So what is everyone doing on this fine Friday evening?
I had a late breakfast dinner and have been cruising through the first season of the West Wing while dealing with three animals on my lap jockeying for prime position. Good thing I have ample lap.
I’d forgotten how good the West Wing is- I am several episodes into season 1 and haven’t even really noticed that it isn’t letterbox or HD. That means it is good, because I basically refuse to watch anything that is not HD. Unless of course it is internet porn, and then you just cope.
Also, this was inevitable:
Le sigh.
Omnes Omnibus
That is fucking brilliant. Demented, but brilliant.
JasonF
I’m pasting this in from the last open thread partly because I want people to see it and let me know whether they think I’m missing something, but mostly because I noticed a typo about two seconds after the edit window closed and it’s bugging me:
So here’s the thing — lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of pundits talking about the fact that Newt has no chance but Romney puts a lot of states in play. Specifically, they talk about Ohio being a swing state and Romney having a good chance in Michigan given his father’s history as the Governor.
So here’s my question: are these pundits high or am I? Because I look at a Republican Party that has spent three years ranting about auto industry bailouts and I think “they’re doing to the Rust Belt what LBJ did to the solid south. Maybe they’re not losing it for as long as the Democrats lost the south, but how can they possibly hope to carry states where a significant portion of the electorate draws their paychecks (directly or indirectly) from GM, Chrysler, and Ford?” Am I missing something, or do the constant refrains of “Obama should not have bailed out the auto industry” —- i.e. “Obama should not have saved your job” —- effectively put Ohio and Michigan (and probably Indiana, which also has a significant auto industry base) out of play for the Republicans?
Sub-question—are there really enough Michiganders who think fondly enough of the guy who was governor four decades ago to have any statistical impact on his son’s candidacy all these years later?
John Cole
@Omnes Omnibus: Demented and sad, but social.
SiubhanDuinne
I’m overdue for a West Wing marathon. Own all 7 seasons on DVD and every couple of years I just call in sick and watch the whole thing start to finish. It’s time.
slag
I would have taken you for one of the witches (either east or west) before I went with the Wizard character.
David Koch
Pretty cool seeing Seth Rogen has been cast to star in the screen adaptation of Balloon-Juice.
I hear Sanaa Lathan is up for the ABL role.
redshirt
It kinda looks like a balloon.
schrodinger's cat
@SiubhanDuinne: I do that with DS9. Loved that show.
SiubhanDuinne
@JasonF:
Every time you make a typo
The errorists win.
ruemara
I’m watching my 2 kids from Chongqing play with legos. Between my pigdin basic commands in Chinese and their generally clueless cuteness, we are muddling through until Sunday. My cooking skills are wasted. Even my duck sausage & green onion jook was met with teh blah.
trollhattan
That’s going to look good as a postage stamp someday.
Also, too, Aaron Sorkin is our best dialogue writer today. I think in the past he’d have written for Billy Wilder
schrodinger's cat
@JasonF: I think the punditubbies are totally clueless. If they really knew what would happen, Hillary would have been Mme President now.
Cassidy
Watching Dragon Tiger Gate with Donnie Yen. Love Donnie Yen. This movie? Not so much. My oldest daughter keeps looking at me like I’m nuts.
Will Reks
Kinda reminds me of John Goodman.
Omnes Omnibus
@John Cole: I knew something was bouncing around me little brain. That was it.
Chris
@schrodinger’s cat:
I miss quality sci-fi shows set in outer space.
Alas, no more Star Trek, no more Stargate and no Firefly revival on the horizon, which is very sad. Supposedly, there are new BSG and Star Wars series in the works, but they won’t be out for years. As our host says, le sigh.
amk
Were you and goodman separated at birth, john ?
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@JasonF:
I suspect Michigan is a lost cause for Romney, given his foolish remarks about the auto industry. I expect Indiana to flip back to the GOP, given how bad the economy is and how narrowly Obama won it last time. Ohio I tend to think will stay blue, somewhat grudgingly, in part because of idiot governor and general GOP overreach.
dance around in your bones
I’m on an “All Creatures Great and Small” Netfix. Good clean fun.
Lurve the graphic, when do we get the t-shirts?
trollhattan
@amk:
I can get you a toe, believe me.
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
On a personal level, I am recovering from the discovery that Mitt Romney paid a 50% tax rate:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/01/romney_actually_i_kind_of_pay_50_tax.php?ref=fpblg
I refuse to believe that this obvious falsehood will fly, either in the primary or against Obama. Romney must be seeing absolutely horrendous polling on his taxes to even think of trying this.
SuzieC
Baking raspberry cheesecake for a dinner party tomorrow night, drinking limoncello, and reading BJ because I have finished reading Top Chef recaps on TVGasm. For fans of food & reality tv snark,I recommend.
Mitt will not go over well in Ohio, guaranteed. I’ve lived here all my life. We don’t like elitist super-rich androids.
Jeffro
@JasonF: No answer on that, but I think I read something recently about how while the ‘traditional’ swing states may slip away due to blue-collar anti-Obama vote (especially OH), Obama is likely to (re-)pick up the new swing states and then some (VA, NC, NM, CO, etc).
I stand by my prediction from last year: Obama 51-52% PV, 310-320 EVs. It’s not exciting but it fits.
