• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

An almost top 10,000 blog!

A tremendous foreign policy asset… to all of our adversaries.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

When I was faster i was always behind.

“woke” is the new caravan.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

Giving up is unforgivable.

I really should read my own blog.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

Their shamelessness is their super power.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Open Threads / Sunday Evening Happy Nice Thoughts Open Thread

Sunday Evening Happy Nice Thoughts Open Thread

by Anne Laurie|  October 26, 20146:25 pm| 105 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Readership Capture

FacebookTweetEmail

Obama met with Dallas nurse Nina Pham after she was declared cured of the Ebola virus (PHOTOS) http://t.co/ZqUWDQqYZG pic.twitter.com/gsEAF2XEU2

— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) October 24, 2014

From ABC News, Friday:

Before returning to her “normal life” in Texas, newly Ebola-free Dallas nurse Nina Pham got a hug from President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.

Hours earlier, Pham had walked out of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, where she has been in isolation since Oct. 16, to a round of applause. She thanked everyone who cared for her since her Oct. 11 Ebola diagnosis, and said she would finally go home to her dog, Bentley…

Pham also thanked Dr. Kent Brantly, the American missionary who had been treating Ebola patients in Liberia when he contracted the deadly virus in late July. Brantley was declared virus-free in September and has donated plasma to Pham and other American Ebola patients in the hopes of boosting their ability to fight the virus with his antibodies.
bentley  city of dallas and dallas animal services
Pham’s dog, Bentley, was taken to an animal shelter following her diagnosis. He has tested negative for Ebola, but his 21-day incubation period isn’t over until Nov. 1. They will likely reunite a few days later.

(City of Dallas & Dallas Animal Services)

Vinson’s family announced on Oct. 22 that she, too, tested negative for the virus at Emory…

***********
Any other happy news as we wrap up the weekend?

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « “We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live”
Next Post: Sunday Evening Self-Indulgence: More Capital-C Catholic Than the Pope »

Reader Interactions

105Comments

  1. 1.

    gogol's wife

    October 26, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    I like that limp fox Bentley has bagged.

    Death Comes to Pemberley tonight. I guess Pemberley is being played by Castle Howard. So Sebastian Flyte must have been the heir to the Darcy fortune, but when did they become Catholics?

  2. 2.

    Baud

    October 26, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    Obama now needs to go visit Cuomo and Christie and maybe vomit in their faces.

    And yay doggie!

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 26, 2014 at 6:34 pm

    I had fully expected, and planned, to spend today doing advanced voting poll-watching, as I have done almost daily for the past two weeks. Unfortunately, they tried to send me to a different county than the one I live in (and the one I’ve been working in), and somewhere along the way my credentials went missing.

    No badge, no admission, no poll-watching.

    So when it was clear I wouldn’t be able to volunteer today, I decided to go see the Bolshoi Ballet Live in HD performance of “The Legend of Love.” I wasn’t disappointed.

  4. 4.

    raven

    October 26, 2014 at 6:35 pm

    We’re going to see Hurray for the Riff Raff tomorrow night. A New Yorican young lady and her band playing “Americana” with a good dose of bluegrass. We don’t go to many shows because they start so later here but we’re gonna do this one.

  5. 5.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 26, 2014 at 6:36 pm

    @gogol’s wife:

    The Flytes were renowned for their devotion to Roman Catholicism.

    ETA: Sorry, you meant the Darcys, not the Flytes, didn’t you?

  6. 6.

    raven

    October 26, 2014 at 6:37 pm

    Check them out playing St Roch Blues in an old church in New Orleans.

  7. 7.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 26, 2014 at 6:39 pm

    Yay for both Nina and the pooch!

    My 1988 Pontiac 6000 LE Safari won best in show for 1980’s cars at the Cars in the Garden show at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden today. Second time in a row.

