Hiya! Hope everyone is having a good week so far. All good here, just freezing my tush off up here in Cleveland. I’m ready to get home…
Exciting day downtown, apparently
National Christmas tree topples in gusty DC winds
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/28/politics/national-christmas-tree-topples-dc-winds/index.html
Well that’s disgusting
Officer acquitted in Elijah McClain death gets job back and $200,000 in back pay
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/28/elijah-mcclain-nathan-woodyard-colorado-police-killing
Weeks!?! I’d never last
Rescuers in India reach 41 men trapped underground for weeks
https://wapo.st/3uDAKYr
Sprots!
Mark Cuban agrees to sell majority share of Mavericks to Adelson family
https://wapo.st/3RgCWxP
Stonks!
Charlie Munger, Who Helped Buffett Build Berkshire, Dies at 99
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-28/charles-munger-who-helped-buffett-build-berkshire-dies-at-99
Roasted
Have a great day!
Holy fuck that email.
Good for that student. The state of research changes. In archaelogy, genetics, computer sciences, and a lot of other fields you’re better off asking that kind of question than just citing.
Yeah, but Jesus. At first I thought they were asking about references from the EARLY 1900’s and then realized they were asking about the late 1900’s, but in a way that sounded like it was a 100 years ago. The student probably wasn’t even born until 2004, which…damn.
In their defense, I remember wondering the same thing about the 70s when I was writing papers in high school. I am sure the teachers would have had uncharitable thoughts about my 16 yr old ass. TIME COMES FOR US ALL, BBTM.
Charlie, great financial analyst but lousy amateur architect and social urban planner.
We’ll see if the money he promised even materializes. He was being pretty squirrely all along, and one thing that drove me nuts about that UC Santa Barbara
prisondorm was he had only promised about 20% of the cost and the school was on the hook for finding the rest of the cash, and would have had to scramble to pay for any overruns.If they had to raise that amount of cash anyway, they should have just raised it and told him to walk instead of throwing it all into a single experimental building that had a high chance of failure.
Munger was rich enough to pay for the whole jail himself, but suckered UCSB into paying for the majority of Cell Block Munger.
And that design… what a fucked up jail cell block for students.
The Mavericks go from shitty owner who cared to shittier owner.
I hope this blows up on the Adelsons.
Much more likely it’ll blow up on the Mavericks, because the Adelsons will almost assuredly be among the cheapest owners in the league.
Donald Sterling redux?
I’d guess less open racism but, basically. Cuban made some bad calls as an owner but he gave a shit and was willing to spend on things. I sincerely doubt the Adelsons do either.
IDK about Cuban really other than a vague notion that he is on Shark Tank and has a basketball team, but hell if that guy doesn’t save me $700 a month on my Mom’s dementia medication. #Merica!
Silicon Valley’s Russ Hanneman was allegedly based on Cuban.
Yeah, for a billionaire, Cuban is almost decent.
I remember the late 1900s, riding the brontosaurus to school, carving my homework on the cave walls, learning about that new invention that was going to change everything called “the wheel.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wish me luck?
I keep trying to find out more about this girlie;
https://www.petfinder.com/dog/julianne-69371939/mn/willmar/hawk-creek-animal-shelter-mn54/
I know she’s got allergies, so she’s on a Lamb & Rice formula diet…
She’s also apparently GREAT with people & other dogs–because she is part of the “Vet Tech” Program at the Community College up in Wilmar (which is WHY I’ve had such a problem getting any more info on her–i got the Vet Tech program’s number from the rescue, since she’s at *that* site of theirs…. annnnd no one calls back!🙃
BUT, if *I’m* having that much trouble getting ahold of someone about adopting her?
So is anyone ELSE trying to get info😉😁😄💖
So there IS still a chance!
She’s apparently just a bit over a year old, and a sweetheart… I’m just wondering if it’ll be possible to get her.
Good luck. We foster so I know the wheels can turn slowly sometimes.
Thanks, Everyone!
