November 22, 2017

At the Buttoned-Up Café...

P1150509

... you don't have to relax.

Talk about whatever you want in the comments, and please consider supporting this blog by shopping through The Althouse Amazon Portal

The sculpture is "Soundsuit" by Nick Cave. Here's a longer view:

P1150505

ADDED: Nick Cave the sculptor is not the same person as Nick Cave the songwriter. Here's a nice article about the sculptor: "Nick Cave/Using materials that range from twigs to crystals to rainbow-colored hair, the artist makes sculptures that, for all their beauty, are visceral and necessary critiques of racial injustice" (NYT).

123 comments:

DavidD said...

I’m being triggered by all those Hs; at least they’re not blue.

n.n said...

This person is in need of a shorts transfusion: the lesser evil.

Churchy LaFemme: said...


the button, and what you know

I
this is the button and
what you know about it:

1. that it is a button--
you know this.

2. that it has suddenly
appeared before you.

3. that the button is
attached to a plate;
that the plate is attached to nothing else--
that it floats.

4. that this floating is taking place 2 feet or
half a meter in front of your immediate face.

5. wait--there is more.
the button and the plate are gray,
but not the same gray, each.
these are strange grays, matte and yet translucent,
and fading, dark to light and back again.
first the button is darker, and then
the plate is darker, and although
the color changes are gradual and shifting,
the button and the plate are somehow never
the same gray at the same time.

it may be that this is important.

but it probably isn't.

6. beneath the plate, and likewise floating,
and having appeared just as suddenly,
and appearing just as oddly two-toned,
is a plaque bearing the words
ALL OR NOTHING.

Clyde said...

Please don't tell me that that is the "Reset Button" ensemble from the Hillary Clinton Pantsuit Museum!

tim in vermont said...

You know, I am watching Titanic, and I always wondered why the drawings of Kate Winslet nude were so amateurish, given that the DiCaprio character was supposed to be a talented artist, and that Hollywood has access to the best professional artists to do that kind of work. Then I heard that the DIRECTOR insisted on doing the drawings himself. I always figured it was a stupid ego thing that led to that misjudgment, now I realize that it was a great way for the DIRECTOR to use his power to get the actress to spend a lot of time with him starkers.

David Baker said...

RE: Dowd & Douthat: In a fit of political schizophrenia, the Times has come to pre-terms with, mainly, Bill and Hillary. Particularly Bill, admitting, even bragging, that he's a scoundrel, a cad, a man of true politically-progressive principle. But much better and much worse, the prime enabler of a man far more horrible on the crotch of the world: Donald J. Trump.

In the eyes of the left Bill Clinton was a trailblazer, bringing betrayal and horn-dog sex to the Oval Office on a level not even a pussy-grabbing Trump can ever accomplish. But don't miss the point, Donald J. Trump is worse even when fails to sit interns upon the sofa of power.

And now the left is equivocating.

tim in vermont said...

It's pretty funny that the "Reset" button actually said "Overcharge" and Putin ends up giving her 145 million dollars. Very funny. Ha ha ha! But don't worry, the same press that covered for Bill would never cover for the on any other subject ever.

rcocean said...

Did you post about the death of David Cassidy?

rcocean said...

Just about to quit for the day and fly back home.

Looking at all the Trump posts.

Thank God we elected that man, instead of Hillary. No matter what, we dodged that bullet.

No thanks to "Conservatives" Like Goldberg, Erickson, Beck,and Kristol. Dreher actually has a post up about how the SCOTUS doesn't really matter to "real" conservatives. What a fucking fraud he is.

Humperdink said...

So Mrs. Humperdink and I have been on a road trip from PA. for past the week. Visited Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, back through MS, Al, and will now have Thanksgiving with relatives in Florida.

Visited several sights, the highlight of which was the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's homestead. Watching the introductory video at the Hermitage visitor center, one would have thought it was a Trump campaign commercial. Same mindset going to DC. Outsider, drain the swamp (corruption) etc. Unlike Trump, Jackson was propelled to the White House with his victory at the battle of New Orleans.

So we decide we must visit the Chalmette Battlefield (Battle New Orleans) at the de Chalmet plantation. Jackson's troops vastly outnumbered, mowed down the advancing British troops like it was preview of Pickett's Charge. We stumbled across a plaque at the battlefield that was quite revealing.

The plaque said in part: "The Battle of New Orleans left the de Chalmet family in financial trouble. In 1817, brothers Hilaire and Louis St. Amand bought the land. The St. Amands were prominent free people of color who owned several plantations. In the early 1800's, it was not unusual for free people of color to own plantations and slaves in Louisiana....."

Who knew? Not I.








Humperdink said...

AA, sorry about excess space following my post. I did not noticed it.

Fabi said...

Dreher is ashamed to be a "conservative". It boggles the mind that anyone at all politically aware could offer such an asinine statement regarding the Supreme Court. Too much boudin sausage?

Molly said...

Nothing to do with buttons, but I've been thinking about this.

