Do we ever really know the impact we have had on other people?
I mean, really know.
For a good Christmas cry. A British stockbroker helped hundreds of children flee the Nazis; but lived wracked by guilt about the ones left behind. A British TV show brought them together. https://t.co/Mx9xprJNIc
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) December 23, 2023
It’s a short video, worth watching.
Merry Christmas, everyone! (or whatever you celebrate)
Open thread.
Update: Balloon Juice zoom tonight at 7 pm Eastern. Email WaterGirl for the link.
Villago Delenda Est
That was indeed a wonderful moment!
WaterGirl
@Villago Delenda Est:
“stand up if …” That’s the part that really got me.
Ben Cisco
I remember the first time I saw this. Got really dusty all of a sudden…
Baud
You too can save people from fascists by voting blue in November.
West of the Rockies
General opinion is starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed…
You probably know the rest.
Happy Christmas, BJers.
Suzanne
Merry Christmas, all! The strata has been baked (delicious), the presents unwrapped (and the boxes and gift wrap piled for recycling), the puppy has been walked.
Next up: a Christmas Peloton ride.
kindness
1988 video. Not that long ago but how the world has changed since…
Hungry Joe
At least it wasn’t during Hanukkah:
Vaxxed and boosted to the gills, we are. We don’t socialize with unvaxxed folk, and we mask in stores. Yet Ms. Joe and I are currently flattened with COVID. I think I’m sicker because of course I do. Scored Paxlovid yesterday, and it’s helping, but my throat is so swollen, and swallowing so 9-on-a-scale-of -10 painful, that I have trouble getting the capsules down.
I don’t even want to imagine what this would be like if we weren’t vaxxed.
Raoul Paste
No, you don’t really know. You could make an offhand comment to someone and think nothing of it, but that person might remember it for the rest of their life
Barbara
@Hungry Joe: So sorry! I hope you feel better soon. I’ve had Covid twice and it was really mild, but that’s probably just luck on my part. Just got boosted again last Thursday.
Rest and take care of yourself.
WaterGirl
@Hungry Joe: I’m so sorry to hear it! That sounds awful.
In the spirit of the post:
I assume the person who gave you Covid will have no idea of the impact it is having on you!
Zifnab25
@Baud: In Ukraine and Russia?
In Israel and Palestine?
In Argentina? The Philippines? India?
In Texas, even?
Doesn’t seem like it.
NotMax
Repeated from downstairs; it’s that nice.
Feel the beat from heartwarming holiday cheer.
;)
Ye olde curmudgeon’s Xmas present? First time since waking up on Friday can employ the right hand to flick my Bic. Yippee!
NotMax
Zoom tonight? Please to invite.
WaterGirl
@NotMax: Sent. Everybody who is not NotMax, please send me email to get the link. :-)
schrodingers_cat
@Zifnab25: Long time no see. How have you been?
MazeDancer
Assume I am the last to know, but in case I am next to last, you can make FaceTime and Zoom calls from you iPad and not have that irritating person is looking to the side, not directly to the camera effect.
Simply turn you iPad so that the camera is on the bottom.
It works. Really,
Ohio Mom
@Hungry Joe: i started feeling better by my third dose of Paxlovid. I agree, they are hard to swallow because they are so big, and there were so many of them.
Still, if your urine is dark — you’re dehydrated —‘or your temperature keeps rising, or your oxygen levels drop (assuming you have one of those finger gadgets), you are entitled to go to an emergency room.
NotMax
@MazeDancer
Doesn’t that make your voice transmit with an Australian accent, mate?
//
schrodingers_cat
I scored a set of 12 Derwent Graphitints on ebay. They are watersoluble graphite pencils.
NotMax
Open Thread?
Keep on truckin’, as it were.
;)
kalakal
@NotMax: Naw, Kiwi. Every second word has a rising inflection.
MazeDancer
@NotMax: Yes. But worth it.
NotMax
@kalakal
I sit properly chastised. Now feel … sheepish.
:)
Nelle
@NotMax: Baaaaa.
WaterGirl
@MazeDancer: I have never noticed it, but I bet I will now!
Will you be joining us tonight, and demonstrate the newfound solution while you are there?
WaterGirl
@Nelle: We talked about you on the zoom last night, with your inspirational “strength of a 30-year-old” results!
