G+ Migration Blog

I have a headache. I've had one off and on for a while. I am grateful headaches are not a thing that I generally have to live with, and it's not even like it's severe. #csb

There is a strong probability I will be in SE Michigan Feb 4-9. I would be very up for drinks or whatever if that is an option. Will text when know more.

Hi. Apologies for not being around without saying anything. Things had escalated and gotten particularly bad starting at and since New Year's. A few of you probably know enough to make educated guesses as to the specifics, but I made this an open post so I wouldn't go into it on here. Besides, the details fail for many values of entertainment. Anyway, trying to move forward. Since I've been having my own fun and haven't been on here, I have basically no idea what's up with all of you from January. So I hope you are all well and doing ok. Hugs.

Snausages. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/01/12/577636045/why-this-list-of-global-poverty-thinkers-is-being-called-a-sausagefest https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/01/12/577636045/why-this-list-of-global-poverty-thinkers-is-being-called-a-sausagefest

Temps keep on fallin' Above and below Freezing Sometimes its raining Sometimes it makes rain freeze Sometimes I feel sleet At times I feel snow Watchin' this weather Makes me so confused https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urdlvw0SSEc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urdlvw0SSEc

I am 100% only linking to this because somebody named that cat John Locke. Empirical Cats come out to-night Empirical Cats come one come all: The Empirical Moon is shining bright - Empiricals come to the Empirical Ball. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/01/12/577088315/showing-love-through-food-may-be-making-our-pets-obese-and-unhappy https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/01/12/577088315/showing-love-through-food-may-be-making-our-pets-obese-and-unhappy

This is great for the economy. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/01/12/577462634/fearing-deportation-food-vendors-are-leaving-new-york-city-s-streets https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/01/12/577462634/fearing-deportation-food-vendors-are-leaving-new-york-city-s-streets

Just, you know, in case facts and information are of any use. Ha ha ha. P.S. the picture with The Atlantic article is killing me. I guess all Norwegians are supposed to be Heidi doing handstands. I mean, Heidi was German/Swiss, but you get the point, right? I wasn't going to say Pippi. She's Swedish. Look, I don't know the names of any popular Norwegian children's books, nevermind one with a female protagonist, ok? Everything I know is Henrik Ibsen and it's all adults and they're totally depressing. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/01/trump-shithole-norway/550382/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/01/12/trump-wants-more-immigrants-from-norway-theres-a-reason-they-arent-coming/?utm_term=.1f9e5ca9e4fc https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/01/trump-shithole-norway/550382/

You can never have too much white hot rage. It's like President Reagan never signed EMTALA. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-captures-video-of-patient-dumping-outside-baltimore-hospital/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-captures-video-of-patient-dumping-outside-baltimore-hospital/

If you have time, this is highly educational about the byzantine complexities of what gets lumped under the umbrella of "agriculture" in this country. And it barely gets to touch on some aspects. It is very definitely not an uplifting listen is some ways, but there's important info buried in there. Example, I was shocked that North Dakota tests their wheat for quality, while Kansas does not. I mean, yes, I eventually thought about it and ok, makes sense from the interesting governmental experiment that Kansas has been. However, I don't know why it didn't occur to me that each state regulates its agriculture, even though there are federal offices and policies. Meanwhile, I'm thinking if I'm a manufacturer, how can you possibly buy wheat from Kansas? Who knows what kind of flour you will end up with, which means you can't just dump it into a production line and assume you will get consistent food out the other end. (This is based on knowing that protein ...

Like they didn't open and examine the packages inmates received? Nice one, prison industrial complex. Good for whoever is pushing back in NY. https://www.npr.org/2018/01/11/577453496/ny-prisons-are-limiting-what-types-of-care-packages-inmates-can-receive https://www.npr.org/2018/01/11/577453496/ny-prisons-are-limiting-what-types-of-care-packages-inmates-can-receive

I could go into details why this is just another propaganda crusade to brainwash people into certain ideologies, but I won't. It's not about each individual person's experiences, it's about people lying and manipulating those experiences. These clinics provide so much more than just reproductive health services. They provide all kinds of women's health services, especially to women without other options. By threatening, weaseling, and messing with women working under stress to begin with, they are being abusive and manipulative. They do not care about these women. See the jail or hell comments from what are doubtless supposed Christians. They also, frankly, can't care much about the children, either, but that's a different rant. https://www.npr.org/2018/01/11/577104446/the-anti-abortion-group-thats-urging-clinic-workers-to-quit-their-jobs https://www.npr.org/2018/01/11/577104446/the-anti-abortion-group-thats-urging-clinic-workers-to-quit-their-jobs

It took me a while, but after I commented elsewhere that I thought certain someones were trying to roll us back at least to 1860, i.e., pre-Civil War aka War of the Rebellion (as officially named at the time), it occurred to me. There's an upside to that, however miserably small. No Trumps. His grandfather didn't immigrate until the 1880s. I still wouldn't take the deal, but it's a nice thought.

