlines.  First Conquest (now defunct) and Southwest (going strong).

    I always will take the train to NYC from Boston rather than a plane if it can be avoided.  Although planes get there faster, add in the airport travel to and from plus the security laden wait and the train is quicker.  And, more room!

  15. 15.

    Immanentize

    April 9, 2021 at 9:30 am

    @Barbara: At least Mahty pointed out that it is a “jobs” bill, not just an infrastructure bill.  “It’s called the American Jobs Act.”

    Republican spinmeisters win another round.

  16. 16.

    Immanentize

    April 9, 2021 at 9:33 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I made a whole career of watching walls assemble and then stand themselves up, roadways pour themselves, etc

    The old invisible hand of the marketplace!

  17. 17.

    germy

    April 9, 2021 at 9:33 am

    The Brown Sisters Morph: 40 years in 4 minutes

  18. 18.

    Kathleen

    April 9, 2021 at 9:35 am

    @Immanentize: I’m def all about doubling down on snacks but duplicate posts had more to do with Geezer posting on my phone. My daughter and I have matching t shirts that say “Snacks” which we are wearing on my Twitter avi.

  19. 19.

    MattF

    April 9, 2021 at 9:39 am

    The state of Tennessee has legislators who don’t think the First Amendment means what it says. And (via Wonkette) they are aimin’ to remedy that situation.

  20. 20.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 9:44 am

    @Kathleen

    Not to be unrefined about it but depending on the placement of the word that message could be seen by some as, um, titillating.

    ;)

  21. 21.

    germy

    April 9, 2021 at 9:45 am

    (CNN) Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger became the first congressional Republican to call on his colleague from Florida, Rep. Matt Gaetz, to resign in the face of a federal investigation into sex trafficking allegations.

    “Matt Gaetz needs to resign,” Kinzinger tweeted Thursday night, linking to a Daily Beast article about allegations against Gaetz, the details of which CNN has not confirmed.

  22. 22.

    Alex

    April 9, 2021 at 9:47 am

    Can’t imagine why Ohioans might not choose Amtrak currently… When I lived in Ohio about 20 years ago, I would take the train to Chicago to get to and from college. The station in our town was a limestone Romanesque building, but the roof had collapsed decades ago so the train would just pick you up or drop you off at the side of the tracks. They had a little stepstool to help. The train was usually 4-6 hours late because of having to share track with freight trains. At the other end in Chicago, there was a nice station, but it closed at midnight. This wouldn’t have been a problem if the trains ever arrived on time, but in practice it meant you were arriving in the middle of the night to stand on the street with your luggage and try to hail a cab, no amenities, no place to wait for a pickup. But people still took the train– and lots more would if you fixed the stations and rail traffic prioritization!

  23. 23.

    Cameron

    April 9, 2021 at 9:48 am

    “Yes, she stopped in at the bakery to sample the children they had cooking in the basement.  And she would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn’t been for you press morons and that pesky dog!!”

  24. 24.

    Cameron

    April 9, 2021 at 9:50 am

    @MattF: Down here in Florida, Gov. DeCovid is hot to crack down on that commie freedom-of-assembly thing.

  25. 25.

    Matt McIrvin

    April 9, 2021 at 9:52 am

    @Ken:

    The problem is that the costs for the latter aren’t a single line item in a state budget; they’re in the form of more 911 calls for police or ambulance, hospital emergency room visits, and so on.

    It reminds me… I was just reading a National Geographic article about how air pollution is probably almost as big a killer as COVID-19, even this year–but we don’t see it because it’s scattered across a dozen or more different causes of death: cancer, heart disease, pulmonary diseases like COPD, even Parkinson’s and maybe Alzheimer’s; it exacerbates COVID-19 too so it’s probably part of the death toll there. If the lead-crime hypothesis is true it’s probably even a large contributor to homicide. And the damage is very much greater to the poor and to minorities. (Imagine how much worse it was back in the 70s and 80s when air pollution in the US was far worse than today. Imagine the toll today in places like China and India.)

