Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Come on, man.

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

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

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

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

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

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

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

He really is that stupid.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

Republicans do not trust women.

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

You are here: Home / Civil Rights / Racial Justice / Black Lives Matter / Sunday Morning Open Thread: A Good Day to (Virtually) Visit A Museum

Sunday Morning Open Thread: A Good Day to (Virtually) Visit A Museum

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Timely!

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture launched a sophisticated digital platform Thursday that brings a trove of interactive stories, images and video about the Black experience out of the museum and onto the Internet.

Called the Searchable Museum, it is designed to present the treasures of the five-year-old landmark on the National Mall in Washington to a broader audience, said museum director Kevin Young. The museum, which opened to the public on Sept. 24, 2016, has 40,000 artifacts…

Young said the digital access will allow the public to view exhibits at their own pace and in their own time. “I really see it as an incredible resource for visitors … who really want to either experience the museum for the first time or return again and again online,” he said.

“And there’s things you can see [virtually] that you can’t see in person,” he said.

For example, a meticulously preserved slave cabin from Edisto Island, S.C., is on display in the museum. “What you can’t do in the museum is go inside it,” Young said. But now you can, digitally.

The visitor can also take a grim 3-D virtual tour of the slave ship L’Aurore, for which a complete set of building plans survives…

“This is just the start,” Young said. “We’re looking right now at phase two and stories we can tell next.”

“This is African American history, which is central to American history,” he said. “To understand American history, we have to understand this. We have to understand the impact of slavery on life today. This is true for everyone.”

The exhibition opens with words from the late African American poet Maya Angelou: “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived; but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”

Reader Interactions

129Comments

  1. 1.

    mali muso

    Thanks for this. Of all the Smithsonians, this is the one that I have appreciated visiting the most. This is all of our history, and it’s important that we remember, commemorate and learn.

  3. 3.

    NotMax

    Couple of Open Thread virtual Post-its.

    Just a quick note as I know many roll their eyes when they see the term Black Friday — if you’ve maybe been on the fence about it, a 6 qt. Instant Pot model is marked down to $59.99 through this coming Saturday at Target.

    As it may have been missed during a hectic week, repeating for the weekend crowd.

    While not as easy as it ought to be, something to squirrel away in the arsenal of possible holiday gifting. How to Give Netflix, Hulu, and Other Streaming Services As Gifts.

  4. 4.

    NotMax

    Shifting gears to more serious matters, snippets from a long piece of import by the AP.

    In June, three Florida prison guards who boasted of being white supremacists beat, pepper sprayed and used a stun gun on an inmate who screamed “I can’t breathe!” at a prison near the Alabama border, according to a fellow inmate who reported it to the state.

    The next day, the officers at Jackson Correctional Institution did it again to another inmate, the report filed with the Florida Department of Corrections’ Office of Inspector General stated.

    “If you notice these two incidents were people of color. They (the guards) let it be known they are white supremacist,” the inmate Jamaal Reynolds wrote. “The Black officers and white officers don’t even mingle with each other. Every day they create a hostile environment trying to provoke us so they can have a reason to put their hands on us.”

    Both incidents occurred in view of surveillance cameras, he said. Reynolds’ neatly printed letter included the exact times and locations and named the officers and inmates. It’s the type of specific information that would have made it easier for officials to determine if the reports were legitimate. But the inspector general’s office did not investigate, corrections spokeswoman Molly Best said. Best did not provide further explanation, and the department hasn’t responded to The Associated Press’ August public records requests for the videos.
    [snip]
    …Corrections officials regularly receive reports about guards’ membership in the Ku Klux Klan and criminal gangs, according to former prison inspectors, and current and former officers.

    Still, few such cases are thoroughly investigated by state prison inspectors; many are downplayed by officers charged with policing their own or discarded as too complicated to pursue.
    [snip]
    This summer, one guard allowed 20-30 members of a white supremacist inmate group to meet openly inside a Florida prison. A Black officer happened upon the meeting, they told The AP, and later confronted the colleague who allowed it. The officer said their incident report about the meeting went nowhere, and the guard who allowed it was not punished.

    The officer spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not cleared to discuss official prison business. They told The AP that, after the report went nowhere, they did not feel safe at work and are seeking to leave.

    Officers who want to blow the whistle on colleagues are often ostracized and labeled a “snitch,” according to current and former officers.

