Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

“Let’s not pretend [Trump] wants to engage in high-minded discourse.”

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

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

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

You are here: Home / Popular Culture / KULCHA! / Monday Evening Open Thread: Respite

Monday Evening Open Thread: Respite

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Many thanks to commentor Schrodinger’s Cat! I don’t have any expertise to judge Indian cinema, but per Wikipedia, Haider is a retelling of Hamlet and this clip is ‘the play within the play.’ (And a demonstration that you can do impressive political protest with giant puppets, as long as they’re being handled by military reservists.) It impressed my dance-knowledgeable Spousal Unit he’s now scouring the net for a version of the film with English subtitles.

***********
Apart from enjoying the finer arts, what’s on the agenda for the evening?

Reader Interactions

197Comments

  5. 5.

    schrodinger's cat

    I love this song, everything is perfect, Shahid Kapoor’s dancing, choreography, Sukhwinder’s Singh’s voice and Gulzar’s lyrics and the location. Its not exactly a political protest. Haider is retelling the story of his uncle’s perfidy and telling his mother (Tabu) to get away from him. Enacting the tale of his father’s murder.

    Bonus trivia : The right wingers in India were unhappy with this movie.

    ETA: Tabu is the one wearing the green dupatta(scarf). She was in Namesake with Irrfan Khan.
    I think you may be able to stream it from Google Play.

  6. 6.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    “I think Trump is the walking dead. I think he’ll get the nomination and he will just go down to a crushing defeat. And will be known for a hundred years from now, people will say, “Who’s the biggest loser in American politics?” And it won’t be McGovern, it won’t be Dukakis, the word Trump. And I hope when he’s down there in Hades he’s aware of all that.” ~ David Brooks

  10. 10.

    ruemara

    Well, I fixed my flat tire. Technically. The new one counts as a fix. I just need to replace the other 3, for symmetry.

    And if they cut into the wall any more, I get to annex the neighboring flat. I think I’ll like my new open concept den. But management has agreed to removing all mouldy walls and a full carpeting replacement, without me being threatening so, huzzahs!! I just have to pack up the living room like I’m moving, in about 2 – 3 days. Very small huzzah? I think I could use a drink.

  11. 11.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    WISCONSIN– (NYT) Donald J. Trump’s presidential candidacy has stunned the Republican Party. But if he survives a late revolt by his rivals and other leaders to become the party’s standard-bearer in the general election, the electoral map now coming into view is positively forbidding.

    Mr. Trump is so negatively viewed, polls suggest, that he could turn otherwise safe Republican states, usually political afterthoughts because of their strong conservative tilt, into tight contests. In Utah, his deep unpopularity with Mormon voters suggests that a state that has gone Republican every election for a half-century could wind up in play. Republicans there pointed to a much-discussed Deseret News poll last month, showing Mrs. Clinton with a narrow lead over Mr. Trump, to argue that the state would be difficult for him.

    Mr. Trump has become unacceptable, perhaps irreversibly so, to broad swaths of Americans, including large majorities of women, nonwhites, Hispanics, voters under 30 and those with college degrees — the voters who powered President Obama’s two victories and represent the country’s demographic future. All view him unfavorably by a 2-to-1 margin, according to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll.

    “We’re talking about somebody who has the passionate devotion of a minority and alternately scares, appalls, angers — or all of the above — a majority of the country,” said Henry Olsen, a conservative analyst. “This isn’t anything but a historic election defeat just waiting to happen.”

    What could ensure a humiliating loss in November are his troubles with constituencies that have favored Republicans in recent elections. Among independents, a group that Mitt Romney carried even as he lost to President Obama in 2012, Mr. Trump would begin the fall campaign at a considerable disadvantage: 19 percent have a favorable opinion of him, but 57 percent view him unfavorably, the Times/CBS survey found. Given his loathed standing among Democrats and the possibility that many in his own party would spurn him, Mr. Trump would need to invert his numbers among independents to even be competitive in November.