Trigger warning on multiple counts. This is rage inducing, all over the place. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42404270 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42404270

Holy wow, man. We set a record high temp today - 60 degrees! Glad I spent time outside.

Here. This fixes many things. https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogspotting/?ref=group_header https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogspotting/?ref=group_header

What?!? We really need to find something for teens to do as a coming of age thing that does not involve stupidity, maiming, and potential for death. http://wishtv.com/2018/01/11/online-jokes-about-eating-laundry-pods-concern-doctors-poison-control-experts/ http://wishtv.com/2018/01/11/online-jokes-about-eating-laundry-pods-concern-doctors-poison-control-experts/

So, like, I understand sex and sexuality and whatever, but something is indescribably wrong when this question is being asked at all, nevermind asked seriously: Seriously, who has a cuddle puddle at a fucking company party? I don't even know what to say to that. Also, please burn that term (cuddle puddle) asap. P.S. Have all these people been tested? Can you believe what they say about the results? Just, ew. https://medium.com/@paulbiggar/that-party-was-way-worse-than-it-sounds-29f4a3c7e4b8 https://medium.com/@paulbiggar/that-party-was-way-worse-than-it-sounds-29f4a3c7e4b8

This only matters if the government would follow through on some kind of consequence. This government clearly won't. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/jan/11/norm-eisen/donald-trumps-fake-news-awards-could-land-white-ho/ http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/jan/11/norm-eisen/donald-trumps-fake-news-awards-could-land-white-ho/

Oh, yeah, this is going great. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/11/pelosi-white-guys-daca-hamburger-stand-336541 https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/11/pelosi-white-guys-daca-hamburger-stand-336541

This is not what I want to hear, people. Damn insects. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/science/ticks-bedbugs-winter.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-5&action=click&contentCollection=Climate&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/science/ticks-bedbugs-winter.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-5&action=click&contentCollection=Climate&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article

I'm just wondering under what circumstances Trump thinks anyone in their right mind would emigrate from Norway to the US? I mean, post 1920. You know. Like we are right now. In 2018. I don't even know what to call this. Delusional is insufficient.

What the hell. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/01/11/an-army-vet-was-purged-from-ohios-voter-rolls-now-a-mayor-he-confronted-the-official-in-charge/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_with_top_mostshared_1_na&utm_term=.f1696c340825 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/01/11/an-army-vet-was-purged-from-ohios-voter-rolls-now-a-mayor-he-confronted-the-official-in-charge/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_with_top_mostshared_1_na&utm_term=.f1696c340825

Baseline assumptions (brilliantly concise phrasing borrowed from two of you): contempt, callous assholes, white hot rage. Key info : Led by Pence's team from Indiana that was imported en masse into this administration. tl;dr #1 There is no research of which I am aware that proves causation that working makes you healthier. There is, in fact, at least one recent study that suggests otherwise, but it is smart enough not to claim any attempts at causation. tl;dr #2 A paraphrase: "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?" "If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." A few highlights of this potential public health disaster that will visit itself primarily upon people of color and women - "community engagement activities" Yeah, sorry. This is very clearly not the New Deal and the WPA, PWA, or CCC. I'm particularly loving the "volunteer activities" and "caregivi...

New Year's Day, my sister decided she wanted to see the Falls (i.e., Niagara Falls) in its winter glory, which she hasn't in many years. I think technically the high temp in the sun was 15 degrees F, but the wind chill by the Falls was definitively colder. Thus, the spray was tiny ice shards. This led to an interesting effect I haven't experienced before - an air brushed nubbly coating of ice on your glasses, which quickly became not see through-able. It melted quickly, too, though, so that led to a fun cycle of ice, rinse, repeat. Anyway, we dressed appropriately for hiking in the winter and it was beautiful. We walked around for about an hour along the river, above Horseshoe Falls, and on Three Sisters islands. Goat Island ftw!

