Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

I also would like a pony to improve my balloon juice experience.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Bark louder, little dog.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

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

We are aware of all internet traditions.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

President Biden is doing good where he can, and getting it done.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

American History and Black History can not be separated.

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

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

Elections aren’t won by handwringing, cowering, and/or bashing your own candidates.

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Reader Interactions

304Comments

  1. 1.

    Alison Rose

    That birb looks like how I feel all the time. OVER IT.

    Gov Gav was on Seth Meyers’ show last night if anyone wants to watch. Lots of good defense of the Biden admin from Newsom and a few jabs at Captain Pudding Fingers. Of course they had to discuss Seth’s brother’s impersonation, which I feel is decent but not exactly spot-on.

  3. 3.

    dmsilev

    Speaking of herons, The Boy and The Heron is very much worth seeing. Maybe not quite peak Miyazaki at the level of Spirited Away, but still very good.

  4. 4.

    Scout211

    I’m too busy to post today, but the morning thread is in danger of tipping over into a Tbogg unit, and we can’t have that!

    Sorry, too late. That was the plan all along! 

  5. 5.

    Butch

    OK, so since I’m always on the trailing edge of pop culture, what is a Tbogg unit?  I used to love reading the guy.

  8. 8.

    HinTN

    So, I yelled at John the other night when he admonished us to buy our calendars. Mine came without holidays and such. I had used their web form to report this but today I called. A very nice person suited me that this must have been a printing error and two replacements are on the way.

    So, John, I’m sorry I yelled at you. Have a wonderful trip!

    Also too, nice birb. It’s always good to avoid TBogg Units. Thanks BC.

  10. 10.

    Ken

    @trollhattan: Most birds are pretty well-insulated. Every winter I am regularly amazed by the sight of ducks and geese swimming and feeding in the river, then hopping out to stand on the ice and nap.

  12. 12.

    trollhattan

    @Ken: True. Top birders I follow are Finns, and those they photograph overwintering are DAMN well insulated. Floofy. Doesn’t help their “day” is what, four hours long?

    But Florida Birb? They spoil’t.

  13. 13.

    CaseyL

    @Ken: I’d wondered for ages why birds don’t seem to mind standing in snow and ice.

    Finally found out: Birds have some strange blood vessel action going on in their feet.

    Warmed blood from the heart is constantly being pushed directly to the feet, and the resulting cold blood is being whisked back to get heated up again.

  14. 14.

    Jackie

    Meadows really wants the chance for a pardon if convicted:

    “Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is trying again to move the Fulton County election interference case against him to federal court, this time before a three-judge panel at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals,” the Atlanta Journal Constitutionreports.

    “Meadows is invoking the 234-year-old federal removal statute, which allows federal officials charged with state crimes to transfer them to federal court if the alleged criminal behavior was carried out as part of a person’s official duties. In his appeal, Meadows is arguing that he was acting as then-President Donald Trump’s chief of staff when he committed the alleged conduct.”

  16. 16.

    lowtechcyclist

    According to the clock, I have 47 minutes remaining in my last day of work.

    I still can’t quite believe it.

    ETA: I got a pop-up today reminding me to change my password at work, it expires in 9 days.  Oh really? That’s nice!

  17. 17.

    Ken

    @Jackie: Didn’t he try that already? Is this just him appealing the earlier ruling? Which was basically “No, interfering with elections is not part of your official duties.”

  20. 20.

    Ken

    I looped back around here, hoping to read Betty’s pithy comments on the latest Zeigler antics:  he wants 2 million to go away quietly.  Jeez.  The grifters never stop the grift!

  21. 21.

    Wapiti

    @Jackie: Is he confessing that he was working on the Trump’s campaign while being paid by the US taxpayers to be the Chief of Staff?

  22. 22.

    lowtechcyclist

    @zhena gogolia: Thanks!  Still seems unreal.  Kinda like heaven – I’m taking it on faith that heaven and retirement will both be real, but I won’t really believe it until I’m there.

  23. 23.

    frosty

    @lowtechcyclist: Whoa! Exciting news!!! I recommend retirement; and remember the retiree’s motto: “I can do it tomorrow.” There’s always tomorrow*.

    * This is why the house hasn’t been decluttered in the last four years.

  25. 25.

    Redshift

    We used to have green herons in the big pond in our office park (when I went to the office.) I like ’em. As I recall, the green is more of an iridescence, and shows more in bright sunlight (and maybe more when they’re flying, I can’t quite recall.)

    I’m other bird news, we had a kingfisher at our local suburban park a few days ago, and I think I spotted a flicker in a tree across the street from my house.

  26. 26.

    Martin

    Day 14 of Californias Legislative Advent Calendar is a bundle of related gifts:

    Proposition 24: Establishes standards for the collection, retention and use of personal data and allows consumers to prevent businesses from selling or sharing consumer’s sensitive data.

    AB 587: Requires social media companies to disclose their policies on how they handle hate speech and misinformation. Social media companies must provide regular reports to the state on how they responded to violations of the terms of service and any enforcement action that was taken. In September, X Corp sued the state claiming the law violates the U.S. Constitution.

    SB 362: Requires that data brokers register with the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA). By 2026, the CPPA will establish a mechanism that consumers can use to direct all data brokers to delete their personal information.

    SB 60: Allows the public to seek a court order against a social media company requiring them to remove content that offers to sell, provide or give away a controlled substance in violation of state law.

    Never particularly clear if these kind of efforts will have a meaningful impact, but you gotta try.

  30. 30.

    lowtechcyclist

    @frosty:

    @lowtechcyclist: Whoa! Exciting news!!! I recommend retirement; and remember the retiree’s motto: “I can do it tomorrow.” There’s always tomorrow*.

    My wife retired earlier this year, and has very much taken this motto to heart.  I’ve encouraged her in this, and I’m planning on following her example!

    * This is why the house hasn’t been decluttered in the last four years.

    Now that’s something I may have to handle differently.  So much crap around here, I feel like I’m drowning in it.  I don’t have to have the perfectly de-cluttered house, but if I can reduce the clutter by half, even, I’ll feel a lot better for having done so.

  35. 35.

