Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Chutkan laughs. Lauro sits back down.

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

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

This fight is for everything.

Republicans don’t trust women.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

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

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

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

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

The revolution will be supervised.

Republicans in disarray!

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

The willow is too close to the house.

Joe Lieberman disappointingly reemerged to remind us that he’s still alive.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Sunday Morning Open Thread: Quite A Week!

Sunday Morning Open Thread: Quite A Week!

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  4. 4.

    Baud

    Speaking of music videos, does MTV still exist. I can’t recall the last time I’ve heard anyone mention it.

  5. 5.

    Barbara

    @Baud: ​The thing is, you don’t actually have to be great in absolute terms. It’s enough to be greater than your opponents. Absolute greatness is a bonus.

  7. 7.

    Ken

    It just occurred to me, “Dark Brandon” sounds like a cocktail. Someone has probably already come up with one. Hope it’s not some sticky thing with rum and molasses.

  8. 8.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Barbara: Knowing what he has been thru in his life, I think it is safe to say that, “Give up” is not in Joe’s vocabulary.

  9. 9.

    Barbara

    @Baud: ​Yes, but more “unscripted” TV, not just music videos. Haven’t actually watched it in a long time. Probably couldn’t handle the throwback feelings it would generate.

  10. 10.

    Ken

    @Baud: Yes, but the programming has changed immensely. Not quite “tonight on the History Channel, Hitler’s alien astronauts”, though.

  13. 13.

    Barbara

    @Ken: ​I couldn’t find any. Maybe a Brandy Alexander without the cream? That doesn’t seem very Joe Bidenesque.

  14. 14.

    Ohio Mom

    @Barbara: I am pretty sure Biden doesn’t drink alcohol so is any drink Bidenesque?

    Maybe if it comes with a scoop of ice cream?

  18. 18.

    David 🌈☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    I feel let down.

    The media promised me a recession and instead the stock market has been up 4 weeks in a row and 22 states have unemployment rates under 3% (a record).

  22. 22.

    Kirk Spencer

    @Ksmiami: Being fair a lot of people don’t understand economics. We teach micro first because it’s intuitive and allegedly teaches the tools needed. Then when macro comes along and says their intuition is wrong so they shut down.

  23. 23.

    Geminid

    When he’s not shading “Cosplay Socialists” or analysing the Packers, Ragnarok Lobster (@eclecticbrotha) retweets Democratic candidates like Tim Ryan, Val Demings and Cherie Beasley. Yesterday Mr. Lobster retweeted Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola, who is fighting for Alaska’s Congressional seat:

        We’re going to make Alaska’s seat in the House pro-choice, pro-worker, pro-fish, and pro-family.

    @MaryPeltola Aug. 20, 2022.

    Pro-fish! Aside from some invertebrates, who is not pro-fish?

  24. 24.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Some good environmental news:

    For the first time in 75 years, hatchlings of the world’s smallest sea turtle species have been discovered on the Chandeleur Islands, a chain of barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of New Orleans.

    Wildlife experts at the Breton national wildlife refuge have documented more than 53 turtle crawls and two live hatchlings that were navigating towards the sea, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority announced in a press statement this week.

    The news was particularly uplifting for environmentalists because the hatchlings were Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, an endangered species that also happens to be the world’s smallest sea turtle. The turtles are predominantly found in the Gulf, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
    ……………………….
    “It is well known that the Chandeleur Islands provide key habitats for a host of important species; however, with the recent discovery of a successful Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatching, the islands’ value to the region has been elevated,” said the wildlife and fisheries department’s secretary, Jack Montoucet.

    “We are gaining a better understanding of the benefits this barrier island restoration may provide in the recovery of this endangered species across the Gulf of Mexico.”
    ………………….
    In addition to Kemp’s ridleys, wildlife experts have also discovered the threatened loggerhead sea turtles nesting on the islands.

  25. 25.

    WV Blondie

    I drove through rural Northern Virginia yesterday (Fauquier, Rappahannock, Frederick counties). In 2016 and 2020 the area was awash in Trump signs. I saw very few on the trip – not even very many bumper stickers.

    Even better, I passed this one small, rather decrepit house perched on the side of a small mountain with a sign in the front yard:

    “Let’s go, Biden – Support the President”

    I cheered!

  32. 32.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Geminid: I would hope that would make a difference, but the number of pro union Miserians who vote straight GOP every election has me doubting it.

  33. 33.

    Geminid

    @Barbara: I think Randy Wittman was one of the few Republican Reps to win a district that Biden carried. Reapportionment has since made the VA 1st CD more Republican, but demographic change could make it flippable later this decade.

  34. 34.

    m.j.

    I read a story earlier in the week from the Guardian that told the stories of fifty-somethings leaving their job and living a life free of work. This was in the United Kingdom.

    My singular question was, “How is this possible?”

    My answer to myself was that they have a Nationalized Health Service.

  35. 35.

    H.E.Wolf

    Re: Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola, who is fighting for Alaska’s Congressional seat:
    We’re going to make Alaska’s seat in the House pro-choice, pro-worker, pro-fish, and pro-family.
    @MaryPeltola Aug. 20, 2022.

    Valued commenter Geminid said: “Pro-fish! Aside from some invertebrates, who is not pro-fish?”

    Mary Peltola is a Native Alaskan (Yup’ik), who served for 10 years in the AK State Legislature. If elected, she would become the first Alaska Native in the US Congress.

    Commercial fishing is a big part of Alaska’s economy. Fishing rights are also central to Native/tribal interests.

    Peltola’s experience includes:

    – Extensive career covering local and tribal government, resource and economic development, and fisheries.

    – Currently serves as the executive director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, where she has helped bring together 118 tribes to bring back abundant salmon returns in Western Alaska.

    https://www.marypeltola.com/why-mary

    https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/17/us/politics/mary-peltola-ak.html​

    [ETA corrected some typos]

  36. 36.

    Geminid

    @OzarkHillbilly: Alaska is a singular state. Commercial fishing is a major industry, the 10 or so Native Corporations swing a lot of political weight, and they take fish seriously. Ms. Peltola is a member of a Native tribe.

    She’ll be competing against 3 other candidates in a ranked choice November election. Her chances are actually fairly good. Republicans Nick Begich and Sarah Palin are two other frontrunners. If elected, Peltola would be the first Democrat in that seat since the 1960s, the first woman ever as well as the first Native.

  37. 37.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Skepticat: Me too. (And yes, ICWYDT.)

    In line with recent discussions about Fetterman, etc., Barnes’ ad seems authentic and relatable in a way that fits the candidate. He and his comms team hit it out of the park.

  40. 40.

    Searcher

    Oddly, watching the Christopher Walken version evokes Trump for me.  Something about the hotel background, the red tie, and the slightly greasy look to the character.