Also too: just got late notice that my school’s school counselor (FINALLY) won ‘counselor of the year’ for our county, on to the state “competition”…he is awesome and this is long overdue.
amk
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson: jeebus, desperation has fucking fried his brains.
amk
@trollhattan: whose toe ?
Omnes Omnibus
@SuzieC: Send directions. Will drive all night. Sleep is overrated.
@amk: Does it really matter? It’s a toe. Sometimes it’s really best not to ask questions.
dead existentialist
An open thread, huh? Anybody remember the Terry Tate Office Linebacker commercials?
Here’s one titled “Reading Is Fundamental” featuring Sarah Palin and Katie Couric.
No “actual” governors were injured . . . by Terry’s hit.
WaterGirl
Hey, Cole. Who did the graphic? It’s great.
I had a dream last night – I don’t know what it was about other than the fact that in the dream I looked down and I had on a pair of tennis shoes, the old fashioned kind, and they had this great Balloon Juice design on them.
So the tennies were white and Balloon Juice was embroidered on the shoe, and each letter was a different color (well, maybe some repeats, but definitely a rainbow of colors). They were awesome! And they fit my feet better than any shoes in a long time.
And now I want Balloon Juice tennies, just like the ones in my dream.
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@amk:
It is impressive, isn’t it? I don’t know whether Romney’s hoping to be spanked hard and nasty by Gingrich and then Obama, but this is an invitation to public mockery.
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: Who is your dealer?
Rafer Janders
Wait, you won’t watch anything not in HD? What about old movies? Old tv shows such as MASH, Cheers, etc.? Classic John Wayne/Cary Grant/Humphrey Bogart/Tracey and Hepburn/the other Hepburn/ etc.?
Suffern ACE
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson: Yeah. Corporations paying 35% should probably see one of those Big 4 accounting firms. Maybe that PE firm would like to open those books on its portfolio companies. Those aren’t going to be “profitable” because they pay back their loans from the PE firms and that payment comes before taxable profits, if I recall correctly.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: I’m guessing you don’t mean a shoe dealer. :-) The shoes were so awesome, I really want them.
amk
@Omnes Omnibus: but I want proof …
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: The shoe habit is big monkey to carry on your back. We are here for you.
piratedan
i’m sitting here just kind of daunted about damn near everything. I’ve spent the last 8 months caring for two people that I love and living with them as they fought their battles and ultimately lost them yet allowed them the dignity to pass as they wished, quietly at home. Then came the holidays and the warmth of family (human and four legged) yet with the thought that everything isn’t finished yet. Now I’m alone in their house after doing a brief family grief tour and dropping off designated possessions and am now cataloging all of their items, arranging estate sale appointments and helping my stepbrother with the transfer of responsibility both financially and legally that will allow me to finally go home.
I just kind of feel numb and subdued and in a way, I feel like a kid, just newly away from home and all I got are some records to play to keep me sane. I do have one benefit now that I didn’t have then, I can share this with you guys and strangely enough, you get it, you understand and simply aren’t judgmental about it and for that, I thank you.
Time will heal these wounds and right now, I’m kinda grateful for the pain…. does that sound weird or what?
Mr Stagger Lee
I finally finished the first 3 seasons of Breaking Bad, I hope AMC does an encore of season 4. I am watching Partition on Netflix. A story of a Sikh man and a Muslim woman, trying to survive a world of chaos in 1947 India.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: Thanks for the laugh before bedtime! I guess you’ll be hitting the road soon. I did wonder, though, whether it was the cheesecake or the limoncello that got your interest…
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: Cheesecake.
Mr Stagger Lee
@WaterGirl: Just don’t ask Nike to design them.
Violet
That is awesome! Who made it?
I figured you would have been watching the finale of Chuck tonight, John Cole. I have it on DVR and haven’t watched it yet.
Otherwise, not a very exciting evening. At leftovers for dinner and then discovered some Boy Scout popcorn in the cupboard and made a huge mistake of opening the bag. Ugh. That stuff is disgusting. I threw out the rest. Total waste of money, but at least I supported my friend’s kid’s troop. He’s a nice kid.
dance around in your bones
@piratedan:
I empathize with you, because in November last year I lost my husband of 40 years. It’s a weird and surreal experience, and I don’t know what else to say but to just keep on truckin’, cause that’s all we can do.
Things are gonna hurt for a while. One thing I have been grateful for is this place, to share my loss and pain, and to get thoughtful, caring replies in response.
This is a good place to share. TG for BJ.
J. Michael Neal
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson: Guh. Idiot. Let’s assume for a second that Romney should be credited with paying a 35% corporate tax rate as a part of his taxes. You can’t add the rates together. It’s basic math. The proper figure is 1 – (1 – corporate tax rate) * (1 – personal tax rate). At 35% and 13.9%, you get an effective tax rate of 44%.
Except that even that’s not right. Mitt earns most of his money as capital gains. Capital gains does not perfectly track corporate profits. In theory, it will over an infinite time horizon, but we aren’t dealing with that.
Beyond THAT, a fair amount of what Romney claims as capital gains is from Bain Capital. Bain earns money in two ways. The first is by seeing its investment go up, and by Mitt’s very flawed hypothesis, that would be double taxed. But the rest of it is from fees that Bain earns. Because Bain is a partnership, that money was never subject to corporate income tax.