I fiiiiinally heard back from someone at the Vet Tech program–The Dr left me a message this morning on my voice-mail saying Julianne just got adopted–YAY for her, and *also* a bit of a bummer for me…
But the GOOD news was, that the Doctor *also* shared that the Vet Tech program has OTHER dogs who are up for adoption–and they have some MORE cute dogs!😃😁🤗
Annnnd i happened to see my building manager in the elevator on my way home tonight, and was able to get some more clarification on our new breed & size restrictions in the building–and was told, “If the dog is an ESA, i can’t discriminate against it, regarding it’s breed OR size!“…
So I don’t NEED to worry about getting *ANY* labradors/lab crosses…
And I could even get a sweet doofy Newf-cross, like Luna, without worrying about SIZE restrictions!😃😃😃
Looking up what the Poodle/Newf combo does? Luna *might* even be a be a *better* fit to have a good girl i can team with–because *unlike* the Labrador “Twice a year”** shedding seasons, Newf/Poodles tend to be pretty *typical* doodles–who hold their coat & need to be shaved-down Poodle style & brushed regularly with a (usually!) slicker brush.
They don’t leave “small dogs’ worth” of fur around the house–like the typical Lab & Newf do.
And ngl–i’ve ALWAYS been a sucker for the “big-n-drooly” molosser breeds–Newfs, alllllll the Mastiffs, good old-fashioned bulldogs, and the like😉
So a cutie like Luna–*IF* she’s good with cats, and of the right temperament to work toward being a service dog (to remind me to take *evening* meds, eat supper, and get out exercising!), would honestly be a bit of a “dream-breed” dog.
**Labs shed *exactly* Two times a year–throughout the whole Winter & Spring, and again, throughout the entirety of the Summer & Fall!😉😆😂🤣💖
To *know* a Black Lab, is to be graced by the “Black-Glitter” fairy, CONSTANTLY!!!😄
Curly & Bluetooth are pretty great-looking Labs, too–so what I’m planning to do, is reach out to the Dr, let her know exactly what I’m hoping to find in a dog, and then ask *her* if any of the three of them would be a good fit for our household’s needs (wheelchair-compatible/trainable, good with cats, and good for an apartment with multiple walks every day).
If one of the three *is* someone she thinks could be a great fit, then I’ll jump–but if *not*–then, I’m hoping to perhaps ask her help in finding a *great fit* dog in the next couple of semesters–because at the Vet Tech program, they work with the “best, most patient, and most friendly” dogs that Hawk Creek gets in😉😁💖
…my family go in for the lighter colored ones but can confirm on the ubiquitous shedding of labradors
…more importantly, though, shall be keeping my fingers crossed that this one or the third time lucky or whatever it might be works out for you sooner than later
Thanks, Rip!
Golden ARE suuuuuper-cute, and they’re PRETTY dogs (I’ve loved ’em since I was a tiiiiny tike!😉).
My reason for wanting my dog to be black–after having owned Lil, and lived with Lucy her kennelmate for the couple years before my roommate got Lil, is honestly sheer laziness😉😁💖
I wear blue jeans *nearly* every day for work, my work hoodies** are all Black ones, annnnnd my wardrobe is basically Autistic A.F.–because I dress lazily (think Zuckerberg & Steve Jobs), in about 80-90% Black/ Charcoal Grey V-neck T-shirts (over a black/navy/grey tank top) with the *occasional* bright-colored T or tank…
The wardrobe being that 80-90% dark colors was something that I kiiiiind of picked up back when I was in theater–being backstage, I *needed* Black clothes.
But like Jobs said (roughly!)–Wearing the same thing, leaves your brain with less decisions to *need* to burn energy on, annnnd you can use what space you have for more *important* things…
And, too?
After moving back in to Minneapolis with Lil–and *previously* having worked with folks who were scared of “Big dogs–*especially* black ones!”, i realized how much SAFER i am, when we need to Go Walkies at night–as a short woman–when my walking companion is “a Big Black Dog”
Some folks were *literally* TERRIFIED of me walking with Lil…
Me, as a middle-aged white woman? I’m *already* a biiiiit scary and a danger, walking with my phone in hand…
But *adding* a full-sized black dog to that “Karen with White-Woman Tears & a Cellphone”?
