Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This really is a full service blog.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

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

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

No Kings: Americans standing in the way of bad history saying “Oh, Fuck No!”

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

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

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

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

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

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

“But what about the lurkers?”

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

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

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

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Reader Interactions

135Comments

  1. 1.

    mai naem

    Eliot Spitzer is not doing a bad job sitting in for Dylan Ratigan on MSNBC. That is all I have to say.

  4. 4.

    MattR

    @mai naem: After watching his performance yesterday, I would have said the exact opposite. (Not that Spitzer’s Israel apologism is any different from the rest of the MSM)

  5. 5.

    licensed to kill time

    Well, the Goldman Sachs thread turned into a foodfight. I blame the milkshake.

  10. 10.

    Butch

    Well, I could tell you about taking three big dogs (two yellow labs and a golden) to the vet today all at once (and wondering the whole time what the fourth big dog was doing to the house since he was left alone). I felt like I was in the middle of a game of cat’s cradle with their leashes, and then the largest of the large dogs decided he needed to sit in a chair in the reception area.

  13. 13.

    Sentient Puddle

    CNN is attempting to add “balance” to their coverage of the oil leak. Although I’m sure this is one that you would have been happier to not hear about.

  14. 14.

    UncommonSense

    Ted Haggard is starting a new, gay-friendly church in Colorado Springs.

    But, it’s not friendly enough to allow same-sex marriages.

    “All are welcome. Whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican, gay, straight, bi-[sexual] tall, short, addict, recovering addict….I believe Jesus’ arms are open to all,” said Haggard in a news conference this morning.

    Haggard said that the 2006 scandal that ended his career as pastor of New Life Mega Church and passionate gay-basher helped him embrace a more accepting Christianity. “I don’t judge people anymore.” Also helpful in Haggard’s transformation: the Prenner Group, a Los Angeles based PR group that also counts as its clients “Girls Next Door”, according to their site.

    Don’t worry, Haggard still thinks gay marriage is wrong, saying “God’s ideal plan for a marriage is the union of a man and a woman.” (he did, however, maintain the “I’m not judgy” rhetoric, adding that it’s also “God’s ideal” that weight be kept under control).

  16. 16.

    schrodinger's cat

    When does Tunch get his teeth cleaned, we need a full report preferably with video.

  17. 17.

    jharp

    I killed a mole in my yard yesterday. That’s three for the season.

    And another mole has moved in. Within one day.

  18. 18.

    geg6

    I just found out that a good friend of mine just died. Just about 3 minutes ago.

    He was 41 years old, had a bad year that led him to drink, apparently beyond excess. He has died of multiple organ failure due to alcohol abuse. I really don’t know what I’m going to say to his wife.

    This is on top of the guy who does my hair (has done it for thirty years, including cutting it off when it was past my ass to the less than 2 inches I have today) calling to tell me on Saturday he has a cancerous brain tumor that has spread to his lungs. He called me to refer me to a new guy! As if that was the most important thing!

    I’m going home, rolling a big fattie, and cry.

  22. 22.

    Chat Noir

    We are celebrating the second birthday of our little guy, Hobbes. When he found me on June 30, 2008, the vet guessed that he was three or four weeks old at the time. Since we don’t know his exact birthday, we’re celebrating it through the end of next week. I like to think he was born the night that Obama clinched enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president.

  27. 27.

    JMY

    With all the stuff that’s going on between this administration and Congress, I feel like I’m watching an episode of The West Wing everyday.

  30. 30.

    jibeaux

    Also previously mentioned but on a hockey thread, so: a good cause that I pitched got an anonymous donation of ten THOUSAND dollars. Even though chances are it was not a B-J-er but probably someone who knew the family, I like to hold out the hope that just maybe it was.
    Feel free to out yourself if it was, and I promise to be really nice and agree with you about everything.

  33. 33.

    Poopyman

    Mon river is in trouble.

    OK, that’s certainly not news, but:
    “Two Pennsylvania rivers, the Monongahela River and upper Delaware River, are on this year’s listing of “Most Endangered Rivers” due to the threat of toxic pollution from accelerated Marcellus shale gas well drilling activities.”

  34. 34.

