From WCVB (Ch. 5):
BOSTON —A record number of people turned out Saturday to march in Boston’s 43rd annual pride parade, including Jason Collins, the first active male professional athlete in a major team sport to announce he is gay…
“The support that I’ve received over the past month has been overwhelming, and hopefully it gives someone else out there struggling with what I was going through,” he said. “The realization that once they do step forward, the support is there waiting for them.”
Collins was all smiles as he wore a black T-shirt that read (hashtag)BeTrue when he joined thousands of marchers along the parade route. Also joining him was Rep. Joe Kennedy, his former Stanford University roommate, who also took part in last year’s parade.
Organizers said 230 groups registered for this year’s parade, which is second in size only to New York…
Boston Mayor Tom Menino was named the grand marshal of the parade but was unable to participate due to his recent surgery for prostate cancer. Instead, he addressed the crowd briefly and waved to parade participates from the Parkman House, where he is staying.
“I remember the first year that I ran, it was not popular to walk in the parade,” recalled Menino. “And today it’s so popular, everyone wants to be in the parade. But 20 years ago, no, ‘I’m afraid to be with gays.’ We’re a different city today.”…
Gov. Deval Patrick and Menino’s wife, Angela, also took part in the celebration with a ribbon-cutting at the beginning of the parade route at Boylston and Dartmouth streets.
“What people have asked for is to be treated just like everybody else, and that’s an ancient principle in our country,” Patrick said. “I think other parts of the country are catching up.”
Video at the link.
Waht’s on the agenda as we wrap up another weekend?
Yatsuno
FRABJOUS!!!
Omnes Omnibus
@Yatsuno: Maybe your Prince Harry link would find a better home here.
gogol's wife
Yes, let’s get Prince Harry in here.
I’m proud to be a New Englander (by choice, not birth).
SiubhanDuinne
Where was the Pride Parade today where Lynda Carter was GM? Someone posted a photo of her (waving rainbow flags and looking awesome) on FB but didn’t identify the location.
the Conster
@Omnes Omnibus: Prince Harry’s gay?
Violet
Great story! Glad the city is so supportive.
Saying “hashtag” or spelling out the word “hashtag” is a trend that should never have started and should already be on its way out.
Violet
@Omnes Omnibus: Ooh, yes. That Prince Harry story is excellent.
Omnes Omnibus
@the Conster: No. Not as far as I know. Not that there’s anything wrong with it.
scav
What if Prince Harry’s the next Doctor.? And gay.
lamh35
Ok, so I’ve been at work all day and I’m just hearing about the “courageous” “hero” whistleblower Snowden fella. Whatever the merits of what the guy did, “courageous” or “brave” or “hero” aint’ the word I’d used for this guy.
I’m sorry, but what exactly is courageous about this guy.
Courageous is MLK fighting for what he believed in right smack dab in the middle of the South not from Central America or somewhere in Europe.
Courageous is MLK continuing to work for Civil Rights, even after being stabbed in the chest, but some crazed woman. Or continuing to fight even after KKK literally burned crosses on his lawn as his family ate dinner.
Courageous is MLK stint in Birhmingham jail and continuing to rally and fight even knowing he was under surveillance.
Courageous is MLK returning to Selma, AL even after receiving death threats and with prices he knows were on his head.
Courageous is John Lewis standing on that bridge being beat upside the head, or the freedom fighter sitting at lunch counters as people pour milkshakes and soda over their heads.
Stand and fight, that’s courageous, not fleeing before the fight even began.
Brave would be for the guy to come right back and face his actions, not looking for means by which to escape prosecution.
Ash Can
@Violet: Is it possible that typing the pound sign instead does something weird to the text in some places, such as automatic hyperlinking?
jeffreyw
Kitteh Pride
Mnemosyne
@Violet:
There’s a very funny beer commercial on the radio right now that overuses “hashtag” to comic effect.
the Conster
“Festivities continued at City Hall Plaza without a single incident”. I fucking love this city.
Also too, Bruins. Yes, wingnuts, we can be tough, smaht, and tolerant.
MikeJ
@jeffreyw: Not to be confused with Kitty Pryde.
Mnemosyne
I needed to go grocery shopping this morning, but G figured out how to get Behind the Candelabra to stream to our new widescreen high-def TV. I’m trying to go now, but he keeps turning on things I want to see, like Lincoln. Gah!
