Didn’t Mao brush his teeth with tea instead of toothpaste?

Zhou Enlai might be a good choice.

Rosa Luxemburg’s cat Mimi is my pick, though.

I was thinking more along the lines of

“Well, Mr Malloy… it seems the cat burglar has been caught . . . by the very person . . . who was trying to catch him!”

“How ironic.”

I believe you! I only remembered the one-liner myself, and not even his name. I’m glad this thread spurred me to add more to my urbanism reading list.

This sounds akin to Richard Sennett’s definition of a city as “a human settlement in which strangers are likely to meet.”

Edit - more than merely akin:

Sennett likes “grim.” He also likes “difficulty,” “complexity,” and “friction.” His critique of the effect of digital devices on the city, apart from the fact that they are “individualizing machines,” is that apps like Google Maps make the city too user-friendly, too “friction-free.” If you think that the role of a designer, whether of software or of city streets, is to make those things easier to use, Sennett would disagree. He sees “encounters with resistance” as crucial to learning any craft, even the craft of dwelling. Getting lost is how we learn.

:kelly: Incept-halitis

Alabama is the only state where judges have routinely overridden jury verdicts of life to impose capital punishment.

Since 1976, Alabama judges have overridden jury verdicts 112 times. Judges have authority to override life or death verdicts, but 91% of overrides have overruled jury verdicts of life to impose the death penalty.

Judge override is a significant contributor to Alabama’s high death sentencing rate. Nearly 20% of the people currently on death row were sentenced to death through judicial override.

https://eji.org/reports/judge-override/

On the other hand: Jury Selection Proving Difficult In Trial Of ‘The Jury Killer’

The swallows no longer return to San Juan Capistrano so they needed a new seasonal event.

Nately could scarcely believe his ears. He had never heard such shocking blasphemies before, and he wondered with instinctive logic why the why G-men did not appear to lock the traitorous old man up. “America is not going to be destroyed!” he shouted passionately.

“Never?” prodded the old man softly.

“Well…” Nately faltered.

The old man laughed indulgently, holding in check a deeper, more explosive delight. His goading remained gentle. “Rome was destroyed, Greece was destroyed, Persia was destroyed, Spain was destroyed. All great countries are destroyed. Why not yours? How much longer do you really think your own country will last? Forever? Keep in mind that the earth itself is destined to be destroyed by the sun in twenty-five million years or so."

Nately squirmed uncomfortably. “Well, forever is a long time, I guess.”

“A million years?” persisted the old man with keen, sadistic zest. “A half million? The frog is almost five hundred million years old. Could you really say with much certainty that America, with all its strength and prosperity, with its fighting man that is second to none, and with its standard of living that is the highest in the world, will last as long as the… frog?”

(Catch-22)

They already have a base of pro-Danish monarchists in Solvang

They hated Cassandra because she spoke the truth.

LLMs are class reductionists

This is almost verbatim a Marc Maron bit

My “I am a Mossad agent” shirt is furthering a narrative that is already furthered by my actions.

They did finally make parking tickets slightly less onerous:

Assembly Bill 1299 was introduced by Isaac Bryan (D-Clover City) and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 6, 2025. It took effect on Jan. 1. If a person can prove their inability to pay a parking ticket in full, the new law authorizes the issuing agency to reduce or waive the parking penalty.

…

Now, if a contestant provides satisfactory evidence, such as proof of homelessness, financial hardship, or other extenuating circumstances, the unpaid parking ticket can be waived, reduced, or paid through a payment plan.

The worst ones were expired registration tickets. Late on registration, or with a sticker that’s been stolen by someone who wishes they had your parking spot, and suddenly you’re getting $60 tickets that double after 21 days, and a vengeful traffic pig can just keep adding to the pile. The city issues the parking violation and the state collects the registration fee and its late penalties, so it’s not in anyone’s interest to listen to you when you say you’d love to register your car, but can’t because your budget goes to paying off the parking tickets.

All enemies of America love killing ThEiR oWn PeOpLe! It’s the only reason they’re in power. Strikes on Russia are just what Putin wants.

I’m also reminded of the time the Washington Post said Bernie was doing a Pinocchio when he said that millions of Americans work second jobs, because the number was eight million and not everyone.

Clyde Emmons, of Michigan. His Facebook profile had a Nazi salute.

Trump Claims He Will Marry Maduro’s Wife Until Suitable Replacement Found

<WASHINGTON—Stressing that he was prepared to remain in the role for as long as necessary, President Donald Trump claimed Monday that he would marry Venezuelan first lady Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro. “Until we can find a suitable long-term replacement, I’ll be married to Mrs. Maduro,” Trump said in a news conference in which he repeatedly insisted his position as Flores de Maduro’s temporary spouse would not interfere with his current obligations to Melania Trump. “Cilia is a woman with tremendous potential who’s been hampered for too long because of a corrupt and illegitimate husband. So I’m going to step in as her dearly beloved for the foreseeable future while we figure out a way to give her a proper wedding day.” Trump added that his planned honeymoon with the Venezuelan first lady would not cost the American taxpayer “a single cent” because of the involvement of domestic oil companies.