So, he’s full of shit even if you give him his bullshit assumptions.
trollhattan
@Mr Stagger Lee:
As other fundamental shows meet their doom, Breaking Bad steps in pretty darn well. It’s almost always good, sometimes astonishing. I’m getting a similar vibe from Justified.
Fitzwili
@ piratedan
I just went through this with my mother. It is so hard going through stuff and having to make practical decisions when you just want to grieve. I suppose it is helpful because you just keep doing tasks and the responsibilities keep you tethered. I hope things get better for you.
Shirt
Dude, who does your hair? ABL?
(please, kids, Shake hands, you kinda like each other)
J. Michael Neal
I spent the first half of the evening watching the Gophers play a ridiculously sloppy second period, but beat the Purple Cows of Minnesota State 6-3. North Dakota lost, which makes it a better night.
The rest hasn’t gone as well. I’m staying overnight in Mankato because I hoped to socialize with other Gopher fans I know. I couldn’t find any of them after the game, so I’m sitting alone in my hotel room. I should have driven back up to Minneapolis and come down again for tomorrow’s game.
freelancer
Oh not too much, watching Don’t Be a Menace on Netflix before heading off to bed…Oh that’s cool, I recently restarted it after stalling out watching Sports Night (which I love too) and yeah The West Wing is really great, especially the third season, this episode may be one of the top moments of ALL televis-
OMFG, [gut laughing] That is too harsh. Oh Jesus, that’s fucking mean but JC’s proud, pouty visage should go on an apron in the BJ store. I would pick one up right quick.
Cowbelle
@John Cole: When do we get t-shirts?
Omnes Omnibus
@piratedan:
No, pain is better than numb. It means you are alive. I had written a long thing about love and loss, divorce and death, and all those things, but FYWP eated it. It was probably for the best. Maybe some Townes van Zandt would help.
schrodinger's cat
@Mr Stagger Lee: You should watch Tamas (Darkness), a mini series about partition, from the point of view of ordinary people caught up in an extraordinary situation. It is brilliant.
Lojasmo
@JasonF:
Yeah, obambi’s gonna win, whatever douchebag wins the r nom.
Great cole inkblot.
Violet
@piratedan:
Very sorry for your losses. You’ve been dealing with a lot of difficult stuff and now it’s mostly over. That’s exhausting and it’s little wonder you’re somewhat numb. The pain you’re feeling is reassuring partly because it means you are still able to feel in the midst of the numbness. That’s a good sign, which is probably why you’re glad for it.
Take good care of yourself as you cared for those you loved. You did a very good thing by doing that.
trollhattan
@piratedan:
Nobody can live your experience but anyone who’s experienced grief can intuit what you’re saying. I think it’s sometimes necessary to keep digging that hole for a while longer, before you can climb out. I don’t think we get a vote on how or when we can get “on with it.”
Very sorry for your losses.
joeyess
@John Cole
You have to man-scape that ginger beard, dude.
Here’s a video that’s all about you and people with red hair.
WaterGirl
@piratedan: Reading your words took me back in time to shortly after my dad died. We lost my dad and had the funeral and handled all the financial stuff and made all the arrangements and split up all the possessions in Chicago and then all three of us sisters went our separate ways to our homes in different states.
I remember walking in the door when we got home, and sitting on the couch with my partner. It was very strange. For the first time in my life, I had an overwhelming desire to run away from home. I was smart enough to know that running away wouldn’t solve anything, so I was able to resist, just barely. My entire being just wanted to bolt.
While I know that’s not what you are describing, I am certain that what you are experiencing is as profound as what I experienced, and my heart goes out to you.
You hold it together and somehow manage to do everything you need to do, and then suddenly it’s over and you are left alone with your feelings. But you’re not really alone, as you have already discovered.
amk
@piratedan: Sorry for your losses. It’s the aftermath that hurts deep. Here is to your successful come back.
Fucen Pneumatic Fuck Wrench Tarmal
kennedy from mtv was on bill maher, seriously, i don’t know if she’s as high now as i was then, but i had to be to ever think she was at all bone-worthy.
pragmatism
I went to chilis with the family but since we are so elitist my wife insisted upon ordering the premium wine. I had their finest 6 oz steak, rare.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: I would have guessed wrong.
@Mr Stagger Lee: Not after what I read today, I won’t.
@Violet I bought that popcorn from the boy scouts exactly once. After that, I would hand them a check as a donation and tell them to keep the popcorn.
piratedan
@Omnes Omnibus: Thanx OO and ty to all those who are sharing similar tales and pain. I know we’re only alone in terms of proximity, not in the journey itself.
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: I can get Limoncello here and, to be honest, I am kind of meh about it. Cheesecake, however….
Arclite
@schrodinger’s cat:
I could see doing that for the new version of Battlestar Galactica. The serialized nature and vast arc of the show make it even more compelling than DS9, whose episodes were largely self contained.
Odie Hugh Manatee
I heard you ‘faced off’ here but was too disinterested to go look it up. I figure I’ll trip across it somewhere so I’m not concerned. ;p
This is all just a prelude to John’s upcoming new MSNBC weekend show, Balloon Juice: Weekend Edition!