TIL we have wild monkeys in Florida. They're not even New World monkeys. And, Hollywood style, you could catch a disease from their bite that could kill you. Awesome. https://gizmodo.com/avoid-monkeys-in-florida-because-they-could-give-you-ki-1821963329 https://gizmodo.com/avoid-monkeys-in-florida-because-they-could-give-you-ki-1821963329

THIS IS SO COOL. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/01/10/exquisite-fossils-show-butterflies-appeared-before-there-were-flowers-to-pollinate/?utm_term=.6a2065e02777 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/01/10/exquisite-fossils-show-butterflies-appeared-before-there-were-flowers-to-pollinate/?utm_term=.6a2065e02777

Wahlberg and Williams are represented by the same agency . Even the director didn't get paid and Mark flipping Wahlberg got $1.5 million?? Please tell me this is fake news. Because what the actual * bleep *. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/01/09/exclusive-wahlberg-paid-1-5-m-all-money-reshoot-williams-got-less-than-1-000/1018351001/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/01/09/exclusive-wahlberg-paid-1-5-m-all-money-reshoot-williams-got-less-than-1-000/1018351001/

This is garbage. Either you have a right to vote as a citizen, or you don't. And demanding that you have a street address where you get snail mail is a not so unclear line back to having to be a white male property owner. People have shown over and over again that people don't vote in the wrong district, and don't vote multiple times. There are extremely rare problems with votes cast, and even rarer cases of anything like fraud. This is always a scare tactic and a witch hunt and a move to disenfranchise people. http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-court-voting-purges-20180110-story.html http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-court-voting-purges-20180110-story.html

And the beat goes on ... https://www.npr.org/2018/01/10/577093288/top-fox-news-d-c-reporter-james-rosen-left-network-after-harassment-claims https://www.npr.org/2018/01/10/577093288/top-fox-news-d-c-reporter-james-rosen-left-network-after-harassment-claims

What could possibly go wrong? https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-nafta-canada-exclusive/exclusive-canada-increasingly-convinced-of-trump-nafta-pullout-sources-idUSKBN1EZ2K4 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-nafta-canada-exclusive/exclusive-canada-increasingly-convinced-of-trump-nafta-pullout-sources-idUSKBN1EZ2K4

If you tried to sell it as a soap opera script, nobody would believe you. Now, there'll probably be at least two movies on TV. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2018/01/10/a-doctors-wife-threatened-to-expose-the-opioid-ring-he-ran-so-he-killed-her-officials-said/?utm_term=.cfa50d1409a6 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2018/01/10/a-doctors-wife-threatened-to-expose-the-opioid-ring-he-ran-so-he-killed-her-officials-said/?utm_term=.cfa50d1409a6

This is my surprised face. https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2018-01-10/ryan-zinke-faces-backlash-after-banning-drilling-off-florida https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2018-01-10/ryan-zinke-faces-backlash-after-banning-drilling-off-florida

Informative if not uplifting article from almost a year ago. Seems very relevant, though. Edit: Could someone explain why links change the titles completely? The actual title is "Blow it all up billionaires". http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/mercers/ http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/mercers/

Gee, and I was hoping it was because of Michael Moore. #sarcasm https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-administration-says-no-drilling-off-florida-coast/2018/01/09/91981160-f5a8-11e7-a9e3-ab18ce41436a_story.html?utm_term=.e695459ec9d7 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-administration-says-no-drilling-off-florida-coast/2018/01/09/91981160-f5a8-11e7-a9e3-ab18ce41436a_story.html?utm_term=.e695459ec9d7

Omg, Matt Schaefer you just saved my sanity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnKdvavzmrU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnKdvavzmrU

Civility, lol. You know, you'd think if they knew people were going to get sick, they'd have some fancy looking disposal container discreetly at hand. Or several. Instead of guessing which Christmas tree was "most likely to get hit". https://www.npr.org/2018/01/09/576764397/former-white-house-social-secretaries-on-the-value-of-treating-people-well https://www.npr.org/2018/01/09/576764397/former-white-house-social-secretaries-on-the-value-of-treating-people-well

