Disqus - Latest Comments for mdeatherage

Re: Senator Snowball

mdeatherage — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:31:33 -0000

I know I'm many hours late on this, but the 90s timeline is all wrong.

First, the Murrah Building bombing was in April 1995, not any time in 1993.

Second, Inhofe took no advantage of it to get to the senate: he was already a senator when it happened. He took Boren's seat in late 1994. Boren had entirely failed to understand what Newt Gingrich & Co. did to Congress, and spent 1993-1994 declining to vote for Democratic priorities because, to paraphrase his many quotes, "they can't be that good if not a single Republican will vote for them." (This is why Boren refused to consider health care reform, for example.)

When the GOP won control of the Senate in November 1994 and Boren realized he'd only be Ranking Member and not Chairman of any committees, he gave up the seat knowing a Republican would take it, so he wouldn't have to bother his beautiful mind with all that conflict. Unforgivable.

Third, he didn't "rise to the top" of Quaker Life Insurance Company. His family owned it, put him in charge, and he drove it into the ground with shady deals . His own family sued him. He was genuinely terrible in everything he did and deserves to be remembered only with senatorial monsters like Thurmond, Helms, and McCarthy.

Re: Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 1,644

mdeatherage — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 12:53:33 -0000

Back in 1994, the New York Times's Alan Petrucelli reported on how Judy Garland wound up in a floor-level crypt at Ferncliff Mausoleum as part of an article on the 25th anniversary of her death.

Indeed, the story of how Judy ended up in Hartsdale is the stuff Hollywood films are made of. Four days after her death in England at the age of 47, her body was flown to New York. Sid Luft, Judy's third husband and the father of Judy's daughter Lorna and son, Joey, wanted her buried in Los Angeles. But Judy's other daughter, Liza Minnelli, balked, insisting that her mother hated California. Liza wanted to carry out her mother's wishes to be cremated, but Mickey Deans, the man to whom Judy was married at her death, refused.

Mr. Deans chose Ferncliff because of its nearness to Manhattan (a city Judy loved) and because he knew she liked Westchester. (Judy had lived in Scarsdale for a brief period in 1961.) When Judy arrived at Ferncliff she was placed in a temporary crypt until Mr. Deans could raise $35,000 for a memorial room. But he couldn't, so to avoid further embarrassment, Liza turned down Frank Sinatra's offer to pay for the burial and anted up $2,500 for a simple floor-level, tan-and-white-flecked marble crypt. Judy was interred on Nov. 4, 1970 -- more than a year after her death.

Liza has never visited her mother's grave. Nor have Lorna or Joey. Why not? Liza sums it up this way: "I don't need to send flowers or stand at a grave to honor Mama. She's alive for me in my heart. And that's the place in which I choose to remember and respect her."

As I remember it, the kids couldn't do anything about it until Deans passed away in 2003. By then, the current management had taken over Hollywood Cemetery and spent a ton of money to bring it back up to high standards and rename it "Hollywood Forever." After negotiation with the kids, they built an entire mausoleum named "The Judy Garland Pavilion,," and relocated Judy to the..."featured?" crypt just inside the glass doors. Other crypts in that alcove are reserved for Garland's children and their families.

Re: Non-mastermind reveals non-elaborate plan to manipulate media

mdeatherage — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 20:42:21 -0000

Harvard could spend 0.01% of its endowment and (bloodlessly) remove Christopher Rufo from public life forever, and no one would miss him.

Re: Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 1,492

mdeatherage — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 12:08:42 -0000

It's easy to see a "chatty grave" when you're already looking at so many in the same place. Here's an older picture of the "Sanctuary of Heritage" where Al Simon is entombed:

https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

And here, from FindAGrave.com, is a map of some tombs on the opposite wall:
https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

Lots to look at in that little nook! Maria (Mrs. Nat "King") Cole now rests with her husband, though not in that picture.

Re: Review: Boomerang - Steak and Potato Pie | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Mon, 22 May 2023 03:04:28 -0000

They do say on their web site, for this particular pie, to "load the top with tomato sauce (ketchup) and enjoy." It also says 15g of fat vs. the 12 that Q got.