Today on our show, John will stand outside David Gregory’s studio and punch him in the neck as he leaves.
Commercials will have a small picture of Tunch in the corner with the message “Buy this or else…”
Michael Demmons
I think the sketch is brilliant!
Arclite
@ruemara:
Is this a temporary gig, or permanent? Wondering if congrats are in order…
Bnut
@schrodinger’s cat: That’s funny, i just started watching it again on Netflix. I was only 9 when it first came out, but I still feel the same way I did then, it’s all pretty slow until season 3, and even now I’m waiting for the Dominion War to start.
piratedan
@Odie Hugh Manatee: can we haz recurring segments where we see JC smacking Village punditry with a tuna?
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: I have only had Limoncello once, and it was homemade and awesome. I have no idea what the regular kind tastes like.
Hill Dweller
@Fucen Pneumatic Fuck Wrench Tarmal: I was just talking about wanting to reach through the TV and choke her on the other thread.
Her voice is enough to drive a man to drink…antifreeze.
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: It is okay. My dad loves it. I prefer a simple whiskey sour. Please.
@piratedan: I would watch that.
trollhattan
@piratedan:
What you could use right now is a puppy.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6128/5968345970_9fe1909d2f_b.jpg
She smells, lacking a bath the last couple months, and is leaning on my right arm, making it tough to type, but can usually make a crappy day better. Usually.
Hill Dweller
I see Daddy Bush and Jeb visited with the President in Oval Office before the Alfalfa Club dinner.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: Coming right up. Gotta love aman who’s polite.
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: My pup is now 7 months old. Just looking at your pup, I’m pretty sure he/she is a handful!
Fucen Pneumatic Fuck Wrench Tarmal
@Hill Dweller:
i found her incredibly annoying and worse, incredibly annoying in a way that i think she always was but that never registered. this is why i don’t facebook or go to reunions.
Michael Demmons
Since this is an open thread, please post your Twitter handles so I can follow you.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@piratedan: @dance around in your bones:
I’m so sorry to hear of the loss of loved ones. It is a time that just wipes you out, physically and emotionally. We all know that time heals all but when you are right in the middle of it you can lose sight of that.
My best wishes to both of you.
@piratedan:
Then Tunch can refuse to eat it because it’s been defiled by pundit.
Make Tunch the Morris the Cat of political news…lol!
Arclite
@Rafer Janders:
They have a lot of old actors in hi-def: John Wayne, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, etc. As for MASH and Cheers, you heard what he said: if it’s good, he doesn’t notice it’s lo def. Besides, the MASH TV show was shot on film, so we could see a hi def release at some point. The film itself is already out on BRD.
Nicole
Quiet evening here, watched My Week With Marilyn. God bless my husband’s SAG membership and the SAG awards- it’s the only way I manage to see anything remotely recent. I enjoyed.
Prior to the film, I watched some of Centennial on DVD. Chock full of 1970’s miniseries unintentional hilarity. Best line so far is Richard Chamberlain: “I’ll get my beaver.”
Cassidy
Trying to decide if I like Awolnation and Fun. I’ve been on a Bravery and Killers kick lately, so I think that has some influence.
@piratedan: When we’d lose guys in Iraq, someone always had to clear out their room, box up their stuff, clean up the computer, etc. I volunteered. I think, being the Senior Medic, it was expected that I’d be a part of that; not really sure why. I would have anyway because they were all my boys. Losing people sucks. You’ll get there.
piratedan
@trollhattan: aye troll, but I have 8 critters awaiting my arrival at home, two shelties (recently inherited – if you get my drift), a corgi and a shiba inu and four felines of various and sundry psychosi.
amk
@Hill Dweller: Yup. And he was as gracious as ever. The thugs have a lot to learn from this man.
KyCole
Watching Children of Earth from Torchwood on Netflix. Can’t seem to find a new show to watch. Maybe I’ll try All Creatures Great and Small. Always wanted to be James Herriot as a kid.
Arclite
@piratedan: Dude. Hang in there. You’re probably grateful for the pain since it fills the emptiness. It gets better, and you can escape here, in our snarky little paradise.
BGinCHI
Since this is an open thread, I’m highly recommending MI5 on Netflix (streaming).
Don’t quit on it in the first two seasons. Once it gets going and the personnel starts to change (you’ll see what I mean), prepare to be blown away. For fans of international espionage, politics, and amazing tv writing, this show is for you.
And no, MI5 did not pay me 1.6 million to be a historian for the show.
pseudonymous in nc
@Arclite:
That would be awesome, especially if they took out the laugh track. (The BBC showed it without, as the creators intended, and I find it impossible to watch in the US with the obvious canned laughter.)
dance around in your bones
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
Thanks, Odie Hu….it still feels surreal, but my therapy lately has been walking the golden retriever and caring for the three grandkids. It keeps me busy, anyway. Oh hell life just sucks sometimes. Ya gotta keep moving…moving on.
But I miss my guy, a LOT.
patrick II
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson:
Did Bain Capital actually pay 35%? I would be surprised.
If Bain is privately held, it’s tax rates may not be known, and if it’s like most hedge funds I would guess they are pretty aggressive at avoiding taxes. I would love it if Mitt opened that door.