    Mark Caruso, a former sergeant with Florida corrections who was twice fired and reinstated after blowing the whistle on fellow officers, described the department as a “good old boy” network. Source

  5. 5.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Trigger Warning!!! Trigger Warning!!! Critical Race Theory ahead!!! All “Independent Thinkers” should avert their eyes and ears lest their minds be polluted. Do your own research! But only at the Gateway Pundit.

    “This is African American history, which is central to American history,” he said. “To understand American history, we have to understand this. We have to understand the impact of slavery on life today. This is true for everyone.”

    I wonder how long it will take for Republicans to call for the expungement of the National Museum of African American History and Culture from the Smithsonian and a repurposing of the building as the KKK national headquarters.

  7. 7.

    Kay

    This didn’t get much attention amid the celebrity, promotion and marketing of Kyle Rittenhouse – no cable programs “embedded” with the defense in this case- but it’s extraordinary that the criminal investigation and trial happened at all:

    A Kansas City police detective was found guilty of manslaughter in the 2019 killing of a Black man who was fatally shot in his own backyard. Jackson County Circuit Court Judge J. Dale Youngs announced his decision Friday afternoon. Eric DeValkenaere, 43, was charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the Dec. 3, 2019, shooting of Cameron Lamb. He was convicted of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action.

    When protests erupted in Kansas City and across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, Lamb’s name was among those invoked by protesters seeking local reform

  8. 8.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @NotMax:

    Thanks for the news about Instant Pot. I keep thinking it would be a good thing to own and use, but I’ve not really put much time or energy into seeking out the right one for me. This is a timely reminder.

  17. 17.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay:

    Jason Johnson, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, which provided financial support for DeValkenaere’s legal defense, said the organization was shocked and disappointed.

    “Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker’s politically-motivated prosecution sets a dangerous precedent,” he said in a statement. “Police officers are not above the law but they are entitled to be held to the same standard as all citizens, not one based on political expediency.”

    If he had been held to the same standard as civilians it would have been 1st or 2nd degree murder. Somehow or other I don’t think that’s what he meant.

  18. 18.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Interesting article at Wired on why puzzles are so soothing for a lot of people

    Focusing such that your mind is occupied but not excessively challenged, James says, is incredibly helpful for people with depression, anxiety, and stress because it offers what she describes as “a little holiday from yourself.” For some people, this “gentle focus” takes the form of tending to a garden or tidying a room, while for others, puzzles fill this space.

  19. 19.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I only know one person with more books in print than you but he writes with his wife so he only gets half the credit. Also, you talk a lot more about the trials and tribulations of the authoring biz than he. :-)

  23. 23.

    debbie

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    I’m not an author, but I worked at Scribner’s back when it was called Charles Scribner’s Sons. The publisher was in the same building as the bookstore, which was pretty famous (also a very beautiful space).

    I worked in the sales department. The publisher moved downtown in the early-ish 80s, but before that, I had to sit through several discussions with authors or their editors sharing their philosophy about book placement and how that engendered better sales (“less than five, but more than two copies” and “two spine and two copies facing out” being two examples). I was much better back then at keeping a still face and not rolling my eyes, but good grief, use that energy for writing instead of philosophizing about sales

    ETA: Their goal was for me to go down to the store and get the manager (a good friend) to rearrange the shelf. He also told me that several editors used to sneak down and rearrange their authors’ books. He patiently waited for them to leave and put the damn things back where they belonged.

  24. 24.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @SiubhanDuinne: I recommend it highly (the utensil in general, haven’t investigated that particular model). I got one several years ago at my son’s insistence, and I LOVE it. It’s a bit bulky, but worth every bit of my limited kitchen space.

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    @OzarkHillbilly: That cartoon is versatile!  You could substitute “how’s your thesis coming?” “do you have a girlfriend yet?”  “when are you guys gonna get married?”  etc.

    Someone should make a little widget so you can customize that cartoon.

  27. 27.

    WaterGirl

    @NotMax: That’s a very appealing price!

    I see instapot, though, and I have images of steam coming out the top of my mom’s pressure cooker and the silver thing at the top flying across the room.

    Are these really not like my mom’s pressure cooker?

  28. 28.

    Anne Laurie

    @OzarkHillbilly: Maybe that’s what I need during this enforced convalescence. I’m really feeling short tempered just now.

