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Tuesday Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 02:06:00 PM EST
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Our last open thread is full. I will be back blogging soon, just not today.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

< Thursday Open Thread | Manafort Trial: Judge Keeps the Reins Tight >

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    Tuesday Open Thread | 200 comments (200 topical)
    Continuing (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by MKS on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 03:45:00 PM EST
    with the conversation about where to live or retire or live part time, I am probably going to get something in Southwest New Mexico, off the grid.  Next to Wilderness-designated land, and way away from most cities, it is beautiful land.  Land of the Apache.  Bears, elk, cougars, and some re-introduced wolves.  Forest and grassland.  Close to a small little town that has a hospital and East Coast transplants/ environmentalists that have brought jazz festivals and bicycle races and art studios.  Old retro cattle ranches too.  And, the County voted for Hillary by 9 points!

    I have lived outside the United States, and everyone and everyplace is different.  But I remember having cravings for McDonald's and hotdogs, and missing U.S. sports on t.v.  You can get good at another language but you are still a foreigner.

    Off the grid in the U.S., or maybe Hawaii, sounds like a good place to spend some time.

    New Mexico (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 03:54:59 PM EST
    has the best Mexican food in the US, imho. More focus on green chiles in the food. Very different than most of the Tex-Mex found across the country. And more delicious.

    Parent
    Bell peppers (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by MKS on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 04:09:09 PM EST
    Love 'em when cooked, but oddly can't stand them when raw.

    Green chiles are really good at flavoring up food.

    Parent

    Yes, New Mexico does have (5.00 / 3) (#46)
    by fishcamp on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 09:44:02 AM EST
    delicious southwestern American Mexican food that is much different than regular Mexican food.  Both Santa Fe and Taos are favorites of mine as well, however they are just too far from the ocean.  There are many drawbacks about living here in the keys, like hurricanes, but we do have the fish.  Last night some friends invited me to a local restaurant that cooked heaping platters of their fresh caught Mangrove Snapper three different ways.  Simply delicious.

    Parent
    New Mexico version bleeds into Colorado too (none / 0) (#7)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 04:10:37 PM EST
    So I'm broken for Mexican food. Nobody can do it right on the East coast.

    I also miss tacos that are shells and filling fried together and the shell opens gently for the rest of the toppings. Shredded beef and chicken tacos are so damn good when they are made that way. I add chopped green chilies to shredded chicken for home fried tacos and it is good. But I sure miss the Mexican restaurants of my childhood.

    Parent

    A friend (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 04:19:12 PM EST
    of mine from Arizona says the same thing.

    Parent
    Burritos smothered in green chili (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 04:42:54 PM EST
    is standard pub fare in Colorado. Love'em. Used to make regular motorcycle trips into Colorado when I lived in Fort Worth. Not so much since I relocated to PA. Haven't been at all since the ganja was legalized. I want to experience just once, walking into a retail establishment and making a purchase of some killer bud (I can't even smoke the stuff, my lungs can't take it, but I want the experience after a lifetime of surreptitious transactions.

    Parent
    I have not had decent green chili (none / 0) (#11)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 05:12:09 PM EST
    In a decade. When my grandmother passed her Latina neighbor brought us a pot. She hands down made the best green chili I have ever had, with the tiny puddles of pork grease floating on the top. Just perfection

    Parent
    Found a great Mex food place in NYC (none / 0) (#8)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 04:16:51 PM EST
    last week: Los Tacos in the Chelsea Market. A little pricey, but man they hit the spot.

    Even found a recipe online that we'll be trying out.

    Parent

    If you make this (none / 0) (#12)
    by Zorba on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 05:13:39 PM EST
    Sarc, invite us all over!  ;-)
    Recipe looks great!

    Parent
    How does tonight look for you? :-) (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:07:39 AM EST
    If I can rally the troops, we'll give it a shot!


    Parent
    When we lived in NJ, our go to for mexican (none / 0) (#19)
    by vml68 on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 07:15:56 PM EST
    food was Taqueria Downtown in Jersey City and El Aguila Dorada in Bayonne. Haven't been to either place in four years, so can't vouch for them now, but back then they were excellent.

    In fact, my last meal before starting to drive down to FL was at El Aguila because I did not think I would find anything comparable in Tampa, and so far I haven't :-(

    Parent

    Other than pi$$ing Cheeto off (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 07:20:07 PM EST
    The nice thing about the growing Mexican population across the country is there is great Mexican food all over.  We have a couple of very good and very authentic places here close by.

    Parent
    We have a lot of (none / 0) (#21)
    by Zorba on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 07:29:12 PM EST
    Good Mexican places here, plus some Salvadoran places, and their food is also great.

    Parent
    But, he likes taco bowls... (none / 0) (#30)
    by vml68 on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 09:05:05 PM EST
    isn't that mexican food ;-)?!

    Parent
    I also grew up in northern NJ, but that was (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by Peter G on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 09:06:19 AM EST
    in the 1950s-1960s, before Hoboken and Jersey City became Caribbean and Hispanic havens. (Now, they're yuppified, and changed again.) Not that my parents would have taken us there to eat anyway ... almost 15 miles! I don't think I ate Mexican food until I was in law school and did a bit more traveling around the U.S., in the mid-70s. Literally the only "foreign" food I ate in the first 20 years of my life was (American) Italian and (American) Chinese. Nor did I know that soup could be made in any way other than by opening a can.

    Parent
    I grew up in Morristown, probably a decade (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:25:52 AM EST
    or so after you.
    Nor did I know that soup could be made in any way other than by opening a can.
    This describes my opinion of NJ cuisine to a T.

    Parent
    that reminds me of (none / 0) (#62)
    by CST on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:34:31 AM EST
    Freshman year of college. I had a roommate from California who loved canned clam chowder and didn't understand why I wouldn't eat it too being from New England.

    Parent
    Only two flavors of canned chowda (none / 0) (#65)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 12:06:03 PM EST
    doncha know. White and red. Yech.

    Parent
    The husband worked in Morristown (none / 0) (#68)
    by vml68 on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 12:48:54 PM EST
    for a couple of years before moving to the Manhattan office. There are some pretty nice restaurants to be found there.

    Parent
    Ya, especially in the past couple decades I think. (none / 0) (#69)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 12:59:14 PM EST
    I left in the 80's, only been back a few times.

    It was never a cheap place to live, but from what I saw the last time I was there it had really moved upscale.

    Parent

    In the sixties (none / 0) (#96)
    by jondee on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 01:59:57 PM EST
    it seemed like there was still 2 or 3 wonderful, old, family-run Italian restaurants in every city on the east coast. Often you to ask around to find out where they were, but it was usually worth the trouble.

    They seem to be a very endangered species now.

    Parent

    So very like my childhood food (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by caseyOR on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:48:15 AM EST
    experiences. Soup came in cans from Campbell's. Pies came frozen from that nice Mrs. Smith. Just about any vegetable that did not appear in a basic salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrrot) or relish platter ( radishes, green onions, celery) came courtesy of the Green Giant. Well, except sweet corn in summer. I was in the Midwest after all.

    When I moved to Oregon after college in the Seventies, I finally ate my first avocado, my first artichoke, and my first fresh peach. I also learned, to my great delight, that Chinese food was so much more than chop suey and chow mein. I grew up thinking I hated Chinese food. Turns out I love Chinese food, but do not like bland American Chinese.

    I did, however, miss the pizza of my childhood. Good Midwest tavern pizza. Thin crust cut in squares slathered with a tangy tomato sauce, diced onions and peppers and crumbled sausage. West Coast pizza in those days mostly sucked. Happy to say West Coast pizza is much improved these days.

    Parent

    Yup. (5.00 / 1) (#75)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 01:27:46 PM EST
    My first fresh, right-off-the-tree apricot was when I moved here to Cali, vs the dried ears I ate growing up in NJ.

    I couldn't believe they were the same fruit.

    Parent

    The "almost 15 miles" made me LOL! (5.00 / 1) (#74)
    by vml68 on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 01:26:36 PM EST
    We live in Tampa but drive to Clearwater, St Pete, and other places, to try out restaurants, go to festivals, etc.

