Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Every day Vance writes another chapter in the book called “Worst VP Pick Ever”.

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

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

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Donald Trump, welcome to your everything, everywhere, all at once.

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

Chutkan laughs. Lauro sits back down.

White supremacy is terrorism.

If marriage is the equivalent of selling yourself into slavery, women with self respect should reject the offer.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Not all heroes wear capes.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Wednesday Afternoon Open Thread

Wednesday Afternoon Open Thread

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Cup of CREAMED coffee

In the morning thread, I complained a lot about having to drink black coffee because I ran out of half-and-half and milk, and many agreed it was a tragic situation. I ransacked my well-stocked hurricane-country pantry in a fruitless search for canned milk, sweetened condensed milk or any plausible dairy-like product.

I even checked the freezer for ice cream. The only dairy I could find in the house was cheese, and that obviously wouldn’t do. So I choked down two cups of vile black coffee.

It delivered caffeine adequately, I guess. But I still didn’t feel right. So a while ago, I went downstairs to our enclosed game room (it’s a stilt house) to see if there was an RC cola in the downstairs fridge, aka, the beer fridge. There was. And there was also half a pint of heavy whipping cream!

Fuuuuck! I’d forgotten all about that!

I’d stashed it there more than a week ago when my sister and I returned from our aunt’s birthday party with a cooler containing several craft beers (our rural relations won’t touch the stuff), plus the leftover heavy whipping cream I’d brought along to make a pie topping at the party.

I flew back upstairs lickety split, brewed some coffee and am now enjoying a properly creamed (overly, even) hot beverage. And all is right with the world.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

134Comments

  3. 3.

    trollhattan

    Knucklehead Bush judge stayed on yet another of his demented gunz-n-ammo rulings.

    California gun owners will once again be required to submit to background checks when buying ammunition, after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay on the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez, who issued a permanent injunction against it. The judge’s ruling prompted a surge in ammunition purchases in the state, as gun owners sought to take advantage of it.

    The ruling by Benitez prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to issue a statement calling him a “fanatic judge who previously compared military-style assault weapons to Swiss Army Knives.” “Like clockwork, Judge Benitez has yet again put his personal politics and fealty for the gun lobby over the Constitution and common sense,” Newsom said.

    “Guns — with bullets — are the number one killer of children in America. California will fight this extremist, illogical, and incoherent ruling as we defend our live-saving measures that are proven to keep our communities safe.” And as Newsom said, California Attorney General Rob Bonta had appealed the ruling and sought the stay.

    https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article285153537.html#storylink=cpy

    This is the asshat who, in court, compared AR15s to Swiss army knives, and declared that without limitless magazines, granny would not be able to adequately protect herself in a shootout in her own home.

  4. 4.

    dmsilev

    Proper caffeination is essential.

    When we all came back to the office more or less full time after the first round of vaccines, my coworkers and I ceremoniously cleaned and reactivated the departmental coffee machine. Seemed like an appropriate way to mark “we’re back”.

  5. 5.

    Scout211

    Thank you, Betty.  I love when a tragic love story (of epic proportions) concludes with a surprise happy ending.  😊

    You and ☕️ (with cream), together again, 4ever. ❤️

  6. 6.

    dmsilev

    @trollhattan:

    and declared that without limitless magazines, granny would not be able to adequately protect herself in a shootout in her own home.

    All of the grandparents _I_ know can’t wait to reenact the final scenes of _Scarface_. Maybe your experience is different.

  7. 7.

    eclare

    Nice!  I am not a coffee person, I drink chai for my caffeine, but I must have some sort of creamer in it.  Currently out of my usual, so I am using Reddi Wip.  I’ll go to Kroger tomorrow.

  9. 9.

    Chacal Charles Calthrop

    have you thought of stocking up on oat milk or parmalat?

    neither need refrigeration until opened

  17. 17.

    Another Scott

    C-Span.org has a live view on the Senate’s vote on considering whether to move ahead with the Ukraine / Israel / Border bill. It’s expected to fail (60 votes are needed).