    NeenerNeener

    @lowtechcyclist: I retired at the end of September. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve thought even once about my old job, this post being one of them. Of course, I’ve been obscenely busy since then. I put my house on the market, sold it the first week and then had thirty days to get 60 years of accumulated possessions (some of which belonged to my parents and some to me)  out of it and into storage before the closing. So far, retirement has been great, except that I’m never sure what day of the week it is.

  36. 36.

    Eunicecycle

    @frosty: I had a coworker that retired about the same time I did, and she was decluttering her house BEFORE retirement. I said at the time “I’ll have plenty of time to do that when I’m retired!” Of course it’s 5 years later and I’ve done almost no decluttering.

  37. 37.

    Butch

    @HinTN: Mine also lacked holidays.  I didn’t realize it was an error; I bought them as presents and they’ve already been mailed off, so I guess no harm no foul…..

  38. 38.

    Jackie

    @Ken: Different court/judges.

    Hopefully same result: trying to change election results IS NOT an official duty of COS.

  39. 39.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Ken:

    I looped back around here, hoping to read Betty’s pithy comments on the latest Zeigler antics: he wants 2 million to go away quietly. Jeez. The grifters never stop the grift! 

    Is this one of the Florida GOP hypocritical threesome bastards?

  41. 41.

    frosty

    @lowtechcyclist: ​I got the garage and basement cleared out; I’ve had to do a second round on the garage. The attic (my cave) and the office is where I ran aground. Beware of this: “I can’t throw this out, it’s still usable, someone will want to buy it.” No they won’t, not even on an eBay auction, not even with brand new stuff.

    What I’m thinking these days is that we may have to move to a single floor apartment sometime in the future. I don’t want to have to get rid of all this stuff when I’m less mobile than I am now. So this year for sure!!!

  43. 43.

    frosty

    @NeenerNeener: ​…then had thirty days to get 60 years of accumulated possessions (some of which belonged to my parents and some to me) out of it and into storage before the closing.

    Like I said above, this is one of the worries that’s pushing me to accelerate the process of Getting Rid Of Stuff.

    So far, retirement has been great, except that I’m never sure what day of the week it is.

    This is the real reason that old people have those little pillboxes with the days of the week on them!

  44. 44.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @frosty: This is the real reason that old people have those little pillboxes with the days of the week on them!

    I’m 40 and I use those because I can take my meds and one minute later be asking myself “did I take one? Both?”

    My neuropsych evaluation is pending.

  50. 50.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Rudi Giuliani is having a bad day

    Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney 2h
    MORE: Sibley repeatedly criticizing Giuliani, comparing him to flat-earthers who will never stop believing election lies, saying he committed an ‘injustice’ against Moss/Freeman, noting he’s almost 80.

    “Rudy Giuliani shouldn’t be defined by what’s happened in recent times.”

    If you’ve lost your scorecard, Sibley is Rudi’s defense attorney. The defense, apparently, is “Yeah, he did it, but the booze-addled busted valise actually believes all that bullshit”.
    I refuse to believe he’s really broke now, and I hope Shea Moss and Ruby Freeman teach him what broke really means

  51. 51.

    Kayla Rudbek

    The landscaping crew has been working closely to my block all day and the noise is driving me up the wall. I am looking forward to when I am able to work onsite so that I don’t have to put up with the noise all.freaking.day.

    At least the trash pickup comes by briefly and then leaves for the rest of the day.

    Weird experiences as a contractor: being told by my manager in email to please get him a copy of my latest resume (that email went to the entire group and he’s also working on his own resume too so that it can be passed out to potential clients); turning in estimated time card for the next few weeks due to end-of-year. So back to pen and paper to accurately track time until New Year’s.

    At this rate my house may not be decluttered until I retire. I need a backhoe and an exorcist for my office. At least the kitchen is mostly done, the powder room is on the way to done, and I have matching light fixtures for the front hallway on hand to be installed. The Christmas tree is up, no ornaments so far as I want to get the living room painted before that.

  52. 52.

    wmd

    TBogg unit needs to be added to the blog Lexicon. Well at any rate it doesn’t show up in the “T” section.

  56. 56.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Brachiator:

    @eclare:

    Thanks, y’all!

    @Eunicecycle:

    congratulations! That is so exciting! You’ll love retirement.

    Apparently I already do – the grin on my face has been growing for weeks!

    @NeenerNeener:

    I retired at the end of September. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve thought even once about my old job, this post being one of them. Of course, I’ve been obscenely busy since then. I put my house on the market, sold it the first week and then had thirty days to get 60 years of accumulated possessions (some of which belonged to my parents and some to me)  out of it and into storage before the closing. So far, retirement has been great, except that I’m never sure what day of the week it is.

    My wife, who retired earlier this year, has had the same problem keeping track of days of the week. But it’s not important anymore!

    Are you still planning on moving to Virginia? If so, do you know where or when yet?

    And it’s now 3:30, my last actual day of work is officially over.  Tomorrow I’m technically on the clock all day, but all I’m doing is driving up to Bowie and turning in my laptop and badge, so it hardly counts IMO.  Then my wife is taking me out to lunch. There will be alcohol. :-)

  58. 58.

    Yarrow

    This is excellent news:

    The European Council has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine & Moldova. #EUCO granted candidate status to Georgia. And the EU will open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is reached and…— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) December 14, 2023

    Full text of tweet:

    The European Council has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine & Moldova.

    #EUCO granted candidate status to Georgia. And the EU will open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is reached and has invited the commission to report by March with a view to taking such a decision.

    A clear signal of hope for their people and for our continent.

  60. 60.

    Yarrow

    @Yarrow:  Apparently no one could believe it. Everyone thought Orban would veto it.

    Officials who were monitoring the talks were equally blindsided, and had to read the notes they were passed several times to take it in.Mr Orbán left the room, an act that allowed the 26 remaining leaders to make the decision to open Ukraine and Moldova's accession talks.— Naomi O'Leary (@NaomiOhReally) December 14, 2023

  62. 62.

    ARoomWithAMoose

    @Kayla Rudbek: For WFH, I found a set of cheap-ish over the ear noise canceling bluetooth headphones, it made a world of difference in this tiny house with two angry teens and a spouse, plus I can listen to music and get up and move around the house.

