Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

This blog will pay for itself.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

“A king is only a king if we bow down.” – Rev. William Barber

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

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

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

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

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

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

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

Peak wingnut was a lie.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Monday Evening Open Thread: Guess That Logo!

Reader Interactions

296Comments

  1. 1.

    debit

    what’s on the agenda for the evening?

    Unpacking. Hanging curtains. Yearning for a Walter update. You know, the usual.

  2. 2.

    Mnemosyne

    Both of my bosses are out today, so I have been extremely unproductive.

    I’m trying to decide if it’s dishonest to sign up for a free 30-day trial of a website under a new email address if I had previously signed up but never gotten around to actually trying it. (It’s Plan To Eat, if anyone cares.)

  3. 3.

    hovercraft

    The Trump campaign sent Eric’s (Qusay) wife and a SVP from his foundation down to a black church down in North Carolina yesterday to receive their endorsement. They were later interviewed from the church by CNN, and it did not go well. First Lynne Patton, the SVP had to remind us that she is black (maybe she thought the pictures were black and white.)

    While speaking at an African-American church on Sunday, Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law forgot a quote about insanity that she had planned to use to insult Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

    On Sunday, historically black church Antioch Road to Glory International Ministries in Charlotte held a “Day of Endorsement” for the Republican nominee, which was attended by The Apprentice star Omarosa Manigault and daughter-in-law Lara Trump.

    Eric Trump’s senior assistant, Lynne Patton, and Lara Trump spoke to CNN host Fredricka Whitfield from the church on Sunday following the endorsement ceremony.

    Lara Trump explained that her father-in-law had “100 percent” support from members of Antioch Road Church.

    Whitfield noted that the church’s Facebook page had compared Hillary Clinton to “an abusive ex, one that you already know left you broken and wounded.”

    Lara Trump tried to drive the point home.

    “I had nothing to do with the Facebook page but what I’ll tell you is that there’s a famous quote that says,” she explained before pausing. “Wait, I forgot my quote!”

    Patton reminded her that she meant to repeat a quote often attributed to Albert Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

    “What we have is eight years of the same result,” she remarked proudly. “You have with Hillary Clinton the same thing you got with Barack Obama.”

    Here’s the video from Crooks and Liars.

  4. 4.

    FoxinSocks

    I have checked this site so many times today for a Walter update.

    (stalks John’s Twitter feed too)

  8. 8.

    Shana

    Heading out in a bit to have dinner with Hubby, younger daughter’s boyfriend, his brother and his parents who are in town for a visit. Younger daughter is at the beach for a week with her sister and most of the cousins from Hubby’s side of the family. The cousins have come from Texas, Illinois, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania to vacation at the Delaware beaches. It’s so gratifying that all these 20-somethings and 30-somethings wanted to spend a week together like this. Coming from a family where my parents fought with their families, and they with my parents, it’s lovely to see family that actually like each other and have real relationships. Still, it’s going to be a little odd not having her there at the dinner.

  9. 9.

    Keith G

    My job requires a bit of lifting – containers of baking supplies that weigh 50 pounds more or less. Usually I’m quite careful in what I do, but yesterday I lifted a much heavier weight than I was prepared for. Today’s back spasms are not horrible or disabling. They are just at nuisance level. It’s time for a Flexeril and a martini. That should put a limit on my afternoon.

    I just got this month’s Audible credit, so I will select a good book and relax.

  10. 10.

    Ab_Normal

    Now I have to look up when the coverage of LITERALLY MAYHEM will be on… (I have a soft spot for the modern pentathlon).

  12. 12.

    ruemara

    I’m working out & cuddling up next to a warm tv with half nekkid swimming mens. And drinking away today.

    Actually, Mem, does giant evil Corp prefer job referrals over random yahoo submitting over their website? I have a number of positions I wish to submit my soul to for consideration.

  13. 13.

    raven

    Oh waaaaaa, We hate NBC, we hate exploitative sports, we back stories, we hate commercials, we hate announcers. . . what did I miss???

  14. 14.

    Keith G

    I believe that since I included the name of a well-known medication for muscle spasms in my earlier comment, it has been eaten by WP.

    FYWP!

  15. 15.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    Still trying to get from SLC to San Jose thanks to Delta’s issues this morning.
    It’s a messy situation but they are acting like pros.

  16. 16.

    Barney

    It took me some time to work out what Synchronized Ampersand is, but I still can’t think of anything for Ultimate Ampersand. Something to do with a sword dance? Diving into a drained pool?

  21. 21.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: btw, this just in from the “I hope you’re satisfied with yourself, young lady” dept:

    Not only did I just put a hold on the “Hamilton” soundtrack CD from the library system, but I *also* put a hold on the audiobook of the Chernow biography.

    That is all, thank you.

  23. 23.

    Amir Khalid

    @debbie:
    Is that the tennis symbol? I thought it was the badminton symbol. (No, I don’t think it’s a typo.)

