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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

“woke” is the new caravan.

The words do not have to be perfect.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

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

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

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

No one could have predicted…

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

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You are here: Home / Music / Saturday Morning Open Thread

Saturday Morning Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  October 24, 20159:40 am| 208 Comments

This post is in: Music, Open Threads, Sports

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This song always reminds me of John Cole’s lovely Lily (even though it has an extra “L”):

My Gators cannot lose this weekend! (It’s a bye week.) Still, there are some interesting games later. I hope Georgia Tech can sack up and beat Florida State, though that’s unlikely. Will be watching the mighty USF Bulls vs. Southern Meth later.

Before that, I have to go upgrade my daughter’s iPhone, which means I get her cast-off! It’ll probably take awhile to get everything dialed in the way I like it.

What are you up to today?

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Previous Post: « Late Night Leftovers Open Thread (Cleaning Out the Political Pantry)
Next Post: Rest in Peace, Maureen O’Hara »

Reader Interactions

208Comments

  1. 1.

    WereBear

    October 24, 2015 at 9:41 am

    You will adore it. I like the fiddly bits… as long as all my favorite apps show up intact.

  2. 2.

    Baud

    October 24, 2015 at 9:42 am

    I have to go upgrade my daughter’s iPhone

    “Have to” being the operative words with teenagers.

  3. 3.

    rikyrah

    October 24, 2015 at 9:43 am

    Good Morning, Everyone:)

    Off to swim and run errands.

  4. 4.

    AnonPhenoma

    October 24, 2015 at 9:47 am

    Police and cameras:
    As in any large population sample,  increased oversight will likely cause a subgroup to (at least initially) respond to by being more cautious. Either by avoiding some situations
     
    Or work to rule (trigger warning: it’s MSNBC’s shitty video website)

    That is an issue. But it’s not the publics’ problem. It’s Managements’ problem, and Management complaining about and wishing the Tech  Genie would go back in the bottle is not the sign of a good manager. 
    If you’re a manager who did nothing about the employees under your supervision who play fast and loose with the rules   (or worse, the type who sought them out or praised them)  you don’t get to complain when the environment/market responds with a solution you don’t particularly care for.  And if that solution highlights the ‘problem employee’ under your supervision at the other end of the spectrum, the slacker,  that doesn’t make it a bad solution. It just points out that you’re a bad manager.

  5. 5.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 9:48 am

    Any truth to the rumor that the RNC is going to file a complaint with the FEC claiming that the $4.7million spent by the Gowdy committee was an illegal campaign contribution to the Clinton campaign & demand she pay it back?

  6. 6.

    Elizabelle

    October 24, 2015 at 9:51 am

    Good morning all. Getting ready for an estate sale tomorrow and kind of rolling through the week.

    Beautiful here. Leaves drifting down outside. Still a lot of green, but enough color to look approaching peak.

  7. 7.

    Another Holocene Human

    October 24, 2015 at 9:51 am

    @AnonPhenoma: lol, work to rule

    nobody wants their employees to work to rule because it would cost them more money in personnel

    they want and even promote people who cut all kinds of corners because it saves them money

    the rules are then there to scapegoat an employee when some incident occurs that makes the dept look bad

    or to harass the fuck out of a hire the direct supervisor/manager doesn’t like (or needs to get rid of so said manager’s nephew/sister/new lover can get hired)

  8. 8.

    Another Holocene Human

    October 24, 2015 at 9:54 am

    @rikyrah: Swim! That sounds nice. I need to take a shower, wait in line at the pharmacy, and then deal with my dear friend and her kids who have come to town even though I’m not prepared for it and have been very unwell lately. And my house is not toddler proof at all. And I have work papers strewn everywhere. And my cat is scared of the kids. And has been pooping and peeing in inappropriate places when she’s upset.

    I need to convince her to take the kids outside.

  9. 9.

    Another Holocene Human

    October 24, 2015 at 9:54 am

    oops, innocuous comment derailed by the word ph$rm$c$

  10. 10.

    Another Holocene Human

    October 24, 2015 at 9:55 am

    @rikyrah: Swim! That sounds nice. I need to take a shower, wait in line at the [unmentionable place], and then deal with my dear friend and her kids who have come to town even though I’m not prepared for it and have been very unwell lately. And my house is not toddler proof at all. And I have work papers strewn everywhere. And my cat is scared of the kids. And has been pooping and peeing in inappropriate places when she’s upset.

    I need to convince her to take the kids outside.

  11. 11.

    Southern Beale

    October 24, 2015 at 9:55 am

    We’ve got another Second Amendment Hero, accidentally shooting a shopper on aisle 4 for freedom!

  12. 12.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 24, 2015 at 9:55 am

    @Another Holocene Human:

    There’s a reason “work to rule” is sometimes also known as “malicious compliance.”

  13. 13.

    Southern Beale

    October 24, 2015 at 9:56 am

    2nd Amendment Hero accidentally shoots shopper for freedom.

  14. 14.

    Elizabelle

    October 24, 2015 at 10:00 am

    I propose that in late Spring 2016 we do a Balloon Juice snakehead fishing tournament and gourmet fish dinner.

    Reading about the latest record size catch in the WaPost: Maryland guy killed a 17.49 pounder with a bow and arrow (my kinda fishing). Fish has a rep; I was afraid I was going to have to bring a revolver. (Not a Dept of Natural Resources approved method.)

    Brought me to a recap by the Post’s weather guy on snakehead fishing (sounds fun) and snakehead cooking (sounds even better; snakehead was beating flounder, cod and tilapia in the deliciousness stakes).

    Snakehead taste test — can a fish this ugly really taste that good? (Photos)

    They did not steam the fish with ginger and lemongrass, which is what I’d like to try. Maybe with a nice Sauvignon Blanc.

    WaPost readers feel this delicious and combative apex predator fish needs a better name for marketing. Most likes for “Potomac Pike.” Someone suggested “Trumpfish.”

    Any interest? We could make it into the Baud 2016! Snakehead fishing and eating tournament, if we wanted.

  15. 15.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 10:10 am

    The age-old question is asked again: Are cats domesticated?
    http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/are-cats-domesticated

  16. 16.

    jeffreyw

    October 24, 2015 at 10:12 am

    (He’s secretly installed Windows 10 on his wife’s desktop machine. Let’s watch and see if she notices.)

  17. 17.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 10:13 am

    @Another Holocene Human:

    or to harass the fuck out of a hire the direct supervisor/manager doesn’t like (or needs to get rid of so said manager’s nephew/sister/new lover can get hired)

    I witnessed that at my last job. A very nice customer service rep; a nice and competent employee… suddenly she couldn’t do anything right (according to her boss). She would come to us almost in tears, and tell us how they kept picking at her. And then one day she was gone.

    Someone else told me her boss hired a “friend from church” to take her place.

  18. 18.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 24, 2015 at 10:15 am

    Greetings all from South Florida. Already been to the car wash to get the Pontiac ready for the Cars in the Garden show at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens tomorrow.

    And speaking of tropical botanics, my vanda orchid is in bloom yet again for the third or fourth time in a year. Two stalks are blooming, too, which means it must be really in heat.

  19. 19.

    WereBear

    October 24, 2015 at 10:15 am

    @Germy Shoemangler: I feel they domesticated us :)

    We, after all, serve them. I welcome our kitty overlords.

  20. 20.

    Some guy

    October 24, 2015 at 10:16 am

    Betty, of you ate looking for a good place to watch the Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party we always host for that game. Chili cheese dogs, teriyaki chicken wings and homemade ice cream. Dog and kid friendly party.

    If we win the SEC East is ours. Forward to Victory, Comrades

  21. 21.

