Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

All hail the time of the bunny!

Washington Post Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Monday Evening Open Thread: High Randomness

Monday Evening Open Thread: High Randomness

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Could’ve been worse, Cole…

On Friday, the Spousal Unit’s rescue cat Rocket (J. Trump) pulled another daring escape into the back yard (he’s an indoor cat; there are foxes & skunks & plausible rumors of coyotes in this neighborhood, not to mention the heavy truck traffic just beyond the yard). And I managed to gank something in my left wrist when I chased him down & grabbed him, because fifteen pounds of badly-balanced feline struggling to get away will do that. Nothing serious, but I’m wearing a wrist brace, and I can’t type more than a few words unless I take it off. So you’re free of my long bricolaged pieces, for the moment.

Apart from remembering how complicated every little task is when you can’t fully use both hands, what’s on the agenda for the evening?

Reader Interactions

226Comments

  1. 1.

    schrodinger's cat

    At least he didn’t bite you. Cat bites can be nasty. Says someone who has been bitten twice by my lovely felines and had their swell up to twice its size. Had to get industrial strength antibiotics in one case.

  3. 3.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Carville and Stephanopolous got all the attention, but I maintain Begala is the best and most useful of the old Clinton hands

    Paul Begala ‏@ PaulBegala 11h11 hours ago
    I called Dick Cheney a sociopath on @ NewDay this morning. I would like to apologize

    to sociopaths.

  5. 5.

    SiubhanDuinne

    And I managed to gank something in my left wrist

    Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch.

    Am I remembering correctly, Anne Laurie, that you did something painful to a hand or wrist or arm or something a year or two ago and were similarly incapacitated for a few weeks? (I’m currently assisting in caregiving for an elderly cousin who fell and fractured her shoulder about ten days ago. She is also showing signs of dementia onset, which is distressing. It has been quite a saga, and may help explain my own current stretch of insomnia, forgetfulness, and general crankiness.)

    Edit: Damn, the whole point of writing that post was to sympathize and wish you a speedy recovery, and then I forgot to put that part in. See what I mean?

  6. 6.

    WaterGirl

    I want to know if we’re going to take Cole up on his offer last night – he told the fellow who listed five potential posts for the Book of Cole that he should choose the posts and Cole would get them edited. Then the fellow replied that he would crowd source the suggestions for which posts to use.

    Are you out there, whoever you are? Seems like it was on Cole’s stream of consciousness thread about being white…

  7. 7.

    WaterGirl

    @WaterGirl: Here is is:

    RSA says:
    August 30, 2015 at 9:03 pm
    @Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant):
    Love some stream of consciousness Cole.
    Cole ought to write a novel, semi-autobiographical, in the great American tradition. He has a voice, as the writing coaches say, and I think it would be a great engaging read.

    John Cole says:
    August 30, 2015 at 10:11 pm
    @RSA: Ehh, choose the posts and I will send them to an editor. I can’t tell the good ones from teh bad.

    RSA says:
    August 30, 2015 at 11:01 pm
    @John Cole:
    Ehh, choose the posts and I will send them to an editor. I can’t tell the good ones from teh bad.
    Cool, thanks. We’ll crowdsource the selection, if there are enough people interested.

    https://balloon-juice.com/2015/08/30/being-the-whitest-form-of-white-with-a-black-roommate-in-one-of-the-whitest-states-in-america/

  8. 8.

    redshirt

    For all aging folk, here is a good exercise:

    While still in bed upon waking up, lay flat on your back and your legs fully stretched,
    and then spell the alphabet with your feet – that is, spell out the letters with your toes.
    A B C D and so on.

    This makes you move your feet in ways you seldom do, and will build flexibility. It’s quick and easy and will give you decades of good health.

  9. 9.

    Anne Laurie

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    At least he didn’t bite you…

    He tried, half-heartedly — twisted to do so & that’s when I popped the tendon, or whatever, when the load (of his fat arse) shifted.

    I’ve not only done the cat-bite antibiotics (& sling) routine before, I have ended up in the hospital for multiday infusion drugs & hand surgery for a dog bite that went septic. And that was on my dominant hand, so I felt lucky to come off with no worse than a scar on my palm!

  13. 13.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @redshirt:

    Actually, I’ve done that (except I like to do the alphabet backwards) for years now. And it fits right in with some training I did a couple of weeks ago in a technique called “Ageless Grace.” I was worried that it would be all snake oil and woo, but as long as I resist the MLM-type blandishments to become a trainer myself, and just do the various exercises, I consider it an excellent investment of a few dollars and a few hours of my time.

  14. 14.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I’m gonna post this again, because (once again) I agree with Pierce

    So there’s a history there. But this latest fiasco is different by an order of magnitude. If DWS wants to oppose the Iran deal in her capacity as an otherwise insignificant member of the House minority, that’s fine with me. But if, as it appears, as national chairman of the president’s party, she actively campaigned against a measure designed to show the support of the president’s party for a monumentally important White House policy initiative, then she should have been fired from that post yesterday. If Jonathan Martin is right, and Jennifer Granholm really is waiting in the wings, then I may throw a parade.

    Jennifer Granholm debating Reince Priebus could be fun.