  26. 26.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    So it seems that nearly every one of the female propagandists AKA Stepford talent at FOX has now accused Roger Ailes of sexual harassment, and the latest one says that other executives knew about it. Trump is now threatening to drag downballot races with him, to a degree far more than anyone even fantasized about last fall, and already slinging accusations that the whole thing is “rigged”, just to lay the ground for how badly he’ll lose.

    A lot of people knew that Wingnut World was a house of cards that demographics alone were going to tumble at some point, but if anyone imagined that it would just flutter to the ground quietly they’ve got a rude awakening. It was actually more like a house of Buicks filled with animal carcasses and smeared with disease; the collapse is going to be a lot louder, uglier and make a bigger mess than people realized.

  27. 27.

    jl

    I thought there was a project to get ‘naked mopping pet poo obstacle course’ in there so Cole would have a chance for a gold. What’s the hold up?
    No one will even remember the decathlon after that.

  29. 29.

    Mnemosyne

    @ruemara:

    You either want a referral (though, sadly, I don’t know any peeps right now) OR you want to connect with a recruiter through the jobs site. Because they get so many resumes, it’s REALLY important to basically duplicate the job posting in the wording of your resume so you can make it past the ‘bots and get actual human eyeballs on your words.

    The really best way to get your foot in the door is through a temp-to-permanent position, but that requires actually moving here.

    Oh, and with your experience, look at the jobs with “coordinator” in the title. They sound secretarial on paper, but they usually have a path upward, unlike the titles with “secretary” or “assistant” in them.

  31. 31.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    @Bill E Pilgrim:
    I’ve said it before and I’m not stopping now: if Trump was secretly plotting to wreck the GOP from within what would he be doing differently?

  32. 32.

    gogol's wife

    @Mnemosyne:

    I know you’re in LA, but did you hear that yesterday’s Sunday NYTimes acrostic had a Hamilton theme? It was a lot of fun.

  33. 33.

    JPL

    @raven: Wow, another racist and a failure at a start up business person, running for President. The Republican party awaits him.

  35. 35.

    japa21

    My evening will basically be spent keeping my wife from doing any panicking. I had one of those non-invasive colon screening tests done in lieu of a colonoscopy and the results came back positive. Now I have to go get the real thing done next week. I am not worried, but she is at the edge of freaking out. I’ll try to keep her distracted, but it will be a long week.

  36. 36.

    Mnemosyne

    @Miss Bianca:

    I just found out that my friend’s wife will be meeting and interacting with my imaginary future ex-husband Daveed next week. And will probably get a picture of herself hugging him.

    Which means she’s about the 6th person I know who’s met at least one “Hamilton” performer. Goddamnit.

  39. 39.

    Mary G

    I am planning to read Lois McMaster Bujold’s new novella about Penric and the demon, plus a new one from Diana Gabaldon about the young Jamie Fraser.

  41. 41.

    JPL

    @debbie: If they end it now, who will be left? They have been courting evangelicals and white supremacists for years, and that might be all they have.

  42. 42.

    Eric U.

    Trumpets are worried about a rigged election. They are all going to wear a red shirt so that we can see how many Trump voters there were. I guess there aren’t any Star Trek fans among them. I’m guessing the brown shirt idea got shot down.

  43. 43.

    Mnemosyne

    @gogol’s wife:

    I only do the free mini-crossword on my NYT crossword app, but they’ve had “Hamilton” clues several times.

    Our Pantages season tickets are supposed to arrive in a couple of weeks, and then it will only be another year and 4 months until we get to see it!

  44. 44.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    @Mary G:
    I have a Tom Levenson book for my flight, hotel and week’s entertainment.
    Gotta switch off and fly.
    Have a good evening everyone.

  45. 45.

    gogol's wife

    @japa21:

    Best wishes for a good outcome. Is it possible that “positive” just means you have polyps that have to be removed?

  48. 48.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: and you haven’t yet formulated a plot for chloroforming your friend’s wife and taking her place? Or are you settling for falling on the floor and biting the carpet with envy and vexation? ; )

  51. 51.

    Major Major Major Major

    @japa21: Hang in there! I know how awful waiting on a secondary screening can be for all involved.

    @Eric U.: Hmm. I know you can’t wear candidate/cause gear to the polls, but what about coordinated color-wearing? You could probably wear a bunch of rainbows during a year with an antigay thing on the ballot.

  52. 52.

    Mary G

    @Miss Bianca: I too put a hold on the Chernow biography audiobook at the library through Overdrive about three weeks ago. There were 38 people ahead of me then and only two now.

  54. 54.

    gogol's wife

    @Mary G:

    I finally finished reading it last week. It’s kind of a slog for me (not a big fan of American history). But I was in even more awe of Miranda’s genius at picking out the little gems that add up to dramatic magic. It’s amazing what he noticed and incorporated.

