Althouse: At the Big Thaw Café...

February 17, 2017

At the Big Thaw Café...

... you can talk about anything you want.

(And please consider using The Althouse Amazon Portal.)

65 comments:

rcocean said...: Looks awful. Cold and muddy.; 2/17/17, 12:57 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Right now it's 55°.; 2/17/17, 1:00 PM
mockturtle said...: Fox's Shepard Smith got a lot of flak for his anti-Trump tirade.
Trump Supporters Call for Shepard Smith's Head; 2/17/17, 1:02 PM
exhelodrvr1 said...: Looks like the polar bears are extinct there, too! I knew this would happen if Trump got elected!; 2/17/17, 1:04 PM
David Baker said...: Is that "Zeus"! Under a great blue sky. Tasting the muddy water.

A+; 2/17/17, 1:05 PM
Wince said...: George 'the Animal' Steele, RIP.

I thought it was an apt to compare David Brooks to Vince McMahon, and Donald Trump to George 'the Animal' Steele, in the previous thread about the reactions to the press conference. We all know who the fan favorite was.; 2/17/17, 1:08 PM
Bob Ellison said...: My four-chord song:

[4] I just wanna get by [downbeat on "by"]
[1] Help my boys to get by
[5] If my boys can get by
[6] Then I'll lie down; 2/17/17, 1:09 PM
Chest Rockwell said...: I had lunch today at the Lunch Room in The Peoples Republic of Ann Arbor, which is an excellent restaurant if you're in the area.

The had a pile of Black Lives Matter buttons on the counter with a sign that said 'Please take a Black Lives Matter pin to show solidarity with the media and the Congressional Black Caucus and their mistreatment by the president'. Presumably this was about DJT asking that reporter to set up a meeting with CBC. And what does that have to do with BLM?

Who knows! I find it hilarious that a vegan restaurant that has no black employees or patrons finds the need to virtue signal.; 2/17/17, 1:09 PM
rcocean said...: 55? The Dog walker needed to put on a pair of shorts.; 2/17/17, 1:17 PM
Sydney said...: The craziness is out of control. Our mayor's husband is in trouble for tweeting vile things about Donald Trump. They truly were vile, too. Racist and misogynistic. Told him he should do something with "black cock" and called Ivanka a whore. Of course, our mayor and her husband are Democrats. I can't understand why on earth he felt the need to do that. Probably damaged his wife's career if not ruined it. I'm especially baffled by his calling Ivanka a whore. He has daughters for crying out loud. Daughters whose mother is a politician. Surely he could have felt that shoe on his foot, no?; 2/17/17, 1:18 PM
rehajm said...: CNBC is running in the background today. John Harwood of 'joke' debate fame is no longer on the air. Network talking heads don't insist guests speak about tax policy in static scoring terms and that tax cuts could actually benefit well being of US citizens. Could they actually be tacking right? Does Megyn Kelley have something to do with this?; 2/17/17, 1:27 PM
Michael K said...: This was "Mud Season" in New Hampshire. They always had a spring thaw. I think it might have had something to do wtjh jet exhaust from all the faculty going to Florida at semester break.

Huge storm coming ashore in California. Oroville should be interesting the next few days.; 2/17/17, 1:31 PM
mockturtle said...: Rehajm, I also have at least an inkling that the NBC complex is shifting its narrative a bit. And they are smart for doing so. CNN has doubled down and come across now as fatuous and irrelevant.; 2/17/17, 1:34 PM
Robert Cook said...: Is the CIA's "Play ball or lose yours" message getting through to Trump?; 2/17/17, 1:38 PM
Hagar said...: A personal pet peeve.
There is no "k" sound in the Scandinavian languages' "ki" combination as in "Kirsten", etc.
In previous centuries there was no letter "j", or if there was, it was rarely used, and "i" was used for both "i" and "j". Thus the name Kierkegaard, f. ex., with today's spelling would be spelled Kjerkegård,* and the "kj" is pronounced like the "chi" in "ka-ching", but without the "s" in front.

