१६ मे, २०२०

At the Sunrise Café...

IMG_5333

... you can talk about whatever you want... including our new plan for this blog, revealed in the comments to last night's café, here, and already bringing some encouragement.

The sunrise was photographed at 5:34. The "actual" sunrise time was 5:32. I was at my vantage point at 5:33, but the sun had not crossed the line into my view yet. I can assure you that 5:34 was the earliest glimpse of the famous fiery orb.

१२५ टिप्पण्या:

Anthony म्हणाले...

Gym opens Monday. Went out for breakfast today. Lap pool opens next week. Here in Arizona at least it is not East Germany.

Jeff म्हणाले...

I like the idea. Controlled subscription access lets you bar the worst offenders, giving moderation after the fact a good chance of being workable. I hope it works.

Jersey Fled म्हणाले...

I heard Ann has tapped Chuck to be in charge of subscriptions.

Anne-I-Am म्हणाले...

I also like the subscription idea. (Am I assuming facts not in evidence, i.e., that you will grant me access?...;-) )

madAsHell म्हणाले...

Speculation......

After re-election, Trump will dismantle the FBI, and give all their responsibilities to the US Marshals. The US Marshals will have a new headquarters in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

madAsHell म्हणाले...

I'm thinking that Obama Library in Chicago is getting smaller by the day.

I also want to congratulate the idiots that renamed schools, and streets to memorialize Obama. I'm thinking some of those schools will be re-named again soon.

Arashi म्हणाले...

So kind of going the VIP route, pay up or you can only read the blog? Probably makes sense as it will most likely end being slightly less work overall. But will there be the same back and forth, or will only the 'approved' voices be heard?
Well it is your blog, so you can do as you wish. But do you really want validation of existing opinions or a real conversation? I problably would not make the cut as they say.

Howard म्हणाले...

Cool. What will be the cost of the subscriptions? Will you have tiered subscription like diamond, sapphire, platinum, gold, silver, bronze, pewter, high carbon steel...?

Tomcc म्हणाले...

It sounds like the subscription scheme would work. If you set the price at, say $1M, it'll keep the riff-raff out. You take checks, don't you?

I Have Misplaced My Pants म्हणाले...

I’ll be there and on my best behavior. It’ll be like The Finer Things Club!

Thank you for all you put up with to make this community work.

stlcdr म्हणाले...

Blogger Howard said...
Cool. What will be the cost of the subscriptions? Will you have tiered subscription like diamond, sapphire, platinum, gold, silver, bronze, pewter, high carbon steel...?

5/16/20, 11:42 AM


The tier will be decided by how the host values your contributions.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

I am not looking to exclude any points of view, only the people who are in bad faith and commenting on my site for the purpose of destroying it. That's my longstanding position and I have a 16-year record to prove it.

Narr म्हणाले...

Keep it simple, keep it cheap. Maybe I'll play.

Narr
Grrrr

stephen cooper म्हणाले...

I think you should have made the change long ago.

"If happy I can be I will, if suffer I must I can" that was Faulkner, or one of his characters.

I don't know if I would call it suffering, but it must be unpleasant to moderate comments under the current system.
Why not be happier, and change to the new system ASAP?
Lots of blogs made the changes you are talking about, successfully, I think.

BTW, thanks for the Lake Mendota sunrise pictures .... please bring back the little ratons some day

Bay Area Guy म्हणाले...

A few folks express their dislike of moderation (I don't like it either), but fail to ASK Althouse about the distracting bullshit that, in response, prompted the moderation.

Rant over. Althouse is a National Treasure.

Carry on, Comrades.

PS If you are emailing Althouse about Pecan Pie recipes, probably you won't make the cut.

Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...

I like the plan for the comments.

Guildofcannonballs म्हणाले...

If you don't know Althouse by now, IF YOU DON'T KNOW HER: you will never, never, know her.

Ooh ooh.

Also: watching American Cornhole League on ess pin. Love it. Want more fatties though. A John Daly for today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1kqEx8SIzk

Michael म्हणाले...

Excellent idea, Althouse.

Jimmy म्हणाले...

there has never, in my opinion, been a problem with different points of view. It becomes a problem when trolls do everything they can to hijack comments. they bring nothing to the conversation, and suck all the life out of the thread. I hope the new system works well.

daskol म्हणाले...

Finally got a contractor out to help with some heavy duty work around setting up the home gym, timely considering that NYC lockdown, at least for gyms and such, extended to mid June. Real squats this afternoon! Now if only I could find a decent barbell in stock and didn't have to pay through the nose for shitty Chinese bumper plates. There is not a decent piece of fitness equipment in stock anywhere in the the USA, at least not that can be delivered. The American made stuff is all sold out, and the Chinese stuff supply chain got, uh, disrupted. If it weren't for pro gyms having to sell their stock because of the forced closure, there would have been nothing on the market these last couple of months.