Where we are today with sex and society. There is a simple solution (even if impracticable): Go back to the turn of the 19th century mores: sex within a marriage contract is presumably consensual; all other sex is presumably not. Of course, that was never perfect, but it was a widely accepted norm. Women who were persuaded or forced to have sex without being married had the presumption that the man should be forced (or persuaded) to marry them. (Shotgun marriages?) So was Jerry Falwell right all along? The left will never reach this conclusion. THe right will never push this conclusion (because it makes them look so bad in the political view).

TwoAndAHalfCents said...

Just finished a book and looking for a recommendation in historical non-fiction. Anyone read something good lately?

Churchy LaFemme: said...

I finally read Churchill's The World Crisis and enjoyed it. We are still dealing with the fallout from those days.

De Camp was a layman, but I found his The Ancient Engineers an interesting look at technological history.

Avoid 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed -- I felt like I knew less after reading it.

YoungHegelian said...

Somewhat related to what Ms Molly posted above, I've got a question:

How is this public purge of the "perverts" being seen in Europe?

Here's why I ask. I'm going to make two predictions:

1) That the European public (including European women) is nowhere near as sympathetic to the "victims" as is the American public.

2) The Europeans will insist upon understanding the purge as somehow related to America's Puritan Christian heritage, as all part of America's long religious hang-up with sex. The Europeans will not be able to process that this a purge carried out by, and mostly of, secular liberals/lefties. They will simply misunderstand what is happening right before their eyes.** The liberal sexual morality on exhibit in the purges actually isn't related to America's religious heritage at all. Unless, of course, one wants to argue that American Leftism is some onto-theological child of Puritanism in some sort of hi-falutin' genealogy of ideas kind of way (e.g. Camille Paglia has made an argument much like this).

** An example of Europeans not understanding an American political phenomenon right before their eyes is their misunderstanding of American cross-party support of Israel. They see American support as evidence of Jewish political power at the highest levels of government, in very much a conspiratorial frame of mind. They don't see that American support of Israel is very much a bottom-up affair, with Democrats seeking to placate the Jewish-American vote, but Republicans seeking to placate the Evangelical Christian vote, which is now even more pro-Zionist than American Jews. Europeans really don't get the right-wing Christian support of Israel. It's not that they don't understand it. They don't even seem to understand that it even exists.

Michael K said...

Dreher is ashamed to be a "conservative". It boggles the mind that anyone at all politically aware could offer such an asinine statement regarding the Supreme Court.

He is a proud member of the Deep State wannabes. Bill Kristol is setting the pace and Patterico is following like a puppy dog.

looking for a recommendation in historical non-fiction. Anyone read something good lately?

I just got Chernow's big biography of Grant, and it looks good.

Starting it tomorrow. It will be the fourth Grant bio I have read but it is huge and looks like a lot about his presidency,

Saint Croix said...

I'm watching A United Kingdom, about an African king who married a white Englishwoman while he was studying abroad in the UK. Really good!

dreams said...

I'm reading Chernow's Grant too and I've ordered this book.

"Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court: From Brandeis to Kagan (Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture, and Life) Hardcover – April 4, 2017
by David G. Dalin (Author)"

dreams said...

I've read several books of Grant too.

traditionalguy said...

The Buttoned up look is a masculine advertisement. Buttons are substitute Studs on male formal wear.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

What could go wrong?

American mercenaries are torturing' Saudi elite rounded up by new crown prince

tim in vermont said...

The Sabres of Paradise is a pretty good book about the Muslim resistance and their fight against the two empires, Russia and Persia in the Caucuses. If you are into science fiction, too, it's an easy choice as it is the source material for the book Dune with some stuff lifted directly, even to the chapter headings, which in Dune look suspiciously like the headings in Sabres. Of course, Star Wars is also based on this material, with some stuff stolen from Dune, as well. I call the book "The Light Sabres of Paradise" myself.

The rebellion looks a lot like the Muslim resistance to the Russian and Persian empires, which were folded into one. Whether we like jihadism or not, you have to hand it to them for having the more romantic story line.

jerpod said...

—Just finished a book and looking for a recommendation in historical non-fiction. Anyone read something good lately?

I’m maybe 1/3 of the way through this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Assassin-Scandal-Americas-Serial-ebook/dp/B015WAWL2M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1511398871&sr=1-1&keywords=midnight+assassin

It’s about Austin, TX, in the late 1800s, and apparently America’s first serial killer...before Jack the Ripper in England even. My daughter went to UT, so I spent some time in Austin and know a little about areas and streets, etc. What I like about it so far is the depiction of life in that time period and place. Seems very well researched. I’d never heard of these murders. They were pretty horrific, but not publicized since (I think), the victims were all black servants. A little American history I’d never heard of before. Probably not for everyone, but I’m enjoying it so far.

tim in vermont said...

As long as those mercenaries are not under the command of the United States, and as long as they face justice if they are ever caught, if they really are committing torture, then I just don't see how, beyond that, it is our problem. Or are you itching to get us involved in another war, ARM? If Trump has a hand in this, you will have a genuine scandal, instead of all of this made up shit.

tim in vermont said...

You know who was a good writer? Herbert Hoover. Probably missed his calling.

tim in vermont said...

And more accusers for Franken....

