But first, over on the mothership, I called out the journalism persons at AP for missing the No Labels connection that should have been part of the Joe Lieberman obituary. (My comments are attached to John M's top-level comment, so just sort for Most Popular--he got 18 likes.) AP updated the story last night, but it wasn't part of the original version that ran in today's newspaper. Apparently there is every incentive for journalism persons to ignore No Labels, because, as AP stated in the paragraph it added, "Some groups aligned with Democrats oppose the effort, fearing it will help presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump win the White House." (I didn't call out the journalism persons at TMD for missing it, but I hope they discover this angle and perhaps cover it tomorrow or later this week.)
Also worth reading on the NL site is something Lieberman wrote just last week, and it's not a bad piece of parting advice even though nobody knew it would be that: https://www.nolabels.org/courage
P.S. The NYT all but ignored the NL angle too. Dr. Livesey provided this info.
As to your question about beer and liquor manufacturers and distributors, a real discussion would have to be more encompassing. Personal choices and personal responsibility should be taken into account, or we'll be leaving it up to legislative authorities to regulate everything, and I do mean nearly everything, because almost anything can be bad for us if misused.
"The evil of social media is commonly assumed." This should read, the evil aspects of.... We should be careful in our language to shy away from absolutes. Social media has evil aspects to it, but also positive attributes as you later reference. One of the problems we deal with on a daily basis is assertions without qualifications.
“Should brewers and distillers be given any less blame for people becoming addicted to their wares than the purveyors of online “likes” that make your digital gizmo buzz and vibrate against your skin?” Do people like me (oldish) really get a rush from “likes?” Nah. The youth do though. They aren’t allowed to imbibe so it’s perfectly OK to restrict social media in the same way we restrict alcohol.
I get that, but I think the question was about responsibility. Should we hold liquor manufacturers and social media companies responsible? I think you're saying no, we should regulate the behaviors, but I hesitate to speak for you.
I would argue (as I would for legalizing marijuana) that we have thousands of years of experience dealing with alcohol and using it responsibly -- experience we do not have with addictive social media (or pot).
But, for various reasons, positive feedback from people whose work I respect is important to me. I'll just leave it there.
I am extremely grateful for the thoughtful, some times deep, sometimes punny, sometimes flat out in the weeds conversation that TD spawned in my life and that thrives here at CSLF.
I'm glad he started out by directly pointing out that the epithet "double haters" doesn't fit, and why.
His main message is one I can hardly improve upon: "You don't have to," "there is no moral or political obligation to play along," and "don't let anyone browbeat you." (N.B. None of what I'm saying is to browbeat you about your choice. It's your choice.)
I think I may have told this here before, but in the Trump/Clinton election I wrote in Kim for Pres and my son for VP. I figure it would set us up in retirement and my son would have a mellow effect on the nation, I'm sure. I did feel I had the luxury of voting that way because I'm in NY and Clinton was going to win the electoral votes here, no matter what I did.
You mean relating to classified material? there is a difference: Biden gave back his documents when they were discovered. Trump OTOH held onto them, ignoring subpoenas, lying about turning over all of them (and coercing his attorneys to lie) and ultimately forcing the FBI to seize them. That is, Trump is facing obstruction charges, not just charges of illegally retaining classified documents,
I think that's hair-splitting. They should both receive the same penalties that J. Random Civil Servant would get for mishandling and sharing classified material.
I do agree with Ponnuru on one thing: No one should be browbeating anyone else by saying, "A vote for anyone but Biden is a vote for Trump." That's nonsense. A nonvote for President, or a vote for a third party candidate, is an abstention from deciding between the 2 major candidates -- nothing more than that. That benefits neither candidate.
Plus, we each have to make our own choice in accordance with the facts as we know them, our own informed opinions, and our consciences. Moral bullying is arrogant.
Reminds me of one of my grandma’s great debate-quashing points. My mother was haranguing her about whatever presidential candidate she found repulsive and morally unacceptable. Finally, Grandma hauled off and said: “Well it’s my vote, and I can use it whatever way I want!”
True, but what strikes me even more is the picayune subject: a vote for president. The amount of emotional investment in other people's decision makes it clear to me that tribal identification or even religious belief is in play for those who feel most intensely.
Most of the people doing the bullying are Democrats anyway, who by definition see no downside in supporting a Democrat, even if that Democrat is not their first choice.
