Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

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

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

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

Let there be snark.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

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

This chaos was totally avoidable.

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

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

This blog will pay for itself.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

Come on, man.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

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

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Monday Morning Open Thread: Happy Year of the Tiger!

Monday Morning Open Thread: Happy Year of the Tiger!

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… This will be the third new year in a row celebrated in the shadow of the pandemic. It was two days before the holiday in 2020 that China locked down Wuhan — a city of 11 million people — following the detection of the coronavirus there.

Some 85% of Chinese are now fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data, and more Chinese have been traveling domestically this year, despite government warnings. Many people prepare to celebrate by buying red lanterns and other decorations for their homes, and food to mark the beginning of a new year…

Some 260 million people traveled in China in the first 10 days of the holiday rush starting Jan. 17 — fewer than before the pandemic but up 46% over last year. Overall, the government forecasts 1.2 billion trips during the holiday season, up 36% from a year ago.

This year the celebrations coincide with the Beijing Winter Olympics, which open near the end of the weeklong holiday. The Chinese capital has been tightening controls to contain coronavirus outbreaks ahead of the sporting event…

With the Year of the Tiger, many are hoping the traditional powers attributed to the animal will help put the country on a path out of the pandemic, said Chen Lianshan, a Beijing university expert on Chinese folklore.

“The tiger is a protection against evil spirits and it can defeat demons and ghosts of all kinds, and the Chinese believe that the plague is one kind of an evil spirit,” he said.

Elsewhere in Asia, there were signs that celebrations might not be as subdued as they were last year. Despite ongoing pandemic restrictions, most people are now vaccinated with at least two shots in many of the region’s countries…


Video at the link:

Cambodian dragon and lion dancer Gnuon Virak huddles his troupe together in a circle, before they let out a team cheer and get to work rehearsing for their a Lunar New Year performance – their only one of the pandemic-stricken year.

Gnuon, 28, has loved dancing since he was a child, and grew up near a Chinese-style temple in the capital Phnom Penh. Seven years ago, he asked a master to teach him to dance and joined a troupe, known as the Bodhi Tree Troupe. Eventually he became a team leader.

“We must practice this dancing every day,” he said during a rehearsal. “This requires complete focus and motivation.”

The transportation company employee used to supplement his regular income of about $300 a month with lion and dragon dances, earning about $20 to perform at local events. That has all but dried up during the pandemic, with the number of performances bottoming out to about one a month instead of five…

Reader Interactions

150Comments

  1. 1.

    Ken

    That dog’s reproachful expression… “You are the pack leader so I have to do this, but there better be a treat in the near future.”

  3. 3.

    mali muso

    Xin nian kuai le! Happy new year! Celebrating tonight with a good friend of Taiwanese background. Here is hoping that the tiger chases away the pandemic.

  9. 9.

    debbie

    Around here, it’s said that the Year of the Tiger guarantees a Bengals win in the Super Bowl. ?

    Personally, I think this is much more fun:

    Stewart Rhodes’ legal defense fund has only raised $80 out of a goal of $250,000.
    — JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) January 31, 2022

    ?

  10. 10.

    NotMax

    FYI.

    The U.S. military launched interceptor missiles during an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels that targeted the United Arab Emirates during a visit by Israel’s president, the second-such time American troops have opened fire, officials said.
    [snip]
    The Emirati military, as with a similar attack last week, did not acknowledge that the American military opened fire. The autocratic UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, has threatened criminal charges against anyone filming an attack or outgoing interceptor fire. Source

  20. 20.

    Geminid

    @Baud: The UAE has partnered with the Saudis in supporting the “government” side. They backed off for a couple years, but in the last couple months the UAE helped stem a Houthi offensive, so now the Houthis are shooting at them.

    Neither side can win that war and I think they know it. They’re fighting now for advantage in the inevitable settlement, regardless of the terrible cost to the people in Yemen.

  22. 22.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Ken:

    The Lady or the Tiger? utterly haunted me as a child. But you’re right, should have been included in my list. I’m sure I’ve omitted a great many worthy members of the (fictional) Tribe of Tiger — that was just off the top of my head.

  23. 23.

    MazeDancer

    Love all the tiger art everywhere, but have to admit I have had Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” playing in my head since yesterday. And every time I see another big orange kitty it renews.

    Happy Lunar New Year!

    And Happy Imbolc as well!

  24. 24.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Preparing for the storm that starts tonight. Got 2 20#ers filled with propane yesterday. Gotta load up on gasoline for the generator, and water for the toilet. The wood box is loaded with 3 days worth and the shed still holds almost a cord. We have plenty of batteries but I’ll probably pick up a few more.

    According to the NWS, we’re looking at 6-11 inches on top of freezing rain and at least an inch of sleet. I don’t expect to lose power but chance favors the prepared. My shoulder is gonna get quite the workout with the shovel.

  25. 25.

    Kay

    Rick Hasen
    @rickhasen
    ·18h
    For example, Brnovich was a disaster and the case never should have been brought. And two people pointed me to Marc’s emergency action in SCOTUS on 2020 Wisconsin deadlines that could have made the independent state legislature theory worse.