But remember, only he can represent women's rights so effectively in the Senate. He is the indispensable man! You know, the kind that Napoleon always said that the cemeteries were full of.

tim in vermont said...

It's a good thing though that CNN cleared up for us that you can grab a woman's ass on the subway in Minneapolis without fear of prosecution because it's not a crime!

wwww said...

Starting it tomorrow. It will be the fourth Grant bio I have read but it is huge and looks like a lot about his presidency,



Did you read William McFeely's biography of Grant? I recommend it.

Hagar said...

I am reading a biography of Hoover and am thinking that our situation today have many parallels with 1929, except that The Donald certainly is a very different personality.

Fabi said...

The link provided by ARM claims the torture is being conducted by "Blackwater". You should always trust a source that doesn't know said name hasn't been in use for almost a decade. Lulz

Drago said...

Fabi: "The link provided by ARM claims the torture is being conducted by "Blackwater". You should always trust a source that doesn't know said name hasn't been in use for almost a decade. Lulz"

An anonymous source (singular) who is using a name that is years out of date, and with no other supporting information.

I wonder if there are paid Russian operatives at the Democrat-Hillary-Putin firm of Fusion GPS who are paying journalists (Again!) to print fake Russian-generated stories to undermine the US?

Once again, we see the democrats and the Russians teaming up against the republicans.

Unexpectedly.

Howard said...

Doc Mike:"I just got Chernow's big biography of Grant, and it looks good."
Chernow interviewed on NPR today about Grant Bio. He indicated a view more positive of Grant's presidency compared with previous bios. His Hamilton bio was turned into that abortion of a play that Mike Pence attended.

Molly said...

Young Hegelian: "How is this public purge of the "perverts" being seen in Europe?"

I agree this is an interesting question. Let's revisit in a month or so. (IMF leader) Dominque Strauss-Kahn was held responsible for sexual assault (or harassment) of a maid. (I guess this story is more complicated than I recalled, and there were more allegations than the maid; and the initial case was brought in NYC, not Europe; but it does suggest that Europeans (French?) are not as blase about sex scandals as we might think.)

Michael K said...

"He indicated a view more positive of Grant's presidency compared "

That will be interesting.

One of my great uncles died after being wounded at the last assault on Vicksburg before Grant settled down to a siege that was successful. , May 22, 1863.

He had survived Shiloh.

I've read several of Chernow's biographies.

Michael K said...

"It’s about Austin, TX, in the late 1800s, and apparently America’s first serial killer...before Jack the Ripper in England even. "

"The Devil in White City," is pretty good.

If you like serial killer stuff.

Drago said...

Howard: "His Hamilton bio was turned into that abortion of a play that Mike Pence attended."

Has Chernow commented publicly about the play and his thoughts? I would imagine it would have to be something that "slipped out" as there must be contractual limits for any negative public comments.

Howard said...

Chernow sounded like a guy who does his homework then lets chips fall.

I'm reading the new da Vinci bio by Isaacson. Just in about 60-pages and it's just now getting a bit interesting. So far, I'm not particularly impressed with Isaacson's knowledge of painting... he sounds like he relies too much on historians and museum curators who tend to authenticate fakes. Lots of nice reproductions distributed throughout the text on heavy, glossy paper.

Hagar said...

When the governor of Alabama and others say they "have no reason not to believe" Roy Moore's accusers, they are also saying they do not have any reason to believe them.
Context may enter into the meaning, but as stand alone statements the two sentences are equivalent.

Howard said...

Drago: Chernow didn't go into any depth on Hamilton, he is prolly making sweet residuals on the play + extra book sales. Today, he was focused on selling the Grant book. Really surprise the Ham play was based on his book, he seemed to be straight arrow (should I say a cis-arrow?)

walter said...

Any word on Sir Spatula?

buwaya said...

Academic kerfuffle in Canada re a Star Chamber of sorts at Laurier University concerning discussions of the social significance of gendered language - i.e., the utility of xe, etc. for the purpose of improved social equity or whatever, or the pernicious cultural effect of he and she. Rod Dreher (yes, that guy) has an article about it "The Closing of the Canadian Academic Mind".

And it seems there are Canadian laws requiring this silliness.

As it happens, I grew up in South East Asia, where everyone speaks ungendered languages (all Austronesian tongues). There is no he and she, and in teaching English (or Spanish, worse yet) one has to impart very alien concepts.

Thats why Filipinos love saying "one", btw.

However, I dare anyone to travel in those parts and try to make a case that social relations are less "gendered" there than in Canada.

Its as if this is an argument between blind and deaf people.

Michael K said...

"Its as if this is an argument between blind and deaf people."

Canada is blind and deaf. I sometimes wonder if it is the weather.

Amazingly, how they have changed since 1914.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I see you Hillary/Mao buttoned style and I raise you a pair of buttoned shoes.

link

narciso said...

The mahabwth soesnt need any pointers in how to torture, the prison in riyadh is very particular about that sort of thing.

narciso said...

mahabeth doesnt one interesting by Atlantic council fellow Sean mcfate instructive.

narciso said...

On the clan rivalries in the kin gdom, deep black uses as its springboard the carjacking of the late prince azousi some three years ago in Paris.

