Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

The real work of an opposition party is to oppose.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

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

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

We still have time to mess this up!

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

No one could have predicted…

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

Usually wrong but never in doubt

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Something Good Open Thread / Sunday Morning Open Thread: Ephemeral Beauty

Sunday Morning Open Thread: Ephemeral Beauty

by | 232 Comments

This post is in: 

This is the closest I can come to a Garden Chat, because nobody sent pics and I’m too tired to hunt through my stockpile of links.

Here’s looking forward to the Winter Solstice, and longer days!

… On Dec. 4, Pasi Widgren drew a fox that measures about 90 meters (295 feet) from on Lake Pitkajarvi, north of Helsinki. In previous years, he used a shovel to sketch a bear and an owl, always using the same lake as his canvas.

Widgren has drawn animals on local lakes every winter since 2016 near his home in a village not far from Lahti, a town of 120,000. The drawings disappear when more snow falls or when the ice melts.

The idea for the ephemeral art came “suddenly a couple of years ago when I realized I may have a special ability of coordination to do this kind of things myself,” the 40-year-old told The Associated Press.

When he reached Lake Pitkajarvi this month, he tested the thickness of the nice to make sure it was dense enough to walk and work on. At 10-15 centimeters (4-6 inches) thick, it was…

“Then I sketched the contours of the figure by walking and thinking it to match my image of fox at the same time and then I started to ‘draw’ by using (the) snow shovel,” he explained.

Four hours later, Widgren was done.

“I walked to the top of the cliffs” 45 meters (about 150 feet) above the lake “to look at the end result, drank coffee from my thermos bottle and took some photos and videos as a memory of doing this.”…

Reader Interactions

232Comments

  1. 1.

    Gin & Tonic

    I really admire the various forms of ephemeral art: huge sand castles, Tibetan sand paintings, and now this Finnish dude’s “paintings.” That it took him only four hours is more remarkable.

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Gin & Tonic:

    I agree, and I especially love the underlying philosophy of “impermanence.”

    But query: Does capturing their images forever via photography undercut their ephemeral essence?

  5. 5.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I’m sorry.
    (Hillbilly hangs his head in shame.)

    Seriously, I was gonna send you some “just in case” pics Anne but I failed for… reasons. I’ll do better in the next day or 2.

  9. 9.

    debbie

    Love this. Those who were able to see this before it got snowed over are very lucky. It’s like just happening to look up and see a shooting star or witness the best part of a sunrise.

  11. 11.

    satby

    @SiubhanDuinne: Without photography most of us would never get to share in the admiration of so many fleeting moments: snow art, sand castles, beautiful sunsets, auroras.  How impoverished our lives would be!

  18. 18.

    zhena gogolia

    I’m upset about the New Yorker profile of Jeremy strong. It’s a snarky hit piece. I happened to have him in a class twenty years ago and he’s a brilliant person not what is depicted there. The author has an axe to grind.wish I had a right hand so I could tell him what’s what ☹️

  19. 19.

    JPL

    @rikyrah: 24/7 News is such bull shit.    It hasn’t been a year, and he’s accomplished more than most administrations do in their first term.

  24. 24.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne: No it does not!  :-)

    Take Christopher Mathews photos of the northern lights in Iceland a couple of weeks, for instance.

    The northern lights are the essence of ephemeral beauty, and his photographs don’t undercut that.  They share a facsimile of that beauty with others who aren’t lucky enough to see them in person.

    So the rest of us don’t get the entire experience of seeing them in person, but it’s still breathtaking beauty.  Shared.

  25. 25.

    debbie

    @zhena gogolia:

    Vox would seem to agree with you:

    The profile garnered the kind of reaction you’d expect: Social media users boggled at Strong’s behavior, especially what Schulman depicts as his pretentious, pseudo-method-acting process, which includes everything from spontaneous script ad-libs to refusing to rehearse with his scene partners in advance. While some embraced Strong’s affectations, many online seemed to feel that Strong’s all-or-nothing personality would be insufferable to have to deal with on a regular basis, on-set or off, and that his behavior toward colleagues was particularly egregious. The conversation was especially fierce on Twitter — as in “Jeremy Strong” trended on the platform for a full week — which is somewhat fitting, given that Succession seems to be in a constant dialogue with the kind of overtly performative viewers who are, like Kendall, in New York media and on Twitter, and obsessed with both.
    But if the worst thing that anyone can say about a guy is that he’s really intense, or maybe even annoying, perhaps that’s not worth the extended social media critique that Schulman’s profile generated. The backlash raises a question: Is “acting normal” something we really want from artists? Is there really no room for eccentricity?

    I recall Jeremy Piven, among others, got a lot of grief over his intensity. Christian Bale, too.

    It would be interesting to see something analyzing all this.

  27. 27.

    debbie

    One more time, without too many links:

    @zhena gogolia:

    Vox agrees:

    The profile garnered the kind of reaction you’d expect: Social media users boggled at Strong’s behavior, especially what Schulman depicts as his pretentious, pseudo-method-acting process, which includes everything from spontaneous script ad-libs to refusing to rehearse with his scene partners in advance. While some embraced Strong’s affectations, many online seemed to feel that Strong’s all-or-nothing personality would be insufferable to have to deal with on a regular basis, on-set or off, and that his behavior toward colleagues was particularly egregious. The conversation was especially fierce on Twitter — as in “Jeremy Strong” trended on the platform for a full week — which is somewhat fitting, given that Succession seems to be in a constant dialogue with the kind of overtly performative viewers who are, like Kendall, in New York media and on Twitter, and obsessed with both.

    But if the worst thing that anyone can say about a guy is that he’s really intense, or maybe even annoying, perhaps that’s not worth the extended social media critique that Schulman’s profile generated. The backlash raises a question: Is “acting normal” something we really want from artists? Is there really no room for eccentricity?

    I recall Jeremy Piven, among others, got a lot of grief over his intensity. Christian Bale, too.

    It would be interesting to see something analyzing all this. Or maybe not.