  18. 18.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Not long ago, I finally arsed myself to actually unsubscribe to all the DNC emails that clutter my inbox, instead of just half-heartedly deleting as they arrive. And let me tell you, they do not make it easy to unsubscribe! Anyhow, when I finally got down to the level of “are you absolutely SURE?” and “tell us why,” I let loose on them and said I would neither accept emails nor give a dime to the DNC so long as DWS remains chair. I specifically mentioned her shameful stance on the Iran nuclear deal. It’s possible the word “treasonous” might have snuck in there. Good riddance to her — I really hope the rumors about her imminent departure from that job are true.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    It’s delightful, it’s delicious,
    it’s delectable, it’s delirious,
    It’s dilemma, it’s de limit,
    it’s deluxe, it’s denali

  20. 20.

    brent

    @dr. bloor: I think any woman, certainly any celebrity woman, would be correct in assuming that quite a lot of the world takes entirely too much interest in the shape of their bodies in general. But even that level of inappropriateness pales in comparison to the almost atavistic obsession on the female nipple. Wardrobe malfunctions, beastfeeding controversies, paparazzi desperately trying to angle themselves for side boob for which they are paid quite handsomely, all attest to the fact that Cyrus is quite right to think that women’s breast seem to carry a social significance quite far out of proportion with their basic functionality and hers are no exception.

  21. 21.

    dmsilev

    what’s on the agenda for the evening?

    As little as I can possibly manage. Day one of Movepocalypse Phase Two started at 6:45 this morning with me guiding a fair-sized crane and two forklifts into their preplanned locations. And continued from there.

    Protip to all people: If a guy in a bright yellow vest and hard hat says “please don’t walk through this zone, it’s kind of dangerous right now”, please listen to them and don’t simply duck under the Caution tape simply because this is the route you normally take to get your morning cup of coffee. Tomorrow, I’m showing up with a Taser; maybe a heap of twitching bodies underneath the Caution tape will do the trick.

  23. 23.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @redshirt:

    The basic idea is that there are physical exercises which can be done sitting in a chair (good for the very elderly, or people with Parkinson’s and similar — or just people who are basically indolent, like me) which serve to create and reinforce new neural pathways.

    With you, to that extent, on exercise, and on atheism. Tell me more about olive oil. Do you ingest large quantities, or rub it on your skin, or both?

  24. 24.

    ultraviolet thunder

    I was supposed to spend the week in the office, so of course by noon Monday I was out the door and over an international border. Chilling at a Hilton in Toronto after a 12 hour work day now.
    I have paid no attention to politics all day and I may keep it that way.

  25. 25.

    gogol's wife

    Somebody on here recommended Paul — I’m watching it now and it’s really funny. I never found Kristin Wiig amusing before, but she’s great in this. And of course I love Simon and Nick, so witty.

  27. 27.

    Ruckus

    @Anne Laurie:
    Being one handed and in the need of two does put a bit of a crimp in one’s day, that’s for sure. I can sympathize, I’ve injured both hands quite severely and had both in very uncomfortable navicular casts, fortunately not at the same time. Did have a friend with both in the same type of cast at the same time. He said it is remarkable what someone else will do for you, if they like you.
    Mine now is that my hand seizes up rigid for 30-60 seconds every once in a while. Mostly off hand as well but a couple of times the most useful. Hasn’t done both at once yet.

  28. 28.

    Woodrowfan

    @Doug R: BOOBIES!!!

    Ive got a lovely bunch of coconuts
    (Theyre lovely)
    There they are all standing in a row
    (One, two, three, four)
    Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head
    (And bigger)

    Read more: Monty Python – I’ve Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts Lyrics | MetroLyrics

  32. 32.

    kindness

    If a cat is that determined to live somewhere else of his own choosing, maybe you should let him. Yea that could be cruel but it may be the right thing to do. Easy for me to say that as I’ve never had an indoor only cat.

  35. 35.

    dmsilev

    @efgoldman: No, thankfully blocking and obstructing vehicle traffic is something we’re only doing a tiny amount of (a few minutes for a tractor-trailer to pull into a driveway, and ditto for the flatbed delivering the forklifts). The pedestrian shortcut, however, is blocked until Friday.

    Plus side: Quite the show for young children, especially young boys. They and their parents walk up to the tape, and just watch for a while.

  36. 36.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @rikyrah: how ’bout them Muslim/Birther numbers? It appears I can still be surprised by how fucking insane a third of this country is
    – 54% of Republicans, nationally, think Obama is a Muslim, but only 44% think he was not born in the United States, both questions also got sizable “not sures”

    But race has nothing to do with it.

  37. 37.

    ThresherK

    @redshirt: If I were PBO, I’d troll one better for Rove’s fixation on McKinley’s party boss.

    There must be a town he can rename Hanna, Montana.

  39. 39.

    Amir Khalid

    @Anoniminous:
    I looked all over that list of endorsements and didn’t see “Amir Khalid, Malaysian Correspondent, Balloon Juice.” I am rather disappoint.

  40. 40.

    Keith P.

    Is Obama trolling Rove in junking “Mt. McKinley” for “Denali”?

    11th-dimensional chess!!!!!

  44. 44.

    cokane

    Tom Levenson currently in a twitter war over his misrepresentation of Tim Hunt as a sexist. Just admit you relied on bad reporting dude. No shame in error. Great shame in willful ignorance.

  49. 49.

    J R in WV

    We had adopted a smaller bouncy puppy from our vet clinic, where they run a very low-key rescue shelter. Just a few weeks later, in spring, she disappeared, and then just a couple of days later our last tomcat, Roscoe vanished. I’m pretty sure it was a coyote, with a litter.

    We heard some calling for a few nights, and then they moved on. It’s been 2 or 3 years since, and I still tell Spike, when she want to go out to prowl at midnight, to watch out for the owls!

    We have a ton of Barred owls, and they can do chickens, small dogs, and pretty good sized cats, in total silence. So I always warn Spike to watch for the owls. Even though I suspect she doesn’t have the vocabulary to catch my exact meaning, I suspect she knows I’m telling her to be careful!

  50. 50.

    scav

    @dmsilev: Have you considered chalk marks outlining sprawled bodies just beyond the tape?

    (probably won’t work. local Search & Rescue team took to leaving the bloodied tee-shirt of victim m on the warning side of a perniscious waterfall: there was always a victim m+1).

