Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Giving up is unforgivable.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

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

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

Washington Post Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

Fight them, without becoming them!

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

This fight is for everything.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Eccentric Orbits

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Eccentric Orbits

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Tuesday Morning Open Thread: The Full Wolf Moon

(Arlo & Janis via GoComics.com)
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Why do so many people assume ‘we’ have an endless backup supply of nurse-NPCs, teacher bots, and the little green army men from Toy Story?

Be afraid! Be very... wait, what?

Reader Interactions

141Comments

  4. 4.

    OzarkHillbilly

    As if we didn’t already have enough to worry about: Chemical pollution has passed safe limit for humanity, say scientists

    The cocktail of chemical pollution that pervades the planet now threatens the stability of global ecosystems upon which humanity depends, scientists have said.

    Plastics are of particularly high concern, they said, along with 350,000 synthetic chemicals including pesticides, industrial compounds and antibiotics. Plastic pollution is now found from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans, and some toxic chemicals, such as PCBs, are long-lasting and widespread. The study concludes that chemical pollution has crossed a “planetary boundary”, the point at which human-made changes to the Earth push it outside the stable environment of the last 10,000 years.

    Chemical pollution threatens Earth’s systems by damaging the biological and physical processes that underpin all life. For example, pesticides wipe out many non-target insects, which are fundamental to all ecosystems and, therefore, to the provision of clean air, water and food.

    “There has been a fiftyfold increase in the production of chemicals since 1950 and this is projected to triple again by 2050,” said Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez, a PhD candidate and research assistant at the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) who was part of the study team. “The pace that societies are producing and releasing new chemicals into the environment is not consistent with staying within a safe operating space for humanity.”

    Sometimes I think humanity can’t go extinct soon enough.

  5. 5.

    OzarkHillbilly

    And something to celebrate: Seeing 1,000 glorious fin whales back from near extinction is a rare glimmer of hope

    Good news doesn’t get any more in-your-face than this. One thousand fin whales, one of the world’s biggest animals, were seen last week swimming in the same seas in which they were driven to near-extinction last century due to whaling. It’s like humans never happened.

    This vast assembly was spread over a five-mile-wide area between the South Orkney islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. A single whale is stupendous; imagine 1,000 of them, their misty forest of spouts, as tall as pine trees, the plosive sound of their blows, their hot breath condensing in the icy air. Their sharp dorsal fins and steel-grey bodies slide through the waves like a whale ballet, choreographed at the extreme south of our planet.

    The sight has left whale scientists slack-jawed and frankly green-eyed in envy of Conor Ryan, who observed it from the polar cruiser, National Geographic Endurance. Messaging from the ship on a tricky connection, Ryan, an experienced zoologist and photographer, says this may be “one of the largest aggregations of fin whales ever documented”. His estimate of 1,000 animals is a conservative one, he says.

    Conor Ryan @whale_nerd
    We found about 1000 fin whales over a 5×5 mile area off South Orkney. Blue and humpback also mixed in. Mind completely blown @LindbladExp
    #NationalGeographicEndurance

    (40 sec video at the tweet)

  8. 8.

    lowtechcyclist

    Make everyone do a year or two. If only so they will understand how dumb of an idea this is.

    Given the Bogus Scotus’ OSHA ruling, Biden should just say to requests that he use the military for X, Y, and Z, “Sorry, but Congress hasn’t written legislation specifically authorizing this.”

  9. 9.

    Cermet

    @OzarkHillbilly: Hopefully, the zooplankton is robust. Apparently the the krill, and algae are doing well. So the larger (through thinner) ice sheets forming around Antarctica are offering good habitat for the algae (alas, not so in the artic) – the base of the food pyramid.

  12. 12.

    John S.

    In Joe Biden’s America

    These dipshits really can’t help but to signal their autocratic tendencies. It isn’t Joe Biden’s America any more than it was TFG’s America. They just want a daddy figure to tell them what to do so badly (as long as it’s their daddy).