Sprezzatura म्हणाले...

“commenting on my site for the purpose of destroying it”

Destroying a site isn’t done w/ comments. It’d need to be hacked and deleted to be destroyed.

Messing with comments is meant to control what other people write, obviously. The goal is to shape the chit chat to fit a particular objective, not to avoid the destruction of the site. In a way it’s sorta like the way Althouse sometimes notices when Lame Stream Media will choose to turn on and off comments for particular articles. Her hunch has been that this is done to keep out opposing and/or uncomfortable views. LSM isn’t doing this to keep their sites from being destroyed.

I’ve been on and off banned during the various comment lockdown periods here over a dozen years. I’ve never destroyed the site, but I wrote things Althouse didn’t like, so I’ve been banned a lot. Hence, she’s not truthful re her claim that she’s not against views she doesn’t like. She hides behind the word ‘destroy,’ but she really means ‘jabber that is unsatisfactory re her feelings.’ Just like when the LSM does such.


Duh.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

The best part about shopping at Publix over Walmart or Winn-Dixie is that their higher average prices create a socioeconomic floor for their customer base. Grocery shopping is so much more pleasurable when you don't have to do it around a bunch of poor people.

langford peel म्हणाले...

Good idea going behind a paywall.

This way you can silence dissent the way you have always wanted to but were unable to accomplish.

It will complete your descent into irrelevance.

langford peel म्हणाले...

Good idea going behind a paywall.

This way you can silence dissent the way you have always wanted to but were unable to accomplish.

It will complete your descent into irrelevance.

Guildofcannonballs म्हणाले...

https://twitter.com/Breaking911

Robt C म्हणाले...

I, like the others, am totally sympathetic to your issues and agree with your going the subscription route. It will be nice to read comment threads without the doses of poison.

RK म्हणाले...

Hoping it's pay per word.

Wince म्हणाले...

Ann Althouse said...
"I am not looking to exclude any points of view, only the people who are [commenting] in bad faith..."

You see this cat is bad faith commenter...

(Shut your mouth)

But I'm talkin' about Chuck

(Then we can dig it)

PM म्हणाले...

Good timing. There'd be immoderate moderatin' should the President should lose.

Bill Peschel म्हणाले...

If you accept PayPal, I'll probably be in, depending on the cost.

Normally, I hate subscription models and avoid it. I still have Freedom back when it was a one-time payment. Heck I use Photoshop CS2 and even Fireworks 3 (mid-90s).

But you put in a lot of work on this blog. You deserve support.

Earnest Prole म्हणाले...

You could even say you garnered your earliest glimpse of the famous fiery orb at 5:34.

Ken B म्हणाले...

Free subscription? Something like disqus?

Achilles म्हणाले...

stlcdr said...


The tier will be decided by how the host values your contributions.

Too cynical.

Ann does a good job of letting stuff she doesn't like go.

The commenters here think too much of themselves. Most of the people who read her blog don't really dig into the comments most likely.

The community here for the most part is made up of people who skip entire news stories to see what other people said about it. People like this generally think for themselves and don't want to be told what to think.

There are maybe 50 total regular commenters and a 100ish every now and thens. She gets thousands of hits. This community is a niche group that sometimes loses track of the big picture.

Michael म्हणाले...

I would be interested in knowing how many deletions you make in a day.

William म्हणाले...

You won't know until you try it. On the other hand, the present system seems to work reasonably well in that it has a lot of followers and fans....I'm old. Old people dislike change. At a certain age, all change is for the worse. Well, my allergies have gotten better, but I can't think of anything else that's improved.

William म्हणाले...

I see moderation is on. Subscription would probably be better than moderation. Moderation is the death of spontaneity. Subscription is more like the debilitating disease of spontaneity.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

“In our commercial reality, we would fire anyone for developing code like this and any business that relied on it to produce software for sale would likely go bust.”

https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/373612/

That's a description of the model ("science") that ruined economies around the world and especially ours. It will be remembered as the biggest avoidable mistake since WWI. And we are still at it, unable to admit mistakes, or turn back from the brink. It's mass hysteria, which I'm proud that I opposed all along, and I never missed a day of work the entire time, and I cannot telecommute. I was forced to shut down my business 90% for a couple weeks, having only those who voluntarily were willing to work. A huge loss for all of us, but we are luckier than most, partly becuase we did not all hide like mice from a bogus piece of poorly written software. The dystopian future of a world destroyed by super computers just took a big step toward realization, but it's not the computers that are dangerous. It's our lack of courage and mental discipline.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

I'll probably subscribe, if allowed. The best blog out there, due partly to having the best commenters by far.

tcrosse म्हणाले...

