Deflecting.

The older I get, the more of a grammar-and-usage pedant I become. The dumbass slang that every generation has can chap my ass, some days. The other day I saw the word obsessed to describe about 20 different things, from makeup to some nutritional supplement. I scrolled on, and learned that a particular influencer had declared this sweater made me reevaluate my entire life. That’s a powerful sweater, dear. You’ll be wearing that one a while.

Obsessed is up there with iconic in that it seems to be slung about most often by young women with vocal fry. OMG I am obsessed with this yoga mat. My new lip color has my husband shook. Kate introduced me to ate, which apparently means “to do well.” How were the shows in Canada? Oh, we ate.

Good to know.

I bring this up because… well, I’m not sure why. I saw a set of photos from Chicago this morning that were absolutely shocking, and in psychological self-defense, I needed to think about grammar and Uncrustables (amusing story, gift link) and respond to texts about the latest posting in the Wedding Attire Approval subreddit. Another old-person rant incoming: What the hell with these ridiculous wedding dress codes? When did people forget how to dress for a goddamn wedding? Going to a funeral? Wear black. Wedding? Something nice that’s not white. Job interview? Like the neatest, cleanest person who holds the job you want. Why complicate it, and where the hell do young people get off demanding black tie, especially at a time when virtually no one owns formal clothing anymore? The only wedding couples I’ve known who asked their guests to wear special clothing were getting married in non-traditional ceremonies and faiths, and even then they’re optional.

Maybe if we stopped shlepping through life in PJs and slippers, we wouldn’t have to do it this way.

That Uncrustables story is a wealth of information. As I recall, Uncrustables — basically a PB&J empanada busy moms keep in the freezer — were not favored by young Kate, so I only bought one once, at Cedar Point. But evidently they’re a cult favorite, and not just of children:

They’re not just a staple for kids (and the harried parents who have to feed them), they’re being wolfed down by the thousands in NFL locker rooms. Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce, a.k.a. the future Mr. Taylor Swift, revealed on his podcast that he scarfs down Uncrustables “probably more than I eat anything else in the world.” They’re often found at the finish lines of races, to refuel runners with carbs and the macronutrient of the moment, protein.

Who knew? Not I.

Those Chicago photos were really awful.

Posted at 11:37 am in Current events |
 

60 responses to “Deflecting.”

  1. SusaG said on October 15, 2025 at 11:49 am

    The one that chaps my as is “100%,” which is lazy-ass for I agree. And it crept up so fast. The other one are decor YouTubers who describe decor as “having a moment.”

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  2. David C said on October 15, 2025 at 1:32 pm

    At my parents’ funerals, the only ones in black worked at the funeral home. The rest went from various color dresses/suits and ties to bib overalls. I cared more that they took the time to come than what they were wearing.

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    • nancy said on October 15, 2025 at 5:21 pm

      You are correct, of course. Showing up is the most important thing, but if there’s a choice of outfits in your closet, wear something nice.

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  3. Jeff Borden said on October 15, 2025 at 2:01 pm

    As someone living in the war-torn hellhole of Chicago, I must ask: Which photos? The ones of ICE assholes in an SUV using a “pit maneuver” to crash the car of fleeing immigrants yesterday, then gassing the residents of the neighborhood and, btw, officers of the Chicago Police Department? The ones of the WGN-TV staffer, who was walking to her bus stop when she encountered ICE goons detaining a landscaper and stopped to record it, an action which resulted in her being tossed to the sidewalk, arms zip-tied behind her back, and being transported in an unmarked vehicle with no license plates? (This, by the way, occurred about a half-mile from our house in Lincoln Square. ) The ones of the little girls sobbing when their mothers were dragged out of their car by ICE thugs as they dropped them off at a West Loop school, again being pushed to the concrete and zip-tied? The ones of the Presbyterian minister being hit in the head with a pepper ball while his arms were raised in prayer? Or, the ones where a CBS-TV reporter was targeted with a pepper ball while driving by the Goon Squad HQ in Broadview, which damaged her car and coated her with white pepper inducing violent vomiting? This shit is happening every fucking day. And, frequently, those knocked down, restrained and taken away, are released later without charges. The forbearance and calm displayed by Chicagoans –in most cases– is really something to see and admire. They are bearing witness to these assaults, recording them and chanting “shame” at these masked asshole bullies.

