I really have to learn not to click on embedded YT videos now that they've changed things up to lock you into watching the endless ads instead of skipping after a few seconds, which is still allowed on YT's site. For now. Might as well just put up the direct link and forget embedding now.
Been a daily treat for the last month. I may just listen to it everyday for the rest of my stay. I really appreciate her, she's a lot of fun and absolutely fearless,. Somewhat the prodigy too , evidently.
That's a cool little dance Thelonius does, while the sax is soloing. I think he's dancing to the bass player before he disappears for a second and then returns to the piano, while the sax player sits down.
It was the last one and I did go to customer service. I got a refund and was told the retail equivalent of "why are complaining? Who doesn't want someone kissing their merch on the way out? Jeez Louise, it's cool. Some people!"
My brother-in-law lives in SA. He & his wife are expecting their baby any day now & had asked for my mother-in-law - a woman who refuses to take an Uber from Boston Logan out to our suburban home because she's scared of being in a car with a random person who might rape &/or murder her - to be there to help with the new baby.
There was no way she was going to make it there during peacetime on her own - she's not capable of independent travel - but this clinches the "good luck with the birth & kiddo - see you via Zoom!"
Side note: they're still not legally married in SA & when she goes in to deliver the baby, they both might end up in jail, so that's also fun.
If we just kept people in prison, we would get the effect that we do want - stoppage.
If they're not in the general public, they can't kill people. In prison, they have limited opportunities to even walk around outside their cells.
There doesn't appear to be any deterrent effect. Nobody in the general public gets the idea that they won't do terrible things because of the death penalty. It just doesn't seem to happen.
When someone is murdered, it's always terrible, and my sympathies always go to the victims and their families.
But let's take a step better than killing people to prove that killing people is wrong.
I can completely understand the families of victims wanting the perpetrators dead, I might even feel that way myself in their place, but that doesn't mean that a civilized society should base its laws on the most primal emotions of people at the worst time in their lives.
Several years ago, I wrote a profile of a well-regarded federal public defender. One quote I remember like it was yesterday. She said, "Oh, we killed the death penalty."
At that point, there had not been a federal execution carried out in many years, and chemical companies didn't want their products linked in any way to executions.
I bit my tongue but I remember thinking at that moment that the taste for blood in this country ALWAYS comes back. I hate that time has proven that to be the case.
Public support for the death penalty has steadily dropped from over 80 percent to just over 50 in the last 3 decades. That public defender might have just jumped the gun.
Well, apparently I am the bad guy because trying to check out at Kroger i objected to the special needs bagger kissing and rubbing his face on and hugging and not letting go of the Halloween cat I was buying for my immunocomprisied neighbor's grandkid. Told him and the cashier i could not buy it and why. Went to complain. The first guy understood. His supervisor and the store manager said "well, he likes cats and is special needs, so what are you going to do? We talk to him, but....🤷♀️🤷♂️🤷" I said fine, I will find somewhere else, since he does this with anything he sees that he likes. I understand special needs. My store employs a lot of special needs people. But none are allowed to slobber all over the products on sale.
I also complained the supervisor basically said it was OK. She protested and I told her making excuses and telling me that's just what happens is the same as saying it's ok. As I was walking out I heard them saying "oh well can't please everyone."
No you can't. I barely complain being in retail, but seriously? Hugging and kissing the merchandise is okay?
There's all kinds of special needs. How many special needs people do you employ and what are their special needs? Bc I'm not sensing that here. I'm sensing a fair level of disgust, which is off-putting.
1) running around and announcing a customer is buying puke,if it is a food he does not like, not just to me. I have both had him grab my food and have him leave with it to announce a customer is buying puke, or witnessed him doing this to another customer.
2) insisting customers give up their groceries he likes to him and needing someone in management to come in to get them back or replace them.
3) telling customers they are fat, ugly, smelly, or gross
4) screaming in customers' faces if they do not agree with him. I have been spat at when I politely told him I do not follow football.
My disgust in this case came from him kissing, licking, and rubbing his face, mouth, and nose over something I was trying to buy for an immocompromised child. And he would not stop even after being politely asked not to. It continued for about ten minutes. If I had to bag my own groceries while he did it, fine. Not the first time he got distracted bagging mine or someone else's groceries. If it had not already been rung up I would have told the cashier not to bother. It went from a "that's just him, ignore it" to health and safety, especially upon finding out during a conversation away from him he kisses and licks a lot of groceries. I was told if he likes something he kisses and licks it. It's "just him".
And I help out with a couple different training programs at my store for special needs, and while a lot of slack is given understanably, one thing that is a non negotiable is food health and safety. Licking, kissing, and rubbing your face on any product is not allowed.
As PSN said below, the best course of action would have been to finish paying and then head to customer service. No one is going to reprimand the SN person at the checkout. I am surprised that you thought something would be done immediately, seeing as you employ SN folk yourself.