  28. 28.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I evidently phrased my early-morning pondering badly. I’m not anti-photography in any way. I never suggested that photographing ephemera undercut their value or beauty. I was speaking solely of the transient, impermanent nature of sand art, snow art, auroral lights, all the wonder that the universe (and its sentient, creative inhabitants) can imagine. The impermanence, not the thing itself.

    I feel ganged-up-on, and I need coffee.

  29. 29.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @lahke:

    Have been a huge fan of Andy Goldsworthy for 30+ years, and own most of his books. I never tire of what he does with, say, colourful autumn leaves, or an array of icicles.

  31. 31.

    MomSense

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    You’re in good company with your thoughts on the transient and the permanent.  One of my heroes, Theodore Parker, wrote about it with respect to Christianity.  I have struggled with it myself as an artist and see my kids struggling with it in their music.
    I need more coffee, too.  There is snow to deal with and Christmas to make.

  32. 32.

    Geminid

    @SiubhanDuinne: I’ve read of ceremonies by Native people, among them the Navaho, where magical patterns are inscribed in sand, then brushed away when the ceremony is completed. Epemeral sacred art, so to speak.

  33. 33.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne: Oh, sorry you feel ganged-up on!  I was responding to what I thought you were saying, not what you were apparently intending to say!

    And it wasn’t personal, I thought were just having an old-fashioned philosophical discussion on a Sunday morning.  Years ago, we called them “heavy college rap sessions”.   We don’t have those often enough.  (or at least I don’t.)

  36. 36.

    Chief Oshkosh

    Headline in WaPo:
    Democrats end year still fighting GOP blockage of voting rights bills
    By Dan Balz

    Babystep, but in the right direction.

  37. 37.

    debbie

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    If I sounded like I was ganging up on you, I apologize. I was only marveling at the chances we are given to witness things of beauty. I’ve had a number of those moments, as I’m sure we all have. I’ve stopped trying to take photos of them because they always seem so diminished.

  38. 38.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Geminid:

    Yes. Similarly with the beautiful, huge mandalas made by Tibetan Buddhist monks. Years ago when my office was in CNN Center, the building turned over a vacant retail space to a group of monks. They covered an area probably 12’x12’ with brightly coloured sand from tiny vials, just a few grains at a time. They were in residence for several weeks, and it was a treat to pass the storefront every morning and afternoon and watch the progress. Then, after this incredible creation was finished, the monks very carefully and mindfully swept away the sand, to be later re-sorted by colour and used in new mandalas. Amazing experience.

  41. 41.

    sab

    @SiubhanDuinne: I like your point about the ephemeral essence. Seeing a photo of an art work is not the same as seeing the art work. The artist out in the cold and wind and clear air is having an entirely different experience than we are having seeing his photos.

    The photo is pretty and interesting. The actual experience seeing it at the lake must be magical.

  43. 43.

    Starfish

    So Manchin is killing Build Back Better dead. Merry Christmas. Apologies to all the poor people who wanted to feed their children.

  44. 44.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    An old-fashioned late-night philosophical rap session was exactly what I had in mind!

    @debbie:

    I never thought you, or any specific commenter, was coming after me. But the sheer number of people who expressed disagreement made me realise that I hadn’t done a good job of articulating my thoughts.

    And I should have used the Snark Slash, because I didn’t really think y’all were ganging up on me, only I can never remember whether it’s a backslash or a forward slash, so I never use it.

  45. 45.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: Mission Impossible was my weakness. I’d watch Nightline and then I’d rush to the TV to shut it off (pre-remote days for me) before the MI theme started up, because as soon as the first, “duh duh, du duh duh duh…” hit my ears, I was snagged.

  49. 49.

    Starfish

    @Starfish:

    “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation.” — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) says President Biden’s Build Back Better plan “is a no.”

    “I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.” pic.twitter.com/HsgXgYms3e
    — The Recount (@therecount) December 19, 2021

     

    Where are all those folks who were dragging The Squad for getting permission to vote against the other bill?

  54. 54.

    Tazj

    @Starfish: He says this right before Christmas on Fox News while also saying he won’t agree to a carve out of the filibuster for voting rights. He’s a villain, period.

    I wonder what his Democratic colleagues would like to say to him but can’t because they need him to confirm judges.

  57. 57.

    debbie

    @Starfish:

    I think it was Friday morning that NPR miscued a bit of audio of McConnell acknowledging that he was trying to lure Manchin to switch parties.

    NPR runs every report twice, but they edited it out for the repeat. Hmmm. ?

  58. 58.

    NotMax

    @debbie

    Have told the tale before about a play in which I appeared a long, long time ago. Luckily, it happened during a rehearsal.

    Came to an emotional scene during which a line of my dialogue was “You’re rubbing your heel in my raw soul!”

    What spilled out the mouth, with bold emphasis and anguish, was “You’re rubbing your seal in my raw hole!”

    Raucous laughter among the cast and crew must have lasted no less than five minutes. Still have a small stuffed animal seal awarded me by the director at the closing night party.

  61. 61.

    Starfish

    @debbie: He is going to be a Susan Collins “centrist” and not a Democratic Party centrist

    Some people are saying we still need him for Supreme Court nominees, but this is pretty hard to take. Yes, let him hamper the entire legislative agenda so we don’t seat more religious zealots on the body of religious zealots doing whatever the hell they want.

  64. 64.

    Kay

    @Starfish:

    If I were in the Biden Administration I’d cut congress loose and operate as if they don’t have a majority- just a whole slew of aggressive executive actions, starting with extending the student loan moratorium and ramping up DOJ actions on voting. They’re getting the political downside of wrangling with the Right wing Democrats in Congress with none of the upside. Time to triage. Manchin has hurt them, I think deliberately. They have to extricate themselves from his drag. He’s killing them.

    Congress will do better in the midterms if Biden improves his polling, so it pays off for them too, but they shouldn’t be the focus. Do what’s best for the Biden Administration and let the rest take care of itself.

    This can’t be the Joe Manchin Administration. They don’t want that corrupt liar as the focus and no one elected Joe Manchin President. Push him back. He’s killing us.

  67. 67.

    Starfish

    @Kay: Thanks. I was getting depressed about this.