    Many of my neighbors and I will be going to Butler Field in Grant Park on Saturday for the beginning of the No Kings March. It’s likely to be massive. And it’s scaring the shit out of the Mike Johnsons of the world, who are labeling us as America haters, pro-Hamas and Marxist. We are none of the above and we’re not standing silently while you take this country down the path to oligarchy and authoritarianism.

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  4. alex said on October 15, 2025 at 2:36 pm

    What floors me is how the legacy media are failing to publish much of anything about what’s going on in Chicago. I’m aware of it because I’m part of a group chat of Chicago people who keep posting photos and videos and I also follow the Reader, Chicago Block Club and the Sun-Times. The media are so fragmented these days that the public knows almost nothing about this, except maybe through the distorted lenses of Fox and Newsmax and the slick propaganda videos being produced by the administration.

    I thought the court ordered that ICE had to unmask itself, but it doesn’t look like there’s any compliance, and I fear this is all a big ruse so that Trump can declare martial law. But nobody’s talking about it in such terms other than Substackers.

    I believe it was Roy Edroso two days ago who noted that the violence being perpetrated by ICE in Chicago got zero mentions by Bari Weiss’ CBS News and only one buried item in Bezos’ Washington Post. What the NYT published today seemed quite belated and still doesn’t do the story justice.

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  5. Deborah said on October 15, 2025 at 2:49 pm

    I read on Bluesky someone encouraging people to take their kids to the No Kings protest on Saturday because if the counter protestors see kids they will more careful and not get violent. I don’t agree with that, since when have the MAGAs cared about anybody enough to curtail their violence? I’d not take the kids, it could be dangerous, people running away to get out of harms way could trample kids and strollers and such. I think we can assume there will be counter protestors and ICE in attendance. I don’t want to scare people into not going and having a fun peaceful time though. I hope it will be massive. The Republicans are afraid it will be.

    I finished the book club selection this morning, whew, as the event is tonight at our place. I couldn’t finish the last selection about AI, because it was way to boring and depressing.

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  6. Heather said on October 15, 2025 at 2:51 pm

    The good news is that people in Chicago are not having this. I’m in a group that patrols around my neighborhood with bikes to keep an eye out for ICE, and I’ve seen people hanging out on corners and in front of buildings and locations where there are a lot of Latino people. People are organizing “whistle parties” to fold flyers attached to whistles that we hand out to alert communities when ICE is out, as well as to run errands or walk kids to and from school for people who are afraid to go outside.

    I’ve seen several videos of cyclists and drivers either getting arrested or being threatened by ICE for following them. They tear-gassed a crowd about six blocks away from where I live when neighbors came out to yell at them.

    We won’t stop.

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  7. tajalli said on October 15, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Besides applying “addiction” to any old lousy non-chemical dysfunctional habit, what currently grates on my nerves is my library using “attain” rather than “obtain” to indicate book club attendees need to provide their own copy of that month’s book for themselves. Although my old Random House dictionary shows “obtain” as about the 4th or 5th meaning of attain, are they really asking us to “aspire to” having that book?

    Economic distress in LA has reached a point where the city is attempting to pass legislation to set rent increase limits and fund reimbursement so immigrant communities don’t forfeit their housing.

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  8. Colleen said on October 15, 2025 at 4:13 pm

    Oooo. Language peeves! Along with “obsessed”, “literally”, usually used incorrectly, grinds my gears.

    And lately, “Marshall Law” is becoming more annoying.

    Gotta go tell kids to get off my lawn….

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  9. David C said on October 15, 2025 at 4:26 pm

    “On accident” irritates me. I don’t think anyone under 30 uses “by accident”, so I’m going to lose that one.

