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You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Wednesday Morning Open Thread: The Battles Continue

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: The Battles Continue

by Anne Laurie|  October 6, 20217:59 am| 204 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat, Trumpery

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BIDEN: "Look, it's now time to deliver… The world is watching, not a joke. The autocrats of the world believe that the world is moving so rapidly that democracies can't generate consensus quickly enough to bring people together to get things done." pic.twitter.com/SeKe34wAja

— Zach Purser Brown (@zachjourno) October 5, 2021

President Joe Biden made a pitch in Michigan for his social spending package as Democratic lawmakers in Washington squabbled over the price tag https://t.co/2InrbeJzC6 pic.twitter.com/yZ2tK1xVu2

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 6, 2021

President Biden says there is a “real possibility” that Democrats invoke the “nuclear option” and change the filibuster rules to raise the debt limit pic.twitter.com/lBSYlWKm8P

— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) October 5, 2021

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that senators will hold a vote on Wednesday to suspend the U.S. debt ceiling, setting up yet another confrontation with Republicans that risks an economically crippling federal credit default https://t.co/WZE3ELCPwG pic.twitter.com/jZzxq78dor

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 6, 2021

Elsewhere… even Forbes has stopped worrying about TFG’s fee-fees:

That’s gonna sting. https://t.co/ZqgylWKBUk

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) October 5, 2021

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Previous Post: « COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Tuesday / Wednesday, Oct. 5-6
Next Post: Wednesday Afternoon Open Thread »

Reader Interactions

204Comments

  1. 1.

    lowtechcyclist

    October 6, 2021 at 8:01 am

    Yeah, I wouldn’t want to be in the room with TFG when he hears about this.

    Or maybe I would, so I could laugh at him while he rages.

  2. 2.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 6, 2021 at 8:04 am

    Love your family enough to protect them from catching an illness that could damage them for life even if they survive. And love yourself enough to protect yourself from having to live with the guilt that comes from knowing they caught it from you.Get the goddamn shots.— Ragnarok Lobster (@eclecticbrotha) October 5, 2021

  3. 3.

    rikyrah

    October 6, 2021 at 8:04 am

    Good Morning Everyone ???

  4. 4.

    rikyrah

    October 6, 2021 at 8:04 am

     

    chris evans (@chris_notcapn) tweeted at 6:44 AM on Wed, Oct 06, 2021:
    40% of Black Americans don’t trust Doctors compared to 20% of Whites.

    20% of Blacks say they have been treated unfair by the health care system in the past year. The number is higher (37%) for Black mothers specifically. https://t.co/sMnY7oo9eF https://t.co/pHcPGIZE3U
    (https://twitter.com/chris_notcapn/status/1445716661844135940?t=VxRvlWljEB5UXskfwcCKtQ&s=03)

  5. 5.

    rikyrah

    October 6, 2021 at 8:05 am

     

     

    Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) tweeted at 6:28 PM on Tue, Oct 05, 2021:
    Do the dark money forces who prop up McConnell actually want a default? Creates chaos under Biden; they survive well as creepy billionaires; out of ashes they can build their new oligarchy. Normal people don’t think this way, but are the big creepy dark-money donors normal?
    (https://twitter.com/SenWhitehouse/status/1445531437088706561?t=HqRtzMeSDuaAYxCXKe2MTw&s=03)

  6. 6.

    Baud

    October 6, 2021 at 8:07 am

    @rikyrah:

    Good morning.

  7. 7.

    rikyrah

    October 6, 2021 at 8:07 am

     

    Madam Vice President Harris is GOAT! (@flywithkamala) tweeted at 7:05 AM on Wed, Oct 06, 2021:
    VP Kamala Harris travels to Montclair and Newark, New Jersey on Friday to urge Americans to take the coronavirus vaccine and talk about child care.
    (https://twitter.com/flywithkamala/status/1445721839821492233?t=sjy9txHyU351PKXkF7xaOQ&s=03)

  8. 8.

    MomSense

    October 6, 2021 at 8:10 am

    @rikyrah:

    I saw the best photo yesterday.  Instead of taking the photo of MVP as she walked by some supporters, they zoomed in on a pre-teen/teen girl watching MVP.  She had the nicest expression on her face.  Combination of admiration, pride and happiness.

  9. 9.

    Geminid

    October 6, 2021 at 8:10 am

    @Patricia Kayden: Mr. Lobster is a good communicator. And I like his earthy humor: “That Lord Sugar’s a salty bitch I’m tellin’ ya.”

  10. 10.

    Baud

    October 6, 2021 at 8:11 am

    as Democratic lawmakers in Washington squabbled over the price tag

    The House whip or deputy whip was on MJ this morning, and correctly stated that this is the stuff of democratic negotiations — working to reach consensus to get things done. The media belittling the process is essentially an anti-democratic spin.

  11. 11.

    lowtechcyclist

    October 6, 2021 at 8:12 am

    It’s good to see progress being made towards both the debt ceiling and the reconciliation bill.

    It’s a given that we won’t get everything we want in the latter, but if we can get the climate change stuff, plus at least some programs that will quickly make a difference for a lot of Americans without a lot of red tape, that’ll be good enough for now.

    Wonder how the Beltway media is going to explain how things are coming together for the reconciliation bill.  Wasn’t it supposed to be all but dead, according to them?

  12. 12.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    October 6, 2021 at 8:15 am

    We had dinner with two other women last night and they were speculating on the 2024 election. They agreed TFG would run, assuming he was alive. But one of them thought he would lose the nomination because Rs were moving away from him. I thought she was wrong, but she’s a normie, so it was interesting to hear.

  13. 13.

    Baud

    October 6, 2021 at 8:15 am

    @lowtechcyclist:

    The media will emphasize what we didn’t get, and also lament that the process wasn’t perfectly smooth, with ample comparisons to Afghanistan.

  14. 14.

    debbie

    October 6, 2021 at 8:17 am

    @Baud:

    As opposed to a party with one dictator leading a mass of minions.

  15. 15.

    lowtechcyclist

    October 6, 2021 at 8:19 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I really have no sense of whether TFG or someone else will be the GQP nominee in 2024.

    What I do know is that Trumpism will still dominate the party – they aren’t going to pull back towards some degree of sanity.  So whoever the nominee is, s/he will fly that freak flag, loud and proud.

  16. 16.

    Steeplejack

    October 6, 2021 at 8:19 am

    Deep thought:

    The trillion-dollar coin doesn’t seem any stupider or more obviously an abuse of the rules than all the stupid abuses of the rules that are creating the crisis that the trillion-dollar coin would solve.

    — Tom Scocca (@tomscocca) October 5, 2021

  17. 17.

    Baud

    October 6, 2021 at 8:19 am

    @debbie:

    Exactly.  But Joe Biden won the primary instead of me, so we’re doing things the old fashioned way.

  18. 18.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 6, 2021 at 8:21 am

    @Baud: More proof that DEMs cheat.

  19. 19.

    rikyrah

    October 6, 2021 at 8:22 am

     

    Steve Benen (@stevebenen) tweeted at 7:04 AM on Wed, Oct 06, 2021:
    The GOP’s debt-ceiling crisis offers a timely reminder: Those looking for actual Republican moderates on Capitol Hill will be looking for a very long time. https://t.co/LGr6RvVIdZ
    (https://twitter.com/stevebenen/status/1445721741846745092?t=htb5BT8Q0OA3P6uP0MkXMw&s=03)

  20. 20.

    Steeplejack

    October 6, 2021 at 8:22 am

    I think the Forbes list probably has a fair amount of bullshit all the way through it, but even the limited amount of exposure TFG received made it impossible for them to include him with a straight face. Nelson Muntz “Ha-ha!”

  21. 21.

    Steeplejack

    October 6, 2021 at 8:24 am

    @rikyrah, @Baud:

    Good morning! ?

  22. 22.

    Elizabelle

    October 6, 2021 at 8:25 am

    @rikyrah: That Sheldon Whitehouse tweet is perceptive.

    Disaster capitalism.

  23. 23.

    NotMax

    October 6, 2021 at 8:26 am

    Making no claims regarding these items other than it’s kind of fun to scroll through and look (and also see how affordably priced some of them are, compared to the particle board stuff being cranked out nowadays).

  24. 24.

    Elizabelle

    October 6, 2021 at 8:27 am

    LOL.  Michael Beschloss tweet about TFFG falling off the Forbes 400:

    Someone has just been kicked off the Forbes list of richest Americans, so his aides had better get the show tunes ready.

  25. 25.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    October 6, 2021 at 8:28 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I honestly think Baud missed a trick by not seeking the endorsement of former presidential candidate Bill the Cat.

  26. 26.

    Ken

    October 6, 2021 at 8:37 am

    @Bruce K in ATH-GR: There are so many dead former presidential candidates available, why not seek endorsements from all of them?  “Baud 20XX — William Jennings Bryan would be proud!”

  27. 27.

    Betty

    October 6, 2021 at 8:38 am

    @Baud: It is just maddening. They must stick to their narrative. The vast majority are trying to appease a tiny minority. That is not squabbling. (Heavy sigh.)

  28. 28.

    lowtechcyclist

    October 6, 2021 at 8:38 am

    @Bruce K in ATH-GR: Not to mention Howard the Duck, who ran on the All-Night Party ticket in 1976.

