Spring-ish weather finally arrived, which is to say not warm enough for shirtsleeves, but the sun was out and it felt like a promise of better things to come. It was 57 at one point.
Monday’s high? 37 degrees. We’ll always have Sunday.
Thank god for this little warmish breath, though, because if we’d had another gloomy weekend, I might have sat inside all weekend reading Twitter, instead of just part of it. Are the wheels coming off? Finally? I’m hesitant to believe, because the wheels have been coming off for more than a year now, and there always seems to be one lug nut still hanging in there, doing its job. But this weekend — just this weekend! — we had the mop-up from the Tillerson fiasco and the will-he-or-won’t-he-fire-Mueller thing and then, on Saturday (Sunday if you’re a normal person and wait to read your Sunday paper), the Cambridge Analytica bombshell. And I’m probably forgetting a few.
Yeah, Comey and Putin and all the rest of it. Oh, and the nondisclosure agreements.
Truth be told, I’m halfway between horror at what’s happening and a secret thrill that I’m living through a period we’ll tell our grandchildren about. I just want to behave honorably through the course of it.
That’s the point of the first link up there, a column calling on the outgoing secretary of state to finally prove he was one of the adults in the room:
Since the beginning of this nightmare administration, we’ve been assured — via well-placed anonymous sources — that a few sober, trustworthy people in the White House were checking Donald Trump’s worst instincts and most erratic whims. A collection of generals, New York finance types and institution-minded Republicans were said to be nobly sacrificing their reputations and serving a disgraceful president for the good of the country. Through strategic leaks they presented themselves as guardians of American democracy rather than collaborators in its undoing. …Whatever their accomplishments, if from their privileged perches these people saw the president as a dangerous fool in need of babysitting, it’s now time for some of them to say so publicly.
Yes. We’re at a unique moment in history. Do you want to be one of the good guys? Better start talking.
Great comment discussion going the last few days, guys. Rock on, but I have some work to do.
Suzanne said on March 19, 2018 at 9:11 am
Jeff (TMMO) from yesterday:”And I’m curious to see over the next few decades as those giant worship centers watch their members age, and collect up their walkers, and start heading over the border from life into death — how will they deal with those desires to be reassured and reaffirmed and comforted in crisis when they, too, have a ratio of as many funerals per attending member as folks like me do?”
I am curious, too. People that I know who go to the megachurch type place are always amazed to discover that the pastor of many mainline denominations visits people in the hospital, does church services in nursing homes, sits with the family when they plan a funeral, will go to people’s houses to explain to them what the church beliefs are (confirmation type instruction), and things like that. Most megachurches follow more the Pastor as CEO who doesn’t really get involved in people’s lives.
We got a postcard from a nearby megachurch (well, mega may be a misnomer as it’s not that big but it follows that model) advertising Easter services. No mention of a resurrection but they will have a fabulous easter egg hunt and an added note that attendees don’t have to dress up but can come in jeans if they want. OK. Every church I’ve attended in the past 30 years has people in jeans; the days of women in white gloves and hats are so long gone. I found this an odd addition to the ad. The whole thing seemed designed to get ’em in the door for the fun, then we’ll hit ’em with the God stuff.
And I agree with Nancy. Time for the adults in the GOP who say they are appalled at what is happening to man or woman up and start talking and acting.
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Sherri said on March 19, 2018 at 9:46 am
I need to vent a little bit.
We’re back from my MIL’s memorial service, and I can’t help but be a little angry. The service was as least as much about her husband as her, the husband she married 12 years ago. The service has held at his church, not hers, and the sermon was given by one of his former ministers. Her first husband, to whom she was married almost 40 years. My husband, her only child, and my daughter, her only grandchild, were barely mentioned and only as part of this “blended family” that was brought together by the love story.
My MIL didn’t find true love late in life; she deeply loved her first husband. She adored her son and granddaughter; she lit up whenever either of them were around. There was no blended family; her new husband’s daughter and family lived in South Carolina and we lived in Washington, and we’ve seen each other only a few times over the years.