  45. 45.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The Daily Show
    @TheDailyShow
    With his CFO pleading guilty, Trump now has as many friends in prison as El Chapo.

    “Now I know what you’re thinking right now,” Noah said. “You’re wondering to yourself, surely if Trump’s second in command was committing financial crimes with Trump’s company then Trump must also be involved. Well actually no, because the story is that he had no idea what was happening in his organisation for decades. He had no clue – and that, my friends, is the kind of leadership that makes him fit to be the next president of the United States.”

  46. 46.

    Brit in Chicago

    @Kirk Spencer: I’ve heard that a lot, about macro being counter-intuitive, so I guess it must be right for most teachers and most students. But it was not my experience. I was taught basic Keynsian economics as a high-school student (in the UK), and it seemed pretty intuitive to me.

     

    True, basic Keynsian is not what people accept now, but: i) I find it useful to understand other forms of macro as variations (deviations) from that basic picture; ii) I’ve found that relying on basic Keynsian ideas as a first approximation does pretty well. When Paul Krugman started his column and sometimes argued in favour of a more Keynsian approach, I was like, Well Duh!

    But all of that’s just me: YMMV,

  47. 47.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @O. Felix Culpa: In the Guardian’s Ousted Republican reflects on Trump, democracy and America: ‘The place has lost its mind’ , I read this little tidbit:

    Bowers said he remains optimistic that the party will one day find its way back on to the rails. He draws succor from the many people who have come up to him since his defeat telling him – quietly, so that nobody can hear – that they admire him and back him.

    As the only loud and proud DEM in the tri-county area, I know the feeling. People have sidled up to me in stores and whispered, “Thank you.” to me. My usual reply is, “What?” because I am half deaf.

  49. 49.

    jnfr

    I spent the weekend following live-streamed panels from Netroots Nation. It was a blast. Everyone is quite fired up. The videoed sessions are online now.

    https://www.youtube.com/c/netrootsnation/videos

    There were lots of trainings and panels that aren’t online too, but the videoed stuff is really great. It was good to share that energy with activists working on the mid-terms.

  50. 50.

    PaulB

    While I really appreciate how much the news coverage of Biden and Democrats has changed in the past couple of weeks, and how the “conventional wisdom” seems to have shifted, I have to confess to being really angered by the coverage.

    Biden didn’t wave a magic wand and suddenly make things happen. All of the recent events are the result of months of preparation, negotiation, and hard work by a multitude of people. Is it really too much to ask that the media point out that governing is hard work and that it inevitably takes time and comes with tradeoffs and compromises and that none of these are signs of “failure”? Or that the President is not a god and cannot work miracles? Or that people like Trump, McConnell, and McCarthy are great at blowing things up (figuratively speaking) but genuinely awful at building things?

    *Sigh* Yeah, I know….

  51. 51.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @jnfr:

    Did anybody from Balloon Juice go? (I’m guessing no, as I imagine we’d have heard about it!) Back in the day, I think we raised money to send a few jackals to NN, but it’s been a while and I haven’t really followed.

  53. 53.

    Geminid

    @OzarkHillbilly: Optimism is tougher for you since you live in a red state. Alaska’s basically a red state too, but some of the political dynamics are different. Lisa Murkowski, for instance has a much better chance in her primary than she would if she were running in Missouri (I think). I was interested in Murkowski’s write-in victory in her 2010 race. I read that it was made possible by her strong support from labor unions and Native Corporations, a coalition that may be unusual for a Republican.

    Alaska’s new voting system interests me also. First came the all-comers, “jungle” primary. Then, a four way ranked choice runoff in November. Peltola led the primary, followed by Republicans Palin and Begich. Palin is a very polarizing figure in her state; people seem to love her or despise her. In November, a Peltola victory may come down to how many voters rank Palin last or not at all.

  54. 54.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @OzarkHillbilly: “Quiet” support is all well and good, but how does it help us?

    Here’s more from that Guardian article:

    “The constitution is hanging by a thread,” he told me. “The funny thing is, I always thought it would be the other guys. And it’s my side. That just rips at my heart: that we would be the people who would surrender the constitution in order to win an election. That just blows my mind.”…
    It’s a party that doesn’t have any thought. It’s all emotional, it’s all revenge. It’s all anger. That’s all it is.”
    He held the thumb and digit finger of his right hand so close together that they were almost touching. “The veneer of civilization is this thin,” he said. “It still exists – I haven’t been hanged yet. But holy moly, this is just crazy. The place has lost its mind.”

  56. 56.

    bbleh

    @David 🌈☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch: @Ksmiami: the MSM will be dead set against Dems keeping the House, first because they’re already HEAVILY invested in the disaster/defeat narrative, and second because they know Republicans running the House will turn it into WWE and that’s much more entertaining.

    And then of course there’s overt Republican sabotage of election administration.

    Dems might still pull it out, but it’s gonna be a heavy lift.

    Just call me Mr Sunshine 🌞  (And make sure everyone you know is registered!)

  57. 57.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @OzarkHillbilly: Heh. I like your style. One of my best friends lives in Joplin. She’s cultivated a small group of like-minded Dems, but they’re definitely a minority there.

    We’ve moved from a solid blue to a more purple area. A neighbor across the street sports a T***p sticker on her pickup. But I think (hope!) she’s in the minority here. At least we can contribute two more votes for the good guys. We changed our voter registration upon arrival.

  58. 58.

    Emma from Miami

    @m.j.: that is, sorry to say, under massive attack by the Tories. It’s being starved of funds and staff AND equipment.

  60. 60.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @PaulB: Unfortunately, a lot of people in this country believe in the fantasies populated by political dramas like Dave and The American President. If passing transformative legislation takes longer than microwaving last night’s leftovers, the politician in office is a bum who needs to be voted out.

  61. 61.

    TS

    @Brit in Chicago:

    But all of that’s just me: YMMV,

    It’s not just you. Keynesian economics is still at the top of my list. The harm that the monetary theory people caused economies in the 1980s, the increasing benefit given to capital over labor since then & the attempts to disprove Keynes have simply made his theory stronger & more accurate than any other macro economic theory.

  62. 62.

    Barbara

    @WV Blondie: Going towards the Northern Shenandoah Valley, much of the newcomers are from Metro DC. Down here, the NN, there isn’t as much growth (relatively) and more of it comes from the outer suburbs of Richmond. But it’s definitely more dynamic than when I first started coming here (via marriage) 30 plus years ago.

  63. 63.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Fuck him. The GOP has been a cesspool since Nixon. He’s only upset because more and more voters are turning away from Republicans now. It’s a fraudulent epiphany.

