Mostly pix today, because the day was long and the drive was long but afterward, with Alan working late on the UAW talks, I decided to call a friend in Midtown and take Wendy over to the Shinola dog park for some frolickin’.
Which we did. She frolicked with a four-month-old Chihuahua puppy named Scooby and a big lunk of a mutt called Dr. Gonzo. I think Dr. Gonzo’s dad was sweet on Scooby’s mom. Well, it was a beautiful night for hanging at the dog park. Tell me: Does every dog park have someone who brings a pit bull that charges around and gets on everybody’s nerves while his owner says, “Don’t mind him, he’s just a big sweetie”? Asking for a friend. Anyway, Wendy had fun:
On the way there, I was stopped at a light and watched this orange lozenge come around the corner, so small I suspected it was a remote-control toy. But as it passed me I could see a face in the middle, so it was something else. A couple hours later, after the dog park, I saw it parked in front of a trendy restaurant. Behold the lozenge:
As I took the picture, a voice came from a nearby table. “It’s a bike,” he said. I told him I figured as much. He said he’d been stopped for speeding. How fast? “Way over 30. I asked for a ticket, but they wouldn’t give me one.”
So, then, just one piece of bloggage while I wrestle a few big stories to the ground. When the Donald Trump era ends, what will it have accomplished? Waking up Latinos, says this guy. It’s a zag-don’t-zig take on this issue, and I recommend it.
Short rations this week, but I’ll try to keep the pix coming.
Basset said on September 15, 2015 at 1:19 am
You mean to tell me there’s still a UAW?
Just got in from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 50th anniversary show at the Ryman Auditorium, with guest spots from Jackson Browne, Allison Krauss, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker, I forget who all else. It’s not the MC5, I know, so shoot me.
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MarkH said on September 15, 2015 at 3:19 am
No can do, Basset, you just disarmed me with that lineup. Holy cow, would loved to have seen that show.
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alex said on September 15, 2015 at 6:12 am
Porn stars used to sell their skidmarked undies via mail order from the back pages of magazines. Here’s betting there’s a buttload of money to be made in novelty gift bags of shit from Shinola Park.
As regards the article on immigration politics, I overheard a table of late-middle-aged middle-class Latinos discussing politics rather loudly at my fave Mexican greasy spoon recently and as much as they clearly detest Donald Trump they still sounded unwaveringly Republican and very suspicious that it’s the “liberal media” conspiring to deny Jeb! his rightful place at the front of the pack. So there’s evidently a contingent that would be overjoyed at the prospect of the milestone of the First Mexican First Lady. I’d bet there are more like them than there are blacks who think Dr. Step-n-Fetchit would be a good second black president. (Sorry, what’s that fool’s name again? It escapes me this early in the morning.)
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 15, 2015 at 7:41 am
I’m glad to hear Jerry Jeff Walker is still performing.
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basset said on September 15, 2015 at 8:03 am
He did “Mr. Bojangles” twice, show was being recorded for tv and there was some kind of technical problem… made sone reference to being drunk and he did seem pretty relaxed. John Prine was there as well, Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas were in the band, we had obstructed-view seats at one end of the balcony so i guess we’ll be buying the dvd in a few months.
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beb said on September 15, 2015 at 8:15 am
I’m more surprised that there is a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band than that the UAW still exists.
It’s fascinating how governors have crashed-and-brned in this electin cycle. They were supposed to bring real executive experience to the campaign unlike prima dona Senators and Congressmen. Rick Perry, the dumbest man in politics has already left the field, “Bobby” Jindal is polling 1%, Chris Christie is down in the weeds, Scott Walker’s polling is in freefall, Jeb! isn’t doing much better and Kaisch, the alleged grown-up in the field polls in Christie-land. Even the one Democrat governor, O’Mallory is an also-run in a
fourthree person field.Where’s the thrill in riding in an enclosed bike?
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beb said on September 15, 2015 at 8:21 am
Free speech does not exist for people threatened by cops…
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2015/09/15/oakland-co-sheriff-calls-facebook-amazon/72293538/
If this sheriff wants people to stop wearing “Fuck the Police” T-shirts maybe they ought to stop shooting unarmed black people.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 15, 2015 at 8:40 am
Just about to happen if the weather clears (posted 8:40 am EDT). They’re hoping to fly past at 3 pm GMT.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/battle-of-britain/11865562/Watch-live-Battle-of-Britain-flypast-as-Prince-Harry-joins-veterans-in-Spitfire.html
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Wim said on September 15, 2015 at 9:28 am
Okay. You made me look.
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brian stouder said on September 15, 2015 at 10:12 am
Jeff, excellent link – and marvelous (and disquieting) photos
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Deborah said on September 15, 2015 at 10:17 am
Wouldn’t enclosing a bike make it super heavy and clunky to ride?
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MarkH said on September 15, 2015 at 10:25 am
What? Now Prine, Bush and Douglas, too? Basset, you’re killin’ ME! Let us know when you find the source of the DVD.
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Julie Robinson said on September 15, 2015 at 10:29 am
Please pardon what may be a dumb question, but why do the planes wear bulleyes?
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 15, 2015 at 10:31 am
That’s the old RAF logo.
Important political news: http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/7/71/956435/darin-lahood-aaron-schock-congress
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 15, 2015 at 10:32 am
For Julie: http://images.rcuniverse.com/magazine/reviews/810/sopfs.jpg
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Julie Robinson said on September 15, 2015 at 10:51 am
Okay, so my question now is why would the RAF put targets on its planes? I know nothing of military strategy, but from my point of view it seems like a spectacularly bad idea.
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Jeff Borden said on September 15, 2015 at 11:02 am
The designs on aircraft pre-World War II were based on national colors and symbols. I believe French aircraft also had the circular design, but with the colors reversed. America, at the time, had a red circle in the middle of a white star, if I recall, but changed to a logo that pretty much resembles today’s air force logo because of fears the red circle would be seen as the Japanese logo, which was a huge red circle. Fears of being fired on by friendlies were so great during the D-Day invasion that all allied aircraft were painted with stripes on the wings to make them even easier to spot.
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BigHank53 said on September 15, 2015 at 11:11 am
The RAF logo dates back to World War one, when the only way to tell friend from foe was to look at them. At least one historian has suggested that the Red Baron not only painted his Fokker bright red as an intimidation tactic, but to ensure that he wouldn’t be killed by friendly fire.
The part of the fuselage that the bullseye is painted on is actually quite empty and can have many holes shot in it without affecting the airworthiness, unlike the engine or pilot.
