Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Come on, man.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

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

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

The willow is too close to the house.

White supremacy is terrorism.

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

When I was faster i was always behind.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

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

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

So many bastards, so little time.

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

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Sunday Wisdom Open Thread

Sunday Wisdom Open Thread

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I have spent part of the weekend immersed in chats with U.S. family whose livelihoods are directly threatened by the NSF/NIH vandalism. Most of rest of it I have spent buried in the Oresteia. Aeschylus was a war veteran who’d witnessed the messy birth of Athenian democracy. He knew what was up way back in 458 BCE:

Sunday Wisdom Open Thread

Amen, old man.

I can think of a few divine punishments I’d like to see inflicted on some people – the kind that involve large birds of prey pecking out livers for eternity. Wallowing in those thoughts are corrosive to the soul in the long run, though. So I also went out for waffles with the Child, to a cafe near us run by a husband and wife who spent time living in New Orleans and in China. It’s just about the only place in town that offers fried chicken with your waffle.

Sunday Wisdom Open Thread 1

What about you all? Did you manage to find some small joys this weekend? Anyone making any good Super Bowl food? I obviously won’t be staying up to watch – kickoff is at 11:30 my time – but being from northeastern Pennsylvania, I’d like to see the Eagles win. And I miss decent Buffalo wings.

Respite thread open to all topics except the Horrors.

Reader Interactions

128Comments

  2. 2.

    TBone

    Me & my DelCo peeps and even some Iggles fans here  in Union County, PA are ALL flying high today, texting back and forth, great memes & music – we’re ALL LIT UP!

    Elno can bite my green ass!

    Chili with cheese is what’s in the pot & the pot is what’s in me hahaha!  Oh and a bit of Communion wine too.

  4. 4.

    Elizabelle

    Rose:  Regret to say I still have a sub to the FTF Vichy NY Times. That said, thought you would enjoy this gift link about a British Tuxedo cat in the news.  Clever article by Victor Mather.

    Palmerston, the British Foreign Service Cat, Takes Up New Post in Bermuda

    The cat, who first served in 2016, had feuded with Larry, the chief mouser at 10 Downing Street.

    ….  A black-and-white cat, Palmerston is named after Lord Palmerston, a two-time prime minister in the 1850s and ’60s. Lord Palmerston was known for promoting British nationalism and intervention. Palmerston is known for mousing.

    As a rescue cat, Palmerston is of uncertain age, although he was reported to be roughly 2 years old when appointed in 2016. His relatively low profile in recent years had led to rumors of his demise.

    Lord Simon McDonald, formerly the most senior civil servant at the foreign office, said the most frequent question he had received since leaving office was what had happened to Palmerston. “The answer — retirement to countryside — usually treated as euphemism for ‘He died.’” he wrote. “Now we have proof of life in Bermuda! Enjoy your latest assignment.”

    Much as Palmerston’s eponymous prime minister could never get along with another prime minister, William Gladstone, Palmerston has had a longtime rivalry with Larry, the chief mouser at 10 Downing Street. Although many details remain murky, reports saythat in 2016, Larry tried to enter the Foreign Office in London, leading Palmerston to claw him. Larry was injured enough to need veterinary treatment. Bitterness lingered.

    Larry is currently serving under his sixth prime minister. With Palmerston now more than 3,000 miles away, their feud is likely to diminish, political analysts say.

    Oh.  And the new governor of Bermuda is Andrew Murdoch.

  7. 7.

    Elizabelle

    @WereBear:  Very sorry to hear that.  Somehow, Tristan still seemed like the new cat.

    They never live long enough.  Nor do we forget them.

  9. 9.

    John S.

    I have the good fortune of living in a town with a 122 year old bakery owned by a nice Korean family that makes chicken and waffles, but the chicken is done as Korean Fried Chicken, and it is divine.

  10. 10.

    E.