    I have met people who have lived in Tampa for years and have never been to St Pete because it is too far. It is 23 miles away. Mind boggling!

    I was talking to someone recently who has lived in Tampa her whole life. She mentioned that she had not seen me around for a while and had wondered where I was. I told her that I was living in Palm Beach part time and so was going back and forth a lot. She asked me where Palm Beach was located. I thought she was joking but she was dead serious and really had no idea. To say my jaw dropped would be an understatement!

    Parent

    I lived in Tampa. (none / 0) (#79)
    by Chuck0 on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 01:48:05 PM EST
    Well, Temple Terrace and Zephyrhills (with the old fogies). I had to go to St. Pete to see The Radiators and CSN. I can't remember there ever being a decent concert in Tampa. St. Pete was the place to go.

    Also lived in Jacksonville for a few years. I met a woman at the DMV who had never been to Georgia. It's like 40 miles up the road. Them Floridians can be curious lot at times.


    Parent

    My parents both grew up in New York City (none / 0) (#88)
    by Peter G on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 05:26:12 PM EST
    Anything farther than a six block walk was a long trip, to them, unless you could get there by bus and subway. A drive of more than 20 minutes might as well have been overnight.

    Parent
    Wow (5.00 / 1) (#93)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 05:17:29 AM EST
    Cool story

    Interesting, not what I would have thought because when I'm there I want to walk everywhere and see everything.

    Parent

    On "foreign" food, I should also (none / 0) (#89)
    by Peter G on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 05:29:08 PM EST
    have mentioned that we did occasionally make Hungarian dishes from my great-aunt Julia's immigrant family recipes. Heavy, but so good!

    Parent
    In Hilo, we have Reuben's on the waterfront. (none / 0) (#33)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 03:14:34 AM EST
    It's owned and operated by a Mexican couple who came to the Big Island in the 1980s to work on the old Hamakua Sugar Plantation. Afterward, they stayed and opened their restaurant. Their menu's reasonably priced, their food is great and they make the best margaritas in town after me. (Hint: Don't use cheap tequila.)

    Parent
    Odd you (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 03:59:16 PM EST
    mention that because the other day my husband and I were talking about retiring in Las Cruces.

    Parent
    Las Cruces is great (5.00 / 2) (#5)
    by MKS on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 04:07:56 PM EST
    If you like the outdoors, there are some interesting local features.  The Organ Mountains are great for hiking and climbing.

    A little east you have White Sands.

    I would be a little more west in Grant County.  Higher elevation, and cooler summers.

    Parent

    Mr. Zorba and I (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by Zorba on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 05:28:55 PM EST
    have talked about Taos, NM.
    We both like the arts scene there (and let's face it, we're both old hippies).
    Either that, or get out of the country entirely.

    Parent
    Would give anything (5.00 / 2) (#15)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 05:35:35 PM EST
    To retire in Taos or near Santa Fe. I knew you were arters when I saw that print in your livingroom.

    Parent
    Hee, hee! (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by Zorba on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 07:15:42 PM EST
    Mr. Zorba used to paint and sculpt when he was younger, and we are both into the arts stuff, plus so are our kids.

    Parent
    Clearly an artisitic and (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by MKS on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 08:25:39 PM EST
    intellectual mecca up there.  And so many modern Westerns are filmed there too.

    Parent
    Santa Fe/Taos (5.00 / 3) (#44)
    by CST on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 09:17:43 AM EST
    In the dream version of my life I live there as a ski instructor who can still afford art and health insurance.

    Parent
    Did I miss your report on Rio? (none / 0) (#198)
    by oculus on Sat Aug 11, 2018 at 08:18:55 PM EST


    Parent
    Hubby (none / 0) (#23)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 08:31:59 PM EST
    did talk about moving to Mexico. There is some community of ex-pats north of Puerto Vallarta that he keeps talking about. I told him the next time we go to Mexico we should just go up there and look around. I think I'm more into the western coast of Mexico than the eastern coast. Mainly I've been told the eastern coast is more like spring break.

    Parent
    Ga6th you are correct about (5.00 / 1) (#66)
    by fishcamp on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 12:11:06 PM EST
    the ex-pat American community just north of puerto Vallarta, it's named San Pablo, and some of my Aspen friends live there now.  And yes the Cancun, puerto Aventura, areas and south to the Belize border are loaded with Americans.  They have extremely inexpensive flights from NYC, Boston, and other eastern seaboard cities to that area of Mexico.  They also have the Aztec ruins which draw a different crowd.  I used to fish down there every year, but now it's just too crowded and fished out.

    Parent
    I too associated Cancun and other eastern (none / 0) (#31)
    by vml68 on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 09:39:42 PM EST
    Mexico locations with spring break, so was never keen to visit. A couple of years ago we were planning a family trip to Costa Rica and then we had to make last minute changes to accommodate some schedules and could not make the Costa Rica trip work. So, we ended up going to Cancun instead and had a fabulous time.

    We went to Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Playa Del Carmen and Tulum.
    I regret not visiting the ruins at Chichen Itza, except for my older niece, no one else was interested in going.
    My younger niece declared she was not interested in "Chicken pizza". My husband with his lame jokes declared that since it was already "ruined", he did not want to see it.
    But, mostly we had been packing so much into every day that we were there, I think everyone except for me wanted a couple of relaxing beach days before we headed home.

    We hired a couple of drivers while we there and they both happened to have been deported from the US. So, we got to hear their stories.

    On our way to Tulum, we stopped by a tiny restaurant where I had the best octopus I have ever eaten. Our driver whom we invited to eat with us refused, he was from a small village in the interior of Mexico and he said he would not touch seafood.
    We went snorkeling in Puerto Morelos and when we got back to the dock, one of the local fishermen had just come in with his catch, he made ceviche right there on the dock and offered it to us. Also, excellent!

    All the people we encountered were friendly and generous, which made our vacation that much more special.

    Parent

    The Yucatan... (none / 0) (#35)
    by kdog on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 08:48:15 AM EST
    is so much more than mega-resorts in and around Cancun. It's like thinking New York is just Times Square.

    "Chicken Pizza" was awe-inspiring, but I liked the ruins in Coba so much better.  Secluded by jungle, not quite as touristy, and you're still allowed to climb the pyramid there.  

    For potential ex-pats who don't need be on a coast, there is a rather large and thriving ex-pat community in Lake Chapala outside Guadalajara.

    If and when it's my time to hit the escape hatch, I think Mexico will be too expensive.  I'm intrigued by Paraguay....largest fresh water reservoir in all the world if I'm not mistaken.  Never a bad idea to be situated in an area with an abundance of the world's most precious resource.    

     

    Parent

    Yes, I was glad to see that. (none / 0) (#42)
    by vml68 on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 09:12:46 AM EST
    Btw, it was your comments about your trip to Isla Mujeres and other places with your ex lady friend that made me decide to visit.
    I figured if Kdog was raving about it, there had to be more than just mega resorts in the area.

    Coba and overnight visits to the cities of Vallodalid and Merida were also on my wish list but we just could not get to it all.

    Parent

    Yeah... (none / 0) (#43)
    by kdog on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 09:16:24 AM EST
    you need 2-3 weeks to do it right...I was bummed we never got to Merida.  

    Happy to be of assistance!

    Parent

    I spent about a week in Merida, (5.00 / 1) (#56)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:19:37 AM EST
    while backpacking through S and Central America, back in the day. Highly recommend it.

    Parent
    Merida (none / 0) (#73)
    by MKS on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 01:17:06 PM EST
    is a beatiful colonial.  If I were to live in Mexico, it would be there.

    Parent
    that would be Ajijc (none / 0) (#80)
    by leap on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 02:08:13 PM EST
    Friends of mine went down there to have dental work done. Well, $900 vs $3500 local cost for same work. They were there for a week, staying in a nice hotel. All of that plus the plane flight to and fro was less than the $3500, so they had a nice vacation, to boot. They also looked around at real estate, including bare lots on which to build their own place. Ajijic claims to have the "second best weather/climate" in the world. Wonder what the best is?

