Coffee Break: Parker Tote

127 Comments

1. As you’ve gotten older have you cut out certain food groups or otherwise limited them (like no bread after 3pm)? My social media has been giving me anti-bread reels lately. If you did it because of bloating or whatever, how did you narrow it down to that causing the bloat?

   1. I started finding I was sensitive to dairy in my early 20s (was fine before) and it got worse over time, so now I have totally cut it out of my diet.

   2. I just eat less and less of everything the older I get.

   3. ugh every so often I must occasionally watch a “is your cortisol too high” reel that I’m served for .08 milliseconds too long and have to reset my Insta content to get rid of it. I suggest doing the same.

      In general, no I can’t “get away with” the same kind of sloppy eating from my early 20s, and still feel good the next day, but I don’t need an influencer to understand that.

      1. I cannot eat a whole plate of restaurant nachos as “girl dinner.” I now have to actually eat a small meal of real food (yes, the jalapenos are a veggie, but the queso and 500 chips sort of negate that).

      2. Wait…I can reset my Instagram content? Gamechanger!

         1. yes! go to your profile, then the settings & activity drop-down (from top right), then content preferences, then “reset suggested content”

            1. OMG thank you! For some reason I’ve been getting a ton of death posts from people I don’t follow and I don’t need that in my feed!

   4. Took me a while to figure out but up until I was in my late 20s, I always just thought I had a fussy tummy. Turns out once I really limited lactose and cut out artificial sweeteners, my digestive system handles just about everything else like a champ. Nearing 40, I’m finding that caffeine after 2pm has more of an effect on my sleep than it used to.

   5. No caffeine after noon. I should probably have always followed this rule, though. Even when I used it to pull all nighters in college, I think it made me feel sick and jittery more than it helped me stay awake.

      Bread at any time of day always works for me, though. I don’t eat a ton, but it’s one of the things that will always settle my stomach when I’m queasy (I have a chronic health condition where nausea is often a problem).

      1. +1 to no caffeine after noon.

         Bread gets such a bad rap, but it really depends on the ingredients, right? I suppose social media has its purpose, but none of those reels you’re watching are going to capture nuance and once the algorithm catches you watching one, it’s going to serve up 100 more identical ones just amplifying the same content.

      2. yes to no caffeine after noon!

   6. Yes. Did some testing with a functional doc that indicated some dairy categories were not good (which I kind of knew through real life but needed the validation). Also some sensitivity to gluten, which I was limiting anyway. Trying to eat with a focus on real food, plant-forward, and fiber rich with enough protein for me (which is not enough for many on this board, I know). I do animal sources for my protein – chicken, salmon, eggs, etc. Beef too, but more limited.

   7. No. I moderate my portion sizes because getting overstuffed doesn’t feel great to me the way that it might have at 2:30 in the morning after a night out when I was in college, but I’m happy to eat pretty much anything.

   8. Social Media 2026 is about one of the dumbest places to get health information.

      But I am old and have seen so many diet fads come and go. Carbs are good, carbs are bad. Limit fat, eat all the fat. I subscribe to the idea of eating in moderation, getting some activity, and doing my best to get good sleep.

      I also think that no one feels 100% healthy 100% of the time. Sometimes you just don’t feel great and it’s not due to any deficiency or pathology and it will pass.

   9. I ate a bread, pasta, carb-heavy diet until my 20s and was fine. And then I started noticing that bread upset my stomach, as well as some other symptoms that I now realize were celiac. At age 30, I got a celiac diagnosis.

   10. Im in my mid-40s. I’ve always been super-caffeine sensitive, so I don’t have chocolate or other caffeine after about 2pm.

       I have also recently found I am much more sensitive to alcohol and what I call “cheap bread.” For example, I had a Thomas’ English Muffin after dinner the other night as a snack and I was SO BLOATED the next day. This never happened before.