Drago said...

Howard: "Today, he was focused on selling the Grant book. Really surprise the Ham play was based on his book, he seemed to be straight arrow (should I say a cis-arrow?"

Tread carefully my friend! Treacherous PC waters ahead!

narciso said...

I thought the play was based on more apocryphal sources.

MPH said...

Trump pardoned a turkey and politically pardoned a child molester.

Happy Thanksgiving.

narciso said...

I tried yodel eschew after in search of klingsor it was a chore.

narciso said...

Godel escher Bach,

FIDO said...

Couture Chain Mail

FIDO said...

Avoid 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed -- I felt like I knew less after reading it.

Thank God! I thought it was just me!

Bad Lieutenant said...


tim in vermont said...
It's a good thing though that CNN cleared up for us that you can grab a woman's ass on the subway in Minneapolis without fear of prosecution because it's not a crime!
11/22/17, 7:38 PM


Sounds legit. This is a job for Chuck. Chuck, you are local to MN right? Could you please hit the Minneapolis subway and look for Mary Tyler Moore and give her the business, as above? Please note the response for posting here.

AllenS said...

The only subways in Minneapolis, are the SUBWAY franchises. As in submarine sandwiches. There is the Green Line little railroad type thing, above ground, and some buses.

narciso said...

That was santirini though dufmt that just delay ptkgress by s few. Centuries

narciso said...

So wny did it take six years

www.newsweek.com/house-fraud-fbi-bob-brady-sexual-harassment-718954?utm_campaign=NewsweekTwitter&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social

AllenS said...

Another article about Franken in the Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune:

LINK TEXT

Quote from the article:

Honold’s rape in November 2014 got attention across the country last year after the Star Tribune detailed the assault and Honold’s search for justice against her rapist, Daniel Drill-Mellum...

Drill-Mellum was sentenced to six years in prison...

Drill-Mellum had once interned in Franken’s office


Bay Area Guy said...

Purchased from the famous Amazon Althouse portal, I am reading "The Ghost - the secret life of James Angleton" by Jefferson Morley.

Now be honest - how many of you know who James Angleton was?

He was the head of Counter-Intellifence for the CIA from 1954-1974.

He believed Henry Kissinger was a Soviet agent and that the Sino-Soviet split was a ruse to weaken and confuse the West.

Morley believes that Angleton created a "false defector" program in the 50s to protect our U-2 spy plane program, and that Oswald was part of this program when he "defected" to the USSR in 1959 at age 20.

Yes, I know it sounds conspiratorial, but it's an interesting thesis and a good read.

AllenS said...

Whoa! James Angleton's middle name was "Jesus"? How did he pronounce it?

Howard said...

First heard about James Jesus Angleton in Peter Wright's book
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spycatcher
https://www.amazon.com/SpyCatcher-Candid-Autobiography-Intelligence-Officer/dp/0440201322
Best real spy book

Enthusiasm Quotes said...

Beautiful

Terry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rcommal said...

I wish for you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Saint Croix said...

More women are alleging that Al Franken groped them.

Possible headlines…

Al Franken Sexually Assaulted Me In the Street And Then I Voted For Him

I Used to Gossip About Al Franken And Now I Am Famous

Ambivalence is a Bitch

Mashers Should Be Slapped in the Street Or At Least Get a Verbal Thrashing

We Need a Statute of Limitations on Sexual Assault Accusations Made Anonymously on Twitter

We Need a Word For Touch Fouls That is Stronger Than Touch Fouls But Sexual Assault Should Be Saved For Criminals Accusations Otherwise We Start To Seem Ridiculous

If Your Fanny Pat Happened Before Trump I Don't Care

If Your Fanny Pat Happened Yesterday I Am Outraged

Saint Croix said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
tim in vermont said...

A frank confession: I’m not thankful this year and I’m not going to pretend to be. I’m defiant. If the Pilgrims had come all this way to find on our shores America’s current domestic politics, they would have vomited all the food at the first Thanksgiving dinner. #sorrynotsorry

— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) November 22, 2017

So even the racist, land-grabbing, genocidal Pilgrims would have found Trump a bit much! Ace of Spades has a funny name for this stuff "Thanksgivingmanship."

tim in vermont said...

One woman told HuffPo that Franken grabbed her ass at an event honoring women. You can't make this stuff up. But he is the indispensable defender of women's rights!

tim in vermont said...

In this panel discussion, developed by the DA's Inclusive Economy Fund, we pose some fundamental questions, including: What do progressives stand for? How do we grapple with the tough issues? What story are we trying to tell and how does it play out in communities across the country? How do we translate what the polls and research tell us into the compelling narratives that will build the public will to reorient our economy and combat inequality?"

Who is on the panel? A Washington Post reporter who covered the election and currently covers Trump. But it's only "reasonable" to assume that the news you get from the mainstream media is the news, the whole news, and nothing but the news.

tim in vermont said...

he second woman says that Franken performed a similar act[Ass grabbing], then suggested the two find a "bathroom," presumably for sex. “My immediate reaction was disgust,” the second woman told HuffPost. “But my secondary reaction was disappointment.