(Logically, Kirsten should have been spelled Kiirsten perhaps, but we don't do that.)

For comparison, in the old spelling of Peking, which is now Beijing, the "P" was more like the Spanish "p" and the "ki" like the Scandinavian "ki", but perhaps a bit more stressed so that it is now transliterated with "j".

*In Dutch, "aa" is a long "ah" sound as in Zaandam. In old Danish and Norwegian (I don't know how the Swedes handled it) it is the modern letter "å", pronounced as "aw" in English.; 2/17/17, 1:40 PM
rehajm said...: Genie Bouchard lost her Super Bowl date bet, then made good and she liked it! There's a second date!; 2/17/17, 1:41 PM
Hagar said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/17/17, 1:45 PM
Original Mike said...: "Looks awful. Cold and muddy."

Cold?!?!?!. LOL.; 2/17/17, 1:45 PM
Hagar said...: I think John Harwood was caught out violating some ethic of journalism so blatantly that he was put on leave without pay for a while but not fired.
I don't understand that. As a P.E., if I committed an ethical violation that seriously embarrassed my firm, I would have been fired.; 2/17/17, 1:47 PM
MadisonMan said...: The best day of the year is the first day in February that is mid-50s, sunny, and calm.

Heaven!; 2/17/17, 1:50 PM
traditionalguy said...: Fifty days until the Masters tees off in Augusta. Today's weather starts the count down.

Jordan Speith is my favorite. He is 2 down going into day 3 of a Genesis Open tournament in Pacific Palisades, Ca. I hope it is not rained out...where is California's 100 years drought when you need it.; 2/17/17, 2:01 PM
Michael K said...: "Is the CIA's "Play ball or lose yours" message getting through to Trump?"

I think it is, Cookie and John Brennan might get a stay in the gray bar hotel.

I thought back to a previous election where I voted, and I voted for the Communist Party candidate… I froze, because I was getting so close to coming into CIA and said, “OK, here’s the choice, John. You can deny that, and the machine is probably going to go, you know, wacko, or I can acknowledge it and see what happens.”… I said I was neither Democratic or Republican, but it was my way, as I was going to college, of signaling my unhappiness with the system, and the need for change. I said I’m not a member of the Communist Party, so the polygrapher looked at me and said, “OK,” and when I was finished with the polygraph and I left and said, “Well, I’m screwed.”

Sadly, he wasn't. But this Flynn stuff might be a bridge too far.; 2/17/17, 2:05 PM
Nyamujal said...: Reading this now:
http://www.historytoday.com/david-wootton/brief-history-facts
And this:
https://www.amazon.com/Nut-Country-Right-Wing-Southern-Strategy-ebook/dp/B014F6X89O/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487362649&sr=1-1&keywords=nut+country
I recommend both.; 2/17/17, 2:17 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: MadisonMan said...
The best day of the year is the first day in February that is mid-50s, sunny, and calm.

Heaven!

2/17/17, 1:50 PM

Supposed to be in the 60's tomorrow. Out comes my bike!; 2/17/17, 2:27 PM
David Baker said...: Here's a fast and simple soup recipe that will please even Martha Stewart:

1 large leek
3 quarts chicken stock (or broth, bouillon)
1/2 cup chopped carrots (less is better than more)
Pepper (black) to taste
Salt, but only if the stock is unsalted
1/2 cup long grain rice
1 or 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Cut leek sideways into three or four sections, then split and break apart each section, and rinse and soak in cold water. Make sure it's thoroughly clean. Then chop into small strips/pieces.

Heat oil in soup pot. Add prepared leek. Sweat over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil. Then simmer w/cover 10 minutes. Add rice, pepper. Mix/stir well (rice may stick to the bottom in the beginning). Cover. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Then add chopped carrots. Simmer another 5 minutes. Done. Remove from heat. Let stand covered for 5-10 minutes.