    And there’s lotsa online jigsaw  puzzle sites now — so you don’t lose your temper when the dog collides with the puzzle table, or the cat decides to steal a crucial piece for a toy!

  30. 30.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    Many thanks for the endorsement. My counter/cupboard space is also limited, and that’s been a concern. But I see a number of trade-offs I can make.

  31. 31.

    narya

    Good morning, Juicers! I’m waiting for the showers to subside, then going for a run (I have run-in-the-rain gear, but this should blow over soon), and later going to the members’ party for my community-supported brewery. I’m also mulling over the desserts I’m bringing to Downstairs Neighbor’s T-day table (along w/ the roasted Brussels sprouts w/ dried cranberries and balsamic vinegar). So far, there’s going to be a pumpkin brûlée with some pumpkin-seed brittle and some homemade graham crackers. I have poached pears in the freezer, so I’m thinking a hazelnut dacquioise (which will use the egg whites leftover from the brûlée), maybe a fig mousse, and then some poached pear? Not sure yet. Might do it as a vacherin (layered in a glass). Also going to make an apple chutney that we can have alongside the cranberry/blueberry sauce she makes.

  32. 32.

    WaterGirl

    @Anne Laurie: Oh my god, it’s the kitties that are the worst about that!  They jump up on the table, knock pieces off when you’re not looking, bat them around, and then leave them for the dog to do god knows what to until you find a damp puzzle piece on the floor with gummed up edges.

  33. 33.

    NotMax

    @debbie

    In Manhattan? Not only beautiful, also soothing and eccentrically charming.

    So far as what was sold, the map and globe section (in a spacious loft area upstairs, IIRC) was astonishing.

  34. 34.

    narya

    @OzarkHillbilly: Crossword puzzles of approx. the FYNYT Sunday difficulty have been a go-to for me for decades. I’ve slipped away from the habit lately, but it was how I could reliably put myself to sleep.

  35. 35.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    For this one, from my reading of it, I think what makes it extraordinary is that police planted evidence to cover up the crime and the investigation was conducted anyway.

    During the trial, prosecutors also alleged the crime scene was staged and evidence was planted.

    Planting evidence didn’t work. They didn’t manage to kill the investigation. Because decisions are made all along the line, right? Not just what to charge or whether to convict but whether to pursue prosecution at all. If the planted evidence had been accepted unquestioned, there wouldn’t have been a real investigation.

  37. 37.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Anne Laurie: I need something tactile, I mean, I really need it.

    or the cat decides to steal a crucial piece for a toy!

    Ooo, good point, I’ll get a sheet to cover it with.

  42. 42.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @WaterGirl: Ha ha, no. I bought a 6 qt one with a sous vide function a couple years ago. It sat in my office for 3 months because I was afraid of it. I’m glad I unearthed for soups, stews, roasts, ribs, etc.

    I have cabinets in a utility room in the basement so I store it there.

  43. 43.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @debbie: There isn’t much right now. All they’re doing is manipulating things to keep scar tissue from building up too much. In my first session the therapist was able to take it to the maximum allowed with out any pain. Threw him for a bit of a loop. I’m going only once this week again before going to twice a week after T day.

  48. 48.

    prostratedragon

    @NotMax:  Along the same lines, there are some good sales on Kitchenaid mixers, especially at target.com. 5qt model for less than $225. (I forsee an expansion of the Balloon Juice baking circle in the not-too-distant future.)

  50. 50.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: We had one recently in STL where the cop was recorded saying how he was going to shoot this ni**er (he was a known drug dealer) during the chase. Shot him. Was recorded looking around the dead man’s car after it crashed. Was recorded returning to his car and rooting in the trunk. Was then recorded going back to the dead man’s car and “finding” a handgun. A handgun that had no fingerprints on it, and no DNA from the dead man, but did have the officers DNA.

    The judge found the officer Not Guilty because in his experience “all drug dealers are armed” (or some such lame BS).

    IIRC, the man was taking his child to school.

  54. 54.

    Fair Economist

    I love puzzles; normally in the form of strategy games. Since I got COVID, though, I can’t quite get into computer strategy games anymore; even ones I used to like I get tired of after half an hour or so. Now I’m only doing things like Sudoku and scrambled world puzzles. I can still get into a tough boardgame, though.

