@AdamSerwer No, the best thing about it is that it's completely unrealistic and doomed to fail.
— billmon (@billmon1) July 2, 2013
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What is best in life?…
Anne Laurie has been a Balloon Juice writer since 2009.
This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Nobody could have predicted
@AdamSerwer No, the best thing about it is that it's completely unrealistic and doomed to fail.
— billmon (@billmon1) July 2, 2013
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What is best in life?…
This post is in: Excellent Links, Open Threads, Blogospheric Navel-Gazing
I think I would nominate Twitter for the Nobel Prize if they would just raise character limit to 200 or so.
— billmon (@billmon1) June 29, 2013
@fgbjr Deeply envious. One more example of why Chinese world domination is inevitable.
— billmon (@billmon1) June 29, 2013
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Fortunately, you don’t have to sign up for Twitter to eavesdrop on on people — Billmon, for instance.
This post is in: Open Threads, Popular Culture, Vagina Outrage
So, of course, the “Rouge Red” pink running shoes Wendy Davis wore for her historic filibuster have become quite the fashion trend. Per Jessica Bennett at NYMag’s “The Cut” blog:
Alycia Burton laced hers up this morning with a silk blouse and pencil skirt — then headed to her job at a Forth Worth electrical distributor. Carol Moss, a Utah state representative, snapped a shot of hers propped up on a coffee table. Melissa Pierce, a Chicago entrepreneur, managed to get kicked out of a club in hers — pink sneakers peeking out from a sleek navy cocktail dress.
And David Teran, a tech consultant for IBM, hunted down a women’s size 12 (men’s 10) while on a road trip with his brother in Louisiana. Today, he is flaunting them at the Texas state capital — where thousands of protesters are rallying this afternoon as the legislature attempts, yet again, to pass a restrictive overhaul of the state’s abortion law…
“It’s like a secret club,” says Pierce, 36, who wore the shoes to work today with a black pantsuit. “It’s like, ‘Do you stand with Wendy? I stand with Wendy.’” Michelle Madhok, an online shopping expert and start-up founder, agrees: “These are not sneakers that will go quietly. When I wear these I am saying loudly that I support the sisterhood.”…
Nitpickers at the Fashionista blog have a quibble:
Mizuno does not seem too keen on milking or promoting or cashing in on the publicity–or even expressing support for Davis…
A search on the FEC’s political donations database reveals that Mizuno President Robert Puccini has donated at least twice to the Republican National Committee and voted for Mitt Romney in 2012. So, that could have something to do with the company’s lack of enthusiasm.
Fortunately, reports USA Today, honorary Texan Connie Britton is stepping up:
… Tami Taylor is the fictional character memorably played on TV by Connie Britton, and the actress is showing her support for Texas women with a special T-shirt as the state Legislature once again considers an abortion bill.
Taylor was the coach’s wife on the now-canceled show Friday Night Lights about a Texas high school football team. Britton is teaming up with the Planned Parenthood Action Fund for the month of July on orange or white shirts. On the front they say, “WWTTD? What would Tami Taylor do?” and “standwithtexaswomen.org” on the back…
“I have been inspired by how people around the country have united to stand with the women of Texas, and I can’t help but think that, in this moment, we all have the opportunity to join with and become strong, powerful Texas men and women,” Britton, an Emmy Award-nominee for her portrayal of Tami, said in a statement. Britton is now star of the ABC show Nashville.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which stood with Davis during her filibuster, sells the shirts at cost. ($32 for the orange version and $22 for white.)
While not quite as sartorially versatile as a nice pair of rouge-red running shoes, they should pair beautifully with, for instance, extra-large men’s cargo shorts and flip-flops…
Wendy Davis Pro-Choice Fashion Open ThreadPost + Comments (32)
This post is in: Cat Blogging, Pet Rescue
From reader Hannah:
My sister-in-law has been having difficulties recently and gave away her three cats — Bomber (male), 5, Vesper (female), 5, and Dagny (female), 3 — to a shelter near Chicago. They developed a respiratory infection and were not eating, and the shelter told us that they needed to be picked up within the next few days, otherwise they would be put down. I arranged for the cats to be released and transported to a temporary foster home in Minneapolis, but they need something more permanent. Unfortunately, I’ve already reached my pet quota, so we can’t keep them ourselves.
As you can probably tell, these cats are very dear to my family. My husband and I rescued Bomber and Vesper at my grandparents’ farm almost 5 years ago. They were 4 weeks old when we found them and had been without their Mom for at least several days after she had been hit by a car. They were malnourished and sick and we nursed them back to health, and adopted them to my sister in law. She adopted Dagny a couple of years later from a shelter in Chicago. All three cats are very sweet and loving. Dagny is the most outgoing. Bomber and Vesper like to cuddle with each other and play.
