gdp's Comments

Crasstalk : Weekend Time Open Thread

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 17:39:10 +0000

"A California man armed with a handgun, a knife, pepper spray and burglary tools was arrested near the Maryland home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh." That's from June 2022. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/08/armed-man-arreste... It doesn't change how I feel about Alito, Kavanagh, or Dobbs, but basically this idea any one side is insulated from this climate somehow and Kavanagh was simply yelled at in a restaurant (repeated over and over, including here) is leaving out some stuff. As far as twitter and 24 hour news goes, it feels intentional. The sharing of information is becoming more polarized.

Crasstalk : Keep It Going Open Thread

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 15:39:30 +0000

Is it seriously ingrown or more like a hangnail starting to dig into you/curl into you on the ends? If it's the latter, take the pointed file in a toe nail clipper (maybe clean with alcohol first), see if you can lift the loose ingrown hook from where its curling into the flesh, and trim it. You'll feel relief just after prying up the "ingrown" part. I'm assuming the stabby part is on the outer edge of the nail, not actually embedded/attached to skin, and can be pried up and clipped away. That's usually what happens to me - outer corner curls in/grows funny and I have to do this once in a while. You could use a q-tip but the cotton might get stuck and it hurts forcing bulky things under there. The corners and ends of a nail can be gently loosened and manipulated when that happens. You don't have to mess around with the rest of the nail and hope growth patterns will relieve you in two weeks. Maybe use a qtip to put rubbing alcohol under that part of the nail after. If it's more serious than that, might be worth seeing a podiatrist. Even after dealing with the "ingrown" part of an injured fingernail and trying to sanitze the area before and after, it swelled up and I needed antibiotics.Or you could soak that foot after you've dealt with the immediate source of pain and see what happens. There's a little more re: doctor solutions but they all basically include "lift/manipulate the nail to stop digging into you" https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/in...

Crasstalk : Breezy Weekend Open Thread

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 19:25:09 +0000

The entire time you've on this website, talking about looking for the right club rat to drain your bank account and do coke with, I could not have pictured you marrying a therapist. Did you meet Miz Bots through mutuals, or also in the club? You know the worst thing is...you can't really call her on it, either. Either she can guilt-trip you for listening or she can immediately say, "I LIED! I have to relate to my patients somehow, even if it's bullshit. It's acting!" But you'll never know! The profession of therapy provides the perfect cover for, "it's just fiction!". ...Then one day, you'll be picking her up from (physical/home office)...a patient will be there.... "This is my husband, Botswana Meat Commission." "OH, he's your husband...the way you spoke, I thought he was your "third child"?

Crasstalk : Power Through Open Thread

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 18:22:31 +0000

This entire time, I thought you held her in high esteem because Misty was her real name, which is only one reason to question your judgment Now you tell me that's a nickname? I'm crestfallen - I wanted to believe there was a practicing therapist (am I remembering her job right) going by "Misty ___" in the great ATL-area

Crasstalk : Power Through Open Thread

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 18:09:38 +0000

A name is the first judgment a parent ever passes on you and who they think you are, and even more important, it impacts how people see and address you. If I had a child, I would be tempted to eschew namesakes and give them the most nondescript American-friendly name (or close enough) that didn't rhyme (as in, "Julia Gulia"), was straightforward in pronounciation, and hope it let them decide who they want to be, unmolested. ...Speaking of which....what's become of Misty?

Crasstalk : Power Through Open Thread

Thu, 9 Jun 2022 00:33:42 +0000

well, now I see why you were confused, looking at this hashtag https://twitter.com/etalkCTV/status/1534573868932... They're never gonna let Samantha go....either the source of this hashtag did it on purpose, or Michael Patrick King did. She added so much - should have added. Just the icing on the crap cake, when comparing original/revival. No wonder they wanted to spread this rumor. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/ViGuykQ.png">

Crasstalk : Power Through Open Thread

Wed, 8 Jun 2022 22:44:32 +0000

Which show, "Sex and the City" or the revival show? The former was fun and I was able to start watching before it was off the air, which made it easy to get into....I think pop culture nostalgia is a big part of why it endures. It's an acquired taste, but I find it frothy and breezy, and occasionally, it was genuinely pretty funny. It exploits its sense of place very well. It's just soapy, romantic, relaxing escapist fare to me, and it's smarter than something like "Friends", which did much of the same to bag a big audience, was on the air at the same time, but which I never got into closely. I thought "Sex and the City" actually did a good job examining women's lives and adult friendships/problems with some level of depth. I can't think of another show aimed at women of marrying/working age on the air right now that gets the combo of cotton candy/contemplativeness right, but personally, I feel this did. "Mad Men" might be it, and of course, it only examined women's lives through a retro lens, not in contemporary society. It's darker. Both "Friends" and SATC both featured some great guest stars as leading men. That helped too. It's a cliche but I feel like every other primetime show feels self aware and political now, and the humor is weak. SATC captured a mood in pop culture. ...The revival show is milking that enduring love among women and gay men that got to bond with other women over it and talk about it online.

