Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

In after Baud. Damn.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

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

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

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

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

Books are my comfort food!

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

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Everybody saw this coming.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

Shut up, hissy kitty!

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Friday Evening Open Thread: An Interview with the First Lady

Friday Evening Open Thread: An Interview with the First Lady

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I keep seeing ‘reports’ that specify something along the lines of Biden will not run for reelection unless Jill Biden has signalled her agreement, so…

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — U.S. first lady Jill Biden gave one of the clearest indications yet that President Joe Biden will run for a second term, telling The Associated Press in an exclusive interview on Friday that there’s “pretty much” nothing left to do but figure out the time and place for the announcement.

Although Biden has long said that it’s his intention to seek reelection, he has yet to make it official, and he’s struggled to dispel questions about whether he’s too old to continue serving as president. Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term…

Biden aides have said an announcement is likely to come in April, after the first fundraising quarter ends, which is around the time that President Barack Obama officially launched his reelection campaign.

The first lady has long been described as a key figure in Biden’s orbit as he plans his future.

“Because I’m his wife,” she laughed.

She brushed off the question about whether she has the deciding vote on whether the president runs for reelection.

“Of course he’ll listen to me, because we’re a married couple,” she said. But, she added later, “he makes up his own mind, believe me.”…

Reader Interactions

186Comments

  2. 2.

    Alison Rose

    I’m impressed that she’s able to still be so polite about these questions. I don’t know that I’d be able to keep the smile on my face

    Oh, hey, also since it’s an OT – a friend’s mom is currently caring for four kittens who need homes. From my friend’s FB post: “4 month old kittens need home! 4 boys, two short hair / 2 long. Rescued when they were 2 weeks old and bottle fed.”

    The photos show three tuxedos and one dilute tux. They’re in Novato CA, so if any of you are nearby or know someone who is and is interested in adopting, let me know!

  8. 8.

    Ruckus

    @Alison Rose:

    It’s a learned response to having a camera in your face far too often.

    At one point at a sporting event I had to break up a couple of guys who were on the very edge of having a fight which would have been on TV and would have gotten both of them permanently suspended from events. It took about 10 minutes to calm both of them and that was after separating them by about 50 ft. At one point to calm one of those involved I pretended to listen and then answer my radio using my headset, to give the guy I was talking to time to cool down a bit so he didn’t attack me. It actually worked. Turns out that about 5 feet away from me was a TV camera, recording everything I said and everything that happened. I had no idea it was there until I was done and had a chance to relax and walk back to where I normally stood.

    It’s also like giving a speech in front of several hundred people, it gets easier.

  9. 9.

    Sebastian

    I have created something akin to a self-fulfilling prophecy, a cathedral in the sky. it has already manifested itself in many places in reality but there are still large parts that are in flux, in a good way.

    it started as an idea about a moneyless barter economy of acts of service, but once you realize that without money there is also no friction and whoa! an adventure!

    orderofthecrossandrose,org is the nexus. The Society of the Cross and Rose, modelled 1:1 after the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. I am mini-Ignacio de Loyola, not a priest but a professional of rank and merit (and of Catholic Faith in Croatian Rites)

    I created the intellectual construct of a society with a codex for order and a world full of Daniels from Karate Kid. Bringing the old and the young together and barter chores and jokes.

    Then a key figure, an Irish Bishop, suddenly passed away tragically. Four days ago

    But in all this chaos and screeching halt right on Ash Wednesday, something happened.

     

    a great juncture of memes is probably the infowar way of saying it but what we (by we I mean the good and smart and kind people) have achieved, is nothing short of a check mate in two moves kind of situation.

     

    I am happy to explain, there is a lot to unroll.

  14. 14.

    eclare

    I took my adopted shelter dog, Lucy, back to the shelter yesterday to get her heartworm shots.  My past two rescues were also heartworm positive, so I know the routine.

    But these shots, which are new, must be awful.  She was on the couch whimpering, and even though the shelter said she had had all of her pills, I gave her an extra pill for pain.  Now she is snoring.

    Sweet Lucy.

  18. 18.

    Doc Sardonic

    I want a lid of whatever the fuck it is you are smoking…..that must be some off the chain Nyborg.

  21. 21.

    PJ

    @Sebastian: Yes, absolutely, you should go for it.

    Alternatively, no, it’s a terrible idea.

    Hope that helps.

    ETA: Having read further, in all seriousness, it’s not clear what exactly what you are talking about, but when people start talking about recruits for their organization, I reach for my earbuds and keep walking.  If your organization is genuinely intended to do good works, you need to have people on board who are good at organization and communication, neither of which seems to be your specialty. More to the point, the way you are talking and presenting information makes it seem like a bad joke, or that you need some professional help.  I hope you find it.