RIP Fred Willard

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

While I disagree with the host plenty, she does have a great knack for choosing good content and writing interesting viewpoints. The moderation is unbearable, and I was considering just not coming here much anymore because of it. I understand the need for the moderation, and do not blame Meadhouse for doing it.

grimson म्हणाले...

DM is reporting that Fred Willard has died.

As far as Althouse, I always read her posts, but have pretty much stopped reading the comments. There was too much tedium for too little reward, and I really hate that they are single-threaded.

Kathryn51 म्हणाले...

New site: I will there on the first day. And every day thereafter, just as I have been for the last 14 or so years. Hope it will work to keep the bad faith at a minimum.

I was looking at my political bookmarks the other day that I established probably 12 years ago:

Althouse
Instapundit
Drudge
Ace of Spades
Hot Air

Actually, the list was much longer just a few years ago (America Thinker and others). I don't think I have visited any of the last three (Drudge, Ace of Spades, Hot Air) since the beginning of the year.

Time to regroup (with Althouse and Instapundit) and maybe time to add a couple of others (PowerLine and Chicago Boys).

As for our Covid escape - just rented a vacation home on one of the islands in Puget Sound. Will go back and forth between residence for a few months. Can't wait to get out of Seattle area.

AllenS म्हणाले...

Excellent idea, and long overdue. Even if it's me getting a rejection.

walter म्हणाले...


scowlface says:
John O. Brennan
@JohnBrennan
·
May 14
.@realDonaldTrump
’s propaganda & disinformation machine, which operates according to a despot’s playbook, is the most aggressive & odious in history. It far surpasses even Russia’s ability to trample the truth, harm U.S. security, & undermine America’s reputation worldwide.

Comey's Twitter dark since the 7th when he gave a shout out to agency careerists...

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

"State officials are now distinguishing between people who died "with COVID-19" and those who died "due to COVID-19." Previously, officials lumped all the deaths together, meaning people who had COVID-19, yet did not die directly from the virus, were included in the state's official death count."

"The change resulted in nearly 300 fewer COVID-19 deaths in Colorado, KDVR-TV reported."


That's over 1/4 of their total deaths were bogus - attributed to Covid-19. I'm sure that different states will have different inaccuracies, but I bet some, like NY, are much more inflated.

If we had used real numbers and real science from reliable scientists and had a little discipline and skepticism, we could have avoided so much damage, economic and lives lost. I hope we learn that lesson. Our culture needs nothing so much as some discipline and skepticism. Fear is even more dangerous than a virus specifically because it washes over the discipline and skepticism of even intelligent people.

Arizona has opened up casinos. Restaurants are open here in NV, including those in casinos. Hair dressers are open, but we need the damned bars open. It's like prohibition again.

I have a large pontoon boat reserved for next weekend, which we are going to fill with food, booze, friends and family, and music. We are gong to spend the day cruising around Lake Meade (any relation?). We'll be fishing and swimming like real people living real lives again.

walter म्हणाले...

Amash is out.
Trump releases a burp of relief.

Francisco D म्हणाले...

I am open to a subscription format.

I am sorry that there are asshole out there that try to diminish your efforts, Althouse and Meade.

cubanbob म्हणाले...

J. Farmer said...
The best part about shopping at Publix over Walmart or Winn-Dixie is that their higher average prices create a socioeconomic floor for their customer base. Grocery shopping is so much more pleasurable when you don't have to do it around a bunch of poor people."

How classis of you. Still my wife shops via instacart at Publix, BJ's, Costco, Fresh Market along with the lowbrow WalMart and Winn Dixie and Milams. With four people eating three squares a day at home while we are in lock down ( I'm high risk) I'll pay the fee to her her (and me) avoid the crowds. Hey, just use instacart and no one will know you're slumming at Walmart or Winn Dixie.

Wince म्हणाले...

I first remember Fred Willard when he was Martin Mull's co-host on Fernwood Tonight

"WWII... You know, it's funny. Back then it was legal to kill a German. But, boy, if you kill one now, all hell breaks loose."

Wince म्हणाले...

Fred Willard played the role of the idiotic co-host/color commentator better then...

Well, even better than the idiotic commentators here.

cubanbob म्हणाले...

Althouse/Meade, I'm late to the party. What is the new comments policy? If you're going subscription, I'm in as long as I can stay "anonymous as I am now. I never use my real name in any blogging, I'm not retired and I am a business owner so I prefer to be anonymous for business reasons. One never knows what a customer or potential customer reads or opines and especially in today's economy why risk losing a customer or a potential new account? I still got a train to pull. As for the comments, for me, that's part of what makes this blog so enjoyable for me. Even the jerky ones ( until they go way out of bounds). I'm constantly reminded that many of the commenters here are smarter than your average bear even if I disagree with them. And those commenters are far more enlightening than the majority of the so-called experts, pundits and journalists. Just compare the average level of comment here versus those at the NYT or the WaPo to name but two. There is no comparison. Those are in the shadow of the valley versus your mountaintop. Great work and thank you.

