By David Futrelle
It’s a rarity in this year of terrible, but tonight has been a night of actual good news! Dems are winning elections, and Reddit has banned the toxic cesspool known as the Incels subreddit! Celebrate while you can in this open thread!
No trolls. Fuck trolls.
This is the first time a wall of news notifications hasn't been a nightmare in god knows how long pic.twitter.com/NpTaW5QK6e
— Ashley Feinberg (ashleyfeinberg.bsky.social) (@ashleyfeinberg) November 8, 2017
Dems have won all three of the marquee off-year races — NJGov, VAGov, NYC Mayor — for the first time since 1989.
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) November 8, 2017
Democrats decimated Republicans across the country tonight, at every level and in every branch of state government.
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) November 8, 2017
Thanks, Trump!
And this is the icing on the cake:
Trans woman Danica Roem (D) just defeated anti-LGBTQ candidate Bob Marshall (R) in Virginia, becoming the first trans state legislator in America.
— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) November 8, 2017
The man who wrote the anti-trans bathroom bill just lost the election to a trans woman. Let that sink in. https://t.co/KFEZXSYvMy
— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) November 8, 2017
Oh, and there’s this:
Jeff Sessions' DOJ Drops Prosecution Of Woman Who Laughed At Jeff Sessions https://t.co/slOPOhmLYN pic.twitter.com/ekRsU1RJAq
— Curt and Frank 🏳️🌈 (@curtandfrank) November 7, 2017
Let’s all celebrate by laughing at Jeff Sessions!
Meanwhile, on Reddit:
Reddit has banned the Incels subreddit. About fucking time; it was a cesspool of misogyny and violent hate. pic.twitter.com/8RieXtxZLN
— David Futrelle (@DavidFutrelle) November 8, 2017
HEALTH NOTE: Though cheered by tonight’s news, I’m still dealing with a shitstorm of health issues. I will return to regular posting as soon as I can, but I’m not sure when that will be. Thanks again for your patience and your support!
@Jenora Feuer Yup! 😀
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_(word)
I saw the Justice League movie last weekend and actually quite liked it. One of the bits I liked was a scene in which the Flash encounters his first actual battle and begins to panic ; Batman takes him aside and quietly asks him to just try saving one person, to focus on that, and then go from there.
@WWTH
Prefuckincisely! We take that sales to minors thing serious as fuck. Especially cough medicine and such. And don’t let em catch you just asking for their birthday either. Cashiers and the rentacops at the local mall have higher standards than the state’s voters. Fuckin white people…
You know, I would give anything to have the option to “mute user” on every website I visit, like Twitter does. I’m running into people who I used to admire enormously, just to find out that, as time went on, their true character is either changed, or I misjudged them all along.
I dunno. It’s sad.
Standards, people! Like for real. Surely we can do better, and it’s starts by taking ones head out of their hyper partisan butt and holding people accountable. Power corrupts, so the people we put in power need to have higher character than average. At least set the bar at “isn’t a sexual predator.”
In random news, I just survived Thanksgiving prep shopping at Hellmart. There were sea gulls fighting over a pizza by my car (I’m in a landlocked state WoE?? why are you here??).
@ weirwood:
I think the Republican assumption is that by 2018, it won’t matter what happens at the polls. They’ll already have consolidated their power. And from what I’ve seen, that’s not a bad assumption: the 2018 electoral cycle should be starting now, the “Dems unifying” should have happened almost a year ago, and everybody’s still acting like it’s still 2015 and business-as-usual.
Besides, “small business owners” can always cope with the higher cost by firing a few more employees and hiring a few more relatives in their place. And if that still doesn’t do the trick…well, at least their boy Trump is stickin’ it to the [insert minority here]! If you’re hoping the Literal Petty Bourgeoisie is going to take a courageous stand against the forces of capitalism, you’re just setting yourself up for disappointment.
@occasional reader – The Washington Post also compiled a list of some sexual allegations against Trump, starting with the ones that had more corroborators: link to story.
@Mish – Hey, thanks! It’s not *my* blog, though, just a creative writing website I write in (& anybody can, by clicking “blather” at the end of pages; email address not needed, but you need to put in a ‘nym and a captcha). You can see recent things on the recent page.