  23. 23.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Hi folks! Good evening to all… :)

    To start tonight I want to explain a few more things in tonight’s open thread regarding our son’s firing by Henry Johnson, the store manager of the Brookings Fred Meyer.

    In the thread from last night one moron whined that I was doxxing poor Henry. I pointed out to the moron that I identified my wife as the Apparel Department manager of the store that Henry manages. I want to add that the reason she is OK with me identifying her in her position is that she is considering retiring, having hit the numbers that Fred Meyer requires. With the things that Henry has been saying to her (her looks, her weight, even though compliments are wrong) and other behavior of his regarding her performance, this whole mess with our son showed her that there’s really no professional respect between them. She believes that Henry may be trying to creep her out/piss her off and get her to retire.

    I will say that her retirement from the company would leave a big hole that would take some time for them to fill. The store is in a small rural town with few attractions which doesn’t help. My wife has about 15 years left to work (she figures) and Fred Meyer could be benefiting from it. She is at the top in sales and performance, knows her merchandising and displays, has impeccable attendance and comes in on her days off to cover for employees who can’t make it in. She was a reluctant manager, preferring to be a wingwoman to a the boss, but she took off in her position and I am proud of her accomplishments. Her employees love her (she spoils them every chance she gets) and her corporate bosses absolutely love her.

    I’ll be back in a few, time for some chow!

  24. 24.

    dmsilev

    @Sebastian: I, umm, well. As a side effect of my profession, I get a steady stream of emails from strangers advising me that they have discovered or derived a grand new Theory of Everything that proves Einstein Was Wrong or similar. You’re sounding a lot like my correspondents. Don’t do that.

  25. 25.

    HumboldtBlue

    Welcome To Wrexham is a very welcome diversion if you need something fun to watch. It follows Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds after they purchased AFC Wrexham in Wales, and you don’t have to join a Loyola society to watch.

    It really gives some insight into how local football clubs in Britain are intimately tied to their communities.

  28. 28.

    scav

    Um parallel universe? Are we a nearly top 10,000 blog populated by devout teen-agers sniffing holy water from goateed balloons?

  32. 32.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @James E Powell:

    CATHERWOOD: Tea, madam?

    NANCY: (scream)

    NICK: (confused coolness) Oh … let me handle this, Nancy. Far-out, Catherwood. Just… just roll a couple of bummers and leave them on the side table.

    CATHERWOOD: yes, madam. (crashing sound) Oh, I say. Pardon me, madam, I seemed to have crushed it. It’s been such a long exposition, you know. I’m so tired.

  33. 33.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Sebastian:

    You are being met with skepticism, primarily, I think, because your original post was a bit garbled and difficult to understand.

    Having just checked your primary website, I am still unclear what is the society is or does. If that helps at all.

    Also, this commentariat is not known for its piety, just a heads-up.

    Now I’m off to drink beer.

  36. 36.

    dmsilev

    @Sebastian: ‘I’ve invested umpteen years/dollars’ and ‘read my website(s)’ are also phrases I see a lot in crackpot emails. You’re not helping your cause here.

    Edit: your initial message was ‘I need advice on a problem’, and then it transpired that your problem wasn’t dealing with a sick cat or a crazy neighbor or anything like that but rather that you want people to, I think, read your website. Nobody reacts well to bait and switch, and that’s what you’ve done just now.

  45. 45.

    kalakal

    I honestly didn’t understand that at all, and the website didn’t help. At first I thought maybe it’s a Flying Spaghetti Monster clone but… nope, maybe I’m just stupid but I don’t have a clue as to what it was

  48. 48.

    Amir Khalid

    @dmsilev:

    I just read the website, and I’m completely mystified. If this is representative of what crackpots email to you, I admire your patience.

  51. 51.

    Sebastian

    @PJ:

     

    Thank you for candid feedback. The enormity of data makes it difficult to position a coherent story, especially when a tragic death changes the constellation abruptly.

     

    it’s a work in progress. I wasn’t prepared for the vicious smackdown after so much effort went into this and is still going into it.

     

    I didn’t ask for money or a membership or donation of any sorts, I didn’t even get to roll out all the parts and I am being treated as if I am trying to pull of a reverse mortgage scam.

    I asked for help. I wasn’t expecting this wave of suspicion from a community I’ve been a member with for years. I don’t even know what to say.

  52. 52.

    Omnes Omnibus

    FWIW someone commenting under the ‘nym Sebastian has been commenting cogently on this site for a number of years.  If this is the same person, they may just have allowed their excitement at their project to run ahead of their clarity of expression.

  55. 55.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Sebastian: I have to say that, even with better exposition, your project does not sound like something that would interest me, but I wish you well with it.