Crasstalk : Power Through Open Thread

Wed, 8 Jun 2022 21:52:44 +0000

It doesn't sound like she's actually going back, only that they'll keep using the character in texts....did you see otherwise? https://jezebel.com/sex-and-the-city-just-like-th... That's how much the character is missed, they'll hold onto the corpse of a character played by someone who says she hates the remaining women left. I'm amazed what SJP said about it, if this article is true: "In February, SJP made it clear that not only was Cattrall not invited back for AJLT, she also wasn’t welcome to rejoin the series. When Variety asked if Parker would “be OK” with Cattrall appearing on the show again, SJP said, “I don’t think I would, because I think there’s just too much public history of feelings on her part that she’s shared. I haven’t participated in or read articles, although people are inclined to let me know." If the producers found a way to get Kim Cattrall to hold her nose even for 2 episodes, the audience would double for a season. I watch the repeats of "SATC". It has its flaws, it's got dumb and goofy parts, and Carrie is a shitty writer/heroine, but it's a really special show. It tapped into great romantic dramas and dramaedies, when those were still being made. At its best, it harkened back to them. It was gorgeous-looking visually, the acting was decent, and it's extremely effective as essentially a six year long ad for New York City - even if it's a version that not only doesn't exist anymore, but probably only exists for a tiny segment of rich beautiful people with access to ridiculous real estate that doesn't reflect reality about their professions (as all shows about NYC seem to be). It's not end-all be-all or very deep, but it's enjoyable, and it's pretty depressing there are no guilty pleasures of that caliber left on TV....any funny dramedy that really develops it's characters and has friendship or relationships at its core now either feels like "Euphoria", extra as fuck, or just....rare. Like "Insecure" - like it'll be the last of its kind for the next five years, once such a series comes to an end. (Or maybe I'm just too old; if they exist, they're for zoomers and I find myself hating the characters). "And Just Like That" is disappointing for so many original reasons, not least because it killed Big (and had to, thanks to Chris Noth being a creep)... but where SATC feels effortless, it feels like it self-consciously takes everything that made the original show such a pleasure, including developing the relationships of the women amongst one another/each character with the men they end up with, and lays them to waste. Each episode felt frivolous and unpleasant at once. Maybe it was inevitable as part of adapting this for a new generation, but...ugh, it's a slog. (Plus it recycles jokes from the shitty movie.)

Crasstalk : Power Through Open Thread

Wed, 8 Jun 2022 18:33:16 +0000

No argument that generally, police clearance is lower than it should be or that incidents of police corruption/inaction are a problem (in the context of Boudin's recall, SFPD has come up alot), but in NY, at least, this is one area I'm not sure police could do anything, by law. If it's not the case, nobody that attends my community board meetings when people talk about this in terms of subway stations and parks has set them straight.