       1. I think it’s the salt and preservatives in processed bread.

   11. Early 40s and so far no new sensitivities. I was never much of an alcohol drinker though.

   12. Absolutely not. As I’ve gotten over I’m less gullible about fad nonsense

   13. I am 42 and as of the past year can no longer have dairy or things like pasta sauce after dinner or I wake up with raging heartburn.

       1. +1 to all of this at 43. I had ice cream yesterday and I’m definitely having gastro issues today. I also really have to watch the richness of what I’m eating – red meat/butter used in cooking or baking, but heavy cream based sauces or very cheesy meals are tough these days. Aged yogurt/skyr/cheese are all a bit better but portion sizes are also a key component.

   14. I thought I was developing gluten intolerance because I would feel so bloated after bread. Turns out I had colon cancer. That was my only symptom (plus anemia, which is why the colonoscopy that discovered the cancer). Surgery and recovered now after several years and eating bread just fine again like when I was younger.

   15. Certain chain brands of pizza that I used to be able to eat fine started to give me heartburn in my late 30s (looking at you, Papa John’s), but everything else seems to be fine thus far. (I’m a fan of Michael Pollan’s “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” school of thought).

   16. Genuinely, when I was getting bloating, I saw a doctor, and went from there. A medical elimination diet made it really obvious what was the food trigger, but I got some helpful test results for things that needed managed along the way.

   17. I used to be able to eat super spicy food but I get really bad heartburn from it now. Makes me so sad.

   18. no sugar before noon

   19. I eat everything I ate when I was younger, plus new discoveries from along the way. Less food is needed, but I still enjoy all of it.

   20. Alcohol

2. I’ve always had a salary. But if you work on commission (I am guessing realtors, car sales, etc.) or are self-employed, how does STD and LTD insurance work for you?

   1. For our sales employees, our STD and LTD plans specify that they will take their average earnings over a period of time and use that as their “regular earnings” for calculating what their benefit would be.

      1. This. It’s a set %.

   2. I’m self employed and don’t have STD/LTD insurance. My husband is the breadwinner and we could live on his salary.

      1. yep, also self employed. my understanding for private disability insurance is that in order to use it you have to prove that you are so disabled you cannot do your job, which would be a really really high bar for me to meet. so: got none.

         1. I wonder about that in my field. I think I’d need to be in a coma though, but since I could be in a coma, I have it. Got it in my 20s when it was cheap and increased the face amount over the years. I feel like with advanced medical care, it’s likely that I could be gravely injured and not die vs something just completely killing me without some amount of lingering (in which case, I want to be somewhere nice and have my diapers changed frequently). Grim to think about.

   3. I have no STD. I have nominal LTD via my spouse’s benefit package (we pay to add me under their policy).

      I have separate life insurance.

      We don’t need my income to survive, just to keep our current standard. Even then, we have significant savings. I guess I’ll self funded ;).

3. I have a weird question but think I have a bit of a commitment issue with making certain plans and wondering if anyone has a strategy for how to think about this so I can get over it. My life is just very busy right now with a non-flexible job that requires me to be physically present every day and little kids who still need care, etc., and I struggle making short term plans for things that need to be done because it feels like things always come up and then it’s inevitably harder to do whatever I need to do. I used to have a more flexible job so it was easier to make last minute plans when I had nothing going on some morning and could just leave to go get my hair done at an off time but now that really doesn’t work for me yet I struggle to change my ways. It’s almost like I have so little time that I am afraid to commit it and that only makes it all worse. But I find standing appointments stressful too because when things come up it’s a pain to reschedule. Maybe I just have to accept that this is my life but it always feels impossible. How do you think about this stuff?

   1. Are you talking about stuff like getting together with friends, or are you trying to figure out how to schedule things like hair cuts and dentist appointments?

   2. I used to be really reluctant about making or accepting plans to do things unless I was 100% sure I’d do them. I missed out on a lot that way.

      Now, if I’m reasonably sure I will do the thing, I say yes, with the idea that if I absolutely have to, I can cancel. To be clear, I don’t ghost people and if it’s me and only one other persons doing a thing, I’d need a super good reason to cancel. I also look at my calendar and if I have too many things going on, maybe I take a break and keep a weekend clear.