    This was also uplifting.

    This thing where we are saying things are really important and then letting them get bogged down in processes that no one understands is really bad.

  68. 68.

    WaterGirl

    @OzarkHillbilly: I had to listen to the whole thing, you bastard!  (meant in the nicest possible way, of course)

    Amazingly good sound on that YouTube clip.  I wonder if that was a Henry Mancini creation.  They do not make TV theme songs like they used to.

  71. 71.

    PsiFighter37

    Looks like Manchin was a scorpion after all. I hope Schumer effectively disowns him.

    Pretty much dooms us in 2022. Democratic campaign messaging is absolutely terrible right now, and no one will be motivated to vote.

  72. 72.

    debbie

    @NotMax:

    Ha!

    Back in 10th grade English class, we were practicing for the PSAT. The teacher went around the room, giving a definition, and we were supposed to come up with the word. I was nervous, both about being wrong and having to speak up in class. When my turn came, my definition was “merchant lingo.” I could visualize the c, n, and t, but not the vowel. I whispered the vowels rhyme, but for some reason went with “u” instead of “a,” probably because it rang a bell. Not even the teacher could compose herself for many minutes. I still get grief about it when I see my classmates.

  75. 75.

    Geminid

    @Starfish: Here’s one! That was a good bill the rest of the Progressive Caucus voted for!

    You assert that the six Progressive caucus members got permission to vote against the bill. That is supposition; I haven’t seen any of the six or anybody in Democratic leadership say this. It’s repeated so often, though, that some people think it is a fact.

  77. 77.

    debbie

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    In the clip I linked to, her guitar strap comes undone. She sings on while trying to reattach it. A roadie sneaks out and eventually fixes it. She didn’t miss a single beat.

  81. 81.

    Kay

    @Starfish:

    Maybe it will be energizing. Get mad and get moving. This ridiculous, vain egomaniac had held them hostage for a year and he’s looking to do the same with voting rights. Cut him loose and figure out what they can get done without him. He cannot be the focus of the next 6 months. He’s not representative of our base- he’s representative of Trump’s base.

    A reset for the New Year. The most normal thing in the world. Just do it and don’t explain and don’t apologize, for God’s sake. Move. Put so many things out there no one has time to ask Joe Manchin anything. We have Schumer- let him deal with Joe Manchin. Biden’s not in the Senate.

    Extend the student loan pause and let whoever opposes it sue. It’s a time honored tradition- The President versus a “do nothing Congress”. I’d be tempted to make Joe Manchin the face of the do nothing Congress but I’m vindictive and that’s probably counter productive, but cut him loose. He’s a net negative and has been for a long time.

  83. 83.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Baud:

    Huh. Even if he had written the Ode to Joy, Sweeney Todd, and the six Brandenburg Concerti, I would spit on Joe Manchin if he came within spittin’ distance. Damn and blast him.

  86. 86.

    Starfish

    @Geminid: They don’t make their processes known unless it is excuse-making for not getting things done. We only had to learn the institutional details when it was all broken. If we continue to need to know all the details as if we are sitting in Congress every day, then it is still broken.

    “Oh, look, the parliamentarian is not letting us.” Who cares? No one wanted to know many of the details of Congressional processes that we know of now. When you are telling us the process is stopping work from getting done, that feeds the narrative of “institutional dysfunction” so “Is Congress a dysfunctional institution or is it there to get things done?”

    The lack of accountability for their own for their behavior on January 6 points to institutional dysfunction. The “Republicans aren’t voting for anything because they are afraid of threats” points to institutional dysfunction.

    They are either a functional body of government or they are not.

  88. 88.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    Youre really going to blame her? At what point do we start blaming the people who are directly responsible for things? Why can’t we do that?

    Joe Manchin is responsible for Joe Manchin. Not voters, not “The Squad”, not the tides or the phases of the moon. You can’t negotiate with a liar and what Jaypal was stuck with was a liar. It was bad faith from the get-go. She had a bad hand and she played it. Bravo. Brave woman. She lost. She’s no more responsible for that than I am.

  90. 90.

    PsiFighter37

    @Kay: I don’t think Joe Manchin intended to hurt them. People just assumed he would always get to yes somehow. But there was anonymous senator that said if it was up to Manchin, he’d rather do no BBB at all. And when you have all the leverage…well, are we surprised that’s where we ended up?

    Honestly, if he is that concerned about the cost, Schumer should use the budget reconciliation bill and just vote to extend the child tax credit for 10 years. It will be the longest-amount of good will that we can basically do at this point. Then Democrats (somehow) need to hold the House, with that clown Sean Patrick Maloney telling us that despite what happened in Virginia, running on shit like “All GOP=Trump” and “abortion is healthcare” will win us votes, and somehow pick up Senate seats when we are going to lose every GOP-held swing seat and our own (namely NH, NV, GA and AZ) at this rate. Oh, and we will torpedo both Beto’s and Stacey’s political careers as well.

    Very frustrated. Lots of strategic errors these past few months.

  91. 91.

    oldgold

    For every tale carved in rock there are more inscribed on autumn leaves or woven into spiderwebs.

    Erin Morgenstern

  97. 97.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    No, because that punishes voters. They are the least powerful players in this on an individual basis.

    Joe Manchin. He’s responsible for his actions. He’s vain and that’s a vulnerability. Humiliate him by making him irrelevant.

    What can they get done without Joe Manchin? Do that.

  99. 99.

    Kay

    @PsiFighter37:

    Of course he intended to hurt them. He’s spent the last 6 months hurting the Biden Administration.

    I don’t care what Schumer gets done. That’s up to him. His problem. Joe Biden has to worry about Joe Biden. He’s not responsible for the preening ego maniacs in the senate and their dysfunction. Fuck em and drive on.

  100. 100.

    Starfish

    @Geminid: The way we do not want to hold powerful people accountable for their actions is not great. “Black Lives Matter until it comes for voting for Rahm Emmanuel who covered up the death of Laquan McDonald” is not the catchy phrase that some think it is.