If you've never tried leek, it has a sweet onion flavor - but very unique. The chicken stock/broth adds depth and additional, complimentary flavor. The carrots add color, but will detract if overused.

Raw leek tends to be hard/tough, so be sure to use a sharp knife - which makes cutting a breeze. Leek also cooks surprisingly fast, becoming completely soft (edible) within 20-25 minutes. Which is why the above recipe requires only about 30 minutes cooking time.

Note: Commercially prepared stocks are bland, and relatively expensive. Better to use the dry forms, such as a brand like "Maggi" Chicken Flavor Bullion (a powder) - 1 teaspoon to each quart of water.; 2/17/17, 2:31 PM
Hagar said...: Another thing about Trump's press conference.
When he jokingly suggested to April Ryan that she set up a meeting for him with Elijah Cummings, he was making a point that the Congressional Black Caucus kind of acts like a separate entity within the U.S. House of Representatives.; 2/17/17, 2:32 PM
rcocean said...: "Fifty days until the Masters tees off in Augusta. Today's weather starts the count down."

Fifty days for Tigers back to get better. He's finished as quality Pro golfer but it'd be nice to see him tee it up for a few rounds.

And I want to Jordan bounce back from last year and win. His loss was painful.; 2/17/17, 2:55 PM
Michael K said...: Instapundit linked to a Hugh Hewitt interview with an MSNBC host who hung up on him when he asked her if Alger Hiss was a communist. I heard him do the same thing to another reporter he was interviewing one day.

It was just his way of getting to know a new interviewee. He had a short list of questions.

This time the MSNBC girls had brought up McCarthy and compared Cruz to him. Hewitt didn't have to even bring it up.

ARM, was Hiss a communist ?; 2/17/17, 3:16 PM
rcocean said...: "Hugh Hewitt interview with an MSNBC host who hung up on him when he asked her if Alger Hiss was a communist"

That was a standard Hewitt question for years. I remember he asked both David Corn and Andrew Sullivan and both tap-danced around the question and regarding it as some sort of "trap".

Its a good way to determine if you're listening to an honest liberal. Especially if they're over 50.; 2/17/17, 3:26 PM
rcocean said...: McCrazy is in Munich and just gave a classic Globalist speech about "America in not withdrawing from the world".

For McCrazy its always 1938 - or going by the speech - July 1944. I didn't know that the German Generals that tried to overthrow Hitler were in favor of Muslim immigration . But McCain says it, so it must be so.; 2/17/17, 3:28 PM
mockturtle said...: trad guy says: Jordan Speith is my favorite. He is 2 down going into day 3 of a Genesis Open tournament in Pacific Palisades, Ca. I hope it is not rained out...where is California's 100 years drought when you need it.

Speith is my favorite now, too. And his caddy, well, mmmm--mmm! :-D; 2/17/17, 3:49 PM
Etienne said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/17/17, 4:55 PM
traditionalguy said...: How long before we get The Big Chill cafe? Putin may order another Siberian Express to chill the Baby Boomers.; 2/17/17, 5:11 PM
viator said...: Avi Avital, אבי אביטל, born 1978, an Israeli mandolinist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXBWrNN64z8; 2/17/17, 5:18 PM
traditionalguy said...: Jesuit Francis, the so called Pope, who is morphing into a Globalist Politician, needs to be replaced by the Catholics. You guys can vote him out, right.; 2/17/17, 5:23 PM
Michael K said...: "needs to be replaced by the Catholics. You guys can vote him out, right."

I just would like to know what happened to Benedict. This is starting to look like 16th century church intrigue.; 2/17/17, 5:26 PM
viator said...: "Jesuit Francis, the so called Pope, who is morphing into a Globalist Politician, needs to be replaced by the Catholics."

Why did the last guy get fired? And by whom?; 2/17/17, 5:26 PM
Michael K said...: "Why did the last guy get fired? And by whom?"

It's a bit of a mystery to me.

