@Yutolia
I’m sorry about the ongoing stalker situation. I hope it all resolves soon and you can go on with your life in peace.
Congratulations on your singing engagement.
@Dormousing_it
I’m sorry for your loss.
@Otrame
So the anti-vaxxers will have something to be afraid of, but most of us won’t.
I’m more worried about people who are immunocompromised or the very young. That is, the people who really need herd immunity and to whom the anti-vaxxers are a major threat.
@MJ, Tohka
It’s good that the subreddit has been quarantined. Hopefully soon it will go the way of r/Incels and be banned (though banning isn’t totally effective because they just make new subreddits, it does have an effect).
I expected results of Brexit happening and Senate GOP being craven. Yet it still saddens me that this is how the chips fall. I hope my relatives in China don’t get sick.
I guess for the first two in our respective regions, there is voting out Tories and GOP come elections.
Wannabikkit
4 years ago
Congrats Victorious Parasol on your new job!
As for Brexit, it makes me very glad that my parents moved our family to NZ many years ago. In fact, the whole shitshow has reminded me that it’s about time I applied for NZ citizenship. I haven’t yet bothered because NZ lets its Permanent Residents vote.
Lisa
4 years ago
@Ohlmann
Given the general underfunding of hospital all over the western world, that could end with something dramatic.
Here in Germany the best info I get is that it’s basically something to treat by washing your hands, coughing in your elbow instead of your hands and avoiding close bodily contact (as well as the usual: Considering to stop smoking and to do more selfcare). Some argue that we should invest more in emergency medication but respiratory masks are only advised for patients to help isolation, not as a general protective measure Sadly, I did not have the chance to work with a lot of refugees recently, I don’t how bad it is for the folks without good access to medicine.
I’m coping with Brexit by burying my head in the sand. I read Private Eye so I know what a bunch of incompetent, corrupt, grasping, malign scum-bags make up our political class right now, but I refuse to give them the satisfaction of being angry with them.
numerobis
4 years ago
The wuhan coronavirus doesn’t particularly scare me at this point. It’s clearly much less lethal than SARS, though more contagious. In any case, terror doesn’t protect you, so why bother? Washing hands protects you and others; coughing into your elbow protects others.
In personal news: I spent three days (not consecutive) sleeping on the couch over the past two weeks with a cold/flu thing. I’ve been joking it’s the coronavirus.
Fishy Goat
4 years ago
@MJ
Thanks (?) to the Vice article, the MGTOW (men getting triggered over women [not what -they- call it]) subreddit has been quarantined.
Just a friendly reminder, the flu has already killed thousands of people this year just in the US. No need to panic over coronavirus. Although, the parallels to the movie Contagion are kind of funny, given that the US cases originated in Chicago which was one of the cities, along with Minneapolis where the disease entered the US from Hong Kong in that movie.
Anyway, if this disease outbreak lasts into the summer, guarantee it’s going to be used to stir up racism in the US elections the way ebola was used in 2014, so let’s be careful to stay rational about things.
Ohlmann
4 years ago
@Laserqueen : the chinese authority already have demonstrably lied about the crisis, especially about petty shit like the exact start and all. We just can hope they only lied about petty shit. they also put up pressures to keep face, which don’t inspire confidence in them at all.
It’s not racism to point out that, well, they have problem with being transparent. It’s similar to point out that the Trump administration lie for the heck of it.
@WWTH : we just don’t know if there is no need to panic. Likely we do not need to. Likely.
wonkette.com has been live-blogging every day of the proceedings and has a number of extra blog posts up about this or that specific thing that needs more explanation.
The one bad thing is that the article titles tend to be a bit long with “impeachment liveblog” at the end, so you do have to read the whole title, AND there’s no special “impeachment” section to get the impeachment related content listed all in one place without distraction… but you’ll get there.
Mish of the Catlady Ascendancy
4 years ago
Best wishes to all the UK mammotheers; I hope the transition doesn’t impact you too harshly. I have a few friends in England who’ve been there basically their whole lives but never took citizenship – they’re now feeling a bit anxious. I really thought it would never happen; it’s been such a shambles, but the election was devastating 🙁
On a happier note, congrats to Victorious Parasol and to Moggie – exciting times for you both!