I knew going in that everything was likely to be centered around George, because I knew George, but it was still painful. But there’s almost nothing left now of my husband’s family, and only one family member that he has a close connection with, an aging aunt, so we’re home now, among our family of choice, and we’ll grieve here.
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FDChief said on March 19, 2018 at 9:51 am
If the republic hangs on the probity of Republicans we’re doomed. Trump IS the GOP, and the party nabobs know that. If they so much as headfake towards crossing Orange Foolius they’re for the chop.
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Judybusy said on March 19, 2018 at 10:27 am
Sherri, that is too bad. It’s hard enough losing a wondrful person, but then to have a poor memorial. I hope you find comfort with your family of choice.
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Deborah said on March 19, 2018 at 10:57 am
Sherri, that sounds so insensitive, how can people be so clueless, especially in that kind of a situation?
Reading about Cambridge Analytica and the whistleblower in both the NYT and Nancy’s link to the Gaurdian is sobering. Propaganda works, we’ve seen it on Fox News and all of the Facebook crap that the Russians instigated etc. Unfortunately it seems that people are extremely gullible and some evil people will stop at nothing to get their way with them. Is there no decency?
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Snarkworth said on March 19, 2018 at 11:13 am
Never underestimate the punitive ways memorial services and funerals can be put to use.
The minister who delivered the service at my father-in-law’s funeral glared directly at my husband, a biochemist who had departed from the family religious heritage, and proceeded to lecture him about the details of microbiology and how it disproves evolution.
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Sherri said on March 19, 2018 at 11:39 am
George and sensitive should never be used in the same sentence together.
I knew what this weekend would be like going in, and I’m fine, I just hurt for my husband mostly. George is not a bad man, and he was good to my MIL and good for her in many ways, but he is used to and expects the world to revolve around him, in that southern male way. He needs constant attention; he married my MIL the year after his first wife died. There were some issues in their marriage because my MIL was not going to take care of him the way his first wife did; she had been on her own for 10 years, plus my husband’s father had never been that kind of man.
But his family still drops everything to take care of him. When it was clear the end was coming last Monday, his daughter was already there, my husband made arrangements to fly out, and her daughter and her ex-husband(!) dropped everything to drive 5+ hours to come. My MIL passed before any of them made it, but they all set up camp in the house for the week. His daughter had her friends sitting with the family at the service! Too much drama for me.
But the good part of the weekend is that I got to spend time with my best friend from college, who came up from Atlanta (and did not sit with the family at the service!) We talk and text and email regularly, but we haven’t seen each other in person in years, and that was wonderful.
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Julie Robinson said on March 19, 2018 at 11:52 am
You experienced a major Pastor fail there, Sherri. Our daughter makes sure the service is all about the deceased and the promises for believers. She prints favorite photos of the person, their interests, or photos they took themselves. She honors favorite Bible verses, poetry, hymns, or favorite songs whenever possible. For eldsters, this often means she has to find and learn the music, but she understands how important this is.
I didn’t know this until she helped us plan my sister’s memorial service and she showed us bulletins from previous services. It was an incredible comfort for our family, especially my mom. Since then I’ve seen her in action with other grieving families, and I can only sadly contrast it with happened for you.
Oh, and those slideshows the funeral homes charge big bucks for? She does those too, gratis.
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alex said on March 19, 2018 at 12:34 pm
Unsee this.
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Deborah said on March 19, 2018 at 12:44 pm
I love the Barry Blitt New Yorker covers, they’re always the best.
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Peter said on March 19, 2018 at 2:39 pm
Sherri, I’m sorry about what happened to your family at that service.
My lovely spouse always said you go to the wake and/or service not to honor the dead but to support the living. Would it have killed the pastor to say some nice words about her family? Apparently, it would.
And Snarkworth, holy cow. Your husband has some strong self-control – if that minister talked to me like that at a service I would have mouthed off at him, which would have made me feel good at the time but would probably come back to haunt me.