Ralph L म्हणाले...

It would be nice if the system supported Killfile or equivalent. I wish the blogger page did.

narciso म्हणाले...

this guy, and they didn't mention, the death connected to some of his employees, after they hacked Obama and McCain's passports,


https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/05/john-brennan-traitor-chief-discover-networks/

Nichevo म्हणाले...


Ann Althouse said...
I am not looking to exclude any points of view, only the people who are in bad faith and commenting on my site for the purpose of destroying it. That's my longstanding position and I have a 16-year record to prove it.

5/16/20, 11:46 AM



Meh. I'm less and less interested in the place anyway, spending less time here of late. Not a dig, honest opinion. Your stuff isn't as good, also the comments/commenters, always the strength of your blog, are less appealing than hitherto. I'm a longtime reader and commenter FWIW. You'd have to pay me to read the new site, I think.

In its favor, you could effectively term the bad comments/commenters, but doesn't this involve the althou.se type move you've been swearing up and down you'd never do, because archives?

It's infra dig for you to be money-grubbing at this late stage. The Amazon portal is bad enough. I'd say you're better off living within your means. Go subscription or invitation, maybe, but not interested in paying, or, really, in subscribing. Like you resent the changes involved in absentee voting, even if trivial-I don't feel like identifying myself at all let alone offering pay info.

I'd say, just go WordPress, etc, with blocking or whatever wrinkles you fancy, and lock down the Blogger site as an archive.

Would the reading be free and the commenting be pay? That might last a little while longer...but I don't think so. The current price is right.

narciso म्हणाले...

my off again, on again novella has a character based on john brennan,

tcrosse म्हणाले...

The Telegraph has revealed that blood thinners have been found to be useful in treating COVID-19. They help relieve blood clots in the lungs which seem to be a feature of this affliction. Heparin has been around for a long time. Here's hoping Trump doesn't "tout" it.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

For the same reasons as Cubanbob, I'd need to stay anonymous to join up. Too many vengeful assholes out there who can't let someone think differently from them. Then there are all horny groupies that flock like bees on honey.

narciso म्हणाले...


it's based on this post, and followup

https://narcisoscorner.blogspot.com/2012/05/portrait-of-yemeni-spyby-narcisoit-is.html?view=timeslide

stephen cooper म्हणाले...

when this all shakes out Comey is the guy who will be remembered as the treasonous swamp snake, just like nobody remembers anyone but Benedict Arnold anymore, even though at the time he had lots of friends and associates, even so nobody will remember Brennan.

that being said a novel about Benedict Arnold would only be better with a portrait of Moe John Brennan than without

chickelit म्हणाले...

I will likely not follow onto a new approved subscriber base for reasons I care not to explain. I shall miss making non-political contributions in the comments, but, I'll find other outlets. Good luck with the new endevour!

Jim at म्हणाले...

"The best part about shopping at Publix over Walmart or Winn-Dixie is that their higher average prices create a socioeconomic floor for their customer base. Grocery shopping is so much more pleasurable when you don't have to do it around a bunch of poor people."

Yeah. Those poor people trying to save a buck. How DARE they try to pollute your precious shopping experience.

I do all the grocery shopping and I do it at Wal*Mart as opposed to Fred Meyer two doors down. Why? Because I save 15 to 18 percent across the board every time I go. And if I have to be around icky people while doing so? Well, that's the price I pay, I guess.

stevew म्हणाले...

You know that if people moderated themselves to commenting and opining on the topic of the post, and refrained from personal attacks on other commenters and the host, then moderation, and this new model, would be unnecessary. But some can't help themselves. They can't turn the other cheek. They can't simply respond to the comments that have a point and substance, they must attack the motivations and the individual that disagrees. On a blog, FFS.

This is why we can't have nice things. I will look to participate in the new, new thing, and look forward to a more enlightening and interesting experience.

In other news: we have a purchase and sale agreement in place for our house. One last hurdle is formal approval for the loan the buyer seeks. Should that come together we will close June 16. We are planning to build on a piece of land in southeastern Maine. Likely will move into a rental on the water in Maine while that happens. I was born in Cambridge MA and have lived within 25 miles or so of my birthplace for all of my years. It's a little weird to think I will soon be a Mainer. It's well established that I will always be a Masshole. ;-)

Drago म्हणाले...

Ann Althouse: "I am not looking to exclude any points of view, only the people who are in bad faith and commenting on my site for the purpose of destroying it. That's my longstanding position and I have a 16-year record to prove it"

As Aquinas might have written: She said it, she meant it, she's here to represent it.

Aquinas was quite the rhetorical combatant when it came to Just War.

narciso म्हणाले...

but of course grey coupon


https://babalublog.com/2020/05/16/joe-biden-blames-trump-for-cuba-seeking-seat-on-unhrc-forgets-what-happened-when-he-was-vp/

BUMBLE BEE म्हणाले...