Yes, who could have believed it! And who was keeping you silent up to now? Would it have been the attitude of the press towards accusers of powerful Democrats?

Darrell said...

The kicker in the new HuffPo story is that both women still voted for Franken, If their names ever come out, I wonder if they will be besieged like that woman that was giving Al Gore a massage when he tried to rape her to a feminist mix tape give to him by Melissa Etheridge. Libs told her to take one for the team and recant her story.

AllenS said...

With all of these accusations of improper sexual this or that, I'm left wondering, where are the marches of the pussy hat wearers?

Tommy Duncan said...


Blogger AllenS said...

With all of these accusations of improper sexual this or that, I'm left wondering, where are the marches of the pussy hat wearers?



I remember when being a "cunt head" was a bad thing. How times have changed.

Chuck said...

Blogger Bad Lieutenant said...

tim in vermont said...
It's a good thing though that CNN cleared up for us that you can grab a woman's ass on the subway in Minneapolis without fear of prosecution because it's not a crime!
11/22/17, 7:38 PM


Sounds legit. This is a job for Chuck. Chuck, you are local to MN right? Could you please hit the Minneapolis subway and look for Mary Tyler Moore and give her the business, as above? Please note the response for posting here.

I don't live in Minnesota. I have never lived in Minnesota.

I had no intention of commenting on this page. I was merely curious if the Althouse readership had, after more than seventy posts, come up with anything interesting. As usual, I come across yet another post inexplicably obsessing over me.

COMMENTS ARE MODERATED some but not all of the time. This is for the purpose of excluding/removing a small handful of commenters who, I believe, intend to ruin this forum. They already know who they are. For everyone else, try to be responsive to the post, don't make personal attacks on other commenters, bring some substance or humor to the conversation, and don't do that thing of putting in a lot of extra line breaks.


Darrell said...

Chuck lives in Michigan. Until they vote him off the island.

Darrell said...

This is for the purpose of excluding/removing a small handful of commenters who, I believe, intend to ruin this forum.

I refer to this as the Chuck clause.

Anne in Rockwall, TX said...

Oh for heaven's sake Chuck. It was a lighthearted comment. Please try for a sense of humor and enjoy life!

David Baker said...

I take back what I said about Kate Winslet, at least in part. Because it was her makeup that made her look awful in Titanic, which I just realized last night - after watching a portion of another rerun of the movie on AMC.

In fact, it's hard to believe how awful they made her look, like a cross between a clown and a cadaver. Next time you have a chance, take a look, notice the contrasts, the often flat carrot-color of her hair versus the clownish red of her smeared on lipstick, against a face encased in chalk-white all-purpose flour.

I made a point of Googling other images of Winslet, pictures not associated with Titanic. And sure enough, she's not bad looking at all. So, why they dogged her out in Titanic sure beats me.

dreams said...

Howard: "His Hamilton bio was turned into that abortion of a play that Mike Pence attended."

"Has Chernow commented publicly about the play and his thoughts? I would imagine it would have to be something that "slipped out" as there must be contractual limits for any negative public comments."

Chernow likes that there is the Hamilton play and he said that he was lucky the play was such a big success and it really has helped his book sales. Interviewed on CSPAN/Book TV.

David Baker said...

So, where do all the single people go to eat today? And there's a lot of us, too many to squeeze into Boston Chicken and Cracker Barrel. Of course, there's always a Hungryman frozen turkey dinner, but not really for Thanksgiving(!).

So, what/where do all us single people eat for the holiday.

tim in vermont said...

Excerpt from Newsweek, it mocks itself:

Thanksgiving dinner conversations are notoriously difficult, and President Donald Trump’s first year in office hasn’t made it any easier: 58 percent of Americans “dread the thought of having to talk about politics at Thanksgiving dinner,” a new Marist poll shows, compared to 53 percent last year.

Media outlets have taken notice and are offering quick guidelines on how to best avoid stirring the pot on Turkey Day. But Thanksgiving offers a unique opportunity to civically engage with those closest to us. It’s the dirty work all democracies depend on. So, in an effort to promote thoughtful discussion, here’s Newsweek’s guide to having a conscious, or “woke”, Thanksgiving.

Laslo Spatula said...

The Girl at Starbucks That Hates You:

It's Thanksgiving, so of course I am working today. It isn't that big a deal, really: they are closing the store at 5:00pm so that the employees can be home for Thanksgiving evening. A lot of people are complaining, saying they should've just given us the whole day off, but -- come on -- it's still nice, and it could be worse, like working at Jack In The Box selling burgers at night to those people who have nothing else to do on Thanksgiving than to go through the Jack In The Box drive-thru for a burger and large-size fries...

I told my mother to not hold dinner for me: I'd hate it if everyone had to wait until I got there. I'm fine getting a plate when I get there, okay? Besides, if they waited they would just drink more before I got there, and sometimes that gets embarrassing. My Uncle Frank, he has a problem with the drinking. When I was fifteen he was drunk and 'accidentally' touched my breasts. I've forgiven him, but he still really never makes eye contact with me...