  65. 65.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Geminid: No, I’m now in CD1, represented by Melanie Stansbury after the vacancy created when Deb Haaland joined Biden’s Cabinet. I was previously in CD3, Teresa Leger Fernandez’s district.

    I’m looking for postcard to voter campaigns to support Gabe Vasquez in his bid to unseat the vile Herrell in NM CD2. Would welcome any pointers in that direction!

  67. 67.

    Miss Bianca

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: “I always thought it would be the other guys”? You mean, he thought it would be *Democrats* undermining the country and the Constitution? Fuck him. It’s always fucking projection with these Republican assholes, even the reluctantly “woke” ones.

  70. 70.

    bbleh

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: @OzarkHillbilly:  I’m glad he’s finally admitting to seeing what’s going on in front of his nose, but I shed no tears for Rusty Bowers, who was first elected in 1996, two years after Newt Gingrich took over in the House, and who apparently has been a faithful Republican ever since.

    He, and Saint Liz, and the rest of them collaborated — actively or tacitly — in building the Frankenstein monster.  I would like to think that, when they complain about the destruction it is wreaking, they think about their role in it, but I’d want some hard evidence before I believed it.

    @The Thin Black Duke: @Miss Bianca: And also that, too.

  71. 71.

    schrodingers_cat

    I have had quite the trip. My computer died. Husband kitteh caught COVID. Was cooped up in a small apartment in Mumbai with in-laws driving me crazy. Temple trip with elebenty rituals was a trial and then SiL was ill. 

    I am beat but I finally have Wi-fi and thought I would say hi to the jackals.

    *waves

  72. 72.

    BlueGuitarist

    @Geminid:

    D fisher candidate running against odious election denier Mike Kelly PA-16, northwest PA tough district (Biden -21, Casey 2018 US Senate -4), could help boost top of ticket and a couple of down-ballot candidates:

    Dan Pastore

    co-founder of  “FishUSA, one of the first online tackle stores….a leading e-commerce retailer serving anglers across the nation and beyond. FishUSA provides a wide range of good-paying jobs at their offices, warehouse and Pro Shop in Erie County”

    Link: https://www.danpastore.com/

  74. 74.

    Soprano2

    OMG, how could I forget – Mike Lindell is doing one of his “conferences” in Springfield this weekend.  Good Lord, Steve Bannon was here,  and Jenna Ellis. I wonder how he picked the 3rd largest city in MO for his “most significant” conference yet? Only if he were in Branson would it be funnier and more stereotypical.

  80. 80.

    Van Buren

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I remember you asking me to give an update on my health a few days ago, so I am happy to report that they have pretty much ruled out pancreatic cancer and have settled on some weird autoimmune disease as my malady. I am apparently sentenced to a future of a low fat, low carb, extremely healthy diet.

    The horror.

  85. 85.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Good to see you posting, but sorry about the tribulations along the way. I hope you’re taking photos to share in an On the Road series once you get back.

    And, as Connie Schultz always says: #breathe

  86. 86.

    Barbara

    @Van Buren: Hubbie grew up here and we maintain a home away from home on the “Rivah,” (a branding exercise that drives me crazy). The locals pronounce river that way and pointing it out by misspelling it is only meaningful to those coming here from elsewhere.  It feels patronizing and I am not even from here. My husband is a native and he tells me to get over it.

  88. 88.

    Barbara

    @Van Buren: ​Well, thank your stars that you have been spared pancreatic cancer. Low carbs and low fat — I foresee a lot of fish and chicken breast in your future. Invest in a sous vide and embrace non-cream based sauces.
    ETA: As one chef taught me, the difference between 1 tsp. and 1 tbsp. of fat is less than the difference between 1 tsp. and zero fat, meaning that a little goes a long way.​

  94. 94.

    SFAW

    My daughter called to tell me some good news: she was up at Sebago (a large lake in Maine), and noticed an Aroma Joe’s is now in the place where this gun shop used to be. Having driven by that shop numerous times, and wanting to drive over the “fuck libtards!” (so to speak) sign numerous times, this brought a smile to my face.
    [Our resident Maineiacs may have been familiar with it.]

  95. 95.

    MomSense

    @Ken:

    I was thinking that a Guinness dark magic would be good.  Bourbon, grenadine, lime juice and blackberries with a splash of Guinness. Dark Brandon with a bit of the luck of the Irish.

  99. 99.

    MomSense

    @SFAW:

    Since COVID everything near any body of water, including large puddles, has been bought up by wealthy people from away. That gun shop has lost its customer base.
    Sebago Lake is also the water source for Portland and the suburbs around it so it’s very important.

  100. 100.

    Geminid

    @BlueGuitarist: I hope Mr. Pastore can pull out a win. Pennsylvania Republicans seem a little discombobulated this year.

    The 17 point difference in the district between Casey (-4) in 2018 and Biden in 2020 (-21) is striking. John Fetterman is promoted for his appeal in red areas, but the relatively staid Senator Casey seems to have game there as well.

  101. 101.

    Soprano2

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: It’s a if he hasn’t watched the party he belongs to for the past 12 years. Did he just wake up last year? I wonder where he was when they were saying Obama wasn’t an American? Did he notice how much they love TFG? 🙄🙄🙄🙄

  105. 105.

    Ohio Mom

    @schrodingers_cat: Waves back.

    Back in my youth, before I was married, I thought jokes about in-laws reflected poorly on the teller. What kind of emotional issues did they have, to be filled with such hostility?

    Now I have in-laws and understand those jokes.

  106. 106.

    Van Buren

    @Barbara: Because of A Fib, in the last few years I have had to cut way back on  caffeine and give up alcohol. I got used to it much easier than I expected. I imagine it will be the same with cheese, pasta, and cinnamon rolls.

    I can eat veggie stews or salads every night and be just fine.

  113. 113.

    bookdragon

    @Ohio Mom:  Maybe not a drink so much as a float:  vanilla ice cream float with a shot of dark rum.

    Or just vanilla ice cream sundae topped with dark chocolate and rum. hmm… may have to have a ‘Dark Brandon’ for dessert later…

  116. 116.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Ken:

    Yes, but the programming has changed immensely. Not quite “tonight on the History Channel, Hitler’s alien astronauts”, though. 

    LOL!

  117. 117.

    Jeffro

    McMegan has quite the epic fail article in the Post today…it’s really something, even for her (and best of all, it’s titled Why trumpov Voters Are Hurting Their Own Cause.

    (tell me something I don’t know, Megs!)