Didn't hear the whole joke but the punchline was Imperial College.

Meade म्हणाले...


AllenS said...
“Excellent idea, and long overdue. Even if it's me getting a rejection.“

Don’t be stupid, AllenS. Of course you won’t get a rejection. If you get a rejection, I’LL be getting a rejection. We’ll ALL get a rejection.

But no one is going to get a rejection except the few who actively distrust, disrespect and dislike Althouse. Why the hell do they even bother coming here?

Besides, you’ve never commented in bad faith. Been a dick more than once or twice but, hey, who hasn’t?

Matthew Heintz म्हणाले...

I left my first comment yesterday after lurking in the shadows for a few years!Sign me up for the new format, I couldn't have made myself persona non grata yet!

narciso म्हणाले...

you want another knee slapper,


https://www.aier.org/article/the-2006-origins-of-the-lockdown-idea/

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@cubanbob:

How classis of you.

Ha. Yeah, I have used grocery delivery services for a couples of years now. But there are certain things I prefer to choose for myself. I prefer Publix for the simple that it's a more pleasant shopping experience, and they charge a premium for that experience. You can get prices down by cutting frills, but I like the frills.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Jim at:

How DARE they try to pollute your precious shopping experience.

To be fair, I don't think they are trying to. They just do.

And if I have to be around icky people while doing so? Well, that's the price I pay, I guess.

That's exactly how I think about not being "around icky people."

AllenS म्हणाले...

Damn, I could have been a martyr.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

I'm bicycling into pretty heavy insects today, one every couple minutes or so. Not your average gnat or mosquito sized bug that you get later in the year.

320Busdriver म्हणाले...

Dr Scott Atlas from Stanford on Fox claims that new data for those under 60 years old the fatality rate for coronavirus is at or below the .1 fatality rate for the flu.

Looking at Worldometers they have some recent data showung a crude mortality rate for those under 65 in NYC that would seem to support Atlas' claim.

Just what the hell are we doing?
Insane

chickelit म्हणाले...

@narciso: Thanks for that 6:19 link. I had no idea that children actually conceived the lock down. Well, that's what we get when the Gretas actually run the show.

Howard म्हणाले...

Cloth mask my wife made for me is N100 for bugs. Comes in very handy when I'm sucking wind on the hills. There not so bad when they end up in your mouth cuz you can usually just eat them... when inhaled up your nose that sucks, especially if they are lively.

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

Change is good. I ponder what the future will bring.

I will add that two days of yard work means fatigue. But all the planting had to be done before the incoming rain!

Maude's Dad म्हणाले...

Ralph L said...

It would be nice if the system supported Killfile or equivalent. I wish the blogger page did.
5/16/20, 4:05 PM

Long time reader, first time commenter. My enjoyment of the comments here improved dramatically when I installed the Firefox extension "Blog Comment Killfile".

FullMoon म्हणाले...

CNN headline:

Meade @6;08calls

Allan S stupid dick

Patrick म्हणाले...

I comment much less frequently than I did maybe 8 -10 years ago, in part due to time constraints, but also partially because of the ceaseless back and forth between commenters looking to do nothing more than piss each other off. The good comments just get lost. I hope the new system works well for you, but I still read primarily for Althouse.

I saw above the sad news that Fred Willard died. I wonder how many deaths I heard about first on this blog. Quite a few over the years

wildswan म्हणाले...

I don't have a lot of money so I hope it isn't going to be a lot but I'm in (I hope). I can always save by making sure I buy everything that I want which is in a can, box or bag at Walmart. I think I'll join Instapundit VIP also. End of the era of free news /discussion (sigh) but I've always known that the big things can't be free for any great length of time. Ann and Meade will probably get back a lot of time for themselves to spend in better ways than patrolling for commenter insult trains, trolls and sales offers disguised as comments.

Anne-I-Am म्हणाले...

@JF,

I am with you--maybe in part also because nicer stores have more of the specialty items for which I sometime look. Wal-Mart bugged me not because of the people, but because of the aesthetics.

BC (Before California), I shopped at Fresh Market for most of my recipe ingredients. I would go to a Kroger for staples--flour, sugar, etc.

Out here, all of the grocery shopping is horrid. Expensive real estate leads to small, cramped stores and fewer choices. There is one store--Draeger's--that is a very nice experience, with just about everything one could think of. Sadly, I no longer live anywhere near one.

madAsHell म्हणाले...

Been a dick more than once or twice but, hey, who hasn’t?

I might have to change my screen name.

Anne-I-Am म्हणाले...

