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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Saturday Morning Open Thread: New Year’s Eve

Saturday Morning Open Thread: New Year’s Eve

by Anne Laurie|  December 31, 20225:11 am| 144 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat

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Saturday Morning Open Thread: New Year's Eve

(Liz Climo via GoComics.com)

 

.@POTUS and @FLOTUS are currently taping an interview with @RyanSeacrest for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve show. It’s being filmed remotely from St. Croix.

— Akayla Gardner (@gardnerakayla) December 30, 2022

.@POTUS has long held an unwavering vision that we can rebuild the middle class. And we’re making that vision a reality.

After building the most significant legislative record since LBJ, 2023 will be a big year delivering for the American people. https://t.co/yJAdHOnUYE

— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) December 28, 2022

President Joe Biden spent hours during his first foreign trip behind closed doors, attempting to reassure a shaken group of US allies that America was back. It was clear, he later told advisers, just how much work remained to convince them of the durability of that commitment.

Eighteen months after those meetings in Europe, Biden departed Washington on Tuesday for his year-end vacation, riding the momentum of historic legislative success and the defiance of political gravity that has reshaped the expectations for the critical months – and decisions – ahead. It’s a moment that Biden never seemed to doubt would come, even as his party – and some inside the White House – questioned or outright urged a change in approach to address political and economic headwinds driven primarily by soaring inflation that threatened to drag down his presidency…

Biden’s anticipated final major action before the end of 2022 serves as an almost poetic coda for his first two years. The $1.7 trillion bipartisan spending package he [has signed] will lock in key funding priorities and include an overhaul of the law his predecessor cited in the lead up to the January 6 riot.

The turn from aspirational goals to palpable accomplishments – highlighted over the last several months by Biden’s travel to major corporate groundbreakings in states like Ohio, Arizona and Michigan – underpins the sharp reversal for the White House. That turnaround serves as evidence of Biden’s steely belief in his strategies and policy proposals –an approach deeply rooted over his decades in public service.

“One thing that is foundational with him is if he says he’s going to do something, he does it,” Steve Ricchetti, one of Biden’s closest and longest-serving advisers, told CNN in an interview, underscoring an approach that has been defined by steady, and at times stubborn, persistence…

White House officials view the political salience of his agenda as both an underappreciated element of their ability to defy the expectations of sweeping GOP gains in the midterms and as a critical piece of what comes next. The prospect of divided government – and the exceedingly narrow legislative pathway it brings – has limited effect on an agenda that is now in the implementation phase.

“It forms the foundation for even stronger achievements as the nation heads into the New Year,” Mike Donilon, the White House senior adviser and long-standing member of Biden’s inner circle, wrote in a political memo circulated to allies this month.

Biden, advisers said, has laid down strict directives to senior aides and Cabinet officials about the necessity of efficient implementation in the months ahead.

“It’s not subtle,” a senior administration official said of the message from the top. “We have to get it right and in the moments we don’t, we damn well be ready to explain it – and fix it.”…

65 bipartisan bills signed before end of the year.
Thank you, @POTUS. pic.twitter.com/YdL3lED9mI

— KAMALA NATION (@KamalaNation) December 29, 2022

Be warned: Peter Baker’s wife Susan Glasser would very much like to turn the New Yorker into the FTFNYTimes…

Joe Biden is I, Clavdivs. Stutterer, underestimated, took power after a Deep State coup against a freak. Massive infrastructure bill. https://t.co/LkQ72OwS5d

— Pomodoro (Dad Joke Era) (@ilpomodoro2) December 30, 2022

Week in review. pic.twitter.com/xq7kSBhOkS

— KAMALA NATION (@KamalaNation) December 30, 2022

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Previous Post: « Late Night Open Thread: Is There Nothing the Billionaires Don’t Want to Ruin?
Next Post: Excellent Read: The Pandemic — What Even the Experts Didn’t See Coming »

Reader Interactions

144Comments

  1. 1.

    Elizabelle

    December 31, 2022 at 5:19 am

    Happy New Year’s Eve, jackals. Coffee now, sparkling later.

  2. 2.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 31, 2022 at 5:23 am

    New years eve… Blech.

  3. 3.

    Baud

    December 31, 2022 at 5:25 am

    @Elizabelle:

    You too, EB.

  4. 4.

    Baud

    December 31, 2022 at 5:26 am

    65 bipartisan bills signed before end of the year.

    And no one talks about bipartisanship anymore just like no one cares about the deficit when Republicans are in charge.

  5. 5.

    mrmoshpotato

    December 31, 2022 at 5:29 am

    We’ll be staying in and ordering pizza to eat while watching football.

  6. 6.

    WereBear

    December 31, 2022 at 5:40 am

    The fireworks launch is a walkable distance and we usually try to get the cats prepared for it. We walk around like it’s no thing and reassuring them “the booms” will be over soon.

    And the booms don’t come in here.

  7. 7.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 31, 2022 at 5:45 am

    From the Guardian:

    The richest Russian oligarchs have lost almost $95bn this year amid sanctions imposed by western nations over the Ukraine war – shedding $330m a day since the Kremlin launched its invasion. Roman Abramovich, the former Chelsea FC owner, was the biggest loser, with his fortune falling by 57% to $7.8bn this year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

    Pobrecitos…

  8. 8.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 5:53 am

    @WereBear:   We have fireworks and gunfire here (years ago gunfire took out my cable), and I have a new dog.  I hope she will be ok.

    Gawd I hate both.

  9. 9.

    WereBear

    December 31, 2022 at 5:59 am

    Picking up on the previous thread, is there anything quite so useless as a billionaire? I see them as less than talented: more like lucky, whether in the circumstances of their birth or having one of their plans marketed until the cracks show.

    Money is all they think about or care about. It shows. And it’s highly unlikely they ever realize they actually can’t buy such intangibles as self-worth, significant accomplishments, and a sense of self.

    That CEO of GE, Jack Welch, was supposed to be such a genius. But he’s a real control freak and only knows stock values. Recently learned his daughter and family have cut them off for his grandstanding over their child being on the spectrum.

    He’s the money behind Autism Speaks, which demonizes these children. Their ads used to come this-close to advocating such children on the euthanasia list for the suffering they inflict on their parents.

    So. No wonder.

    That’s what he uses his money for. The least we can do is regard them as the pathetic wastes of plasma that they are.

  10. 10.

