Sorry no blogging last night. I decided to make a nice dinner instead, and by the time it was served and cleaned up, I was sorta done. We had grilled halibut, roasted cauliflower with coconut curry sauce and a lovely snap pea salad with green onion, ginger, lime and sesame seeds. Yum.
I was trying to duplicate the flavors of this lovely lunch of a few days back. Came close.
So all I have is a little nosegay of links. Theme: Outrage. Or at least righteous indignation. (Maybe a nice meal would calm everyone down.)
Every magazine gets letters to the editor from outright racists. Few sign their names. This editor ran the letter.
Neil Sternberg says Donald Trump is the punishment we all deserve. Discuss.
How the wheel do turn, Gawker, Reddit, et al. Welcome to adulthood.
Ann said on July 22, 2015 at 9:26 am
I’m not sure they published the name of the racist doctor. The first line talks about a doctor “in Tomball” and then refers to “Dr. Tomball.” I suppose there could be a Dr. Tomball in Tomball (pop. 10,753) but I suspect this was just the magazine’s way of referring to the doctor without using his real name.
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nancy said on July 22, 2015 at 9:28 am
You’re right, Ann. I read too quickly. THIS IS WHAT THE INTERNET DOES, FOLKS.
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jcburns said on July 22, 2015 at 9:27 am
I think the official subtitle of this blog should be “A little nosegay of links.”
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alex said on July 22, 2015 at 9:31 am
I think Gawker was just fine and should have exercised better judgment in this instance.
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coozledad said on July 22, 2015 at 9:55 am
I haven’t finished Neil’s piece yet, but I disagree with him on his premise. Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Kasich, all of them ARE Trump. There’s no qualitative difference in their character, upbringing, or conduct.
Trump is the GOP’s dark dry turd of a soul. There isn’t one of them who actually disagrees with what he’s saying. If he’s still on top of the polls next week, every one of them will swing even farther right to try and get some of that magic stupid in their pants.
If Hillary isn’t funding Trump’s campaign, she needs to start right now. We’ve already got “serious candidate” Scott “My face tells you everything you need to know about my intellect” Walker threatening to bomb Iran before he’s sworn in, and Jeb “I am dumber than my idiot brother” Bush saying Americans don’t work hard enough and we need to slaughter some more of them for the international oil market.
It would be a good thing if Jade Helm was the thing Republicans claim it is, with shipping containers lined up on the Gulf of Mexico ready to briefly house and ultimately export the nation’s white trash. Especially that Texas trash.
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Julie Robinson said on July 22, 2015 at 9:58 am
Gotta hand it to Trump for making Lindsey Graham appear likable. First calling Trump a jackass and then tweeting this: “Probably getting a new phone. iPhone or Android?” Why, Lindsey, suddenly I have new respect for you.
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Connie said on July 22, 2015 at 10:23 am
Diane’s last comment on previous page: I also had to insist my library purchase the Coates book, and heard the same thing about no one reading it. OK yes, this is well-off suburban Detroit, so maybe not. But I was bothered that until this week mine was the only library in our 50 library shared catalog system that had even ordered it.
I did pass my ARC copy on to a worthy recipient. 🙂
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susan said on July 22, 2015 at 10:24 am
Off-topic to Sue, because I don’t know where else to put this: Yesterday, I got an email from Rachael Levay (marketing/sales director, U of Warshington Press) in which she said the following:
“Yes, we are reprinting [The Orphan Tsunami of 1700: Japanese Clues to a Parent Earthquake in North America by Brian Atwater ]! We will have more stock in 4-8 weeks as we’re updating some of the front matter (new foreword).”
So there you are!
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ROGirl said on July 22, 2015 at 10:30 am
Neil S. is right, and his reminder of Joe McCarthy’s frenzied influence and legacy on this country brings up the thought that Trump’s endgame, beyond his ego-feeding orgy of publicity, is perhaps to run for mayor of New York, or maybe senator or governor. Why not? He could pull it off in New York.
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brian stouder said on July 22, 2015 at 10:36 am
Nance’s Reddit/Gawker link is indeed an interesting article.
I was stopped in my tracks by these two bits:
In his memo, Mr. Denton sketched out what was essentially a new vision for Gawker, calling for the creation of more “humane guidelines.” As he put it: “We need a codification of editorial standards beyond putting truths on the Internet.”
that one made me say “hmmmmmmm”. Sort of an odd riff on Ollie North’s woman (I forget her name) who testified about “higher truths” (as opposed to perjury)
and then –
Gawker says this is the first time it has ever deleted a post for anything other than factual or legal reasons, but it is not the only digital media company to have done so. BuzzFeed has removed numerous posts from its early years, explaining that they no longer meet the site’s editorial standards. Whether this constitutes brand-shaping or erasing history depends on your point of view.
