WebDom Morning Links

by | Dec 7, 2023 | Daily Links, WebDom’s Browser History | 202 comments

Good morning Glibbies! I’m your substitute linker this morning. The news has been bumming me out, so you only get one in this post.

Today I’ll be serving you up some gift links because I suspect many of you are as last minute about holiday gifts as I am.

This album set for the Americana listener in your life.

This portable dog grooming kit. SP had one for WonderDog who needed regular grooming and was less than thrilled about being in the bath tub.

This game that’s a lot of fun when you’re drinking.

Ok, ok, here’s another news link.

This album for the folk listener in your life.

This coffee table book for the cocktail snob in your life.

This bag of fun for crow lovers.

This cookbook for one of my favourite vegetables.

This kitty bed.

Ok. Fine. Here’s another news link.

This book for the theologian.

This mop which will ensure the woman you give it to never forgets this Christmas.

This cord protector is the perfect stocking stuffer for fur parents. (yes, I said “fur parents.”)

This Bible for the Orthodox inquirer.

Ok, ok, last one but only because I’m mad as hell at Brit cop shows.

This portable charger that’s actually outlived its price.

This bandana I’m getting for one of my dogs.

This kitsch wine glass.

This absurdly overpriced candle that I can’t recommend but I’m gobsmacked.

I lied, but this one isn’t a news link. It’s just cool.

 

 

 

About The Author

WebDom

WebDom

WebDom grows Peyote buttons in the vast desert of her mind.

202 Comments

  1. SDF-7

    This cord protector is the perfect stocking stuffer for fur parents. (yes, I said “fur parents.”)

    Cord protector nothing — I had a GFI keep popping this morning (living room/kitchen circuit) driving me nuts… until my wife pointed out that she was hearing a sizzling from beside her chair in the living room… where one of the cats had thrown up precisely on the surge protector there, shorting it when the liquid got into at least one of the plug ports.

    Pure. Fuzzy (and cute). Chaos.

      • SDF-7

        In hindsight, I’m really really glad it was a GFI circuit. Clark should have had the tree on one too (pretty sure they became standard in the early 80s or so… 😉 )

  2. SDF-7

    “Plump & unfiltered”? Are we talking Tonio’s new boyfriend now?

    • Not Adahn

      Meh.

      My dog is dependent on me to have a good/happy/fulfilling life. And she has at least as much of an inner life/self-awareness as a toddler. The main difference is that kids eventually grow up and become independent.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        The main difference is that kids eventually grow up and become independent.

        I mean, if the main difference between your pet and your kid is that the kid eventually grows up and moves out then we live very different lives.

      • Not Adahn

        Well, and I’m much more likely to have to bury one of them. The kid has managed to outlive four dogs now.

      • prolefeed

        The other big difference is that for one of them, it is entirely legal to leave a one year old unattended all day long with a bowl of kibble for food.

      • Certified Public Asshat

        You are a pet owner.

      • Mojeaux

        It’s my cats’ world. I just live in it and fill their dishes.

      • Ted S.

        Dogs have owners; cats have staff.

      • Certified Public Asshat

        It is insane that I let a 7 pound cat meow in my face every morning. In return, I feed her.

  3. SDF-7

    I suppose I’m in the “Meth, Almonds and Dairies” section of California… the Meth isn’t too overt in any event – other than the farms having to protect / watch anything that they could strip copper from (and sometimes catalytic converter theft sprees… but I think that’s the gangs more than the meth heads… yay, border security!)

    Anyway, morning WebDom! Thanks for the pinch hitting.

    I’m late on gift buying — but that’s more because I think I’m just going food gift baskets for all this year – and I want to order them so they show up, but not 3 weeks early…. because it kind of defeats the whole premise to me….

    • prolefeed

      It’s right in the name – Methdesto, south of Glockton. (Central Valley ER doc humor).

  4. PieInTheSky

    Glibertarians sold out to Big Amazon

    • UnCivilServant

      There’s Something Fishy about that accusation.

      • UnCivilServant

        I was angling for a rivering pun thread.

      • SDF-7

        Sorry. I apparently got your intent to trawl Swiss bass ackward.

      • juris imprudent

        That would be nothing New around here.

    • Swiss Servator

      We’d sell out…if we could.