  13. 13.

    Cermet

    @different-church-lady: Not that short of a time frame; CO2 levels will still be unnaturally high, and the layer of plastic in the sediments will be a permanent record of our existence as will the all the nuclear waste storage sites at every location there was a nuke power plant. Also, the sixth great world wide mass extinction event (occurring now and soon to be over in 50 years or so) will leave the world very deficient in diversity of species. Our footprint runs deep on that short of a time scale.

  15. 15.

    Peale

    Oh, you laugh now, libs. But I’ve heard tell that it’s not just a supply chain issue. Canada has been buying up the chickens and holding them in its strategic reserves in Ova Scotia and Newfowlland. Canada claims that it’s doing this because it needs buffet states, but I think it’s time to end its eggression and send in the navy.

  16. 16.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Here’s your periodic reminder that 40-50 years ago, there was an active and organized (and broadly participated in) international effort with regard to population control. That effort included family planning assistance, contraception, abortion services and education.

    Thanks to a concerted effort by the evil triad of American conservatives, the reactionary wing of the Catholic Church (I spit at the memory of John Paul II) and Saudi islamists, those efforts were gutted.

    As I remember, that was about 3 billion new people ago.

    The current track is unsustainable.

  17. 17.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Yeah, I well remember. Yesterday I past on an article about the depopulation “crisis” in China. Which reminds me of the article I recently espied on how w/o immigration the US population would have shrunk in the past decade.

    We really need some new economic models as all our current ones are dependent upon never ending growth. In a finite world, that’s a recipe for disaster.

  22. 22.

    Kay

    With COVID-19 cases on the rise and the March primary fast approaching, county officials across the state are rejecting a high number of applications submitted by voters who wish to vote by mail instead of going to the polls.
    The issue centers on new requirements passed by state lawmakers last year during the 87th Texas Legislature and the special sessions that followed. Senate bill 1, by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, ushered in sweeping changes to election procedures, including what information must be included on an application for a mail-in ballot.
    The law requires that applications include a potential voter’s driver’s license numbers or Social Security information. That information must match the data on the person’s previously-submitted voting record. Critics of the provision say most people don’t remember which number they used when originally registering.
    In Bexar County, 42 of the 80 ballot applications received Thursday were rejected, Bexar County Elections administrator Jacque Callanen told Texas Public Radio. And roughly half of Travis County’s mail-in ballot applications for the March primary election have been rejected, KUT reported Thursday.

    50% rejection rate is huge. The ordinary range is 3 to 16%.
    The local election officials reporting this should use a prior rejection rate and then compare. One of them did- she said they were rejecting “7 times” as many applications under the new law, but they all should do it.

    That information must match the data on the person’s previously-submitted voting record

    So if you used a Social Security number on one form and then a driver’s license number on the application, that’s a mismatch and it’s rejected. I actually do this. I sometimes use last 4 digits of Social and sometimes DL number on my “in person absentee” but I don’t have a hastily slapped together state law written by rabid Republicans based on information they gathered from the My Pillow guy.

  23. 23.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    All of our economic models are predicated on uncapped growth and voluntary production/consumption within that framework. China, being China (with a more mixed system and a population acculturated to generally comply with government mandates) will undoubtedly weather depopulation in a stable way, as will Vietnam, the Nordic countries AND Australia/NZ. The UK will break up into its constituent states, we’ll have a bloody, low level urban vs rural conflict (as will France and Germany), and the southern Mediterranean nations will whine a lot while keeping to a cohesive whole. Central America south of Mexico will go either fascist or communist, and South America will go along much the same with the exception of Brazil, which will break up.

  26. 26.

    Ken

    I remember back when Pluto got de-planetized, having an email exchange with someone who was actually angry about it. I asked about the 5 or so then-known similar Kuiper belt objects that would also have to be promoted to planetary status, but he was firm — Pluto was a planet, the others didn’t count. As far as I could tell, he had learned “nine planets” in grade school, and that was the end of it.