    Elizabelle

    October 24, 2015 at 10:16 am

    @Germy Shoemangler: I hate when that happens.

    Heard of it happening to a secretary in the Commerce Dept years ago. She was perky and pleasant and the retired in the job types ganged up on her.

  22. 22.

    Some guy

    October 24, 2015 at 10:16 am

    @Mustang Bobby:

    What kind of Pontiac are you showing off?

  23. 23.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 24, 2015 at 10:18 am

    @Germy Shoemangler: To quote the old adage: to a dog, you’re family; to a cat, to a cat, you’re staff.

  24. 24.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 10:18 am

    @WereBear: It seems the more investigating scientists and archeologists do, the earlier they learn the domestication took place. Not as recent as previously thought.

  25. 25.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 24, 2015 at 10:20 am

    @Some guy: My 1988 Pontiac 6000 LE Safari station wagon. I’ve owned it since January 1989, and it has about 260,000 miles on it.

  26. 26.

    Amir Khalid

    October 24, 2015 at 10:21 am

    @WereBear:
    I reckon it’s presumptuous of humans to speak of certain other animals that live on close proximity to us as “domesticated” — or worse, “tame”. Particularly cats, who remain their own creature and never forget to remind us of that.

  27. 27.

    Amir Khalid

    October 24, 2015 at 10:23 am

    @jeffreyw:
    If a sudden angry shriek is heard from the study chez J, it was nice knowing you.

  28. 28.

    Some guy

    October 24, 2015 at 10:24 am

    @Mustang Bobby:
    Nice.that had the 3.1 let 6 in it?

    Restoring my 71 Dodge Charger right now. Getting ready to bring it to the body shop for a new vinyl roof and some minor rusty on the running boards.

  29. 29.

    Wag

    October 24, 2015 at 10:26 am

    @Schlemazel:

    You win! LOL

  30. 30.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 24, 2015 at 10:27 am

    @Some guy: 2.8 litre with fuel injection and 4-speed overdrive. The 3.1 wasn’t available in that model that year, I don’t think.

    Good luck with the Charger. Those are really hot in the collectible market now, and I’ll bet it’s a beauty.

  31. 31.

    WereBear

    October 24, 2015 at 10:27 am

    @Mustang Bobby: Two stalks are blooming, too, which means it must be really in heat.

    Don’t let it out in this condition, or you’ll have to deal with a batch of baby orchids.

  32. 32.

    Mike J

    October 24, 2015 at 10:29 am

    Race day. Having a second cuppa while watching Chelsea suck, will leave for the lake at the closing whistle.

  33. 33.

    WereBear

    October 24, 2015 at 10:32 am

    @Germy Shoemangler: I know! The outside estimate I’ve read is 12,000 years.

    And the article completely misses the contributions cats have made to civilization. We couldn’t have made all the leaps stored food allowed in our development… without cats.

  34. 34.

    WereBear

    October 24, 2015 at 10:33 am

    @Amir Khalid: I think what throws many people off is the concept that cats want equality… and they find that hard to bestow on fellow humans.

  35. 35.

    Amir Khalid

    October 24, 2015 at 10:33 am

    @Mike J:
    So it shall be, for so it is written: Any club where Jose Mourinho is in his third season as manager shall suck.

  36. 36.

    otmar

    October 24, 2015 at 10:34 am

    Grandma is taking care of the kids for the prolonged weekend. The SO and I are taking a timeout at http://www.blumau.com/

  37. 37.

    ruemara

    October 24, 2015 at 10:35 am

    I have 5 hours to tidy my apartment into shooting shape if II go back to sleep like I want and then it’s off to day 2 of filming at the big club scene. This is the complicated one. And first order pod business is rigging the site to look like a club. My throat is a also sore. Should be an interesting day and then it’s goodbye cast and crew; hello editing suite.

  38. 38.

    burnspbesq

    October 24, 2015 at 10:36 am

    GaTech couldn’t beat Duke or UNCheat, so its chances of beating Free Shoes U. look awfully slim.

  39. 39.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 10:38 am

    @WereBear:
    I love this so much I look for reasons to repost it

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKffm2uI4dk

    diary of a sad cat

  40. 40.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 10:38 am

    @ruemara: Rigging the site to look like a club: one thing I learned helping with independent films is Lighting goes a long way to create a set. Sometimes even more so than physical props.

  41. 41.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 10:39 am

    @Schlemazel: Do you remember Henri, the existential French cat?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M7ibPk37_U

  42. 42.

    Some guy

    October 24, 2015 at 10:42 am

    @Mustang Bobby: yeah, I am the second owner. Bough it from on off my profs when I graduated, drove it around LA for 2 years, then drove it to Florida when I moved here. Been sitting in the barn until I hauled it out to make room for my 2007 Charger RT. The kids refuse to believe the 383 4bbl on the 71 has a similar output to the 2007 Hemi, but am preparing to show them up.

    The body shop guy is supposedly the best muscle guy in town but takes forever. Meticulous and expensive. Oh well

  43. 43.

    MomSense

    October 24, 2015 at 10:43 am

    I had to get a new phone yesterday because my old one was malfunctioning badly. It’s like a new world. I decided to get the large 6 and I can pretty much run my little knit/design business with it.

  44. 44.

    Ajabu

    October 24, 2015 at 10:44 am

    About to embark on what will likely be the most stressful couple of weeks of the past several decades.
    Synopsis:
    My wife took a job back in California (where our son & grandchildren still live) and left 3 months ago, leaving me to pack up our house, find a tenant and drive a 26′ truck – towing a car – back to California. (at my very advanced age…)
    So, this week is the last in the house. I’m currently living surrounded by boxes, sleeping on the den sofa and working right through Thursday. Friday, the truck is being loaded. Saturday I’m on the road. Alone.
    If everything fits in the truck, I’m golden. We’ll see. With my wife not here, I don’t dare to get rid of anything so I guess we’ll have a YOOOOGE yard sale on the other end. (Assuming I make it.) The last time I made this kind of move was 20 years ago when we went home to St. Croix. And I was that much younger.
    Oh well. Keeps life exciting, I guess.
    And, not incidentally, this puts my 50th Anniversary CD on hold a little longer.
    And finally, for any BJers who might be in the Atlanta area this weekend — I’m doing my final performance here tomorrow (Sunday) for Groove Cafe @ 630 Travis St. – Atlanta from 4-7 pm.
    I’d love some of you to come by and commiserate with me.
    Wish me luck on this ordeal. I’m going to need it.
    Only upside: If I survive this and can hang on for 7 years (till Mrs. Ajabu retires) we go back to the Islands!

  45. 45.

    Mike J

    October 24, 2015 at 10:44 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    So it shall be, for so it is written: Any club where Jose Mourinho is in his third season as manager shall suck.

    The Seahawks had two great years and suck this year. I propose a one season swap. Mourinho for Pete Carroll. Imagine when Mourinho and Marshawn Lynch are forced to give a press conference.

    And now a red card. Fuck.

  46. 46.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 10:46 am

    @Wag:

    Following the link provided by @Germy Shoemangler: I see that Andy Borowitz has the same thought in the New Yorker, his headline “Hilary thanks Benghazi committee for invaluable service to her campaign”

    I am afraid if I post the link I’ll be consigned to moderation hell

  47. 47.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 10:48 am

    @Schlemazel: And their daily cartoon today shows someone outside the committee door saying “Mrs. Clinton just called. She’s wondering if there’s any chance she could appear again.”

  48. 48.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 10:52 am

    @Schlemazel:

    I am afraid if I post the link I’ll be consigned to moderation hell

    I’ve been there. Full of unbaptized babies and spambots. And folks who ate ham sandwiches on Friday.

  49. 49.