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  10. Peter said on October 15, 2025 at 4:47 pm

    OK, I’ll ask – are the Chicago photos referring to wedding attire, or ICE arrests? If it’s wedding attire, is there a link?

    I’m not a grammar expert, but two terms put me in orbit:

    “More” unique (sometimes it’s “most” unique). Unique is one of a kind. It can’t be more unique.

    “Square Footage”. It’s AREA. fewer letters, fewer syllables. My son just loves to work square footage into a conversation just to piss me off. Example: “We had a great lasagna for dinner last night.” “Yeah? What was the square footage of each piece?” Variant: “Did you see Monday night’s Bears game?” “Yeah, what was the lineal yardage of that last field goal?”

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  11. Michael said on October 15, 2025 at 4:51 pm

    “Based off of” makes me reach for my revolver.

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  12. Peter said on October 15, 2025 at 4:53 pm

    Oh, and speaking of job clothes: Dan Mintz, who voices Tina Belcher on Bob’s Burgers, had a great line: “People at work ask why I’m dressed in a space suit, but you dress for the job you want, not the one you have”

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  13. David C said on October 15, 2025 at 4:54 pm

    It should be square meterage.

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  14. jim said on October 15, 2025 at 5:57 pm

    alex, WaPo has covered ICE in Chicago pretty extensively. I just searched to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind and saw 7-8 articles in the last week.

    WaPo is clearly way less opinion worthy than it was, but the news side is still doing a good job.

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  15. tajalli said on October 15, 2025 at 6:17 pm

    Peter, pictures of wedding attire appropriate for an ICE arrest. 😉

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  16. Colleen said on October 15, 2025 at 6:24 pm

    Didja all see this?

    a https://www.idsnews.com/article/2025/10/indiana-university-daily-student-print-paper-censorship-fired

    Sorry, I can’t make the link pretty…

    Dear Leader will be proud…

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  17. Brandon said on October 15, 2025 at 6:45 pm

    Re: Uncrustables. I used to see infomercials for this.

    https://thefw.com/snakmaster-best-kitchen-invention/

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  18. Suzanne said on October 15, 2025 at 6:56 pm

    When my husband’s niece got married several years ago, the invitation included a statement that we should wear cocktail attire. I wasn’t even sure what that was since I have attended zero cocktail parties in my adult life. Plus, it ticked me off that the invite even gave that instruction. Did they think we didn’t know how to dress? Are they going to have a bouncer at the door to turn people away who have improper clothes? I think we also got a wedding invitation a few years ago that specified something like summer casual wear which again, I really didn’t know what they meant.

    And don’t get me started on the wedding registries that include things like rock climbing equipment or season tickets to a sports team or money for a specific vacation destination. I am not buying the happy couple something that is a luxury that I myself can’t afford to have or do.

    Now get off my lawn!

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  19. Sherri said on October 15, 2025 at 6:58 pm

    Uncrustables are popular at powerlifting meets, because they’re convenient to pack and an easy source of carbs and protein.

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  20. Little Bird said on October 15, 2025 at 7:31 pm

    When it comes to wedding attire, I don’t own much. One dress (it’s navy blue)A pair of tapestry granny boots. I can take it through different seasons with different wraps. If I get invited to a wedding, that’s what I’m wearing. None of my friends are getting married. None of my friends kids are getting married.
    I suppose if I paired it with less eye-catching footwear it could work for a funeral. Too many of my friends have been dying.
    I remain shocked that Santa Fe hasn’t seen much ICE activity. But here it would be a lot less of a spectacle, and would absolutely showcase the cruelty in a way that I don’t think they want. It’s not a big city, so it’s harder to portray the people being picked up as hardened criminals. Besides, the general population here is very heavily Hispanic/Latino. And indigenous. If they tried to pick up a bunch of the indigenous people all hell would break loose.
    There are National Guards up in Española, but not so much down here.