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Sherri said on March 19, 2018 at 3:03 pm
Julie, you’re right, it was a major pastor fail. It’s not like everyone hadn’t known for the last year and a half that my MIL was going to die. Everyone just pretty much let George have what he wanted in the service, which was planned by him a few months ago. My MIL’s pastor, a UU minister, had put together a birthday party/ celebration of life about a month ago that was much more centered on my MIL, and was more in the UU tradition of memorial services, and George had gone to her afterwards and said, now we don’t have to do that when she dies, right? So I really did know what I was getting into, but I had hoped the Methodist minister would do a better job. She did manage to talk him out of the half hour organ recital he wanted.
I really appreciate this space and all of you, for making this such a safe space for me to let all this out. I need to let go of this so I can be there for my husband and daughter, and here is a place I can say all the things that bug me about it without fear.
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Deborah said on March 19, 2018 at 3:16 pm
Weren’t we just talking about autonomous vehicles here recently? http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/19/technology/uber-autonomous-car-fatal-crash/index.html. I’ve been to Tempe and I was struck (pun not intended) with how unsafe the streets seemed for pedestrians. Every street seemed like it had at least 8 lanes and lots of long curves which makes drivers speed more. It didn’t seem like a place for people who wouldn’t want to drive to go somewhere.
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Deborah said on March 19, 2018 at 4:47 pm
Here’s a photo of the monsterous intersection in Tempe where the pedestrian was killed by the Uber autonomous vehicle https://mobile.twitter.com/quicklywilliam/status/975791661845368833
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Heather said on March 19, 2018 at 4:51 pm
Color me shocked that the former Tronc chairman, who just announced his retirement yesterday, is a grade-A harasser: http://fortune.com/2018/03/19/tronc-chairman-michael-ferro-allegations/
The guy who told a woman she had to “suck dick” to get ahead is still getting $5 million a year for consulting services.
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Deborah said on March 19, 2018 at 5:11 pm
Here’s a shocking video about Cambridge Analytica https://www.channel4.com/news/cambridge-analytica-revealed-trumps-election-consultants-filmed-saying-they-use-bribes-and-sex-workers-to-entrap-politicians-investigation
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David C. said on March 19, 2018 at 6:41 pm
The most comforting funeral I ever attended was for a Quaker friend of Mary’s. Maybe it was because they don’t have pastors. An elder of the church explained the service for those there who weren’t Quakers. Her granddaughters read her favorite poems, her sons and grandson played and sang her favorite songs. Then it was open time where anyone who was moved to could speak, or they could quietly contemplate. Nobody was quiet at this funeral. People told her favorite jokes, shared anecdotes, and read bible verses she loved. It was so kind, so loving, and so appropriate. If I was ever of a mind to join a church, I think I could throw my lot with them.
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basset said on March 19, 2018 at 8:16 pm
I subscribe to a variety of auction sites, mainly so I can keep an eye out for certain pieces of Edgefield pottery, but now and then something like this shows up and I have to share it:
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/60311242_elvis-presley-s-last-vacation-custom-sunglasses?utm_source=Auction+Email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=lot6a&utm_campaign=20180319gws_ded
“Costly sunglasses,” to say the least.
And since we are all talking about funerals… last one I went to was more of a visitation, for my brother in a funeral home meeting room in Bloomington. My other brother’s son came in and I didn’t recognize him. We are indeed a close family.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on March 19, 2018 at 8:31 pm
David C., Quakers have gotten me through much. I love their approach in many ways.
Sherri, so sorry for that pastoral misuse of the service; I’ll admit I’ve had times where I worry and wonder if I’m getting the narrative I really need for the whole family’s sake from the “point person” which is often the family bulldozer.
Julie, let’s just all talk about funeral home charges, shall we? Do we have the time? Is this keyboard asbestos? I’m far too proud of the fact that two funeral home directors in this city work hard to make sure I’m not included, even when the family asks for me, in the “meeting.” There are fine people in the funeral business, but you have to remember at all times that this is a business, and upselling is everything these days. Yeah, and there are clergy like that, but most of us are trying to save parishioners money and keep costs low, often by offering our building and services to do for them what they’ll get stuck for four figure extras on the final bill. Blessings to my colleague, your daughter!