  52. 52.

    Anoniminous

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    One of the stranger ones is Nicola Sturgeon, head of the Scottish Nationalist Party. Usually Dems and Labour Party are all chummy, buddy, BFF … but the SNP wiped out Scottish Labour, the Blairites are not happy with the SNP (putting it mildly) so Hills and Nicola getting together is a bit of a head scratcher.

  53. 53.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @dmsilev:

    Plus side: Quite the show for young children, especially young boys. They and their parents walk up to the tape, and just watch for a while.

    It used to be the case that most (well, many) construction sites had eyeholes drilled at various levels — including small boy level — in the surrounding fences, to enable a safe viewing of the jackhammers and forklifts and backhoes and whatnot.

  55. 55.

    trollhattan

    @dr. bloor:
    In the poor dear’s case they’re more aspirational bØØbies, but I figure she’s in the famous for being famous business so every on-camera moment is its own reward.

  57. 57.

    Mike in NC

    McKinley was guy who was said to have “the backbone of a chocolate eclair” (usually attributed to Teddy Roosevelt).

  58. 58.

    Jeffro

    I would much rather visit Joe than Hannah, Montana

    (I think there’s a limerick in there somewhere)

  59. 59.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @trollhattan: No realli! She was Karving her initials øn the møøse with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given her by Svenge – her brother-in-law -an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: “The Høt Hands of an Oslo Dentist”, “Fillings of Passion”, “The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink”…

  61. 61.

    Gin & Tonic

    @redshirt: The Cyrillic alphabet, of course, has some 33 characters (depends on language,) including some fairly complex ones, like Ж.

  64. 64.

    Anoniminous

    @Amir Khalid:

    Take it up with her people. I’m a member of the vanguard of proletariat, working for that guy from the People’s Republic of Vermont.

  65. 65.

    dmsilev

    @scav: Wouldn’t help, I’m afraid. The big problem is we’ve opened up a hatch in the ground going to a basement level, so the chalk outlines would be down at the bottom of the pit. By the time you see them, it’s a bit too late…

    (and yes, we have barriers and people present and so on and so forth. Nothing seems to help except screaming at people to maybe consider using the 4 out of 5 building entrances which _aren’t_ an active heavy-machinery zone.)

  66. 66.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I wonder if you took Obama out of the equation, what percentage of Buckeyes would actually give a fuck about Mt McKinley becoming Denali. I’d guess the ceiling would be 15%. And even with Obama factored in, can it be much more than 35, 40%?

  69. 69.

    Anne Laurie

    @kindness:

    If a cat is that determined to live somewhere else of his own choosing, maybe you should let him. Yea that could be cruel but it may be the right thing to do. Easy for me to say that as I’ve never had an indoor only cat.

    Were it up to me, he’d be back with the rescue lady ASAP. But he likes my husband, and my husband loves him, and I love my husband more than I dislike the godsdamned cat…

    Even if this were a good area for an outdoor cat — it’s not: predators, heavy traffic/freeway ramps, gun club across the street — Rocky’s a bad candidate for freedom. He was rescued from a shopping mall dumpster (he’s probably a purebred Oriental Shorthair & had been a housecat). His second home returned him to the rescue because he is an insatiable cloth-chewer; he’s cost us a couple of thousand dollars in ruined jackets/dresses/jeans/shirts/linens despite our best efforts. And he’s got an ongoing problem with bladder stones — more hundreds of dollars for veterinary emergencies, not to mention we’ll spend the rest of his life buying the expensive prescription diet for both him & our other cat, because it’s hard enough keeping the dogs away from the cats’ food without trying to keep two cats on separate diets.

    He’s godsdamned lucky he found a sucker in my Spousal Unit, is all I can say.

  73. 73.

    Amir Khalid

    I took a look at Donald Trump’s list of endorsements. It’s much shorter than Hillary’s list, which will be no surprise. Three of four “Businesspeople” listed are his own children. (The fourth is Carl Icahn.) Of the “Celebrities, Commentators and Activists”, I have to say I’m disappointed in Lou Ferrigno and Chuck Yeager.

  75. 75.

    mai naem mobile

    I like Miley. I think she’s very talented and got her shit together. She’s still trying to get away from the Hannah Montana label. She also trying to make it in a world with Taylor Swift,Beyonce,Niki Minaj,Katy Perry and a bunch of other talented women who also push the.envelope. As much as I think she’s a very sharp cookie, I blame Madonna for this pushing the envelope to untasteful levels.I know I sound like an old fuddy duddy.and I don’t mean this in a slut shaming manner, but jeezus, some of the stuff I see on the VMAs is just too raunchy. There’s a time and place and a freaking awards show isn’t it. Some of the stuff is just gratuitous and frankly unattractive. Taylor Swifts outfit last night had her with a bare midriff. I couldn’t care less of the bare midriff but it looked
    stupid. It would have been better with a covered midriff. End rant.

  76. 76.

    ThresherK

    @Mike in NC: Hey, Warren G. Harding had to have a role model.

    I don’t know if this falls under “oddly enough”, but they’re both Ohian R’s guided by Svengalis.

    Also heard a story on NPR about heroin in Marion, OH, and wondered how NPR couldn’t manage to tell us the reason we’ve heard of that small city. It was Harding’s hometown.

  79. 79.

    SFAW

    @efgoldman:

    Ah. I was thinking Move-In Day in Back Bay, and how Comm Ave could be considered a Movepocalypse-like site. Obviously, I was looking at things the wrong way.

    Relative to The Storrowing: there was a time when hi-cube vans would try driving Mem Drive under Mass Ave. A couple of my frat brothers were given some half-decent stereo components when they helped the Tech Hi-Fi driver load stuff back into his truck/van, after he peeled off the top at that location. Good times.