    Amir Khalid

    October 24, 2015 at 10:53 am

    @otmar:
    Das Kurort sieht wunderschön aus.

  50. 50.

    Tom

    October 24, 2015 at 10:53 am

    It’s Saturday so I’ve got my famous slow cooker chili going and we’re heading off to see the Steve Jobs movie.

  51. 51.

    Amir Khalid

    October 24, 2015 at 10:55 am

    @Schlemazel:
    @Germy Shoemangler:
    Carly Fiorina has been saying (as reported in various places) that the Republicans shouldn’t let up on Hillary. Given the results this week, can that be what she wants as a Republican?

  52. 52.

    ruemara

    October 24, 2015 at 10:55 am

    @Ajabu: back to St. Croix! I’ve vaguely entertained that notion myself except Jamaica. It’s not a bad retirement plan. Re: moving. Maybe she can give some phone guidance and you can delete a few items? Couldn’t hurt to ask. Sounds like a big adventure and you can find new music opportunities in CA. Welcome to Cali! It’s not bad.

    @Germy Shoemangler: yeah, that is so. We’re working with the ambient lighting and balancing for tungsten with some well placed LEDs. Plus I have to review last night’s footage to make sure I have coverage and that stuff has no pickups. And search for a score.

  53. 53.

    ruemara

    October 24, 2015 at 10:56 am

    Halp! I haz been moderated

  54. 54.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 10:58 am

    @Germy Shoemangler:
    to quote some guy who wrote a couple of books I think – “It was the worst of times, it was the best of times”

    So much fun to skewer the wingnuts, so horrific to have to share a planet with them

  55. 55.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 11:00 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    Carly Fiorina has been saying (as reported in various places) that the Republicans shouldn’t let up on Hillary.

    And again Ms. Fiorina shows the good judgement that got her such great results in the business world.

    It’s sort of personal with me when it comes to Carly. My father worked his whole life, two jobs. He didn’t have much education. One of his jobs was as a messenger for a wall street firm. The smart guys gave him stock “tips” and his dream was to leave his children some nice money in stocks.

    When he died, I inherited his stocks. Sadly, there wasn’t much there. And Luscent was in there, with a big asterisk next to it.

  56. 56.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 11:02 am

    @Germy Shoemangler:
    I can never remember if 2 or 3 links are permitted and have run afoul of that rule. I guess that there is a magic number that identifies spam; “Spam would never have only one link!”

    But I guess, if they brought ham sandwiches with them we could picnic and then smash spambots for entertainment, doesn’t sound intolerable.

  57. 57.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 24, 2015 at 11:02 am

    @Some guy: If you’re anywhere close to Miami, come see some of our shows this winter. We do the Art Deco show on Miami Beach in January, and we also do the Memory Lane exhibit at the Miami International Auto Show at the Miami Beach convention center. We have a lot of Mopar folks in the club, too.

  58. 58.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 11:05 am

    @Amir Khalid:
    Yes, she, like all good Republicans know that when you are losing you have to double down on the stupidity . Your voters simply know you are right despite all evidence to the contrary. Doubling down proves you are even more right and will not give up.

    see: 53 votes against ACA

  59. 59.

    ixnay

    October 24, 2015 at 11:07 am

    Best thoughts to Martin Longman (Booman) on the loss of his brother.

  60. 60.

    Iowa Old Lady

    October 24, 2015 at 11:08 am

    @Ajabu: Good luck on the drive. Adventures in Moving.

  61. 61.

    Amir Khalid

    October 24, 2015 at 11:13 am

    @Schlemazel:
    Per FYWP rules, it’s the third link (including the link to a comment you’re replying to) that makes a comment spam.

  62. 62.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 11:13 am

    @Germy Shoemangler:
    The highly successful company I worked for was bought by Lucent, using the liar inflated stock as if it had value. She was the COO of Lucent while they were cooking the hell out of their books but claims to have had no idea it was going on. (THAT is fine leadership!)

    Lucent literally destroyed the value of my original company & sold the remains a few years later for pennies on the dollar. They reset the strike price on my options from around $40 to $18, then to $12 then to $7 then to $2, I made about a thousand dollars when I sold them off after I quit, I had several thousand shares. Today, a decade after I sold out they are still around $3.50 a share.

  63. 63.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 11:15 am

    @Amir Khalid:
    Thanks, thats what I thought but I keep forgetting.

    I have to try the Animal Farm chant
    “2 links good – 3 links bad”

  64. 64.

    WereBear

    October 24, 2015 at 11:17 am

    @ruemara: I like editing. The footage can refuse to cooperate, but not to the extent of the actors!

  65. 65.

    Brachiator

    October 24, 2015 at 11:18 am

    @Germy Shoemangler:

    And their daily cartoon today shows someone outside the committee door saying “Mrs. Clinton just called. She’s wondering if there’s any chance she could appear again.”

    That just about nails it.

    A talk radio show whose audience leans very conservative did a poll. About 78 percent felt that Hillary ended up doing well at the hearings. This is obviously “not scientific,” but when people who otherwise strongly dislike Clinton and who probably won’t vote for her are still able to peek beyond blind ideological hatred, you know the GOP has a problem.

    Of course, when the dust settles, the Clinton haters will still insist that she is lying or hiding something and that the committee was either incompetent or on the take, but I think that this has done much to remove the cloud of nonsense and vague and unsubstantiated allegations that the GOP tried to hang on the Clinton campaign.

    The GOP will look foolish if they bring this up any more, not that this will stop them.

  66. 66.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 11:22 am

    @Schlemazel:

    Lucent literally destroyed the value of my original company & sold the remains a few years later for pennies on the dollar.

    I wish all the fine journalists out there would do stories on the real people who had their lives altered by her bad decisions. It isn’t so abstract when we hear personal anecdotes like this.

  67. 67.

    mdblanche

    October 24, 2015 at 11:22 am

    Somebody’s going to be having an awkward family reunion this weekend.

  68. 68.

    Some guy

    October 24, 2015 at 11:22 am

    @Mustang Bobby: I am on Gainesville, but we may go to the keys in January with the kids, so maybe I can tome it for one of those shows. My kids love car shows.

  69. 69.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 11:24 am

    @mdblanche:
    Given her age do you suppose mam can still whack JEB? upside the head like in the old days?

  70. 70.

    WereBear

    October 24, 2015 at 11:25 am

    @Ajabu: Best of luck on all your endeavors!

    Moving. Even when it’s wonderful, it sucks.

  71. 71.

    Another Holocene Human

    October 24, 2015 at 11:25 am

    @Mustang Bobby: beautiful

  72. 72.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 11:26 am

    Obama trolled the GOP again. He compared them to grumpy cat, and even made the face:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTH0V6jtxM4

  73. 73.

    gf120581

    October 24, 2015 at 11:27 am

    @Schlemazel: Bar is probably doing that to Jeb at the Bush family meeting this weekend.

  74. 74.

    Another Holocene Human

    October 24, 2015 at 11:31 am

    @Germy Shoemangler: Archeologists and especially historians seem to engage in fallacious thinking around peoples who don’t have written language, as if they don’t have this technology they must be very incapable. When the evidence that they were very capable stares in their face, they ascribe this evidence to different peoples or eras or start mumbling about mysteries which allows the ancient alien Lemurian woo peddlers to jump in.

    I think the deal is that most of these folks haven’t trained in practical, work with your hands fields; all of their training is with language as the primary technology, followed by drawings. So there’s a failure of imagination when they encounter stuff that doesn’t come with badly transcribed instructions.

    And anthropology has taken big strides to fight against this tendency. You have specialists now who can recreate ancient techniques. There’s an awareness that you need this side of it or you won’t know how to interpret wht you find in the ground. But I think the bias persists.