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Joe Kobiela said on March 19, 2018 at 9:07 pm
If I go anytime soon, You all can stop out at the Dekalb County Airport for Beer, Food, Diet Coke,(Brian will have to supply Pepsi) Allman Brothers, Waylon, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Drive by Truckers for music, say what you want about me, I won’t be there, take a airplane ride, dang I’ll hate to miss it.
It will be one hell of a party.
Pilot Joe
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Julie Robinson said on March 19, 2018 at 9:45 pm
David C, what you described was almost exactly my sister’s memorial, save for a brief homily. We’re all musicians so we sang and played for her, a couple of her favorite pieces. One was the old Quaker song,’Tis a Gift to be Simple.
I have always despised funeral homes and directors and nothing I’ve experienced has changed my opinion one single bit. For Jeri we went with basic cremation and did everything else ourselves. We bought our own container, wrote and filed the obituary, planned the memorial at Sarah’s church, the ladies prepared the fellowship meal, etc. The bill was still $3300!
Mom is comfortable and could easily pay for everything, but I think that kind of money would be a stretch for many. And of course they want it immediately. No wonder I often see obits with memorials “to the family”.
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David C. said on March 19, 2018 at 10:05 pm
I’d be just as happy to be thrown out into the woods and let the bears and crows have at me. Even the gas used to cremate someone seems wasteful. Mary looked into natural cemeteries where they wrap you up in a shroud and toss you into a hole. For what little they do, they want a ton of money.
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basset said on March 19, 2018 at 10:16 pm
Don’t know where I’d want to be thrown… no connection to where I grew up, hardly any family, no family land. Tried to get into the IU body-donation program but I’m too fat, last time I checked they won’t take you if you weigh over 210. Guess my burned remains will end up getting scattered at Mrs. B’s family farm in Newaygo County. If a few of my friends just get together and listen to “Beware of Darkness” then have a drink on me, that’ll be enough.
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alex said on March 19, 2018 at 10:49 pm
Basset I had to do a double take on #18. When you said you didn’t recognize your nephew I at first assumed you were talking about the corpse.
That’s what squicks me out about funerals and why I want to be cremated. Better to be turned to ash than turned over to a frustrated artist toiling in that god-awful industry.
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LAMary said on March 19, 2018 at 11:13 pm
When my nephew was in med school the cadaver he was assigned had no navel. He named her Eve.
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beb said on March 19, 2018 at 11:46 pm
I admire the efficiency of this accident — two (2!) people wounded with just one bullet.
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/03/two-men-accidentally-shot-one-bullet-sitting-car-outside-utah-gun-show/
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brian stouder said on March 20, 2018 at 12:14 am
When my dad passed away, we didn’t do the open-casket thing, but instead had the container (within which his ashes would go) – and I was struck by how much more relaxed and talkative the assembled folks all were (compared to traditional funerals, with the deceased person laying there all evening)
After my mom died, we (my brothers and I) took her and my dad’s remains to the US Navy base at San Diego (they met each other there in the ’50’s, when he was a sailor aboard the USS Oriskany [CV-34] and she was a WAVE), and they took them to sea, for their final resting place.
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Dexter said on March 20, 2018 at 1:02 am
Four years ago my 74 year old cousin, Doug, died from old age, a year later his 99 year old mother, my aunt, Vinnie Harriet,passed also. Two weeks ago my second cousin, John, died at age 77. And, none wanted or had a funeral, a memorial, a graveside ceremony…nothing. The first two I mentioned were cremated and their ashes planted in urns by cemetery staff, I suppose whenever they had time. No one near, no nothing. The second cousin , nobody knows…he even wanted the plan to dispose of his cremains kept secret. My parents’ generation , that was the end of old-style caskets and cemetery plots, and I say that’s great.
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Sherri said on March 20, 2018 at 1:08 am
There was no casket at my MIL’s service, nor an urn with cremains. She donated her body to the UT medical school.