    Now, there are M-60-equipped turrets on both sides of the underpass, to prevent just such an occurrence. Usually, the replacement driver gets the idea that he should back up, lest he end up the same way as the (late) first driver.

  80. 80.

    SteverinoCT

    When I moved from FL to CT my two outdoor cats became indoor cats, and didn’t mind: I was ground-floor with a patio that I screened in, so they (and I) could sit and commune with nature while keeping out the stray cats/ raccoons / woodchucks living in the underbrush.

    Then I “acquired” Gummitch the super-kitten (“just until we find a home for him”). He kept climbing the screen and eventually broke through. I raced around the building; he was busy dashing around, running partway up a tree and jumping down, saying hello to all the creatures and having a grand time. When he saw me, he ran up: “Look at me! I’m OUTSIDE!” I grabbed him and we went back in, where he promptly zipped out the hole again. This time I repaired the hole first, and then went to get him, which took a bit longer: he was a fast learner.

    After I married I got a house had to give away all the kitties, and Gummitch kicked around and finally ended up at my neighbor’s, where he was an outdoor cat and would come visit. He also visited across the street, decided he liked it there better (my neighbor also had a bullying tom) and lived out the rest of his life with her, still visiting until he passed at about 15yo.

  81. 81.

    mai naem mobile

    Has HRH Princess Sarah of the Northwood Nitwits weighed in on the Denalighazi debate yet? Will this be Obama’s 129th Katrina?

  86. 86.

    Punchy

    We Midwesterners use “gank” as a synny for “steal”. Like “rook” or “five finger discount”. Never seen it used in place of “biff” like you did. You Right Coasters….

  87. 87.

    SFAW

    @efgoldman:

    Holy crap you’re as old as i am!

    Well, I could say, “that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” However, if I recall your vital stats correctly, I think you’re about 10 years older than I am. But, I’m pretty sure you feel younger than my chronological age. I know I do.

    I mean, I’m still an old fart, and I remember stuff from back then, but I didn’t spend any significant time in Boston until the 1970s. If we ever are at the same BJ meetup, we can regale the kids with tales “from the before time.”

    ETA: And I threw in that Tech Hi-Fi reference – which is a true story, no “artistic license” taken – because I thought you might appreciate it.

  90. 90.

    Comrade Mary

    @Anne Laurie: Oof! Sorry to hear about the wrist. I messed mine up late June (bone bruise and some tendon unhappiness) and it’s only getting near-normal again now (after I delayed getting medical attention for a whole month). If immobilization, ice and Advil don’t make things feel a LOT better in a day or so, get to a doctor/physio pronto.

  92. 92.

    Petorado

    Maybe it’s because I live in a part of the country with lots of climbers who have climbed the biggest mountain in North America, but I was under the impression Denali had been renamed a long time ago. I haven’t heard mention of Mount McKinley in possibly three decades. Good for Obama for correcting the problem.

  93. 93.

    Mandalay

    @Anoniminous:

    One of the stranger ones is Nicola Sturgeon, head of the Scottish Nationalist Party.

    Hardly; Sturgeon and the SNP are winners, whereas the Labour Party is covered in loser stink, and swirling around the bowl at the moment. Also, the likely next leader of the Labour Party has criticized the US for killing OBL, and wants Britain to withdraw from NATO. For all her fakery, Clinton will genuinely not want to be associated with anyone advocating those positions.

  94. 94.

    Kropadope

    @redshirt:

    Denali is a total troll, especially good since the Republicans of Alaska are all in favor.

    My understanding is that the native population of Alaska has been pushing hard for this change. It’s not like McKinley was from there (I’m not even sure he ever went there). No real harm being done to William McKinley with this change.

  98. 98.

    Amir Khalid

    @Mandalay:
    It doesn’t seem that you understand quite how endorsing a politician works: the endorser chooses the politico, not the other way around.

  101. 101.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @efgoldman:

    Since it’s about 43 years ago, I guess I can tell this without fear of legal repercussions.

    I used to work the 4:00 pm-midnight shift at WUSF-FM. The studio was in the basement of the university library, and of course by the end of the shift, the building and that entire end of campus was deserted. The parking lot was maybe, at a stretch, 100 yards from the door of the building where I exited.

    One afternoon, shortly before my shift started, I was home smoking some weed with my husband and a couple of friends. Went to work, didn’t feel a single thing, did the full eight hours without incident, logged off, and went out the door. Heading for my car which was, let me reiterate, approximately 300 feet away.

    And time just suddenly went all flooey. To this day, I swear it took me approximately two hours to walk from door to car. T I M E J U S T S L O W E D W A A A Y D O W N .

    Then I got in the car, everything snapped back to normal, and I drove home safely and, again, without incident. Weirdest damn thing, to have absolutely no reaction to the cannabis until 8+ hours later, and then only for a minute or two (which felt like a couple of hours, but of course wasn’t). So bizarre.

  103. 103.

    Howard Beale IV

    Well, I had what I thought would be an uneventful day turn into a pain in the ass.

    Drive to the ENT office to have my last intratympantic steroid injection and wound up going into a full vertigo attack. Wind up spinning for 3 hours in the docotor’s office, grab a script for valium, grab a cab ride home to chill out for 4 hours, get a cab ride back to hospital to fetch my car back.

    Fuck Meniere’s.

  106. 106.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @SiubhanDuinne: I throw a little at the DCCC and the DSCC at the end of the month – when they have their triple matches going.

    They both have such a match on now.

    I think she and whoever is heading the DSCC are just figureheads. I don’t let that put me off from grabbing more of the match money.

    Of course, I give directly to candidates of my choice as well. And since Virginia is having important elections in about 65 days, the national races aren’t getting much from me now.

    Keep an eye on the big picture. :-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (Who agrees that if she can’t support the Iran deal then she shouldn’t be head of the DCCC.)