Anyway, I don't really want to sit at the table and hear my sister in her new expensive clothes go on about being thankful for her amazing job and her new fancy car. Because then she'll ask me why I'm still working at Starbucks. And the reason I'm working at Starbucks is because, after all my resumes went out, they were the only ones to hire me...

I'm already paying an enormous debt for the two years of college that I DID go to; she -- of course -- got a scholarship, so she didn't have to worry about such things. She IS scary smart -- sometimes she just doesn't know that most people aren't as smart as her, and it might come harder to them. And sometimes she just doesn't know that she's being an asshole...

My Dad has tried to help me with college, but he's been tight on money ever since he and Mom divorced. I miss the Thanksgivings when we were all together: I have some great memories of those. Dad would make things out of the mashed potatoes at the table. I think that is from some old movie, but I've never seen it...

I asked my Dad if he wanted me to come to his place for Thanksgiving: it'd be nice, having a quiet evening, but he says that would really disappoint my mother, so we'll just get together a little later. Which probably might not happen, because he works night shifts and I work weekends...

So, for Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the little things. Of course, I don't really have any 'big things', but I DO have a lot of little things. And work'll be fine: everybody will probably be in a happy mood. Although, people: do you buy the Pumpkin Spice shit because you like it, or just because it makes you think of Christmas...?

I am Laslo.

Darrell said...

So, what/where do all us single people eat for the holiday.

Learn to cook yourself. It will pay dividends that will last a lifetime--and it's really easy. You can even cook a frozen turkey today--just increase the cooking time by 50%, but do check the temp at the end just to be sure. The juices should run clear, if you don't own a meat thermometer. So that 20 pound bird that normally take 4+ hours at 325-350 degrees will take 6 hours if the oven if up to temp. Season the skin with onion and garlic powder and a little salt, first and just wait. If you want extra crispy skin, just baste the skin with butter when there's a half-hour remaining and pick up the temp to 375.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

That photo of Joe Barton (burn my eyes, baby, burn my eyes) was actually a still from a "53-second cellphone video that Barton recorded of himself while masturbating".

You can't make this stuff up.

tim in vermont said...

I still love the girls at Starbucks, they are so cute when they are mad.

Michael K said...

"Now be honest - how many of you know who James Angleton was?"

He was also a close friend of Kim Philby and never suspected Philby was a Soviet spy.

When Philby defected, Angleton never got over it and that may have fed his paranoia about moles.

Michael K said...

My wife and I are having Thanksgiving dinner with just the two of us. The kids said, "Oh you poor things. You will be alone at Thanksgiving!"

We didn't tell them that we have waited 35 years to be alone on Thanksgiving.

First year together in Tucson. I have been here for the holiday before. It was ten years ago and it was more exciting to get here.

tim in vermont said...

ARM, Who defended the rapist Clinton, is horrified by what consenting adults do!

Humperdink said...

Darrell said: "Learn to cook yourself. "

When I was going through my marital difficulties 27 years ago, I learned to cook as I had my kids for Thanksgiving. I called my mother for a quick cooking lesson on cooking a turkey. I have been preparing the Thanksgiving turkey ever since. The finishing touch is carving the turkey for presentation.

https://www.nytimes.com/video/dining/1194817096866/the-butcher-carves-a-turkey.html

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

It is funny, not horrific. This asshole just voted to increase my taxes, so he can give more money to his political donors.

The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine.

Francisco D said...

"As usual, I come across yet another post inexplicably obsessing over me."

LOL!

I suspect you use this site to indulge in your fantasies, one of which is having people obsess over you.

Tim Wright said...

Maybe someone else has mentioned it, but my immediate thought on seeing the photo, was, "if only they knew how to keep it buttoned..."

Tim

Humperdink said...

Tim in Vermont said: "ARM, Who defended the rapist Clinton, is horrified by what consenting adults do!"

Of course the plan is now to convict Bill Clinton of nefarious sexual indiscretions(rape??) as a pathway to bag Trump. Unfortunately for the commie-pinko liberals, the collateral damage along the way will ensnare so many dems, it will be a fools errand. And they still won't get to Trump. It will be fun to watch.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

For the record, despite apparently spending hours looking, Tim couldn't actually find any example of me defending Clinton. I have never had any time for the man. I am flattered that I take up so much real estate in Tim's brain.

Mr. Majestyk said...

For those interested in early American history, I recommend The Age of Federalism by Elkins and McKitrick. It's a pretty thick tome, but it was good.

Ann Althouse said...

"I refer to this as the Chuck clause."

No. The clause refers to people whose comments are deleted whenever they appear. The name alone causes us to delete them. The comments are never even read. It's just a permanent shit list. If you were on it, you would know.

Michael K said...

An excellent explanation of what we are seeing, described as "The Rise of the Beta Male Sexual Harasser."

What emerges from this storm of scandal is a clearer picture of a culture that trained men not to respect women but to respect feminism. In many ways, the Beta Male sexual harasser is the squalid offspring of the unhappy marriage between feminism and the sexual revolution, from whose chaotic household he learned virtue-signaling without virtue.