  75. 75.

    Elizabelle

    October 24, 2015 at 11:34 am

    @Ajabu: Good luck, Ajabu. If you were moving a few weeks later, I would help you drive! But no can do on Halloween weekend.

  76. 76.

    mdblanche

    October 24, 2015 at 11:35 am

    @Schlemazel: If not, I’m sure her tongue is still as sharp as ever.

  77. 77.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 11:39 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    Per FYWP rules, it’s the third link (including the link to a comment you’re replying to) that makes a comment spam.

    From what I’ve seen here, three is fine; four is too many.

  78. 78.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 11:40 am

    @Another Holocene Human: Very good points. The part about their bias and failure of imagination (because writing is their main specialty) rang true.

  79. 79.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 11:40 am

    @Mustang Bobby:

    Nice wheels. Have a great show!

  80. 80.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 11:41 am

    @mdblanche:

    In that family, as in many others, all reunions are awkward.

  81. 81.

    bemused

    October 24, 2015 at 11:42 am

    @mdblanche:

    I’ve been thinking about this news wondering if someone leaked it. Breitbart piece called it an emergency family meeting. I have a hard time believing the Bush family would have wanted this crisis all over the media.

  82. 82.

    ruemara

    October 24, 2015 at 11:45 am

    @WereBear: at least your actors respond to treats. But, kidding aside, I was blessed with some very strong actors. I’m the weakest one in the bunch, which is perfect for me.

  83. 83.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 11:45 am

    @Brachiator:

    A talk radio show whose audience leans very conservative did a poll. About 78 percent felt that Hillary ended up doing well at the hearings.

    She did fine, as well as could be expected.

    The Republicans managed to get her to say that she has lost a lot of sleep over those deaths in Benghazi.

    Not something I’ve heard her say about many times more deaths in Iraq.

  84. 84.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 11:51 am

    @mdblanche: I love how they are calling it a Finance Meeting, as if it was anything more than a family meeting. I’ll bet Barbara has some choice advice for John Ellis, since before the campaign began she said that we didn’t need another Bush in the WH

  85. 85.

    slag

    October 24, 2015 at 11:53 am

    @Germy Shoemangler: That was great!

  86. 86.

    NotMax

    October 24, 2015 at 11:59 am

    For the animal lovers, Happy (early) Halloween.

  87. 87.

    Brachiator

    October 24, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    @Cervantes:

    She did fine, as well as could be expected.

    You clearly miss the point. It’s not that Clinton met expectations, it is that even people who hate her acknowledge that she was helped by the hearings.

    Not something I’ve heard her say about many times more deaths in Iraq.

    I don’t recall that Clinton was president or even a Bush cabinet member when the war with Iraq began. Do you actually hold her as responsible as Biush and Cheney for Iraq? Does this also apply to every other member of Congress who voted as Clinton voted?

    In practical terms, does this mean that you will not vote for Clinton if she is the Democratic Party nominee?

  88. 88.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 12:04 pm

    @gf120581:
    I was thinking she may be too old for that & now is just going to take her shoe off & throw it at him!

    Or the worst punishment possible for the boy – “You are removed from my will!”

  89. 89.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 12:06 pm

    @Cervantes: Not something I’ve heard her say about many times more deaths in Iraq.

    Your joking, right? I never heard her or Obama call it a terrorist attack level of humor?

  90. 90.

    amk

    October 24, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    @Cervantes:

    Not something I’ve heard her say about many times more deaths in Iraq.

    why should she? typical non-sequitur idiocy from you.

  91. 91.

    Satby

    October 24, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    @Ajabu: Good luck, and take it easy on the drive!

  92. 92.

    Satby

    October 24, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    Making bread, Concord grape jelly (may try a bottle of wine with the leftover juice) and gearing up for litter box cleanup. Maybe after I take down the screen tent. It’s a lazy day around here ;)

  93. 93.

    dogwood

    October 24, 2015 at 12:21 pm

    @mdblanche:
    Her wit was still pretty quick a couple of years ago. I watched a CSPAN program with Barbara and Laura that was actually fairly interesting. At the Q&A a young republican idiot stood up and told the First Ladies that he was gearing up for a career in politics, and was having trouble finding a woman who would meet his standards for a potential First Lady and wanted their advise. Barbara essentially told him he didn’t need to worry about finding a First Lady, but he did need to worry about fining a date if the video of his question got out.

  94. 94.

    Suezboo

    October 24, 2015 at 12:26 pm

    Watching a horribly tense SA vs NZ rugby game. NZ is winning but it’s close – my fingernails are suffering.

  95. 95.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 12:27 pm

    @amk:

    why should she?

    Why should she tell us whether she lost any sleep over untold thousands of deaths in Iraq? I can see it’s an ever-deepening mystery to you. I’ll let you puzzle it out.

    typical non-sequitur idiocy from you.

    Yes, that must be what it is; I’m sure you’re right.

  96. 96.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 12:27 pm

    @dogwood: Good for her. What an idiot.

  97. 97.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 12:28 pm

    @dogwood:

    !

  98. 98.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 12:29 pm

    @Schlemazel:

    Not joking, no.

  99. 99.

    different-church-lady

    October 24, 2015 at 12:32 pm

    I have to go upgrade my daughter’s iPhone, which means I get her cast-off!

    Isn’t that backwards?

    Oh wait, 21st century…

  100. 100.

    Elizabelle

    October 24, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    NYTimes news alert: will meet with approval from Kay and rikyrah and numerous others:

    BREAKING NEWS
    The Obama administration declares the push for testing in schools has gone too far
    Saturday, October 24, 2015 12:03 PM EDT

    Faced with mounting and bipartisan opposition to increased and often high-stakes testing in the nation’s public schools, the Obama administration declared Saturday that the push had gone too far, acknowledged its own role in the proliferation of tests, and urged schools to step back and make exams less onerous and more purposeful. Specifically, the administration called for a cap on assessment so that no child would spend more than 2 percent of classroom instruction time taking tests.

    Let teachers teach, not test. And get MBAs the hell away from our schools.

    Linky to NYTimes story: http://nyti.ms/1H1bvuq

  101. 101.

    different-church-lady

    October 24, 2015 at 12:36 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: Of course cats are domesticated. And we humans are the domestic help.

  102. 102.

    Elizabelle

    October 24, 2015 at 12:38 pm

    Someone here suggested the out of control testing and education policy could be Obama’s actual Katrina.

    Maybe they’re working to correct that, in the wake of Arne Duncan’s departure.

  103. 103.

    Corner Stone

    October 24, 2015 at 12:41 pm

    @Elizabelle: Fuck Arne Duncan. Fuck him up his stupid ass.

  104. 104.

    Schlemazel

    October 24, 2015 at 12:46 pm

    @Cervantes:
    then its just sad, I’m sorry for you, really and truly sorry.

  105. 105.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 12:46 pm

    @Brachiator:

    She did fine, as well as could be expected.

    You clearly miss the point. It’s not that Clinton met expectations, it is that even people who hate her acknowledge that she was helped by the hearings.

    Yes, that was your point and it was clear. My point was related but not the same. That OK with you?

    Not something I’ve heard her say about many times more deaths in Iraq.

    I don’t recall that Clinton was president or even a Bush cabinet member when the war with Iraq began.

    But you do recall what she was at the time, yes?

    Do you actually hold her as responsible as Biush and Cheney for Iraq?

    No, but so what? I hold her responsible for her judgment and her actions. That OK with you or does it seem brutally unfair?

    Bear in mind, there are things people did eighty and more years ago I haven’t forgiven. I’m just ornery that way.

    Does this also apply to every other member of Congress who voted as Clinton voted?