I knew nothing would happen in the line. This all happened at customer service. I didn't expect much, but I did not expect to be told it's ok for employees to hug and kiss something I was buying. Constantly. Even after the cashier reminded him not to do that.
Here's what you probably should have done: Continued the transaction with the cashier without making any fuss. Then, after you've paid, you go to the customer service counter and tell them what happened. They will replace your item and deal discretely with the issue.
"I settled 8 WARS, am close to ending or settling 2 more, got all of the Israeli hostages back, including the final 28, both living and dead, had hundreds of hostages, from countries all over the World, released and sent back home, won a war in Venezuela, and captured the violent dictator who so viciously ran that country, and stopped the number one state sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, from obtaining a Nuclear Weapon — AND MUCH MORE! Yet, with all of that I, or the United States of America, did not get the Noble Peace Prize. WOW!"
I'd suggest giving him an Ig Nobel prize, but I don't think he deserves even that. I have suggested the James Wilkinson Medal. But certainly not the Benedict Arnold Medal since he was actually a competent general.
My favorite Monk solo: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U1mfdsziCwM&ra=m
That’s actually my second favorite solo because Oscar Peterson was actually alive once: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BiXWjVT4pbM&ra=m
Don-Don watches. Don-Don listens. Then Don-Don reacts. This day will inspire Don-Don to kill 10x harder.
I really have to learn not to click on embedded YT videos now that they've changed things up to lock you into watching the endless ads instead of skipping after a few seconds, which is still allowed on YT's site. For now. Might as well just put up the direct link and forget embedding now.
Gal!
This Monk adjacent performance has
Been a daily treat for the last month. I may just listen to it everyday for the rest of my stay. I really appreciate her, she's a lot of fun and absolutely fearless,. Somewhat the prodigy too , evidently.
https://youtu.be/H6D8WUWRpUI?is=PJ7dcAdyggQKLBzy
Here's a little note about Huck- It's not Monk adjacent at all - maybe you could hum a bit of " Little Rootie Tootie" while you look at the pictures.
https://substack.com/@brawlatthepoetscafe/note/c-357496327?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=insr
Bread and Circuses.
My soul aches.
I know by now that we are not better than this.
The US deserves to be shunned by the world.
That's a cool little dance Thelonius does, while the sax is soloing. I think he's dancing to the bass player before he disappears for a second and then returns to the piano, while the sax player sits down.
Walked into the grocery store only to hear "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" over the loudspeaker system. XTC as muzak? Well, alright then.
It is the one accomplishment that Boomers cannot be faulted for. We fixed the Muzak.
When I was a wee one, you'd walk into a store and hear "101 Strings Play the Beach Boys."
SQUEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love that song.
Perhaps we need to do the baby steps first thing? Like, maybe start with no public executions day?
It was the last one and I did go to customer service. I got a refund and was told the retail equivalent of "why are complaining? Who doesn't want someone kissing their merch on the way out? Jeez Louise, it's cool. Some people!"
The lovely Gal is definitely a lovely cat. Beautiful eyes.
Oof. Missile strikes passenger terminal at Riyadh airport. That's gonna be ugly.
My brother-in-law lives in SA. He & his wife are expecting their baby any day now & had asked for my mother-in-law - a woman who refuses to take an Uber from Boston Logan out to our suburban home because she's scared of being in a car with a random person who might rape &/or murder her - to be there to help with the new baby.
There was no way she was going to make it there during peacetime on her own - she's not capable of independent travel - but this clinches the "good luck with the birth & kiddo - see you via Zoom!"
Side note: they're still not legally married in SA & when she goes in to deliver the baby, they both might end up in jail, so that's also fun.
The one in Saudi Arabia?
Oh shitte.
If we just kept people in prison, we would get the effect that we do want - stoppage.
If they're not in the general public, they can't kill people. In prison, they have limited opportunities to even walk around outside their cells.
There doesn't appear to be any deterrent effect. Nobody in the general public gets the idea that they won't do terrible things because of the death penalty. It just doesn't seem to happen.
When someone is murdered, it's always terrible, and my sympathies always go to the victims and their families.
But let's take a step better than killing people to prove that killing people is wrong.
Something like half of people in jail are there bc they missed a court date or drank on probation. Not really crimes.
Prisons are overloaded and being privatized both of which leading to more of a torture aspect.
I can completely understand the families of victims wanting the perpetrators dead, I might even feel that way myself in their place, but that doesn't mean that a civilized society should base its laws on the most primal emotions of people at the worst time in their lives.
An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.
Birb is wise.
A thanke, Ms. Person Being.
Several years ago, I wrote a profile of a well-regarded federal public defender. One quote I remember like it was yesterday. She said, "Oh, we killed the death penalty."
At that point, there had not been a federal execution carried out in many years, and chemical companies didn't want their products linked in any way to executions.
I bit my tongue but I remember thinking at that moment that the taste for blood in this country ALWAYS comes back. I hate that time has proven that to be the case.