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jcburns said on September 15, 2015 at 11:14 am
Those circular bullseye thingies are called roundels. They in a fine design/heraldic tradition that dates back to the earliest coats of arms. They’re visually distinctive from a great distance, which is why they were used on planes. Say, is that a Target store way across the parking lot?
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Julie Robinson said on September 15, 2015 at 11:39 am
Okay, I bow to all the military knowledge, but I still think they make great targets. On a couple of the planes that went by while I watched, the roundel was directly underneath where the pilot was sitting.
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Jolene said on September 15, 2015 at 11:45 am
Julie, the planes are inherently vulnerable. Without the roundels, they might be more do. As Jeff points out, they would minimize friendly fire incidents.
Thanks for teaching us the word roundels. I really like it.
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Joe K said on September 15, 2015 at 11:47 am
Excellent, explanation on the aircraft markings, most don’t know that the Hurricane actually shot down more planes during the Battle of Britain than the spitfire did, in part because there were more hurricanes than spits and the spits usually fought the German fighters while the slower hurricanes went after the bombers, while the Mustang eventually ruled the sky over Europe, I dont think there is a better looking fighter than the Spitfire, the elliptical wing just sets it off.
Alex, I really thought you were better than that, Dr step and fetch? Come on, over the last 6 yrs anyone makes a comment disagreeing with Mr Obamas agenda is aotomaticly labeled a racist, and this is what comes out of you?
You can’t have it both ways.
Basset, guess that’s one of the great things about living in Nashville, you do have the chance to see some great acts.
Pilot Joe
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brian stouder said on September 15, 2015 at 11:57 am
Presumably this (visual recognition and targeting) is obsolete, with radars and electronic recognition anymore, but the naval use of ‘dazzle’ camouflage is interesting, too – as Uncle Google shows (and isn’t that a lovely – not to say ‘dazzling’ – web address?)
https://www.google.com/search?q=dazzle+camouflage&biw=853&bih=537&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCoQsARqFQoTCNnZ84qy-ccCFYrUHgod7usM5w
Joe – I’ve no real problem with Dr Carson, but he will have to say more that 6 or 8 words at the next debate, yes? He’s mostly a cipher, so far
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Jolene said on September 15, 2015 at 12:21 pm
The librarians here are likely familiar with a publication called The Early Word, which occasionally crops up in my newsfeed. It seems, primarily, to be concerned with letting librarians know about relevant trends in publishing and the demand for recently published books.
As part of that activity, they publish reports on the effects of authors appearing on various TV shows. There were, for instance, articles bemoaning the departures of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert from Comedy Central because appearances on their shows always drove up sales substantially. Colbert referred to this effect as The Colbert Bump.
It now appears that, with Colbert now ensconced at CBS, The Bump will live on. Last night, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer appeared on the show to talk about his new book, and his Amazon sales ranking jumped 100 points. Pretty cool to have a forum in which the work you enjoy also boosts the work of other people.
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MarkH said on September 15, 2015 at 12:37 pm
Brian – it’s the number of candidates and the debate format (both ridiculous) that dictates as few as ‘6 or 8 words’ being allowed in to the fray. I dare say that Carson made the better use than anyone of those ‘6 or 8 words’ he was allowed.
I only saw snippets of the last one, and won’t watch tomorrow night’s. Nor will I watch any of the republican debates until the bar that has been flung to the ground is picked up a notch when the field has been narrowed to no more than four. There are better things to do for the next six to nine months.
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MarkH said on September 15, 2015 at 12:46 pm
BTW, Brian, that was a great link @23 to the dazzle camouflage.
I would say to Julie, that while the British (and French, Canadian, Australian) roundels make most obvious ‘bullseye’ targets, all of these symbols of any shape accomplish the same thing, if that’s how you look at it. The German swastika or national cross, USA star with or without the red spot, Japanese ‘meatball’ rising sun, make for an easier lineup of the gun-sights in the chaos of an aerial battle.
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Charlotte said on September 15, 2015 at 1:00 pm
That’s a velomobile — it’s got an electric assist motor, which is why they go so fast: http://www.bluevelo.com/quest_velomobile.html
I’ve been wanting this distinctly less rocket-like version for years, the Elf, from Organic Transit (http://organictransit.com/). This one has some cargo space … plus, I think it’s adorable.
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alex said on September 15, 2015 at 1:21 pm
Joe, please think less highly of me. I’m an absolute asshole for dissing Dr. Carson, who maintains that Obama has committed greater atrocities than Adolf Hitler, and did so even when questioned about this assertion while visiting a Holocaust memorial in Israel. I see the error of my ways and agree with you that calling such a brilliant man names should be strictly out of bounds. 😉
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Bob (not Greene) said on September 15, 2015 at 1:40 pm
Cahrlotte, funny you should mention the ELF: http://www.rblandmark.com/News/Articles/7-24-2015/Dream-ride-runs-through-Riverside/
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Joe K said on September 15, 2015 at 2:21 pm
Alex,
I don’t care if you don’t like what he says or stands for, that’s fine to each his own I’m just pointing out the hypocrisy. If I called the current President what you called the Dr, your friends on the lefts panties would wad up and suck right up their bung hole. If it’s not correct for the right to say it, it’s not right for the left to say it.
Agreed?
Pilot Joe
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Charlotte said on September 15, 2015 at 2:26 pm
Bob — I want one so bad! But I need them to build doors — between our weather and our wind, I think I’d blow off the road without doors. And a shelf for the dog ….
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alex said on September 15, 2015 at 3:31 pm
Joe, why do your friends on the right get their panties bunched up in their bungholes every time someone points out — rightly — that Dr. Carson’s only purpose in being a Republican window mannequin is to make white supremacists feel better about themselves?
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James said on September 15, 2015 at 3:46 pm
Alex really stepped in it.
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MarkH said on September 15, 2015 at 4:03 pm
Dave (railroad guy) — Have you seen this site? Some great old footage in here of Ohio rail equipment and yards, including Clare. These videos show up on the RFD channel usually in the early AM.
http://www.herronrail.com/
Alex, that’s ridiculous. Why would Carson, for any reason, purposely align himself with white supremacists? Whatever else he is (erratic, yes), he’s too accomplished to fall into that. He’s not stupid.
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brian stouder said on September 15, 2015 at 4:24 pm
Dr Carson is clearly not stupid. He’ll make lots of money on whatever book he writes, about the inside view of the Republican presidential campaign from a genuine outsider’s perspective.