  55. 55.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @debbie: There is always pain Most times it’s in the “Not too bad” zone.

    I hate those 10 point “rate your pain” scales because I have a really high pain threshold and it just doesn’t come that way. I always find myself arguing with nurses or doctors who insist that I have to tell them something.

    “You want me to lie?” I ask them. Then I say, “Put down whatever you want, it will be just as meaningless as anything I might say.”

  56. 56.

    JML

    I bought a new puzzle this weekend. I’ve got enough table space that I can have one going and just dip and in out of it when I need a break from, well, the world. It’s been nice. I’ve been doing ones based on artists I enjoy (like Nene Thomas) or from role-playing games.

  59. 59.

    Brachiator

    Smithsonian African American museum launches online interactive access…

    This is great stuff. Thanks for the links.

    I look forward to diving deeper into the museum later.

    Taking a quick look, I really like the way the interactive materials are organized.

    I especially enjoyed the section on Free communities of color. Too often people think of black history in America as a sharp division of slavery vs freedom.

  61. 61.

    prostratedragon

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:  Absolutely.  I’ve become an … uh … enthusiastic puzzle solver over the last couple of years,  and that kind of steadying is a big part of it.  Helps with the damage from long term sleep disorder.

  62. 62.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @debbie: I finally did that.

    1) Not too bad.
    2) Meh, a vicodin might help me sleep.
    3) WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE PUT A BULLET IN MY BRAIN????

    When I broke my ankle, it never got above level 1, but I’ve had charlie horses that send me way over the top. This has hit 2 a couple times.

  67. 67.

    japa21

    @OzarkHillbilly: After my shoulder surgery, the therapist did get me to wince a few times.  The worst pain I felt however was when I tripped over something and threw my arm out  wide to steady myself.  This was approximately 3 weeks post surgery. My wife found me rolling on the floor in pain.

  71. 71.

    frosty

    @debbie: ​ How’s PT coming along?

    Per WaterGirl’s suggestion, this would also make a great caption for the cartoon with the dog.​

  73. 73.

    jeffreyw

    @WaterGirl: No, the gaskets are rubbery rings that form a seal between the lid and the pot.  The thing you are talking about is the weight that fits atop a vent in the lid that is calibrated to allow (usually) either 5, 10, or 15 psi to build up inside the pressure vessel before it jiggles to release the excess pressure.

  74. 74.

    jeffreyw

    God: you're a cow.Cow: ok.God: you're baby is a calf.Cow: ask me why I'm tired after giving birth.God: w-what?Cow: ask me why I'm tired after giving birth.God: why are you tired after giving birth?Cow: i'm decalfeinated : )God:Cow: someone's laughtose intolerant— God Creating Animals (@GodAnimalBooks) November 3, 2021

  75. 75.

    QuiltingFool

    @Anne Laurie: And there’s lotsa online jigsaw  puzzle sites now — so you don’t lose your temper when the dog collides with the puzzle table, or the cat decides to steal a crucial piece for a toy!

    I love jigsaw puzzles but stopped doing them when my sweet kitty, Miss Thing, would steal pieces when I wasn’t working on the puzzle.  She stopped taking stuff off the table when she took a packet of Taco Bell hot sauce – I found it on the floor with teeth marks.  I don’t think she liked the taste, lol!

  76. 76.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @jeffreyw:

    Just ordered the 6-quart model. It should arrive Tuesday. Are there any Instant Pot accessories you* have found particularly useful? And are there decent recipes enclosed, or do I need to buy a specialised cookbook now?

    *You is not limited to jeffreyw. Asking for recommendations or nifty suggestions from anyone with IP experience.

  77. 77.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @WaterGirl: I had emergency surgery for a collapsed lung at a public hospital once. No anesthesia. At one point I saw a cop on the other side of the ER watching my *procedure* who had a look on his face along the lines of, “Please dear god, whatever I’ve done I don’t deserve that.”

    That one was level 3+.

    ** procedure is being a bit kind. It was done by a med student who, from the look on his face just prior, had never actually cut on a live human before. Poor kid was scared to death.

  78. 78.

    jeffreyw

    @SiubhanDuinne: Not really.  I bought a steamer basket but the stove top steamer I have does it just as well and is a lot faster.  It comes with a trivet that is useful cooking some items, it allows a layer of water underneath food items that may scorch without it.  There are glass lids that are useful when you use it as a slow cooker.​
    ​
    ​
      They include a small recipe booklet, there are tons of recipe books, or just Google by adding “instant pot” to your recipe search.