  8. 8.

    gogol's wife

    October 26, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I was making a feeble joke for Masterpiece addicts of long standing. I was trying to imagine how Mr. Darcy’s family (most certainly not Catholics) ended up as the Catholic family the Flytes in Brideshead Revisited, since Castle Howard played the role of their estate too. But I knew as I typed it that I hadn’t found the right phrasing. But I’m sleepy.

  9. 9.

    geg6

    October 26, 2014 at 6:41 pm

    John Cole should be in a good mood.

    So happy that Nina Pham is doing well and will soon be reunited with her precious pup. Happy endings FTW!

  10. 10.

    raven

    October 26, 2014 at 6:41 pm

    @gogol’s wife:

    Death Comes to Pemberley. The mini-series adaptation of P.D. James’ novel by the same name will air on PBS this Sunday and has a fantastic cast. There’s the dreamy Matthew Rhys from The Americans. There’s the ultimate object of my jealousy, Jenna-Louise Coleman, currently starring on Doctor Who and currently dating Richard Madden aka Rob Stark. (That girl has everything! Spread some luck around!) Death Comes to Pemberley centers on the afterlife (no, not that kind of afterlife) of our favorite characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as their lives take a dark turn. So, who is our Lizzy Bennet in this “ever after”? Elizabeth Bennet is played by an actress named Anna Maxwell-Martin.

    Anna is the best!!

  11. 11.

    Baud

    October 26, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    I’m going to watch the Saints beat Green Bay for 59 minutes and then lose in the end.

  12. 12.

    Librarian

    October 26, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    @gogol’s wife: Brides head Revisited wasn’t on Masterpiece Theater.

  13. 13.

    gogol's wife

    October 26, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    @raven:

    I’m looking forward to her performance. She isn’t the conventional beauty they usually get to play Elizabeth. (Don’t get me wrong, I love Jennifer Ehle, but she is beautiful.) I think Elizabeth is supposed to be not hit-you-over-the-head beautiful, so this is an interesting choice.

  14. 14.

    gogol's wife

    October 26, 2014 at 6:45 pm

    @Librarian:

    Really? Well, it should have been!

    I don’t have that vivid a memory of the early 1980s, but it was certainly the TYPE of thing that would be on Masterpiece.

  15. 15.

    Botsplainer

    October 26, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    I made the mistake of going to the comments in the Dallas Morning News article about the quarantined nurse in the unheated tent.

    I hate so many of my fellow Americans, particularly the white Christians and Randians.

    If I had any medical skills, I’d join MSF to help out on ebola so I could come back and spit on quarantine officials.

    So angry right now.

    But how could the science deniers not be stupid on science? It’s a pathology with them.

  16. 16.

    raven

    October 26, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    @gogol’s wife: She was great in Bleak House, loved her in South Riding and The Bletchley Circle.

  17. 17.

    JPL

    October 26, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    SiubhanDuinne and Raven, the Governor’s debate is on ABC at seven and the Senate debate on PBS at seven. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad that I don’t have a DVR.

  18. 18.

    JPL

    October 26, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    @Botsplainer: I read a few last night and they believe that it is something created by Obama and the gays. I only read five comments.

  19. 19.

    raven

    October 26, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    @JPL: ATLANTA—Sen. Jason Carter will meet Gov. Nathan Deal in the final debate of the gubernatorial campaign tonight. The debate will air live at 6:30 p.m. on WSB-TV, C-SPAN, and those stations’ websites.
    The debate comes on the second day of Carter’s ‪#‎GeorgiasReady‬ bus tour. The tour will make its next stops in Troup, Muscogee, Peach and Bibb counties tomorrow, including a rally with President Carter and others in Columbus.

  20. 20.

    PurpleGirl

    October 26, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    @Librarian: Maybe not, but I think the point is that people who like the costume dramas on Masterpiece Theatre probably also watched Brideshead Revisited and other similar shows on PBS.

  21. 21.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 26, 2014 at 6:52 pm

    @gogol’s wife:

    No worries. Anyhow, I completely managed to misread the reference in your comment.

    Masterpiece Theatre fans, represent!