    Rick Hasen is a law professor and an election law expert and “Marc” is Marc Elias, Democracy Docket and litigator.
    They’re both experts, they’re both liberals, but Marc Elias receives a lot of money from liberal orgs so there’s always questions on possible grifter in those situations, which I think are fine to ask. Someone gets 11 million or 22 million dollars you should ask what they did with it.
    There’s also a genuine dispute over strategy and tactics, where some voting rights activists believe Elias is too aggressive, with the counter to that being liberal voting rights activists haven’t been aggressive enough and so have lost an enormous amount of ground, which is true- we have lost a lot of ground.
    There’s one other thing that is just a constant. There’s always conflict between practitioners and academics, because practitioners think academics can just criticize from afar (“easy for you to say, in your IVORY TOWER”) and academics think practitioners don’t respect their work.
    I read both of them although Elias is a little too “celebrity lawyer” for me, so I’m wary.

  27. 27.

    Jeffro

    Can we celebrate the new year with some trumpov indictments?  that would be great.  Thanks for listening, DOJ.

  29. 29.

    Soprano2

    @OzarkHillbilly: We’re getting the same storm, with about the same forecast although probably less snow than you’re getting. The forecast is all over the place because we’re right by I-44, which seems to be built on some kind of ridge that’s a natural dividing point. Lots of “north or south of I-44” stuff in the forecast. I’m more concerned about the ice than the snow; I’m still scarred by the Great Ice Storm of 2007, so when I hear “may get a quarter inch of ice” I shudder in horror. Being without power for 12 days is not a great experience. Ice can be much, much more dangerous than snow, and causes a lot more inconvenience. I was at WalMart last night to pick up a couple of things, and it was a lot busier than I think it normally would be on a Monday night. Getting 8-10 inches of snow is a big deal here.

  30. 30.

    Kay

    And really, IMO, there’s a more fundamental argument going on between “institutionalists” and people who believe the institutions were either weak going in or have failed too many times under stress, so in this fight this would play out as Hasen still believing the SCOTUS will respond to a “good case” or “good facts” on a voting rights case – if we can just get the RIGHT one in front of them they will protect voting rights-  and Elias maybe not believing that anymore, so less risk averse.

  31. 31.

    Ken

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Maybe we’ll get some amusement value out of seeing if any of the Republicans who were expressing “concerns” decide to vote for the nominee. Someone — might even have been you — said a couple days ago that they thought much of that concern was an attempt to get Manchin to vote no.

    (Though it would probably be undiplomatic for the eventual nominee to announce that they had given Sen. Collins their personal assurance they would uphold Roe v. Wade.)

  32. 32.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Mr DAW just walked in here all happy because he got wordle on the third line. Then, before I could stop him, he told me what his first two tries were. I’ve not done it today yet.

  33. 33.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: I can’t believe anyone who pays attention believes that this Supreme Court will issue a favorable ruling on voting rights.

  34. 34.

    Kay

    Greg Sargent
    @ThePlumLineGS
    · 22h
    Simply unreal: A GOP bill in New Hampshire targets “negative” depictions of US history. Its explicit goal: To ensure teachers retain “loyalty” and don’t push “subversive doctrines.”
    This McCarthyite effort could be a model for more to come.

    One would think there would be tens of outraged substack posts on these laws from the free speech advocates in the “anti cancel culture” movement, but instead they’re passing around clips of Joe Rogan and teary eyed over his bravery in the face of the Spotify subscribers who are cancelling their paid membership.
    Absolute frauds, every one of them. I wonder how long they can milk the “cancel culture” beat until people stop paying for the same essay over and over again.

  35. 35.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Soprano2: Getting 8-10 inches of snow is a big deal here.

    Yep, tho the snowmageddon of the early 80’s (18″ in STL) sticks out in my mind. Ever since I rolled my van on I-44 in an ice/sleet/snow storm coming home from Fort Leonardwood, I just don’t play around with it. Especially since I moved out here in the boonie woods. These days, I just figure on staying home for the duration.

  36. 36.

    danielx

    @OzarkHillbilly: ​
     
    Forecasters here are hyperventilating – rain, sleet, ice, snow, possibly falling anvils. Reloading firewood pile on the back porch, snowblower is functional – thank god for electric start, since I cleverly forgot to drain the gas last spring.

  37. 37.

    Geminid

    @Baud: The bigger story here was Israeli President Herzog’s visit to Abu Dhabi. Israel and the UAE took a big step when they normalized relations over a year ago. There had been cooperation between the two countries for over a decade, but it was on the security side and not publically acknowledged. Now the two countries are developing trade relations; Herzog’s visit coincided with a big trade fair.

    Isaac Herzog’s father, Chaim Herzog, was President of Israel in the 1980s. His grandfather was Chief Rabbi of Ireland before moving his family to Israel in the 1930s, while it was still under the British Mandate.

  38. 38.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    Well, I want to be fair to Hasen who I read and admire but this would be a normal debate in the past. They think Brnovich, which is a Section Two voting rights case, shouldn’t have been brought because it sets bad precedent. It’s just that for a lot of people things have changed, so they no longer believe an ordinary analysis really even applies.

    There’s another part to it. The “reform” of the electoral count act that Susan Collins is leading. Liberals don’t trust Susan Collins. It’s just that simple. I think that’s completely reasonable. She’s not trustworthy. So to tell they have to support this “reform” before they even see the outline or text is a bridge too far for them.

  39. 39.