      • The Other Kevin

        I could use a few extra bucks right about now.

      • Nephilium

        I am disappoint in all of you for this not being linked.

  5. PieInTheSky

    Hitler ‘felt the English language to be something special; in his opinion it was the simplest & clearest in its expression & the manliest in sound’. Not sure what to make of this endorsement.

    https://twitter.com/si_rubinstein/status/1732055824904642690

    this site is in English ! I am on to you!

    • Swiss Servator

      *throws ninja smoke bomb*

    • SDF-7

      I’m amused by the final comment linked here on that topic.

    • R C Dean

      Of course, their demand is unsigned.

      I’d fire them all, unless the ones actually responsible step forward. Talk about getting way outside their lane, and causing actual problems for the White House. I just don’t know how you overlook that and let it go (although of course the White House will).

      • The Other Kevin

        More reaping what they sow. They spent 4+ years in college learning how to make demands to get what you want.

    • SDF-7

      “Rock me, Gavril!” isn’t going to be as catchy in the future. Sorry.

  6. PieInTheSky

    Trainee and aerobatic instructor demonstrate a spin recovery during emergency maneuer training, spinning their aircraft at 6700 feet, commencing recovery at 4500 feet using the Beggs-Mueller method, and leveling out at 3200 feet

    https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1732746580820652295

  7. Stinky Wizzleteats

    A $130 candle? Sheyitt……

  8. juris imprudent

    This mop which will ensure the woman you give it to never forgets this Christmas.

    Are we all going in on this for Winston’s Mom?

    • Timeloose

      Nothing topped my dad buying my all of Mom’s xmas presents from the fat old ladies section of the department store. Essentially moo moos and and clothes 2X her size and age at the time. I don’t know WTF he was attempting to do that year, but he was being quite the prick.

    • Pope Jimbo

      It wasn’t a Christmas present, but Family Lore has a great story about my father borrowing a hundred and fifty bucks from my mother – while they were dating – to buy her a special birthday present. When the big day came she found that she was the proud owner of a fishing boat. She was less than pleased.

      As we pointed out to her, she still ended up marrying him so she can’t be too upset.

    • ron73440

      Diceman had a bit where he bought his girl a dustpan for Christmas and she was happy because last year he had bought her a broom.

      • Fourscore

        Give the missus a nice shotgun that that you would like. If she is happy you’ll have a hunting partner for life. If she doesn’t appreciate it you’ll have a nice shotgun. Win-win

        Also applies to fishing equipment, go first class.

      • ron73440

        Also works for tools.

        I ordered my wife some nice jewelry, but Amazon somehow sent me an air impact.

        She might believe it.

    • R C Dean

      I do recall Pater Dean telling me “Never give your wife a gift that plugs in.” A rule I think I broke maybe twice in 25 years.

      • Name's BEAM. *James* BEAM.

        Fortunately, all of the gifts that plug in that the Spousal Unit™ has ever wanted come in battery-powered versions these days.

        winkwinknudgenudge

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        Drill? curling iron?

      • juris imprudent

        Battery power, failing at just the wrong moment.

      • prolefeed

        My rule is – always ask for a list of possible presents to choose from, and then get stuff off that list. Not as much of a surprise, but on the upside, no bad surprises.

        I got Mrs. Prole a copy of “Spare”, since she’s repeatedly said she wants that book, but that still counts as an unofficial list of stuff she explicitly said she wanted.

  9. PieInTheSky

    Programme of the Day Number 250
    Barcelona v Newcastle United 1920/21
    Spainish Magazine which features the 2 end of season games which United played against the Spanish greats
    on the 15th and 17th of May

    https://twitter.com/NUFCProgrammes/status/1726861562546401417

  10. Not Adahn

    I can’t believe they’re criminalizing being a good nurse!

    In November, detectives were sent to the PruittHealth nursing home on Roadrunner Boulevard in LaFayette, Georgia, in response to complaints that an employee had been performing oral sex on residents there

    The quadriplegic man’s reasons for declining to press charges were not reported. But the second man was a bit more forthcoming. First, the amputee said he knew he wouldn’t get his money back anyway, according to the arrest report. On top of that, according to the court document obtained by WTVC, “[H]e figured he got his money’s worth as many times as she [performed a sexual act].”