Caveats: 1) Do not go back to the bad old days, which we really haven't left completely, of dismissing patients' reported pain. 2) Do not just treat with different pills and procedures. 3) Do not just do a surgery and discharge a patient and you're done. Corollaries - How do you get Medicare and insurance companies to pay for anything else? Narcotics are the cheapest thing going. How do you get hospitals to hire more staff to do the more labor intensive care and evaluation to treat pain with less or without narcotics? https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/01/09/576584541/hospitals-brace-patients-for-pain-to-reduce-risk-of-opioid-addiction https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/01/09/576584541/hospitals-brace-patients-for-pain-to-reduce-risk-of-opioid-addiction

The Republicans must have been thrilled to hear Trump suggest a return of Earmarks. "I hear so much about earmarks and how there was a great friendliness when you had earmarks," Trump said. "Maybe all of you should start thinking about going back to a form of earmarks". http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42586735 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42586735

Trump likes big, showy things. Maybe if you tell him the dogs and boats and planes and infrared sensors will be 24K gold plated, he'll find them showy enough. https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/01/09/to-pay-for-border-wall-trump-admin-weighs-cutting-security-measures-experts-say-actually-work.html https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/01/09/to-pay-for-border-wall-trump-admin-weighs-cutting-security-measures-experts-say-actually-work.html

Definitely never had to read these in school. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/09/books/review-black-no-more-george-schuyler-passing-nella-larsen.html?action=click&contentCollection=sports&module=NextInCollection&region=Footer&pgtype=article&version=spotlight&rref=collection%2Fspotlight%2Frace https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/09/books/review-black-no-more-george-schuyler-passing-nella-larsen.html?action=click&contentCollection=sports&module=NextInCollection&region=Footer&pgtype=article&version=spotlight&rref=collection/spotlight/race

Unacceptable. Bad form, bad style. Disgusting. http://buffalonews.com/2018/01/09/jerry-sullivan-if-its-true-incognito-has-to-go/?utm_medium=more_stories http://buffalonews.com/2018/01/09/jerry-sullivan-if-its-true-incognito-has-to-go/?utm_medium=more_stories

That went well. It's probably worth noting that Trump continues to leave bodies in his wake, but he's still standing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/steve-bannon-leaves-breitbart-after-blow-up-over-comments-in-trump-book/2018/01/09/1afddebc-f199-11e7-97bf-bba379b809ab_story.html?utm_term=.9950d95db7d0 https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/steve-bannon-leaves-breitbart-after-blow-up-over-comments-in-trump-book/2018/01/09/1afddebc-f199-11e7-97bf-bba379b809ab_story.html?utm_term=.9950d95db7d0

Since when can a business or other private place of employment not set the tone of discourse or other personal expressions while at work or in the work environment? I may be misreading this, but I swear it sounds like these people want free speech reinterpreted as when employed by a movie theater to have the right to shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater, and additionally claim no responsibility for the results. Sorry, but you are damaging the business of the company that employed you and I cannot imagine how your so-called free speech rights trump their interest in not employing someone who wants to damage their business. Not to mention you are endangering the public when you do that. Either way, you are responsible for the results of your actions. So even if someone said sure, say whatever you want whenever you want - damage your employer's business, hurt members of the public - you own whatever happens as a consequence. The employer should still be able to fire you, and ...

I'm sure the explanation for this will be enlightening. https://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/teacher-arrested-for-questioning-pay-raise?utm_term=.kwj7rNERdK#.acNEk87RNW https://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/teacher-arrested-for-questioning-pay-raise?utm_term=.kwj7rNERdK#.acNEk87RNW

Well, that's different. http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/09/africa/sahara-snow-trnd/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/09/africa/sahara-snow-trnd/index.html

Surprise. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-racism-class-police-guard-florida-gulf-coast-university-course/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-racism-class-police-guard-florida-gulf-coast-university-course/

Acid is bad, bases are worse. This is insane. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-42628272 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-42628272

I think they built an ice hotel specifically for us. Although, I'm not sleeping in the ice king zombie room. http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/game-of-thrones-ice-hotel-lapland/index.html?gallery=0 http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/game-of-thrones-ice-hotel-lapland/index.html?gallery=0

Surprise. What a lovely collection of creatures the Republicans are collecting - him, Ward (allegedly backed by the Mercers). So much class. http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/09/politics/arizona-senate-joe-arpaio/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/09/politics/arizona-senate-joe-arpaio/index.html

