I have solved the issue of the Tribune (and the Herald for that matter) jerking people around with subscription fees. After 40+ years of loyalty, I have sworn off the print editions and use only digital. Perhaps that's their intent? But no more newsprint surcharges, no more automatic increases, no more here's the extra insert surcharge and no longer have to call and tell them each time to not charge me that. I subscribed to both electronically now and immediately turn of the auto pay so that I decide if another year is worth. I'm up to four substackers now and appreciate how I'm treated there.
I would like to see the reasoning, or at least a citation, for your assertion that over 100 billion people have already shuffled off this mortal coil. My internal estimator thinks that number is way too big.
"There are currently seven billion people alive today and the Population Reference Bureau estimates that about 107 billion people have ever lived." in 2012 https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16870579
Given a current global population of about 8 billion, the estimated 117 billion total births means that those alive in 2022 represent nearly 7% of the total number of people who have ever lived" -- Population Reference Bureau 2022 https://www.prb.org/articles/how-many-people-have-ever-lived-on-earth/
There is also a lot of more recent archeology that points to much larger populations than previously thought in a number of locations around the world. There was a good PBS show about ancient civilizations in the Amazon last night, as an example.
Sorry to be argumentative (well, not that sorry), the prb.org article you quote says: "Under these conditions, the birth rate would have to be about 80 live births per 1,000 people just for the species to survive." However, during the period of 80 live births per 1,000, they also estimate the population to have increased by a factor of 150, a whole lot more than subsistence. This really makes me wonder how they arrive at their assumptions. Anyway, if someone wants my quota of ghosts, they're available for the asking.
I was at an Excellent panel discussion this afternoon at the University Club featuring many of the WTTW news folks talking about the upcoming primary. I had hoped to ask them what they thought about all of the mayoral candidates but one saying they believed in ghosts, but alas, didn't get the opportunity.
The 411 on 411. Without signing up for a paid service, I don’t think it’s that easy to find out a cell phone number for a member of the general public. When a piece of mail is misdelivered to me, I generally have a frustrating time finding a number for the addressee, even when I know (obviously) their name & address. So Eric, you know who I am; can you determine my cellphone number without looking at the contact info from my email?
In the other hand, did 411 ever provide lookups for cell phones? I didn’t think so.
Also, there are now many carriers. Land line was a monopoly. Anyone that wants to offer access to phone numbers needs access to many services. Also, there are many more phone numbers, multiple per home vs the old days and they are no longer location specific (the area code is meaningless with regard to the phone location or where the bill is being paid).
I’ve often used Facebook to find someone. I found a wallet once and did that. Another time with a credit card. The guy whose credit card I used said he was leaving on vacation the next day and had never wanted a FB but his wife “made him”. He was lucky his name was not so common as to make finding hiM difficult. Even with a relatively common name I found him because by FB I could tell approximately where he likely lived ( his likes were all north suburban restaurants.)
I use Evernote for tracking books, tv shows, movies and many other things. I have had paid version for awhile, and been happy with it. Can’t remember how it differs from free version. Check it out
Say, re the other art museums going off about Valpo selling three paintings: The letter they sent states, "This remains a fundamental ethical principle of the museum field, one which all institutions are obligated to respect: in no event shall funds from deaccessioned works be used for anything other than support for a museum’s collections, either through acquisitions or the direct care of works of art"--as if this opinion is akin to the period table. It isn't, yet that opinion statement is the entire evidence they present for why it's so awful for Valpo to sell some paintings and maybe save itself. Eric makes a great point in closing too--far more people may see and appreciate these paintings in their new homes.
I write about the term “family values” used by so many Republicans. Today’s Picayune Sentinel had Charles Thomas trying to explain that he had not turned to the right and that not all Republicans were racist by saying that he wanted to join the Republican conversation, and “[t]hat debate highlights issues such as family values, public safety, school choice and economic development vs. growth of the welfare system.” “Family values” is code for pushing LGBTQ+ people to the margins of our society, trying to force us back into the closet, and taking away our rights. I guess focus groups don’t respond very well to “take away the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans,” so “family values” is the term they use to convey that “policy position.” It is ironic that Thomas used the “family values” term in the same conversation in which he insisted that not all Republicans were bigots.