  56. 56.

    Gwangung

    I am about to see Sense and Sensibility , the Kate Hamill version, which I enjoyed greatly when done at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. And will feature a cast of many people I know well and/or worked with (in both the day job and night job).

    And we have Balloon Juice Friday night.

     

    Choices, choices, choices.

  58. 58.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Congratulations, your response is the answer to the universe!

    @Suzanne:

    Thank you very much for the kind words, Suzanne. :)

     

    @HumboldtBlue:  “Also, this commentariat is not known for its piety, just a heads-up.”

    An understatement if I have ever heard one.

  61. 61.

    CaseyL

    @Omnes Omnibus: Or it could be a completely different Sebastian?

    I don’t know what to make of this one.  He has apparently flounced off, since he didn’t find whatever assistance he was looking for. (Oops, no, he’s back.)

    My instant read is that our fundraising, which is quite effective, has turned up on some persons’ radars and they figure we’re worth, um, cultivating.

    If he is indeed a long-time member of the community, the mystery certainly deepens.

    PS: I hope he’s not Jurassic Pork under a new nym!

  62. 62.

    kalakal

    Despite being nearly 40 years old and set in the Regency period Blackadder the Third can be awfully prescient about current  English politics. Here  we have political corruption & turnips! *

    Rotton Borough

  65. 65.

    Alison Rose

    @Sebastian: Look, I’ll try to be nicer about this. Go back and read the first post where you discussed this…project or whatnot. Ask yourself and try to answer honestly — if you were someone else reading that post, would it make any sense to you at all? If you continued to read your other posts on this thread, would those make any sense? Would it come across as totally rational and not at all strange? You haven’t been coherent about whatever this is at all, and then throwing in that you’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and that it involves “boys and girls” is honestly creeping me out a little. You seem to be completely enveloped by this and expect that everyone is going to understand everything you’re saying even though you’re practically speaking another language.

  67. 67.

    Sebastian

    what I am not getting is why is everyone acting as if I asked them to buy something??

    I asked for help, then everyone runs to the construction site and is commenting on wild shit. wtf people?!

     

    I wasn’t even able to state my ask but everyone is already having an opinion how they don’t like the product when the question should be: why do you think this should be pitched to you? it wasn’t meant for you. I asked if anyone could help me figure out a tricky problem.

    If you don’t want to, fine. Why do you need to trash talk it without understanding what it is?

  69. 69.

    Poe Larity

    Hyundai told shareholders Friday it would divest its stake in a supplier last year that employed children after a Reuters investigation uncovered underage workers at its factory. The investigation found children as young as 12 working at plants

    I left a word out… Alabama.

  70. 70.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Picking up from post #23:

    A few days ago my wife saw Henry digging in a candy dish in the hallway outside their offices. Shortly afterward she returned to her office and saw that Henry had put a piece of candy on the corner of her desk, like a gift. And yes, she knows it was him. Things are not friendly between them and she knows that the candy is him trying to figure out where she is at with him because of his actions regarding our son. She has been polite but cold in their relations and the only thing that will change that is her (or him) leaving.

    In the past, on two separate occasions Henry Johnson has come up to my wife and told her that customers complimented our son on his work and manners from customers that he had helped. My wife told him thanks and suggested that he should tell our son about it himself. Henry never bothered, he has never complimented our son for anything.

    One thing my wife discovered from Henry is that any customer can put a good or bad mark in an employees record. Write a complaint or praise and BAM!, it’s entered into their employee records. The worst part is that the employee doesn’t know about this unless a complaint is bad enough to require action by their boss.

    More on this in the next post…

  71. 71.

    Cameron

    Perhaps everybody should take a deep breath and, in the phraseology of the great Texas statesman Louie Gohmert, not cast more asparagus on anyone.

  72. 72.

    Sebastian

    @Alison Rose:

    perhaps this cludgy medium is not the right way to convey such complex concepts and wouldn’t you know it! it’s exactly one of the things the society wishes to address,

    A simple no would have been fine but the wave of animosity simply shocked me.

  73. 73.

    dmsilev

    @Sebastian: OK, I’ll dial down the asshole a bit and be a bit more explicit about why I reacted as I did. You started by saying you wanted some advice. Then, in the follow-up comment that I’ve attached this reply to, you provide a wall of text but don’t actually say what it is you wanted advice about. In fact, I don’t think you’ve articulated that anywhere in this thread. So, what exactly are we supposed to do?

    And to rephrase an earlier comment of mine, your style and language maps very closely to all sorts of ‘I have discovered the mysteries of the universe; acknowledge my genius’ messages that I see regularly. If you’re introducing a new concept or creation to an audience, you really need to start with plain descriptive language and leave behind the florid Jesuit Karate Kid analogies.