  28. 28.

    Immanentize

    My Grandfather (and Godfather and Uncle) were butchers/meatcutters. There was a time when veal was cheap and chicken was expensive. Veal was cheap because we couldn’t engineer the gender of the cow births, so all the bulls were put to the knife. I have a very yummy recipe for “city chicken” from back when which is cubed veal and pork, seasoned, placed on a stick (like for candy apples), breaded, fried then baked. So fine — but it was cheaper than chicken legs.

    American football parties and Hooters cornered the wings market which is why what was recently thrown away or used for soup stock is now 3-4 bucks per pound.

  32. 32.

    Cermet

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: In less than 70 years, a minimum of 50% of the Earth’s population will be gone; that is at best, the Earth will have 4 billion people left by then. Maybe far less – all thanks to AGW. Current fertility rates are really meaningless – between lost of the equatorial regions as places people can live/grow food and droughts in many food producing areas will lead to mass starvation; and don’t forget these weaken people will get and spread new diseases, and then, of course massive war from forced migrations will rapidly reduce our population. All these ‘benefits’ of AGW will be starting in a big way in thirty to forty years. Our children and grandchildren aren’t gonna much like that world to live in – worse, I’d say there will be a very high chance nukes being used in this future.

    Go back to your (really) excellent life (for us!)

  33. 33.

    Immanentize

    @WereBear:
    @Ken:
    Wasn’t there a mnemonic about the planets? I remember it started with:
    “My Very Elegant Mother…” But like so much else, the rest has slipped into the ether

  38. 38.

    Ken

    @Immanentize: There are several mnemonics for both 9 and 8 planets, including at least one obscene one which I can’t find now — but XKCD has a couple (because there’s an XKCD for everything).

  39. 39.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    And, while this is happening in real time, the Trifling Trick from Arizona is blustering about why an exception to the filibuster can’t be carved out for voting rights ??

  40. 40.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Ken:  I gather he’s not too fond of Mike Brown then, is he?

    Oh, wait a minute, probably never heard of him.

  42. 42.

    jeffreyw

    @Ken:

     

    Ken

    January 18, 2022 at 8:16 am

    @WereBear: You fool, it’s not the wings! Our strategic buffalo sauce reserve is empty, after the excesses of the former administration.

    There was a huge insider theft of wing sauce from the reserve warehouse that the government hushed up because it cast Jared in a very bad light.  PPE redux.

  47. 47.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I wonder how Betty Cracked and Badger are doing with the big freeze they got this morn.

  51. 51.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    The Texas Secretary of State office scolded one of the local officials on Twitter for noting the problem publicly. So we see the committment to educating the public on the new law- they would prefer she call them privately so voters won’t know they’re rejecting 50% of applications.

    If only we had a federal civil rights law that establishes and enforces a baseline in election administration for all Americans, just in case their state government is taken over by a cult. But that’s a pipedream. Unimagineable that anyone should even ask for such a thing.

  53. 53.

    Gin & Tonic

    Catherine Rampell in the WaPo has a column about the Biden administration’s abysmal handling of immigration policy (can’t link now), an issue that has been my personal hobby horse as well. As commenter s_c has pointed out repeatedly, the US actively discourages immigration, and this appears to be a policy which transcends administrations.

  55. 55.

    Ken

    Now you’ve all got me wondering if chicken feet will someday follow the same path as wings — and if so, what sauce will be used.

  56. 56.

    NotMax

    Is America ready for Walcoin?

    Walmart appears to be getting ready for a leap into the metaverse. Recent trademark applications indicate the company is looking to establish its own NFTs and cryptocurrency, according to a report from CNBC.

    The retail giant filed for several trademarks on December 30th, suggesting plans to start selling virtual goods, including electronics, toys, appliances, sporting equipment, apparel, home decor, and more, as noted by CNBC. There’s mention of offering customers a digital currency, as well as the opportunity to buy and sell NFTs.… Source

  57. 57.