    Ohio Mom

    Here’s a unexpected tidbit of positive news:

    Remember Congresswoman Mean Jean Schmidt? She retired from politics but later changed her mind and ran for the Ohio State House. She represents a district to the east of me, it’s exurban and rural — when she was in Congress, thanks to gerrymandering, I was in her district.

    Today’s Cincinnati Enquirer reports she is sponsoring a bill to abolish Ohio’s death penalty!

    She met a fellow who had spent twenty years on death row before being exonerated, and he was “warm and friendly” (like his emotional state should matter). She doesn’t mention the Innocence Project though I suspect they were behind this. Instead, she talks about her pro-life credentials.

    Whatever, and the chances of this bill, who knows? It’s something to hold on to, a Republican letting a sliver of decency in. We should note she met this fellow in 2013 so this was not a hastily-adopted change of heart.

  40. 40.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @danielx: Forecasters here are hyperventilating

    That’s why I just follow the NWS, no hype, just the data and their best interpretation of it. The freezing rain here is expected to be minimal, so I don’t expect to lose power. Which is good because we live at the very end of the line so if our power outage is just us and a neighbor or 2, we’ll get stuck at the end of the queue to get it back.

  42. 42.

    lowtechcyclist

    @MazeDancer: have to admit I have had Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” playing in my head since yesterday

    I’m not the only one, then.

    Pretty much everything reminds me of a song, and this one was a pretty short jump from “Year of the Tiger.”

  44. 44.

    Kay

    @Soprano2:

    And it really doesn’t help that Manchin and Sinema are on this “reform effort” and they are not trustworthy either. It’s a bitter fucking pill they have to swallow, trusting these dishonest people because they have no choice. Don’t jam it down their throats. Democrats almost always take “do something” over “do nothing” and they will with this too, but just back off and stop scolding them. It’s obnoxious and all it’s doing is enraging them.

  45. 45.

    DB11

    There seems to be a concerted effort to smear Elias underway and Hasen is one of those engaged in friendly fire — including some unsubstantiated insinuations (of working with McConnell), that were immediately refuted by Harry Reid’s chief aide.

    While I understand people’s caution regarding celebrity lawyers (especially given that Avenetti is back in the news with his current trial), Elias has been on the ground, fighting hard… and has a damn good track record to show for it.

    We can argue whether his high media profile and apparent ego are helpful or hurtful to the cause, but in my view we need more real fighters like Elias and not less.

    If Hasen still believes that this Supreme Court will do anything to protect (or restore) voting rights under any circumstances, he’s dreaming in technicolour. At this point, I distrust the judgement of anyone still making institutionalist arguments, regardless of how sincere or how well-credentialed.

  47. 47.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: But Kay, you know “cancel culture” only goes one way. New Hampshire’s state government Republicans who want to control how American history is taught are not engaging in ‘cancel culture’ – they are freedom-loving warriors fighting to make sure “our kids” are taught the “correct” reading of history, not that commie stuff that tells uncomfortable truths! /s/s/s/s/s/s/s

  48. 48.

    Gin & Tonic

    @danielx: This season I bought a massive electric snowblower, and after clearing the 20 or so inches of snow we got Saturday, I couldn’t be happier. Thing worked like a champ.

  50. 50.

    Soprano2

    @danielx:Forecasters here are hyperventilating – rain, sleet, ice, snow, possibly falling anvils.

    They’re doing that here too. I call it “weather porn”. I figure our pub will be slow tonight because even though the bad stuff isn’t supposed to start here until around 4 a.m., everyone will be freaked out by the breathless reports of huge amounts of ice and snow.

  52. 52.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: Liberals don’t trust Susan Collins. It’s just that simple. I think that’s completely reasonable. She’s not trustworthy.

    No one should trust her, period. If she’s involved I automatically think “screw job”.

  53. 53.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Good news

    Good news indeed!  I didn’t expect Manchin to be that supportive and positive about the idea of a black woman on the Court.  So maybe he won’t nitpick whichever one Biden chooses.  And I continue to doubt that Sinema has the guts to kill a bill or a nominee all by her lonesome.

  55. 55.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Kay: Liberals don’t trust Susan Collins. It’s just that simple. I think that’s completely reasonable. She’s not trustworthy.

    Too bad we can’t get a bipartisan deal to ignore both Collins and Sinema (including when they attempt to vote), and treat the Senate has having 49 members of each party for the rest of this Congress.

  56. 56.

    danielx

    @Gin & Tonic:

    I got a gas powered snowblower better than 25 years ago and have only had to have it serviced once. Of course, it hasn’t gotten much use in the last few years. But of all the tools I own, it’s the one that produces the most immediate gratification.

  57. 57.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: My wife and I are working through the Wordle archive as fast as we can, now that the NYT has bought it.  We both assume it won’t be too long before it’s behind their paywall.

  58. 58.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Gin & Tonic: We got an electric snowblower too, but it was the second-largest model, slightly inadequate for the foot-deep snowstorm we just got. It worked, but my neighbor across the street with a giant two-stroke one ended up giving me a hand.

  62. 62.

    Elizabelle

    @lowtechcyclist: 

    Haven’t played Wordle yet, but was sad to see it bought by the FTF NY Times. If they leave it free, and include some free stories of the day: great. That would be an excellent way to get news out there to combat all the disinformation. Play wordle, and here is an update on the latest Covid news.