      Things like hair appointments or doctors appointments – I make them and if I have to cancel, oh well, as long as it’s within the rules for cancellations.

      But I find that I do feel better doing some social things, even if I feel like I’d rather hibernate.

   3. When I was feeling similarly overwhelmed, I would set up weekly appointments with friends with the understanding that they would actually probably happen only half the time but then we didn’t have to bother rescheduling. Also, you can probably let up on the parenting a bit. Also, I don’t know you personally, but if you can let up on parenting or work you should. You probably don’t need to micromanage your child’s diet and screen time and toddler proof everything. You can probably stop picking up projects at work and give more generous time lines. Giving yourself a little more room means that you’ll perform better at the things you do do, with more patience, grace, and thoughtfulness.

   4. I’ve become more introverted and reluctant to make plans as I’ve gotten older. I still see friends but a last minute thing (within a day or two) would be an absolute no.

      What things always come up, though? Can your partner handle family emergencies? Are they similarly isolated? If they aren’t that’s a big discussion you guys need to have.

      If it’s work emergencies, I’d still make the appointments and do your best to duck out for a little bit. If it’s like a 4 hour hair appointment though maybe now is not the season of your life that you need such an involved hair cut/color?

      My friends and I see each other about once every 3 months (with two mom friends it’s a standing appointment at the same restaurant and time that I think we’re on an 8 or 12 week repeating calendar). That’s been really nice because if something comes up we can switch it out but otherwise we have the date on the books and can schedule around it, arrange for coverage, etc.

      I think the big question is what’s important to you that you’re not able to schedule? If it isn’t important to you it doesn’t matter that you can’t do it, if that makes sense.

   5. I handle this by scheduling downtime. It you track how many times (frequency, when) you need extra time for unexpected events, you will probably find a pattern.

      It’s also just hard though. I used to cut my own hair and do box dyes because I just didn’t want to spend time in a salon or stress about scheduling it. It was only a few years before things got easier.

   6. I have a very inflexible job and little ones as well! I’ve learned to just make the plans and stick with it! Especially with friends, I make plans months in advance for nights out. If things need to get canceled or moved then so be it. Also, my hair appointment is sacred. My husband knows that unless some emergency arises I need to make my hair appointment lol. I have no time to go except on the weekends!

4. There was a thread the other day about OG commenters on this page. I am similar…been reading since 2010 when I was in law school. Have changed my name several times over the years. I was curious how many newer readers there are. Are folks still discovering this page, or are we all just growing older together? How did you find it?

   1. I have been reading since discovering it in 2013 as a new grad searching for something about office clothes.

      1. Same-since 2013 grad school

   2. Reading since 2010/2011. Found it doing a search for shirts for large busts. How funny is it that I still remember? I was a first or second year associate in NY biglaw, no kids, single (but paired up). Now married, 2 kids, in-house out in the burbs. Oh how times have changed.

      1. 2012, black turtlenecks!

      2. OMG do you remember the creeper who regularly tried to initiate discussion about button down shirts?

         1. I remember! That was so weird.

   3. yep, I’ve been reading since about 2009 when I was studying for the LSAT, had an internship in a large corporation, and needed all the help I could get as a single 20 year old farm kid trying to break into the professional class. I remember the article on shirts for large busts!

      I’ve commented off and on under several different names and anonymous handles, sometimes will take a break for years at a time. Now I’m a biglaw partner with 4 kids, dog, house in the ‘burbs, married for 16 years. So maybe we’re all growing older together.

   4. I joined around 2016, because I googled something or other about dressing professionally.

   5. I started reading in 2017 when I was an intern. Never really had a name other than my initial.

   6. I’ve been reading since 2011. I found the site while trying to figure out work outfits.

      I remember getting the idea of wearing a button down shirt under a sheath dress from here and wearing it to work. And then I just kept coming back to read comments and look at clothes.

      Had met my bf that same year. Now we have 2 kids and live in the suburbs.