A few months ago, BuzzFeed removed articles criticizing the cosmetics brand Dove and the board game Monopoly — which are made by companies that advertise on BuzzFeed. The site’s editor in chief, Ben Smith, later reinstated the posts with an apology.
So my takeaway is: real museums and real libraries of the future will always (and centrally) have printed (non-electronic) collections – or else why should anyone believe any history, at all? (Think of Germans in the year 2030’s or the 2130’s, as centennial and bicentennial anniversaries arise)
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Sue said on July 22, 2015 at 10:41 am
Thank you susan! I will contact her about where to get a copy, or two.
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Linda said on July 22, 2015 at 10:46 am
Connie, in our metropolitan system, the well to do white ‘burbs have all the copies of the Coates book out. We have to order a half dozen more so the city folks have a crack at them.
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Jeff Borden said on July 22, 2015 at 10:47 am
I find it hard to laugh about the current state of the Republican Party, however ridiculous it appears. It reminds me far too much of the late 1970s, when Ronald Reagan was talked up as a presidential candidate. I laughed at the idea of a B-movie actor and undistinguished governor of California being taken seriously. And we all know how that turned out.
There’s a very real chance one of these GOP bozos will be our next president. Electoral politics are unpredictable and can be driven by a single event. What if Putin moves on another country? Or ISIS takes Damascus? Or the economy slips a few notches right before the election? Voters can turn on a dime and demand a change. And then there’s the Hillary factor. She is a very divisive political figure to many and god knows what kind of opposition research stands ready to slime her when the general campaign gears up.
What seems clear to me is that a Republican president will quickly put us back in the Middle Eastern war business. That slack-jawed dolt from Wisconsin has even hinted a new president might have to take military action on the very first day in office. It’s an article of faith among these bastards that our military can quell ISIS, regain control over Iraq and still be ready to battle Iran whenever Benjamin Netanyahu asks them to do it. After painting President Obama as Neville Chamberlain for the past few years, these fucksticks will be out to prove they are the embodiment of Winston Churchill minus, you know, the intellect and experience.
Donald Trump is a sick joke, but look at the rest of the field. They are all dangerous.
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Linda said on July 22, 2015 at 10:51 am
Brian, re: real, unfurnished history. The Internet Archive is trying to save it: http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/01/internet-archive-hopes-to-boost-its-collections-through-funding-from-the-knight-news-challenge/
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Linda said on July 22, 2015 at 10:52 am
I meant unburnished history!
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brian stouder said on July 22, 2015 at 11:16 am
Linda – you got me laughing! Really, it works both ways.
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Basset said on July 22, 2015 at 11:52 am
Been eating some halibut ourselves, caught several of em in Alaska week before last. Captain of our boat kept yelling “$25 a pound at the store!” whenever one of us hooked one… that, and “Puke and rally!” whenever someone got seasick.
“Poor man’s lobster” is a good way to fix it – boil chunks of halibut in salted water, they’re done when they float, dip em in melted butter.
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brian stouder said on July 22, 2015 at 11:54 am
“Puke and rally!”
I’d love to do an Alaskan cruise at some point – but I’m no kind of fisherman.
Seafood I like best: shrimp. Even lobster is wasted on me. (for top dollar, give me something that used to “moo”
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alex said on July 22, 2015 at 12:16 pm
Hey kids! Time for some fun and games!
If Donald Trump self-destructs before the first debate, we may not get to hear what he has to say about everyone else besides Mexicans and John McCain. For those who can’t wait, here’s the Donald Trump Insult Generator.
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Deborah said on July 22, 2015 at 12:27 pm
Brian, we went to an overpriced steakhouse the other night where one steak on the menu cost $64! I was stunned. My husband and I would never have chosen that place but visiting relatives wanted to go there. I got a pork chop that cost $35, one of the lowest priced items on the menu. It was good but not THAT good. Maybe prices have been like that at steak houses for a long time, we never usually go to them so I wouldn’t know.
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alex said on July 22, 2015 at 12:28 pm
I typed in Jesus of Nazareth and the Donald trashed him even worse than he did Ronald Reagan.
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Bob (not Greene) said on July 22, 2015 at 12:44 pm
I typed in “Donald Trump”:
“I hear that sleepy eyes Donald Trump will be fired like a dog? I can’t imagine what is taking so long!”
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MichaelG said on July 22, 2015 at 12:59 pm
I agree with Cooz about Sternberg. Why, in his column about Trump, does Sternberg need to take a gratuitous slap at California? “I keep thinking of Ronald Reagan, the guy we want to add to Mount Rushmore. The country forgets what a joke he was, at first, the Bedtime for Bonzo B-grade actor who paused from selling Borax to run the nuthouse of California”. Do cheap shots at California, calling it a “nuthouse”, make him feel good? Does that stuff make him feel superior because he lives in Illinois, the state that elected such gubernatorial luminaries as Rod Blagojevich and Bruce Rauner? Call me touchy but there’s no need for that kind of stuff, especially when Sternberg is criticizing another’s intemperate utterings.