    WereBear

    December 31, 2022 at 6:03 am

    On a separate note, I’m seeing constant signs of “business by spreadsheet” which I what I call whatever teams of MBAs are busy ignoring specs like length of screws, strength of construction, or integrity of design.

    Just keep slashing costs so the number at the bottom isn’t red. That’s all they do, all day…

  11. 11.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 6:06 am

    @WereBear:   That has been going on for decades, nothing new.  Are you seeing a bigger emphasis lately?

  12. 12.

    WereBear

    December 31, 2022 at 6:06 am

    @eclare: Ours are not bad enough to need meds, but I’d get them if I had to.

  13. 13.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 6:08 am

    @WereBear:   I will def get meds for Lucy for next time if she freaks out.  Got Trazadone for Sophie before, which worked wonders.

  14. 14.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 31, 2022 at 6:12 am

    @eclare: Heh, I take Trazadone for sleep. Sometimes it even works, especially if I pair it with a benadryl.

  15. 15.

    raven

    December 31, 2022 at 6:20 am

    @eclare: Hey!  Sorry I missed your question. The tickets are a fun story. When my wife broke her foot this summer I started taking Artie to the dog park at the VFW about a mile from out house. It’s been there for years but I never had gone because Bohdi and Lil Bit wanted nothing to do with such foolishness. My wife had been taking Artie for long walks but her injury made that impossible. Artie is awful with other dogs when she is leashed so it was a shot in the dark to take her there. It turns out that, by-and-large, she’s just a dog when you unleash her so I’ve become a regular. There is a wide array of people and dogs who go there and one of them works for the UGA Athletic Department. He and his pup are only  weekend park visitors and he and I talk sports a great deal and he knows I’m not only a huge Dawg fan but that sports are central to my being. When we got back from the beach at Thanksgiving  another dog park character said “hey, I hear you are going to the national championship if we go”! He said this other fellow had told him he was going to let me have his comp tickets. Well, I’ve hung with him every Saturday since and he never said a word about it so I figured it had fallen through. Christmas Day we were up I Virginia and he texted me and said they were mine if I wanted them! I about fell out and said “heck yes I want them, thanks so much”! So that is how I go the tix! I guess a side note is that I made airline reservations on Southwest way back in October thinking that, if we go, I want to make it. My family is in LA and my sister lives in Hawthorne right by the airport so she is two miles from the stadium. This is all a big if because we have to beat Ohio State tonight for it all to come together but it’s pretty exciting. We are obviously the best team in college football but that doesn’t mean they can’t beat us! GO DAWG!

     

    PS He had told me that the comps they get are not great seats but that is minor. I also don’t know how much, if anything, he’s going to need for them but I don’t really care!

  16. 16.

    raven

    December 31, 2022 at 6:24 am

    @eclare: It’s so weird, I’ve talked about how Artie has PTSD from her tortured past. She cowers if you step on an acorn behind her, the slightest noise send her into a tizzy but when they unload with the fireworks two houses down it doesn’t bother her at all. She’s a funny little pup.

  17. 17.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 6:25 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:   Ugh.  I bet that leaves you woozy the next day.  But it is so frustrating not to sleep.  I have never been a good sleeper or napper, even as a child.  I once dated a guy who fell asleep in the car on a ten minute drive to Target.  I was so jealous.

  18. 18.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 6:26 am

    @raven:   Go Dawgs!  Hopefully Lucy will be ok too.

  19. 19.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 6:30 am

    @raven:   Go Dawgs!  Hopefully Lucy will be ok too.

    Just read about your tickets…awesome!  You never know what will happen when you meet people.  I fully expect Dawgs will beat THE Ohio State, and you’ll be in the championship game.

  20. 20.

    WereBear

    December 31, 2022 at 6:33 am

    @raven: I now have a reason to root for a football team. Doing it for you, raven :)

  21. 21.

    raven

    December 31, 2022 at 6:33 am

    @eclare: The dog park is quite the community. There are some goofy people and whacky dogs but, all-in-all, it’s really cool. I take her there a couple of time a day and I even rejoined the VFW because I appreciate the place!

  22. 22.

    raven

    December 31, 2022 at 6:35 am

    @WereBear: Every Lil Bit helps! Honestly the chance of us winning two in a row are not great, very few teams have done it, but we are really good!

  23. 23.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 6:36 am

    @raven:   Awww, that’s nice.  Sounds like a great place.

  24. 24.

    Geminid

    December 31, 2022 at 6:39 am

    @Baud: 65 Bipartisan bills signed so far this term? Eeew!

    We need to know which Democrats are in that #@*% Problem Solvers Caucus so we can primary them!

  25. 25.

    raven

    December 31, 2022 at 6:40 am

    @eclare: Here’s another shot. 

  26. 26.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2022 at 6:41 am

    Have been busily exploring old radio program rabbit holes on YouTube. For the science fiction minded, from the BBC in 1961, Orbit 1 Zero.

    Episodes 1 & 2 — Episodes 3 & 4 — Episodes 5 & 6
    (Audio slightly fades in and out occasionally, but only for a second or two.)
    .
    Classic horror more your bag?

    Dracula (Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater).

    Or maybe prefer simply getting comfy and marking that it’s New Year’s Eve? Can do, with The Great Gildersleeve.

    :)

  27. 27.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 6:42 am

    @raven:   That looks more like a people park with some dogs!

  28. 28.

    mrmoshpotato

    December 31, 2022 at 6:43 am

    @WereBear:

    And it’s highly unlikely they ever realize they actually can’t buy such intangibles as self-worth, significant accomplishments, and a sense of self. 

    And they also can’t buy people not thinking they’re sentient sacks of shit.

  29. 29.

    Geminid

    December 31, 2022 at 6:43 am

    One of my New Year’s resolutions is to stop worrying about when Ron Klain is gonna call me. I’m beginning to think he doesn’t need to.

  30. 30.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 31, 2022 at 6:45 am

    @eclare: I bet that leaves you woozy the next day.

    Actually, it doesn’t. No hangover effects at all. I’ve taken anti depressants that had an absolutely horrible effect on me such that I swore, “Never again.”

    I once dated a guy who fell asleep in the car on a ten minute drive to Target.

    That used to be me. I could sleep any time, anywhere, in any conditions. Now it’s almost the opposite. I can’t fall asleep at any and all times, in any and all places, in any and all conditions. Except for after dinner, that is food coma time.

  31. 31.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 6:47 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:   I’m glad the drugs don’t have any affect.  Benadryl sometimes leaves me dizzy the next day.