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Jessica Weissman said on March 20, 2018 at 1:19 am
Here’s where I feel proud of the Jewish way of death: no open casket, no visitation ahead of time (visiting takes place instead at a daily prayer service at the home of the deceased), burial societies that do a standard unostentatious package for the casket and burial, and so on. There are Jewish funeral homes that will do a fancy package and hold the service in their chapel, but a large proportion are done through the synagogue with the service held there.
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basset said on March 20, 2018 at 6:10 am
Alex@24, no body at that one, no preachers, just a cardboard box of burned remains on a table with a few framed photos nearby and people wandering in and out. My nephew was about twenty and I hadn’t seen him since he was a toddler.
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Andrea said on March 20, 2018 at 9:05 am
Election Day in Illinois today — hope all of the IL-based NN community has time to vote today if you did not do early voting. We have lots to vote for, and against, today. It is the first time voting for my oldest two kids. I am excited for them.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/03/what-to-watch-for-in-tuesdays-illinois-primaries.html
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Julie Robinson said on March 20, 2018 at 9:32 am
Vote early! Vote often! Even if you’re dead! I grew up in Illinois and remember all the shenanigans of the past.
I mentioned to my mom that our son is a union member for his job, and she said her mother would be spinning. Hah!, said I, she’d be spinning even faster if she she knew that the other card he carries proudly is of Democratic Socialist. And thus, the progression through the generations.
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Deborah said on March 20, 2018 at 9:55 am
Yes, I’m voting today. My choice for guv is Daniel Biss, the non millionaire/billionaire candidate, but really I just want a Democrat to win the election over Rauner if he even wins his primary. The woman in the primary against him is horrible so if she wins the primary, the Dem will probably win. They say there is an outside chance that she could win the primary, fingers crossed.
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Icarus said on March 20, 2018 at 10:25 am
Andrea thanks for that link, very insightful. I’m hoping to get to the polling booth tonight. Unfortunately I scheduled something around 6-630 when we usually get home and I’m worried it will run over. I might have to take the contractor with me to the polling station — a church around the corner from our house.
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Heather said on March 20, 2018 at 10:44 am
Voted–and I voted for Biss too. I thought Kennedy was OK but Biss is more progressive (and not rich).
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Suzanne said on March 20, 2018 at 11:31 am
And another school shooting
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/shooting-reported-great-mills-maryland-high-school-n858186
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susan said on March 20, 2018 at 11:41 am
alex @9, unsee this one!
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Little Bird said on March 20, 2018 at 11:48 am
Another school shooting this morning. Maryland.
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Sherri said on March 20, 2018 at 11:59 am
Maybe people will stop looking at me with that “oh, Sherri’s on another rant” look now when I say Facebook is evil.
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Sherri said on March 20, 2018 at 12:14 pm
I could get behind these ideas.
http://theweek.com/articles/760739/how-democrats-wipe-gop-fix-america
https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/48/making-trade-address-inequality/
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Scout said on March 20, 2018 at 12:46 pm
I attended a Celebration of Life for the sister of one of my oldest friends on Saturday night. She was only 56, a selfless pay-it-forward good person, plus a gifted artist. The CoL was held at the venue of the art show at which she was exhibiting at the time of her death. So there we were, surrounded by her incredible art and the art of her peers, a slide show on a big rented screen, listening to wonderful stories and enjoying music tributes from her family and friends, followed by a great spread of food and lots of wine. And I thought, yeah, this is how it should be. Admittedly, they had a lot to work with. I need to get busy.
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Jakash said on March 20, 2018 at 2:04 pm
I’m not wild about any of the 3 Dem. choices for Gov. in IL, but I guess I’m gonna go for Biss, too. I worry that he’s *too* liberal for downstate, if he should become the nominee, but choosing our own million/billionaire to combat Rauner’s gold-plated candidacy makes me shudder a bit. Plus some politico said something like “All politicians think they’re the smartest person in the room. Daniel Biss actually *is* the smartest person in the room.” Though obviously, I’ll vote for any of the 3 against Rauner or Ives.
