So I’m sitting here, wondering what’s become of my life, why I just ate that cheeseburger, if anything super-good is ever going to happen to me again — you know, just basic end-of-winter self-pity — when what sounded like the world’s biggest truck went down the street. Like, GEM of Egypt big. Wendy popped her head up, the beams creaked, and the truck rumbled on down and, from the sound of it, blew the stop sign on the corner.
Ten seconds later, I got a text from a friend who lives two miles away. “Did your house just shake?”
It wasn’t a truck. It was an earthquake. A 3.6, to be specific. Epicenter was just across the river.
So the moral of the story is: Don’t sit on the couch feeling blue, because even the earth under your feet isn’t permanent. We never get earthquakes here. Except when we do.
Interesting bloggage today.
Not bragging, but I caught this video in the first few seconds; Jordan Peele gets the speech rhythms, but not quite the voice. Still, it’s funny, and the surrounding post is a good lesson for the coming era of fake everything.
Just another stop on Sarah Palin’s ongoing slide into the melting permafrost of Alaska. Soon she’ll be selling time shares.
A lesson in American election law:
With little fanfare, federal regulators took steps two weeks ago to kill a super PAC supporting former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.
The Federal Election Commission’s letter of “administrative termination”—the formal process by which it shuts down a group’s operations—received no media attention whatsoever.
That’s because the super PAC was a joke. Perhaps the name gave it away.
“Blaze It for Delegate Jill Stein” didn’t spend a single cent during the 2016 election. If that wasn’t proof of its less-than-serious intentions, consider its origins.
On September 30, 2016, Charlie Baker of South Orange, New Jersey, took out a piece of lined paper, with hole punches in it, and wrote a handwritten application to form the committee. He was 14-years-old, in the middle of an 8th grade social studies in which the teacher had divided students into camps representing various presidential candidates.
Finally, we didn’t see Stormy last night. It started to sleet around showtime, the cover was $20, and if we wanted to sit down, another $40. Fortunately, the News sent one of their best writers.
Enjoy the weekend, all.
brian stouder said on April 19, 2018 at 10:49 pm
Well, even despite the immense beauty possessed by Stormy, I think I’d be passing on the C-note (by the time we pay for two seats, plus a drink of watered-down whatever), too.
I recall sensing exactly one earth-quake here in Fort Wayne…must have been 30-plus years ago, because I was living in an apartment complex at the time.
Thought the exact same thing the proprietress described – ‘boy, that was a big truck’ – but there was no truck.
Quite disorienting, really (and this was when I first heard of the New Madrid fault…I wonder what faultline will be faulted for the D-town quake?)
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Joe Kobiela said on April 19, 2018 at 11:08 pm
Glancing at the stormy artical, toward the bottom is a artical about the pilots of the dc9 carrying the u.m. basketball team that went off the runway at Willow run, they were above v1 and should have lifted off, however the pilot felt something and aborted on the ground, the elevator was jammed, if they would have forced the plane airborne it would have crashed. Pretty amazing.
Pilot Joe
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Deborah said on April 20, 2018 at 4:28 am
I remember a couple of earthquakes in St. Louis when I lived there. The first one happened in the wee hours, I had insomnia so I was awake, all of the dogs in the neighborhood started barking and then the house started shaking, I knew right away what it was. The next one happened a couple of days later, I was driving home from work in my little MG, with the top down. I was driving past a construction site, I remember looking for large earth moving equipment when I noticed the rumbling, but the work had all been shut down for the day. I didn’t know there had been another quake until I got home.
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alex said on April 20, 2018 at 6:03 am
“Temptress in a T-shirt…”
That line has stuck with me since I read the article yesterday. And all of the cockteasing for more money. Stormy may not be much of a dancer but, as they say in “Gypsy,” she’s got a gimmick. It serves her well.
By contrast, La Palin looks like the real whore. And she’s holding a product that looks like a bottle of piss.
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Dorothy said on April 20, 2018 at 7:32 am
Why is it referred to as “slept with’ when no sleeping was actually done? And I thought on 60 Minutes she said they only had sex once. The News article says it happened twice. She was with Trump alone a second time but she said no sex occurred. The article was well written but I think it wasn’t copy edited. Just my opinion … I’m grumpy this morning I guess.