    What would turn me off is the statement in Ajijic's website, "With a community of more than 10,000 seasonal and full time foreign residents who call 'Lakeside' home..." Ack. So many ex-pats. No thanks.

    Parent

    Sounds good (none / 0) (#24)
    by Yman on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 08:34:59 PM EST
    But I always wondered about what people who are off-grid do for internet access.  Satellite internet?

    Parent
    Yep (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by MKS on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 08:48:46 PM EST
    As you drive by on rural highways, you can see big satellite dishes by the side of the houses.

    Installed for t.v. reception, now, is basis of internet connection.    

    Parent

    Wells and septic tanks (5.00 / 1) (#28)
    by MKS on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 08:57:32 PM EST
    for plumbing.

    Solar, including passive (home configuration) solar, for electricity.  Works in southern New Mexico.

    Propane tanks and backup generators and storage tanks for water--for emergencies.

    Parent

    Earthships! (5.00 / 1) (#94)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 05:26:56 AM EST
    My father's secret passion was sustainable housing. Secret because it wasn't that cool to be a contractor and want to do those things in the 70's and 80's.

    But I grew up with earthship plans scratched out on scraps of paper all over the house and knowing what thermal mass is in a very concrete way, southern exposure, cisterns, and gray water.

    He was a complicated guy

    Parent

    "Rammed earth" (none / 0) (#98)
    by MKS on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 02:35:03 PM EST
    homes are part of the new enviro friendly construction methods in New Mexico.

    Maybe the got ahold of your dad's plans.

    Parent

    Rammed earth is not a good choice in areas (none / 0) (#102)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 04:02:56 PM EST
    that are major storm or earthquake prone, but it looks like Grant County is one of the safest counties in the US with respect to earthquakes and storms, so rammed earth seems like a reasonable construction method there.

    Parent
    Not sure I want to (none / 0) (#106)
    by MKS on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 04:14:49 PM EST
    do rammed earth.  

    Re-sale value is something to consider, especially if I get out there by myself and end up staring at the sage and scrub oak and can't take it anymore.  But if I got me a satellite dish...

    Parent

    Ya, I hear you. (none / 0) (#111)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 04:42:15 PM EST


    Parent
    How deep are you planning... (none / 0) (#90)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 05:52:21 PM EST
    on digging that well? It gets pretty expensive when you have to go deep, which is usually the case in an (semi) arid climate. Even then, the GPM rate can be iffy.

    Add in things like having to drill multiple bore holes, permits, set-backs, water rights and the like and its not cheap to get a reliable water source.

    When the water wars come, you want to be prepared.

    Parent

    Yeah, (none / 0) (#103)
    by MKS on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 04:06:35 PM EST
    one area I am looking at I have been told the wells there are over a 1000 feet deep, and some people just opt for deliveries of water in large quantities a la propane.

    Parent
    Boy (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 08:51:25 AM EST
    Some really disturbing images of the press being heckled and threatened at the Trump Rally last night.

    I think Mueller has gamed this out.  Btw there was suggestions yesterday Mueller should be assassinated.  

    Heard yesterday his job, of bringing this massive case out into the sunlight, described as eating a elephant.  You have to start with a bite.  You have to slowly put this stuff out in a way people, or enough people, can absorb it.   And that the Manafort case is the first bite.  Or the first course maybe.  The previous indictments were also part of the setup.  

    I wonder if Manafort was even offered a deal?  I suspect Mueller wants this trial.  A legal slam  dunk that will send them off in a couple of weeks with a bang.

    Maybe Mueller even wants Trump to pardon Manafort.

    They can always nail him on state charges for another bite.

    But there is real danger out there.  When the hammer drops I think there will be violence from Trump supporters.

    I wouldn't worry too much... (none / 0) (#38)
    by kdog on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 09:01:45 AM EST
    the rage and propensity for violence is there, and high levels of gun ownership.  But at the end of the day, like their bully figurehead, in their core these people are cowards. And outnumbered.  And outwitted.  

    We'd win a second civil war;)

    Parent

    It isn't that I think we would lose (none / 0) (#41)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 09:11:00 AM EST
    It is not wanting Americans killed over a phuckphace cult.

    Parent
    This is America... (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by kdog on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 09:21:08 AM EST
    we kill each other over anything and everything.  The Trump loyalist rebellion would be a blip on the death-radar screen like Vegas or Parkland.

    F*ck I'm a jaded motherf*cker today...must be the stifling humidity outside and stifling cubicle inside.  Need another music festival...wanna meet me at Lock'n?

    Parent

    It why we love ya (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 10:15:55 AM EST
    I mostly agree.

    But  do think there could very easily be violence toward the press particularly.

    Parent

    The corporate overlords... (1.00 / 1) (#48)
    by kdog on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 10:28:27 AM EST
    of the main-stream media would love that...think of the ratings if some poor schmuck at MSNBC gets pummelled at the next Trump cirlcejerk rally!

    There I go again...

    Parent

    To quote Tom Hagen (5.00 / 1) (#50)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 10:38:11 AM EST
    "The might.  They just might."


    Parent
    Apparently the QAnon (none / 0) (#51)
    by jondee on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 10:51:38 AM EST
    is now trying to goad the nut-with-a-gun, Pizzagate-shooter quarter into going after Avenatti.

    A couple of them posted a photo of themselves staking out his office building the other day.

    Parent

    If I was a nut-with-a-gun (none / 0) (#52)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 10:57:43 AM EST
    Avenatti would not be my first choice.  Probably why I'm not.

    Parent
    Well, "Soros" to difficult a target (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by jondee on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:24:37 AM EST
    holed up in the fastness of his mountain lair on an uncharted, heavily-fortified island guarded by sjw ninjas and gender disphoric shock troops.

    Parent
    There was an excellent article.. (5.00 / 1) (#67)
    by desertswine on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 12:20:42 PM EST
    about George Soros in the NYT Sunday magazine a couple of weeks ago.  It explained a lot that I didn't realize about him.

    Parent
    I worry about the woman who was the (none / 0) (#77)
    by leap on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 01:40:33 PM EST
    translator/interpretor for Dump at his one-on-one meeting with Pootin. She knows too much. She knows more than anyone else.

    Parent
    Had to look that one up (none / 0) (#104)
    by MKS on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 04:11:33 PM EST


    Parent
    Yes, a music festival sounds better than all this (5.00 / 1) (#53)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:01:43 AM EST
    I realize there is going to be more Trump inspired violence before this is all over. And likely nothing I can do.

    Parent
    Chatter the last few days (5.00 / 2) (#54)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:02:08 AM EST
    That Trumps brilliant plan, considering the shut down threats etc, is to elect a democratic house.  Because, the theory goes, he needs a foil and who better than Pelosi.

    I think he may believe this.  It seems plausible.  He is that ignorant of our system and ignorant of history that I would not even expect him to understand that ONE of the reasons Nancy is so hated is that she is the most ruthlessly efficient legislator in my life time.

    Be very careful what you wish for Orange Boy.

    Parent

    I think he saw the reality of the midterms (none / 0) (#70)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 01:08:41 PM EST
    And has decided that if Republicans lose, he can still play it as a win. Trump has played that kind of moving his cheese by himself many times before. I'm sure it doesn't always work out swell.

    And this smells a little like Bannon too. Steve Bannon seems to think that torches and pitchforks would really move this country forward. So he's probably telling Trump that if Democrats were in power, Republicans would rise up and and and who knows?

    Once Richard Nixon was fully exposed, nobody was rising up.

    Parent

    When a study... (5.00 / 2) (#40)
    by kdog on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 09:08:18 AM EST
    funded by the Kochs of all people says Medicare for All will save us 2 trillion smackers...it's the first bill a freshly minted 2018 Democrat controlled Congress should deliver to the president's desk.

    I mean it's just the most fiscal conservative business friendly thing to do! Our lord the almighty dollar demands it!