ArchTeryx
Very much a reflection of one of the final scenes in Schindler’s List where Oskar Schindler has a total breakdown over the ones he could not save, and that he should have done more to save more. Yitzak tells him that thanks to him there will be generations saved, and paraphrases the Torah: “He who saves a life, it is as if they have saved the world entire.” And all of the survivors hugged him. Incredibly powerful and mostly true scene. He stood up against evil at the great risk of his own life. Sometimes that’s just what you do, if you have any humanity at all.
kalakal
@NotMax: Good news! New Zealand is definitely the place for ewe!
NotMax
@Nelle
In the spirit of the day, “Baaa, humbug.”
:)
Kirk
@Zifnab25: What is it with the all or nothing thinking?
Besides, with sufficient blue voting I do believe that Texas would move against fascists, and that we the US might even move more strongly in opposition of fascists in your other locations as well.
bjacques
Sorry to hear about your sore throat, HJ. Just a stuffy head currently—luckily too, since they don’t do Paxlovid here in Foreign Speaking Nation.
(The Zoom will be 3am here, alas.)
MazeDancer
@WaterGirl: No, won’t be able to join. But will be enough to know the word is being spread.
No more switching to the laptop just to make eye contact.
Google searched this way too many times.No one had a good answer.
Until today!
WaterGirl
@bjacques: TooMuchCoffeeMan also brought to my attention that 7pm zooms are the middle of the night for BJ peeps in Europe or elsewhere.
So the Balloon Juice Zoom on New Year’s DAY will be at noon Eastern time, which will hopefully be workable for you wherever you are.
Yes?
Subsole
@Zifnab25: Yep.
There isn’t a country on that list that would be better off with a Republican in charge here.
bjacques
@WaterGirl: Thanks! I’ll mark my calendar for that. 6pm here.
Steeplejack
Merry Christmas and season’s greetings to all!
I’m off to a slow start—just now having coffee and an apple-cranberry tart—after staying up extremely late last night. No particular reason; I wasn’t tired and I got sucked into two movies, one good and one dreadful (but which I felt compelled to finish). I’m sure it wasn’t the clattering and muffled cursing on the rooftops that kept me up.
Had a long snooze this morning and feel tentatively ready to face the day. The Sighthound Hall mob left early this morning for a surprise (to the kids) trip to Disney World, so I am going over there to hang with Chip the non-sighthound for the week. But their cleaning ladies come tomorrow morning, which I have learned not to be around for, so I think I will take minimal stuff today (toothbrush and iPad?), spend the night with Chip, then come back here tomorrow morning and make the big move tomorrow. The mob gets back late Friday night, I believe.
So a quiet Christmas day here in NoVA. Sunny and 55°, quite nice. Bro’ Man texted that many delicious leftovers await me, so I’ll see what’s what for dinner. Might take a few victuals just in case.
Okay, up and at ’em (sort of).
zhena gogolia
@Steeplejack: What was the bad movie?
I’m almost done with Maestro. It picked up speed about halfway through.
KrackenJack
@WaterGirl:
But that’s 9 am Pacific!
Steeplejack
@zhena gogolia:
Well, the good movie was The Equalizer with Denzel Washington. Really excellent, but perhaps too much retributive violence for you. It (and the sequel, also excellent) has become one of those movies that if I run across it on cable I have to watch to the end.
Then the dreadful movie, which was Olympus Has Fallen. North Korean terrorists take over the White House and hold the president hostage. Disgraced Secret Service agent Gerard Butler happens to be on site and has to save the day. Disgraced how? Well, the First Lady previously died on his watch, but it wasn’t his fault! Dreadful, dreadful, dreadful. But I felt compelled to finish it in a car-wreck kind of way. All the while thinking whatever happened to Gerard Butler? (Too lazy to look on IMDB.)
The thing is, I think there was another “capture the White House” movie, equally dismal in my memory, but I can’t for the life of me think of the title.
twbrandt
I had not known of Sir Nicholas Winton until now – thanks so much for posting that.
There was extremely dense fog here in SE Michigan yesterday, which made driving home late last night exhausting. Fortunately it’s sunny out now. Off to my sister’s place soon with a freshly-baked pecan pie.
dmsilev
My parents and I (and their dog) are getting set to head over to my brother’s place in a bit. My SIL is making traditional German food (she’s apparently feeling a bit homesick) and by sheer coincidence I bought a Stollen the other day to bring with, so that will be very appropriate. Also baked a tart this morning, basically a pie crust with an orange-infused chocolate ganache filling. Tasty..l
schrodingers_cat
@dmsilev: Do they have an Aldi’s near them. Aldi’s carries a lot of German cookies at this time of the year. My favorites are cakey ginger bread cookies with a jam filling covered with dark chocolate.