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Connie said on April 20, 2018 at 8:09 am
Since moving to the metro area eight years ago I have now missed two earthquakes.
I did experience the Indianapolis earthquake in 1987. I was on the suspended outside patio attached to the Methodist Hospital cafeteria and that thing did some serious up and downing. I believe it was an 5.0.
And note that in previous discussions we have determined that Jeff(tmmo) was also in the Methodist Hospital complex for that earthquake.
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basset said on April 20, 2018 at 9:03 am
Only earthquake I’ve personally experienced was more of a tremor, in Martin County in the early 70s… was working by myself cleaning up a construction site and the ground shook for a few seconds, wasn’t sure what was going on till it was over.
About the UM charter plane… Joe, if high winds on the ground had pushed the elevator out of alignment, wouldn’t the pilot feel that during the standard check?
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Mark P said on April 20, 2018 at 9:07 am
The last noticeable earthquake here in NW Georgia/NE Alabama was maybe 10 years ago. I was asleep, woke immediately, and knew what it was. The epicenter was somewhere in Alabama, far enough away that the P and S waves were separated. I was familiar with the feel of a P wave because we used to live about a mile from a rock quarry and we felt something like that every time they blasted. It felt like someone had slammed a huge refrigerator door, just a big thump. The S wave, which we never felt from blasting, was spooky. The room started to sway back and forth. It was disorienting, like the world was doing something it was not supposed to do. Ours was a fairly mild earthquake (I don’t know the magnitude). Apparently mild, usually unnoticeable quakes are fairly common even here in the middle part of the plate. I think it’s not unusual for geologists not to be able to identify a particular fault as the origin for such mid-plate earthquakes.
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Julie Robinson said on April 20, 2018 at 9:08 am
Was the Indy one also experienced in Fort Wayne? Based on where we lived, it was between 1984 and 1989. I was in the living room and thought a car had hit our house, so when I looked outside and saw no car I was very puzzled. Hubby was in the basement and didn’t feel it. No texts or twitter in those days; I think we had to wait until the paper came out the next day to confirm we’d had an earthquake.
Dorothy, the News could use your daughter as a copy editor! Actually, the sad truth is that most papers don’t have copy editors anymore. The errors I find in our paper on a weekly basis leave me cringing. And let’s not even start a discussion of Facebook posts.
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Mark P said on April 20, 2018 at 9:25 am
I googled and found the earthquake I mentioned. It was in 2003, and the epicenter was much closer than I thought. It was probably only 20 to 30 miles from us. The magnitude was somewhere around 4.6 to 4.9. According to the wiki, “It is tied with a 1973 earthquake near Knoxville, Tennessee as the strongest earthquake ever to occur in the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone, which is the second most active seismic zone east of the Rocky Mountains, with the New Madrid Seismic Zone the most active.” It caused damage to chimneys and windows, mainly in Alabama, although, as the wiki says, “The number of people who felt this quake was exceptionally high as the earthquake could be felt in 11 states across the East Coast and as far north as southern Indiana.”
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Sherri said on April 20, 2018 at 9:34 am
Fortunately, I’ve never experienced a major quake despite living on the west coast for 27 years. We moved out 6 months after Loma Prieta. I have felt multiple quakes in the 4s. I agree with Mark; it’s the S wave that is disorienting. The P wave feels like a huge fist smacking the house, but the S wave is just weird. Things that shouldn’t move are moving and swaying and it feels really wrong.
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john (not mccain) said on April 20, 2018 at 9:42 am
“Why is it referred to as “slept with’ when no sleeping was actually done?”
“Fucked,” like a lot of sturdy Anglo-Saxon words, gives some people conniptions, and “coitus” isn’t a verb.
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Judybusy said on April 20, 2018 at 9:45 am
I have a vague childhood memory of an earthquake–I think I’ve talked about it here. Thanks to the internet, I see it happened on Wednesday July 9th, 1975 at about 10:00. I remember playing outside by one of the farm’s outbuildings and feeling the ground shake. The epicenter was in Morris, MN, about 60 miles from our farm.
I love all the stories about quakes in the midwest. We think of ourselves as so stable, at least geographically speaking.
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Connie said on April 20, 2018 at 10:00 am
Indianapolis earthquake was June of 1987.