    MattR

    @JoeT63: That was definitely better than I expected. Thanks for pointing it out.

    @geg6: The money quote from that article.

    “Knowing that my father died fighting the Nazi regime in Germany, that I lost him when I was 11 because of that… and then to have them call me Hitler’s daughter. It hurts. It’s ugliness beyond anything I’ve ever experienced,” Brewer said in the story, published Tuesday.
    __
    Officials with the governor’s administration said her statement should not be taken to mean that she was claiming her father was a soldier in Germany during the Nazi regime.

    @Quiddity: Does OJ have an alibi?

  35. 35.

    trollhattan

    I’ve decidered that Joe McGinniss needs to put up a couple 25-foot poles holding surveillance equipment, like they have in shopping mall parking lots, near Sarah and Todd’s big new fence. They don’t need to have working equipment, the desired effect will be achieved regardless.

  37. 37.

    PaulW

    Went to see a vocational rehab guy at the unemployment office to see about coping with my depression. They’re scheduling me for a full psych exam which I never got before (I’ve got counseling over the years but never fully tested to see exactly what kind of depression I gots).

    Of course, all the wacky hijinks covering the news – BP oil spill, shootings in England, Israel and Turkey almost at blows, Law & Order canceling – doesn’t help much with the big D…

    Oh and one other thing, is your spellchecker working? It doesn’t like the word “hijinks” but it’s a perfectly cromulet word.

  38. 38.

    licensed to kill time

    @Quiddity:

    The killing occurred exactly five years after the May 30, 2005, disappearance of Holloway in Aruba, a Dutch Caribbean island.

    Jeez, was this guy celebrating an anniversary or something? He always struck me as an entitled little creep. Not that I’m rushing to judgment or anything.

  39. 39.

    freelancer

    is your spellchecker working? It doesn’t like the word “hijinks” but it’s a perfectly cromulet word.

    Don’t want to add to your negative vibes, but you misspelled cromulant.

  41. 41.

    Violet

    @geg6:
    So sorry to hear that. A tough day indeed. Your hairdresser sounds like an amazing guy. Thinking about others, even while dealing with his terrible diagnosis.

  43. 43.

    Violet

    @PaulW:
    That’s good news. Maybe you can find a good doctor who can help you if/when you need treatment for your depression. The right medication can work wonders, if that’s what you need.

  44. 44.

    Cacti

    After watching his performance yesterday, I would have said the exact opposite. (Not that Spitzer’s Israel apologism is any different from the rest of the MSM)

    Spitzer is John Edwards without the looks or charm.

  45. 45.

    Common Sense

    I’m going to the Astros game tonight and am eating at Bombay Pizza Co, an Indian pizza place in downtown Houston. Someone on here has to be an Indian expert — any BJ’ers have any suggestions? The menu looks fascinating — I’m leaning towards the Gateway of India (tandoori chicken, crab meat, cilantro, artichoke, mozz, and chutney). Something about a strawberry pizza sounds wonderful too.

  46. 46.

    catclub

    Wapo headline on google news:
    “Taking cues from Obama’s playbook didn’t bring Davis a victory”

    I am not sure repudiating all of Obama’s policies counts as taking cues. But I guess it does for the kaplan daily.

    I read no farther than the headline.

  47. 47.

    JohnR

    “..but never fully tested to see exactly what kind of depression I gots”

    It’ll be interesting when you find out – I got the Irish Black Depression and Drinking Urge (TM) myself. I keep it in check by drinking heavily and shouting incoherent threats at the neighbors – that always cheers me up.
    Good luck with the voc. rehab stuff; it can take a while to get to where you want to reach.
    Incidentally, isn’t it “cromulent”, with an ‘n’? Or am I thinking of cormorant?

  48. 48.

    trollhattan

    @UncommonSense:

    I have a hard time believing there are many/any uncloseted gays in Colo Springs, given the general tenor of the locals. Just sayin’

  51. 51.

    geg6

    @Violet:

    Yeah, this is really devastating to me. I’ve known him since I was in my very early 20s. We’re friends, not client/hairdresser. He really had me sobbing when he told me I was the first person, besides his family, that he called.

