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You are here: Home / Archives for Balloon Juice / Readership Capture

Readership Capture

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Readership Capture

by Anne Laurie|  April 14, 20216:34 pm| 105 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Open Threads, Readership Capture

Michelle and I are thrilled to be one step closer to bringing the Obama Presidential Center to the South Side of Chicago. We hope it will help lift up the South Side and breathe new life into Jackson Park and the surrounding communities. pic.twitter.com/IItJNFyoAp

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 14, 2021

good news is everywhere if you look for it https://t.co/fRf9JxYcL9

— World Famous Art Thief (@CalmSporting) April 14, 2021

In lieu of a headstone, the family will be erecting a pyramid. #Madoff pic.twitter.com/RaRLu6w6YK

— Chuck Greenia (@charlesofcamden) April 14, 2021

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Readership CapturePost + Comments (105)

Respite Open Thread: ‘Protect the Plurality’

by Anne Laurie|  April 11, 202111:18 am| 140 Comments

This post is in: Excellent Links, Proud to Be A Democrat, Readership Capture

5 years ago this week, I walked my family into the Oval Office. I watched my immigrant mom speechless as she shook hands with Pres Obama while he held my 6 m/o baby boy. Three generations of my family in the Oval with the President. I kept thinking “This is America”(THREAD) pic.twitter.com/Vge7pS2Qpo

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) April 10, 2021

Andy Kim is a good man, and a bit of a poet…

show full post on front page

That was the last time I was in the White House. The first time I entered that sacred building was when my mother took me as a boy. She taught me two things: 1) This house belongs to the people and 2) this building (and our democracy) is bigger than any of us. 2/14 pic.twitter.com/arQicrW9HB

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) April 10, 2021

That sense of participation stuck with me years later when I started work at the White House. The first time I ever stepped foot in OvalOffice I was so nervous, but I remembered I was invited. I had something to contribute. As an American, this building belongs to all of us. 4/14 pic.twitter.com/U0mtdgRTza

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) April 10, 2021

I carried forward that sense of awe and respect, even through small gestures. I kept a pair of pristine black shoes under my desk that I would only wear when called into Oval Office. I wanted to treat that room differently. The White House demands and deserves our respect. 6/14

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) April 10, 2021

In this era of growing authoritarianism around the globe it’s more important than ever that we protect and reinforce the institutions of our democracy. After insurrection, we know we are not immune to this threat and Georgia voter suppression law shows attacks continue. 9/14 pic.twitter.com/UKwcTShD43

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) April 10, 2021

When I first walked into the Oval, it felt so familiar from all the movies and photos I’ve seen. I felt like I knew every inch of the room. But being there in person, I noticed one thing I never knew existed – a large seal of Presidency carved in the ceiling above. 11/14 pic.twitter.com/SbwSYC5vWb

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) April 10, 2021

PROTECT THE PLURALITY: If authoritarianism is inversion of E Pluribus Unum, an attack on plurality and power of Citizen, then we must focus on strengthening civic life. Protect right to vote, demand transparency, fight corruption, counter disinformation, ensure diversity. 13/14

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) April 10, 2021

I can’t wait to step foot in the White House again and hopefully walk into the Oval Office to greet the President. When I do, I hope to tell President Biden, or any President for that matter, to look up. E Pluribus Unum. This is America. END pic.twitter.com/sALV5D3Mnn

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) April 10, 2021

Respite Open Thread: ‘Protect the Plurality’Post + Comments (140)

For Your Listening Pleasure Open Thread: Happy (Belated) Birthday, Tom Lehrer

by Anne Laurie|  April 10, 20214:58 pm| 111 Comments

This post is in: Music, Popular Culture, Readership Capture

Tom Lehrer is 93 today!

"Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it." OR:
"Life is like a sewer: what you get out of it depends on what you put into it."
"Be prepared: be careful not to do your good deeds when there's no one watching you." pic.twitter.com/JuDJy8V2zJ

— Steven Isserlis (@StevenIsserlis) April 9, 2021

Happy 93rd birthday to the brilliant musical satirist Tom Lehrer, who said at one of his last shows in 1967, “All of these songs were part of a huge scientific project to which I have devoted my entire life. Namely, the attempt to prolong adolescence beyond all previous limits.“ pic.twitter.com/bSMTAID45D

— Stephen Schwartz (@AtomicAnalyst) April 9, 2021

Last year, Tom generously placed his entire catalog of lyrics and music (including revised versions and some little known and unpublished works) into the public domain for use by anyone and everyone. It's all free to download through December 31, 2024 at https://t.co/wf6LMGsq5n.

— Stephen Schwartz (@AtomicAnalyst) April 9, 2021

For Your Listening Pleasure Open Thread: Happy (Belated) Birthday, Tom LehrerPost + Comments (111)

Friday Night Open Thread

by John Cole|  March 26, 20218:13 pm| 124 Comments

This post is in: Readership Capture

Been an eventful week around here. I had my first physical in 18 months (my last one had been scheduled for last March, but we cancelled it for obvious reasons), and apparently I have dropped ten lbs and my blood pressure is down 8-12 points, so as I suspected, not being around people on a daily basis has been good for my health. I was chatting with the doctor and told him that my days of people breathing on me are over, and that I am wearing a mask and carrying hand sanitizer from now on when it comes to crowds, and he noted that he basically no longer sees anyone for colds anymore, they are almost non-existent. So keep washing your hands, you filthy fucking animals.