    If they put it behind a paywall, like their crossword and Food sections: Fuck the Fucking NY Times.

  63. 63.

    JML

    @Matt McIrvin: It’s my only complaint with my battery electric snowblower. it’s really only good for 8 inches or less…which is 90% of what we get here, but when you have that big-ass snowstorm…

    I’ve considered getting a used 2-stroke gas powered just to handle the pile-ups at the end of the drive from the many passes of the plows. (I live down the street from public works, so my street is always plowed. however, I also get 3-8 passes from the plows in from of my driveway, hurling more and more snow 6-8 feet into the driveway)

  64. 64.

    Geminid

    @Soprano2: This morning Politico Playbook led off with an account of the Electoral reform discussions. Notably, they report that the President and his people are keeping the effort at arms length. Besides 9 Republican Senators, Manchin and Sinema, five other Democratic Senators are involved: Shaheen (NH), Cardin (MD), Coons (DE), Murphy (CT), and Warner (VA). Warner has been my Senator for 12 years now; he has always been at risk for Gang membership.

  67. 67.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Soprano2: Also what it’s like driving on our “crooked and steep” roads. Since we moved out here I’ve been sideswiped by people crossing the line 3 times. Slapped mirrors once (got a face full of glass) had the passenger side of my rear bumper torn off and a blow out when I was spun off the road (light damage, could’ve been a head on collision) by a tractor trailer hooking my truck, and lost a headlight and the driver side end of my front bumper.

    Not counting the innumerable near misses I’ve had.

  68. 68.

    Soprano2

    @OzarkHillbilly: A long time ago I heard an interview with a couple who had written a book about moving into “the country”. They lived up in the mountains somewhere in Colorado. They said lots of people have unrealistic ideas about what living in the country is actually like; they don’t think about how when your electricity goes out you don’t have water either, because your well can’t pump, or that you’re at the end of the line for electricity restoration when there’s a storm that knocks out the power. Another thing people don’t think about – how long it takes emergency medical services to get to their house.

  69. 69.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Well, I certainly hope 2022 marks the turning point of the pandemic, though I think it will be spring 2023 at the earliest before China starts to loosen border restrictions. 2020 was the Year of the Rat, which brought a plague…

  70. 70.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Happy Lunar New Year to anyone that celebrates it! (Though technically it is a Lunisolar New Year, as the traditional Chinese calendar is lunisolar in nature.)

  71. 71.

    Betty Cracker

    @Soprano2: We live out in the country, and after you turn off a rural county road, you have to travel down a rough dirt road for more than a mile to get to our place. When we first moved in, one of the neighbors said if you ever have a medical emergency, call 911 and then start driving toward the hardtop. Otherwise, you’ll probably die before the EMTs get to your house.

  73. 73.

    J R in WV

    So last Saturday at bedtime I noticed the furnace was running but blowing cold air– it was 4 degrees outside. I had replaced the AA battery pair a week or two ago, so didn’t suspect that was a problem. I turned off the equipment while carrying wood up from the pile under the back porch, but when I turned it on it lit the burner and has been keeping things warm ever since.

    Today is expected to be nearly into the 60s

    ETA: Just like a Windows computer, if it doesn’t work right,  ask if it was turned off for a while. I dunno why,  but the furnace has multiple computer cards in it,  and so it goes…

  74. 74.

    Soprano2

    @Betty Cracker: Back in 1982 my father lived two miles north of a small town out on a farm. His wife waited 15 minutes with him for an ambulance to arrive. He was probably dead when they got there. I think about that a lot – if he had lived in town would he have survived the heart attack?

  77. 77.

    geg6

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    We’re being told we’re getting the exact same system coming through Western PA very late tomorrow night (technically, Thursday morning) and the exact same way.  Rain turning into freezing rain about 5am and then over the course of the day and night into snow, with anywhere from 6-11 inches by mid-morning Friday.  I think it’s very probable that I will be WFH on Thursday and Friday.

  78. 78.

    Kay

    @lowtechcyclist:

    It’s a big ask. Republicans will get a political benefit from it – Collins and the rest of the phony moderates – Democrats will not, and Republicans moved not at all on Democratic priorities for voting rights.

    They can reform all the fuzzy rules they want. Conservative lawyers didn’t claim the electoral count act was unclear. They claimed it was unconstitutional. This idea that if we just add some subheadings Republicans who intend to overturn an election will say “well, we would, except for this much longer law” is silly. The thing itself was unlawful. They didn’t check the statute and say “you know, this ALLOWS overturning an election”. That’s not what happened.

  79. 79.

    J R in WV

    @Soprano2:

    In our neighborhood in AZ most folks have a special insurance policy to cover Medivac flights to Tucson,  the nearest Trauma center and special purpose medical centers. On I-10  it’s a two hour drive!

    Here in WV we’re only about a half hour away from the teaching hospital where our family doc attends his patients.

  80. 80.

    kindness

    Gung hay fat choy!  Not a lot of Deadheads here but they used to do a 3 show run for Chinese New Year every year in the Bay Area here in N. Cal.  OMG those shows were fun.  Better than the actual New Years Eve shows actually.  I miss those times but what can one do?  Move on with life.  Stay safe.  Love your peoples.  Have fun.