  74. 74.

    Alison Rose

    @Sebastian: OMG dude, because you haven’t even told us what the “problem” is, you just rambled off some utterly baffling shit that no one understands! How can we help you if you don’t explain yourself? What response were you expecting to this? I’ll be honest, your posts sound like they were written by ChatGPT.

    Try this: Re-explain whatever the hell this thing is in words that people who have nothing to do with it can understand. Clearly and succinctly state whatever the problem or issue is that you need help with. Stop trying to get us to click weird links.

  78. 78.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Sebastian:

    Honest question, is this an ARG or something? I looked at your linked website and couldn’t make heads or tails of it. I recognized the phrase “NAFO” but not much else. Like others have said, I recognize your nym from the past. You’re a little incoherent. Are you doing okay?

  79. 79.

    Sebastian

    @dmsilev:

    I apologize for the construction. it might seem to you as if this is showtime ready but we have the equivalent of xerox printouts taped to windows, ok?

    just because it looks awesome already doesn’t mean it’s anywhere near finished.

    I have a hard time understanding what you are critiquing as there is no distilled storyline yet. you are looking at masses of content blocks that are ever shifting. We are 60% complete on the main site and have foundations for six additional ones.

    My ask was about organization and diplomacy. I don’t need your opinion on how to run a website or launch a sales campaign, I have been holding master classes myself.

  82. 82.

    danielx

    I am mini-Ignacio de Loyola, not a priest but a professional of rank and merit (and of Catholic Faith in Croatian Rites)

    No disrespect intended, if Sebastian is still here, but – mini-Ignacio de Loyola? Really?

  85. 85.

    dmsilev

    @Sebastian: I am critiquing your messages in this thread. I have not, and at this point have less than zero inclination to, read any of your website links. I’ve gone back and read all of your comments in this thread and I still don’t know: what is it that you’re asking advice about? What specific problem are you looking for suggestions about? Several people have asked you that, and you still haven’t answered. Is it really so mysterious that you’re getting an unfriendly reception?

  87. 87.

    Amir Khalid

    Okay, here’s a much more digestible ask.

    Should I get a harness and leash for walking my next cat? Will a cat require a lot of leash training?

  88. 88.

    CaseyL

    Regarding the OP and topic:  Jill Biden is a trouper. She puts up with crap that would have me grabbing someone’s microphone (do newsies still use those?) and jamming down their… shirt.

  89. 89.

    PJ

    @Sebastian: Do you have friends or family you can reach out to help you? Please ask them for help.

    I am writing this sincerely.  If you are sincere in what you are trying to accomplish, you have not been able to communicate it to us.  At best, it come across as gibberish, at worst, as some discombobulated scam.

  90. 90.

    Sebastian

    @dmsilev:

    All I have done is lift the veil to a huge project in progress to show you that I am not asking out of idle folly.

    I wanted to give you context. if it were easy and solvable by looking at it I could have staid with Homer Simpson. I came here because I expected people with an attention span longer than a gnat.

  91. 91.

    dmsilev

    @Amir Khalid: Probably depends a lot on the cat’s particular personality. My brother and sister-in-law had a cat that was harness-trained, but he really hated actually leaving home, so it was just for being out on the balcony or in the stairwell with him. Their current cats are indoor-only and I don’t think they’ve ever even tried a harness. I’ve certainly seen cats happily walking on-leash, so it works for some.

  93. 93.

    kalakal

    @Amir Khalid: It can be a long process.

    The younger the cat the easier, I’ve managed it twice, both times with in-house kittens. Some cats like it, some it’s a definite no no

    Even when I tried it with cats that used to love walking with me it didn’t work.

    If you try it let them get used to the harness before you even think of attaching the lead. It’s a baby steps thing.

  95. 95.

    dmsilev

    @Sebastian:

    I came here because I expected people with an attention span longer than a gnat.

    Two hours after your first comment requesting advice, you still haven’t asked any specific questions.

  96. 96.

    Alison Rose

    @Sebastian:

    I came here because I expected people with an attention span longer than a gnat.

    Okay, dude, go fuck yourself. Go have your little tantrum somewhere else. You have not made one ounce of sense here and now you’re insulting all of us because we’re not on the same trip you are? Get off it.

  97. 97.

    Delk

    I got new windows (house not pc) installed today. Was on the to do list for 5 years. Put a classic Chicago window in the kitchen.

  101. 101.

    Delk

    Dates back from the original skyscraper days.  A plate glass window with 2 sash windows on either side.

  102. 102.

    gene108

    Reading through the thread on rural America, I feel overlooks the non-white and Mexican and Central American populations, especially in the South where some areas have significant minority populations, and have seen a growth in Mexican and Central American communities in the last 20-30 years.