Then there are the true "Never-Trumpers," many of whom are at places like the Lincoln Project and The Bulwark.
I can understand the choice. But WV won’t be a toss-up state, so I can afford to cast my protest vote into the wind again, since I find neither of the main candidates nor Kennedy in any way acceptable.
Even though the pundits who point out that Ohio went for Trump by 8 points in the last 2 elections, mean that Ohio is a red state now, I still look on Ohio as a bellweather. For that matter, it still holds true that no Republican has ever won the White House without Ohio.
So I take my vote as a chance to keep Donald Trump out of the White House. Which is the whole point.
When I was in high school (graduated '66), my father lamented always having to choose between the lesser of two evils. Fifty-eight years later, the only thing that has changed is that both choices are worse.
Today's special animal friends are the Kangaroo Rats, twenty species in the genus Dipodomys. They belong to the Heteromyidae family, which live in complex burrow systems throughout the western United States. The most common species in the Arizona Sonora desert is Merriam's kangaroo rat, Dipodomys merriami. They are smaller than most kangaroo rats, with adults averaging 14 inches in length. They are brown or tan on the back, lighter underneath. Merriam's kangaroo rat is a species of Least Concern to IUCN.
Like lonely city-dwellers, kangaroo rats live mainly solitary lives among their fellows in the burrow systems. Individuals claim and defend underground territories, where they spend their days. They emerge at night to forage for seeds and plant material, which they stash in expandable, fur-lined cheek pouches. The food is stashed in the burrow, where the moisture from the many rodent bodies creates a more humid environment than outside. The seeds and leaves absorb the moisture, and the rats eating them regain the water they have lost.
Many predators are after kangaroo rats. These include bobcats, coyotes, foxes, reptiles, birds of prey, and domestic and feral cats and dogs. To avoid predation, many kangaroo rats leave their burrows only when there is no moonlight. Females produce up three litters of four pups per year. Populations of kangaroo rats are stable in most habitats, although a few species are threatened by dams or urban expansion.
Today’s special animal friend is the African Jacana, Actophilornis africanus, an unusual wading bird native to sub-Saharan Africa. The jacana has very long toes, which allow it to walk on the tops of floating vegetation, even in fairly deep lakes. It is usually found in shallow wetlands, including swamps and lakeside marshes but will move into streams if lake habitats are dry.
The jacana is 9” to 12” inches long; females are larger on average than males. Its body is medium brown, with a white throat and black top of the head and back of the neck, and a slaty-blue face. Males’ average weight is 4.8 oz., and females’ is 9.2 oz. They live in flocks of 30 to 60 birds. They do not migrate, but they move around a lot as water levels and food supplies change. They eat insects, crustaceans, and other invertebrates found in the floating vegetation. They also climb on the backs of hippopotamuses to eat bugs.
Jacanas are polyandrous, a very rare reproductive pattern. Males select nest sites, which they defend against other males, and build nests. Females have mating territories including several males. The female mates with all the males and lays up to four eggs in each male’s nest. The males incubate the eggs and rear the chicks. If a father decides his family is not in a safe location, he can gather the eggs under his wings and move them, and he can do the same with nestlings. This looks really weird.
This reproductive strategy is possible because there is a lot of protein-rich food in the jacanas’ habitat. The female is extremely well-nourished and can lay all those eggs without harming her health. If food resources decline, the jacanas often practice monogamy.
African jacanas are a species of Least Concern, as are all its relatives in the Jacanidae family except the Madagascar Jacana, which is Near Threatened. Habitat loss is modest, as development increases the number of small dams and ponds, which create more vegetated wetlands. Predators include birds of prey, otters, crocodiles, large fish, and turtles, as well as the Nile monitor, hippopotamus, and snakes, which feed on eggs and babies in the water.
All this predation does not affect the overall population of this very prolific bird.
Good morning on this Holy Thursday. Temps back down to the high 20s, with a predicted high in the 50s.
Today the mothership reports on the return of abortion to the Supreme Court, who yesterday heard oral arguments relating to FDA approval of the abortifacient mifepristone.
"The evil of social media is commonly assumed." Really? Starting an essay with the passive voice? Boy, you think you know someone and then.........POW!
Yes. I'm working on a series. Out here in reality, the animal friend most days is the black dog, and I've prescribed for myself exercise and animal research.