    • Sean

      I can’t believe they’re criminalizing being a good head nurse!

      • DrOtto

        +2 dirty knees

  11. rhywun

    Ok, ok, last one but only because I’m mad as hell at Brit cop shows.

    Every Brit cop show is all-female. At least that is the impression I get from commercials on BBC America.

    • UnCivilServant

      That’s because Britain is Gay, Female, and Non-White

      /The BBC

      • rhywun

        And talks like a chav.

      • PieInTheSky

        BBC is what british females crave

      • RBS

        Holy shit.

      • R C Dean

        Pie launches one over the center field fence!

      • SDF-7

        Not all of it! The white males are well represented as the villains!

        /Also the BBC

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      BBC Am still airs British programming? I’m guessing Graham Norton is still on.

    • Raven Nation

      I haven’t watch the latest series of Shetland, but the ones I have seen have been very good. Plus, fantastic scenery.

      I’d also recommend Line of Duty which is about an police anti-corruption team.

    • WebDom

      But they didn’t use to be, and this is what’s pissing me the fuck off. They used to star ruggedly handsome crotchety men as the lead with minor roles by women. Over the last 5 years, Brit cop shows have become more inclusive. Women are suddenly the leads. And, unfortunately, the characters often don’t have the same level of gravitas. What really bothers me about Shetland is that it’s based on a series of books about a male detective. Based on what I’ve seen from the new series, when the male lead left, they should’ve cancelled the show.

    • Fourscore

      Some take longer than others. Thanks, Jimbo

  12. rhywun

    Wonka starring Timothée Chalamet

    For the love of God why?

    • PieInTheSky

      Because no one has any new ideas.

      • R.J.

        ^This.

      • Mojeaux

        Okay, we watched Candy Cane Lane last night and it was original, clever, fun, and adorable. But mostly ORIGINAL.

    • Nephilium

      Because no property can be ignored and not rebooted.

    • juris imprudent

      Is there a Pitch Meeting for this yet?

      • The Other Kevin

        These days I watch more Pitch Meetings than I do actual movies.

      • ron73440

        These days I watch more Pitch Meetings than I do actual movies.

        #metoo

        The one for Fast and Furious 10 (TEN OF THESE THINGS!) had me crying, I was laughing so hard.

      • R.J.

        Yes. Because Willie Wonka did not have enough deviant sex in it. So it had to be redone and shit upon.

      • The Hyperbole

        I believe this is a prequel not a remake. What’s the deviant sex does Wonka willy a loompa?

      • Suthenboy

        Never heard of him.
        *looks at photo*
        Oh, a Twink.

      • Not Adahn

        A YouTuber successfully replaced him with Elmo in movie clips.

      • Sean

        LOL

      • rhywun

        He’s too pretty for the role, to be honest. And about 1/4 of the correct age.

        So, an unnecessary movie horribly miscast. Yay.

      • The Hyperbole

        Prequel, Wonka is ‘pose to be younger.

      • rhywun

        So prowling around Africa looking for Oompa Loompas? Still too young. He looks 12.

      • Ted S.

        I think I saw this over on David Thompson’s blog, not here.

  13. rhywun

    Ok, ok, here’s another news link.

    I’m not convinced that following every other Western country down the drain is the best course of action for Ireland but they’re already nine tenths of the way there so why the fuck not I guess.

    • juris imprudent

      Well you see, the Irish elite couldn’t really rub elbows with the rest of the Western elite if they weren’t shitting all over the common people of Ireland.

      Lyric from James Connolly by Black 47: “An English boss is a monster, an Irish one even worse”

  14. Pope Jimbo

    The measely crumbs that King Walz gifted you back from the $15B surplus? The Feds want to wet their beak too. King Walz is angry and feels your pain.

    Minnesotans who cashed their one-time rebate check this year will owe the federal government come tax time.

    More than 2 million Minnesotans received anywhere from $260 to $1,300 in tax rebate payments, as part of the $3 billion One Minnesota budget signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz in May.

    During a press conference on Wednesday, Walz said he is “deeply disappointed” that federal taxes will be collected from the rebates and said the state is being treated unfairly. He even went so far as to call it “bulls—.”