  101. 101.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    I don’t know. Holding out for exactly what you want rather than compromising, getting something, and then coming back to fight again for what you didn’t get would seem to mean that we at least got something rather than the nothing we now seem to have.

  102. 102.

    zhena gogolia

    I guess the no doomposting until january thing isn’t happening. i have a broken right elbow to deal with so i think i’ll bow out of here

  104. 104.

    germy

    News from upstate NY:

    https://wnyt.com/saratoga-county-ny-news/wilton-penis-statue-resolution-saratoga-county-jamie-gagne/6335922/?cat=10114

    WILTON – There’s a resolution in the case of the Wilton man arrested for placing a large penis sculpture in his front lawn.

    Jamie Gagne carved a seven-foot statue out of a pine tree and placed it in the front yard of his Ruggles Road home in protest of town code enforcement, who had ticketed him over plans for his under-construction workshop. The sculpture stayed up for several days in June of 2020, until state police showed up, made Gagne take it down and arrested him for “publicly displaying offensive sexual material.”

  107. 107.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    The photo included in Don Winslow’s tweet says it all

    Don Winslow @donwinslow

    https://twitter.com/donwinslow/status/1471560091857928193

    How many months did @Sen_JoeManchin burn with his fake negotiation about Build Back Better?

    He made Dems cut the bill from $3.5t to $1.75t.

    He gutted key climate sections.

    He gutted key family provisions.

    He gutted what big oil told him to gut.

    Then refused to support it.

    Frank Luntz’s Toupee @FrankToupee

    Joe Manchin has done more to stop Biden’s agenda than Mitch McConnell – and it’s not even close.

    Andrea Junker @Strandjunker

    Joe Manchin makes $500,000 a year from one of the dirtiest coal plants in West Virginia. That’s more than twice his salary as U.S. senator. How is this even legal?

    Molly Jong-Fast @MollyJongFast

    West Virginia is the second poorest state in the country, so it makes sense that their Senator wouldn’t support things that help working people. My God, Joe Manchin, who owns you?

    George Hahn @georgehahn

    Joe Manchin says he “can’t” support the Build Back Better plan. Translation: they guy representing the second poorest state in the country while driving a Maserati SUV is not willing to help his constituents.

  108. 108.

    Kay

    @PsiFighter37:

    Biden cannot get into another protracted negotiation with Manchin on voting rights or the child tax credit or anything else. Manchin is not a good faith player. He can’t be trusted with the Biden Presidency.

    He won’t come thru and the bleeding will continue. What is he good for? Judges? Okay, no one follows that. Use him for that.

    He cannot be part of this anymore. He’s a net negative. A HUGE net negative at this point. They don’t have the senate because they have two senators on the D side working against them. Act accordingly. It’s the reality.

  111. 111.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    I agree.  Senate is a dead letter for anything significant. Focus on using the floor time for confirming appointments

  113. 113.

    artem1s

    @debbie:

    Is “acting normal” something we really want from artists? Is there really no room for eccentricity?

    Oh lovely! the myth of the crazy artist! honestly it’s the worst kind of white male priveledge I have ever encountered. It’s not a requirement of the creative mind to be an asshole. It is however, part of the requirement for a narcissistic and/or sociopath. I know nothing about the actor in the piece. It may all be overblown. But I do know lots of assholes who use being an ‘artist’ or ‘creative’ or ‘thinking outside the box’ as an excuse for all kinds of eggregious behavior they claim they can’t control or it would compromise their artistic ‘integrety’. There are a few priveledged white males whose addictive and assholish behavior has eclipsed their actual work product. And now their behavior is the actual work product the world consumes. And there are plenty of deplorables who emmulate and worship them for getting away with behaving outside the ‘norm’.  Funny how over time their behavior starts to wear thin if they don’t confine it to downpunching on minorities and/or sexually harassment and/or gay bashing. It’s not confined to the art world either – pretty typical for (white, male) sportball players who know they can get away with almost anything as long as they are winning (making money for the owner and media). Excentricity isn’t an artistic product, it’s a byproduct for media to feed on.

  114. 114.

    Geminid

    @debbie: I’ve noticed that both Val Demings and Tim Ryan are talking up the infrastructure bill they voted for. Do you  think this bill will give Ryan any edge in his Ohio Senate run?

    I also checked out theTwitter accounts of Progressive Caucus “Yea”s Porter (CA), Neguse (CO), Escobar (TX), and Raskin (MD) after the Infrastructure bill passed. They all talked up the benefits the bill’s benefits for the nation and thier districts. They were not doing it for show.

  124. 124.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @Kay:

    @debbie:

    Not that it will help, but I hope Biden is keeping score on this. If we lose the Senate (I don’t think we will) or in some other way Manchin’s one vote doesn’t matter going forward, he needs to send OSHA and EPA down to WVa to crawl up the asses of every single upper management doofus associated with that one last old coal plant that is Manchin’s big client. Effectively shut it down, even if it’s the last thing this administration does. Why? Vindictiveness, sure. Why not d something to feel good if you can afford it? But more usefully, for longer-term goals. Bad-faith actors need to fear the righteous. And though we’re not pure as the driven snow, we sure as shit are more righteous than the Right and those who enable them.

  125. 125.

    janesays

    Not that it wasn’t already pretty much inevitable, but we just officially conceded the midterms, all thanks to President Manchin.

    Good job, dickhead. Can’t wait till you lose your job in 2024.

  127. 127.

    Kay

    We went to Copenhagen last week to see my son and his wife and their new baby and the most amusing part of the trip for me was a dinner we had with one of my son’s coworkers- he’s Greek. He told me my son “loves ‘the French’ and they love him” so when I called today I asked “is it true you love French people and they love you?” because I’ve been thinking about it since. He told me to stop making fun of him.

    I think it’s hysterical because it fits with my view of ‘the French’ – sort of surly, right? Good fit. Same worldview.

  128. 128.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @germy: I love this at the end:

    I’d just like to remind everyone that code enforcement is nothing more than the targeted enforcement arm of municipal government. They can’t be held liable for any decisions they make that concerns safety, that liability falls on the architect or engineer. The enforcement of code is discretionary and therefore not applied equally to all residents but rather wielded as a tool to Target individuals at the whim of local governments.”