    With white women, a bloc Mr. Romney easily won even in defeat, Mr. Trump is nearly as unpopular: 23 percent view him favorably, while 54 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him. And that was before Mr. Trump attacked Senator Ted Cruz’s wife, ridiculed a female reporter against whom Mr. Trump’s campaign manager was charged with committing battery, and suggested that women who have abortions should face criminal punishment before reversing himself.

    “There is no precedent for this,” said Neil Newhouse, a veteran Republican pollster. “In the modern polling era, since around World War II, there hasn’t been a more unpopular potential presidential nominee than Donald Trump.”

    “By leaning into white grievance politics, you give back whatever gains you made as you move up the economic scale,” said Liam Donovan, a Republican strategist who has written extensively on Mr. Trump’s vulnerabilities. “There just aren’t enough votes left in the places where Trump could be strong, like rural areas, to offset the vote-rich places where Trump repels.”

  12. 12.

    MomSense

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I love the dancing. The lead male dancer/singer looks so much like my middle son. Last time he was home he was sporting the same hair and beard.
    I’ll have to ask my friend if she knows this movie. She invites me over to watch the Indian channels and eat delicious food. I’m supposed to be taking cooking class with her.

  18. 18.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Trump’s ex-wife Ivana comes forward to help:

    “We need immigrants. Who’s going to vacuum our living rooms and clean up after us?”

    “I have nothing against Mexicans, but if they [come] here — like this 19-year-old, she’s pregnant, she crossed over a wall that’s this high” — Ivana lowers her hand to 4 inches above her wall-to-wall carpeting. “She gives the birth in American hospital, which is for free. The child becomes American automatically. She brings the whole family, she doesn’t pay the taxes, she doesn’t have a job, she gets the housing, she gets the food stamps. Who’s paying? You and me.”

    Gotta hand it to the Trumps — they say what we’re thinking.

    You can see how Susan Sarandon is so attracted to the Trump message.

  19. 19.

    Mike J

    Over 20,000 people show up to protest in Iceland, a country with a population of 320,000.

    Meanwhile, David Cameron says his family’s investments are a private matter.

  27. 27.

    smith

    @Patricia Kayden: Ha! That reminds me of a girl my daughter knew who was a Polish immigrant (in Chicago, so possibly undocumented) who complained about how Hispanics keep taking “our” scholarship money.

  30. 30.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Funny – Susan Sarandon owns three homes in NYC.

    Ivana Trump’s remarks are so crazy I became curious to see if she lived next door to Susan Sarandon. Ya know – perhaps their crazy views are due to lead poisoning on their water line.

    Turns out Sarandon owns at least 3 homes in NYC and set up an additional home in a million dollar trust for one of her sons. Nothing says Revolution like handing your son a million dollar home, while bidding up prices, owning empty units, thereby making rent impossible for the little people. Also putting a home in trust means you can pass it down from generation to generation without ever having to pay taxes (just as Marx intended).

    And while Sarandon doesn’t live near Ivana, she does own a weekend home in Connecticut “equestrian country” right next to…. wait for it… none other than The Donald, himself.

    No wonder she thinks he would be good for the country – he’s a good neighbor. They probably lend each other a cup of sugar, pick up the papers and mail when they’re out of town, and take shifts on the neighborhood watch. Good peoples.

  31. 31.

    JPL

    @MattF: It was 75 and beautiful today. Thanks, Obama indeed.
    Raven will probably give us an update on the weather at Augusta later.

  32. 32.

    trollhattan

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:
    Wow, with that kind of stuff coming outta her piehole it’s hard to imagine her and dandy Don ever not getting along splendidly (newer, hawter Eastern European talent notwithstanding).

    Shorter me: she seems nice..

  36. 36.

    scav

    @Mike J:

    Over 20,000 people show up to protest in Iceland, a country with a population of 320,000

    Better still, they come with bananas.