  29. 29.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 6, 2021 at 8:38 am

    @Bruce K in ATH-GR: He could have challenged all those primary losses in court but no lawyer would do it for free and he wasn’t about to share that sweet campaign chest.

  30. 30.

    Another Scott

    October 6, 2021 at 8:39 am

    Reuters – Greenpeace call for end to carbon offsets

    It does sound like a process that has been overwhelmed by abuse. We need real reductions, not offsets.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  31. 31.

    Geminid

    October 6, 2021 at 8:40 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Some Republicans would like to move on from trump. Most of the leadership would too. In 2016, though, trump showed that Republican elites cannot control a majority of their voters. Next year’s Republican primaries will provide a benchmark for trump’s personal strength among republican voters. But as another commenter says, Republican trumpism will survive trump.

  32. 32.

    Betty Cracker

    October 6, 2021 at 8:41 am

    Got some disturbing news about the state of my retinas during a routine eye exam. The optometrist said it’s probably nothing to be worried about; he’s 95% convinced it’s a condition that affects a small percentage of people age 50 and up that probably won’t lead to noticeable vision loss for many years if ever and doesn’t require treatment except for monitoring.

    But of course I’m obsessing about the 5% chance that it’s a bilateral detachment situation that will require surgery to prevent blindness. It was unexpected and alarming to hear the word  “blindness” mentioned at an appointment for a new glasses prescription. FFS! Getting old sucks!

    Anyhoo, my husband has threatened to throw all electronic devices into the river if I don’t stop looking up gruesome eye surgeries on WebMD and similar sites. There’s one where they remove the goo from your eyeball, tack down the retina, and then replace the goo. What the fuck is that substance anyway? Never mind; I do not want to know! I keep thinking of that scene from “Kill Bill”…

  33. 33.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    October 6, 2021 at 8:42 am

    @Ken:

    Good idea! Though, I don’t think someone like WJB would endorse such a progressive freethinker like Baud. Jennings was a bit of a godbothering square IIRC. I always remember him because of his involvement in the Scopes trial

  34. 34.

    NotMax

    October 6, 2021 at 8:43 am

    @lowtechcyclist

    Obligatory?

    :)

  35. 35.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    October 6, 2021 at 8:45 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    To answer your question: aqueous humor.

    That sounds scary, but I think you’re eye doctor is right and you have little to worry about

  36. 36.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 6, 2021 at 8:45 am

    @Betty Cracker: I keep thinking of that scene from “Kill Bill”…

    Chuckle…

  37. 37.

    Betty

    October 6, 2021 at 8:45 am

    @Betty Cracker: I am so sorry to hear that. Your sense of panic is justifiable. The threat of losing your eyesight, no matter how small, has to be one of the most frightening things to contemplate.  Take care!

  38. 38.

    Baud

    October 6, 2021 at 8:47 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    It’s good they caught it early.  If you end up needing surgery, I don’t think this type of surgery is particularly risky as surgeries go.  They do a lot of stuff with lasers these days.

  39. 39.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 6, 2021 at 8:48 am

    @rikyrah:

    The creepy big dark money donors are mentally ill, and hoard electronic digits like that nasty weird old Illinois woman on “Hoarders”  hoarded diseased animals and trash. Same disease and mindset, the only difference is the type and scope of the hoard.

  40. 40.

    lowtechcyclist

    October 6, 2021 at 8:49 am

    @Betty Cracker: Getting old sucks!

    That’s why I refuse to have anything to do with it.

    So is there any way they can tell if you’re in the 95% or the 5%?  Or do you just have to wait and see find out what happens?

  41. 41.

    Librarian

    October 6, 2021 at 8:49 am

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):  Aside from religion, WJB was pretty progressive for his time.

  42. 42.

    hueyplong

    October 6, 2021 at 8:49 am

    “Little to worry about,” like “minor surgery,” is nearly always what one says about someone else.

    But that doesn’t mean it’s not true in BC’s case.  Hoping for and expecting the best.

  43. 43.

    NotMax

    October 6, 2021 at 8:49 am

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    lowtechcyclist

    Also, in the broadest sense, a pithy description of Spongebob Squarepants. Also too, the Snorks.

    /;)

  44. 44.

    jonas

    October 6, 2021 at 8:50 am

    @lowtechcyclist: ​
      Or maybe I would, so I could laugh at him while he rages.

    The actual funny part would be when one of his staff has to rush in with a music player to play showtunes to calm him down. I think he likes “Cats” or something?

  45. 45.

    lowtechcyclist

    October 6, 2021 at 8:51 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    The creepy big dark money donors are mentally ill, and hoard electronic digits like that nasty weird old Illinois woman on “Hoarders”  hoarded diseased animals and trash. Same disease and mindset, the only difference is the type and scope of the hoard.

    There’s one other rather important difference. A hoarder’s mess affects the hoarder’s immediate neighbors, at most.  The creepy big money donors mess us all up.

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    October 6, 2021 at 8:52 am

    Fix for rampant inattentiveness prior to posting. Just ignore the original, please.

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    aqueous humor

    Also, in the broadest sense, a pithy description of Spongebob Squarepants. Also too, the Snorks.

    ;)

  47. 47.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    October 6, 2021 at 8:53 am

    @Betty Cracker: Oh god. That sounds scary and gruesome. But Mr BC is right. Stop consulting Dr. Internet!

  48. 48.

    lowtechcyclist

    October 6, 2021 at 8:53 am

    @jonas: I’d try to see if I could sneak in Kim Stockwood’s ‘Jerk’ into the playlist:

    You jerk (you jerk), you are such a jerk
    There are other words, but they just don’t work

  49. 49.

    Ken

    October 6, 2021 at 8:54 am

    @jonas: I think he likes “Cats” or something?

    Itself a sign of more extensive mental illness…

  50. 50.

    Ken

    October 6, 2021 at 8:57 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Stop consulting Dr. Internet!

    But Dr. Internet is responsible for nearly 100% of diagnoses of Morgellon’s Disease!

  51. 51.

    ArchTeryx

    October 6, 2021 at 8:59 am

    @lowtechcyclist: 

    All that money is effectively a weapon of mass destruction, and they are not afraid to use it on all of us expendable proles.

  52. 52.

    NotMax

    October 6, 2021 at 9:00 am

    @lowtechcyclist

    Buy him a castle
    He’ll still be an asshole
    –
    “Chimp in a Suit” (from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)
    ;)

  53. 53.

    sdhays

    October 6, 2021 at 9:03 am

    @Betty Cracker: My mom had a scare like this a couple years ago – it sounds like the same condition. As I recall, there were some treatments she had to do to rest her eyes, but that was able to stabilize things and she hasn’t needed surgery. I don’t know your age exactly, but you’re considerably younger than my mother and if you monitor it, it seems extremely likely that you’ll be able to avoid blindness AND surgery.

  54. 54.

    Betty Cracker

    October 6, 2021 at 9:03 am

    @lowtechcyclist: I will be seeing an ophthalmologist as soon as possible to get a definitive diagnosis. As bad luck would have it, my husband’s company just changed insurance plans, so I have to wait to find out which doctors are in our new crappy health plan.

  55. 55.

    Edmund Dantes

    October 6, 2021 at 9:05 am

    @lowtechcyclist: this is kind of the rub though, isn’t it?

    Manchin is the stalking horse for other idiot Dems I bet on the whole “need means testing” and other bullshit red tape.

  56. 56.

    NotMax

    October 6, 2021 at 9:07 am

    @Betty Cracker

    our new crappy health plan

    Whatever it is, gotta be better than going with DeSantis & Paul.

    //

  57. 57.

    Duckpond

    October 6, 2021 at 9:10 am

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    Correction: That would be the vitreous humour, which occupies the proximal (to the brain) compartment of the eye between the lens and the retina.

    /lurking retina pedant

  58. 58.

    Kattails

    October 6, 2021 at 9:11 am

    That word “squabbling” set my teeth on edge. I’m going to collect a list of numbers and start calling these news organizations out on their framing.

    @NotMax: there’s a chunk of Pinterest devoted to rehabilitating old furniture with paint. Some of it is really well done. A lot of sideboards, and old music cabinets with interesting detailing, glass fronted doors, turned legs, repurposed for China cabinets and bathroom storage. Fun to see, and it can really lighten up some of the old dark wood pieces.

  59. 59.

    sdhays

    October 6, 2021 at 9:11 am

    @rikyrah: I understood this in the abstract, but what really drove it home for me was doctors ignoring Serena Williams when she told them she wasn’t feeling right after giving birth.

    She’s wealthy, famous, and an athlete so much more likely than the average person in a hospital to understand her own body, and they fucking brushed her off! And they nearly killed her if she hadn’t been persistent.

    I still can’t quite comprehend how that fucking happened, and I doubt that the medical staff involved suffered even the consequences of needing retraining.

    ETA: And her own doctor had warned her about this possible result, so she was on top of it, but all the professionals around her either weren’t aware or just forgot. My point earlier is that on top of this total failure of procedure, just knowing who Serena Williams is should have been enough. And even with all those advantages, they still ignored her.

  60. 60.

