Interesting post. Would you guys consider doing away with italics to improve readability on all block quotes? It’s a block quote so you don’t need to ital it and if the point is to add emphasis it hurts readability.

Italics are only intended for short phrases or words, not long block quotes. See the following:

http://www.webdesignfromscratch.com/basics/readability/

Italics are quite handy for emphasising words or short phrases. They tend to have a softer emphasis than emboldening. Italics should not be used for blocks of text, because they can have a similar effect to serif fonts at small resolutions, reducing readability. Sans-serif fonts that work well on screen can have poor readability in italic form.

Just goes to show how “sincere” he is about culling wasteful public expenditure.

I assume the fact that we’re now attracting typographical experts is a reflection of our growing influence.

On more substantive matters, Christie is a hypocritical putz. And this wasn’t even state business — he should be forced to reimburse the State of New Jersey for his joyriding.

Ah! The virtues of selfishness and insanity.

How unrealistic of him!

Well, what did you expect? He can’t take the train.

heh

The italics are part of the wordpress format.

Definitly!

I mean when we have to have fights in DC about seniors and their Social Security Medicare because of huge debt, you’d think they would also be cutting out Corporate subsidies, tax breaks, and R&D grants!

For Pete’s sake! What are they trying to do here, close the country down?

Here is a story about “Chris Christie.” I do not believe I used any italics.

http://my.firedoglake.com/cranestation/2011/05/16/the-texas-chainsaw-history-book-massacre/

I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were from N.J.

Could you fuck off already? You’ve made this comment on a number of threads.

If you really want to influence web design you could consider the new concept of the “page” to replace the concept of the traditional “scroll”.

Of course the concept of laptop PCs being configured on for typing, and not reading would also have to change, and well as the concept of consuming vertical space with menu bars and other unnecessary accoutrements.

The page. It’s worked well on paper.

Christie an arrogant, mean-spirited jerk. A super-sized Guiliani. They like him because he sounds like a radio talk show host. Some savior.

Christy is now into imperial entrances? When’s the coronation?

Chris Christie’s arrogance.

Just a reflection of the times. A man of his weight deserves the best, fastest, transport. (Which raises a technical question, how did that helicopter get off the ground?)

I’m surprised he had to take a Sedan Car for the last 100 years, a Sedan Chair, powered by loving taxpayers (wage slaves) would be more appropriate.

What is it you people want, a democracy?

So cuts in teacher’s pensions cuts in everything paid for Chris to take a police helicopter to a baseball game?
Just what urgent crime happened there to justify this? Just what State business was so urgent it had to be discussed Right Now! at a little league game and could not wait?

Misusing State funds like police helicopters for personal use is the same as misusing state funds like cash for personal use thats illegal.

This is not a campaign finance charge where he can claim a mistake was made and pay the money back this is theft.
If the local D.A won’t prosecute and I don’t think they or the Feds will then we can use it to impeach and or recall him given his popularity ratings now we can easily recall him.

No doubt there’s some rightwing talk-jock at the ready to justify (yeah: teh horror! I just used italics, so screw me) Blubber-gut Christie’s use of NJ tax dollars to haul his over-inflated @ss around the rather small state of NJ… so Christie can attend a baseball game!

Figures. No doubt old lard-@ss Limbaugh, himself, is clapping, cheering, hooting & hollering for Christie’s excellent USE of NJ tax dollars to enrich Christie, personally.

Hey folks! Wake the eff UP, already. Tax dollars are ONLY to be taken from the “small folks” in order to ENRICH the super wealthy & their “retainers,” like Christie. Doncha know that already???

Well, to be fair to Christie, he is entirely too fat to be expected to walk all the way from the outfield to the luxury bleachers.

The big surprise to me was that the helicopter was actually able to lift him.

When can we recall him? Can we recall him? Or must we impeach? We need to hammer the local State’s Attorney for not going after the governor.
We need to force the State’s Attorney to either prosecute or be linked as a Crony of Chris’s.
If the State’s Attorney takes a dive and does a fake prosecution we let it be known the State’s Attorney will be considered a Crony of Chris’s.
We let the judge in the case now that he to will be marked.

Fat Hawk Down

I think he’s consulting with Rachel Paulose on that coronation thing.

