Wednesday Afternoon Links

by | Apr 8, 2020 | Daily Links | 455 comments

Howdy, all. Thanks to MJ for the links yesterday. I had a technical interview. No idea how I did. Had one of those “I see this on your resume, tell me as technically as you can how it works.” And came up with: “I haven’t used that in three years. I’d have to look.” Don’t know if I’ll get points for honesty or marked down. Very unsettling. In better news, my wife took the boys down to the beach that is supposedly closed and said there were lots of people out there walking. Nobody got hassled. So it’s nice that she’s already teaching the oldest how to skip school and go to the beach.

Looks like Crazy Uncle Joe is the last man propped up standing in the Democratic Primary contest. I presume he is a stalking horse for somebody.

World ends, minorities hardest hit.

This certainly seems like a better margin than car.

Since post-9/11 checkpoints and minor terror attacks were the “New Normal”, isn’t this really the New-New Normal for NYC?

 

About The Author

Brett L

Brett L

Brett set out to find America, the real America, the America of strip malls and serial killers, of butthole waxing and kelp smoothies, of cocaine and maggots. He sought it in the most American part of America—Florida: swamp gas and fever dreams, where love arrives on a rickety boat and leaves when it doesn't have the money for its fourth abortion. Oh, where has Brett gone? He’s drinking at the neck of America’s wang, chewing its foreskin and working its shaft. Brett is becoming legend. Brett can never die. Brett can never die. Brett is America, facedown in his own patriotic puke: the red his blood, the white his stomach lining, and the cold, cold blue his gas station slushie, spiked with coconut rum and tetracycline.

455 Comments

  1. SDF-7

    Queue horror soundtrack…

    Whispers: … Loading….

    First!

    • SDF-7

      I dare say that’s my first first. Just doing my part to bring down the quality of the site or somesuch…

    • Ownbestenemy

      March/April was my prediction last year for loading…

      We have time

  2. Rebel Scum

    I presume he is a stalking horse for somebody.

    *loading…*

    • SDF-7

      Ha! Great minds and all that….

    • Atanarjuat

      Yeah, I think he’s a staking horse for “please, anybody, who’s dumb enough to jump in”.

  3. SDF-7

    More seriously — hope it turns out well for you, Brett. If I were the interviewer, I would give you points for honesty — but I also would have tried to at least talk concepts if you don’t remember details… But then, I’ve always viewed the interview as a way to get an idea of team dynamics, interpersonal relation skills and most importantly an idea of how folks think/work through a problem. Particular tools are less interesting, just a way to get a problem defined.

  4. UnCivilServant

    Will Joe survive to the election? He hasn’t been looking good.

    • SDF-7

      If they keep hiding him away in his basement under the auspices of self-quarantine, he might.

    • bacon-magic

      You darned right I will Fat. Just look what I did to Corn Pop, Trump can’t hang with the guy swinging the rusty chain. I’m Joe Biden and want your vote for the Senate. – Joe

      • Certified Public Asshat

        I’ve survived every election since the Civil War, I’m not playing second fiddle to Donald Duck. – Also Joe

      • Oy the Billy-Bumbler

        I’ve taken a look at this Biden and I think I will vote for the other Biden.

    • Tonio

      All eyes are going to be on the vice presidential nominee for once, as that person is likely to serve all or part of Biden’s term.

      • Tres Cool

        My money is on Caesar Cuomo.

      • Tonio

        I should have written “a Biden term,” since his election is far from assured.

      • Hyperion

        “All eyes are going to be on the vice presidential nominee for once, as that person is likely to serve all or part of Biden’s term.”

        White Squaw.

    • westernsloper

      FINGERBANG!

      • LemonGrenade

        I read that entire Hat & Hair episode out loud to the hubby. Couldn’t resist, it made me laugh so hard.

  5. Mad Scientist

    This certainly seems like a better margin than car.

    That’s a mere $16,313.33 per ventilator.

    • SDF-7

      Being GM — I’m sure you can get the Ventilator SS for only $25k.

      • Oy the Billy-Bumbler

        Or with a Cadillac badge on it for $50k.

    • Defiant YDAK of the Desert

      That’s cheap,

    • Atanarjuat

      That oughta help them shed that “Government Motors” moniker.

  6. Defiant YDAK of the Desert

    WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!
    /really

  7. leon

    I had a technical interview. No idea how I did.

    I had a convo with a co-worker about this today. The change from “Solve this puzzle” kind of questions to “Show my a Portfolio, do a coding challenge” kind of questions in interviews. Also talked about a company i interviewed with that spend 10+ hours of interviews with me over a month, and then never got back to me. Very unprofessional and irritating. After that i started to seriously consider charging for my time past the 3rd interview.

    • Mojeaux

      After that i started to seriously consider charging for my time past the 3rd interview.

      I did that with my kids’ psychiatric drug dealer (ARNP). She continuously runs behind and I have always been careful to schedule as early as possible. When I don’t…hooooo boy. I have twice waited an hour, but it’s not the kind of doctor visit you can bail on (the rx is necessary).

      Once, I had to miss an appointment and they were going to bill me. I said, “Oh no you are not. I have waited here enough times way over 20 minutes that you owe me money.”

      Then, the last time she did it, I sent them a bill for my normal hourly rate (well, when I’ve got projects).

      We have been seen promptly ever since.

      • Tonio

        Good on you.

    • Semi-Spartan Dad

      Sounds like you dodged a bullet with that company.

      Last time I was on the job hunt, a couple companies sent me technical challenges to complete after I applied and before interviewing. I just replied thanking them for their time but that their company is no longer in my consideration. I imagine they’re missing out on top talent by putting up roadblocks so early in the process… unless if they already have an internal candidate selected and are opening up the job to satisfy HR. I need at least an interview first with the hiring manager to determine a good fit before committing time like that.

      • Tonio

        When I applied for a job as a young programmer this company had this technical challenge on their application — a programming exercise. I looked at it and it was far more than a snippet of code. While perhaps legit, I became suspicious that they were using the application process as a way to get free coding and didn’t apply.

    • SUPREME OVERLORD trshmnstr

      past the 3rd interview.

      Wut? I can see 2 levels, maybe 3. By the time you get to round 3, they should be down to few enough candidates to count on one hand and still have fingers left over.

      What are they even doing in a 4th or 5th round interview?

      • leon

        I’m counting the initial Screening by the HR recuriter as the first interview. Then you would get one with the actual hiring manager. Finally i think one that is with the team you would work with can sometimes be appropriate.

    • DEG

      10+ hours of interviews? That’s excessive.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Yeah, screw that noise. Even when I was a practicing engineer in high-tech, I couldn’t imagine putting up with that.

      • leon

        It was foolish on my part (I’m including ~3 hours that i worked on a coding project). In my defense, i really, really hated my last job, and so i was feeling a little desperate, but i knew what was happening, and should have put my foot down. Perhaps the most irritating thing was them acting incredulous when i balked at them requesting that i go to their office for 3 hours of interivews with the team, the manager, and the director of tech, in the middle of my work day. They were like “Huh?” when i told them that i still had a Job and that that would be a big ask.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        As far as I can tell, the hiring process has really gone to shit over the last two decades.

        I think everyone saw how Google does it and what people were willing to do in order to get a job there and said “Hmmm, maybe we should emulate that three ring circus. It will definitely make us a better company.”

    • Chipwooder

      Gah, I hate that shit. I remembering interviewing three times with Mannheim when I first got out of the military and then never hearing back from them. The two guys I would have been working for seemed to really like me, but the general manager was a total cock who kept badgering me about “how did you feel about killing people in Iraq?” even though I repeatedly explained to him that I never heard a shot fired in anger because I fixed fucking radars.

      • Bobarian LMD

        The answer is “I felt some bruising in my shoulder”.

      • Tundra

        “Mild tinnitus, but it went away.”

      • dbleagle

        In a perky and upbeat voice. “Well I am a perfectionist in my job and I was really disappointed that I missed “the T” with one and had to shoot a second shot. The rest were dead solid perfect shots.”

      • Invisible BEAM of the comment stream

        “We were only there to win hearts and minds. Usually two rounds to the heart and one round to the mind.”

    • Hyperion

      “Also talked about a company i interviewed with that spend 10+ hours of interviews with me over a month”

      I had a company do that to me, I mean tried. They called me like 3 different times and I spent 2 hours on the phone with them each time. The 4th time they called me, I was fishing. I said ‘I’m fishing.’ They asked me when they could call me back again. I said ‘You already called me 3 times. Are you guys actually looking to hire someone, because this isn’t going anywhere and I have other things to do.’. The guy fumbled around a little and was like ‘Well, umm, if umm, well’ and I said ‘Don’t call me again, not ever. Bye.’.