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Joe Kobiela said on April 20, 2018 at 10:22 am
Basset,
Possibly but if it was damaged it might not have jammed until the aircraft reached a certain speed, regardless thats why I don’t want a computer flying my airplane, they were pass v1, a computer would have forced it in the air, the pilot felt something wasn’t right used his experience, and saved 110 plus lives.
Pilot Joe
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Dorothy said on April 20, 2018 at 10:27 am
John (not McCain) @ 12 – sexual intercourse, sexual relations, fornication, tryst, liason, etc. are all words that come to mind that could replace “slept with”. Although I do prefer ‘fucked’ if we’re taking a poll.
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alex said on April 20, 2018 at 10:30 am
“Fucked,” like a lot of sturdy Anglo-Saxon words, gives some people conniptions, and “coitus” isn’t a verb.
Thread winner.
And I’d add that “boinked” (1980s), “canoodled” (1990s) and the like are too transient/passe. “Schtupped” is decidedly too foreign, even though exquisitely onomatopoeic. “Screwed” is only acceptable in print as a substitute for “hosed.”
But “fucked” might still find respectability as the Boomer generation bites the big one. Remember, it wasn’t all that long ago that “sucked” was unacceptable language and now everything “sucks” and nobody has a shit fit about it.
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Heather said on April 20, 2018 at 10:35 am
I felt what I thought was an earthquake at work several years ago but apparently it was a blast from a quarry. A blast large enough to set off the earthquake sensors, apparently.
I could use some good thoughts for my family. My five-year-old nephew in Boston has been in the hospital, first with a ruptured appendix, now he has had some complications–an abscess and a bowel obstruction. I’m having a hard time getting information from my brother and sister-in-law, which is making me even more frantic. I’m hoping he is OK, but they didn’t even tell me he was in the hospital for several days, so I don’t know.
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ROGirl said on April 20, 2018 at 10:44 am
Does she still perform, I mean fuck, in porn films?
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Julie Robinson said on April 20, 2018 at 10:49 am
Heather, that’s so hard. My sister would do the same thing; “well, I’m in the hospital, they think I’ve had another heart attack”. I’m holding you and your nephew in the light.
Here’s another list for everyone to argue about: http://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/books/#/. I had a few quibbles until I came to Twilight and 50 Shades of Gray. Then my head exploded. Wowza.
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Judybusy said on April 20, 2018 at 10:55 am
Oh, Heather, I’m sorry to hear that. It’s hard enough when those we love are having problems, but throw in the lack of communication….I hope the little guy does well. I also hope that your brother and SIL share more info.
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Dorothy said on April 20, 2018 at 10:55 am
Oh Heather – five years old with those serious health issues?! I will be sending good vibes towards Boston all day and over the weekend. Please keep us updated.
I rarely take the time to read anymore since my spare time is usually taken up with knitting or quilting. But this week I got “Beartown” out of the library. Has anyone else read it? Reviews please…?
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Connie said on April 20, 2018 at 11:00 am
Interesting list of books. I’ve read at least 65, and never heard of several. Current fave on that list? Looking for Alaska by John Green.
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Julie Robinson said on April 20, 2018 at 11:12 am
Dorothy, have you tried audiobooks? You could listen your way through a lot while quilting or knitting. Beartown is not necessarily an easy read but worth the time. I liked the same author’s A Man Called Ove more.
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Deborah said on April 20, 2018 at 11:21 am
Heather, I wanna say no news is good news but I’m sure that doesn’t help. Hang in there.
Can I ask how those of you who commented about quakes here found out exactly when they happened? I tried googling the quakes I felt in St. Louis, I know it was sometime between 1981 and 1987 but can’t find it anywhere.
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Heather said on April 20, 2018 at 11:24 am
Unfortunately the no news is good news thing isn’t true–after the initial appendicitis he went home and I assumed everything was OK, only to check in about a week later and find out he had to go back to the hospital three days later. So radio silence is extremely unnerving, especially since he had another surgery today. I understand they are freaking out, but so am I. I even suggested they nominate one of my sister-in-law’s relatives (they all live in Boston) to give us info, but haven’t gotten any responses.
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Connie said on April 20, 2018 at 11:54 am
Michigan GOP ponders legalizing pot
Lansing — Some Michigan Republicans are considering legalizing marijuana through the Legislature rather than let an initiative make the statewide ballot this fall.