    Only weird bit is when used as a headset for conference calls, the audio bandwidth is terrible, the way around that is to use a separate mic.

  63. 63.

    CarolPW

    @lowtechcyclist: For those of us who have to haul the garbage/recycling/compostables cans out to the street on the proper day, and when the recycling is not on the same day as the other two (and even harder is every two weeks so one has to keep track of that too) the day of the week matters very much.

  64. 64.

    Betsy

    What an adorable bird.

    I relish these bird names that are monstrously inaccurate, like calling an obviously slate-blue and maroon-purple heron with bright yellow legs and a buff-and-brown streaked breast,  a “GREEN HERON.”

  65. 65.

    Anotherlurker

    I have a movie comment: Godzilla -1 is an overall excellent film!   Not just an excellent Kaiju film, but a wonderful, human story.  It deals with PTSD, survivor guilt, unexpected family, unexpected love, the horrors of war and other human issues.

    The special FX are excellent and the writing, direction and acting are all top notch.  It contains a reference to “Jaws” that is respectful and harrowing.  Godzilla himself is the most frightening he has been since the 1954 Japanese classic .

    However, if they had dropped the monster’s 15 minutes of screen time from the story and tweaked the script just a bit, it would still be a very moving, inspiring, human film.

    I can’t recommend this film highly enough.

  67. 67.

    WaterGirl

    @HinTN: I believe that all of the calendars came without the holidays.  Unless it was just the early batches that were that way?

    Send me an email when your replacements arrive?  I would like to know whether the replacements have holidays or not.

  70. 70.

    NeenerNeener

    @lowtechcyclist: Yep, I’m in Virginia now. I looked at real estate in Fredericksburg and Culpeper online, and two houses in a 55+ community in Ruckersville in person. The good stuff sells fast and what was left when I got here to see it in person had some issues I didn’t want to deal with. For example, the 55+ houses had concrete front stairs with steps that were too high for me, and no handrails. You’d think that was something a builder would take into consideration. I’ve found a house in Lynchburg in a nice area with no steps at all. Now I just have to find a decent PCP so I can rebuild my pit crew of specialists. Lynchburg seems to be a medical wasteland for medicare plans.

  71. 71.

    Ken

    @Yarrow: I’m wondering what Orban will say next time he calls Putin. “Yeah, my bad”?

    I’m also wondering if Putin will notice that every time Russia gets aggressive, the borders of the European Union get closer.

  72. 72.

    WaterGirl

    @Ken: I just sent an email message to the email you have associated with your nym on Balloon Juice.  If that’s s not a live email address, would you mind emailing me?

    my nym at balloon-juice.com

    thank you!

  74. 74.

    rattlemullet

    Ms Betty Cracker would mind sharing what type of Camera and lens you use for your bird photos? Thanks

  77. 77.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Steeplejack: ​
     

    What is the reason for retiring at 3:30 in the afternoon? That seems odd.

    ETA: Oh, I guess if your work schedule is 7:30-3:30?

    7:00-3:30 actually, but close enough for, um, government work.

    You know, that stuff that’s now in my past. :-)

  78. 78.

    Kay

    tombonier
    16m
    In case anyone needs more evidence that abortion rights is the most potent mobilizing force in politics:
    Turnout in Ohio’s election this year (with abortion rights on the ballot) was 95% of the 2022 general election.
    Turnout among women under the age of 50 was 113% 2022 levels.

  79. 79.

    DaBunny42

    Can’t believe no one beat me to this, but…

     

    Betty, are you saying that bird is “hard of heron”?

     

    Why yes, I am a dad. Why do you ask?

  82. 82.

    Doc Sardonic

    Could have been that little aside from some of the EU members to Orban, “Nice little country you got there, you don’t wanna be the UK, right?.

  83. 83.

    Montanareddog

    @Anotherlurker: I have heard good things about Godzilla, too, from people whose opinions I respect. Not a Kaiju movie lover at all but I might make an exception for this one

  84. 84.

    Eolirin

    Seems like the clean NDAA got passed through the House. This is good news. 300 million for Ukraine funding, so that buys us a couple more weeks, I think.

  85. 85.

    NotMax

    Now that’s good coffee. Belatedly tucking into the first mug at 11 in the morning after performing the semi-annual descaling and subsequent multiple flushing outs of the machine.

    None of those overpriced packets, nor vinegar. Half a teaspoon of sour salt (which is powdered citric acid) dissolved in a full reservoir of water does the trick just dandy.

  87. 87.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    @Ken: Little known fact…the layers of feathers that ducks and geese (and swans) have overlap and interlock to form a waterproof shell (they’re coated in an water repelling oil too which is also a crucial component). They actually don’t get wet sitting in the water, except their feet. Plus those layers insulate and they have a layer of fat as insulation too.

  88. 88.

    Suzanne

    @lowtechcyclist:

    7:00-3:30 actually, but close enough for, um, government work.

    You know, that stuff that’s now in my past. :-)

    LMMFAO. #wellplayed

    I am on the eighth of eleven floors of door hardware sets that I have to review. We paid a consultant to do this, and they have gotten so much shit wrong that I feel like I should refund their fee and take it as a bonus.

  89. 89.

    Steeplejack

    Book notes:

    Mildly disappointed by System Collapse, the latest installment of Martha Wells’s Murderbot series. It took a long time to get going, and at the end it felt like a short story that had been padded out to novel length. But still recommended—somewhat grudgingly—for fans of the series.

    Just finished Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, which I finally got around to reading, and I loved it! Extremely funny, but there were some surprisingly touching aspects in the second half. Recommended not only for mystery fans but for fans of “novels of social manners.” I immediately downloaded the sequel, The Man Who Died Twice, and dived into that.

    Also slowly drifting through Vajra Chandrasekera’s The Saint of Bright Doors, a richly layered fantasy that doesn’t allow of easy description. Very dreamlike. I am enjoying reading it in short stretches.

    New York Times Book Review:

    All is mundane in [the city of] Luriat except its “bright doors,” which “give the city its historic identity without intruding on its daily life.” These doors seem to open onto nothing, but from their keyholes emerge whispers, a cold breeze and a sense of the otherworldly. Fetter’s fascination with these doors draws him into a web of Luriati intrigue that involves his estranged and godlike father, the Perfect and Kind—whom Fetter has been trained since childhood to kill.