  8. DEG

    I had a technical interview. No idea how I did.

    Best wishes.

    To understand the depth and severity of Biden’s problem with the left, consider a few remarks Elizabeth Bruenig, the New York Times columnist and vocal Sanders supporter, made while watching the one-on-one debate between Biden and Sanders.

    Wasn’t there someone at H&R that lusted after her? I don’t think Biden will have to worry about the Progressive wing of the Democrat party. They’ll fall into line because ORANGEMANBAD.

    I only read about half the Guardian article. “Go fuck yourself, not everything is about race” kept playing through my mind.

    GM has already begun to retool its automotive electronics factory in Kokomo, Ind., to manufacture the ventilators and plans to begin production in mid-April using paid-volunteer UAW employees, who will be working under safety measures that include social distancing, the use of protective equipment and increased sanitization of the facility.

    So more possible union grievances?

    In a bit of good news, Cuomo said the curve is flattening in regard to the number of new cases. He says that hospitalizations are down and some hospitals are releasing more patients than they take in.

    The governor says the health care system could stabilize over the next few weeks but he cautioned that everyone still needs to be doing social separation and staying at home for it to work.

    “When will things go back to the way they were? I don’t think it’s about going back. I don’t think it’s ever about going back. The question is about going forward and that what we have to deal with here,” Cuomo said. “I don’t think we return to yesterday, where we were. I think if we’re smart we achieve a new normal.”

    Go fuck yourself. Lift the fucking restrictions.

    • Not Adahn

      paid-volunteer

      Buh?

      • DEG

        I read it as volunteering to work and get paid as opposed to sitting at home furloughed.

      • Drake

        “Raise your hand if you want to keep your job.”

    • SUPREME OVERLORD trshmnstr

      Don, you may know this…

      GM has already begun to retool its automotive electronics factory in Kokomo, Ind.

      Is that the old Delphi plant?

      • Not Adahn

        They’ll get cash fast and then produce ’em slow?

      • JD is Unemployed

        What you did there…

      • Don Escaped Muhlenberg County

        oops: was in the shower

        I don’t actually know that one first hand. This This says it is/was a Delco plant, so electronics.

        Delco means Dayton Electrics Company or something like that. In my childhood that meant spark plugs and AM radios; today everything has a motherboard.

        My own experience with Delco is limited to controls manufacturing in Reynosa, a plant of typical quality and issues AFAIK.

      • Hyperion

        I remember the Chrysler plant off of 31 there and Delphi is was close to there. But there was also a Delco there. I think the latter was closed, I wonder if that’s what they’re talking about?

      • SUPREME OVERLORD trshmnstr

        From the Delco Wikipedia entry:

        commercial portion of Delco Electronics was transferred to GM’s Delphi Automotive business.

        On May 28, 1999, Delphi became a separate publicly traded company, and continued to use the Delco Electronics name for several of its subsidiaries until 2004.

        Although Delco Electronics no longer exists as an operating company, GM still retains rights to the Delco name and uses it for some of its subsidiaries including the ACDelco parts division.

        The confusion is not surprising.

      • Don Escaped Muhlenberg County

        I kinda messed that up; short version: they’re the same thing.

        Longer version: lots of things got bought and spun around and commingled during GM’s arc. Delco was inhouse, big parts of Hughes aerospace, Ross Perot’s EDS, etc. Delphi was created and spun off with most of the electronics assets; I believe that both GM and Delphi have rights to the Delco name.

      • Don Escaped Muhlenberg County

        Another great product line was Packard electrical connectors. GM bought that at some point, and they got sold off kinda with or without the Delphi name. Most of the patents are expired now, but it was good stuff: great value. The weather-pak stuff looks like this, but I can’t recommend anyone other than Pioneer (if that even still exists) as a source.

    • Don Escaped Muhlenberg County

      I tried to search TOS but found *Gilmore* and only then recalled all the sock puppetry and name-stealing

      / exhausted

    • Rhywun

      “I don’t think we return to yesterday, where we were.”

      We need a great leap forward to a new future of… whatever. Just make it new! Change!! beep boop

      • Not Adahn

        Why would we want to return to April 7?

    • grrizzly

      The second headline is my new Bee favorite.

      • Lady Zorg aka Babalu

        But it doesn’t really qualify as satire.

      • BakedPenguin

        Yeah, that’s a killer.

  9. Drake

    The GM article breezes right by the “retool its automotive electronics factory in Kokomo, Ind…” line. As if it’s no big deal to retool a factory to build a completely different product for a month or two.

    By June, those spare ventilators will be selling for less than half price.

    • Brett L

      those spare ventilators will be selling for less than half price

      Not to worry, they’ll make it up on volume!

    • Ted S.

      The GM article breezes right by the “retool its automotive electronics factory in Kokomo, Ind…” line. As if it’s no big deal to retool a factory to build a completely different product for a month or two.

      To be fair, everybody knows a little place like Kokomo.

      • Oy the Billy-Bumbler

        They get there fast but then they take it slow.

  10. The Other Kevin

    Good luck Brett. My manager tells me he hired me based on how well he thought I’d get along with the team. Even though I was lacking technical skills. He figured someone with my experience could learn what I needed to on the job. Hope it goes that way for you too.

    • Brett L

      I’m just disappointed that they didn’t want to debate the relative merits of Scrum vs. SAFe as an optimal way of achieving nothing and assigning blame later.

      • Drake

        Are you an Agile-Master practitioner at blame-shifting?

      • SDF-7

        Agile — or how the industry decided pushing out buggy code quickly was somehow Best Practices… we’ll fix it in the Next Sprint ™!

      • leon

        “Look we’ll get the tests done later, but we just need to push this now”.

        Narrator: The Product Owner lied, later never came

      • Mad Scientist

        And pushing it out and pushing it out and pushing it out. I’m really tired of half the software running on my several machines constantly bugging me to install an upgrade. Either do it automatically whenever the program is restarted (a la Chrome), or do it rarely. Constant updates to get buggy new features I have zero interest in is absurd.

      • Chipwooder

        Tableau updates quarterly but I can’t run the update myself because I don’t have admin privileges. Pain in the ass.

  11. leon

    ‘It’s a racial justice issue’: Black Americans are dying in greater numbers from Covid-19

    we need some kind of reparations to bring the world back into balance. Maybe shoot some white Covid patients.

    • grrizzly

      No ventilator for you, whitie.

    • leon

      Won’t the linking massacres end?!?!

      • bacon-magic

        I blame squirrels.

      • Donation Not Taxation

        It is a longstanding custom in news link posts on this site for commentariat to add their own.

    • Donation Not Taxation

      “We have a difficult problem of exacerbation of a health disparity. We have known literally forever that diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity and asthma are disproportionately afflicting the minority populations, particularly the African-American,” Fauci said, adding that those are the same conditions that “lead to a bad outcome with the coronavirus.”

      “So we are very concerned about that. It is very sad. There is nothing we can do about it right now except to give them the best possible care to avoid complications,” Fauci said.

      https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/coronavirus-government-response-updates-navarro-warned-white-house/story?id=70019546

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        diabetes, hypertension, obesity and asthma

        3 of those have something in common and it isn’t white privilege.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        Us brown-folk often do have salt-sensitive hypertension that has nothing to do with our weight. It’s also why ARBs and diuretics work better for us than ACEs.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Well us lily-white folk have more arrhythmia that has nothing to do with our diet. It’s why BGs and Bacharachs work better for us than NWAs.

      • Tundra

        *polite applause*

      • Ozymandias

        There is evidence to suggest that “old world bloodlines” – i.e. people of darker skin – do not handle the digestion of sugar as well as whitey. That is to say, white people are less adversely affected by excessive consumption of sugars than darks-skinned people across the globe. The diabetes numbers (and some other data points) tend to support that conjecture.

      • Count Potato

        You would think it would be the opposite because less fruit grows in cold weather.

      • Count Potato

        My experience with soul food is that it has quite a bit of salt.

      • Viking1865

        Yeah I bet when you correct for the rate of prevalence of obesity, the disparity shrinks dramatically, if not vanishes entirely.

  12. Donation Not Taxation

    Show business deaths this week: actors Lois Kelly Miller (102), Forrest Compton (90), Honor Blackman (94), Lee Fierro (91), Shirley Douglas (86), Patricia Bosworth (86), James Drury (85), Allen Garfield (80), Jay Benedict (68)
    singers John Prine (73), Alex Harvey (also 73), Guus Smeets (71), Nirmal Singh Khalsa (67), Patrick Gibson (64), Glenn Fredly (44), Helen Bolek (28, suicide), Logan Williams (16, cause not public but sdescribed as “sudden”)
    pianists Dieter Reith (82), Onaje Allan Gumbs (70)
    jazz clarinettist Harold Rubin, 87,
    British radio producer and theatre director John Tydeman, 84,
    producers Thomas L. Miller (79), Hal Willner (64)
    comedians Eddie Large (78), Vic Henley (54)
    production designer and set decorator Carlo Leva (90)

    • leon

      Won’t the coronavirus massacre end?!?