    My other friend’s wife is going to be just devastated, too. I know he sort of brought it on himself, but he was a good person. Just not very strong, I guess.

  52. 52.

    MikeJ

    @catclub:
    He’s black, according to Kaplan that means he’s just like Obama.

    CNN said that he had “held a steady lead in the weeks leading up to the primary, but when the votes came in Tuesday night, Sparks pulled out the win — stomping Davis with more than 60 percent of the vote.”

    Which makes me think that the polling was really, really bad. I doubt there was a swing that large in a week or two.

  53. 53.

    Butch

    @MattR: No video, but the smallest of ’em is 95 pounds (and none is overweight). Had to struggle to get them into the pickup (because I’d never put them in the pickup bed) for the drive to the vet, and then they wouldn’t get out of the truck when I got them home. That’s excitement for us folks here in the mountains.
    Is anyone else seeing weird (expanded) margins on Balloon Juice?

  54. 54.

    geg6

    @trollhattan:

    I agree! Trollhattan wins the thread.

    Plus, the two of you have made me laugh at the thought of Carville riding a burning alligator. And that isn’t an easy thing today.

  55. 55.

    Punchy

    I killed a mole in my yard yesterday. That’s three for the season.

    Three? Damn, just how deep into counterintelligence are you?

    @Common Sense: I was just in Houston for an Indian wedding. If you’re getting Authentic Brown food, you must go with chicken tiki masala. It’s to die for. I’d have sex with it if I could.

  56. 56.

    Violet

    @Common Sense:
    Wow, that menu looks crazy. The Gateway of India looks the most interesting to me too. I’d be tempted to try the Saag Paneer pizza, since I’m a huge fan of saag paneer, but I’m not sure how that would work on a pizza. Seems like it could make it rather mushy. Ditto for the Mitul’s Masala with the spicy potato gravy. On a pizza? Really?

    The Berry Bombay might be okay, but if it’s too sweet then it could be more like a dessert. The K.Renee’s looks interesting. Cilantro chutney? Yum!

  57. 57.

    Rosalita

    <blockquotes anyone else seeing weird (expanded) margins on Balloon Juice?

    yeah, I was when I was using IE8. I switched over to Chrome and everything is where it belongs. I’ve noticed this over the last couple of days.

  58. 58.

    lamh32

    @catclub:

    I think Arthur Davis’ loss, should also be a wake-up call for Dems in Southern states in general. African Americans are a loyal block of Dem voters, and usually, we are extremely loyal to “our own” in general, heck, at first, we even liked Clarence Thomas, and we still don’t hate Condi Rice, but we love Colin Powell.

    What happened to Davis’ is that, due in large part to the election of Barack Obama, more and more African Americans are watching and listening, and are actually taking in more of the political world than we have in the past. Many of the people I know, while not crazy pols like some of us on the blogosphere, are very intuned to what’s happening in the political world, particurlary as it relates to the Obama White House.

    It used to be that I had to be the one to bring up politics for any of my peep to talk about, now though, the same people who really didn’t pay attention to what was happening, come up to me and ask me if I’ve heard about this or that. Davis thought he was just automatically gonna get AA votes, so he basically turned his back on them to try and attract non-black votes, and what happened he got neitherm, the whites didn’t vote for him, and the AA turnout was abysmal, and those of us who did turn out didn’t even vote for him in large numbers anyway.

    No one is crying for Arthur Davis. But I think that what happened to him, is a cautionary tail for Dems in the coming 2012 elections. Forget about whether or not Obama will be able to be re-elected (I think he will), what the Dems need to think about is, what would happen if Obama gets primaried, and for whatever reason is not on the ballot for 2012 (I know not a likely scenario) a low turnout among AA would really affect Dem chances in those states in the south correct?

    I doubt if it happens, but I hope Arthur Davis’ loss makes some Southern Dems (particulary AA pols,) think twice before taking our votes for granted

  59. 59.

    Ash Can

    What have I missed?

    Nothing; they won’t be dropping the puck till 8:30 your time.

    @Common Sense: I’m no expert, but an Indian joint that serves pizza isn’t trying too hard to be authentic Indian. I’m sure you’ll find something tasty there, though.

