Natal anniversary.

It’s birthday season. Actually, it’s birthDAY for Alan and Kate, which means little time for you, although here’s a fresh thread. I just finished frosting the cake, and from here on it’s a run-run day until we head to Ann Arbor for dinner. Wendy’s coming along, and will spend the short week with her friends at Kate’s co-op. She loves that place, because it’s pretty much petting and walks and treats nonstop; she sleeps for two days after coming home from these canine bacchanals.

We’ll have a relaxing weekend afterward; Kate will be recording her band, part of her senior thesis. Yes, senior thesis. Assuming all goes well, she graduates in April. Sunrise, sunset.

A few reading recommendations for the next few days.

The NYT’s Facebook investigation is well worth your time. The short version: Fucking assholes. If you’re pressed for time, you can get the short version via podcast on The Daily, today.

Also, a companion piece on the ghastly behavior of Sheryl Sandberg in all of this.

I have a like-hate relationship with e-scooters. How about you? I think this WashPost writer gets the gist:

Electric scooters are a little like Q-Tips .

In both cases, the products are marketed with explicit warnings about how not to use them, even though everyone knows that’s precisely the way pretty much every customer will use them.

For scooter riders here in Santa Monica, it means: Don’t you dare ride on the sidewalk, which is against the law, even though it sometimes feels super unsafe to ride next to cars. Or: Wink-wink, always wear a helmet. Also, the beach bike path is verboten, even though it is the smoothest, most fun, most scenic ride possible. And definitely don’t just dump your scooter in the middle of a busy path or sidewalk.

Aw shucks, well, we did warn you. Guess it’s your fault if you land in the ER.

And with that, I best get moving. Happy weekend, all.

Posted at 9:46 am in Current events, Same ol' same ol' |
 

28 responses to “Natal anniversary.”

  1. Deborah said on November 16, 2018 at 11:15 am

    Happy birthday to Alan and Kate.

    Speaking of ER, I just got the bill for my fall, it’s $10,362! All I have to pay is $162 though, so whew.

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  2. Sherri said on November 16, 2018 at 11:47 am

    Happy Birthdays!

    I’ve been dreading reading the Facebook article. Facebook is so bad that Google gets overlooked in it’s bad behavior, because Google’s bad behavior is more normal.

    My daughter has applied to this program: https://jetprogramusa.org. If she gets in, she’d leave for Japan next summer!

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  3. alex said on November 16, 2018 at 12:31 pm

    Three times now one of my friends has had her contacts list erased after denying google access to her contacts. She’s a therapist and has HIPAA privacy concerns. Shortly after she refuses to allow google to access her contacts, a pop-up appears on her screen that says “erasing” and then all of her contacts are gone.

    Of course, it’s no secret that LinkedIn is just a ploy to get into your e-mail address book as well.

    As for electric scooters, they’re not just like Q-Tips but also fireworks. Here we’re a year and a half out from a stupid fourth of July stunt in 2017 at the Auburn library and it’s still closed. Some asshat thought it would be fun to see what happens when you drop lit fireworks into an after-hours book return.

    Of course, the only thing stupider was the Indiana law that legalized the sale of fireworks while forbidding their use. This was eventually rectified since no one was enforcing it anyway.

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  4. Sherri said on November 16, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    After I spoke in support of Hillary in our 2016 precinct caucus meeting, a man from a precinct came and tracked me down after the meeting to tell me how much he supported women, just not this woman. I didn’t know him, he sought me out. If it weren’t so pathetic it would have been funny.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/11/16/im-fine-with-women-in-power-just-not-this-one-specific-woman-currently-in-power/

    Also, RIP William Goldman.

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  5. Dave said on November 16, 2018 at 1:17 pm

    Regarding electric scooters, I recently saw a story about a young man who got run down by one while he was walking down the sidewalk. The scooter rider never stopped and the young man had some injuries that were still giving him troubles.

    Speaking of bad laws, I see Ohio is doing it in a big way with a stand-your-ground law currently in the legislature. It’s been a license to kill in Florida. Also, they’re working on a stricter abortion bill.

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  6. Jakash said on November 16, 2018 at 1:55 pm

    Rob Reiner:

    “Losing Bill Goldman made me cry. My favorite book of all time is The Princess Bride. I was honored he allowed me to make it into a movie. I visited with him last Saturday. He was very weak but his mind still had the Goldman edge. I told him I loved him. He smiled & said fuck you.”

    https://twitter.com/robreiner/status/1063471745280221184

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  7. Deborah said on November 16, 2018 at 2:16 pm

    Sherri, good luck to your daughter, that looks like a good program.