   7. I am more recent– January 2022! Was looking for outfit advice for an in-person meeting after years of WFH.

   8. I started reading in 2008. Above the Law, which I was on constantly as we watched law firms struggle to deal with the 2008-2009 legal market, had a link to a post here. I’ve had a few different handles over the years, but I’d say I’ve read consistently since 2008. I have gained a lot of perspective for other people’s life experiences that are different from mine, and I think that’s made me a better friend and spouse.

      1. Same, reading since 2008. I was also in law school then.

         1. Same.

      2. Same. Graduated law school in 2008 and started reading around then.

      3. Same.

   9. I’ve been reading since 2011 or 2012 after searching for information on work fashion (back when search was usable), lurked for a few years I think before starting to comment. I’ve always used the same handle.

      1. Similar here! Found this in 2011 while looking for advice on hire to dress as an entry level employee in my first professional office job. I didn’t comment for a few years, then went through a couple of handles, now prefer to remain generically Anon.

   10. I’ve been here since maybe 2010, discovered it in an ABA Journal list of the best law-related blogs.

   11. Found it circa08-09 while lookin for shopping tips for my first job (not law). Read this and CapHillStyle daily. Dropped caphillstyle at some point along the way. I’ve had consistent handles for periods at a time but haven’t used a consistent one for several years now.

       1. Fwiw I find Belle much more palatable now that life has dealt her a few hard lessons. That sounds terrible to say but she was SO young and smug in her 20s (as many of us are!) and her writing style/views have become much more practical and down to earth as a working mom who has experienced loss/fertility issues/etc.

          1. But she’s never reckoned with her NRA lobbying or making the Sandy Hook massacre about herself. Never wanted to give her any views or clicks after that.

          2. I think becoming a mom has made her even more insufferable.

             1. Agree.

   12. Started in 2010, in law school. I’ve wondered lately how the readership has grown, especially now that so many blogs from this era are gone and with the ascendance of other fora like reddit where you can find any niche interest represented (but with a much broader user base). Someone commenting about the nature of posts changing made me remember allll of the TTC posts, which we seem to have so few of now. TBH part of me likes to think that we’ve all grown up together.

       1. Has the Mom’s page taken on those conversations?

          1. Yep

   13. Been here since around 2015

   14. Been reading since probably 2006? I no longer have a handle after someone threatened to dox me over a fairly mundane detail I shared nearly 15 years back. I found the community very helpful as I was adjusting to a white collar career back in the early aughts coming from a blue collar background. These days I’m a boring mid-level mom so it’s a brain break for me and trying to keep current on fashion vs. helping me adjust to the business world.

       1. It wasn’t launched until May 2008

   15. Been here since 2013ish, off and on! I strongly suspect there are new people here, because some of the political discussions sound like people in their 20s (not a pejorative, just sound like people who do not remember 9/11 or the 2008 financial crisis, etc.).

   16. Reading since about 2012 I think. Posted under one name unless it was sensitive material, but then went fully dark as always Anon maybe around 2022 after one too many cycles of some ugly mean girl bullying on here as seems to happen from time to time.

       I’ve always wondered what that kind of person gets out of being that way. I don’t considered that she/he/they “won” by pushing me and others to Anon though because it wasn’t due to me feeling like they “got” me somehow but rather that I don’t have time or energy for that kind of ridiculous nonsense nor do I have any respect for someone who acts like that, and posting as Anon instead of my old handle lets me walk away from it easily. I do miss seeing the people in the community individually though as one did back when most people used an identifying handle.

   17. Reading and posting since 2008,l when I was a 2L. My name has changed multiple times. I’ve used this one since around 2017.

   18. Been here since 2009. My roommate during my summer associateship introduced me to the s ite. We were the class of 2010. I’m still in biglaw.

   19. Reader since 2011 while in law school. Did a stint in big law, and now in house. Mostly post anon now. I can say that this group of internet strangers has gotten me through a lot of life events, not unlike my husband’s anonymous video game guild.