Public support for the death penalty has steadily dropped from over 80 percent to just over 50 in the last 3 decades. That public defender might have just jumped the gun.
For some members of the public.
𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦. 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘱’𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 25 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴—80 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 2000 𝘢𝘯𝘥 81 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 2025—𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘥.
https://davisvanguard.org/2025/11/public-opinion-death-penalty/
I have learned to never underestimate the viciousness or vindictiveness of Americans, especially Christianists.
The world is not static. It's cheap and easy to be cynical. My point is the actual facts are changing on the actual ground.
Yeah, it looks bad.
𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗭𝘆𝗸𝗹𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/german-firm-drops-zyklon-name-1.1094458
Well, apparently I am the bad guy because trying to check out at Kroger i objected to the special needs bagger kissing and rubbing his face on and hugging and not letting go of the Halloween cat I was buying for my immunocomprisied neighbor's grandkid. Told him and the cashier i could not buy it and why. Went to complain. The first guy understood. His supervisor and the store manager said "well, he likes cats and is special needs, so what are you going to do? We talk to him, but....🤷♀️🤷♂️🤷" I said fine, I will find somewhere else, since he does this with anything he sees that he likes. I understand special needs. My store employs a lot of special needs people. But none are allowed to slobber all over the products on sale.
I also complained the supervisor basically said it was OK. She protested and I told her making excuses and telling me that's just what happens is the same as saying it's ok. As I was walking out I heard them saying "oh well can't please everyone."
No you can't. I barely complain being in retail, but seriously? Hugging and kissing the merchandise is okay?
There's all kinds of special needs. How many special needs people do you employ and what are their special needs? Bc I'm not sensing that here. I'm sensing a fair level of disgust, which is off-putting.
The behavior was disgusting. Special needs is not an excuse for inappropriate behavior.
Inappropriate ok, disgusting no. And that's what I'm talking about.
Not sure what you mean.
Things I have not complained he has done
1) running around and announcing a customer is buying puke,if it is a food he does not like, not just to me. I have both had him grab my food and have him leave with it to announce a customer is buying puke, or witnessed him doing this to another customer.
2) insisting customers give up their groceries he likes to him and needing someone in management to come in to get them back or replace them.
3) telling customers they are fat, ugly, smelly, or gross
4) screaming in customers' faces if they do not agree with him. I have been spat at when I politely told him I do not follow football.
My disgust in this case came from him kissing, licking, and rubbing his face, mouth, and nose over something I was trying to buy for an immocompromised child. And he would not stop even after being politely asked not to. It continued for about ten minutes. If I had to bag my own groceries while he did it, fine. Not the first time he got distracted bagging mine or someone else's groceries. If it had not already been rung up I would have told the cashier not to bother. It went from a "that's just him, ignore it" to health and safety, especially upon finding out during a conversation away from him he kisses and licks a lot of groceries. I was told if he likes something he kisses and licks it. It's "just him".
And I help out with a couple different training programs at my store for special needs, and while a lot of slack is given understanably, one thing that is a non negotiable is food health and safety. Licking, kissing, and rubbing your face on any product is not allowed.
As PSN said below, the best course of action would have been to finish paying and then head to customer service. No one is going to reprimand the SN person at the checkout. I am surprised that you thought something would be done immediately, seeing as you employ SN folk yourself.
I did go to customer service
I knew nothing would happen in the line. This all happened at customer service. I didn't expect much, but I did not expect to be told it's ok for employees to hug and kiss something I was buying. Constantly. Even after the cashier reminded him not to do that.
Here's what you probably should have done: Continued the transaction with the cashier without making any fuss. Then, after you've paid, you go to the customer service counter and tell them what happened. They will replace your item and deal discretely with the issue.
Those bastards!
"I settled 8 WARS, am close to ending or settling 2 more, got all of the Israeli hostages back, including the final 28, both living and dead, had hundreds of hostages, from countries all over the World, released and sent back home, won a war in Venezuela, and captured the violent dictator who so viciously ran that country, and stopped the number one state sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, from obtaining a Nuclear Weapon — AND MUCH MORE! Yet, with all of that I, or the United States of America, did not get the Noble Peace Prize. WOW!"
https://www.trumpstruth.org/statuses/42234
I'd suggest giving him an Ig Nobel prize, but I don't think he deserves even that. I have suggested the James Wilkinson Medal. But certainly not the Benedict Arnold Medal since he was actually a competent general.
BOO HOO HOOTIE HOO HOO YOU LOUSY AGGRIEVED DIRTY FLEA-BITTEN MOTHERFUCKING FUCK!
NOBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love me some Stinky tears as he impotently rages but I wish someone would capture the violent dictator who so viciously runs this country.
How about a coupon for Chuck E Cheese? It's more than he deserves.
Donald Trump in the ball pit. Like Chuck E. Cheese deserves that.