He was Cardinal Ratzinger and was well known for being sharp.

He "retired."

On 11 February 2013, Benedict announced his resignation in a speech in Latin before the cardinals, citing a "lack of strength of mind and body" due to his advanced age. His resignation became effective on 28 February 2013. He is the first pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415, and the first to do so on his own initiative since Pope Celestine V in 1294.

I've wondered if it was a palace coup.

Maybe I'm just conditioned from reading Malachi Martin's novels, which I have always suspected were true, just roman a clef as novels.

He called Paul VI the "Mafia Pope."

He also thought John Paul I was murdered, probably by the KGB. He thought that was the reason JPII took that name.

His novels are fascinating if you are interested in The Church.

They are also supported by some non-fiction I've read. One was "The Vatican Connection" which was about the Vatican Bank scandal. It backed up Martin;s version.; 2/17/17, 6:18 PM
Paddy O said...: Ratzinger had earlier (before being Pope) argued that it was possible and sometimes even preferable for popes to step down from their role if they were no longer physically able to keep up with the demands. It really was a wonderful display of integrity, as letting go such power and authority is not really humanly common. He effectively fired himself, and as it was in keeping with his own positions, even though it was virtually unprecedented it makes sense. It was surprising mostly because it's so rare people meet their own expectations of others.

JPII lingered too long, and while a profoundly important figure, his lack of leadership in the sexual abuse scandals really tarnished the Church's reputation and his legacy.

I may not agree with Francis on everything, but he's certainly publicly teaching Catholic social doctrine. It's the kind of stuff that should ideally get people on various sides of politics mad at him.; 2/17/17, 6:30 PM
eddie willers said...: Since this is open topics: I really liked HBO's The Young Pope.

Rather Jude Law than the wacky commie reigning now.; 2/17/17, 6:36 PM
mockturtle said...: As I am not Catholic, I guess it's OK for me to say that I think the current pope is the worst in my lifetime. Right out of the gate, he jumped onto the Progressive bandwagon and most Catholics I know are thoroughly disgusted by his kowtowing to the Muslims and raving against US 'populism'. Piss on the pope!; 2/17/17, 6:48 PM
FullMoon said...: Talked to an elderly relative, over 90, lifelong Democrat. She saw part of Trumps news conference and says "maybe he is not so dumb after all". She is pleasantly surprised.; 2/17/17, 6:53 PM
Humperdink said...: CNBC and Morning Rino reported this morning that Trump's claim that Hillary gave 20% of the US uranium to Russia was false. Then I read CNBC's report as to why Trump's claim was mostly false.

The money quote from CNBC: "The claim isn't true. Between 2009 and 2013, Russia's atomic energy agency, Rosatom, purchased a majority stake in a Canadian company called Uranium One, The New York Times reported in 2015. The Toronto-based firm's mining assets in Wyoming, Utah and elsewhere in the United States account for about 20 percent of U.S. uranium production capacity, according to the Times.

PolitiFact pointed out that 20 percent of uranium capacity is different from 20 percent of existing uranium."

Tortured logic at it's finest. No wonder no one believes the media.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/16/trump-claims--falsely--that-clinton-gave-russia-20-of-us-uranium.html; 2/17/17, 6:59 PM
Michael K said...: I guess it's OK for me to say that I think the current pope is the worst in my lifetime.

I agree but have been a non-church goer for years.

I did see JPII in the Vatican say Mass, however.

I liked Ratzinger and don't like this guy.; 2/17/17, 7:15 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: mockturtle said...
As I am not Catholic, I guess it's OK for me to say that I think the current pope is the worst in my lifetime"

I'm Catholic and I say that all the time.; 2/17/17, 7:31 PM
bagoh20 said...: Going through the hardest rain I've ever seen here in L.A. Everything is overwhelmed: roof drains, street gutters, roads, trees and telephone poles down everywhere. I've been soaked most of the day, but life is still a ball if you drive a big pickup. On the way home tonight everybody was driving through these huge puddles across the road, and many of us having a really good time of it. Then I see this guy in a hoodie in Compton on his phone with his head in his conversation as he walks right up to the curb in front of a 6 foot wide 10 inch deep puddle right in my path..........