  79. 79.

    WaterGirl

    @QuiltingFool: You left the “ing” off your nym, so your comment went into moderation.

    i added the “ing” to this one and freed it, but you will need to correct that and make a new comment so your browser will remember the right nym instead of the wrong one.

  80. 80.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @japa21: I’m a horrible patient but right now they’ve almost got me convinced that the slightest wrong move and I will tear it up all over again. So I’m being half good.

  83. 83.

    WaterGirl

    @OzarkHillbilly: Holy fuck, squared.  Yikes.  And an inexperienced med student, no less!

    I think I have seen that on TV shows when the maverick doctor has to perform that procedure on the street or in a restaurant, and the patient always says “thank you” afterwards because they can finally breathe again.

    I’m guessing it was not like that.

  86. 86.

    UncleEbeneezer

    We went to LACMA yesterday to see the Obama portraits and the Black Portraits exhibition.  It was really excellent and I highly recommend it for any LA-area Juicers.  It was so great seeing Black families and kids posing by the beautiful portraits of President Obama and FLOTUS Michelle.  And the artwork in Black Portraits is really varied and moving.  I got lots of pix which I will drop an Imgur link to, once I’ve uploaded them, for anyone here who wants to check them out.

    LACMA also has a floral photo-booth designed by Maurice Harris a local star florist and owner of Bloom & Plume Coffee.  He is also one of the hosts of HBO’s floral design competition.  Anyways as we are walking in we saw him in line to enter LACMA.  And then he and a group of friends were in the gallery while we were in there too.  We were really tempted to say hello and tell him what big fans we are of him and his work, but ultimately decided not to since he was chilling with friends, and as white people we woulda felt especially uncomfortable doing so in such a heavily-Black event.  But it was super-cool to see his work and see him getting such great opportunities.

    Afterwards, we ordered take out from a tiny Vietnamese restaurant named Be U that my wife had been wanting to try.  It was AMAZING!!  Seriously, best meal we’ve had in a long time.  They had this roasted corn, similar to Mexican elote (but with Vietnamese flavor) that was incredible.  Lemongrass beef noodle- magnifique.  A seared porkbelly and egg over rice (very good though neither of us loved the egg), killer popcorn chicken with spicy may dipping sauce and a really solid Banh Mi with very tender pork.  Everything was very fresh.  Each dish tasted different but great and the whole thing was only $50 and we still have another meal’s worth of leftovers.  This. Place. Rocks.  Only wish it was closer to us (though honestly on a weekday, with mellow traffic, we could easily swing down there again, it’s just tough with Saturday traffic).

    While eating, we decided to watch Passing on Netflix.  Really excellent film.  I can’t wait to hear some of my fave Black podcasters discuss/review this film because I thought it was pretty superb.  Surprisingly, I learned that the writer/director Rebecca Hall (Parade’s End, Tales From the Loop, etc.) who, I must confess I have a total fanboy crush on, has a Black Grandfather on one side of her mostly Dutch family.  Anyways, truly beautiful, nuanced and haunting film.  The use of light is really impressive.

  89. 89.

    jeffreyw

    God: you're a moose.Moose: what if there is more than one of me?God: still a moose.Moose: oh.God: what's wrong?Moose: I thought my plural was Meese lmao.God: lol.Moose: can you even imagine how silly that would be.Goose: [narrows eyes].— God Creating Animals (@GodAnimalBooks) August 30, 2021

  91. 91.

    Steeplejack

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I second the suggestion to get a glass lid if you want to use the Instant Pot for slow cooking. It works well for that, but you don’t need—or want—the tight seal of the regular lid. It doesn’t allow any water to escape.

    And, yeah, you don’t need to buy a cookbook. There are many good websites, and, as jeffreyw said, you can just add “instant pot” to any Google recipe search.

    Video: “How to Get Started with Your Instant Pot.”

  92. 92.

    trnc

    You can spend months reviewing Jan. 6 footage and still come across visuals that just hit you like a bus.

    I take it the grass withered and died as soon as the confederates stepped foot on it.