For everyone (I hope this pic works because I’m copying it from Discord), here is Brian, the baby bettong, fast asleep after feasting on his corn cob:
Mish of the Catlady Ascendancy
4 years ago
Yay, it worked 🙂
Isn’t he adorable?
Shadowplay
4 years ago
@VP – congratulations!
@Moggie – retirement is bloody odd, and not particularly enjoyable, I’m finding. Having a routine helps.
On the coronavirus, got a mate who’s keeping us updated – he’s pretty much stuck in China at the moment (American with a Chinese wife – they’re not going back and getting stuck in quarantine). The differences between what he’s telling ushe’s seeing and hearing and what the news here is saying is small, so yeah, the Chinese government is mostly telling the truth. They’re not minimising the problem for international consumption, they’re also not panicking about it. It’s not like it’s their first epidemic.
@Mish – got the missus’ paperwork sorted out, so that’s a worry gone.
Mish of the Catlady Ascendancy
4 years ago
@Shadowplay, phew, that’s a relief.
Now go back and admire Brian the baby bettong, thank you 🙂
Random Q
4 years ago
@dormousing_it. No, I picked the name cause my only reason for posting (I read here all the time, but don’t talk) was the one question. Google wasn’t my friend on this, cause I really don’t know who to trust for factual information.
@dormousing_it and Crip Dyke. Thanks! Now I have something to read whilst I should be sleeping! Huzzah!
@Mish. I had no idea that my life was missing that much adorableness! Squee!
opposablethumbs
4 years ago
@Dormousing-it I’m sorry for your loss. That must be a terrible blow for your husband especially – I hope the family on his side are all able to help each other through and that he will be all right 🙁
conversely, many congratulations to @VP and yay @Moggie, I hope retirement is brilliant :-s
The Britain-wrecks-it fiasco will enrich a handful of already-rich people and impoverish everybody else (and yes, make the UK even more USAnian-dominated economically, culturally and politically). I’m sort-of-a-bit in mourning and seething with anger, so I’m trying not to dwell on it :-s
(Except when I hope that at some point Scotland re-joins the EU)
Got some friends visiting for the weekend, and there isn’t a single language in common between us. How can that not be fun!? (7 people altogether. Of whom 2 speak Catalan and Spanish but no French or English, 1 speaks French and Catalan but no Spanish or English, 1 speaks Catalan, French and Spanish but no English, 1 speaks Spanish and English but no Catalan or French, 2 speak Spanish, English and French but no Catalan. Cue inevitable discussion about Catalan and Scottish independence 🙂 )
I know that the problems of reunifying Ireland are huge, and I also know that I know squat about that, generally, but in my ignorance I’m finding myself very curious as to whether it might be easier for Northern Ireland to merge with Ireland (and thus rejoin the EU) or whether it would be easier for the people in N. Ireland and the Irish border regions to accept a hard customs border between the two.
I suppose it’s also possible that N. Ireland might choose independence from the UK without merging with Ireland, but then joining the EU so that the open border with Ireland could remain.
The long and short is just that I’m wondering if the practical consequences of Brexit might cause N. Ireland to leave UK, however that happens.
So, just hypothetically, if the UK lost N. Ireland, and maybe Scotland as well, would that cause the English conservatives to dig in and become bigger, more regressive assholes? Or would that break the hold of the regressive idiots when their sheep recognize that they’re not being led where they thought they were being led?
I wasn’t in favor of Brexit just so I could indulge my curiosity, but since Brexit is real now, I do find myself wondering about the long-term political consequences.
I really don’t know who to trust for factual information.
Be aware that Wonkette is snarky as fuck. When they state something seriously, they absolutely are reliable. However, they do use sarcasm, snark, exaggeration, litotes, and swear words all the time.
Now, I personally find it really easy to figure out when they’re providing me news and when they’re providing snarky commentary, but if you’re new to the site it might not seem as straightforward as it will after a few weeks of reading there.
Good example, from the liveblog:
we interrupt our regularly scheduled Lamar-ring for the latest John Bolton book bombshell from the New York Times! Turns out Trump tried to grab Bolton by the mustache and make him get Rudy Giuliani in a room with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in MAY, which is #calendartime LONG before he allegedly got pissed at the White House and said he didn’t want to be involved in Trump’s “drug deal” with Ukraine. May is also when Volodymyr Zelenskyy was inaugurated, and just after Giuliani finished his insane, immoral pressure campaign to remove Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, because she was in the way of letting Trump and Giuliani do corruption in Ukraine.