    Kristine

    October 6, 2021 at 9:12 am

    @Betty Cracker: I take pains to avoid the internet when I’m worried about something healthwise. I only remember the slim chances of something happening. I remember looking up thyroid nodules that Saturday morning when I felt a lump in my neck. Another 95/5 situation, but I focused on the 5% and turned into a terrified bundle of nerves with occasional tears  until I saw my doctor later that week. That was 11 years ago. Still here. On meds now. Neck situation monitored at 2-3 year intervals. I may have to have my thyroid removed at some point but as long as things remain steady I’ll be okay.

    Hoping the same for you.

  61. 61.

    Dupe1970

    October 6, 2021 at 9:12 am

    @Betty Cracker: Really sorry to hear this. But for most detachments surgery is very successful as long as you get to it early.

  62. 62.

    Spanky

    October 6, 2021 at 9:15 am

    @jonas: I always like to imagine it being just like the Three Stooges’ “Moe! Larry! Cheese!” skit.

  63. 63.

    CaseyL

    October 6, 2021 at 9:19 am

    @Betty Cracker: Spring for the extra co-pay if you have to, but see the best opthomologist you can find, rather than whoever is in your network.

    I had a tiny retinal tear a few years back.  Actually, had a tiny bit of the “goo” detach, which was visible to me as a larger-than-normal “floater.” I hied off to the Optho asap, and they said a tear was inevitable, and had me come in every week so they could take a look to catch the tear as soon as it happened. When it did, the surgery was a barrage of laser strikes to essentially sew down the retinal area around the tear.

    It was surprisingly straightforward, non-traumatic, and (knock wood) no problems since.

    Best of luck!

  64. 64.

    Betty

    October 6, 2021 at 9:20 am

    @Betty Cracker: The American health care system is broken. Fixing it would require taking on so many big money interests, it is hard to see how it gets fixed.

  65. 65.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    October 6, 2021 at 9:21 am

    “The autocrats of the world believe that the world is moving so rapidly that democracies can’t generate consensus quickly enough to bring people together to get things done.”

    All the more reason to push Democracy, just to slow things down. You aren’t making the correct decisions  if no debate or dissent is allowed.  The CCP letting COVID get out of control when they had the chance to kill the Pandemic in the cradle because the local officials didn’t want to the bearer of bad news to the party leadership is the shinning example of why Autocracies suck ass. Or Russia were the population is refusing the vaccine because as far as they are concerned they would only be given a placebo because some Oblicarch stole the real vaccines.

  66. 66.

    MomSense

    October 6, 2021 at 9:22 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    I’m sorry to hear this Betty C.  My mom has both diseases of the retina and cornea and some other weird ones. She is very popular at the specialists’ offices with all the med students coming in to look.  Of course she loves this and holds court with them.

    She has had probably 25 surgeries.  My advice is to go to the best.  She had some setbacks because she went to someone in Maine who was not as expert as he thought.  For the last 10 years she has been going to Tufts New England Medical Center and it has made all the difference.  I can give you the names if you ever need them.  Seriously go to the absolute best even if it means traveling.  The recovery and outcomes will be so much better.

  67. 67.

    Betty

    October 6, 2021 at 9:23 am

    @Edmund Dantes: Otherwise known as mean- testing a/k/a stingy. Can’t let those poors have it too easy.

  68. 68.

    Lapassionara

    October 6, 2021 at 9:25 am

    @Betty Cracker: they use lasers these days. I had a torn retina. Took 30 minutes for the doc to pin it back with the laser, and I had to pretty much do nothing but rest for a week. Never had another problem.

  69. 69.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    October 6, 2021 at 9:27 am

    @Steeplejack: Forbes mentioned that the list is mostly guess work since most of the people on it hide their money,  don’t like attention and looking back, it should have been a warning sign that Trump was boasting about his money to them.

    Anyway, Frau Blucher will need to warm up her violin for The Creature.

  70. 70.

    NotMax

    October 6, 2021 at 9:29 am

    @Kattails

    One grandmother had this very Capehart phonograph/radio combo cabinet (circa 1946).

    I once rescued a beautiful (either mahogany or maple, I forget which) vintage Stromberg-Carlson home entertainment cabinet (all components still in working order) from parents of a friend who were about to consign it to the dump, with the intention of stripping out the innards and converting it into a home bar, but life intervened and never got around to it. Sat for years and years in my parents’ garage. When Mom got rid of the big house I made a point to telling the workers she hired to move truckloads of stuff to be junked not to toss it. About a week later they came back and slipped me a small finder’s fee.

  71. 71.

    rikyrah

    October 6, 2021 at 9:29 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    I am a naturally pessimistic person and a hypochondriac, so I’m the last person to tell you that you are wrong to look up the worst case scenario.  Prepare for the worst, so that when better news comes, you aren’t disappointed. Will keep a prayer for good news.

  72. 72.

    Betty Cracker

    October 6, 2021 at 9:29 am

    @CaseyL: & @MomSense: Y’all’s advice about the importance of seeking a top-notch doc squares with what I’m told by family members who are medical professionals. I plan to heed it!

    @Betty: Yep. It sucks.

  73. 73.

    SFAW

    October 6, 2021 at 9:30 am

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    To answer your question: aqueous humor.

    A/k/a “jokes” from NotMax, living in the middle of the Pacific.

  74. 74.

    Frankensteinbeck

    October 6, 2021 at 9:31 am

    @rikyrah: ​

    Do the dark money forces who prop up McConnell actually want a default?

    McConnell does not give a shit. McConnell likes hurting people. He laughed when he was told about the devastation Covid causes, to people and the economy. He performs unnecessary acts of petty spite regularly. Most importantly, when the needs of the rich conflict with hurting the poor, he has repeatedly chosen hurting the poor. Maybe he has looked at how the rich have backed down every time they haven’t gotten what they want, and isn’t scared of them anymore. McConnell is the only game in town for them. Whatever, cruelty trumps plutocracy for him.
    @rikyrah: ​

    20% of Blacks say they have been treated unfair by the health care system in the past year. The number is higher (37%) for Black mothers specifically.

    I have heard so many stories from women, especially black women, about how doctors ignore them and the health horrors that creates.
    @Geminid: ​

    Next year’s Republican primaries will provide a benchmark for trump’s personal strength among republican voters.

    They already had that benchmark in the Texas election. Trump’s guy lost, which is surely why some Senators broke away from McConnell and Trump and voted for a Covid package. Trump does not control whether they get reelected, he and the media only think he does.

    Republican trumpism will survive trump.

    Unfortunately, spot on. It predated Trump. It continues without him. He was merely the apotheosis of their shitty base voters the true slothful, corrupt, fascist, and most importantly stupid and hateful white man. Trump was a symptom.

  75. 75.

    geg6

    October 6, 2021 at 9:32 am

    @Betty Cracker: ​
     
    Sorry to hear about this, Betty. I am having the opposite reaction to finally getting an appointment to get an eye exam, which I haven’t been able to do since March 2020 and should have done long before that.

    Last time I had an eye exam, they told me I was developing cataracts (no surprise as both of my parent had them), but they were not yet “ripe” enough for surgery. They also informed me that it is almost certain that they would be able to correct my vision when I did have the cataract surgery. Since I’ve been wearing glasses since second grade, that would really make me happy. So I am hopeful that the doc tells me that I’m finally “ripe” and can have the surgery.

  76. 76.

    Betty Cracker

    October 6, 2021 at 9:40 am

    @rikyrah: I know exactly what you mean. Thank you!

    @geg6: I’ve worn glasses forever too but never contemplated laser surgery because [Dr. Evil voice] “frickin’ laser beams” in my eyes? No thanks! But if I have to be lasered anyway, hmmm, maybe it’s worth asking if they can fix my damn nearsightedness too? Anyway, good luck with your quest for improved vision! :)

  77. 77.

    NotMax

    October 6, 2021 at 9:41 am

    @SFAW

    Amidst the oppressive doom ‘n’ gloom I try to keep it light in morning threads. Call it an order of ham on wry.

    Not always successfully, by any means. Sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn’t.

    :)

  78. 78.

    Elizabelle

    October 6, 2021 at 9:43 am

    @NotMax:   And I appreciate you, tremendously, for that. You make me laugh out loud from time to time.

    Tipping my coffee mug to you.

  79. 79.

    Frankensteinbeck

    October 6, 2021 at 9:44 am

    It may be worth noting:  Conservatives are whining about the new My Little Pony movie on Netflix.  Its major moral message is that racism and fascism are evil.  It makes no overt references to any politics other than ‘racism and fascism are evil’.  Conservatives are offended specifically by that message, and say so.

    Caveat:  The fascist leader is comically stupid and blonde.  These are standard archetypes anyway, and if they are references to Trump I’ve seen no sign conservatives recognize it.  It’s the anti-racism and anti-fascist message they are up in arms about.

  80. 80.

    Another Scott

    October 6, 2021 at 9:47 am

    Meanwhile, …

    New from @reuters: One America News, the right-wing cable network that peddled 2020 election conspiracies, gets nearly all of its revenue from AT&T. https://t.co/4R7m4Qnkef pic.twitter.com/NyI4xQAkrN

    — Brad Heath (@bradheath) October 6, 2021

    This is my shocked, shocked face.

    Big media isn’t a disinterested, neutral, middle-of-the-road player in the framing of public issues.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  81. 81.

    Ohio Mom

    October 6, 2021 at 9:50 am

    @NotMax:Looking at decor eye candy is my default for when life/politics become too much. I will be scrolling through your link.

  82. 82.