Sort of the Donald, without the bluster
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coozledad said on September 15, 2015 at 4:30 pm
Nah, Alex didn’t step in anything. Carson’s a pet, the kind of cipher Republicans have run here in NC in local races because they believe black voters have a similarly inane predilection for voting skin color. It always fails, and they always keep doing it as a stalking horse for their racialist policies, the same way they keep doing everything else that fails. And the more miserable the failure, the harder they push the narrative that they are the party of business, or money, or morality, or foreign policy. When you hear “You don’t get to say it either” It means, in Dunning Kruegerese, “How come we don’t get to say nigger”. It’s a direct translation and requires no interpolations for their bugfuck patois.
Republicans come here to parade the latest racist microagressions, and a wistfulness for a past where they could just be the natural asshole god made them.
The fact is, there are no Republican voters who would have come from households that lived in high gilded age or antebellum style. They’d have been waiting by the porch for the servants to throw some cornbread out with the slops. Definitely not front entrance material. Never will be, either, short of some profoundly stupid luck.
The inability to understand how Carson can be a racist is another signifier for the racist, who believes this is a zero sum game, and a black body, any black body, is a baseline currency with his value determined by his serviceability to white authority.
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alex said on September 15, 2015 at 4:38 pm
Thank you, Cooz, for articulating it so much better than I could.
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alex said on September 15, 2015 at 4:41 pm
As for Carson not being stupid, then what would you call this?
Someone used the descriptor “insane” in that piece, which might be a better fit actually. Also highly recommend the GQ article linked therein.
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Deborah said on September 15, 2015 at 4:43 pm
Charlotte, that bIke is really cute, and something that makes a lot of sense for Little Bird to get around in. I need to look into that.
What does the black community have to say about Dr. Carson? Has Ta-Nehisi Coates written anything about him? I’ll have to Google that.
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coozledad said on September 15, 2015 at 4:47 pm
There’s nothing more galling than racist shits going all churchlady. They still want to mouth the language of oppression, even when it’s been so thoroughly decoded. They also want access to all the old buttons and levers that kept blacks and other minorities from the exercise of agency and power.
They’re rot.
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coozledad said on September 15, 2015 at 4:52 pm
Add batshit insane to stupid. He’s an Alan Keyes. He’s even staked out the magic 27% in polling. That’s core fissionable Republican batshit.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2015/09/15/everything-old-is-new-again-john-rogers-is-always-right-edition/
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brian stouder said on September 15, 2015 at 5:52 pm
The nice link from Cooze lead me to this link –
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a37954/treat-trump-like-he-treats-them/
which was also quite good.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 15, 2015 at 5:59 pm
Y’all will want to read the annotated Moynihan report, and I trust also the proviso on “hope,” but this is surely of interest to most of the regulars:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/10/the-black-family-in-the-age-of-mass-incarceration/403246/
Sample from well into the lengthy but worth your time piece: “Last winter, I visited Detroit to take the measure of the Gray Wastes. Michigan, with an incarceration rate of 628 people per 100,000, is about average for an American state. I drove to the East Side to talk with a woman I’ll call Tonya, who had done 18 years for murder and a gun charge and had been released five months earlier. She had an energetic smile and an edge to her voice that evidenced the time she’d spent locked up. Violence, for her, commenced not in the streets, but at home. “There was abuse in my grandmother’s home, and I went to school and I told my teacher,” she explained. “I had a spot on my nose because I had a lit cigarette stuck on my nose, and when I told her, they sent me to a temporary foster-care home … The foster parent was also abusive, so I just ran away from her and just stayed on the streets.”
Tonya began using crack. One night she gathered with some friends for a party. They smoked crack. They smoked marijuana. They drank. At some point, the woman hosting the party claimed that someone had stolen money from her home. Another woman accused Tonya of stealing it. A fight ensued. Tonya shot the woman who had accused her. She got 20 years for the murder and two for the gun. After the trial, the truth came out. The host had hidden the money, but was so high that she’d forgotten.
When the doors finally close and one finds oneself facing banishment to the carceral state—the years, the walls, the rules, the guards, the inmates—reactions vary. Some experience an intense sickening feeling. Others, a strong desire to sleep. Visions of suicide. A deep shame. A rage directed toward guards and other inmates. Utter disbelief. The incarcerated attempt to hold on to family and old social ties through phone calls and visitations. At first, friends and family do their best to keep up. But phone calls to prison are expensive, and many prisons are located far from one’s hometown.”
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 15, 2015 at 6:09 pm
Towards the conclusion: “The changes needed to achieve an incarceration rate in line with the rest of the developed world are staggering. In 1972, the U.S. incarceration rate was 161 per 100,000—slightly higher than the English and Welsh incarceration rate today (148 per 100,000). To return to that 1972 level, America would have to cut its prison and jail population by some 80 percent. The popular notion that this can largely be accomplished by releasing nonviolent drug offenders is false—as of 2012, 54 percent of all inmates in state prisons had been sentenced for violent offenses. The myth is that “we have a lot of people in prison and a bunch of good guys, and we can easily see the difference between the good guys and the bad guys,” says Marie Gottschalk, a political scientist at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of the recent book Caught: The Prison State and the Lockdown of American Politics. Her point is that it’s often hard to tell a nonviolent offender from a violent offender. Is a marijuana dealer who brandishes a switchblade a violent criminal? How about the getaway driver in an armed robbery? And what if someone now serving time for a minor drug offense has a prior conviction for aggravated assault? One 2004 study found that the proportion of “unambiguously low-level drug offenders” could be less than 6 percent in state prisons and less than 2 percent in federal ones.”
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coozledad said on September 15, 2015 at 7:25 pm
Yes. Please go to Godly Russia.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/anti-lgbt-lawyer-urges-christians-to-flee-us-because-ben-carson-says-the-election-will-be-canceled/
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alex said on September 15, 2015 at 7:58 pm
I amend my earlier comments about Carson to include stupid and insane.
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Danny said on September 16, 2015 at 12:02 am
So I guess what Ta-Nehisi Cooz spent about five paragraphs ‘splainin’ boils down to any conservative minority is not “authentically” minority ‘cuz they just don’t have their minds right
Geez, talk about abject racism…
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Dexter said on September 16, 2015 at 4:35 am
Having been so disappointed over the sometimes humiliating political crashes of Adlai Stevenson, LBJ, HHH, George McGovern, Mike Dukakis, Thomas Eagleton, Al Gore, Howard Dean, Evan Bayh, and many others, I have yet to muster any energy for Bernie Sanders,even though the thought of a Socialist in the White House makes me smile. I can’t believe it, nor can I believe Trump will overcome the brass and brains of the power-shakers of the GOP and secure the nomination. I have studiously avoided all Trump-on-TV, until yesterday when I was in a situation in which there was no momentary escape/avoidance. I heard Trump say that when he becomes President, and Ford tries to bring the cars and trucks back from the Ford macquiladoras down Mexico way, he’ll sock each unit with a 35% tax. He said the work would return to the USA that same morning, but it may take ’til afternoon.