   20. 2007/08, and pretty much always the same handle. I miss recognising handles so I keep using mine.
       Wild to think we might still be posting here after 20 years.

   21. I’ve been reading since 2008 or 2009 when I was in law school. I’ve had a couple of handles over the years.

   22. Since 2008, maybe? Maybe before that? No idea how I first stumbled on it, but I was a stressed-out biglaw associate from a non-law family trying to figure things out and it was a lifesaver back then. Like many here, I stopped using my regular handle about 5 years ago for various reasons. My career is well-established now, but I still find conversation here useful in so many ways, including about fashion but usually other stuff.

       I just ignore the static/ poo-stirrers and skim for the good advice.

   23. I have also been reading since around 2008 when I was a first or second year associate. No idea how I found this site but might have been from Above the Law now that someone else mentioned it. Still in biglaw and now one of the old folks who tells the juniors “back in the day we reviewed documents in hard copy and received interoffice mail.”

5. anyone use weight watchers recently? i did it about 20 years to lose baby weight with the old fashion paper book and a weekly meeting, it’s the only time i have ever really dieted. how does it work now that it’s online?

   1. I’ve been on and off WW for 20 years. I always loved the program that gave points based on calories, fat and protein, and I hated the ones where higher fat things “cost” a ridiculous number of points even if small calories, like i remember a cadubry creme egg being equivalent pointswise to like 15 pounds of tuna fish or something insane.

      i rejoined a while ago and was happy to see that a) they have a track for people on GLPs (prioritizing protein) and also they adopted macros much more explicitly and you can even choose to track in that iirc. I was bummed that they completely did away with meetings, even though I’d mostly been online. I didn’t like the newer forums.

      I used it for a while and then went back to my macro tracking app just because i had more recipes and so forth built up in there. i think WW might be close to bankruptcy thogh i forget where i read that…

      1. i’m heavier than i have ever been which in the scheme of things isn’t that heavy and when i’m honest i know it’s because i’m more sedentary and less careful than i used to be even tough i like to blame it on age. need something to kick me into gear.

6. Posted on moms but you all have great travel advice too:
   Ideas for a Fourth of July-centric vacation with a one year old? DH is super patriotic and would like to attend some celebration of our country’s 250 years. But neither of us is a fan of super huge crowds, so I think DC and probably Philly are out. Are any of the national parks having events around that time? Or maybe some place like Williamsburg or Gettysburg? We’re coming from the east coast but open to flying; the baby will be able to get his MMR by then. We usually take one to two weeks for our summer vacation.

   1. Hear me out. Detroit.
      Greenfield Village and The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI:
      4th of July outdoor concert by the Detroit Symphony plus fireworks and a real canon for the 1812 overture. During the day you can stroll around and see the historic homes and buildings, likely will be special 250th anniversary programming. The Henry Ford museum next door will have special programming too. Fantastic exhibits including the Rosa Parks bus, all the presidential vehicles, Lincoln’s chair from Ford’s Theatre, cars for days, history of innovation, furniture, farm equipment. There’s actually everything in there.
      In Detroit, you can see our gem, the Detroit Institute of Art. On the weekends there’s kid friendly arts and crafts. Detroit History Museum is also kid friendly – plus an exhibit about Detroit being the Arsenal of Democracy during WW2.
      Tour the newly renovated Michigan Central Station. Stroll around our beautiful downtown and riverfront. Fantastic restaurants.
      To make it a longer trip, drive north to Traverse City or west to New Buffalo and enjoy Lake Michigan and Michigan wine.

      1. I love this! I’ve been wanting to visit Detroit for a while, will totally look back at these suggestions when I do!

      2. If adding on to the trip, maybe also Sleeping Bear Dunes? A one-year-old might like the dunes!

         1. That’s 4.5 hours driving one way on a good day!

         2. Detroit and Sleeping Bear are like suggesting DC and NYC in the same trip, but a little further apart. And while Sleeping Bear is gorgeous, it’s not exactly a placeI would tag as baby-friendly unless you really like hiking in sand while carrying an infant.