    Highlights include:

    • gratuitous Biden-bashing
    • blaming trump for “meddling” in races and calling Dr. Oz & Blake Masters “weak and inexperienced” (LOL)
    • complaining that GQP primary voters are too dumb to go to the right news sources, sources that would make them be aware that they’re being “played”
    • she calls this a “tragedy” (some might call it…karma, baby!)
    • she says trumpov has created a “reality distortion field” around himself (yes, it’s all him, Megs…not Fox or Rush or Tucker or anyone else…it’s supervillain trump!)
    • left-leaning mainstream media “long ago lost credibility with conservatives”
    • yes, Republicans have moral agency (she really said that) but the media and Democrats did things that “made conservatives less likely to listen when it became clear that Trump had really gone off the rails.”  so…no moral agency, in other words!

    Oh I give up – here she is, in all her glory with the evergreen excuse for trump voters: someone else made them mad about something

    Try for a moment to see how the world looks to a trump voter, which is to say, someone who probably doesn’t have many friends who work in academia, or journalism, or high up in some expert bureaucracy like public health or the courts. They are aware that those folks have long viewed them with a mixture of bemused contempt and outright loathing, and they’re understandably a little peeved. They’re also pretty mad that Republican elected officials colluded with those elites to suppress consideration of popular restrictions on immigration and trade.

    Also, this gem:

    That trump is a pariah among the professional class is a feature, not a bug. The collective freakout over trump’s election and subsequent four years as president only strengthened this attraction, and because some of the freakouts were less than warranted — I’m looking at you, Russian collusion — they made it easier for Trump voters to dismiss the critics as hysterics.

    That’s not to say that trump wasn’t a danger. Many of his outrages fully warranted a freakout, most notably his baseless allegations of election fraud. But convincing someone that those allegations are nonsense requires either that they have an expert command of polling and election data, or else that they trust the pronouncements of mainstream institutional sources — which, if you are a trump voter, means trusting people who have spent much of the last six years explaining that you voted for trump because you are a) a bigot b) a fascist and/or c) too dumb to come in out of the rain.

    You wouldn’t trust anyone who talked like that about you, either.

    So it’s not exactly surprising that many of those voters have sided with the amoral narcissist who acts like he respects them, rather than the institutionalists who actually have the right of the matter.

    So I guess Republicans do have moral agency, except they don’t because the media and Dems er um report and exist, respectively, and so what were GOP voters to do?  And look, now I am stuck with these morons who can’t even see that they’re making the GOP less appealing and ITS ALL DEMS FAULT!
    Come on, Post.  It’s time to find someone who can at least put nonsense together coherently.

  118. 118.

    PPCLI

    @Soprano2:

    Mike Lindell is doing one of his “conferences” in Springfield this weekend… I wonder how he picked the 3rd largest city in MO for his “most significant” conference yet? 

    It is weird that Lindell would put the conference there. Treason is more of a Shelbyville idea.

  121. 121.

    Eolirin

    @Ruckus: That might not help, but it also relies a lot on things humans are naturally bad at, like statistics and thinking in terms of aggregate behaviors.

    It’s really divorced from the heuristics our brains use to function in the world. Someone drew a comparison to quantum mechanics and it’s a solid analogy.

  123. 123.

    SFAW

    @MomSense: ​
     
    Yeah, I know re: waterfront (or close to) getting snapped up. I’ve been looking, and the prices are astounding.
    We have friends who live on Sebago, but they’ve owned the house for years. We almost bought a place down the street from them — a one-back with beach rights — for about $200K, about 5 years ago. Now, I probably couldn’t touch it for less than $700K, maybe more.
    Part of the reason I’ve started playing Mega Millions.

  125. 125.

    Scamp Dog

    @bbleh: In the Republican mind, Democrat = socialist = Communist, so of course the Democrats are against democracy. And freedom and capitalism and everything believe is good. So, yes, things had to get this bad before it could break through his prior assumptions.

  127. 127.

    Calouste

    @PaulB: Most of the media was born into wealth and influence and then got a sinecure job after their parents had bought them entry to an Ivy League finishing school. They really have no idea what hard work looks like. Or even work at all, besides showing up on time and either repeating talking points or just blathering about the first thing that comes to their mind.

  130. 130.

    Ohio Mom

    @Eolirin: My resistance to the materials presented in my introductory economics class started with having to swallow the idea that people make rational choices. Really? Somebody better tell the advertising industry that their entire undertaking can’t possibly work.

    There are important truths hidden in economics but the field gets used to such bad ends that it’s hard for the casual observer or beginner student to believe there’s any there there.

  131. 131.

    Ruckus

    @different-church-lady:

    Having been paying attention to politics since I was a kid living in CA, I’ve seen that the only premise of conservative politics is to be in charge so that nothing gets done. No change, no betterment of anyone but those willing to screw everyone else, change is always bad. Primarily because they might actually lose. They did in CA, enough people just got tired of their bullshit that any change is bad, and reflection on what is happening behind the curtain can not stand.  The world moves forward regardless of what they want or want to stop. They know that if the world actually moves forward, they will be left in the gutter, because they have zero vision of any possibility of actual betterment for anyone but themselves. I call them Selfish Bastards, but only when I’m being nice. They have zero concept of a rising tide raises all boats.

  132. 132.

    StringOnAStick

    @rikyrah: Alaska lives in tension between mining interests that heavily damage salmon and steelhead spawning areas, and all the people who make their living fishing and need those watersheds in a pristine state.  She’s signalling that she supports the working fisherman side of the ledger.  I think I also recall that the big mine fight right now is with a non USA corporation.

  133. 133.

    Brit in Chicago

    @TS: Thanks for the support! I followed the Monetarism madness, both in the US and the UK and always thought: it’s the spending that matters! The money just sitting there does nothing. There was never any talk about the velocity of money. The money supply always struck me as a metaphysical concept, like angels on the head of a pin. Certainly in the hands of the Thatcherites it seemed like that, or like a religion (not a term of praise in my vocabulary).

  138. 138.

    Kent

    @Ohio Mom: My resistance to economics in college was to the absolute lack of metrics.  As a biologist I found that intolerable.

    The professor kept throwing up curves and lines with no metrics or scales.  Here is a supply curve, here is a demand curve.  If we do “X” then this curve moves over to position “Y” and so forth.

    And I would be all “How do we KNOW the slope of that curve looks like that when you have no actual numbers?  Maybe it is 4-times flatter than that?  Maybe it isn’t a slope at all.  Maybe it is an exponential function or step function or limit function.  Maybe those two curves cross way over there and not here.  How do you get away with calling this a science when there are no actual numbers and confidence intervals to any of this?”

  139. 139.

    Geminid

    @Brit in Chicago: Will Rogers might well have been critiquing moneterism when he said, “Mr. Hoover was an engineer and he knew that water trickles down…but he did not know that money trickles up.”

  141. 141.

    Cameron

    @Kristine: Man O’ War sounds really interesting – will have to give it a try.  Sazerac is my favorite cocktail.  The first time I had one was at a New Orleans-style restaurant in Philly; liked it so much I wound up drinking eight of them.  My dinner companion was not amused.