Fortunately, I'm not friends with whiskey in the way Mr. Churchill was. I was talking with my friend in Utah yesterday, and we theorized that the "spring forward" time change hits us early risers harder, because we sit in the dark an hour longer every morning.
Got to get started on my taxes this afternoon.
But first, over on the mothership, I called out the journalism persons at AP for missing the No Labels connection that should have been part of the Joe Lieberman obituary. (My comments are attached to John M's top-level comment, so just sort for Most Popular--he got 18 likes.) AP updated the story last night, but it wasn't part of the original version that ran in today's newspaper. Apparently there is every incentive for journalism persons to ignore No Labels, because, as AP stated in the paragraph it added, "Some groups aligned with Democrats oppose the effort, fearing it will help presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump win the White House." (I didn't call out the journalism persons at TMD for missing it, but I hope they discover this angle and perhaps cover it tomorrow or later this week.)
The AP, perhaps having been shamed into it, now has a story that covers what's currently up with No Labels. https://apnews.com/article/lieberman-no-labels-christie-trump-biden-90b74fedecf72880d41e900fec3da7f2
Also worth reading on the NL site is something Lieberman wrote just last week, and it's not a bad piece of parting advice even though nobody knew it would be that: https://www.nolabels.org/courage
P.S. The NYT all but ignored the NL angle too. Dr. Livesey provided this info.
My standard journalistical industry rant.
Sen. Lieberman was an admirable man.
You know my use of the term "journalism persons" is a shout-out to your rant.
I appreciate the compliment.
As to your question about beer and liquor manufacturers and distributors, a real discussion would have to be more encompassing. Personal choices and personal responsibility should be taken into account, or we'll be leaving it up to legislative authorities to regulate everything, and I do mean nearly everything, because almost anything can be bad for us if misused.
"The evil of social media is commonly assumed." This should read, the evil aspects of.... We should be careful in our language to shy away from absolutes. Social media has evil aspects to it, but also positive attributes as you later reference. One of the problems we deal with on a daily basis is assertions without qualifications.
Good morning. Cold. Wet. Greener than yesterday.
A two morning day - awake at 4, back to sleep after 6, and now ready for coffee.
“Should brewers and distillers be given any less blame for people becoming addicted to their wares than the purveyors of online “likes” that make your digital gizmo buzz and vibrate against your skin?” Do people like me (oldish) really get a rush from “likes?” Nah. The youth do though. They aren’t allowed to imbibe so it’s perfectly OK to restrict social media in the same way we restrict alcohol.
I get that, but I think the question was about responsibility. Should we hold liquor manufacturers and social media companies responsible? I think you're saying no, we should regulate the behaviors, but I hesitate to speak for you.
I would argue (as I would for legalizing marijuana) that we have thousands of years of experience dealing with alcohol and using it responsibly -- experience we do not have with addictive social media (or pot).
Also, if I'm sitting on my front lawn drinking a cup of wine, you can't smell it for 200 yards in every direction.
I got a like from Steve Hayes once.
Last night dreamt I went biking with Megyn Kelly. I woke up disappointed.
Not important. What matters is we like you.
Thanks Josh. That is the most important thing.
But, for various reasons, positive feedback from people whose work I respect is important to me. I'll just leave it there.
I am extremely grateful for the thoughtful, some times deep, sometimes punny, sometimes flat out in the weeds conversation that TD spawned in my life and that thrives here at CSLF.
I got two yesterday from Mr. Lincicome! Meant a lot, because I was politely arguing against the contention of another commenter.
I love Mr. Lincicome.
Hah! Me, too! Made my day…well, for a few fleeting moments…
But it left you hungry for another one, right?
Exactly. Empty calories!
I did grin a bit more than usual that day. I don't usually grin much.
An interesting "Worth Your Time II from JohnM at the mothership:
'How to Choose Between Trump and Biden If You Don’t Like Either '--Ramesh Ponnuru
https://tinyurl.com/28zzj87k
For me, the choice is simple, if not easy: I'll take the doddering old liberal over the insurrectionist.
I'm glad he started out by directly pointing out that the epithet "double haters" doesn't fit, and why.
His main message is one I can hardly improve upon: "You don't have to," "there is no moral or political obligation to play along," and "don't let anyone browbeat you." (N.B. None of what I'm saying is to browbeat you about your choice. It's your choice.)