    I had a food coma nap from about 6 pm to 9 pm last night.  Been up since then.

  32. 32.

    mrmoshpotato

    December 31, 2022 at 6:48 am

    @raven: Wow.  That’s awesome.  Go Dawgs!

  33. 33.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 31, 2022 at 6:49 am

    @raven: Billie Jean would love that park if only she could get rid of all those hoomans.

  34. 34.

    Aussie Sheila

    December 31, 2022 at 6:51 am

    @Geminid: Heh! Not taking anything from Biden, who appointed him after all, but Klain has to be one of the best CoS of all time.

    The Administration has been by far the best in my political memory.

  35. 35.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 6:53 am

    @Aussie Sheila:   It’s almost like experience matters!

    \\snark

  36. 36.

    RandomMonster

    December 31, 2022 at 6:53 am

    I’ve had it with 2022 and hereby demand that it end today.

  37. 37.

    Aussie Sheila

    December 31, 2022 at 6:59 am

    @eclare: Yes. Politics is a skill, and long practice improves performance. Who knew? 🧐

  38. 38.

    Joey Maloney

    December 31, 2022 at 7:03 am

    @Aussie Sheila: You know how you can  tell Klain is a great CoS? He’s invisible. How many times in the last two years have you even seen his name mentioned in a news story? The story is never about him, it’s about the President getting things done. Not only is he good at the job, but it’s known how completely he has POTUS’ confidence that there’s no percentage in it for staffers or anyone to whisper gossip about him into a journalist’s ear.

  39. 39.

    lowtechcyclist

    December 31, 2022 at 7:04 am

    Just want to say, as 2022 winds down, that I’ve never been so proud to be a Democrat as I have been this year.  I’ve just been amazed at the way Biden, Pelosi, Schumer & Co. have come through.

    And this is really good news for 2023:

    Biden, advisers said, has laid down strict directives to senior aides and Cabinet officials about the necessity of efficient implementation in the months ahead.

    “It’s not subtle,” a senior administration official said of the message from the top. “We have to get it right and in the moments we don’t, we damn well be ready to explain it – and fix it.”…

    I used to subscribe to the Washington Monthly back in the 1980s and 1990s. And implementation was one thing Charles Peters, who ran the magazine, was big on.  He regularly made the point that you can pass all the fancy bills you want, but it’s how they’re implemented that will determine how much those bills will really mean in people’s lives.

    Given how long Biden’s been around, and how much he’s accomplished already, it doesn’t surprise me that he’s got his eye on the ball here, too, but it’s still good to know.

  40. 40.

    Low Key Swagger

    December 31, 2022 at 7:05 am

    Ending the year spending time with our kids, starting the new year spending time with our kids.  There is no greater joy for a parent than when your adult children like to hang out with you. Here’s hoping you Jackals have a safe and happy New Year.

  41. 41.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 7:07 am

    @Joey Maloney:   Absolutely.  I don’t think I knew CoS names until TFG, and then it was only in a bad way.

    Who were Obama’s CoS’s?  I have no idea.

  42. 42.

    Baud

    December 31, 2022 at 7:15 am

    @eclare:

    Rahm!

    How could you forget?

  43. 43.

    eclare

    December 31, 2022 at 7:17 am

    @Baud:

    Ah, so true!  A nine fingered ballet dancer.

  44. 44.

    lowtechcyclist

    December 31, 2022 at 7:27 am

    @Joey Maloney: ​
     

    You know how you can tell Klain is a great CoS? He’s invisible. How many times in the last two years have you even seen his name mentioned in a news story?

    I know, right? I bet fewer than one out of ten Americans could even tell you who he is. Even political junkies like me completely forget about him for long periods of time.

    But having someone of his skill and experience in that role will be extremely important as the Administration goes about implementing all that legislation that got passed this year.

  45. 45.

    WereBear

    December 31, 2022 at 7:32 am

    Competence. Such a breath of fresh air. I think it’s a child’s view to see oneself as the center of the world and carry about about EXcellence!

    When just getting the damn job done right is so much more important in the scheme of things. Be part of THAT, people. Give it a whack.

  46. 46.

    Raven

    December 31, 2022 at 7:36 am

    @eclare: There is a woman who comes without a dog!

  47. 47.

    lowtechcyclist

    December 31, 2022 at 7:39 am

    @Baud:

    Rahm!

    How could you forget?

    I’ve done my level best to block out the very memory of his existence, that’s how. :-D

    I rarely remember past CoSes, but I almost always know who they are at the time.  Hell, I probably knew who the CoS was in the Nixon Administration, but I couldn’t tell you now. But that’s why I find Klain’s invisibility impressive.

    Hell, the overall lack of gossip about the inner workings of the Biden Administration is extremely impressive. It suggests to me that everybody there is primarily focused on just doing their jobs and getting shit done.

  48. 48.

    David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch

    December 31, 2022 at 7:41 am

    a spectacular fireworks show begins at the top of the hour over the Sydney Harbour Bridge (live video)

  49. 49.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 31, 2022 at 7:44 am

    @lowtechcyclist: ​It was that way in Obama’s Admin too. trump’s admin was rife with dysfunction.

  50. 50.

    Geminid

    December 31, 2022 at 7:51 am

    @NotMax: I think radio plays are great. Video sucks up peoples attention, but radio content can be enjoyed while carrying on other life activities like cleaning, cooking and driving. For similar reasons, I like baseball games on radio. They’re just so laid back.

    When I watch TV baseball games I get bombarded with replays, soundbites, charts of statistics and derivative statistics: WAR, RISP, RSVP, WTF etc. The idea is to dominate my consciousness and it just drives me crazy.

  51. 51.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2022 at 7:52 am

    @Raven

    Just for you, a roundabout fish tale from 1939.

    :)

  52. 52.

    geg6

    December 31, 2022 at 7:54 am

    So my family is finally celebrating our Christmas today.  Between the ridiculously cold weather last weekend and various family members with stomach viruses, we just put it off until now.  My recently widowed sister is hosting me and my John, my younger sister and her husband, my oldest sister and her husband, my brother and his girlfriend, my oldest niece and her husband, their two little ones, my younger college-age niece and our late cousin Marilyn’s wife.  I’m looking forward to it.  We haven’t all been together all at once since last summer.  A good way to usher in the new year.  Having temps in the 50s doesn’t hurt.

  53. 53.

    geg6

    December 31, 2022 at 7:57 am

    @Geminid:

    This is exactly why I have become a big fan of podcasts.