    Walz said he’s been on the phone with the IRS and White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients.

    Walz says the end of the federal disaster declaration allowed this to happen. The Minnesota Legislature apparently missed the deadline by about two weeks.

    • prolefeed

      A slightly more infuriating version of owing capital gains taxes on an asset sold for double the price you paid for it, during a period when the dollar was devalued by half.

    • Fourscore

      The rebate was over collection of sales tax. We’d already paid fed tax on that.

  15. PieInTheSky

    Yanis Varoufakis
    @yanisvaroufakis
    Message I just received from an Israeli friend in Israel: “We need your urgent help. If there is no international intervention, we’re gone. The entire Palestinian people are under a genocidal attack, and democratic Jews in Israel are under violent fascist persecution that increasingly resembles the junta regimes of the 1970s in Latin America.
    Help us!”

    https://twitter.com/yanisvaroufakis/status/1732338353138241773

    sounds totes real…

    • rhywun

      Maybe they shouldn’t have started a war against Israel then.

    • Nephilium

      A nearly required book here in Cleveland.

    • R.J.

      I added that to my list of books that will go on the shelf yet I never have time to read.

    • SDF-7

      Oh thank God… I thought it was going to be more dinosaur porn or something.

      • R.J.

        What dinosaur porn? Asking for a friend.

      • Pope Jimbo

        There was one where a mad doctor would stretch the arms of a baby T-Rex so that when he was grown up and his arms were long enough to beat off and pull the hair of women who wanted dino-sex.

    • The Other Kevin

      WHEN STEVE SMITH INJECT YOU, IT NOT WITH VIRUS.

    • UnCivilServant

      Someone needs to get them away from Hamas.

    • RBS

      That link is worth clicking just for the headline.

      • ron73440

        I know there’s no such thing as peak derp, but a Queen Nikkolah in Belgium has to be really close.

      • juris imprudent

        The stupid was impressive.

      • SDF-7

        I would think this one. Wouldn’t even have to change some of the lyrics.

    • prolefeed

      The captive Israeli children in Gaza?

      Calling Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) racist might be an understandable criticism if the kid portraying him was someone actually in blackface – in America. Dunno about Belgium.

  16. Sean

    I played https://squaredle.com/xp 12/07:
    *18/18 words (+1 bonus word)
    ⏱️ In the top 42% by speed

    I played https://squaredle.com 12/07:
    *41/41 words (+8 bonus words)
    📖 In the top 29% by bonus words
    🔥 Solve streak: 74

    • SDF-7

      Ugh… I’m currently stalled at 24/41… and not feeling it. I’ll try to get through it at some point today without hints. But good job on your part.

      • Sean

        Thanks!

        I played https://squaredle.com/?puzzle=uk:
        *157/157 words (+107 bonus words)
        📖 In the top 7% by bonus words

        That one was a bit of a bugger.

    • PieInTheSky

      In the top 29% by bonus words – women only care for the top 10%

    • SDF-7

      I played https://squaredle.com/xp 12/07:
      *18/18 words (+2 bonus words)
      🎯 Perfect accuracy

      I played https://squaredle.com 12/07:
      *41/41 words (+7 bonus words)
      🎯 Perfect accuracy
      🔥 Solve streak: 133

  17. ron73440

    Just heard a radio ad about how COVID is still one of the leading causes of death, so get you shot.

    It did have a disclaimer that “the vaccine might not be for everyone”.

    Is that new?

    I don’t remember hearing that before.

    • R.J.

      I keep seeing the Spanish language version of a COVID ad on Tubi. Nobody in their right mind is getting that shot.

      • R C Dean

        I wonder what the uptake is? Last I heard weeks ago it was, what, 5%?

      • R.J.

        I don;t want to link out, but I got this from the Brave Search Engine Summary:

        “As of October 14, 2023, just over 7% of adults and 2% of children had received the latest COVID-19 vaccines, according to a survey presented to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The uptake is weak even among those most at risk of severe illness.”

      • juris imprudent

        Most at risk? Of something slightly worse than a seasonal flu.

      • Suthenboy

        I wonder how many are getting it but who knows? The official numbers have been all lies so far, why would they start telling the truth now?