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      Who?

      • Not Adahn

        The Boz’s mom.

      • Defiant YDAK of the Desert

        ^this,

  13. Donation Not Taxation

    FDA authorizes use for medical purposes of KN 95 masks

    • Gustave Lytton

      *waiting for Chinese knockoff of Chinese knockoff*

      • hayeksplosives

        Gotta lov Chingrish.

      • SandMan

        My wife is one of dem furenurs; her brother is into retail trade dealing with China. When he came for a visit years ago he brought me a nice “ReBook” jogging outfit.

      • Sean

        Yeah, that’s great.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        I recall eating some Lieutenant Major’s Fried Chicken when I was in Shanghai.

  14. The Late P Brooks

    That’s a mere $16,313.33 per ventilator.

    Does that include undercoating and Diamond Shine polish job?

    • Brett L

      Nah, the dealers get that pot of gold.

    • Mad Scientist

      I find is rather telling that even GM can build an entire car for about what they’re contracting to make some ventilators. No graft here!

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Meh, the tooling costs have to be absurdly high on this schedule.

        And odds are those ventilators will never get used and the government will back off their commitment.

      • Bobarian LMD

        But it will create about a 30 year surplus on ventilators that will likely put the real companies out of business.

        If consequences are foreseeable, they’re not really unintended, are they?

      • topnotchtoledo

        I don’t understand why the companies that already make ventilators aren’t contracted to make more. Obviously I’m missing something.

      • westernsloper

        They’re in China?

  15. Drake

    Phil Fucking Murphy is on a roll.

    Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday he is requiring all employees and shoppers at the businesses still open in New Jersey to wear face masks or coverings until further notice to help fight the coronavirus outbreak and has limited the number of customers allowed inside stores to a max of 50% of their capacity.

    On what authority is this based? There’s now a law I have to wear a mask? I bet it conflicts with laws against wearing masks.

    I went to the supermarket today. Maybe half the people were wearing masks. I’m at the no more fucks to give stage and will not be wearing one unless I am diagnosed with the commie cough.

    • Rebel Scum

      I bet it conflicts with laws against wearing masks.

      It would in VA. Idk about other states.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      I wear a mask in the stores. That’s not a particularly high burden.

      Some guy asked me “Does that thing actually work?” My response was “I guess you’re gonna find out.”

      • Drake

        It’s a coin-toss if I had the virus a couple of weeks ago or not. I’ve stopped caring either way.

      • Trolleric the Goth

        I have been too.

        really the only burden is having to shave before going so it actually seals against my face, but it’s only once a week

      • JaimeRoberto Delecto

        You could go with the Hitler mustache to make the mask work better.

      • Trolleric the Goth

        I had a coworker seriously suggest this back in early march when I did it the first time.

        At that point I had the undercut hair too, it would have been a little too close for my liking

      • Gustave Lytton

        I’ve started wearing masks, and no one seems to give a shit. Maybe give me a wider berth if that.

    • Chipwooder

      Same here. Fuck ’em.

      I too went to the grocery store today, and most people still aren’t wearing masks. Made me smile.

      • Fourscore

        I too, went to the Podunkville Mall today. I was alone, with two unmasked female employees. One let out a big sigh,because she had to come to the register and check me out.

        They did have sufficient paper products, some with brands that I recognized.

    • Sensei

      Yeah, my wife just told me that.

      My guess is he can’t, but the private businesses won’t want to mess with him and will prohibit you from entering.

      • Drake

        If they want to supply me with one, I’ll don it for a few minutes.

    • Tres Cool

      Since I had to make an in-person trip to my local VA hospital today, you bet your sweet fanny I had on an N95 mask. And practically bathed in hand-sanitizer (which they had every 6 ft. throughout the facility, it seemed.)

      • Drake

        That brings up this – The new anti-body tests are on the way

        “We can test people to see if they’ve been exposed, are immune, and can go back to work.”

        So if really managed to avoid exposure to the virus, I have to stay in house-jail while the people who were careless get to go to work, shop, hang out at bars…?

    • Hyperion

      “I went to the supermarket today. Maybe half the people were wearing masks.”

      Same here. Thing is, half of those are just wearing bandanas over their face of cheapy cloth masks just hanging loosely off their face. Not sure that will do anygood. But if you do wear one of the good ones properly, they are not very comfy. I hate them.

      • topnotchtoledo

        These are the salad days for train robbers.

  16. Donation Not Taxation

    Sweden still not shut down. Sweden using distance learning instead of classrooms for secondary and higher but kept classroom for primary. Otherwise not shut down. Did social distancing, masks, gloves, wash hands more, and so on. Sweden is the control for do the other stuff except shut down versus everything with shut down. 591 deaths due to Wuhan Flu as of sometime yesterday First known case 24 January. Estimated population somewhere in the range of 10 050 000 to 10 250 000. Population density of #1 city about 4 800 per square kilometer, which makes it as high or higher than a lot of First World major cities.

    Elected persons in Austria, Brazil, Denmark publicly dangling possibility of ending shut down.

    • Drake

      Hope this puts real pressure on Trump and the Governors.

      • Donation Not Taxation

        It would mean a lot if the economic and military superpower of the world lifts shut down. 5 US states are not shut down. 3 other US states have shutdown in only parts of their states.

      • leon

        What? and be like a bunch of Eurotards? I think not. We americans should show those wenies what for and shut down everything!

      • Drake

        FDR kept fucking the economy long after the rest of the world recovered – we can do it again!

    • hayeksplosives

      Now that’s an economic lesson I wouldn’t mind learning from Sweden.

    • Fourscore

      “Elected persons in Austria, Brazil, Denmark publicly dangling”

      A guy can hope anyway. Maybe its not too late to learn somethings

    • Donation Not Taxation

      Hope they get people to voluntarily donate money to pay for it.

  17. The Late P Brooks

    WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!

    Eventually. Lemme finish my sammich, okay?

  18. Mojeaux

    Good afternoon, Brett, and my pleasure!

    I didn’t mean to stand in for you. I just write up a post when it strikes my fancy and let SP decide what to do with it. ?

  19. The Late P Brooks

    Wasn’t there someone at H&R that lusted after her?

    I think Gilmore had a hard-on for her, but more like in the “I’d like to punch her right in the cunt” kind of way.

    • Heroic Mulatto

      I kinda remember Irish or Derp making goo-goo eyes.

      But you all look alike to me.

      • Not Adahn

        I think it was Irish.

  20. The Late P Brooks

    I find is rather telling that even GM can build an entire car for less about what they’re contracting to make some ventilators. No graft here!

    Let’s just hope they run better and last longer than a Cadillac Cimarron.

    • Not Adahn

      Considring only 50% of the people who use a ventilator die, it should be a boost to their safety record.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        *chuckle*

      • Donation Not Taxation

        Seconded.

    • Chipwooder

      The Chevy Vega made the Cimarron look like a Toyota in the quality department.

      My aunt had a Vega in the early ’70s. It was her first car. My grandpa told me that the floorboards rusted out within 2 years.

      • Tres Cool

        My older brothers 1st car was a Vega. From what I remember, it went through at least a quart of oil a week. But he hooked it up with an air-shock lift, Cragar SS rims, Kelly superchargers, and an 8-track under the drivers seat.

      • Sensei

        Our neighbors had one. Only way to get it to pass emissions in NJ at the time was beat the snot out of it to the state inspection place. Stop the car, push it in the line and only start it up when it was your turn.

        Chevrolet 2300 engine

      • Tres Cool

        My 1st ride was a ‘vette. Chevette.

      • SandMan

        My 2nd car was a 74? Vega, it was actually not a terrible car, I think I put 140K miles on it and it was still running decent when I unloaded it. My 8 track was under the dash, where it was supposed to be.

    • JaimeRoberto Delecto

      They are going to look like the Aztec.

      • UnCivilServant

        Will it feature the sacrificial altar and automatic heart-ripping feature?

      • JaimeRoberto Delecto

        Given the likelihood of surviving once you’re on a ventilator, that might be the quicker option.

  21. The Late P Brooks

    I think if we’re smart we achieve a new normal.

    As far as I’m concerned, in our “new normal” lampposts festooned with politicians hanging by their heels should be a common sight.