Trump, you become President, you will find that the huge multinationals tell YOU WTF to do, you don’t tell them…you work for them, as you work for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Obama and his grand military plans , remember? After one meeting with military brass mister big-shot became mister milquetoast. How’s the Gitmo closing coming along? 30 days…it’s been 78 months.
A few years ago the UAW cut off my montly magazine so I am not current on the issues except I do know FiatChrysler was named the target.
A few years ago the UAW aggressively moved towards organizing service workers from all walks of life. I am not up to speed with all that. If you want to read up on what the UAW is doing, here’s one important aspect as it petains to Michigan workers’ healthcare possibilities. http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150825/BLOG010/150829930/why-uaw-veba-could-be-model-for-contract-talks-between-union-detroit
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Jolene said on September 16, 2015 at 5:14 am
I don’t think it was the Joint Chiefs who stood in the way of closing Gitmo, Dexter. Military leaders have long supported closing it. It is, as usual, Congress that stood in the way, thinking that they’d gain cred among fearful constituents by arguing against the idea of bringing terrorists to “the homeland.” Maximum security prisons were believed insufficient to prevent them from bombing our cities.
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coozledad said on September 16, 2015 at 8:03 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmujttc0oJc
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 16, 2015 at 9:38 am
Well, to be precise, Bernie is a Democratic Socialist. Which is a political organization, not a party.
http://www.dsausa.org/
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 16, 2015 at 9:43 am
Be nice to Alan Keyes. He held the door open for Barack Obama!
Keyes, and an idiot named Ryan who wasn’t content with being married to Jeri, aka Seven of Nine. Ah, politics.
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Deborah said on September 16, 2015 at 9:50 am
Holy cow, that YouTube link of Alan Keyes is scary.
There’s a fantastic piece in the New Yorker (Sept 14 issue) by John McPhee about writing http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/09/14/omission. I love it when artists describe their craft.
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Jeff Borden said on September 16, 2015 at 10:18 am
Dr. Ben Carson has exactly the same qualifications to be president as me, which is none. He’s truly an inspirational figure and one of the greatest surgeons in recent history, but he has no business presenting himself as a serious candidate. Like Carly Fiorina and The Donald, he’s never held even the lowest level of elective office, but he’s ready to be the leader of the free world? Please.
And he has said outrageously stupid and horrible things, certainly as outrageous as Trump, and he’s mighty flip about tossing off Hitler and Nazi references. He’d be a disaster. Most of the GOP contenders would be a disaster.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 16, 2015 at 10:38 am
Borden for President!
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LAMary said on September 16, 2015 at 10:51 am
Mostly off topic: that pit bull guy at the dog park? Here he also has two huge insane looking German shepherds. The dog park starts emptying when he shows up, sits on a picnic table and watches his dogs tear around terrorizing dogs and people. My huge dog Max hangs with the little dogs for some reason. Loves JRs and French Bulldogs, and it’s mutual.
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Jeff Borden said on September 16, 2015 at 11:03 am
Oh, yeah. Yea me.
I just received my Cthululu for President T-shirt. So far, the badass dark god of H.P. Lovecraft is looking pretty good compared to Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee.
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Dorothy said on September 16, 2015 at 11:07 am
Was your title for this entry supposed to make us think of The Cowsills? It sure had that effect on me!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiMCTjO_dHI
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brian stouder said on September 16, 2015 at 11:07 am
One atmospheric thing is that “the grown-ups” appear to be on the D side.
Whether or not one likes Secretary Clinton, she’s ‘been there/done that’, when it comes to travelling the world and representing/defining/defending the interests of the United States, as has VP Biden; and Senator Sanders has had to mull over legislation and make compromises and reach out for consensus…..
aka – ‘govern’
I’d trust Ms Fiorina ahead of the Donald or the Doctor, since at least she’s had to deal with balancing costs and benefits and longer-term thinking (although not successfully!)….even Walker or Rubio might possibly moderate, in the highly unlikely event that one of them lands in the Oval.
But the Donald or the Doctor? I’d sooner vote for Pat Paulson (who at least was in on the joke)
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Kirk said on September 16, 2015 at 11:25 am
Dorothy@58: I still don’t get the “lozenge” part. That weird vehicle doesn’t look like something one would stick in one’s mouth to relieve a sore throat, and it isn’t diamond-shaped.
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Dorothy said on September 16, 2015 at 11:32 am
Kirk I’m not sure why you connected my comment about the Cowsills to the lozenge word Nancy chose, but I’ll bite. I knew immediately what she meant by calling it a lozenge. I think Nancy was referring to the narrow nose of the bike that suggests a lozenge shape. From Uncle Google:
loz·enge
ˈläzənj/Submit
noun
a rhombus or diamond shape.
a small medicinal tablet, originally in the shape of a lozenge, taken for sore throats and dissolved in the mouth.
“throat lozenges”
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brian stouder said on September 16, 2015 at 11:44 am
I did not know there was a singing group called the Cowsills, ’til today (Uncle Google may not know everything, but he’s way down the road)
I was taking the term as a variant on ‘mudsill’ – especially given our Trumpy politics lately….but I was wrong (and as Pam would hasten to ad: “Again!”)
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Judybusy said on September 16, 2015 at 11:49 am
Charlotte, what a pain in the dog park. We are very fortunate in that most people who come to our park are very responsible. Unfortunately, my dog has gradually taken a dislike to golden doodles and randomly snarls and bites them around the face. I’ve begun leashing her every time we see one. It’s so weird, as she’s 9 and didn’t have an issue until 2 years ago. I will monitor this closely, and if she gets generally like that, no more park for her. I think I will start bringing treats and give her treats when she sees the Goldendoodles; maybe that will change her perception.
I go between amused and horrified with most things coming out of the Republican candidates’ mouths. Like Carson taking about homosexuality in prison proves it’s a choice. Yeah, cuz rape works like that.
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alex said on September 16, 2015 at 11:50 am
Cowabunga!
Brian you and I are within days of each others’ age, if you haven’t forgotten. Surely if you grew up listening to AM radio in the Fort you had to have heard this.