The move would quell GOP fears the ballot measure would boost Democratic voter turnout in November since legislative approval would ensure pot legalization would become law. A January poll showed majority support for pot legalization among surveyed likely voters in November.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2018/04/19/michigan-republicans-marijuana-legalization-vote/33999959/
Yes, give them pot to keep them home from the polls.
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Connie said on April 20, 2018 at 12:25 pm
I notice you were a winner at the Society of Professional Journalism awards the other night. For the Bridge.
Best localization of a national news story
First place: “Michigan Divided,” by Ron French, Nancy Derringer, Pat Shellenbarger and Jacob Wheeler
Second place: Chastity Pratt Dawsey and Nancy Derringer on Michigan’s medical marijuana industry.
I was particularly pleased to see you won for the marijuana story.
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Dorothy said on April 20, 2018 at 12:36 pm
Julie I am usually knitting/quilting on my lunch hour, or in front of the tv at home. We record (DVR) so much to watch later that we’re always behind. I am not a fan of earbuds so listening on my lunch hour wouldn’t be fun for me.
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Deborah said on April 20, 2018 at 12:41 pm
Heather, sorry, I was not being sensitive in my previous comment about your nephew. I sure hope everything is OK and that you start getting more info soon.
Since today is 4/20, I guess the pot references in this thread are appropriate. And what’s the difference between de-criminalization and legalizing marijuana?
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Connie said on April 20, 2018 at 12:46 pm
Local decriminalization usually means that if you are charged with a pot related offense it is a misdemeanor.
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Deborah said on April 20, 2018 at 1:03 pm
LB has been texting me this morning, she’s at a dispensary where they’re handing out freebies today and the place is packed, she said it was the longest wait she’s ever had to get in. A lot of people in Santa Fe have medical marijuana cards. Duh.
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Bitter Scribe said on April 20, 2018 at 1:56 pm
When I experienced an earthquake, I thought freight train, not truck, but yeah, it was exactly as Nancy describes.
I’d experienced two others in college in central California, but they were much smaller–barely noticeable, in fact. My dorm bed ticked back and forth on its slightly uneven legs as it always did when I shifted in bed–only I wasn’t moving.
As for Sarah Palin, she’s coasted on that one stupid but well-delivered speech in 2008 for long enough.
Deborah and Connie: I always thought “decriminalization” was annoying, frustrating bullshit. What good does it do to “decriminalize” marijuana if it’s still illegal to grow, sell or buy?
Nancy, congrats on the awards. It must be satisfying, if in a bitterly ironic way, to be awarded for work you did at a place that laid you off.
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Heather said on April 20, 2018 at 4:39 pm
Finally heard back; nephew didn’t have the surgery because he is improving. He is able to eat some liquids now and is much happier–five-year-olds don’t really understand why you can’t give them food. Anyway thank you all for your support. I tend to fear the worst and it helps to ask and receive help.
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Heather said on April 20, 2018 at 4:41 pm
Oh no Deborah, you were fine. I was just frustrated, didn’t mean for it to sound like it was directed at you. (No more edit button I guess?)
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Scout said on April 20, 2018 at 5:00 pm
Now that we have good news about Heather’s nephew, just wanted to wish everyone a Happy 420! I’m off to bake the brownies…
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Sherri said on April 20, 2018 at 7:21 pm
Decrimilization is pretty much bullshit, but for middle class suburbanites who think it’s stupid that the criminal justice system spends so much time and money on pot but are scared that the roads will be overrun with stoned drivers and their kids will get easy access to pot if it’s legal, it’s a more comfortable step.
The main concern I heard from people prior to the initiative legalizing marijuana here concerned driving while impaired. The main concern I heard after was, sure, we wanted it to be legal, but we didn’t want it sold here, where our kids can see it.
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LAMary said on April 21, 2018 at 12:09 am
That was an earthquake with training wheels. We had a 5.3 last week. No damage other than a chimney near the epicenter losing a few bricks. The epicenter was in the Channel Islands, off Ventura. I think California has had more than its share of disasters in the past 8 months, so we were spared the big quake. Now seismologists are saying that the Hayward fault, near San Francisco, is much more dangerous than the San Andreas.