    It’d interest to see reporting on rural minorities attitudes to the same changes that seem to make their white neighbors so resentful.

  104. 104.

    Another Scott

    @Amir Khalid: Cheryl Rofer got harnesses for her kitties, so they wouldn’t get eaten by the passing coyotes and mountain lions.  It seems to have worked out well for them.

    2018-05-01:

    21. Cheryl Rofer
    MAY 1, 2018 AT 4:17 PM

    @ruemara: I think they are siblings. They were picked up together by Animal Control, and the shelter offered them as a bonded pair. They are good buddies.

    I started training them last fall. I put the harnesses on and let them walk around the house. Cats are funny about harnesses. At first, they just freeze and then fall over on their sides. The Vests of Paralysis. But after a while, they realized that they could fight back against the spell. Once they were willing to walk with the vests on, I took them out so that they could see a benefit. And yes, Zooey in particular demands his outside time.

    2019-06-22:

    40. JustRuss
    JUNE 23, 2019 AT 3:46 AM

    Couple hours ago I looked out my window to see a woman attempting to walk a rabbit, complete with harness. He was not enthusiastic.

    Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  105. 105.

    HumboldtBlue

    I did not have Ignacio de Loyola on my bingo card tonight.

    So I will repeat; Welcome to Wrexham is a fun and interesting watch, and you need not self-flagellate to enjoy it.

  106. 106.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Alison Rose:

    I’m kinda worried about him. Assuming this is the same Sebastian who has been a jackal for years, this is not normal behavior for him. That website is totally nonsensical and reads like an ARG or as if it were written by someone who is mentally ill.

    I’m not sure if the website is just a placeholder or what

  107. 107.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Picking up from post #70:

    Regarding the compliments/complaints that stack up in an employee folder, when Henry talked to my wife on 12/29 (right after firing our son and then asking how her Christmas went) he told her that our son has the thickest employee file. He told her that it’s the customer compliments and complaints. No corrective actions are taken since these complaints are minor customer complaints, nor are the employees aware of these additions to their work record. But they are still noted to their records.

    My wife pointed this out to Henry Johnson and while he agreed with her, at the same time she ‘got it’ that he didn’t like unhappy customers of any kind. The big difference in our son’s records is the difference in customer engagement. Fred Meyer tells their employees to always ask customers if they are finding what they need, ask them if they need help with something heavy and to say “Thank you for shopping at Fred Meyer!”

    Unlike other employees, our son meets and greets customers like a machine. If he sees them he acknowledges them. His autism is like that; give him a task he understands (a very important point!) and he will do it like a boss. One of the complaints that Henry thought was bad was a lady who thought our son was trying to take her cart away from her. He did no such thing, all he did was offer to return the cart for her if she was done with it. She had grabbed a cart in the lot and was heading for the store. Our son thought she was returning her cart and offered to return it for her. All she had to do was say something like “No thank you, I’m taking this one into the store to go shopping.” and that would have been it. Our son looks ‘normal’ and his way of talking seems to bother some people.

    One wry aside: After learning about this my wife told me that this means that his folder is thicker than “our resident racists” folder. That person my wife is talking about just happens to hate Japanese and Mexican people. Oh, and since all Asians look the same to this person then that means all Asians are Japanese. Yes, no shitting here. This person is still employed there, unlike our son.

    Back in a few with a couple of Henry’s managerial decisions regarding “bad stops” and the outcomes.

  110. 110.

    Frankensteinbeck

    Biden will not run for reelection unless Jill Biden has signalled her agreement

    Well, no.  He won’t.  Duh.  He’s a loving husband in what is apparently a close, highly successful marriage founded on deep respect.  I take it for granted that he asked her approval before every run, because it will heavily affect her life, too.  I’m confident he has kept tabs on whether her approval is ongoing, and would back out on November 1st 2024 if she told him she couldn’t do it anymore.  I’m also confident this is not merely a matter of asking the question, but of deep conversations threaded through their joined life.

  113. 113.

    Sebastian

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    Thank you for asking.

    I am trying to reach Gen Mark Hertling because I want to offer him a honorary position in a League of Extraordinary Champions.

    I am looking for him because he is also an active member of NAFO. The honorary position would be to live-action roleplay a general leading the great mobilization effort and building of an online army corps (#NAFO). to battle online bullying among teenagers on one hand and to enlist seniors in this make-believe-D-Day effort.

    There are a few things we want to achieve: by forcing seniors to enroll in #NAFO (well-regulated militia) they can no longer spew rightwing shit. only #NAFO enrolled elders get to spend time with the friendly kids in the club.