Re: Crumbl Bakes New Strawberry Cupcake Cookies and More Through April 29, 2023 | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 14:59:50 -0000

Sometimes the only way I know it's Monday is the Crumbl PR posted on Brand Eating.

Re: Frito Lay Welcomes New Smartfood Doritos Cool Ranch Popcorn | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 20:20:27 -0000

I picked some up a week ago at Sam's Club. Because it's popcorn, the ranch seasoning has the texture you associate with cheese powder on popcorn--not powdery, not gritty, but like most flavored chips.

It's not ultra-sharp or ultra-tangy, and so it's kind of like how I remember CR Doritos (not a regular consumer). If I didn't know it was ranch, I might guess "cheese? sour cream?" but if you then told me it was ranch, I'd say "Oh, yeah, I can taste that."

Re: NFL Open Thread: the worst tradition

mdeatherage — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 13:54:19 -0000

The 49ers, Rams, Cardinals, and Seahawks are the NFC West. The AFC West is the Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders, and Broncos.

In 2021 you could have argued for the AFC West being the strongest division in football, but only before the season started, IMHO. This year—no, not with the Broncos and Raiders making the Keystone Kops look functional.

Re: Today in Third Party Fetishism

mdeatherage — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 22:15:41 -0000

RCV is imperfect, and I would not work to implement it, but the idea is that people can vote for the candidate they want and not have to read polls and pick the candidate, among three or more, whom they think will win. William Poundstone's excellent book "Gaming the Vote" explains all this, with research and real-life examples of flawed systems.

I don't want to see the word "undemocratic" on the same page as "by Erik Loomis" if you can't manage to rein in your contempt for efforts to let voters vote for who they support instead of just against who they oppose. The way we have isn't working, and to quote the show, you've tried nothing and you're out of ideas.

Re: Eschaton: Inside Game

mdeatherage — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 13:53:14 -0000

It's not that hard to understand why the things in the last paragraph happened. Senators who came in full of fire have been beaten down by the right-wing noise machine and the intransigence of their own party's leadership for a couple of decades, with no way to effect any changes to either. So they learn to accept whatever crumbs they can scrounge.

They don't think of retiring because they're sure no one good on the issues with enough energy to accomplish anything can win the general election for their seat. Before Schumer won his seat, it was occupied by two republicans (Javitz and D'Amato) for 42 years. Maybe no "sensible republican" can win a primary in NYS anymore, but does Schumer want to risk the seat on that?

Feinstein seems to believe the same thing even though it's so obviously wrong in her case. (The "Crazy Days and Nights" trashy rumor site said last week that if Feinstein vacates her seat mid-term, Newsom has "promised" it to Meghan Markle. That'd be enough to give anyone pause.

Re: Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 1,093

mdeatherage — Fri, 13 May 2022 13:23:59 -0000

Truman Capote is in Los Angeles

Is he? His cremains are not at Westwood Village in Joanna Carson's crypt like many people believe. At least, not anymore.

Re: Taco Bell Tests New Crispy Dipping Flautas in Oklahoma City | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 21:27:36 -0000

Got to try these tonight by ordering manually (test items are never available in the Taco Bell app for some reason).

Because of the flour tortillas, the outer shell is much lightter and crispier than the rolled tacos ever were. I'm pretty sure the new offering has a bigger diameter, too. The filling was unremarkable but very Taco Bell like. I found them to be much more enjoyable than the rolled tacos, but they're more expensive too. My local store charged nearly twice what the article projected, $3.49, for the two-pack.

Re: Taco Bell Tests Two $2 Grilled Chicken Burritos in Oklahoma City | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 12:36:57 -0000

I was hoping you would get this so I didn't have to find marketing material to send in. We get these grilled chicken burritos in the OKC market instead of the flatbread tacos available everywhere else. It's been quite annoying because Taco Bell kept sending me emails offering "early access" to the flatbread tacos, only to tap the link and get dropped in the app with no choice to order them. (The chicken burritos also cannot be ordered online or in the app.) I expect these to stick around as long as the flatbread tacos do elsewhere. We did also get the Nacho Fries.