Crasstalk : Power Through Open Thread

Wed, 8 Jun 2022 18:17:56 +0000

Is an incident like the one above really just the fault of police, though? What are they actually permitted to do, per the laws of the city and the state? In NY, not only can be police be punished for arresting someone who isn't "breaking the law", they've been instructed not to in many cases - e.g., we recently decriminalized syringe possession, seems to mirror the drug use Nellie talks about it. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-york/... It's never really costless for police to try and take custody of someone that may or may not be mentally well, even if this isn't an arrest. I think it's same deal, per law passed by the City Council - even if police can ask if someone needs assistance....a certain threshold of danger or disruption has to be met before they can be removed. (No doubt poice in general shrug even when that's not the case, but I've watched more than a few hearings, and the City Council here has never clarified in their social media or in public statements what should be happening in the subways or with New York's own Naked Cardboard-Eating people in public space. Social services outreach summoned thrguh 311 is way overbooked and often not responsive. I talk to people in NY who discuss police inaction at length (I would be surprised if any complaints for package or bike thefts are even investigated anymore), but honestly, after the last four years of paying more attentiont to city/state politics....I think they're reflexively blamed for everything, particularly decline in quality of life, and they're the favorite punching bag of public officials who know it's pat, feelgood red meat for people who will forget who they are until an election comes around, if then. It bypasses discussion of the law itself in the many cases like this that you see in city streets and parks now. Most people couldn't tell you who their local legislator is, even though I'd say my state senator or city councilperson has as least as much direct control of my life as the president, whoever is in office. Thousands of people were kicked out of hospitals and prisons during COVID, as well - there's a shocking lack of interest in it in the local press, until someone dies. https://web.archive.org/web/20220205115544/https:... The Intercept wrote a fantastic piece on the legal and bureaucratic red tape required for any intervention on behalf of a mentally ill person - trespassing, possibly even committing a crime, and clearly a danger to themselves/disrupting public affairs. https://theintercept.com/2021/10/31/atlanta-menta... Police don't make the law, and they're only one agency that chooses when/how it's enforced, and consequences of said enforcement. This next pargraph from the place Bots quotes is resonant. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/TuMY96c.png"> New York has a civil commitment law named after Kendra Webdale, who was shoved to her death by a paranoid schizophrenic man that told a judge in so many words, "hospitalize me, or I will do this again". That was in 1999. Michelle Go, the woman whose murder I linked above, was shoved to her death by a paranoid schizophrenic who was in and out of the state hospital system for years, admitted urges to kill women, and was released the August before he killed her for a stint for armed robbery. It's not for lack of revenue being spent on the coasts on this problem, it can't easily be pinned on Republicans if you look at the makeup of state and (in this case) city legislative bodies....lawmakers, other agencies, and other agents of the law keep getting a pass their responsibility for multi-strata failure to the public welfare, and I'd say they deserve at least as much blame. That includes for lack of reciprocity or coordination with police. They blame police because they're irresponsible moral cowards and it absolves them of having to do anything that produces publicly observable outcomes. Until people get that, and demand hard outcomes or specifics, not just slogans, this is just going to continue. At least CA has a recall process.

Crasstalk : Let's Do This Open Thread

Mon, 6 Jun 2022 22:28:45 +0000

I was off by one generation of Meat Lyfe <img src="https://i.imgur.com/oZsq6qE.png"> You forgot "aim for authentic paisano golden, burn instead like a hooker in church"...or....well, someone's old sizzled-in-cocoa-butter Italian grandpa. Gonna look and smell like a tawny handbag from Goodwill by August.

Crasstalk : Let's Do This Open Thread

Mon, 6 Jun 2022 20:22:04 +0000

Glad to see she looks a lot happier there, even if the circumstances by which you get to enjoy the click-click-click of doggy claws on the kitchen floor once more aren't so fun.

Crasstalk : Let's Do This Open Thread

Mon, 6 Jun 2022 15:33:24 +0000

"JESUS" yourself, I know what I said, and you're arguing with me for inquiring about a floating chunk of text disengaged from a story someone clearly wanted to discuss and I assumed they had at the ready, plus the possibility no source was provided because most people are using their phones, have blocked websites, whatever it is. Yes, this is an internet forum, people often just post asides without thinking about news in passing,and that's to be expected, but it's a reasonable expectation of courtesy if you quote a news source to post it, or least refer to it. Is there any reason anyone reading this website should see commentary or discussion as that different from twitter otherwise re: quality? For the record, this is something other people participating in this thread have regularly commented about re: "vague crassing" and lack of sources. I didn't see pushback from anyone, including you.

Crasstalk : Let's Do This Open Thread

Mon, 6 Jun 2022 15:21:43 +0000

Your previous comment is patronizing ("just google this" - is that how you read news? "This isn't a court filing?") and this was is intentionally patronizing. It's reasonable to ask for sources of information in a discussion to understand what people are looking at to understand the full context of it, and what they're seeing, without judgment of what that might be. We're all looking at different twitter account and information sources. If someone outside of this forum posted an image or any other information without its full context, like on twitter, I would think they were trying to mislead me. Someone posted actual misinformation after a mass shooting a year ago. Nobody corrected it. I don't think Sprinkles is, but still, most of the information presented here in topical discussions is generalized, sourceless, and not particularly meaningful on that basis.

Crasstalk : Let's Do This Open Thread

Mon, 6 Jun 2022 14:55:59 +0000

No, the quote is listed in a handful of articles that provide different context, and that wasn't really why I was asking. I can google text and did. It is not just in Reuters. People have a habit of editorializing without providing sources here, even for context in discussion and so others understand what information is forming the basis of an opinion like "Elon Musk is a loose cannon knucklehead and is backtracking even further." I genuinely can't tell if it's because people are using phones, have an employer peeking over their shoulder, or something else. You typically provide sources in your comments, which I appreciate.

Crasstalk : Let's Do This Open Thread

Mon, 6 Jun 2022 14:14:29 +0000

is there any specific reason you're blockquoting an article that you won't actually post a link to for people to read? Am I missing that everyone who comments here regularly is on their phones when they post, and that's why only three or four people actually post links for context or refer to specific sources when they want to discuss news?