    Jeffro

    October 6, 2021 at 9:52 am

    @rikyrah: the dark money forces a) think that by sticking with McConnell, they can get the hated soshulist Dems to cave, and b) see a)

    Just like the election of trumpov, they don’t see the danger to the whole enterprise here, because if they did, they’d have to share power with or possibly even fully empower Democrats.  Horrors!  So, well…they’d rather risk the whole country’s well-being.  Why not?  It’s not like they don’t have enough money to ride out whatever befalls the rest of us.

  83. 83.

    James E Powell

    October 6, 2021 at 9:55 am

    @NotMax:

    That might be my favorite line in motion picture history.

  84. 84.

    geg6

    October 6, 2021 at 9:57 am

    @Betty Cracker: ​
     
    Can’t hurt to ask. My doc told me that correcting my nearsightedness will be a side effect of the cataract surgery. The new lenses they will insert will correct it almost automatically. When my parents had the surgery, that was not an option. So I’m kinda psyched to have the surgery, although I usually despise having any sort of medical procedure.

  85. 85.

    cain

    October 6, 2021 at 10:00 am

    @Elizabelle:

    Looks like there is going to be a lot of “Memory” from Cats that’s gonna be played. :D

  86. 86.

    frosty

    October 6, 2021 at 10:02 am

    @Betty Cracker: ​I’m with you on this. Ms. F got the same story at her last eye exam, not the same diagnosis, I think something related to glaucoma. But it was “You need to come back for this easy laser surgery immediately to prevent blindness.” Yikes!​

  87. 87.

    James E Powell

    October 6, 2021 at 10:03 am

    @Jeffro:

    The fact that they are dark money forces means they are evil. Chaos & the suffering of ordinary people are seen as necessary to the defense of their status.

  88. 88.

    Ohio Mom

    October 6, 2021 at 10:04 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    Please find a retina specialist in a large city, preferably a physician associated with a teaching hospital ASAP. They will have testing equipment not available in a smaller office and the expertise to really tell what is going on.

    Optometrists are great for lens prescriptions but they are not highly trained in anything else. Asking them about retinas is like asking the lawn guy about the health of your old maple tree. Totally out of their league.

    Yes, even eyes have sub-specialists. My ophthalmologist is a cornea specialist, and how tiny are corneas?I The fellow in the next room over only does retinas. He is on tap in case my RA med causes a rare side effect that can destroy retinas. So far, so good after five years.

  89. 89.

    MattF

    October 6, 2021 at 10:06 am

    @Betty Cracker: I’ve had a fair amount of eye surgery (six procedures, three on each eye), and yeah, it sounds unbelievably gross. “We’re going to scrape off the outer layers of your corneas. And then they will reorganize themselves and it will all be hunky-dory. Eventually. We Promise.” But… that’s what actually happened. And my vision is now pretty good.

  90. 90.

    frosty

    October 6, 2021 at 10:06 am

    @Betty Cracker: ​Our new not-really-so-crappy health plan is Medicare and Medigap, which doesn’t have vision or dental benefits. I think this all might be covered under medical though. We shall see.

    I should probably open the mail and see if I got a bill.

  91. 91.

    NotMax

    October 6, 2021 at 10:07 am

    @James E Powell

    Ages ago remember coming across a transcript (19th century?) of a conversation between a shaman in an African village and a missionary about imploring for rain in which the shaman essentially expressed the same line.

    :)

  92. 92.

    zhena gogolia

    October 6, 2021 at 10:07 am

    @Betty Cracker: vitreous humor

    I agree with Ohio Mom — see a retina specialist. I hope it will be okay, but you don’t want to mess around with this.

    Yeah, eyes are icky. I know what you mean.

  93. 93.

    Ksmiami

    October 6, 2021 at 10:09 am

    @Betty Cracker: good luck Betty! If you can, find a really good specialist if you need surgery etc.. Ahh ? see Ohio Mom beat me to this

  94. 94.

    MattF

    October 6, 2021 at 10:11 am

    @Betty Cracker: Also, the surgeon who did my cataract surgery also fixed my astigmatism. Without, y’know, mentioning it. I was somewhat irked about that.

  95. 95.

    Ruckus

    October 6, 2021 at 10:11 am

    @rikyrah:

    I’m not going into the details but I know with 100% certainty that there is good reason for this. Was just thinking/reminiscing about it this morning. Hell, I don’t trust all doctors to actually know what they are doing and I’m so white I actually almost reflect sunlight. As an aside to that, I do know that a pretty good percentage of them actually do know/understand. But I have enough ongoing experience with the medical field to know that there are exceptions and enough stories of my own to prove it. I’ve just been through one of those exceptions myself.

  96. 96.

    Ksmiami

    October 6, 2021 at 10:11 am

    @Jeffro: eh they’ll start to look delicious and juicy if the country collapses

  97. 97.

    Redshift

    October 6, 2021 at 10:15 am

    @Betty Cracker: And if you can manage it, don’t wait. Your situation is different because you don’t have a definite diagnosis, but if it is that, it’s best to get it dealt with as quickly as possible, because it only gets worse.

    I went in to get a funny thing in my field of vision checked, and my eye doctor made me cancel my dinner plans and arranged for me to see the good retina doctor even though his office was actually closed, and I had surgery a few days later.

    The surgery really was no big deal (however gruesome it may look from the outside). Having to sleep in a particular position (sitting up in my case, though it varies) for a week was a pain, but other than that, it was easy.

  98. 98.

    Sure Lurkalot

    October 6, 2021 at 10:15 am

    @frosty: My spouse’s retinal procedure was covered under his Medigap policy, other than the deductible of course.

  99. 99.

    WereBear

    October 6, 2021 at 10:16 am

    @Betty Cracker: I’m with rikyrah. The more you know, the better off you are.

    Skip the gruesome, but find out what you need to know about this possible condition. That will help you evaluate the next medical professional you engage.

    I see myself as a partner in this: and the one with the most at stake. WE are the ones who live with these decisions. If we can bring perspective to the situation, we have to.

    In a time and place where people’s lives are played with for crass profit, we have to be an advocate to negotiate the dangers. Frankly, I’d worry about choosing wrong and creating problems from pompous or profit-driven practioners than I would about the 5% chance of serious issues.

    Careless and inadequate care frightens me more.

    Also, there’s the added crap factor of you being in Florida; with perhaps the loosest license laws in the nation. Get someone board-certified, in a position where other doctors trust him.

    Then, you’ll know what questions to ask.

    The age of “doctor says” which so hypnotized our elders has changed. Science can move faster than the less competent. There’s possibles that haven’t passed into “standards of practice” yet that might make a huge difference at crunch time.

    Just be prepared. That’s my antidote to worry.

  100. 100.

    Ohio Mom

    October 6, 2021 at 10:18 am

    @geg6:

    That “ripe” stuff about cataracts is outdated. It used to be that cataract surgery was a more involved, riskier procedure. On occasion, you could be left in worse shape, so it made sense to put it off as long as possible.

    Nowadays, it’s a simple procedure and with extremely, extremely minimal risk. There is no reason to wait if you are having trouble seeing at night or reading, or the cataracts are interfering with your life otherwise.

    You will have the option of having prescription lenses that restore distance vision implanted. You will still need reading glasses though. There is such a thing as bifocal implantable lenses but they cost a lot extra — my insurance would not cover — so I can’t tell you much about that option.

    I went with only partial correction of my distant vision because I value my close vision. It’s not as good as it used to be — before my cataract surgery, up-close vision was my super power. But I’ve adjusted.

    TL/dr: See another ophthalmologist and get a second opinion.

  101. 101.

    MattF

    October 6, 2021 at 10:18 am

    @Redshift: Better than in the old days. I knew a guy who had retinal detachment surgery pre-laser— his head was screwed to a wall for six weeks.

  102. 102.

    sab

    October 6, 2021 at 10:19 am

    @NotMax: I love good puns but I never actually laugh at them, except yours at least once a week.

  103. 103.

    Redshift

    October 6, 2021 at 10:19 am

    @Betty Cracker: They don’t fix your vision as part of the retina surgery (different part of the eye, different laser), but I was told that if you have retina surgery, you have a 90% chance of developing a cataract within a year (I was ahead of the curve, only three months!), and they can fix it as part of the cataract surgery.

  104. 104.

    Starfish

    October 6, 2021 at 10:19 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Peak wingnut was a lie, and I am concerned that they are searching for someone more ridiculous.

  105. 105.

    Redshift

    October 6, 2021 at 10:21 am

    @MattF: Yeah, retina detachments run in my mother’s family, and my grandmother got surgery pre-laser. She had to keep her head down in her lap, and recovery was a lot longer.

  106. 106.

    Starfish

    October 6, 2021 at 10:24 am

    @Betty Cracker: My husband ended up with a hole in his retina, and they did a laser thing to make it stop. It seemed like a giant dark floater.

  107. 107.

    cain

    October 6, 2021 at 10:24 am

    @Kristine:

    Yes – what doctors do is eliminate possibilities. When you go to WebMD – there are lots of shared symptoms on a variety of things – that’s why everything seems to lead to cancer. But a doctor knows how to navigate all that with the right tests.

  108. 108.

    WereBear

    October 6, 2021 at 10:24 am

    @Frankensteinbeck: Almost like TFG was a Rosetta stone or Star Trek translator. It’s undeniable, blatant, now.