  54. 54.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    December 31, 2022 at 7:59 am

    I’m not sure, but I seem to be depressed. I’m in that state where there’s nothing I want to do. Maybe because I’m finishing up a book? Maybe because it’s the dark time of the year? Experience tells me it will go away eventually. Happy New Year!

  55. 55.

    JMG

    December 31, 2022 at 8:01 am

    For Raven’s sake I will try to watch all of Georgia-Ohio St., which should bring me right up to the EST ball drops, but I’m not making any promises. I cannot remember the last time I was up until the New Year. Had to be 5 years ago minimum. Gonna roast a chicken for which we’ve saved a bottle of Meursault.

  56. 56.

    hedgehog mobile

    December 31, 2022 at 8:07 am

    Happy New Year, jackals.  Going to an Avalanche game tonight with a friend; depending on how the evening shakes out, bubbly and a movie, maybe Glass Onion.  Grateful for this community and for competence in the White House.

  57. 57.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    December 31, 2022 at 8:12 am

    @Geminid: Didn’t Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy start as a serialized radio play? I seem to recall people talking about this thing. Which for some reason I remember being on Sunday nights. Then later it was a TV show.

    Not sure when the books came out, I only know I read them when I finally got curious after hearing about it in these other media.

  58. 58.

    Percysowner

    December 31, 2022 at 8:14 am

    @raven: ​
     My Shiloh is the same. When I got her she froze and then tried to run from any loud, sharp sound. Once I had to literally carry her home because someone was putting a new roof on their house and the sound of hammering scared her so much. I was so worried about fireworks for her. But she’s fine. Apparently being in her house with her mom and her furry friends means all those nasty loud noises won’t hurt her. She sleeps right through fireworks.

  59. 59.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    December 31, 2022 at 8:14 am

    We often hang out with Quakers on New Years Eve. They have a running joke about “Quaker Midnight” as often they start going home from the NYE party around 11 pm.

  60. 60.

    Elizabelle

    December 31, 2022 at 8:16 am

    Get your grapes, jackals.  If you celebrate this way, you’re meant to eat a grape on each beat of the clock after the stroke of midnight.  Best that they are small and seedless grapes, for this purpose.

    You can celebrate Barcelona time at 6 pm Eastern.  Eat an extra grape for Ron Klain and Dark Brandon, if you like!

    Food Republic:
    12 Grapes At Midnight: Spain’s Great New Year’s Eve Tradition, And Superstition
    Discovering who is más macho at midnight

    Eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve is both a tradition and a superstition in Spain. Rare is the Spaniard who will risk poisoning their fate for the coming year by skipping the grapes, one for each stroke of midnight.

    Americans may giddily greet the New Year downing a glass of champagne and grabbing a kiss at the drop of the ball. But the first 12 seconds of the Spaniards’ New Year are somewhat quieter and more intense, as everyone focuses on eating all 12 of the “miraculous grapes” that symbolize 12 lucky months ahead.

  61. 61.

    New Deal democrat

    December 31, 2022 at 8:18 am

    Since this info didn’t get posted until the end of the COVID thread yesterday, I just wanted to warn people to be extra cautious about gatherings tonight.

    There’s a new variant in town – XBB.1.5 – and it is fastly outcompeting the rest of the Alphabet soup variants. In the Northeast, it has increased the level of infections as measured by wastewater to the highest of all time except for the initial March-April 2020 wave, and last winter’s Omicron. This took place as XBB.1.5 rapidly rose there over about 4 weeks from negligible to 75% of all cases.

    XBB.1.5 is less than 20% of infections in all three other Census regions.

    in short, while this isn’t as bad as last winter, it is probably going to be worse than all other waves for infections. And there is evidence that it is driving hospitalizations higher than at any point since original Omicron.

    Here’s a thread by Dr. Eric Topol on the concerns about this new variant:

    https://mobile.twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1608871852352438272

    Bottom line: absolutely mask up in congested outdoor venues, and insist on testing for all participants in indoor gatherings tonight, even among vaccinated family and friends.

  62. 62.

    Elizabelle

    December 31, 2022 at 8:23 am

    Here’s a youtube of Big Ben chiming on the hour.  Starts about 27 seconds in.  (There’s a countdown just before.)  From 2015.  Which Prime Minister was that ….

  63. 63.

    Betsy

    December 31, 2022 at 8:27 am

    Got to go seek out some hog jowl before it’s too late.

    I always put it off in the pre-Christmas rush, and then either sink into a lassitude by the fourth or fifth day of Christmas, or get occupied with year-end review and planning for the coming year, or both.

    Sometimes I dig some hog jowl out of the depths of the freezer from a year ago, but that seems contrary to the spirit of things.

    BEPs, I have  some around here probably.

    Collards or turnip greens – my family never did that part, just hog jowl and BEPs.

    (Throughout the year we ate turnip greens on the regular, but collards were, I guess, de trop.)

  64. 64.

    Betsy

    December 31, 2022 at 8:28 am

    @New Deal democrat: I’m on the far outer edge of cautious, but even I have tuned Topol out at this point.

    Still, I wear an N-95 in all indoor settings.

  65. 65.

    JPL

    December 31, 2022 at 8:29 am

    @Geminid:  Klain is a fascinating character and someone I would love to have coffee with.

  66. 66.

    Betsy

    December 31, 2022 at 8:29 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Heh

  67. 67.

    Spanky

    December 31, 2022 at 8:47 am

    @Betsy:

    Our Betsy hath provided this
    In honour of the King of Bliss;
    Which on this day to be servèd is
    In Regimensi atrio.

  68. 68.

    mrmoshpotato

    December 31, 2022 at 8:47 am

    @Betsy:

    Got to go seek out some hog jowl before it’s too late. 

    Go on…

  69. 69.

    Spanky

    December 31, 2022 at 8:50 am

    Ah, I see ex-Pope Bennie has kicked it.

    And only 95 too.

  70. 70.

    sab

    December 31, 2022 at 8:54 am

    OT My favorite cat Starscream has been on medication for hyperthyroid for about a year and a half. Then he got kidney disease. He has wasted away from 16 pounds to 9 in the last few months. Then the last yesterday he really took a downturn. He’s down to 7 pounds. He won’t eat or drink and he is pretty listless. But he still seems to want to be near me. Vet only has half day hours today. Right now cat is curled up in bed beside me and doesn’t seem uncomfortable.