  142. 142.

    Kent

    @StringOnAStick:@rikyrah: Alaska lives in tension between mining interests that heavily damage salmon and steelhead spawning areas, and all the people who make their living fishing and need those watersheds in a pristine state.  She’s signalling that she supports the working fisherman side of the ledger.  I think I also recall that the big mine fight right now is with a non USA corporation.

    Alaska also has two kinds of mining.  The small scale mom and pop type mining of the sort that you see in the mining shows on TV.  And the massive multi-national corporations (usually Canadian) who want to control vast holdings and air-drop in their own employees and managers and ship every last drop of profits to shareholders residing out of state or out of the country.

    The big out-of-state corporate mines are universally unpopular within Alaska.  Even with local miners.  Whereas pretty much EVERYONE supports fishing, both commercial fishing and sport fishing.

  143. 143.

    Soprano2

    @Jeffro: I guess she didn’t notice the innumerable “diner safaris” the press engaged in (and continue to engage in) since 2015. The press has bent over backwards to try to understand TFG voters, and to explain them in any way other than talking about their bigotry. That doesn’t count, though. Also, she hasn’t noticed how many of them are openly and proudly bigoted! I guess we aren’t supposed to comment on that. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

  144. 144.

    Soprano2

    @Eolirin: I think it’s like how people still believe the worker shortage is because people are too lazy to work even when the unemployment rate is under 3% (I heard someone say it just yesterday!) That seems like the most logical reason to people, even though it’s not true.

  145. 145.

    NoraLenderbee

    Right-wing media has spent 40 years spreading hate and contempt of liberals, but it’s our fault that asswipe voters feel dissed. Uh-huh.

  148. 148.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Jeffro: Holy cow, could she be any more enabling ?  I also lack those contacts she mentions: academia, journalism etc. I do, however, have a functioning brain and use just a wee bit of critical thinking, and somehow I managed to see tfg for what he is. This same magical ability to see applies to most of my friends, who also lack those special contacts.

    My god that woman pisses me off.

  150. 150.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jeffro:

    Holy crappola! That’s pretty terrible, even for McMeghan.

    I know he swore off the practice several years ago, but I would dearly love to see Tom Levenson eviscerate this column line by line, just as he used to do in the sweet bygone days.

  151. 151.

    Ruckus

    @Eolirin:

    Economics and statistics are not mathematical concepts because the logic you use is fungible – changeable by the way you use them, the logic is not concise, it is defined not by singular rules but by your usage of the methodology. IOW they use mathematics but the definition of any usage is defined by the rule set defined by the user. I can give you different answers to the same information in economics or statistics depending on how I set up the equation and any of those answers can be correct if I used the rules properly. In mathematics the answer to any question will be realized by using the rules, which will always give only one answer if used correctly. This holds from simple addition, subtraction all the way through advanced calculus and beyond. Econ and stats use math but they are not mathematical premises.

  152. 152.

    Another Scott

    @Kent: Krugman does that too.  It’s infuriating for many of us who got beaten over the head on things like “always include the units!” in elementary physics classes.

    PV = nRT

    What is “R”?  The units matter – a lot! (See the table at the upper right.)

    What are the axes here? What are the units?? Where is zero??!?!!

    Ah well, every field is different and short-hand is unavoidable. Still, it makes my eye twitch…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  153. 153.

    BlueGuitarist

    @Geminid:

    Good chance of flipping the PA State House, possibly the State Senate, this year. Funding down-ballot candidates seems smart; they have less money, are more likely to spend it on direct outreach to voters, need more name recognition, and can help the top of the ticket.

    I hope PA’s hard core election deniers and insurrectionists: mastriano, Kelly, and alleged pardon seeker Scott Perry (PA 10, Biden -3, Casey +2) can drag down the Republicans who get re-elected as moderates, like Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01, Biden +5, Casey +11) and some in the state legislature.

    Some of the election-denying R incumbents in the state house now have districts that Biden carried!

    Pastore has raised more than the other D challengers, Venezuelan-born attorney/Harrisburg City Council member Shamaine Daniels PA-10 and veteran Ashley Ehasz, PA-01.

    There are some excellent opportunities in places with overlapping swing districts in PA House, PA Senate, and US House, and some great D candidates down-ballot.

  154. 154.

    patrick II

    We need someone with skills to combine the Biden dancing video with the Finnish President dancing video. That would be fun.

  155. 155.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @Ruckus: ​
      I was fortunate to take a statistics short course from Prof. David Draper of U.C. Santa Cruz. The insight that sticks with me is a single sentence he used to summarize the topic: “Statistics is the quantification of uncertainty.”

    The math in statistics is quite rigorous, but it’s easy to mistake what it signifies. Statistics deals with sampling and making predictions. Predictions always carry some uncertainty, and sampling inherently implies a lack of complete knowledge.

  157. 157.

    Miss Bianca

    @BlueGuitarist: I’m in Harrisburg right now, on my way to see my sister’s last remaining mural here, and I am really hoping that PA swings back around to electing more Dem politicians!

  158. 158.

    James E Powell

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    Speaking of beisbol, Mandela Barnes has a sweet swing. A good ad, too.

    Will RealAmericans® object that he is not using a wood bat? Is that like asking for the wrong cheese on a philly cheesesteak? The political press will want to know.

    More seriously, the most impressive thing so far – to me – is that he got his primary opponents to withdraw & endorse him. That’s being good at politics.

  159. 159.

    Kropacetic

    Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Spent a couple hours knocking on doors today to flip the MA governor office blue.

    Beautiful August day, so few people were home but it was nice getting out. Most people hadn’t really thought about the race yet, but I hope those first contacts helped.

  160. 160.

    Ruckus

    @Mr. Bemused Senior:

    My stats prof asked me to tutor stats after the first hour of class because I knew/understood that stats used math but is not a mathematical/logical construct. Getting that one concept of stats (and econ) that is so often passed over in teaching them makes a major difference in understanding and using them.

  161. 161.

    geg6

    @BlueGuitarist:

    From your mouth to the FSM’s orecchiette. Thankfully, I’m pretty sure my solidly Dem state rep, Rob Matzie, will win.  We got him in redistricting and the new map makes us a solid Dem district.  But you never know about the MAGAs here.

  162. 162.

    James E Powell

    @Kent:

    Once you get past the intro/intermediate economics courses, then you get the calculus. At least it did when I was majoring in it back in the 70s.

    There’s a lot of “If this is X & this is Y, then in a month, a year, whatever, Z will be in this range” But it never is because ceteris is never paribus.

  163. 163.