    Here’s Hesiod on the matter:

    “For those who give justice to stranger and native alike,
    who make straight pronouncements of justice, and stray not from her path,
    Theirs is a flourishing city, a people who prosper and grow.
    . . .
    But upon those who are lovers of hybris and hard-hearted deeds,
    Zeus dispenses his punishing justice.

    Often a whole city pays for the wrong of one person
    who is a doer of evil and worker of folly.”

    -Works and Days, line 260ff

  11. 11.

    Betty Cracker

    I like “the Horrors” — I mean I like calling it that, not the Horrors themselves!

    Today I did a stupid thing. Last week, Bill painted the floors in the game room downstairs and was attempting to move a full-size fridge from the porch back to where it belongs. He was having difficulty walking it through a sliding glass door, what with the narrow space and metal tracks.

    I stupidly volunteered to help push it through and was leaning on it and pushing with all my strength when it suddenly released from a snag and propelled rapidly through the doorway, causing me to lose my balance and fall, slamming my head and left kneecap on the concrete floor.

    Fuck, does it hurt! I’m self-medicating with ibuprofen and pinot noir.

    I don’t really care who wins the football game, though I’m sort of rooting for the Eagles just because the Chiefs have had all the glory lately. Still, I won’t be sad if Taylor’s boyfriend and his team win.

  12. 12.

    TBone

    @E.: I’ll see that and raise you one Shakespeare:

    The quality of mercy is not strain’d.
    It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
    Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
    It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.
    ‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
    The throned monarch better than his crown.
    His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
    The attribute to awe and majesty,
    Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
    But mercy is above this sceptered sway;
    It is enthroned in the heart of kings;
    It is an attribute to God himself;
    And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
    When mercy seasons justice.

  14. 14.

    RaflW

    Went for a lovely walk on and along Lake Dillon just a bit ago. It was mighty cold early this morning, so we didn’t go up any mountain to snowboard, but by this afternoon I had to unzip my puffy coat it was so warm (29º) and sunny on the lake (it’s groomed for walking and skiing, so I figure if the snowmobile towing a grooming sled doesn’t crack the ice, I won’t!).

    Think I’ll try and find a Netflix movie to watch at about 5pm mst today.
    Big game? What’s that?

  18. 18.

    Elizabelle

    @WereBear:  That’s a wonderful tribute.  Tristan and his cat and human family were lucky for the time together.

    “Stealth Siamese.”  That’s amusing.

  19. 19.

    Scout211

    I posted this sweet, sweet Dove commercial that will be playing during the Super Bowl today, in an earlier thread. I thought it also would fit in a respite thread.

    Dove has had ads in the Super Bowl over the past few years that highlight girls’ self-esteem and body image. Born to Run plays in the background.

    These Legs: A Dove Big Game Film | #KeepHerConfident

    I’ve watched this one three times already today.  The little girl reminds me so much of my youngest granddaughter.  ❤️

    Thanks Dove!

  20. 20.

    TBone

    @Scout211: we use Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash in the big bottle at our kitchen sink for hand washing – it makes such a big difference in wintertime – no more painful chillblains or chapped hands!

  21. 21.

    HinTN

    My fireplace, while very much heat producing if needed, is mostly decorative and used when lounging about is in order. Today is such a day. It’s been 40F and dreary so troy’s too the porch for wood has been the extent of engagement with the world at large (unless you count having the Puppy Bowl on in the background).

    No favorite in the coming “clash of the titans” as I have lost all interest in viewing sportsball of any sort.

  22. 22.

    lowtechcyclist

    Damn, now I’m hungry!

