"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
by wj For the past week, we have mostly been focused on the family separation fiasco. Understandably. But in some senses this has been just another distraction effort (after all, they have now gone 3 steps forward and 1 step back; probably without general notice of the net movement). Meanwhile, there have been other things … Read more
by Ugh Today SCOTUS decided Carpenter v. United States, saying essentially if the police want to gather your cell phone location records for the past ____ days they need a warrant under the 4th Amendment. In the decision, in an opinion by the Chief Justice (who continues to vie with Kennedy for "least awful GOP … Read more
by Doctor Science Sneakers September 1999 – June 15, 2018 We had to say good-bye to Sneakers on Friday. He’d clearly reached the end of the line, he wasn’t eating and was down to skin and bones. He had a really good run: more than 18 1/2 years is a full life for a cat, … Read more
With this post, I am breaking three of my personal rules I have for this blog. The first is that I do not call out commenters in the post as I think it is unfair to use the larger megaphone of the front page to make a point. The second rule is that in dealing … Read more
by Ugh The President is horrible. His Attorney General is horrible. His press secretary is horrible. ICE is horrible. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are horrible. The GOP is horrible. Also, too, horribly racist. The GOP is the party of Sarah Palin on her worst day now. I mean, fnck. Open thread…………………. Update the First: … Read more
by Ugh Random movie quotes have been popping into my head lately and the number one thing I realized is that none of them are from a movie post-2000. Either I'm old or my movie watching habits have declined. Probably both. I was going to put up a thread about how one of the great … Read more
by Ugh Because why not, eh? I forget who said that capitalism needs to be kept safe from the capitalists, but gee ABC, what did you think you were getting? Also, too, I'm spending way too much time on the twitters, and encountering some very special people. My kids are casting Harry Potter spells on … Read more
by wj As I noted in a comment earlier, one of my political goals would be 1) equality of opportunity, 2) NOT equality of outcomes, 3) adequate support for those who are struggling, funded by money from those who have been most successful. But how do we get there? I think that first we have … Read more
by JanieM russell’s post on drumming has reminded me that there are worlds and worlds that I know nothing about, and sometimes it’s fun to peek into them. For instance – long ago a carpenter friend who worked in stained glass as a sideline took me to pick out some glass for a window he … Read more
by russell time for a break from politics? I've been thinking about what I have learned from drumming. About drumming, about music in general, about life in general. Maybe it's of interest on its own terms, maybe it will make you think of what you have learned from the things you do. I started playing … Read more
by Ugh Today in what must be the eleventy-billionth article on the subject, the WaPo makes the rugged, overland, sometimes I'm sure dangerous, journey to the restive provinces to find out just why Trump voters voted for Trump and what Trump voters think of Trump now that Trump has been Presidenting. Farming, lamb processing, and … Read more
by Ugh Back in the day I suggested that perhaps the higher ups at VW would not run into any trouble for the emissions scandal. Indeed, informed commentators deemed it "highly unlikely" that gaming the emissions system was a senior management decision and was "relatively contained" in VW. Well, it seems my and others' surmisings … Read more
by liberal japonicus
Not really a great title, but I’ve been taking in a little of the discussion about Michelle Wolf’s monologue at the WHCD. And we are in need of an open thread and it’s a bummer seeing “What is racism?” every time in the sidebar (and yes, that is privilege talking, cause I can step back from it) Anyway, stuff below the fold.
by liberal japonicus Maybe I’m reaching for a cute headline, but that’s what seems to have happened. A cursory reading suggests that they compared the DNA they had with DNA profiles on genealogical sites to get a familial match. The article references the Grim Sleeper case. On July 7, 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported … Read more
by russell My wife and I had dinner with a friend recently. She was talking about the conflicts she feels as a liberal living in the SF bay area. One thing she discussed was the more or less unconscious bias she often experiences when she interacts with black and brown people. Especially black and brown … Read more
by JanieM Three weeks ago I wrote that it wasn’t going to be an especially late ice-off this year. In a post about unpredictability, I hazarded a prediction. Here’s the view from the town beach this afternoon: It’s usually at least a few days from the time when the ice starts to break up into … Read more
by Ugh While there's a lot of norm breaking, rampant corruption, and likely a fair bit of criminality, Trump still has a ways to go before he reaches the truly great heights of horribleness that was the W administration. Hundreds of thousands of unnecessarily dead people, for example, plus torture and a number of other … Read more
by wj The big news this week appears to center around Michael Cohen, James Comey, and the usual political soap opera that our country seems to have become. But there is something else of interest going on — something which will actually have a noticable impact on most of us. Today, the Supreme Court heard … Read more
by Ugh So I won't have fraud and noted stupid spineless squish Paul Ryan to kick around any longer. So sad, so sad. I'm sure he will go on to that great K Street suite in the sky. But I will miss his ability to gracefully and with strangely weird-eyed aplomb sh1t on the poor, … Read more
by Ugh In light of another apparent chemical attack by the Assad regime in Syria, the world turns its eyes to Japan and asks what will its government do in light of the most recent atrocity. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday promised a “big price” to be paid. In a tweet, Mr. Abe laid … Read more
by JanieM A friend of mine bought her five-year-old a stuffed animal on Amazon. Almost as soon as it arrived, one of the legs came off. She wrote to the seller to report the problem and got this reply: Hello friend Thanks for your order in our store. The sheep is made from cotton. We … Read more
by JanieM I live across the road from the northern end of a lake that’s about five miles long, maybe a mile wide at its widest, over a hundred feet deep in spots. The lake is a year-round playground: swimming, fishing, jet-skiing, a bit of water-skiing in the summer; snowmobiling and ice fishing in the … Read more
Silence. Also.