    Lefthanded compliment

    In a thread yesterday discussing DeSantis’ stupid suggestion that PA could become “the Florida of the North” while he was campaigning for Mastriano, someone suggested a “Pennsylvania Man” song along the lines of the U.S. theme song for the old British TV show Secret Agent.  I’m happy to report that I’ve sunk to the challenge:

    There’s a man who lives a life of trouble

    The dumb things that he does he does’em  double

    With ev’ry move he makes

    Another rule he breaks

    Odds are he will do the same tomorrow

     

    Pennsylvania man, Pennsylvania man

    I think they’ve got your number

    You’re snide, you’re shrill, you’re vain

     

    Dude thinks he’s so cool, he’s actin’ sassy

    But Scranton ain’t the same as Tallahassee

    With ev’ry speech he makes

    Another vow he breaks

    Odds are he will do the same tomorrow

     

    Pennsylvania man, Pennsylvania man

    I think they’ve got your number

    They’re callin’ you insane

     

    I can’t say what the point of all his cant is

    He’s soundin’ like some clone of Ron DeSantis

    A grifter on the make

    He’s more than I can take

    Odds are he’ll be even worse tomorrow

     

    Pennsylvania man, Pennsylvania man

    I think they’ve got your number

    You’re totally inane

  164. 164.

    Citizen Alan

    @Ruckus:  I never took economics as a class, but in law school I took antitrust, and the professor gave a crash course in the subject over the 1st week. After his explanation of what the term “free market” actually meant and how it was supposed to work in theory, I came away with the very strong impression that economics as an academic field was essentially a cargo cult.

  166. 166.

    Mike in NC

    Celia Rivenbark is to the Carolinas what Dave Barry is to Florida: somebody who sees the absurd and points and laughs. Her column today starts out thus, “On tonight’s episode of Hoarders you will meet an elderly Florida man who can’t let go of boxes and boxes of paper documents”.

  169. 169.

    Citizen Alan

    @Scamp Dog: You left out the step where Communism = N-lover.  The principal objection to communism as a concept (as opposed to simply an objection to Communist nations opposed to the US) was always really just a stalking horse for an objection to Civil rights for blacks. Which can be seenI n the fact that Institutional hatred of communism only began in earnest against the backdrop of the civil rights movement in the fifties and sixties, culminating in people who claimed that they only hated MLK because he was a “Communist agitator” rather than because he was a black civil rights icon. America would have Swedish style socialism today if only they could figure out a way for just white people to reap the benefits.

  170. 170.

    Steeplejack

    Speaking of economics, can someone recommend a good, hopefully not too textbook-y overview? I follow the biz news and don’t consider myself a complete dunce, but it occurs to me that I took econ in college so long ago that the South Sea bubble and the tulip mania were studied as “best practices” cases.

    I have a vague memory that Krugman has a book that might fit. Someone save me a search?

  173. 173.

    James E Powell

    @Steeplejack:

    For Intro to Intro, this one’s useful and the opposite of a textbook.

    I have a bachelors in economics, which means that I am likely to say dumber things than someone who has never taken an economics course. The danger of a little knowledge, right?

    That said, microeconomics provides a way to describe & analyze the behavior of persons, households, and firms. Most of what I learned there has held up over the years, but there is more psychology involved than economists can measure.

    Macroeconomics, which is about what we generally call The Economy – inflation, employment, taxes, money, etc – has a lot of useful knowledge, but tends to include way more political ideology than economists will admit. Sometimes it’s like a religion that has splintered into several hostile sects.

  174. 174.

    Jay

    @ian:

    no, Plankton needs fish as customers, he doesn’t like Sponges, Starfish, Crabs, is meh on Octopi, but loves him some robots and Crabby Patties(TM),…..

  177. 177.

    Ruckus

    @Citizen Alan:

    I’m not sure that’s fair.

    I’m also not sure it isn’t aboslutely fair.

    There is a lot going on in any valid economics theory, but a lot of that is how you define the various parts. And the parts change over time as life changes, as some get fucking rich and others are left behind. Our country really has very little in the way of any actual economic theory, it’s more of a free for all about who can grift better than anyone else. We could really, really, really use a fucking reasonable economic theory or two in this country. I’m not holding my breath, as we have two very much competing political theories in the US, that have two very different economic concepts. One, and you will recognize who this is, thinks that wealth makes all the rules, the first being that he who takes the most is the ruler. The other is that we are supposed to be equal, even though we have many, many ways to differentiate equality, which makes having a valid, reasonable economic system rather difficult to actually define, although we are seemingly working on that in a somewhat hit and miss fashion. (We do seem to be making progress with this president and congress.)

  181. 181.

    dnfree

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I got moved from Sean Casten’s district also, but I really like him so I’m continuing to donate.  Now I’m in Raja Krishnamoorthi’s district.  Following him on Facebook is discouraging because there are a few commenters who frequently mention his Hindu religion and Indian background in derogatory terms.

  186. 186.

    Kristine

    @Cameron: Had my first at a convention hotel in Phoenix. I’ve always been a whisky/bourbon person, and the bartenders made theirs with Gentleman Jack. My preferred lunch for the length of the convention was the bar cheese plate and a Sazerac

    The Man O’ War recipe turned up during a search for drinks that contained bourbon and Cointreau. It’s close to a sour, but not quite.

  188. 188.

    Yutsano

    Since we’re talking about Republicans and such, Phil Boas of the Arizona Republic just dropped a scorcher against Kari Lake. Then again what he’s asking her to do she won’t. I guess we’ll see what kind of pull Boas has. And I hope Katie Hobbs makes all the hay with this.

  189. 189.

    Citizen Alan

    @Ivan X:  I am very slightly bitter over the fact that the New York meet up did not happen during the 9 months I was in New York and only now when I’m back in the barbarian health state of Mississippi.

  192. 192.

    Steeplejack

    @Another Scott:

    Thanks for the info!

    Re used-car prices: I’m guessing you saw my comment a few days ago about how my Fairfax County car tax went up this year, based on COVID-related price increases. The county graciously gave me a 15% discount, but prices (and presumably assessments) went up 30-40% from March 2020, so they still came out ahead. Back to sanity next year, I hope.

  195. 195.

    dnfree

    @The Thin Black Duke: excellent insight.  And the idea that one person can do it alone, or that “Congress” as a whole is the problem.

    Even in local politics people are ignorant as to who does what.  They get upset about the schools and write an irate letter (or social media comment) to the city council or the county board.

  196. 196.

    sab

    @Citizen Alan: I hope your crash econ course in law school was better than my craah accountibg for lawyers in law chool. What a hoot that was. Nothing actually wrong with it…

  198. 198.

    Another Scott

    @Steeplejack: Missed that – I’ve had to slack off on my mania of reading every thread from start to finish.