Ask a Republican, “What threatens ‘family values’?” and you will be told, in language much more loaded than used here, “teaching children that some of their classmates may be transgender or gay,” “healthcare for transgender people,” “letting transgender kids play sports in school,” etc. There is a large number of parents who are afraid that their kids will “become” gay or trans, so they want to shelter their kids from the fact of our existence in the absurd belief that their kids won’t “become” LGBTQ+ if they don’t know about us. Of course, kids either are or they aren’t LGBTQ+. It isn’t learning about us that “turns” people gay or transgender. But the Republican Party is absolutely down with making the lives of out LGBTQ+ people miserable in order to “protect” their children. Forcing LGBTQ+ kids into the closet increases suicides.
Just like “state’s rights” was code for racism, “family values” is code for anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry.
I am transgender and gay. I am a member of my family of origin, and the family in which I am a parent. They are both wonderful families.
Yeah, it's a good one. It's called "Roundball Rock," penned by John Tesh, noted blond tune-thinker-upper (not sure "composer" is quite the right word), lovingly satirized by SNL here:
Asking about ghosts is a stupid waste of time in a political debate. But it is also absurdly vague, since there are dozens of possible definitions that would allow a 'yes' without believing the current TV show is the model. People like the idea of ghosts because many people have had unusual experiences and ghosts provide an explanation, and good stories. They are really no different than UFO's and cryptids. Also, some things might be extremely rare, so there is no need for billions of ghosts. But ghosts are probably travelers from other dimensions or times. Would they still be ghosts or gosts?
Johnson dodging the question about police is indicative of his politics. Dodging the lightweight question of 'dibs' mainly shows that he is not politically quick witted. Instead of elitist thud of 'I have a driveway', he could easily have said 'I certainly understand why someone would want to preserve the benefits of their hard work after a heavy snowfall'. And maybe the Trib Editor didn't want to say ' we are running out of reasons to have a printing plant'.
Brandon Johnson is programmed by the CTU. Every answer he sounds like a robot. I think if you check the back of his head there is a little door with a chip planted inside.
AT&T is also phasing out traditional landlines and replacing all connections with fiber optic. Soon there will be no copper wire POTS (plain old telephone service). A bill was passed in 2017 to allow it (https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-att-landline-end-illinois-0706-biz-20170705-story.html) and the phase out began last year. I got my letter a couple of months ago. Since they were forcing me to switch, I didn't have to pay the $99 installation fee for a fiber connection.
If Nikki Haley's husband was running for police board in Chicago she would change his last name to O'Connelly or some other Irish last name, not because he looks Irish, she just wants him to win......and in regards to Stewball, I think that's the correct version as far as I'm concerned.
I had never heard “mondegreens” before, and now that I have, I’m glad that I did since I have so many personal examples of them. The best one was, for many years, I would here this lilting, pleasant acoustic guitar driven song on the radio where the singer kept talking about a “B string” (“B string sounding louder, everyone glide on the B string”). I assumed it was a Jethro Tull song since it had their kind of sound, and the somewhat weird lyrics were the sort of which they typically traded (and I guess I never bothered to pay attention to the DJ announcing the title and artist after it finished playing). It was after several years of this that, one day, a friend of mine and I were having a duel guitar session guided by a certain artist’s songbook, and I discovered that the singer was not Tull’s Ian Anderson, but rather Cat Stevens, and “B string” was actually “Peace Train”!
EZ, thanks for showing how the UM community has demonstrated its concern and compassion for the MSU community after the terrible shooting incident at MSU this week. i'm a Spartan, and we both know how tribal can be the relationship btwn the 2 schools' student bodies and alumni over sports. better natures responded to this catastrophe. also, stated so simply on The Rock at MSU after the shooting: 'How many more?'
I have solved the issue of the Tribune (and the Herald for that matter) jerking people around with subscription fees. After 40+ years of loyalty, I have sworn off the print editions and use only digital. Perhaps that's their intent? But no more newsprint surcharges, no more automatic increases, no more here's the extra insert surcharge and no longer have to call and tell them each time to not charge me that. I subscribed to both electronically now and immediately turn of the auto pay so that I decide if another year is worth. I'm up to four substackers now and appreciate how I'm treated there.