The growing pile of confession notes — which combine ostensible empathy and promises of sensitivity and submission with strategically placed, lawyerly denials — testifies to the grimly comic dishonesty of the Beta Male sexual harasser. He thought that he could continue to indulge his appetites as long as he adjusted his attitudes, a view that all of the prattle about “systemic change” confirms him in, insofar as it treats his misbehavior as an ideological problem rather than a moral one.


It is hilariously on target with a number of commenters who fit right in.

narciso said...

Angleton, was half Mexican, the son of a ncr executive, he lived in Italy and was educated in England and isle, some dusreptable types like Joe corso, have alleged he confessed to dark deeds near the time of his death bed.

dreams said...

I placed an order at my library for the Angleton book. There was already another order for it so maybe another reader of Althouse, maybe.

tim in vermont said...

For the record, despite apparently spending hours looking, Tim couldn't actually find any example of me defending Clinton. - ARM

He was not fit to be president. That doesn't make him a rapist. - ARM

tim in vermont said...

By the way, It didn't take "hours" so If I used your standards, I would call you a "liar." It was just a couple weeks ago you were defending the rapist.

narciso said...

I assume it follows up on this, and his investigations in Mexico city


https://www.history-matters.com/essays/frameup/WhatJaneRomanSaid/WhatJaneRomanSaid_6.htm

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

'He was not fit to be a president' is defending Clinton? You really are a moron, and a liar. It is always a toss up who is the most angry fucked up partisan on this blog, you or Crazy April, but recently you have nosed ahead. A sad pathetic little fuck unable to see anything other than his own hatred.

Darrell said...

ARM has no standards. That's why he chose the sentence that proved his point, not the one that destroyed it.

tim in vermont said...

'He was not fit to be a president' is defending Clinton?

No, "doesn't make him a rapist" was defending Clinton. How many witnesses under oath, under the real threat of prison, would it take for you to accept Juanita Broaddrick's word?

Darrell said...

They say you always remember your first. I wonder if Clinton remembers his first rape?

narciso said...

Would you be surprised that motley leaves this out:


https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/03/jfk-assassination-lee-harvey-oswald-mexico-116195_Page2.html#.Whb9ai8o6b

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

You believe, fervently, that Clinton was a rapist. For the sane community, it is an allegation that we take into account when assessing Clinton but it is unprovable either way at this point. There is plenty of other more solid evidence available to conclude with certainty that Clinton was not fit to be president. It is not 'defending' Clinton to maintain some objectivity, something you abandoned long ago because you are crazed with hatred. But now I take up even more real estate in your head.

Darrell said...

Clinton Misogyny - Sex
Juanita Broaddrick (AR)- rape
Eileen Wellstone (Oxford) - rape
Elizabeth Ward Gracen - rape - quid pro quo, post incident intimidation
Regina Hopper Blakely - "forced himself on her, biting, bruising her"
Kathleen Willey (WH) - sexual assault, intimidations, threats
Sandra Allen James (DC) - sexual assault
22 Year Old 1972 (Yale) - sexual assault
Kathy Bradshaw (AK) - sexual assault
Cristy Zercher - unwelcomed sexual advance, intimidations
Paula Jones (AR) - unwelcomed sexual advance, exposure, bordering on sexual assault
Carolyn Moffet -unwelcomed sexual advance, exposure, bordering on sexual assault
1974 student at University of Arkansas - unwelcomed physical contact
1978-1980 - seven complaints per Arkansas state troopers
Monica Lewinsky - quid pro quo, post incident character assault
Gennifer Flowers - quid pro quo, post incident character assault
Dolly Kyle Browning - post incident character assault
Sally Perdue - post incident threats
Betty Dalton - rebuffed his advances, married to one of his supporters
Denise Reeder - apologetic note scanned

Clinton Misogyny - Other
Linda Tripp - coerce, intimidate, deny - Bob Bennett calls her a liar, release her job application, transfer her.
Julia Hiatt-Steele - Willey's friend and neighbor - used the machine to change her story.
Hillary Rodham Clinton - used as a cover humiliated
Chelsea Clinton - ignored
Betty Currie - used as cover and enabler
Donna Shalala - used as cover, used as whipping post in Cabinet meeting
Madeline Albright - used as cover
Secret Service - female agent complaints
Kathy Ferguson – unwelcome advances
"
Clinton as a "Ladies' Man"
Marsha Scott - claimed an affair
Connie Hamzy - claimed sex
Bobbie Ann Williams - claimed paid sex, paternity

Following are names of ladies rumored to have had sexual relations with Bill Clinton. We of course do not have information to support these rumors and do not intend the reader to think that we believe any of them to be true. Some could be true, some could be false and some could be intentionally spread rumors so absurd as to make the ones listed above and all other rumors look absurd as well. As always, please draw your own conclusions:

Clinton as a Ladies' Man - Rumors
Marilyn Jo Jenkins - rumored
Susan Coleman - rumored (suicide 7.5 months pregnant)
Robyn Dickey -rumored, staffer
Lenora Steinkamp - rumored - mystery jogger on video tape entering the "infamous hallway" with Clinton
Kimba Wood - rumored, judge
Kelley Craighead - rumored, staffer to Bill and Hillary
Sharline Wilson - rumored, claimed drug association
Dee Dee Myers - rumored, staffer
Suzie Whitacre - rumored
Catherine Cornelius - rumored, "distant cousin".
Cheryl Mills - rumored, WH attorney
Current Secret Paramour (per Tripp/King interview) - rumored