  93. 93.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @WaterGirl: I think I have seen that on TV shows

    I suspect you are thinking of an emergency laryngectomy. What I had was a tube shoved into my chest cavity to drain the blood and fluids that had filled it up after my lung collapsed. (the tube stayed in for 5 days and I got to walk around with blood filled box that it drained into) They gave a local for the incision (why’d you botha?) but the real fun began with the student trying to spread the ribs enough to get the tube in. Especially because he had a hard time understanding what the supervising Doc (I think he was Pakistani, which in a PH is reassuring, The real Docs can barely speak English) was telling him:

    Doc: Ntpfthrb.
    Student: On top of the rib?
    D: Ntpfthrb.
    S: On top of the rib.
    D: Ntpfthrb.
    S: On top of the rib?
    D: Ntpfthrb!
    S: On top of the rib?
    D: Ntpfthrb!!!
    S: On top of the rib?
    D: Ntpfthrb!!!!!
    ………………

    At one point I almost sat up to look at the kid and say, very slowly,
    “On
    “Top
    “Of
    “The
    “Muthafuckin’ Rib!”

    I didn’t because than he really would have freaked out.

    The whole thing was really pretty funny. I wrote up a short story about the experience that always got a laugh or 2.

  94. 94.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Steeplejack:

    I second the suggestion to get a glass lid if you want to use the Instant Pot for slow cooking. It works well for that, but you don’t need—or want—the tight seal of the regular lid. It doesn’t allow any water to escape. 

    There’s no way for the original lid to vent while slow cooking?

  96. 96.

    mrmoshpotato

    @QuiltingFool:

    She stopped taking stuff off the table when she took a packet of Taco Bell hot sauce – I found it on the floor with teeth marks. I don’t think she liked the taste, lol! 

    Surprise!  Spicy puzzle!

  97. 97.

    TheOtherHank

    On the topic of Instant Pot accessories, the gasket will absorb oders. I like making savory things in mine, so the gasket I usually use smells like curry, stew, carnitas, etc. I don’t know if the smells can transfer into the food, but just to be safe I ordered a couple replacement gaskets so I can have one that I never use for savory recipes. There are also replacement for the other little silicone bit on the pop-up valve, but I haven’t gotten any of those.

    The big lie of Instant Pot marketing is that it cooks things really fast. Yes, the actual cooking time is low, but lag time to heat up and reach pressure and then a cool off period before you open the venting valve at the end add a good 20 minutes or more to any recipe.

  98. 98.

    Steeplejack

    @mrmoshpotato:

    The pressure valve is open when you’re on the slow-cooker setting, so some steam escapes, but not as much as with a slow-cooker lid.

    ETA: Also, with a glass lid, you can take it off and fiddle around with the food, which you typically want to do more in slow cooking.

  99. 99.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @jeffreyw: I hope you’re happy. My whole Sunday is ruined now.

    God Creating Animals
    @GodAnimalBooks
    ·
    Nov 12
    God: you’re a mammal.
    Whale: like a bat?
    God: uh-sure.
    Whale: yay i’m a bat!
    God: no.
    Whale: oh.
    God: you use echolocation.
    Whale: omg i’m a bat!
    God: no you live in the water.
    Whale: oh.
    God: also you sleep upside down.

    Whale: i’m the splashiest water bat : )

  100. 100.

    Steeplejack

    @TheOtherHank:

    Yeah, “it cooks really fast” turns out to be less of a benefit than “set it and forget it” in actual practice. Although it does cut the time quite a bit for things that take a long time (hours) to cook.

  103. 103.

    Ruckus

    @Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant):

    It’s on my list as well.

    I don’t know when I’ll get to DC to see the sights, there are a number that I’d bet are well worth the trip, this is for sure one of them.

    I think it is important to see what our country can do, especially if it actually tries, and to understand the history, and to see what happens when it doesn’t.

  107. 107.

    Ruckus

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I’ve added a couple to the standard 10 level scale. I’ve had migraines that go above the last level on the standard scale. I’ve also been hit by a truck and that only reached an 8. I wasn’t in a car at the time. A fond memory…..

    11. Hand me that pistol, a bullet in the head will fix this.

    12. Just shoot me, NOW.

  109. 109.

    James E Powell

    I visited the National Museum of African American History & Culture in 2019. You take an elevator down five stories, then walk up to ground level. Felt very much like a pilgrimage. Words are inadequate. It isn’t just one thing, it’s the weight of it all.