  26. 26.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 9, 2021 at 9:56 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Yep. I made a whole career of watching walls assemble and then stand themselves up, roadways pour themselves, etc etc etc.. 

    And yet IKEA furniture still can’t assemble its damn self!

  27. 27.

    Betty Cracker

    April 9, 2021 at 9:58 am

    @Cameron: It’s one stunt after another with that clown. I think yesterday he announced he’s suing the CDC over shutting cruises down because of the pandemic.

  28. 28.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 9, 2021 at 10:03 am

    @mrmoshpotato: IKEA uses underpaid gnomes in their factories and nasty little buggers they are too.

  29. 29.

    germy

    April 9, 2021 at 10:05 am

    In South Korea ??, the solar panels in the middle of the highway have a bicycle path underneath – cyclists are protected from the sun, isolated from traffic, and the country can produce clean energy. pic.twitter.com/2bolUlhaFZ— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) April 7, 2021

    “American Exceptionalism”

  30. 30.

    bbleh

    April 9, 2021 at 10:06 am

    @BruceFromOhio: No no, it’s actually really smart, see, cuz, first, when there’s no train service there, it can’t be taken away from you, and second, it saves money!  So you’re safe and we can cut taxes! (Okay, for corporations, but it’s sorta the same, because jobs and stuff.)

  31. 31.

    Kathleen

    April 9, 2021 at 10:07 am

    @Immanentize:  I would so take train if it were convenient. I hope we get good train service. Trains are in my DNA (grandfather and grandmother worked for railroad in Wyoming and my grandpa sas assigned to railroad in Europe in WW II.)

  32. 32.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 10:09 am

    @Matt McIrvin

    Imagine how much worse it was back in the 70s and 80s

    The 40s, 50s and 60s were no great shakes either. 35 vintage photos reveal what Los Angeles looked like before the US regulated pollution.

    While on the subject, Los Angeles began 2020 with a clean-air streak but ended with its worst smog in decades.

  33. 33.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    April 9, 2021 at 10:09 am

    @Spanky:

    “OK, that really stupid question about trivialities came from reporter X from news outlet Y. I will now answer the question, but will not call on reporter X for the next 60 days because this is a waste of time for everyone in the room. Please take note of this action. Now, the answer to the stupid question is…..”

  34. 34.

    Kathleen

    April 9, 2021 at 10:10 am

    @NotMax: Why Mr. Notmax you do go on with your gutter self (fans self, clutches pearls etc)

  35. 35.

    Feathers

    April 9, 2021 at 10:10 am

    @Immanentize: Plus the carbon cost of rail averages around 80% less than flying. There needs to be more messaging that we no longer have the luxury of prioritizing consumer choice over carbon realities.

    @Matt McIrvin: The accounting/budgeting problems are real. Saw complaints on Twitter about Pence’s huge book advance in the face of severely underpaid junior employees in publishing. The issue is that those salaries are overhead, which must be cut to the bone, while advances are not, so hookers and blow for everyone! (Note: I am glad to see the sex workers making their coin, it’s just that the editors need a fair salary, taking into account the cost of city living.)

  36. 36.

    germy

    April 9, 2021 at 10:14 am

    I keep thinking of these big-advance political books that only sell with massive bulk purchases from criminally affiliated backers, and how the publishing industry seems a great way to launder money as well as reputations…

    — Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) April 8, 2021

  37. 37.

    TaMara (HFG)

    April 9, 2021 at 10:14 am

    How Psaki refrains from hitting those idiots with a dead, wet fish, I’ll never understand.

  38. 38.

    SFAW

    April 9, 2021 at 10:16 am

    @Cameron:

    Down here in Florida, Gov. DeCovid is hot to crack down on that commie freedom-of-assembly thing.

    DeCovid? I thought it was DeathSantis.

  39. 39.