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Jolene said on September 16, 2015 at 12:07 pm
Carson is really puzzling. I’ve known quite a few medical academicians, and they are generally pretty savvy people–not just medical experts, but knowledgeable on many dimensions and effective “operators” in the sense that they deal with complex administrative issues in large institutions, raise funds for and manage research projects, supervise staff, and so on. Carson was, as I understand it, the head of a department at Johns Hopkins, which is a premier medical center. Yet in some of his appearances, he has seemed not just ill-informed, but almost incoherent.
My curiosity prompted me to watch a documentary about him and a short film in which he gives advice to young people . Though he is not my cup of tea either politically or theologically, I have to admit that he sounded like a reasonably well put together human in those presentations.
I wish some ambitious reporter would look into his career at JHU. Everything that’s written about him simply summarizes his history, but I would like to know more about what his colleagues and staff thought of him. Meanwhile, if you have the time, it’s worth looking at these films. If anything, they heightened my curiosity about how someone who appears to have achieved so much in medicine could be so clueless and flat-footed in another environment.
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brian stouder said on September 16, 2015 at 12:08 pm
No sound, but I love the images!
I’m a March 19, 1961 guy, and I recall when WLYV was the station to listen to (rock and top-40) and they had Phil Gardener, who was great.
And then – WLYV (and the Lyve Guys!) changed format – and went country!
Phil Gardener remained for a day or two after the switch, and he would break format and play whatever rock single was chart-topping at the time, and then when it ended say “Sorry – just couldn’t do another ‘she left me and took the dawg, twang-twang’, etc” – which was great fun….
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Jolene said on September 16, 2015 at 12:25 pm
I used to take my now-departed Australian Shepherd to the dog park, where he played vigorously with lots of different dogs, but there was one guy that brought a dog to the park that Sam just did not like. He never tried to hurt him, but he would stand and bark at him as if going for the other dog’s neck was going to be the next thing. I never understood what the problem was, as there was no history of negative interactions–or, indeed, any interactions–between them.
Typically, he’d be running off-leash with other dogs when that dog appeared, and he’d take up his unfriendly stance before I could get his leash on him. Of course, I would leash him as fast as I could, but the owner was a very unpleasant guy who always glared at me as if it was somehow my fault that my ordinarily friendly dog didn’t like his dog. Sam’s been gone for years, but the bad vibes of that situation are still fresh in my mind.
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Jolene said on September 16, 2015 at 12:27 pm
Brian, my dad’s birthday was March 19th. Next year, I’ll tip a glass to both of you.
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Suzanne said on September 16, 2015 at 12:43 pm
Carson reminds me of Ron Paul. He says things, many things that you find yourself nodding in agreement with and then all the sudden he says something that makes you wonder where he’s storing the tinfoil hat and the alien zapper, because he obviously believes he needs them.
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beb said on September 16, 2015 at 12:51 pm
Jeff Borden So far, the badass dark god of H.P. Lovecraft is looking pretty good compared to Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee.
I think Cthulhu’s campaign line is “why vote for the lesser of two evils?”
It doesn’t pay to be smart and Arabic…
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/15/09/16/0339206/9th-grader-may-face-charges-after-homemade-clock-mistaken-for-bomb
then again … it is Texas I think they pump more stupid out of the ground than oil.
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alex said on September 16, 2015 at 1:12 pm
Well, Brian, you’ll have to try it later when you have sound.
Jolene, another thing that sets Carson apart from most people with scientific backgrounds is his denial of evolutionary theory, and while I’m sure the same position is completely insincere, cynical and calculated on the part of at least some if not most of his GOP rivals, I wouldn’t be surprised if he were a true believer in biblical creationism. His belief that prison rape is proof that being gay is a choice is perfectly in line with that incurious, closed mindset.
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Judybusy said on September 16, 2015 at 1:18 pm
Jolene, I get it. I feel sooo bad when this happens. Most of the owners have been understanding. But one woman, who had the first dog mine went after (twice, separated by about a year) screamed “Get your fucking dog!” repeatedly as I was working desparately to get mine separated. Not helpful. I’m a lot less anxious now that I’ve decided to leash her every time I spot the breed. Thank goodness she didn’t develop this with generic black dogs. Those of course, are the most common!
The poor kid in Texas! What did they just teach him? I hope the district gets sued–a nice way to fund his PhD.
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Scout said on September 16, 2015 at 2:21 pm
I read the kid in Texas has been invited to the White House, so at least his ordeal will have had a happy ending.
No offense to any sane and rational folks who happen to live in or around Dallas, but how can we be surprised by Ahmed’s story when it happened in the same city that drew 17,000 to a tRump rally?
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alex said on September 16, 2015 at 2:35 pm
Another more lengthy take on the kid with the clock in Texas. It includes some other recent overreaches by and embarrassments of authorities to don’t know their own assholes from a science project.
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Brandon said on September 16, 2015 at 2:41 pm
Nancy, do you encounter many poodles of either the toy or standard variety at the park?
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Deborah said on September 16, 2015 at 2:54 pm
Scout, it’s funny to see your spelling of tRUMP. There is a Trump building in Chicago that has a big ass sign on it, I keep waiting for some pranksters to shoot out the T.
So there are finally some photos on Facebook of the playground on opening day, that was Sept 5th. They’re not great photos but they’re all we have so far. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=ms.c.eJxFzlEOwFAERNEdNczzMPvfWFNSfk~%3BcCXU4QsLCXW7i0YY0OwgcLgh5KL5QSWySBZ4DbIiFHrUfqH1xB3rUsVAJ5g~%3By~_yOpC5XceAFzdylY.bps.a.1626270737660583.1073741837.1589290098025314&type=1. We had a professional photographer wandering around but I haven’t seen any of those shots yet. It’s so rewarding to see kids having fun with what we designed. My husband was back there last weekend, he went for his high school reunion and said the playground was filled with kids still.
Sorry about the long link URL, I don’t know how to do it differently.
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Deborah said on September 16, 2015 at 2:56 pm
OK, I screwed up the playground link, I didn’t know it would go to just one of the photos, if you click on “back to album” you can see the rest. If you’re interested, of course.
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jcburns said on September 16, 2015 at 3:19 pm
@POTUS: “Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great.” Nice.
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brian stouder said on September 16, 2015 at 3:21 pm
Superb photos, Deborah; all filled with smiling people.