What the actual??? Like, how do you even think of doing these things? (To be clear, I have no love lost for Mylan due to their Epi-pen shenanigans, so they can go hang, but that is just quibbling with a specific case.) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2666791?utm_source=silverchair&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=article_alert&utm_term=mostread&utm_content=olf-widget https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2666791?utm_source=silverchair&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=article_alert&utm_term=mostread&utm_content=olf-widget

Holy mother of god what have these people done to their dogs and why have their dogs not killed them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=jzXfWkrKvXs https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=jzXfWkrKvXs

And herein lies a problem going back to the campaign and what about the airtime. But failing to understand the way Miller’s contretemps with Tapper appeals to a certain swath of the electorate is failing to understand how Trump gathered support in the first place. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/why-stephen-miller-succeeded-on-cnn/549923/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/why-stephen-miller-succeeded-on-cnn/549923/

Jazz Hands or Spirit Fingers? You decide! #bobfosse #bringiton https://www.sunnyskyz.com/uploads/2018/01/y56tc-jazz-hands.jpg

Interesting article. Writer seems to be history teacher at a Calvinist college in Grand Rapids, MI whose profile there says he got an MA and PhD from Notre Dame in US History. http://religiondispatches.org/itsnotus-being-evangelical-means-never-having-to-say-youre-sorry/ http://religiondispatches.org/itsnotus-being-evangelical-means-never-having-to-say-youre-sorry/

So much wrong. Religious freedom does not mean you have a right to impose your religious views on other people. It doesn't mean that you have a right to cloak bigotry, racism, prejudice, and anti-scientific beliefs in a protective coat of "religion" (notwithstanding that that has been done before, even if it ultimately failed, and will be done again). I understand there may be legal reasons why the SCOTUS didn't take these cases, but I am increasingly frustrated by people trying to turn this country into a theocracy. One, I might point out, that would immediately devolve into a state of religious war amongst the different factions that band together for political reasons right now. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-08/u-s-high-court-leaves-intact-mississippi-law-curbing-gay-rights https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-08/u-s-high-court-leaves-intact-mississippi-law-curbing-gay-rights

So, I guess this happened. The worst thing she said was "shite", which was obviously a deliberate non-usage of "shit", and apparently that didn't get bleeped, nor should it have been. Seriously, though, who the heck was on the bleep button? (Her brief and unedited speech is online, of course.) It is unsurprising in this context that some people may look at a very poorly done job of censorship and consider it symbolic of the silencing of women in the industry. Ironic, but unsurprising. http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/08/entertainment/frances-mcdormand-golden-globes-bleeped/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/08/entertainment/frances-mcdormand-golden-globes-bleeped/index.html

I was reading about John Young (RIP), and I came across this. I never heard about him before. His bio is something else. Just having a PhD in P Chem would impress me by itself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Henry_Lawrence_Jr . http://wivb.com/2017/12/08/first-black-astronaut-honored-on-50th-anniversary-of-death/ http://wivb.com/2017/12/08/first-black-astronaut-honored-on-50th-anniversary-of-death/

The whole article is a worthy read, but if it's too long, just read the text that pops up when you scroll over the pictures of the clothing. Also, trigger warning about harassment. Also, also, jfc. I’m not even very good at performing being a perfect victim. We don’t always know exactly what to say and how to be, we don’t really get a lot of training for how we should act, and we’re figuring this out as we go along, and we have done things before and will do things again later that don’t fit perfectly into a narrative. Mostly, it shows that we are not a tide of anonymous women making allegations, that we are not interchangeable. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/03/style/dressing-for-sexual-harassment-hearings.html?action=click&contentCollection=Politics&module=Trending&version=Full&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/03/style/dressing-for-sexual-harassment-hearings.html?action=click&contentCollection=Politi...

In the coverage of Our Great Leader, the corrupt media included some of the international coverage of the latest side show. This included an article from Der Spiegel (I think) titled: "Enthüllungsbuch über Trump Ein Käfig voller Narren". I think that last bit can be translated as cage full of fools, or something. So now I am hearing Aretha Franklin singing: Cage, Cage, Cage, (Cage, Cage, Cage), Cage of Fools, etc. If only the real lyrics didn't work so well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGAiW5dOnKo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGAiW5dOnKo

Sounds familiar. Except for how much money is involved. But that's just details. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/women-say-rigged-system-allows-wall-street-to-hide-sexual-harassment-problem https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/women-say-rigged-system-allows-wall-street-to-hide-sexual-harassment-problem