    • Fatty Bolger

      Somebody I know who has chronic myocarditis was told by his doctors that he shouldn’t get it, and that was back when the vaccine first came out.

  18. KK, Non-Man

    New moniker incoming…thanks webdom!

    • kinnath

      Thanks.

      • robc

        My barclay perkins links are primarily for you and Neph.

        But mostly for myself.

      • Nephilium

        And it’s appreciated.

      • kinnath

        yes

      • robc

        If I was doing it, I would replace the extract with wheat malt, and skip the caramel color and bump up the roast barley a touch. And probably throw in a late hop addition too.

    • R.J.

      Oh how terrible.

    • Suthenboy

      So no WaPo today? At least they are doing something right.

    • rhywun

      What are they protesting? Oh, never mind; I don’t care.

  19. Fatty Bolger

    Huh, I thought for sure that Shetland was done after that last season. It sure felt like a series finale.

    • Drake

      I keep getting surprised they let him on the stage. A guy who simply says what everyone paying attention knows but aren’t allowed to talk about. He’d be a great VP pick for Trump.

      • Certified Public Asshat

        Ratings?

  20. PieInTheSky

    King Charles, who is alive, is upgrading the real estate he owns with money from people in North West England who are dead. According to a new report from The Guardian, an arcane system directs the financial assets of people who died with no will or next of kin in what was formerly Lancashire County to the Duchy of Lancaster, a private estate owned by the king. The “duchy” has raked in more than £60 million in such funds over the last decade, which it has claimed was being donated to charity. But “internal duchy documents” (yes, this is a real thing) show that much of the funds are actually being used to renovate the king’s real-estate holdings, some of which are then rented out for his own profit.

    https://www.curbed.com/2023/11/king-charles-real-estate-landlord-dead-citizens.html

    it is good to be king

    • Not Adahn

      What part of “I own everything; you are a serf” do you not understand?

    • creech

      Tower Hill is still available, yes? I suppose the Brits put up with the Windsors because they are a tourist attraction.

    • The Gunslinger

      I suppose if the king decides he is a charity, then he is a charity. Are you going to be the one to tell the king he’s wrong?

    • Pine_Tree

      Here’s the thing, though: everybody has known this forever.

      Yes, its of course not what any glib would set up – there is virtually always a “next of kin”, remote though it may be. Hell, some classic English mysteries (see Sayers) include elements of that as incentives for creative offing of a distant relative or three. But it is what it is so they can’t claim they’re surprised.

      And I’d frankly bet that any modern-day replacement would actually be WORSE, by just directing it into the greedier-and-more-wasteful-than-the-king hands of the general state.

      • Not Adahn

        And I’d frankly bet that any modern-day replacement would actually be WORSE

        I’ll let Rhywun correct me, but from the show, it looks like in The Expanse universe property either goes to your biological next of kin, or to the government.

      • Pine_Tree

        I think if I were trying to remedy it within the existing systems, it’d be:
        – Try harder on “next of kin”. As I mentioned above, this is probably a reasonable solution for a lot of them.
        – If somebody truly has no will and no distant relatives, then liquidate the estate by outcry on courthouse steps, just like the normal property auction. Proceeds are distributed to whomever in the county paid real property taxes in the previous year. Amount is calculated to match the % of each property owner’s portion of the county’s whole digest. Do this maybe quarterly as cases come up.

        This way it’s never in any politician’s hands.

  21. R.J.

    Do they have that dog bandanna in human sizes?

  22. UnCivilServant

    Old Team : “That process you showed is usn’t working”
    Me : “Which process?”
    Old team : …

    Hot tip – I am not a mindreader.

    • Nephilium

      A customer I support has asked us to check our server logs to see what’s causing an error they’re encountering. The local browser logs include the message: “ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED”. The customer doesn’t believe us that indicates the browser was saying there was no connection, and that no messages were sent to our servers, so we don’t have any logs to look at.

    • Pope Jimbo

      lol. We launched a major new site right after T-Giving and I’m getting a ton of those type of messages: “The site isn’t working”.

      When asked for specifics: “Can’t view the shops”
      When asked for specifics: “Can’t view the the New York shop”
      When asked for specifics: “Can’t view the details”
      When asked for specifics: “The phone number is wrong”

      Sigh. I have even stopped asking for specifics. I’m just responding “Looks good to me” and then they will send a pic of the issue.