    Iceland just makes me happy some days.

    ETA: also, that Hamlet-oid with all the fine jumping and the final rush to the uncle seems to be lacking the indecisiveness gene so many others of the breed exhibit. Plus the early decision in headgear. Not a man afraid of a bold decision.

  37. 37.

    Cermet

    VERY impressive version of “Hamlet”; would love to see the entire thing regardless with or without subtitles. Amazing energy, spirit and understanding of the source material in a manner even Shakespeare would admire. Thanks for posting that amazing song/dance/acting scene!

  38. 38.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    @JPL: Thanks, indeed

    Gallup Poll — April 4, 2016 (ie Today) — President Obama Presidential Ratings

    Approve……………..52%
    Disapprove………..43%

    ——————————————————————————————————

    Gallup Poll — April 6, 2008 — President Bush Presidential Ratings

    Approve……………..28%
    Disapprove………..67%

    But, but… a nice guy you’d like to have a beer with! But, but…… he kept us safe!

  39. 39.

    SiubhanDuinne, Mob Enforcer

    @JPL:

    Yes, today has been an absolutely perfect, glorious day in the ATL. I think Raven had mentioned that photography is allowed at this point in the Masters, so I hope he takes, and posts, many lovely pictures.

    Probably no dogs allowed, though. Too bad. I’ll bet the Bhodi would enjoy himself ?

  41. 41.

    Patricia Kayden

    @efgoldman: I would gladly pay someone to clean my entire house, if I could afford it. I wouldn’t expect immigrants to be the ones I pay though since I’m not a raving lunatic like Mrs. First Wife Trump. As an immigrant myself and a daughter of immigrants, I don’t look down on immigrants or expect them to do unskilled work for my benefit.

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: I believe Sarandon tried to backtrack a little from her original comments about Trump. She voted for Nader in 2000 so I’m kind of over her political opinions.

  42. 42.

    Brachiator

    @Baud:

    American cinema needs more dancing.

    What? You didn’t see that dance scene in Batman v Superman? Made the entire movie worth watching.

  44. 44.

    AkaDad

    @MattF:

    I shouldn’t complain since this winter probably set a record for the least amount of snow ever in my area..

  45. 45.

    lamh36

    Tim Robbins clarified his remarks…

    @TimRobbins1 44m44 minutes ago
    No disrespect to voters of SC or Guam. Was making a point about MSM anointing HRC after SC primary. No surprise ABC took it out of context.
    https://twitter.com/TimRobbins1/status/717110578137837569

    Original intro here:

    @ABCPolitics
    Introducing @BernieSanders, @TimRobbins1 hits Clinton’s primary wins: Winning South Carolina is like “winning Guam”
    https://twitter.com/ABCPolitics/status/717087591833571328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

  46. 46.

    Cacti

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:

    Sarandon’s position is fundamentally amoral.

    She is content with people suffering for the sake of a philosophical victory.

    She values her own ideas above other people’s lives.

    Sounds like a “revolution” worthy of Stalin.

  48. 48.

    Brachiator

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:

    With white women, a bloc Mr. Romney easily won even in defeat

    I hate stuff like this. If we had national elections, this would be a meaningful statement. But we don’t, so it isn’t.

    Still, Trump’s unfavorable ratings appear to be universal among women. But I wonder how it would look if you broke it down by age and political party.

    “There is no precedent for this,” said Neil Newhouse, a veteran Republican pollster. “In the modern polling era, since around World War II, there hasn’t been a more unpopular potential presidential nominee than Donald Trump.”

    Not Thomas Dewey, or Harold Stassen, or Adlai Stevenson?

    Of course, this may make Trump stronger. He may see it as a challenge to be able to sell himself to voters, because this has got to be a huge kick in the ego. And I don’t know what it means if he continues to win primaries despite these bad numbers (aside from indicating that Republicans are crazy).

