Essential as a policy or essential as a campaigning slogan?

Shocked gasp!

That’s been on my list for awhile, hoping to get around to it soon.

Couldn’t get past the pop-ups in the article, but…I’m about 1/5th of the way through Mary McAuliffe’s Dawn of the Belle Epoque, a history of the political, social, and cultural upheavel and efforts to rebuild Paris after the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. It’s very readable, more like a vibes-based, “this is what a day in the life of 1870s Paris was like” rather than a deep scholarly examination of the issues.

She’s got a second volume, Twilight of the Belle Epoque that continues the story from around 1900 into the beginning of WWI.

If you’re trying to curb your own usage, try a browser extension like DistractMeNot to block those sites.

I am an English monoglot. Years ago, was working overseas in Kuwait when I experienced a sudden onset of testicular pain and swelling. Went to the hospital and got taken to an elderly Arabic ultrasound technician to examine my junk. After a few minutes of smearing cold jelly on me, he says something…in Arabic.

I do not understand.

He repeats it, this time poking me in the fupa.

I look confused and try to adjust my position on the table to give him better access, hoping this is what he wants.

He sighs, searching for the little English he knows. Finally he says, “Like pooping…but not pooping!” and wags his finger in my face. That’s how I understood he wanted me to tense my lower abdominal wall so he could check for a hernia.

Chewing gum almost every waking moment of the day. People used to assume I was trying to quit smoking, I would joke that I was actually trying to build my way up to starting.

He’s up for re-election right now. Here’s his opponent’s campaign site.

Oh, is it against the rules? Yeah, Trump probably won’t try to do it then.

Also, women are faking it for attention and could just “hold it in” if they really wanted to.

I think what you’re experiencing is people here being less tolerant of your assholery.

I was going to counter with, “what about Real Time w/ Bill Maher,” but I’ve never actually seen that show so you’re still correct.