Omnes Omnibus
@KyCole: Weird, I wanted to be James Bond. I read the books when I was about 10 – missed a lot, of course – but they probably did have an effect on me. Scrambled eggs, salmon, and champagne sound like a prefect late night snack.
moe99
I think you look cute, Mr. Cole.
Elizabelle
Joe Biden speaking to House Democratic Retreat on C-Span 1. Low key; he’s got a cold, but looks interesting.
KyCole
Trollhatten- I wonder if you’re a Saab geek? My son-in-law is a Saab fanatic and is recently thrilled about the Saab museum being saved.
wobblybits
@Michael Demmons:beijaflor70 is my handle. I just started back up twittering but I really should be working on my dissertation
J. Michael Neal
Oh, lord. The Big 10 Network is showing a profile of Herb Brooks. Apparently, he was from St. Paul, which unlike Minneapolis is a lunch bucket, hard-working town.
Read “white.”
TooManyJens
@KyCole: We’ve started watching Doc Martin on Netflix streaming. A surgeon has a traumatic experience and develops an aversion to the sight of blood, and so has to leave his London practice and become a GP in his home village in Cornwall. You might want to give it a try.
@Michael Demmons: I’m @tealdeer.
J. Michael Neal
@patrick II:
Me, too. Given that it’s a partnership, it’s not required to pay any taxes.
WaynersT
I wished we could have avatar photos with the comments.
I’d like to see what all these ginger bastards look like.
amk
a stolen one
A stranger was seated next to a little black girl on the airplane when the stranger turned to her and said, “Let’s talk. I’ve heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.” The little girl, who had just opened her coloring book, closed it slowly and said to the stranger, “What would you like to talk about?” “Oh, I don’t know,” said the stranger. “Since you are an Afro American, do you think that So-called President Barack Obama is qualified for the job?” and he smiles. “OK”, she said. ‘That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff -grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?” The stranger, visibly surprised by the little girl’s intelligence, thinks about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.” To which the little girl replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss President Barack Obama…when you don’t know shit?”
Omnes Omnibus
@KyCole: The term is Saabista. I participated in the Chicago Save Saab Rally in 2010. My wife was actually in the Trib photos of the event.
KyCole
I recently finished Doc Martin. Loved it- he’s hilarious! I’d love to be able to tell people “NO” like he does.
BGinCHI
@TooManyJens: Saw that on Netflix and put it in the queue. How is it? Good Cornwall scenery?
KyCole
@Omnes Omnibus: O
My son-in-law has an FUGM sticker on his Saab. He actually went to Sweden a couple of years ago for some big anniversary. There’s a 96 parked behind my garage right now and another engine inside.
KyCole
@BGinCHI: The scenery is amazing!
TooManyJens
@BGinCHI: Yes, beautiful scenery. A bit Northern Exposure-esque in the premise, though less wacky. We’re enjoying it so far.
BGinCHI
@Omnes Omnibus: Hey OO. Good friend of mine just got an offer from the UW for a tenure track job and is gonna take it. So I’ll get up there more than I would have. Madison meet-up in order.
You’re also invited to ride 60 or 80 miles with me.
amk
@burnsy – Indians got whitewashed by the aussies 4-0.
trollhattan
@KyCole:
Guilty. Have owned one or another without a break since my first, a 99EMS. My current one will probably be my last, which makes me haz that Swedish sad. Parts pipeline already drying up.
Omnes Omnibus
@KyCole: I have a simple ’06 9-3 SS. Nothing special, but I love it. If the company had made it, I doubt I would have ever bought anything else. Now, I want an Audi S5.
handsmile
Re: Mitt’s 50% tax rate
Josh Marshall/TPM posted a follow-up piece, “Will Reporters Be This Craven?” to the link provided by MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson above (#21).
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/01/will_reporters_be_this_craven.php?ref=fpblg
I sadly expect that this falls under the category SATSQ. Innumeracy is one of the salient features of corporate media stenography, and 50% is a figure ever so much easier to type and to prattle than 13.9%.
J. Michael Neal’s perfectly correct but somewhat arcane refutation (#43) of Romney’s latest deceptive claim suggests why this could be adopted by the slothful media. That political maxim, “When you’re explaining, you’re losing,” applies here.
When it comes to how craven the corporate media can be, there’s nothing I refuse to believe.
@piratedan:
Cynicism and political snark seem hollow and insipid on a thread in which you express matters of true importance and true sadness. Time may ultimately offer solace and perspective, but for now I hope you will find comfort in your own strength and self-knowledge and in the kind wishes and deeds of loved ones. And I must say I do envy you your corgi!
Skippy the Wondermule
Why sigh? That pic is Boss!
You da man, man!
I have a dark blue 93 convertible which I adore and intend to drive until one of us dies
BGinCHI
@KyCole:
@TooManyJens: Thanks to you both. Cornwall is beautiful and I’d watch anything set there. Mrs. BG is a Welsh speaker and we love those fringe parts of the British empire.
Not enough good Wales shows on BBC, but if you haven’t watched “Gavin and Stacey” give it a try. Its on Netflix as well.
Yutsano
@trollhattan: I’m still astounded the Swedish government decided not to intervene here. Maybe they just thought the death of Saab was inevitable.