Raven
@MikeJ: Not to be confused with pussy riot!
Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS)
@the Conster: Go Hawks!
JPL
@jeffreyw: How’s Katie?
the Conster
@Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS):
Looking forward to this series, a lot. Just the flashback highlights they can show – Stan Mikita, Keith Magnuson, Bobby Hull, Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, etc etc. W00t!
Anya
I am heartbroken for Edward Snowden, the guy behind the NSA revelations. I think he’s courageous and acting out of principle but I wish he would have followed the procedures laid out in the Whistleblowers Protection Act. I am ambivalent about the revelations. I don’t know enough to form a definitive opinion about how intrusive the surveillance program is, but I don’t trust GG so that makes me question his motives and how he’s spinning these documents.
Raven
@Anya: His ass is in a sling.
lamh35
@Anya: I’ll concede that maybe he’s working on principle, but I’m sorry, IHMO, there is NOTHING courageous about what he is doing/did.
Serious question, what is courageous about it?
Ash Can
@the Conster: One of the most intriguing things about this series is that these two teams haven’t played each other this year. All we have is conjecture and analysis of how their playing styles and personnel match up. We won’t know anything for sure until Wednesday night.
Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS)
@the Conster: Yep, it’s going to be a good one. The Bruins are very good. So are the Blackhawks, although they should have salted away that Kings game earlier last night.
And while I’m at it, FUCK YOU GARY BETTMAN. A great Cup final doesn’t get you and your shithead owners off the hook for losing half the season.
the Conster
@Anya:
I watched his interview, and don’t know what he wants – it seems like just a WAKE UP SHEEPLE move, but he thinks nothing’s going to change. If he did this for GG, he really is to be pitied.
Raven
@lamh35: Putting one’s ass in a sling purposely could be considered heroic even if we disagree with the purpose.
the Conster
@Ash Can:
I know – even playing each other wouldn’t have given any clue because I think the Bs lost to the Pens the three games they played. Neither team will be swept, I’m quite sure.
Ruckus
@lamh35:
Agreed.
The use of the words hero and courageous has gotten so far out of hand that almost all of their meaning has been lost.
Raven
@Ash Can: What’s the other?
Yatsuno
@Omnes Omnibus: Prince Harry: Like. A. Boss.
Suffern ACE
@lamh35: ok. I’m actually fine with this one. We very seldom get to talk about what NSA does. This isn’t exactly news, but its not like this is outing a an agent, or double agent, or whatever. From time to time, the NSA and FBI should have to prove that they are following the rules, and get slapped around if they aren’t.
Anya
@lamh35: He risked his life, his future and his family over what he believed. Agree with it or not you cannot deny that he has courage of his conviction. He’s standing up to the most powerful entity in the world – US intelligence organizations. That takes courage. What’s your definition of courage?
Raven
@Ruckus: Now that is true fo sho.
Ash Can
@Anya: Snowdon’s story is developing holes faster than Greenwald’s did. The guy claims he was making $200k and had security clearances up the wazoo, but he doesn’t even have a high school diploma and has worked with (subcontractor) Booz Allen for less than three months. By all means, we need to tackle FISA and the Patriot Act. But this particular situation is smelling fishier by the hour.
Ruckus
@Anya:
I believe her point was that he is not standing up, he is running and hiding.
Anya
@the Conster: I don’t know. I got the vibe that he really believed that what he’s doing is right. I think he was disillusioned with the work and this stuff might be the straw that broke the camel’s back. GG took advantage of a young man who was disillusioned and maybe little bit lost. I hope my dislike of GG is not clouding my judgement about this whole thing.
? Martin
I blame Obama.
Raven
He sleeps with the fishes.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
I think some people are getting played here. Just not sure who.
Anya
@Ruckus: he’s not hiding is he? And running, not for long. Maybe he wanted few days of freedom before he’s carted off to jail.
Raven
@Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant): Why do I think it’s not the swarmy fucking lawyer down Rio way?
RinaX
Actually, I can, because he ran for the hills rather than stand and defend what he did, which to me sounds like leaking documents for an employer he had been with less than three months. I don’t work for the government in any capacity, but I’d be in a lot of legal trouble if I gave out confidential documents from my workplace as well. And I’m not sure why people are calling him a whistle blower. What exactly did he expose?
lamh35
@Anya: look, maybe my def of courage is too high, but when I think courageous, I think John Lewis and MLK and any number of people who literally had death threats and assassination attempts and were actually confronted by actionable risk to life and well-being. Who faced down neighbors, employers and authroties face to face.