  81. 81.

    Kay

    @geg6:

    They sent out the contingency plan for county court closures in northern Ohio, and they only do that if the state police tell them to.

  82. 82.

    Soprano2

    @Kay: We got an e-mail this morning from the street dept asking if there is anyone who would be willing to drive a snow plow if needed. That’s pretty unusual. I was talking to our front desk person this morning about who can and can’t get to work easily. She rides in with her husband, and I live about 5 minutes away, so we’ll probably both be here regardless unless it’s really, really bad. Sewer can’t shut down! Of course, all bets are off if the power goes out. We may end up at my mom’s house for a day or two, because her house is in a newer part of town with not many big trees, while we live in the part of town that was platted in 1880, so lots of big trees.

  83. 83.

    Fair Economist

    @Soprano2: A number of my parents’ friends, all fairly wealthy, moved to assorted remote locations after retirement. They all moved back after a few years. In their cases it was usually a combination of medical care and social activities.

  84. 84.

    Geminid

    @JMG: On the other hand, Biden might tell Coons, “I don’t want to know. Just come up with what you’re going to come up with. Then, if Schumer wants to pitch it I’ll listen.”

    Whatever these Senators come up with, they’re going to need buy in from at least ten Republican Senators. And Speaker Pelosi and the House Democratic Caucus wil have their say also.

  85. 85.

    Soprano2

    @Fair Economist: People make living in the country sound romantic – lots of room and fresh air, no one living close to your house, no traffic noise. They don’t talk about how you have to plan every trip to town because you can’t just run to your house if you forgot something, or how far away medical services are, or how isolated it can be.

  86. 86.

    Kay

    @Geminid:

    It pisses me off that the only thing they’re willing to do on elections is fix a “problem” their own criminals created. I’ll accept it- maybe they’ll obey the new laws next time, unlike the old ones they ignored, who knows- but to ask me to cheerlead it is too much. Republicans don’t get an A+++ from me for meeting a rock bottom minimum of grudingly agreeing to follow laws in the future. That’s a lower standard.

  87. 87.

    Old School

    We got an e-mail this morning from the street dept asking if there is anyone who would be willing to drive a snow plow if needed.

    So you’ll get to drive the snow plow? Have fun!

  88. 88.

    Tazj

    So I did get my garage door fixed. Thanks again to everyone here for their advice on Saturday. My husband did agree to go with another company.

    When I asked the repairman what I could do to avoid future repairs, part of his response echoed something Trollhattan had said. Because of COVID, they’re very short of supplies for garage door repairs, so any upgrades to materials wouldn’t be possible now. Then he went on to rant about how our political leaders had sold us out to other countries since nothing was manufactured here anymore.

    Anyway, he fixed it and hopefully it stays that way longer than 8 months.

  92. 92.

    Soprano2

    @Old School: Oh hell no! Gotta have a CDL, and I don’t have one. I have no desire to play dodge ’em cars in traffic with a snow plow. Now give me a bobcat with a snow plow attachment on the front, and I’ll drive that.

  93. 93.

    Soprano2

    @Betty Cracker: Thanks, it was a long time ago, but yeah it was terrible. Makes me think twice about ever wanting to live outside the city. He probably would have died anyway, it was a massive heart attack and it was 1982, but being out in the country didn’t help.

  95. 95.

    Betty Cracker

    @Fair Economist: Country living is definitely not for everyone! I had an inkling of what we were in for since my dad has always lived in the boonies. My hubby, the lifelong city boy, was the one who was keen to move out to the country after our fledgling quit the nest. I was fine with it since I can be just as happy or just as miserable anywhere. :)

    The most inconvenient thing is that you have to plan ahead for everything — have groceries on hand because you can’t just run out and get butter, etc., — and there’s no such thing as delivery service of any kind. No Instacart, no Drizly, no Uber, no pizza delivery, no nothing except FedEx, UPS and USPS.

    You get used to it, though. Both of us are semi-hermits, so we don’t miss frequent socializing. There’s an awful pub about a mile upriver if we want to mingle, which we’ll probably do again once the latest variant subsides to sufficient levels. We’re friendly with some neighbors. That’s about all the available entertainment.

  96. 96.

    Geminid

    @Kay: Yeah, I think what this Gang is trying to accomplish is pretty minimal. They can try to get it passed in the Senate first. Then Speaker Pelosi and her caucus will have until December to pass it. No rush on this one if all it does is affect Electoral vote counting.

  98. 98.

    trollhattan

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Power tools nearly justify their existence based what they might do, way better when they prove to be up to the task, and more.

    I will nevah own a snow blower (said in a Katie Scarlett Hamilton Kennedy Butler voice) but when I bought a chainsaw on a stick upon just seeing it existed (“A chainsaw, on a stick!?!”) I did not understand just how useful it would prove to be. All on top of owning a chainsaw on a stick.

    Pondering a battery-powered chainsaw using the 80V batteries my cordless gardening tools use. Never buying another gas-powered gizmo.

  99. 99.

    trollhattan

    @Tazj: That’s a relief, I’m sure! Glad you’re back in action–having the car trapped because the door won’t open is equally parts helpless and dumb feeling. (I had thought the only thing that would go wrong would be the motor, in which case I can just pull the cord and roll it up by hand. Hah!)