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  21. Julie Robinson said on October 15, 2025 at 8:08 pm

    The concept of Uncrustables baffles me. I don’t find making a PB&J an onerous task, plus I would much rather have whole wheat bread. I had a bite of one and thought it tasted nasty.

    Everyone ignores wedding dress codes, especially men. I’ve seen far too many couples where the woman has on a fancy dress, has curled her hair, put on extra makeup and special jewelry, while the guy thinks he’s GQ because he wore khaki shorts and a polo shirt instead of his usual gym shorts and Tshirt. Funerals too.

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  22. alex said on October 15, 2025 at 10:04 pm

    Another story that’s getting absolutely no attention, or at least not the right kind of attention, is the bailout of Argentina. Per Paul Krugman, this is really a bailout of a bunch of billionaire foreign investors who are about to lose their asses, so Trump is keeping the country artificially solvent long enough for them to cut their losses and scram before the whole place goes to shit. An ordinary president wouldn’t have carte blanche to pull such strings and do it on the American taxpayer’s dime while blatantly lining his own pockets with quid pro quo.

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  23. Jeff Gill said on October 15, 2025 at 10:05 pm

    Colleen, my Bloomington brother just messaged me that the IDS is now closed down, and this week will be the first Indiana University has without a student newspaper in 158 years. To be fair, I’m looking online for confirmation, but it’s the ‘logical’ next step.

    On the brighter side, here in central Ohio, a story I understandably enjoyed reading, and there’s a 4+ minute audio version where you can hear what’s left of my voice these days in a couple of clips:

    https://www.wosu.org/arts-culture/2025-10-15/eyes-on-the-sky-ohio-history-connection-hosts-moon-alignment-event-at-newark-earthworks

    Update: consider it confirmed. https://www.idsnews.com/article/2025/10/ids-print-indiana-university-daily-student-fired-newspaper

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  24. alex said on October 15, 2025 at 11:02 pm

    Governor Braun made it fairly clear what he intended to do to the Daily Student. He’s following through. Next up: The Kinsey Institute.

    It remains to be seen just how much damage these MAGA assholes will do before we throw them out, if we ever do.

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  25. Carter Cleland said on October 15, 2025 at 11:04 pm

    Since when, and why, did “woah” take over from whoa?

    The weekly rally in Wilmette that I’ve co-hosted since mid-February is the site of a No Kings rally this Saturday. Thoughts n’ prayers, please, for dry weather on Sat.

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  26. Jason T. said on October 15, 2025 at 11:20 pm

    So the Indiana Daily Student has now been completely shut down, at least in print.

    They still have a website, for now.

    The dean of the journalism school — excuse me, “The Media School,” first word capitalized — has never been a reporter. His bachelor’s degree is in performance art.

    https://mediaschool.indiana.edu/people/profile.html?p=dtolchin

    I have a performance to suggest that he do to himself. It’s perfect for a one-person show.

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  27. Deborah said on October 15, 2025 at 11:33 pm

    The only thing we suggested regarding attire is that people wear sturdy shoes for our wedding on our mesa in New Mexico 25 years ago. Only one woman wore strappy sandals that I know of. I don’t how she traversed the rocks and the dirt. It was cute people were dressed to the nines and then they had hiking boots on.

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  28. alex said on October 16, 2025 at 12:14 am

    Jason T. for the win.

    Media School? WTF? I had no idea they’d rechristened the IU School of Journalism, and with that? And the dean majored in “performance art”? I’m a 1985 IU alum and I had no idea, but then I tend to ignore their constant deluge of junk mail hitting me up for money so maybe that’s why I’m out of the loop.

    Learning this, it almost makes me think that maybe they’re right to blow it all the fuck up.

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  29. Peter said on October 16, 2025 at 6:07 am

    Oh my gosh I don’t even know where to begin.

    You can get a degree in PERFORMANCE ART?!?!?

    No wonder MAGA types go nuts over “elitist” institutions – I would have a hard time defending a university that gave out degrees in Performance Art.