Speaking of whom, WTF is that bitch Paulose doing still on the government payroll? And has she been able to move out of her parents’ basement yet?

“Voters are split on whether they have a favorable or unfavorable impression of Christie, with 46 percent viewing him favorably and 44 percent unfavorably. That’s down significantly from December, when 49 percent of voters saw Christie favorably and 39 percent had an unfavorable impression.”

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03/gov_christies_poll_numbers_dro.html

Given Chris has not polled above 50% for months before this happened well I think we can recall or impeach him.

Jon. What’s with the typos in your article titles? No biggie, but somewhat puzzling.

+1

Roger Alies think Chris who can’t get 50% in his own state can save the GOP? Is Chris polling above 50% in other states for some reason?
All the GOP Governors that are doing the same stuff Chris is going in his state are polling less than 50% so I doubt Chris or any GOP Governor can win a general election.
Cutting benefits and cutting state spending means cutting jobs which surprise surprise is not very popular during a Depression.

What does that mean? And why can’t it be altered? Anything in web design can be altered, can’t it?

Not sure I understand your post but I get your anger. Are you having issues? Seems a little overblown for my small attempt to try and improve the readability of this site.

Not sure why you would swear at me and make an incomprehensible reply but whatever.

That was me, I put the title in, don’t blame Jon, blame me for not proofing one last time be for putting this on the front page.

Sorry Jon!

Yes, I’m having issues. Stay on thread.

It gets worse and worse. Christie probably has coronary artery disease, an American affliction. Things like the food we eat are attuned to making a buck to the exclusion of everything else.

The question remains, and I apologize for posing it so often to people who apparently have no interest, is there anything we can do to change things? Can we begin by losing our inclination to hierarchy?

Christie disembarked from the helicopter and got into a black car with tinted windows that drove him about a 100 yards to the baseball field.

During the 5th inning, Christie and First Lady Mary Pat Christie got into the car, rode back to the helicopter and left the game.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/gov_christie_arrives_at_sons_h.html

What no motorized wheel chair for him and the wife to take him from the helicopter to the car? No crane to lift him from the car to the motorized wheel chair? At his weight any exercise could be fatal!

“The helicopters, which can reach nearly 200 miles per hour with its twin turbo-shaft engines, are designed for homeland security duties and transporting critically injured patients.”

I, too, prefer to use the state’s brand-new AugustaWestland helicopter to fly to my 12 year-old’s soccer games. Obviously, it’s a homeland security issue.

Why is it that someone like Christie, who refused federal funds for high-speed rail, vacationed in the Caribbean during a snowstorm, and suggested beating a woman with a baseball bat (h/t Crane-Station) has any support from anybody? There sure is an ugly streak in American politics today. But I suppose it’s always been that way. *sigh*

Walking a hundred yards would prolly kill this fat fuck.

On edit: I shoulda used italics.

The State Police have double rotor, heavy lift helos ?

Then a driver has to arrive there before him so the corpulent cristy doesn’t have to walk ?

If Christie wasn’t the governor of NJ, can you imagine what John Mackey– the picture of compassion– would say to him (Aug. 18, 2009)?

I think the Tominater-dude and this Criss-dude should sit down together and ‘italic’ it out and by the way I like ‘Fat Hawk down’ -(and I love typos it reminds me on the great old times where the Intertubes were the Intertubes and the grammar-and-’italics’-police wasn’t permittted!)

Walking is for the peasants. The powerful and monied are allowed to use and abuse all things the public has paid for.

“It is a means of transportation that is occasionally used as the schedule demands,” said Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak in an email. “This has historically been the case in prior administrations as well, and we continue to be judicious in limiting its use.”

Prove it give examples. Not that hey other people have stole so it ok if I steal is a defense for theft.

The governor had no public events on his schedule, offering no insight to where he might have been traveling from. He had a private meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Drumthwacket, the governor’s mansion, in Princeton. He is meeting with a group of Iowa donors who have publically expressed a desire to persuade him to run for president in 2012.

No public events so it was not used for state use!

Christie was ferried to the field in a brand-new AugustaWestland helicopter, purchased at a cost to taxpayers of $12.5 million.