    Yes, because he’s just so special.

  131. 131.

    Geminid

    @janesays: Losing the midterms was never pretty much inevitable, and I don’t believe it’s inevitable now. Fortunately there are plenty  of Democrats who aren’t so quick to throw in the towel.

  133. 133.

    Spanky

    @janesays: Need more than just being booted out to send a message to other would-be Manchins. His and his daughter’s financial dealings need to be gone over with a proctoscope, and the law should grind long and fine through any irregularities.

  135. 135.

    janesays

    @Baud: You don’t have to concede anything. We’re still getting slaughtered in the midterms, and there’s absolutely no reason to believe otherwise. In the very best scenario, we may hold onto the Senate. The House is gone. It’s done. Only twice in your lifetime has the president’s party not lost House seats in the midterms, and in both cases, the sitting presidents had approval rating in the mid-60s when the voters went to the polls in those midterms. The odds of us keeping the House were always pretty low, even if we had managed to get BBB passed. But with Manchin jamming the knife in his own party’s back, we’re now probably looking at a 30-50 seat net loss next November.

    But hey, I genuinely hope I’m completely wrong. Absolutely nothing in the historical record suggests I am.

  136. 136.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Welp, so much for my goal of no doom-scrolling.  Thanks Manchin…?

    Not surprised but still pissed.

  137. 137.

    Baud

    @janesays:

    I don’t do predictions. Your prediction is certainly plausible. You said “we … conceded,” and I just wanted to take clear I wasn’t part of that “we.”

  138. 138.

    Jean

    I wish I hadn’t read the news about Manchin this morning.  I am home from the hospital, having broken the femur in my right leg, and am now slowly recovering.  It’s been almost 3 weeks since the accident.  My horse jumped (all four feet off the ground) then bucked.  Never happened in all our years together.  Something scared the daylights out of him.  Anyway, I’d never broken a bone until now.  In the blink of an eye, Xmas has become a very tiny event, half of my world involving horses and their people is temporarily gone.  Just trying to make a little progress and manage pain in one day is all the energy I can muster.  So Manchin should just be ghosted at this point.  Let Fox interview the preening selfish prick.  Let Biden do all he can with the power he has.  And move the hell on.

  139. 139.

    WaterGirl

    @UncleEbeneezer: I imagine that Joe Biden is the most pissed of all.  Because I think Joe Biden believed what he has been saying all along, that Joe Manchin was acting in good faith.

    Turns out Joe was wrong, and I bet he is beyond angry.

    I can’t wait to see how Joe Biden pivots, because he is on a mission to set things right in this country and he is not going to go quietly into this good night.

  141. 141.

    WaterGirl

    @Jean: I am so sorry about your injury and the total life change that happened in that instant.  You will get back to your old life, but it is likely to take you way more time than you want to get back there.

    Yeah, feeling anxiety about politics before 10 am on a Sunday morning is disconcerting even without a broken leg.

    I’m going to go clean the kitchen and make a broccoli quiche.

  142. 142.

    germy

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Upstate NY is full of guys like him.  The code enforcement skeptics.

    I’ve had several of them bid on contracting jobs for our house.  No licensing is required up here, so anyone with a truck can call himself a home improvement specialist.

    I had one handyman boast he could do all plumbing, carpentry and electrical wiring.  But after a ten minute conversation I realized I wouldn’t trust him to trim my hedges.

  143. 143.

    oldgold

         Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.

         You are eternity and you are the mirror.

    Gibran

         Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.
         But you are eternity and you are the mirror.

    Gibran
    .

  144. 144.

    janesays

    @Geminid: It’s pretty much inevitable.

    Assuming you’re younger than 87 years old, in your entire lifetime, there have been only two occasions in which the sitting president’s party didn’t lose House seats in the midterm elections. In both of those instances (1998 and 2002), the sitting president went into those midterm elections with roughly 2/3 of the nation approving of his job performance at the time. On his very best day in office thus far, Joe Biden hasn’t once cracked the 60% mark in his job approval rating. I don’t blame that on him so much as on the increasingly polarized nature of our country – not sure any president is ever going to crack 60% again in the next 10-20 years. But the point is, the only time the president’s party has managed to stave off midterm losses in the House is when that president has enjoyed massive popularity across a wide swath of the electorate, including a sizeable chunk of voters from the opposition party.

    What suggests to you that there is any scenario next November in which these conditions are even remotely possible?

  146. 146.

    WaterGirl

    If anyone wants to put their angst to good use, the thermometer for Four Directions – Michigan is in the sidebar.  That’s something concrete you can do.

    It’s the right thing – helping to give Native people the voice they should have had long ago, helping an important state, and not just the one race in Michigan, but all races.

    Helping to keep Big Gretch in the governor’s mansion and either the Secretary of State or the Attorney General, who is also up for reelection.

    I think Four Directions will accept your donation whether or not you add Fuck Joe Manchin in a note along with the donation.  (Is there even a place to write a note with ActBlue?)

    There is a very good chance that all donations to that thermometer will be double-matched, though it’s too early for them to actually have matching donors in place at the moment.

  147. 147.

    janesays

    @Baud: Fair enough. There have been no official concessions of anything at this point. All the available evidence right now suggests we’re going to lose the midterm elections next November, badly. We may figure out some way to save the Senate because the map is decent for us, but that’s probably the best case scenario we’re looking at. And even that isn’t a sure thing at this point.

  148. 148.

    germy

    @WaterGirl:

    I get the impression Biden is a man who turns disappointment and setbacks (and personal tragedy) into positive action.  I’m not counting him out yet.

    And I’m still hopeful about the midterms.  The former guy changed everything.  He scared a lot of people who used to consider themselves apolitical.  Young people are registering to vote and lining up for hours.  I’m not sure anyone is taking anything for granted anymore.  They all saw how insane this country can get when “conservatives” gain power.

  149. 149.