    John S.

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    The same used to be true of skirt steak. But then it became extremely popular because everyone all of a sudden discovered churrasco, and now it’s like $9.99 per pound.

    All the Latino families I grew up with in South Florida used to make it precisely because it was cheap. No more.

  58. 58.

    Baud

    @NotMax:

    plans to start selling virtual goods, including electronics, toys, appliances, sporting equipment, apparel, home decor,

    Aren’t those real goods?

  59. 59.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Ken: I hope I’m still alive when it is found, tho that’s a bit of a crapshoot considering it’s projected orbital period.

  61. 61.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: And let me guess, you can’t put both on the form to cover all the bases. I wonder how many of these rejections are white Republicans – with a 50% rejection rate, some of them have to be white people who have easily voted by mail in the past and had no idea the law would affect them. It’ll be interesting to see the reaction to this totally predictable result of a sloppy law designed to suppress voting.

  63. 63.

    Ken

    @Baud: Well, sure, if you want to clutter up your life with things. But think of how satisfying it will be to own a virtual home gym — you still have all your floor space, and no guilt over never using it.

    (I once helped some friends move. They had a home gym, but had lost the assembly instructions, so we just started removing bolts until it collapsed into a mess of steel rods and cables that we could fit into a box. I have no idea if they ever got it back together again.)

  66. 66.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Immanentize:

    I have a very yummy recipe for “city chicken” from back when which is cubed veal and pork, seasoned, placed on a stick (like for candy apples), breaded, fried then baked. So fine — but it was cheaper than chicken legs.

    Oh, yes. When I was a youngster we often had “mock chicken legs,” which were exactly as you describe. Loved them.

    And now that I think of it, it occurs to me that we — a large and not at all well-off family — frequently had meat loaf for dinner, but a chicken dinner was a rare treat.

  67. 67.

    Betty Cracker

    @Gin & Tonic: I just read that column. My guess is the admin believes it’s politically untenable to liberalize immigration laws. Maybe they’re right — I don’t know. Rampell says the Biden admin is getting the worst of both worlds by pissing off the pro-immigration base AND opening themselves up to “open border” lies from the right. I think the latter is a given no matter what. As for the former, I’m not convinced the failure to welcome more immigration is bad for Dems politically. (Just commenting on the politics of it, not the moral dimension.)

  68. 68.

    Soprano2

    Overheard in a kind of diner here yesterday, three older men (probably in their 70’s or 80’s) talking about politics opining that “Trump can talk two hours, Biden can’t even talk twenty minutes”, which is a) wrong and b) stupid. Anyone can babble nonsense for two hours! It’s amazing what they think is an indicator of greatness.

  71. 71.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    Oh, well. They’re all just subject to any and all experiments Republicans want to conduct with voting. Maybe it will suppress votes, maybe it won’t. It’s no longer considered a civil right, so it’s like an error at the BMV. They’ll sort it out – or not.

    The important thing is NOT to tell voters – that’s from the top state election official. Report this only to headquarters!

  72. 72.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Ken:

    (I once helped some friends move. They had a home gym, but had lost the assembly instructions, so we just started removing bolts until it collapsed into a mess of steel rods and cables that we could fit into a box. I have no idea if they ever got it back together again.)

    Magic 8-Ball says: Not bloody likely

  75. 75.

    NotMax

    Diamonds are a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri’s best friend.

    Auction house Sotheby’s Dubai has unveiled a diamond that’s literally from out of this world.

    Sotheby’s calls the 555.55-carat black diamond — believed to have come from outer space — “The Engima.” The rare gem was shown off today to journalists as part of a tour in Dubai and Los Angeles before it is due to be auctioned off in February in London. Source

  78. 78.

    Ken

    @Kay: The Texas Secretary of State office scolded one of the local officials on Twitter for noting the problem publicly.