So if you look at the bold parts, they aren’t literally true. The first is entirely made up bullshit used as a metaphor similar to saying Trump “tried to rope Bolton into” the effort to get a personal meeting between Giuliani and Zelenskyy. The second bold part is another whimsical way of stating (truthfully) that one event preceded the other.
Now, I find their creative way of writing very entertaining, they aren’t straight-up news. All their facts are verifiably true, but not everything they say is a verifiable fact. So, if you’re new to Wonkette, you probably don’t want to use it as your ONLY source of news. Later, when you get a handle on the website’s unique style you can (I think) pretty easily tell the difference between the reporting and the opinion and the snark.
Shadowplay
4 years ago
@Crip Dyke
Quick answer, cause I’m heading out, and just the high points.
If Scotland goes and Wales goes, we’ll be a one party conservative state for several generations. Northern Ireland really doesn’t add much to either side of the Conservative/Labour divide. They’ve got their own parties, and those side pretty much equally with the big two.
The rise of the SNP basically destroyed Labour’s chances at holding power on it’s own anyway, though. They’re now having to work one seat at a time to flip the seats, and the Labour Party bigshots are really, really, really shit at that sort of retail politics. (Unlike the local comittees, who rock that shit!)
Anyway, if this disease outbreak lasts into the summer, guarantee it’s going to be used to stir up racism in the US elections the way ebola was used in 2014, so let’s be careful to stay rational about things.
Already there’s been an uptick in racism against people of Asian descent or who get profiled as such. I’m doing my best to call it out wherever I see it; I don’t want this to turn into a hate event because that won’t help stop the disease and will help Trump.
@Shadowplay
If Scotland goes and Wales goes, we’ll be a one party conservative state for several generations.
So how likely is it that Scotland and Wales leave? Is this more of a hypothetical or a likely possibility?
Specialffrog
4 years ago
@naglfar: Wales is fairly theoretical. The party in power in Scotland is actively campaigning for an independence referendum this year or next year.
There was a referendum a few years ago. The remain side narrowly won partially due to last minute promises from the UK gov that Scotland would get increased powers and the UK would definitely stay in the EU, both of which were broken.
Surplus to Requirements, Observer of the Vast Blight-Wing Enstupidation
4 years ago
@Elizabeth:
I’m at the point of having no hope for the future. How do we get ourselves out of this?
I have a few ideas, but they all involve a hollowed-out asteroid and a hyperdrive. :/
We Hunted The Mammoth
@Yutolia
I’m sorry about the ongoing stalker situation. I hope it all resolves soon and you can go on with your life in peace.
Congratulations on your singing engagement.
@Dormousing_it
I’m sorry for your loss.
@Otrame
I’m more worried about people who are immunocompromised or the very young. That is, the people who really need herd immunity and to whom the anti-vaxxers are a major threat.
@MJ, Tohka
It’s good that the subreddit has been quarantined. Hopefully soon it will go the way of r/Incels and be banned (though banning isn’t totally effective because they just make new subreddits, it does have an effect).
I expected results of Brexit happening and Senate GOP being craven. Yet it still saddens me that this is how the chips fall. I hope my relatives in China don’t get sick.
I guess for the first two in our respective regions, there is voting out Tories and GOP come elections.
Congrats Victorious Parasol on your new job!
As for Brexit, it makes me very glad that my parents moved our family to NZ many years ago. In fact, the whole shitshow has reminded me that it’s about time I applied for NZ citizenship. I haven’t yet bothered because NZ lets its Permanent Residents vote.
@Ohlmann
Here in Germany the best info I get is that it’s basically something to treat by washing your hands, coughing in your elbow instead of your hands and avoiding close bodily contact (as well as the usual: Considering to stop smoking and to do more selfcare). Some argue that we should invest more in emergency medication but respiratory masks are only advised for patients to help isolation, not as a general protective measure Sadly, I did not have the chance to work with a lot of refugees recently, I don’t how bad it is for the folks without good access to medicine.
I’m coping with Brexit by burying my head in the sand. I read Private Eye so I know what a bunch of incompetent, corrupt, grasping, malign scum-bags make up our political class right now, but I refuse to give them the satisfaction of being angry with them.