  22. 22.

    chopper

    October 26, 2014 at 6:54 pm

    @Baud:

    everybody needs to go and vomit in cuomo and christie’s faces.

  23. 23.

    HinTN

    October 26, 2014 at 6:55 pm

    @raven: Amazing! Enjoy

  24. 24.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 26, 2014 at 6:55 pm

    @Librarian:

    (Checks Wikipedia.)

    By golly, you’re right. It was Great Performances, not MT. Thanks.

  25. 25.

    Steeplejack

    October 26, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    @Mustang Bobby:

    Congratulations! Good news indeed.

  26. 26.

    beth

    October 26, 2014 at 7:02 pm

    If this nurse thinks her life is going to be the same she’s sadly mistaken. She hugged the scary black man so that makes her a libtard. We’ll know all about her countertops by Wednesday.

  27. 27.

    Howard Beale IV

    October 26, 2014 at 7:02 pm

    @geg6:

    So happy that Nina Pham is doing well and will soon be reunited with her precious pup. Happy endings FTW!

    Someone better record that-nothing more happy than seeing a doggeh returning to their owner!

  28. 28.

    JPL

    October 26, 2014 at 7:02 pm

    @raven: I just turned on abc and realized that it had already started.
    I loved South Riding.

  29. 29.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 26, 2014 at 7:05 pm

    @JPL:

    I’m going to catch them both later. Thanks!

  30. 30.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 26, 2014 at 7:06 pm

    @Mustang Bobby:

    That’s wonderful! Congratulations!!

  31. 31.

    Phylllis

    October 26, 2014 at 7:10 pm

    @geg6: I’m definitely going to be in Pittsburgh in November. Coming in on 11/16. If we can put together a meetup, prolly that Sunday afternoon/early evening or on Thursday 11/20 would be best.

  32. 32.

    Frankensteinbeck

    October 26, 2014 at 7:11 pm

    I went to see Book of Life for the second time today. It was just as beautiful as the first time. Gorgeous art, complex and likable characters, multiple strong female roles, and Mexican folklore is a rich source of storytelling. Many <3 for La Muerte and Xibalba. And Las Adelitas Sanchez!

    Professionally, the editing notes are finally here. Full steam ahead for a holiday sequel release!

  33. 33.

    danielx

    October 26, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    Steelers uniforms: fashion design by Mr. Magoo!

  34. 34.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    October 26, 2014 at 7:15 pm

    We are ALMOST completely moved out of our old place — 90% of the sorting is done and the only stuff being left behind are charity donations waiting for pickup. It’s funny, but with all of the stuff taken out … it’s still pretty small and weirdly shaped.

  35. 35.

    Vishnu Schist

    October 26, 2014 at 7:16 pm

    @Botsplainer: I made the mistake of doing the same and came away so angry it took a yoga class to calm me down. The stupidity and sanctimony on display was frightening. I fear for the future of the country. We’ve created a depressingly stupid and reactionary population.

  36. 36.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    October 26, 2014 at 7:19 pm

    Is anyone playing defense in Pittsbugh?

  37. 37.

    lamh36

    October 26, 2014 at 7:23 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I love Masterpiece theatre. It introduced me to some of my fav mysteries and dramas. I saw Pride and Prejudice for the first time as a Masterpiece drama. My first real dark, criminal suspense dramas, that I really loved was Prime Suspects with Helen Mirren. I watched it thx to PBS and loved it. And also my fav new Masterpiece series…hello Sherlock.

    I can always count on Masterpiece for good dramas.

  38. 38.

    lamh36

    October 26, 2014 at 7:25 pm

    Question: Best places to eat near Oakland City Center? I’m partial to Chinese…

  39. 39.

    raven

    October 26, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    @Mustang Bobby: Hell yes!

  40. 40.

    lamh36

    October 26, 2014 at 7:27 pm

    With that stupid couple in Blackface from yesterday, it’s great to see a white couple who are smarter, and they look great!

    Check them out. They are dressed as Jay Z and Beyonce’ and guess what…NO BLACKFACE!

    https://twitter.com/NovaNyce/status/526513909931732992

  41. 41.