    I can’t decide whether to let him stay peacefully at home or try to get him into the vet or metropet hospital for last ditch efforts to prolong his life. He doesn’t seem to be in pain, just kind of out of it.

  71. 71.

    Kay

    December 31, 2022 at 8:54 am

    By German Lopez
    Dec. 30, 2022
    At the start of this year, America’s crime trends looked grim: Murders had spiked at a record speed in 2020 and increased further in 2021.
    But now that the year is ending, it’s clear that the violence has eased.
    Murders in large U.S. cities are down more than 5 percent so far in 2022 compared to the same time last year, according to the research firm AH Datalytics. Gun deaths, injuries and mass shootings are also down this year. What happened? To regular readers of this newsletter, the explanations may be familiar: .

    The explanation is familiar to me-they ended the crime panic after the midterm elections were over. Otherwise, why wait a year to report on a trend that started last January?

  72. 72.

    2liberal

    December 31, 2022 at 8:55 am

    good morning.  blech.  fishing!   Baud20xx.

    The House is going to suck for the next two years.

    Best wishes to all for good health and good luck with all pets in 2023.

  73. 73.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 31, 2022 at 8:56 am

    @Spanky:

    Caput apri defero
    Reddens laudes Domino

  74. 74.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    December 31, 2022 at 9:00 am

    duplicate deleted

  75. 75.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    December 31, 2022 at 9:02 am

    @Spanky:

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I believe that carol is of a type called “Macaronic” because the boar’s head is traditionally served atop a bed of Kraft Mac & Cheese

  76. 76.

    Ohio Mom

    December 31, 2022 at 9:12 am

    @Kay: German Lopez started out at Cincinnati’s weekly alternative paper. People were excited and quite proud when he left for bigger ponds but now I see he’s turned into a jerk. Oh well.

  77. 77.

    Nicole

    December 31, 2022 at 9:22 am

    What a lovely post and comments to be reading over morning coffee.  I’m mentally getting ready for my first run in a few weeks (3 miles, not too far; it’s been awhile).

    Especially enjoying the dog comments.  We got approved by a rescue group here in NYC (approval is good for a year) but after spending the week with my brother’s family and their new, adorable, but very labor-intensive puppy, I have decided the 12-year-old’s room needs to be in better shape before we adopt a new dog.  Dear Ripley was perfect indoors, and knew the difference between her toys and his toys within 3 weeks of us getting her, but I can’t count on winning the lottery twice there.  So I’m happy living vicariously through other people’s dogs right now.

    Funny anecdote about my brother’s family’s puppy- the rescue place they adopted him from guessed he was a mini-Pinscher mix, and a dog about 20 pounds as an adult is what they wanted, so they figured, good fit.  He was a wee six-pound thing when they got him… a month later he was 10 pounds, and when I met him in November I thought he looked… kinda leggy for a mini Pinscher.  I told my sister-in-law the DNA panels you can run on dogs aren’t that expensive and can be fun so she ordered one.  They got the results right before Christmas and he is, in order of percentage, a mix of German Shepherd, Chihuahua, Golden Retriever, Beagle, Pit bull and about a dozen drops of other things, but no mini-Pinscher.  Estimated adult weight is between 40-65 pounds (he was already 20 pounds at Christmas and the milk teeth aren’t all out yet).  He’s adorable, and really, really smart and eager to please, so I think he’s going to work out just fine, but a reminder to me if one adopts a mixed breed puppy, one REALLY has to keep an open mind, because you really don’t know what you’re going to get!

  78. 78.

    kalakal

    December 31, 2022 at 9:27 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Didn’t Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy start as a serialized radio play?

    It sure did. An awful lot of British comedy starts/started out as radio shows on BBC Radio 4 – these days it’s podcasts as well. Some go on to TV etc . Programs include Hitchhiker’s, Mitchell & Webb, Armstrong & Miller, Old Harry’s Game, Cabin Pressure, Goodness Gracious Me, Elvenquest, I’m sorry I haven’t a clue, and Bleak Expectations. Going a long way back Steptoe and Son which became Sandford and Son here started as a Radio 4 play.

    A lot of writers prefer radio as they can really go wild with their imagination without budgetery constraints and, as Andy Hamilton puts it “The pictures are better on radio”

    I love radio comedy

  79. 79.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    December 31, 2022 at 9:28 am

    @eclare: Yes, decades.  Also fabricators who run out of fastener “A” and use wherever is at hand.  I did an inventory in the 90s for a colleague that consisted of 26 different kinds of fasteners in a traveling museum exhibition.  We did lots of federal government paperwork to record the firm’s incompetence (it also did not follow any specs from use or the designer).

  80. 80.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2022 at 9:29 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym

    if memory serves, book first, then BBC radio adaptation (and a mighty fine one at that) not long after. Still have all the original episodes on a reel to reel tape, thanks to the public radio station in Hershey broadcasting them.

  81. 81.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 31, 2022 at 9:35 am

    The Dogs of 2022
    Got a little dusty in here.

  82. 82.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2022 at 9:35 am

    @kalakal

    Know for a fact I’d read the book first as was curious how it would work over the air when first heard about that. Perhaps the radio version was delayed for U.S. release.

  83. 83.

    indycat32

    December 31, 2022 at 9:37 am

    @sab: Personally, I’d keep him at home. Sounds like it may be his time.

  84. 84.

    lowtechcyclist

    December 31, 2022 at 9:39 am

    @Spanky: ​
     

    The message board that used to be my main online hangout has an annual Death Pool. You list 13 celebrity names before the clock strikes midnight tonight, and over the course of the year you get points (100 – (age at death)) if people on your list die.

    The very recent deaths of Pele, Barbara Walters, and now Benedict have caused a lot of revisions to a lot of lists, needless to say.

  85. 85.

    PBK

    December 31, 2022 at 9:41 am

    @sab: Please try to have him seen.  He’s probably dehydrated and fluids will help with the listlessness.  An appetite stimulant might be useful also.  Good luck.

  86. 86.

    Nukular Biskits

    December 31, 2022 at 9:41 am

    Mornin, all!

  87. 87.

    kalakal

    December 31, 2022 at 9:43 am

    @NotMax: Quite likely. I know the radio was first in the UK, I was absolutely hooked. Then there was the book and they also put out a book of the scripts. The 1st TV series was really disappointing, – they just didn’t have the budget so it looked awful – but the radio series was brilliant

  88. 88.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2022 at 9:47 am

    @kalakal

    Also darn good radio adaptations of the Foundation trilogy and also the first Star Wars movie.