  109. 109.

    schrodinger's cat

    Now that National Review is sounding an alarm about legal immigration, who is going to be the next GOP Presidential candidate who will try legislate who citizens can marry? Since almost 50% of green cards issued every year are to the spouses of United States citizens.

  111. 111.

    RSA

    @WaterGirl: Hi. I do think a collection of Cole stories would be a great. I’m not a professional reader or writer, but I know what I like. I suspect that one of the reasons BJ has a good community of commenters is JC’s influence.

    That said, I’m not a fast mover. If someone else wanted to take charge, that’s fine; no one really owns this idea. Maybe we could ask a front pager (Anne Laurie?) to run a few posts in which people nominate their favorite Cole stories from the past. We could collect a few dozen that way, then set up voting to rank them all? Just an idea.

    If you’re game, please go ahead!

  112. 112.

    Face

    Obama only changed the name to Denali to boost GMC stock, which he secretly owns. This blantant abuse of Presidential power is disgusting and hinky. I expect impeachments to commence. Also, to boost the economy he needs to rename Camden “Buyya”, Austin becomes “Lower”, and to boost adoption of Australian kids in Memphis, he renames that town “Please-Adopt”

  113. 113.

    SFAW

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I wonder why Nepal doesn’t change the name of Mt. Everest?

    To what? “McKinley,” out of sympathy for those poor, downtrodden Ohioans? “Denali,” because they want to get on Obama’s good side? “Hillary,” because Sir Edmund showed all those shiftless sherpas how to do it right? “Mallory,” because he’s there?

    No need to respond, just me being a twit.

  114. 114.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:

    You are a better person than I. Chances are pretty good that once the 2016 races really get underway I will be back contributing what I can, especially (as you note) when they can match 2:1 or 3:1. But I’m feeling pissy right now and felt the need to vent in their general direction. Plus, also too, I really did need to cull my inbox.

  117. 117.

    jl

    @Petorado: @Kropadope: @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I was wondering about that too, having spent so much time up in AK on a family farm up there. I’ve never heard anyone call it McKinley, and I done spent time around Wasilla and Talkeetna where a lot of climbers hang out. I read that the state of Alaska changed the official state name to Denali decades ago. So, probably no one who lives up there gives a rat’s ass what fools from ‘the outside’ call it. I didn’t know states had their own official names for geographical features, but maybe AK is asserting some g-damn state sovereignty on that front. I also read that Congress has been refusing to go along and being pissy about it ever since AK changed its name for the mountain. So, it’s more than Obama, though I am sure the pretended outrage is heightened a bit to appeal to ignorant bigots.

    So, FU ‘outside’ the real name, the Alaska name (like anything else counts?) has been Denali for decades. The feds just finally surrendered, is all.

    No link,since I forgot where I read it.

    Edit: Also too “A great beer for a great land’. I think that brand has been resurrected, but not sure.

  118. 118.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: You remind me I mean to start donating to the party, state and national, again. It can be galling when you hear shit like DWS trying to gum up the Iran deal, or Michael Bennet voting with the R’s on Keystone, the jackasses who voted against the post-Newtown gun bill… but party building is important, and god knows we need all the cash we can get on our side.

  119. 119.

    SFAW

    @Face:

    I expect impeachments to commence

    They don’t need the stuff you uncovered as an excuse. “Presidentin’ While Black” is all they need.

  124. 124.

    Ruckus

    @schrodinger’s cat:
    Was at the south rim of the Grand Canyon for a couple of days and decided to do my laundry. The area is laid out, hotels near the rim, supplies away from the rim with all the worker housing in between, with ring road. However if you are walking you can just walk through the housing area. As I was walking I saw kids playing and all of a sudden they quietly moved away. As I turned my head about 90 deg I saw what they were moving away from. An elk, walking thorough the housing area, at his own pace and about 10-15 feet away from me. The top of his shoulders were about 6’6″, taller than I am. He didn’t look like he cared about humans except as a possible annoyance. I backed away slowly and gave him as wide as possible path. Beautiful animal up close but like a moose I don’t think he wanted to be petted or bothered. Glad those kids knew the right thing to do.

  126. 126.

    Mandalay

    @Amir Khalid: The Labour Party is currently without a leader, and is in complete disarray. It would be absurd and meaningless for any politicians in the Labour Party to be endorsing Clinton at the moment, and they would be ridiculed and berated in the unlikely event that they did so. Besides, Clinton wouldn’t be remotely interested in any such endorsement from non-entity politicians who are guaranteed to be out of power for the next five years.

    In contrast, Sturgeon stands a reasonable chance of being the leader of an independent Scotland within the next generation. That’s an endorsement worth having.

  127. 127.

    NotMax

    @efgoldman

    Tabletop FM-only radio (KLH brand) from those times within reach of the computer keyboard. Real wood case, none of that composite or veneer stuff.

  129. 129.

    FlyingToaster

    I had to go into Harvard Square this afternoon, and the upperclassmen are moving in. I dare anyone to try driving down Mount Auburn, with one lane closed for sidewalk and roadwork and students spilling off of the remaining sidewalk into the only lane available.

    There were carolers(!) at the corner of Comm Ave and Harvard Street this am.

    The staties are trying to stop the Storrowings… but outbound on Nonantum doesn’t seem to be the most efficient use of their resource.

  130. 130.

    Brachiator

    The BBC comedy show “Dead Ringers” recently just ripped the stuffing out of the new TV remake of the Agatha Christie mysteries featuring Tommy and Tuppence. Just comically kicked the crap out of the show. And then, coincidentally I got an email with a link to the free first episode (google “acorn tv free partners in crime”) and it is Terrible, capital T. They updated the series from the 1920s to 1952 and make the couple a pair of ditsy, unemployed post-war Brits. Worse, there is negative chemistry between David Walliams (a producer of the show, I think) and the reliably plucky Jessica Raine.