    Had our dude show every place that should be lubricated, which is a far bigger list than I imagined. Now if I can just remember to do that.

  100. 100.

    Geminid

    @trollhattan: My landlord is getting good use out of a battery powered chainsaw. He’s cutting and poisoning the many Russian olives that have grown up on his property. He brings an extra charged battery when he comes out.

    I’m glad to see it. Bill planted 18 acres of apples here in the early 1980s. He moved away, and other people kept the orchard going until the warmer winters made the orchard fail. Not that it ever was much of a moneymaker. Now Bill is starting to get interested in the place again. He lives in Charlottesville, a 40 minute drive away. A really nice guy.

  102. 102.

    trollhattan

    Heard interviews from Ottawa this morning about the “striking” truckers and the only striking thing about them is how they are all Trumpers who, sadly for them, don’t get to vote for Trump (or do they? dun-dun-dunnn). Assholes with swastikas and Confederate flags, acting like jerks and so far, the Canadians are letting them.

  103. 103.

    Kathleen

    @raven: I live in Cincy  (“I can see Paul Brown Stadium from my condo”!) and not even a football fan and I’m delighted. I love Cincy so I’m thrilled for the city and the team. They’re such good citizens in the community as well as being examples of overcoming odds.

  104. 104.

    geg6

    @Betty Cracker:

    I would kill myself living there.  I want to do that in my suburban hell, let alone in the boonies.

    I want to move back into a small town or, even better, the city soooooooo badly!  I hate it here!

  106. 106.

    Scout211

    @Betty Cracker:

    The most inconvenient thing is that you have to plan ahead for everything — have groceries on hand because you can’t just run out and get butter, etc., — and there’s no such thing as delivery service of any kind. No Instacart, no Drizly, no Uber, no pizza delivery, no nothing except FedEx, UPS and USPS.

    You get used to it, though. Both of us are semi-hermits, so we don’t miss frequent socializing.

    Yep, all true.  Just add, for us, no high speed internet.  So no streaming services are worth paying for if you get to watch maybe half a show before the spinning icon appears.  Sigh. (Added:  And many times our service is down for hours or days at a time. We have to call our provider, Ron, to check his equipment or climb the tower to fix a wire, etc., etc.)

    Sadly, we are starting to realize that we may not be able to stay out here as long as we had hoped.  None of us ever anticipate health problems that can make it harder stay out in the country as we age.

    The other downside is that (at least in California) the only country property available is in the very red counties.  So that isn’t always fun.  Sigh.

    But so far the positives have outweighed the negatives, including some good neighbors.

  107. 107.

    Jeffro

    Looking forward to hearing more about trumpov blaming Pence and Pelosi for Jan 6th next thread, I guess?  =)

  108. 108.

    trollhattan

    @Scout211:

    My in-laws decamped Napa/Yountville for 35 country acres near Georgetown, CA, and they did it ten years too late (especially for FIL, who was starting to go off script). I could go on and on about the wacky decisions and hijinx, but will settle on the fact that to go to any doctor, or even a large store, required driving very winding roads down and out of a river canyon–which canyon depended on whether one drove north or south, but a canyon had to be driven.

    It came apart after FIL died and a huge bath was taken on selling the place. Imagine losing money on California real estate. My in-laws perfected it. They did put in a swath of lawn, proving that you can pretend to live in town while living far away from one. Then you find yourself mowing a lawn.

  109. 109.

    Kathleen

    @Ohio Mom: I despise her politics but I’ve run in same races she runs (she’s an incredible runner). There is a Gospel Mission in Cincy that has a running group and one Saturday morning as I came out of the Y I saw her running with the group  (they have several coaches who volunteer). No cameras or press people around. Just Jean doing her thing. I was impressed.

  111. 111.

    Geminid

    @Jeffro: I read that Marc Short, Pence’s Chief of Staff, has spent several hours with January 6 Commitee investigators. He may have been questioned by one of your neighbors. Tim Heaphy has a senior staff job with the Commitee. He served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia during the Obama administration. Heaphy was on leave from his job as Counsel for U.Va. until the Virginia Attorney Gooneral fired him from that job a ten days ago.

  112. 112.

    Kay

    Manchin taking his victory lap:

    Manu Raju
    @mkraju
    ·25m
    Sen. Joe Manchin, asked about Build Back Better, said: “What Build Back Better bill? I don’t know what you guys are talking about.”
    I asked him if he’s had any talks on the matter since December. “No, no, no, no. It’s dead.”

    He and Sinema killed BBB (and dragged Biden down to 40% approval) to protect the Trump tax cuts.

    Whatever they were paid for this “work”, they came cheap. The tax cuts are worth billions and billions of dollars to the wealthiest people in the country. Buying two senators is the best investment they ever made.

  113. 113.

    Betty Cracker

    @Kay: How unsurprising that Paw Paw Black-Lung can’t refrain from gloating over it. Remember months ago when he said he was fine with passing nothing? I wish we’d have taken him at his word. It probably would have been worth 10 points on Biden’s approval rating. PPBL will face no repercussions, of course, but Sinema’s political career is toast. I think she really screwed the pooch and doesn’t quite grasp that yet. I hope the coming epiphany is painful.

  114. 114.