    Using Twitter to tell people not to discuss something in public strikes me as self-defeating.

  82. 82.

    Geminid

    After attending his shabby  successor’s inauguration Saturday, Virginia’s ex-Governor Ralph Northam took Sunday off. On Monday he went back to work at the Children’s Specialty Group in Norfolk, where he’ll again practice as a pediatric neurologist.

    A Democrat from neighboring Portsmouth, State Senator L. Louise Lucas has now become a leader of the anti-Youngkin Resistance. As Majority Leader, Lucas and her slim 21-19 majority in Virginia’s Senate will try to limit Republican damage to the state until the 2023 elections.

  86. 86.

    gvg

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Prior stories I have read with statistics suggest China will NOT weather depopulation well.  A consequence of their long standing previous law of 1 child per family plus the cultural preference for boys has resulted in an excess of boys who therefore will never marry. A decade ago their were concerns about a rise in violence because of frustration.  Even children of that generation who marry are all going to be expected to support 2 sets of aging parents with no sibling help. Frankly, I found the problems caused by that to be overwhelming, but perhaps that is just my unfamiliarity with the problems. The stories I have read seemed to be saying China didn’t have something like our social security, especially in rural areas. Elder care must be done by family.

  87. 87.

    NotMax

    @Bex

    mock chicken leg

    It’s conceivable one could design an entire dinner party around foods with “mock” in the name.

    Got a recipe for Mock Hollandaise Sauce around here someplace. Acceptable though less elegant simulacrum of the real thing.

    ;)

  88. 88.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    @Soprano2: Honestly if we’re going to be doing this macho posture BS in a 2024 rematch between Biden and Trump, Biden should just challenge the guy to a feats of strength and endurance competition. Maybe see who can finish a 5K or 10 mile bike ride first, followed by a pushup contest. One of those two guys can do those things with relative ease. The other might drop from a massive coronary, and it’s not the one these guys think lacks stamina.

  89. 89.

    Ken

    @NotMax: Got a recipe for Mock Hollandaise Sauce

    If it starts “1 cup Miracle Whip™ Salad Dressing”, please don’t share.

    I do remember back in the USENET days, a “mock apple pie” recipe that was prefaced with “found lurking on the back of a Ritz cracker box”. No apples, just crackers and cinnamon.

  91. 91.

    NotMax

    @Ken

    Nothing which is intended to go into my mouth contains Miracle Whip, in any measurement.

    “If you can choke it down, it’s a Miracle.”

    ;)

  92. 92.

    John S.

    @Josie:

    There seems to be almost some sort of class warfare being waged on the poor with food throughout history.

    Foods that were cheap enough for the poor consistently become appropriated by the wealthy until those foods are no longer affordable. Then the poor find a new cheap food source only to have that eventually made too expensive.

    It’s a vicious cycle.

  94. 94.

    Gin & Tonic

    For those who might be looking for English-language news about Ukraine,

    Finally, I can share the news. Today we launched the newest and largest independent news website about Ukraine for English-language audience. The New Voice of Ukraine! https://t.co/VOJC7PABhX
    — Nika Melkozerova (@NikaMelkozerova) January 18, 2022

    This is separate from (and in addition to) the excellent Kyiv Independent, formerly known as the Kyiv Post.

  98. 98.

    different-church-lady

    @NotMax:

    Nothing which is intended to go into my mouth contains Miracle Whip

    Okay, this sort of demands someone ask what you’re making with Miracle Whip that isn’t food.

  99. 99.

    Sloane Ranger

    Don’t know if Tony Jay will read this, but I am thinking of visiting Liverpool later this year, just to do the touristy things such as gawp at Beatles related stuff, take a boat trip on the Mersey and visit the Tate, the Slavery and Western Approaches Museums and wanted to ask him a question.

    While researching options, I noticed that hotel prices seem to be higher and availability lower during the winter months (September onwards). This seems counter-intuitive. Is this because they expect lots of football fans to descend on the city over those months or is there another reason?