Pritzker is my third choice, so I’m not throwing this out there to benefit him, by any means, but I thought it was interesting:
“Gov. Rauner has Newt Gingrich making robocalls, and JB Pritzker has Hillary Clinton…”
“Hi. This is Hillary Clinton. … I hope you will join me in supporting JB Pritzker. Please vote. Thank you very much.”
https://capitolfax.com/2018/03/20/hrc-does-gotv-robo-for-jb/
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Julie Robinson said on March 20, 2018 at 2:12 pm
Dr. Biss, grandfather of the Illinois candidate, practiced in the little town of my childhood. I saw him when I lost the tip of a finger in a door during kindergarten. He also treated my grandma’s heart disease. There weren’t any specialists in town back then.
Anyway, the good doctor was married to a concert cellist, and apparently the current candidate’s parents are both musicians too. And that, to me, goes a long way toward explaining why he’s a Democrat.
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Bitter Scribe said on March 20, 2018 at 2:59 pm
Count me in the Biss column. He did frost me a little with his ham-handed management of his running mate, but that’s not enough to get me to vote for another self-funded Richie Rich.
Julie @44: Is he related to pianist Jonathan Biss? I saw Jonathan play at Ravinia last year, and it was memorable. What a pair of hands.
If Ives wins, it will serve Rauner right, not just for his wretched performance in office generally, but for those ridiculous attack ads trying to tie Ives to Mike Madigan, the source of all evil in the world. He could have gone after her for her hate-filled attacks on transgender people and undocumented aliens, but no, he had to make an absurd and transparently phony attempt to link her with Madigan.
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Deborah said on March 20, 2018 at 3:09 pm
We walked two blocks down LSD to our polling place and boy howdy it was a brutal walk, the wind is coming off the lake ferociously, wind chill of 20. Yikes. I went to do some errands after that and once I got 2 blocks from the lake it was much better.
I have to admit I didn’t do my homework regarding judges on the ballot. I have a formula for when that happens: I look for a woman running and vote for her, if there are 2 women running (rare) I look for an ethnic name and vote for that one. If there isn’t a woman running I look for an ethnic name again. At least I know they’re all Democrats so I can be fairly assured they’re all at least decent people.
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Snarkworth said on March 20, 2018 at 3:27 pm
We go for cremation and memorial service in our family. My mother is in a file drawer in my office, waiting for her trip to the Adirondacks where she so enjoyed summer camp. We’ve had to put off the trip several times; she died in 2004.
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Deborah said on March 20, 2018 at 3:29 pm
There’s a March for our Lives to protest gun violence in the US, in Chicago at 11am Saturday at Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph, accessible via the green or pink lines (I think they said Ashland exit?) The weather isn’t going to be great, high of 39, a 70% chance of snow and rain and windy too. If you’re going wear layers obviously, hats, scarves, gloves and make sure your outer layer is waterproof. Of course you already know that, I’m just repeating what they said online.
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Dorothy said on March 20, 2018 at 3:58 pm
I know you didn’t say that with the intention of being funny, Snarkworth, but your line about your mother being in a file drawer really made me laugh.
This morning I ordered a necklace online and uploaded a signature from a birthday card my mum sent to me a long while ago. I wanted “Our love, Dad and Mother” engraved on the necklace center piece. It actually said “Our love and best wishes, Dad and Mother” but for brevity and the sake of available space, I shortened it. I can’t wait to get it. Plus the website had a 30% off sale this week which ends after Friday so I’m really looking forward to wearing this. I might wear it about every day. My mum had such pretty handwriting. My sister Diane got Love, Mother tatooed on her left forearm after Mum passed away last September. I”m not a fan of tatoos so the necklace was my choice to have Mum’s handwriting with me.
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jcburns said on March 20, 2018 at 4:19 pm
Facebook IS evil, Sherri, I quite agree, and have avoided it, well, always. Now maybe a wider audience can wrap their heads around why it’s evil and what you give up to be able to watch silly-ass animated GIFs from your maternal uncle.
That saying (or some version of it) sticks with me: “if you don’t see a service’s product, YOU are the product.”
And by the way, Soylent Green is people.