    I read on Twitter that Trump is concerned about Pence’s loyalty, he’s even considered dropping him from the 2020 ticket. Interesting. Maybe Pence has seen the pee tape.

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  8. Joe Kobiela said on November 16, 2018 at 2:30 pm

    Alex,
    My daughter is the assistant librarian at Auburn and heavily involved in the re build, it’s extremely labor intensive, the damage was worse than you could imagine and Sherri, I assume you support men, just not THAT man correct? I support women like Condalisa Rice.
    Pilot Joe

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  9. David C. said on November 16, 2018 at 3:56 pm

    Women who lie us into unnecessary and unwinnable wars is a pretty specific fetish.

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  10. Sherri said on November 16, 2018 at 4:17 pm

    Pilot Joe, at this point, I don’t support any men for public office if there’s an acceptable woman available.

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  11. Dorothy said on November 16, 2018 at 4:18 pm

    Wouldn’t you think someone who specifically says they support a specific woman would be able to spell her name correctly?

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  12. Heather said on November 16, 2018 at 4:37 pm

    Deborah, I can’t believe your ER visit was that much! I just got my gallbladder out on Tuesday (I am fine, it was a planned procedure) and that was about the estimate for my laparoscopic surgery, of which I should owe about $600 (though I won’t be surprised if it’s more). I guess ER services tend to be more expensive than planned care, but still.

    I never had surgery or general anesthesia before so I was pretty nervous, but it all went smoothly. But any type of surgery is pretty hard on your body, no doubt about it. I just got back from a walk around the neighborhood because they want you to move around, but I’ve definitely been taking it easy.

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  13. Deborah said on November 16, 2018 at 6:52 pm

    Yeah Heather, I was surprised too. I haven’t yet seen an itemized bill but I had a CAT scan of my head and jaw and an X-ray of my knee. I was in the ER almost 5 hours, most of that in a private room. I had stitches and about 3 Drs/interns examined me at various times. I can’t imagine what people do without healthcare in situations like that.

    We just got the word that our London trip is on and my husband and I are going to add on a Paris weekend at the end of it. I have a good friend who moved to Paris a couple of years ago so we’ll be seeing them but we’re staying in a hotel near the Luxembourg gardens. Yay, I’m excited. Also my husband has been asked by Washigton University school of architecture in St. Louis to do a final review (he taught there before we moved to Chicago) so a few days before we leave for London we’ll be going to St. Louis so I’ll get to see some dear St. Louis friends. We leave for NM Tuesday and I’m there for 2 weeks. Busy times.

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  14. Suzanne said on November 16, 2018 at 7:44 pm

    Never was a big Cheryl Sandberg fan. She always struck me as completely clueless about the world of normal people, especially after her husband passed away and she was really shocked to discover that being a single parent was hard.
    As mad as I am about Facebook, though, I just can’t quit it.

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  15. beb said on November 16, 2018 at 8:24 pm

    There was an interesting article about social media and the internet. The author, who had been involved with the evolution of the internet explained that back then the idea was too make the internet as frictionless as possible. What we need to do is add friction to how we interact with the internet. tl;dr so I don’t know what or if he had a solution.

    I’m curious, too, why Trump is worried about Pence’s loyalty. There’s talk that maybe Trump is thinking about replacing Pence in 2020. Perhaps he fears that Pence will challenge him in 2020. Or maybe he’s considering replacing his chief of staff with Pence’s chief of staff. If Pence is pushing that maybe he’s wondering if Pence’s COS will be loyal to him. It’s not like Trump can *fire* Pence though there’s no reason to assume that he understands that. Maybe all Trump wants is another ass-kissing from Pence.

    Congrats to the birthday people.

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  16. Deborah said on November 17, 2018 at 12:32 am

    As I mentioned earlier, we went to the Chicago Fringe Opera tonight, it was interesting, a Thorton Wilder piece set to music. Before that they performed what they called parlor songs. One was a Thomas Lux poem set to music called Refrigerator 1957. That poem is exactly like my childhood, here it is if you’re interested https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/refrigerator-1957/

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  17. susan said on November 17, 2018 at 12:41 am

    beb, here is Melissa McEwan’s take on Pence. I really like this part of her explication:

    “I have long said that I believe Pence has been working with the FBI since the campaign and with Mueller since he started his investigation, and I believe it still. And, as I have said many times, to really understand Mike Pence, you have to understand that he has wanted to be president virtually his entire life, and he will do anything to get it. (Besides being a decent human being with good policy, obviously.)