    The kiddo’s girlfriend came over Friday night and had dinner with us.  We like her, and it was a good time.  Saturday my wife and I had lunch with my sisters, and that was a very good time.  Her parents invited him over to watch the game with them, so I guess they must find him at least tolerable. ;-)

    Today our local carryout had crawfish etouffée as one of their New Orleans-themed Hyperbole* Sunday specials.  Their servings are usually big enough for two meals, and this was no exception. So we had crawfish etouffée for lunch, and we’re having it again for supper.  It’s very much in this place’s wheelhouse, they do a mix of soul food/Cajun/Southern cooking.  (Spanky: it’s called Pinky’s, and its on Route 2 just south of Mt. Harmony.)

    *No, they didn’t call it that. That’s just me.

  26. 26.

    Chetan Murthy

    This 15% overhead diktat applies to NIH-funded grants.  Not (IIUC) NSF/DARPA-funded work.  Gosh, I wonder what the difference is between the two?  And when some systems biologist (who works at the interface between bio, chem, physics) gets an NIH grant, somehow they don’t need all that infrastructure that overhead pays for, whereas if they get an NSF grant, they do?

    Ridiculous.

  27. 27.

    dmsilev

    Yeah, I had a long chat with my dad this morning. Neither of us are in fields that are NIH funded, but NSF certainly and we can both see that this is just one move in a pervasive attack. The very limited good news is that this was such a blatantly over the top attack (‘Trump administration to destroy cancer research’ is an entirely fair headline) that there’s even a hint of pushback from Republican Senators. Only a hint, of course. Concerns were expressed, brows were furrowed, etc. In the mean time, lawsuits will be filed. Elon Musk may fancy himself as Darth ‘I am altering the deal’ Vader, but even conservative judges frown on that sort of nonsense and also none of his kids care enough about him to try to redeem him.

  28. 28.

    Rose Judson

    @trollhattan: Ha, my dad (an NCAA track coach for 25+ years) and my brother (ran for Pitt and then Clemson) were talking about this in the family group chat yesterday. I do half-mile repeats once a week, and those are around 3:35-3:45. I can’t imagine being literally twice as fast.

  29. 29.

    John S.

    @Rose Judson:

    There’s just something about the combination of the sweet syrup and the spicy chicken along with the different textures that really makes it a wonderful dish. The fusion of cuisines is lovely.

    And of course, their baked goods are terrific. I brought some of their pies to a BJ meetup in Seattle a couple years ago. Everyone was quite pleased!

  30. 30.

    A Ghost to Most

    Spent the day moving plants around the grow room. About to make genuine Buffalo wings, deep fried and coated with butter and Frank’s hot sauce. I’m a purist about wings and beef on weck, another WNY staple.

  35. 35.

    zhena gogolia

    @RaflW: I just finished Maria with Angelina Jolie. I don’t recommend unless you like a lot of opera clips. And nice scenes of Paris.

  36. 36.

    Dangerman

    @Betty Cracker: I’m taking Eagles. Screw this 1.5 points shit (but I’ll take it if given to me). My guess is Eagles and we get a picture of Taylor shedding a tear.

    Can I get a prop bet on a Swift Engagement and Melania saying “Divorce MF”? Did he drag her to the game?

  37. 37.

    TBone

    @Betty Cracker: they are all too real and they hurt like papercuts from manilla file folders (almost as much an injured knee!)

    I hope you find relief like I did today (hot jet bath, wine, weed, Advil, not in that order).

  42. 42.

    RaflW

    @Betty Cracker: Hah!

    “I’m getting chilblains!” was my mother’s favorite accusation hurled at my cheapskate dad when the house would feel just way too chilly some evenings. If he balked — “don’t be ridiculous” he’d laugh-yell back from this study — she’d send my upstairs to ‘push some buttons’ as the digital thermostat was newfangled and she didn’t do newfangled (she always called our video tape machine “the PQR”).

  46. 46.

    Raven

    @Betty Cracker: I fell a couple of weeks ago. I got up at 3am to go to the head and slipped on the hardwood floor. I landed on my butt and elbow and , luckily, hit my head on the rung of a wooden chair instead of the floor. I’m trying to be more conscious of what I’m doing!

    Go Philly Dawgs!!