    But then, for a long time I’ve said that this cast of characters in the current Republican Party aren’t politicians – they’re performance artists. So to take that to a logical conclusion, shouldn’t venerable institutions of higher learning like Liberty University have a department of performance art? After all, it’s their students who need to learn it if they’re going to make their mark in politics and/or religion.

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  30. Casey Confoy said on October 16, 2025 at 8:51 am

    Every crime show: The victim was laying on the ground. He had been stabbed multiple times. The police could have a potential suspect.

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  31. casey confoy said on October 16, 2025 at 9:01 am

    From today’s NYT: Consumer Reports flagged protein supplements that contained more than 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving, which it based off California’s strict standard

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  32. Julie Robinson said on October 16, 2025 at 10:58 am

    Alex, it’s been several years since IU dissolved the journalism school into TV, Video & Radio, then moved journalism OUT OF ERNIE PYLE HALL. That was the first travesty.

    Jason T, thank you for that highly enlightening link, in which I learned that Dean Tolchinsky doesn’t even have a doctorate. Undergrad in performance art, Master’s in film and video production. Oh, and several certificates, big whoop.

    Under the bio are some further links, including a fawning story about Tolchinsky and siblings donating their parents’ VHS and DVD collection to the university, and another fawning story about a class he taught.

    Then there’s the five-year plan, which doesn’t contain the words journalism or newspaper anywhere. It does have this clause: “the school will implement measures such as creating a path to tenure for non-Ph.D. faculty with significant creative achievements”. In other words, for Tolchinsky.

    Reading all this on the same day Hegseth kicked reporters out of the Pentagon for refusing to follow his censorship rules made for very little sleep last night.

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  33. Icarus said on October 16, 2025 at 12:18 pm

    I don’t break many grammar rules, but over time, language is updated. It evolves and changes, and we know this is true because none of us says thou in our daily speech.

    In this Era of Autocorrect, Autocomplete, and AI-generated content, I think that as long as you understand what the person meant, it’s okay if the Venn Diagram of connotative meaning and denotative meaning is a separate set of circles.

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  34. Jeff Borden said on October 16, 2025 at 12:21 pm

    You can look at either Christian Dominionism or fascist ideology as comparisons to MAGA. Both philosophies look to swallow all existing institutions–government, courts, media, education, popular culture– and repurpose them to diabolical purposes. Braun is following the script to a T.

    Get yourself to a rally Saturday if at all possible! Speaker Moses is absolutely beside himself with fear, describing us as pro-Hamas, Marxist, America haters. The more of us who stand up and shout, the more the lie MAGA represents a majority shrivel and dies.

    Time is running out.

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  35. Dorothy said on October 16, 2025 at 12:24 pm

    I have hated ‘awesome’ for decades now. If it comes out of my mouth it’s because I’m repeating what someone else said.

    We saw the oncologist today for a post-op visit and what he proposed to Mike just about blew our minds. I’ll share more after we see the next doctor in a week. But suffice to say the suggestion was met very positively by both of us. Cancer sucks majorly but with doctors who have great ideas, I think cancer doesn’t have a chance.

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  36. Deborah said on October 16, 2025 at 1:12 pm

    Everyone at our book club get together last night is going to the No Kings protest, those are the only people we know here in Chicago that have said they’re going for sure. We keep talking it up to people.

    Seems like a lot of people will be at the one in Santa Fe on the grounds of the state capitol, where I will be.

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  37. ROGirl said on October 16, 2025 at 3:17 pm

    I don’t like “awesome” either, but I started using it ironically in work emails and it’s strangely satisfying.

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  38. alex said on October 16, 2025 at 3:20 pm

    Anybody notice the word “whilst” getting a lot of play these days? It’s about as archaic as “thou” but seems to be cropping up all over social media.

    Planning to attend our No Kings rally Saturday. It’ll be my first. I don’t have a sign made up or the patience to create one and hope my presence will be enough. I visited some friends last weekend who are very much involved in Indivisible and our local Hoosiers for Separation of Church and State and they convinced me that sitting out is not an option.