    Also, Tony, where would you recommend I visit/pass on due to it being an overpriced tourist trap?

    Any advice gratefully received. Thanks.

  101. 101.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Ken:

     

    I asked about the 5 or so then-known similar Kuiper belt objects that would also have to be promoted to planetary status

    Today in “tell me you’re a nerd without telling me you’re a nerd”…

    Zing!

  104. 104.

    Ken

    @debbie: Mock apple pie was big back in the Depression.

    @Steve in the ATL: for cooking or for voodoo rituals?

    Every now and then, I read consecutive comments as if they are threaded, with amusing results.

    (And yes, it means ignoring the attributions.)

  108. 108.

    PPCLI

    @rikyrah: 
    This is a puzzlingly formulated tweet. First of all, “states” didn’t send in forged certificates. Rogue Republican operatives from contested states did.

    Secondly, of course Mike Pence knew! It was widely reported in real time, even at the level of details (such as that the “certificates” were being sent to the National Archives). Though to be sure we are learning even more damning details, such as the identical language that suggests an even higher level of coordination than was obvious before.

    (Witness the Michigan Republicans who were denied entry to the state house, and so they did their cosplay ritual in the parking lot, so as to try to claim they were doing it in the place designated for the counting. It was pretty cold that day, as I recall. Why not just go to a nice warm coffee shop or restaurant? Evidently because it was conveyed to them that doing this “in the place designated for the counting” was part of the claim they were going to make.

  110. 110.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: State Senator L. Louise Lucas started work in 1967 as an apprentice ship-fitter at the Norfolk Navy Yard, and became the first woman ship-fitter there in 1971. She was an engineering draftsman before moving on to management positions.

    While working for the Navy, Lucas earned a B.S. and a Master’s degree at Norfolk State University. After leaving federal service, she won a seat in the General Assembly in 1991, and has represented Portsmouth ever since.

    L. Louis Lucas is a fit and feisty 77 years old. The “L” is for Lillie.

  112. 112.

    Kay

    @Ken:

    Texas Secretary of State
    @TXsecofstate
    ·Jan 13
    Replying to
    @TravisCoClerk
    Always, you can pick up the phone and call our office instead of calling a press conference. Much more time efficient.

    Stop telling the public we’re rejecting half their applications. Instead, call this guy:

    Texas’ new secretary of state says he wants to “restore confidence” in the state’s elections, despite a background that includes helping former President Donald Trump challenge the 2020 presidential election results in Pennsylvania.

    Nothing “restores confidence” like having your application wrongly rejected!

  113. 113.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Ken: Fried chicken feet are a dim sum mainstay if you don’t order off the English-language menu. I’ve had them. The main trouble with them is that there’s not a lot of meat on a chicken foot. It’s a lot of work for a little bit of food, like wings but even more so, in miniature. But as a sort of amuse-bouche they’re OK.

  114. 114.

    Gin & Tonic

    .@SecBlinken is traveling to Kyiv and Berlin to continue diplomatic engagements to resolve tensions caused by Russia. His meetings with European counterparts will include discussions of consequences for Russia if it does not de-escalate. https://t.co/CvkMzt9QE4
    — Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) January 18, 2022

    So Blinken is going to Kyiv – maybe he can be moved to NOMINATE A FUCKING AMBASSADOR!

  117. 117.

    Ken

    @Matt McIrvin: I’m sure the Americanized version will wrap the chicken feet in sausage and bacon, bread and deep-fry them, and serve them with a melted cheese dipping sauce. The toes will be left sticking out at one end for the amusement value, but otherwise the foot will just be acting as a skewer.

  118. 118.

    Cermet

    @Immanentize: Called reality and few here are aware of it or chose to ignore it. As for sexually transmitted diseases, those will increase, too. But for crustaceans, those are likely to continue to decrease. But in any case, Blue crabs freshly steamed and with Old Bay are considered the best by thinking people.