            1. All of this.

   2. Not sure where on the east coast you’re coming from, but Concord MA (and I’m sure Lexington) will have celebrations that will be much more tame than Philly or DC. You could pair this with a trip to the Cape or coastal NH/Maine/MA. https://visitconcord.org/concord-250/

      1. I don’t know… we did our big celebration at the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Lexington and Concord in April 2025

         1. Yes my husband has relatives in Concord and it seems like they’ve already done their big celebrations.

   3. I love Williamsburg, but not in the summer unless you really like it hot and humid. It is great for kids though, but Halloween through Christmas is IMO a much better time to visit.

      Might I suggest Morristown NJ (Washington’s HQ) and then the various places in and around NYC (Fraunces Tavern)? New Hope PA is charming and by where Washington crossed the Delaware (there is the town of Washington Crossing) and there were many battles around NJ (Jenny Jump State Park is lovely). Aaron Burr went to Princeton; Alexander Hamilton went to Columbia and you can take the ferry across the Hudson to Weehawken’s old dueling grounds.

      1. Also: Valley Forge PA. There is an Ikea nearby in Plymouth Meeting for meatballs :)

      2. As a resident of the under-appreciated state of NJ, there some beautiful historic sites and communities in central and northern parts of the state, as well as beautiful state parks and hiking in the NW corner of the state. Storybook Land is a great little amusement park for toddlers and Diggerland is dedicated to the ever fascinating construction equipment.

         1. Born in Morristown and can co-sign all this. It is a tiny state but jammed packed of amazing things. Fairy Tale Forest, Space Farms, Turtleback Zoo, Washington’s HQ, Princeton, etc., etc., etc. The food is amazing. Everything is amazing. I have never not had a good time going back.

7. Putting together this morning’s comments on the cost of healthcare and Van Der Beek’s death, I saw a news article about a gofundme because his family now needs financial help.

   I’m a bit surprised they didn’t have a larger nest egg because he was so famous, but I guess I also don’t know his net worth.

   1. Oof — it sounds like he got screwed out of residuals from Dawson’s because of a bad contract he signed when he was 20.

      I remember reading a story in the NYT a few years ago (maybe 5?) about how one-hit wonders manage their finances. Not saying he was a one-hit wonder but I think there can be complications with fluctuating income over a long career.

   2. What I guess is that actors get health insurance through actor’s equity and when they aren’t acting or are “retired,” health insurance is bad, expensive, and/or hard to get. IDK the specifics, but it’s likely that his wife wouldn’t have been able to work at all and that she would have needed to hire caregivers for her kids if she had to travel with him for care. Cancer is expensive to have. Hospital stays can easily be 6 figures per stay (see last week’s episode of The Pitt). I think a friend chose palliative care because he was likely going to die within the year regardless of treatment but couldn’t afford the treatment and thought he’d be in pain AND leave his family in substantial debt.

      1. Going off the always true posts on the phone Internet and SM, it looks like he chose alternative treatment, which was not covered by insurance, before acquiescing to Western medical care.

      2. Health insurance for actors and other industry people is pretty crummy. Even if you get enough hours to qualify, it’s often expensive and/or a lot of providers don’t take it.

         My son’s BFF has two parents that work fairly regularly in that field – it’s a constant struggle to find participating providers and to maintain eligibility. And one of them is pretty well-known / well-compensated when they work.

   3. I think our definitions of needing financial help is just different. They want to continue living in their 5000 sq foot ranch on 35 acres. They also own a house in California worth a few million . They may have cash flow issues but they don’t need the same type of financial help we some do. Although I’m sure he thought he had a lot more working years left

      1. OTOH, would he have been eligible for social security and medicare (with his family covered as survivors and child survivors under SS)? IIRC, you need 10 years of paying in and IDK that actors can easily get that, even if they’ve had one hit show.