  109. 109.

    The Moar You Know

    October 6, 2021 at 10:24 am

    But if I have to be lasered anyway, hmmm, maybe it’s worth asking if they can fix my damn nearsightedness too?

    @Betty Cracker: oh, they surely can, but probably not at the same time.

    Had mine done 22 years ago in Canada because it hadn’t been approved yet in the States.  No issues at all.  The only glasses I have to deal with these days are reading glasses.

  110. 110.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 6, 2021 at 10:24 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    Anyhoo, my husband has threatened to throw all electronic devices into the river if I don’t stop looking up gruesome eye surgeries on WebMD and similar sites. 

    You’re unnecessarily scaring yourself.  Not a good idea (unless it’s watching a good (or horribly bad) scary movie).

  111. 111.

    zhena gogolia

    October 6, 2021 at 10:26 am

    This is hilarious. Stephanie Grisham keeps giving me these brain-bleach visions. Lindsay Graham hoovering up the hors-d’oeuvres at Bedminster. He confirms the story here.

    Thanks for confirming the story, Lindsey https://t.co/qh3ftO8qbu— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) October 6, 2021

  112. 112.

    zhena gogolia

    October 6, 2021 at 10:27 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    @mrmoshpotato: Right. There’s a point where “do your own research” stops and “get a really good doctor and let them handle it” begins.

  113. 113.

    Ohio Mom

    October 6, 2021 at 10:29 am

    @Redshift:

    It’s true, all you have to do is call your eye doc and say, “I see flashes of light” and they go into emergency mode. None of this “The doctor has an opening next Tuesday, can you come in at 10?”, it’s “How quickly can you get here?”

    My flashes ended up being an ocular migraine. I could see my doctor visibly relax the moment she was sure that’s all it was.

    Another time I called because my left eye suddenly went dark. A half hour later, I found out my vitreous had collapsed, luckily not taking my retina with it. That took a little monitoring and some time to fix itself.

    Yes, I have complicated eyes. Comes mainly from being so nearsighted.

  114. 114.

    Ken

    October 6, 2021 at 10:30 am

    This is easily the most viscerally horrifying and squicky thread I’ve read on Balloon Juice. Can we please not talk about Lindsay Graham’s eating habits, and stick to eye surgery stories?

  115. 115.

    Steeplejack

    October 6, 2021 at 10:31 am

    @Ohio Mom:

    HGTV is my safe space.

  116. 116.

    MattF

    October 6, 2021 at 10:33 am

    And for the ‘I’m not actually surprised’ folder— Yang unmoored drifts Foxward.

  117. 117.

    Baud

    October 6, 2021 at 10:34 am

    @Frankensteinbeck: With the Bronies on our side, we will be unstoppable.

  118. 118.

    Baud

    October 6, 2021 at 10:36 am

    @MattF:

    UBI for whites only?

  119. 119.

    zhena gogolia

    October 6, 2021 at 10:38 am

    @Ken: lol

  120. 120.

    zhena gogolia

    October 6, 2021 at 10:39 am

    @Baud: He was on Tucker Carlson, for God’s sake. I never liked that guy.

  121. 121.

    Ruckus

    October 6, 2021 at 10:41 am

    @Steeplejack:

    If you go back a few years Forbes said he was worth 12 then the next year 13 billion. Some offered that this was unrealistic. Forbes actually did the legwork and came up with 2 1/2 billion. They had just been taking his word for it. But as a lot/all of his debts are off the books debts because he can’t/couldn’t get funding from legit sources, even those figures are extremely likely to be BS.

  122. 122.

    hueyplong

    October 6, 2021 at 10:41 am

    The smart money probably places a Yang-FoxNews deal first in time before the announcement that he’s leaving the Democratic Party.

  123. 123.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 6, 2021 at 10:41 am

    @Ksmiami:

    Fun fact – the camo clad exurban and rural flag fellators will find themselves surprised if they bring about the country’s collapse – Memaw ‘n ‘em are pretty dependent on government checks along with Medicare and Medicaid, hoverrounds require functional power grids for a recharge, gas operated vehicles (pickups, SUVs and ATVs) require a functional fuel distribution network, rural homes require fuel oil or LNG to be supplied (not to mention electric triggers for lighting) and easily collectible firewood requires someone to go further and further from the hearth – maybe across tilled fields.

    The “Country Boy Can Survive” ethos only lasts as long as local storage will allow – after that, he’s prolly more fucked than a city resident (who can at least be organized and who may be able to till urban lots, medians and park spaces).

    I’ve always laughed at the notion of the noble survivalist.

  124. 124.

    frosty

    October 6, 2021 at 10:44 am

    @Ken: ​ Can we please not talk about Lindsay Graham’s eating habits, and stick to eye surgery stories?

    Great pivot! I LOL’d.

    ETA I sure wish the Visual tab worked.

    ETA2 And here it’s back for the edit. It is the mystery that is FYWP.

  125. 125.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    October 6, 2021 at 10:45 am

    @Ohio Mom:

    I had one terrible migraine type thing when I was 19 – blinding white light as I was driving. Neuro gave me a vasodilator scrip that I used for a day or two and I’ve never had a recurrence. Dunno what that was about.

  126. 126.

    Betty Cracker

    October 6, 2021 at 10:50 am

    @zhena gogolia: I was never going to vote for Yang, but I didn’t think he was a douchebag before. Now I do. Tucker Carlson, FFS.

    Yang fans on Twitter were countering criticism by pointing out that Pete Buttigieg goes on Fox News. FTR, I wish Pete wouldn’t, even though he does a great job jamming their dumb narratives. But Pete doesn’t go on the TC White Power Hour.

    Yang’s appearance makes me think he believes the fascists will eventually prevail and wants to save his political viability in that scenario. Fuck him with every rusty implement in the tool shed for being such a craven knob polisher.

  127. 127.

    geg6

    October 6, 2021 at 10:58 am

    @Ohio Mom: ​
     
    This is my second doc to see about this and he’s the same guy who repaired my cornea when I tore it a few years back, so I trust him. Last time I saw him, after being referred by my optometrist, he said I wasn’t yet ready for surgery and I probably wasn’t as I wasn’t having too much trouble yet. I like a more cautious approach since I am very averse to any sort of doctoring, despite having excellent health insurance, along with dental and eye. I pretty much have to be dying to see a doctor. I’ve had more than one tell me that I’m more like most of the men they see in that regard. I simply don’t trust most of them, having seen my sister and mother misdiagnosed and mistreated by too many doctors. But I’ve had a lot of vision difficulties in the last year or so and I’m ready to get this fixed as long as he thinks it’s the best at this point. I would have gone months ago but had so many problems getting an appointment due to COVID that it’s only now that I have finally managed actually get through to the office and to get a date and time that works. We’ll see what he says. First time in my life I’ve really wanted treatment that wasn’t emergency related and it has to be a hassle!

  128. 128.

    Redshift

    October 6, 2021 at 10:58 am

    PSA, while we’re on the topic: if you see something funny in your vision, get it checked out, don’t try to self-diagnose too much. My retina tear didn’t look (to me) say all like any of the descriptions of what people see. (It looked like a bubble in the corner of my eye.)

  129. 129.

    Baud

    October 6, 2021 at 11:02 am

    @zhena gogolia:

    Yep. That’s a deal breaker.

  130. 130.

    Geminid

    October 6, 2021 at 11:05 am

    @Betty Cracker: Yang may have looked at the millions Peter Thiel is spending on J.D. Vance and said, I’m gonna me some of that.

  131. 131.

    Kristine

    October 6, 2021 at 11:06 am

    @cain: I also think it could be a liability situation as well. Covering all the bases in case someone sues later because “this site said I would be okay.”

    Like the drug ads that mention every possible side effect. I worked at a Big Pharma company for 26 years and know that most of the really bad side effects are almost vanishingly rare, but stick “can lead to death” in an ad, and I would have to be damned desperate to consider that drug. But they have to mention them, because.

  132. 132.

    Frankensteinbeck

    October 6, 2021 at 11:14 am

    @Baud: ​
    My understanding is that the elements that attracted the obnoxious ones have been removed. Then again, the idiots and assholes failed to notice that the entire point of Friendship Is Magic was a celebration of all types of femininity, so who knows?

  133. 133.

    Kalakal

    October 6, 2021 at 11:15 am

    @geg6: I had that done a few years ago. Can’t recommend it enough. After near 50 years of glasses it’s amazing. The one downside I get is some haloing at night

  134. 134.

    Frankensteinbeck

    October 6, 2021 at 11:15 am

    Hey, in case anyone hasn’t heard, Discord Twitch got hacked.  The hackers got everything.  Like, everything.  Source code, passwords, everything.  Any other account that shares a password with Discord Twitch you should change.

  135. 135.

    Redshift

    October 6, 2021 at 11:17 am

    @Ohio Mom:

    My flashes ended up being an ocular migraine. I could see my doctor visibly relax the moment she was sure that’s all it was. 

    I have ocular migraines, too. I guess my doctor could tell from my description that’s what it was when I was worried it might be retina stuff, because he wasn’t worried. And he taught me the rule, “if it’s in one eye, it’s in the eye, if it’s in both eyes, it’s in the brain.” ) Meaning of it’s the same in both eyes, of course.