by Ugh Holy flippin' Jeebus, do things just get stupider and stupider, with a side of the crazy, also a bit o' scary. Honestly, can we please just shut this whole simulation down for abject ludicrousness and dumb plot twists? I mean, CNN had a chryon just now entitled something like "The Playmate, the Porn … Read more
by wj It occurs to me that, since an Open Thread is desıgned to wander around multiple topics, why shouldn’t the post do so as well. So this one is going to start with technology and end up at politics. This past year, I’ve been working on a project with ICANN (Internet Corporation for Addresses, … Read more
by Doctor Science Hugo nominations have to be in by Friday, so I’m going to put up my longlist and hope the process of writing helps me make up my mind. I’m resurrecting my goodreads account to better keep track of what I’ve read (and what I started but did not finish, and why). I … Read more
by Ugh Tillerson out! He very much wanted to stay, apparently. Wasn't told, doesn't know why. Mike Pompeo to State. Some wag on twitter notes that with access to both the CIA and State Department files, Pompeo can surely get to the bottom of….Benghazi! Gina Haspel will lead the CIA, she was directly involved in … Read more
by Ugh The perpetual infrastructure week debacle is entertaining in an "OMFG look at that train wreck" dumpster fire-esque sort of way. I think. I'm sure our deal-maker-yet-can't-get-the-hush-money-NDA-correct-in-chief will end up getting North Korea to… eh. Maybe he'll end up like John McCain, tweeting about his visit with "Qadhafi" and how he is an "interesting … Read more
by liberal japonicus My oldest daughter is going to NY city for an academic program with her university in June. Of course, I would like her to soak up that liberal elitism that I have heard so much about as well as learn to properly hate all conservatives and all things conservative, as I know … Read more
by Ugh Well then. This has been, uh, a quite something of a week. Latest is that McMaster is on his way out as NSA and one of the possible replacements is….John Bolton! Mr. "Let's Launch a Preemptive Strike on North Korea Because Wheeee!" These are not the good times you're looking for. And woke … Read more
by JanieM
Part One: Bread on the Table
Part Two: Bread off the Table
About twenty years ago I was diagnosed with an auto-immune skin condition. The dermatologist said that as with other auto-immune diseases, the cause was unknown, there was no cure, and the condition might come and go. There were much worse manifestations than the symptoms I had, but there was no telling whether my outbreaks would repeat, get worse, spread, disappear, or what.
The doc did say that there was anecdotal evidence, but no reliable research, suggesting that diet might play a role in triggering outbreaks. I don’t remember which foods were on his list, but I do remember that NSAIDs and food dye were mentioned, and staying out of the sun was strongly recommended. I gave up gardening (my knees were happy about that) and bought a sunscreen shirt and a wide-brimmed hat. I took aspirin and ibuprofen even more rarely than I already had.
I had outbreaks of the skin condition each year for a couple more years. They would start in the spring, evolve over the summer and fall, and fade away before starting all over again the following spring. They were unsightly – tiny raised bumps that gradually flattened into purplish spots all over my hands, partway up my arms, and thick on one side of my neck.
Somewhere along the way, a friend recommended a non-traditional medical practitioner who had helped my friend with some health problems. I decided to consult that person, and she had a lot of suggestions for me, the most challenging of which was to stop eating wheat. (This was some years before “gluten-free” became a buzzword, and a marketing ploy. My consultant was on the front edge of the wave, I guess.)
For a year or so I pretended, mostly to myself, that I was working on it.
But SRSLY, no bread? No pasta?
Riiiiiiiiiiight.
by liberal japonicus With this comment, the names of the 17 people killed by a legally purchased AR-15 have been posted in the comments. Unlike the Las Vegas shooting, all of the victims were living in the same area, so I used the local paper to provide the links, except for the first identified victim, … Read more
by Ugh I don't drink anymore due to an issue with rather excessive consumption over a long period that now is four and a half years in the past (knock on wood). Gin & Tonic really wasn't my drink, but damn those gin hangovers were awful when that's what I was drinking. Aside my individual … Read more
by Ugh I guess the Olympics are going on. Adam Rippon is kicking a$$ in interviews and twitter. Otherwise, this week reminds me of a line from Se7en "Ernest Hemingway once wrote 'The world is a fine place and worth fighting for'. I agree with the second part." You do you. UPDATE: No puppet! No … Read more
by Ugh The radio reception in my car suddenly turning sh1tty and me too lazy/incompetent/scared to get it fixed has finally given me cause to start listening to podcasts (this is also in me keeping up with my aspiration to be at least 5 years or more behind the times technology wise). Man, there's a … Read more