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James Moehrke said on April 21, 2018 at 12:37 am
The last earthquake we felt here in our home north of the San Francisco Bay started as a sound off to the SW in the distance as houses rattled, then ours shook for a few seconds and the sound moved off to the NE. Spooky, and quite odd.
We missed the Loma Prieta shaker by being on vacation in Florida, and the last temblor in Napa, by being on vacation in Norway. That one knocked the chimney off my brother’s Victorian in Napa, and broke some glassware.
Oh, and we live maybe 20 miles from that Hayward Fault. Could be interesting.
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Deborah said on April 21, 2018 at 8:15 am
According to the Booman Tribune, there’s a name for people like me who believe the pee tape exists: peeleivers
Thanks to David C for recommending Booman a while back.
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susan said on April 21, 2018 at 10:05 am
Imma gonna light these candles. They just arrived in the mail.
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susan said on April 21, 2018 at 10:06 am
Oh, and you can get them here.
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alex said on April 21, 2018 at 2:21 pm
There’s a Chevy dealership in Indiana named Weliever, the sound of which I always found vaguely naughty, fwiw.
The Beatles also come to mind…
Then I saw the tape, now I’m a peeliever
Not a trace of doubt in my mind…
Going out plant shopping even though it’s a tad early. Gonna snag up all the red wax begonias before my fave little place sells out of them.
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beb said on April 21, 2018 at 2:47 pm
alex @43: Isn’t that from The Monkees, “I’m a Believer.”
Deborah, Booman (Martin Longman) is good. Most of what he writes now appears on Washington Monthly / Politcal Animal along with other great bloggers like Nancy LeTourneau, D.R. Tucker and others. I find Kevin Drum at Mother Jones good for talking me down when I get hysterical about politics. By that I mean he’s a centrist and makes well founded arguments.
I didn’t feel the earthquake Nancy did. In our neighborhood there are so many boom cars, tow trucks and so on that the shaking of the walls of our house is pretty common.
My dad lives in Indiana and I try to visit him pretty often. The political ads there were painful when it was just Mike Braun, but now that the two others running for the Senate have started their ads it has been unbearable. They’re all conservative, they’re all religious (piosly bowing over a meal) they all support Trump. They are all wealthy men looking for that big grift.
Meanwhile in Michigan there’s an interesting, long-shot Democrat candidate for governor, Shri Tanadar. His first round of ads showed him going around trying to get people to pronounce his name correctly. Currently he’s running a ad touting what he’s in favorite — fixing roads,supporting public school, fact based governance, interspaced with a variety of other people — white, brown and black — who reply “Shri is just like me.” This is a candidate with a good sense of humor as well as advancing a bracingly progressive agenda. This has been an unpaid ad from a cranky old man who can’t stand the right-ward drift of our country.
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alex said on April 21, 2018 at 2:59 pm
Indeed you’re right beb.
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susan said on April 21, 2018 at 3:28 pm
beb @44. Is Mike Braun related to the Cincinnati media “personality” family of Bob Braun?
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brian stouder said on April 21, 2018 at 3:30 pm
Susan – funny link!
Honestly and truly, I clicked and thought that I was looking at those latter-day Thermos cups everyone seems to have nowadays – and THEN noticed they were candles*(given the allegations, it might be a bit much to drink from cups that look like those!)
*even despite that – looking back – you clearly introduced them as candles
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David C. said on April 21, 2018 at 3:37 pm
Once you go Barack, you can’t go back.
https://twitter.com/MarkHarrisNYC/status/987733467722022913/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vanityfair.com%2Fnews%2F2018%2F04%2Fbarbara-bush-funeral-obama-melania-trump
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Deborah said on April 21, 2018 at 6:12 pm
Alex, now I won’t be able to get your Beatles version out of my mind.
Going to the symphony again tonight. I think this is the last one before I go back to NM on May 4th, where I will stay until September. I’ve been so disappointed in this spring in Chicago, hopefully the last week and a half will be more normal so I can leave with good thoughts about this city. I agree with what Jackash said about temps in the 50s and 60s, those are the best.
Oh and I realize I need to work on i before e except after c etc.