Meade,

From what I understand, the new format will be useful for disallowing the threatening, malignant comments primarily aimed at you and Ann. (Though I have seen them directed occasionally at others, including myself.). The new system will not do anything to weed out the nasty personal attacks that some of us have experienced (e.g., Howard making ugly comments about my marriage; Inga ridiculing my personal appearance (how would she know? I may weigh 400 lbs IRL...)

So, as it turns out, the new comment section may still descend into the muck and the mire...just without the creepy personal threats.

Shouting Thomas म्हणाले...

So, basically pay to comment.

That’s OK. It’s probably time for me to cease commenting. I have been contributing to this blog financially.

However, I really don’t have anything new to say on the subjects dear to Althouse’s heart. I’ve said everything I have to say. It’s all repetition now.

It’s time for me to turn my attention fully to music, so this change only helps move me in that direction.

Ray - SoCal म्हणाले...

Weeding trolls is a huge job, and not fun. I can see an improvement in the last couple of months in the commentary, and I appreciate the hard work that went into it.

As mentioned above, please do not require real names to be made public. For those of us involved in running a business, the risk of fixing, and the potential blowback from our Benevolent Internet Lords is terrifying. There is a lot of deplatforming going on. You upset the wrong person, and poof, there goes your entire Google account, your site could be down ranked in search engines, negative Wikipedia article, shadow banned in Twitter, banned on PayPal and Facebook, YouTube,? etc. and you have little to no recourse.

Legalinsurrection lost their Amazon affiliate ability.

Meade म्हणाले...

@FullMoon

LOL. Just for that I'm putting in a nice word for you (in case we ever feature special prizes or discounts on elite subscription levels, you know, gold, platinum, carbon fiber, that sort of thing.)

Meade म्हणाले...

"So, as it turns out, the new comment section may still descend into the muck and the mire...just without the creepy personal threats."

That's the primary goal.

"As mentioned above, please do not require real names to be made public."

I'm sure we won't.

stevew म्हणाले...

You start a conversation, you can't even finish it
You're talking a lot, but you're not saying anything
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed
Say something once, why say it again?

William50 म्हणाले...

I really hope Governor Evers sticks with his plan to start opening the state on the 26th. Especially opening the State Parks to camping. One of the things my wife and I look forward to every year is loading the trailer and bikes up and heading to one of the State Parks that are close to bike trails and doing some camping and biking.

Birkel म्हणाले...

Which one of us has been suggesting there will be state bankruptcies? And cuts for state workers? And pension cuts? And cuts to the various state workforces?

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/05/14/newsom-proposes-10-pay-cut-for-state-workers-in-grim-covid-19-budget-revision/

The pay cuts for state workers arrive, in California.
So when we're listing who called things correctly, I appreciate the recognition I am bound to receive.

Anne-I-Am म्हणाले...

I have undertaken a project for my runs around my neighborhood...I am cataloguing the various felines I come across. Most of them are accommodating enough, allowing me to photograph them. Many of them are varieties of black/white--black with white mustaches & bibs (2), all black (2), dusty black (1), dark gray (1). Fewer tabbies than I would have thought (2). One striking white car with only a black tail and a black spot and a red spot on her head. She was a lover--rolled over at my feet and begged for a belly-rubbing.

I do not like the dusty black one--he comes into my backyard (easily scale the 6' fence) and poops in a box of sand that for some reason, the person before me put in the garden. That will be gone directly.

Birkel म्हणाले...

Et tu, New York?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-15/n-y-tax-revenue-plummets-68-in-april-state-comptroller-says

Yeah, the overreaction to a disease is going to mug an awful lot of Democratics.

Inga म्हणाले...

“From what I understand, the new format will be useful for disallowing the threatening, malignant comments primarily aimed at you and Ann. (Though I have seen them directed occasionally at others, including myself.). The new system will not do anything to weed out the nasty personal attacks that some of us have experienced (e.g., Howard making ugly comments about my marriage; Inga ridiculing my personal appearance (how would she know? I may weigh 400 lbs IRL...)”

My dear woman. No one has threatened you. Why are you even intimating that? When one comments on Althouse one needs to have a thick skin. I cannot tell you the man many times I’ve been insulted, my intelligence, my looks, my profession, my political affiliation, I’ve been doxed and have had real threats made toward me. When you appeared in these comments sections you made a point of singling me out and immediately using the term “harpy” to refer to me. I guess you haven’t learned that when you initiate hostility, you are likely to get some in return. So is life. I think what is unappetizing is the sidling up to Althouse in these comments by certain commenters to make sure that you are to be allowed in this new format of paid prescribers.

chickelit म्हणाले...

@Birkel: My Trump-loathing SIL in Hollywood denied just last weekend the it would come to that.

Ouch for her.

chickelit म्हणाले...

OTH, I just renewed my Driver License online two weeks ago and got a new one in the within 8 days. That's a record! I think the DMV may actually function better remotely.

Anne-I-Am म्हणाले...