    Especially if they want to be Commander-in-Chief, yes. That OK with you?

    In practical terms, does this mean that you will not vote for Clinton if she is the Democratic Party nominee?

    That’s more than a year away. At my age, one shouldn’t count on anything.

  106. 106.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 12:48 pm

    @Schlemazel:

    That makes me feel better already.

    Thanks.

  107. 107.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    @Cervantes: Aw, you’re not that old.

  108. 108.

    Ajabu

    October 24, 2015 at 12:51 pm

    @ruemara:
    I was born in Jamaica. The decision to live in St. Croix instead was a no-brainer. The entire USVI (St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John) is a U.S. territory. You’re in the Caribbean but with US dollars, zip codes & area codes. Nothing international, no residency issues, etc. I can call you from there & it’s just like a state to state call.
    As to moving, I just found out I can leave “a few” things with the new tenant. They’re family to a close friend. That helps.
    As to CA: Thanks for the welcome. It’s a welcome back. We lived there for nearly 30 years but were stupid enough to sell property before the real boom hit so it’s rental time now.
    Thanks for the input!

  109. 109.

    amk

    October 24, 2015 at 12:52 pm

    @Cervantes:

    Yes, it is. Yes, I am. And yes, you are.

  110. 110.

    Suezboo

    October 24, 2015 at 12:53 pm

    AAArgh ! < Cry of agony. NZ 20 – SA 18. We're out of the World Cup and NZ is through to the final against Australia or Argentina (probably Aus).
    I hate kiwi birds and kakapos and everything New Zealand but I'll get over it. Sob.

  111. 111.

    gogol's wife

    October 24, 2015 at 12:54 pm

    @different-church-lady:

    My thoughts exactly.

  112. 112.

    slag

    October 24, 2015 at 12:55 pm

    Going to DC for the first time for two days (on a weekend). Any suggestions for highest priority activities? (Couldn’t care less about bars or boutiques.)

  113. 113.

    gogol's wife

    October 24, 2015 at 12:55 pm

    @slag:

    Vietnam memorial. Lincoln memorial.

  114. 114.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    @slag: SMITHSONIAN!!

  115. 115.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 12:57 pm

    @gogol’s wife: Those are excellent; we never made it to the Jefferson Memorial on our trip in 2005. I want to go back for that and more of the Smithsonian. Also, the zoo.

    ETA found my cousin’s name on the Vietnam wall, as well as a friend from HS.

  116. 116.

    Amir Khalid

    October 24, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne):
    But if you see Ben Stiller on guard duty, hide!

  117. 117.

    Ajabu

    October 24, 2015 at 1:00 pm

    @Elizabelle:
    Well, at least I get on the road before the craziness starts in the neighborhood.
    Although I will miss seeing the first grader (who’s in one of my music classes) who proudly announced that his Halloween costume is going to be ME! A first grader with white hair, a beard and a bad attitude. Should be perfect!

  118. 118.

    Chris

    October 24, 2015 at 1:00 pm

    @slag:

    The memorials and museums are the obvious recommendations – more specific than that, it depends what you like. The FDR and Vietnam are my favorites among the former, and the Air & Space among the latter. Also, I’ve never heard of anyone being disappointed by a walk around the tidal basin. Also, the Georgetown waterfront is a nice place to eat with a view, but that part of town isn’t necessarily the most accessible (no matter what your mode of transportation).

  119. 119.

    Mandalay

    October 24, 2015 at 1:01 pm

    @Suezboo:

    I hate kiwi birds and kakapos and everything New Zealand but I’ll get over it.

    SA did not remotely deserve to win, and the close score was flattering to them.

  120. 120.

    slag

    October 24, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    @gogol’s wife: If you had to pick btwn them, which would you pick?

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne): Definite yes to the Smithsonian, but having a hard time figuring out which parts are going to get the time.

  121. 121.

    Debbie

    October 24, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    @slag:

    The National Gallery.

  122. 122.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne):

    That’s … affirming.

    @amk:

    That’s … very affirming.

  123. 123.

    trollhattan

    October 24, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne):
    This.

  124. 124.

    Ajabu

    October 24, 2015 at 1:03 pm

    @Satby:
    Can’t take it any way but easy. I can’t believe I’m doing this shit at my age!

  125. 125.

    slag

    October 24, 2015 at 1:04 pm

    @Chris: Super helpful. Thanks!

  126. 126.

    Linnaeus

    October 24, 2015 at 1:04 pm

    @Another Holocene Human:

    Archeologists and especially historians seem to engage in fallacious thinking around peoples who don’t have written language, as if they don’t have this technology they must be very incapable. When the evidence that they were very capable stares in their face, they ascribe this evidence to different peoples or eras or start mumbling about mysteries which allows the ancient alien Lemurian woo peddlers to jump in.

    This may have been more true than not for historians in years past, but I wouldn’t say that that is accurate now. I have colleagues who do, for example, Native American history and they certainly don’t have this tendency.

  127. 127.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    October 24, 2015 at 1:04 pm

    I can’t cut and paste the text, but via Jake Tapper’s twitter feed, sounds like we may be witnessing the twilight of the Jeb!$$?

    I’m of two minds: On the one hand, it’s fun to watch Idiot Princeling II crash and burn, and know that Bar and Poppy are lucid enough to see it, on the other hand, I’ve been enjoying watching him flounder and hoping the cash and the chaos would toss him up on the shore at their Convention, broken, limping, haggard and reeking of failure.

    He also tweeted a picture of himself on the deck of an aircraft carrier, cause he’s really not good at this.

  128. 128.

    Chris

    October 24, 2015 at 1:05 pm

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne):

    Oh yes, how could I forget the zoo!

  129. 129.

    the Conster

    October 24, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    Boy, JEB sucks. He basically admitted he’s got “cooler” stuff to do then sit around watching gridlock, being miserable and demonized. shorter: he’s not being handed stuff so he’s called the waaaahmbulance.

  130. 130.

    James E Powell

    October 24, 2015 at 1:08 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler:

    The corporate press/media is never going to tell those stories because they are the corporate press/media.

    The standard capitalist narrative is that whenever an employer closes, moves, or lays off thousands, it is because of: a) greedy unions, b) lazy workers, c) some Democratic politician who had nothing to do with it, or some combination of these three. Or another factor that has nothing to do with the capitalists’ constant need to lower wages and keep the working class in a state of anxiety.

  131. 131.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 1:08 pm

    @slag:

    The National Museum of the American Indian.

    Arlington National Cemetery.

    The Vietnam War Memorial.

  132. 132.

    slag

    October 24, 2015 at 1:08 pm

    @Debbie: Strongly considering it. Though art museums typically take a lot of time for me.

  133. 133.

    slag

    October 24, 2015 at 1:10 pm

    @Cervantes:

    The National Museum of the American Indian.

    Hadn’t considered this one. Interesting idea.

  134. 134.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    October 24, 2015 at 1:13 pm

    the enemy of my enemy can be funny when he trolls my enemy

    Rebecca Berg ‏@ rebeccagberg 23m23 minutes ago
    More Trump on Jeb: “Bush has no money. He’s meeting today with mommy and daddy and they’re working on their campaign.”

    I don’t know why that thing under the thing on Trump’s head hates Jeb! so much (I doubt it has anything to do with voter rolls or Terri Schiavo) , but I’m thoroughly enjoying it

  135. 135.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 1:13 pm

    @slag:

    If you visit, go around lunch-time. The cafeteria serves Native American food from across the continent. It is excellent.

  136. 136.

    Baud

    October 24, 2015 at 1:14 pm

    LOL Kevin Drum

    There’s a Big Untapped Market Out There for Insulting Libertarians

  137. 137.