    There is a lot more going on but the key issue is that nowadays you cannot reach anyone by phone anymore. I was wondering what the best approach would be to get a general’s attention for something like this. It’s an honorary position with little if any work but it has a huge impact.

  114. 114.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    Assuming this is the same Sebastian who has been a jackal for years, this is not normal behavior for him.

    Yeah, I’m seriously wondering if the account has been hacked and we’re just being trolled, or if the poor thing has had a schizophrenic attack.  It’s such an awful disease, and it can strike out of nowhere.

  115. 115.

    kalakal

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): The only bit I could relate to reality was

    Then a key figure,  Irish Bishop, suddenly passed away tragically. Four days ago

    Bishop O’Connell was murdered in L.A. on the 18th. He was originally from Ireland.

    I honestly can’t make head or tail of the rest

  117. 117.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Amir Khalid:

    Good luck with it. It can be done but have patience. Our oldest kitty eventually learned to walk in one. Our Scottish Fold took to it like a dog (which we swear he thinks he is).

    Also be aware that if the cat is threatened to the point of panic, you are leashed to teeth and claws that are going to latch into you when you try to calm them without letting them escape from you. Been there, done that and bled accordingly.

    Starting them from a kitten would be best, IMO.

  118. 118.

    patrick II

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): ​
     
    I am also concerned, especially after he mentioned “a tragic death in the constellation that changed everything “. I hope Sebastian seeks help from family or someone more qualified than us.

  121. 121.

    Sebastian

    @kalakal:

    Yes, Bishop David O’Connell was shot by his housekeeper’s husband in his home in Hacienda Heights.

    He was known for peppering people with jokes. He would often take off the cloth and put on a flannel shirt and go incognito into LA’s vast comedy circle and make people laugh.

    He was a key figure for our youth outreach program. His death threw our entire timeline upside down. we came out of stealth on 2/13 and were supposed to have a big splash on 2/25&26 but that’s all gone now.

    During the forced pivot we had the marketing guns loaded so to speak and we though we might as well shoot them in Dave’s name.

    we quickly set up a hashtag & site #notsofastdavid and notsofastdavid.org with a simple concept: like letters to Santa, we are asking people to email or submit via web form a joke (no data collection or storage). to catch all the jokes the crazy Irish bishop told everywhere and while we are at it, why don’t you just send us jokes you know?

    every joke gets a “token” for the Divine Arcade which we built but is now kinda empty until we figure out how to get the project rolling again. There is an aspect of collecting as many of his jokes and so preserving his spirit (as opposed to his soul) in the here and now.

  122. 122.

    smike

    @Sebastian: ​
     
    It occurs to me that this is not twitter. You can include more than one or two thoughts in each post you make. Why indicate that you need help and then wait for 5 minutes before adding another entry that still does not address the situation, whatever it is…

  126. 126.

    Alison Rose

    @Another Scott: I kind of hope Joe makes the announcement in passing when he’s leaving an ice cream store or something. Waits till he’s got the car door open, aviators on, cone in hand, and he just glances back at the cameras and says “BIDEN HARRIS 2024” then flashes that 1000-watt grin and hops in the car as it peels out. DARK BRANDON RIDES AGAIN.

  129. 129.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Picking up from post #107:

    During the same meeting with my wife after firing our son, Henry Johnson told her that with our son’s offense there have been five “bad stops” since he became the store manager. Henry did not talk about the first two bad stops but did mention the third and fourth ones. In the third bad stop, the head of the Asset Protection department accused a customer of attempting to steal goods. Yes, the person tasked with heading the department for the last couple of years, the person who should know the rules regarding shoplifting, directly confronted a customer.

    Unfortunately for the AP manager, they thought that the customer had already paid for their goods and had added more to their cart before attempting to exit without paying for them. The customer had not checked out and in fact was picking out a Christmas tree in the secured outdoor area before heading to the checkout with the tag for it to pay for everything. The customer was very upset and accused the Asset Protection manager of ruining his Christmas. The AP Manager was suspended for three days and demoted to another job in the store. He has since been promoted within that department, proving that sinners can be redeemed. ;)

    I have to go give my wife a foot massage to send her off to bed so I’ll be back in a few with the details about the fourth bad stop.

  130. 130.

    scav

    @Sebastian: In all seriousness

    My ask was about organization and diplomacy. I don’t need your opinion on how to run a website or launch a sales campaign, I have been holding master classes myself.

    Finally a question.

    Organization & Diplomacy.  If we’re only getting to your exact needs now, after all the verbiage , better organization — or perhaps even dully linear organization —  might be a place to start with for the initial roll-out to new people.  Ease us, tempt us, into that brave new spontaneously evolving world.