That means I’m a THREAT, if they were to try and do something… they had NO IDEA that all Lil would ever do is try to lock ’em to death for some treats & butt-scratches😉😂🤣💖
They saw “Big Black Dog” (BBD) and “Karen” and we were SAFE to walk–even at 3am, if Lil needed to go potty.
Realizing that–AND knowing that her black “fairy dust” was baaaarely noticeable of i accidentally left my hoodid on the couch & she dozed on it while I made supper, makes a BBD the most logical pup for our safety *and* my ease at work😉😆😂🤣💖
(**YES, I wear a hoodie nearly every day at work😄–but they ARE logo’s with our work’s “Early Childhood Education Programs” Logo😉),
Sweet, hope she ends up with you. It does take time, because rescue staff are always busy.
…are internet randoms permissible character references?
…because we could probably muster up some glowing recommendations if so
Very sweet. If she has allergies, it may be the same issue that a lot of dogs (including Butcher Dog) deal with, which is an inability to break down proteins. So, they require food where the proteins have already been partially broken down. When I switched our dog to Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and Skin, it turned her into a brand new dog. None of those bullshit Dog Food By Gucci brands did a damned thing for her.
Keeping all my fingers crossed!
Best of luck.
Julianne is darling! Here’s hoping that DeadSplinter will soon have another dog in the family!
good luck emmer 🙂
huh…..maybe i shouldnt call you that….means bucket in dutch….feels a little wierd…lol
Of course they did.
Hunter Biden asks to testify publicly. House Republicans scurry away in a panic
Afraid to ask about his dong?
Bunch of idiots.
Basically, yes.
If he testifies openly, his words are part of the record, and there’s no way to dispute what he said. Which is why he’s insisting on it.
In closed-door testimony, the Republicans can twist anything he says any way they want, because it’s not public. Even if Democrats dispute their lies, it’s a “he said, he said” situation. Fox News would have a field day.
Also, Republicans don’t have a good track record with questioning anyone. Their recent “investigations” led to much mockery and embarrassment when clips of their idiotic questions emerged, along with clips of Democrats making them look like morons.
Seems my local drugstore chain has decided that sex toys are now home electronics. Pushing me to buy vaccums, video games and/or vibrators.
Uh… okay?
Scroll down for a page from the 1918 Sears catalog with vibrators for sale.
https://vintagenewsdaily.com/female-hysteria-when-victorian-doctors-used-to-finger-their-patients/
Quel scandale!
some of the local supermarkets have started selling them over here too
is a little wierd
honestly…far as i can tell…that isle is where all the giggling tweenage boys live…..kinda figure most people like to be a little more discreet about their toys than the middle of a supermarket
but what do i know….im really just calling myself most people here
I think it’s great and bold that they are normalizing female sexual pleasure instead of shaming us for it or making it taboo. It’s interesting that it makes people feel uncomfortable. It is just an electronic tool. I’m guessing none are in the shape of a penis. Whereas women’s bodies are readily on display everywhere to market shit through the lense of the male gaze.
i have no problems with any of it…..well…other than the mandatory gaggle of giggling teenage boys…
is a little wierd to me being quite so public about it
but then…i felt much the same way about buying condoms……till i actually needed them…..wierd how you get over shit with sufficient motivation
so yeah….is a little wierd to me now…ill get over it
(edit) oh but yeah… none that ive seent are giant penises…..which is a shame coz i would have absolutely taken a swing at someone blocking the isle by now with a giant purple floppy dong by now if they were….
Large floppy dongs make excellent weapons. How do I know? Once as part of the Beer Olympics, we infiltrated a weekly LARP session using dildos as weapons including a strap-on as a unicorn horn. The real LARPers were not impressed by our drunken shenanigans. 😂 We were such assholes in our twenties. 🍆 = 🗡️ 🍆 = 🦄
lmao doesnt begin to describe it
Ironically enough?