    Starfish

    @janesays:
    1) The Republican Party does not have a platform.
    2) The recent attack on women’s rights may make some otherwise sleepy non-voters up.
    3) Everyone is tired of anti-CRT nonsense.
    4) Climate change is too important to leave to the current dummies who are not doing anything.
    5) We do not in fact want anti-mask, anti-vax Republicans anywhere near power as the pandemic continues.

  150. 150.

    WaterGirl

    @janesays: We lost the Georgia runoffs, too, until the runoff actually happened.  And then we won.

    Why do so many people want to give up before the fight has actually started?

    Seeing that is more disheartening than even Manchin’s betrayal.

  151. 151.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jean:

    OMG, I’m terribly sorry! I hope your recovery is uneventful. Poor horse must have been properly spooked — do you think there was a snake or something? All good healing wishes to you, Jean.

  153. 153.

    catothedog

    It is good that the general public gets to see the sausage making in all its glory. How bills get made, laws get passed.

    If after seeing all this they continue to elect assholes, they are surely getting the government they deserve, until they learn to figure out what they deserve.

    A lot of governance issues in this country comes from Rethuglican voting public skating on the fruits of Democrat’s good governance for all.

    — I’m not giving up, just despondent today,

  154. 154.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @WaterGirl: Maybe Manchin’s shitting in the punchbowl will free up the President; to a degree, he no longer has to restrain himself to keep from pissing off Manchin.

    It’s pretty to think so.

  155. 155.

    Geminid

    @janesays: The national economy was strong in 1998. That’s the 2022 scenario I’m talking about. Also, Democrats are united, and Republicans have real intra-party problems.

  157. 157.

    germy

    @janesays:  All the available evidence right now suggests we’re going to lose the midterm elections next November

    What evidence?  What conservative op-ed writers are telling us?  Or TV analysts like Chuck Todd are saying?  Or because That’s How It’s Always Been?  Or polls of elderly people who answer unfamiliar numbers on their landlines, or polls of GOP operatives pretending to be independents?

    The Former Guy changed everything.  I’m still optimistic we’ll win.

  161. 161.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Jennifer Jacobs @JenniferJJacobs 1h

    NEWS: White House feels blindsided by @Sen_JoeManchin’s decision that he’s a “no” on Build Back Better.
    Just days ago, Manchin personally handed @POTUS a $1.8 trillion plan he would support, I’m told.

    In interview with today, Manchin said “I can’t get there.”

  162. 162.

    WaterGirl

    @janesays:

    All the available evidence right now suggests we’re going to lose… badly

    THERE IS NO EVIDENCE.

    If T**** didn’t throw the reliability of predictions based on historical patterns out the window, then surely the insurrection and the pandemic do.

  167. 167.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Note especially for other Georgians, in case you hadn’t heard: Former Senator Johnny Isakson died this morning.

  168. 168.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @WaterGirl: I just really hope we can get something on Voting Rights, even if it’s stripped down from the dream bills FTP/JLVR Acts (which have a lot of stuff that Manchin and/or GOP would never vote for).  But we need something to address Gerrymandering and State Govt Election Subversion.  Everything else (vote by mail, holiday etc.) are all icing, imo.  I feel like we can still get around alot of the suppression tactics through organizing and GOTV efforts.  But those two, are crucial and can’t be out-organized, as Silverman correctly notes.  I also think the most important guardrails are the Governors mansions in MI, AZ, PA, GA, etc.

  169. 169.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @janesays: ​
      No, not at all. We run on what we did get done which is pretty fucking amazing. We run good people in WI, PA, and OH. We run on what there still is to be done.

  170. 170.

    Quinerly

    @Spanky: l have been incredibly busy. Thanks for asking. Closed on the house 12 miles outside of Santa Fe 12/7. Hung around for a few days. (JoJo loves it!). Got back to St. Louis last week and dove into packing and logistics on moving. Chaos here at House of Quinerly. Eyes focused on the prize… Hope to be settled in the new place by beginning of April.

  172. 172.

    WaterGirl

    @UncleEbeneezer:

     I also think the most important guardrails are the Governors mansions in MI, AZ, PA, GA, etc.

    That’s a big part of it.

    Not coincidentally, those are all states where we are making a big difference by supporting early work to register and organize the native vote.

  175. 175.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Baud: I admit nothing.  I deny everything,  My next step will be making counter-accusations.   What are your countertops made of, Baud?  If that even is your real name.

  177. 177.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Exactly.  That’s good stuff.  With BBB, it would have been FDR 100 days level shit, but this is a good record on which to run.  Also, to the extent that there is anger out there, let’s try to turn it towards the targets who deserve it.  The GOP.

  182. 182.

    sab

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Kay is right. He is just a liar. We need to move on and work around him and as much as possible ignore him. No more urgent semi-public negotiations that invariably fall through. We are still getting judges through. Doesn’t make headlines but it still matters a lot for rule of law and good governance, and incremental progress.

  183. 183.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Mara Liaison, of all people, said on NPR this morning that she wouldn’t call BBB dead yet, because Manchin is such a mercurial fuck.

    The White House should release/leak that plan he gave Biden last week, use it to keep the conversation alive

  184. 184.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @sab: 

    Biden_Squadron @BidenSquadron Dec 18
    In 2021, Biden has:
    – Nominated 73 federal judges, flipping the Second Circuit and Fourth Circuit
    – Signed the $1.9T American Rescue Plan into law
    – Signed the $1.2T Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law Arguably the most successful Year 1 for a Dem in modern history

  188. 188.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I would pay good cash money to hear Mara Liasson call Joe Manchin (or anyone else) a “mercurial fuck.”

    Sounds like a line from the old SNL Point-Counterpoint sketches:

    ”Mara, you ignorant slut.”

    ”Joe, you mercurial fuck.”

  189. 189.

    H.E.Wolf

    @WaterGirl:
    If anyone wants to put their angst to good use, the thermometer for Four Directions – Michigan is in the sidebar. That’s something concrete you can do.
    It’s the right thing – helping to give Native people the voice they should have had long ago, helping an important state, and not just the one race in Michigan, but all races.

     I especially encourage our valued doomposters to contribute a few pennies to Four Directions!