No. I slowed down to a crawl, but damn it was tempting. I could have put him inside a wave the size of the Bonsai pipeline that probably would have knocked him over. If he had a press pass, I would have done it. It was good to see the people who are usually in a near road rage suddenly having so much fun tonight. I suppose some people were a little flummoxed ,but most I saw were clearly aiming for and accelerating into the huge ponds everywhere and throwing up waves on each other. A Friday water park celebration for working adults. Woohooooo!; 2/17/17, 7:43 PM
Known Unknown said...: Can't help but think I may have summoned the death of George "The Animal" Steele.

RIP, Mr. Myers.; 2/17/17, 7:46 PM
mockturtle said...: Michael K says: I liked Ratzinger and don't like this guy.

I liked him, too! He seemed to have his theological head on straight [she pretentiously claimed].; 2/17/17, 7:52 PM
khesanh0802 said...: Crazy weather in the Midwest. At least I got a chance to clean the wood stove's chimney today to prepare for the return of winter. Plan to take advantage of the weather and shoot skeet tomorrow for the first time since December - the skeet are safe!

I think Tiger should leave the field gracefully. He has not covered himself with glory in his personal life and it would probably be better that we weren't reminded of that by the constant " will he or won't he" in the press. I know it's tough for these really competitive people, but look how classy Peyton was when he hung up his spikes.

@Michael K and other current and ex-Californians; Do you think CA would be better off it they had spent the money for the Bullet Train to nowhere on water projects? ( I know your answer I am just pulling your legs!)

By the way Michael, Dartmouth has never been the same since they dropped the Indian. Wa Who Wa! I used to admire him as he ran around in the cold - most likely drunk - at Harvard Stadium. "Dartmouth's in town again run, girls, run!"; 2/17/17, 8:03 PM
khesanh0802 said...: You Catholics should consider yourselves lucky. The Episcopal Church in the US makes Francis look like he's a right winger.; 2/17/17, 8:06 PM
khesanh0802 said...: One more for Michael K:

"Oh, Eleazar Wheelock was a very pious man;
He went into the wilderness to teach the In-di-an,
With a Gradus ad Parnassum, a Bible and a drum,
And five hundred gallons of New England rum.
Fill the bowl up! Fill the bowl up!
Drink to Eleazar,
And his primitive Alcazar,
Where he mixed drinks for the heathen in the goodness of his soul."

I see I misspelled Wah-hoo- wah. I apologize.; 2/17/17, 8:11 PM
Michael K said...: "Do you think CA would be better off it they had spent the money for the Bullet Train to nowhere on water projects? ( I know your answer I am just pulling your legs!)"

California is lost. I have kids there and feel for them. In fact I talked to my son this afternoon and he is fine. Jerry Brown has made a mess of the state and I doubt if it can be saved.

They could have been building water storage the past 30 years as the state population doubled.

They have elected Wille Brown's fuck buddy as Senator. They are beyond the reach of sensible people.; 2/17/17, 8:18 PM
Michael K said...: I still subscribe to the Dartmouth Review.; 2/17/17, 8:19 PM
khesanh0802 said...: @MichaelK One of my sons is Dartmouth class of 1994. A proud Indian indeed!; 2/17/17, 8:36 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Blogger Known Unknown said...
Can't help but think I may have summoned the death of George "The Animal" Steele.

RIP, Mr. Myers.

2/17/17, 7:46 PM

That's what I thought after Scalia died a mere day or two after I wrote here on Althouse:

Oh and Nino?

Nino knows.

Then I decided Althouse baited my comment from dark depths previously recessed hence Google and the power company and HP and my ISP and the food producers product I ate then and my teachers and mass media and politicians and the nameless lower caste Indian history will always fail to recall is responsible for any after effects, even if delayed.