  50. 50.

    Percysowner

    Slate has just declared that Ross Douthat

    has been one of the most thoughtful commentators—conservative or otherwise—on the Trump phenomenon and what it means for (and says about) the Republican Party.

    I admit, I quit before reading entire article, because I can’t stand Ross, maybe someone else can summarize?

  54. 54.

    Joy in FL

    I love that clip. Amazon has the movie in blu-Ray and DVD. I just put it in my cart.

  56. 56.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    @lamh36: Shorter Tim Robbins/Susan Sarandon: Winning South Carolina is like winning 3/5 of a primary.

  59. 59.

    lamh36

    ICYMI: Read the full transcript of TIME’s conversation with President Obama and Misty Copeland http://ti.me/22dkpnQ via @TIMEPolitic

    POTUS dropping truth about Affirmative Action

    TIME: Well how do you make sure those things are protected when you see, for example Affirmative Action in the balance again? Is that something that’s important in academics and the arts for example?

    OBAMA: Well I – look, I’m a strong supporter of Affirmative Action as a way of opening more doors. And I think there are ways of structuring Affirmative Action so that everybody’s getting more of a chance. And the truth of the matter is, there’s always been Affirmative Action, it just hasn’t always been minority focused, right.

    If you make a big donation to a university, your kid is more likely to get into the university. It’s not called Affirmative Action, it’s called legacies.

  60. 60.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    Not a huge fan of Indian cinema but dang their choreography is miles ahead of anything done by Western dance.

  62. 62.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    ► Tim Robbins is trending on Twitter.

    Well done. You would have think they learned from Sarandon’s fuck up to stay away from these kooks. But no.

    A Moon in White ‏@Bastille1790

    Wait, so is Tim Robbins saying that Black votes don’t matter? #AllVotesMatter Tim, tired of this #WhiteSplaining

    Jeff Rich ‏@jr85392

    Too bad Susan Sarandon & Tim Robbins split up. They deserve each other.

    Ryan Stewart ‏@crsryan

    Whenever I see Tim Robbins in the news for something political, it makes me want to watch ARLINGTON ROAD.

    Bianca Jagger ‏@BiancaJagger

    What’s wrong with you Tim Robbins? It doesn’t sounds like you. We must respect ppl who think differently than we do

  63. 63.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Cacti: Well said. Unfortunately, I’ve heard other Sanders’ supporters say similar nonsense about a Trump presidency being no different than a Clinton presidency. Not sure if this is worse than the PUMAs of 2008.

  64. 64.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @smith:
    My grandfather (a German Immigrant) told the story of a coworker back in the 30 when Congress was arguing an immigration bill. In a very thick Scandinavian accent “Oh ya, de should keep dem damn for-ee-ners outta dis country”.
    Its a tale as old as time

  66. 66.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Mike J:

    Over 20,000 people show up to protest in Iceland, a country with a population of 320,000–

    –about 65% (209,680) of which is concentrated in the Capital Region around Reykjavik.

    Still impressive to get ~10% of the total population of the area out to protest, but not quite the WTF-level attendance it appears on first glance.

  71. 71.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Cacti:

    Tim Robbins: net worth $45 million

    Nice to see that some of my classmates are scrapping by.

  74. 74.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @lamh36: Good god, if he thinks the MSM supports Hillary Clinton, I hope their kids got their brains from Susan.

  76. 76.

    Gin & Tonic

    @efgoldman:

    Before someone starts whining about a hoops thread:

    Hey!

    Maybe I’ll just whine about having to shovel 6-7″ of snow on fucking April 4th.

  78. 78.

    Gin & Tonic

    @efgoldman:

    Before someone starts whining about a hoops thread:

    Hey!

    Maybe I’ll just whine about having to shovel 6-7″ of snow on fucking April 4th.@raven:

  79. 79.

