Althouse: Here’s a place…

February 27, 2022

Here’s a place…

… where you can write about whatever you want.

29 comments:

Achilles said...: I wonder how late Biden will be for the State of the Union Address.

Be interesting to see how long it takes for him to blame Trump for... everything.

We are of course psychologically incapable of being happy and accepting how good a job he is doing.; 2/27/22, 8:04 PM
Achilles said...: This is a pretty awful time to be calling a lid on the weekend.

I look forward to seeing how Zelensky moves forward with this.; 2/27/22, 8:09 PM
Howard said...: Can't wait to see the success of the Stable Genius like you've never seen Pro-Putin Midterm strategy. GOP hitched it's fortune to a Star. Don't look up.; 2/27/22, 8:14 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: One of my sister's husband was in the military, so, a lot of their friends are military also. Earlier tonight, in a family zoom call, it kind of slipped out in conversation that a friend of theirs shipped out to... you guess it, the country in the news right now that starts with the letter U. I butted in that couldn't be possible because 'we can't get involved in a war with a country with nukes'... she replied... No. There are Americans over there. She insisted.; 2/27/22, 8:21 PM
Big Mike said...: The Russians are claimed to have deployed elite shock troops from Chechnya. Chechens are Muslim, and the Ukrainians have responded by posting videos of their soldiers coating bullets in bacon grease. A little psychological warfare.; 2/27/22, 8:24 PM
alicante69 said...: Are blue and yellow covid masks on the market yet?; 2/27/22, 8:35 PM
Bender said...: Be ready. Things have the real potential to go south and turn really bad really fast now.

Like Father said at Mass today -- make sure that you're all caught up at Confession.; 2/27/22, 8:46 PM
Lucien said...: Anyone know a good source of news about the war in Ukraine?; 2/27/22, 8:57 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: I’m getting pissed of seeing lots of posts on n Reddit about how difficult it is for African and peoples of color to flee Ukraine right now.

You can’t even go to a fucking war zone and escape the scourge of racism? Wtf?; 2/27/22, 9:55 PM
Douglas B. Levene said...: President Nixon mounted a massive, emergency resupply of Israel during the Yom Kippur War which proved essential for Israel's eventual victory. Is there any reason that President Biden couldn't do the same thing for the Ukraine? It might turn the tide, and might, indeed, bog Russia down in a long and bloody struggle. Supplying Ukraine for a long and bloody war with Russia would also be a fine way to repay Russia for the Soviet Union's supplies of war materials to North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. We could do that without a single American soldier going into harm's way.; 2/27/22, 10:05 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Here’s some of my comments from Reddit:

It’s the same over and over… “African students say 'Ukrainians' first' policy preventing them leaving war zone”
Isn’t that what Putin is saying that the Ukraine is led by Nazis?
Could these stories about racists Ukraine be pro-Putin propaganda?

Anonymous Redditor:
“So here is the bottom line if u are in a train going out of ukraine and u took a seat and you are not a white ukrainian you will be removed and thrown out”

Me:
How easy is it for us to point our accusatory finger from our comfy Costco couch to people trying to get their people out alive while they can. I’m sure we would appoint committees who would then draw fair lotteries based on criteria approved by an independent bipartisan panel of Ukrainians… wait… Americans. You see where I’m going?

It’s a fucking war zone!

Then again, maybe I am a no good fucking racist.; 2/27/22, 10:26 PM
Jupiter said...: I've been thinking about the distinction between physical cowardice and moral cowardice.; 2/27/22, 11:52 PM
Ampersand said...: Lately I've had time on my hands and I've started to watch MIT college courses online. Wow! For someone like me who thinks he's really smart, it's a necessary reminder that my ignorance is vast.

Highly recommended.; 2/28/22, 12:50 AM
Narayanan said...: from CTH ...
Essentially, Macgregor is saying that Russia does not want to engage a civilian population and is making every effort to avoid civilian conflict in those population centers. In part this is because Putin knows the Western approach is a propaganda war that would be fueled by what it would look like if population carnage took place. However, if Ukraine President Zelenskyy does not acquiesce to terms, Putin could easily crush those centers with artillery and rockets.; 2/28/22, 1:14 AM
Narayanan said...: Essentially, Macgregor is saying that Russia does not want to engage a civilian population and is making every effort to avoid civilian conflict in those population centers. In part this is because Putin knows the Western approach is a propaganda war that would be fueled by what it would look like if population carnage took place. However, if Ukraine President Zelenskyy does not acquiesce to terms, Putin could easily crush those centers with artillery and rockets.

============ >>> Putin does not want to be called Butcher of Ukraine; 2/28/22, 1:15 AM
StephenFearby said...: NYT online:

10 Consequential Days: How Biden Navigated War, Covid and the Supreme Court

The past week’s events have sidelined congressional squabbling over President Biden’s domestic agenda, and are already redefining the arc of his presidency.

"...Mr. Biden’s aides say his actions in recent days were an example of the caution and consensus-building that have always been at the heart of his sales pitch to voters."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE ARC OF HIS PRESIDENCY? As much as it tries, the NYT still can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.; 2/28/22, 3:16 AM
Lurker21 said...: The French Dispatch was very good and very funny. The Frances McDormand segment was too long and had too much Timothee Chalamet, and you don't want to love an institution as much as Wes Anderson loves the New Yorker, but the film was very enjoyable.

Frances Ha is painful to watch. I really liked some of Noah Baumbach's movies, but you really have to love Greta Gerwig to like this one. Part of the problem was that I thought it was another Baumbach-Gerwig collaboration (Mistress America), which wasn't so much of a personal valentine to Greta. She's quite a "hot mess." It's embarrassing, and I don't find it pleasant. The scenes where she's not talking are the best.; 2/28/22, 4:13 AM
Lucien said...: Narayanan: OTOH, rubble makes for good defensive positions, and collapsed buildings make it harder to drive armored vehicles around in cities.; 2/28/22, 5:38 AM
RMc said...: The "arc" of Biden's presidency is a straight line.