  90. 90.

    satby

    @NotMax: I use that for a lot of stuff since I buy it in bulk to make bath bombs. Descaling the coffee or tea pot, 1/4 cup in every dishwasher load, 1/2 cup to clean the washing machine.

  91. 91.

    Chris

    @eclare:

    Wow!  Bosnia!  Good, we need to defend against the Serbs, too.

    + 1.

    And please, for the love of suffering Jesus, don’t invite Serbia in.  It’s a Trojan horse for Russia, and Hungary’s already performing that role admirably.

  92. 92.

    Layer8Problem

    @Eolirin: “Here, we’ll make it simple: you absent yourself for the vote and stay away, and we won’t pants you in front of the cameras, you fascist bellend.” Simple diplomacy, but it sounds better in diplomatic French, or the more forceful German.

  94. 94.

    HinTN

    @Miss Bianca: Please be sure to emphasize that it’s not a one off “printer error.” They have a setup problem that they’ve got to address before they just send out a replacement.

  96. 96.

    Alison Rose

    @Steeplejack: I was a little bummed when I saw that System Collapse was closer to novel-length, since the only other novel in the series was my least-liked installment. I really think she shines with this story in the novella format. I’m still gonna read it, though, because I love Murderbot. From my review of the first book, after noting that I’m not much of a sci-fi reader:

    Like I said, Murderbot and I have very similar attitudes towards humans. That attitude is: No.

    Still true.

  98. 98.

    Geminid

    @trollhattan: Erdogan and Orban have a club- the Organization of Turkic States. Other members include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

    Also, the Republic of North Cyprus. The OTS is the only club that will have them.

    People might wonder how the hell Hungary qualifies as a Turkic state, but evidently Orban believes in a dubious theory that the Huns were of Turkic origin.

  101. 101.

    Marc

    @Anotherlurker:  I have a movie comment: Godzilla -1 is an overall excellent film!   Not just an excellent Kaiju film, but a wonderful, human story.  It deals with PTSD, survivor guilt, unexpected family, unexpected love, the horrors of war and other human issues.

    I saw it last night, I agree with you 100%.  What a great movie! I’m glad they decided (at least at my theater) to screen it in Japanese with subtitles, as Japanese is very emotive in a way that dubbing rarely captures.

  103. 103.

    Chris

    @Yarrow:

    Despite what I just said, I’m not sure Orban is actually in the tank for Putin, so much as willing to carry water for him up to a point if he sees a benefit.  After all, his country is just close enough to Russia that he might not want to irreparably piss off the powers to his west, might need their help some day.  But not so close that he feels existentially threatened by Russia, for now.

    Which leaves him in the ideal position to be the guy in the middle playing every side.  Sort of like Noriega used to do in this part of the world.  He may give the rest of the EU what it wants eventually, but he wants to make sure he extracts what he can.

  104. 104.

    Montanareddog

    @Geminid:

    People might wonder how the hell Hungary qualifies as a Turkic state, but evidently Orban believes in a dubious theory that the Huns were of Turkic origin

    Huns? Do you mean Magyars?

  107. 107.

    Suzanne

    @NotMax: There’s some absolutely gorgeous hardware out there. Drool-worthy.

    That’s not what any of this is. This is all practical stuff…. ADA-compliant lever sets, psychiatric door hardware, card readers, panic bars, magnetic holds, etc.

  108. 108.

    satby

    @eclare: I do, dissolve some (a tablespoon should be enough) in a cup / bowl of water and put the showerhead into it. I have a handheld shower, so I put the solution in a baggie and rubberband it onto the showerhead hanging down into the bath for an hour.

  113. 113.

    NotMax

    @eclare

    Sure can. If don’t care to remove the shower head fill a plastic sandwich bag half way or so with water, add sour salt (or white vinegar), tie or tape the bag to the arm of the shower so that the head is immersed and leave it to soak overnight.

    There’s also a spray product someone else here recommended years back called Wet ‘n’ Forget which works wonders on shower scum build-up, including the head. Lowe’s, Home Depot and some Costcos carry it.

  118. 118.

    satby

    @Yarrow: citric acid is concentrated, so you can make a stronger solution than regular vinegar, which is usually 5% acidity. You can also use “cleaning” vinegar, which is 6% acidity. I sometimes use that too.

  120. 120.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    Turnout among women under the age of 50 was 113% 2022 levels

     

    Proof of double voting!

    We need them to do that one more time for the whole shebang next November.

  122. 122.

    satby

    @eclare: For a slightly stronger solution, use regular vinegar with a packet of lemon Koolaid dissolved in it. Adds some more citric acid and the lemon cuts the vinegar scent a bit.

  123. 123.

    trollhattan

    @satby:

    Do they still sell acetic acid to consumers? “Back in the day” it would be standard for stop bath in darkrooms, but we all know what happened to darkrooms.

    Anyhoo, stuff has many uses, and without that pickle smell.

  125. 125.

    lowtechcyclist

    @trollhattan:

    Maybe treat yourself to a hightech cycle? :-)

    It might be time – my current ride is >20 years old, and even after this summer’s tune-up, it’s starting to feel its age.

    @CarolPW:

    For those of us who have to haul the garbage/recycling/compostables cans out to the street on the proper day, and when the recycling is not on the same day as the other two (and even harder is every two weeks so one has to keep track of that too) the day of the week matters very much.

    Well yeah, I have that too, although fortunately a few years ago, they went back to every week for the recycling; it had been every other week for several years, which was a nuisance.

    Also, the kid’s in his junior year in high school, so there’s the days we have to get him out of bed in time to catch the bus, and then there’s those other two days.

    But in either case, I can go back to bed afterwards if I damn well feel like it!

    @Betsy:

    OMG! That’s so exciting. Oh, a glimpse of my sometime future! Delightful thought!! What will you do first? Second? Third? Enjoy, enjoy!!

    First thing: just do some serious relaxing.

    Second: go to Florida for Christmas with the in-laws, like we do every year.