    • Chipwooder

      politicians hanging by their heels should be a common sight.

      The Benito

      • Defiant YDAK of the Desert

        Chuckles…..

    • Lackadaisical

      only in my wet dreams I’m afraid.

    • hayeksplosives

      Oh for the love of Pete. There are few places better suited to take on an epidemic than the Twin Cities and of course Rochester (Mayo). Lots of hospitals and clinics.

      Back the eff off, governors!

    • Tundra

      What a cunt.

      Recall petition when this is over. This is moving into criminality.

      • leon

        when this is over

        Hahahahaha

  22. hayeksplosives

    This Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, dude in charge of WHO sounds blindly communistic at best, insidious at worst.

    • leon

      blindly communistic

      when your sucking that much CCP Cock, its hard to see anything else…

    • The Other Kevin

      So you’re saying big global institutions like the WHO are subject to politics and aren’t full of selfless public servants? *faints*

    • grrizzly

      Given that he’s a member of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, according to Wikipedia, that’s exactly how he’s supposed to sound.

  23. Naptown Bill

    I hate technical interviews. I can’t write code with people looking over my shoulder, and, like Einstein, I don’t memorize documentation. For me, those kinds of interviews are good opportunities to judge how well I’ll fit. Places where they’re looking for examples of familiarity with concepts and patterns and where at the most you’ll be whiteboarding pseudocode are generally good shops. Places where they expect me to recite entries from MDN and write a functioning app freehand on a legal pad are looking for codemonkeys. The way I saw it put best was that a technical interview is a good preview for how your supervisors will interact with you.

    • Tres Cool

      …now do herpes, your holiness

    • bacon-magic

      What plague will it be for all that pedophilia your sect has done Pope Commie?

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      I hope God can forgive the Pope for trying to exploit this crisis.

      • Bobarian LMD

        I don’t.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      What was the Black Plague in response to?

      • Defiant YDAK of the Desert

        Hitler?

  24. The Late P Brooks

    Big Plastic uses coronapanic to push agenda

    In a matter of days, hard-won bans to reduce the use of plastics — and particularly plastic shopping sacks — across the U.S. have come under fire amid worries about the virus clinging to reusable bags, cups and straws.

    Governors in Massachusetts and Illinois have banned or strongly discouraged the use of reusable grocery bags. Oregon suspended its brand-new ban on plastic bags this week, and cities from Bellingham, Washington, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, have announced a hiatus on plastic bag bans as the coronavirus rages.

    Add to that a rise in takeout and a ban on reusable cups and straws at the few coffee stores that remain open, and environmentalists worry COVID-19 could set back their efforts to tackle plastic pollution for years.

    “People are scared for their lives, their livelihood, the economy, feeding their loved ones, so the environment is taking a back seat,” said Glen Quadros, owner of the Great American Diner & Bar in Seattle.

    It’s a dastardly plot to set back ecology.

    • Tundra

      Ah Glen, my poor lost watermelon. Worshiping the environment is a luxury. Historically, it means you won life’s lottery.

      Now don’t bother us ever again.

      • Gustave Lytton

        All these fucking watermelons need to do their part and reuse a plastic bag by pulling it over their head and twisting the ends.

        Unclean reusable bags and plastic bag bans were a sanitary disaster before Covid. So was banning sealed condiments or individually plastic wrapped disposable flatware and straws.

      • Lady Zorg aka Babalu

        Not to mention a huge economic burden on businesses. There’s a reason why the market chooses plastic.

      • Tonio

        Early Soviet beverage vending machines used a single shared glass for all customers; return to machine when done drinking.

      • grrizzly

        Well, not exactly early. Those were the only machines in operation in the ’80s and then the USSR collapsed. Also, each machine had a water faucet to rinse the glass: very hygienic!

      • Jarflax

        How often did the glasses go missing?

    • JaimeRoberto Delecto

      If it makes them feel any better, I couldn’t get my glass growler refilled either.

    • bacon-magic

      Can’t wait when the truth comes out about this Commie cough.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      Let China fund those fucks. Also, he’s not a doctor.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Screw that and getting out of the UN. That’s just what those assholes would like. They’ve use it for their own ends even more.

        Take these international organizations, gut them, close entirely the lesser ones, wear the larger ones as skin suits and demand respect.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        We don’t have the balls to do that although what you say would be ideal. Better to just cut off their allowance and call it a day.

    • DOOMco

      Keep fighting you moron.

      I hope we do cut that funding.

      • Lackadaisical

        but then who would castigate us for correctly blaming China?

  25. Donation Not Taxation

    ‘GM to build 30,000 ventilators for national stockpile through $489.4 million contract under Defense Production Act’

    First, GM is being legally forced to via the Act

    Second, the money to GM is not being voluntarily donated to the US national government to pay for the ventilators.

    • Defiant YDAK of the Desert

      So tedious………..

    • creech

      What’s the bet that all 30,000, when finally produced, will never be used and gather dust in the warehouse next to the Ark of the Covenant?

      • grrizzly

        No doubt about that. It’s even likely that before they are even produced, the doctors will figure out that ventilators are not the best way to treat coronavirus patients.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      No nonalarmist propaganda allowed.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      No typical politician is going to put their reputation on the line by defying the public health experts in this environment. They would be opening themselves up to accusations of killing their constituents.

      Strangely enough, that’s why we’re probably better off with Trump right now. He’s used to it. And you can guarantee that when he does call for lifting the restrictions, the media is going to be out for blood.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        Looks like the restrictions will be at least partially (very partially) relaxed sooner rather than later:

        https://apnews.com/fab319a90ead9aae057f7fab059c2ccb

        Hopefully it’s a sign of better things to come.

      • Tundra

        How about the public health experts that don’t agree with the freakout? Could we at least hear from them, too?

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Given that they’re being culled from the major media outlets, probably not.

      • Breet Pharara

        What are you an idiot.

        All the health experts agree that the freakout is necessary. Therefore, anyone who doesn’t agree with the freakout isn’t an expert and can be ignored.

        QED

    • Count Potato

      “deleted from Medium”

      Wow.

    • westernsloper

      From an anonymous blogger who got his previous post deleted from Medium

      Great find Gustave. I had not seen that LA Times article he links to.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Stumbled upon it by happenstance. Was using twitter to poke back at the wannabe fascists and someone had a link.

    • Defiant YDAK of the Desert

      A nice Wide selection!
      too bad #4 inked herself, very pretty gal,

      • SandMan

        She sure is/was.

  26. CPRM

    Everyone should vote by mail, nothing could ever go wrong.

    OSHKOSH (WLUK)

    An area lawmaker is filing a complaint with state elections officials after he says undelivered absentee ballots were discovered at a postal facility.

    • Tonio

      And they will try to blame that on Trump, even though the USPS is no longer a US government agency (but still has special government powers and immunities).

  27. Donation Not Taxation

    Italy’s ministers health, interior, and transportation jointly ban allowing vessels containing so-called ‘migrants’ dock or land Italy

    • leon

      It’s probably for the benefit of the migrants

    • leon

      Respect mug athoritay!

      • Defiant YDAK of the Desert

        Tall Mugs!

  28. DOOMco

    Bidens campaign is the oldest thing he’s been near in a while

  29. Urthona

    I will never forget where I was when a subset of states and counties (mostly blue) decided to save Millions Of Americans(tm) by nobly sacrificing a few million jobs.

    Such a heroic act.

    • Urthona

      So it doesn’t work?

    • The Other Kevin

      There is only anecdotal evidence that it works, but also evidence that it doesn’t and also it could cause long term damage to people should they live.

      • Drake

        What? Citations?

      • grrizzly

        Still not as crazy as the fact that “antidepressants can increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults with major depressive disorder.” I find it ridiculous every time I hear about this side effect when they advertise antidepressants on TV.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        That’s true but generally those are seen with long-term use although I’d imagine there are exceptions to that.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        Well, particularly with the eye toxicity, yes. But these drugs are unforgiving with overdoses, so it adds up quick.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        I’d risk it, especially under a doctor’s care. They probably shouldn’t give it out like candy to panicky people though.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        That’s pretty much all anyone is saying.

        Outside of the fever-swamps of social media, of course.

    • Drake

      If Trump had said that the stuff was worthless after the French and Chinese said it worked, everyone at CNN would be mainlining the stuff right now.

    • Heroic Mulatto

      I read it, and from Wuhan and there’s a control group where 80% do well and only 50% don’t. I mean, you could be a plumber and read that and come to the same conclusion, John.

      No comment, except for the fact that a plumber probably has greater number sense than your average desk worker, you know, having to calculate angles for pipe connections and water flow, etc. on the daily.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        I’m not a plumber so I guess it only stands to reason that I don’t understand what he’s saying in that sentence.