Fine if you want to be happy, how about “degrees of courage” then, whatever.
IMHO, this guys aint’ even close to touching those people
gogol's wife
@Yatsuno:
Prince Harry just can’t get any traction. I give up. No one on this blog wants to talk about anything else. I guess it’s time to take another vacation.
Thanks for trying, Anne Laurie.
the Conster
@Anya:
He’s awfully young. If I were in GG’s shoes I would have told him to go back to his family and girlfriend and think this through for a good long time, but that’s the mother in me, not the attention whore with the giant ego that can be seen from space.
Raven
@Ash Can: WTF? He does too have a high school diploma!
By his own admission, he was not a stellar student. In order to get the credits necessary to obtain a high school diploma, he attended a community college in Maryland, studying computing, but never completed the coursework. (He later obtained his GED.)
Ruckus
I’d say Jason Collins has been a little courageous in coming out and standing up for his rights as a human being. He could have lost a lot and may still but I doubt that now. The more “respected” people come out the easier it is for most people to accept gays. At some point, maybe now, being gay will not be a negative. Nor a positive. It will just be who you are. We are getting there and may have arrived but it is not all that apparent to me that we are yet. I expect it will be sooner than later and folks like Jason will be a big part of the reason why.
Hill Dweller
@Ash Can: The whole damn thing is bizarre.
Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS)
@gogol’s wife: hey, I was talking hockey.
Ash Can
@Raven: Other what? Intriguing thing? There are several. One’s the issue of momentum. Was Boston’s sweep of the Pens the fluke it appeared to be, or will they hose the Hawks the same way? Another is the history, like Conster said. Older Hawks fans like me will be looking for some payback for the Phil Esposito/Bobby Orr/Derek Sanderson years. ;)
Omnes Omnibus
@Yatsuno: Basically, he did what any officer in his place should have done in that circumstance. I don’t know how many would have. The more interesting part to me was the badinage between officer and men that was crassly soldier-like but updated to include non-hetero crudity.
Citizen_X
@Anya:
Huh? His future, sure, but his life and his family?
Raven
@Ash Can: I dunno, I grew up in Chicago and hockey just never did it for me.
CarolDuhart2
@the Conster:
This: Prince Harry Saved Gay Soldier From Homophobic Attack In 2008
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
@Raven: Because you are wise, my friend. He got his ink, and even if it turns out the whole thing was a ratfuck, the FerengiMedia© will never admit it.
Yatsuno
@gogol’s wife: Sigh. I keep telling myself these things go in cycles…these things go in cycles…
Please to be lurking. I’m not ready to say до свидания just yet.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
Annnnd FYWP.
Ruckus
@Anya:
That’s not very courageous. I wanted my freedom when I was in the military and so did many of my fellow enlistees. But we stayed and did what we were supposed to do. And that is not a all courageous. Not in the least little bit.
He didn’t even do that much. Had he stayed, had he faced the music directly that may have been above and beyond the call, but he didn’t.
You want courage of convictions, you have to have convictions and then you have to do what most people wouldn’t do, which is not run.
the Conster
@CarolDuhart2:
Ahh, awesome! The guy’s a stand up guy, a wicked partier, cuter than a button and a prince who will never have to do all that king nonsense. I wish I was 35 years younger.
lamh35
Ok, so now let’s think about this for a minute.
How pissed off is China right now? There President is/was just here to speak with our President and now this guy is holed up in some hotel in Hong Kong.
So how exactly is the Chinese government gonna react?
? Martin
I’m having a little trouble accepting that a guy without a college degree would be given access to this kind of a program inside of our intel agencies. But maybe. I’ll wait and see where this goes.
But that he earned $200K there? No fucking way. Top salary for a GS-15 is $129K. The head of the CIA or NSA is salary capped at $180K. Maximum compensation for any federal employee is capped at $230K – what the VP makes. Either he’s lying about the $200K or there’s a lot more to that salary – such as he was paid to spy against us or being set up to reveal leaks or something like that.
Ash Can
@Hill Dweller: Add in the timing with Obama’s meeting with the Chinese, the fact that the guy’s living in luxury in HK (on whose dime?), and that he didn’t flee to a country from which he could not be extradited, and you’ve got an espionage novel in desperate need of heavy editing.