    Mention also made that All in the Family sprang from the British series Til Death Do Us Part.

  89. 89.

    Brachiator

    December 31, 2022 at 9:49 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    That used to be me. I could sleep any time, anywhere, in any conditions. Now it’s almost the opposite.

    You and I are in similar boats. I used to be able to easily fall asleep. I could also take effective short naps and wake up reasonably refreshed. This came in handy with a couple of jobs that featured some long hour days.

    Now, some days are okay, but I get hit with bouts of insomnia. It can get frustrating.

  90. 90.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 31, 2022 at 9:53 am

    @Brachiator: ​Insomnia sucks donkey d. I never thought I’d have to deal with it when I got older, but here I am.

  91. 91.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2022 at 9:54 am

    @Brachiator

    Do those who are vehemently anti-woke suffer insomnia?

    //

  92. 92.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    December 31, 2022 at 9:56 am

    @Nicole: My son and DIL always adopt older rescue dogs. The dogs are housebroken and adapt well to their two-working-adults household. Because of their past lives, they often have quirks it takes a while to learn, so they do take patience.

  93. 93.

    Kay

    December 31, 2022 at 10:01 am

    @Ohio Mom:

    I think a crime panic probably helps Right wing candidates but harms real estate values and business interests who depend on people leaving their homes and showing up, so they were due for a “revision”.

    Lower taxes and no regulation gained by carryng water for Republicans (plus) is offset by reduced property values and profits (minus). It isn’t great for a city for the Paper of Record to be screeching “this place is a violent helllhole. Stay away!” That the MAYOR was also doing it is amazing- “the city I run sucks” – I’ve never seen that before.

  94. 94.

    kalakal

    December 31, 2022 at 10:05 am

    @NotMax: I’d forgotten the Death do us part/All in the family one.

    One I really liked was Cabin Pressure 

    Here’s the very first bit

    https://soundcloud.com/larkofthesky/cabin-pressure-s01-e01-abu-dhabi

    Another I’d recommend is Bleak Expectations

    Both of those were only radio series

  95. 95.

    lowtechcyclist

    December 31, 2022 at 10:05 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Didn’t Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy start as a serialized radio play?

    Others have already answered this, but I thought I’d add that the first two books (HHG and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe) were based (loosely!) on the radio shows.  The subsequent books weren’t.

  96. 96.

    kalakal

    December 31, 2022 at 10:09 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: It sure does, I’ve had it on and off for years. I seem to have a very narrow window of when I can get to sleep, miss it and I’m up all night.

    To add to the fun, I find it impossible to sleep in, once I’m awake, I’m awake and as I have a jerk of a cat who headbutts me every morning at 6am as it’s food time…

    Only thing that helped was I used to read myself to sleep but audiobooks work even better ( for me anyway )

  97. 97.

    Brachiator

    December 31, 2022 at 10:10 am

    @Aussie Sheila:

    Not taking anything from Biden, who appointed him after all, but Klain has to be one of the best CoS of all time.

    I didn’t know much about him. I see that he was CoS for both Al Gore and Biden when they were VP. Klain is noted for his organizational skills.

    Yep. Biden appears to have a very good team.

  98. 98.

    mali muso

    December 31, 2022 at 10:18 am

    @kalakal: I rely on audiobooks to put me to sleep pretty much every night nowadays.  Between Scribd, Audible, and Hoopla, there is always something to “read”.

    Anyone have good tips and ideas for creative ways to use a surplus of smoked salmon? We were gifted a fillet (16oz) and beyond adding it to scrambled eggs, salmon dip and croquettes, I’m looking for ways to include it in future meal plans.

  99. 99.

    Anotherlurker

    December 31, 2022 at 10:19 am

    @Percysowner: It is such a pleasure when our pets sleep thru audible assaults.

    My first Golden Retriever, Bella was an abused pup.  We lived in terror of July 4, New Year’s Eve, Memorial Day,  or any other occasion that would inspire my asshole neighbors to break out the M80s .   Thunderstorms were also occasions of extreme dread.

    For us, 75mg of Acepromazine helped immensely .

    Subsequent pups were better able to cope with the booms , thankfully.

  100. 100.

    FelonyGovt

    December 31, 2022 at 10:20 am

    Happy New Years Eve! We are going to a hockey game that begins at 1 PM, then home for dinner and Prosecco and maybe we’ll stay up til midnight but maybe not.

  101. 101.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 31, 2022 at 10:21 am

    @Joey Maloney:  I see Klain’s name quite a lot and he does a lot of TV, and apparently he tweets like a demon

    Michael Grunwald, who wrote this book about the ARRA that I’ve recommended here a couple thousand times, said that if Biden (and Klain) had been in charge of the roll out of the O’Care website, it would’ve worked.

    Someone said on MSNBC yesterday that of the Biden-Pelosi-Schumer team, Schumer doesn’t get enough credit. There’s something to that. We focus on his Manhinema management, but what I flashed on was when he was minority leader, and McCain came out and gave his famous thumbs down on repealing O’Care, and Al Franken and a couple other Dems started applauding, and Schumer jumped up and gave them a “pipe down!” gesture. Thinking back, it was clear he was in on McCain’s plan, and knew it had to be portrayed as a solemn moment, to suit McCain’s self-image, not a time for cheering and triumphalism

  102. 102.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 31, 2022 at 10:22 am

    @mali muso: I love smoked salmon in chowder. I’ve looked up a few recipes, and I think it’s beyond me, but it’s delicious!

  103. 103.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2022 at 10:22 am

    Repeating from last night.

    19 inventions that will save your life.

    Beware Granny’s new cane.   ;)

  104. 104.

    mali muso

    December 31, 2022 at 10:24 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Chowder!  Great idea.  I love a good potato and cream-based chowder…we used to make it with canned tuna when I was a kid.

  105. 105.

    Alison Rose

    December 31, 2022 at 10:37 am

    Due to disability and such, I haven’t gone out on NYE in over a decade, and I’m perfectly fine with that. I’m also fine with it being rainy still, which I’m hoping will keep the fireworks idiots inside.

  106. 106.

    lowtechcyclist

    December 31, 2022 at 10:40 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: ​

    @lowtechcyclist: ​It was that way in Obama’s Admin too. trump’s admin was rife with dysfunction.