  61. 61.

    phoebes-in-santa fe

    I’m sad, I really am, about the Gores’ divorce. I was also sad, years ago, about the Emma Thompson/Kenneth Branaugh divorce, which was happening at the same time I was getting divorced. I wasn’t upset about my own divorce, though.

    About Colo Spgs, home of James Dobson and other odious Christian orginisations. A more vile city has scarcely existed. My son graduated from Colorado College, almost the only area of liberalism in the strip-mall capital of the world. Awful place, full of hypocrites.

  63. 63.

    fucen tarmal

    @Poopyman:

    damned glad my water comes from the allegheny, and this is good news for the quiet war of pollution we have with ohio…they attack us in the air, we will attack them in the water…

    as i like to remind bengal fans, when steeler fans piss, it sewers into the ohio river and becomes their drinking water…drink up, brush those teeth if you gottem.

  64. 64.

    licensed to kill time

    I’d like to see Carville coming out of the burning end of an alligator. He’s been babbling incoherently for days now on my teevee and I wish he would STFU.

  65. 65.

    Violet

    @lamh32:

    what the Dems need to think about is, what would happen if Obama gets primaried, and for whatever reason is not on the ballot for 2012 (I know not a likely scenario) a low turnout among AA would really affect Dem chances in those states in the south correct?

    If Obama were to get primaried and lose, all hell would break loose. The topic of racism would be on the front burner until election day and probably after. The Republicans would be squealing with glee that Obama lost. If he lost to an old-school,Chris Matthews’s uncle type Dem, the craziness within the Democratic party would make teabagger racism discussion look like a cake walk.

    Edit – The above assumes Obama doesn’t do something truly illegal, like Nixon and Watergate. If he’s broken the law like that, all bets are off.

  66. 66.

    jibeaux

    I’d have sex with it if I could.

    Someone lacks imagination. Please contact your nearest Republican House member for ideas.

  67. 67.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Common Sense:
    I would skip the pizza completely and have Sammy’s Kati Roll with chicken and then have Ras Malai for dessert.

  68. 68.

    Mark S.

    Reason finds a study that says when 10-year-olds play a game that doesn’t make any sense they act more soshulist than when older children play it. Therefore, liberals have arrested moral development. Nyah-nyah-nyah.

  70. 70.

    licensed to kill time

    Paul L’s mommy should have breast-fed him longer, maybe he wouldn’t be such a sourpuss.

  71. 71.

    Common Sense

    @Ash Can:

    I’m not really looking for authenticity. I like the idea of combining the two cuisines, and pizza abandoned any pretense of purity long ago to become a regional specialty.

    @Violet:

    Some of them do seem to try a little too hard, but there’s a few that just leap out — I agree on the Masala. I definitely think the berry sounds like a dessert but it also sounds pretty tempting, and I’m splitting the meal with others.

  72. 72.

    Allison W.

    5 pm. is the worst hour on tv. Nothing even worthy of background noise.

    Also, Breaking Bad and Snapped are BEST shows you are not watching.

  74. 74.

    someguy

    @trollhattan:

    I’ve decidered that Joe McGinniss needs to put up a couple 25-foot poles holding surveillance equipment, like they have in shopping mall parking lots, near Sarah and Todd’s big new fence. They don’t need to have working equipment, the desired effect will be achieved regardless.

    I think he needs to take a month’s food supply and hide out in their closets, secretly photographing them. Because of the pie.

  75. 75.

    The Dangerman

    @Randy P:

    …that the BP oil disaster is the fault of environmentalists?

    Placing this monster fuck-up at the feet of greenies takes some major fucking gall. Even more gall than dropping commandos on to a ship in the dead of night and being shocked that there was an “incident”. And THAT was some fucking gall. Also.

    Little did I know that “drill, baby, drill” should have been “drill on land, baby, dill on land”. Not as catchy, I know.

    Stupid fucking bitch.

  77. 77.

    Randy P

    @Paul L.: Huh?

    I see where the blogger had that slant, something about how we should let all women get beat up if we see domestic violence and it’s the feminists fault. But I don’t see that anything in the experiment said anything at all about “feminists” or “outrage”.