The wuhan coronavirus doesn’t particularly scare me at this point. It’s clearly much less lethal than SARS, though more contagious. In any case, terror doesn’t protect you, so why bother? Washing hands protects you and others; coughing into your elbow protects others.
Here in Quebec, we’ve put a man in court and seems likely in jail for being an incel talking in admiration of the Polytechnique shooter, along with talking about repeating the feat. I’m not sure if this is good news or bad news:
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/justice-et-faits-divers/202001/31/01-5259114-un-adorateur-de-marc-lepine-banni-du-campus-de-luqam.php
In personal news: I spent three days (not consecutive) sleeping on the couch over the past two weeks with a cold/flu thing. I’ve been joking it’s the coronavirus.
@MJ
Best acronym definition ever! <3
@VP: Congratulations!
Love to all who need it. <3
Just a friendly reminder, the flu has already killed thousands of people this year just in the US. No need to panic over coronavirus. Although, the parallels to the movie Contagion are kind of funny, given that the US cases originated in Chicago which was one of the cities, along with Minneapolis where the disease entered the US from Hong Kong in that movie.
Anyway, if this disease outbreak lasts into the summer, guarantee it’s going to be used to stir up racism in the US elections the way ebola was used in 2014, so let’s be careful to stay rational about things.
@Laserqueen : the chinese authority already have demonstrably lied about the crisis, especially about petty shit like the exact start and all. We just can hope they only lied about petty shit. they also put up pressures to keep face, which don’t inspire confidence in them at all.
It’s not racism to point out that, well, they have problem with being transparent. It’s similar to point out that the Trump administration lie for the heck of it.
@WWTH : we just don’t know if there is no need to panic. Likely we do not need to. Likely.
@Random Q:
wonkette.com has been live-blogging every day of the proceedings and has a number of extra blog posts up about this or that specific thing that needs more explanation.
The one bad thing is that the article titles tend to be a bit long with “impeachment liveblog” at the end, so you do have to read the whole title, AND there’s no special “impeachment” section to get the impeachment related content listed all in one place without distraction… but you’ll get there.
Best wishes to all the UK mammotheers; I hope the transition doesn’t impact you too harshly. I have a few friends in England who’ve been there basically their whole lives but never took citizenship – they’re now feeling a bit anxious. I really thought it would never happen; it’s been such a shambles, but the election was devastating 🙁
On a happier note, congrats to Victorious Parasol and to Moggie – exciting times for you both!
For everyone (I hope this pic works because I’m copying it from Discord), here is Brian, the baby bettong, fast asleep after feasting on his corn cob:
Yay, it worked 🙂
Isn’t he adorable?
@VP – congratulations!
@Moggie – retirement is bloody odd, and not particularly enjoyable, I’m finding. Having a routine helps.
On the coronavirus, got a mate who’s keeping us updated – he’s pretty much stuck in China at the moment (American with a Chinese wife – they’re not going back and getting stuck in quarantine). The differences between what he’s telling ushe’s seeing and hearing and what the news here is saying is small, so yeah, the Chinese government is mostly telling the truth. They’re not minimising the problem for international consumption, they’re also not panicking about it. It’s not like it’s their first epidemic.
@Mish – got the missus’ paperwork sorted out, so that’s a worry gone.
@Shadowplay, phew, that’s a relief.
Now go back and admire Brian the baby bettong, thank you 🙂
@dormousing_it. No, I picked the name cause my only reason for posting (I read here all the time, but don’t talk) was the one question. Google wasn’t my friend on this, cause I really don’t know who to trust for factual information.
@dormousing_it and Crip Dyke. Thanks! Now I have something to read whilst I should be sleeping! Huzzah!
@Mish. I had no idea that my life was missing that much adorableness! Squee!