I’m so disorganized I can’t even do hobbies properly! But is there a “properly”? …Anyway, people’s advice about writing lists and sorting out larger tasks is useful!
I played the ‘smartest guy in the room’ role at work almost my entire career. Fortunately, I had been raised with the understanding that that was more of an obligation than a privilege. A good friend once told me that I was the smartest person she knew who wasn’t a colossal arsehole about it, which was a wonderful compliment
Random personal note: due to complicated backstory reasons, I was recently able to go back to my Masonic lodge. To my immense relief, I was remembered and warmly greeted back. I’m looking forward to getting back into public speaking; I’m one of the few among the brethren who actively enjoys it.
A lot of Democrats already are against getting rid of net neutrality though. Thinking they might make it part of the party platform in upcoming elections is not the same as saying I’m hoping the Democratic party will start coming out against capitalism altogether.
I also don’t see how assuming that everything will always be terrible, nothing will ever change and there’s no hope is helping anything at all. Karl Rove believed during the Bush administration that the Republicans had consolidated power and would have a permanent majority too. He was wrong.
I’m certainly not saying all is rosy but utter hopelessness is the thing that will actually guarantee the permanent Republican majority. It’s exactly what they want from us and I’m not going to give it them.
(Haven’t read the last page, hopefully no one else put this up)
Elephant Stew
1 medium sized elephant (African are best)
500 bushels potatoes
200 bushels carrots
100 kilogram tomatoes
2 wheelbarrows onions (heaped)
100 kilogram salt
100 kilogram pepper
10 liter vinegar
1500 gallons brown gravy
3000 sprigs parsley
Cut elephant into bite sized pieces(this will take about 2 months).
Cut vegetables into cubes (another 2 months).
Place meat in pan, cover with the brown gravy and simmer for 4 weeks.
Add the salt and pepper to taste.
When the meat is tender, add the vegetables. Simmer for another 4 weeks.
Garnish with parsley.
This will serve 3800 people, but if more are expected, add 2 small rabbits. This is optional, as many people dislike finding hares in their stew.
Jules;
Seagulls aren’t really a sea bird, more of a coastal and inland bird. I’m in a land locked Province (with 10,000 lakes) and they are everywhere.
If they didn’t pilfer our garbage I expect they would leave us when the geesedo in the fall.
Scott Adams is one of the worst of the ultracrepidarians. Somehow he transformed from a moderately famous cartoonist into a dumpster fire of climate change, narcissism, creationism, misogyny, and Trumpism. He’s one of those people who thinks having a high IQ gives him a Certificate of Infallibility, and people should therefore pay attention to his pronouncements.
He’s not even that much of an expert on cartooning. I always thought his drawings were awkward as hell.
I’ve been terrified by the brazen glee with which the GOP are openly destroying democracy, the 99%, the environment, net neutrality, and everything good in the world. It’s as if laws, voters, and public opinion no longer matter.
Either elections have been permanently rigged and Republican rule is cemented in place, or they’re just that stupidly hubristic and aren’t paying attention to the fact that they’ve been getting trounced in special elections so far this year.
Please let it be the latter. Please, please.
They’ve lost 12 of the 47 special elections they’ve contested so far this year (for seats they held initially), while the Democrats have lost none of the 37 they held initially. Sounds good, sure, but between 2010 and 2016, the Repubs took 900 seats country-wide.
A 25% win rate is a very thin bed of laurels to rest on, or to rest your hopes on. Sure, there’ll be the usual off year boost for the party out of power – but the Repubs have a massive advantage on the state level. They take one more state and they can call a constitutional convention if they want. That is something to be feared more than them holding the Senate.
@Buttercup,
Scott Adams believes in creationism?! I knew about the other stuff, but it seems now he’s toppled over the edge and fallen into the deepest bowels of asininity. Is there no end to his self-regard?
Seeing a glimmer of hope =/= resting on your laurels.
Again, how does it help one single fucking thing to throw your hands up and say “well, we’re screwed?”
When people don’t think they can win, they don’t fight. While we shouldn’t stick our heads in the sand, spreading gloom and doom will only cause apathy. As someone who’s actually done GOTV in the US, I can tell you, the problem is that people don’t go out to vote because they think it’s pointless and the Republicans win.
I find it hopeful that unlike during the Bush years, the Democrats have stuck together and voted against everything Trump wants. But apparently we’re having a contest where the most negative and cynical person wins a cookie or gets to be best progressive or something?