    Yeah, I saw our car tax went up for the first time in ages, but having old clunkers both were still under $100 all up.  One of the advantages of having an old clunker!

    (But the incentives are all wrong – we should be encouraging people to get more efficient vehicles and drive less, so the tax should be based on total emissions, road damage potential, time spent on the roads, etc. – in other words, type of vehicle and mileage…)

    It’s good that prices are coming down, with luck in time to engender good feelings before the elections!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  199. 199.

    Nelle

    @OzarkHillbilly: My husband sued the gold miners in Alaska for polluting the salmon runs In the 90’s (he’s a hydrogeologist)  He got death threats.  A decade later, we tried to move back to Alaska.  As soon as word got out that he was back, the death threats revived.  We made it nine months and left.  By then we had a small child and weren’t going to risk it.  He was a bush pilot with a PhD and, while he could fly, employers weren’t going to risk it much longer with him on the payroll.

  201. 201.

    Seefleur

    @SFAW: That is great news! My daughter was up that way earlier this summer for a camping trip – she mentioned how weird it was that there was a good coffee shop now. But she didn’t say where it was located.

  202. 202.

    Another Scott

    In other news, WH.gov:

    Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom
    AUGUST 21, 2022
    •
    STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
    President Biden spoke with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom. The leaders affirmed their continued support for Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against Russian aggression. They also discussed the situation at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, including the need to avoid military operations near the plant and the importance of an IAEA visit as soon as feasible to ascertain the state of safety systems. In addition, they discussed ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, the need to strengthen support for partners in the Middle East region, and joint efforts to deter and constrain Iran’s destabilizing regional activities.

    ###

    (Emphasis added.)

    I wonder if announcement of an agreement is coming soon. Several things pointing that way seem to be happening (like UAE’s ambassador returning to Tehran).

    Biden knows how to do this run-the-government stuff.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  203. 203.

    jonas

    @Soprano2: ​
      Some RWNJ pastor near Rochester hosted Lindell and his merry band of MAGA/Q nuts at his church for a weekend-long bath of conspiracy-addled butthurt recently and the NY AG Letitia James apparently warned him that she wouldn’t put up with any threats against federal law enforcement, calls for violence, etc. So of course it was all “‘elp, ‘elp, I’m being repressed! Come see the violence inherent in the system!!” from this guy the past several weeks.

  204. 204.

    jonas

    @Another Scott: ​
     

    Biden knows how to do this run-the-government stuff.

    It really is nice to see a read-out of a conversation between the American president and foreign leaders that isn’t a shitblizzard of ignorance, incompetence and/or dangerous escalation of some crisis. Just normal presidentin’.

  205. 205.

    dkinPa

    @BlueGuitarist: Thank you for this!  I’m in the Odious Mike Kelly district and hadn’t heard who was running against him.  It’s probably an uphill fight, but I threw in a few dollars for him.

  206. 206.

    James E Powell

    @Ivan X:

    Maybe it’s just a kind of last time around thing? He’s posting his best OPS since his first year in Los Angeles of Anaheim.

    He needs five more HRs to pass A-Rod and move into 4th place. I’d like to see him do it.

  213. 213.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Van Buren: ​

    Sounds like you moved to the NN about the same time I left.

    NN = Northern Neck? (Newport News is clearly wrong.) Never heard it referred to as ‘the NN’ in all my decades in Virginia, but usage changes, and I’ve been north of the Potomac since 1998.​
     

    @Steeplejack: ​
      Oh good, I’m not the only one.

  214. 214.

    Brachiator

    @Another Scott:

    DeLong is a voracious reader and knows a lot about a lot – especially history and how it affects economics.

    I have noted your economics links and will try to check some of them out. Thanks.

    Maybe I am just not paying attention, but is Krugman still doing op-ed commentary? I have not seen much of him recently.

  215. 215.

    sab

    I was watching English Premier League  soccer on Telemundo and it was great. Announcers very excited and I could only understand about one word in four, so I missed any snide comments about my team from English speaking announcers.

    And maybe I ‘ll learn more Spanish eventually. They switched my schooling from Spanish to French when we moved north when I was twelve. My new French teacher was Madame Garcia, and she found me answering French questions with Spanish answers to be charmingly hilarious. That garbled my prospects in either language.

  218. 218.

    trollhattan

    @sab: Just the “goooooooooollllllllllllllllllllAZOOOOOOOO!”s are reason enough to watch footy in Spanish.

  220. 220.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @OzarkHillbilly: the AZ legislature has always had its RW whackjobs but until the tea party there were just a few. Overall, the body’s been conservative but not kooky conservative. Now its flipped, its mostly kooky conservative with a few regular conservatives. Rusty Bowers and his non whackjob pals like Jan Brewer shouldn’t have taken the easy road and appeased the kooks but they did and here we are.

  221. 221.

    sab

    @Brachiator: One of the biggest things i miss from Chris Hayes moving from weekends to every night was the guests he could no longer get because they had day jobs. Especially Mrs. Paul Krugman ( Robin Wells). She is micro not macro economist, but she is possibly as bright as him and a much better explainer. He talks faster than I think. She talks slower, possibly because she is from the deep South instead of NYC. Whatever, I could follow her explanations better than his. That’s helpful.

  222. 222.

    trollhattan

    @Jeffro: ​

    someone who probably doesn’t have many friends who work in academia, or journalism, or high up in some expert bureaucracy like public health or the courts.

    IOW most people, some of whom vote Trump. She really can perform a self-colonoscopy at home, can’t she.

  227. 227.

    sab

    @Jackie: At this point I am game for whatever works. But what about Whelan? Is there anyone Russian wandering around the West that Putin even wants back?

  230. 230.

    James E Powell

    @sab:

    I just googled Paul Whelan because I was completely unaware. I read his wikipedia entry.

    How does a person with his background – bad conduct discharge & a long history of dishonesty – get a job as “director of global security and investigations” for a company like BorgWarner?

    He seems like a sketchy person. Why is it important for us to get him back?

  232. 232.

    Kropacetic

    @James E Powell: How does a person with his background – bad conduct discharge & a long history of dishonesty – get a job as “director of global security and investigations” for a company like BorgWarner?

    To add our biological and technological distinctiveness to its own.

  234. 234.

    Brachiator

    @James E Powell:

    Macroeconomics, which is about what we generally call The Economy – inflation, employment, taxes, money, etc – has a lot of useful knowledge, but tends to include way more political ideology than economists will admit. Sometimes it’s like a religion that has splintered into several hostile sects.

    I used to just nod my head in broad agreement with most macroeconomic commentary, but some of the economic reactions to the pandemic led me to pay a little more attention and wonder what some of these people were smoking.

