Well, you don’t get that big bonus by paying attention to safety and being a big Debbie Downer. The incentives on the decision makers are perverse.

Well said. It’s pure toughness signaling. But this comment stream is very revealing about why the strategy of “harm reduction” can’t gain traction in the US, whether in this context or in, for instance, drug laws. We’re addicted to toughness signaling and moral posturing.

No love for the Character Map? It’s been in Windows since forever. I pin it to my Taskbar and refer to it constantly. As a tech writer, I have to use symbols and accents all the time. Emojis less so.

I don’t mind flying. It’s not wildly expensive, and as long as I don’t have a rabid anti-masker or an evangelical Christian next to me, it’s not bad.

Great cartoon! My one nit to pick is they show the Bixby Bridge which is on Hwy 1 (aka PCH), not on Rte 66. Unless there’s another very similar bridge on Rte 66 that I don’t know about! Still, lot of fun.

No love for the Supernote? I suggest visiting the subreddit devoted to this device.

If Clarence Thomas were dead, would we know?

Our house rosé is a Domaine de Terrebrune Bandol. Yes, pricey, but excellent and we hardly ever eat out so we save money that way. I love a ruby-colored Trinquevedel Tavel, but it keeps me up and, when I do sleep, seems associated with weird dreams. That may be a plus for some! I rely on Kermit Lynch, a wine importer…

[memorizing this...]

This is just an anecdote, but still: after the 2016 election, Hillary was at some event, and a supporter introduced Hillary to her daughter. Rather undiplomatically, the mother said her daughter hadn’t voted. The daughter defended herself by saying that she had gone to protests. Hillary thanked her for going to…

I think that would be hard to find evidence for. On the other hand, we have plenty of evidence that Black voters really liked Biden and preferred him to other candidates, Bernie specifically.

Yes, I get it. Many of the priorities mentioned in the post are popular among young people who are unreliable voters, and unpopular among older people who are very reliable voters. Bernie Sanders has been undercover until right now, supporting, as he should, unionization efforts.

At In-n-Out, a double-double combo is $7.60. So much better than anything else mentioned here. Be sure to ask for the fries well done.

My learning how to drive at the age of 40 on a 77 VW bug (metallic green). Stick, obviously. In Los Angeles.

Shout-out to Primo Donuts on National and Sawtelle. Not a chain (well, they now have two stores... is that a chain?), and around since 1956. Best donuts in LA. No specials, no corporate horse$hit, just great donuts.

THANK YOU. Beat me to it. Tsk.

Sure, some of these people are “rich”, others make a good living, and still others are there because they just had one great job, but are not rich by any stretch. Actors can make good money, but it’s spotty and inconsistent and the business is fickle.

My (very limited) understanding of those Southern “honorary” ranks, like Colonel, is due to their involvement in posses that engaged in lynchings. I wonder (just asking questions!) if the ranks had to do with their ad-hoc militias posing as “well-regulated” so they could justify their running around shooting people…

Copy that. WC is possibly interesting in how repulsive it is. In-n-Out is much better and has those creepy/charming bible verse references on the wrapping.

Good suggestions. I’ve been wrestling with the Settings app, which I can’t even describe how awful it is. Not that it was great before! I think there must be a battle of executives at MS, because Settings/Control Panel just reeks of hostile compromise, designed to make the most people the most unhappy.