  110. 110.

    opiejeanne

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I miss Hyperbole and a Half. Allie Brosh has had some terrible things happen around her. She talked about them in her most recent book, and I couldn’t finish it because I was crying so hard.

  113. 113.

    E.

    @Ruckus: I always figured 1 was a piece of sand in my shoe so small I was too lazy to get rid of it right away and 10 was so much pain I could not get out of the house if it was on fire.

    I’ve experienced migraines that, for short periods, were a 10.

  115. 115.

    Steeplejack

    While dinking around on Amazon looking at Instant Pot stuff, I stumbled across a great deal on an Amazon Echo—$59.99 (usually $99.99)—if anyone is interested.

    All of the Echo devices do the Alexa stuff about the same, but this model is highly rated for the great sound.

  118. 118.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: I heard about that. The judge didn’t even address the obvious planting of evidence to try to justify the shooting.

  121. 121.

    James E Powell

    @Kay:

    The article states that

    The detective was the first white Kansas City police officer in 80 years to face a criminal trial in the shooting death of a Black man.

    I wonder how many black men have been shot to death by white KC police officers in the last 80 years.

  122. 122.

    dnfree

    @OzarkHillbilly: for those who enjoy puzzles, try enigmadevice dot com.  It’s like a crypto word puzzle, but letters can change places more than once.  My dad and brothers always were good at the newspaper version of these but I never mastered them. I’ve gotten better at this version.  It shows you which letters occur more often, for instance.  You can turn the sound off, and you can get a hint, which I need less often than I did when I started.

  123. 123.

    dnfree

    @WaterGirl: instant Pots are far superior and safe when it comes to the kind of disaster you remember. Applesauce and pea soup and recipes of similar viscosity used to bubble up and clog the vent, letting the pressure get too high.  However, apparently there are some recipes that can somehow bubble up when you take the lid off and break the surface of the liquid.  I think it’s rare and can be prevented but I’ve seen articles about burns.
    It’s very useful.  You can even bake small cheesecakes or cakes in it (in a 7” springform pan).  Mine came out very moist. 

  124. 124.

    dnfree

    @jeffreyw: they made me drink Gatorade before surgery, which I have never done, and the timing turned out to be about 3 am.  It came back up and so did the meds I was supposed to take before surgery.  I plan to never drink it again.  And I had tried to pick what sounded like a “normal” flavor.

  126. 126.

    dnfree

    @WaterGirl: I never got into “static” cryptogram puzzles, but this is more fun because it’s dynamic, it gives you information like letter frequency in the puzzle, and it will give you hints.

    Sudoku still seems unpleasant to me.

  127. 127.

    NotMax

    re: Instant Pot stuff discussed above

    The gaskets are silicone rings, easy-peasy to pop in and out should you need or want to.

    Do read the booklet which comes with it. Probably the most important thing to learn is what is meant when recipes call for either an instant release or a natural release.

    Hardly in the category of a necessity by any means, one thing have found useful for my needs is an (inexpensive) diverter which fits over the release knob and directs the released pressure at a 90 degree angle rather than straight up.

    Glass lid: Quite possible one you already own a for a different pot or pan will fit, or will fit well enough

    Steamer basket: Nice to have kicking around for things like asparagus but I find I don’t use it much.

    The one thing am super glad I did spring for is an extra inner (cooking) pot. There are both the regular stainless steel or there’s a non-stick coated type (note that the standard stainless steel one which comes with the IP is extremely easy to clean). Would suggest going with an official Instant Pot one; tales of struggling to close/seal the lid from folks using a differently branded aftermarket one have been seen. Find the second inner pot handy for using to make rice or noodles after done cooking a stew or the like.

  128. 128.

    Ruckus

    @E.:

    I’ve been having migraines for decades. I now take B2 and Magnesium Oxide as a preventative which helps a lot and I have access to a med that is curative when I do get one. I now get one about every 5 to 10 weeks, I figure that’s my cycle time. And yes we all have cycles that our bodies go through, most men don’t know that because we don’t have that extra signal that women get between about 12 and 50. I’ve had migraines that I would consider a 12 on my scale before meds were available to do anything about them than suffer. A dark room, zero noise, a cold pack. They don’t really help a 12 but they do make you feel like you are doing something.

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