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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

The way to stop violence is to stop manufacturing the hatred that fuels it.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

Fear and negativity are contagious, but so is courage!

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

The world has changed, and neither one recognizes it.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

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

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

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You are here: Home / Archives for 2024

Archives for 2024

Respite Thread: The Kids Are All Right

by TaMara|  July 3, 20242:00 pm| 59 Comments

This post is in: Make The World A Better Place, We All Need A Little Kindness, This Is A Doom & Gloom Free-Zone

Thought we could use some respite as we go into the holiday weekend.

I’ll be going to this show. It’s not far from my house and I’m hoping the dogs will be okay for the twenty minutes or so I’m gone. They generally aren’t upset by fireworks, but I like to be around to distract them just in case.

Jul 2, 2024

With hot and dry weather, fire restrictions are going into place in many places in the state. Drones are becomes a more and more popular alternative to fireworks.

===========

I loved this dress so much. She said it took her three days to make. There is a matching bag and shrug. Stunning.

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Respite Thread: The Kids Are All RightPost + Comments (59)

Wednesday Barely Afternoon Open Thread

by WaterGirl|  July 3, 202412:12 pm| 196 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

I’m playing catch-up for clients this week so I don’t have anything to share related to current events, but it looks like we can use any open thread.

I went to the farmer’s market, came home, started a load of laundry, and washed my breakfast dishes and silverware.  Sat down to work at the computer, started typing, and without really noticing, I apparently kept wiping my left hand on my pants or shirt.  Then I consciously notice the stickiness so I started to get up to wash my hands, and I see blood on my keyboard, blood smeared all over the left side of my shirt, blood on the left side of my pants.

Super bummed about the capris because I had just found them yesterday when I was starting to organize my closet room!  I love them and I hadn’t seen them for at least a couple of summers, maybe more!

Anyway I had apparently cut my finger on… something?

Anyway, that’s all I can type one-handed.

Open thread!

Update: Okay, I’ll add this as a mood lifter, because I saw it just now and laughed out loud.

Good morning.

Take a walk in your neighborhood today.

Touch some grass.

Grab a coffee with a friend.

All the things Steve Bannon can’t.

— Jack E. Smith ⚖️ (@7Veritas4) July 3, 2024

It’s been kind of a rough day. I was disbarred in New York, and my phone number turned up in the Epstein phone logs.

Oh. Wait.

Pardon me.

That was Rudy Giuliani getting disbarred and Donald Trump with his phone numbers in the Epstein phone logs.

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) July 3, 2024

Wednesday Barely Afternoon Open ThreadPost + Comments (196)

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Interesting Times, Dammit

by Anne Laurie|  July 3, 20248:34 am| 400 Comments

This post is in: Elections 2024, Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat, Our Failed Media Experiment

This election is between Donald Trump, who lies, and Joe Biden, who leads.

Watch our new ad. pic.twitter.com/Pz72vLP6ZY

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 1, 2024

EXCLUSIVE: @GStephanopoulos will sit down with Pres. Biden for the exclusive first television interview since the presidential debate. Tune in across ABC News platforms Friday, July 5.

Read more: https://t.co/ZEE7WVrBAf

— ABC News (@ABC) July 2, 2024


Mark your calendars:

… Biden will speak to “Good Morning America” and “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos for the interview. A first look will air on the Friday, July 5, edition of “World News Tonight with David Muir” with portions airing on Saturday and Sunday on “Good Morning America.”

The extended interview will air Sunday, July 7, on “This Week” and Monday’s episode of “Good Morning America.”…

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC on Tuesday that the president had “a bad night,” but added, “He has judgment. He has strategic thinking and the rest.”

Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is running for reelection in Pennsylvania, threw his support behind Biden Monday afternoon when asked about the president’s debate performance, telling reporters he is confident Biden can run a strong reelection race and serve a second term.

“No, I don’t worry about that. Look, he had a bad night in the debate, but I think people know what’s at stake,” he said.

Friday is three days away and there is a national holiday on Thursday this is why you don’t have a job anymore, Brian https://t.co/P8Mndd8Lh4

— Peter Wolf (@peterawolf) July 2, 2024

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Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Interesting Times, DammitPost + Comments (400)

On The Road – PaulB – The Cascade Loop, Part 4

by WaterGirl|  July 3, 20245:00 am| 16 Comments

This post is in: On The Road, Photo Blogging, The Cascade Loop

PaulB

Welcome to stage 4 of “Washington’s Ultimate Road Trip,” the Cascade Loop. Today, we’ll be visiting Ohme Gardens, a garden begun by Herman and Ruth Ohme in the 1930s and that they worked on for 42 years. The Gardens are now owned and managed by Chelan County. You can find more information, as well as historical pictures, on the website.