    Geminid

    @Betty Cracker: One of Politico’s articles today was about how Sinema’s pool of small donors has dried up. The headline was not surprising, so I did not read it.

  115. 115.

    Jeffro

    @Geminid: yup, know Heaphy and that situation well.

    I just wish the 1/6 Commission would hurry up, and then DOJ needs to bring charges against those who committed these crimes against our country.  Hurry.  Up.

  116. 116.

    Quiltingfool

    @trollhattan: I got my husband a small battery powered chainsaw (Dewalt, all his battery tools are that).  He loves it, takes it while brush hogging to trim tree branches without getting off the tractor.
    Not suitable for logs, though – too small.  He now has a battery powered weed eater, and likes that it is lightweight and does a good job.

  117. 117.

    Kay

    @Betty Cracker:

    I will always like Biden for this:

    “She says she will not raise a single penny in taxes on the corporate side and/or on wealthy people, period,” Biden said of Sinema.

    Finally. One person tells the truth about what these two were up to for a year. It was always and only about protecting the Trump tax cuts. Their whole song and dance routine was a lie.

  118. 118.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Geminid: James Carville said the other day that he’s heard from AZ people who know her that she really thinks she can mold herself into the new incarnation of John McCain, and that makes as much sense as any other speculation. Leaving aside all arguments about exactly how overrated John McCain was, it’s shocking to me that anyone could think they could step into McCain’s reputational/media/political shoes without his military record (first and foremost) and the media adoration that said record– and TBF McCain’s humor and personality (and his tire swing)– earned him

    I am also very much open to erstwhile Phoenician Suzanne’s argument that the McCain career path she wants to follow is Meghan’s

  119. 119.

    geg6

    @Betty Cracker:

    Read an article a few days ago (don’t ask me where because I don’t remember) that she thinks she’s running against Biden in ’24.  Her staffer enablers and wealthy donors are telling her she’s a STAR!

  120. 120.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Jeffro: IANAL but as an observer and one-time watcher of legal procedurals those criminal charges strike me as very complicated involving threading a lot of procedural needles, and whatever happens electorally in ’22, the GOP won’t get its hands on the DoJ before 2025. If Garland announces indictments tomorrow, when would theoretical trials actually start? Slowing down legal proceedings is one of the few things trump is actually good at.

    Whatever political effect may come from investigations is far more likely to come from the public hearings of the 1/6 commission (I’m among a minority who’s against the whole “prime time” thing, I think that’s a dated misunderstanding of how contemporary media and attention spans work), and I’m fine with those rolling out closer to the mid-terms.

  124. 124.

    Geminid

    @Jeffro: It sounds like these are two complementary projects. The DOJ seems to be working their way up and are now indicting middle managers like Oathkeeper Stewart Rhodes. The January 6 Committee seems to have zeroed in on upper level actors. They will design their series of hearings for maximum public impact. I think that this time next month  they’ll  have started.

    I like the compact size of the Commitee: only nine members. Most are in safe seats or are retiring. I think Liz Cheney and Elaine Luria are the only ones with tough races this year.

  126. 126.

    Elizabelle

    WaPost re FTF NY Times Wordle acquisition: NY Times says Wordle will remain free. Hope so!

    The New York Times announced Monday it has bought Wordle, the free once-a-day online word game that exploded in popularity in recent months.

    The Times spent an undisclosed figure on the game, but described it in the “low-seven figures.” The company said in a statement that “at the time it moves to The New York Times, Wordle will be free to play for new and existing players, and no changes will be made to its gameplay.” The migration will happen “very shortly,” a spokesman said.

    It’s a notable acquisition for the news organization, which has a goal of reaching 10 million digital subscribers by 2025 and has singled out the games and cooking parts of its business as “a key part” of its strategy. As of December 2021, New York Times Games and Cooking had 1 million subscribers each.

  127. 127.

    Suzanne

    @J R in WV:

    In our neighborhood in AZ most folks have a special insurance policy to cover Medivac flights to Tucson,  the nearest Trauma center and special purpose medical centers. On I-10  it’s a two hour drive! 

    Yeah, that’s definitely a concern out there. There are statistics showing that distance from medical care, especially a Level I Trauma center, increases likelihood of dying by a significant percentage. Like, a very steep curve. So an air ambulance is still not a great solution.

    If you want good medical care (trauma, cancer, neuro, high-risk LDR, NICU) without traveling a long way, you’ve got to be proximate to a major city. Rural hospitals are usually not very good and they are essentially a transfer station for these kinds of cases, you get stabilized and then put on another ambulance. Another consideration lots of the olds don’t do is what’s going to happen when you can’t drive. My FIL is dealing with this right now, he’s been having seizures that he can’t keep under control and so he can’t drive. Well, my in-laws just sold their suburban house and moved to a lovely farm about an hour away. He can walk the grounds by himself and that’s it, no coffee shop or library or grocery store within walking distance. So he’s dependent on my MIL to take him anywhere, and it’s really stressing their relationship.

  128. 128.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Kay: It’s a big ask. Republicans will get a political benefit from it – Collins and the rest of the phony moderates – Democrats will not, and Republicans moved not at all on Democratic priorities for voting rights.

    I was just joking around.  It probably wouldn’t even be Constitutional, to keep someone in the Senate but deny them voting rights.  Just that it would be nice to be able to somehow pair them off, push them aside, and never have to think about either one (Collins and Sinema) again.