Omnes Omnibus
@BGinCHI:
On a bicycle? One thinks not.
patrick II
@J. Michael Neal:
Well, J Michael, what 35% is Mitt talking about?
BGinCHI
@Omnes Omnibus: Don’t worry, you can draft and I’ll break wind for you.
You all have great riding up there. And beer. And curds.
trollhattan
@piratedan:
! Well, that kind of trouble might be welcome. For awhile anyway. :-)
KyCole
@trollhattan: My son-in-law has become a Saab parts hoarder. He keeps buying “parts cars” which end up in my garage. I haven’t parked in there for two years now!
Omnes Omnibus
@Yutsano: Maud Olufson, the responsible minister, was an advocate of changing to building wind turbines. Sweden currently has a rightish government. Bad timing.
Omnes Omnibus
@BGinCHI: I’ll need to buy a bike. And I want a Triumph Bonneville T100. Pedal-wise, I need one too. Any recommendations among the Trek line (trying to be a locavore)?
Yutsano
@Omnes Omnibus: I suppose Airbus rules out possibly reverting to their aerospace origins. Sigh.
trollhattan
@WaterGirl:
Can’t claim otherwise. She’s an adoption from Fresno, and we don’t dwell on what might have happened in Fresno, nomsayn?
Her first visit to the ocean.
http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1425/4602657437_865b863ac2_z.jpg
Omnes Omnibus
@Yutsano: The Saab airplane folk and the car folk have been separated for a long time. They really just share a name these days.
KyCole
For the Netflix Anglophiles, I would also recommend House of Cards and The Politician’s Wife. The former is about a deliciously evil politician, and the latter is a total revenge fest.
trollhattan
@Yutsano:
The politics became astoundingly complicated, but I suspect they’d have been saved had it not been for the European fiscal bruhaha. Ironic, given Sweden never joined the Euro.
trollhattan
@KyCole: I simply don’t have the space, or I’d consider it. They’re cheap now, our Swedish steeds.
BGinCHI
@Omnes Omnibus: You can get a nice Madone from Trek. Pricey for what it is, and not as nice as my de Rosa, but it would get you out there.
You really do need to get cycling if you live in Madison. And X country skiing in the winter. Then you can eat and drink all you want and you’ll live to a ripe old age.
BGinCHI
@trollhattan: Is House of Cards the one where the main guy talks to the camera?
If you haven’t seen the original State of Play or Life on Mars, get thee to a viewing.
Omnes Omnibus
@BGinCHI: I try to run 3+ days a week in the winter and 5+ in the summer. I am an alpine skier for the most part. I haven’t done much X-C since high school.
ETA: How is the little X-monkey doing? And Mme in CHI?
trollhattan
Jeebuz, I’m getting the west coast Maher feed. Rohrabacher and the gal with big arms are insufferable. I can’t afford to throw this laptop through my fancy teebee, so I’m switching it off.
BGinCHI
@Omnes Omnibus: Oh, Ps., I want a Bonneville too. Hell, I’d take even a lesser motorcycle. I miss having one.
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: She’s beautiful and she looks happy. What more can we ask for?
Martin
Hmm. Obama sending MIA teams back into North Korea. Promising development with the new leadership there.
trollhattan
@BGinCHI:
LOVED the Brit version of Life on Mars. Will track down the other.
BGinCHI
@trollhattan: Sorry, but any man named Dana is an asshole. Any contrary opinions? Dick whisperer anyone?
trollhattan
@BGinCHI:
Speed Triple. Every time I see one my mouth waters.
BGinCHI
@trollhattan: Do. The American version of both are horrible. BBC State of Play is brilliant. I’d also recommend the film In the Loop. Fast and smart like the West Wing but with less Sheen.
Try MI5 too! Thank me later.
KyCole
@BGinCHI: The only Life on Mars on Netflix is the US version. And yes, House of Cards is the show where he speaks to the camera.
BGinCHI
@trollhattan: I’m a touchy-feely liberal but I have a GTI, an amazing Italian road bike, and I’m dying to have a fast motorcycle again. And yes, I like to fish and grew up hunting and skinning things. I wish all Real Americans were like me.
Omnes Omnibus
@BGinCHI: I went to college with one, played rugby with him, and was in the same fraternity. This summer, at our reunion and the first time I encountered him since graduation, he acted rather like a tool.
BTW: You are talking bikes way out of the range I would consider as a restart into riding. I have not ridden anything other than borrowing my Dad’s Trek 4300 in years.
BGinCHI
@KyCole: DO NOT watch the American version. Get the BBC. If you are in KY, that might be difficult, or even illegal.
You know why IN doesn’t float into Lake Michigan?
Because KY sucks.
OK, couldn’t resist……
The Other Chuck
@BGinCHI:
That’d be Don Cheadle in House of Lies … or is that a remake?
Omnes Omnibus
@BGinCHI: Yippee! There are people like me.
trollhattan
@BGinCHI:
I saw a Ducati Monster tonight, and got a ticket just looking at it. Pretty sure the back tyre is bigger than the ones on my car.