    SFAW

    April 9, 2021 at 10:17 am

    @NotMax:

    Not to be unrefined

    How would we discern that from your usual persona? [I almost writ “normal persona,” but didn’t, for obvious reasons.]

  40. 40.

    Cameron

    April 9, 2021 at 10:18 am

    @Betty Cracker: IIRC, he’s the same guy who wouldn’t let cruise ships with ‘foreigners’ dock in Florida.

  41. 41.

    SFAW

    April 9, 2021 at 10:19 am

    @TaMara (HFG):

    How Psaki refrains from hitting those idiots with a dead, wet fish, I’ll never understand.

    I wonder if she daydreams of having Keegan-Michael Key show up with a baseball bat.

  42. 42.

    Barbara

    April 9, 2021 at 10:19 am

    @germy:  All those multiple acre parking lots in various sunbelt states are just begging to get harnessed for solar. In some states, many big box retailers have installed solar panels on their roof.

  43. 43.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 10:19 am

    @SFAW

    DeSantis
    DeJoy
    DeVos
    .

    I’m sensing a pattern.

    //

  44. 44.

    rp

    April 9, 2021 at 10:25 am

    Why would we build these so-called high-ways? Only a handful of people in the state of Ohio own cars, so that’s not the reality of how people in this state get around.

  45. 45.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 10:25 am

    @SFAW

    Flattery will get you … everywhere.

    :)

  46. 46.

    mrmoshpotato

    April 9, 2021 at 10:25 am

    @TaMara (HFG): The fish must be rotten too.  These assclowns don’t deserve to be slapped with fresh fish.

  47. 47.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 10:28 am

    @rp

    Shoes for Industry!

    :)

  48. 48.

    Benw

    April 9, 2021 at 10:31 am

    I remember when these assholes lost their shit when Michelle Obama got a burger and shake.

    I wonder what Michelle and Kamala have in common that makes certain people want to police what they eat…

  49. 49.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 10:33 am

    @Barbara

    Costco here has installed freestanding solar panel canopies over about 50% of their humongous parking lot. Added bonus: protection from rain when unloading one’s cart.

  50. 50.

    Ken

    April 9, 2021 at 10:35 am

    @NotMax: Maybe they’re D. Santis, etc. with the “D” for Darth?

  51. 51.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 9, 2021 at 10:35 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: IKEA also, unfortunately, is known for purchasing illegally harvested timber in Ukraine and Romania, contributing to ecological ruin in some areas of the Carpathians.

  52. 52.

    Low Key Swagger

    April 9, 2021 at 10:35 am

    @Benw: Three vowels in their names?  Must be it.

  53. 53.

    Ken

    April 9, 2021 at 10:36 am

    @rp: And there is no consideration for the many manure-shovelers, harness-makers, and blacksmiths who will be put out of work.

  54. 54.

    J R in WV

    April 9, 2021 at 10:38 am

    @Barbara:

    In Southern AZ even WallyWorld has shade for customers to park in,  under the Solar Array…

  55. 55.

    Amir Khalid

    April 9, 2021 at 10:38 am

    @NotMax:
    DeVil (from 101 Dalmations)

  56. 56.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 10:39 am

    BTW, dropped it in the COVID thread but it’s possibly a harbinger of Big News to come.

  57. 57.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 10:47 am

    @Ken

    For just $499 (plus shipping and handling, E-Z payment plan available), you’ll learn the secret of getting in early on buggy whip futures,

    //

  58. 58.

    Benw

    April 9, 2021 at 10:47 am

    @Low Key Swagger: nailed it!

  59. 59.

    Leto

    April 9, 2021 at 10:49 am

    Palate cleanser: Two good boys figure out the real purpose of an office chair.

  60. 60.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 10:52 am

    @Leto

    And here I thought the real purpose of an office chair is to segregate hair in the casters.

    //

  61. 61.