    Even at the time, without Trump’s administration to compare it with, Obama’s administration was a much tighter ship than any previous one, Republican or Democratic, since I started reading the news (LBJ). Obama surely realized that the wingnut media would blow the least scandal in a Black man’s administration way out of proportion, and the MSM would have gone along for the ride.
    But my perception at least is that there’s distinctly less media chitchat about what’s going on behind the scenes in Biden’s administration than there was even in Obama’s.
    Now that Obama and Biden have proved this is possible, maybe it’ll become the new normal for Dem administrations. I certainly expect GQP administrations (and may there not be one for a good while!) to continue to be Trumpian disaster areas: all their candidates are belong to their base.​

  107. 107.

    JPL

    December 31, 2022 at 10:43 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: That was lovely!

  108. 108.

    NotMax

    December 31, 2022 at 10:43 am

    @Alison Rose

    Also hoping for rain to put a damper on the snap, crackle and booms. Assuming there’s any left after certain ragga-fragga inconsiderate people in the neighborhood have been setting them off nightly since Xmas Eve.

  109. 109.

    lowtechcyclist

    December 31, 2022 at 10:46 am

    @Alison Rose: ​
     

    My wife and I only occasionally had a NYE party to go to even before parenthood. And since then, we haven’t bothered.

    Tonight, our plan is to order pizza, play games, and for mom and dad to go to bed early. The kiddo, who is 15, will be up well past midnight on social media with his friends, as is his wont these days. We may have him wake us up in time to ring in the new year, but if we do, we won’t be up long after that.

  110. 110.

    Ellenr

    December 31, 2022 at 10:47 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: low thyroid causes insomnia.   Has that been checked?  Doesn’t make sense, but it’s real.  Very odd

  111. 111.

    Alison Rose

    December 31, 2022 at 10:57 am

    @NotMax: I actually haven’t heard any so far, I think because of the fact that it’s been raining off-and-mostly-on for days now. Thanks, Mother Nature!!

  112. 112.

    citizen dave

    December 31, 2022 at 11:03 am

    @indycat32: I agree.  I’ve experienced this 5 times since becoming my wife’s cat’s person.  That one (female) went from 14 to 7 pounds and passed at my side in bed.  A couple have gone to the vet; the other three at home.

  113. 113.

    Anyway

    December 31, 2022 at 11:08 am

    I spent many NYEs in the aughts and teens (2000-19) with friends in Manhattan. There’s a midnight 5K  run/walk in Central Park -it’s all ages, people wear costumes, there’s lots of music. Its very festive and friendly. Lots of kids and older folks from the neighborhood come out. Run/ walk starts at midnight as the fireworks (which I enjoy :-/) get going. Most years the weather is cold not crazy and its really good fun. Finish the run, get some bubbly and walk back home (to my friends digs). Much more fun than watching teevee.

  114. 114.

    Mike in NC

    December 31, 2022 at 11:16 am

    Off to a slow start this Saturday morning. Seems that Pope Benedict (95) and Barbara Walters (93) have died. Has Fat Bastard boasted yet on his social media platform about the time he raped Babs in an elevator in 1970? Seems so ‘on brand’ for him.

  115. 115.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2022 at 11:24 am

    @sab:

    Sending good thoughts. It’s hard to know what to do, because they’re so stoic.

  116. 116.

    Nicole

    December 31, 2022 at 11:28 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Our last one was 2 or 3 (or 4, we don’t know) when we got her and worked out beautifully, but the kid really wants a puppy.  And I have the, “Well, I like dogs, I enjoyed training Ripley and I had the experience of a puppy growing up so I’d like him to have that, too.”  I’m a little over-indulgent that way.

    But once he’s grown up and on his own, we’re thinking primarily senior dogs.  My husband and I talked about it and would like to give a soft landing to older dogs.  Grief and I are old companions (we go waaaaaay back) so having to let them go after a few years isn’t too terrifying to me.

  117. 117.

    Soprano2

    December 31, 2022 at 11:32 am

    @kay; It had the desired result, R’s took over the House, so why continue it? Around here I can always tell when the police are trying to get some kind of funding, because suddenly there will be stories about the “rising gang presence” or “the scourge of illegal drugs” on the local news.

    Our police chief gave an interview in December where he said most crime is down 20% or more this year (can’t completely deny stats). I can say without looking that on FB people are saying that it’s a) a lie or b) it’s because people don’t report crime because the police don’t do anything about it. That’s how much people have bought into the idea of constantly rising crime.  They see more homeless people and think crime is higher.  The vast majority of crime here is property crime, much of it crimes of opportunity when people leave their car unlocked with the keys in it!

    In my last Camp rotation with the city we observed the Muni court; it was sad. Most of the people the judge talked to were in jail because of warrants due to unpaid fines, mostly for trespassing. Three of them were homeless, two had obvious mental health issues. All I could think was “This is why we built a bigger jail?” She referred two of them to programs that help the homeless. The fine amounts were small, mostly $500 or less. I’m sure that’s common.

    Meant to reply to Kay, sorry.

  118. 118.

    Nicole

    December 31, 2022 at 11:32 am

    @NotMax:

    Still have all the original episodes on a reel to reel tape, thanks to the public radio station in Hershey broadcasting them.

    WITF, 89.5FM!  I listened to the episodes there, too.  I read the book first (a friend loaned it to me and I still remember trying to keep from laughing out loud in study hall) and then in the best serendipity ever, WITF broadcast the show.  I managed to record one on cassette.

  119. 119.

    Betsy

    December 31, 2022 at 11:41 am

    @Spanky: That was funny.

    @mrmoshpotato: Found it.  Had to go to the redneck supermarket.  The kind of place where you can order up a whole hog, with 2 days’ notice and a $25 deposit.

    Was impressed with their local foods haul, actually.

    (Note to self:  Don’t be such a snob!)

  120. 120.

    schrodingers_cat

    December 31, 2022 at 11:45 am

    Happy New Year’s Eve to all Jackals and lurkers

    I have used colored pencils and Pitt pens and Sakura Gel pens.

  121. 121.

    knally

    December 31, 2022 at 11:48 am

    Usually I walk down to the cathedral on New Year’s Eve to hear the bells ring in the New Year. I used to be able to do this from my front door step, but now there are many more fireworks.

    However torrential rain and wind at the moment so I think I’ll pass on this tradition.

    I will, of course, put my money out before midnight and take it in tomorrow to make sure I have enough money next year. One can only take rebellion so far!

    I hope 2023 is a good year for everyone here.

  122. 122.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2022 at 11:51 am

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Happy New Year to you! 🥂

    The black background really works. Kudos.