    Lady friends (5.00 / 1) (#72)
    by MKS on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 01:11:02 PM EST


    No (5.00 / 1) (#76)
    by FlJoe on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 01:37:18 PM EST
    Covfefe boys, I hope.

    Parent
    No Covfefe boys with smocking guns (5.00 / 1) (#78)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 01:45:19 PM EST


    Parent
    I think you just convinced me to buy a gun. (5.00 / 2) (#82)
    by vml68 on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 02:31:26 PM EST
    I thought they were only useful for shooting something. Who knew they could be used for embroidery ;-)!

    Parent
    He deleted smocking guns (none / 0) (#97)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 02:26:32 PM EST
    I thought that that was verboten! But he is the Fuhrer :)

    Parent
    Jim Acosta is amazing (5.00 / 1) (#95)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 01:02:25 PM EST


    Hammer (5.00 / 3) (#125)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 10:30:54 AM EST
    TIME

    We don't all go (5.00 / 3) (#166)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Aug 07, 2018 at 06:15:48 PM EST
    Trump's Allies Struggle to Stop QAnon's Spread
    Fearing the left will turn the conspiracy theory against them, the president's cheerleaders try to talk sense into the grassroots. It's not working.

    I am reminded of this

    There was a young lady of Niger
    Who smiled as she rode on a tiger;
    They returned from the ride
    With the lady inside,
    And the smile on the face of the tiger.

    Anyone going to watch the meteor shower (5.00 / 1) (#186)
    by McBain on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 12:43:20 PM EST
    this weekend?  It peaks Sunday night/Monday morning which isn't all that convenient for me since I'll have to drive a bit to get away from city lights. I'm not really a late night person anymore but I'm going to give it a shot.  It's become somewhat of a tradition.  

    We went to Mauna Kea on Friday night. (5.00 / 2) (#204)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Aug 12, 2018 at 06:21:05 AM EST
    The summit is 42 miles away from Hilo, and at 13,800 feet elevation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, most astronomers rate it the best place for stargazing in the Northern Hemisphere. And not surprisingly, the University of Hawaii -- which administers the summit and its 13 observatories on behalf of the State of Hawaii -- is one of the world's leading research institutions in the field of astronomical studies.

    But we usually just go up to the Mauna Kea Visitor's Center, which is an hour's drive from here on the mountain's southern flank at 9,200 feet elevation. The rangers conduct a stargazing program there from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. most nights. The view is still pretty amazing from there, and you're well above the clouds and lights. And here in Hilo, which receives an average annual rainfall of 190 inches, we're almost always under the clouds.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    If the cloud cover allows (none / 0) (#191)
    by Peter G on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 03:51:31 PM EST
    then yes, for sure. We watched several years ago, and it was well worth it. Plus fun to see dozens of neighbors out on blankets in the neighborhood park at midnight!

    Parent
    Trump criticizes everyone (2.00 / 1) (#165)
    by McBain on Tue Aug 07, 2018 at 05:46:39 PM EST
    he calls people of all races/genders stupid.  Also, pretty sure Jeralyn doesn't want you saying that in her blog.  

    Ahhhhhh ... He insults EVERYBODY (5.00 / 2) (#168)
    by Yman on Tue Aug 07, 2018 at 08:45:55 PM EST
    Does he attack white judges because of their European ethnicity?  Did he settle a lawsuit for discrimination against white tenants?  Did he defend black nationalists and neo-nazis?  Did he call European immigrants "rapists" and "murderers"?  Did he take out an ad calling for the execution of 5 innocent white teenagers and then continue to call them guilty even when DNA evidence proceed their innocence?

    Heh.

    Parent

    If you could provide an example (none / 0) (#169)
    by CST on Wed Aug 08, 2018 at 09:29:29 AM EST
    Of Trump calling a white (not hispanic or muslim) man "low-IQ" or "not very bright", I'd honestly be interested to see that.

    Now, he has certainly criticized white men ("Crazy Bernie", "I like soldiers who aren't captured", etc...), but I honestly can't think of a single example of him insulting their intelligence.

    Parent

    WaPo Has an Article with Graphs on this Issue (none / 0) (#170)
    by RickyJim on Wed Aug 08, 2018 at 10:06:51 AM EST
    Before the presidential election, Trump mostly disparaged white people as stupid...He called Karl Rove, former George W. Bush adviser, stupid five times, including in interviews. Bloomberg's Tim O'Brien, whom Trump once sued unsuccessfully for alleged libel, earned the description three times, as did television host Glenn Beck.
    Link

    Parent
    Interesting article (none / 0) (#171)
    by CST on Wed Aug 08, 2018 at 10:34:49 AM EST
    Thanks.  It is quite the shift there from pre and post election.  He pretty much stopped after the Republican primary, with a few exceptions.

    Parent
    Here's a couple in this (none / 0) (#172)
    by McBain on Wed Aug 08, 2018 at 12:27:44 PM EST
    link including...
    Slippery James Comey, a man who always ends up badly and out of whack (he is not smart!), will go down as the WORST FBI Director in history, by far!

    He also referred to Mika Brzezinski as "low IQ Crazy Mika"

    I don't see a pattern or racism in his tweets.  


    Parent

    I'm sure you don't (none / 0) (#173)
    by CST on Wed Aug 08, 2018 at 01:51:47 PM EST
    I will grant that he is not exclusively an @sshole to minorities and women.

    Parent
    The "Mika" example is one thing (none / 0) (#174)
    by Peter G on Wed Aug 08, 2018 at 03:18:07 PM EST
    but neither "stupid" nor "not smart" necessarily means or suggests the same thing in ordinary speech as "low IQ." The import of other terms can depend on context.

    Parent
    Good guy with a gun. (none / 0) (#1)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 03:21:24 PM EST
    In Colorado. Let's get moving with that "arm the teachers" idea. Because that is going to work out so well.
    Yes, well (none / 0) (#13)
    by Zorba on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 05:25:15 PM EST
    Until we train our cops better and expect more of them, this will keep happening.
    They are not trained to evaluate the situation before responding, and they are usually not held accountable when they over-react.

    Parent
    Campus police... (none / 0) (#49)
    by Jack E Lope on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 10:37:45 AM EST
    ...can be a problem, too.  (In this case, the now-deceased did not pull out his gun while breaking up a fight, but it fell to the ground in the scuffle.  Then, he retrieved it....)

    Parent
    Saw Jeralyn in the first episode of (none / 0) (#16)
    by McBain on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 06:24:28 PM EST
    the Trayvon Martin documentary, Rest in Power on BET and the Paramount Network.  Good to see her doing interviews again, hopefully she'll be in more of the episodes.

    As for the documentary, so far it's very one sided.  Many of the old myths are reinforced.  Even Jeralyn's scene was a bit misleading. She talked about the origin of  Florida's stand your ground law.  They didn't let her explain the Zimmerman case wasn't a stand your ground case.

    I have a feeling Rest in Power is more about the rise of a movement than about the actual facts of the case.  I know Jeralyn is tired of discussing this case but maybe she'll talk about the interview at some point.

    It doesn't matter (5.00 / 1) (#83)
    by jondee on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 02:35:25 PM EST
    Stand Your Ground helped engender an increased Wild West-vigilante-justice  climate and mentality in Florida.

    Now they have to deal with shoot-out at the movie theatre..shoot-out in the convenience store parking lot..shoot-out at the shopping centre parking lot..

    Parent

    I think it does matter (none / 0) (#84)
    by McBain on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 03:14:54 PM EST
    when lawyers, the media and special interest groups deceive the public to force a trial on someone who shouldn't be on trial.  That goes for the courtroom and court of public opinion. The advancement of a cause should not come at the expense of the innocent.

    Now they have to deal with shoot-out at the movie theatre..shoot-out in the convenience store parking lot..shoot-out at the shopping centre parking lot..

    As for the Curtis Reeves (movie theater) Michael Drejka (parking lot) incidents.  I don't think those are stand your ground situations either because they weren't in good positions to retreat.  Both are going to be very interesting self defense cases.    Neither one has a strong an argument as GZ had.  