  136. 136.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    October 6, 2021 at 11:19 am

    @Steeplejack: HGTV is what I make my dentist put on the ceiling TV.

  137. 137.

    rikyrah

    October 6, 2021 at 11:19 am

    @Betty Cracker:

     

    I was never going to vote for Yang, but I didn’t think he was a douchebag before. Now I do. Tucker Carlson, FFS.

     

    I always did.

    He was never a Democrat.

    He was always a Libertarian Dudebro piece of garbage.

  138. 138.

    Kalakal

    October 6, 2021 at 11:20 am

    @Betty Cracker: Sorry to hear that, hope it turns out to be scary but in the end not  anything to worry about.

    Most eye stuff these days is laser and from experience ( cataracts) i i und it painless

  139. 139.

    dr. bloor

    October 6, 2021 at 11:20 am

    Another shoe drops for Ed Mullins.  At some point, he’s gonna have to ring Bernie Kerik for advice on which cell he should angle for at Cumberland.

  140. 140.

    Frankensteinbeck

    October 6, 2021 at 11:23 am

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Sigh.  It was Twitch, not Discord.  Whatever, for me it was the same password.  I imagine a lot less people here use Twitch, though.

    EDIT – Then again, we have a solid gamer contingent!

  141. 141.

    Uncle Cosmo

    October 6, 2021 at 11:25 am

    @lowtechcyclist: ​Just FTR, Howard the Duck the comic series was as much a treasure as Howard the Duck the flick was a travesty. That I ever wasted a first-run admission on the latter….eeesh.**

    **Two, actually – I took a date, who was, shall we say, less than impressed with my selection algorithm. “But that was in another century…”

  142. 142.

    Redshift

    October 6, 2021 at 11:25 am

    @Kalakal: I hit the jackpot with mine. That eye now has perfect distance vision, no halo or anything. My other eye is good for reading without glasses even though I am of a certain age, so I only need glasses when driving at night to get the unfixed eye good enough to help.

  143. 143.

    brendancalling

    October 6, 2021 at 11:29 am

    @Betty Cracker: I have a similar thing going on with my eyes. It’s disturbing—but the doc says nothing to worry about, for now.

    Getting old ain’t for wussies.

  144. 144.

    Just Chuck

    October 6, 2021 at 11:30 am

    Nuclear option you say?

    me: https://youtu.be/snTaSJk0n_Y?t=92

  145. 145.

    Jay C

    October 6, 2021 at 11:30 am

    @rikyrah:

    Didn’t Andrew Yang already announce that he was leaving the Democrats to start his own party?

    That sort of crap might work in New York, where the Andrew Yang Party MAY be able to get on the ballot along with the litter of minor parties who waste ballot space every couple of years (though that scenario will surely hinge on whether or not Andy’s people MIGHT be smart enough to concentrate on voter-base development, vs. merely producing slick TV ads. My guess, though is “not”). But probably not in a lot of other places.

  146. 146.

    lowtechcyclist

    October 6, 2021 at 11:33 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    I’ve worn glasses forever too but never contemplated laser surgery because [Dr. Evil voice] “frickin’ laser beams” in my eyes? No thanks!

    I’ve worn glasses since childhood (and bifocals since college) but I really never considered laser surgery because things basically worked just fine the way they were: I’d put on my glasses as I got out of bed in the morning, and wear them all day. And my prescription stayed the same for a couple of decades from my late 30s to ~60.  I didn’t have to even think about them, really.  So why take even the smallest chance of laser surgery going wrong?

    Now I need a different prescription for looking at the monitor of a desktop computer than I need for either distance vision or other close work, so I find myself switching glasses a lot.  So now that glasses have become complicated rather than simple, maybe it’s time.

    @Ohio Mom:

    Please find a retina specialist in a large city, preferably a physician associated with a teaching hospital ASAP. They will have testing equipment not available in a smaller office and the expertise to really tell what is going on.

    This.  Betty, you’re still within an hour or two of the Tampa/St. Pete area, right?  Should be good people there.

  147. 147.

    Steeplejack

    October 6, 2021 at 11:36 am

    @dr. bloor:

    It’s not at all clear whether Mullins has relinquished control of the @SBANYPD account, which has been silent since yesterday.

    — southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) October 6, 2021

    Speculation that only Mullins knows the password and the FBI confiscated his cell phone yesterday. ?

  148. 148.

    Just Chuck

    October 6, 2021 at 11:38 am

    @rikyrah: Not sure your average Libertarian is calling for Universal Basic Income. Yang is a kook with random ideas.

  149. 149.

    sab

    October 6, 2021 at 11:39 am

    @WereBear: I second this advice, and Ohio Mom just below. More information is better, as are second opinions.

    My mom had cataract srtgery in the 1970s and was very happy with the results, because she was nearly blind before that. My dad never had the surgery and now at 97 it is too late and he is nearly blind.

    My sister had cataract surgery with some issues (things got cloudy.) Fixed with some minor additional work. There was no discussion about her particular vision needs. She’s an art historian who also leads student tours. She needs close up and distance but not much middle range. So she got lenses for the wrong range and has lost the distance. That is maybe on her for not researching and not asking the right question, but also on the doctor.

    My husband had cataract surgery with amazing results. His vision hasn’t been so good since high school. His opthamologist tells him not to tell people that because she considers him kind of a freaky unicorn that way. But she also discussed his needs ahead of time and offered him a more expensive lens in one eye to fix his astigmatism It worked. Only problem is he forgets to bring his reading glasses (he’s 70 and needs them for small print) when we go out.

    His sister went to a high volume low cost cataract surgery factory that nearly blinded her. She now goes to my husband’s doctor who has somewhat fixed things.

    I have mild cataracts and I am putting it off for now. Husband’s opthamologist says not to worry on cataracts, that I will know when it’s time.

  150. 150.

    Ohio Mom

    October 6, 2021 at 11:39 am

    @Ohio Mom: Whoops!

    Disregard, obviously.

  151. 151.

    Kay

    October 6, 2021 at 11:42 am

    Ron Filipkowski
    @RonFilipkowski
    · Aug 29
    PA GOP Gov candidate Steve Lynch today: “Forget going into these school boards with freaking data. You go in to these school boards to remove them. I’m going in with 20 strong men and I’m gonna give them an option – they can leave or they can be removed.

    It’s just gross how the elite “cancel culture” pundits dumped this violent mob on school boards.

    They really didn’t know that their critical race theory panic they all endorsed would be weaponized by the Right?

  152. 152.

    Ken

    October 6, 2021 at 11:42 am

    @Jay C: That sort of crap might work in New York, where the Andrew Yang Party MAY be able to get on the ballot

    Is there any mechanism in New York where the Yang Party could make a deal after the Lexington town election to add its six votes to the total of the Farmers’ Party, thereby throwing the election for Lexington dogcatcher to the Farmers?

    I ask because I seem to recall a similar WTF arrangement with the Republican and Conservative parties.

  153. 153.

    sab

    October 6, 2021 at 11:44 am

    @lowtechcyclist: We had a friend who got laser surgery because he is a horse trainer and got tired of horses knocking his glasses off.

  154. 154.

    Benw

    October 6, 2021 at 11:44 am

    @Frankensteinbeck: dammit I follow a whole bunch of musicians on twitch. Now the world will know! Thanks for the heads up, off to update passwordies

  155. 155.

    Ohio Mom

    October 6, 2021 at 11:46 am

    @geg6:

    If it helps, my late aunt described cataract surgery as her favorite surgery. It’s painless.

    You’re very woozy, thanks to whatever is in the IV. The doctor makes a tiny slit in your lens, breaks up the cataract somehow and vacuums the pieces out through the slit.

    That’s the fun part, it’s very psychedelic, sort of like a multi-colored lava lamp. The whole thing is over in minutes.

    Now the multiple eye drops taken multiple times a day for several weeks before and after does get tiresome.

  156. 156.

    Anyway

    October 6, 2021 at 11:48 am

    OT Vacay here I come. In DFW waiting to board my flight to SLC. Few days in Park City and then south to hike some of the parks. Can’t wait.

    Exemplary mask compliance on the ground in PHL and DFW.

  157. 157.

    Layer8Problem

    October 6, 2021 at 11:51 am

    @MattF: I knew a guy who had retinal detachment surgery pre-laser— his head was screwed to a wall for six weeks.

    “He was a cruel eye surgeon, but fair!”

  158. 158.

    SteveinPHX

    October 6, 2021 at 11:52 am

    @Betty Cracker:

     
    BC-I concur with all other commenters. GOOD ophthalmologist is important!
    I had cataract surgery w/ lasers back in 2005. Easy as cake with laser surgery. My mother had cataract surgery back in the 1960s (all mechanical procedure & had to wear coke-bottle-bottom glasses the rest of her days). Took away all her peripheral vision. Don’t be afraid of the laser.
    My best wishes.

  159. 159.

    sab

    October 6, 2021 at 11:52 am

    @Ohio Mom: That was my experience with flashes. Lots of harmless aging reasons for it, but my husband’s opthamologists office was very serious about get it looked at now, and referred me to several other reputable opthamologists because she was too booked up to take on a new patient as an emergency.

    It turned out to be just the aging viscous thing, but it was reassuring to have everyone in opthamology jump up and down when they thought I might need it.

  160. 160.