    Karen in GA

    October 26, 2014 at 7:27 pm

    Hanging out on photography websites, trying to learn something. Ordered my first DSLR thinking I’d take a course in Atlanta that starts in a couple of weeks, but the photography certificate program at the University of North Georgia looks decent, and one of the campuses is close enough for easy access straight after work. Trouble is, it doesn’t start until February — so I’ll be spending three months with an expensive gadget that I don’t understand.

    @danielx: Yeah, what’s going on there? I thought it might be some kind of throwback thing — is that the real uniform?

  42. 42.

    raven

    October 26, 2014 at 7:30 pm

    @Karen in GA: There are many resources for specific cameras on youtube. I have had my Canon T3 for 2 1/2 years and people like my pictures. I also bought a book for mine for cheap. The best way to figure it out is to use it.

  43. 43.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    October 26, 2014 at 7:30 pm

    The Browns win and also in the new Northwest Dramatic series “What’s with the Seahawks?” Where Marshawn (Quit Freakin Call Beacon)Lynch be in 2015.

  44. 44.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 26, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    @chopper:

    Yes, this.

    This stupid “quarantine for everybody” policy is as mindless and arbitrary as all the stupid “zero-tolerance” weapons (penknives) and drugs ((Midol) policies in schools. Is it too much to ask that someone in authority demonstrate a little thoughtfulness and common sense?

  45. 45.

    Corner Stone

    October 26, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    @Botsplainer: I’ve been upwardly failing against my entire ignorant white neighbors on the local politics board.
    It’s been so awesome. The white victim card is like 100X harder than on BJ!

  46. 46.

    raven

    October 26, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    @Karen in GA: Here is the Ga Center’s Continuing Ed offering.

    And here is the Athens Photography Guild..

  47. 47.

    Corner Stone

    October 26, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    @Mustang Bobby: That is seriously awesome. Nicely done, amigo.

  48. 48.

    dexwood

    October 26, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    @Mustang Bobby:
    Very cool, congratulations. My son is restoring a 1973 Dodge Dart and he bought a 1958 Ford Fairlane last weekend which won’t need as much work as the Dodge.

  49. 49.

    Schlemazel

    October 26, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN):
    Just women when Ben walks in

  50. 50.

    SarahT

    October 26, 2014 at 7:35 pm

    @Baud: “Obama now needs to go visit Cuomo and Christie and maybe vomit in their faces.”

    I would pay big bucks to see that

  51. 51.

    Corner Stone

    October 26, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    @Baud: I kept waiting for him to extend a large blade out of his suit jacket sleeve and push it straight through her neck.
    Kind of like the butler in the Hudson Hawk movie with Bruce Willis.
    What?

  52. 52.

    Schlemazel

    October 26, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    @Mustang Bobby:
    Interesting choice of cars to restore, particularly given your nym.

    On another note, it is weird that I think if I had that hat & took a picture we could almost pass as brothers . . . you handsome devil you

  53. 53.

    shelley

    October 26, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    And the good news for Pham (and pup. Is it really possible for a dog to harbor Ebola?) is that it’s confounding all the wingnut hopes for some runaway epidemic they can blame Obama for.

  54. 54.

    Corner Stone

    October 26, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    @Schlemazel:

    it is weird that I think if I had that hat

    Is it a porkpie hat, or a trilby?

  55. 55.

    Botsplainer

    October 26, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    There are a lot of people in the wingnuttosphere who should really be happy that I’ve not received any sort of terminal disease diagnosis ever.

    I keep a list. If it ever happens (and I genuinely hope it doesn’t), I’m making the world a much better place on the way out.

  56. 56.

    SarahT

    October 26, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    @raven: “We’re going to see Hurray for the Riff Raff tomorrow night.”

    Have become friends with those guys from spending so much time in NOLA – they’re really nice people. Excellent to see them doing so well. Have a great time at the gig

  57. 57.