I think I may have told this here before, but in the Trump/Clinton election I wrote in Kim for Pres and my son for VP. I figure it would set us up in retirement and my son would have a mellow effect on the nation, I'm sure. I did feel I had the luxury of voting that way because I'm in NY and Clinton was going to win the electoral votes here, no matter what I did.
I don't hate either Trump or Biden. I just want them to go away to a peaceful retirement in modest comfort, which is exactly what I want for myself.
Yes, a peaceful retirement in their respective institutions -- Biden in assisted living, and Trump in Club Fed.
Biden broke the same Federal laws Trump did, and he wasn't obviously senile at the time he consciously chose to break the law.
You mean relating to classified material? there is a difference: Biden gave back his documents when they were discovered. Trump OTOH held onto them, ignoring subpoenas, lying about turning over all of them (and coercing his attorneys to lie) and ultimately forcing the FBI to seize them. That is, Trump is facing obstruction charges, not just charges of illegally retaining classified documents,
I think that's hair-splitting. They should both receive the same penalties that J. Random Civil Servant would get for mishandling and sharing classified material.
It's easy for me: not voting for anyone old or crazy.
I do agree with Ponnuru on one thing: No one should be browbeating anyone else by saying, "A vote for anyone but Biden is a vote for Trump." That's nonsense. A nonvote for President, or a vote for a third party candidate, is an abstention from deciding between the 2 major candidates -- nothing more than that. That benefits neither candidate.
Plus, we each have to make our own choice in accordance with the facts as we know them, our own informed opinions, and our consciences. Moral bullying is arrogant.
Reminds me of one of my grandma’s great debate-quashing points. My mother was haranguing her about whatever presidential candidate she found repulsive and morally unacceptable. Finally, Grandma hauled off and said: “Well it’s my vote, and I can use it whatever way I want!”
"Moral bullying is arrogant."
True, but what strikes me even more is the picayune subject: a vote for president. The amount of emotional investment in other people's decision makes it clear to me that tribal identification or even religious belief is in play for those who feel most intensely.
Most of the people doing the bullying are Democrats anyway, who by definition see no downside in supporting a Democrat, even if that Democrat is not their first choice.
Then there are the true "Never-Trumpers," many of whom are at places like the Lincoln Project and The Bulwark.
** the true "Never-Trumpers," **
Obsession is boring.
I can understand the choice. But WV won’t be a toss-up state, so I can afford to cast my protest vote into the wind again, since I find neither of the main candidates nor Kennedy in any way acceptable.
Even though the pundits who point out that Ohio went for Trump by 8 points in the last 2 elections, mean that Ohio is a red state now, I still look on Ohio as a bellweather. For that matter, it still holds true that no Republican has ever won the White House without Ohio.
So I take my vote as a chance to keep Donald Trump out of the White House. Which is the whole point.
When I was in high school (graduated '66), my father lamented always having to choose between the lesser of two evils. Fifty-eight years later, the only thing that has changed is that both choices are worse.
Today's special animal friends are the Kangaroo Rats, twenty species in the genus Dipodomys. They belong to the Heteromyidae family, which live in complex burrow systems throughout the western United States. The most common species in the Arizona Sonora desert is Merriam's kangaroo rat, Dipodomys merriami. They are smaller than most kangaroo rats, with adults averaging 14 inches in length. They are brown or tan on the back, lighter underneath. Merriam's kangaroo rat is a species of Least Concern to IUCN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hyKWwiefF8
Like lonely city-dwellers, kangaroo rats live mainly solitary lives among their fellows in the burrow systems. Individuals claim and defend underground territories, where they spend their days. They emerge at night to forage for seeds and plant material, which they stash in expandable, fur-lined cheek pouches. The food is stashed in the burrow, where the moisture from the many rodent bodies creates a more humid environment than outside. The seeds and leaves absorb the moisture, and the rats eating them regain the water they have lost.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkJLHnYy_G0
Many predators are after kangaroo rats. These include bobcats, coyotes, foxes, reptiles, birds of prey, and domestic and feral cats and dogs. To avoid predation, many kangaroo rats leave their burrows only when there is no moonlight. Females produce up three litters of four pups per year. Populations of kangaroo rats are stable in most habitats, although a few species are threatened by dams or urban expansion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEJTvBoGawQ
Have you ever covered the Jacana? If you haven’t and decide to (winky face) make sure to investigate how they carry their chicks. I’ve missed TSAF!