    Elizabelle

    October 24, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    @Ajabu: Tis an honor to be the subject of a Halloween costume.

  138. 138.

    Gimlet

    October 24, 2015 at 1:16 pm

    Got nothing to do with the availability of guns. Nope, nothing.

    Comey said while there likely are multiple factors behind the spike in violence in cities, including Chicago, officers and others nationwide have told him they see “the era of viral videos” as a link.

    “I don’t know whether this explains it entirely, but I do have a strong sense that some part of the explanation is a chill wind blowing through American law enforcement over the last year, and that wind is surely changing behavior,” Comey said.

  139. 139.

    satby

    October 24, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    @James E Powell: co-sign.

  140. 140.

    Baud

    October 24, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Agreed. I’m conflicted sometimes.

  141. 141.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 1:18 pm

    @Debbie: Oooh, yes. The Peacock Room!

  142. 142.

    Highway Rob

    October 24, 2015 at 1:19 pm

    At least three fatalities at Oklahoma State homecoming parade when car slams into crowd.

    Link

  143. 143.

    Mandalay

    October 24, 2015 at 1:20 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Wow – Jeb! is in full meltdown mode. And I can’t imagine any circumstance – real or contrived – where it is ever a good idea to invite people to vote for your opponent.

    Whining from the moral high ground is a useless approach to winning the presidency.

  144. 144.

    Baud

    October 24, 2015 at 1:21 pm

    @Gimlet:

    Libertarians called police facists for years. No one complained.

  145. 145.

    Brachiator

    October 24, 2015 at 1:23 pm

    @Cervantes:

    My point was related but not the same. That OK with you?

    No, your point was tangential, peripheral, divergent. OK with me? Doesn’t matter. This is typically your style.

    RE: In practical terms, does this mean that you will not vote for Clinton if she is the Democratic Party nominee?

    That’s more than a year away. At my age, one shouldn’t count on anything.

    And this is an evasion.

  146. 146.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 1:24 pm

    @Cervantes: I have to be nice about age; I’m only 65 but hope someday to reach your lofty age, and beyond.

    Besides, Mr Pie is 3 years older and I had to behave myself when we celebrated his 40th birthday, because I realized all of our guests were his age or older. So, no “Over The Hill” banners. (That seems so long ago.)

    And I understood what you were saying about Hillary re: her vote for the Iraq war, but I think she has since expressed regrets about that vote, which indicates that she has agonized over it even though she has not done so publicly. Or am I mistaken and she did not say that she regretted her vote?

  147. 147.

    Chris

    October 24, 2015 at 1:24 pm

    @slag:

    I’m assuming you’d find the government buildings interesting too, but I don’t remember exactly what the rules are for touring these and they might have changed them. But… IIRC, you used to be able to go to your congressman’s office and pick up tickets for certain tours of the Capitol (along with the usual stuff they’ll give away to visitors), so that would be worth checking out.

    @James E Powell:

    Yeah… I honestly think this is increasingly a problem with our capitalist class in general; they’ve become so used to blaming scapegoats for every bad business decision it doesn’t even occur to them anymore that any bad outcomes in the company they run might be traced back to them. Between the media outlets they own, the think tanks they own, the politicians they own, and heck, even quite a few regular people, they’re so surrounded by sycophants telling them they can do no wrong, and so used to dismissing anyone who finds fault with them as a jealous socialist who just wants their money, their perspective has to be completely warped beyond repair at this point.

    It’s why you get some businessmen bitching that they can’t find good workers, without ever realizing that 1) they don’t pay enough to retain good workers, 2) they’re not willing to shell out the money to train good workers up to the standards they want, etc. That would imply finding some fault in themselves.

  148. 148.

    bemused

    October 24, 2015 at 1:29 pm

    @Chris:

    They would have to admit they want free stuff.

  149. 149.

    Baud

    October 24, 2015 at 1:31 pm

    @Chris:

    That would imply finding some fault in themselves.

    I always blame up.

    (All the way to Obama.)

  150. 150.

    WaterGirl

    October 24, 2015 at 1:33 pm

    @Ajabu: That’s maybe the sweetest thing, ever.

    Closest I’ver ever come, I think, was hearing the story of my niece’s son -possibly my favorite person in the world – when he was visiting when he was 8. She was helping him with getting the shower started and she showed him where the shampoo, soap etc was, and she asked him which ones he wanted to use.

    His answer: “I want to smell like WaterGirl”.

  151. 151.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 1:34 pm

    @Baud: So when you’re president, we will have you to blame?

  152. 152.

    Baud

    October 24, 2015 at 1:36 pm

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne):

    No. Because when I’m president, nothing will go wrong.

  153. 153.

    Corner Stone

    October 24, 2015 at 1:36 pm

    @Gimlet: Fuck James Comey. Fuck him up his stupid ass.

  154. 154.

    trollhattan

    October 24, 2015 at 1:37 pm

    @Baud:
    “Libertarians” are so…weird. Anybody know how Drum’s cancer fight is going? I don’t follow him so not up to speed on his health.

  155. 155.

    bemused

    October 24, 2015 at 1:38 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    It must really burn that it was easier for his brother.

  156. 156.

    Chris

    October 24, 2015 at 1:38 pm

    @Baud:

    Depending on how one defines “up,” we could conceivably blame Canada.

  157. 157.

    Iowa Old Lady

    October 24, 2015 at 1:39 pm

    @WaterGirl: When I was teaching report writing, another prof had his seniors do little skits to explain various points of writing their thesis. I saw a woman I’d taught as a first year student in the ladies room, and she was wearing a suit and was rearranging her hair. I told her she looked nice, and she gave this funny smile before saying thank you.

    Turned out she was supposed to look like me because she was taking part in a skit where she was berating this guy for not know stuff.

    I was flattered–I guess?

  158. 158.

    Baud

    October 24, 2015 at 1:39 pm

    @trollhattan:

    I don’t follow him on a daily basis, but I haven’t seen any recent updates about it. No news is good news, I suppose.

  159. 159.

    Brachiator

    October 24, 2015 at 1:41 pm

    Actress Maureen O’Hara has passed away, aged 95.

    I was just looking at a New Yorker video essay about O’Hara in the film “Dance, Girl, Dance,” from 1940.

    Very interesting and talented woman.

    http://video.newyorker.com/watch/movie-of-the-week-dance-girl-dance

  160. 160.

    Baud

    October 24, 2015 at 1:41 pm

    @Chris:

    Now that Trudeau’s in charge, I expect we’ll see more of that.

  161. 161.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 1:42 pm

    @bemused: The country’s mistake was making it easy for his brother. Huge mistake.

  162. 162.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 24, 2015 at 1:42 pm

    @Chris:

    they’re not willing to shell out the money to train good workers up to the standards they want, etc.

    I’m old enough to remember the “help wanted” newspaper pages (many pages) and quite a few were entry-level jobs in big companies. “No experience necessary – will train.”

    And these same companies would help pay your tuition if you wanted to further your education while on the job.

    I’ve seen so many well-paid fifty-something year-old managers in corner offices who tell me “I started here as a clerk typist in 1977.”

    If you were white, could tie a tie and keep your nose clean, you were in.

    And now they’ve cut the rope ladder.

  163. 163.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 1:42 pm

    @Baud: Good. You’ve got my vote.

  164. 164.

    Another Holocene Human

    October 24, 2015 at 1:43 pm

    @slag: National Trolley Museum!

    Okay, so it’s in Maryland. But still!

    There are often free science talks at national monuments and at places like NIH, just start trolling to see what’s going on.

    Nobody mentioned National Building Museum. That’s a good one, right at Judiciary Sq. Metro Station, great vista as you come up the escalator.