Crasstalk : Go With The Flow Weekend Open Thread

Fri, 3 Jun 2022 20:37:04 +0000

see, I agree with this and think the people attacking him are dipshits. Don't you see he's talking about what I am? Cities becoming more like twitter simulations for people that are young, dumb, and full of...uh....dollar bills? (That's how that line goes, right?) <img src="https://i.imgur.com/JymMjhJ.png"> I'm not even sure why people are so pissed. "American cities are becoming generic, soulless, all while being unsustainably expensive for real people" is something widely commented on by liberals Also, for the record, in response to your previous comment about "right" newcomers and "wrong" newcomers who deserve rebuke: I'm not just limiting my sympathies to people that fret about social, political, economic and cultural changes re: demography to people this forum would choose as "the right people". There are big double standards about even acknowledging the idea demographic changes incur costs for communities at large. Unless practicing the values of a host country involves degrading others, or (example) acquiescing the abuse of women and children, I don't think respecting one's hosts (so to speak) re: laws, custom, manners, how you conduct yourself in public space, and concerns of a community you're joining is bad. (But maybe I'm naive, I'm obviously biased to basic Western ideas balancing rule of law and individual freedom.)

Crasstalk : Go With The Flow Weekend Open Thread

Fri, 3 Jun 2022 20:25:17 +0000

You have a point. I'll say this - I accept New York is a city of the world and when I went to college (I stayed in NYC to go), I was surrounded by people enjoying the experience of leaving home and getting to go to school here. ....But I don't feel so neutral about it anymore, because culture in New York is pretty rotten in a way I don't feel it was when I was growing up. (I'm assuming a twiter thread inspired this.) I think fear of people being pushed out of a place economically or becoming secondary concerns to their local representatives is legitimate, even if I will not spend time bashing "gentrifiers" here (not for that alone...now, for their influence on politcal culture...) The resentment is based on frequent entitlement. And I see a huge difference between actual immigrants who are stoked to be here and retain their culture but are, as I see, hyphenate New Yorkers, who build communities, who often embrace values that are better than ours or (at least) align with ours, versus people who think of their new home as a toilet or a canvas upon which to project their shitty egos. I realize every generation will feel this way, but can you blame them? I don't think it's as simple as you're making it, which is that all change is good and/or should be accepted because it's inevitable.

Crasstalk : Go With The Flow Weekend Open Thread

Fri, 3 Jun 2022 20:07:05 +0000

Sorry. This is me, and it always has been, but especially in the last few years. I still find other New Yorkers repulsive, annoying and entitled now too (especially since I an never tell if they're from here or not - public etiquette gets worse with each generation that's raised here, but noticably so among people that come here).....but it's a tradition to loathe transplants (I actually don't, most of time....unless they're stupid). Because being a native is a (dumb, unchosen) point of pride to lord over people and one I'm not unwilling to use. I especially feel this way since New York has be semi-Californicated (or least, it's culture has changed a lot - I don't believe for the better) over the course of the decade or so, concurrent with the growth of tech/higher ed/NGOs, and changed by suburban wealthy people that think proximity to someone else's murder and voting for a dilettante that unironically ascribes to Leninism and has no desire to help with real problems is gritty. I could be wrong, maybe changes I dislike myself are just a sign of the times, but either way.... people have a right to feel defensive about certain ideas, values, traditions and local culture they worry that entitled, unattached outsiders will destroy. I saw someone commenting on population loss in a West Coast point city out that out it's extremely privileged to destroy wherever you're from with your virtue signalling and consistent support of crackpot ideas, then simply leave when you dislike what you get (not so say everyone leaving fits that profile)...and then repeat the cycle in the place they're going to. They're not wrong. Especially since that "rich California dickhead" probably thinks he's better than the people around him, who earn less. And then there's the very real fear of locals worrying about being priced out. It's funny - this is one thing I actually never hear people indict in conservatives...because conservatives don't have the numbers or the money to do it, not right now. I've never heard of a city becoming "more conservative" with an influx of new money. Reasonable assimilation is underrated.

Crasstalk : Have a Great Week Open Thread

Fri, 3 Jun 2022 02:16:13 +0000

This the job in another city, yes? This is no comfort if you're actually far beyond "ready to leave", but that these people even interviewed you is promising. But job-seeking under any circumstances is such an unpleasant experience, even if you're not dissatisfied. Hope things get better soon. They're all dumb respective clusters of testicles. And not the impressive sized balls, either - bitter little marbles.