Not me, that's for sure.

I couldn't bare the weight of Scalia's existence extinguished on this lil ol' conscious of mine ergo as I could never build anything alone I can never be responsible for anything alone. Or, if it's really bad, even in large part.

So, to wrap this comment up, you bet your ass you can help to think others caused or allowed the bad shit. Hell, I bet The Animal did.; 2/17/17, 9:22 PM
rhhardin said...: There's a foreigners-work-US/Canada contest. An hour with my new battery-enhanced 15w on 40m worked

4 italy
4 hungary
3 slovenia
2 spain
2 slovakia
2 poland
2 virgin islands
2 germany
2 croatia
1 wales
1 switzerland
1 serbia
1 czech republic
1 portugal
1 brazil
1 belize
1 belgium
1 austria

a lot of stay-up-late Europeans, all of whom run a kilowatt and send fast and mean to win. Eastern Europeans are the most serious of the bunch.

There was a ripple-like wobble on tones, as if the ionosphere was churning, and an east wind.

I expect Mary Poppins.; 2/17/17, 10:14 PM
wildswan said...: Loved the picture. I'm spending part of the winter out of Wisconsin; it's just too cold for me there. And it's been so good being away that I felt a wave of nostalgia looking at the picture. I knew just what the sharp raw air felt like and how good the sun felt. You have to be cold and see gray skies for weeks and weeks to have the feeling you get from winter sun and 55 degrees in Wisconsin. Here, they long for clouds and snow to help the drought. How they'd love to see a sloppy, squelchy road with a giant puddle of standing water.; 2/17/17, 10:25 PM
HT said...: Masha Green - Jan. 19 - on Samantha Bee
Top fears

Nuclear holocaust
Environmental destruction
Destroys democracy
Lift sanctions against Russia
Ban newspapers from White House
Start thinking of wars
One press conf a year (Putin model)
Deportations - calling on Americans to start reporting immigrants
He uses language to assert power of reality - it’s instinctual. Point is to render you powerless
The thing to do is to continue panicking - stay hysterical; 2/17/17, 10:31 PM
Fred Drinkwater said...: michael k
check out
cdec.water.ca.gov/reservoir_map.html
click on the links in the right column; 2/17/17, 11:02 PM
Etienne said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/17/17, 11:26 PM
rhhardin said...: An hour early this morning, the Europeans are gone and only the Caribbean is there

2 virgin islands
1 costa rica
1 nevis
1 jamaica
1 curacao
1 cuba
1 bonaire
1 barbados
1 aruba

40m only really works where it's dark.

I heard a couple Japanese and New Zealand but so weak that I had no chance that they could hear me, with my having much less power.

I will not be tempted to get more than the tiny radio by the mouse.; 2/18/17, 6:14 AM
rhhardin said...: Today's question is whether to go up to 15m and work all sorts of tiresome daytime countries - my 40m quarter wave vertical also loads on 15m, any odd multiple of quarter waves works - in spite of its being tiresome.

Daytime 40m is mostly for old farts talking about their retirement.

When I was a kid I used to give my age so the contact wouldn't expect grown-up conversation. Nowadays everybody's giving their age because they're really old and want to give context for stuff they might have in common.

They stopped requiring a morse code test for a license so nobody young knows it today, in the US.; 2/18/17, 6:31 AM
rhhardin said...: Ugh. Same stations on 15m that I worked last night on 40m.; 2/18/17, 7:51 AM
khesanh0802 said...: @ Fred Drinkwater Interesting stuff. Well over the historical average in most cases and almost at capacity before snow melt. Lot of water is going to go to waste.; 2/18/17, 9:05 AM
Michael K said...: @ Fred Drinkwater Interesting stuff.

It will be interesting to see if it holds.

California has been run by fools since Pete Wilson.; 2/18/17, 12:57 PM

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