    Air & Space is basically every tourist’s favorite. National Gallery East if you like contemporary art. On the other side of the mall they have collections of Asian and African art (next to Smithsonian, actually). Jefferson and Lincoln memorials. Supreme Court has bas reliefs and stuff to see if you can get in. If you go on a weekday you can get your US Rep to give you a pass to go to the Congressional gallery and see Reps do some soundbites for the assorted stenographers. If you go really early you can sit in on congressional hearings, though. Never been to Library of Congress but I imagine it’s really neat.

    There are some other museums in town that aren’t federal, also, too.

    If you get tired of walking up and down the mall, there is some shopping/food in L’Enfant Plaza (above the Metro station) and also a nice food court and shopping at Union Station (above the Metro station). You can also watch trains at Union Station especially on a weekday when the commuter trains are running. There’s also underground food/shopping at Crystal City but… why. Seriously. Just why. There’s some hifalutin grocery store at the Yellow line station in Arlington near Crystal City too. But why do that when you can go to Eastern Market? relatively near the Metro station. It’s historic. And uh. Well, it’s historic.

    They probably don’t sell stolen goods outside the entrance any more. Bummer.

  165. 165.

    Baud

    October 24, 2015 at 1:44 pm

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne):

    Nice. I’m now almost into double digits!

    There’s something happening here.
    What it is ain’t exactly clear.

    Baud! 2016!

  166. 166.

    amk

    October 24, 2015 at 1:46 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    the boy is imploding by himself.

    so, what is the “establishment’s” plan B? … plan C … or D …?

  167. 167.

    WaterGirl

    October 24, 2015 at 1:49 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady: That’s pretty funny.

    As to “I was flattered – I guess?”… I have two rules: 1) If you’re not sure whether you like your new boss or not, decide that you like them, and 2) If you’re not sure if something is a compliment, or the opposite, just decide it’s a compliment.

  168. 168.

    Ruckus

    October 24, 2015 at 1:53 pm

    @Ajabu:
    Done that cross country move in a 26 with trailer 3 times, once in the middle of winter. I was younger then as well. But then I used to like driving. Now it’s just what I do to get someplace.
    St. Croix. Haven’t been in decades but I liked it when I was there. Has it changed a lot? Looking for a place to retire to, and being an expat from the rat race sounds like a good idea.

  169. 169.

    Another Holocene Human

    October 24, 2015 at 1:54 pm

    @Chris: Yes, if the Hill isn’t depressing enough, watch animals slowly lose their will to live penned up in tiny concrete enclosures. Oh, and some of the old animal cages are preserved so you can relive the glories of the fierce-beast-in-tiny-prison era.

  170. 170.

    Linnaeus

    October 24, 2015 at 1:54 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler:

    I’m lucky in that my current employer believes in doing on-the-job training, because it’s not necessarily obvious on paper that I’m able to do the work that I’m doing. Most other firms that do what we do wouldn’t have even interviewed me, let alone hired me.

  171. 171.

    Another Holocene Human

    October 24, 2015 at 1:55 pm

    @amk: I guess Marco is plan B? He’s very compliant.

  172. 172.

    mellowjohn

    October 24, 2015 at 1:56 pm

    just in case no one else has…
    https://youtu.be/7BmkBroiw1s

  173. 173.

    Baud

    October 24, 2015 at 1:56 pm

    @Another Holocene Human: Trump has mostly ignored Rubio so far. It’ll be interesting to see what happens if Rubio becomes the establishment’s go-to guy.

  174. 174.

    WereBear

    October 24, 2015 at 1:59 pm

    @Baud: Good enough for me. Baud! 2016!

  175. 175.

    raven

    October 24, 2015 at 2:00 pm

    @slag: The Einstein monument right across from the Wall. Also the Roosevelt at the Tidal Basin.

  176. 176.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    October 24, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    @Baud: The only political skill I’ve seen Rubio display is treating Trump like an annoying gnat, but Trump hasn’t zeroed in on immigration, which seems to be their third rail this go-round.

  177. 177.

    bemused

    October 24, 2015 at 2:02 pm

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne):

    Yup. Thanks msm.

  178. 178.

    Aleta

    October 24, 2015 at 2:06 pm

    Speaking of St. Croix, sort of:
    In the 90s especially I used to swim in some bioluminescence on some nights on Cape Ann in MA. It was unpredictable when it would happen, and it would usually be around for a few nights in a row. I never knew what caused it. Would it be similar organisms to those in the famous bays in St. Croix? Or are there all different kinds of bioluminescents ?

  179. 179.

    amk

    October 24, 2015 at 2:24 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Trump also made fun of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, saying he’s out of money and “sweating like a dog.”

    https://t.co/F738ZZiRUb

    he has something for every one.

  180. 180.

    different-church-lady

    October 24, 2015 at 2:28 pm

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne): @Baud: And you can believe him, because he’s always right, and he never lies.

  181. 181.

    Satby

    October 24, 2015 at 2:34 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: Honestly, they cut that ladder enough years ago that my thirty something sons told me they were going into trades, even though they’re both very smart. Or maybe because they’re that smart.

  182. 182.

    Satby

    October 24, 2015 at 2:38 pm

    @Ruckus: I’m thinking Costa Rica, myself. Michigan isn’t exotic enough for my kids.

  183. 183.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    October 24, 2015 at 2:44 pm

    @amk: He started on the sweaty stuff a while back, and Rubio just kind of rolled his eyes, that’s what I meant, he doesn’t let it get under his skin like Jebbie does. But Rubio has flip-flopped and mealy-mouthed immigration, and I can’t imagine Trump isn’t going to point that out eventually. He’s weird and crazy and obnoxious but he ain’t stupid.

  184. 184.

    Ruckus

    October 24, 2015 at 2:57 pm

    @Satby:
    Costa Rica is so far #1 on my list. I’ve heard conflicting stories about how much it costs to live there. The low end is probably not much of living but the high end is more than what it costs where I live in Old Town Pasadena.
    I also have a friend who lives in Panama and he likes it a lot and says it’s better than Costa Rica. At some point I’ve got to go there and check them both out.

  185. 185.

    catclub

    October 24, 2015 at 3:00 pm

    I have noticed somebody at Slate is counting votes for debt ceiling increase. Last time all the democrats plus something like 30 republicans. Now, besides some of those democrats losing, some of those republicans lost too, replaced by wacko-birds.

    It seems there may not be enough votes to pass a renewal. no worries, mate. Boehner has certainly not promptly gotten around to raising the debt ceiling. This may be why. He can count better than McCarthy.

  186. 186.

    catclub

    October 24, 2015 at 3:01 pm

    @Ruckus: Montevideo Uruguay might be another choice. There is a very expensive
    part of uruguay that rich Expats go to on the coast.

  187. 187.

    Suzanne

    October 24, 2015 at 3:02 pm

    Went and lifted weights this morning. Now at Spawn the Elder’s volleyball tournament. The team is meh, but she is killing it. Damn. This is actually great to watch.

  188. 188.

    Ajabu

    October 24, 2015 at 3:06 pm

    @Ruckus:

    But then I used to like driving. Now it’s just what I do to get someplace.

    Therein lies the rub. I drive when I have to. No pleasure at all.
    St. Croix remains St. Croix. More of a family island than tourist driven. It works for me.

  189. 189.

    catclub

    October 24, 2015 at 3:09 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler: Yet I oppose everything.

  190. 190.

    Ajabu

    October 24, 2015 at 3:12 pm

    @Aleta:
    I don’t know. Locals don’t swim at night (myself included) and in the daytime you’d never know.

  191. 191.

    Suezboo

    October 24, 2015 at 3:20 pm

    Well, we get phosphorescent growths here too. It’s called Red Tide by the locals and it is magic to swim by night with that glow in the waves and on you, isn’t it?