    Corner Stone

    October 26, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    @shelley:

    is that it’s confounding all the wingnut hopes for some runaway epidemic they can blame Obama for.

    You may need to start by confounding some of the people here at Balloon-Juice.com, first.

  58. 58.

    Botsplainer

    October 26, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    I paid to see Hudson Hawk at the Theater.

  59. 59.

    beth

    October 26, 2014 at 7:41 pm

    Good Wife fans dvr alert – it’s going to start late tonight. Looks like about 15 minutes late.

  60. 60.

    Corner Stone

    October 26, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    @Botsplainer: You are one twisted honky.*

    Yes, I am at my absolute wits fucking end with these racist fucking white people in my neighborhood telling me anyone who doesn’t have the approved voter ID is lazy, unemployed, uneducated, or a tool lacking self agency.
    And anyone who says otherwise is victimizing their white self.
    I’m about to go full on cracker just about now.

  61. 61.

    Corner Stone

    October 26, 2014 at 7:48 pm

    Holy shit, AZ beat PHI?

  62. 62.

    Trentrunner

    October 26, 2014 at 7:49 pm

    Sorry no happy talk here. Crazy Rep. Murphy was just on CNN saying that sweat and tears could be spreading Ebola, that it’s always evolving and mutating and trying “to find a new host.”

    CNN host didn’t challenge a word.

    Looking forward to the 8pm (ET) press conference with Cuomo and DeBlasio. I’m hoping for fisticuffs.

  63. 63.

    raven

    October 26, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    @SarahT: Oh that’s great, we’re fired up!

  64. 64.

    SarahT

    October 26, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: “Masterpiece Theatre fans, represent!”

    Totally schizo evening tonight at our place: “Masterpiece” then the later showing of the last-ever “Boardwalk Empire”, which I will really miss. So glad that there will always be a “Masterpiece Theatre” to look forward to.

  65. 65.

    Steeplejack

    October 26, 2014 at 7:53 pm

    @Botsplainer:

    My condolences.

    I was on an awful run earlier this year. Paid to see The Wolf of Wall Street (Scorsese phoning it in with a side of self-indulgence) and The Counselor (I was faked out by the A-list cast in the trailer). Most recent turkey was The Judge, which without the A-list cast would be a candidate for the Hallmark Movie Channel. Things turning up somewhat with St. Vincent. It’s not “must see in the theater,” but it’s pretty good.

  66. 66.

    Schlemazel

    October 26, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    @Corner Stone:
    straw

    I have a couple but not like that

  67. 67.

    Elie

    October 26, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    Just saw the best documentary: Advanced Style. It was about several women ranging in age from their 60’s to 90’s and their wonderful personal style. Its wonderful because its clear that they are not narcissists but just confident women who have taken the ups and downs of life, but always asserted who they are within it. Amazing and highly recommend it. I had a bounce in my step leaving the theater. Hubby made me go cause I was in such a funk over this Ebola shit earlier. Glad that he did..

  68. 68.

    Corner Stone

    October 26, 2014 at 8:00 pm

    @Schlemazel: Thanks for the reply. Do you, by any chance, have a full on facebeard?
    I’m trying to determine where on the hipster douche evolution scale you may, or may not, fit.
    Thanks

  69. 69.

    geg6

    October 26, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    @Phylllis:

    Wonderful! We must make a plan for a meetup one of those days. Gotta get something front paged. And we must email John Cole. Maybe he can be tempted to visit his sister or something. ;-)

  70. 70.

    Schlemazel

    October 26, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    @Corner Stone:
    just a mundane ‘stash

  71. 71.

    chopper

    October 26, 2014 at 8:03 pm

    My happy thought was hanging at stone mountain today. Perfect weather.

  72. 72.

    shelley

    October 26, 2014 at 8:05 pm

    @Trentrunner:

    always evolving and mutating and trying “to find a new host.”

    I suspect that would actually be Murphy’s brain.

  73. 73.