    Third: During the winter, a mix of intermittent decluttering of the house, visits to museums in D.C. while they’re relatively uncrowded, and taking care of some HOA crap (I’m the treasurer) that I’ve let slip.  And of course, relaxing in between the above for as long as I damn well feel like it.

    Fourth: There’s a solar eclipse on April 8th.  The track of totality within the U.S runs from Texas to upstate NY.  I’m not going to miss this one.  Hopefully my wife and son and I will all go together, but if I have to drive out to Ohio by myself, I’m doing it.

    After that, I’ve got a bunch of plans, but they have no fixed order.

    @NeenerNeener:

    Yep, I’m in Virginia [Lynchburg] now.

    If the central Virginia jackals (Geminid, Jeffro, anyone else?) are interested in a meetup after the holiday season, I’d drive on down. Maybe Charlottesville would be a semi-central location.

  126. 126.

    Freemark

    @Marc: Find that true for a lot of dubbing. I watch a lot of Korean stuff and can’t stand dubbed. I watched the Man From Nowhere with ads because the only version without ads I could find to stream was dubbed. And I hate ads. I pay the extra to skip ads always.

  128. 128.

    StringOnAStick

    Wasn’t Oban refusing to allow Ukraine in because he was pissed about some funding that he was trying to extract from the EU?  Or maybe is was blockaded funds, and I think I read that the funds got unblocked.  So, he was willing to act like a Putin stooge, until he got what he wanted in order to not act like a Putin stooge.  Either way, yay for Ukraine and I would hope the EU is looking harder at why Hungary is in their collection of democratically organized governments given that it’s a nationalist de facto dictatorship.

  132. 132.

    cain

    @Marc: Since we are doing Movies – I wanted to point this out on Netflix:

    The Archies

    https://www.netflix.com/title/81134807

    Yes, the comic book – but the Hindustan version – here is the blurb:

    Set in 1960s India, Archie and the gang navigate romance, friendship and the future of Riverdale as developers threaten to destroy a beloved park.

    It’ a great combination of English and Hindi – and the set really looks like 1960s U.S. The acting is great and the dancing (on roller skates !) is great – it’s not bollywood dancing – more like classic dancing you’d see in West Side Story.

    I’d check it out – you can easily pick out which character is who (and they keep the original names) – great casting! (and some of them are kids/grandkids of famous bollywood actors)

  136. 136.

    NotMax

    @satby

    I use sour salt when going through the effort of making (once in a blue moon) sweet and sour beef tongue.

    Also perks up cabbage soup, a wintertime staple chez NotMax.

  137. 137.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Steeplejack: ​
     

    👍 Don’t forget to disarm the alarm clock! 🥂🍾

    Well, I still have a 16 year old to get out of bed in time to catch the bus, which comes at 6:30 am. It doesn’t quite take a crane or fork lift to get him out of bed, but almost.

    But once he’s out the door, I can go back to sleep if I wanna. And then there will be no alarm.

  141. 141.

    NotMax

    @coin operated

    Not uncommon to find it among the spices selection of a well-stocked supermarket, although may be relegated to the kosher foods shelves or even in the baking goods aisle.

  145. 145.

    trollhattan

    @lowtechcyclist:It might be time – my current ride is >20 years old, and even after this summer’s tune-up, it’s starting to feel its age.

    Went a little nuts this year and added two to my fleet, after more than a decade off.

    In part triggered by going from two working bikes to zero two years ago, when both broke at the same time. Looking around the garage I saw other neglected non-functioning bikes and made the WFH decision to restore them all to working order. Result: the collection now spans 1983 – 2023, so, choices!

    Thing sure have changed in that span.

  146. 146.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, … TheHill:

    The Senate will return Monday in the hopes of getting a border deal to unlock aid for Ukraine before Christmas.

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) decided Thursday to keep members in town next week, saying in remarks on the floor that negotiators will have more runway to seek a deal that has been elusive for members.

    “If we believe something is important and urgent, we should stay and get the job done. That is certainly the case with the supplemental,” Schumer said. “For the information of all senators, after we finish today, the Senate will return Monday. That will give negotiators from the White House, Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans a time to work through the weekend in an effort to reach a framework agreement.”

    […]

    Earlier…

    Aaron Fritschner
    @Fritschner
    5h

    Lindsey Graham is fired up about getting the hell out of town and not coming back to work on either Ukraine assistance or border security, topics he previously described in dire terms, for a period of not less than four weeks

    It’s a CRISIS AT THE BORDER!! We can’t do anything until we fix the CRISIS AT THE BORDER!!1

    Now get out of my way as I head to DCA for my month-long vacation!!

    Good for Chuck for ignoring their posturing and forcing them to do their jobs.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  149. 149.

    NotMax

    @eclare

    See it only very, very rarely here. No rhyme or reason as to when. YMMV.

    Oddly, enough there’s almost always frozen pork tongue, which have never tried.

  152. 152.

    Redshift

    @Another Scott: Okay, I guess it’s not done-done with the NDAA, which would explain why there weren’t banner headlines everywhere. Still seems like it’s a big step forward, though, especially since it was passed under suspension so they could ignore the wingnut demands for poison pills.

  153. 153.

    lowtechcyclist

    @JPL: ​

    Congrats!!!!

    Thanks!!

    @Suzanne: ​

    LMMFAO. #wellplayed

    Thanks, and hope you can revoke that contractor’s payment, and at least get some of it for yourself!

    @West of the Rockies: ​

    Congratulations! Are you in academia?

    I used to be, a long long time ago in a galaxy just far enough away. But for the past quarter-century, I’ve been working as a mathematical statistician for the Census Bureau.

    And I’ve been having a very relaxed afternoon. Made drinks for my wife and myself, each of our two cats took a leisurely turn on my lap, and life is good. It’s still weird to think that I’m never working anymore, but it’s time. It’s very definitely time.

  154. 154.

    Ken

    @Redshift: From the article, I see that some Republicans were objecting to drag shows on military bases, which tells me that none of them have ever been on a military base — or watched Stalag 17, for that matter.

  155. 155.

    Redshift

    @Captain C: Or if they said the quiet part out loud, “These matters are very important as campaign issues, which is why we’ll use them as bargaining chips but not actually try to solve them!”