  23. juris imprudent

    Texiera:

    It’s hard to understand. And the great irony here is that progressive Democrats, who are precisely the ones who are most hysterical about the threat posed by Trump and Trumpism, are also the ones most adamantly opposed to making any compromise on border security as part of this deal. Or really anything else for that matter.

    This is not a recipe for success. I suppose that’s because they don’t really want a popular front against Trumpism but rather a popular front for all the stuff they feel comfortable supporting. But that’s not how a popular front works and it’s certainly not how Democrats are going to rebuild and expand their coalition for 2024. Instead, such a sectarian approach simply enhances the very real possibility that Donald Trump will (gulp) win next November.

    • The Last American Hero

      Their coalition will be stronger than ever in the 2024 ballot counts. Make no mistake.

      • juris imprudent

        We will see. Ruy doesn’t share your confidence in Democrats cheating.

      • prolefeed

        We know they cheated in 2020, and are now brazenly trying to lock up Trump for challenging the cheating.

        One might quibble about the extent of cheating, but anyone saying there wasn’t cheating is lying or not paying attention or in severe denial.

        And since they suffered no consequences for cheating, rational actors would cheat even harder this time.

  24. juris imprudent

    Hey all – quick question (since last night’s Nietzsche piece got the reception of a stale mackerel hitting pavement): bad timing, or am I boring all ya’ll with that?

    • Suthenboy

      Bad timing. hey, I read and commented.

    • dbleagle

      Nope from Hawaii. I enjoyed the piece but by the time I could read it the party had moved to KK I guess.

    • Aloysious

      I thought it was interesting and thought provoking.

      Last night was a work night for me, so I didn’t get eyeballs on it until about ten o’clock.

    • SDF-7

      I’m a morning person — I almost never look at the evening article no matter how good, sorry.

      • robc

        Ditto.

    • kinnath

      I enjoy the philosophy articles and usually read them.

      Yesterday, I was brain dead.

      • kinnath

        Also Zoom nights are very low participation in the comments. Wed, Fri, and Sat are always low comment counts.

    • The Hyperbole

      I enjoyed it, I’m just not smart enough to have anything to add.

      • Mojeaux

        That would be me also.

      • The Gunslinger

        Me 2

    • Pine_Tree

      Wanted to, but that late I just didn’t have the time and mental energy to get into it.

    • Raven Nation

      Yeah, I didn’t see it until later in the evening and was beyond philosophy by that point. I do want to go back and re-read the series.

  25. Shpip

    So if you’re a Jewish Rastafarian, do you wear your hair in dreidelocks?

    • juris imprudent

      Is a strainer a kosher yarmulke for a Jewish pastafarian?

      • Not Adahn

        As long as it wasn’t used for both meat and dairy.

  26. The Late P Brooks

    Or I shall send you a sternly worded letter

    U.N. chief António Guterres invoked a rarely exercised clause in the United Nations Charter to push for an Israel-Hamas cease-fire, warning the organization’s Security Council that urgent action is necessary to help Gaza avert a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

    In a dramatic move, Guterres on Wednesday wrote to members of the Security Council and urged them to collectively call for a full humanitarian cease-fire.

    Maybe he’ll threaten to not cash his allowance checks.

    • Not Adahn

      “The UN Security Council unanimously passes a resolution declaring the Secretary General ‘just adorable.’”

    • juris imprudent

      urgent action is necessary to help Gaza avert a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

      Oh, so he is demanding the immediate release of Hamas’ hostages?

  27. The Late P Brooks

    Juris- bad timing. I drop off in the evening.

    • Pine_Tree

      hear, hear

      • juris imprudent

        OK, I’ll beg Tonio & Swiss for a little more favorable scheduling. Funny that – Weds evening being a dead zone.

      • CPRM

        That’s why they usually put my crap there, to save anyone from having to see it.