    Betty Cracker

    April 9, 2021 at 10:55 am

    @NotMax: That’s an admirable scientific achievement, but I sure hope we don’t end up having to do universal boosters or, dog forbid, annual COVID vaccinations. We’ve had enough trouble getting people to comply when the shots are FREE and as convenient as possible and when the disruptions, illness and deaths associated with a pandemic are fresh in everyone’s mind.

    I shudder to think of how low the compliance rate would be for a booster shot — or worse, an annual shot — you have to pay for and receive at a doctor’s office / medical facility.

  62. 62.

    leeleeFL

    April 9, 2021 at 11:00 am

    @Betty Cracker: Oh, Betty, you are so cynical!  Why didn’t I think of that?!

  63. 63.

    Barbara

    April 9, 2021 at 11:04 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: With just a click of the mouse!

  64. 64.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 11:05 am

    @Betty Cracker

    Okay, okay, perhaps the The Jetsons skimmed over a few minor details.

    //

  65. 65.

    geg6

    April 9, 2021 at 11:10 am

    @Kathleen: ​
     
    When I was a kid, there used to be train service from my western suburb of Pittsburgh into the city. My mom used to take me and my little sister into the city every late November/early December for Christmas shopping, to see the window displays in the big department stores, have a nice lunch and sit on Santa’s lap at Kaufmann’s (a now defunct but used-to-be fantastic-until-Macy’s-bought-them-out local department store — it is the Kaufmanns that contracted Frank Lloyd Wright to build his masterpiece, Fallingwater, in a county a bit south of here). I would go into the city a LOT more if we still had that train service.

  66. 66.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 9, 2021 at 11:14 am

    The White House Press Corpse needs to be shot into the Sun, and replaced with actual reporters.  Teens who write high school newspapers could do better.

  67. 67.

    geg6

    April 9, 2021 at 11:15 am

    @NotMax: ​
     
    Ever seen photos of Pittsburgh before clean air activism changed it? You literally couldn’t see a block away and street lights sometimes were on all day.

    https://www.treehugger.com/think-air-quality-doesnt-matter-look-at-pittsburgh-in-the-s-4862509

  68. 68.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 11:15 am

    @geg6

    Mom used to drag me into Manhattan every friggin’ year to gawk at the Xmas windows along Fifth Avenue. Found the entire exercise an incredible bore.

  69. 69.

    Cameron

    April 9, 2021 at 11:17 am

    Pandemic is still running wild here in Florida, so imagine how thrilled I was when a friend put this up on FB: “Highest Monthly Passenger Numbers Recorded in the History of the Airport

    For the month of March, passenger traffic at the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) soared to 277,590 passengers, breaking the all-time record of 255,247 passengers for a single month at the airport.

    Passenger numbers increased 74% over the previous month of February. Compared to March 2020, passenger traffic was 81% higher than the 2020 level of 153,246.

    With the recent addition of Southwest Airlines, and expanded service on our nine other carriers, travelers now have a multitude of choices when making their travel plans.

    In March 2018, SRQ had 6 airlines serving 12 nonstop destinations. For March 2021, SRQ had 10 airlines serving 45 nonstop destinations. This rapid growth has required the airport to expand the screening checkpoint, add additional parking, and install additional jet fuel storage.”

  70. 70.

    Elizabelle

    April 9, 2021 at 11:19 am

    Wow.

    President Biden will create a commission to study whether to expand the Supreme Court, a goal of progressive Democrats.

    Friday, April 9, 2021 11:08 AM EST

    President Biden on Friday will order a 180-day study of adding seats to the Supreme Court, making good on a campaign-year promise to establish a bipartisan commission to examine the potentially explosive subjects of expanding the court or setting term limits for justices, White House officials said.

  71. 71.

    Kathleen

    April 9, 2021 at 11:23 am

    @geg6: Cincy/Hamilton County had light rail service on the ballot at least twice but concerns about “those people” riding it nixed it. I live in the city but would enjoy taking train to Dayton or Columbus.

  72. 72.