The gardens are built on a bluff that overlooks the Columbia River. You enter the gardens at the top of the bluff and then make your way down through the gardens to the base, a couple of hundred feet down. Then, if you’re like me and are still sore from hiking, you groan as you look at the steps that you have to climb to get back to the top again.

One thing that stood out to me about the Gardens is that they stayed fairly close to a vision of a mountain garden/meadow combination, with native plants, trees, ferns, ground cover, and oh so many rocks. So no formal layouts or exotic plants.

Note: You can see full-size versions of these photos here.

On The Road – PaulB – The Cascade Loop, Part 4Post + Comments (16)

On The Road - PaulB - The Cascade Loop, Part 4 7
Ohme GardensMay 12, 2024

A waterfall flowing into a small pond. Like I said: lots of rocks.

COVID-19 Coronavirus (& H5N1) Updates: July 3, 2024

by Anne Laurie|  July 3, 20244:39 am| 40 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19, Foreign Affairs

Testing was a huge problem at the start of the Covid pandemic. ⁦@CDCgov⁩ is moving to get on top of the testing needs for #H5N1 now — in case the need arises. ⁦@MeganMolteni⁩ reports. https://t.co/2weNuGWQoV

— Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 (@HelenBranswell) July 2, 2024

FDA finds H5N1 bird flu in half of tested samples but confirms flash pasteurization kills virus

The FDA collected and tested 275 bulk samples of raw milk collected from farms in four states where herds had tested positive for H5N1, or bird flu. https://t.co/Qm3PERT1As

— SARS‑CoV‑2 (COVID-19) (@COVID19_disease) July 2, 2024

HHS awards Moderna $176 million to develop mRNA H5 avian flu vaccine

Moderna's work on a prepandemic vaccine began last year, and the new award has an option for large-scale production, if needed.https://t.co/lSFcYKqKwQ pic.twitter.com/EGXY7ImrWR

— CIDRAP (@CIDRAP) July 2, 2024

US: Signs of avian flu found in San Francisco wastewater

"Signs of H5N1 bird flu virus have been detected at three wastewater sites in California’s Bay Area, according to sampling data."

Los Angeles Timeshttps://t.co/4jM6YV8NPd

— CoronaHeadsUp (@CoronaHeadsUp) June 30, 2024

USDA spells out financial assistance to offset H5N1-linked milk losses

The USDA said it will start accepting applications for compensation on July 1.https://t.co/kPURTvcz0q pic.twitter.com/fZCnT14d6S

— CIDRAP (@CIDRAP) June 27, 2024

***********

A summer wave of Covid-19 has arrived in the US

Covid-19 levels have been rising in the United States for weeks as new variants drive what’s become an annual summer surge.https://t.co/SDjKmwu8eK

— SARS‑CoV‑2 (COVID-19) (@COVID19_disease) July 1, 2024

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COVID-19 Coronavirus (& H5N1) Updates: July 3, 2024Post + Comments (40)

Late Night Open Thread: No End of History

by Anne Laurie|  July 3, 20242:47 am| 128 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Venality

So THIS is what history feels like…

— Rick Perlstein (@rickperlstein) July 1, 2024


Response, from Osita Nwanevu:
Late Night Open Thread:  No End of History

all of conservative legal theory in a single headline pic.twitter.com/Ck1OiopPQk

— Sen. Lemon Gogurt ugarles.bsky.social (@Ugarles) July 2, 2024

Happy, if impractical, thought:

Ordering Trump's assassination seems like it could be a gray area, since the constitution doesn't give the president assassination powers. However, if he promised to pardon anyone who killed Trump, that seems airtight.

— Shadow Of The Nerdtree (@agraybee) July 2, 2024

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Late Night Open Thread: No End of HistoryPost + Comments (128)

War for Ukraine Day 860: Compare and Contrast

by Adam L Silverman|  July 2, 20248:25 pm| 55 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine

Two quick housekeeping notes. First, Rosie is doing great in her second week off between the second and third round of chemo. Thank you all for your good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

Second, Secretary Blinken clearly articulated the US’s policy – as in the US’s objectives – in regard to Ukraine’s self defense against Russia’s genocidal re-invasion. Since everyone is quite raw over the events of the past week, I’m going to deal with that after the jump. Basically, I’m going to compare and contrast with what Blinken articulated with what President Zelenskyy articulated in his interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, which we covered the other night.

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

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War for Ukraine Day 860: Compare and ContrastPost + Comments (55)

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