CarolDuhart2
@the Conster: In many ways this sounds like the situation with Julian Assange and Bradley Manning. Encouraging young and vulnerable people to leak secrets without any attempt to help them out at all. What has Assange/Greenfield ever done for them? At least the old-time spymasters paid their contacts or got them papers to go elsewhere a little out of the line of fire, say as a new citizen of the country. Those two egotists don’t care one whit about what happens to young and impressionable sources at all, which is why neither one of them will ever have a bit of credibility in their ventures. They will never be trusted with a deeper and more credible leak because no one will be able to trust their lives and sacred fortunes to these people.
Violet
@Yatsuno: I love that Prince Harry story. Thanks for linking it here and in the thread below. Prince Harry seems like a really good guy. Good for him for standing up for the guy in his squad.
Todd
@Anya:
Then we can put “paid” to the fucker with a needle. He can share it with Pollard and Manning.
Make courage be truly demonstrable, and bring out some sobbing hippies at a vigil or something.
Violet
@lamh35: OT, but aren’t you the one who loves the movie “Kinky Boots”? Watched it for the first time last night. LOVED it! Such a fun film! It’s one of those films I meant to see when it came out in the theater, but didn’t see in time. Then just kept forgetting about when watching a movie on the weekend. Finally saw it. Sorry it took so long. Chiwetel Ejiofor is just amazing in it. Amazing. So charismatic.
the Conster
@? Martin:
He worked for Booz Allen, not the government. I don’t know what they pay, but it seems like a lot for someone with very little work experience and no higher education.
burnspbesq
@Anya:
It’s virtually certain that he committed at least one felony. And he ran away from the consequences of his action. I am no fan of Bradley Manning, but he looks like a stand-up guy by comparison.
Omnes Omnibus
@Violet:
I really want to like this guy as an actor; I would recommend his work to people because he is really good, but I am constantly defeated by his name.
Todd
@? Martin:
Several years ago, I moved to increase child support from a retired Army W4 who’d gone to work for the DOD as a contractor, running a truck depot somewhere in the vicinity of Tikrit. My recollection is that between his pension and his pay, he was bringing in about $225,000.00 a year.
Ash Can
@Raven: OK, GED, then. (And thanks for the stellar illustration — this guy’s security/salary story just does not pass the sniff test.)
Chris
@Omnes Omnibus:
“The bad guy from Serenity.” (Of course, if you don’t hang out with sci fi nerds as much as I do, it might not fly).
Yatsuno
@Violet: He is definitely his mother’s son. It’s not a knock on William at all, but I think Will feels the pressure of the throne more. Harry could be nothing more than a partying elite socialite but he insisted not only on copying his mother’s example he’s gotten out and gotten dirty. The Afghanistan kerfluffle almost didn’t happen but he insisted on going. He’s a really amazing young man. And okay yeah he’s cute too.
Violet
@Omnes Omnibus: According to IMDB, his name is pronounced “chew-it-tell edge-oh-for” and his nickname is “Chewy”. Does that help?
? Martin
I’ll add that I know a number of people that have worked for intel agencies. I don’t know much of what they did there, but I have a sense of the qualifications they went in with and what lifestyle they lead. Guys with MS and PhDs sure as fuck weren’t earning $200K. Even after they go off to work at Rand or MITRE or Booz Allen they don’t make that kind of money.
Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS)
@Raven: And now you live where it doesn’t matter because football is king. ;)
Violet
Oh, and since there are Doctor Who fans here:
MomSense
Wooo Hooo for Pride and so happy to hear that Harry is on Team Love! That was a great story. Anyone else read the quotes with an English accent just for fun?
And the grass is growing (lawn variety of course). Thanks to all the B-Jers who offered guidance and to mother nature for the nice rain.
The back yard is still a disaster. After pulling out awful conifers root balls and all–we have craters and bare patches and red mulch-oh my! What is the deal with red mulch? Who thought that would be a good idea?
Lots of hauling away before bringing in some good dirt and putting in some new beds. We also have a berm behind the house that provides nice privacy but I’m starting to think of trying terrace gardens. That will probably have to wait until next year.