    Part of the problem is that the bad guys are so solidly evil that you cannot imagine Tommy and Tuppence lasting more than 30 seconds against them. The duo are just that dense. And the two part story is so lame that I don’t even care how it resolves. Surprisingly, the show has done well in the UK, though I read somewhere that it was losing viewers as it trundles along. The UK reviews of the show has been mixed. Some have been admiring, others are very much like the Dead Ringers jab, asking what the hell were the producers thinking.

    “Dead Ringers” can be found as part of the BBC Friday comedy podcasts.

    I think that Partners in Crime will be available in the US later this week.

  131. 131.

    Matt McIrvin

    @schrodinger’s cat: The Nepalese government actually did that already. There were a whole bunch of local names and the most widespread one was Tibetan (Chomolungma), which wouldn’t fly with them, so they just invented a new Nepalese name, Sagarmatha. The summit is actually on the border between Nepal and Tibet/China, so I guess they’d have to share naming rights in some moral sense.

    The English name “Everest” comes from the British survey that identified it as the tallest (which supposedly punted on giving it a local name because there were so many), and I just learned from Wikipedia that Sir George Everest actually pronounced it like “Eeverest”.

  134. 134.

    Amir Khalid

    @schrodinger’s cat:
    Mount Everest has always had its Nepalese name, long before the British started calling it Everest, and still has that name. You might as well ask why Malaysia doesn’t change the name of Mount Ophir, as the British still like to call it, to Gunung Ledang.

  135. 135.

    SFAW

    @Matt McIrvin:

    Sir George Everest actually pronounced it like “Eeverest”.

    Actually, he said “E-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-verest” – right after he said “Whoops!” but before the THUD

  136. 136.

    Cervantes

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I wonder why Nepal doesn’t change the name of Mt. Everest?

    Mostly because they fear opening that can of worms might allow China to re-assert its claim that a Chinese (based on Tibetan) name should be used for (allegedly) historical reasons.

    Particularly ironic is that George Everest, imperial Surveyor-General of India, had always made local names official and did not want the mountain named after him — but his successor insisted, and prevailed.

  137. 137.

    jl

    @Mike J: Supposedly Mount Shasta is from an native tribe named Kwu-asta. and the name was transferred to the mountain by some long forgotten process.

    Wikipedia says that local nation, Kurak called it Úytaahkoo or “White Mountain”

    I can’t find on the internet what the natives called Mount Lassen.

  138. 138.

    Another Holocene Human

    @Amir Khalid: If all the menz just ugh I’m bored now don’t care about Miley Cyrus’ tits, then why is it still taboo for her to bare them in public?

    You know, despite her upbringing, the girl ain’t totally stupid now.

  139. 139.

    Amir Khalid

    @SFAW:
    If Nepal started calling the mountain Hillary, the Republicans in America would get mad and demand sanctions.

  142. 142.

    SFAW

    @Amir Khalid:

    Or maybe they’d insist, as a compromise, that it be named “Hitlery”?

    Be that as it may, they’re complaining about Denali, but I’m assuming they can’t do anything about it. Well, they can vote to withhold Federal funds from anyone who calls it Denali, I guess.

  143. 143.

    Kropadope

    NYTimes:

    In rapid succession, Representatives Nydia M. Velázquez, Gregory W. Meeks and Yvette Clarke of New York backed the deal, as did Representative Patrick Murphy, the Democratic establishment’s choice to compete for the Senate seat being vacated by the Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio. Mr. Murphy’s decision was the most surprising: Democratic leaders supporting the deal had written him off as he battles Representative Alan Grayson, a liberal who is leaning against the accord, for his party’s Senate nomination.

    Go Congressional Democrats and particularly Go Patrick Murphy!!!

  147. 147.

    Ruckus

    @efgoldman:
    Whatever works.

    The rangers and their families all know about the animals that all have free rein. It was after all their home long before any humans got there.

  150. 150.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Brachiator:

    Of all of Christie’s detectives, I care least for Tommy & Tuppence. They never rang particularly true to me. I’m talking about the novels and short stories — the James Warwick/Francesca Annis TV series was rather fun. But not sure I’ll even bother with this new series.

  153. 153.

    Cervantes

    @jl:

    what the natives called Mount Lassen.

    The Maidu, indigenous to the central Sierra Nevada, called it La Lapham Yerman Y’aidum (“the long, high, broken mountain”).

    Other tribes called it variously Little Shasta, Fire Mountain, Water Mountain, and so on.

  159. 159.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    @gogol’s wife:

    Glad you liked it. I recommended it to you (others may have as well) because I thought it hits the Simon and Nick sweet spot. And the rest of the cast is good, including the sometimes off-putting Kristin Wiig.

  161. 161.

    schrodinger's cat

    @SiubhanDuinne: Just the whole series that they used to show on Masterpiece. I did not like the liberties they took with the original material. I thought most of the adaptations were terrible. The ones with Miss Marple were the worst.

    ETA: 4.50 from Paddington and Easy to Kill are the two examples I can think of.

  162. 162.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    The Geraldine McEwen Miss Marple series was awful. Terrible casting, although I was a huge fan of McEwen in the right roles (Lucia, and the old woman in Mulberry, to name just two, not to mention the nurse-attendant to Princess Katherine in Branagh’s Henry V). I think I watched all of two episodes before washing my hands of that whole abomination. Didn’t they bring Miss M into the 1950s or ’60s, and give her a completely implausible backstory with a lover or something? Ugh.

  163. 163.

    Brachiator

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Books featuring Tommy and Tuppence must rank among Agatha Christie’s worst efforts.