    Schumer has said he’d strip the Border stuff out and move for consideration of the other 2 parts if it fails.

    41:21 at the moment.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  21. 21.

    Tony Jay

    Ever since I tasted my first straight black unsweetened, coffee with milk has tasted like those coffee chocolates you used to get in boxes of Milk Tray and everyone would leave until the end.

    Also, too, that dumb as a fucked rock ‘Molon Labe’ decal the Nation of Braingoop insist on finding grimdark kewl really should lead to the foundation of a grassroots national lobbying group called, just for dips and wriggles, Citizens Opposed to Murderous, Injurious and Negligent Gunlove.

    The offer has been made, past time to take them up on it.

  23. 23.

    SeattlePsyclist

    If you are just looking for something to cut the acidity, not the dairy flavor in particular, a few drops of really good extra virgin olive oil also smooths the brew.

    As S***bucks discovered when they introduced a fancy version of this in a some markets, it also sends about 20 percent of the population immediately running to the crapper. You can probably accomplish the same effect by pairing your olive-oil coffee with a few fistfuls of jelly beans. I remain in awe of the marketing folks who realized that adding a shot of espresso to what’s basically a milkshake would be unstoppable in america…

  27. 27.

    Another Scott

    @lowtechcyclist: Yes.

    AFAIK, it’s Biden’s proposal (maybe with some numbers tweaked), with the border stuff greatly adjusted/enhanced to try to get GQPers on-board.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  31. 31.

    Another Scott

    @Alison Rose: @Old School:

    There’s almost never any drama in these things in real-life (McCain’s thumbs-down an exception that proves the rule). They know the outcome, they’re just waiting to show the rest of us.

    Still, they have to do their jobs and have a public vote.

    [eta:] I was a little surprised that Warren voted No (at least according to the text transcript).  But I haven’t been paying much attention to her the last few years.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  32. 32.

    Old School

    @rikyrah:

    It is impossible to overstate how awful and unethical is Aileen Cannon.

    What did she do now?

    <Follows links>

    There is speculation over whether prosecutors in Donald Trump’s classified documents case will attempt to have presiding Judge Aileen Cannon removed from the trial after she granted the defense access to certain unredacted classified papers.

    Trump’s team filed a discovery asking to see a number of classified documents related to the case in their entirety which was opposed by Special Counsel Jack Smith on the grounds it could impede ongoing investigations.

  33. 33.

    rikyrah

    Leia (@TheSWPrincess) posted at 10:36 PM on Tue, Feb 06, 2024:
    Congressman Al Green, D-Texas, was brought into the House Chamber in a wheelchair Tuesday afternoon, wearing hospital scrubs and socks, to cast his vote against impeaching Secretary Mayorkas, blocking the impeachment. HERO!

    “I was determined to cast the vote long before – I had no idea how close it was going to be,” Mr. Green said in an interview on Tuesday night from his hospital bed, where he had returned shortly after voting. “I didn’t come assuming that my vote was going to make a difference. I came because it was personal.

    I had to cast this vote because this is a good, decent man whose reputation should not be besmirched.”… https://t.co/2qTvOsGipo
    (https://x.com/TheSWPrincess/status/1755088001875546127?t=TR1bzilEOV0fwvR4MWwU_g&s=03)

  36. 36.

    Old School

    @Another Scott:

    They know the outcome, they’re just waiting to show the rest of us.

    Yeah, I think this vote is simply to have Republicans vote down the negotiated package.  Then Schumer will introduce the foreign aid funding pieces without the border security part.

  40. 40.

    moonbat

    I’m with you on the no coffee without cream rule, BC. I CAN choke down black coffee in dire, and I do mean dire, circumstances but it sure as hell doesn’t taste/feel right.