Raven
@Ash Can: As far as the info it was a cut and paste. I’m a little sensitive since I have one and it was the topic of my dissertation. The GED is normed so 25% of traditional HS grads would not pass it (it was much easier when I took it).
Omnes Omnibus
@Chris: @Violet: Both of those help.
? Martin
@Todd: Sure, but he’s double dipping, and earning combat bonus as a private contractor. He’s probably making $150K under the latter, and half that under the former. That doesn’t apply to this guy.
Raven
@Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS): There is an Ice Dawg team but they have to go to Gwinnett to play and practice.
lamh35
@Violet: yes, I do love Kinky Boots. I own it on DVD. It would be so awesome if Chiwetel Ejiofor was offered the role of Dr Who. I would def watch that series
Amir Khalid
@Violet:
It seems to me that a guy nicknamed “Chewy” should have more hair on him.
Omnes Omnibus
@Yatsuno: William has a defined role; he can have some input into how he goes about it, but ultimately he has a set path to follow. Harry is in more of a position to define his own path, and, as you said, he seems to doing an overall decent job of it.
Violet
@Yatsuno: Yeah, he’s seriously cute. ;) But I agree, he’s done some good stuff. Will, as well. Prince Charles and the rest of the royal family must have done some good stuff because the two princes seem to have turned out pretty well. They were so young when Diana died, the rest of the family has to have had a fair amount of influence on them.
I feel a bit sorry for Harry because he has dated that Chelsie (sp?) woman off and on for years. I’ve read she’s made it clear she doesn’t want to live the life of a princess with all those obligations and Harry knows he has no choice. I get the impression he loves her, but he can’t be with her because she won’t deal with his position in life. Kind of tragic. Maybe it’s not true, but they seem to be together off and on over and over again.
Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS)
@Raven: I’m waiting for U of I’s team to go full-time since the Big 10 now does hockey. Local club has to travel an hour to practice too.
lamh35
Booz Allen: NSA Leaker Committed ‘Grave Violation’ Of Firm’s ‘Code Of Ethics And Core Values’
Raven
@Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS): Now I did go to some of the Illini Club games in that little bandbox back in the day!
? Martin
@Raven:
As well you should be. There’s nothing ‘lesser’ about a GED. Not everyone has the most graceful passage through high school, and we employ all manner of safety nets in this country. We’re big defenders of people on public assistance, we shouldn’t be any less supportive of people that take an alternate educational path.
Unless they go to USC, because those guys just suck.
Citizen_X
@Violet: If they made Ejiofor the Doctor, I might start watching. (Dives for cover.)
Raven
@Violet: Isn’t that they way young folks do it now?
Ash Can
@Raven: My problem certainly isn’t with GED’s per se, it’s with the hinkiness of Snowden’s story.
Violet
@lamh35: Yeah, I would watch Dr. Who if he got the part. He’s so charismatic. I think it would be a nice change for the series.
Raven
@Ash Can: I know, that’s why I said I was sensitive, should have said “over-sensitive”.
Mike in NC
@the Conster: From my own experience working for various Beltway Bandits, if they pay you say $25 per hour then they’re probably billing the government at least twice that.
Raven
@? Martin: My dissertation found that for some folks quitting high school was a really good idea.
eta. Of course some of us didn’t have to quit, we were shown the door!
Violet
@Raven: Maybe. I’m not a young folk, so I don’t really know. I don’t know if Harry would be “allowed” to just date someone forever without marrying them. I know Prince Charles’ younger brother Andrew was known for his exploits, but even “Randy Andy” ended up marrying Fergie.
Sheesh, I know far too much about the royal family.
Mike in NC
@Todd: I knew a few retired Army guys who signed up to go work in Iraq as contractors for up to $250K, tax free.
? Martin
@Violet: My son will be sorely disappointed if Jenna-Louise Coleman also leaves the show.
Raven
@Violet: I was thinking more about on and off.
the Conster
@Mike in NC:
He said he made $200K/yr – that’s $120/hr. to him. He was with them 3 mos, and he’s 26 years old with no college. Does that sound plausible? Really?
Ash Can
@Raven: Also, I recalled reading elsewhere earlier that he didn’t have a GED, which is why I said what I did. My mistake.