  28. The Late P Brooks

    It is the first time that Guterres has invoked Article 99 of the U.N. Charter, which states that the U.N. secretary-general “may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”

    *guffaws, slaps knee*

  29. Nephilium

    Well, score one for political infighting. Due to disagreements between the (Republican controlled) Ohio House and Ohio Senate, the legislature failed to pass any laws changing the recreational marijuana laws here in Ohio. Any laws that pass now will take effect 90 days after being signed (unless they are passed with a supermajority). I’ve seen rumblings of different things from different factions, One of the things that looks likely is a compromise bill that’s being discussed now. It looks like a decent compromise, the anti side gets:

    1) Lower limits on THC percentages for flower and concentrates
    2) Reduction in home grow from 6 plants per adult to 6 plants per household (previous limit was 12 per household).
    3) Increases taxes to 15% instead of 10%
    4) Limits on edibles (specifically banning bears and any thing “that may make it attractive to a child”) of 10 mg per dose, 100 mg per package.

    Neutral:

    1) Changes in allotment of the recreational taxes.

    The pro side gets:

    1) Immediate recreational sales at medical dispensaries
    2) Automatic expungement of any convictions of marijuana possession of less than 2.5 ounces (the new legal possession limit). Part of the change of the tax allotment would be directed towards this.

    This so far has only passed the Senate, and still (to my knowledge) hasn’t gone up for a vote at the House.

  30. The Late P Brooks

    Here we go

    Donald Trump does not have immunity from civil lawsuits related to the U.S. Capitol riot, a federal appeals court panel unanimously ruled Friday.

    The ruling does not say that Trump is liable for allegedly inciting, while president, the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress by a mob of his supporters, which injured more than 100 police officers.

    But it raises the prospect that Trump might have to pay significant damages and legal fees from pending suits by some of those police officers and members of Congress, and potentially other lawsuits stemming from the insurrection.

    The ruling came after Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, challenged the federal district court lawsuits filed against him.

    All those Capitol Police officers murdered in the line of duty that day will be able to get justice.

    • B.P.

      I want to hear about the damages incurred by members of Congress. Also, keep saying “insurrection.” It’ll catch on eventually.

    • Raven Nation

      Odds on Liz Cheney being the first to file suit for “emotional distress”?

      • Not Adahn

        Only if she elbows AOC away from the court clerk’s desk.

    • juris imprudent

      …which injured more than 100 police officers.

      Dropping the death bit now?

      • CPRM

        100 injured along with 10,000 dead. Such a bloody day in history…

  31. The Late P Brooks

    Democracy in action

    The Biden administration on Thursday opened the door to seizing the patents of certain costly medications from drugmakers in a new push to slash high drug prices and promote more pharmaceutical competition.

    The administration unveiled a framework outlining the factors federal agencies should consider in deciding whether to use a controversial policy, known as march-in rights, to take patents for drugs developed with taxpayer funds and share them with other pharmaceutical companies if the public cannot “reasonably” access the medications. Doing so could lead to the development of lower-priced generic alternatives, which could cut into key drug companies’ profits and reduce costs for patients.

    For the first time, officials can now factor in a medication’s price in deciding to break a patent.

    “We’ll make it clear that when drug companies won’t sell taxpayer-funded drugs at reasonable prices, we will be prepared to allow other companies to provide those drugs for less,” White House National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard said during a call with reporters Wednesday.

    Stronger together, we’ll be.

  32. Certified Public Asshat

    AOC claims women will face doctor exams if biological men barred from female sports

    “We are talking about opening up all women and girls to genital examinations when they are underage, potentially just because someone can point to someone and say, I don’t think you are a girl,” she claimed.

    “And we’re saying this in an environment of a post-Dobbs America, where states are criminalizing access to abortion and want nothing more than data on women to figure out when, who’s getting a menstrual cycle, who doesn’t have one, and we’re supposed to believe this is going to make us better and safer?”

    If only there was a piece of paper issued at birth that could clear this up.

    • Certified Public Asshat

      Wait, in high school I had to do a physical every year too. Thanks State of Maryland.

      • Nephilium

        I recall having to do an annual physical for grade school. I don’t recall if it was for gym class or for extracurricular sports.

    • juris imprudent

      piece of paper issued at birth

      THAT’S JUST AN ASSIGNMENT! IT DOESN’T REFLECT WHAT THE BABY THINKS OF ITSELF!!!

    • Suthenboy

      What the fuck is that moron gibbering about now?