      • Rhywun

        I’m glad I wasn’t the only one.

      • grrizzly

        Navarro should run for President. Unlike from social scientists nobody expects much clarity from the presidential candidates.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        *spit take, laughing*

        Bravo!

      • The Hyperbole

        Yeah, plumbers don’t calculate shit (pun intended) “Pipe’s round, shit runs downhill and payday is on friday” is the extent of most plumbers knowledge.That’s not to say some plumbers aren’t smart, just that they aren’t working calculus and geometry problems out on a daily basis, 90% of their job is repetitive “that’s how it’s always been done work” when they encounter a tricky wicket they are going to hold up the different elbows and connections they have on hand until something fits, mark it with a sharpie, cut it, and slap it together.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        +1/4 in per foot

    • JaimeRoberto Delecto

      The crusade against Hydroxychloroquine is truly bizarre. I can understand saying that it hasn’t been proven to work in double blind clinical trials, but if that’s your standard of proof, then we’ll be stuck inside for years. Maybe it will turn out to work no better than a placebo or that it only works in certain circumstances, but at this point it appears to have had good results.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        The crusade against Hydroxychloroquine is truly bizarre.

        Every. Single. Thing. has to be politicized now.

    • Sean

      ??

      Honk honk.

  30. Q Continuum

    “Once social distancing slows coronavirus pandemic, tough questions follow over how to get the nation back to work: ‘It isn’t like a light switch on and off’”

    http://archive.li/rs1Tc

    NO FUCKING SHIT YOU FUCKING MORONS

    • Urthona

      Why isn’t it like light switch? Sure seems like it to me. ‘You can do whatever you want now.” Done.

      • Q Continuum

        If I’ve already gone bankrupt and had to close my business, it’s not exactly flipping a switch to reopen it.

      • Tres Cool

        But that switch works well in the OFF position. And barely took 2 months.

      • Tundra

        What’s infuriating to me is the casual disdain many people for businesses that are in dire straits. “You mean to tell me you don’t have enough set aside to make it two months?”

        Fuck you. And fuck you again. And after that, I’m calling STEVE to finish the job.

      • RAHeinlein

        Ask them if they feel the same about rent/mortgages.

      • Tundra

        I’m sure they’re counting on Uncle Sugar to force the banks and landlords to take a haircut.

        Assholes.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Good one…they are “owed” that benefit because the business they were employed with let them go. Duh!

      • R C Dean

        Ask them if they have enough money set aside for two months. Odds are they don’t, and are smug because they have jobs that they aren’t/can’t be furloughed from.

      • UnCivilServant

        Yes and no. I was saving up for a vacation, not a furlough.

      • Mojeaux

        “You mean to tell me you don’t have enough set aside to make it two months?”

        1. people who have money and/or government workers and/or academics

        2. people who don’t know what living month to month is like

        3. people who think that business owners are automagically rich

        4. people who don’t understand that some businesses have extremely thin margins

        5. people who don’t know what a “margin” is

        6. people who don’t know how the world works, but think they do

      • DEG

        2. people who don’t know what living month to month is like

        I remember those days. I got out. Some people don’t. I worry about how those folks are weathering this.

      • Defiant YDAK of the Desert

        I get by,

      • DEG

        It makes me happy that you’re getting by.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        1. people who have money and/or government workers and/or academics

        I didn’t put myself through grad school on a diet of ramen and generic orange soda for this shit.

      • Tulip

        No kidding

      • Tundra

        Ewww. Why orange soda?

        I was a ramen and bad beer guy.

      • Mojeaux

        I don’t know whether you’re irritated with me for saying it or irritated with the circumstance.

        In any case, I wasn’t reduced to ramen (except voluntarily–that shit was novel–a meal for 10c!), but I put myself through school too, working 40-50 hours a week, scholarships, grants, and one whopping $5,500 loan to make it through my last 2 semesters. I can only think of one of my professors (an accounting professor) who knew how to run a business. It’s not like they actually teach that in college.

      • Tulip

        I get that Mojeaux, but I would say most academics have been there. Grad student stipends (most of which require you not take another job – and you don’t have time anyway) are far from generous. Many academic jobs don’t pay very well either. I was offered one for $55k, which for an economist is a joke. Obviously, I turned it down. While that’s ok compared to national household income, it’s not good considering the qualifications. It was less than I was making as a lecturer. So most academics should know better. There are always some, and some, like my advisor, make huge salaries. My advisor makes close to $400k and has 2:1 schedule. He also brings in more than $2M a year in grants.

      • Mojeaux

        I was talking about having a business, not living month to month as a person who is employed who is suddenly unemployed.

        My post was extremely vague, I see now.

        Businesses on slim margins CAN’T build up enough resources to survive a sudden long-term forced shut-down.

      • Tundra

        I’ve been there. I’ve taken zero pay so I could keep paying my people through tough times.

        If you’ve never run a business, you really should STFU.

        I’m doing OK through this – we are considered essential – but I’m deeply worried about some of my peeps.

        I had to basically start over after the 2008 fiasco. I don’t want to do it again.

      • Tulip

        I have lost a job when I was living month to month. That’s why I have substantial cash savings now. It took YEARS to build that, and I still shop first at the thrift shops, the deep discount places, and only then if I can’t find what I’m looking for, do I look online or at department stores.

      • Invisible BEAM of the comment stream

        I’ve taken zero pay so I could keep paying my people through tough times.

        Same. During one particularly bad stretch, where our client (*COUGH*HAL Global Services*COUGH*) who interpreted “Net 30” on our invoices to mean “months,” the three partners (I being one of them) went for almost four months without any pay at all to keep our employees and subs going. For two of us, this was fine, because we had a cushion before going into our mutual venture, but it really stressed our third partner, to the point where his wife was asking us to loan him money out of our own pockets or via bank loan to help him cover his expenses.
        When you work for yourself, you only have to work half-days, and it really doesn’t matter which twelve hours you pick.

      • Mojeaux

        I’m doing well right now. With people home, they’re doing what they’ve “been meaning to get around to doing,” which is writing the Great American Novel. Or, rather, getting it polished up and published.

      • Raven Nation

        “and/or academics”

        Hey!

      • Mojeaux

        I shall put myself against the execution wall now and await the firing squad with valor. There are 3 of you so far.

      • Raven Nation

        Yeah, actually I wasn’t sure what the original post meant but I felt the need to object. Now I’m three hits of Scotch into the evening so I’m not really sure what’s going on anymore.

        Carry on. Smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em.

      • Mojeaux

        Sorry about that, but now I don’t, either and I don’t have the excuse of Scotch.

      • UnCivilServant

        I’m confused by the meaning of the comment. Are you listing groups of people you’ve heard that from?

      • Mojeaux

        Yes.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      Diagnosed less than a week ago. That was fast.

      • Sean

        I’ve seen two people go to pancreatic cancer. Both went fast. Not less than a week, but less than a month.

      • Mad Scientist

        Pancreatic cancer is usually not diagnosed until it’s way too late to do anything about it.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        I know one person (out of many) who’s survived it.

        He diagnosed it, researched it, shopped until he found a surgeon that would perform the operation he wanted since most wouldn’t touch it, and he’s made it over eight years.

        He installs landscape irrigation for a living.

    • Tulip

      Just think, Monica Lewinsky is the classiest person involved in that whole stupid scandal.

      • Spudalicious

        Amazing.

      • Mojeaux

        There was a little bit of a kerfuffle in Romancelandia about her with regard to a popular trope that was being trashed by that year’s crop of SJWs. Popular trope:

        ingenue seduced/pursued by much older, charismatic man in a position of power over her

        The sticky wicket is that he is her boss or professor or teacher or guardian or whatever–and that she doesn’t know any better and he’s taking advantage of both his age/experience and his power. Awful. Rape culture at its most polished.

        Notwithstanding the politics of an SJW liking romance novels and needing to justify it to herself and others, this is a beloved trope that suddenly became de trop. Like, overnight. A screamer read one, screamed about it, and then everybody else fell in line with the screaming.

        Fine. The readers aren’t hanging there, though, so the trope continues in its belovedidity.

        Not 2 days later, the subject of Monica Lewinsky came up among these same people and they were trashing her up one side and down the other. Apparently, Bill Clinton had nothing to do with it. I mentioned, of course, that 2 days before, they’d been trashing that very trope. Monica, young intern, stars in her eyes because the leader of the free world (by all accounts, very charismatic) paid attention to her and found her valuable, was about as responsible for her actions as any ingenue in that position in a romance novel.

        “This isn’t a romance novel! She knew what she was doing!” and variations on that theme ad nauseam piling on me.