Today’s special animal friend is the African Jacana, Actophilornis africanus, an unusual wading bird native to sub-Saharan Africa. The jacana has very long toes, which allow it to walk on the tops of floating vegetation, even in fairly deep lakes. It is usually found in shallow wetlands, including swamps and lakeside marshes but will move into streams if lake habitats are dry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plqG405Tm2c
The jacana is 9” to 12” inches long; females are larger on average than males. Its body is medium brown, with a white throat and black top of the head and back of the neck, and a slaty-blue face. Males’ average weight is 4.8 oz., and females’ is 9.2 oz. They live in flocks of 30 to 60 birds. They do not migrate, but they move around a lot as water levels and food supplies change. They eat insects, crustaceans, and other invertebrates found in the floating vegetation. They also climb on the backs of hippopotamuses to eat bugs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDrGGzMDWvM
Jacanas are polyandrous, a very rare reproductive pattern. Males select nest sites, which they defend against other males, and build nests. Females have mating territories including several males. The female mates with all the males and lays up to four eggs in each male’s nest. The males incubate the eggs and rear the chicks. If a father decides his family is not in a safe location, he can gather the eggs under his wings and move them, and he can do the same with nestlings. This looks really weird.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0yvt-0D1cIc
This reproductive strategy is possible because there is a lot of protein-rich food in the jacanas’ habitat. The female is extremely well-nourished and can lay all those eggs without harming her health. If food resources decline, the jacanas often practice monogamy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzi1qNykIu0
African jacanas are a species of Least Concern, as are all its relatives in the Jacanidae family except the Madagascar Jacana, which is Near Threatened. Habitat loss is modest, as development increases the number of small dams and ponds, which create more vegetated wetlands. Predators include birds of prey, otters, crocodiles, large fish, and turtles, as well as the Nile monitor, hippopotamus, and snakes, which feed on eggs and babies in the water.
All this predation does not affect the overall population of this very prolific bird.
Thank you!
Yes, I did. Maybe it was on your suggestion at some previous time.
Rerun please! I’m certain I missed it.
I will check the files. Stand by.
Those guys are fun. But I wonder why the people who named them decided they were more rat-like than mouse-like?
Long tail?
I thought you had given up TSAF until after Easter. 🙂
It's a rerun. I'm just warming up with some minor hops and skips.
But no jumps?
I don't want to risk a sprained ankle.
"Hops and skips"? <sigh> -- 🚪
Would you believe me if I said I did that unintentionally?
From you, I would. 🙂
(From others -- not so much).
I would.
Thank you.
Good morning on this Holy Thursday. Temps back down to the high 20s, with a predicted high in the 50s.
Today the mothership reports on the return of abortion to the Supreme Court, who yesterday heard oral arguments relating to FDA approval of the abortifacient mifepristone.
We’ve had two frost-free mornings in a row now. A few days free of rain or gusty winds would be welcom.
Frost this morning here.
We have gusty wind here, too.
The lakefront-adjacent neighborhoods of Chicago have now entered the windy season, which generally continues all the way through May.
Good morning, Phil.
"The evil of social media is commonly assumed." Really? Starting an essay with the passive voice? Boy, you think you know someone and then.........POW!
and, as I noted above, it is stated as an assertion without qualification. How about, the evil aspects of social media....?
Mealy-mouthed claims bore the reader.
Ouch!
*snicker*
Interesting question. I think it's good to think, "Everyone seems to agree about this ... but wait!"
Happy Thorsday. Today's special animal friend is Jake, who has made a mess with his food again.
Is TSAF making a return after Easter?
Yes. I'm working on a series. Out here in reality, the animal friend most days is the black dog, and I've prescribed for myself exercise and animal research.
One particular black dog, or any of them?
Black labs form a significant percentage of the friendly dogs who come into my workplace.
The metaphorical black dog, not to be confused with the actual brown cat.
Ah, Mr. Churchill's friend. Got it.
Fortunately, I'm not friends with whiskey in the way Mr. Churchill was. I was talking with my friend in Utah yesterday, and we theorized that the "spring forward" time change hits us early risers harder, because we sit in the dark an hour longer every morning.
Walks at either end of the day are recommended especially—even in passive voice!
Is a passive walk when you walk faster than other folks?
Or when you’re in a wheelchair pushed by others.
If passive is the best we can do, then it is.
Excellent.