    Ruckus

    October 6, 2021 at 11:53 am

    @Baud:

    They have been doing a lot of eye stuff with lasers for a long time. I had laser eye surgery in 1995. It really was no big deal at all and I was more than expecting it to be. I’ve had a surgeons scalpel used on my eye and I far prefer the laser, although there is not a lot of feeling either way on the surface of the eye. And either way healed up rather quickly and I had my eyes checked not long after all that by a optometrist who I’d known for decades and he said he could not tell I’d had surgery done, laser or blade.

  161. 161.

    Jeffro

    October 6, 2021 at 11:55 am

    This is excellent – good luck convincing America that our CEO class are a bunch of irresponsible commie big-spending soshulists, GQP!

    President Biden summons bank CEOs, others to the White House, to talk about the urgent need to raise the debt ceiling.

    The business community has up to this point largely stayed above the partisan fray while agreeing with both sides that the debt ceiling impasse must be resolved. But appearing with the White House over the matter appears to signal Wall Street’s frustration with the GOP’s negotiating posture, although it is unclear whether the executives will make explicit criticisms of McConnell.

    Dimon, for instance, previously told Reuters that he supports legislation to abolish the debt ceiling. Yellen recently endorsed that position.

    Break the filibuster, raise the ceiling, then pass legislation abolishing it forever, Dems.  Push corporate America even further away from the Republicans and free us from future GQP hostage-taking.

  162. 162.

    Layer8Problem

    October 6, 2021 at 11:57 am

    @Ohio Mom:

    @Redshift:

    I have ocular migraines, too.

    Me too.  Fun patterns, but I’d hate to drive with them.

  163. 163.

    sab

    October 6, 2021 at 11:58 am

    @Kay: God that irks me. Our school board, which is excellent, has members who work their tails off for pretty minimal reimbursement. Some of them are also trying to get their foot in the door politically, but for the most part they do it as a civic duty. They are still doing televised zoom meetings because they are afraid of the crazies disrupting things

    ETA And as an urban district we are majority minority. CRT probably wouldn’t work as a disrupter but masks sure could be.

  164. 164.

    catclub

    October 6, 2021 at 11:58 am

    @Layer8Problem: One of the Dimmesdale brothers nailed my head to a coffee table.  Cruel, but fair.

  165. 165.

    MattF

    October 6, 2021 at 11:59 am

    @sab: I had that too. ‘Vitreous detachment’ in both eyes. Mostly harmless for me, except for a floater in the left eye. Which I’ve learned to ignore.

  166. 166.

    Tony G

    October 6, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    @lowtechcyclist: ​
      From my perspective, the problem has always been about 35% of the American people. Stupid, willfully ignorant, full of hatred and racism. Trump is the shiny object that has had their attention for the past five years, but when he’s gone they’ll find another “leader” who’s at least as bad.

  167. 167.

    Benw

    October 6, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    @Kay: such toxic BS. I suppose the aptly named Mr. Lynch believes democracy means “rule by 20 violent white men, for 20 violent white men” with no consequences because white men. It’s also remarkably stupid; the school board doesn’t stop being the school board when they’re outside the school building!

  168. 168.

    Geminid

    October 6, 2021 at 12:05 pm

    @Anyway: That sounds like a great trip! I hope it is.

  169. 169.

    Ruckus

    October 6, 2021 at 12:05 pm

    @Ohio Mom:

    I’m glad they found out what was going on and were able to fix it.

    I once went completely black blind. No sight whatsoever. I was standing up talking face to face to a fellow employee out in the sun and told him to take my arm and lead me to the chairs next to us. He had no idea. It was something in my brain, had nothing to do with my eyes. And yes it is extremely scary. I know a little bit about being blind, I’ve been there. And back. That was a little over 20 yrs ago. 15-20 minutes later and I could see normally again. It was like a switch was flicked, no fading in or out, one second fine, next second not so much. I don’t ever want to experience that again. I don’t want anyone else to have to experience that either. Glasses are a pain but not anywhere near as much as no sight whatsoever.

  170. 170.

    Just Chuck

    October 6, 2021 at 12:08 pm

    For a moment, I thought Lynch (a little on the nose don’t you think?) was talking about what to do with the screaming mobs that were invading school board meetings, and I was like “hell yah, show these fuckers we won’t take their shit”.

    Honestly I think that’s a threat right there, but dollars to donuts the cops in PA are stacked with wingnuts too.

  171. 171.

    Eyeroller

    October 6, 2021 at 12:21 pm

    Long-time reader, first time commenter. I am not an ophthalmologist but spend a lot of time with them. Betty’s problem sounds like bilateral epiretinal membranes. The vitreous is an embryonic structure consisting of a thin gel. As we age it tends to shrink and liquefy. This can tug at the retina, resulting in small tears which form a thin membrane (basically a scar). The membrane is mostly translucent but it can cause puckers in the retina. Occasionally the traction is sufficient to cause a partial retinal detachment. ERMs are particularly common in middle aged/older women. If treatment is necessary it’s a vitrectomy (sucking out the vitreous) and peeling off the membrane with teeny tiny forceps. Once diagnosed with ERMs the next step is indeed to see a retinologist for monitoring.

    Vitrectomy nearly always results in a particular type of cataract within a year.

  172. 172.

    Ruckus

    October 6, 2021 at 12:23 pm

    @geg6:

    Best of luck to you.

    I started wearing glasses at 12. That’s 60 yrs ago. I got laser surgery about 25 yrs ago, that was good for about 15 yrs, until age reared it’s ugly head. It was back to glasses for close up and likely long distance soon enough. And of course I now have cataracts. I get checked once a year, they aren”t developed enough to work on yet, but you know what that’s like.

    @Betty Cracker:

    As a relatively early laser surgery patient I can truly say that it is a hell of a lot scarier than is warranted. All of us value our eyesight, as we very much should. Losing some of it is bad enough, losing all of it is scary as hell. And rather strangely calming in the moment. That calming thing goes away very, very fast, just in case you were wondering.

  173. 173.

    Old School

    October 6, 2021 at 12:23 pm

    School shooting in Arlington, Texas this morning.  Ugh.

  174. 174.

    Wapiti

    October 6, 2021 at 12:28 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Several years back, we had bad fires out here. One day I could see the ash on my eyes, like little pepper flakes.

    It wasn’t ash. I was seeing the blood cells, inside my eye. Thousands of the little fuckers, released when my retina tore.

    Because I screwed around for a week before going to the eye doc, I ended up having to do the drain-your-eyeball surgery.

    So if you see an increase in those little floaters, get to the eye doctor asap. They’ll find an appointment for you if your retina tears.

  175. 175.

    Ruckus

    October 6, 2021 at 12:33 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    It’s the anti-racism and anti-fascist message they are up in arms about.

    In current day conservatism those are their two enemies. Everything else in their world is negotiable. They have money or they don’t is livable, c’est la vie, everything negative to them is caused by anti-racism and anti-fascism, because without those everything else for them falls into place.

  176. 176.

    lowtechcyclist

    October 6, 2021 at 12:34 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Unfortunately, spot on. [Republican Trumpism] predated Trump. It continues without him. He was merely the apotheosis of their shitty base voters the true slothful, corrupt, fascist, and most importantly stupid and hateful white man. Trump was a symptom.

    I must strongly disagree.  Maybe all the pieces were there in one form or another pre-Trump, but he’s the one who put them all together and weaponized their unification.

    There had been racism before, but it had to be expressed in dog-whistles.  There had been a lurking culture of grievance before, but it had been ‘out’ only around the edges.  Anti-Semitism had been verboten.  Conspiracy theories existed on their side before, but they were beneath the attention of most GOP politicians.  And while the GOP had been increasingly a post-policy party, their politicians still felt necessary to preserve the veneer.

    Trump blew all those restrictions away, embodying all the racism and grievance and crazy conspiracies in his own self, and poured accelerant on it.

    And at least in my guess, drew millions of RWNJs out of the woodwork, people who didn’t feel represented by the GOP because it wasn’t overtly racist and hateful and grievance-oriented.  Now they had permission to be like that, and so did everyone else in the party who felt that way but felt like they had to keep it under wraps.  And that’s why the GQP of 2021 looks nothing like the GOP of 2014.

  177. 177.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    October 6, 2021 at 12:39 pm

    DEVELOPING: Police investigating active shooter situation reported at a high school in Arlington, Texas, school district says. https://t.co/Wd1qI0H6yE— ABC News (@ABC) October 6, 2021

  178. 178.

    lee

    October 6, 2021 at 12:51 pm

    Looks like we are now at this point of denying transplants to the unvaccinated.

    UCHealth says it will deny transplants to the unvaccinated in almost all situations.

  179. 179.

    Spanky

    October 6, 2021 at 12:54 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Four shot after a fight broke out, so it’s “only” an escalated dispute instead of many random targets.

    Shooter’s still on the run, though.

  180. 180.

    Elizabelle

    October 6, 2021 at 12:55 pm

    @lowtechcyclist:  I think blame can be laid at the feet of the rightwing media ecosystem.  Which really took off with the ascent of Fox News and Rush on too many radio programs.

    No Fox News coddled bunch of angry white people, no glidepath for Trump.

    Yes, those terrible traits have always been with us.  We had slavery on our own soil, and several states went to war to try to protect that peculiar institution.