    Kathleen

    April 9, 2021 at 11:24 am

    @geg6: I’d love to visit Pittsburgh. It sounds really cool.

  73. 73.

    geg6

    April 9, 2021 at 11:24 am

    @Betty Cracker: ​
     
    I’m not sure about it being such a problem. Most of the people I know get annual flu shots, which are often free from employers, fully covered by insurance or very low cost at pharmacies. What would make a COVID shot every year more of a problem than a flu shot?

  74. 74.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 11:24 am

    @geg6

    The title of the movie escapes me right now, but the memory of a scene of a visitor to the palatial home of a steel magnate in Pittsburgh, marveling at the whiteness of the lacy curtains, remains. Paraphrased:

    “I always heard the air was dirty. How do you keep the curtains so pristine?’

    (House servant, stage whisper): “She has us change them three times a week.”

  75. 75.

    gvg

    April 9, 2021 at 11:25 am

    @Cameron: Well on the good news front, the University of Florida has landed enough vaccine to try to do 20,000 people a week at the football stadium for the next several weeks. they say they are trying to get as many students vaccinated as possible before they go home for the summer. They set up the spring semester with no spring break this year to reduce spread. I think most of the other state colleges did the same. It’s spring breakers from other places that are the problem. Vaccination is for everyone in the county, not just affiliated with the school. Signup has been good too.

  76. 76.

    rikyrah

    April 9, 2021 at 11:27 am

    So happy to see you, AL.

    I was mad at the idiocy of the question.

    Here is a small business, owned by a Black woman, that was still operating and thriving during the pandemic. This should be celebrated. It’s in the heart of a Black neighborhood, and has been serving the community for at least 15 years.

    I love the place.

  77. 77.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 9, 2021 at 11:27 am

    @Kathleen: I’ve visited Pittsburgh, and I can’t imagine how people can navigate it in a snowstorm.  It’s all hills!

  78. 78.

    Another Scott

    April 9, 2021 at 11:27 am

    We’re supposed to have patchy fog between 1-3 PM today here in NoVA.

    Afternoon fog??! That’s nuts. The weather is continuing to be strange.

    :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  79. 79.

    RSA

    April 9, 2021 at 11:28 am

    @Spanky:

    “Reporter”
    “NPR host”
    OK, tweeters and bloggers, NAME NAMES.

    Reporter: Steven Nelson, New York Post

    NRP host: Ari Shapiro

  80. 80.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 11:30 am

    @gvg

    And when does the FL legislature set up the House UnFloridian Activities Committee?

    /half snark

  81. 81.

    Another Scott

    April 9, 2021 at 11:32 am

    @NotMax: Next you’ll tell me that George Washington didn’t chop down a cherry tree!!1

    Heh.  :-)

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  82. 82.

    geg6

    April 9, 2021 at 11:35 am

    @Villago Delenda Est: ​
     
    Now, now…the downtown area is not hilly. Just everything surrounding and leading into it is. ;-)

  83. 83.

    catclub

    April 9, 2021 at 11:35 am

    @Immanentize: 

    Two of the burners on my gas range top quit.

    I learned that getting gas stoves to replace electric ones was a big advertising success back in the day.
    Now gas ranges are noted for the harmful combustion byproducts that end up in the home.

    There is no utility gas available on my street. I think this is a byproduct of the battle between electric utilities and gas utilities.

  84. 84.

    Another Scott

    April 9, 2021 at 11:44 am

    @NotMax: Relatedly, I remember the black streak down the center of interstate lanes when I was a kid.  From oil “draft tubes” on cars and trucks before PCV valves were invented and mandated.

    (Engine piston rings leak slightly, pressurizing the crankcase.  In olden days, they relieved that pressure by sticking a tube in the engine that was vented under the car, spewing oil droplets and other stuff all over the road, the bottom of the car, air near the roads, etc.)

    It was the first automobile pollution control device and made an obvious difference.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  85. 85.