    Elie

    October 26, 2014 at 8:09 pm

    I briefly looked to the Chicago Bears to try to up my mood, but boy, was THAT a mistake. Thankfully, I am also a fan of the Seahawks, so I had a little break there…

    Beautiful day now — much of the rain blew over. Making a bit pot of chicken soup with all sorts of carrots and greens from Hubby’s garden… that’s the ticket!

  74. 74.

    Ruckus

    October 26, 2014 at 8:11 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    If common sense really was, more people would have some.

    Saying by prof at college, 40 yrs ago. Some things don’t really change.

  75. 75.

    Howard Beale IV

    October 26, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    @raven: I took my Sony a65 up To Rocky Mountain National Park during Memorial Day this year. Got some critter shots. Even shot some 3D panoramas. Should see about throwing them up somehwhere…

  76. 76.

    Corner Stone

    October 26, 2014 at 8:19 pm

    @Schlemazel: @Schlemazel: Pr0nstache?

  77. 77.

    Jewish Steel

    October 26, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    PAGING OMNES. PAGING MR OMNES OMNIBUS.

    What’s open late for dinner here in Madison? My wife and I had a late lunch and anticipate a ravening appetite c 10 pm.

  78. 78.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 26, 2014 at 8:24 pm

    O/T, is Randinho around? I don’t really follow futból but this sounds tragic.

  79. 79.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 26, 2014 at 8:24 pm

    @Ruckus:

    Excellent line. I shall appropriate it forthwith.

  80. 80.

    JPL

    October 26, 2014 at 8:27 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: I saw a few minutes of the Nunn/Perdue debate and she appeared confident. He was a tad flustered but I have to admit that I’m biased.

  81. 81.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    October 26, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    @Jewish Steel: If you’re down by campus, The Nitty Gritty is good.

  82. 82.

    Jewish Steel

    October 26, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN): Excellent! We may check that out.

  83. 83.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    October 26, 2014 at 8:44 pm

    @Jewish Steel: It’s pretty standard campus bar fare but well executed.

  84. 84.

    Culture of Truth

    October 26, 2014 at 8:45 pm

    So by my count that’s four Americans diagnosed with ebola, four declared virus-free. Do I have that right?

  85. 85.

    Karen in GA

    October 26, 2014 at 8:50 pm

    @raven: Thanks. I was actually considering the Athens program — I bookmarked it a while back. But the UNG program is convenient to my job.

    Once I get a feel for the camera, I’ll check out the photo guild.

  86. 86.

    Steeplejack

    October 26, 2014 at 8:59 pm

    @Karen in GA:

    Which camera did you get?

  87. 87.

    Ruckus

    October 26, 2014 at 9:06 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    Absolutely. I stole it decades ago. I’m pretty sure that the man wanted it used. It was by far the best thing I learned in his class. I got the impression that only a few recognized it for what it said, thereby proving his point.

  88. 88.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 26, 2014 at 9:06 pm

    @JPL:

    She’s been good about staying on message. Maybe not the most dynamic candidate, but then again neither is Perdue. I hope Michelle’s overall calm and competent demeanor, her excellent ground game, and her political antecedents will all work in her favor. I think I’ve mentioned that in advance voting the past couple of weeks there seemed to be a great many young/female/minority voters. Not to generalize or stereotype, but I am feeling optimistic.

  89. 89.

    Tree With Water

    October 26, 2014 at 9:08 pm

    I’m a Giants fan, and am watching the Series as I type. From out of the blue, for the first time since circa 1969, I suddenly thought about Flip Wilson, in drag as an old lady on Laugh In, staring at the camera and shouting, “Hit da ball, Willie, hit da ball”.

  90. 90.

    Gin & Tonic

    October 26, 2014 at 9:43 pm

    Not sure to what extent everyone else has been following (ha!) today’s elections in Ukraine, but in case you’re interested, one of the interesting results is that the Communists have been completely turfed out of the parliament. The second is that in this, the first parliamentary elections since what at least one regular commenter refers to as a fascist coup, the right-wing nationalist Svoboda party has done more poorly than they did in the 2012 elections, prior to the supposed fascist coup.