        “No. It’s not a romance novel. Why is it bad in a romance novel but totes okay in real life?”

        “It’s not the same! She’s responsible for her own actions! She was 21! She knew better!”

        “It is a romance novel trope down to the last detail of the setup, up to and including her age. The only difference is there’s no happily ever after for the ingenue. Convince me that isn’t the epitome of rape culture.”

        I was ambivalent about her before that, leaning toward slight pity. Then I just felt for her, so, so deeply.

      • Tulip

        She got screwed every which way. I really do feel for her.

      • Tulip

        That’s Hillary Clinton’s legacy. She set back the women’s movement decades. Every time someone claimed she was good for women, I brought that and the rest of them up. And every time someone said she was good for blacks, I brought up (courtesy of my black neighbor) superpredators and three strikes. My neighborhood used to do Front Porch Friday, a BYOB happy hour on rotating front porches. Wow, does he hate Hillary Clinton. I don’t know if he voted for Trump, I suspect he just didn’t vote, but there was NO WAY he was ever voting for her.

      • Mojeaux

        Hillary is an evil piece of work.

        Every time I try to discuss her complicity in his misdeeds, I get something along the lines of, “Those were false rape allegations.”

        Mind you, that was before #BelieveAllWomen, but I’d have a lot more respect for people like Alyssa Milano if they’d call out ALL of them.

      • Invisible BEAM of the comment stream

        We all understand that “BelieveAllWomen” is just another politicized weaponization of an “-ism.” Milano will simply re-frame her Use of Weapons to apply to whoever she feels is deserving of Two Minutes’ Hate.

        Somedays I really hate this life.

  31. DEG

    Poor little babies

    In less than three weeks, more than 100,000 Granite Staters have filed as many new unemployment claims as in the previous three years combined, testing some state workers’ endurance.

    Under pressure to process fresh jobless claims, some workers at the Department of Employment Security have worked as many as 20 days straight while worried about catching the coronavirus. Some donned face masks and cried in their Concord office.

    “There have been many tearful days,” said one worker, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of retaliation. Three co-workers said their crying was related to concern over getting sick, the worker said.

    Nearly 57,000 people filed initial jobless claims during a two-week stretch ending March 28.

    OK, OK, Sununu was the one that shut down the state, not the unemployment office workers. Despite that, I can’t shed a tear for the unemployment office workers.

    • Rhywun

      Can’t they pack up their mainframes and WFH?

  32. DEG

    Central planning is hard

    Guidance arising from the federal COVID-19 relief law could siphon millions of dollars and thousands of passengers from Manchester’s airport to Logan International Airport in Boston, Gov. Chris Sununu said in an appeal to the Trump administration Tuesday.

    In a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Sununu took issue with her Show Cause Order implementing the CARES Act that permits airlines to request that flights they now make to smaller airports be “consolidated” at single, “large hubs” such as Logan.

    “While this may make sense in cities with multiple airports like New York, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles, this does not make sense in regions that have multiple airports, which is how the order views the airports in New Hampshire,” Sununu said.

    Manchester-Boston Regional Airport Director Ted Kitchens said the policy change could be devastating for smaller airports.

    “Short-term losses for smaller communities like us turn into long-term losses,” Kitchens said. “Small hubs are always the last ones to recover from an aviation shock.”

    • Heroic Mulatto

      What? Mrs. Cocaine Mitch can take a long walk off a short pier.

      Logan is a shithole.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      Sununu is only crying because the smaller airports specialize in political lobbying. I’ll bet that every single person on the airport commission is politically connected and knows next to nothing about airport management, just how to collect federal subsidy dollars and siphon them off for personal expenses.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        That’s not to say those airports shouldn’t be able to stay open, just that Sununu seems to care a lot more about that than he does about the thousands of small businesses he happily shut down.

      • DEG

        The City of Manchester owns and operates the airport, so yeah, the commission is chock-full of political types.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        The commission for our local airport is similar. Most of them are barely above moron status, but are married to politicians or lobbyists.

    • leon

      People are realizing that Congress, and the President have fucked them. Trump deserves to loose the election.

      • Defiant YDAK of the Desert

        To Whom? the Bag of warm Drool known as Biden?

      • leon

        None of these fools deserves to win, but the GOP deserves to go the way of the Whigs

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        None of them deserve to win but the Dems can’t be allowed to win. The Republicans are a disaster, the Democrats are…what’s a lot worse than a disaster?

      • Spudalicious

        Apocalyptic?

      • Invisible BEAM of the comment stream

        I can’t come up with a single cromulent word.

        The best I could do was “running madly off in all directions, hair on fire, pants-shitting clusterfuck.”

        Sorry.  :-/

      • Shirley Knott

        Catastrophe

      • Invisible BEAM of the comment stream

        Perhaps, à la “A Murder of Crows,” we could say “A Velikovsky of Democrats.”

      • Shirley Knott

        I’d prefer “a slime mold of Democrats” but it’s getting late and I’m more cranky than creative.

    • grrizzly

      The unexpected risk of marketing yourself a “Boston” airport.

    • Rhywun

      I’ve flown into Manchester. Boston would have been… inconvenient.

    • Heroic Mulatto

      F

    • Gustave Lytton

      And fly them upside down for the banana republic governance?

  33. DEG

    A glimmer of good news: PA trout season to open early

    In an unexpected announcement on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said trout fishing season is now open statewide, 11 days ahead of the scheduled opening day.

    In consultation with the governor’s office, Department of Health and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the decision to start early was made to discourage concentrated gatherings that often accompany the traditional opening day, limit travel and reduce the threat of poaching from already stocked waters, according to the commission.

    • Sean

      The online liquor store is still crashing. ?

      • DEG

        Liquor stores are still open here. I can ship stuff.

      • Sean

        ?

        Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, though I certainly appreciate the offer!

        GF picked up some extra supplies from NJ. I’m still good for a couple weeks.

      • DEG

        She survived a trip to and from Jersey and brought back supplies? Excellent!

      • R C Dean

        Her ride.

      • R C Dean

        Try again.

        Her ride.

      • Sean

        She has an Escape, which also seems appropriate.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      They’re soaking up the attention and want to drag it out as much as they can.

      DeWine and Northam are doing the same shit.

    • DEG

      “We need to quickly transition to begin asking what’s ‘safe vs. unsafe’ instead of what’s ‘essential vs. non-essential,'” he wrote on Twitter. “If we take this risk-based approach soon, we can avoid an even larger catastrophe.”

      That’s sane… except you know it’ll just be “central planning for me, not for you!”

    • Tulip

      Tune in tomorrow? WTF? Does she think she’s on a soap opera?

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Same cunte time, same cunte channel

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        That was rude. My apologies .

      • Gustave Lytton

        Never apologize!

      • Tulip

        Directed at her, so go for it

    • R C Dean

      We’re all making a sacrifice to be home

      You seem to be showing up to work every day. Bitch. Tell us, exactly what sacrifices are you making?

      • Viking1865

        Are any of the governors even paying some kind of token lip service of “I have cut my own salary by 20% in solidarity with the people of my state who are out of work due to this.”?

  34. DEG

    SEPTA cutting back

    SEPTA is dramatically slashing service and urging an end to nonessential rides as it faces its third employee death from the coronavirus.

    The “lifeline service schedule” goes into effect Thursday, closing a number of subway stations, limiting bus and trolley service, and suspending some Regional Rail lines.

    “If you don’t need to be out on the system, I’m begging you, please stay off the system,” said Fran Kelly, SEPTA assistant general manager for public and government affairs.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      I always that the SEPTA acronym was very apropos.

    • Trolleric the Goth

      you know our gas taxes are gonna go up again to pay for their shortfall again…

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      Meh, you can get those anytime you want in Wuhan.

      • Defiant YDAK of the Desert

        Fresh Pussy?

  35. DEG

    NH restricting and rationing use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine

    State health officials have crafted an emergency order limiting the prescription of COVID-19 prevention drugs that President Donald Trump has widely promoted during his daily briefings about the coronavirus outbreak.

    Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said in the emergency order that it was responding to “reported drug shortages” of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, along with albuterol inhalers.

    “The commissioner has determined individuals diagnosed with lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, those hospitalized patients with COVID-19, and those patients with COVID-19 enrolled in a clinical trial are high-risk or critical-needs groups that shall receive priority for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine,” Shibinette wrote.

    She said the circumstances call for “controls, restrictions, and rationing” of these drugs.

    The order expressly states the drugs are not to be prescribed as a prophylaxis to keep someone from getting COVID-19, a use Trump has at times encouraged.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      Has he actually encouraged it or has he said it might, just might, be effective

      • DEG

        I’ll assume, despite the Union Leader not having typical media biases, that what the Union Leader said is a lie.