    Gin & Tonic

    @raven: Nice pic. We’re all covered in white here, and the poor magnolia in my front yard has most likely just given up for this season – it’ll be in the 20’s tomorrow morning – so I envy you the azaleas.

  81. 81.

    debbie

    @raven:

    Beautiful!

    My mom first played golf at Augusta when she traveled to meet my dad’s “people” in Athens. She was very nervous and scored a 91 on 9 holes. My great-grandfather (Papa Jack) had very little use for her.

  83. 83.

    lamh36

    Ya know, it isnt lost on me that what Tim Robbins said about SC and HRC is essentially along the same lines of what the big dawg said of PBO and SC in ’08

    Karma really is a bitch aint’ she.

  84. 84.

    Shell

    Watching that video, can’t stop thinking its a little cold to be sitting in an outdoor theater, especially is those thin looking saris.

  87. 87.

    Kropadope

    @debbie: Especially considering his preferred candidate, not her supporters but the actual candidate herself, has argued in a previous election cycle for the primacy of white votes and superior work ethic of white voters. But, yeah, sure, Bernie’s supporters are all racists, cuz I said so.

  88. 88.

    Major Major Major Major

    @lamh36: There’s a surprising amount overlap between what Hillary said about Obama in 2008 and what the Sanders folks are saying about Hillary in 2016. I don’t know if I’d call it karma though, more what a flailing, poorly managed campaign says when it’s cornered.

  90. 90.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @lamh36: good god

    The bill was prompted by a concerned parent, Laura Murphy, who learned that one of her sons was reading Morrison’s novel “Beloved,” which includes graphic depictions of rape and infanticide. Murphy and sympathetic lawmakers cited similarly explicit material in books such as “The Bluest Eye,” also by Morrison, “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison and “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy.
    “I don’t shelter my kids, but I have to be a responsible parent. I want to make sure every kid in the county is protected,” Murphy told the Washington Post.

    I don’t have kids, but I would think your kid reading serious literary fiction would be a good thing.

  92. 92.

    SiubhanDuinne, Mob Enforcer

    O/T, and probably (maybe) John will post about this later, but I think a lot of people here are fans of novelist, and John’s friend, Wiley Cash (A Land More Kind Than Home; This Dark Road to Mercy).

    Anyhow, lovely news today: his wife, Mallory, gave birth to their first child, Juniper Rose Cash, this morning. What a great name.

    It’s funny, I never wanted kids myself, but when friends, or even friends of friends, become parents, I couldn’t be more thrilled for them.

  98. 98.

    beth

    I must admit I’m confused by Ivana Trump’s statement. The immigrant is cleaning her house and vaccumming but she doesn’t have a job? Is she doing all that cleaning for free?

  99. 99.

    dr. bloor

    @efgoldman:

    FSM put it there. s/he can take it away.

    RI Department of Public works snow removal philosophy in a nutshell.

    The judges also would have accepted, “Eh, spring is coming.”

  103. 103.

    lamh36

    @AriMelber 2h2 hours ago
    Chuck Grassley is going to call Judge Garland.

    He says they will discuss a possible meeting.

    #SCOTUS

    reported by @AlexNBCNews

  105. 105.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @beth:
    If Ivana has anything to say about, you bet that immigrant is working for free!

  108. 108.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Mike J: @Major Major Major Major:
    I get what you are saying but yours is more ‘slap’ and lacks the ‘begging’ The beauty of the German language is the rules are a bit loose, so I’ll agree with you even if I like mine

  109. 109.

    Brachiator

    @efgoldman:

    Dewey and Stevenson lost elections, but they weren’t wildly unpopular the way Trump and the opossum on his head, or Tailgunner Teddy, are.

    Why do you insist on ruining a bad joke with facts?

    No, you are absolutely right. Stevenson lost presidential elections in a landslide (twice), and he was mocked by some, but not hated.

    And Stassen became an obscure comic reference.