  156. 156.

    Geminid

    @eclare: I have only seen beef tongue sold in Arizona, as beef tongue tacos. But I’ve heard about tongue served at delis in the East.

    I was in Charlottesville the past two days, and my friend Debbie took me by Reids, a supermarket near downtown. That’s where she buys oxtail for soup. They had pig’s feet, plus pork neck bones. I don’t see either of them very often. Debbie said that when she was growing up in Medford Massachusetts, her Ma used to cook pigs feet.

    They would also have the “Seven Fishes” at Christmas. I’m not sure what the other six were, but one if the fishes was smelt.

  158. 158.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    @frosty: De-cluttering myself after my spouse’s death last year and having most of the house repainted. Now rehousing the many, many books. Set myself four rules which make decisions easier 1) Recycle decades old text books, 2) Recycle any art book with black and white illustrations (I mean, these have no point), 3) Recycle any book whose spine has split with loose pages, 4) Recycle any book I can find on Gutenberg Press or the Faded Page (free ebooks of books with no copyright restrictions).

  159. 159.

    Redshift

    @Ken: Yeah, to paraphrase that one wingnut “this bill is supposed to be about defense, not trans healthcare and drag shows, which is why I demand to add provisions prohibiting trans healthcare and drag shows!” 🙄

  164. 164.

    Anyway

    @WaterGirl:

    So older Ken is still Ken, and newer Ken is Ken In Hogtown.  HIstorically speaking only, of course!

    But which one is “xkcd Ken”?! Inquiring minds …

  166. 166.

    Baud

    @lowtechcyclist:

    ETA: I got a pop-up today reminding me to change my password at work, it expires in 9 days.  Oh really? That’s nice!

     
    Hahaha. Congratulations, free man.

  167. 167.

    Redshift

    @Geminid: A family friend used to get it in NoVa, but I don’t know where. I vaguely remember seeing it in a grocery store once, but since I’m never looking for it, I couldn’t tell you where.

  168. 168.

    Brachiator

    @eclare:

    Granted, I’ve never looked, but is beef tongue easy to find at the grocery?

    It’s regularly carried at the Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles.

    Checking online I see that it is offered at Walmart.

    I joked to a friend who likes beef tongue that I don’t eat anything that has been in a cow’s mouth.

  172. 172.

    Geminid

    @Jay: Smelt are little fish. Debbie says people would net them in Boston Harbor in December, because people wanted the Seven Fishes at Christmas time.

  180. 180.

    Ken

    @Anyway: I may be “xkcd Ken”. At least, I’m the Ken who never has original thoughts, and just links to XKCD or quotes Terry Pratchett.

  182. 182.

    Jackie

    @StringOnAStick: More NATO great news! TIFG is thwarted again! Baahahahaaaa!

    Congress has approved legislation that would prevent any president from withdrawing the United States from NATO without approval from the Senate or an Act of Congress.

    The measure, spearheaded by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), was included in the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which passed out of the House on Thursday and is expected to be signed by President Biden.

    https://thehill.com/homenews/4360407-congress-approves-bill-barring-president-withdrawing-nato/

  183. 183.

    Montanareddog

    @Geminid:  I was struck by what you said because, not being an expert, I was wondering if there was a gap in  my knowledge and the Magyar tribes were, in fact, descended from the Huns.

    I thought it unlikely, though, as one assumes the Huns were Germanic speakers and the Magyars are famously not.

  185. 185.

    Yarrow

    I just had a call with @EmmanuelMacron following the #EUCO decision to open Ukraine’s EU accession talks.

    Thank you, dear Emmanuel, for your kind congratulations and all the support that France has provided to Ukraine on this path.— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 14, 2023

    Between this and Tusk winning in Poland it seems like things are not quite as dire in Europe.

  186. 186.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    Why do solicitations from the DSCC include James Carville’s face?

    He’s not a Senator, no particularly photogenic, and not what I’d consider one of Democrats best advocates this decade or ever.

    I’ll still volunteer and give as possible, but damn.

  190. 190.

    Tony Jay

    @Ken:

    And which branch of the military do they think is most at risk of being groomed into non-traditional sexual shenanigans?

    Well, Wingnuts? Point those fingers? Which ones do you think are a bunch of wannabe woofers who can’t resist the erotic power of a well-muscled calf? Say it to their faces.

  191. 191.

    Geminid

    @Jackie: After he lost in 2020, Trump tried to pull US troops put of Germany. I think Congress passed a measure to stop him, but with all the other stuff happening it did not attract much attention.

  193. 193.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Tony Jay: And which branch of the military do they think are most at risk of being groomed into non-traditional sexual shenanigans?

    As many as I can.

  194. 194.

    Jay

    @Geminid:

    I’ve gone smelting, East Coast and West Coast.

    I prefer the taste of East Coast smelt, which I can buy as a frozen block, to West Coast smelt, which are a different species and quite oily.

    It was just a fart joke.

  195. 195.

    Ken

    @Omnes Omnibus: The Ukraine aid got through because the Speaker suspended House rules, so it would have required a 2/3 vote for the Freedom Caucus and ilk to add their poison pills. As a result it passed with 163 Democrats and 147 Republicans voting yes, versus 45 and 73 voting no.

    As something similar got McCarthy booted, we may see another motion to vacate soon.

  202. 202.

    Suzanne

    @Tony Jay:

    And which branch of the military do they think is most at risk of being groomed into non-traditional sexual shenanigans?

    ALL OF THEM, KATIE.

    ETA: The non-traditional ones are the most fun. So no judgment.

  203. 203.

    zhena gogolia

    @Steeplejack: Start with the first Hawthorne, The Word Is Murder. I think this series benefits from reading in order.

    There’s also Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders, but the TV version of Magpie was better than the book.

  204. 204.

    Ken

    @Montanareddog: as one assumes the Huns were Germanic speakers

    Made me look. The always-reliable Wikipedia says that very few words of Hunnish have been preserved, and scholars disagree over its affiliation. The list of possibilities does not include Uralic, the family that includes Magyar.

  205. 205.