    “All of which means: Pence knows if Trump goes down in an election loss in 2020, his own last, best shot at the presidency goes down with it — meaning his best bet is to make sure that Trump goes down via resignation or impeachment. Even election rigging can’t help someone who doesn’t get nominated.”

    Her observances come from her growing up and living in Indiana until recently, and carefully watching what this creep has said and, more importantly, done over the years.

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  18. Deborah said on November 17, 2018 at 7:56 am

    Susan, much as it pains me to think of Pence as president for any amount of time, I hope that woman you quoted is correct. If he does get to be pres, if what she says happens, I don’t think Pence would get elected in 2020, like Gerald Ford. On the other hand I feel like her theory is just wishful thinking, but what do I know.

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  19. Suzanne said on November 17, 2018 at 9:36 am

    I’m not sure Pence is smart enough to be going behind Trump’s back and cooperating with Mueller. But if he is, and Trump goes down, I can already hear the “aw shucks” speech he will give to placate the Trumpistas–“I was doing what the Lord wanted me to do. Mr Trump lied to you and it’s so sad to lie to good people like you. God wants me to continue the important work that Mr Trump started to make America great again…”
    Makes my stomach churn.

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  20. David C. said on November 17, 2018 at 11:13 am

    Pence isn’t going to get out of this unscathed. So if the *president goes down, he’s going down too. He’s in this up to his albino eyebrows.

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  21. Jakash said on November 17, 2018 at 12:10 pm

    Quite a theory about MyPants. On the one hand, believing it means that you believe that he’s a patriot — actively, cleverly and dangerously working against his own party behind the scenes for the good of the nation. (In service of his own greater ambition, but still.) Mother, that seems unlikely to me. On the other hand, it would mean that Hair Furor is the most clueless, most easily flattered, most egomaniacal boob ever. Oh, wait…

    Hereby nominating David C. @ 9 for thread-win!

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  22. alex said on November 17, 2018 at 2:13 pm

    Melissa McEwan’s “theory” doesn’t strike me as anything new. Even before the 2016 election I heard never-Trump Republicans around here making basically the same strategic assessment, only they were enthused at the prospect of Pence as president.

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  23. Deborah said on November 17, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    If Pence is in his heart disloyal, he certainly doesn’t act that way in public. He acts like a complete sycophant. This is one of my favorite examples. https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/06/08/donald-trump-mike-pence-water-bottles-moos-erin-pkg.cnn

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  24. brian stouder said on November 17, 2018 at 3:40 pm

    Deborah @16 – evocative poem, indeed!

    When I was a kiddo, we had the perpetual maraschino cherries, too – (along with horseradish)….and a bottle of concentrated lemon juice

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  25. mark P said on November 17, 2018 at 3:46 pm

    Sherri, I’m a man but I’m with you on supporting women. Men have had their chance and they screwed it up pretty bad.

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  26. beb said on November 17, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    The last couple of days when I go to visit Salon.com it crashs my browswe. It is an older version of Firefox because the versions did not support AdBlocker+. I’m just curious is any one else is having problems with Salon?

    There’s actually a lot of things wrong with salon.com. Self-playing videos unrelated to the article. Having to play wack-a-mole to get rid of them. Also obtrusive side tabs. And lots and lots of empty space, probably a forest of ads I don’t see because of AdBlocker. Fortunately no body I really care about writes there. But it is a shame that a site can be that horrible to visit.

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  27. Diane said on November 18, 2018 at 10:08 am

    David C.’s theory @20 has long been my hope and dream, and that it would happen while Nancy Pelosi was Speaker of the House.

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  28. alex said on November 18, 2018 at 10:41 am

    beb, that’s how Salon harasses you into being a paid subscriber. They don’t dare to put up a firewall because they know there aren’t many people who would pay for their content.

    Brian, I was nuts for maraschino cherries when I was a little kid, maybe four years old. Cream cheese too. Those were two things I remember taking from the ‘fridge and hiding under my bed for my private enjoyment, only to be disappointed that they’d gone bad when I finally had the chance to devour them.

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