    HinTN

    April 9, 2021 at 11:45 am

    @MattF:

    the Mensa crew trying to enact this hot mess

    Nice write-up. Of course the Senatorial sponsor is our very own (self proclaimed) pistol packing mama,  Janice Bowling. It’s my understanding that she belongs to the “Jesus rode a dinosaur” system of belief, but I could be misinformed.

  86. 86.

    NotMax

    April 9, 2021 at 11:51 am

    @Immanentize

    One of those no pilot light jobbies? No guarantees but removing the burner rings, letting them soak overnight in white vinegar and then rinsing and drying, plus lightly swabbing around the igniter with a vinegar-infused Q-tip, brought Mom’s back to life.

    (Get the impression the reason she’s so insistent on me visiting is to complete the to-do lists.) ;)

  87. 87.

    Another Scott

    April 9, 2021 at 11:56 am

    @Elizabelle: He campaigned on this.

    Reuters (from October):

    Biden, challenging Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election, made the comments in an interview with the CBS program “60 Minutes” to air this weekend. Excerpts were released on Thursday.

    The former vice president said he would create a bipartisan commission of constitutional scholars including Democrats, Republicans, liberals and conservatives to review the U.S. judiciary.

    “I will ask them to, over 180 days, come back to me with recommendations as to how to reform the court system because it is getting out of whack, the way in which it’s being handled and it’s not about court-packing,” Biden added.

    “There’s a number of alternatives that … go well beyond packing,” Biden said.

    […]

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  88. 88.

    Elizabelle

    April 9, 2021 at 12:13 pm

    @Another Scott:   I know.

    But the Fuck the Fucking NY Times portraying it as the progressives’ goal might lead some to think “Democrats in Disarray” and how senile old Joe is getting forced to something, yet again.  Fuck them.

    (Albeit, they put up some good stuff.  As long as it’s not US politics.)

  89. 89.

    Another Scott

    April 9, 2021 at 12:26 pm

    @Elizabelle: Yeah, your excerpt says he campaigned on it.  I too was annoyed by the headline, but it’s typical from FTFNYT and why I didn’t click over to read it.  ;-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  90. 90.

    Kathleen

    April 9, 2021 at 12:39 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: I live in Cincy which is also famous for its Hills. I live on top of a hill which offers no great alternatives for navigating in bad weather so I can relate!

  91. 91.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 9, 2021 at 1:30 pm

    @Kathleen: It is said that San Francisco could not exist in a climate with frequent snowstorms.  Which isn’t true, as Seattle somehow manages to amuse us to death with idiots attempting to negotiate Queen Anne Hill in snowstorms.

  92. 92.

    LongHairedWeirdo

    April 9, 2021 at 1:36 pm

    NPR host to Marty Walsh just now: “It’s not obvious why a Labor Secretary would be pitching an infrastructure bill.”I swear that really just happened.

    I saw a video on YouTube once, where a cab driver tells the comedian that they should – I don’t remember, kill all gay men, or something. The comedian asks why and the driver seems to be puzzled – no one had reacted *this* way to the conversational gambit before, and finally comes up with “well, it’s immoral isn’t it?”
    And the comedian recalls a quite lovely explanation of how so much of our society has some roots in ancient Greece, and back then, the best, most noble, most ‘moral’ if you will, loving (or sexual) relationship was between two men[1] – so senses of what’s moral changes.
    I loved the comedian for this: he swore the driver said this, which hit me like “honestly, I would never lie about a fellow human being in such a ghastly manner!”. The response?
    “Well, you can prove *anything* with facts, can’t you?”

    [1] That sounds true, though I can’t verify it from personal knowledge. Still, it tickled me, it seemed like a good thing, for them to suss this out, because (I assume) there were a lot of power imbalances, and I bet that only two independent men could truly consent to loving (or having sex with) one another, because no other pairing could be appropriately consensual. And, of course, they weren’t going to celebrate woman-on-woman action, or any pairing between two peers, though probably only because the internet and porn videos hadn’t been invented yet.​

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