Random randomness

[Jaymann]

When worlds collide: Mark Wahlberg is set to play Bill Belichick in a movie. Break out the hepcat.

[Daehawk]

Had to Google Bill Belichick.

[AWS260]

Well, he certainly has the emotional range for the part.

[gilraen]

Well, he certainly has the emotional range for the part.

[Madmarcus]

Can anyone do anything about the expired security certificate on OO? It's annoying to have a warning pop up at every click on the site.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Can anyone do anything about the expired security certificate on OO? It's annoying to have a warning pop up at every click on the site.

FishPants is applying his piscine prowess to the problem.

In the meantime, try pointing your browser at the non-HTTPS URL, and granting an exception for it.

[Daehawk]

Food prices SUCK. 18 eggs $5. I had to get boneless skinless chicken breasts for my dog and his stomach. 6 used to be $7. I paid $20 today. At the deli I asked how much 1 fried chicken breast was...$10.99..pass.

I spent my entire $121 EBT today PLUS $30 of my bank money Im really not supposed to spend. It will do about 2 weeks if Im lucky. Im SICK of food bank beans and peas... Could hurl.

I Still have $0 saved for my property taxes at the end of the year. Ive had my power bill paid for 3 months and SHOULD have the $300 saved already. So Im screwed. Why the gov took away the Covid help is a good question right when prices have gone sky high all over AND covid isn't gone. My fridge, freezer and cabinet were totally bare for 4 days before today.

[Isgrimnur]

USA Today

[T]he number of Kmarts in the U.S. – once well over 2,000 –will be down to three in the continental U.S. and a handful of stores elsewhere, according to multiple reports, in a retail world now dominated by Walmart, Target and Amazon.

For now, Kmart stores in the continental U.S., continue to operate in Westwood, New Jersey; Bridgehampton, on New York’s Long Island; and Miami, Florida.

[Daehawk]

Loved K-Mart as a kid. Blue light specials, a great little diner, computers and records. As an adult me and my wife loved a Big K-Mart they built in the 90s. But it closed years later. I cant really say I miss them as a shopping place but more as a memory....a part of my life.

[LordMortis]

Food prices SUCK. 18 eggs $5. I had to get boneless skinless chicken breasts for my dog and his stomach. 6 used to be $7. I paid $20 today. At the deli I asked how much 1 fried chicken breast was...$10.99..pass.

I spent my entire $121 EBT today PLUS $30 of my bank money Im really not supposed to spend. It will do about 2 weeks if Im lucky. Im SICK of food bank beans and peas... Could hurl.

I Still have $0 saved for my property taxes at the end of the year. Ive had my power bill paid for 3 months and SHOULD have the $300 saved already. So Im screwed. Why the gov took away the Covid help is a good question right when prices have gone sky high all over AND covid isn't gone. My fridge, freezer and cabinet were totally bare for 4 days before today.

Food prices do suck. Nearly everything I buy has doubled in the last two years. But what is it that has your stuff so expensive? 18 eggs here are about $3.00 and can be found on deep sale at Kroger once a month for $1.47. It's not like you live in a giant urban hub, where everything is more expensive.

Looks like they are more expensive your way. Your Walmart suggests they are $3.40 for large eggs by the 18 count but you can get them for $11.16 by 60 count if you are watching your pennies that closely.

[LordMortis]

USA Today

[T]he number of Kmarts in the U.S. – once well over 2,000 –will be down to three in the continental U.S. and a handful of stores elsewhere, according to multiple reports, in a retail world now dominated by Walmart, Target and Amazon.

For now, Kmart stores in the continental U.S., continue to operate in Westwood, New Jersey; Bridgehampton, on New York’s Long Island; and Miami, Florida.

The original KMart, not too far from my house, is now a dirt lot. The ripped out everything sometime over the pandemic. Most of the other KMarts around here have long since been torn down or repurposed. We had a lot of them. One or two in every six square mile township.

[The Meal]

I saw two K-Marts last week!

[hitbyambulance]

i had a mental hierarchy of 'stores where toys could be found':

bottom of the barrel were convenience stores and gas stations. not much of interest there
then there were drug stores. some things of interest, but not a whole lot
then there were the low-end department stores - Pamida, Ben Franklin. selection not so hot, prices not great
K-Mart was like half a step up. nearly adequate selection, but it just felt 'different' from (read: not as good as) the mighty...
TARGET - by far the best selection and prices.
'all kid' stores like Children's Palace and Toys'R'Us were the supreme for variety and selection, but prices weren't too good. (and the parents didn't often take me to these places)
regular department stores like Sears, JCPenney's, Dayton's (Donaldson's, Montgomery Wards...) had selection but prices were quite high, so not much was ever purchased from those places.

most favorite places were LaBelle's (later renamed BEST), which seemed to have a decent selection AND good prices for some reason, and Kay-Bee (a giant 'clearance/bargain bin' in store form) - prices could not be beat here and you could catch up on the discontinued toys you missed out on several years prior.)