    Native Americans can show us a thing or two about not giving up in despair when the political landscape looks bleak. We can thank them in a measurable way.​

  190. 190.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    Sure. Give me a minute to copy-paste.

    Here you go (actually, Ossoff is pretty formulaic, but Warnock and Abrams are sincere, I think):

     
    U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock:
    “I enjoyed spending time with Senator Isakson, including every year when he would come join Ebenezer Baptist Church for our annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And, I will always cherish the words of advice and encouragement he gave me after I was elected to be one of Georgia’s next United States Senators. … We’re all better for Senator Isakson’s many decades of service, and it is an honor to serve in the seat he once held. He was an upstanding elected official, and an even better man.”
     
    U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff:
    “Senator Isakson was a statesman who served Georgia with honor. He put his state and his country ahead of self and party, and his great legacy endures. Alisha and I will keep Dianne and the Isakson family in our prayers.”
     
    Stacey Abrams, Democratic candidate for governor:
    “U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson served the whole of Georgia with attention and fairness. With every interaction, my respect for him grew and never wavered. Though we held different ideologies, I was honored to call him friend. God’s peace to his family, loved ones and friends.”

  192. 192.

    Omnes Omnibus

    FWIW, I agree with Kay that the Biden admin needs to turn the focus away from things that give Manchin and Sinema airtime.  Use the Senate for judge and other appointments and move forward with executive actions.  Keep racking up achievements and publicize the living fuck out of them.  Who knows, maybe the lack of attention will cause the two to come around in order to get attention by voting for things.

  193. 193.

    Another Scott

    @Starfish: Big bills always go through this process.  Remember the PPACA.  They always nearly die before they are finally passed at the last possible moment.  That’s the way negotiations work.

    Something will pass in the coming weeks.  And it will be good, even if it’s not enough.  And the voting rights bill(s) will go through the same ups-and-downs.  It’s the way of important legislation.

    Hang in there.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  194. 194.

    TheflipPsyd

    I hate when I doomscroll and I feel helpless this morning. I spent yesterday waiting for my covid test to come back — negative, apparently just a cold that includes all the omicron systems. Then this morning, Manchin giving everyone the finger going on Fox to say he can’t support BBB or the voting rights legislation.

    I live in the solidly corporate friendly blue state of Delaware, this means reliable moderate democratic government on social issues but very business friendly as well. I know that Balloon Juice has raised major money for specific candidates and for organizations that support voting rights. I feel that progressives/liberals/democrats/sane people who believe in democracy ARE the silent majority. The one thing missing is messaging — simple messaging about what BBB, the infrastructure bill,the voting rights bill would do for people. And since the media is not going to play our messages for free, we need to start fundraising for targeted ads in certain areas. I was not a huge fan of the Lincoln Project but they were excellent at messaging and getting publicity for certain causes. The left needs that but with actual people who believe in democratic principles. My kids watch youtube constantly– it is what tv was for my generation. And the number of ‘conservative’ ads is scary.

     

    ETA: fixed typo

  197. 197.

    laura

    @Quinerly: im hoping your doggy will be working on his english over this period of time because with you moving, I’m never going to understand a word he says. I’m thrilled for the both of you with this new “home ower” situation.

  199. 199.

    Steeplejack

    @Kay:

    I haven’t read the comments below this one yet, but I need to vent my extreme anger about worthless shitbird Joe Manchin, who blew off BBB this morning. I agree with everything that you say, Kay.

    Another thing that pisses me off is when I find a tweet that perfectly encapsulates some issue, I don’t tag it and then I can’t find it later. There was one about Manchin a few weeks ago that applies equally today. Paraphrased: “Joe Manchin was [allowed to be] front and center on this whole process since the beginning, acting like he was one of the main architects, sucking up press attention and all of the oxygen in the room, and now he acts like a finicky customer who didn’t receive the right order at a restaurant.” Worse, actually, since he’s turning down everything.

    Bonus: How do we all feel now for laughing at the left Dems who said both bills needed to be done at the same time, or else the “centrists” would do the one they wanted and kill the other one? I admit we’re probably better off now, because the obstructionists probably would have killed both bills, and at least we got one, but the left Dems weren’t mistaken.

  200. 200.

    Another Scott

    @Starfish:

    Thanks for the pointer.

    Screen cap of his statement.

    He is not saying he will never vote for it. He’s saying he will continue to talk and find a way forward.

    Basically, it sounds to me like a post-hoc justification for not voting to proceed before Christmas, but it was clear a week or more ago that that was unlikely. It doesn’t sound like a veto on moving forward in the coming weeks, to me.

    It sounds like all Chuck needs to do is rename it and take a few things out (some energy/climate stuff, make the pay-fors more agreeable to his accountants) and Joe can get on board. ;-)

    We’ll see.

    DON’T PANIC!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  201. 201.

    Nelle

    Who are the R senators being targeted besides Lisa Murkowski?  Are there any R senators that could be enticed to turn Independent, as Jim Jeffords did?  Manchin has to be countered in some way and it would be grand to find a way to defang him that didn’t rely on the next election.

  202. 202.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @TheflipPsyd:

    I feel that progressives/liberals/democrats/sane people who believe in democracy ARE the silent majority.

    I agree, but 1) that’s a broad umbrella and 2) the structure of the Senate throws off the balance. Joe Biden won the popular vote by IIRC more than 7M votes, about a 5% margin of victory, but the Electoral College majority came (again IIRC) by fewer than 200K.

    The one thing missing is messaging — simple messaging about what BBB, the infrastructure bill, the voting rights bill would do for people.

    Biden is trying like hell to message the infrastructure bill, so are his on-line allies. BBB is harder, because you can’t sell and unfinished bill, especially with Manchin (and I suspect others) refusing to commit to different facets of it

    I was not a huge fan of the Lincoln Project but they were excellent at messaging and getting publicity for certain causes.

    I think the data suggested the Lincoln Project was far more effective with the already committed– the kind of people who watch, and appear on, MSNBC (Brian Williams was a huge LP booster right down to his last show “Democrats best messengers are ex-Republicans!”) or read political blogs. Boring old Joe Biden’s boring old “let us come together and heal the soul of the nation” ads were more effective with persuadable voters.