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Deborah said on April 21, 2018 at 7:44 pm
https://mobile.twitter.com/ElieNYC/status/987752984334557185
My husband and I have often wondered what Melania does for sex, because who would want to sleep with Spanky? We think that’s why she goes to Mar-a-lago so often.
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basset said on April 21, 2018 at 10:44 pm
Alex@43, bite your tongue… that’s the Monkees, aka the “Pre-Fab Four.”
Weliever… there are some Woolivers in Missouri, maybe a connection a ways back.
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Dave said on April 22, 2018 at 8:38 am
Judging from the Wikipedia entry, Mike Braun has no connection to the Bob Braun family. He does have a brother running for Rokita’s seat in Congress.
A friend put up the picture of Melania and President Obama and captioned it, “You know, he probably didn’t sign the pre-nup”.
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Ann said on April 22, 2018 at 8:58 am
Congratulations, though perhaps with a touch of irony. https://www.bridgemi.com/center-michigan/bridge-staffers-win-23-awards-society-professional-journalists
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Deborah said on April 22, 2018 at 11:14 am
Basset, don’t you live in Nashville where another terrorist with an AR15 killed 4 people at a Waffle House? And he was naked except for a green jacket, at that. We’ve got to get rid of those assault weapons.
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basset said on April 22, 2018 at 11:22 am
I do, that Waffle House is in the southeast part of the city and I’m in the southwest about 20 miles away.
I think it’s a larger issue than just “assault weapons,” this guy could just as well have used a shotgun or a pistol or something else… what we have to do is find a way to keep any guns out of the hands of people who misuse them, and if you have any idea how to do that I’m listening.
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Jakash said on April 22, 2018 at 11:35 am
Hey, we were at the symphony last night, too, Deborah. I’m not much of a Debussy fan, but loved the Tchaikovsky in the second half. And how often do you get to see 3 harps on stage? (Actually, I don’t know — we don’t go often enough!)
Sometimes we’ll get main floor seats that are relatively cheaper on the far sides, but last night we were in the *really* cheap seats in the Gallery. Which I actually appreciated for that concert, because I enjoy watching the different instruments being employed in pieces like last night’s, and it’s hard to see the whole orchestra from the main floor. Anyway, I don’t think I saw you, unless you were the harp soloist, or the woman giving the pre-concert talk. ; )
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Julie Robinson said on April 22, 2018 at 1:17 pm
The Monkees came after The Beatles. They were TV-land’s attempt to cash in on the wackiness of the early Beatles, at least as they were presented to us.
We also went to the symphony last night, and I DO love Debussy, but this was more of a pops concert. The first half was Rodgers and Hammerstein, the second Andrew Lloyd Webber, with vocalists and a chorus. It was pretty glorious and I still have the orchestral waltz from Carousel wafting its way through my brain.
The down side was taking my 85 year old mother to the restroom in the historic building (the Embassy Theatre, for locals). The choice is going upstairs, or going downstairs. The stairs are dark and they only had a handrail on one side. Scary, and there were even older and frailer ladies that really scared me. It irks me that they bumped out the building to put in a bar on the main floor, but not for bathrooms.
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beb said on April 22, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Detroit’s Fox Theater, built in the 20s is kind of like the theater Julie was talking about, with restrooms in the basement. When we went to a show there we asked if there was a handicap-accessible bathroom and were directed to a stairs-free restroom that had been built into one of the side exit vestibules. Not elegant but it meets the requirements. I was under the impression that all public venues had to have handicap-accessible restrooms.
Basset writes: “what we have to do is find a way to keep any guns out of the hands of people who misuse them, and if you have any idea how to do that I’m listening.” There are ways but you’re not going to like them. Certainly the NRA doesn’t.
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Jakash said on April 22, 2018 at 1:51 pm
Julie @ 57,
Pretty sure that Basset meant pre-fabricated, as in made-to-order “to cash in on the wackiness of the early Beatles,” as you note, rather than “Pre-Fab Four” meaning that they came before The Beatles. Uh, further mansplaining available upon request… ; )
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basset said on April 22, 2018 at 2:46 pm
That’s exactly what I meant… and I can back Jakash up on the mansplaining as you all feel appropriate.
Beb, what do you mean I “won’t like them?” I’m not a NRA member and wouldn’t want to be.