    Gin & Tonic

    Also, Georgia

    Many Georgians are thanking Ukrainians for today’s developments and it is absolutely correct — brave Ukrainians paved Georgia’s way to receiving EU candidate county status.
    — Eto Buziashvili (@EtoBuziashvili) December 14, 2023

  206. 206.

    Spanky

    @lowtechcyclist:

    It’s still weird to think that I’m never working anymore, but it’s time. It’s very definitely time.

    When you know, you know. Welcome to the club!

     

    Now go take a nap.

  207. 207.

    Yarrow

    @Gin & Tonic:  Absolutely. But so far it seems most people were caught off guard and no one (yet) seems to know what Orban got in return for his vote (well, non-vote – staying out of the room). I’m sure someone knows but so far they’re not talking. It’s still fantastic news!

  208. 208.

    Jeffro

    @lowtechcyclist:If the central Virginia jackals (Geminid, Jeffro, anyone else?) are interested in a meetup after the holiday season, I’d drive on down. Maybe Charlottesville would be a semi-central location.

    glad I caught this and HECK YES!

  210. 210.

    Geminid

    @Montanareddog: I think you have it right. I am only starting to learn the history of the various peoples from Eastern Europe to the Caucasus region.

    I also follow the modern debates. Some of these folks are really into proving who has been there the longest, and who showed up only 900 years ago.

    One fun fact: there are more Azeris in Iran than there are in Azerbaijan.

  212. 212.

    Jay

    @raven:

    and American shad, and gaspereau, and elvers, and mackerel,

    When I was a kid, in the Maritimes, we were on “free food” duty, which took place mostly at night, filling garbage bags up with dip netted fish that the regulations didn’t care about, then cleaning them and filling the freezer.

    Mom used the guts and heads in her garden.

  215. 215.

    Tony Jay

    @Suzanne:

    No judgement from us. Outward condemnation and behind the scenes requests for phone numbers, pictures and discreet hotel assignations from them.

  217. 217.

    Geminid

    @Jay: Even fart jokes make good pivots.

    Have you ever had the “Seven Fishes”? I think it’s an Italian thing. My friend’s Mom was Sicilian.

  220. 220.

    Steeplejack

    @Cheryl from Maryland:

    Since you are a book person, may I suggest getting a Kindle or other e-reader to hold new book acquisitions that aren’t books you want to keep forever in physical form? The keepers being classics, personal favorites, monumental tomes, etc. I read a fair amount 0f genre fiction and current affairs, and it’s great to not have the physical books lingering after I have read them. And of course they’re still available on my Kindle.

    You don’t even need to buy a Kindle, of course. You can read in the Kindle app on a phone, tablet or browser.

    ETA: I’m a big fan of Gutenberg, Faded Page and similar sites. Gutenberg Australia has some books that regular Gutenberg doesn’t, because of different copyright laws. Lots of obscure mysteries from 1870-1950.

  222. 222.

    Montanareddog

    @Ken: this shit is complicated! There’s a Dutch linguist on Mastodon (I’ll have to look up his nym) who posts, in Dutch and English, on etymology; some of his explanations beggar belief (though I have no right to question him)

  224. 224.

    Suzanne

    @Tony Jay:

    Outward condemnation and behind the scenes requests for phone numbers, pictures and discreet hotel assignations from them. 

    I’m so happy I’m not Catholic, LA LA LA LA LAAAAAAAAA!!!

  227. 227.

    Subsole

     

     

    @Chris: That makes sense.

    Also, there are strong cultural ties between Orban and Putin. They are both atavistic, misogynist, racist thugs who are very much on board with the neofeudalist, white nationalist GOP/Global Conservative Axis program.

    Or, bellends.

  229. 229.

    Tony Jay

    @Montanareddog:

    Wasn’t there a theory out there that ‘The Huns’ were, at least by the time they hit the Roman border, less of a mono-tribal force and more of a confederacy of hard-fighting elements from all across the temperate band of Central Asia? A kind of semi-nomadic mobile empire with members from every ethnic element they’d come across from China to the Carpathians.

  234. 234.

    Montanareddog

    @Tony Jay:

    Rum, Buggery and The Lash was my school motto

    So you were educated by the Christian Brothers? (Or was that Rugby, buggery and the lash?)

  235. 235.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    I studiously read series in order.

    Magpie Murders is relatively near the top of my PBS Passport “to be viewed” queue. Currently rewatching the Ben Miller Professor T. The Belgian(?) version is also good.

  239. 239.

    Jay

    @Geminid:

    my Ex and her family are Italian Cradle to Grave Catholics,

    so that would be a yes.

    I am guessing that the 7 “fish” would be a regional variation,

    here it was stock fish, herring, prawns, salmon, a canned tuna pasta in red sauce, crab cakes and mussels.

  240. 240.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Spanky:

    When you know, you know. Welcome to the club!

     

    Now go take a nap.

    The funny thing is, I just woke up after having dozed off for thirty or forty minutes. :-)

  241. 241.

    Steeplejack

    Goddamn, Marlo Thomas has dreadful plastic surgery in this unavoidable St. Jude’s TV ad. Now I’m missing the “little pill with a big story to tell” off-Broadway musical production ad.

  243. 243.

    Kelly

    @lowtechcyclist: Second: go to Florida for Christmas with the in-laws, like we do every year.

    One of the great things about retirement are relaxed travel schedules. We add a travel day on each end of trips now.

  244. 244.

    Tony Jay

    @Montanareddog:

    Actually, yes I was! Brother Paul made everyone pick their recorder parts out of a bucket of grey ‘water’ at the start of the first Music lesson and ‘blow all the gunk out’ while he watched*.

    It was pretty much downhill from there.

    * Actual true fact

  247. 247.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    That’s similar to a Perry Mason plot. Former actress or model marries an abusive businessman in a small town, and all the small-minded locals hate her because she’s (in their minds) so lah-di-dah. Fortunately, the businessman is the murder victim. Unfortunately, she is charged with the crime. You can guess how it turns out.

  252. 252.

    Another Scott

    @Eunicecycle: After my dad retired he said he needed to get a part-time job so that he would have some free time.

    Congrats lowtechcyclist!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  253. 253.

    Tony Jay

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Cross my heart. Brother Sausage Fingers was a right ‘character’.