  203. 203.

    Baud

    @Another Scott:

    We’ll see.  At this point, enough might be taken out of it that it’s not really BBB, but just a generic decent bill.  In any event, I agree with Kay and others that Biden has to move on.  Talk to Manchin in back rooms, maybe, but Biden needs to give the media something else to talk about.

  204. 204.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I hope this “blindsided” is just a bunch of bad faith journalism. FFS, we knew yesterday the a-hole was going on Fox so blindsided is the last thing anyone in the White House should be.

    I hope the anecdotes about Biden’s temper are true because he should display some (FDR) outrage. This play with Manchin has been running on an endless loop and tiptoeing around him just emboldens him and his owners.

  205. 205.

    sab

    @Cameron: If he switched then Dems wouldn’t be the actual majority any more. But I believe they pick the majority leader every two years, so Shumer would still be in charge through 2022, wouldn’t he?

    Manchin says he feels “uncomfortable” in the Democratic caucus right now, but I can’t imagine him feeling any more comfortable in the GOP. Those guys are mostly not even functioning adults anymore.

  208. 208.

    Brachiator

    “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation.” — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) says President Biden’s Build Back Better plan “is a no.”

    “I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.”

    I was having a nice Southern California morning and have just seen this. I see that there is already a robust discussion.

    I am disgusted that Manchin and maybe a few others watered down many of the provisions in the BBB legislation, only to see Manchin betray the Democrats.

    I was pleased to see Bernie Sanders calmly and pointedly demolish Manchin’s position in a clip from the Jake Tapper CNN program.

    The Democrats need to keep fighting for this bill, and as Sanders suggests, put it to a vote.

  211. 211.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Candidly Tiff: I PROMISE  @tify330 Dec 18
    When people say POTUS has done only a % of what he “promised” I have to laugh. It’s been 11 months, the first month of 117th Senate was spent on Impeachment. Dems didn’t get the gavels until February 3rd. These false expectations are dangerous. The Senate is slow & Deliberative.

    These false expectations are dangerous

    I think one of the reasons Biden had a fairly good– all political and covid and crazy factors considered– run up until Sept/Oct was that the administration had a habit of under-promising and over-delivering. I think a lot of Democrats make the opposite mistake. They raise the expectations of the politically naive, then viciously attack the kind of incremental progress that is the way things actually happen in this country.

  212. 212.

    Cameron

    @debbie: But as a Republican he wouldn’t have been able to shine on the Democrats over BBB for a year.  Now they have to work in a much more compressed time frame.  They may very well still get something done, but it will be much more of a PITA than it needed to be.

  213. 213.

    Another Scott

    @The Truffle: Biden knows how this stuff works.  He’ll keep talking in the background and encouraging everyone to find a way to get it done.  Since he doesn’t have a multi-million dollar slush fund in his office drawer, he can’t do much more than talk and glad hand and trade favors.  And that’s fine. Everyone, including Manchin, wants something to pass. (Manchin wants to be the one that saved the country from Teh Deficit in the process.)

    There are lots of ways for them to get this done. I still expect them to do so.

    My $0.02.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  214. 214.

    Quinerly

    @laura: thanks!

    JoJo has gotten himself a girlfriend out there. She speaks English and is a much younger redhead named Foxy. She’s a wild and wooly 6 months old Red Healer from Goldmine Road. He’s over the moon.

  215. 215.

    TheflipPsyd

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: i agree with everything you’ve said.  But I also think that Democrats need to change the narrative. The narrative doesn’t affect those of us who are immersed in politics but does affect “normals,” who aren’t paying attention on a regular basis. If the narrative says that it’s pointless to vote because both parties are the same, our turnout falls. Changing the narrative and ads that show us fighting for our beliefs may also help with those engaged people as well. Because we are on the precipice of voting not meaning anything and no longer a way to affect change.

  216. 216.

    James E Powell

    @Kay:

    Manchin has hurt them, I think deliberately. They have to extricate themselves from his drag. He’s killing them.

    Definitely deliberate. They need to just move on.

  217. 217.

    The Thin Black Duke

    This guy thinks that as long as the GOP is the pro-Covid party, they’re going to be fucked in ’22. That’s the wild card in the deck.

  222. 222.

    Steeplejack

    @Jean:

    Ouch, sorry to hear about the leg. Take it extremely easy on yourself and remember that sleep is your friend—both for healing and because when you’re sleeping you’re not hurting.

  223. 223.

    Steeplejack

    @janesays:

    I think it’s possible that the increasing radicalization of the GQP could push voters to support Democrats, especially if the January 6 committee drops some bombshells next year.

  224. 224.

    CaseyL

    @Jean: Oof, that hurts!  I broke an arm while riding about 20 years ago. A case of miscommunication between me and my horse; I thought I told him to turn, he thought I told him to stop.  He stopped. I didn’t.

    I was in my 40s at the time, when bones have stopped healing quickly, and it was 9 months before I could ride again.

    Let me tell you though: getting back on Paladin at long last was an ecstatic experience.  Sheer bliss.

    Best wishes for a full recovery!

  225. 225.

    buggrit

    I’m going to be really disappointed if the cartoonists don’t go to town on the Manch who stole Christmas.

  226. 226.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    The new baby is great. She looks just like her mother which is a good thing.

    My nephew just told me the word I was looking for re my son and “The French” – ennui. He literally shrugs a lot :)

  232. 232.

    J R in WV

    @Gin & Tonic: ​
     

    I really admire the various forms of ephemeral art: huge sand castles, Tibetan sand paintings, and now this Finnish dude’s “paintings.”

    The Navajo people do sand paintings in their religious rituals as well. In the past century they decided to weave some of those patterns as rugs, rather than making them ephemeral.

    They could see that many of their shaman elders who knew the patterns might die without being able to pass the patterns on, and to keep them from being lost forever, they wove them with their sheep herds’ wool. As you can imagine, this discussion took many years and was difficult.

    G&T, hope your family is able to do well — Best of luck to all ~!!~

Comments are closed.