In other news, we got a whole host of road signs around here put up, marking turns that really didn’t need to be marked because the only people who drive them have been driving them for 40 years and can do the drive in their sleep. Honestly, on the seven mile drive to the big city I brake twice, because I have driven my entire life and know how to straighten the curves, so I don’t know why they put signs up instead of, ya know, FIXING THE ROADS, but they did. At any rate, here are some of their helpful signs:

Friday Night Open Thread 2

YOU HAD ONE JOB, GUYS. As my brother joked when I showed him the photo: “Wow. I don’t even blame the guy who did it. I blame the six who were inevitably standing around watching him when he did it.”

Made another trip to Pittsburgh today and hit two Asian markets, a Mediterranean market, and Penn Mac, and I got a whole bunch of new cooking supplies to try some new stuff out on the wok. Very excited about that!

Finally, here is a pleasant surprise that showed up in my email box:

Friday Night Open Thread 3

If you know, you know.

Friday Night Open ThreadPost + Comments (124)

How Are We All Doing?

by John Cole|  March 22, 20215:14 pm| 215 Comments

This post is in: Balloon Juice, Readership Capture

Seriously, how is everyone doing? I feel so disconnected and disengaged from the blog, and feel as if I have not been a real participant for quite some time. It’s been ages since I was an active participant in the comments.

Maybe some of it is burnout. Twenty years is a super long time for a blog, and it gets hard with my increasingly limited bandwidth to remember who everybody is and who is feuding with whom and what happened in everyone’s lives. I still send private notes to people when I read the comments and see something rough has happened (I get a response about half the time, so I think a number of you have fake email addresses or burner addresses).

A lot of it is I have spent the last year and a half more insular than normal. I think because of the pandemic, in some sense everyone else moved to where I was already, and I withdrew even more as a reaction. Weird? Yes. Probable? Somewhat. I’m a strange ranger.

It’s a beautiful, sunny day out. I am vaccinated. It really feels like spring in a number of ways, and not just seasonally. I am ready for some changes. I want something new this year. Something interesting and exciting. I like my routines, but I also like new things to keep my mind fresh. And I also want to get back to the things I love, like gardening, and cooking, and this blog.

Just me thinking out loud. I was about to go re-organize the counters and pantry and get rid of expired things and take inventory of the things I don’t use enough to warrant having premium space on the counter, and realized I had not sat down and just thought about nothing all day, so that is how this post happened.

How Are We All Doing?Post + Comments (215)

Coming Out of the Rut

by John Cole|  March 13, 20219:11 pm| 122 Comments

This post is in: Readership Capture

I feel like I have been in a rut for about 4-5 months now, maybe longer. I kinda lost interest in a lot of the things I like to do, lost interest in cooking for fun and ended up just cooking to eat, etc. I’m not sure what it is, maybe just depression, maybe I’ve internalized everyone else’s hatred of being cooped up, whatever.

I’m starting to creep out of it, though, and started cooking for fun. I finally purchased a hand hammered wok from China last week, and it was delivered, and I spent several hours yesterday scrubbing off all the shipping oils and stripping it down. I then tempered it over a burner, and finally have it nice and seasoned.

Coming Out of the Rut

She’s a beauty. I’ve always wanted a good one- I’ve been using an electric one I found brand new at a yard sale for a while, but it just did not get hot enough for me. Because I was motivated, I also stripped down my carbon steel skillets, and spent several hours re-seasoning them. It felt nice having something to do and getting the kitchen back together.

For a couple weeks, at last once or twice a week, I have been making this stir fry cabbage dish that I really like, with napa and green cabbage, a little bacon, chilis, sechhaun peppercorns, aged vinegar and soy, and crushed red pepper. I want to learn some new dishes to prepare (I like spicy and I like cabbage and radish and mushrooms, not so much noodles), so if you have any suggestions, holler.

I’m ready for spring.

Coming Out of the RutPost + Comments (122)

Valentines-on-Twitter Open Thread

by Anne Laurie|  February 14, 20218:33 pm| 82 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Readership Capture

FRIEND: What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?
ME: https://t.co/my6uRxs5p8

— The Mall Krampus (@cakotz) February 13, 2021

show full post on front page

Happy Valentine’s Day to the three who never fail to make me smile. Your dazzling light makes everything brighter. pic.twitter.com/fMcdwf2j20

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 14, 2021

Republican version:

This is a real tweet from an adult male politician https://t.co/ZiWHnk359p

— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) February 14, 2021

"Adult male politician" is underestimating the problem. The guy is the incumbent Attorney General of Indiana. https://t.co/qzJFHCrBYG

— Alex Hazanov. (@alexhazanov) February 14, 2021

SCIENCE!

happy valentine’s day from my favourite Russian Arctic scientific research institute:

“Love is… being inseparable, like a pair of sensors on a thermobalance mast.” pic.twitter.com/5utff4UCci

— Polina Ivanova (@polinaivanovva) February 14, 2021

“Love is — introducing him to your family” pic.twitter.com/ep5cP0FGcg

— Polina Ivanova (@polinaivanovva) February 14, 2021

SARCASM!

For Valentine's Day, I'd like to share this series of beautiful Soviet propaganda posters about a Russo-Chinese interracial same-sex couple, relaying the story of their love, from the first steel-mill selfie together to raising an orchard and a wonderful family.#LoveIsLove pic.twitter.com/1X7mjakbsK

— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) February 14, 2021

Valentines-on-Twitter Open ThreadPost + Comments (82)

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