This is not something I say very often*

[conuly]

But I seem to have put too much sugar in my tea.

* Really. My normal approach can be jocularly summed up as "sugar with a little bit of tea mixed in"!

*****************************

Preserved roses bring Valentine's Day sales jolt to Ecuador

Fascinating etymology here!

Ridicule of leaders, samba, skimpy garb at Brazil Carnival

Why a Small Town in Washington State Is Still Printing Wooden Money

Inside the desperate fight to keep old TVs alive

Meet the Walt Disney of Eastern Europe

Gone With A Shot? Hopeful New Signs Of Relief For Migraine Sufferers

Can gene therapy be harnessed to fight the AIDS virus?

It's always fun when xkcd nails it.

The harsh lives of New York City street kids, captured — in a flash — by Jacob Riis

A Better Way to Look at Most Every Political Issue (Not sure I agree, but it is interesting.)

Police officer fired for not shooting black suspect wins $175,000

'We are being targeted': Voodoo believers fear a backlash

Trump Administration Wants To Decide What Food SNAP Recipients Will Get (This is a bad idea. SNAP, as it functions now, is one of the most cost effective economic stimuli we've got. Write to the usual suspects and tell them don't agree to this. If you need to bang on phrases like "creeping bureaucracy" and "free market", so be it.)

US pushes for home countries to take back detainees in Syria

The Education Department Officially Says It Will Reject Transgender Student Bathroom Complaints

Ordinary Americans carried out inhumane acts for Trump

US Resettles More Christian Refugees Than Muslims as Overall Numbers Plummet

3 jail officials charged in death of inmate whose water was turned off

Member of Central Park Five Slams Trump Hypocrisy for ‘Due Process’ Defense

'I feel trapped': Violence fuels fear among Myanmar Muslims (That first paragraph will feel extremely familiar to anybody who has studied history.)

Venezuela’s economy is so bad, parents are leaving their children at orphanages

Philippines: Rodrigo Duterte orders soldiers to shoot female rebels 'in the vagina'

Liberian church massacre survivors seek US justice

Satellites show warming is accelerating sea level rise

Microplastics pollute most remote and uncharted areas of the ocean

Your Daily Reminder That It's Not Just Flint

Comments

[mommy]

My gut reaction to the idea of replacing SNAP benefits is general flailing about food restrictions. The sodium and iodine content in canned foods alone is horrific! What of peanut allergies, or individuals who suffer from Celiac's? Would seasonings and spices even be acknowledged under such a ridiculous plan, or would people be expected to live off of the blandest dregs available?

My second thoughts were about which companies would have to be heavily subsidized just to cover the plan. I imagine buying in bulk to that extent requires pre-ordering. I don't see this would help keep costs down.

[archangelbeth]

But it would funnel them to cronies!

Probably the guy who proposed it saw the holiday "Thanksgiving Dinner in a Box" stuff that some supermarkets do in conjunction with a local food bank, and thought it was a greeeeeat idea. O:p