    Besides, what does it mean if somebody’s beating the crap out of YOU and you’d like me to intervene? Does that somehow mean you don’t actually think of yourself as an independent person?

  78. 78.

    Poopyman

    @fucen tarmal:
    Of course, every time Cole pisses it ends up in the Mon and half of Pgh drinks it.

    But what actually triggered my post (besides growing up near the Mon) is that here in DC we’ve been getting a lot of commercials touting natural gas as the “here and now” solution to all of our energy problems. Dunno if other regions get those, but American Rivers wants us to know that it comes at a cost.

  80. 80.

    Steeplejack

    Just got home from an early shift, rolling a hogshead of Mount Gay rum, which I procured at the state liquor store today after being tortured by the mojito thread last night.

    Summer is here in NoVa. It is hot (87°) and humid outside, but not as hot and humid as it will get in July and August. ¡Díos!

  82. 82.

    Comrade Tank Hueco

    @Paul L.:

    And some guys wonder why they can’t get a date.

    EDIT: Randy P, don’t even bother arguing. In addition to BOB, Paul L is this blog’s other resident misogynist troll.

  89. 89.

    Paul L.

    @Randy P:
    Vox linked to this on Jezebel with I consider a Feminist website)

    Last night, ABC used hidden cameras and actors to see what regular people would do if they saw an obviously abused woman being harassed by her boyfriend. A lot of regular people failed the test.

  90. 90.

    Steeplejack

    @stuckinred:

    Yee-haw! I don’t know if it can last, but I’m enjoying the ride for now. Especially after the rocky start to the Braves’ season.

  92. 92.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @phoebes-in-santa fe:

    I have to share a car-window decal I saw once, years ago, never forgotten (and I’m pretty sure I’ve posted this previously, so forgive if you think I’m repeating myself):

    COLLORADO COLEGE

    Made me laugh out loud, stuck in Atlanta rush-hour traffic.

  94. 94.

    Chyron HR

    @Paul L.:

    Translation: I was fapping furiously to some videos of women being beaten, and then the fucking feminists tried to tell me I was doing something wrong. How dare those fucking lacrosse feminists judge me.

  95. 95.

    Comrade Tank Hueco

    @Violet:

    Unfortunately, I’m not a climber. I live in Waco, so my different handles here at BJ have been plays on the word Hueco/Huaco, the Native American people after whom the town is named. I’m glad someone gets the pun, though. :)

  98. 98.

    Violet

    @Comrade Tank Hueco:
    I’ve been meaning to ask. I have some friends who live on the east coast who love Hueco Tanks. They drive across the country just to climb there. I’ve never been.

  99. 99.

    Michael

    @Steeplejack:

    Just got home from an early shift, rolling a hogshead of Mount Gay rum, which I procured at the state liquor store today after being tortured by the mojito thread last night.

    Mt Gay Eclipse is the shiznit. I’ve been to the utopia that is the distillery in Barbados, it rocks.

  100. 100.

    Chat Noir

    @Allison W.: “Breaking Bad” is fabulous. Wonder what Vince Gilligan has in store for the last two episodes of the season.

    And I’m looking forward to “Mad Men” July 25. Had an awesome dream the other night that featured Jon Hamm.

  101. 101.

    WereBear

    @geg6: Ah, now I see how close you were to your hairdresser. And how said about the friend who basically took their own life.

    Well, it doesn’t matter what you say so much as showing up and saying something.

  102. 102.

    Randy P

    @Paul L.:

    You highlighted something unrelated in bold as if somehow you think that supports your bizarre take on this.

    It would have made as much sense to highlight hidden cameras. Or actors.

  103. 103.

    Redshift

    @Poopyman: I doubt they’re playing much anywhere else. We’re getting them in DC because of the energy bill. It’s amazing how much money is wasted broadcasting stuff whose target audience is only congresscritters and their staff.