    In the ninth episode of the 18th season of The Simpsons, while staying with the titular family, Gil Gunderson makes breakfast and asks the kids

    “Who wants some eggs a la Harold Stassen?”

    When met with dumbfounded looks, he reveals the punchline: “They’re always running!”

  110. 110.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Iowa Old Lady: Jerry Moran and Lisa Murkowski got scared in the other direction. I wonder if the vote will happen after primary deadlines.

  111. 111.

    Cacti

    Thanks to Tim Robbins, I’m pretty sure I know who Guam will be voting for on 5/7/16.

  112. 112.

    Gin & Tonic

    This is a literate crowd – is anyone familiar with the Midtown Scholar bookstore in Harrisburg? Is it worth a detour if we’re passing through?

  113. 113.

    schrodinger's cat

    @MomSense: Cool. That’s Shahid Kapoor, he is a trained dancer. The choreography is pretty unique with elements of Kashmiri and Pashto folk dancing. Not your average run-of-the-mill song and dance sequence.

    In the last 10 years or so movies made in India have had a renaissance. This is the third movie in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespeare trilogy. He has made Maqbool (Macbeth) and Omkara (Othello) before. He set Macbeth in Mumbai underworld and Omkara in the western Uttar Pradesh. I love Omkara’s score as well.

  114. 114.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I was a little nervous when Hayes said Mr Matalin was coming on for Clinton, but I think he actually did a pretty good job

  115. 115.

    SiubhanDuinne, Mob Enforcer

    @raven:

    Absolutely gorgeous. If only you could crop out all those people who are totally in the way of the scenery.

    I was asking earlier about dogs. I suppose Augusta National is “No Dogs Allowed.” Pity, because I thin the Bhodi would love it there, and even Little Bit would have tracked down some interesting smells.

  118. 118.

    schrodinger's cat

    This number will give you an idea why Haider got in trouble with flag waving nationalists (right wingers)

    Jhelum Jhelum dhoonde kinara ( Finding the shores of Jhelum, a river that runs through the Kashmir valley)

    Sung by the director of this movie, who also composed the music, the multi-talented Vishal Bharadwaj.

    Haider’s father is one of the many civilians who has been unaccounted for, since the India army occupation of the early 90s.

  119. 119.

    SiubhanDuinne, Mob Enforcer

    @Brachiator:

    Stevenson lost presidential elections in a landslide (twice), and he was mocked by some, but not hated.

    I come from a very Republican family who did like them some Ike — but my mother, who had a tiny little rebellious streak in her, was heard occasionally to whisper in 1952 and 1956, “I’m madly for Adlai.”

  126. 126.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @lamh36: The Big Dawg was kind of an asshole about PBO in 2008, to understate it a bit.

    @lamh36: Holy rollerskating fuck. I can’t even

  129. 129.

    Original Lee

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: My problem with Beloved, Lord of the Flies, and a number of other modern novels the kids read for school is that many of them are depressing as hell. Original Daughter, normally a voracious reader, really struggled with Beloved and had frequent nightmares during that unit.

  130. 130.

    Baud

    @LAO:

    It may be the opposite of the rule about being your own attorney. Bill may be too emotional about Hillary to be as effective as he should be.

  131. 131.

    Mike J

    @Original Lee:

    My problem with Beloved, Lord of the Flies, and a number of other modern novels the kids read for school is that many of them are depressing as hell.

    Unlike what we read, As I Lay Dying, in which the Addie watches her son building her coffin. Only upbeat stuff for us, back in the day.

  133. 133.

    Bobby Thomson

    Feeling bad for Lindi Li, who was running for the Democratic nomination in PA-06 (Gerlach’s district). One of her notaries failed to keep a log so she is ineligible to appear on the April ballot and is withdrawing from the race.

  136. 136.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @LAO: It’s like magic. Bad magic. Almost like the Big Dawg was abducted by aliens and replaced with a lookalike idiot.