Well, you can't say Miller doesn't stay on message. Even if that message has nothing to do with the question he's asked. Or reality. Under other circumstances, I might question a host just saying, "Because it's my show and I don't want to do that." Really, though, it's amazing Tapper appears to maintain his sang-froid at all. Fwiw, you don't need to watch this. I think it's a comment on this timeline that it's a big deal that Tapper ended the interview. Honestly, I'm surprised Tapper tried to have any decent conversation for this long (about 12 1/2 minutes). If only journalists and media had cut the entire campaign off every time they pulled this garbage for two years up to the election. http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/01/07/white-house-adviser-stephen-miller-full-interview-sotu.cnn http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/01/07/white-house-adviser-stephen-miller-full-interview-sotu.cnn

If I'm ever at the Grand Army Bar, I will have to try one of these. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/12/29/572014284/the-ultimate-cocktail-to-send-off-an-npr-host-radio-silence https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/12/29/572014284/the-ultimate-cocktail-to-send-off-an-npr-host-radio-silence

Iz sad. https://www.npr.org/2018/01/05/576010904/robert-siegel-superfans-say-farewell-to-all-things-considered-host https://www.npr.org/2018/01/05/576010904/robert-siegel-superfans-say-farewell-to-all-things-considered-host

Tremendously understated: "There's what I suspect is a very cultural pressure to perform and to perform well, especially for what we consider minor illnesses." Corollary: All illnesses are minor until proven serious. If you read the bit about the stupid culture that is the practice of medicine and how and why all your health pros are showing up to work with infectious plague, well, good luck changing the rest of society's idea that you're a lazy ass if you don't die in the traces. And sometimes, even if you do. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/01/06/575919771/its-not-just-a-cold-its-sickness-behavior https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/01/06/575919771/its-not-just-a-cold-its-sickness-behavior

And some barfy cute (that older dog wants to get the puppy to play so badly): https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=105&v=TNskE7cGswk https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=105&v=TNskE7cGswk

Here, have some adorable. http://idahonews.com/news/local/watch-blake-the-bowling-dog http://idahonews.com/news/local/watch-blake-the-bowling-dog

What was important during the election, though, was email ... I mean, we wouldn't be having these conversations still/again if the election had gone differently, and they clearly need to be had repeatedly and persistently if we have any hope of changing anything. So I guess that's good? Nonetheless, why is the world of journalism and news covering all of this in this way now, and not during the election? Trump was always Trump, this issue was always a if not the defining issue of his campaign. Yet they let him and his organization run the narrative while they took the bait and talked about emails. It’s not just blue-collar white people who seem blithely willing to sacrifice economic rationality for racial solidarity. After all, it arguably took a special kind of stupid for upper-middle class suburbanites in high-tax states to support a party that just raised their taxes. (No, this wasn’t a bait-and-switch. The GOP leadership has talked openly about eliminating deductions for st...

I think he quit being a corporate attorney just so he could get away with the hipster beard. http://buffalonews.com/2018/01/06/choco-logo-bar-going-to-the-golden-globes/ http://buffalonews.com/2018/01/06/choco-logo-bar-going-to-the-golden-globes/

You know, I wish I could go around telling people I was a genius and a winner and have that be enough to convince them to just give me things. It must be nice to be deluded and successful, no matter what you do.

What are the redeeming qualities of humans, again? https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/paradise-chains-diana-preston-mutiny-bounty-australia/ https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/paradise-chains-diana-preston-mutiny-bounty-australia/

Informative, but neither cheerful nor optimistic. Americans, like central Appalachians, are told that problems of health and poverty stem from the moral failings of individuals, not of society. Meanwhile, their country’s institutions are embracing the same ideology that laid waste to the coalfields—that profit equals prosperity, regardless of its true costs. https://qz.com/1167671/the-100-year-capitalist-experiment-that-keeps-appalachia-poor-sick-and-stuck-on-coal/ https://qz.com/1167671/the-100-year-capitalist-experiment-that-keeps-appalachia-poor-sick-and-stuck-on-coal/

Canada officially announced this, the US is still investigating. No big deal to skip the romaine for a while, though. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/health/e-coli-romaine-lettuce.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/health/e-coli-romaine-lettuce.html

Yeah, I know the UN is not exactly a stellar example of a lot of things, but when Iran and Russia are giving lectures on Chicago in 1968 and Ferguson, we've lost something. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/world/middleeast/un-iran-protests-debate.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/world/middleeast/un-iran-protests-debate.html

Stupid questions: if the GOP really thinks there's nothing to the possibility of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign, what could they possibly lose by properly investigating it and proving there was no collusion? I mean, collusion isn't even a legal thing, but it is a real issue if there was interference in our elections. How could they lose by showing Russian interference, but not collusion? I boggle at these people, I really do.