I see the Waffle House shooting has made it to the BBC, couple of anchor voice-overs and repeated mention in the moving text at the bottom of the screen. No doubt it is being used as an example of the Great Satan’s moral bankruptcy in several foreign lands even as I type.
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Jakash said on April 22, 2018 at 3:23 pm
The Swamp-Drainer-in-Chief’s charming Earth Day shout-out to capitalist beneficence: “We also know that a strong, market-driven economy is essential to protecting these resources. For this reason, my Administration is dedicated to removing unnecessary and harmful regulations…”
A clever cartoon response: “Yes, the planet got destroyed. But for a beautiful moment in time we created a lot of value for shareholders.”
https://twitter.com/kdhabes/status/988068324490792961
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brian stouder said on April 22, 2018 at 4:35 pm
basset – I think the thing that makes that news headline material is that the naked shooter is still on the loose (so to speak)
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brian stouder said on April 22, 2018 at 5:12 pm
I think it’s a larger issue than just “assault weapons,” this guy could just as well have used a shotgun or a pistol or something else
Agreed; the issue of random mass murderers is (in my opinion) larger than “assault weapons”.
I would only point out that, as a random member of the herd of potential victims (people who might visit a donut store or an outdoor concert, or who has beloved family members in public schools, etc) of such a person, I’m thinking my (or ‘our’) chances are better if the shooter only has a six-shooter pistol, rather than some damned automatic (or semi-automatic) thing with a large magazine.
I’d not have a problem with a guarantee that anyone can have a muzzle-loader long rifle (for example), or even a six-shooter.
But the hard-core gun-nut-rights advocates cannot think of anything that would be ‘off limits’ – or subject to serious control…such as anti-aircraft cannons or whatever else some damned fool (with enough money) wants
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beb said on April 22, 2018 at 6:25 pm
Basset asked… Gun confiscation like they did in Australia.
Less draconian would be a ban on sales, ownership or posession of any semi-automatic weapon (long or short), and show-cause for ownership of any hand gun. This would allow an opening for hunters but even here I would insist on a 3-5 round limit on even those. I’d also insist on licensing, registration and laws denying gun owner to anyone who has been institutionalized, has had a restraining order / domestic violence citation or has been responsible to any unintended discharge of a gun. Anything less would leave too many loopholes that could endanger civilians.
We had temps in the low 60s today, Almost the end of Sprinter. Just in time for summter.
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Deborah said on April 22, 2018 at 6:36 pm
Jakash, our seats this season have been compliments of my husband’s uncle who is one of the donors listed in the program. Last night we were in the center of the second row of the lower balcony, the best seats we’ve had so far. I very much enjoyed the second Debussy piece with the harp solo. I’m not particularly a Tchaikovsky fan, the first piece was overly bombastic to me, the second one, Swan Lake was of course very familiar and pleasant. I enjoyed watching the full compliment of instruments, The guy playing the clarinet was the best and I love watching the percussionists. I do have one more ticket before I go to NM, I found out that I will be going next Saturday night, my husband will be out of town for his mother’s 99th birthday in Charlotte, NC. It was going to be a low key affair, but she’s been depressed lately and at the last minute he decided to go.
I’ve started working on my next design project with my husband, a park in the town where my husband’s uncle lives, he’s the donor. It has taken me a while to get excited about it but this weekend I came up with what I think is an interesting concept for the visual language of the place. It incorporates gardens, a skate park, a playground and maybe even a carousel so that’s fun.
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Heather said on April 22, 2018 at 7:00 pm
There is a significant correlation between domestic abuse and gun violence, so Basset, maybe we could start there–anyone found guilty of DV doesn’t get a gun.
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basset said on April 22, 2018 at 8:22 pm
I wouldn’t have a problem with that, Heather, but how do you keep ’em from getting one? Stop it during the background check? What if they buy it privately and no check is involved? Hell, we have so many guns out there now that we could ban all gun sales starting tomorrow and it wouldn’t end the problem.
And that’s all I’m going to say on that topic, don’t want to start another mass go-round. At least everyone’s being civil, thanks for that.
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LindaG said on April 22, 2018 at 9:48 pm
Julie – The Embassy has handicapped restrooms in the entry area on the east side. They were put in about 15 or 20 years ago. You don’t have to struggle up or down. The concert was wonderful.
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