  43. 43.

    rikyrah

    Dean Phillips (@deanbphillips) posted at 9:07 AM on Wed, Feb 07, 2024:

    Serious question, @MalcolmNance:

    Do you intend to discover why I ran for Congress after the 2016 disaster, and how we flipped a red seat blue for the first time since 1958 with a 26 point swing?

    By August, I’ll support whomever the data shows is best positioned to defeat Trump.…

    Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) posted at 9:16 AM on Wed, Feb 07, 2024:
    Perhaps you haven’t noticed I’m African-American? I can confidently say I will support the nominee … and that ain’t you.  As a member of the most loyal base of the Democratic Party we black Americans will work harder than you to save your silly ass from tyranny & dictatorship ……
    (https://x.com/MalcolmNance/status/1755249223069483161?t=TYeTlQMP6ZPfSNnM-JxGLg&s=03)

  44. 44.

    TBone

    @rikyrah: Nancy Smash said it real good today.

    “I always say to my colleagues, now the Republicans in the leadership: Don’t bring the bill to the floor unless you know you have the votes,” she said. “And in order to know you had the votes, you had to have some in your pocket.” 😎

  46. 46.

    Another Scott

    49:49

    Schumer is standing at his lectern.

    [eta:] Schumer asked them to vote on it again.  Maybe to give him more time for whatever comes next??

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  47. 47.

    trollhattan

    Ever solve one problem and create ten? I have.

    Installed a mesh router kit to fill coverage holes around the house. Done and dusted, plus faster.

    Now I have several devices/systems that won’t communicate with wifi, including the effing heater, which has wifi control. The new router lacks any controls on the box and no longer has PC-based control console but rather, uses an app on your phone. But the app shows none of the features they claim are there.

    Winning. =:-|

  55. 55.

    wjca

    @rikyrah:

    It is impossible to overstate how awful and unethical is Aileen Cannon. Clearly has no business being a judge at any level.

    There’s a reason the Bar Association rated her Not Qualified when her name was first brought up.  In short, completely not a surprise.

  57. 57.

    TBone

    @wjca: I have a photo of her at a “rally” with rump regalia and face paint.  Here’s where I have to censor my foul mouth 😷

  61. 61.

    CaseyL

    The first time I had heavy cream in coffee instead of half and half was a revelation (I was at a breakfast restaurant and cream was what they served with coffee).  Gave the coffee a depth of body and flavor I could not believe.  Wowza.

    The only coffee I have ever been able to drink black is Jamaican Blue Mountain – back when you could get the stuff without taking out a second mortgage.  I’m not up on all the new roasts, so maybe there is another coffee bean or roaster in the world with that robust flavor and utter lack of bitterness.  If anyone knows of such a thing, please let me know.

  62. 62.

    smith

    @Old School: Among the things she ruled should be made public are the names of potential witnesses, which would inevitably bring the flying monkeys down on their heads (and remember, many of these are likely lower-level MAL employees without the wherewithal to protect themselves); the code name of an unrelated FBI operation; and the names and actions of uncharged individuals (who, I presume, could be charged in the future or may be working out plea deals). Cannon said there were no clear justifications to withhold this information from the public(!).

  64. 64.

    mrmoshpotato

    I even checked the freezer for ice cream. The only dairy I could find in the house was cheese, and that obviously wouldn’t do. So I choked down two cups of vile black coffee.

    Yes, coffee is vile. 😁

    Cheese on the other hand…  I should open up a block of my extra sharp cheddar. 🧀

    ETA – what about butter?  It’s dairy!

  66. 66.

    frosty

    Congrats on the heavy cream. I’m a Luzianne drinker ever since a housemate many years ago got me started. I use brown sugar ever since that’s all my MIL had sitting out one morning.

    On a camping trip with my bro, he asked if I had any coffee. I let him try it out. The reaction was “Gack!! I’ll walk to the 7-11!”

  67. 67.

    HumboldtBlue

    I was reading an Andy Rooney interview some 30-odd years ago, and he mentioned what advice he gave to his daughter, and at the top of the list was “learn to drink your coffee black.” That was a carry over from his days in WW2 I always assumed, and I always ignored that advice, well, because he’s not my dad and I like cream in my coffee,

    Oddly enough, once social distancing started in 2020 I immediately stopped drinking coffee and haven’t had any in the four years since.