I would like to see the reasoning, or at least a citation, for your assertion that over 100 billion people have already shuffled off this mortal coil. My internal estimator thinks that number is way too big.
"There are currently seven billion people alive today and the Population Reference Bureau estimates that about 107 billion people have ever lived." in 2012 https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16870579
Given a current global population of about 8 billion, the estimated 117 billion total births means that those alive in 2022 represent nearly 7% of the total number of people who have ever lived" -- Population Reference Bureau 2022 https://www.prb.org/articles/how-many-people-have-ever-lived-on-earth/
Check also the World Economic Forum https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/04/quantifying-human-existence/
There is also a lot of more recent archeology that points to much larger populations than previously thought in a number of locations around the world. There was a good PBS show about ancient civilizations in the Amazon last night, as an example.
Sorry to be argumentative (well, not that sorry), the prb.org article you quote says: "Under these conditions, the birth rate would have to be about 80 live births per 1,000 people just for the species to survive." However, during the period of 80 live births per 1,000, they also estimate the population to have increased by a factor of 150, a whole lot more than subsistence. This really makes me wonder how they arrive at their assumptions. Anyway, if someone wants my quota of ghosts, they're available for the asking.
I was at an Excellent panel discussion this afternoon at the University Club featuring many of the WTTW news folks talking about the upcoming primary. I had hoped to ask them what they thought about all of the mayoral candidates but one saying they believed in ghosts, but alas, didn't get the opportunity.
The 411 on 411. Without signing up for a paid service, I don’t think it’s that easy to find out a cell phone number for a member of the general public. When a piece of mail is misdelivered to me, I generally have a frustrating time finding a number for the addressee, even when I know (obviously) their name & address. So Eric, you know who I am; can you determine my cellphone number without looking at the contact info from my email?
In the other hand, did 411 ever provide lookups for cell phones? I didn’t think so.
I think that's right. And people tend to be very protective of their cell numbers.
Also, there are now many carriers. Land line was a monopoly. Anyone that wants to offer access to phone numbers needs access to many services. Also, there are many more phone numbers, multiple per home vs the old days and they are no longer location specific (the area code is meaningless with regard to the phone location or where the bill is being paid).
But even if I wanted my cell phone number to be readily available publicly, I don't think there's any systematic way to do it. Facebook, feh.
I’ve often used Facebook to find someone. I found a wallet once and did that. Another time with a credit card. The guy whose credit card I used said he was leaving on vacation the next day and had never wanted a FB but his wife “made him”. He was lucky his name was not so common as to make finding hiM difficult. Even with a relatively common name I found him because by FB I could tell approximately where he likely lived ( his likes were all north suburban restaurants.)
Love mondegreens, and so does my comfort teddy, Gladly, the cross-eyed bear.
My dad carved a version of his mondegreen: a nativity scene with Round John next to the virgin.
And the movie "Olive the Other Reindeer" is a mondegreen title with other mondegreen characters such as Round John and other notables.
Then there's the related, "While shepherds washed their socks by night . . ."
I use Evernote for tracking books, tv shows, movies and many other things. I have had paid version for awhile, and been happy with it. Can’t remember how it differs from free version. Check it out
EZ -
I'm with you on the spelling of brusque . . . .
Say, re the other art museums going off about Valpo selling three paintings: The letter they sent states, "This remains a fundamental ethical principle of the museum field, one which all institutions are obligated to respect: in no event shall funds from deaccessioned works be used for anything other than support for a museum’s collections, either through acquisitions or the direct care of works of art"--as if this opinion is akin to the period table. It isn't, yet that opinion statement is the entire evidence they present for why it's so awful for Valpo to sell some paintings and maybe save itself. Eric makes a great point in closing too--far more people may see and appreciate these paintings in their new homes.
Wait a minute, I meant PERIODIC table and I'm pretty sure it's the autocorrect that screwed that up.