I replied to @Bren that they are the same size as the regular bean burrito, and I think they're quite good. Unlike @Holly May , I did not care for TB's shredded chicken (I found it dry and apt to getting stuck in the teeth), so I'm glad these use the juicier regular chicken. In the Chipotle Ranch variant, the ranch cools off the typical heat of the cheesy chipotle, so it's not as strong as the Quesarito (for example). The Sala Verde variant has that characteristic "green" taste while not being overly spicy. I didn't detect it as "chunky," but I don't think it was as smooth as what used to be available in the green packets that are still unavailable here.

If anyone has questions, I'll try to answer some later today, as I've had a few of these burritos already.

Re: Taco Bell Tests Two $2 Grilled Chicken Burritos in Oklahoma City | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 12:24:45 -0000

They are the same size as the regular bean burrito.

Re: Taco Bell Tests New Stacked Bowls in Portland, OR | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 22:38:56 -0000

Yes, I also watch "Last Week Tonight."

This isn't like McDonald's switching from styrofoam clamshells to recycled paper boxes for sandwiches. The product is a "Power Bowl," and was designed to be eaten from a bowl. It is harder to eat out of a box and wastes more food, which is also a problem.

I didn't say it needed plastic bowls, I said it needed a real bowl. It can be made from recycled paper with a coating of the same kind of paper they're using now as a sheet between the ingredients and the cardboard, but it needs to be round (i.e., no corners) to serve that product.

Re: Taco Bell Tests New Stacked Bowls in Portland, OR | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 12:21:56 -0000

The local Taco Bell (Central Oklahoma) stopped serving the Power Bowl in a bowl in 2020, serving it "free-form" in a box just like Nachos BellGrande. It is significantly harder to eat this way. They've told me real bowls are coming back, but they've told me a lot of things.

Re: 2020 National Cheeseburger Day Deals and Specials | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 21:52:21 -0000

Hey, where's your tweet about this so I can retweet it?

Re: alicublog: FRIDAY 'ROUND-THE-HORN.

mdeatherage — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 20:31:41 -0000

suggesting Kamala Harris, though born in the U.S.A., isn't eligible for high office on the grounds that her patents were legal immigrants

Man, intellectual property law has changed a lot in the past few years...

Re: Eschaton: Wow That's A Big Job

mdeatherage — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 16:47:35 -0000

The word is "amoral."

Re: Pillsbury Now Making Their Cookie and Brownie Doughs Safe to Eat Raw

mdeatherage — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 23:33:26 -0000

It does apply to their baking mixes and other refrigerated baking products.

I think there's a "not" missing there...

Re: Subway Serves Up New Sweet Red Bean and Mascarpone Sandwich in Japan | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 13:54:02 -0000

"A version with only red bean past is also available..."

Should be "paste," obvs. Feel free to delete this when corrected.

Re: Arby's Tests New All-Day Brunch Sandwiches | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Fri, 27 Dec 2019 18:12:18 -0000

There's a third variant in the OKC area which adds an "avocado smash" (not guacamole, seasoned differently) to the Bacon, Ham & Egg sandwich. I tried that one, and while it was mostly OK, the "French toast-inspired sauce" is really like a thin cinnamon roll icing. It's very sweet, and I will not order the sandwich again with that sauce on it.

Re: alicublog: YOUNGEST LIVING REAGAN DEMOCRAT TELLS ALL.

mdeatherage — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 13:24:01 -0000

I have a sneaking suspicion that of you're a young white evangelical Christian

"...that if you're a young..." Please feel free to delete or reject this comment when fixed as it offers nothing substantive to discuss. :-)

Re: Taco Bell Tests Two New $1 Grande Burritos | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Fri, 24 May 2019 13:16:30 -0000

In my part of the OKC area, the promotion (and this was instead of the grande nacho box) was the $1 Loaded Taco Burrito and the $1 Chicken Enchilada Burrito. I did not notice a chipotle version.

As is usual and rather sad, neither can be ordered online or for delivery; we just get to see that we can't order the grande nacho box.

Re: Two Fish Sandwich for $5 at Arby's for 2019 Lent / Seafood Season | Brand Eating

mdeatherage — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 13:46:37 -0000

This has been going on here for about a month, but as part of a "mix and match" 2 items for $5 promotion. In the ads, Jon Benjamin clearly states you can pick two fish sandwiches for $5. Has that promo ended and this one replaced it?