KyCole
@BGinCHI: You’re right about most of Kentucky, but I live in the blue dot that is Louisville. The only place in this hell hole that a girl from Massachusetts could stand!
scav
Sherlock season 2 DVD — arrived today and I am SO not managing to pace myself. Damn, I promised myself ever so faithfully. I may not sleep at all tonight.
ETA: and Ditto Ditto Ditto UK version only for Life on Mars.
BGinCHI
@Omnes Omnibus: It’s true, I’m talking about high end bikes. But if you are athletic, don’t buy some shitty bike. At least get something good, because you’ll progress fast and want something better.
Best bet would be a Cannondale CAAD 10. With Ultegra that would be just over 2K, which is chump change for a road bike. From there you can get fit and then move up. It’s the best sport for those of us over 35-40.
trollhattan
@BGinCHI:
I know MI5 (Spooks, over the pond). Bestest spy show, evah.
BGinCHI
@trollhattan: Don’t fuck with me. Now I need a BLT just to feel OK. I’m having a small grappa before bed just to cope.
BGinCHI
@KyCole: I like L’ville a lot. Have family there and respect the food and drink there. Wish it was a fast train ride away.
Omnes Omnibus
@trollhattan: If you are a classic bike guy and are thinking Ducati, it is the GT 1000.
ETA: N’est-ce pas?
BGinCHI
@trollhattan: GMTA.
Fist bump.
noodler
@piratedan: My condolences for your loss(es). Experiencing the full range of human emotions at this time is healthy, for sure, and something for which to be grateful. That also is a valid response.
BGinCHI
@Omnes Omnibus: I have a Ducati keychain I got at the Milan airport. There’s a cruel Ducati store there. One of my students asked if I had a Ducati and I had to say, “No, just the keychain.”
Would really like to get one. Or a BMW touring bike. Or a Triumph.
Ms.B
Whoa. I’m late here–blame it on HST–That is one very Charles Pierceesque likeness someone did for you.
I like it.
KyCole
@BGinCHI: My daughter and I took the train to Chicago when she was in High School and it still left from Louisville. It took 12 hours- could drive there in 5.5. Still enjoyed it.
BGinCHI
Now that SP&T has a sexy underwear thread up, I think I better turn in.
Over and out, my friends.
Yutsano
@BGinCHI:
Wait wait whoa whoa back up.
You need an excuse for this?
:)
piratedan
@BGinCHI: agreed mi5 is extremely well done imho
handsmile
TCM Alert! for insomniacs and denizens of the Left Coast:
At 2:00am EST, TCM will be screening “Possession” starring Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill (1981). A reviewer for Sight and Sound magazine described this one film as “comfortably rival[ing] von Trier’s AntiChrist, Cronenberg’s The Brood, and Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage.”
Adjani, the most beautiful woman in the history of humankind (imho), won a Best Actress Cesar (French Oscar) for her performance.
I saw this film for the second time, after many years, last month at Film Forum in New York City. I feel fairly confident in saying that you’ve never seen any movie quite like this. I certainly haven’t. Not that it’s so great and not that it’s so comprehensible, but this conflation of film genres, set in Cold War Berlin no less, is itself sui generis.
http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/andrzej_zulawskis_possession
freelancer
@moe99:
Send your digits via email. He’s taking applicants
@KyCole:
Addictive and awesome shows currently available through Netflix streaming….
First and foremost
The State Within. This miniseries is awesome. I personally think it is so superb, that I find it one of the best things that the BBC has ever done. I have it on DVD, downloaded, and have poster for the show on my living room wall. I smashed through it over a weekend and would advise you do the same.
Other ongoing shows on Netflix that you should look at if you haven’t already:
Arrested Development
Battlestar Galactica
Firefly (+ Serenity)
Sherlock
Futurama
Four Lions (IMHO, best movie of 2010)
Downton Abbey
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret
The Civil War (Ken Burns)
Cosmos (if you haven’t seen this, STOP NOW and fall in love with the universe all over again.)
Burn Notice is entertaining
Psych is awesome
The Trip (BBC series re-edited to be an indie movie for theatrical release)
Archangel
Breaking Bad (Best Show currently in production)
Intelligence (as smart a drama as The Wire, but Canadian)
Mad Men
Zulu (Not a TV show, but again, if you haven’t seen it, schedule it in)
The Larry Sanders Show
Sports Night
Dollhouse
Friday Night Lights
Jericho
Luther
The Dead Zone (TV Show)
Dr Horrible
and they’re not on Netflix, but if you haven’t seen these shows you’re missing out on some very entertaining hours of entertainment:
Veronica Mars
From the Earth to the Moon
The Wire
Community
Mr. Show
Six Feet Under
The West Wing
Homicide Life on the Street
Rome
and every dollar you spend on aquiring Curb Your Enthusiasm is a dollar well spent.
Just sayin’.
BGinCHI
@handsmile: OK, one more go. Adjani and Monica Bellucci. Two most beautiful women ever. Since the dawn of time. Or at least recently.
OK, now I won’t be able to sleep.
Omnes Omnibus
@BGinCHI: I will be honest. A Bonneville T100 is really as fast as I can handle. If I get a faster bike, I will die. I will, inevitably, see how fucking fast the bike will go. I will then hit a pebble or a bunny will cross the road. At that point, I will be doing 195 mph and I will die. The Bonneville with a 110 mph max is for me.