    Parent
    If we need examples of true American heroes (none / 0) (#86)
    by jondee on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 03:46:51 PM EST
    and martyrs, it'd behoove people to set their sites higher than El Zimmo and Trump.

    And please, let's not insult everyone's intelligence by talking as if only party had media outlets, lawyers, and special interest groups working for them.

    Parent

    What does this (none / 0) (#87)
    by McBain on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 04:09:23 PM EST
    If we need examples of true American heroes and martyrs, it'd behoove people to set their sites higher than El Zimmo and Trump.

    have to do with my comment?
    And please, let's not insult everyone's intelligence by talking as if only party had media outlets, lawyers, and special interest groups working for them.

    The majority of the media stuck to the false narrative that was repeated during the first episode of the documentary.  It wasn't a fair fight in the court of public opinion.  Fortunately, it was mostly a different story inside the courtroom, although at least one witnesses changed her story based on biased media coverage.

    Parent
    You're right (none / 0) (#91)
    by Yman on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 06:23:08 PM EST
    I think it does matter when lawyers, the media and special interest groups deceive the public to force a trial on someone who shouldn't be on trial.  That goes for the courtroom and court of public opinion. The advancement of a cause should not come at the expense of the innocent.

    Good thing that didn't happen in the Zimmerman case.

    Parent

    The Case is Mildly Interesting (none / 0) (#25)
    by RickyJim on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 08:35:45 PM EST
    What is interesting is how we came to know about it.  It was an commonplace police blotter incident.  It could be that if a talented Orlando PR exec by the name of Ryan Julison didn't get involved, we still would never have heard of it.  I doubt that aspect will be covered much in the program.

    Parent
    Julison is interviewed in the first episode (none / 0) (#29)
    by McBain on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 09:03:54 PM EST
    I forgot exactly what he said but Benjamin Crump talks about how he had to win the battle of public opinion in order to get an arrest.

    Parent
    He was working at the behest (none / 0) (#81)
    by jondee on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 02:18:53 PM EST
    of the Martin family and their attorneys.

    I very seriously doubt that they would've just lain down and acquiesced to their son's fate simply because one pr guy's efforts didn't get any traction.

    Parent

    THE LOOMING TOWER (none / 0) (#17)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 06:58:23 PM EST
    I've been watching this on HULU.  it's surprisingly good

    Slashfilm

    Before The Looming Tower even begins, you know where it's going to end. Yet that doesn't make the series any less engrossing, or addictive.

    Based on Lawrence Wright's Pulitzer-winning book, The Looming Tower is the story of how we ended up here - seemingly trapped in wars with no end in sight. It is the story of the individuals who tried, and failed, to prevent the events that would ultimately lead to 9/11. And it unfolds with all the heart-pounding intensity  of a potboiler thriller. The end result is something that may ultimately prove to be the first truly great new TV series of 2018.
    I just finished this (none / 0) (#123)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 09:46:56 PM EST
    It is really outstanding.  I just checked and it has 4 EMMY nominations.  One for cast, one for directing and two for acting.  Jeff Daniels who is great and the actor who played Richard Clark.

    Tenent, Condi and many others are played like clueless fools.

    One of the best moments in the whole ten hours is when Condi tells Richard Clark while the towers are smoking and they are airlifting the Saudis out of the country that Bush wants to go after Saddam and Iraq.  Not Usama al Qaeda or the Taliban

    Parent

    Ant Man and the Wasp (none / 0) (#26)
    by linea on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 08:42:28 PM EST
    Film review.

    I saw this some time ago but never posted on it.

    For a minor superhero film where I had lowered expectations I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. They spent time developing the main character and his interaction with his daughter and family and it was very well done and he was very likable. It's also a `family friendly' film.

    Also see the film review from Donald from Hawaii and Linnea for Mission: Impossible - Fallout in the previous thread.

    The Mets just lost a game to the.... (none / 0) (#32)
    by desertswine on Tue Jul 31, 2018 at 11:51:29 PM EST
    Washington Nationals by 3 touchdowns.

    "We gotta do better than that."  said the manager.

    Amazin', Amazin', Amazin'... (none / 0) (#36)
    by kdog on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 08:50:34 AM EST
    in the most brutal way possible.

    Curse of The Wilpons.

    Parent

    This Week in History, 'Feel Old Now?' ed.: (none / 0) (#34)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 05:09:21 AM EST
    Unabashedly disrespectful, gratuitous, raunchy, sexist, mean-spirited and arguably the greatest monument to bad taste ever put to celluloid, filmed, director John Landis' "National Lampoon's Animal House" premiered 40 years ago this week to mixed reviews from film critics, but popular acclaim from the general public.

    I was home alone with my twin 12-year-old cousins when my friends came by and said they were going to see "Animal House" at the Monrovia Drive-In Theatre (the site of which is now a car dealership), and asked if I wanted to come along.
    Ever mindful that I was not to leave the boys by themselves, I quickly solved that problem by taking them along with us.

    Needless to say, this led to great consternation with my aunt and uncle, because despite my admonition to their twin fellas afterward to not tell their parents where we went that night, they couldn't stop talking about the movie, which they thought was the coolest thing they ever saw. And so I got a big lecture from my mother the next day about responsibility, since she no doubt received an earful from her older brother.

    ;-D

    I didn't see Animal House until (none / 0) (#85)
    by McBain on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 03:27:34 PM EST
    after seeing several obviously inspired/ rip offs so it wasn't a bid deal for me.  Similar experience with the French Connection.  I had seen a bunch of other buddy cop films, so the first half was mostly boring.  

    I have fond memories of  seeing Porkies at a drive in theater and National Lampoons original Vacation when they first came out.  

    As for feeling old, I watched the first episode of Cobra Kai last night.  It opens with the ending of the original Karate Kid from 1984.  

    Parent

    The 15,000 dollar ostrich jacket (none / 0) (#57)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:20:08 AM EST
    Is the first time I have liked Manafort.

    I'm (none / 0) (#58)
    by FlJoe on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:24:10 AM EST
    sure Rick Gates made him buy it,

    Parent
    Full disclosure (none / 0) (#61)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:27:00 AM EST
    I have ostrich skin cow boy boots.

    Imagining an ostrich skin jacket makes me wet.

    TMI?

    I have not even googled.   Fantasy is better.

    Parent

    Harmless good fun, dear boy (5.00 / 2) (#63)
    by jondee on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 11:37:55 AM EST
    TMI for me is every day waking up and realizing the MAGA movement isn't just a bizarre, unsettling dream I had last night


    Parent
    If you ever (5.00 / 1) (#71)
    by MKS on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 01:10:37 PM EST
    have a party at your house, I will beg for an invite. I'm sure your lafy friends would be there. The crumbs that fall off that table....

    Parent
    Trial news reports (none / 0) (#92)
    by linea on Wed Aug 01, 2018 at 10:10:43 PM EST
    Washington Post
    Ellis warned prosecutors Wednesday against using the word "oligarchs" to describe wealthy Ukrainians and admonished them for spending so much time documenting Manafort's extravagant lifestyle.

    It's not a crime to be wealthy, he noted. And the pejorative term "oligarchs" and evidence of home renovations aren't necessarily relevant to the charges in question, he added.

    "The government doesn't want to prosecute somebody because they wear nice clothes, do they?" Ellis said amid testimony that Manafort had spent nearly a million dollars on clothing from a boutique retailer where he was one of only about 40 clients. "Let's move on."



    Parent
    same on the (none / 0) (#99)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 02:48:27 PM EST
    ostrich cowboy boots. I also have lizard ones and hand-made elephant boots (made in Texas).

    Parent
    How (5.00 / 1) (#100)
    by FlJoe on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 02:56:57 PM EST
    about a Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat?

    Parent
    Worst Bob Dylan song (none / 0) (#110)
    by Peter G on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 04:28:35 PM EST
    of all time, if you ask me. And there is competition.

    Parent
    Never (5.00 / 1) (#116)
    by FlJoe on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 06:03:22 PM EST
    tried to rate the worst, but never cared much for that one either but the title has always stuck with me for some reason.