Very good stuff, indeed. (and a pleasant bit of refreshment, as we roll towards tonight’s ‘clinking clanking collection of caliginous “conservative” junk’ in tonight’s debate…)
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Sherri said on September 16, 2015 at 4:45 pm
One thing I wish the news articles about the young clock maker in Irving were explicit about is that the school and police did not really suspect the device he made was a bomb. They suspected the boy himself was a potential bomb-maker. Had they really suspected that the device was a bomb, they would have evacuated the school and called in the bomb squad. So, they knew it wasn’t a bomb, but when the kid told them it was a clock, they wanted a “broader explanation,” though how he’s supposed to give a broader explanation of “I built a clock” isn’t clear. I guess they wanted him to say “I’m working my way up to bombs; this is just my timer” so they’d be justified in their bigotry.
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brian stouder said on September 16, 2015 at 4:56 pm
A pleasant primer, on what each Republican candidate has to do tonight, in one sentence:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/09/16/what-each-of-the-15-republican-candidates-needs-to-do-in-the-cnn-debate-in-1-sentence/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_evening
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Connie said on September 16, 2015 at 5:46 pm
The Cowsills! My first ever concert at the ? Grand Rapids Civic Center? Whatever it was the same place I saw the Symphony and saw Harry chapin. I think I was 12.
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alex said on September 16, 2015 at 6:07 pm
Then there’s this nutjob who’s the mayor of Irving, Texas. I hope she gets her well-deserved fifteen minutes of fame.
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coozledad said on September 16, 2015 at 7:31 pm
@POTUS: I’m going to introduce you to some fine attorneys, Ahmed. I’ll pay half your fees if you cut me in on 10% of the damages. I see asses bleeding all over Texas.
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coozledad said on September 16, 2015 at 7:44 pm
Mendacious quack bastard:
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/ben-carson-shilled-notorious-company-promoted-quack-aids-cancer-cures
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susan said on September 16, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Here’s POTUS’ twitter to Ahmed. (Twitter to Ahmed. Isn’t that a play?)
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 16, 2015 at 9:33 pm
Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.
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Suzanne said on September 16, 2015 at 9:50 pm
Watching the GOP debate. Depressing as heck.
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alex said on September 16, 2015 at 9:54 pm
Why, Jeff, that sounds so unlike you.
I’m tuning out on the clown show at this juncture. My take is that the most loud, obnoxious pricks are going to make it to the final round as if this were a reality TV show to see who’s the most loud obnoxious prick. I just hope the Dems are ready when the general debates happen a year from now.
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alex said on September 16, 2015 at 10:25 pm
Strikes me that this could be a great new reality TV format: American Asshole.
Confront a bunch of minor celebs and minor pols about the nasty things they’ve said about one another and let them go at it, while throwing in some hypotheticals about politics and gossip.
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Deborah said on September 16, 2015 at 11:23 pm
American Asshole, sounds about right.
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Dave said on September 16, 2015 at 11:28 pm
Brian, you don’t remember this Cowsill record? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFy-yzj02FE
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Dexter said on September 17, 2015 at 2:08 am
The Cowsills’ song, “Indian Lake” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJF6xSpDdZs
was about a real place in Ohio, which I pass through more than a few times every year going to and coming home from Columbus. The history of this decaying resort area is fascinating. I read a detailed history of the place and a half-century ago it was absolutely the spot to go for vacation fun. Big name bands, great restaurants, resort hotels, great fun beaches around the huge lake. There are remnants of the big fun-halls and roller rinks , but generally it is really sort of sad and ugly. A couple weeks ago my wife wanted to veer of US33 and drive lakeside a while. The lake was jammed with skiiers and jet-skiiers and fast powerboats, all in an extreme cacophonous bee-hive setting. Not for me, and it looked dangerous but I am not a laker anyway. so waddooino?
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Dexter said on September 17, 2015 at 2:33 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/18/obama-guantanamo-bay-prison_n_6897502.html
Pentagon lawyers scared Obama’s team by hinting military tribunals processes could never be completed, nor did anyone know how to act in legally closing Guantanamo Prison.
So, Obama moved on and soon we were getting cash for clunkers and getting towns band-aided up with his new plan, sorta-like the old CCC of the 1930s, but all of that faded, and as people realized Gitmo Prison was here forever and amen, we all moved on. Bryan , Ohio got the underpass land shored-up with solid concrete bunkers. Now all the empty cargo containers heading back to California to ship back to China to be refilled and sent here wont be as likely to careen down upon us as we motor underneath.
So to clarify, Obama simply never was going to close Gitmo. Now Dempsey has been saying for months that he would like to close it down, and US Congress has prohibited any detainees from coming to US soil for trial, so for a long while the whole thing is seemingly in the hands of a small team of negotiators who are trying to ship the terrorist-detainees anywhere they possibly can. So what I meant earlier was that even though some of the top brass at The Pentagon personally want Gitmo shuttered, they told Obama straightforwardly “not so fast there, Chief…”
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Dorothy said on September 17, 2015 at 6:09 am
Dexter Indian Lake is where my husband, son and daughter-in-law went for an all day boat rental/fishing expedition three weeks ago and we had a blast! We caught a dozen fish between us (all thrown back). Eleven were catfish. It was nice to actually catch something this time because the first time we went (Saturday of Father’s Day weekend 2014) we didn’t catch anything. I wanted to go back this year to celebrate my birthday. Boy I’m glad we did – it was fun.
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coozledad said on September 17, 2015 at 7:21 am
Morons get asked stupid questions, each places head in shitbucket. Ahem.
“What would your secret squirrel name be?”
Chris Christie: “True Heart”
John Kasich: “Unit One”
Carly Fiorina: “Secretariat”
Scott Walker: “Harley”
Jeb Bush: “Ever-Ready”
Donald Trump: “Humble”
Ben Carson: “One Nation”
Ted Cruz: “Cohiba”
Marco Rubio: “Gator”
Mike Huckabee: “Duck Hunter”
Ron Paul: “Justice Never Sleeps”
This is a good game.
Mike Huckabee: “Stickyfingers”
Rand Paul “Ayn Volk”
Ted Cruz “Saskatch”
Marco Rubio “Dasani”
Chris Christie “Pillowtalk”
Carly Fiorina “Error message”
John Kasich “DeWayne”
Scott Walker “Forceps”
Jeb Bush “Another, Sir”
Ben Carson “Snake Doctor”
Ted Cruz “Hurl”
Donald Trump “Humble”*
*He’s the only one who came up with a name the Secret Service would actually use.
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Suzanne said on September 17, 2015 at 7:26 am
“Which woman’s pic should replace Hamilton on our currency?”