Chris
@freelancer:
Of the shows you just cited, Sherlock’s the one I’m looking forward to the most right now. Any idea when Season 2 becomes available? If not on Netflix, then on ITunes?
trollhattan
@Omnes Omnibus:
Somebody in my hood has one of these, I think (goes by quickly enough that I’ve never completely IDd it). The noise alone is worthy of a hundred poems.
freelancer
@Chris:
My friend from SF turned me on to a download service called Graboid. If you google it, you’ll find it. From there I’ve acquired video files of every movie I could want, including the second series of Sherlock, as they’ve already been broadcast in the UK. PBS will rebroadcast the second series as part of their Masterpiece series, either in May or March, I can’t quite remember. Either way, I can tell you, you won’t be disappointed.
Jebediah
@piratedan:
I just lost another of my brothers. Heart attack Christmas Eve morning. So yeah, I think I know what you mean, and no, doesn’t sound weird at all.
TuiMel
@SiubhanDuinne:
I loved West Wing but I could not watch after John Spencer (and so Leo) died. I have not even tried. Maybe it’s time to pull out the DVDs…
Shalimar
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson:
Now the public deserves to see Bain Capital’s tax returns too. I seriously doubt they pay 35%.
kdaug
@piratedan:
Not a bit. That’s what communities are for.
Emdee
You’re not far away, Cole: The West Wing is in widescreen HD from season 2 onward.
Samara Morgan
do you know what i have learned from this?
that the juicitariat does not have iphones.
that Big Jowl pic of Cole is what happens when you take a pic of yourself at 3 am with an iphone.
Samara Morgan
alsotoo that Cole is into self-flagellation.
do you have a hairshirt too, Cole?
JGabriel
@piratedan:
No. There are times when pain an sadness are a relief from despair.
.
Elizabelle
@freelancer:
Thanks to you, and others, for the TV series recommendations.
Sound worth finding and taking a look.
Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water
@Odie Hugh Manatee: A weekly series where John punches a different pundit in the neck? Ratings gold!!
JCT
@piratedan:
I lost my father suddenly and at the time I was living 3,000 miles away. We were always very close and for me the pain (that came in waves for quite some time) helped to convince me that I would’t forget him (or what he looked like) — the sorts of odd things that can rise up and torment you when you are grieving.
Hang in there and I’m finally in Tucson, standing offer for a beer.
JT
Chris from Arlington, VA
“Who ate all the pies.jpg” Brilliant. :-D
JGabriel
@Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water:
Can I be a co-neck-puncher? Obviously, there are far more pundits in need of neck-punching than Cole can attend to on a weekly basis all by his lonesome. For instance, while Cole is neck-punching David Gregory and John King, I can go after David Brooks and Ross Douthat.
Please, please, can I?
.
SiubhanDuinne
@TuiMel: I know. I felt as though I had lost two beloved family members, the character and the actor. Loved them both. I actually became a John Spencer fan during the waning seasons of L.A. Law where he played Tommy Mulaney. That’s got to be 20 years ago or more. And the next time you watch War Games ( one of my favourite guilty pleasure movies) pay close attention to the young officer in the opening scene. It’s John Spencer.
Neil
@freelancer: We need a like button. Is it sad that the first thing I did upon seeing John’s post was to check the store to see if it was already there? I may have to take that to the print shop and have a poster made up for my mancave.
donnah
I’ve been working on my latest project about Alzheimers.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d27/Rughooker/494199f8.jpg
piratedan
@JCT: will take you up on that when I get back to town…..
peej
When do we get that wonderful caricature in the store…with the “Feed” under it, of course. Perhaps in conjunction with the Tunch one. Just kidding.
Chris from Arlington, VA
@peej: Well John’s should be “COOK.” I never trust a skinny chef, so I bet he’s pretty damned good.
Keith
@peej: Heh, I was just about to post the same thing (although I was gonna leave out the “just kidding” and take my chances with Cole’s wrath)
Chris from Arlington, VA
I meant my post as a compliment by the way. ;-)
Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water
@JGabriel: You’re in! We could have a guest neck puncher each week. Maybe even a special edition where a pundit gets punched in the neck both by John and his guest.
Evolving Deep Southerner (tense changed for accuracy)
@handsmile: If I understand Romney’s new reckoning of his income tax figure, if I get my income from my hourly job down at the Widget Corporation plant, shouldn’t I be able to add the Widget Corporation’s tax rate to mine and say “Shit, I actually pay close to 70% in taxes!”
keestadoll
John Cole, thought of you this morning as I watched the series finale of “Chuck.” Your constant mentioning of it ages ago got me curious and eventually hooked. Now it’s gone, and I’m really super sad about it and it’s all your fault.
CynDee
@piratedan: Many good people are thinking of you and wishing you rest, health, and peace. Take care.
gaz
needs MOAR che hat.
Kay Shawn
@piratedan:
That feeling doesn’t sound crazy at all. You have done heroic work, and you are letting yourself feel it. I went through some of this myself with my mom, then I had to clean out her house, my childhood home, in 5 days flat so it could be sold. I was finding items I hadn’t seen in 50 years and having to make split-second decisions as to keep, sell, throw away. But I’m glad I did all of that. Living through these experiences helps you later. Good luck and may FSM bless.