  192. 192.

    Suezboo

    October 24, 2015 at 3:21 pm

    Aleta, is your one poisonous ? We always are forbidden to eat shellfish when the red tide comes around.

  193. 193.

    gogol's wife

    October 24, 2015 at 3:24 pm

    @slag:

    Vietnam, but you don’t really have to pick since they’re close to each other.

  194. 194.

    Aleta

    October 24, 2015 at 3:24 pm

    @Suezboo:
    I never noticed if it corresponded to red tide. Thanks for the idea.

  195. 195.

    Ruckus

    October 24, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    @Ajabu:
    Did some googling and St. Croix looks to be pretty expensive. But it’s good to hear that it’s comfy rather than touristy, that’s always a better place to live.
    Thanks to our greedy, asshole friends in the money industry and trying to survive the not so great but yooooooge recession, I’m left with SS to live my life out. A few shekels extra that I’m earning now but it’s more of a bit to get me someplace rather than a retirement fund. And yes I know that I’m not alone in my predicament but that really doesn’t make it better.

  196. 196.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 6:35 pm

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne):

    And I understood what you were saying about Hillary re: her vote for the Iraq war, but I think she has since expressed regrets about that vote, which indicates that she has agonized over it even though she has not done so publicly. Or am I mistaken and she did not say that she regretted her vote?

    She has said that the vote was a mistake, most notably in her book. How long did it take her to see she had made a mistake? How long did it take her then to admit the mistake? What steps has she recommended we take to avoid such mistakes in future? Can these questions tell us anything about her abilities, judgment, and forthrightness?

    Moreover, she has continued to be too clever by half about that vote. In the last debate, for example, instead of justifying it on the merits or apologizing for it abjectly, or anything in between, she more or less argued that it didn’t need discussing at all because, after all, Obama had appointed her Secretary of State despite it. Some of her supporters apparently like this sort of cutesy cowardice; I do not.

    Remember that in 2002 and 2003, there were millions of people who saw through the lies — utterly predictable lies — spewed by Cheney, Bush, and their thugs. Has Clinton explained in any detail how she, so wise and sagacious now, was so easily fooled by those two-bit lies back then?

  197. 197.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 7:02 pm

    @Brachiator:

    @Cervanes: My point was related but not the same. That OK with you?

    No, your point was tangential, peripheral, divergent. OK with me? Doesn’t matter. This is typically your style.

    That it’s a matter of difference in style is certainly closer to the truth than your earlier notion that I had missed your point!

    But if you agree that differences in style don’t matter, then what exactly are you asking me, or complaining, about?

    RE: In practical terms, does this mean that you will not vote for Clinton if she is the Democratic Party nominee?

    That’s more than a year away. At my age, one shouldn’t count on anything.

    And this is an evasion.

    For my response to be an evasion, I’d have had to find your question worth evading.

    Whereas I did find the question silly, because, no matter how many times you ask, you never know how other people vote (nor even how they plan to vote).

    I also found the question mildly offensive, but that’s a more subjective thing, so I’ll leave it at that.

  198. 198.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 7:03 pm

    @Cervantes: nope. I think she was either swept up by the drumbeats of war or more likely, she cynically voted to make her constituents happy. (That latter is sometimes a bit of a dilemma: do you vote to represent the idiots back home who sent you to Congress or do you vote your conscience.)

    Obama wasn’t fooled, I wasn’t fooled, you weren’t fooled, but a lot of people were, just like our host. I bumped into a very liberal friend just before the war started and she was all excited about the upcoming invasion of Iraq, blah blah blah. I pointed out that none of those responsible had come from Iraq and were not there now and it was like I’d thrown cold water in her face, like she’d awakened from a trance.

    So, you want Hillary to address the American people and explain and apologize for her vote. In May of this year she did say it was a mistake, with no equivocations. I don’t think the timeline matters, what matters is that she did finally say it.
    Much more than that and I think it might hurt her politically. Think what the RW would do with that kind of confession. I don’t want another Republican in the White House and even though I will vote for Bernie I worry that he won’t be able to beat someone like Trump, if he is the Republican nominee. Maybe you think I’m being a bit cynical but I look at it as being practical.

  199. 199.

    slag

    October 24, 2015 at 7:41 pm

    @efgoldman: Great suggestions. No kids but since I am a kid myself, it all applies. Thanks!

  200. 200.

    Corner Stone

    October 24, 2015 at 7:47 pm

    @Cervantes:

    For my response to be an evasion, I’d have had to find your question worth evading.

    One wouldn’t have to “find it worth” evading in any way. One would just choose to evade it, either passive or otherwise.

  201. 201.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne):

    I think she was either swept up by the drumbeats of war or more likely, she cynically voted to make her constituents happy. (That latter is sometimes a bit of a dilemma: do you vote to represent the idiots back home who sent you to Congress or do you vote your conscience.)

    We’re not talking about a vote to name a post office after Adam Sandler or George W. Bush. We’re talking about a vote to authorize an unjustified invasion and occupation in which, predictably, thousands upon thousands of innocent men, women, and children will perish. One can argue, as you may be doing, that Clinton, seeing the lies for what they were, still voted to please her crowds despite the human cost. If we are making this argument, if this is how we explain her vote, then what sort of Commander-in-Chief do we think she will be?

    Obama wasn’t fooled, I wasn’t fooled, you weren’t fooled, but a lot of people were, just like our host.

    Right, and, to a first approximation, the list of people who were fooled is the list of people I wouldn’t trust to feed themselves with a fork or a knife.

    In this context, the only way to justify a vote for Clinton is to realize that the Republicans are far worse. (Does this justification matter before November, 2016? I’m not sure.)

    So, you want Hillary to address the American people and explain and apologize for her vote.

    That kind of honesty and courage would do the world a world of good.

    Do I expect it from her?

    When Obama dared to address racial division honestly and head-on during the 2008 campaign, I was not surprised.

    Will Clinton surprise me? We shall see.

    Think what the RW would do with that kind of confession.

    The leading Republicans of our day can’t argue their way dishonestly out of a wet paper bag. Clinton stared some of them down for hours just this week.

    She’s smart. If she wants to make a transforming argument, it is well within her power.

  202. 202.

    Cervantes

    October 24, 2015 at 7:56 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    That’s your understanding.

    Whereas to me, evasion takes effort — a different understanding.

  203. 203.

    Corner Stone

    October 24, 2015 at 9:17 pm

    @Cervantes: That sounds like an active evasion.

  204. 204.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 10:37 pm

    @Cervantes:

    I’m not satisfied with our discussion , there is no way for me to agree with you nor you with me, so I will agree to disagree.

  205. 205.

    Pie Happens (opiejeanne)

    October 24, 2015 at 10:40 pm

    @Corner Stone: It was, and it was impolite. He’s cranky, people were cranky with him up-thread, and now I’m getting cranky with him.

  206. 206.

    Cervantes

    October 25, 2015 at 6:47 am

    @Pie Happens (opiejeanne):

    I’m not satisfied with our discussion , there is no way for me to agree with you nor you with me, so I will agree to disagree.

    That’s perfectly fine by me, of course.

    Or you could actually counter what I said. With an argument. That would be OK, too.

  207. 207.

    Cervantes

    October 25, 2015 at 7:43 am

    @Corner Stone:

    That sounds like an active evasion.

    Not really sure where you’re going with this. I’ve said plenty above about Clinton’s evasiveness regarding a serious matter. You haven’t really responded to it. If you feel like engaging with it, please do.

  208. 208.

    Corner Stone

    October 25, 2015 at 12:00 pm

    @Cervantes: Why would I do that?

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