I write about the term “family values” used by so many Republicans. Today’s Picayune Sentinel had Charles Thomas trying to explain that he had not turned to the right and that not all Republicans were racist by saying that he wanted to join the Republican conversation, and “[t]hat debate highlights issues such as family values, public safety, school choice and economic development vs. growth of the welfare system.” “Family values” is code for pushing LGBTQ+ people to the margins of our society, trying to force us back into the closet, and taking away our rights. I guess focus groups don’t respond very well to “take away the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans,” so “family values” is the term they use to convey that “policy position.” It is ironic that Thomas used the “family values” term in the same conversation in which he insisted that not all Republicans were bigots.
Ask a Republican, “What threatens ‘family values’?” and you will be told, in language much more loaded than used here, “teaching children that some of their classmates may be transgender or gay,” “healthcare for transgender people,” “letting transgender kids play sports in school,” etc. There is a large number of parents who are afraid that their kids will “become” gay or trans, so they want to shelter their kids from the fact of our existence in the absurd belief that their kids won’t “become” LGBTQ+ if they don’t know about us. Of course, kids either are or they aren’t LGBTQ+. It isn’t learning about us that “turns” people gay or transgender. But the Republican Party is absolutely down with making the lives of out LGBTQ+ people miserable in order to “protect” their children. Forcing LGBTQ+ kids into the closet increases suicides.
Just like “state’s rights” was code for racism, “family values” is code for anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry.
I am transgender and gay. I am a member of my family of origin, and the family in which I am a parent. They are both wonderful families.
Happy flashbacks, indeed. Thanks for sharing NBC's NBA theme song. Those were the days, my friend.
Yeah, it's a good one. It's called "Roundball Rock," penned by John Tesh, noted blond tune-thinker-upper (not sure "composer" is quite the right word), lovingly satirized by SNL here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-uSWAJd9GE
Asking about ghosts is a stupid waste of time in a political debate. But it is also absurdly vague, since there are dozens of possible definitions that would allow a 'yes' without believing the current TV show is the model. People like the idea of ghosts because many people have had unusual experiences and ghosts provide an explanation, and good stories. They are really no different than UFO's and cryptids. Also, some things might be extremely rare, so there is no need for billions of ghosts. But ghosts are probably travelers from other dimensions or times. Would they still be ghosts or gosts?
Johnson dodging the question about police is indicative of his politics. Dodging the lightweight question of 'dibs' mainly shows that he is not politically quick witted. Instead of elitist thud of 'I have a driveway', he could easily have said 'I certainly understand why someone would want to preserve the benefits of their hard work after a heavy snowfall'. And maybe the Trib Editor didn't want to say ' we are running out of reasons to have a printing plant'.
Brandon Johnson is programmed by the CTU. Every answer he sounds like a robot. I think if you check the back of his head there is a little door with a chip planted inside.
AT&T is also phasing out traditional landlines and replacing all connections with fiber optic. Soon there will be no copper wire POTS (plain old telephone service). A bill was passed in 2017 to allow it (https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-att-landline-end-illinois-0706-biz-20170705-story.html) and the phase out began last year. I got my letter a couple of months ago. Since they were forcing me to switch, I didn't have to pay the $99 installation fee for a fiber connection.
If Nikki Haley's husband was running for police board in Chicago she would change his last name to O'Connelly or some other Irish last name, not because he looks Irish, she just wants him to win......and in regards to Stewball, I think that's the correct version as far as I'm concerned.
I had never heard “mondegreens” before, and now that I have, I’m glad that I did since I have so many personal examples of them. The best one was, for many years, I would here this lilting, pleasant acoustic guitar driven song on the radio where the singer kept talking about a “B string” (“B string sounding louder, everyone glide on the B string”). I assumed it was a Jethro Tull song since it had their kind of sound, and the somewhat weird lyrics were the sort of which they typically traded (and I guess I never bothered to pay attention to the DJ announcing the title and artist after it finished playing). It was after several years of this that, one day, a friend of mine and I were having a duel guitar session guided by a certain artist’s songbook, and I discovered that the singer was not Tull’s Ian Anderson, but rather Cat Stevens, and “B string” was actually “Peace Train”!
EZ, thanks for showing how the UM community has demonstrated its concern and compassion for the MSU community after the terrible shooting incident at MSU this week. i'm a Spartan, and we both know how tribal can be the relationship btwn the 2 schools' student bodies and alumni over sports. better natures responded to this catastrophe. also, stated so simply on The Rock at MSU after the shooting: 'How many more?'