You know it's cold when ... All the churches cancel bingo.

The terrifying sound of cars refusing to start echoes through the twilight. Fortunately, so far not one of our cars.

Oh, yay. My hands smell like the gasoline I used to feed the snow blower. Blech. Meanwhile, the only part of me that actually cold hurts a little is my inner thighs. Probably because I used the sweat vent zippers on my ski pants so I wouldn't sweat and cause more problems, but come on. My choice is frostbit inner thighs or sweaty and frostbit everywhere? No fair. P.S. I have yet to discover that perfect solution to foggy eye wear/eye protection that works all the time. Anybody have any brilliant solutions that work for them? It's super annoying.

Or this problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgeyexOAOIg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgeyexOAOIg

The good news is that due to modern tech materials, I do not have this problem when dressing to clear our driveway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPeXTh5tcVU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPeXTh5tcVU

We have reached zero degrees! Now we can go outside! Yay!!!!

This article is sad beyond words in its microcosm. The wonderful Moore folks who wanted to be sure we all knew they weren't anti semitic because they had a Jewish lawyer don't actually have a Jewish lawyer. He's a long ago convert and he's a zealous convert. There may be some confusion about labels and the persistence of historical attitudes that once a jew always a jew a la Nuremberg laws to however many generations or whatever. There's a quote below, but even the article says he straight up converted to Evangelical Christianity (LDS was too weird for him) with a capital E. So he isn't even really a so-called Messianic Jew, whatever he calls himself. Messianic Judaism is a religious movement of self-proclaimed Jews who embrace Jesus as their savior. Most Jewish groups view it as a form of Christianity, as do most evangelical Christians. Be whatever religion you want to be. Just don't mix it with our governance and force it on people who don't agree. The...

Here's one of his images. I think they're really awesome. He talks about the special lenses he uses to take the pictures, too. http://www.donkom.ca/depth-of-the-cold/ http://www.donkom.ca/depth-of-the-cold/

The video is fun (and the article is informative). If I can, I will try to find the pro photog who started making photos of frozen soap bubbles in stereo a few years ago. It's pretty cool. Meanwhile, the next couple of days seem good for this (the frozen bubble thing). If you want to go outside. http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/03/weather/bomb-cyclone-bombogenesis-winter-weather-trnd/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/03/weather/bomb-cyclone-bombogenesis-winter-weather-trnd/index.html

When life gives you snowstorms, you make snowflake pictures. The first one is melting while I'm taking the picture. The other two I managed to get decent pics of the same flake, along with its friend under it in the lower left corner. I can't decide which pic I like better of the two.

Paula's was experimenting. This is a chocolate frosted, graham cracker crumb dusted, nutella creme filled and topped donut.

Schneikes! http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/maritimes-weather-bomb-storm-1.4472833 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/maritimes-weather-bomb-storm-1.4472833

Beautiful, if scary. What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry? https://twitter.com/NOAASatellites/status/948921242186330113 https://twitter.com/NOAASatellites/status/948921242186330113

Like, science or something. Also, the storm is apparently named "Grayson". Do I make the joke? Sure, why not. It's a real Dick. https://www.wired.com/story/why-the-bomb-cyclone-hitting-the-east-coast-is-so-unusual/ https://www.wired.com/story/why-the-bomb-cyclone-hitting-the-east-coast-is-so-unusual/

Man, am I glad I do not live on a coast just now. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/us/winter-snow-bomb-cyclone.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/us/winter-snow-bomb-cyclone.html

I know they're an invasive species, but I think I'd probably be the stupid person who brought them inside in a box, or something because it just seems cruel. “He’ll either get enough sun where he’ll revive himself and get himself up the tree, or he’ll continue to freeze and turn dark brown — almost black — and I’ll know he’s dead,” Mr. Cerabino said. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/us/iguana-florida-cold-weather.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/us/iguana-florida-cold-weather.html