    Parent
    MSNBC showed the govt.... (none / 0) (#101)
    by desertswine on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 03:54:38 PM EST
    picture also of Manafort's $18,500 python skin jacket in addition to his ostrich one.

    Parent
    Much as I despise Manafort, I have to (none / 0) (#105)
    by Peter G on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 04:12:56 PM EST
    agree with the judge that such evidence is substantially more prejudicial than probative and therefore should not be allowed. In fact, I think the judge put his foot down on this cheap prosecutorial tactic a couple of pieces of evidence too late.

    Parent
    I read it's smart (none / 0) (#107)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 04:16:13 PM EST
    Because allowing it in could become a basis for an appeal

    If I phrased that right

    Parent

    Yes, you did, Howdy. As the wise judge (none / 0) (#109)
    by Peter G on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 04:27:28 PM EST
    for whom I clerked many decades ago used to say: "A smart trial judge will try to figure out who's winning, and then start making all the rulings that could go either way in favor of the other side."

    Parent
    Yeah, when the evidentiary rulings (none / 0) (#122)
    by MKS on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 09:43:39 PM EST
    start to all go in your favor, that is spooky and usually a bad sign--especially in a bench trial, which this is not.

    Parent
    Cheap tactic (none / 0) (#121)
    by MKS on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 09:42:05 PM EST
    but does it work?  I'm thinking it does.

    I am surprised that the prosecutors would be so willing to slug it out in the mud.  I guess I assumed really by-the-book and cautious.  But this is pure street fighter theater.

    Parent

    As long as it's not gratuitous, it's not cheap. (none / 0) (#133)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 03:49:06 PM EST
    I don't have a problem with the prosecution highlighting Manafort's expensive tastes in wardrobe attire, because it's representative of his motive for doing what he did. But I would agree with you that belaboring the issue excessively, which it looks like the prosecution was prepared to do, would be highly prejudicial and perhaps even counterproductive. Showing off a couple of wardrobe pieces gets the point across, methinks. But if I'm a juror, I don't necessarily want to rummage through the defendant's closets.

    Parent
    Disturbing: Do white people want democracy (none / 0) (#108)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 04:20:59 PM EST
    Steven Miller and Nicholas Davis on the research linking racial intolerance to a longing for authoritarian rule

    The photo is something.  I don't really get exactly what these mouth breathing morons have to be so fu@king angry about.

    I think it just feels good.   Gets their corrupted juices flowing.

    They seem sooo ready... (none / 0) (#117)
    by desertswine on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 06:33:20 PM EST
    for fascism.

    Parent
    You can't make it up (none / 0) (#112)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 04:49:40 PM EST
    Chapter infinity

    Trump at the nutso rally:  "I was probably in Washington in my entire life 17 times.  17 times.  I don't think I ever stayed overnight.  You know what I'm getting at, right?"

    Yes, yes we do.

    It's funny that these barely existent hardly worth mentioning or notice QAnon people are basically taking over Trump public appearances.  

    In the linked photo above the two screamers in front are wearing Q shirts.  There was dozens.  They are already on hand for tonight's party.
    That 17 was a QAnon secret message.  Google it.

    Links from today (none / 0) (#113)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 05:02:39 PM EST
    POST

    TIMES

    Parent

    17 times 17 times (none / 0) (#114)
    by jondee on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 05:29:28 PM EST
    the 17th letter in the alphabet.

    He's really going there. Full-on mainstreaming the lunacy.

    How un-pc of him.

    Parent

    And not (none / 0) (#115)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 05:43:22 PM EST
    The first time

    Think about the story.  He is not really being investigated.  Only pretending to be.  While working with Mueller and the military to bring Obama, Hillary and the "globalists"(read Jews) to justice.

    He could have made that up himself.  I would say he could be Q but Q seems to be able to make complete sentences.  Maybe Bannon.  Or Miller.  Sure feels like an inside job to me.

    Parent

    Glad I've had the television off (none / 0) (#119)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 09:12:07 PM EST
    Too much crazy.


    Parent
    Come on (none / 0) (#120)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 09:36:43 PM EST
    Tom Hanks running a world wide p£dophilia ring.

    Thousands of sealed indictments headed for GitMo including Obama and Hillary, btw, did you know they are already wearing ankle bracelets because of the sealed indictments?

    Open your mind Tracy.  Don't be duped by the deep state.

    Parent

    Not big on scifi :) (none / 0) (#124)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 10:24:40 AM EST


    Parent
    Speaking of Hanks (none / 0) (#128)
    by jondee on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 10:53:16 AM EST
    someone over at Kos mentioned the "symbology" of The Da Vinci as having been a possible gateway drug for a lot of these conspiracy nutters.

    I tend to believe the original gateway drug of all gateway drugs is the literalistic reading of the Bible. You want to see a crazy conspiracy theory, check out those Left Behind books.

    I'd love to see a study done to find out how many of these QAnon believers grew up in fundamentalist homes.

    Parent

    Da Vinci Code (none / 0) (#129)
    by jondee on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 10:54:07 AM EST


    Parent
    Speaking of which (none / 0) (#131)
    by jondee on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 11:18:46 AM EST
    apparently some filmmaker at Liberty University is currently working on a film tentatively titled The Trump Prophecy.

    The Trump Prophecy. Just let that sink in. And they have guns. Lots and lots of guns.

    Parent

    Oh boy (none / 0) (#134)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 04:03:58 PM EST

    Watch QAnon Followers Try to Explain Their Absolutely Bonkers, Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theory

    "And you don't have any proof there isn't," the woman defiantly fired back.



    Parent
    Somebody (none / 0) (#135)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 04:07:05 PM EST
    Somewhere is laughin their azz off

    Oh, and after previously thinking Trump himself was Q, some disciples now believe John F. Kennedy Jr. faked his own 1999 death to take on the anonymous identity and destroy the pedophiles and deep-state operatives who control the government


    Parent
    You really get the feeling (5.00 / 2) (#136)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 04:11:32 PM EST
    Someone or some group someplace is saying

    "Ok, wait wait, let's see if they believe THIS"

    Parent

    I thought (none / 0) (#142)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 07:31:03 PM EST
    about that. I read where Q said Hillary was going to be arrested in October and when that didn't happen the idiots didn't quit believing and Q came up with the excuse she has an ankle bracelet from law enforcement. And they of course swallowed that one whole too.

    Parent
    Stop! (none / 0) (#145)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 08:38:04 PM EST
    I'm trying to have some faith in the human race.

    Lalalalalalalalalalalalala

    Parent

    Oh, geez (none / 0) (#150)
    by Zorba on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 11:07:28 AM EST
    And these people vote.
    We're scr*wed.

    Parent
    They are 30% (5.00 / 1) (#152)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 11:19:39 AM EST
    We are 70%

    Get people out

    I am already signed up

    Parent

    Saw (none / 0) (#138)
    by FlJoe on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 04:53:27 PM EST
    that, just another day in America, even the bat-sh!t cray-cray is  becoming normalized. A band of barking mad CT's showing up like dead-heads at tRump's rallies, just another signpost on the road to hell...or the twilight zone.

    Parent
    Signpost (none / 0) (#140)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 05:30:49 PM EST
    Yes
    I think this nutso story could end up being important.

    I really think that, as this spreads and gets more attention, this might actually make some people step back and see the forest

    In that linked story, or possibly another, they was accounts of people who were at that rally for the local people the rally was supposed to be for being visibly freaked and unwilling to discuss it with reporters.

    I really think that for those who's barrel still has a bottom this might be it.

    Parent

    The Russian Federation (none / 0) (#118)
    by linea on Thu Aug 02, 2018 at 08:58:17 PM EST
    Has opened a criminal case against Lithuanian prosecutors and judges for putting on trial those persons accused of war crimes through their involvement in the January Events of 1991.