“Shoot, Rosa Parks is everybody’s pic and I don’t have my binder full of women here at the podium to search. Ummmm. My mom?”
Amazing. I honestly don’t think most of them could think of even one woman of accomplishment.
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brian stouder said on September 17, 2015 at 7:34 am
Being as it is September 17, the woman I thought of was Clara Barton
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beb said on September 17, 2015 at 8:30 am
Ahmed the clock-maker, has been invited to visit the White House, Facebook, MIT and Havard. This is easily the finest rebuke of Texas asshatery ever.
Jeff @87: Your knowledge of the Great Old Ones is disturbing coming from a man of God. (LOL)
Instead of watching the debates I cleaned cat boxes. It’s a dirty job but not as dirty as watching the debate. The debates should have been done Simpsons style with each candidate wired up to an electric current and buttons on each podium. Ah, now that would light up the night!
I propose Margaret Sanger for the $10 bill. She did more for woman than Susan B. Anthony ever did. (Voting is nice. Surviving childborth is better.)
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 17, 2015 at 9:19 am
beb: 😉
$10 — Harriet Beecher Stowe would get my vote.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Harriet_Beecher_Stowe_by_Francis_Holl.JPG
With Louisa May Alcott a close second.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Louisa_May_Alcott_headshot.jpg
But today, Brian’s right, Clara Barton. Tomorrow, I’m back to Harriet.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 17, 2015 at 9:21 am
Clara looks ready for engraving right here:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Clara_Barton_-_etching_by_John_Sartain.jpg
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Dave said on September 17, 2015 at 9:33 am
I don’t know, Dexter, I doubt the writer of that song ever knew of Indian Lake, OH. He was from New York and wrote several other hit songs, such as The Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love You”. I never thought it was about Ohio’s Indian Lake because none of the other lyrics matched Ohio scenes. There is an Indian Lake in New York State, as well as several other states.
When we lived in Lima, I knew a lot of people who went to Indian Lake every weekend, who had cabins or travel trailers there for the summer. They loved it.
Indian Lake reminds me of Buckeye Lake, located some 12 miles east of where I grew up, created as a reservoir for the Ohio canal system, and site of another amusement park and ballroom. I remember the amusement park, Dad’s employer would have a family picnic there every year when I was small and the amusement park was still a going concern. Buckeye Lake has fallen on hard times and one of the reasons is because people built on the earthen dam.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/03/11/Buckeye-Lake-dam-recommendations.html
MarkH, thanks for the Herron Rail site. I know there’s a lot of stuff on YouTube, too.
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Kirk said on September 17, 2015 at 9:34 am
Is my memory right? Seems that I recall that, in the ’60s, swarms of young people (as in college-age and a little beyond) hit Indian Lake at the big summer holidays, especially July Fourth, which annually resulted in a riot. At least the cops called it that.
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Dave said on September 17, 2015 at 9:35 am
Whoops, the songwriter was named Tony Romeo, hit enter before I reviewed.
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Dave said on September 17, 2015 at 9:37 am
And Kirk, I remember that, too. A Google search leads to this: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19700705&id=qCYxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vAEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7026,934822&hl=en
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brian stouder said on September 17, 2015 at 9:39 am
Jeff – that is a very fine image, indeed!
I’ve one positive thing to say for Raphael Cruz, from last night.
He proposed knocking Andy Jackson off of the twenty, rather Hamilton off of the ten.
Leaving aside his reasoning (Hamilton being a founder, essentially), Andy ‘trail of tears’ Jackson is past-due for being pushed off the stage…and indeed, it is somewhat ironic that Cruz – who seems to want to emulate AJ’s(genocidal) trail-of-tears, in his anti-immigrant rhetoric
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Jolene said on September 17, 2015 at 9:41 am
I’d go for Frances Perkins, who was Secretary of Labor for 12 years in FDR’s administration. She was the first female cabinet member in the U.S. and helped to develop and implement policies and programs that shape our world to this day.
Here’s a paragraph on her legacy from her Wikipedia entry.
Perkins would have been famous simply by being the first woman cabinet member, but her legacy stems from her additional accomplishments. She was largely responsible for the U.S. adoption of social security, unemployment insurance, federal laws regulating child labor, and adoption of the federal minimum wage.
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Jolene said on September 17, 2015 at 9:51 am
I seem to have left off a code, but you get the idea.
And, yes, very nice image of Clara Barton. Perfect for a coin or currency.
Googling for a picture of Perkins, I found that others have already had the idea of putting her on the $20.
Here’s a good article that captures her spirit. I especially like the idea of honoring her on our money because her achievements were in the realm of government economic policy. Seems like a good fit.
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brian stouder said on September 17, 2015 at 10:49 am
Jolene – the first place I learned anything specifically about Perkins was on the Lawrence O’Donnell show (maybe a year ago?) – wherein he focused on her for a portion of the show, and illuminated her (many) firsts
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AndreaJ said on September 17, 2015 at 11:01 am
The Girl Scouts have a social media campaign going on with their vote for Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts, as the replacement for the $20 bill.
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LAMary said on September 17, 2015 at 1:34 pm
Keep Alexander Hamilton, founder of Paterson, NJ, my home town.
Some happy news here at Ranchito LAMary. After losing two cats to coyotes in a very short time, we’ve added a new member to the household. Yesterday we picked up Georgia, a supposed great dane lab mix. She’s ten months old and very pretty and sweet. Photos will be on facebook soon,
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Deborah said on September 17, 2015 at 1:42 pm
Congratulations on the new addition LAMary.
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James said on September 17, 2015 at 2:10 pm
What would be coozledad’s Secret Service name?
Derrick.
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Connie said on September 17, 2015 at 2:11 pm
On the National Book Awards finalist list: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me.
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brian stouder said on September 17, 2015 at 2:17 pm
I think my secret service name would be “idiot”, which the First Lady would be pleased with
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Dorothy said on September 17, 2015 at 2:56 pm
My iPhone calls me Madam Fabulous. Because I told her to do so.
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Jolene said on September 17, 2015 at 2:58 pm
Cool news, Connie. Good for him
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Dexter said on September 17, 2015 at 2:58 pm
OK…I grabbed this from ripop music…” New England rock and roll fans have long thought that the “Indian Lake” in question was the one just off Rhode Island Route 1 near the URI campus in the South County area. So let’s make it so! (Even though there are many Indian lakes throughout the US and the Cowsills do not share a writing credit with Mr. Romeo.) ”
So I guess the person I recently heard while station surfing XM Radio was just full of beans, or he knew something Romero told him, or whatever. Goddam age of information anyway. Ya cant even believe a simple little story without authenticating every damn word.