Chris
@Violet:
Speaking as someone who spends too much time on IMDb – the number of people who absolutely flip a shit at the notion of the Doctor (or another beloved character, like James Bond) being played by someone from a different race is a telling sign of how much people still cling to their prejudices. Even more telling that the people who flip a shit at the idea of Bond or the Doctor being black are so often the same people who trumpet the fact that they’re “color blind” and “race doesn’t MATTER – why do you make such a big DEAL out of it?”
Another sign of same – back when the Expendables 2 came out, the IMDb boards were saturated with arguments over whether female action heroes should appear too, with the hardcore of the fanboys absolutely rioting over the very idea.
Joss Whedon was once asked why he insisted on writing strong female characters, he answered “because you’re still asking me that question.”
Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS)
@Raven: I haven’t been able to catch a game yet, but I’m hoping to soon. I’m usually out of town so much during hockey season.
Violet
@Raven: Interesting dissertation. Doesn’t surprise me. Have worked with kids who have been kicked out of various schools (high school age) and for some of them school is a terrible thing. They’re really not cut out for it. Doesn’t mean they’re not smart–some of them were wicked smart in other ways. But the school thing–sitting still in class, doing work just for the sake of it and not for the sake of learning, the dictatorial and hierarchical nature of schools and the discouragement of creativity just did not work for them.
lamh35
Oh puh-leeze.
The Movement To Pardon NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Has Begun
Violet
@the Conster: According to The Guardian he’s 29 years old, not 26 years old. It also says he was in the military in Iraq, worked for the CIA in Geneva, left the CIA in 2009 to work for a private contractor. He’s skilled in IT stuff related to surveillance. I don’t know if a college degree matters if you’ve got skills. I can imagine people with the right skills being paid a lot of money.
Suffern ACE
Ok. Vibrant colored Wellington boots paired with short skirts on high school girls, worn even on sunny days. Is this a trend or did I just happen upon two sets of girls this weekend in two locations who just happened to be dressed in a very similar way?
Violet
@Suffern ACE: It’s a trend. They sell those kinds of boots at Target.
SiubhanDuinne
@the Conster: A colleague of mine (she does pretmuch what I do, only in Denver not Atlanta) helped put on a reception a few weeks ago at which Prince Harry was the honored guest. The photo of her meeting him in the reception line is a scream. He is adorable and wicked cute, and she is smiling at the camera like the proverbial cat who just scarfed down a cream-covered canary.
Omnes Omnibus
@Suffern ACE: “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.”
–
John ColeAuric Goldfinger.SiubhanDuinne
@SiubhanDuinne:
FYWP? or just helping me sound Southern? I swear I typed “pretty much” but it ended up as “pretmuch.”
I swan.
Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS)
No offense, but is every one of the FPers away this weekend?
some guy
I used to believe in the 4th Amendment until I learned that Glenn Greenwald used to be a Republican, and his stand on immigration is wrong, plus he has a huge ego. Now I am totally OK with a police state with near-unlimited powers.
gogol's wife
@Yatsuno:
I just can’t quit this place.
Suffern ACE
@Violet: Ugh. I was hoping it wasn’t going around. Not flattering at all.
lojasmo
@Violet:
The boys were 13 and 15 when Di died. I give her most of the credit for their good natures and upbringing.
lamh35
MikeJ
@Suffern ACE: I first commented on it here about a year and a half ago after seeing a stunning girl at the Picasso exhibit. Of course that was winter in Seattle, so there was rain.
Mariners tied with the FY bottom of the 8th, man on 3rd, 2 out. FTFY!
gogol's wife
@SiubhanDuinne:
The way my mother said it, it was “purtnear.” I assumed this was a similar portmanteau word I’d just learned.
? Martin
Nelson Mandela died. RIP.
Violet
@lojasmo: Wow I didn’t realize they were that old. They looked so small walking behind her casket.
SiubhanDuinne
@Violet: Probably not as much as I do. I was five years old in 1947 when Princess Elizabeth married the ravishing young Prince Philip of Greece (who is in hospital at the moment following abdominal surgery and turning 92 tomorrow!) and remember sitting around the radio with my family listening to the news reports of the wedding. I wept bitter tears in 1952 when King George VI died, but perked right up when I realized that there was a real live Princess who in the twinkling of an eye had become a Queen. My family was among those who acquired their first TV set in order to watch the Coronation, and I basically haven’t taken time off since. That little-girl “princess” thing turned into a serious life-long fascination with English History, but I still cast an eye toward the tabloids every now and then just to keep up. And I agree, Prince Harry, after a few rocky moments early on, has turned into quite the Prince Mensch. I wish him happiness.