Our awesome governor:
The federal government, we need you. These cuts can be negated. They can be dismissed, with your support. This is your moment,” said Newsom. “I want to thank again the incredible leadership of Nancy Pelosi, and I encourage my Republican friends, those on the other aisle and the Senate, to help support the states, help support the cities, help support the counties, help support America and Americans. The HEROES Act is the best approach.”

Yeah, by all means, tax me some more, Newsom, to pay for your and your idiot dems' wild spending...No mention in the article of deciding NOT to give $2000 to every illegal immigrant in the state. Or trying to redo the pensions. And I have no sympathy for public workers having to take a pay cut. Screw them. Every single one of them.

Anne-I-Am म्हणाले...

Birkel,

Not that this will be responsive, since it won't get approved by poor Meade for goodness knows how long..

I just attempted to post a statement from Newsom that the rest of the country needs to bail out Cali. I hope the Senate and Trump tell him to take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut.

Michael K म्हणाले...

The pay cuts for state workers arrive, in California.

Lockdown will end in 3, 2, 1....

Mark म्हणाले...

So I see that Obama was his usual ass in his little graduation talk on the TV.

narciso म्हणाले...


Is this thing on


https://youtu.be/txXXRfUco0s

Mark म्हणाले...

I remember the late unpleasantness of a few years ago.

You notice that a fair number of people who were good commenters before never came back.

iowan2 म्हणाले...

We dined OUT this evening. You know, put on pants, and shoes, shirt with buttons, and ate at a restaurant. People coming and taking our selections, bringing drinks...not driving into town in our sleep clothes and slippers, and bring food back to the house in a paper bag, not so hot, and not so crisp.
Nothing grand, but my first true sense normalcy is creeping back into our lives. For that I am very thankful.

Anne-I-Am म्हणाले...

Foolish Inga,

I wasn't referring to you when I spoke of threats. The same creature who has threatened AA and Meade attacked and threatened me. You probably weren't here--and its comments are always deleted, or haven't you noticed?

And for the record, you liar, YOU attacked me first. I stated my opinion about the virus, and YOU and Ken B ridiculed me, derided me, and made ad homs against me. How typical of you to pretend that you didn't start things.

I refer to you as a harpy because that is what you are. You choose a target, and you try to claw and peck it to death.

YOU initiated the hostility--as you always do, because no one Is stupid enough to initiate a conversation with you.

Your comments are vile, poisonous screeds aimed at anyone who has an opinion with which you disagree. I doubt that I am alone when I say that you rarely have anything to add to the conversation (though when you make an attempt, you succeed), and your snide remarks about other commenters are tiresome.

By all means, continue to excuse yourself, rather than admit that your nasty, vile remarks go well beyond "harpy" and descend into bitter, personally demeaning invective.

This will be my last interaction with you. Ignore, ignore, ignore is the higher road.

chickelit म्हणाले...

Inga wrote: I think what is unappetizing is the sidling up to Althouse in these comments by certain commenters to make sure that you are to be allowed in this new format of paid prescribers.

Can nurses write script?

Mark म्हणाले...

The marketplace of ideas is great. A social good.

Hoop jumping, not so much.

Anne-I-Am म्हणाले...

I dunno, Meade. Maybe this would be a stronger community if (after the fact) you deleted all posts with egregious personal insults. And that includes mine where I name-call at Inga.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM म्हणाले...

maybe they were upset over a YouTube video

@HillaryClinton
· May 15
Armed men storming a legislature to disrupt its democratic proceedings is domestic terrorism. It cannot be tolerated.
https://newsweek.com/michigan-closes-down-capitol-face-death-threats-armed-protesters-against-gov-whitmer-1504241

...but what difference, at this point, does it make?

walter म्हणाले...

Job losses mounting in news media too.
Shit just got real.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM म्हणाले...

hey--what ever happened to Skylark and Mockturtle

...and Eric The Fruit Bat?

chickelit म्हणाले...

I want to thank again the incredible leadership of Nancy Pelosi, and I encourage my Republican friends, those on the other aisle and the Senate, to help support the states, help support the cities, help support the counties, help support America and Americans. The HEROES Act is the best approach.. Gavin Newsom

What a fine sounding speech from someone who has given Trump the middle finger for the last 3 years.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM म्हणाले...

his absence would be understandable if it was

...Eric The
"Chi-Com Wuhan Level-4 Bioweapons Lab Sold-To-The-Nearby-Wetmarket"
Fruitbat

then...ok. Whoa-- wait a minute--do you think all this time he...

Inga म्हणाले...

Anne,

You keep promising to ignore me, yet you don’t. You’ve made mention of me in snide and rude ways on every single Cafe thread since you started commenting here, even when I hadn’t even commented on that thread. Why I seem to live in your head rent free I don’t know. Even before I ever made any comment directed at you, you were calling me a harsh and making mention of me. I think you're a pot stirrer and you are under the impression that no one has noticed. I’ve noticed and I suspect so do others.