  49. 49.

    TBone

    @lowtechcyclist: I should have tried to make some shrimp gumbo today, at least…or some catfish! No time … My Louisiana ship captain BF taught me that Cajun very well!  Maybe I’ll make a bread pudding with hard sauce as consolation tonight.  Or bananas Foster.

    I can catch crawdads here like nobody’s business but not in winter!  Just tie a worm on a string and dangle it.  They latch on and right in the bucket they go!

  51. 51.

    WereBear

    Thank you all for the lovely condolences.

    @TBone: I use castile soap in varying strengths for hand soap, shampoo, and body wash. Favorite scents are rose and lavender.

    Peppermint is… problematical. Not for delicate areas. Keep it for the hand soap.

  52. 52.

    Almost Retired

    Both of my adult sons are life-long Kansas City Chiefs fans.  For most of their childhood, the quaint village of Los Angeles where they grew up did not have an NFL team.  Grandpa in Kansas recruited them.

    They stuck with the Chiefs even after our two current faithless NFL teams returned to town.  My oldest son and his wife are digital nomads in Colombia, and found a bar broadcasting the game.

    I, on the other hand, really don’t give a shit.

  54. 54.

    RaflW

    @zhena gogolia: My snowboard buddy has a habit of showing me opera clips when we’re hanging out and haven’t figured out what movie to stream. I made the mistake of telling him I’d been to a grand total of three operas (one of which was opera bouffe, and another of which was modern and dreadful). Ah, well, I do appreciate that he’s passionate about it, and it’s usually clips that seem fine to me.

    My mom (of the ‘PQR’ fame just above) liked to watch opera on the B&W t.v. in the family room, right next to the kitchen. As a bratty kid I’d prance in and start making kid-opera-like noises till she’d shoo me out with a laugh and maybe a small threat. I’d also pirouette around the family room, mockingly (but secretly envious of the young male dancers), if she was watching ballet.

    I realize in these moments of reflection that my upbringing was outside the suburban median, lol.

  55. 55.

    Spanky

    @WereBear: Oh no! I’m so sorry. He was such a great little guy.

    A lot like our Spanky, who was Uncle Spanky to the kittens. They couldn’t understand why he went away.

  57. 57.

    zhena gogolia

    @TBone: Yes, you might like it. It just kind of washes over you. The actors playing her servants are excellent, as is the guy who plays Ari, but he isn’t in it much. I guess she’s okay, but she got on my nerves by the end.

  58. 58.

    Gretchen

    Chicken and waffle is a very Kansas City thing. One summer we did a tour trying it in every restaurant that served it. Yours looks good!

  59. 59.

    MomSense

    Have hake en papillote marinating and waiting to go in the oven. Veggies plus cilantro and a mango curry sauce. Hopefully it will taste good.
    I’ve been binge watching All Creatures Great and Small after shoveling a fuckton of snow in my driveway and then taking a long bath. I did the library walk and steps next door. I see the librarians show up early every day and just adore them.

  60. 60.

    Elizabelle

    @prostratedragon:  I saw video of one of their confrontations; Twitter, so cannot share.  Larry has a mouth on him, but Palmerston apparently is a street fighter.

    But:  Larry is far more gracious and diplomatic than what is occupying the Oval Office (elected, and purchased).

    Would that we could send them to Guam or something.

  62. 62.

    zhena gogolia

    @RaflW: I’ve been to a grand total of five operas, four at the Met and one a Met touring company in Milwaukee. NONE of them was good. But I love opera anyway.

    To catch the good stuff at the Metropolitan, you have to live in NYC and go all the time. Then you get Hvorostovsky as Eugene Onegin. I haven’t been so lucky.

  66. 66.

    RaflW

    @zhena gogolia: NB: I just searched Netflix, and this was the result: “We don’t have ‘Maria’ but you might like:” followed by movie tiles. The 4th tile in was … Maria. Hmmm.