  122. 122.

    Denali

    Am currently reading the Woodward and Costa book,  Peril. It reveals the forged electoral documents attempt. Why didn’t the media cover it?

  124. 124.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Ken: ha!  That’s like when I’m scrolling through Netflix quickly and read part of one synopsis then part of another and wonder how that plot would make sense.

  126. 126.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): The Constitution gives that responsibility to the President, who customarily nominates someone recommended by (or approved by, in the case of “political” appointees) the Secretary of State. Foreign Service officers at the Ambassador rank report to the Secretary of State.

  127. 127.

    japa21

    @Gin & Tonic: These are the things that the press corpse should be asking Psaki at the daily briefings rather than the inane questions they do ask.  Just like they should ask McConnell why he is allowing members of his caucus to hold up nominations that are essential to a smooth running government.

  128. 128.

    Ken

    @Steve in the ATL: Sounds like a fun party game. Pry apart the movies from the combined synopsis lines.

    “Timeless MGM classic starring Judy Garland as a Kansas /
    serial killer and Henry Fonda as the detective investigating /
    the chocolate factory.”

  130. 130.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Cermet: But in any case, Blue crabs freshly steamed and with Old Bay are considered the best by thinking people.

    According to a Baltimore friend who graduated from Washington College in Chestertown, denizens of the Eastern Shore (bumpersnicker: There Is  No Life West Of The Chesapeake Bay!) would vehemently disagree – Old Bay is considered a parvenu, and the spice of choice for steaming the “beautiful swimmers” is Wye River. (I keep both on my  spice rack.)

  132. 132.

    scav

    @Matt McIrvin: But heaven itself for those that are there for the crispy batter and meh about meat.

    (also amazing useful for small children with fathers squeamish around meat that looks like the original critter.)

  133. 133.

    sdhays

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): If Blinken told Biden he needed an ambassador to Ukraine appointed today, the nomination would be sent to the Senate tomorrow.

    The administration seems to think it’s not a top priority, for whatever reason.

  134. 134.

    White & Gold Purgatorian

    @Miss Bianca:  Yes, the first “T” is for Terra. It is entirely possible I picked up this mnemonic in my youth from a sci fi novel, maybe by Heinlein or Asimov.

  135. 135.

    Jinchi

    @Ken: I asked about the 5 or so then-known similar Kuiper belt objects that would also have to be promoted to planetary status

    There’s an answer to that.

    A group of researchers say Pluto was unfairly maligned by a decision to relegate it to “dwarf planet” status — and that we should consider our solar system to have more than 150 planets.

    As to your comment about what your friend learned in grade school, that was pretty much Mike Brown’s motivation for kicking Pluto out of the club to begin with. He thought the idea that there might be dozens of planets in our solar system was ridiculous.

    It’s more obnoxious now that he wants to be the one credited for discovering “Planet 9” (despite the fact that he can’t actually tell us where it is).

  136. 136.

    smedley the uncertain

    @Ken: The Anchor Bar still has hundreds of gallons in their underground saucer.  Reserved for Bills victory galas.

  137. 137.

    smedley the uncertain

    @Ken: There was a well known mnemonic for Resistors.  However it is no longer politically correct.  “Bad Boys ……..”

  138. 138.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Jinchi:

    As to your comment about what your friend learned in grade school, that was pretty much Mike Brown’s motivation for kicking Pluto out of the club to begin with. He thought the idea that there might be dozens of planets in our solar system was ridiculous.

    You mean like they decided about the asteroids?

  139. 139.

    Citizen Alan

    @Ken: I just laugh at people made about Pluto because of “My very educated mother just served us nine pickles.” Honestly, have your mother serve us Nachos instead and the problem is solved. Speaking of mnemonics, I still remember how stars are ranked in terms of temperatures by “Oh, be a fine girl. Kiss me,” but I don’t remember which are the hot ones and which are the cold.

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