@Dormousing-it I’m sorry for your loss. That must be a terrible blow for your husband especially – I hope the family on his side are all able to help each other through and that he will be all right 🙁
conversely, many congratulations to @VP and yay @Moggie, I hope retirement is brilliant :-s
The Britain-wrecks-it fiasco will enrich a handful of already-rich people and impoverish everybody else (and yes, make the UK even more USAnian-dominated economically, culturally and politically). I’m sort-of-a-bit in mourning and seething with anger, so I’m trying not to dwell on it :-s
(Except when I hope that at some point Scotland re-joins the EU)
Got some friends visiting for the weekend, and there isn’t a single language in common between us. How can that not be fun!? (7 people altogether. Of whom 2 speak Catalan and Spanish but no French or English, 1 speaks French and Catalan but no Spanish or English, 1 speaks Catalan, French and Spanish but no English, 1 speaks Spanish and English but no Catalan or French, 2 speak Spanish, English and French but no Catalan. Cue inevitable discussion about Catalan and Scottish independence 🙂 )
I know that the problems of reunifying Ireland are huge, and I also know that I know squat about that, generally, but in my ignorance I’m finding myself very curious as to whether it might be easier for Northern Ireland to merge with Ireland (and thus rejoin the EU) or whether it would be easier for the people in N. Ireland and the Irish border regions to accept a hard customs border between the two.
I suppose it’s also possible that N. Ireland might choose independence from the UK without merging with Ireland, but then joining the EU so that the open border with Ireland could remain.
The long and short is just that I’m wondering if the practical consequences of Brexit might cause N. Ireland to leave UK, however that happens.
So, just hypothetically, if the UK lost N. Ireland, and maybe Scotland as well, would that cause the English conservatives to dig in and become bigger, more regressive assholes? Or would that break the hold of the regressive idiots when their sheep recognize that they’re not being led where they thought they were being led?
I wasn’t in favor of Brexit just so I could indulge my curiosity, but since Brexit is real now, I do find myself wondering about the long-term political consequences.
@ Random Q:
Oh, I should have added Dahlia Lithwick:
https://slate.com/author/dahlia-lithwick
Be aware that Wonkette is snarky as fuck. When they state something seriously, they absolutely are reliable. However, they do use sarcasm, snark, exaggeration, litotes, and swear words all the time.
Now, I personally find it really easy to figure out when they’re providing me news and when they’re providing snarky commentary, but if you’re new to the site it might not seem as straightforward as it will after a few weeks of reading there.
Good example, from the liveblog:
So if you look at the bold parts, they aren’t literally true. The first is entirely made up bullshit used as a metaphor similar to saying Trump “tried to rope Bolton into” the effort to get a personal meeting between Giuliani and Zelenskyy. The second bold part is another whimsical way of stating (truthfully) that one event preceded the other.
Now, I find their creative way of writing very entertaining, they aren’t straight-up news. All their facts are verifiably true, but not everything they say is a verifiable fact. So, if you’re new to Wonkette, you probably don’t want to use it as your ONLY source of news. Later, when you get a handle on the website’s unique style you can (I think) pretty easily tell the difference between the reporting and the opinion and the snark.
@Crip Dyke
Quick answer, cause I’m heading out, and just the high points.
If Scotland goes and Wales goes, we’ll be a one party conservative state for several generations. Northern Ireland really doesn’t add much to either side of the Conservative/Labour divide. They’ve got their own parties, and those side pretty much equally with the big two.
The rise of the SNP basically destroyed Labour’s chances at holding power on it’s own anyway, though. They’re now having to work one seat at a time to flip the seats, and the Labour Party bigshots are really, really, really shit at that sort of retail politics. (Unlike the local comittees, who rock that shit!)
Thanks, Shadowplay!
@Random Q,
I know! He’s so precious 🙂
If you can cope with the levels of squee, he has a Twitter and you can watch him eating the corn here
@ crip dyke
The Ulster situation is complicated to say the least. You have to start at least at 1921 to get perspective; and really back to Cromwell or before.
But here’s a nice overview of some of the issues as related to Brexit. It very much just skims the surface though.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/01/unionists-northern-ireland-brexit-backfired-uk-government-nationalists
@WWTH
Already there’s been an uptick in racism against people of Asian descent or who get profiled as such. I’m doing my best to call it out wherever I see it; I don’t want this to turn into a hate event because that won’t help stop the disease and will help Trump.
@Shadowplay
So how likely is it that Scotland and Wales leave? Is this more of a hypothetical or a likely possibility?
@naglfar: Wales is fairly theoretical. The party in power in Scotland is actively campaigning for an independence referendum this year or next year.
There was a referendum a few years ago. The remain side narrowly won partially due to last minute promises from the UK gov that Scotland would get increased powers and the UK would definitely stay in the EU, both of which were broken.
@Elizabeth:
I have a few ideas, but they all involve a hollowed-out asteroid and a hyperdrive. :/