    Diplomacy also, because despite whatever genuine signal there was in our initial reaction, confusion and yes mocking of your inchoate first blocks of text, you’re berating us, taking it personally, telling us why we’re wrong, good bye cruel worlding, and generally getting in everyones grill about what what we owe you.  We’ve never been a cuddly site, we’re  not generally religious and well, a snarling cesspit of pedant jackals that will argue about anything to death.  As a magnificent sales campaign, I don’t think it flew.

  134. 134.

    Mike E

    @HumboldtBlue: WtW 2nd season of shows will be equally compelling: Notts County is taking top spot for automatic promotion whilst the Dragons will have to win the playoffs to get there, just like they tried (and failed) last season. Another thrilling run!

  136. 136.

    Craig

    @Alison Rose: my current favorite TV show, The Last of Us, had a haunting Depeche Mode cover under the closing credits. Never liked them when I was a snotty punk rock/metal kid. Adulthood has made me see the error of my ways. Martin Gore is a hell of a songwriter.

  139. 139.

    Anoniminous

    @dmsilev: ​
     
    Did you know you can make something go faster than the speed of light? Just make a pole one light year long and give it a push!!!!!!

  142. 142.

    Gwangung

    @Wapiti: Hamill does amazingly funny adaptations that preserve the spirit but adds so much slapstick that’s still In character. My cubicle mate happens to be one of the leads. And I truly admire the way she keeps a straight face through all the shenanigans.

  152. 152.

    Lyrebird

    @Suzanne: Hi, I remain grateful for your sharing about McMansions 101 on a comment years ago.  I live near a lot more of them now than I did then, and I get a laugh thinking of that author.

  154. 154.

    RaflW

    Wow.
    I think I’ll just go back to the Rick Steves travel marathon on the PBS side-channel Create.

    He is open about smoking dope, and also puts together narrative 22 minute events that have continuity and goofy charm.

    Peace out, ya’ll.

  155. 155.

    eclare

    @Amir Khalid:   FWIW I have no experience in leash walking a cat.  One of my cats does like to be held and walked around the backyard, and is happy with it, because he was hit by a car as a kitten and does not have full use of his hind legs.

    Inside he has trouble jumping on the couch, but that’s it.  If you want a kitty you can walk, maybe look at a kitty like that?  A lot of people would not.

  157. 157.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Continuing from post #129:

    The fourth “bad stop” that Henry Johnson told my wife about was an employee who stopped a customer as they were leaving and accused them of having stolen items in their cart. Nope, the customer had nothing that they didn’t pay for and of course, the customer raised hell. The employee was suspended for three scheduled working days and then returned to work with no other action.

    Unfortunately for Henry when he told my wife what “bad stops” were and then related the above, she could quickly see that these events were actual improper stops and confrontations by an employee. That is nothing like what happened with our son. Henry has been asked but has not committed to clearly stating that he is accusing our son of actually fighting the shoplifter for the cart. Our son saying that he was fired for stealing (his view of taking something from someone) and that and the non-sequitur about not having footage of what happened because the AP manager had the camera elsewhere. That is why my wife is requesting access to the reports and video footage; to see exactly what Henry reported and if he did accuse our son of fighting for the cart then to see if our son’s denying it is included.

    Today my wife was going to ask the ASM if they acted on her request for access yet but they are off until Sunday. My wife is working then and so is Henry, so she will ask the ASM first (to see if they have acted on it) or talk to Henry about it.

    Regarding Henry’s question about how our Christmas went before the meeting over his firing started, she didn’t answer him. She just stared until he proceeded. If she were to have said something she would have said “it was spent worrying about our son and his future here.”

  160. 160.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    With that I am done talking about the situation with our son and Fred Meyer unless/until there is more to say about it. I’m going to wrap this all up with a few stories tomorrow about Henry’s managerial and customer/employee relationship skills just to add some character color to the guy. I do have one more story to relate about an employee caught replacing a UPC on an item they were going to purchase and that outcome.

    Also, prepare to learn about “it’s Henry Time”…lol

  161. 161.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @eclare:

    It’s good to hear that your puppers is sounding better! Our furry kids can worry us at times.

    Best wishes for your pup!

  163. 163.

    NotMax

    @eclare

    Put in mind of an interchange between a yak vendor and a disgruntled Grummle in World of Warcraft.

    “I want to return this yak I bought from you.”

    “Looks fine to me. What’s your complaint?”

    “It’s broken.”

  165. 165.

    HumboldtBlue

    @RaflW: ​ 

    I remember stumbling upon Steves and Pasquale’s Italian Kitchen on public television in San Diego back in the 90s.

    Wonderful entertainment.

  166. 166.

    eclare

    @HumboldtBlue:

    I bought his book on Croatia before going there a few years ago.  Invaluable.  He mentioned there was a kitty hospice inside the walls of Dubrovnik, we found it.  Kitties were happy to see us.