Straight down.; 2/28/22, 5:52 AM
tim in vermont said...: "Can't wait to see the success of the Stable Genius like you've never seen Pro-Putin Midterm strategy."

Some say that this is the very reason this war is happening, because Biden needed the political benefits of it. Personally, I think that Biden just blundered into it, but sure, let's blame Trump, it's all you guys have in the epic fuckup that is, as predicted by Obama, the Biden presidency.; 2/28/22, 6:41 AM
Jersey Fled said...: Well, my daughter received her free government covid tests Friday. The ones she ordered January 19th. The ones Biden said should arrive in 7 to 12 days.

Oh, and it was 28° out when she dug it out of her mailbox. The instructions on the box said that it should be stored at a temperature above 36° so she doesn't even know if they work anymore.; 2/28/22, 7:34 AM
Mike of Snoqualmie said...: Biden is Putin's Patsy(tm). Putin bought Biden with the Burisma and Moscow payments. Biden returned good value to Putin by spiking oil and gas prices. But the joke is on both of them with the ruble being transformed in rubble.

There's a three-mile line of trucks heading to Kyiv. Nice target for ground attack aircraft.; 2/28/22, 8:23 AM
Mike of Snoqualmie said...: "?Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Biden and our NATO allies to impose those sanctions before the invasion, not after it. His plea fell on deaf ears.

Worse still, Biden and Co. are neither imposing such sanctions now nor are they cutting off their reliance on Russia.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken said we would continue buying Russian oil. That, of course, is not the worst of it."

Biden is an honest politician. Once Putin bought him, Biden's stayed bought. And for a very, very low price of $10M. Such a good bargain for Vlad.; 2/28/22, 9:02 AM
MadTownGuy said...: Jan. 6 defendant takes his own life (Epoch Times)

"292 Comments
Matthew L. Perna, a Pennsylvania man prosecuted for his 20-minute walk through the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, took his own life on Feb. 25 due to “a broken heart” and a justice system that “killed his spirit and his zest for life,” his family said.

Perna, 37, of Sharpsville, was due to be sentenced on March 3 in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., in a plea agreement on charges of obstruction of an official proceeding, aiding and abetting, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building. One charge is a felony and the others are misdemeanors.

Perna learned that prosecutors would seek an even longer jail sentence based on “domestic terrorism deterrence,” Julie Kelly of American Greatness wrote on Twitter on Sunday night."; 2/28/22, 9:13 AM
Narr said...: If Putin's using Muslim troop he's even crazier than I thought.

Then again, it may garner a lot of support in the West. The Krauts especially seem enamored of the creatures.; 2/28/22, 10:30 AM
StephenFearby said...: Jersey Fled said...
Well, my daughter received her free government covid tests Friday. The ones she ordered January 19th. The ones Biden said should arrive in 7 to 12 days.

Oh, and it was 28° out when she dug it out of her mailbox. The instructions on the box said that it should be stored at a temperature above 36° so she doesn't even know if they work anymore.

Possibilities:

'...What does it mean if your at-home tests comes in the mail and it's cold?
Dr. Geoffrey Baird, chair of laboratory medicine and pathology at the University of Washington's School of Medicine, said the issue with the at-home tests is that if the liquid inside the cartridge is frozen, the results can be skewed.

If the test is outside for a few hours, odds are the test is fine, although not as accurate as it once was. If your test is in your mailbox for a day or more, Baird advises using a PCR test instead. Baird said if your test spent a night in your mailbox in 25-degree weather, it may be best to order another test.

"Just as anything with liquid, if it's chilled or frozen, it changes. That's the same with these at-home tests," Baird said. "At a time where temperatures are freezing in most places, it's safer to choose another test."

Most studies have found a change in the temperature of the at-home test may result in a false-negative test rather than a false-positive, she added. She said if someone is exposed and tests negative with the at-home test, they should receive a PCR test to confirm the results.

"The sensitivity to coronavirus on these tests can be decreased with temperature changes, and it's always tricky to tell by how much," Prins said. "But more often than not, a wrong test shows a false-negative, so then you should get a PCR test."

Antigen tests exposed for extended periods of time to temperatures below 36 degrees or above 86 degrees can deliver inaccurate results, according to a study published by the National Institutes of Health.

“Consequences may include false-negative test results,” the researchers wrote. “Storage and operation of [antigen tests] at recommended conditions is essential for successful usage during the pandemic.”'

More at:

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2022/02/18/free-covid-tests-could-be-affected-by-cold-temperatures-rochester-ny-weather/6827940001/; 2/28/22, 3:31 PM
Jersey Fled said...: BTW the Biden covid test kits were made in China.; 2/28/22, 3:57 PM
StephenFearby said...: Jersey Fled said...
BTW the Biden covid test kits were made in China.

Mine were made by Roche in South Korea...left in the mailbox by USPS in freezing weather.

Your tax dollars at work! Not.; 2/28/22, 5:14 PM
Narr said...: Our COVID test--yep Made in China--have sat unused for about two weeks. How long they spent traveling through the cold weather to our mailbox we have no way of knowing.

I've read the instructions, which include the advisory that blood will invalidate the result, and my wife has fairly easy nosebleed due to conditions and medications. On top of that she still hopes to board a flight to Europe (selfish selfish woman) on Wednesday, and would feel obligated to report herself if she tested positive.

I don't trust the test and may take it eventually for yuks, plus if I tested positive it would probably auto-suggest me into feeling bad, or dying.; 2/28/22, 6:45 PM