    On a related note, I spent a while on the phone yesterday with a push-poller from “America’s Power Army” (aka a coal industry PR company.) Normally I don’t get into it with them much, because the callers are usually minimum-wage drones reading a script, and it’s not their fault. But this guy sounded like a true believer and just wouldn’t give up, despite the fact that their target audience was clearly people who are willing to believe that the EPA really wants to steal lots of money from small businesses and not use it to help the environment at all, and cap-and-trade won’t help with global warming but will just be a “stock market” for companies to gamble on, and instead of either one we need “new ideas” that are unspecified but of course include “clean coal.” In other words, idiots.

    He kept coming back with stuff that I had ready responses for, like the EPA stupidity (then tell your employer to stop blocking action by Congress), “are you familiar with the Clean Air Act? It was only intended to deal with local pollution, never with international problems like this” (funny, that’s not what the Supreme Court said), cap-and-trade vs. clean coal (what, you don’t believe in the free market? You think it would be better if the government dictates the choice of technology instead?)

    I got a bit worked up, but it was actually rather fun. Seemed like a complete waste of his employer’s money, though. Not to mention how bizarre it was that I ended up on their call list.

  109. 109.

    Ailuridae

    @MTiffany:

    Of the many heinous disaster capitalism laws that were passed when Republicans had control of the government the Postal Act of 2006 ranks pretty high on the list.

    People misunderstand the USPS but basically it pays for itself via postage and its not subbsidized. If Nocera were thinking while he wrote (and he’s usually quite good) he would realize that if a company is losing 7B in a year and the following is true:

    Oh, and get this. Every year between now and 2016, he has to put aside over $5 billion to finance health benefits for future employees. You read that right: future employees. There isn’t another business in the country that finances benefits for employees it hasn’t even hired yet.

    then the company is actually losing 2B this year and having the government (which wants to break up USPS to crush the union) add a bull shit expense to their dockets of 5B.

    Now their are a whole lot of postal reforms that need to happen but remember that ten years ago the USPS was heavily in the black. Here in Chicago they are finally selling off real estate (downtown postal sorting centers make almost no sense now that downtown RE is expensive and real estate by airports is universally cheap ) including my local post office. They’ve since moved from a prime location in my neighborhood in a free standing building to shopping plaza.

    Also if you did down into their books you’ll notice that the areas where they compete with USPS and FedEx they are actually making money while where they have the monopolies (first-class and junk mail) they are losing money.

  110. 110.

    mai naem

    @Cacti: Don’t even say that. I was an Edwards supporter and am wayyyy bigtime po’d at him. I just feel like I was made out a fool. And I happen to like Spitzer and I was pissed off at him for the hooker stuff because it’s just such a waste of potential but he at least seemed po’d at himself.
    @MattR: Don’t mean to make generalizations but I seriously would be shocked to see a different response from a New York politico of Jewish origin. I would say the same of almost any other ethnicity in a similar situation.

  112. 112.

    tatertot

    @Common Sense: The thought of a ‘fusion’ Bombay/Italian pizza makes me feel more than a little bit queasy. A bit like the abomination of pineapple on pizza. I will no doubt be branded a foodie fuddy-duddy throwback, BUT I DON’T CARE: curry on pizza is RIDICULOUS. And I bet when I phone up friends here in Scotland tomorrow, they’ll agree with me (though some of them probably sneak a bit of pineapple and ham on their pizzas sometimes…)

  114. 114.

    tokyo ex-pat

    I’ve always lurked here. I really enjoy the posts and the comments. For the past few days when I visit BJ all the blog posts and comments bleed over past the advertising on the right side and off the screen (the left side is okay). It’s too hard to read and I give up.

    I’m using IE 8 on an HP netbook and don’t have problems with any other sites, just this one. I’ve tried hitting Compatibility View. Nothing changes. I’ve Googled different terms but can’t find anything to help me.

    Does anyone have any idea how I can get BJ to look the way it should so I can continue to read it? Thanks in advance.

  115. 115.

    Elie

    Has anyone seen Stuck around lately? I have been off and on myself quite a bit lately but missed seeing his comments

  116. 116.

    Steeplejack

    @Elie:

    He took a self-imposed hiatus after a particularly brutal thread a few weeks ago. I have seen him check in briefly a couple of times, allegedly from a computer at the library. I miss him too.

  117. 117.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @tokyo ex-pat:

    Does anyone have any idea how I can get BJ to look the way it should so I can continue to read it? Thanks in advance.