    We heard recently that some of the current inflation is caused by high demand causing a scarcity of goods. And yet bargain hunter and consumer guru Clarke Howard recently spoke about how stores have a glut of appliances and other merchandise and will try hard to get rid of them during Labor Day sales. And I think that Wal-Mart and other retailers have been trying to unload an over supply of clothing and apparel. Where’s the scarcity?

    But then again, I am not an economist, so I must not be looking at it right.

    ETA. I used to enjoy watching Krugman on the Sunday political shows. I thought he could explain economics concepts very well. I thought he was better with macroeconomics than macroeconomics, but he was great at puncturing conservative ideology pretending to be based on economics.

  237. 237.

    prostratedragon

    A summary from Gilberto Gil.
    “Um sonho”
    Lyrics, translated:

    I had a dream
    That I was one day
    At a world congress
    Discussing economics

    Arguing
    For more work
    More commitment, more effort
    More control, more surplus value

    I spoke of poles
    Industrial, of energy
    I discussed in a thousand ways
    How a country grew

    And I fought for
    For economic strength
    Based on the tonic
    Of technology

    I presented
    Statistics and graphics
    I demonstrated the malefics
    Effects of the theory

    Mainly
    That of leisure and rest
    Of the expansion of space
    Cultural space of poetry

    He said at last
    To all present
    That a country will only move forward
    If it works every day

    I was sure
    That everything I said
    Represented the truth
    For everyone who listened

    That’s when an old man
    Got up from his chair
    And came whistling out
    A sad melody

    That sounded like
    A Bachian prelude
    A frevo from Pernambuco
    A choro by Pixinguinha

    And in the salon
    Every mouth smiled
    Every eye looked at me
    All the men left

    One by one
    One by one
    One for one
    One by one

    I stood there
    In that empty hall
    Suddenly I felt cold
    I noticed I was naked

    I woke up
    Startled and still dizzy
    I got up and went at once
    To the sidewalk to see the blue sky

    The students
    And workers passing by
    Laughed and shouted
    Long live the Xingu Indian!

    Long live the Xingu Indian!
    Long live the Xingu Indian!
    Long live the Xingu Indian!
    Long live the Xingu Indian!

  238. 238.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, Phys.org – A different Diet of Worms…:

    In the middle ages, monks, nuns, and friars had it relatively easy. They lived quiet lives within friaries and monastic complexes, reading manuscripts, praying, and tending to gardens in which they grew their own food. They even enjoyed access to toilet facilities, while many of the peasantry at the time lacked even the most basic sanitation.

    You’d therefore expect medieval friars to be less exposed to parasites spread by fecal contamination than the townsfolk who lived around them. But our study, conducted on the remains of 44 medieval citizens of Cambridge, has found the exact opposite. It turns out that the local Augustinian friars were nearly twice as likely as the city’s general population to be infected by one group of parasites: intestinal worms.

    Our findings suggest that something about the lifestyle of friars in medieval England brought them into regular contact with feces, despite their superior facilities. Unfortunately, it’s likely that the holy men’s horticultural pursuits undermined the sanitary benefits bestowed upon them by life in the friary.

    […]

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  239. 239.

    Steeplejack

    @sab:

    I liked (what I remember as) Hayes’s more leisurely, in-depth weekend show. The compressed weeknight hour is not really good for him. I tend to watch Ari Melber and Lawrence O’Donnell, if I’m in a watching mood. Jury still out on Alex Wagner at 9:00.

    Note: Nothing against Joy Reid, but I tend to get viewer fatigue after about an hour, and often I tune in to Melber at 6:00 to get the early take on the day’s developments.

    Further note: I also like Nicolle Wallace, but 4:00-6:00 is a really inconvenient slot for me. Ditto for Stephanie Ruhle at 11:00.

  240. 240.

    Brachiator

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    DeLong was my birth name. Every time I see a comment about him, it jumps out at me!

    Ha! Yeah, I can understand how that could happen.

    The name makes me think of puns and odd bits of wordplay. DeLong and de short of it. The Paul McCartney song DeLong and Winding Road.

  247. 247.

    Cmorenc

    @Another Scott:

    When my daughter was struggling with med-math in nursing school, i was fortunately able to convincingly demonstrate to her that if you first do the math on a problem using *only* the units, no numbers – then if you have set the problem up correctly, the answer will be in terms of the correct expected units.  Only then work the actual numbers.

  249. 249.

    Another Scott

    @Steeplejack: Yeah, the change was surprising.

    I’m reminded that one had to have a city sticker for cars in Chicago when I was there for college in the early ’80s.  I think it was $72 a year in 1982?  Something like that.  More than the purchase cost of the 1966 Oldsmobile I was driving at the time (bought from a friend).

    It was spendy to be a starving student there!  :-)

    And taxes are too low for people who can afford it in Virginia.  The state income tax is ridiculous (the top bracket starts at $17,000.)

    [/onion-on-belt]

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  250. 250.

    J R in WV

    @MagdaInBlack: ​
     

    I didn’t go into my marriage expecting to be hostile to my in-laws. But wow they made it hard to be kind.

    MIL was a narcissist, father in law was sweet when sober, but mostly a mean drunk. i tried… wife was understanding. All gone now.

    MIL wanted to retire to live with daughter, who was having none of it. Told her mom, “If you moved in. husband would move out!” and MIL said, “That would be OK…” MIL didn’t understand if I moved, Wife would also be moving… anyways, never happened. Moved to a retirement complex.

  252. 252.

    J R in WV

    @dnfree: ​
     

    I’ve spoken with Raja Krishnamoorthi on the phone at least a couple of time, and contributed to his first couple of races. Seems like a good guy to me. I don’t contribute to him now, as once they’re in office and reelected once or twice, I feel like they’ve got it down, and we move on to new trouble-makers. Like Sharice Davids…

  254. 254.

    sab

    @J R in WV: Yikes. I never met my current ( late) inlaws. They died before we got married. My previous in laws were lovely people. I wish their son could have been more like them.

  255. 255.

    Another Scott

    @Cmorenc: Neat.

    One of my favorite AP teachers made that sound sexy by calling it Dimensional Analysis*.  It really does work, and immediately tells you when you’re on the wrong track.

    * – It looks like it’s called the (Warning – rabbit-hole:) the Factor-Label Method now.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  256. 256.

    Another Scott

    @trollhattan: It looks like it is a bit of both.  The Manheim link he points to has some chicken-entrail gazing.

    3 year old used cars being offered for more than new list prices isn’t sustainable, and it’s good to see things are finally correcting.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  257. 257.

    MagdaInBlack

    @J R in WV: When my husband died ( 25 years ago) my SIL and MIL behaved so horribly that I drew the line and walked away from all of them. It was the smartest thing I did at that effed up time. I’ve never once missed any of them.

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