         1. He has a long credit list that looks like it would add up to more than 10 years of active work.

            1. Or is it just working in 10 years (which is not the release year of a picture)? It’s not like working in TV is for 52 weeks a year. And you have substantial periods of unemployment in between (and aren’t eligible for unemployment unless your work lasts X weeks).

               IIRC Shannen Doherty (also RIP) had problems because someone who ran her finances didn’t re-up her Actors Equity health insurance at some point and she was sick by then.

            2. More people (and bigger people) than you might expect have bad financial managers who manage to wipe out their savings. Martin Scorcese seems to be having financial problems right now, and the list of famous people who died broke is pretty long.

         2. I think one needs some paid wages or salary for 40 quarters. Work as a high school cashier would count. Some earnings from work at any time during 40 quarters of a life does not seem like a lot. The benefit payments would also likely not be a lot.

            1. Navigating this for a divorced sibling who is newly returned to the workforce. I know that she will get SS through her ex-H’s income UNLESS she remarries (so she basically can’t, I think), but will she be able to get Medicare when she is 65? IDK.

            2. She can get medicare when she’s 65 no matter what (assuming she’s a US citizen) – it’s not tied to any earlier work like SS is

      2. Ok I assumed they were close to destitute because of cancer treatment costs. Maintaining a certain lifestyle on 35 acres is not what gofundme is for.

         1. Obviously I don’t know the exact details of his financials but I looked into this when he said he was selling off merch. I think a lot of the expensive cancer treatments was related to alternative medicine. They still own property in cali that was featured in architects digest that rents for 12k a month. I am sure it’s going to be much more difficult for them and they have a big family but it does seem a bit disingenuous how they framed it. I think people do like to show support or a way to say “thank you”‘for the shows they like so that’s their business

         2. I think gofundme is for whatever people choose to support.

   4. I think Go Fund Me’s are ubiquitous these days. He does have six kids and a wife that doesn’t work, so unless he had substantial life insurance, I can see whey the GFM was established. That said, I assume his estate will still get residuals (which can be substantial) and tbh, something rubs me the wrong way about celebrities crowd funding, but I am not going to weigh in if others choose to spend their money that way!

      1. Maybe it’s so better-off friends can make gifts? They have plenty of those. I don’t think that they mean for us to donate anything.

         And I sense side-eye on the wife: with kids at home and a sick husband dying, do you think she’d be getting any work done? We urge people to take FMLA, even if unpaid, in these circumstances. Lots of haters here.

         1. His family is MAGA and has voted against social supports so I think it’s fair to be critical of them wanting handouts from others. It’s always different rules for themselves for that crowd.

            1. Private charity is what MAGA wants people to rely on, so I think this is actually completely consistent.

         2. It’s no side eye to the wife, just a statement of a relevant financial fact on a financial post! Perhaps presume good intentions?

   5. I don’t think most working actors make the money A-list actors make even if they are on tv a lot. There are a lot of expenses to agents and others that have to come out. And I don’t think they get insurance easily if they aren’t working enough hours.

      I don’t know what his treatment was, but it is very likely that after 3 years with the disease, they were trying things in trials that weren’t covered after conventional treatment stopped working. It’s also quite possible that they decided to stop treatment because of financial burden. Either way, our current system is terrible.

8. Real question: do borders and countries matter now? The billionaires seem to think those are outdated notions — the story on Prospero and Venezuela a week or two ago, the story in the NYT this morning about “trump posing a threat to Europe’s financial and tech sovereignty.” Legitimately asking.

   1. Borders and countries only matter to plebs and poors, not the rich and powerful.

   2. Well, the whole theory of the immigration crackdown is that they should be defended, so I don’t agree with the assertion that the ruling class is abandoning them at all. That being said, defending your own borders and sovereignty is very different than respecting the borders/sovereignty of others.

      1. But the practice of the immigration crackdown in the U.S. is to suppress the plebs and poors.

   3. Trump is not a nationalist, he’s a transnationalist oligarch: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/opinion/prospera-honduras-trump-pardon.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IFA.YpRc.c0qgM_PYuZbV&smid=url-share

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