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Sherri said on March 20, 2018 at 4:33 pm
Neither Zuckerberg nor Sheryl Sandberg showed for an internal town hall Facebook held today. With the stock price falling, that no-show couldn’t have gone over well with engineers. A healthy chunk of engineers’ comp is in stock, so believe me, they know exactly what the stock price is doing all the time, and it’s discussed as much as house prices and more than weather.
Falling stock price + a chink in the CEO’s reality distortion field = unhappy and distracted engineers looking for the next hot thing.
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Judybusy said on March 20, 2018 at 4:57 pm
Deborah, one of the fun things to come out of our hosting the Super Bowl. Good advice for Saturday! Here, looks to be 30s with sun and snow.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on March 20, 2018 at 5:37 pm
JC, I’d heard it as “if a product is free, you are the service being delivered.”
So, would you say that it’s not a good idea to emigrate to the off world colonies?
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Jo Stavig said on March 20, 2018 at 6:57 pm
Jonathon is Daniel Biss’ brother. Their mother is a very talented violinist, father also a musician. Daniel sat near us at a Ravinia concert featuring his family a few years ago, Martin Theatre. A good reason to like him, imo.
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ROGirl said on March 20, 2018 at 7:03 pm
I deactivated my Facebook account a few years ago because it was a waste of my time. They don’t let you actually delete it from their site, just render it inactive so they can keep you in their grip.
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Julie Robinson said on March 20, 2018 at 7:09 pm
Bitter Scribe, I wasn’t sure about Jonathan Biss so I googled him, and learned he’s Daniel’s brother. Also that he is 11 days younger than my daughter, which makes me feel old. On edit, I see that Jo posted this while I was writing, so nevermind.
One of our nieces was mostly raised by her grandma, and after grandma died she got tattoos of her signature at three different ages. She finds them very comforting. Most of the rest of us find it…well, none of us are tattoo people, so we try to keep our mouths shut.
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Joe Kobiela said on March 20, 2018 at 9:39 pm
Nancy,
Any thoughts on Ford buying the old train station, seems the hot rumor is they want to leave Dearborn.
Pilot Joe
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Jolene said on March 20, 2018 at 10:03 pm
Judybusy, the “Coats, Hats, and Gloves” photo is charming. Thanks for posting it.
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Deggjr said on March 20, 2018 at 10:07 pm
The especially objectionable Ives ad led me to vote for Bruce Rauner http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-jeanne-ives-bruce-rauner-transgender-ad-cps-20180202-story.html
I did like Biss’s house in his campaign ads. (I assume that the house shown in the ads is his only house. Very working class in appearance.)
Rauner is a puzzle to me. It appears he has the CEO syndrome in that he expects his wishes will be implemented without any further effort on his part. He is invisible most of the time. Governor must be Rauner’s side hustle.
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Andrea said on March 20, 2018 at 10:56 pm
Republicans had no good options for Illinois Governor. Rauner is an incompetent liar who has destroyed so much. So many people lost their jobs and some even lost their lives because of his hostage-taking strategy. I will be glad to see the back of him. Here’s the good news. 500K votes cast for the leading Dem vs. 300K votes cast for Rauner.
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Dexter said on March 21, 2018 at 12:14 am
Ford just recalled a zillion Fusions, Toyota had major recalls, Dodge, too…GM took loans (paid back now) from the US Treasury to stay afloat, Volkswagen phonied-up emissions tests, and now an Uber which drives itself (autonomous), even with a driver sitting at the wheel, killed a woman on the street, but most of us still drive cars or ride in cars. Air Disasters, a cable TV show, shows the world’s worst plane crashes, but Joe still flies the skies. We don’t have to use Facebook, we don’t have to use computerized anything; we could return to being Luddites. I jumped aboard immediately onto the Facebook train in 2005 and I have decided to stay. I had a couple problems with shopping at our local grocery the past two days but I am not going to just quit going there…I like Aldi’s but they are all 45 minutes away. It’s convenience.
