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Been There, Smelled That: The Smellitized Smells of Disney World

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-smellitized-smells-of-disney-world
Created
Wed, 21/02/2024 - 01:00

Been There, Smelled That explores the aromas of places around the world. Travel writer Maggie Downs investigates some of the world’s most potent smells, looks at how odor cultivates a connection to place, and presents how humans engage with smells, from scents that have endured generations to the latest innovations in aroma-making.

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There’s a specific combo of smells that serves as a portal, instantly plunging me into a different place and time. Warm sugar, fried dough, freshly popped popcorn—and then WHOOSH. It’s Orlando 1993, and I’m a frizzy-haired kid on my first trip to Disney World.

My school marching band was there to perform in a parade, but I don’t recall the actual parade or spinning in teacups or any of that. What stands out is the moment I entered the Magic Kingdom. It was magical, sure. But it was also disorienting, because splayed out before me was the cleanest place I’d ever seen.

More Than His Accomplishments

https://digbysblog.net/2024/02/20/more-than-his-accomplishments/
Created
Wed, 21/02/2024 - 01:00
Houston Chronicle endorses Biden President Joe Biden is more than his accomplishments in office, a knowledgable acquaintance advised. Rather than spit out a bullet list of them in its Monday endorsement, The Houston Chronicle connected them to wisdom, experience, and strength of character. Newspaper endorsements mean less today than they once did, if they ever meant that much. But if any major newspapers issued them earlier than The Houston Chronicle Editorial Board’s endorsement of President Joe Biden (ahead of the March 5 primary), I can’t recall. A president who “believes in the power of government to make life better for the American people, is a key reason we heartily endorse the reelection of President Joe Biden.” Another is “to fend off the chaos, corruption and danger to the nation” represented by a second Donald Trump term. The paper provides a list of what Biden has accomplished in his first term with a narrow legislative margins in Congress. For starters: “The economy has recovered from the perils of the pandemic and is now healthier than that of any other advancednation.

Common Questions About My Funny Cowboy Dance

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/common-questions-about-my-funny-cowboy-dance
Created
Wed, 21/02/2024 - 00:00

How do you make the funny cowboy dance stop?
The funny cowboy dance starts on its own and ends on its own. Any attempt to stop it will make it last longer.

Would the funny cowboy dance be funnier if you wore an oversized cowboy hat, or a very tiny cowboy hat?
Don’t be ridiculous.

What are you chewing when you do the dance?
Chewing?! I’m not chewing anything. That’s what my mouth does when I do the dance.

Does it ever change? It looks the same every time you do it.
It only looks the same to the untrained eye, or to the idiot.

What does it mean?
My funny cowboy dance doesn’t “mean” anything. It simply “is.” It can entertain, yes, but its main purpose is to make you question some of your long-held beliefs. The dance is also meant as a tribute to the men who built this country, the dancing cowboys.

Isn’t the pretending-to-gallop-cross-eyed-while-firing-a-six-gun-in-the-air basically the same as the pretending-to-gallop-cross-eyed-while-twirling-a-lasso?
To the untrained eye, or to the idiot.

Drupal means innovation: Introducing the innovation hub

https://www.drupal.org/drupalorg/blog/drupal-means-innovation-introducing-the-i…
Created
Tue, 20/02/2024 - 20:49

As many of you may already know, the Drupal Association has set strategic goals for 2023 to 2025, such as doubling the number of organizations that are makers and tripling the number of contributions (Read the strategic plan here). In line with these objectives, I joined in 2023 to contribute to boosting activities in support of these goals. Since then, we've been up to some pretty exciting stuff.

While I've been spreading the word and championing these activities, it became apparent that Drupal needed a dedicated space – a specific hub – where we could discuss these initiatives, particularly focusing on innovation. The aim? To not only highlight the efforts of the Drupal Association but also to capture the essence of Drupal Innovation.

What Are They So Afraid Of?

https://digbysblog.net/2024/02/19/what-are-they-so-afraid-of-2/
Created
Tue, 20/02/2024 - 12:00
The angry mob Atrios today: Not a member of the “David French liberal fan club” but I’ll give him credit for addressing an incredibly undercovered – and certainly ignored by political reporters – story. Of course, he has the obligatory THE LEFT IS VIOLENT TOO paragraph, so fuck that guy, forever and always, but still. Yep. I don’t think anyone should underestimate the power of the threat that Trump’s army of violent, brainwashed followers bring to the political system. Look what’s happened to James Lankford in the Senate for having the nerve to negotiate a hard right, draconian border bill that until five minutes ago would have been a Republican wet dream. Death threats, sanctions and probably a primary opponent.

Many GOPers Are Quitting

https://digbysblog.net/2024/02/19/many-gopers-are-quitting/
Created
Tue, 20/02/2024 - 10:30
Can you blame them? House Republicans were shocked by some of the recent high-profile retirements announced by their colleagues, which have included powerful committee chairs and rising stars inside the GOP. But given the miserable state of affairs inside the House right now, they also weren’t exactly surprised. “They’ve signed up to do serious things. And we’re not doing serious things,” said Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, a conservative who is retiring after bucking his party on several key issues. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a moderate who represents a key swing seat, pointed to his party’s struggle to govern as driving the departures. “When you’re divided in your own conference, the joy of the job is harder,” Bacon told CNN. “When you have folks on your own team with their knives out, it makes it less enjoyable.” And Rep.

Exclusive: ADL pushed BMG to drop Roger Waters by threatening to weaponize company’s Nazi past

https://thegrayzone.com/2024/02/19/adl-bmg-to-drop-roger-waters-nazi-past/
Created
Tue, 20/02/2024 - 09:16

The Grayzone has obtained a private letter authored by ADL director Jonathan Greenblatt threatening to weaponize the Nazi past of the BMG music company unless executives terminated a major deal with Roger Waters. BMG has publicly denied Israel lobby influence on its decision to nix Waters’ contract. When the Berlin-based BMG music company terminated its business relationship with Roger Waters, the Pink Floyd co-founder claimed the decision was spurred by a concerted Israel lobby-directed campaign to financially retaliate against his […]

The post Exclusive: ADL pushed BMG to drop Roger Waters by threatening to weaponize company’s Nazi past first appeared on The Grayzone.

The post Exclusive: ADL pushed BMG to drop Roger Waters by threatening to weaponize company’s Nazi past appeared first on The Grayzone.

Thank You

https://digbysblog.net/2024/02/19/thank-you-4/
Created
Tue, 20/02/2024 - 09:00
So much of the media seems determined to portray the Democrats as big huge losers with a constituency full of apathetic losers and it just ain’t true. Just because they aren’t staging freak show rallies with a bunch of nuts dressed like weirdos doesn’t mean people aren’t voting and voting in droves. The problem with this stuff is that they are setting up Trump to say the election was stolen next November. After all, the media has been saying that Biden is universally loathed because he’s old, that the polls have Trump winning in a landslide and that nobody in the country knows anything about what Biden has done as president because he’s … old. How can trump possibly lose? It’s impossible! This stuff might as well be an in-kind donation to fund his legal challenges in the next election.