  36. DEG

    Last one – NH snitches!

    The state’s stay-at-home order is prompting some calls to police as members of the public keep an eye out for potential violations.

    Local police say they’ve been trying to educate people about Gov. Chris Sununu’s order, which remains in effect until May 4, and other guidance, including the 6-foot social distancing rule aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

    “Occasionally someone will call to complain that they feel that there’s too many people in a particular store or that a particular business is open and they shouldn’t be,” Epping police Capt. Jason Newman said.

    He said the department is addressing the concerns based on recommendations from the state Attorney General’s office that stress educating businesses and the public.

    Police were told to use discretion to arrest after repeated violations.

    “We would contact the business and let them know we had a complaint about this and educate them on the guidelines or the stay-at-home order,” Newman said.

  37. R C Dean

    I presume he is a stalking horse for somebody.

    Not even that. Just a placeholder while the DNC figures out who the fuck they can nominate. I don’t think its going to be Joe, for obvious reasons. Or Herself, although I’m not sure I could say why I think that.

    • Mad Scientist

      She already lost to Trump once. It’s a tough sell to run her again. Biden has a better chance than she does.

    • hayeksplosives

      Nobody wants the job of pointing out to the DNC inner circle that Herself cannot win.

      That guy, whoever he turns out to be, should be given at least an hour head start to make good his escape after he makes his statement pointing out the obvious.

    • Ted S.

      Are the delegates required to vote for Biden on the first ballot?

      • leon

        Yes. The pledged ones are

      • R C Dean

        Not if he withdraws, I wouldn’t expect.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      It’ll be Clinton, rising from the ashes of 2016 like a phoenix.

  38. The Late P Brooks

    Take a break from thinking about the deadliest plague since the dinosaurs were wiped out. I was just trying to turn my California Compliant gas can into something I might actually be able to use.

    Everybody in California can eat a giant bag of dicks. Fuck your holier than thou nannytarianism, fuck your retarded politicians, and fuck you. Enjoy living in your shit-filled nest, but leave the rest of us out of it.

    End of message.

    • JaimeRoberto Delecto

      As a 4th generation Californian, all I can say is that the problem is with the damn newcomers who came here since the sixties.

      • KSuellington

        Yup, you want to blame a group of people then blame the Northeasterners who fucked this place up. And the furriners of course.

    • Mad Scientist

      Hey, now. I didn’t vote for those assholes. Also, get one of these.

    • Tundra

      Brooksie, don’t stress!

      These guys got you.

      Simply buy one of their kits. Drill a hole in the can and install the vent (with a little RTV). Take the spout that came with the can and toss it (or make a Christmas tree ornament, if you are feeling ecologically guilty).

      Use the can as God intended.

    • AlmightyJB

      When I say heroes, anyone not from here have no idea the hero worship going on with DeWine and Amy Acton right now.

      • SUPREME OVERLORD trshmnstr

        My mom is on the hero worship train. Doesn’t help that she grew up with Acton’s in laws and thus feels a special connection to her because of that. ?

      • AlmightyJB

        This part pissed me off because even at peak we’re not even remotely at capacity.

        “Acton said if this behavior stays the same, the state won’t have to build out its hospitals as much as previously thought.”

      • Gustave Lytton

        My own mom is still convinced that FDR ended the great depression and alternate day gas rationing fixed the oil embargo.

      • leon

        I think most Americans still think that

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        You’re my BIL?

      • Gustave Lytton

        Possibly. Are you a thirty year old Mexican cobbler?

    • westernsloper

      I will buy the Leper Length guidelines have helped a small bit as to spread (although probably did more harm than good in the long run) but the gazzilion% change in the models is not due to any measures they have taken. They were bull shit from the start and those people should be forever shunned from building a goddamn model EVER!

      • AlmightyJB

        Exactly. Wild ass guesses.

      • Gustave Lytton
    • Mojeaux

      That should be tagged NSFL.

    • Invisible BEAM of the comment stream

      Whoa, that’s cool.

      (Sorry. I don’t have arachnophobia — kinda fascinated by ’em, actually . . . )

      • Mojeaux

        I accidentally killed a tarantula once, which made me cry because I liked it. High school science terrarium. I was the only one who’d let it walk up and down my arm. It was fuzzy and I can’t resist fuzzy things.

        Anyway, one day I go to water the terrarium and accidentally used some other chemical (bottles weren’t marked and I didn’t double-check).

        I felt so bad. I still do. I really liked him. He was nice.

      • Tundra

        I don’t have arachnophobia

        I don’t either – I just hate the damn things.

        My cousin and I were cleaning out one of the barns in my GGparents’ ranch (CA). I was probably 12 or so. We pulled a trough away from the wall and there were a shit-ton of black widows behind it. We immediately went to the shop and got propane torches and eradicated the bunch.

        No regrets.

      • Mojeaux

        Tarantulas aren’t that bad. Even black widows aren’t as bad as brown recluses. We had wolf spiders for a while (took a shit ton of money to get rid of them though). Cute little devils. I had to teach XX that they were more afraid of her than she was of them.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Nothing like smacking a wolf spider with a thousand babies on its back that go running in every direction afterwards.

      • SUPREME OVERLORD trshmnstr

        Even black widows aren’t as bad as brown recluses.

        I think (not 100% sure on the suspected recluses) that we have both here at casa trashy. The widow was a pain in the ass because she put a clutch of eggs in the kitchen window (15 feet up), but a good dousing of poison and a broom fixed that problem.

        The suspected recluses were found skulking toward dark corners of the house, so I’m guessing we didn’t get them all.

        Id take a widow bite over a recluse bite any day of the week.

    • Tundra

      Nuke it.

      Now.

    • Defiant YDAK of the Desert

      No, Fuck. No.

    • AlmightyJB

      So cute and cuddly.

    • R C Dean

      *racks slide*

    • Rhywun

      Looks like a facehugger.

      • Count Potato

        they mostly come out at night mostly

      • Tundra

        (That’s a link. WP hates us)

  39. Hyperion

    “Joe Biden will have a very hard time winning over the Berniesphere”

    Like it matters. The democrats aren’t even planning on winning unless they can cheat. Maybe we do mail in ballots for everyone and they all get counted in Broward County. That might get them the win.

    • Mojeaux

      Landslide.

      No way they can cheat enough to beat Trump.

      • R C Dean

        No way they can cheat enough to beat Trump.

        I wouldn’t bet the farm on it. They only to flip some Midwest states and PA, and they have strong urban machines in every one of those states. They flipped AZ in the last Senate election with ballot harvesting in Phoenix. Granted, Sinema was a better campaigner than McSally, but a hippy-dippy greenie should never have been able to beat a fighter pilot in this state. Even if the greenie does have a nice rack.

      • Sean

        The Keystone state will deliver again.

  40. LCDR_Fish

    Need to update the Glib twitter feed with today’s updates.

  41. Hyperion

    So I went on a foraging run. My wife insisted that I wear a mask, so I did. I hate those things, but I managed to keep in on the entire time I was out. Now I don’t want to go out again.

    • Hyperion

      Yeah, not only hell no, but hell no.

      Must be nice to think you can tax payer fund your own political campaigns.

      • leon

        I thought that was the whole object of Congress

      • AlmightyJB

        They have no reason to not believe that. Look at how much money they get from Public Sector Unions.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Calling to find local media? Does CPB no long funnel money? Good.

  42. UnCivilServant

    Well, shit, this vampire story I’m writing took a dark turn.

    “It makes it even harder to resist this addiction. And that’s what it is. There’s nothing else I can describe it as. So I have to ask, if instead of blood it were something else; if I ever a recovering junkie who happened to gain more powers if I was on heroin, would the BHA have forced me to shoot up to get their numbers?”

    Though, a vampire in a zombie outbreak isn’t going to be happy fun times without a lot of work.

    • Mojeaux

      You’ve set it up as an addiction, instead of as a basic need to eat?

      • UnCivilServant

        He can only digest blood, can live on non-human blood, but has an addiction to human blood.

      • Mojeaux

        12-step group?

        Not kidding. I mean, the dude’s gonna live forever and he has to control this addiction forever.

      • UnCivilServant

        The addiction is not the main plot, it’s just part of his character and powerset.

        But I am hoping for an under current of “is he going to be able to keep it in check?”

      • R C Dean

        If you’re undead, can you even starve?

      • UnCivilServant

        If you run out of motive force, you stop moving. I’d guess they could be revived after a period of starvation induced suspended animation. It all depends on the ruleset.

        As for Charles (the protagonist of my tale), he’s not dead yet.