The State Police has received two of the five helicopters purchased so far, according to testimony from Attorney General Paula Dow during a May budget hearing. They were purchased to replace aging Sikorsky helicopters that the State Police have flown for about two decades.

The helicopters, which can reach nearly 200 miles per hour with its twin turbo-shaft engines, are designed for homeland security duties and transporting critically injured patients.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/gov_christie_arrives_at_sons_h.html

My bolds so Chris had better hope that no crimes, no terrorists needed catching and nobody needed medical help that day unless Chris wants to argue his son’s little league is more important than human lives.
Just how much does it cost to run one of these helicopters an hour?
Everyone must cut back wasteful state spending but the Governor please tell me the state does not pay for his meals too.

You know the people on fox new are on The Crystal Meth of Disinformation and Propaganda.Chronic, high-dose Speed (methamphetamine)abusers are susceptible to violent and erratic behavior, and a psychosis similar to schizophrenia.

Chris is a likely candidate like Roger for black market organs its funny how many GOPers stay alive for so long in obvious bad health.
Its funny that nobody ever gets prosecuted never mind their name mentioned as having taken a black market organ.

That’s okay, they don’t really know what they’re getting with black market organs. The sellers don’t give a rat’s ass.

Lisa talked about this last night. It’s three out of the seven rolled into one attractive package. Why walk when you can ride– especially when it’s on other peoples’ dimes?

Did it just drop him off or was it on standby in case it was needed for an emergency veto or sumpting ?

Did the driver stand by to take fat boy out for Ice Cream after the game ?

Does fat boy ever drive himself anywhere ?

Sheesh, this doesn’t even make it to content troll status.

;-) Yep.

I am so looking forward to scoring up. Did you know that DeMint wants term limits? I think we should back him up on that. It sure would help in the weeding.

Roger does not seem to see a link between Glen Beck’s falling numbers and the failure of Chris and the GOP governors pushing ideas Glen and Fox News promoted?
Roger does not seem to see that the GOP Presidential candidates can’t beat Obama pushing the Fox News agenda?
All Roger sees is that if around 30% of the voters watch your news then you win the ratings wars against all the other news channels.
Roger 30% does not win elections.

Including “italics“

And this wasn’t even state business — he should be forced to reimburse the State of New Jersey for his joyriding.

I’m sure that His Honorableness will be cutting the check in 5…4…3…2…2…2…2…2…2…2………

then again – maybe not.

Self appointed “Italics Nazi“

MuuHaaaaha! See, I am so bad at grammar most times, I don’t even worry about the politically correct italicness of things. I do pay special attention to quotes though.

I’m sure that he’s using the security issue as an excuse.

Granted, Rethugs tend, by virtue of their actions, to need a tad more security (see also: January 2001, stolen election, Bush inaugural DC motorcade, eggs), whereas Democrats often don’t (September 2011, Clintons, NYC ground zero, cheering crowds).

Of Course! You just nailed it, PW. Heck, they are so scared of everything that any mundane thing like attending a ballgame warps into major National Security Issues. Sheesh! Why didn’t I think of that. I coulda had a…

Nevermind.

Check the spelling in the title of the recent Romney article

can I be in charge of apostrophe’s?

(I’ll do it on a probationary basis, especially since I don’t know whether the plural of apostrophe includes an apostrophe)

I’m perfect for this job.

Just got to throw this into the mix. I have designed and developed web sites since the first bell back at MIT and I think that, even with the best intentions, the eejit that is chuntering about italics should rather spend his/her time doing something useful like pissing up a rope.

Italics, by the way, are not “standard” WordPress, or Joomla or Drupal or Concrete. It is all in the CSS don-cha-know

Just my 2¢

In addition no able-bodied person anywhere should ever be driven a mere 100 yards.

Wrong. Didn’t you know Christie’s going for the record of “most chins had by an elected official”? Any form of exercise could ruin his chances.

Okay, you can be the “Quotes-meister”.

I agree completely. It’s about housekeeping, which seems absent nowadays from all text in the media. To fix, all it takes is some discipline.

Regarding Christie, he really needs a Lear 60 to go far enough away to justify it AND be forgotten. I suspect his chopper ride was more than 100 yards, though. We don’t know where he flew from. . .