Raven
@Violet: Mine was a qualitative work looking at the life history of 8 folks who quit and went back. I was interested in why they quit, why they went back and their experience preparing for the tests. It was an honor to to it.
mai naem
The only thing I have to say about Harry was the bit Bill Maher ran the 2 pics of Harry and Diana’s bodyguard or secretary or whatever – Harry’s definitely the spitting image of the guy. Although, Diana’s brother kind of has the same features so he may have inherited them from that side.
Violet
@? Martin: Confirmed or Twitter rumor?
pokeyblow
Why the British tolerate the royals is beyond me.
And they should be doubly-pissed about footing the bill for Wills’ half-brother.
Omnes Omnibus
@? Martin: RIP indeed.
lamh35
@? Martin: parody account:
? Martin
Oh, whoops. Josh Marshall got punked on that Mandela news.
Nobody in the media ever gets punked…
SiubhanDuinne
@? Martin:
Oh. How very sad.
RIP seems inadequate.
? Martin
@Violet: I figured Josh was good for it. Apparently not. Fool me once… Sorry everyone. I should have checked more myself.
Omnes Omnibus
@lamh35: That’s good news. I know he is in the hospital in not very good shape right now.
Violet
@lamh35: I know Mandela has been in the hospital. I guess it’s good news he hasn’t passed. He’s not a young man and has been ill a lot recently. I hope he isn’t suffering.
pokeyblow
British TV viewers ranked airhead Diana #3 in a poll of the 100 greatest Britons, ahead of Shakespeare.
I remember that when it seems no one could be more stupid than Americans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Greatest_Britons
? Martin
I will say this in defense of Snowden, the response from Booz and the feds confirms that there’s more fire than smoke here. If he was a nobody, they’d treat him like a nobody. They aren’t. But I’m still not convinced that what he claims to know is actually what he knows. The NSA data thing is proving more wrong than right, for example.
lamh35
So apparently there is a twitter account for the Snowden guy. It has to be a parody account, but it’s still funny to read some of the tweets to the account.
https://twitter.com/EJosephSnowden
lamh35
@? Martin: IDK, I see it as Booz trying to cover their bases too. A guy who hasn’t even been employed over 3 months leaking US secrets can’t be good for the brand even if the company has nothing to do with it.
SiubhanDuinne
@SiubhanDuinne:
You know. That hoax death thing is just cruel. Who does that kind of shit, anyhow?
SiubhanDuinne
@pokeyblow: GFY, OK?
pokeyblow
@SiubhanDuinne: No.
the Conster
@some guy:
Different Congresspeople are saying different things about the same programs with no one saying it’s illegal, or how any of this information has been abused, or how changing anything the government does will stop the companies that collect the data from us from abusing it too. Any Congressperson can be briefed on the programs if they ask, and several Congressperson’s objections, in addition to its scope, seems to be about its effectiveness with others stating that they were briefed about its effectiveness and are satisfied with the oversight of the scope. IOW, all heat and no light has been shed on this program, and tons of attention for Glenn Greenwald, who is an egotistical self-promoting anti-immigrant Paultard with a cult following.
Is that clear enough for you?
SiubhanDuinne
@gogol’s wife: I guess it is, now.
SiubhanDuinne
@mai naem: I saw a photo of Harry side-by-side with a picture of his Grandfather Prince Philip at roughly the same age and there is no question that he carries the Windsor-Mountbatten genes. They could have been twins.
Mnemosyne
@Violet:
I usually see teenagers wearing shorts and Ugg boots — I’ll have to see if they switch to the Wellingtons this summer.
Cacti
@lamh35:
The new hero of the internet left. A man so committed to transparency and accountability, he fled the United States to seek refuge in…
China.
Elias
Scalia is still an asshole. It is known.
The Dangerman
@lamh35:
I just saw a clip of him on TV claiming to know everything there is to know about the NSA; names, locations, the whole package.
He may not be totally full of shit, but he’s definitely got a retention problem.
SiubhanDuinne
@Elias:
Fixed for pharaohic accuracy.
Omnes Omnibus
@Elias: It is known.
pokeyblow
@SiubhanDuinne: Watching TV non-stop since 1952, without taking time off, can do a number on your vision.