    Russian investigators say Lithuania is illegally prosecuting Soviet soldiers responsible for 1991 violence
    23 july 2018

    Russia's Federal Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against the Lithuanian prosecutors and judges responsible for litigating the trial of persons involved in deadly clashes in Vilnius on January 13, 1991, when Soviet paratroopers and special forces occupied public buildings and stormed the city's TV broadcast center. The ensuing violence claimed 14 lives and injured more than 700 people.

    ...

    There are currently more than 60 people on trial in Lithuania for their involvement in the 1991 violence, including several Russian citizens, such as former KGB officer Mikhail Golovatov, former Soviet Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov, and former Vilnius garrison commander Vladimir Uskhopchik.
    Based on the (none / 0) (#126)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 10:32:51 AM EST
    Intelligence high 5 press room party yesterday I think Trump is making the idea of the "deep state" real.

    PS
    I don't believe Trump "told" them to do that.  Don't believe it.

    3/4 length sleeves on the (none / 0) (#127)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 10:33:45 AM EST
    Python jacket?  Seriously?

    My python boot was too tight (none / 0) (#130)
    by jondee on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 10:58:24 AM EST
    I couldn't get it off last night. A week went by and now it's July..

    Parent
    So jondee did you sleep with your boot on? (5.00 / 2) (#132)
    by fishcamp on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 02:17:26 PM EST
    When I was a kid my dad came home after fishing and drinking and couldn't get his hip boots off.  He just climbed into bed with them on and went to sleep.  Mom didn't  think it was funny, but my sisters and I sure did.

    Parent
    It wasn't me.. (5.00 / 2) (#137)
    by jondee on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 04:43:21 PM EST
    it's a line from an old Frank Zappa song. A cloying little ditty by the name of Stink Foot.

    Wouldn't ya know it.

    Parent

    I knew that (5.00 / 1) (#139)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 05:23:34 PM EST
    But the sleeping with waders story was too good to interrupt

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    For those who may wish to learn more (5.00 / 2) (#146)
    by Peter G on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 09:27:51 PM EST
    about this 1974 classic. A little investigation will not prove bootless. It may even improve your conceptual continuity.

    Parent
    I believe (5.00 / 1) (#147)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 10:30:42 PM EST
    live is better

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    As long as we are doing zappa (5.00 / 1) (#148)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 10:36:41 PM EST
    This turned up in the right column

    his last performance in Prague in 1991

    Russia comes up.  Seemed apropos  

    Parent

    Frank had so many fantastic players (none / 0) (#149)
    by jondee on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 10:52:32 AM EST
    that passed through his band, but I have a real soft spot for that George Duke-Ruth Underwood configuration..

    Talk about someone who's sorely missed. His daughter Moon said Frank would've gotten 10 years worth of material out of the Trump moment.

    Parent

    Ruth Underwood = God (5.00 / 1) (#151)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 11:12:41 AM EST


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    Yep, Frank had an ear (none / 0) (#155)
    by jondee on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 12:04:50 PM EST
    for creative, inspired, quirky percussionists..

    A lot of that comes from the Varese influence he resonated with so much at a young age.
    .

    Parent

    Of all the great musicians to pass (none / 0) (#161)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 05:40:20 PM EST
    Thru Centerville possibly only Sugar Cane Harris is her equal.

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    With and without Zappa (none / 0) (#162)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 06:04:13 PM EST
    little house I used to live in

    cup full of dreams

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    Together with my date and a friend (5.00 / 1) (#158)
    by Peter G on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 01:41:17 PM EST
    and his date, I left my New Jersey suburban high school senior prom early (or, I suppose it could have been my junior prom, but that seems less likely) to make our way into New York City to see Zappa perform with the original Mothers of Invention. This was the spring of 1966 or 1967. It could have been at the Garrick Theater, which shared a building in the Village with Cafe a Go Go, but if 1966 it would have been someplace smaller. This was several months after the Freak Out album was released, if 1966, or after Absolutely Free, if 1967. Got to see them live again in the summers of 1967 and 1968 (or maybe it was 1968 and 1969) at the Schaefer Summer Music Series at the roller rink in Central Park, NYC. And many other great performers and bands those summers.

    Parent
    I remember doing the same thing.... (5.00 / 1) (#159)
    by desertswine on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 02:57:39 PM EST
    going into the City after the prom, that is.  Except we went to see Ella Fitzgerald at Basin Street East.  It was a couple of years before you went though.  The drinking age back then was, if you could say it, you got served.

    Parent
    Drinking age in NY was 18 then. (5.00 / 1) (#160)
    by Peter G on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 03:12:07 PM EST
    In NJ it was 21. As a result, we lost a high school senior a year, more or less, driving home from Nyack NY to our town in NJ, less than 10 miles away. I didn't drink as a teen, but being (or saying plausibly that you were) 18 could get you into any venue in NYC.

    Parent
    Fake Ids (none / 0) (#163)
    by jmacWA on Sun Aug 05, 2018 at 05:46:09 AM EST
    I am about 4 yrs behind Peter... The clubs checked ID's in my time, but in those days it was pretty easy to come by a fake draft card :).

    Parent
    Weinstein lawyers are seeking to have (none / 0) (#141)
    by McBain on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 06:36:51 PM EST
    his rape charges dismissed. They are claiming the alleged victim sent Weinstein friendly messages after the alleged incident took place.
    One message, less than a month after the alleged rape in March 2013, expresses appreciation for "all you do for me," according copies of emails included in the court filing. Another message, days later, says "it would be great to see you again."

    His lawyers believe the grand jury should have been aware of these messages.

    Taken from about 400 communications between the two, the messages show "a long-term, consensual, intimate relationship" that prosecutors didn't portray to the grand jury, Weinstein attorney Ben Brafman wrote in court papers.
    Charges based on probable cause (5.00 / 1) (#144)
    by Peter G on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 08:24:59 PM EST
    are not dismissed because the defense has material to work with, even if that material is also part of the prosecutors' file.

    Parent
    Video (none / 0) (#143)
    by linea on Fri Aug 03, 2018 at 07:59:00 PM EST
    Video of Adventurous Cyclists in Tajikistan prior to deadly attack [Link]
    Trump criticizes Lebron James (none / 0) (#153)
    by McBain on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 11:29:58 AM EST
    and Don Lemon.
    Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do. I like Mike!

    I believe most of the truly great athletes are smart.  James has said some things in the past that have shown less than perfect judgement, but overall, I bet he's a pretty smart guy.  On the basketball court has a sense of where players are going to be... when to pass... when to shoot. I believe you have to be smart to be responsible for as much winning as he does.

    I also think famous black athletes are sometimes in a tough spot.  If they don't speak out against racial inequality, they're going to be criticized.  A lot of people thought Michal Jordan should have used his voice more on certain issues.  But when black athletes do speak out, people like me criticize them. For example...

    I didn't like what Lebron James said about the death of Trayvon Martin.

    LeBron James: The fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin "hit a switch for me. From that point on, I knew that my voice and my platform had to be used for more than just sports."

    I also didn't like it when he and his Miami Heat teammates posed for a photo while wearing hoodies back in 2012. I thought that was a rush to judgement against George Zimmerman.

    I can be a no win situation.  I just think if you're going to take a stand that has ramifications against someone else, make sure you've got the facts. That goes for James and Trump.


    There were only two people (5.00 / 4) (#156)
    by jondee on Sat Aug 04, 2018 at 12:58:08 PM EST
    who really had "the facts" and one of them is dead.

    You really should quit talking like you were there and viewed the whole sequence of events from 10 feet away.

    It's about as convincing as the inspired 'testimony' of one of Trump's apocalyptic Christian fans.

    Parent

    If you want to learn about the facts (5.00 / 1) (#179)
    by McBain on Thu Aug 09, 2018 at 06:09:25 PM EST
    there's an entire archive on the main page of Talkleft.  Jeralyn also posted several excellent write ups including this one...
    George Zimmerman: The Most Likely Scenario

    You don't have to have been an actual witness to the alteration to have a basic understanding of what happened. It just takes a little bit of work and some common sense.   Lebron James, whose basketball common sense is off the charts, was motivated by a myth.  