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Basset said on July 22, 2015 at 1:12 pm
Salted and sugared, i should say.
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LAMary said on July 22, 2015 at 2:42 pm
Brian, that Ollie North witness you referred to is Fawn Hall. I hear she has a gift shop here in L.A. now.
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Sue said on July 22, 2015 at 2:45 pm
Every Republican candidate pushing for more war should be asked the following questions:
Who will fight your war for you? Which American citizens are you expecting to step up for this? And, compare and contrast current levels of care for veterans to what you expect to do for the next crop. How do you intend to screw the latest bunch out of benefits?
“Boots on the ground = surgical strike” Scott Walker has two kids old enough to be IED fodder. And two of his closest associates went to prison after Scott gave them the keys to the candy store of two veterans organizations. I can’t keep up, which one of them spent the money on porn or something? Or was that another aide/associate. It’s hard to remember.
Scooter wants to end his inauguration speech with a declaration of war, basically. That’s how quickly he wants to start this shit all over again. He wants to be commander in chief because he was an Eagle Scout and that’s the only experience he needs. Answer the questions, Scott.
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brian stouder said on July 22, 2015 at 3:54 pm
Michael G – one point I’d grant (in general terms) as a legitimate swipe at California’s Republican conservatives like RWR is their self-serving incoherence (if not out-right ignorance):
Take away “Guhmint spending” and the California we’ve come to know ceases to exist.
Gi-normous defense expenditures absolutely fuels (and for most of a century, now) the Golden State; take it away, and it reduces to the tin-cup state.
RWR personifies ideological incoherence, on whatever ground we look at…and I voted for the guy!
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Joe K said on July 22, 2015 at 4:09 pm
Is it me or does it seem when you see ads with a bi-racial marriage its black man white woman and not black woman white man?
Pilot Joe
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Deborah said on July 22, 2015 at 4:23 pm
Does it make a difference to you Joe?
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Joe K said on July 22, 2015 at 4:54 pm
No not really, just a observation. Wondering if it was just me.
Pilot Joe
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MichaelG said on July 22, 2015 at 5:07 pm
Wrong, Brian. California is one of the states that contributes more to the federal treasury than is spent here. California receives $0.68 in fed money for every dollar it contributes. Indiana, by contrast, receives $1.81 from the feds for every dollar contributed.
http://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-least-dependent-on-the-federal-government/2700/
I’ve never had anything particularly good to say about Reagan. In fact, quite the contrary. But he sure couldn’t have done a worse job in California than some of the incumbents floating around today.
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brian stouder said on July 22, 2015 at 5:12 pm
Deborah – my father in law had a dinner at a Ruth’s Chris steakhouse, and reported outlandish prices for their selections.
Here in Fort Wayne, Pam and I can have whatever cut of beef one might want, plus the sides and a soft drink and a tremendous salad bar, and have the total bill come in around $60-70
http://www.corkncleaveronline.com/page/32/Dinner-Entrees
Another fancy place we’ve eaten at (just once) will sell you a steak or a chop (or whatever)…and if you want a potato (for example) that’s additional; or if you wanted some greens; or if you want a salad – all additional.
Joe – I think culturally it gets people a lot more worked up when it is a black man and a white woman, given the ol’ KKK-style mantra of fears (and fevered self-stimulation).
But a white man with a black woman is not unheard of (Uncle Google shares many examples, if you go there)
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MichaelG said on July 22, 2015 at 5:17 pm
Also: “Republican conservatives like RWR is their self-serving incoherence (if not out-right ignorance)”. I’ll certainly grant you that as far as Reagan was concerned. But for heaven’s sake, look at the group of people running for the Republican presidential nomination today. Doesn’t your comment apply to them? And it’s not like California was the first or only state to have an idiot governor.
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nancy said on July 22, 2015 at 5:18 pm
Honestly, Michael, I think Neil was speaking facetiously in the original remark. I’ve been reading him for a while now, and that’s not the way he thinks.
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beb said on July 22, 2015 at 5:20 pm
Wwhen Neil Steinberg said that Democrats deserved Trump as well as the Republicans I said “Fuck that shit” and stopped reading the article. Nothing Democrats have done justifies or explains Do9nald Trump. He’s the Republican’s Id monster, not ours. And I don’t need from blogger to tell me…”come on, buth sides do it…” Because both sides don’t do it.
As for the Gawker/ Reddit controversy, it seems like both companies are simply trying to protect their revenue streams. They don’t have a problem with postings that trash someone, as long as it doesn’t affect their advertisers. It reminds me of the few short years between the time AM stations bought up FM licenses just to have them, and their discovery that there was a huge market for their FM programming. Instantly the advertizing exes where there throwing out the free-form DJs and replacing them with play lists, black-lists and payola. FM music was great as long as there was no money to be made playing FM music.