Steeplejack
@Steeplejack:
Huh. Checked IMDB. Olympus Has Fallen was directed by Antoine Fuqua, who did the Equalizer movies and also Shooter, a tight little action movie with Mark Wahlberg and Michael Peña. Who’da thunk it?! Olympus still very dreadful. But I see there have been two sequels, London Has Fallen and Angel Has Fallen. Neither directed by Fuqua, thank God.
ETA: Gerard Butler has been working steadily but non-distinguished-ly.
ETFA: “Neither directed by Fuqua, thank God.” No criticism of Fuqua intended. I admire his work and don’t know how he got embroiled in Olympus Has Fallen. Fortunately he avoided the sequels.
dmsilev
@schrodingers_cat: I don’t think so. But I can check. Worth looking into, thanks .
Brachiator
I remember the first time I saw this video clip about Sir Nicholas Winton. I still get chills.
Many years ago, I went to spend part of the summer in another city with my great aunt. She was a sweet old lady, retired from teaching.
One day, coming out of a supermarket a young woman in her 20s I guess, came up to us, a little shy and hesitant, and said to my great aunt, “Hello, Mrs M. Do you remember me. I was one of your students in …? I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful teacher you were. I’m studying to be a teacher, too.”
My aunt remembered her and called her by her name.
Later, talking to another relative, I learned that my great aunt had won all kinds of awards for being a great and inspiring teacher. I had no idea. But I always remember the young woman approaching my great aunt as though she was coming up to a great celebrity.
Warblewarble
Is there to be no Sir Nicholas or Saint Nicholas for the children of Gaza.
WaterGirl
@KrackenJack:
As much as I would like to, it is not possible to please everyone.
Nukular Biskits
@WaterGirl:
How about a 24/7 Balloon Juice live feed?
🤣
WaterGirl
@Nukular Biskits: I’ll put you down as the host and monitor!
Another Scott
@dmsilev: @schrodingers_cat:
WorldMarket might be worth checking, also too. Their international foods section isn’t huge but has lots of sweets, and mixes and sauces and spices and teas and similar things. Santa brought us some marzipan from there.
Cheers,
Scott.
dmsilev
@Another Scott: When I lived in Chicago, I used to swing by the annual Christkindlmarket downtown and assemble a care package of sorts for her. LA doesn’t really have anything comparable, sadly.
Edit: The Stollen came from a Long Beach bakery that has a stall at my local farmers market. Along with that, I brought some baskets of fresh raspberries, which you can’t really get in Boston in December…
NotMax
@WaterGirl
Heck, anyone is able to spin up a Zoom meeting if so inclined.
Even west coasters. ;)
(BTW, noon Eastern time is currently just after sunrise here.)
hitchhiker
Here’s to all of you, and thanks for all the jokes, comments, front page reports, animal updates, and life-giving humanity. This place makes my world richer, funnier, and saner every single day.
Merry merry merry!
Alison Rose
Exceedingly OT but I just came across this and it made me laugh so I thought others might appreciate it, too:
WaterGirl
@NotMax: So if we change it to 1 pm, you can grab a coffee at dawn and then join us?
@KrackenJack: And it would be 10 am where you are. Does that work for you?
NotMax
Finished the eight episode Italian Nero Wolfe series on MHz Choice. Overall give it a hair under a B+, which ain’t bad at all. Grew on me after a slightly shaky start. Infused with just enough mild humor to act as a counterweight to investigatory seriousness.
There aren’t all that many men of any girth who can pull off sometimes wearing a rust colored business suit. The portly lead in this series, however, does. With panache.
trollhattan
Proof, as though we needed it, that conservatives will use the First Amendment to justify virtually anything.
Meanwhile, it would be great if they programmed turn signals that would display automatically with every turn and lane change, because drivers certainly can’t be arsed to use that stick thingie.
NotMax
@WatrerGirl
Makes no never mind to me. I’ll either be conscious or not either way. Sleep is a fickle companion.
pieceofpeace
@NotMax: I watched the next few also – terrific!
Thanks, I sent them off to old friends who are also olds.
NotMax
BTW, if your public library offers Kanopy as a perq for streaming, all four seasons of the wonderfully quirky Captain Marleau have now shown up there.
Ditto for the more intense single season of Marnow Murders.
zhena gogolia
@Steeplejack: Ooh, neither one sounds like my speed.
Matt McIrvin
@trollhattan: The trouble with automatic turn signals is that they’d have to detect the driver’s intentions in advance of acting.
rikyrah
@Hungry Joe:
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾😪😪😪