Both by virtue of the subject matter and the reaction it caused, the painting has some meaningful historic value (beyond the existing artistic value). I kind of hope the Smithsonian can find a place for it (and preferably not in the Museum of African American History - I want those asshole republicans to see it every…

No, she didn’t. She identified her self as Native American in a voluntary professional directory AFTER she completed law school (which wasn’t at Harvard, btw). Years later, after an already impressive faculty career at Penn, she moved to Harvard. They then used her self-identification to bolster their minority…

I never said there was no advantage in owning a house. I said it was possible (even common in some areas) to own a home while also being poor. We have an objective way of measuring poverty in the US. There are many people who own a house and meet that objective definition of poverty. Yes, there are advantages to…

Working poor in rural communities face difference challenges than working poor in urban communities, but that doesn’t make them any less poor. These houses are not assets with any value for sale by any reasonable measure - these are houses that barely have electricity and running water. Many still have outhouses,…

I get what you’re saying, but there is a lot of nuance you are missing. There are lots of people in the US who are poor by pretty much any measure, despite owning the house they live in. I’m from a rural area. My home county has about 3,000 residents - the poverty rate hovers around 25%, and 85% of families own their…

It would mean release from prison more-or-less immediately, return to civilian life (with a dishonorable discharge), and a permanent criminal record.

My cousin has two lab puppies (18 months old - still puppies? always puppies!). They are litter mates and both female. They have distinct temperaments, with one being more dominant than the other 99% of the time. That other 1% consists of the more submissive dog humping her sister.

There are so many layers of cognitive dissonance. It hurts my brain.

I cannot stand blow drying my hair, so I built my morning ritual around the time needed to air dry. I get up, shower, then start making breakfast. I have about an hour every morning to sit on the couch with a cup of tea and read the news or lifestyle blogs. I have a morning news/talk program on in the background, but…

Politeness and honesty are not mutually exclusive. I was raised in the South in a family that was as old-school Southern as it gets, but also happened to be very liberal and politically active. I was taught to be honest when necessary, important, and/or helpful, to be polite/respectful by default (i.e. you have to…

Thank you! I also did a two year stint of cotillion. We learned to dance, and how to eat light snacks without messing up our dresses. We also learned to make polite small talk with strangers and/or people you didn’t really like, since we did not get to choose our dance partners. That polite small talk does not equate…

I think it’s partly innate and partly the Dane tendency to avoid self-promotion or self-importance. As in, they are so careful not to promote themselves, that they can’t fathom we (Americans) would take interest is a topic as mundane as socializing and staying warm in winter months.

Third option - stay somewhere near a MARC station. Take MARC to Union Station, and walk from there.

You are always welcome to take the MARC and spend a day in Baltimore - I promise the bars will be packed with people drinking and talking shit about Trump while the TVs are tuned to ESPN classic.

I know there are far more important concerns right now, but I do hope the cruise lines take all of this into account. They are going to have a lot of passengers who can’t get to the ship on time.

Every time I see a “What Hillary should do” piece, a voice in my heads pipes up with “Hillary is free now” in Dobby’s voice. Seriously. Hillary is free now, and she ain’t coming back to be your mayor.

I’m watching the live coverage on NBC - It’s still very unclear if there is/isn’t another suspect. They are saying a bunch of police ran into a parking garage and are still in there “looking at something.” At the same time, there was a renewed call for evacuation around the terminal, and people panicked. Airport…

I know people like the idea, but I honestly don’t see it happening. I think many people underestimate just how traumatizing Edward’s abdication was - the entire family believes it was a direct cause of Albert’s illness and death. The entire monarchy is based on the premise that the monarch is chosen by God, and to…

And Meryl has that lovely chameleon ability - all of her characters look like the character, and never like Meryl Streep in costume playing a character. I know the actress is Meryl Streep, but when I look at the screen I only see the character.

And the Queen Mother lived that long despite having cancer. Twice! QEII hasn’t had any major health problems.