  69. 69.

    Scout211

    Back to the coffee theme.  I gifted myself an extra cup of coffee this morning and a piece of cake for lunch to feel better about waking up a whole year older than yesterday.  ☕️🎂

  70. 70.

    billcoop4

    Per my grandmother, coffee should be “hot as Hell, dark as sin, and strong as the Devil.”  I’m the guy who will drink the coffee that’s been on the burner for 8-10 hours.  Concentrated.

     

    BC

  71. 71.

    smith

    @TBone: And another in the same vein, a new filing from TFG’s lawyers says they will ask to suppress evidence based in part on presidential immunity for crimes he committed after he left office.

  78. 78.

    Jay

    A US official in charge of diplomatic security was arrested on Tuesday for his alleged involvement in the 6 January attacks on the US Capitol.

    Kevin Alstrup, who worked for the State Department during the 2021 incident, now faces four misdemeanour charges.
    The charges range from entering and remaining in a restricted building to disorderly and disruptive conduct.
    The FBI made its arrest using evidence from a search warrant for devices found inside the Capitol during the riot.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68230079

  85. 85.

    Paul in KY

    @moonbat: I was a lifelong tea drinker (God save the King) who didn’t start in on coffee till late 50s. I went the hopped up milkshake route (lattes) first and by now have gotten down to just milk & sugar.  Drink alot more of it now than the tea.

  92. 92.

    Eyeroller

    @TBone: Probably for the reasons many commenters have been complaining about the immigration portion. I hope that if his vote had been needed, he would have voted yes.

  95. 95.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @billcoop4: ​You know what they say about Navy coffee:

    Pour cup. Insert metal spoon. Stir. Remove spoon and examine. If there’s still a bowl at the end of the spoon, it’s not strong enough.

  99. 99.

    Geminid

    @TBone: Sanders tried to make the Israel aid contingent on State Department findings on Israeli actions in Gaza, whether they met standards applied to other countries. He lost a vote on that amendment, and this vote may reflect that concern.

  107. 107.

    TBone

    @Suzanne: I once had a basement type garden apartment and sometimes left a window open for my male kitty (keeping an eye on him of course).  Went to the bathroom, came out, and caught him on my bed snuggling with a female he’d invited in!  He was spayed, but lonely? 😆

  108. 108.

    Anyway

    Black coffee drinker here – may cups a day. Butter and cheese almost always in the fridge but never any milk.

  109. 109.

    eclare

    @Suzanne:

    I assign songs to my dogs.  The best match was for my dear Sophie, who was a 45 pound biscuit can with little legs.  Her song was “Brick House.”  Cheesy I know, but she seemed to like it.

  110. 110.

    TBone

    @Baud: I too am opposed to onerous restrictions but really want Ukraine aid. So my eyes are cloudy today. To you and everyone who talked me down, thank you!  I’m having a shitty day.

  111. 111.

    Another Scott

    McConnell just voted Aye on the new $95B version of the Supplemental that has the border stuff stripped out.

    I don’t see a running count on the C-Span feed for this vote.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  113. 113.

    Anyway

    @eclare:

    Fingers crossed.  I am so worried about Ukraine.

    Same here. Even if the Senate manages to get 60 votes on a standalone Ukr (or Ukr+Isr) funding bill there’s no guarantee it will get a vote in the House. like you say fingers crossed

  115. 115.

    geg6

    @Nukular Biskits: ​
     
    Depends on what you consider good coffee, right?

    I drink one cup of coffee on weekdays before work and before I brush my teeth. Because coffee causes bad breath.

    I like to have a bit of non-lactose whole milk and some demarara sugar for a bit of that molasses flavor. Black coffee is disgusting. Oh, and I will only use Dunkin whole beans and the pour over method.