    Use another browser? I’m on a mac with FF, and it looks okay to me.
    @Elie: What steeplejack said, he’s taking the summer off, and yeah, he is missed.

  120. 120.

    Dave Trowbridge

    I know you have little or no control over the particular ads on your site, but seeing a banner for the incredibly deceptive California Proposition 16 (an end-run around local governments by PG&E to prevent locally-controlled power systems), really distresses me. It’s a prime example of corporate capitalism run amok (and of why the initiative process in California is a really, really bad way to govern).

  121. 121.

    Steeplejack

    @tokyo ex-pat:

    It’s not you, it’s the site. I think it stems from something that a recently introduced ad is doing, or maybe something in the style sheets or background programming of the site. It doesn’t seem to be anything that you (or other commenters) are doing.

    It doesn’t seem to happen with Firefox or Opera. You could download and try one of them (links provided), even if only temporarily. You might find you like one better than IE.

    Google Chrome is supposed to be good too, but I haven’t tried it yet.

  123. 123.

    tokyo ex-pat

    @arguingwithsignposts

    Thank you for the response. I may have to download another browser. I was really hoping there might be some button I could push. I love my computer. I hate when the damn thing doesn’t work the way I want it to. I speak four languages and computer speak just isn’t one of them.

  125. 125.

    tokyo ex-pat

    To everyone who responded, thanks so much. Even though I never comment, I like the sense of community here. It’s part of what draws me back.

    I guess I’ll try Firefox. I’ve used it in the past.

    Cheers everyone!

  127. 127.

    YellowJournalism

    @tatertot: Don’t knock it until you try it. Butter chicken or Tandoori pizza is absolutely delicious when done right, but the place Common Sense is going to doesn’t seem to have either of those. I would have suggested butter chicken pizza if they had it.

    I was surprised by how much the Indian community where I am enjoys their pizza. My in-laws ordered or made pizza at home more than a few times a week. Almost all of the pizza joints in my area are owned by Indians, and most of them have their own versions of “Indian” or “Punjabi” style. Sometimes, though, that just means they add a shitload of cilantro or ginger to a pizza, which is often disgusting. The great places actually infuse the flavors in a way that is full of flavor without overpowering the pizza. This is coming from a woman who only tolerates half of the Indian food I encounter.

  129. 129.

    tatertot

    @YellowJournalism: Hi Yellowj I know, it’s just that pizza is a bread-y base for italian stuff, while chappati or naan is bread-y base for Indian/Pakistani/Afghani, etc. and each bread-y base has its own specific sauce and, more importantly, herbs. Pizzas: basil, oregano, thyme, etc., mozzarella; naans/chappatis: coriander, methi, etc., paneer. It’s like the model exists: bread, sauce, cheese, vegetable toppings, but that the model must stay true to its origins. I’ll try to adapt, but something in me still resists!

  131. 131.

    YellowJournalism

    @tatertot: That reminds me: pizza on naan bread is also excellent. The kind pizza you make doesn’t have to be an Indian flavor. We made it two nights ago. It’s cheaper than bread shells and easier than making your own pizza dough.

    You should adapt for your tastebuds’ sake. They’ll thank you.

  133. 133.

    ms badger

    @trollhattan: Oh, with all those fundamentalist X-tians? Haggard, Foley and Craig didn’t appear from the open arms of the Unitarian Church, just saying.

    There is also a vibrant (well, more like fabulous, really) GBLT community in Colorado Springs. The Gay & Lesbian Fund is based here, in part to support it.

    Just because there are a lot of morans in Colorado Springs doesn’t mean we all are.

  134. 134.

    Gretchen D

    @PaulW: Glad you’re getting a full psych exam. Take good care of yourself. And, yes, the news is almost enough to depress anyone, but that’s just situational.

  135. 135.

    Common Sense

    Thanks for the advice all — I went with the gateway (which included tandoori chicken) and slumdog, with a chicken kati roll to start. The meal was delicious and I’d recommend the place highly to anyone. The crust was almost a sesame flatbread — crisp and delicious, and the sauce was complimentary, but not overpowering at all.

Comments are closed.