  138. 138.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @raven: That’s very cool. All your pics are great – as usual. And the McIlroy shot on 16 would make some pro sports shooters envious if they saw it.

    That sounds a bit violent, but y’all get it.

  139. 139.

    p.a.

    @Mike J: My class loved As I Lay Dying, possibly because Mr. Gow told us to think of it as Beverly Hillbillies as heroin addicts.
    “My mother is a fish.”

  140. 140.

    Mike J

    @p.a.:

    My class loved As I Lay Dying, possibly because Mr. Gow told us to think of it as Beverly Hillbillies as heroin addicts.

    What’s not to love? We went to Oxford on a day trip to see Yoknapatawpha first hand. My English teacher had done her thesis on Faulkner, so we got plenty of him.

  141. 141.

    raven

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):” “I don’t think I have ever heard a roar that large in a practice round,” four-time major winner McIlroy said of the reaction from the crowd. “It was great. It was a nice practice round and a bit of a highlight. And it ended the match as well.”

    We were close but didn’t see the shot itself.

  144. 144.

    SiubhanDuinne, Mob Enforcer

    @p.a.:

    I am but a lowly enforcer; it is beyond my pay scale to determine provenance of sports memorabilia.

  148. 148.

    LAO

    @raven: Sorry for assuming you still played.

    I went to a practice round the first time the US Open was at Bethpage Black and I couldn’t believe how much fun it was. I’d like to see Augusta one day (I’d say play it but not likely to happen).

    eTA: no hole in one for me either ?

  150. 150.

    raven

    @LAO: Nah, I caddied Medinah as a kid, just like my dad. He was really good and taught me some but I just lost interest after I moved to Georgia. Being there today made me think about him a lot because of how much he loved the game. I wish I could have seen Waston because this is it for him and he probably won’t make the cut.

  151. 151.

    LAO

    @raven: Tom is my mom’s favorite. My family is strange, my mom plays golf and my dad never did. 15 years ago we did a mother/daughter golf trip to Ireland. It was crazy fun.

  152. 152.

    Iowa Old Lady

    Where I grew up on Detroit’s east side, nobody actually played golf. My brother was a caddy though. He went to Michigan on a caddy scholarship.

  153. 153.

    SiubhanDuinne, Mob Enforcer

    @raven:

    My best friend from high school’s father was a member at Medinah, and we used to go there to hang out by the pool. Hadn’t even thought of the place in years. I’m seeing Linda (BFFHS) in a few weeks when I go to Arizona.

  158. 158.

    raven

    @SiubhanDuinne, Mob Enforcer: I looped there, Elmhurst CC and Brookwood. I was telling my bride today I have no idea how I carried two bags with balls, umbrellas, ball retrievers, shoes and all that stuff that they had. I weighed about 125lbs ad humped that shit 18 holes! It was a real education caddying for the wealthy dudes and working with the pro jocks that followed the sun.

  160. 160.

    SiubhanDuinne, Mob Enforcer

    @p.a.:

    “My mother is a fish.”

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Jewel’s mother is a horse.

    You’re both wrong. Your mother is a hamster, and your father smells of elderberries.

    There. (Dusts hands together and walks off like a boss.)

  163. 163.

    raven

    @p.a.: Oh yea,

    To be eligible to apply for a Chick Evans Scholarship for Caddies, all applicants must meet the following requirements: strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character.

    Strong caddie record: Applicants must have caddied, successfully and regularly, for a minimum of two years and are expected to caddie at their sponsoring club the year they apply for the scholarship.
    Excellent academics: Applicants must have completed their junior year of high school with above a B average in college preparatory courses and are required to take the ACT.
    Demonstrated financial need: Applicants must clearly have a need for financial assistance.
    Outstanding character: Applicants must be outstanding in character, integrity and leadership.

    It’s part of the Western Golf Association that used to sponsor the Western Open. I caddied in it in 1966 and it was something. The fucking FEDEX Tour killed it.