Sounds like you usually do have a lot of fun, Dorothy. Good on you. My friend Tom of Columbus frequently tosses bikes into his truck and buzzes up to Indian Lake for bike riding with his new main squeeze.
Well…again, back to Toledo for more days of dog watching as the son-in-law jet pilot has to go fly in the morning, as his wife helps my wife rehab that surgically rebuilt knee in Columbus. I am plum-wore-out from having to get caught up with laundry, bill paying, fetching the van back from having new shocks and coolant system flushing, dog walking, cooking for myself and the dogs, and sweeping and mopping the broken glass from my wife’s shattered favorite glass deep baking dish, which I had on the kitchen table as I was arranging the cupboard, when the cat flies through the air and lands right into the dish and sends it careening to the hard floor, a horrible unmistakable noise.
I called and told Carla Lee…better to take my ration of verbal chiding on the phone than having her notice it sometime in the future. She’s one week removed from surgery now. Tick-tock…get well soon Carla Lee.
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Dorothy said on September 17, 2015 at 3:13 pm
Acccidents happen, Dexter. You can get her a new glass baking dish at lots of places. The year my father-in-law died we brought back to our house some kitchen items, including a 9×12 baking dish. We were aware that he liked the bargains at the Dollar Store or Keystone Supply in Pittsburgh. Mine are name brand, like Corningware or such. Anyway, we were using Grandad’s pan for the white turkey meat on Thanksgiving and had it in the oven to keep warm until it was time to eat. And don’t you know the damn thing shattered, with all the meat falling down onto the floor of the oven among the pieces of glass?! Thank God we had more white meat in a foil pan, but we really took a hit on the white meat that year. How embarrassing.
Mary I’m so glad you got a new pet so soon! I’m not of the ilk that needs to wait until they get over the death of one pet before bringing home a new one. For me the fastest way to heal that hurting heart is to welcome a new animal to bring joy back to the household. ASAP.
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Dexter said on September 17, 2015 at 3:45 pm
When my beloved P-Dogg the Black Labrador Retriever passed from old age on July 9, 2009, I took it much harder than I had ever thought possible. We still had our terrier and still do, but on March 11, 2011, my daughter brought in a Labbie for me that I call Pogo. Once in a great while just out of the blue I’ll call Pogo “P-Dogg”. That’s what new dogs and cats do, they take over the spot in a human heart that’s been empty. We never forget previous pets, but we don’t deprive ourselves of the wonderful companionship animals provide for us. Pogo is a handful, a runner who has escaped 16 times and we have always tracked her down and got her back safely, but she’s had a lot of near-death events with cars and a train. Now we employ a “Houdini harness” which is “back-out-of-harness” proof…so far.
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Jolene said on September 17, 2015 at 3:51 pm
Some news for Letterman fans: He’s going to host a show about climate change for the National Geographic Channel next year. At first glance, I thought he was going to host the whole series, but, all, it’s only a single episode. Sounds like a good show though, if you’re interested in learning about the demise of humanity’s only home, that is.
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Deborah said on September 17, 2015 at 4:19 pm
I miss my cats, every time I see a cat out and about I feel a little twinge. We have one that comes around that belongs to a neighbor, we don’t know which neighbor. She lets me pet her sometimes, at least i think it’s a she, I don’t see any evidence that she’s not. She is well fed and gentle as can be, we know she’s not a stray. We won’t be getting anymore cats because of my husband’s allergies, that we didn’t know he had before we got our cats, the allergies got worse and worse as the years went by. He suffered a lot, but we didn’t want to give up the cats. The buildings we live in, both in Chicago and Santa Fe do not allow dogs. The only time I don’t miss having pets is when we travel, always making arrangements was a pain.
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Deborah said on September 17, 2015 at 4:29 pm
Did you read about how Jeb! stood on his tip-toes during the group photo before the debates. He claims he was trying to make eye contact with his wife in the audience, not trying to look taller than everyone else (even though he might already be just that). I didn’t know what his wife looks like so I Googled her and found a photo of her standing next to Jeb!. She’s tiny and cute as a button, scroll down on this BBC site and you can see them standing next to each other http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30502738. He’s 6′ 3″.
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Deborah said on September 17, 2015 at 5:34 pm
Thanks to Jeff (tmmo) on Facebook, I listened to this Fresh Air interview with this Lutheran minister. Wow, Julie Robinson and some of you other current and former Lutherans may find this as moving as I did http://www.npr.org/2015/09/17/441139500/lutheran-minister-preaches-a-gospel-of-love-to-junkies-drag-queens-and-outsiders. Almost makes me proud to have been raised Lutheran. Grace.
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alex said on September 17, 2015 at 7:08 pm
We have friends who for years have been trying to welcome us into their progressive congregations — UCC, Unitarian, Episcopalian, Presbyterian — but we’ve always felt that we’d be giving up Sunday mornings of quality time — having to shave and dress up and pretend our lives are wonderful instead of nursing ourselves out of hangovers with bloodies and communing with God watching butterflies and bees in our garden. But that sounds like one church I’d attend faithfully.
I guess it’s also why I lean Bernie instead of Hillary. And I like Hillary. After seeing the documentary about Hillary’s graduating class in 1968, and all the women who went on to greater things than a BA and an MRS, and her memorable impromptu valedictory speech, I have been an unwavering fan even if she has moments of cringe-inducing awkwardness and has had to play the scripted Beltway politician game. I’m at a stage where I could consider going to work for Bernie’s campaign and letting the cards fall where they may. Can’t believe I’m confessing this. But it’s heartfelt at this moment in time.
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Julie Robinson said on September 17, 2015 at 10:21 pm
Oh yes, we love Nadia! My dear daughter introduced me to her books, and she has met her. I was away all day and then again tonight, but I’ll be listening tomorrow.
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Jill said on September 17, 2015 at 10:28 pm
Congratulations, Mary! From what you’ve written about your dogs, I think Georgia just hit the jackpot.
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basset said on September 19, 2015 at 10:27 pm
Another one of those Nashville experiences tonight, or actually late this afternoon – a “cd release party” at a guitar store for Banana, one of the original Youngbloods. No door charge, free food and good beer, he played a short set (including, of course, “Get Together”), we bought a cd and went home happy. Link below is from a different show but you get the idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5G66U68660
Been guitar shopping too, they had a Martin D18 I liked and we’ll see how that turns out.
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