[Daehawk]

I need the blades on that used mower I got last year sharpened. The things have never been sharpened and its 11 years old. its like spinning bricks. Tearing up my grass. Making it hard on the mower too. I cant find anyone that has a mobile service to come out and do it. I have a grinding wheel and can do it myself or replace them but I cant get the damn things off. They are seriously ON there. Ive tried both muscle and a drill driver whatever that hammers as it turns...nothing . Seems no shops or small family run places do this anymore. I thought it would be common.

The Ag-Pro place said they dont do that but if they did they'd charge $500 or so. Im fucking 1/4 a mile down the road from them if that far. Im tempted to ride it over there on the highway. They said they charge $60 labor to take them off.. Fucking world. Wish i was off it. Shit like this just cements my hatred for it.

[Jaymon]

Anyone ever use Pluto TV or Tubi? Was recommended to me. looks like free tv and stuff watching.

I have pluto in my rotation. yeah, they just drop the ads in where ever, like, right in the middle of a sentence sometimes. But the reason I watch it is because of the channels. They have some channels dedicated to shows, and just run them 24x7. There is a classic Doctor Who channel that just runs the old episodes, and thats some good biz right there.

but the eyes, the pluto channel has eyes as a logo for some reason, and its kinda freaky, like, in a bad freaky way.

[Anonymous Bosch]

I need the blades on that used mower I got last year sharpened. The things have never been sharpened and its 11 years old. its like spinning bricks. Tearing up my grass. Making it hard on the mower too. I cant find anyone that has a mobile service to come out and do it. I have a grinding wheel and can do it myself or replace them but I cant get the damn things off. They are seriously ON there. Ive tried both muscle and a drill driver whatever that hammers as it turns...nothing . Seems no shops or small family run places do this anymore. I thought it would be common.

The Ag-Pro place said they dont do that but if they did they'd charge $500 or so. Im fucking 1/4 a mile down the road from them if that far. Im tempted to ride it over there on the highway. They said they charge $60 labor to take them off.. Fucking world. Wish i was off it. Shit like this just cements my hatred for it.

Here's a Chattanooga mower repair service that looks like it provides pickup and delivery for a roundtrip fee of $19.95 + the tune-up cost for your particular mower.

[Madmarcus]

FishPants is applying his piscine prowess to the problem.

Ah yes, the meta forum that I never scroll down far enough to see! Thanks for the reminder that it exists.

[Daehawk]

Food places online sites have me irked peeved or miffed.

I just want to view your menu you idiots. Let me click menu and then you show it to me!!! With prices is even better.

But no. I click menu and you want to ask where I am. Or ask which location you want to see. Then what do you do?? You ask me if I want to order pickup or delivery or even catering. Catering!? I just want to see your menu!!!!!!!!!!! F it...you will never be visited.

[dbt1949]

I just watched the Raid 2 and I get the impression that everybody in Indonesia know kung fu and martial arts and that they all carry knives and machetes. Can't carry guns cause that would be dangerous.

[Kraken]

18 eggs here are about $3.00 and can be found on deep sale at Kroger once a month for $1.47. It's not like you live in a giant urban hub, where everything is more expensive.

Looks like they are more expensive your way. Your Walmart suggests they are $3.40 for large eggs by the 18 count but you can get them for $11.16 by 60 count if you are watching your pennies that closely.

In our infinite woke-ness, a few years ago the voters of Mass. approved a "cage-free" egg standard to take effect (checks watch) why, right around now. Paying a little more for more humane production seemed like a small sacrifice at the time. In order to avert a predicted egg shortage, the legislature subsequently watered down those standards to more closely match the rest of the country. Still, eggs are at least $3.50/doz here, and boutique brands are as much as $6. But by all means, enjoy your cheap cruelty eggs!

Food prices are up across the board and they're going to keep rising with the loss of grain harvests from Russia and Ukraine.

[dbt1949]

Are your chickens happy and content when they get slaughtered? Don't need bad vibes in the meat.

[Kraken]

Are your chickens happy and content when they get slaughtered? Don't need bad vibes in the meat.

The revised standards aren't much different from the rest of the country, so our chickens are just as sad as yours. Most of our eggs come from out of state anyway.

Here's a random factoid: New Englanders won't buy white eggs. We are trained to believe that brown eggs are superior because that's what the local chickens lay. In actual fact, there aren't many local chickens anymore, and brown eggs and white eggs are nutritionally identical. Having lived here for 36 years now, white eggs just look wrong to me.

[dbt1949]

When I first moved up here I got a job working at the local bicycle shop. One of the things we did was fix bicycle wheels for Tyson Farms. They would have two bicycle wheels a going and run a chickens neck between them to kill the chickens.
I guess that's as good a way as any but it was ........ disturbing to me.