  165. 165.

    SiubhanDuinne, Mob Enforcer

    @raven:

    That was before you turned 17 and joined the Army, yes? All that humpin probably served you well in basic.

  166. 166.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @p.a.: It’s a real thing! He was an Evans Scholar. As Raven says above, it was named after Chick Evans, a golfer. It paid his tuition and put him and other scholars up in what was called a non-pledging fraternity house. My brother then waited tables at a sorority for his meals.

  167. 167.

    SiubhanDuinne, Mob Enforcer

    @p.a.:

    …and here we were trying to raise the conversation to middlebrow… ;-)

    I’m sorry, you can’t middlebrow in here! This is Balloon Juice!

  170. 170.

    raven

    @SiubhanDuinne, Mob Enforcer: Yes, I went in on my 17th in Nov 66. I was in pretty decent shape being a kid and all. There were dudes that really struggled and some got recycled. There was a guy in my unit that looked just like Pvt. Leonard Lawrence in Full Metal Jacket.

    damn, his name was Larry Liffic.

  171. 171.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @p.a.: I suppose. The girls rang a bell when they wanted a waiter, and he described one day when they rang the bell repeatedly and then threw food. He laughed when he told about it after the fact.

  172. 172.

    raven

    AT Medinah the members signed a card that you turned in to get paid. On the back it said “Treat Your Caddy Like You Would Treat Your Son”!

  174. 174.

    raven

    @Iowa Old Lady: We caddied double a great deal. The real issue was to have t-shirts that did not have a seam on the shoulder, it would wear a hole in you in short order. When you did carry one bag you slung it across your but and swung that off hand across your body.

  175. 175.

    raven

    Damn , I’m enjoying this but my ass is whipped. Gotta catch the rest of this game in the am. peace

  176. 176.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Horrifying Haiku Hack for Omnes

    The blue eyed man’s gun
    Was made of polished steel he
    Died in Mexico

  181. 181.

    pluky

    @srv: Whenever Mark-Anthony Turnage gets around to it. If he can do “Anna Nicole”, he can do “Slick Willy”.

  183. 183.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Omnes Omnibus: Good idea. I couldn’t figure out a good way to work “defunct” or desert in into it, but I knew you’d get the mash. It’s still early April, so I can keep at it.

    For reasons I can’t adequately articulate – since I did not ever meet him – I am terribly sorrowful that Joseph Medicine Crow has walked on. Then once down that kind of road, with Doug!’s title above, you see where I ended up.

  193. 193.

    debbie

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I can’t claim to know everything they’ve ever said, but I’d bet both have spoken up on causes that would belie an indifference to the AA community. What they’re guilty of is overzealousness for their candidate. There’s been plenty of the same kind of zealousness here for Hillary But whatever.

  196. 196.

    Anne Laurie

    @Kropadope:

    Maybe not overall, but over any other Democrat, you damn well better believe it.

    The suits at the top of the NYTimes corporate offices hatehatehate Hillary Clinton. On the other hand, Sanders’ one go-to campaigning speech is “Wall Street bad, make the banksters pay”, and that’s bad for the city at the center of national/global finance… not to mention, those banksters go to the same charity balls and send their kids to the same private schools as the Sulzbergers and Dean Baquet, so it’s personal.

    Also — I plan to post about this, closer to the NY primary — there’s a strong feeling among NYC denizens that natives who migrate elsewhere have Settled for Less. Wasn’t sure this disdain was as strong as when I fled for the Midwest in the early 1970s (same as a certain future Senator, who skipped out for Chicago) but the stuff I’m seeing about Bernie in both the NYTimes and the Daily News seems to indicate it’s still got currency.

    HRClinton, by NYC standards, did it the right way — she escaped Chicago & worked her way up to the Big Apple, by way of Arkansas and DC. That’s how go-getters with big dreams are supposed to do it!

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