  168. 168.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    The first snow in over 30 years that lasted for more than the morning here melted today. We made it two days with snow!! Our snowman was left in a green yard and I was making snow balls from it to toss for one of our cats, Chuckie. He likes to race around and check out the splat zone…lol

  169. 169.

    NotMax

    @eclare

    Presuming am conscious when it appears, got something slightly on the spooky side on deck for Saturday’s morning thread.

  170. 170.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    I read about Hyundai divesting from a company they have a majority interest in because of child labor as young as 12 years of age. Sounds like something they are running in a third world country, right? Nope, the subsidiary is in Alabama.

    I guess Alabama is now a third world state…

  171. 171.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Well, going by the internet it sounds like the Atheist are the next target on the Right in the Culture wars. Screaming at hot sexy trans isn’t working out all that well for them I suppose.   And by the skooma pipe of Dargoth Ur, these fundamentalist are dumber than I remember;  really stupid claims like “Scientists doesn’t know how magnets work so it’s all faith” and they are so pleased with themselves over it.    These must be the ones who don’t instantly go full unbeliever on adulthood. after years being screamed at by their fundy parents.

    Supposedly Evangelical and Fundamentalist schools are the biggest creators of atheist there are. and I wouldn’t be surprised if Right Wing religious parents being rejected by their kids as hate filled bigots is a big part of the resentment Tom Nichol was talking about.

  179. 179.

    artem1s

    @Aussie Sheila: I wouldn’t be surprised if Right Wing religious parents being rejected by their kids as hate filled bigots is a big part of the resentment Tom Nichol was talking about.

    That and seeing their kids admire and want to emulate the first Black POTUS and VPOTUS too. Watching my parents and their church going friends express irrational fear mongering against people that, to my eyes, looked pretty much like everyone else cause me to have a life-long suspicion of using religion as a basis for ‘othering’ people. Peer pressure keeps a lot of people locked in for life, but a good percentage use high school graduation to get out and never look back.

  180. 180.

    Ohio Mom

    @Sebastian: A mini-barter society? I think people in Ithaca, New York tried that with “Ithaca Dollars.” (If you are unfamiliar with Ithaca, it’s one of those small university towns in the middle of nowhere that can be lost in time, specifically the Age of Aquarius).

    I never heard the end of that story, I suppose it is googeable. I’m guessing it petered out.

  181. 181.

    Ohio Mom

    @RSA: I didn’t read the Wired article but there are still local Buy Nothing groups on Facebook. My neighborhood group mostly swaps baby and toddler stuff, and miscellaneous housewares.

    Haven’t found anything listed that I need but then again, I am an old lady with a houseful of stuff collected over many years. I might try using them later this spring to unload some old toys stashed in various corners in this house (thinking mainly of the pool toys in the garage).

  183. 183.

    Ohio Mom

    @Odie Hugh Manatee: I hear you, and my heart breaks for your family. As you know, my 25 yo is also autistic, currently unemployed, but he has worked in two different supermarkets and had his own share of clashes between his approach to things and the NT approach to things.

    He had job coaches (from Goodwill) who were able to smooth out a few things; he was eventually fired from the first supermarket job, and then we made him quit the second because it was the start of Covid and we were afraid he’d bring the virus home and kill us, his high-risk parents. But I suspect his days were numbered there anyway.

    Yours sounds like the kind of set-up we are told to hope for in workshop after workshop — a placement with an ally (and a family member at that). Ha! on that advice.

    As I’m sure you know, it is impossible to foresee every situation we must teach our children. At his current volunteer gig, Ohio Son works at the big non-profit theater downtown, handing out programs. Which he does with a vegnance. No one thought to tell him not to force programs on patrons who have indicated their disinterest. Oops! He can’t “read” the body language of disinterest.

    So far, by dumb luck, no Henry Johnsons have crossed our path, but luck can change in an instant. I worry anyway about the effect his lack of workplace success will have on him going forward. Once he glomps onto an interpretation of events, he can’t be convinced otherwise.

    I don’t think I need I need to tell you that there is probably an ADA case to be had against HJ and that that would be up there with Don Quixoto fighting the windmills.

  184. 184.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Ohio Mom:

    Boy do I ever hear you. I’m sorry to hear about your son’s problems with work. While our son can take new instructions, you have to give him a reason/explanation for why he need to do it. He does not do inference, everything has to be explained. I am going to give some examples later on today that I’m sure that you will relate to.

    Thst’s why we are so upset with what Henry did to our son. This was his best chance to learn the work environment with assistance close by and Henry took that away from him. He was doing so well and then…

    As we say here at home: Fuck Henry Johnson

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