      Oooooh another dem talking point that has nothing whatsoever to do with reality designed to lull idiots into clutching their pearls.
      Other than the mush brained woman on yewtewb have they picked up ‘religious right responsible for high gas prices’ yet? They should run with that one also.

  33. The Late P Brooks

    “This would be yet another loss for American patients who rely on public-private sector collaboration to advance new treatments and cures,” said a spokesperson for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents drugmakers such as Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson
    . “The Administration is sending us back to a time when government research sat on a shelf, not benefitting anyone.”

    Public costs, private profits. That’s what made this country great.

  34. The Late P Brooks

    Also on Thursday, the Biden administration unveiled efforts that aim to counter anticompetitive practices by big health-care companies.

    Some target private equity firms, which have been buying up physician practices, nursing homes and other health care providers. Private-equity ownership in the health-care industry has ballooned, with approximately $750 billion in deals between 2010 and 2020, according to a report from the American Antitrust Institute.

    The administration is concerned that corporate owners are “maximizing their profits at the expense of patients’ health and safety, while increasing costs for patients and taxpayers alike,” according to a White House fact sheet.

    But efficiency. Economies of scale.

    Har dee fucking har.

    • juris imprudent

      Just a guess, but I won’t be surprised if an LLC of physicians is considered private equity.

  35. Spartacus

    Thanks for the links! I have an ornithologist friend who specializes in corvids. Now I know what I’m getting her for Christmas.
    Do you think 20 of those packs will be enough?

    • SDF-7

      No — CORVID-19 is much more of a thing these days.

  36. Brochettaward

    Dragging up argument from yesterday, part II:

    Re 1: What. The. Fuck. Does. That. Mean? Seriously.

    This in response to this:

    1. This DNA is not found in North or Central America

    I don’t know what’s confusing about this. The DNA shared with aboriginal Australians in South America has not been found in native populations in Central or North America. And then as explained, that would strongly suggest that they did not take a land route to get there as most mainstream archaeologists claim is the only real possibility.

    But I DO have expertise in historical music and (to a lesser extent) metrology and so I can tell you that the conclusions based on that form of argument is somewhere between “dodgy” and “throwing tarot cards into a top hat.” Which means it is completely legitimate for me to assume the rest of sumdood’s conclusions are based on standards of evidence of equivalent rigor. Which is to say, poor.

    What’s dishonest is responding to a post where I specifically state that nothing has been proven definitively, and trying to pretend that I said the opposite. Most of the article I linked to was on the linguistic similarities. You chose to latch onto one sentence towards the end where other similarities were discussed to attack the entire argument that you admit you know nothing about.

    “Sumdood” is a credentialed academic specializing in Polynesian and Eastern Island languages at one of Europe’s most prestigious universities. I really would like to read the book, but it doesn’t even seem to have been translated into English. Which is the entire point being made – that the evidence of shit like this is dismissed and swept under the rug.

    I also reread your post from the afternoon thread. Here’s what you actually said, Adahn:

    However, the (generic) description of the *types* of evidence he’s using to reach the conclusions is not strong

    You obviously don’t know dick about how linguistics have been used in the fields of archaeology and history. Linguistics is a widely used method of determining the origins and migrations of populations throughout history.

    Just like genetic studies are now being used to add to the total picture we currently have.

    • Brochettaward

      And anyone can Google aboriginal DNA South America to see multiple studies and news stories on the subject. It isn’t research being done by “sumdood” or a bunch of crackpots, though various so-called crackpots may make use of the information as they see fit.

    • Brochettaward

      Even in terms of using aspects of culture such as music and dress, you can very easily dismiss it by trying to claim ancient Greek is somehow generic. But I’m going to doubt you are any expert on the culture of the Polynesian Islands, specifically of Easter Island, and how it fits into the larger picture of that region historically. So, finding some culture with ancient culture similar to the Greeks in Europe. No biggie. It comes off as generic when that comparison is made.

      When looking at a strange outlier population in the Polynesian Islands that doesn’t resemble its neighbors in anyway, but resembles the Greeks? Probably of more significance especially when taken in conjunction with what was obviously the core of the work – the linguistics. Because it was written by a researcher specializing in those languages and 90% of the article I linked discussed the types of linguistic evidence used. Not song and dance.