  123. 123.

    schrodingers_cat

    December 31, 2022 at 11:55 am

    @Steeplejack: Thanks! It was my 3rd attempt at a dark background. I have used metallics and neons which I seldom do

    Plus I also used Magic Pencils, they are pretty cool.

  124. 124.

    Betsy

    December 31, 2022 at 12:05 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: Splendid and gorgeous!

  125. 125.

    schrodingers_cat

    December 31, 2022 at 12:09 pm

    @Betsy: Thanks so much! I too liked how it came out.

  126. 126.

    trollhattan

    December 31, 2022 at 12:13 pm

    Tell us some more, you waste of flesh.

    A Supreme Court justice’s wife expressed regret for her texts fanning conspiracies about the 2020 presidential election – in one among dozens of witness transcripts rushed out in the final days of activity by a congressional inquiry into last year’s riot at the US Capitol.

    The panel released interviews with right-wing activists and candidates who had backed Mr Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election had been stolen from him.

    One of them, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, a conservative operative and wife of US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, came under intense scrutiny after the Washington Post and CBS News reported that she had texted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows urging them to continue challenging the election results.

    Her texts raised ethical concerns over the wife of a Supreme Court justice engaging in partisan activity.

    “I regret all of these texts,” Ms Thomas told the January 6 committee when interviewed about these communications.

    “It was an emotional time,” she said. “I was probably just emoting, as I clearly was with Mark Meadows somewhat.”

    In her testimony, she told the committee that, “I worried that there was fraud and irregularities that distorted the election but it wasn’t uncovered in a timely manner, so we have President Biden.”
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64131149

  127. 127.

    Steeplejack

    December 31, 2022 at 12:16 pm

    Video: Barbara Walters owns Donald Trump—in 1990.

  128. 128.

    Citizen Alan

    December 31, 2022 at 12:27 pm

    @Elizabelle:  I don’t know about grapes, but my Black Eyed Peas have been in the crock pot since last night.

  129. 129.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 31, 2022 at 12:30 pm

    @trollhattan: She’s nuts. So is Mark Freakin’ Meadows

    David French b@DavidAFrench Mar 26

    “This is a fight of good versus evil . . . Evil always looks like the victor until the King of Kings triumphs.”

    Who said this? Ginni Thomas?

    Nope. Mark Meadows, about his effort to steal an American election. 

  130. 130.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 31, 2022 at 12:32 pm

    @trollhattan: I’ve given up hoping they’ll ever get it, but one of the things that fascinates me about trump and his base is they can’t or won’t see that he utterly despises them. From your link:

    She told investigators that she had “heard from several people in the West Wing” that Mr Trump “was sitting in the dining room, and he was just watching it all unfold, and that a couple of his comments – some of his comments were that these people looked very trashy, but also look at what fighters they were”.
    “He was kind of revelling in the fact that these people were fighting for him. But he also didn’t like how they looked,” Ms Grisham said.

  131. 131.

    rikyrah

    December 31, 2022 at 12:36 pm

    Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊

  132. 132.

    lowtechcyclist

    December 31, 2022 at 12:55 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: ​
     

    She’s nuts. So is Mark Freakin’ Meadows

    Deluded fool has no idea which side he’s really on.

  133. 133.

    trollhattan

    December 31, 2022 at 12:56 pm

    @Citizen Alan: Let Fergie gooooooo!

  134. 134.

    trollhattan

    December 31, 2022 at 12:58 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Right? Frickin’ Stockholm syndrome–he spent four years shortening their lifespans and stealing their very country from them, and they will lay on the tracks for another four years of same.

    Not relatable.

  135. 135.

    trollhattan

    December 31, 2022 at 1:03 pm

    When is somebody pulling the plug on this guy, whatever his name is today.

    December 31, 2022 at 12:03 pm EST By Taegan Goddard

    Washington Post: “Before George Santos made a name for himself in politics, he had insisted on being called Anthony — one of his middle names — and often used his mother’s maiden name, Devolder, eventually incorporating a company in Florida with that name.”

    Said a former friend: “He hated that we called him George. His whole family called him Anthony. He wanted to be called Anthony. He would use the name Anthony Devolder.”

    Meanwhile, Gothamist finds Santos’ claim to have been mugged on his way to pay $2,250 in back rent on his Queens apartment is likely not true either.

    Truly a Trump fill-in for the next generation.

  136. 136.

    lowtechcyclist

    December 31, 2022 at 1:11 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: ​
     

    Guess he thought they should be wearing 3-piece suits while insurrectioning.

  137. 137.

    Betsy

    December 31, 2022 at 1:29 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: I love magic pencils. That’s so cool.

  138. 138.

    Mike in NC

    December 31, 2022 at 1:44 pm

    @lowtechcyclist: Fat Bastard once famously slapped Junior across the face for not wearing a suit to a baseball game.

  139. 139.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 31, 2022 at 1:51 pm

    @Mike in NC: I know I’m a petty man. In fact, I embrace my own pettiness, but the transcripts have revealed that not only did Junior have to go through staff to get a message to his daddy (which we’ve known for a while) but the only reason he knew about the rally on 1/6 was because he saw Eric tweet about it.

  140. 140.

    No One You Know

    December 31, 2022 at 2:46 pm

    @sab: sending hugs (if that’s ok). I took my beloved cat to sleep this week. His eyes told me it was time. I was really reluctant to rush it because he was still eating, but only a bite at a time. But the pain. I could stop that.

    Wishing you both well in this time.

  141. 141.

    Origuy

    December 31, 2022 at 2:49 pm

    Just passed my test this morning #noTline so I’m going to a Hogmanay dance tonight with the local Scottish Country Dance Society. We’ll finish around 11 so that people can go home or to other parties.

  142. 142.

    schrodingers_cat

    December 31, 2022 at 3:26 pm

    @Betsy: Thanks. I didn’t even know of their existence until recently. The are pretty cool.

  143. 143.

    sab

    December 31, 2022 at 3:42 pm

    @No One You Know: Thanks from both of us and to the other jackals. He doesn’t seem to be in much pain so I don’t want to traumatize him with a trip to metropet hospital this holiday weekend, but he is definitely failing. I think anything they could do would give him maybe an additional week or so. I think and hope he would rather stay home than get injections from kind people. I might have chosen differently if we could have gone to the neighborhood vet, but I think Tuesday will be too late.

  144. 144.

    schrodingers_cat

    December 31, 2022 at 4:40 pm

    @sab: Do you have a vet that does home visits?

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