    Added to the queue!

  67. 67.

    Scout211

    When I lived in NOLA, I was a grad student renting a ground floor apartment right across the street from the old stadium that used to hold the football games at Tulane.

    That year, it was supposed to be the first Super Bowl at the brand new Super Dome but like most things in NOLA, there were lots of issues and it didn’t get done in time. So they moved it to Tulane Stadium.  Super Bowl IX (wiki).

    Parking was a big problem uptown near the university so all the residents in that neighborhood made big bucks turning their front lawns into parking lots.  You couldn’t see the game from where I lived but you could hear it all.

    It was crazy.  But really fun.  And also too, Super Bowl fans spent a lot of money partying all week. Oh my.

  69. 69.

    TBone

    @RaflW: thank you for searching – we still have Netflix and I can see it after the game tonight WOO HOO! In between tube feedings.

  70. 70.

    Redshift

    We went to see Schmigadoon! on stage at the Kennedy Center on Friday night. It was as silly and joyous and wonderful as the TV version, highly recommended.

  72. 72.

    Spanky

    @TBone:

    I love Dr. Bronner’s!  There’s even cherry flavor!

    They say you can use it for everything, so once when I was very young I tried it as a toothpaste.

    Just don’t.

  74. 74.

    TBone

    I’ll be switching back and forth to my beloved Atticus Finch tonight on TCM at 8.

    Gregory Peck is HOT at any age.

  76. 76.

    jowriter

    @WereBear: Oh, I am so sorry for your loss.  Our cat friends are all special but there are the ones who just live in your heart and give you that little twinge, always, when you think of them.

  80. 80.

    TBone

    @MomSense: I had the best red snapper of my entire life en papillote at The Watermens Club on Galveston Bay.  Dang, errybunny is BRINGING IT tonight!

  83. 83.

    Ebony

    Does Rose have something against Prometheus who help humans against the tyrannical gods by giving them fire and helping them not sacrifice the best part of the meat?

  86. 86.

    Gin & Tonic

    One year I was in Kyiv for Super Bowl weekend. Watched the game at the Arena club, on a Sky feed with British announcers. Kickoff at 0130 made for a *long* night. Monday was pretty rough.

  87. 87.

    MomSense

    @TBone:

    The one thing I miss from living on the coast is the seafood. A new seafood market opened and they had really fresh, local hake. Fingers crossed it will be tasty.
    I’m tempted to call my old fish monger and see if he would FedEx fresh seafood to me. Ugh. I used to make poke bowls every Friday.

  88. 88.

    Dan B

    @WereBear: Sorry to hear about the loss of such an amazing kitty.  I’m giving extra pets to our latest rescue kitty, Milly, who was owned by an addict and abandoned in a homeless encampment on a steep hillside.  She’s really bloomed and started squeaking and burbling at us and races around the house with her little grey boy cat.

  96. 96.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Betty Cracker: I got diagnosed with a case of chilblains in 2020.  There was some speculation that they were related to Covid “Covid toes” but now it looks unlikely that there was any real connection.

  98. 98.

    UncleEbeneezer

    About to bake some wings which will eventually have some Korean BBQ sauce slapped on them for the last 10 minutes.  We got an air fryer which works great but is small.  For doing 20+ wings it’s easier to just use the oven.  As long as you flip them, they can get them just as crispy as the air fryer.

  99. 99.

    Gloria DryGarden

    @E.: goodness! I mean, the opposite of goodness. Hits the nail on the head.

    @Betty Cracker: oh no! Feel better soon. Yikes!

    @WereBear: I’m so sorry about Sir Tristan. It’s hard. I hope you’re surrounded in love and comforts.

  100. 100.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @WereBear:

    As fellow animal nuts, we like to share in the joy as well as the sorrow of having these creatures in our lives for an ever so brief period.