  91. 91.

    JR in WV

    October 26, 2014 at 9:45 pm

    @Karen in GA:

    What brand/model of DSLR did you buy?

    I’ve found that with modern cameras if you just set it on auto it will amaze you with the goodness of what you take.

    I bought a Panasonic with a Leica lens to travel with, and learned that in the dark it tells you to hold it still and hold the shutter down. It takes a couple of dozen exposures and combines them into a single well exposed, well focused, bright photo. Automatically.

    So don’t hesitate to read the manual to see how to set it for automatic and go for it.

  92. 92.

    Southern Beale

    October 26, 2014 at 9:48 pm

    I’ve got a whole round-up of good news from last week.

    Glad Bentley didn’t get put down like that poor Spanish nurse’s dog.

  93. 93.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    October 26, 2014 at 10:14 pm

    @JR in WV: When we were out at Antelope Canyon a couple of years ago, the guide made a point of taking pictures with our point-and-shoot cameras in “P” mode (for Canon cameras anyway). Apparently it works better for photos there than in full Auto mode. For landscapes anyway. The P&S pictures turned out very nicely, but not as nice as the professional ones, of course.

    The manuals for modern cameras can be very intimidating. But reading up on “P” mode in the manual might be a good place for Karen to start.

    HTH.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  94. 94.

    Ruckus

    October 26, 2014 at 10:24 pm

    @Karen in GA:
    I just upped my game with a new Nikon 5300 a month or so ago. Last job I had I used a couple of different Nikon bodies for technical photos and so went with what I know. What I didn’t know but had been told is that over the last ten years digital cameras have gotten much better. And they have. I’m still learning the camera but just setting it on auto and shooting is getting some pretty good results. I’d give that a try just to get used to handling it, then just mess around with settings and see what happens. Worst case you delete shots you don’t like, best case you learn what works for you and the camera you bought.

  95. 95.

    Another Holocene Human

    October 26, 2014 at 10:47 pm

    @raven: I love Bletchley Circle. Kind of have to sneak in the serious dramas when my wife is asleep because they make her anxiety go nutso. I can’t stand the stuff she binge watches so we have to compromise and watch David Suchet’s Poirot over and over. :P

  96. 96.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    October 27, 2014 at 12:09 am

    @Gin & Tonic: Kyiv Post:

    Below are the results of most respectable exit polls of voters on their way out of polling stations on Oct. 26:

    National exit poll

    Bloc of Petro Poroshenko – 23 percent;

    Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s People’s Front – 21.3 percent;

    Samopomich – 13.2 percent;

    Opposition Bloc – 7.6 percent;

    Oleh Lyashko’s Radical Party – 6.4 percent;

    Svoboda – 6.3 percent;

    Yulia Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna – 5.6 percent;

    Civil Position – 3.5 percent;

    Communist Party – 2.9 percent;

    Serhiy Tigipko’s Strong Ukraine – 2.6 percent.

    5% was the threshold for getting a seat.

    It’ll be interesting to see the final composition. Apparently 1/2 of the seats are allocated by party and the other half are by individual elections. Or something.

    Superficially, it looks like a good result in that there will be a strong diversity of opinions (Poroshenko can’t simply rule as a king with a rubber-stamp legislature). But we’ll see.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  97. 97.

    Mnemosyne

    October 27, 2014 at 12:11 am

    @Gin & Tonic:
    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:

    I’m pretty sure you guys are missing Bob’s point: since everyone in Ukraine is a fascist Nazi, then obviously everyone who was elected is a fascist Nazi. Duh.

  98. 98.

    Ruckus

    October 27, 2014 at 12:15 am

    @Mnemosyne:
    Bob had a point? And here all this time I just thought he was full of shit.

  99. 99.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 27, 2014 at 12:16 am

    @Mnemosyne: We’ve been disagreeing a bit lately, but this is exactly right.