  131. 131.

    sdhays

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Being a “moderate” or “maverick” takes some finesse; you have to annoy the base, but avoid stepping over the line to where they hate you. Susan Collins is a master at this, unfortunately.

    Sinema is crazy, and frankly too lazy, it seems, to try to find that line before shitting all over herself and rolling in it while looking around expecting glowing approval from everyone around her.

  132. 132.

    Betty Cracker

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: It’s an utterly bizarre conceit, so probably true!

    @geg6: She’s deluded and in for a rude awakening. At least I hope so because that would offer the possibility of an accountability moment, even if only in the form of personal regret. It’s also possible she auctioned off her career to the highest bidder and is happy with the price.

  133. 133.

    Gin & Tonic

    For today’s – well, actually yesterday’s – stupidest take on the Ukraine situation, I present the Democratic Socialists of America:

    DSA IC opposes US brinkmanship in Ukraine, which only further escalates the crisis, and calls for an end to NATO imperialist expansionism. We urge anti-war activists to oppose military escalations and demand a lasting diplomatic solution! #NoWarWithRussia https://t.co/Y7dRAxhXa5— DSA International Committee ? (@DSA_Intl_Comm) February 1, 2022

    I did a Ctrl-F in their statement to look for the word “Crimea.” Shockingly, it wasn’t there.

  134. 134.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @sdhays:

    Susan Collins is a master at this, unfortunately.

    And it took Collins many years, very different political landscapes– from Clinton to Bush to Obama to trump–  and a base in a very peculiar state with very peculiar political traditions, to cement that reputation

  135. 135.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Elizabelle: From your quote box, “at the time it moves to The New York Times, Wordle will be free to play for new and existing players” is kinda telling.  Three months from now, when the chatter about its being bought has died down, who knows what they’ll do.  I’d be really surprised if it’s not behind the paywall by the beginning of 2023, and I’d really expect it much sooner.

  136. 136.

    lowtechcyclist

    @geg6:Read an article a few days ago (don’t ask me where because I don’t remember) that she thinks she’s running against Biden in ’24.  Her staffer enablers and wealthy donors are telling her she’s a STAR!

    I can’t wait for her to get 37 votes in the 2024 NH primary.

  138. 138.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Gin & Tonic: For today’s – well, actually yesterday’s – stupidest take on the Ukraine situation, I present the Democratic Socialists of America:

    The FTFNYT bothsides the insurrection, and the DSA bothsides the Ukraine-Russia situation.  I’m hard-pressed to say which is dumber.  I think the FTFNYT wins on points, because of their reputation as The Paper Of Record and the resources they have at their disposal.  But the DSA is pretty damn dumb.

  139. 139.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Geminid: Collins could do the same, but underneath the long and carefully calculated reputation for ‘moderation’, she’s a stone partisan. Mitch McConnell in Ann Taylor suit.

  141. 141.

    Geminid

    @lowtechcyclist: The story about Sinema’s Presidential plans was reported by Amy Siskind on January 13. I found the Twitter thread again by looking up “Amy Siskind Kyrsten Sinema.” Siskind said she was reporting what she heard from a friend with inside knowledge. The story was presented with a kind of certainty, but it still struck me as speculative. It sure got the clicks, though.

  142. 142.

    James E Powell

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Slowing down legal proceedings is one of the few things trump is actually good at.

    Everybody with money is good at that. Elizabeth Holmes was indicted in June 2018. Her trial ended a month ago.

  144. 144.

    Betty Cracker

    @Geminid: A long time ago, I had some personal experience with Amy Siskind, and I trust her about as far as I could throw the Rock of Gibraltar. I’m glad you mentioned the source of that report, which I will now assume is bullshit.

  147. 147.

    Dopey-o

    @Betty Cracker: A long time ago, I had some personal experience with Amy Siskind, and I trust her about as far as I could throw the Rock of Gibraltar. I’m glad you mentioned the source of that report, which I will now assume is bullshit.

    Is there anything in Siskind’s account that contradicts logic or history? Sinema’s arc shows that she is possessed by delusional self-serving ambition untethered to reality. We should not dismiss the possibility.

    It will be amusing to watch her crash and burn in 2024, but she will continue to wreak havoc until then.

  148. 148.

    evodevo

    @Soprano2: ​
      Yep…I remember the ice storm of 2009 – three days at our small PO sorting mail by flashlight…and no heat, of course…not a pleasant experience.

  149. 149.

    evodevo

    @Ohio Mom:  OMG – really? I have nothing but bad memories of seeing Mean Jean’s mug on the Cincy news spouting some crazy right winger crap about some subject.  Interesting how conservatives suddenly change their minds when they interact with a real person/situation…

  150. 150.

    evodevo

    @Soprano2: Yep…we have Toyota employees moving out of the “city” (Georgetown KY pop. ~30k) up here 12 miles north into the boonies on a five acre lot and six months later the house is for sale – and we haven’t had a bad winter since 2015 lol – till now, at least…”The internet sucks!”  “My electric went out and there wasn’t even much of a storm!!”  “It’s too far to the grocery/kids soccer game/etc.” “There’s no one who wants to make $9/hr shoveling my driveway/bushhogging my weedy acres!!” “Cell reception sucks!”

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