    Served 18 months for acts of gross indecency with members of the choir after I’d graduated. I assume he felt absolutely terrible about it because he decided to grow a ‘sinister goatee’ just before the trial, just to make sure the Jury got all the creepy vibes.

    Oh, yeah. Proper Catholic boy me.

  254. 254.

    Jackie

    @Geminid: Since TIFG has all but promised he plans to pull the US out of NATO  – should he get the opportunity (SPIT!)  – he should have a “good” rant when he hears!

    And Putin will be pissed! Bahahahaaa

  256. 256.

    Montanareddog

    @Tony Jay: Modern Urdu shares so much linguistic commonality with Hindi that the two languages, when spoken, are mutually comprehensible. But Hindi uses a Sanskritic script and Urdu is a Farsi -based script. Urdu is the Turkic word for army and came from  the lingua franca of the mercenary central Asian armies led by the Mughals. So, yes, I can believe that Huns was just a Latinate word for all these nomadic warrior bands constantly changing allegiance and terrorising the decaying Roman empire.

  260. 260.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Tony Jay: I was in a boys’ choir as a kid.  The director later pleaded guilty to 27 counts of child porn and other nastiness.  I never saw anything untoward, but I do wonder about one of my friends who was from a rather messed up home and might have been more vulnerable to a predator.

  263. 263.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Steeplejack: Balloon Juice After Dark comes early this time of year.

    I know some…supplements that can help with that. Not strictly above board.

  264. 264.

    wjca

    @Geminid: People might wonder how the hell Hungary qualifies as a Turkic state

    And does that make Finland a Turkic state as well?  I’m guessing the Finns won’t be on board with that….

  270. 270.

    Tony Jay

    @Montanareddog:

    See, now this. This is why I like it here.

    Remind me, is Hindi one of those Indo-European rooted languages that came from the north with the horse warriors? As I understand it for a pretty long time around the early to mid Bronze Age a guy from the middle of Europe could walk to roughly the Himalayas and be able to get by linguistically on common words they all shared.

    With all the swirl and crash of warrior tribes across the steppes I could easily see a shared ‘warrior tongue’ developing over centuries that ‘The Huns’ could have used amongst their contingents.

  273. 273.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Tony Jay: See, now this. This is why I like it here.

    Now I think you were just using me for a brief good time. Just like the other men…

  274. 274.

    Miss Bianca

    @Marc: begging my boss to get this movie, but it’s not one of our regular distributors. I’m going to keep working on her, tho…

  275. 275.

    kalakal

    @Tony Jay: The great thing about all the successive gangs of hardcases that came stomping out of Asia into Yurp (Huns, Goths, Saxons, Vandal, and let’s not forget the Alans*) is they were each being pushed out by even harder bastards.

    *Always loved that one, shame there wasn’t Kevins or Nigels, but at least there was the Dorians

  276. 276.

    Tony Jay

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I often ‘joke’ with school friends that I was blond and pale and quiet, but nothing happened, so what was wrong with me?

    But seriously. That was BSF’s type, and the Religion teacher (who was young and gay and cool) fucking hated him, so it’s likely he was already getting his buzz going around that time. Shudder.

  278. 278.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    One of the better endings, because it looked like she was going to end up with the local radio station owner that she knew back when they were both in Los Angeles.

  280. 280.

    Dan B

    @Redshift: My mother cooked Beef Tongue regularly.  She cooked it in the pressure cooked until it was “done”.  My brother hated the base of the tongue that was gristley and the tip that was very soft.  I’d love to cook it with herbs and wine but my partner would probably d-i-v-o-r-c-e.

  282. 282.

    Tony Jay

    @kalakal:

    “Kneel, weak-thewed spawn of ‘civilisation’, or fall under the sword of a true Alan.”

    “Oh verily, bearded one! Take my… wait, what did you say?”

    Narrator – Within a week, the entire kingdom burned, and the mighty host of the Alans rode on in search of a homeland where the conquered did not snigger and ask where ‘Keith’ was.

  283. 283.

    Geminid

    @wjca: No, the Finns never had some crackpot devise a fictitious history tracing them back to Turkic people. Evidently Hungary had one who came up with the theory about a century ago.

    But the Turks might say, “Sure the Finns are of Turkish origin. That’s why they’re such good warriors!”

  284. 284.

    sab

    @frosty: Somewhere near you there may be a non-profit thrift store that takes donations. I give stuff to the Humane Society. The Internatiinal Institute that teaches English as a Second Language brings immigrants there. They can get a kitchen supplies for a buck that cost $20 at a retail store. I have some really nice chairs for $10.

    I donated my late mother’s every day dishes and the whole set went for $20.

  293. 293.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Tony Jay: Rhea Ripley is beautiful, first I’ve heard of her.

    I suspect I’ll find my permanent solution when I can afford to put a roof over my own head. Not sure if that’s more or less realistic than hanging my hopes on one particular celebrity.

  298. 298.

    wjca

    @Geminid: No, the Finns never had some crackpot devise a fictitious history tracing them back to Turkic people. Evidently Hungary had one who came up with the theory about a century ago.

    Well, the Finnish and Hungarian languages are related closely to each other, and not much to anybody else.  So, if the Hungarians are Turkic, the Finns pretty well have to be as well. At least in the minds of crackpot Hungarians.

  300. 300.

    frosty

    @raven: ​
     Dead thread, but that was a great book, Raven. It got me to focus on staying in touch with friends, not moving far away, and staying on call with the job if they needed me – which they did, a couple of times.

  301. 301.

    Ramona

    @CaseyL: The veins carrying the cold blood from the feet run alongside the arteries carrying warm blood to the feet so the cold blood warms as it progresses upward and the warm blood cools as it progresses footward. There is a name for this mechanism but I cannot remember it. I think it’s called double cooling something something.

  302. 302.

    Ramona

    @Steeplejack: I loved the audio book of System Collapse! It seemed like never ending edge of the seat close calls and excitement to me. I wonder if reading it might have left me meh?

  303. 303.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Yarrow: ​

    @Eolirin:&
     

    More likely they salted his lunch with Lasix & when he had to rush off to the WC before he pithed his panth, the vote was taken. Better leaving through chemistry!

Comments are closed.