I just figured Tominator was sneakily pushing his website… could be wrong…

sure! You can take charge of that. Politican’s or Politicans’ heliocop- – ters.

I know it should be the public’s intead of the politican’s.

Now that was funny!

Is there a reason to get nasty and tell someone to “fuck off”?

It doesn’t. ;-)

this doesn’t bode well for my probationary status, huh?

as my following comment awaits ‘moderation’ I would like to ad-on: “I think the Tominater-dude and this Criss-dude should sit down together and ‘italic’ it out and by the way I like ‘Fat Hawk down’ -(and I love typos it reminds me on the great old times where the Intertubes were the Intertubes and the grammar-and-’italics’-police wasn’t permittted!)
AD-ON:You! – You ‘moderator’ -(and I asked that before) am I really that subversive or are you the ‘Tominator’?

Nope. Just an ex-print journalist who remembers his sophomore journalism school typography class. I HATE things that take away from readability.

I find it hard to read the block quotes and generally just don’t read them.

Seriously, Italics is meant to emphasis something, in small doses. If you block whole graphs, the emphasis is built into the block indent so you don’t need to italicize it, forgetting the notion that you’ve now made it much harder to read.

:-))

707777777777777 x 2!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not enough black pleather and polyester satin in the universe, here or far, far away.

LOL. Nope.one of my grammar hot buttons (I can be a real grammar scold) is misuse of apostrophes. But I was teasing cuz I figured yours was in fun.

Of course leading would have a lot to do with it. When I use blocks of italics I tend to set leading at approx 135%…it does make for easier reading.

I don’t disagree with you, but dropping that same comment into multiple threads doesn’t get your point across. Use the “Contact” link at the top to send your comment to someone who might be able to do something about it!

re: poor readability.

Never mind. Why waste energy on a horses ass?

“Does fat boy ever drive himself anywhere ?”

Only if he takes the front seat out?

Forget it – I guess I found out how this system works – So I post here and I get ‘moderated’ and I post overthere and they ‘embrace the suck”.
So if I just avoid ‘Jon’ – I should be okay…? (But it’s kind of sad – I like “Jon” – you know who?)

Christie is a member of America’s royalty, the plutocracy. Obedient subjects have no argument with royalties special “perks.” Citizens might have a problem.

Seriously, it’s ok with me if you don’t read the italics blocks …

Long time for moderator approval. If you want to be rid of me all you need do is censor me. Just tell me what’s on your mind and I’ll go.

Ok, I know that it is irresponsible and wrong for Gov. Christie to take the helicopter and limo rides. I agree with that, and also think he is a mega-douche for doing so.

However – mocking the man’s weight just kind of seems “wrong” when my liberal-biased-hippy-treehugger-openmindedness kicks in. Make fun of his greed, make fun of his hypocracy – but to make fun of his physical appearance seems just 1 step removed from racism and bigotry, IMNSHO.

I’ll try to use corpulent instead of “fat Boy”.

Bingo!

Christie was stupid to take a state chopper to his son’s baseball game and no doubt he has a streak of arrogance.

But public employees in New Jersey still should pay more towards their health insurance.The messenger may be flawed but the message of reining in the outsized benefits of NJ public employees is still valid.

Christie was stupid to use a state chopper to attend his son’s baseball game and no doubt he has a streak of arrogance about him.

However,New Jersey public employees still should pay more towards their health insurance.The messenger may be flawed but the message of getting some kind of control over the increases in wages and benefits of public employees in New Jersey is still valid.

I basically agree with you Arla, even though I made one of the fat jokes. I feel some license with Christie because he’s a poster boy for Republican austerity and conservative values that he clearly does not apply to his own personal consumption habits. It’s similar to Foley/Haggard/Craig, et al–it’s okay to be gay, but then don’t lecture people about how gays are evil and vote against gay rights.

Christie is too much of an asshole to realize that he can’t just point his finger at the people of his state and force them to tighten their belts while accepting his shitty plans to NOT create jobs in their state, and then act like he doesn’t have to tighten his own effing belt.

I agree on Italics it is to emphasize something, and is pointless and hard to read as used in the block quotes. All they achieve is to withdraw the feature of italics, for fine tuning the quote.