In the exurb where I used to live–in the neighborhood where we lived when my roommate originally got Lily–thete WAS a “neighborhood, giant, floppy, purple-glitter, dong”!😆😂🤣
I don’t recall *exactly* how it became part of the neighborhood–iirc, it was *maybe* a gag gift which was stuck in a place of *extreme honor* (smack-dab on the front of the car-hood, Idiocracy-style) for someone’s 40th birthday…
Buuuut that thing managed to wander it’s way ALLLLLL around the neighborhood–ending up in the bottom of pools, hot tubs, on front doors, the *occasional* roof, etc!😉😄😆
And, occasionally, when it was tossed into a backyard, one of the dogs would carry it out to the *front* yard, shaking it like a ragdoll!🤣🤣🤣
It was one of the BEST tacky gag-gifts, and it was *truly* a “gift that keeps on giving”!😆😂🤣
Hahaha something similar happened with our set of dildos! Since they were actually really expensive, my cousin didn’t want to toss them. They were ridiculously large so none of us wanted to keep them for recreational use. In the end, my cousin and his friends have a running gag of hiding them in each other’s homes where they aren’t likely to be found for months like in the bottom oven drawer or behind a sofa.
This is an awfully interesting piece about crime reporting from earlier in the year.
https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2023/how-newsrooms-cover-crime-public-safety/
It helps expand why local news organizations have gotten stuck covering crime the way they do, and it moves past an overly simplistic ratings and clicks model.
One thing it points out is how much the cost side — not the revenue side — is a driver. Changing institutional models takes resources and personnel, and cost cutting mania has gutted the ability of news organizations to do that kind of work, even if they want to.
The piece also talks about the long run affect of lousy crime coverage, which I think helps explain a key problem with the ratings and clicks explanation — if that’s the sole driver for coverage, why have audiences shrunk so badly over the long run?
People don’t see the value of endless narrow crime reports because it never offers a clue about what can be done or what works. And bit by bit, they tune out. This piece is about shifting that balance.
Imagine a financial advice publication which only consisted of reports of companies rolling out a recalled product or an accounting failure. In the end, readers want a lot of coverage of how to make money — what should they do as far as stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Knowing Honda shut down a South Carolina factory for a week to replace bad robot lubricant doesn’t really help with the big picture investors need.
The press is cycling down in a lot of coverage — crime for one, politics is another — because while it’s true they think about increasing readership, it’s only within the narrowest framework of day to day impact, not longterm. And cost cutting has vastly worsened a lot of institutional inertia that drives things like the racial bias in coverage described in the piece, or in the case of political coverage, Dems in Disarray.
The inertia erodes over time the ability of news outlets to provide value to consumers, and they’re walking.
My local paper actually set up a fund to which people can donate to support in-depth investigative journalism. It’s an interesting approach, and it’s working. People donate to it regularly.
RE: the “Ratings and clicks” argument:
That IS the “rating and clicks” argument! They are themselves making that argument!
But also, as I have said many times and I know you know, crime coverage as it’s done is *easy* — you get a cop press release and you have a story that’s going to get lots of clicks (especially if it has a mugshot!) versus a story that takes lots of time and might get lots of clicks but is not at all a guarantee of moving the needle. Newsrooms often can’t make that investment and their ownerships aren’t interested in trying it because they’re in it for the short-term profit. That’s what kills media, not how they cover things (even if I agree it’s often not in the best way)
Chuck Grassley needs to go to jail!
Good news if you like to pollute in Ohio!
https://electrek.co/2023/11/28/ohio-the-state-where-a-river-caught-fire-at-least-12-times-just-voted-to-protect-oil/
Dare I hope for good things? Jezebel and Splinter bought by Paste Magazine and set to relaunch soon(ish).
https://www.pajiba.com/web_culture/purchased-by-paste-magazine-jezebel-is-back.php
I hope they pull it off. There’s lots of space for outlets which start out debt free, are fine with modest profits, and keep vultures away. I think there are a ton of talented writers and reporters out there, and outlets just need the right editorial staff to put the pieces together.