[Zarathud]

I remember my grandfather and father butchering about 100 chickens in the back yard. They’d walk up, get the axe, then run around before flopping down.

[LordMortis]

I remember my grandfather and father butchering about 100 chickens in the back yard. They’d walk up, get the axe, then run around before flopping down.

I remember it all too well. I never developed the farm or hunter killer inside. I just don't have it in me. I feel awful every time I kill a mouse trying to spread disease and wreak havoc on my house. I don't even kill the mouse. A trap does it while I'm asleep. I eat meat but I can't bring myself to kill an animal. I do eat less and less meat as I get older and even less, now that it's getting more and more expensive.

[Daehawk]

What does cage-free mean?

Cage-free refers to factory farming environments where chickens used in egg production—known as layer hens—are held in open indoor spaces, instead of within small cages. Cage-free represents an increased quality of life for hens as compared with those held in cages. However, cage-free hens still endure confinement within windowless sheds and are held at high stocking densities, meaning there are many birds crowded into a relatively small area. Overcrowding impinges upon hens’ ability to engage in natural behaviors. Still, anything is better than life in a cage—especially when it comes to battery cages, which will be explored next.

https://www.eater.com/2019/7/17/2069649 ... aised-eggs

[Kraken]

I hope nobody's under the illusion that their cage-free eggs come from chickens scratching happily in an outdoor pen, as the hens on my uncle's farm did. It still sucks to be a chicken.

[dbt1949]

When we left Kansas I had a couple of big white ducks. My dad killed them and we ate them.
When we moved to California we rented a house with a chicken that I made my pet. When we left that house my dad killed the chicken and we ate it.
Ever since then whenever I move my pets get real nervous.

[LordMortis]

I hope nobody's under the illusion that their cage-free eggs come from chickens scratching happily in an outdoor pen, as the hens on my uncle's farm did. It still sucks to be a chicken.

The chickens used to come peck on my parents door in the evening to remind them to lock the coop at night. This prolonged many of their lives from succumbing to the fox population. Fox in the hen house is a thing. Free range chickens have their own trials. It still sucks to be a chicken.

[Skinypupy]

Here's a random factoid: New Englanders won't buy white eggs. We are trained to believe that brown eggs are superior because that's what the local chickens lay. In actual fact, there aren't many local chickens anymore, and brown eggs and white eggs are nutritionally identical. Having lived here for 36 years now, white eggs just look wrong to me.

That's funny, I feel the same about brown eggs.

Regional idiosyncrasies are weird.

[Isgrimnur]

[Isgrimnur]

It still sucks to be a chicken.

Sucks more to be born a rooster.

[stessier]

It still sucks to be a chicken.

Sucks more to be born a rooster.

Wow - you ain't kiddin'. That's a google search I wish I'd avoided.

[Isgrimnur]

Sorry about that. There's a reason there was no link or video.

[hepcat]

Have a house guest for two weeks and I almost immediately came down with either food poisoning or stomach flu. I hope it’s the former, but I’m quarantined in my bedroom just in case.

[Daehawk]

More news on that K-Mart closing.

Once a retail giant, Kmart nears extinction after closure

[Holman]

Egg discussion up-thread reminds me of the central ethical crisis of my life:

0) Animals (us or others) experience suffering.
1) Suffering is bad.
2) Causing suffering is evil.
3) Animal suffering is just as bad as human suffering.
4) Our food economy maximizes animal suffering for profit.
5) [Fill in the fucking blank...]

If civilization survives climate change and 21stC nuclear risks, our descendants will see us as the generations who knew that causing suffering was evil yet did nothing about it.

[Jaymon]

Its snowed twice this week, and now its hailing. I'll just put this over here with the rest of the apocalypse.

[Brian]

I'll just put this over here with the rest of the apocalypse.

[Blackhawk]

Egg discussion up-thread reminds me of the central ethical crisis of my life:

0) Animals (us or others) experience suffering.
1) Suffering is bad.
2) Causing suffering is evil.
3) Animal suffering is just as bad as human suffering.
4) Our food economy maximizes animal suffering for profit.
5) [Fill in the fucking blank...]

If civilization survives climate change and 21stC nuclear risks, our descendants will see us as the generations who knew that causing suffering was evil yet did nothing about it.

A lot of people who would still can't do much. The limited amount of animal products that aren't cruel are typically far more expensive than the alternative (as in, if I get them, I won't have enough money left for everything else on the list), and most options are only sold in urban areas. Good luck finding vegetarian options other than whole vegetables in the rural US, and even that is limited to the best known options.

My compromise has been to eliminate meat as much as possible, and switch milk with almond milk as much as I can. But there is only so much that can be done with no options.