So now do as you’ve said many times, ignore me. Thanks in advance.

Inga म्हणाले...

I wish Mockturtle wouldn’t have left, but I don’t think she liked the personal attacks from those who disagreed with her on the nature of the Covid virus and the social distancing. Same thing with Skylark.

Inga म्हणाले...

I wonder what happened to Angledyne and Seeing Red, they disappeared after Covid hit, I sure hope they’re doing well.

Inga म्हणाले...

Yes, subscribers, not prescribers, lol.

Birkel म्हणाले...

The number of white collar jobs that are threatened has not yet been recognized.

Many lawyers do not create value. The entrepreneurs and business owners create the value. Legal work may help avoid losses, of course. But legal work is largely a dependent enterprise. With a smaller economy, overall, there will be less legal work necessary.

Accountants, similarly. And bankers.

The cascade of losses has only started. Landlords will suffer huge losses. Real estate will have fewer buyers in many places. Cities will see outflows of people as more work is permanently performed at distance.

The lockdowns were and are foolish.

I Have Misplaced My Pants म्हणाले...

Nothing grand, but my first true sense normalcy is creeping back into our lives. For that I am very thankful.

I am also so thankful for things we used to take completely for granted. Mr. Pants and I had a lunch date yesterday, our first restaurant meal in 2 months to the day. It was definitely a little weird with the empty tables and the masked servers but we sat and chatted and people watched and a nice kid brought us a Caesar salad and then a delicious piping hot pizza and we tipped him 100% of the ticket and walked away and someone else did the dishes. It was glorious. Then today we went to an estate sale, one of our favorite things, and one of our daughters picked out some cool vintage binoculars and the lady who runs the sales who loves our little girls gave them donuts from her behind-the-register stash just like the old days.

Happy happy.

DavidD म्हणाले...

I saw the same comment posted three times in a row by MEG yesterday.

The 2nd half was an attack on our host and was nasty, in my opinion.

The sad thing is that the 1st half was a perfectly reasonable post.

Some people can’t leave well enough alone, I guess.

I hope I make the cut at the new place. I learn a lot from some of the other folks here.

Milwaukie guy म्हणाले...

Whatever Althouse does I'll be there, like I have ever since Instapundit's first hat tip.

On another note, when I'm out about here on the Portlandia border, I've been referring to our governor as Comrade Kate or that fucking communist governor. It's going over big time. I haven't had as much fun doing mass agitation and propaganda since I was an anti-Vietnam War activist.

I was at the bodega yesterday talking to some old lady, even older than me, about the Covid issue and how it was fucking up young people's lives and how us social security folks are happy staying home, if necessary.

When I was starting up on our fucking communist governor another woman was getting out of her car and said fuck Kate. I said vote Trump. She was fuckin' A. This is all happening within 200 yards of the People's Republic of Portland. Don't tell.

Don't get me started on the guys who sharpen my chain saw blades. I can't wait to fly my "Come and Take It" on the new flag pole.

Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...

I keep thinking of the essay posted here a while back where a woman wrote about getting nagging fitness injuries during this time. Relating to that bit of the piece more and more. Not even sure how it's happening. Maybe extra workouts because of all the extra time.

Mr. Forward म्हणाले...

Will the subscription model be the end of the Amazon Althouse portal? Isn't it past time we all quit supporting Bezos?

Meade म्हणाले...

"Maybe extra workouts because of all the extra time."

Overtraining is a thing. 1 day on, 1 day off. Repeat.

Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation.

Michael K म्हणाले...

I am so glad we left California and moved to Arizona three years ago.

We have not seen our grandkids since Christmas, and that is a bummer, but life here is pretty good. CA has idiots running the place, especially Garcetti and Newsom. They are running the risk of serious violence if they don't wise up.

Kurt Schlicter's novel, "Peoples Republic" was written about California before the 2016 election. He assumed, like everyone else, that Hillary had won. What we are seeing now is the separation of red and blue states that he predicted.

Insty linked this morning to a Chicagoboyz post from a few days ago about how the epidemic resembles the Tom Clancy novel, "Rainbow Six."

Carol S म्हणाले...

I have been a reader (lurker) here for 5 years. I have been coming by less and less as the comments became less and less readable. The rudeness toward AA and Meade has been particularly hard to read, but the endless sniping back and forth between some of the commenters, and the intrusive advertising doesn't help. OTOH, endless, on-going moderation is soul-sucking. I welcome this subscription plan, even if I decide not to participate. I think it would improve the experience and weed out the bad eggs. At least I hope for that.

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

However, I really don’t have anything new to say on the subjects dear to Althouse’s heart.
I also don't comment a lot because I feel like I've said it all before.