    Yep. I like Jessica Raine as an actress, so I was more curious to see her than I was to see the tales of Tommy and Tuppence. The producers tried to rework the stories, I guess, make them more modern, but the choices were just strange in that it only highlighted some of the inherent weakness of these works.

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Of all of Christie’s detectives, I care least for Tommy & Tuppence. They never rang particularly true to me. I’m talking about the novels and short stories — the James Warwick/Francesca Annis TV series was rather fun. But not sure I’ll even bother with this new series.

    Warwick and Annis were the best thing about the earlier adaptation. The new cast is lifeless by comparison. But again, those who are curious can still check out the first episode for free.

  169. 169.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    With Geraldine McEwan? I liked those, I liked that they gave her a “past”

    No no no no no no no. Miss Marple is not supposed to have a “past” of any kind (beyond the vague background of flirtation and young men hinted at in At Bertram’s Hotel). Miss Marple was born elderly, and spinsterish. By far the best portrayal of her was Joan Hickson. I mostly don’t even bother with anyone else, even the great Helen Hayes.

  171. 171.

    Brachiator

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    No no no no no no no. Miss Marple is not supposed to have a “past” of any kind (beyond the vague background of flirtation and young men hinted at in At Bertram’s Hotel).

    Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher once had a fling.

  172. 172.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Librarian:

    Well, I adore Margaret Rutherford and think her “Marple”-ish films are hysterically funny, but no, she bears almost no resemblance to the Miss Jane Marple of the Christie novels and short stories. And again, IMO, the only actor who came close was Joan Hickson.

  175. 175.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @SFAW:

    All these Theories about Miss Marple are very thin at one end, then much much thicker, then thin again at the other end.

  188. 188.

    Suzanne

    @Omnes Omnibus: This is a blog where the host tells us all about his nut hanging out of his shorts. We talk about discernment of animal shit. I think oversharing is part of the joy of this blog.

  196. 196.

    cokane

    @Joel: he’s being hounded about this https://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/the-timothy-hunt-witch-hunt/ he wrote a story in Boston Globe, not about Hunt, but used him as an example, jumping off point about sexism in science.

    The shame is that Hunt actually has a body of work that shows he has labored on behalf of female scientists. And a cursory look at his bio — married to another esteemed researcher — should have made any rational person skeptical of certain characterizations of Hunt’s statement. Unfortunately, douchey right wingers have dug up the truth in the form of both a transcript and partial audio of the talk and other eyewitnesses, all those things show a version of the talk not in line with Levenson’s description. Sadly, Levenson is digging himself deeperon twitter as opposed to simply admitting that he based his writing on eyewitnesses, whose story is now questionable.

    I like and respect Levenson, so I’m saying this as a fellow liberal. Give it up dude. I don’t care if the messengers here are total dbags. The evidence is not on your side… and this isn’t going to go away. The original reporter is likely to be fired as she’s a journalism prof who has also been caught lying on her resume.

  197. 197.

    Tomtofa

    @dr. bloor:

    I don’t think you need to pay that much attention. She’s proposing a body-image evolution to other young women, not offering herself to a lecherous gaze. A vegan nudist who’s having a tremendous amount of fun so far.

  198. 198.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @cokane: Did Hunt say this or didn’t he? ““Let me tell you about my trouble with girls … three things happen when they are in the lab … You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry.” Link.

  199. 199.

    cokane

    @Omnes Omnibus: read the article i linked, it’s clear he was not being literal, he even starts “now, seriously…” after that segment, indicating he wasn’t serious. that article itself is misleading because it uses “girls” and then men in the lead, when in the actual quote he says “boys and girls”, right off the bat some misleading reporting, tho i don’t blame that Guardian writer, they’re quoting another reporter’s version.

  200. 200.

    Anne Laurie

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Books featuring Tommy and Tuppence must rank among Agatha Christie’s worst efforts.

    Oh, c’mon. I’m illogically fond of them (was her birth name Prudence, or Patience?) if only because they seemed like an excellent model of a working couple — two smart if flawed people who could love each other despite those flaws.

    Christie wrote so many books — and invented so many tropes — there were bound to be a few ringers. Some of the lesser Poirots, for instance. Or Death Comes As the End, her Dynastic Egyptian novel. The Spousal Unit grabbed my copy one day, because he’d run out of Amanda Peabodys, and he was outraged at its badness.

    But then, my tastes are idiosyncratic. Even when I was reading every mystery by a woman I could find, during my teenage years, I found Dorothy Sayers unreadable & Ngaio Marsh boringly classist/sexist/racist/easy to solve. (The killer is always the character who’s Not Our Kind, Dear.) I adore Patricia Wentworth, though. And of course Margery Allingham, who started in the field even before Christie, and whose novels can be extremely dated. (Speaking of which, the BBC ‘Albert Campion’ tv series are underrated little gems, IMO.)

  201. 201.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @cokane: So he made the comments. He may not be sexist, but what he said was sexist. That is what TL said. I agree with him.

  202. 202.

    cokane

    the key passage if TLDR

    Speaking for fewer than five minutes, Hunt praised female scientists with whom he has worked, and then he said this:

    It’s strange that a chauvinist monster like me has been asked to speak to women scientists. Let me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they are in the lab: You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticize them, they cry. Perhaps we should make separate labs for boys and girls.

    It is not clear whether Hunt had already mentioned that he and his wife met and fell in love when they were working in his lab, or whether he assumed that everyone in the room was aware of this fact and therefore the context of the remark. Hunt continued: “Now seriously, I’m impressed by the economic development of Korea. And women scientists played, without doubt, an important role in it. Science needs women, and you should do science despite the obstacles and despite monsters like me!”