    But before it was John Birchers and paperbacks and probably mimeograph machines.  Fox News inflamed these people, and made itself into a drug they had to have.  Zuckerfuck saw his opportunity to cash in on the incitement.

    This shit belongs back under a rock.  Not cultivated because some corporation (Fox, FB, AT&T which allegedly powers OAN; haven’t read the Reuters article yet) can make bank off it.

  181. 181.

    MattF

    October 6, 2021 at 1:00 pm

    @lee: Nothing new. Transplants are always graded by the health of potential recipients.

  182. 182.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 6, 2021 at 1:03 pm

    @Elizabelle: Just came across this:

    It's time for this again:One of these men created a twisted world of unnameable horrors, haunted by dark monsters lurking behind the fragile appearance of sanity we call reality. The other one is H.P. Lovecraft. #DeleteFacebook pic.twitter.com/2E229SGne1— Issa López (@IssitaLopez) October 4, 2021

  183. 183.

    Betty Cracker

    October 6, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    @lowtechcyclist: I don’t disagree with people who say Trump is a symptom, because they are right in one sense; like you said (and Elizabelle reiterated at #180), the pieces were there all along. But in another sense, insisting that the GOP was as bad during the time of Nixon, Reagan, W, etc., is to be in denial about the unique danger we’re in right now.

    In other words, I stand by what I wrote last week: today’s GOP is an authoritarian cult of personality. The upside of that is that the power invested in Trump isn’t easily transferable. The downside is there is literally nothing his cult won’t do to reinstall him in office.

  184. 184.

    MattF

    October 6, 2021 at 1:11 pm

    @Elizabelle: TPM has some commentary on the possible motivations for an ATT/OAN linkage.

  185. 185.

    Elizabelle

    October 6, 2021 at 1:14 pm

    @MattF:  Thank you.  Will have a look.

  186. 186.

    Elizabelle

    October 6, 2021 at 1:16 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:  Ah.  She follows the John Rogers/Kung Fu Monkey formulation.  It fits, though.

  187. 187.

    Ksmiami

    October 6, 2021 at 1:23 pm

    @Jeffro: That’s what I’ve been saying as a capitalist- businesses can’t operate with the chaos, the GOP represents- they need rules and fair codes to invest, plan and conduct daily operations. The GOP is the Joker party

  188. 188.

    Ksmiami

    October 6, 2021 at 1:24 pm

    And obligatory fuck Manchin and Sinema for bringing us to this point

  189. 189.

    Soprano2

    October 6, 2021 at 1:25 pm

    @lowtechcyclist: Now I need a different prescription for looking at the monitor of a desktop computer than I need for either distance vision or other close work, so I find myself switching glasses a lot.

    I cannot recommend computer glasses highly enough. I’m on my third pair. They saved me a ton of headaches and grief. They have your computer vision on the top, and your reading vision on the bottom, and no distance vision. They’re well worth the investment – I keep them on my desk and wear them all day at work. You can play with the frames more if you want, too – my new ones are bright red!

  190. 190.

    Ruckus

    October 6, 2021 at 1:26 pm

    @sab:

    Your husband and I are in the same age range and I have 3 pairs of reading glasses in my apt and carry one with me and have another in the car. I can’t see close without them I can’t see much distance with them. My computer screen is about 4 feet away and I use different glasses for that, but don’t need them for longer distance. I wish I knew how bats do it. Of course they don’t need to read….

  191. 191.

    Ksmiami

    October 6, 2021 at 1:28 pm

    @Tony G: pray for Covid and age reducing their numbers

  192. 192.

    WaterGirl

    October 6, 2021 at 1:32 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: I took the liberty of striking through Discord and adding Twitch to your comment.  Hope that’s okay.

  193. 193.

    Ruckus

    October 6, 2021 at 1:41 pm

    @lowtechcyclist:

    trump didn’t change anything other than allowing their crap to be said out loud. Republicans have been trying for decades to not say the bad crap out loud. trump made that obviously unnecessary. But that’s what the upper end of the republican party had been thinking for a 4 decades or more. trump showed them that there is a solid base for whom not saying the bad parts out loud pisses them off.  trump isn’t and never has been smart enough to do anything other than half ass or more and he’s all ass in the being racist department. His only thing was he started with enough, some of which he stole from his siblings, to be considered rather wealthy. He’s screwed up everything he’s ever done and thrown away more money than the vast majority can even contemplate ever counting, but he’s not responsible for conservative bigotry, only for saying it out loud.

  194. 194.

    Frankensteinbeck

    October 6, 2021 at 1:50 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Hope that’s okay.

    Very.  You are a god(presumably)dess.

  195. 195.

    prostratedragon

    October 6, 2021 at 2:13 pm

    @Bruce K in ATH-GR:  Bet he could have had it for a song.

  196. 196.

    Citizen Alan

    October 6, 2021 at 2:50 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    On the tapes, Nixon seriously proposed bombing his domestic political opponents.  It took The Day After to scare Reagan out of thinking nuclear war wouldn’t be so bad.  And if Al-Qaeda had obliged Dubya with a second major terrorist attack during his administration, I think we would have gotten concentration camps for muslims out of it.  I was born in 1969, and there’s never been a moment of my life when the GOP wasn’t an insane fascist death cult. Trump’s only innovation was his complete lack of subtlety.

  197. 197.

    Gravenstone

    October 6, 2021 at 3:16 pm

    @Betty Cracker: What the fuck is that substance anyway?

    Vitreous humor

  198. 198.

    Kalakal

    October 6, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    @Redshift: Sounds good. With mine they destroyed my lenses and repaced them with shiny new ones.One thing I can be sure won’t go wrong with me now is cateracts.

    Someone else mentioned the psychedlic patterns, yeah it’s quite freaky to watch.

  199. 199.

    Gravenstone

    October 6, 2021 at 3:26 pm

    @geg6: As the recipient of lens replacement surgery last year as part of the treatment regimen for my Fuchs, I also had my lifelong nearsightedness corrected – mostly. But I now have to put on glasses any time I want to read something, which is the exact opposite of what I used to do for decades. Just recognize that the fix becomes its own set of trade offs, and be prepared.

  200. 200.

    Chris Johnson

    October 6, 2021 at 3:36 pm

    @rikyrah: Do the dark money forces who prop up McConnell actually want a default?

    Russia? Fuck yeah they do. Mind you, I think a lot of this is kabuki and they all pretty much know what the score is. They’re trying to play it out without having to reveal who owns who, but I mean, Hillary called out who owned Trump quite publically, Nancy’s not shy about it either, I don’t think anybody’s confused at this point. Except most Americans.

  201. 201.

    Ruckus

    October 6, 2021 at 4:22 pm

    @lowtechcyclist:

    Go with not in the room. Your life will be much better and you can still laugh your ass off at him.

  202. 202.

    Ruckus

    October 6, 2021 at 4:35 pm

    @Another Scott:

    Aren’t most of the abusers big oil companies, that provide fuel for our vehicles, among other things? If every vehicle sold from tomorrow on was electric, it will still take years to get rid of the current ones. And while there are options being built now, big electric trucks seem to be even farther off. Yes we have Tesla, but how many cars can they make and how much do they cost? Could you afford a Tesla?

    It’s just not possible to change over completely in a very short time, even as it really is necessary. And how dirty are those refineries? I see that we need to do this as fast as possible but how?

  203. 203.

    Aaron Rodgers Mustache

    October 6, 2021 at 6:02 pm

    @Jay C: he should try to takeover the desiccated corpse of h ross the boss’s independence party

  204. 204.

    Another Scott

    October 6, 2021 at 6:05 pm

    @Ruckus: Yes, we’re still dependent on fossil fuels.  But even bending the CO2 emission curve requires more work than is being done at present.

    Offsets seems to me to be on the verge of becoming a racket (if it isn’t already), as one might expect as it’s being pushed by consultants and banksters.

    CSM:

    But as Mr. Miller and many others point out, not all carbon credits are created equal. At this point, anyone can create an offset – all that’s needed is a willing buyer and seller. But whether that offset actually helps prevent climate change is a lot more complicated.

    Much of this is because of how offsets work. There are very few projects that actively remove carbon from the atmosphere. (That process, called direct air capture, does exist, but it is still rare and relatively expensive.) More often, offsets promise to not release carbon. A forest-based offset program, for instance, claims to preserve trees that would otherwise be cut down. A clean power offset creates a wind turbine that wouldn’t have been built otherwise.

    This concept is called “additionality,” and, as Cynthia Cummis of the World Resources Institute says, it is inherently difficult to prove.

    “You’re always making an assessment based on a hypothetical scenario,” she says. “And I think that always will make you question what additional emission reductions are really being generated by a project.”

    This is why it is important for companies to decarbonize their operations and value chains first, she says, and then use offsets only as a way to go “above and beyond.”

    Indeed, as more and more prominent companies jump on the offset bandwagon, there has been increasing attention to whether their projects actually remove carbon as advertised – and more revelations of problems. A decade ago, a Monitor investigation found that carbon offset certificates presented to the Vatican were tied to forest projects that did not exist. More recently, investigative reports have raised other questions about offset projects, including this summer, when forests central to Microsoft’s emission reduction plan burned in the West’s raging wildfires, releasing the stored carbon into the atmosphere.

    As with everything, there’s no One Weird Trick that will reduce giant corporations’ carbon footprint. They need to get moving.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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