WordPress is a free source software, here is a link on this subject: http://wordpress.org/support/topic/change-style-of-blockquote-paragraphs-alignment

Seems to be a lot of hanger oners have becoming more mainstream in the way they attack and harass and show their asses, by revealing themselves as just the same bunch of twerps you found years ago… years ago when they killed CB radio, then of course they spammed and killed the beginnings of free internet and email, but some haven’t progressed as far as they like to pretend.

This site that has highbrow intentions, if I can say that, is a kind of refuge, but some really don’t feel too secure with that, they don’t really feel at home there, they are starting to show their crude natures. The guy just made a completely justified complaint, that would be better if it were considered.

Some seem to feel like they are secure, as a part of a community, with recognized names and blog buddies, but that they can revert to tribal exclusiveness, put the new arrivals and “outsiders” through the gauntlet, for constructive criticisms, what community is it really, they come and they go, where’s somebody like Rayne to administer some discipline around here? Now you see what happens when they don’t have a whip. I miss the moderators of last year, who would step in a admonish the rudeness.

Instead of pilling on the diverse commenters, who may not be vetted with the “old guard” of FDL, they form a jeering gang, to build up each other’s difficient ego’s at the expense of a visitor who makes a constructive suggestion. Who needs that, when there really are some better targets? More worthwhile subjects of derision, Christie is no… Toni Soprano… like that, he’s no… Jack Kennedy…

And referencing Big Guido… Gov Christie, as a fatso, well that’s politically incorrect, some folks are big, you don’t make that an issue, I mean unless you are one of those gym animals who spend their lives in the mirror, getting perfect, no I won’t take that image to where it goes, just leave it at narcissistic.

It’s not just liberal gentility-remarking on someone’s race, body type, gender, choice of clothing and other irrelevant issues detracts from any valid points to be made. Ed Schultz got suspended for calling Laura Ingraham a slut-and more, damaged his own credentials as a commentator on serious matters, and elevating Ingraham, contemptible propagandist for right-wing corruption that she is, into an “innocent” victim. Including such irrelevant remarks makes one easy to be dismissed, and Christie’s, Scott’s, Walker’s Kasich’s, Snyder’s infamies all survive unmolested.

This is yet another example of Christie’s open, arrogant misuse of state government funds that make his excuses for budget austerity self-serving lies. I think this matters more to New jersey voters than anyone’s girth.

Frankly, I find Tominator’s one-note symphony irritating and heartily second synoia’s “fuck off.”

OK, I buy your distraction point, as you’re not claiming anything value-laden.

But the idea that ridiculing someone’s weight is analogous to racism is just another example of political correctness run amok. Unlike their race, people determine their weight with their choices. Personally, I think it’s a good thing that there is some social downside to being completely indisciplined about one’s diet.

He did but the traffic violations citations were getting out of hand–especially when he pulled the do-you-know-who-I-am on cops. Understand this: Christie is not even slightly embarrassed about his driving issues. He embodies the concept of entitled privilege. I would include a link but if you goggle Christie traffic violations, you’ll get more hits than you have time to read. Christie is not just obnoxious, he’s dangerous.

Yes, ok, you have a point.

Yet it’s interesting that rightwing commentators routinely (eek Italics) call so-called leftwing people names, but for reasons which escape me now, if lefties call a rightwinger a name, we’re held more accountable.

Ok, ok: 2 wrongs don’t make a “right.” Just saying.

For me – as one who CHOSE to call Christie LardGalt, I feel that his corpulance is very indicative of his greedy, gluttinous nature, as exhibited by Christie spending $1000s of taxpayer dollars fly his LardGalt butt in a freakin helicopter (and then get a 100 yard limo ride) to a sporting event, whilst telling NJ taxpayers to tighten THEIR belts. I sure don’t see Christie tightening anything but the screws on his voters.

Maybe unfair to others who have weight issues, I know, but that’s the way I see it. As one commenter indicated, people with weight issues MOSTLY (not always) have a clear choice in what/how they eat, etc. It’s not at all the same as race, gender, gender preference, nationality, ethnicity,color of skin or even, to an extent, religion.

If the shoe fits… yadda yadda…

bawahahahahahahaha!