  204. 204.

    cokane

    @Omnes Omnibus: But yeah, you’re doing the same thing as Tom, which is essentially what right wingers do to defend attacking Obama for saying “You didn’t build that” or Clinton for saying “What does it matter?” About Benghazi. Not very encouraging

    ETA: It’s only “sexist” when denuded of context, i.e. when the truth is obscured, i.e. thru lying

  206. 206.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @cokane: @cokane: He still dropped a sexist trope into his remarks. Which is what TL was talking about. He didn’t call Hunt a sexist. He said Hunt used sexist language and indicated that he though it was unhelpful.

    Edited for clarity

  207. 207.

    cokane

    @Omnes Omnibus: good lord. Johnny Cash didn’t really shoot a man in Reno, nor would he advocate for shooting ppl just to watch them die. Are you incapable of understanding that language is not always literal?

  208. 208.

    cokane

    You argue that he used a sexist trope, but he is using is ironically … do you not get that? Are you seriously advocating that you cannot utter a sexist trope even ironically? Moreover that you should suffer professional consequences for doing so?

    Do you think he meant it when he called himself a chauvinist? He was clearly attempting to make a self-deprecating joke and be a little ironic. Whether the joke succeeded or not is truly besides the point.

  209. 209.

    cokane

    For full discussion this is what Levenson wrote:

    “at the World Conference of Science Journalists held in Seoul, Hunt told an audience of women journalists and scientists of the problems posed by women in the lab: “You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticize them they cry.” Hunt went on to muse that gender-segregated labs might be a good idea before switching to more standard lunch-speech platitudes congratulating Korean female scientists for all their good work.”

    But Hunt is clearly NOT advocating for segregated labs. It was a joke said in an ironic voice. Again, Levenson is relying on others’ reporting. But that reporting has turned out to be bogus, and thus his characterization.

  210. 210.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @cokane: Seriously, you want to go ad hom? If you want to make the case that TL and I misinterpreted Hunt’s comments. Not his intention, which were likely benevolent, but the effect of the comments… Go ahead.

    Edited for grammar.

  212. 212.

    cokane

    let me guide you through this buddy

    [SARCASTIC VOICE]“It’s strange that a chauvinist monster like me [THERES THE DEAD GIVEAWAY] has been asked to speak to women scientists. Let me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they are in the lab: You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticize them, they cry. Perhaps we should make separate labs for boys and girls.”[END SARCASTIC VOICE]

    “Now seriously [THERES THE DEAD GIVE AWAY THAT HES NO LONGER BEING SARCASTIC], I’m impressed by the economic development of Korea. And women scientists played, without doubt, an important role in it. Science needs women, and you should do science despite the obstacles and despite monsters like me!”

  213. 213.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @cokane: Sarcasm or irony? I don’t think that Hunt is a sexist. I don’t think that TL thinks he is a sexist.. But what he said, sarcastically or not, was sexist. Given that women are driven out of the sciences by sexism, don’t you think that it is important for people in the field to think before they speak?

  214. 214.

    cokane

    @Omnes Omnibus: sarcasm is a subset of irony you pedantic fuck. I’m beginning to think you are too dumb to realize that Hunt was MOCKING the absurdity of holding sexist views. You realize Jonathan Swift was not actually advocating that Irish children be served as food, right?

  216. 216.

    cokane

    @Omnes Omnibus: Please, your whole argument against Hunt is misplaced ad hominem. Spare me your offendedness.

    TL wrote that Hunt “mused” about segregated labs. This is factually untrue! You can stand by it if you like, but it only demonstrates your weak allegiance to the truth. It’s as true as accusing Swift of “musing” about eating children. Are you seriously this dense?

  217. 217.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @cokane:

    Are you seriously this dense?

    Probably, I am. But I’ll still take TL’s side over yours. Tom Levenson did not say that Hunt was a sexist. So calm down.

  218. 218.

    cokane

    Wow, you think this about taking someone’s “side”, 12 year old logic right there. TL’s story has a partial, 2nd hand quote. I provide a full, transcribed quote. You’re basically admitting to preferring lies.

  219. 219.

    J R in WV

    @JPL:

    Pretty sure Chuck is NOT in WVa, he grew up in my neighborhood, only comes back in fast airplanes buzzing low. I have seen footage of him flying under bridges over the Kanawha River in downtown Charleston in USAF fighter planes, just for grins and because he could. Who was going to do anything to Chuck Yeager for flying fast and low?

    I think he lives in California with a younger wife, and was sued by his kids for getting remarried when they expected him to act decent and elderly and to die so they could have the moneys. But NOT DEAD YET, remarried younger lady, and judge said too bad kids.

  222. 222.

    Another Holocene Human

    @FlyingToaster: That fucken road. I didn’t know there was a website with pics of trucks crushed by it.

    I saw plenty IRL myself around greater Boston. Low bridges abound.

  223. 223.

    Sherparick

    Yep, I always preferred Thomas Bracket Reed’s view of both McKinley and Hanna and the war the they initiated.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Brackett_Reed

    Another reminder that 19th century Republicans are 21st Century Democrats.

    n 1889–90, Republicans undertook one last stand in favor of federal enforcement of the Fifteenth Amendment to protect the voting rights of blacks in the Solid South. Reed took a special interest in the project. Using his new rules vigorously, he won passage of the Lodge Fair Elections Bill in the House in 1890. The bill was later defeated in a filibuster in the Senate when Silver Republicans in the West traded it away for the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.[9]

  226. 226.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Anne Laurie: I like Tommy and Tuppence as characters, they seem like a lot of fun. However, they are pretty unconvincing as spies/detectives and those novels are not among Christie’s best constructed mysteries.

    In the best of Christie’s books she constructs a puzzle, usually a murder mystery, where she gives the reader enough clues so that they can figure out the answer themselves.

    BTW, unlike your spousal unit, I did like Death comes as the end.

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