WTF-Beta

@wtg I look forward to your verdict. I've been meaning to try it out.

Why not create an at-home experience. One of my subscriptions posted this today. Maybe once a year...

Weigelia can be cut back--so I've read, I've never grown one. You might cut the whole thing down to the ground and see what comes up?

It seems to me the Democratic party is already all of these things. It's not too far left, it stands for truth and fairness, the rule of law (Mostly, but needs to do some soul searching; at least it values the rule of law), family and justice. Kamala did not lose on cultural issues. Young males lost it for her. The Democrats need to recognize the underlying anger of these people and do better at explaining why the US is as it is for these young people. It needs to open channels of communication and have real conversations. It isn't going to be easy. These disaffected youth have shut out the Democrats and are driven by raw, angry emotions. Getting their attention could be a Herculean effort, but if it can be done then we will have an opportunity to show that blowing out someone else's candle doesn't make theirs burn brighter. That they aren't suffering because of trans people, immigrants, lgbt's, liberal thinkers, etc. They are suffering, and if the Democrats can admit it and point out the real reasons then maybe we'll make progress.

What the Democrats are not good at is messaging. And I agree with Rontuner that we need someone(s) with a good grasp of the Constitution and someone who can respond to the christianists. Pete Buttigieg is such a person, and so is Kamala Harris, and there are others. But they need to get on top of messaging.

I've had my Hyundai for a couple years already and yesterday, while talking to my neightbor while we were standing next to the car, I noticed that the VIN was visible through the lower, driver's side of the windshield through a cutout. It's white lettering on a black background. I was shocked to see it, firstly because I'd never noticed it before, and secondly because I thought VINs were always on the inside of the door frame (and apparently a few other hidden areas).

So my question is, is there a legal requirement in the US for this windshield display to be visible? By extension, is it illegal to cover it up (not that I'm thinking of doing so)? I can't find anything online, apart from UK conversations that say it must be visible.

Pfft. NPR only receives about 1% of its revenue from the federal government. PBS gets a bit more at 15%. I think both will survive OK, and will be better off without government censorship on their shoulders.

Looks nice. Curious to hear the taste verdict.

I'm not against block grants taking the place of vouchers (unless someone wants to persuade me otherwise), ...

According to the paper’s sources, the administration is considering “cutting or canceling out the vouchers” and replacing them with a “more limited system of housing grants, perhaps sent to states.”

... but "more limited" is troublesome.

ProPublica, The Guardian, NYTimes (but I'm starting to wonder if it's worth the subscription), The Contrarian (on substack), Paul Krugman (on substack), Talking Points Memo (TPM), Civil Discourse (on substack), Robert Reich (on substack).

Although she's not what I'd call DIY, I get inspiration from Tamara of The Swiss Plot on YouTube. Her videos are slow but there's always so much to see. She always seems to "have it together".

Really sorry to hear this news. I'm glad to hear that many of you are taking a stand, painful as it is.

I made violet jam one year. Not worth it, weak as water. My favorite jams to make are strawberry with local fresh picked fruit, and marmalades of any citrusy fruit. I never use as much sugar as called for, preferring sweet and tart. Most store bought is way too sweet for my taste.

Andy, I dyed wool with dandelion blossoms once. Processed it in a white enamel pot. More dye ended up staining the pot than got in the wool! I may have not mordanted correctly. Will try again some time.

During testimony at Meta’s antitrust trial, the Facebook founder’s argument was, in so many words, that platforms like his are not what they used to be..

He's right and the blame lies at his own doorstep.

The internet overall is not what it was 20 years ago and "social" media is certainly not the same.

I have maintained that losing my FB account was a blessing in disguise.

In its early years, FB was far less intrusive on one's page. I recall having a sense of community with my friends and the feed was not filtered such as what it became. By the time my account was hacked I no longer felt in control of the experience. Meta was deciding what I would see and they gave lip service to giving one the tools to tailor the experience. They were always in control.

That type of unsocial media is far different from bulletin board sites where a feed is exactly what the users put into it, no more, no less.

I do not consider YouTube to be social media. It's a video sharing platform which allows others to leave comments. The comments are not filtered or manipulated. My subscription list is what I put in it, no more, no less, no meddling from Google. My shortcut to load youtube goes directly to my subscription page.

Don't get me started on today's search engines, they've been going downhill for a while to the point where it's an exercise in frustration. I fear the heyday of good internet is behind us. AI is quickly making a mess of it.

A lovely piece of music! For some reasons it evokes a day off from school! Very nicely played, SK. Much enjoyed it, thanks!

My parents and relatives spoke Quebecois French. I spoke it exclusively until I started school. I remember being in remedial reading in the first few grades because my English was not good. I took French for four years in high school. I knew a lot of words already but not much about formal French grammar. I have since self studied French with the help here and there of some online courses. I'd love to have a real life French speaker to practice with.
I read an Interesting article a few years back which stated that Quebecois is closer to 16th -- 18th century French--that of the aristocrats--than what Parisian is today. Apparently Quebecois has been slower to evolve so it retains it's royal roots.

Happy Birthday! Many happy returns of the day!

@ShiroKuro Yes, it's beautiful inside. I visited it once (in all the years I lived there). The grand staircase is very grand.

@ShiroKuro Yes, it's the one he said was heavy. Unfortunately, even though they had a number of pianists play the pianos, the article only gives us Denk's reactions.

I don't like heavy actions either so I'd get it adjusted. But the tone... so beautiful! (I wonder if it's at all attributable to the heavier action? Hm.)

I thought the 1882 Palisandra had the most beautiful tone. I would have opted for that one.

I don't want to mention the name (to avoid spoiling it for others) but their choice did not surprise me, sadly. And I guess thinking outside the box (all three are Steinways) was too much for them.