Eibhear,
I tend to think he’s someone who started espousing these views to seem edgy and get attention and then started to believe his own bullshit.
Doesn’t, in fact it does the exact opposite, as you pointed out. If you (That’s the general you, not you you! You don’t.) do that, you’re part of the problem. Overconfidence is equally as damaging. I’m currently reading April 2016 in the archives – and my god does the overconfidence show in spots!
Got a rule at work – assume the enemy is far more numerous, far more prepared, and far, far smarter than you are and plan accordingly. It means you’re sometimes doing “taking a sandblaster to a saltine” levels of overkill, but it means the chances of getting caught out is reduced.
Applies to politics too.
On a personal note:
YES! You fucking ROCK! 😀
Sorry. 😛 I like people who try to fix shit. 😀
@Eibhear,
Once you buy into any conspiracy theories, it’s easy to fall for more; it becomes a habit of thought. Same with bigotries, and with heavy overlap in patterns of thought. That’s why basically every conspiracy theory from California to Crimea (and points north and east, but Russia doesn’t give me the alliteration) ends up being about Jews.
@All
Has been a lot of shit going on in my life which are taking all my energy and more. Will be more active again at some point
> Weird, Weirwood, Catalpa, Mrex, Epitome
Thank you all for the information ! (i am in a rush at work, and the french article was really short, so i was not able to get much info, so yours are pretty welcome)
One other thing the article said was that Trump is the only (political) support of Moore even in the GOP because almost every other person in the party tends to hate Moore. And the Democrat opponent is higher in polls (even if Alabama is a Trump voting state), so it seems that if Moore eventually lose, it is going to be a big backdraft in the face of Trump. Let just cross the fingers here and hope this will happen !
Take care of yourself, all, and have a nice day.
@Jenora
Wow. That’s incredible – wrt to both you, and the 10 year old. And your ‘take’ on it is grace personified.
@Katamount
And even when they do cite sources, they fudge & distort *cough* Black Pigeon *cough* Lauren Southern… or they completely fuck it up *cough* Carl of Swindon, who apparently has the reading comprehension of a spoon.
And Jordan Peterson, hoo boy! I only heard about him this year, and that was far too soon.
Ooh, also, I saw yet another thread plus article on fascism in furrydom earlier today, and thought of you 😀 has this been much of an issue in your circles?
@epitome of incomprehensibility
Ah, thanks for that – now it makes more sense! I will continue to delve. I’ve really liked what I’ve read of yours thus far.
Unrelated to above: a certain Milo Y is here in Aust. (YET A-FUCKING-GAIN) and is about to have an audience in Parliament House with one of our elected representatives. And the situation with the asylum seekers on Manus has gotten seriously, horribly bad today. Not a happy day down here, not good at all.
All the more reason to pay attention to the really important stuff, like voting in the 2017 Bird Of The Year survey.
Apparently – because first doggie is reporting it, the ibis is turning in surprisingly good results. If it weren’t for the NSFW (or anywhere else) language, I’d post this stupid song for everyone. Choose to play it if you want.
(The _real_ reason that ibis have become such a problem in the city is that they’ve made the move from their disappeared andor wrecked natural habitats and joined, sometimes replaced, seagulls in their landfill and rubbish bin scavenging habits. What else are they to do?)
@Dali
I hope everything works out for you!
Ugh, that sounds trite.
I have no idea what’s going on but I hope it’s nothing bad, and if it is I hope it works out in your favor!
@mildly
For some reason I’ve been having this automatic mental conversion of ‘seagull’ to ‘mra jackass’ going on in my mind lately. It’s kind of amusing when the actual topic is actual seagulls…
Yey, pressure on politicians can have quick results 🙂
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/23/uk-law-will-specifically-recognise-animal-sentience-michael-gove
Our school has an increasing number of urban seagulls living on or around it, taking advantage of the amount of litter the kids throw at each at lunch and break times. This populating has increased in the last five years since we got a new catering company – instead of serving food on plates, meaning the kids ate in the dinner hall, most of their products are wrapped in paper or card, so the kids take it outside.
The RSPB has this to say on the matter, if anyone’s interested:
ww2.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/gulls/urban-gulls-and-the-law