Beth Gladden Coulson - rumored - young judicial appointment
Eleanor Mondale - rumored - celebrity daughter, dated Ron Perelman (see Jordan)
Shelia Lawrence - rumored - Widow of Ambassador
Deborah Mathis - rumored - reporter/WH advancements
Debra Schiff - rumored - ex flight attendant, now staffer
Susan McDougal - rumored - business connections
Benazir Bhutto - rumored - current opposition leader in, and former prime minister of Pakistan

Clinton as a wanna be Ladies' Man or intended disinformation? - Rumors High Profile
Barbara Streisand - rumored - celebrity
Markie Post - rumored - actress
Sharon Stone - rumored - actress
Lencola Sullivan - rumored - beauty queen
Martha Stewart - rumored - celebrity
Diana Wiley Pietsch - rumored - sex therapist - Oxford.
Princess Di - rumored - royalty, deceased

Darrell said...

http://www.alamo-girl.com/0262.htm

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

So not your own work then? Very disappointed. I thought we might have a genuine crank on our hands for a minute, but instead just another lazy ass copy and paster.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"Blogger AReasonableMan said...
For the record, despite apparently spending hours looking, Tim couldn't actually find any example of me defending Clinton. I have never had any time for the man. I am flattered that I take up so much real estate in Tim's brain."

Oh, please. You're a rabid statist. One needn't be Sherlock Holmes to know that you've spent the last 20 years defending the Clintons and mocking their accusers. You're an enabler for a rapist. Own it.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Unknown said...
Oh, please. You're a rabid statist. One needn't be Sherlock Holmes to know that you've spent the last 20 years defending the Clintons and mocking their accusers. You're an enabler for a rapist. Own it.


And you are a liar. Own it or show where I have 'defended' the Clintons. I don't hate them with every fiber of my being, as Dim Tim does, but I have never defended them either. They are not my people.

Darrell said...

Just when ARM has spent 21 years pondering whether to accept one accusation, he is faced with a pageful. See you in a thousand years, cocksucker.

Darrell said...

And for the record, I used to maintain my own list, until I saw that Alamo Girl had a much more comprehensive one--back in 1999. And you have to add html tags to embolden headings--so not copy and paste.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Darrell said...
And for the record, I used to maintain my own list


So you are a genuine crank. I stand corrected.

David Baker said...

Darrell,

And what does a single person do with a 10-20lb turkey? My point of course is that it's not really worth all the cooking for just one person.

So, I'll make a nice Chicken in the Pot (without the dill); 20 minutes prep, 35-40 minutes simmering, using leg quarters until reaching 165 degrees internal temperature.

But whatever it is, 20lb turkey or chicken-in-the-pot, hope you have a lovely day!

Michael K said...

"But whatever it is, 20lb turkey or chicken-in-the-pot, hope you have a lovely day!

We have a turkey breast for two of us. I just made the dressing.

Sweet potatoes and rutabaga.

You have a nice holiday.

Humperdink said...

Turkey leftovers? I put some turkey in a small tupperware container, stuffing goes on next, with gravy on top. Place in freezer. A meal in a minute after placing in microwave later. I usually make a few each, of single and double servings

gadfly said...

The WaPo "Wonkblog" is all agog about the House Republican tax plan that would eliminate a special interest benefit available only to teachers. The deduction covers school project supplies, supposedly freely given to poor and needy students. The eliminated itemized deduction permits a reduction of gross income by TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS reducing taxes paid by as much as SIXTY DOLLARS PER YEAR - less than seventeen cents per day.

Teachers would also lose the $2,500 deduction available to teachers for student loans taken to get advanced degrees that automatically result in a higher paychecks. Us poor ordinary taxpayers will lose itemized mortgage interest deductions offset by an increased standard deduction (as would teachers) but teachers consider themselves special since their nine-month paychecks gross out somewhere above $55,000 per year (and that doesn't count fully-paid healthcare and defined-benefit pensions that are unaffected by financial market fluctuations).

High finance problems are simply not well understood by some overly-educated teachers. If the government has to contribute toward charitable giving, then there was no true charity.

Gahrie said...

@gadfly:

Why don't you become a teacher if they have it so good?

As far as i am concerned that $250 is a drop in the bucket.....

rcommal said...

Ann Althouse

Nov 23 (3 days ago)

to me
Ann Althouse has left a new comment on the post "At the Buttoned-Up Café...":

"I refer to this as the Chuck clause."

No. The clause refers to people whose comments are deleted whenever they appear. The name alone causes us to delete them. The comments are never even read. It's just a permanent shit list. If you were on it, you would know.

Post a comment.

Unsubscribe to comments on this post.

The comments are never even read.

Good to have confirmation at last. Good to know that's the truth, and into account Althouse's official statement ought be taken..



Posted by Ann Althouse to Althouse at 11/23/17, 9:01 AM