My preference would be that Bomber and Vesper stay together, since they are littermates and very bonded. Dagny can be adopted separately. I would say they get along with other cats since they have adjusted fine to each other. Bomber and Vesper were around dogs when they were very young, but not recently. They were fine with dogs at that time. I am not sure if any of them have been around kids.
All three cats are up to date on vaccinations and vet care, and are spayed and neutered and all have microchips. No medical issues, other than recovering from upper respiratory conditions after their time in the shelter, but I am hopeful they will recover just fine. Bomber and Vesper could lose some weight, but I think this could be accomplished by not letting them free feed. (After nearly starving as kittens, they have ravenous appetites and probably need better weight management.)
If you are interested, or have any leads, send me an email at annelaurie (at) verizon.net (click on my name in the righthand column) and I’ll put you in touch with Hannah.
Cat Rescue Bleg – Minneapolis / Twin Cities AreaPost + Comments (26)
This post is in: Gay Rights are Human Rights, Open Threads, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome
Margaret Hartmann, at NYMag:
Same-sex couples are seeing the benefits of the Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling even faster than anticipated (much to the chagrin of conservatives). On Friday, as same-sex marriages resumed in California, Julian Marsh, an American, and his husband Traian Popov, a Bulgarian immigrant, got the news that they are the first gay couple to have their marriage-based green card petition approved. The New York Times reports that the visa agency had said it would hold off on approving applications until this week, but apparently immigration officers got excited and decided to jump the gun….
Soon many other couples will receive the same happy news. For the last two years officials at U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services have been keeping a list of same-sex couples whose green card petitions were denied, in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling. The decisions in those cases will be reversed, with no need for a new application, and other pending applications from gay couples will be handled exactly the same as those from opposite-sex couples.
What’s on the agenda for the start of the week?
Monday Morning Open Thread: Not <em>Everything</em> Is HorriblePost + Comments (156)
This post is in: Election 2016, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat
Or maybe it’s just the Aspen Institute has it in for DougJ?… Via Garance Franke-Ruta, at the Atlantic, “Hillary Is the Strongest Non-Incumbent Ever“.
And we’ve already got a [semi]declared candidate from the Other Party, according to Robert Costa at the National Review:
Almost everybody has written off Rick Santorum as a 2016 contender — everybody, that is, except Rick Santorum.
Behind the scenes, the former Pennsylvania senator is quietly preparing for another presidential run. Trips to Iowa are in the works, he’s meeting daily with his advisers, and he’s already fine-tuning his message for the early primaries…
… For now, Santorum’s nonprofit organization, Patriot Voices, is his chief vehicle for staying in play. He’s working to develop the group into a film and educational outfit that informs voters about issues he considers important. Brabender tells me that more than 400 chapters of Patriot Voices are being formed. Those clusters of Santorum supporters will likely be important as he maneuvers to run again.
Nadine Maenza, the finance director for his 2012 campaign, has also been keeping the senator in touch with his major donors, including Foster Friess. According to several sources, Friess, the top financier of Santorum’s super PAC, has privately said that he’ll once again be a major backer.
“The presidential election is a long way away,” Santorum says. “I know we’re not on the front burner of anybody’s mind right now, and there’s a lot going on that’s getting people’s attention. But I’m going to stay out there, and you’ll see me in Iowa soon.”…
The Return of the Sweater-Vest, or C.H.U.D. in the Heartland. “Santorum/Random Token 2016 – “Tomorrow Belongs to Us!“
Horror Story Open Thread: Nate Silver Is Trying to Kill John ColePost + Comments (153)
This post is in: Garden Chats
From faithful correspondent Marvel:
We’re eating stuff from the garden and loving it. Here in the Willamette Valley, it’s not quite warmed up to Summer temperatures yet, but with our mild Spring, we’re enjoying lots of cool-weather veggies from the garden, especially lettuces, spinach, kale, chard and shelling peas.
That said: we’re making progress with a few of our warm-weather friends, e.g., last night I ran out of a critical ingredient as I was putting together some yummy bean burgers, then remembered we planted several dozen out the the back yard. Our first (sweet) onion of the season tested SWELL!
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Here in New England, my tomato plants are flourishing and starting to set fruit, but even the impulse-purchase hybrid Black Pearl we planted out in mid-May hasn’t ripened any of the bakers’ dozen of plump green ping-pong balls tantalizing us yet. My two sweet basil plants have doubled in size, but the lemon basil hasn’t gotten much bigger and it’s already trying to flower, dammit. I never have much luck with lemon basil — any advice?
The daylilies (hemerocallis), on the other hand, are exploding with blossoms. I should get some pictures while I can, but for the last week it’s been rainy and/or overcast, not to mention so hot and humid it’s like trying to work in the bathroom while somebody takes a hot shower.
How are things in your gardens this week?