      • Mojeaux

        The general/accepted lore is that if you don’t eat, you wither and writhe in misery and pain until you do. That could be a year. That could be ten years. That could be 100 years. You are weak and thus become prey, and the longer you go, the weaker and more miserable you become.

        Honestly, I’m shocked more vampires aren’t miserable enough to commit suicide by wandering out into the sun.

      • UnCivilServant

        Not an option for poor Charles though, I made it so the sun wasn’t lethal, it just burned through his skin until the underlying tissues are exposed. That may change if he passes the threshold into undead.

        At lot of the story so far has been trying to establish the rules as Charles discovers them, because scientific studies are thin on the ground.

        Mind you, I’m all of 4500 words in.

      • Mojeaux

        I don’t write my bibles until I’m a good way through the story.

        I also don’t write outlines because by the time I’m finished with the outline, I’ve finished the story in my head and have no reason to flesh it out.

      • UnCivilServant

        Same with regards to outlines.

        But when I’m dealing with magic or superpowers, I need to know the rules before I start working with them. It avoids the case of new abilities as the plot demands, and forces me to look for interesting ways to use the existing toolset.

      • Mojeaux

        That’s kind of why I’m having a hard time expanding my demon hunter universe. I set up a few rules for the short story, left it open where I could for expansion, but now I have to work within the few rules I DID set up.

        One of my “rules” is that there are hunters of other faiths and each hunter is taught by TPTB of his/her own faith. They live by and are judged by that faith’s tenets. I like that conceit. But THAT means that Mormon theology isn’t the supreme theology and I need to figure out the umbrella theology.

      • LCDR_Fish

        Necroscope – some of those guys had been lying unfed for centuries… (course that was (spoilers) because they were technically alien parasites too).

      • Mojeaux

        I like vampire tropes (albeit I am very, very SICK of them), but I HATE vampires are aliens trope.

      • Invisible BEAM of the comment stream

        You’re not you when you’re hungry.

      • Breet Pharara

        Well duh. How is he going to fall madly in love with a plain girl from the high school he’s attending while trying to blend in if he isn’t a bad boy who is capable of being turned into a good respectable man if when he meets the right woman?

      • Mojeaux

        100 years old.

        Never fell in love before.

        Still hanging out in high school.

        And STILL the worst part of that is he sparkles.

      • leon

        I never even realized it, but the dude is 100 years old and still acting like he is a teenager.

      • Mojeaux

        Yes. He hasn’t matured at all in 100 years. I mean, he hasn’t even matured to the point of hanging out in bars and acting like a frat boy at spring break. Nooooo, he’s still sitting in high school algebra. For…fun?

      • Breet Pharara

        Yeah and still lives with his “parents”.

        Say what you want about the werewolf, at least he had a reason to be an obnoxious ass…he actually is a teenage boy.

        #teamjacob

      • Mad Scientist

        I haven’t seen any of those movies, but I have a theory I’m pulling out of my ass right now based on the scant information I’m in possession of, so you know this will be true: He hates himself. That’s why he hangs around a high school algebra class. It’s why he wears glitter. And it’s why he falls in love with the most annoying high school girl on the planet.

      • Invisible BEAM of the comment stream

        Maybe one of the curses of becoming a vampire is that your emotional development is arrested at the moment you’re, uh, converted?
        (I’ve known some Catholic nuns like that. Sixty years old and still relating to people as if she’s a teenager.)

      • Mojeaux

        In Interview with a Vampire (right, I know it’s not the definitive of vampire lore), Claudia was turned at 6 (Louis fed on her and left her for dead, but Lestat “saved” her by turning her), but she matured intellectually and emotionally and (IIRC, sexually), but she was stuck in a 6-year-old’s body, and came to despise Lestat for it.

        Different authors handle it different ways. I see no reason for a sentient being not to mature. That said, I have read that pedophilia is partially a product of a person never sexually maturing beyond the level of a child. So, whatever turned you on when you were a child still turns you on, even though now you’re not a child. You never progressed.

        I can also see how someone who has lived a long sheltered life (frx, a nun) wouldn’t mature much emotionally.

        I read the book (Twilight) and it was good popcorn fun, but not enough to read the rest of the books. I don’t recall if it’s ever explained why he’s 100 years old, still in high school, and never fell in love in all that time. I can see why he would still be living with his “parents” and “siblings” if only as a protective measure; I see it more like a pack than an incel living in his mama’s basement.

        The idea that he hates himself is a good one. I never thought of it, and IIRC, that would work.

  43. Gustave Lytton

    Loading.. is cleaning house in preparation to run. Death by the big C.

  44. Invisible BEAM of the comment stream

    Aw, shit — we’re back to the weird-ass default WordPress design for the site.

    Blecchhhh!

  45. Ownbestenemy

    Rumor is Nevada is going to do a complete lockdown..but probably just rumor. I cant see it happening without consequence with our numbers in the state. Its not ballooning. I guess we will see by weeks end.

    I am writing my state representative to find out where exactly are you and your peers on allowing this to go on as it has.

  46. Ownbestenemy

    Dad got surgery consult approved…I am assuming they wouldnt move forward with surgery if he here Covid Positive….they havent told us the results.

    • Mojeaux

      Yay! Great news!

      Remind me, what surgery is he having again?

      • Ownbestenemy

        Not quite sure. He was on a path for chemotherapy and radiation for his throat cancer but I think with his breathing complications they are moving forward for removal of larynx

    • DEG

      Excellent!

    • westernsloper

      ?

    • Shirley Knott

      I wish you the best of outcomes.

  47. Hyperion

    Bad Orange Man!

    Sorry that bad orange man borked your old lady, Georgey. But just look at ya, pork jowels. No wonder she wanted to fuck an old, not quite as fat, orange dude. This should be a Hat and Hair episode.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      You’d think they’d be completely incompatible for obvious reasons but when he inflates his throat in his ritualistic mating gesture he’s downright irresistable.

  48. Gustave Lytton

    Hmmm… Tulsi is still on the list of candidates for the primary here. Any reason not to register as a D and vote for her?

    • Hyperion

      Why? Just curious.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Because there’s zero Libertarians on the top ballot, Trump is running unopposed, and the down ballot is worthless. And a bit of an F U for the only semi sane foreign military policy candidate.

      • Hyperion

        Tulsi might be the least bad democrat, but she’s still mostly a commie like the rest of them. No way I would vote for her.

    • Mojeaux

      We don’t register a party in our state. We just ask for which ballot we wanted.

      First time I’ve ever asked for a D ballot in my life.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      I know every upcoming generation of oldsters and almost oldsters says the young folks’ music sucks but this time we’re right.

      • Mad Scientist

        They were always right. Popular music has nearly always sucked. What they were wrong about was saying that the sucky music caused loose morals, satanism, laziness, drug use, or whatever other hobby hose they rode in on.

    • Count Potato

      Oh, I was hoping it was something new.

      • AlmightyJB

        Is that the “I’m Poppy” chick?

      • Count Potato

        Yes.

    • DEG

      WTF?

    • westernsloper

      I’M NO LONGER POPPY!

    • quincy

      Weird: omygod, people touching each other’s faces and hands. Not weird: Dude playing guitar in a gas mask. This a video from the before times.

    • JaimeRoberto Delecto

      Didn’t she used to play bass for the Smashing Pumpkins?

  49. Hyperion

    You know, there’s a reason why people like Exotic Joe and even guys like this,

    Turtle Man

    better than they like smug progressives.

    I can definitely explain it to a prog, like this.

    “It’s because ya’ll are boring. And you’re insufferable douchebags. Did I say you’re boring?”.

    I mean, seriously. I typically do not dislike anyone. I actually consciously try to not dislike people. And all of my life I’ve mostly managed to do that. But today’s progs and SJWs have just broke me. I can’t do it anymore, I truly hate those people.

    • Mojeaux

      Stories. It always comes down to storytelling. That guy is a good story and you can tell he’s full of good stories.

      • Hyperion

        Yeah, that makes sense. And it’s hard to be a good story, let alone full of good stories, when you’re a humorless self righteous scold.

    • SUPREME OVERLORD trshmnstr

      There are a lot of people out there who aren’t shy about showing that they think many of their fellow humans are, well, subhuman. I see it most from the left, but I’m sure you can find it just as much on the right, too.

      • Hyperion

        Yeah, there are definitely people like that who say they’re on the right, or conservative. I see that a lot. Like the people who want to throw people in cages for smoking a
        plant, but like to ‘taste’ 3 bottles of wine with their dinner.

        It’s just that it pales in comparison to the number of people like that on the left today, and to the degree of it. It was once not so extreme, but it is now. The left are the Church Ladies from my youth. But they’re way more dangerous because of the political movement.