    Parent

    Your hubris is amusing (5.00 / 1) (#180)
    by Yman on Thu Aug 09, 2018 at 06:18:47 PM EST
    Pretending you have the slightest clue what others know about the case, let alone suggesting that they don't know what they're talking about, while you do.  Not to mention you as the arbiter if common sense.  LeBron isn't the one engaged in "myths" - that's you.

    BTW - The article you linked to is simply the speculative opinion of one person.

    Parent

    And Yours is Amazing (5.00 / 1) (#183)
    by RickyJim on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 09:34:33 AM EST
    One would think a lawyer like you would know that the prosecution had the task of showing it would be unreasonable to believe that Zimmerman fired in self defense.  That is something that is clear they did not do and could not do. What I have seen continually from Zimmerman haters, from the start, are arguments that he is not innocent beyond a reasonable doubt.  I don't bother engaging in that issue.  

    Parent
    All of which has ... (5.00 / 1) (#192)
    by Yman on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 05:36:30 PM EST
    ... absolutely nothing to do with me or my response, but I guess if you can't formulate an actual response, work with what ya got, ... right?

    Parent
    Thank you McBain (2.00 / 1) (#193)
    by linea on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 08:21:44 PM EST
    For that link to Jeralyn's considered analysis providing the most likely scenario for the incident.

    I now better understand the details and legal issues and understand why you sometimes feel exasperated attempting to discuss this court case with the usual suspects on this forum.

    Parent

    Lebron (none / 0) (#187)
    by CST on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 12:59:41 PM EST
    Didn't even mention Zimmerman once.   It's not a myth to believe that a young black man didn't need to die that day.   Whether Zimmerman was a criminal under the law is a separate question from that of empathy and morality.

    The fact that you can't acknowledge that distinction speaks volumes about you, not Lebron James.

    Parent

    When does anyone need to die? (none / 0) (#188)
    by McBain on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 01:58:04 PM EST
    Whether Zimmerman was a criminal under the law is a separate question from that of empathy and morality.

    The fact that you can't acknowledge that distinction speaks volumes about you, not Lebron James.


    What does it specifically say, CST? Can you summerize the volumes?

    I don't believe GZ did anything wrong legally or morally the night he shot TM.  I also wish it didn't happen and TM was still alive.  

    Parent

    Morally? (5.00 / 5) (#195)
    by MKS on Sat Aug 11, 2018 at 06:36:20 PM EST
    No way. Not in a million years.  Criminal guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is one thing. Innocent or not morally culpable is another. What Zimmerman did if not criminal was imo cheesy and cowardly. He followed Trayvon and triggered the whole series of events. He basically proofiled him and followed him.

    He followed someone at night while armed. He officiously created a problem that did not exist.

    If he had mot been armed I dont think he would have followed Trayvon. Not guilty of crime. But totally wrong and morally responsible for what happened.
     

    Parent

    So what do you find (none / 0) (#189)
    by CST on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 02:10:19 PM EST
    Specifically offensive about Lebron's statement then?  Again, he doesn't even mention the name Zimmerman, or cast guilt on anyone.   It's as if the mere presence of empathy and sadness is offensive to you.

    Parent
    I wasn't offended (1.33 / 3) (#190)
    by McBain on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 03:51:15 PM EST
    and never claimed to be.  

    I already quoted the part of the interview I didn't like.  My main beef with Lebron on this topic is the hoodie photo.  As good as his intentions might have been, I believe that photo became part of the PR campaign that influenced many.  Basically, it was irrepressible for someone in his position to do that.  But, as I mentioned before, it's a no win situation for him. He's going to get criticized either way.

    It's as if the mere presence of empathy and sadness is offensive to you.

    Again, I'm not offended.  You can be sad for the Martin Family if you want. I was early on but not anymore.  They've moved on from grieving family to social justice warriors and in the process said many things that aren't true.  

    Parent
    Social justice warrior.. (5.00 / 5) (#194)
    by jondee on Sat Aug 11, 2018 at 11:39:42 AM EST
    the numero uno term of disparagement amongst the Trumpanzee crowd these days..

    People who want to devolve backwards to some mythic time in the past, have always had a problem with social justice warriors, who are more interested in moving society forward.

    Parent

    Indeed (5.00 / 4) (#164)
    by Yman on Mon Aug 06, 2018 at 10:22:57 PM EST
    I just think if you're going to take a stand that has ramifications against someone else, make sure you've got the facts. That goes for James and Trump
    .

    You mean like deciding to live out your wanna-be police officer fantasies by following a black teenager with your gun?

    Parent

    I don't care if you didn't like what (5.00 / 2) (#196)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Aug 11, 2018 at 06:36:26 PM EST
    LeBron James said.

    I don't care if you didn't like what the Miami Heat did.

    None of these things directly affected you or anyone else in an adverse way. They did not incite anyone. They were peaceful. They don't even register as micro aggressions. You're so fragile you can't even be a snowflake.

    Parent

    I do have a soft spot for people (2.67 / 3) (#200)
    by McBain on Sat Aug 11, 2018 at 08:32:46 PM EST
    who are victims of a rush to judgement and are treated unfairly by the media and the judicial system. As long as I'm allowed to do so, I'm going to speak out against it.

    However, the fragile people in here aren't the ones receiving the insults, they're the ones throwing them out. It's a classic, fear based reaction to something they don't want to hear or admit is true.  

    Parent

    Watch yerself (none / 0) (#176)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 08, 2018 at 05:16:16 PM EST
    Jeralyn an all

    Guilty Pleasures (none / 0) (#177)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 09, 2018 at 08:19:11 AM EST
    MJ did this today and it was funny.

    Name a band musical group or performer that you REALLY like

    Who is  NOT cool.

    I will go first

    ABBA

    I love ABBA.  A special ABBA mix a DJ friend made for me lives in my car CD player.

    The extended dance mix of LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME is right there with the Moonlight Sonata and Dark Side of the Moon.

    Most of my guilty pleasures (none / 0) (#178)
    by jondee on Thu Aug 09, 2018 at 11:08:53 AM EST
    have more to do with behavior than with music.

    I listen to a lot of stuff like Ali Akbar Khan, Lightning Slim, Captain Beefheart, and St Saens that would be considered either uncool or too weird by a lot, if not most people.


    Parent

    The Ali Akbar Kahn College of Music (5.00 / 2) (#181)
    by fishcamp on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 07:30:42 AM EST
    was located in Mt. Tamalpias, Ca. outside of San Francisco until it moved to San Raphael.  I recorded him and his group for a downhill segment in one of my ski racing films.  He was a wonderful man who unfortunately passed away in 1999 I believe it was.

    Parent
    Was the trump fan (none / 0) (#184)
    by CoralGables on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 09:47:49 AM EST
    that punched a guy in the face in the Keys recently one of your gym rat friends?

    Parent
    No (none / 0) (#185)
    by fishcamp on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 11:49:53 AM EST


    Parent
    Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)? (none / 0) (#197)
    by oculus on Sat Aug 11, 2018 at 08:02:55 PM EST


    Parent
    That's the ticket (5.00 / 1) (#199)
    by jondee on Sat Aug 11, 2018 at 08:26:28 PM EST
    I'm lucky if I can spell my own name correctly lately.

    Aquarium is the short piece was listening to obsessively a couple of weeks ago. That and Stravinsky's Firebird.

    Parent

    I just read wiki re Saint-Saens. (none / 0) (#201)
    by oculus on Sat Aug 11, 2018 at 08:56:58 PM EST
    Fascinating.

    Parent
    Its Saint-Saëns (none / 0) (#202)
    by RickyJim on Sat Aug 11, 2018 at 08:57:08 PM EST


    Parent
    Correct. (none / 0) (#203)
    by oculus on Sat Aug 11, 2018 at 09:13:47 PM EST


    Parent
    The Benedictine Monks (none / 0) (#182)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Aug 10, 2018 at 09:16:00 AM EST
    Especially when added to techno

    Parent
    Tuesday Open Thread | 200 comments (200 topical)