  100. 100.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    October 27, 2014 at 12:23 am

    @Mnemosyne: :-)

    I just happened to check something. The Russia Duma has 4 parties –

    United Russia (Putin’s party)
    Communists
    A Just Russia (Social Democrats)
    LPDR (Nationalists)

    Funny how the LPDR has much more power and may be much closer to fascists than anything in the Ukrainian parliament, isn’t it? I wonder why BiP hasn’t been railing against it?

    ;-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  101. 101.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 27, 2014 at 12:30 am

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Do you really wonder? Bob thinks that US support for anti-Communist parties (some of which may have been hard right/fascist) in Ukraine is all that matters. FWIW any dollars spent on fascist parties in Eastern Europe were improperly spent.

  102. 102.

    ulee

    October 27, 2014 at 12:47 am

    Glen Beck wanted that dog dead. Poor dumb beck.

  103. 103.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 27, 2014 at 6:23 am

    @Schlemazel: Thank you! (I blush.)

    Sometimes you pick the car; sometimes the car picks you. The nym is from a character in my never-ending novel (see backstory here), and while my daily driver is a 2007 Mustang convertible, the Pontiac came to me in 1989 with 5,000 miles on it and it’s now an antique with about 275,000 miles on it. They both get along well, and I take the Mustang to Mustang shows.

  104. 104.

    brantl

    October 27, 2014 at 7:46 am

    @Corner Stone: Jesus, you’re a dick.

  105. 105.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    October 27, 2014 at 8:37 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: Speaking of Nazi’s, on the NY Times this morning:

    WASHINGTON — In the decades after World War II, the C.I.A. and other United States agencies employed at least a thousand Nazis as Cold War spies and informants and, as recently as the 1990s, concealed the government’s ties to some still living in America, newly disclosed records and interviews show.

    At the height of the Cold War in the 1950s, law enforcement and intelligence leaders like J. Edgar Hoover at the F.B.I. and Allen Dulles at the C.I.A. aggressively recruited onetime Nazis of all ranks as secret, anti-Soviet “assets,” declassified records show. They believed the ex-Nazis’ intelligence value against the Russians outweighed what one official called “moral lapses” in their service to the Third Reich.

    The agency hired one former SS officer as a spy in the 1950s, for instance, even after concluding he was probably guilty of “minor war crimes.”

    […]

    In all, the American military, the C.I.A., the F.B.I. and other agencies used at least 1,000 ex-Nazis and collaborators as spies and informants after the war, according to Richard Breitman, a Holocaust scholar at American University who was on a government-appointed team that declassified war-crime records.

    The full tally of Nazis-turned-spies is probably much higher, said Norman Goda, a University of Florida historian on the declassification team, but many records remain classified even today, making a complete count impossible.

    “U.S. agencies directly or indirectly hired numerous ex-Nazi police officials and East European collaborators who were manifestly guilty of war crimes,” he said. “Information was readily available that these were compromised men.”

    None of the spies are known to be alive today.

    It would be interesting to do a search for “Ukraine” in Breitman’s report.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - way2blue - SINALEI, SAMOA—RESPITE EDITION—FEBRUARY 2025.  (second of five) 7
Image by way2blue (7/31/25)

World Central Kitchen

Donate

Recent Comments

  • Martin on Government-Sanctioned Manslaughter by the Trump Crime Cartel (Jul 13, 2025 @ 2:17pm)
  • WTFGhost on Darkness Has a Hunger That’s Insatiable and Lightness Has a Call That’s Hard To Hear (Jul 13, 2025 @ 2:16pm)
  • Glory b on Sunday Morning Open Thread: Dance Like the Whole Universe Is Watching (Jul 13, 2025 @ 2:16pm)
  • rikyrah on Government-Sanctioned Manslaughter by the Trump Crime Cartel (Jul 13, 2025 @ 2:15pm)
  • Wapiti on Darkness Has a Hunger That’s Insatiable and Lightness Has a Call That’s Hard To Hear (Jul 13, 2025 @ 2:15pm)

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
No Kings Protests June 14 2025

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

Feeling Defeated?  If We Give Up, It's Game Over

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!