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coozledad said on July 22, 2015 at 5:22 pm
How come the lesbians they show on TV ads aren’t as hot as the ones like they show on….uh. Never mind.
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Scout said on July 22, 2015 at 6:26 pm
I honestly don’t get Joe’s question or why he felt compelled to ask it.
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Joe K said on July 22, 2015 at 6:50 pm
Scout,
No problem just a observation,
I have notice ads showing mixed race marriage, the worlds changing and it will be come more of the norm, that’s great, just haven’t seen any with white males and black females.
Just wondering why?
Pilot Joe
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Scout said on July 22, 2015 at 7:02 pm
Joe – here you go. And not that it’s relevant to this particular discussion, my partner and I are in this video.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlNdcV-WAss
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Basset said on July 22, 2015 at 7:06 pm
Joe, my white son has a black girlfriend… they went to Memphis last weekend and, racial tension being a lot closer to the surface there, I warned to be careful but he says no one gave them any trouble.
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jcburns said on July 22, 2015 at 7:43 pm
Here in Atlanta Joe, I see about equal gender distribution in print ads of happy interracial couples.
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nancy said on July 22, 2015 at 7:59 pm
Seriously, I think it’s just what you notice, and I don’t think there’s anything off about Joe’s observation. I do recall, in the 80s/90s, a certain amount of social commentary — disapproving, from black women, mostly — about black men who “make it” and then marry white women. There’s a whole, overlong scene in “Jungle Fever” that, true to Spike Lee’s clunky directing style, feels like it was pasted in from a focus group, of black women complaining about black men choosing white mates, and then talking about how they sometimes do the same.
Honestly, I don’t really notice the gender divide. I will say this: In black/Asian couples, I’ve never seen an Asian man with a black woman; always the other way around.
Ultimately, we’ll all be mutts, and it won’t matter.
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brian stouder said on July 22, 2015 at 8:41 pm
Scout – an excellent video, indeed; and a nice way to cap the evening.
We just got back from visiting our home, to see how the work is progressing; quite heartening, really. It’s still a little jarring to hear the echos in the place, which is literally down to the concrete floors and full of echoes.
But drywalling continues apace, and painting has begun. Flooring selections have been made, and we’d really love to see big progress as we roll into next week. Meanwhile, one could write a paper about the folks one gets used to seeing in and around a nice-enough residence-inn hotel. Each weekend brings dozens of travel-team kiddos, about equally divided between all young ladies and all young fellows. Mostly basketball-looking kiddos, but also more than a few that look like baseball players.
But in the middle of the week, lots of folks that look like healthcare people, or automotive-related folks.
And about every third day, our electronic keys quit working, and we have them reset at the main desk (takes about 20 seconds)
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David Edelstein said on July 22, 2015 at 9:06 pm
Grilled fresh fish trumps–what a friggin bad word–blogging any day. Only things that should in your case.
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beb said on July 22, 2015 at 9:10 pm
I am not a tomato fan but I am fascinated by how marketing distorts the foods we eat. Saw this article and thought the NN.c group would find it was interesting as I did.
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2015/07/garden_gem_tomato_why_harry_klee_s_perfect_cultivar_isn_t_sold_in_supermarkets.single.html
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Joe K said on July 22, 2015 at 9:24 pm
Brian,
Don’t keep your key anywhere near your cell phone.
Fox sports 1 is currently showing NASCAR truck race on the dirt at Eldora.
Cool to see the trucks on dirt wish the cup guys would run one that way.
Pilot Joe
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Joe K said on July 22, 2015 at 9:29 pm
Nice video Scout.
Pilot Joe
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Sue said on July 22, 2015 at 9:59 pm
Thanks Scout.
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Kirk said on July 22, 2015 at 10:38 pm
Deborah,
Steakhouse prices have been ridiculous for a long time now. I almost never get a steak in a restaurant because I can grill one at home that’s just as good for a lot less money. And I sure as hell don’t need to pay 8 bucks for a baked potato.
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LAMary said on July 22, 2015 at 10:42 pm
My son’s girlfriend is German, English, Hawaiian, Chinese and Japanese. My son is Dutch, German, Danish and English. If they have kids someday, they will be mutts indeed, but really cute mutts.
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Deborah said on July 22, 2015 at 10:52 pm
Scout, I’m wiping tears away, what a nice video which includes you and Pat. Very special.
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Brandon said on July 22, 2015 at 11:04 pm
@LAMary: Did your son’s girlfriend grow up in Hawaii or the mainland? There’s a lot of locals and Hawaiians who live on the mainland, especially the West Coast.
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