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  39. Brandon said on October 16, 2025 at 3:33 pm

    A DailyMail.co.uk headline: Cops blast Alec Baldwin as new video contracts star’s crash claim

    The writer means contradicts.

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  40. Colleen said on October 16, 2025 at 3:35 pm

    Alex, I’m going to one of the marches and not taking a sign either. I am toying with the idea of buying a bunch of small American flags and handing them out. You know, to the America hating protesters….

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  41. Little Bird said on October 16, 2025 at 4:19 pm

    I will be at the Santa Fe No Kings event, but I will not be carrying a sign. I will wear my shirt that says “you have to at least try” from a local artist, and be wearing a HUMAN flag (all the letters are done in a different pride flag color scheme) like a cape. I like having my hands free if I need to do anything. I carry a bag (a pride flag bag) with a bottle of water and a very rough first aid kit in it. Nearly all the ladies in my knitting circle are going and the ladies in the circle that meets on a different day too. My best friend is going as well and will probably walk over with me and Deborah. Oddly, I don’t personally know any men who are going.

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  42. Brandon said on October 16, 2025 at 4:44 pm

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/While

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  43. Sherri said on October 16, 2025 at 5:03 pm

    Related to Penn State firing their football coach, Indiana signed their coach, Curt Cignetti, to an 8 year, $93 million contract extension. That’s $11.6 million/year, behind only Kirby Smart of Georgia and Ryan Day of Ohio State in annual salary. (Both Smart and Day have won national championships.)

    Just last year, Indiana had given Cignetti a new 8 year extension at $8.3 million a year. Cignetti will be 72 when his new contract expires.

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  44. Jakash said on October 16, 2025 at 6:37 pm

    Alex,

    My wife and I went to the previous No Kings march in Chicago and didn’t have signs, either. We both carried little American flags, and I still like that idea. I’ve seen it suggested elsewhere, and I think making it obvious that the marchers are the patriotic ones these days, and the long-time “Don’t tread on me,” right-wing, flag-waving folks are not is useful.

    Thumbs up to Colleen’s suggestion @ 40.

    Meanwhile, the No Kings website is encouraging folks to wear yellow on Saturday. “A bandana, a hat, a shirt — any bright pop of yellow will work.”

    https://www.nokings.org/?itemId=7admbcqi122b3tivnh71szt3xbkkrp

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  45. Mark P said on October 16, 2025 at 6:39 pm

    Whilst seems to still be used in British English, although the Wiki entry indicates that it’s archaic there, too. Here it’s probably people consciously adopting Britishisms, like saying waiting on line instead of waiting in line.

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  46. Jakash said on October 16, 2025 at 7:01 pm

    For the Bob Greene whatever-the-opposite-of-aficionados-is around these parts, here’s a cherce flashback from Neil Steinberg’s blog. A pseudonymous takedown of Greene’s novel “All Summer Long” from 2015.

    “Falsity sprouts on every page. … Bob’s ersatz women are fake in a way seldom seen outside pornography, but then again, so are his men. In fact, the book has only one character — Bob Greene — given different aliases and manners, but all reflecting back, hideously, to the same pulsing pathology.”

    https://www.everygoddamnday.com/2015/10/flashback-all-summer-long.html

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  47. Jeff Gill said on October 16, 2025 at 7:35 pm

    Well, I may make that cranberry relish one more time this Thanksgiving.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/10/16/susan-stamberg-dead-npr/

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  48. Suzanne said on October 16, 2025 at 9:08 pm

    Ace Frehley of KISS has died. I can’t get used to the fact that so many of the celebrities of my youth are now old men and women and dying off.

    https://apnews.com/article/ace-frehley-dead-kiss-36d8ed5073bc169bf1e14ea1dc13f30e

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  49. Jeff Borden said on October 16, 2025 at 10:08 pm

    I bought some poster board from Walgreen’s and some black acrylic paint and two brushes at Staples. I have zero artistic sensibility, so my wife lettered it. If you are making a sign, write on both sides for double the impact. If you are somewhat short of stature, you can staple your sign to a wooden paint stirrer to get it up and in view. I’m recycling my originals from the last march: WE’RE ALL IMMIGRANTS and NO KING DONNY! A genuinely, undeniably huge turnout will refute the propaganda arguments that we’re all paid and practicing Marxist, trans, baby-eating witches.