I'm just shakin' ma head. The Greenville PD's hashtags are on point, as well. They forgot we could track their footprints in the snow. #nottheonion #darwinwinsagain https://www.facebook.com/greenvillepd1/posts/1628991387187561 https://www.facebook.com/greenvillepd1/posts/1628991387187561

I want my G.O.T.! But I guess I have to wait. P.S. I don't see how they wrap it up in 6 episodes. https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season-8-returning-2019.html https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season-8-returning-2019.html

Coulda just linked to Escoffier or Wikipedia, but had to go the low road with James Bond and Bombe Surprise. #bombogenesis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2GHL8VhMjo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2GHL8VhMjo

Apropos. No idea what they taste like but have seen them in the store. #bombogenesis https://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/bamba-peanut-snacks https://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/bamba-peanut-snacks

Ok, it's obvious, but it had to happen. #bombogenesis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp6j5HJ-Cok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp6j5HJ-Cok

Gipsy Kings are the best. #bombogenesis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dQUyCkxVI4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dQUyCkxVI4

This may be on my mind. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombolone #bombogenesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombolone

I could not get a picture, because he moved too fast, but apparently Bunzilla (the large rabbit whose territory includes our yard) decided our back door steps were a warmer place to be than his burrow at 6 am. Our making the inexplicable decision to open the door and leave the house scared him, though, and he ran off.

Cool. https://gizmodo.com/discovery-of-unknown-ancient-population-changes-our-und-1821739886 https://gizmodo.com/discovery-of-unknown-ancient-population-changes-our-und-1821739886

Science. It's still a funny name. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bombogenesis.html https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bombogenesis.html

It is a bit odd that everybody is all "YAY" about the QB, but the receiver isn't getting any love. http://buffalonews.com/2018/01/03/bengals-receiver-who-caught-td-asks-bills-fans-to-support-cause-close-to-his-heart/ http://buffalonews.com/2018/01/03/bengals-receiver-who-caught-td-asks-bills-fans-to-support-cause-close-to-his-heart/

This showed up in an otherwise entirely about US politics and Trump stuff stream. I feel like it may be the most relevant news of the day. https://forward.com/fast-forward/391346/israeli-hedgehogs-are-too-fat-have-to-go-on-diets/ https://forward.com/fast-forward/391346/israeli-hedgehogs-are-too-fat-have-to-go-on-diets/

12 and 9? Come on, guys. Really? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42558328 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42558328

OFFS. It is so hard not to want these people to come down with cryptosporidia or cholera or typhoid fever. We don't have schistosoma in this country, at least. We do have leptospirosis here and there. Things to which these people are likely oblivious - polio is also transmitted fecal-oral through contaminated water. Mostly, you should be ok if you were vaccinated ... Honestly, though, the privilege and stupidity. As a commenter noted somewhere, maybe they could just spend their money helping remediate lead in places like Flint. This paragraph kinda sums it all up, really: Mukhande Singh (né Christopher Sanborn), founder of Live Water, told the Times that tap water was “dead” water. “Tap water? You’re drinking toilet water with birth control drugs in them,” he said. “Chloramine, and on top of that they’re putting in fluoride. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but it’s a mind-control drug that has no benefit to our dental health.” (Note: There is plenty of data showing that fluoride im...

Good for Iceland. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-women-government-pay/follow-iceland-and-make-it-illegal-to-pay-men-more-than-women-experts-idUSKBN1ES16U https://www.reuters.com/article/us-women-government-pay/follow-iceland-and-make-it-illegal-to-pay-men-more-than-women-experts-idUSKBN1ES16U

Well, that was fun. Going back to bed, now.

Well, crap. There's a blizzard warning/travel advisory. Now my parents aren't going to go to their friend's 50th anniversary party.

Wow. It's up to $57,000, now. In $17 increments, lol (it's been 17 years since the Bills made the playoffs). http://buffalonews.com/2018/01/01/andy-dalton-gets-bills-into-the-playoffs-and-billsmafia-pays-it-forward/ http://buffalonews.com/2018/01/01/andy-dalton-gets-bills-into-the-playoffs-and-billsmafia-pays-it-forward/

You know it's cold when ... Toronto cancels the annual New Year's polar bear swim. P.S. One guy still went in. There's always that one guy . http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/oakville-polar-bear-dip-cancelled-1.4469283 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/oakville-polar-bear-dip-cancelled-1.4469283