    Now that’s how you make good coffee. At least, what I consider good coffee.

  117. 117.

    Suzanne

    @eclare: My dearly departed kitty Scout…. I used to sing Tears for Fears’ “Shout” to her. But, of course, changed it to her name.

    @geg6: My MIL has two pet llamas (don’t ask). Spawn the Younger named them Lily and Lola. I sing “Lola” to her when we visit. I don’t have a good go-to song for Lily!

  119. 119.

    Another Scott

    @eclare: @Anyway:

    C-Span indicates it’s 58:41 at the moment. Apparently the GQPers won’t let it go through unless they can add amendments on the border or some such thing.

    The vote is still open and almost nobody is on the floor, so apparently there’s off-camera scheming going on.

    So, some progress but Schumer still needs to work some magic.

    Politics is slow.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  123. 123.

    Nukular Biskits

    @Geminid:

    @Nukular Biskits: So, if Congress passes the funding to enhance security in the Pacific, will you get a brand new dry dock with which to build Australian submarines?

    Given how hard Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) has been flogging this issue, I would not be surprised if that happens.

    Problem is, Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, MS, is having problems meeting deadlines on the surface combatants it’s building (DDG, LHA, LPD and Coast Guard deepwater programs), not to mention a manning shortage.  So I doubt that shipyard would directly benefit.

  124. 124.

    Nukular Biskits

    @geg6:

    I learned a long time ago that really GOOD coffee depended on brand, freshness, brewing, etc.

    I work with a lot of folks who consider Folger’s and Maxwell House good coffee.  I realize this makes me sound like an elitist snob, but I’d rather drink toilet water than either of those.

    When I’m at home, I usually use a French press and grind my beans.  I admit, though, on really lazy or rushed days I resort to the Keurig … in which I am using the Kona coffee K-Cups I bought when I was in NotMax’s neck of the woods last week.

  125. 125.

    JustRuss

    @Nukular Biskits: Well, if you want really good coffee, roast your own.  Takes a bit of time–30 minutes or so–and until you get the hang of it the results aren’t that great.  Amazon, of course, sells roasters for under $100.

    Cheaper than a month of Starbucks.

  126. 126.

    Miss Bianca

    @SeattlePsyclist: Coconut oil is my go-to coffee “fattener” of choice if I absolutely, gotta, have something in my coffee and there’s no dairy available. Seriously, I will use it in lieu of nonfat milk powder, given the choice.

  127. 127.

    Another Scott

    So, I checked the end of the Senate floor session today. Schumer said he’s going to give the GQPers time overnight to figure out what they are going to do. He says they are going to have a vote tomorrow. Session starts at noon on Thursday.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  128. 128.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:

    When in the Navy on a guided missile destroyer (over 50 yrs ago) there were 2 armed sailors on in port watch. On the back deck where the ramp to get on board was located was one and the other was called sounding and security who walked basically the entire ship, almost all inside. Both carried loaded .45 caliber semi auto pistols. That was it, to protect a US Navy vessel. Now if you were at a USN base, really that was more than enough. However it was no different in port in normal US or foreign country ports. In some foreign countries we had to hide the gun under a jacket because the country didn’t appreciate the concept small arms on display, even though the entire ship was obviously a war ship, with big guns and and missile launchers.

  132. 132.

    Paul in KY

    @Alison Rose: The actual Grey Havens would probably have been very beautiful, given the artisans who built it. I would think an actual Grey Havens would have been larger in circumference, etc. than what that model shows. Just my opinion.

  134. 134.

    Sid_Viscous

    Sorry, but black coffee for me. And French Roast, brewed at methedrine-strength. Some days, it’s like a bracing liquid version of that very first morning cigarette, I haven’t had that in decades—and, yeah, still occasionally miss it. But that’s only as the first thing of the day, drinking a cup after 11am and I’ll still be jumping and chattering way after midnight.

    It will seem vile to some, but the heart wants what the heart wants. And this is what gets mine going each morning.

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