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  50. Ann said on October 16, 2025 at 11:48 pm

    Perhaps a small victory here in the U.P. NMU needs a new president. There were four finalists, including a U.P. native, an economist currently heading the business school in Wyoming, who seemed to be the front-runner. But a local Lutheran minister (ELCA, natch, IYKYK)took the time to read the articles listed in his bio. Full-on attack on poor people for being stupid and irresponsible with birth control and recommendations that we not only stop public assistance for them, but private as well. And definitely we shouldn’t be encouraging them to do things like take AP classes or apply to college where they’re just going to fail but still think of themselves as smart. Lots of people shared his post and wrote to the trustees with their concerns.

    Who knows. Maybe he wasn’t really the front-runner. But the new president was announced today and it wasn’t him.

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  51. ROGirl said on October 17, 2025 at 5:00 am

    Mark P, waiting on line is a New York thing, everywhere else in this country it’s waiting in line. In Britain they say, “queuing up.” They also say, “in hospital,” instead of “in the hospital,” and “hoover up,” for “vacuum up.”

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  52. Deborah said on October 17, 2025 at 7:27 am

    No need to have a sign for the protest tomorrow, the main thing is to get your body there. If you have a sign great, but don’t let it stop you if you don’t. If you have bright colors wear them that helps you be visible, says the lady who wears black a lot. The thing is to be there. The more people that show up is the main point, it needs to be massive everywhere.

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  53. alex said on October 17, 2025 at 8:04 am

    What I’ll be carrying is an umbrella. The forecast now calls for rain.

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  54. Jenine said on October 17, 2025 at 9:50 am

    Spouse and I will be at rally Sat. I was glad to hear he wanted to go. We turned our phones off and left them in the car last time and will do so again.

    If you are on bluesky, Claire Willett is a liberal Catholic who has a thread on Pope Leo (potentially) going after Opus Dei: https://bsky.app/profile/clairewillett.bsky.social/post/3m3ebfkzkzs2w

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  55. alex said on October 17, 2025 at 10:46 am

    More from Paul Krugman on Argentina: https://substack.com/home/post/p-176358237

    In short, Trump and Bessent are using U.S. taxpayer dollars to rescue some hedge fund billionaire cronies who own treasury bonds in an economy that’s going belly up.

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  56. Dexter Friend said on October 17, 2025 at 11:02 am

    “I literally ate 3 Whoppers today.” Say what?
    Just say actually, or just say you ate 3 Whoppers.
    How did Skrilla lyrics, saying 6 7 , make it into the modern vernacular?
    As a ’67 graduate of high school, I smirk when I hear it…and I hear it all the fucking time.
    https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNWj3k5SRnh/?hl=en

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  57. Sherri said on October 17, 2025 at 4:34 pm

    I had coffee yesterday with a young candidate for city council who very easily could have come across as an entitled asshole, but instead was humble, excited, curious, and eager to get involved. He’s only 20, entered college at 14, ridiculously smart, and works in AI. He’s attended more council meetings over the past year than his incumbent opponent, so he’s serious.

    The other thing that has me feeling good is that I benched 170 today in the gym. That’s 10 lbs more than I was able to bench in my meet in June, which is a huge jump for me in bench. I had been stuck at the previous plateau for a while, made what I thought was a relatively minor change to my setup, and seemingly unlocked a whole new level. Just a reminder that progress is never linear, but if we show up and do the work, eventually it comes.

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  58. alex said on October 18, 2025 at 8:54 am

    So Trump just commuted the prison sentence of fellow pathological liar George Santos. Must be a White House job coming open soon, ya think?

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  59. susan said on October 18, 2025 at 11:35 pm

    Regarding the Indiana Daily Student newspaper, I saw this

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