James Hewitt (probably Harry’s father, but, really, who knows?) bears a bit of a resemblance to the red-haired stepchild, don’t you think?
Cacti
I popped over to (I hate the) Democratic (president) Underground, and the howler monkey brigade is shouting down anyone who questions why their new little tin jesus fled to China.
pokeyblow
Family portrait album:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w_PoBmf6acM/UDfxfDUp17I/AAAAAAAABLo/6WFjFEjYE14/s1600/prince_harry_james_hewitt_20050413+(1).jpg
Violet
@Cacti: It cracks me up that’s he’s in China. I read the Guardian article and it talks about him covering his head with some kind of hood when he logs into his computer because he’s afraid some hidden camera might be watching his keyboard. Uh, dude, you’re in China. They bug EVERYTHING in China. Phones, computers, email accounts, whatever. It’s bugged. Big issue when doing trade with China. And he thinks a hood over his head is going to help? Okay…
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
@Brother Machine Gun of Desirable Mindfulness (fka AWS): If the Illini start up a team of chicks with sticks (and skates), I’ll be coming down the first time you host the Gophers.
Emma
@pokeyblow: You can pride yourself on being more obnoxious than T&H. bravo!
lamh35
@Violet: Apparently, he also claimed “I can even wiretap the president. All I need is an email request…”
Um ok.
pokeyblow
@Emma: In what way? I’m sorry (not really) if the obvious truth about Harry makes you uncomfortable. He’s not a hero, he’s not a god. He’s some person, same as anyone else (apart from the horsies and titles estates and VIP club entrances and Nazi outfits). If he does something decent once in a while, good for him. But it’s nothing to cream yourself over.
I’m an American. I don’t like royalty. And I especially don’t like fraudulent royalty.
Cacti
Additional chestnut making it’s way around the intertoobs:
Booz Allen Hamilton is majority owned by the Carlyle Group.
What a coinkydink.
Cacti
@Violet:
Over at DU(mb) there is a featured video where there new hero says “I don’t want to live in a society that does this.”
No word on why he prefers one where they squash protesters underneath tank treads.
lojasmo
6:40 PM breakfast. Pesto chicken thighs and home made bolognesse.
Yum.
the Conster
@Cacti:
Why wouldn’t he have gone to Turks and Caicos, or Tasmania, or Somalia, or some other place where they don’t give a shit about anything? A haven from surveillance… to China? Something’s off about all of this.
Omnes Omnibus
@pokeyblow:
You seem surprisingly bothered by this. Why are you so concerned about the biological parentage of an English junior army officer?
pokeyblow
@Omnes Omnibus: As I said in my first comment, I am bewildered that the English put up with paying for the useless royal layabouts.
As an American, I am appalled by those who fawn over the grifters.
Insofar as he is a “junior army officer,” I could care less who his parents are. As the recipient of extraordinary public largesse and positively unearned adoration, he becomes much more interesting to me as a genealogical case.
pokeyblow
* appalled by those Americans who fawn over the grifters.
The foolish British who rated Diana their third-greatest ever, they don’t appall me so much as leave me with a head-shaking feeling of membership in a weak and doomed species.
Mike in NC
@pokeyblow: Several years ago a couple of the worthless cable channels (History? CNN?) were running moronic polls on who was the Greatest American President. Would it come as any surprise that one George W. Bush had a wide lead?
pokeyblow
@Mike in NC: No surprise at all.
Omnes Omnibus
@pokeyblow: A number of countries seem to enjoy having hereditary heads of state. It’s not my bag, but I’m not from those countries.
pokeyblow
@Omnes Omnibus: I don’t like dynasties. We have them here, and they’ve brought us Paris Hilton, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, and Jaden Smith.
Q.E.D.
lojasmo
@pokeyblow:
CarolDuhart2
@Omnes Omnibus: I’ve always have suspected that modern royals fill the position that perhaps a dictator might have filled. In short, a transitional role of adoration which is less harmful than say, a Prime Minister that can practically serve forever. It keeps politicians a bit more functional and humble if they don’t have complete control of center stage.
Perhaps if the Kaiser had simply decided to become a nominal head of state, Hitler might not have had an opening.
BTW, I’ve been a Diana fan-mainly of her fashions. And such as an American, is pretty harmless, as I don’t have to finance it-just as I can admire the Taj Mahal-I don’t have to pay for its maintenance.