    Losing them is never easy and it never gets easier. I know as humans we’re wired somehow to believe in an afterlife so I always imagine our pets are out there somewhere, either waiting for us or floating along supported by the love we gave them during their lifetime.

    And the loving memories we carry with us until we’re gone.

    We who choose to surround ourselves
    with lives even more temporary than our
    own, live within a fragile circle;
    easily and often breached.
    Unable to accept its awful gaps,
    we would still live no other way.
    We cherish memory as the only
    certain immortality, never fully
    understanding the necessary plan.
    — Irving Townsend

  108. 108.

    TBone

    Oh man!  Good thing I’m not live blogging this!

    GO GO GO

    (Hubby was mistaken, he told me wrong info about interference penalty. Just like a man!)

  110. 110.

    Soprano2

    @WereBear: I’m so sorry, it’s hard to lose one who’s that special. I had a black and white cat I felt that way about. He just showed up at our door; after a few days hubby said “Just let that kitten in”. We named him Gizmo because his ears were so big when he was a kitten! I lost him to what was probably sinus cancer over 10 years ago, and I still miss him.

  111. 111.

    TBone

    @MomSense: it will be tasty!  All the flavor stays inside the envelope, I’m confident you’re gonna knock this outta the park.  Oops, I mean INTERCEPTION hahaha!

    PS I have done live Mt. Desert Island lobsters via Fed Ex. Worth every penny!

    ETA we don’t have ANY worthy fresh seafood here. Nada.

  113. 113.

    Gloria DryGarden

    @WereBear: i love knowing that  Rhiannon means divine queen. I have a friend by that name. I never knew what her name meant until now. It’s perfect for her. One of the most loving people I know.

  115. 115.

    TBone

    @WereBear: that’s my Noah who we came so close to losing, and we still might if the vet is correct.  I feel your pain very keenly but didn’t want to make any more sad feelings for you.  At rest and waiting faithfully is my tonic – when I think of crossing over, ALL the fur babies better be there!

  120. 120.

    Miss Bianca

    @Betty Cracker: I’ve been getting them this winter! (At least, I think I have – now I have to look up that word to see if it means what I think it means!)

  121. 121.

    Miss Bianca

    @zhena gogolia: When I was a kid, a friend of the family’s used to give us tickets when the Met did its week-long Detroit tour. Thus, I got to see a lot of the classics at a tender young age.

    But I only find opera tolerable live in the theater, apparently – can’t stand just listening to it, gotta have the spectacle too!

  123. 123.

    There go two miscreants

    Oddly enough, I spent part of the morning reading the Wikipedia entry on the Oresteia after seeing it mentioned in The Comics Curmudgeon! Cultural cross-fertilization!​

    (edit: spelling, duh!)

  124. 124.

    sab

    Shy Echo the cat is here hoping for attention. But if too much attention her shyness overwhelms, then off she goes into hiding again. Very pretty mackeral tabby. Slanty green eyes. Very nice stripes. Lovely girl.

    She will hide now that I am awake, and wake me up at 3 am wanting treats.

  125. 125.

    Misswhatsis

    During the last reign of Frump I instituted a monthly 2nd Sunday potluck supper for an Indivisible group I was running. Covid knocked it in the head of course but last spring I restarted it.

    I’m so glad I did. We need each other desperately these days. If you possibly can I recommend doing something like it. It’s regularly scheduled, I never cancel, it’s always the 2nd Sunday at 6:30 pm. I make a big pot of chicken and rice and people bring whatever.

    I send out a reminder email but you don’t have to RSVP and you can always bring a friend. We have between 12 and 25 every month and today, even with the Superb Owl competing, we had 15.

    So much fun so much good talk.

  128. 128.

    something fabulous

    @WereBear: Oh this is an old post now, but if you see this, all my condolences!! I feel like we were just reading about your new kitten Tristan! How does the time go, and all that. Thanks for letting us know, and safe voyages onward to your soul kitty.

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