Since Facebook, I only have one email correspondent left; all other friends communicate via Facebook and specific Facebook thread pages. Yeah, GIFS are stupid, but with one click, we can block people who send them. I block haters, right wing zealots, and all but one gun nut, because that guy has many good qualities as well, and who am I to judge his recreational habits and activities? Facebook was hacked and I don’t buy that Facebook is evil. I like Facebook very much. Money, evil, yes…I just hope the squabbles don’t bring ‘er down.
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Deborah said on March 21, 2018 at 5:35 am
It’s ok with me that Pritzker won as long as he wins the election in Nov. There is a pretty damning recording of him talking to Blogo that the Republicans will no doubt use in ads incessantly.
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alex said on March 21, 2018 at 6:51 am
Ford managed to weather the auto industry collapse in 2008 without borrowing any money, but now its lineup of products (along with Chrysler and Fiat’s) dominates the Forbes list of cars you shouldn’t buy because Consumer Reports says they’re junky and way overdue for a redesign. I guess that oughtta blow the wheels off of Ford’s ad campaign where they pretend they’ve surpassed Honda in terms of customer satisfaction, but then again it might be cheaper to make false assertions than rectify the problem. Seems to work for the GOP.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on March 21, 2018 at 6:52 am
I thought the buzz was that Ford would put their electric & autonomous vehicle division in the Michigan Central building, to demarcate a separate approach and model for how they’re going to do Ford 2.0, plus create a different vibe to attract younger engineers and managers. Dearborn will continue, but as the legacy model of internal combustion vehicles.
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Peter said on March 21, 2018 at 7:21 am
Sorry I was away yesterday – I’m an election judge.
All you need to know about the Illinois ballot – my neighbor told me after he voted that he didn’t recognize a single judicial candidate – and two of them are running for his old job.
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Connie said on March 21, 2018 at 8:39 am
JoeK, haven’t heard that rumor in the metro area. Ford is unlikely to leave Dearborn, even though it has a muslim population. Which is probably why the right wingers are claiming Ford wants to leave Dearborn.
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nancy said on March 21, 2018 at 8:48 am
Connie is right. No one is saying Ford wants to leave Dearborn. They’re looking for a) more office space for what they see as the future of their business (i.e., mobility), and b) a centralized presence in a resurgent Detroit. The good publicity from rehabbing the city’s most notorious eyesore is icing on the cake.
Dearborn’s population is roughly 100K, and Muslims make up about 30-40 percent of that. The east end of the city (where most live) is thriving.
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Joe Kobiela said on March 21, 2018 at 9:08 am
You know I purposely didn’t mention the Muslim factor because I figured it was just talk, yet its brought up, I read about Ford in a article in the free press, muslims were never mentioned. I hope Ford buys it and helps with the rebirth of The D, and all can benefit from it.
Pilot Joe
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Jen said on March 21, 2018 at 9:54 am
Coming out of lurking to say that there’s no indication that Ford plans to leave Dearborn. Quite the contrary, as they’ve spent the past year developing a few blocks of Mich. Ave. in West Dearborn into mixed retail/office space into which they can expand (see Wagner Place).
It would be cool to see them also expand into the Michigan Central building, though.
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Joe Kobiela said on March 21, 2018 at 9:59 am
Thanks for the update Jen, glad to hear they are investing in Dearborn, I have a 2015 and a 2013 Ford Focus, both great cars, never a problem with either one 35-40mpg, quiet, sirus, sporty looking, just a great car.
Pilot Joe
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Suzanne said on March 21, 2018 at 10:07 am
Ben Carson now says he had to purchase that $31,000.00 table and chairs for his office because the old one was “dangerous.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/03/20/ben-carson-defends-purchase-of-new-31000-set-the-dining-room-table-was-actually-dangerous
Gosh, and we got our dining set used. It’s lovely.
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Judybusy said on March 21, 2018 at 10:39 am
The Make Me Smart podcast today has a good segment on Facebook and the lack of privacy. The EU is about to put strict data sharing rules into place that we can only dream of. Even if you were to quit FB and disable your account, they still have all your past data that they can continue to sell.
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