  55. 55.

    Mnemosyne

    @Miss Bianca:

    It’s gonna have to be envy and vexation, because I don’t have the first idea how to be a sound engineer, so I can’t even impersonate her.

    And she doesn’t even work for the Giant Evil — she works for a totally unrelated company.

  56. 56.

    japa21

    @raven: Had my hernia taken care of several years ago. No problems since. @gogol’s wife: It could be polyp related. The last one I had done, the doc dubbed me the “king of polyps” so I figure that is the main issue.

  60. 60.

    bystander

    So far this summer a real dearth of hummingbirds, monarch butterflies and the big fat bumble bees that look like a cartoon. OTOH we’ve had a boatload of the smaller bumble bees buzzing in the flowers, more goldfinches than I’ve ever seen, and the bluebirds are still hanging around. The blue jays are as loud mouthed and plentiful as ever and just muscled a bunch of bluebirds out of the birdbath.

    Plus cocktails!

  61. 61.

    raven

    @japa21: Ah, glad to hear that. I had no symptoms but, after a year of fooling around, my GP pressed me to get em done. I had a couple of polyps last time so they moved me to a 2 year rotation. I have so many friends who have gone through so much worse I figure this is pretty minor.

  62. 62.

    Eric S.

    @raven: wait, now, Curt Shilling said that. He’s quite possibly dumber than Trump. I couldn’t but enough popcorn.

  65. 65.

    Mike E

    @raven: Another Phillies crank! 1st it was Bunning, then Carlton, and now the bloody sock…on behalf of Phila I offer my sincere apologies

  66. 66.

    Origuy

    Dance practice tonight; our Scottish Country Dance group will be at the Pleasanton Highland Games on Labor Day weekend.
    Our opening dance is Pelorus Jack, named after a famous New Zealand dolphin.

  67. 67.

    jacy

    Still fighting a losing custody battle with the cheating ex in a rigged local system. Looking like the best thing I can do is give up gracefully. The only thing the kids and I can hope for at this point is that now that he’s going to be the parent in charge for the first time in 16 years, he’s going to realize parenting is hard and ask for it all to be undone. Everyone thinks that will happen within three months if not sooner, but that’s cold comfort. No fun telling the kids that they have to live in hell from now on, and just hope that it’s temporary according to his whims.

  69. 69.

    Miss Bianca

    @bystander: Maybe we got all your hummies then, because up in the mountains of CO I have had *clouds* of the little buggers all round my feeders! To the point where the feeders are being refilled a couple times a day!

    ETA: Usually the feeders only need refilling every day or so at the height of the season. But I’ve had 15 or 16 at a time trying to crowd 2-3 on each of the little bar stools – er, perches – for three or four weeks now!

  70. 70.

    debbie

    @Mnemosyne:

    Last week, one of my FB friends had two Hamilton tickets for sale. Just as I was trying to figure out how to let you know (it was early morning here in the Buckeye State), they were scarfed up by someone else.

  73. 73.

    Mnemosyne

    @jacy:

    I’m so sorry. It sounds like your kids are old enough to understand, so you may be able to explain it to them (though you may want to ask your lawyer for wording that lets you explain it but doesn’t leave you open to any “parental alienation” accusations).

    The one good thing is, once they each turn 18, they’ll never have to speak to that asshole again, so at least they have that to look forward to.

  75. 75.

    JPL

    @jacy: That is so sad. Is it possible to do joint custody? I’m wishing good thoughts that your children and you will be okay.

  76. 76.

    Mnemosyne

    @debbie:

    No worries — now that the original cast has started leaving, I don’t mind waiting until next year when it’s here in Los Angeles. I have my tickets reserved, so I just have to wait for the date!

  77. 77.

    Trollhattan

    Oh boy–protect the nation or kill the death tax? What to do…what to do?

    An open letter signed by 50 Republican national security experts has warned that party nominee Donald Trump “would be the most reckless president” in US history.

    The group – which includes the former CIA director Michael Hayden – said Mr Trump “lacks the character, values and experience” to be president. Many of the signatories had declined to sign a similar note in March. “None of us will vote for Donald Trump,” the letter states.

    The letter comes after a number of high-profile Republicans stepped forward to disown Mr Trump. Mr Trump has broken with years of Republican foreign policy on a number of occasions.The candidate has questioned whether the US should honour its commitments to Nato, endorsed the use of torture and suggested that South Korea and Japan should arm themselves with nuclear weapons.

    “He weakens US moral authority as the leader of the free world,” the letter read.

    “He appears to lack basic knowledge about and belief in the US Constitution, US laws, and US institutions, including religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and an independent judiciary.”

  78. 78.

    Baud

    Oklahoma! (TPM)

    For the first time since 1940, the Tulsa World declines to endorse the Republican nominee for President: “From Day One, the Trump campaign has brought out the worst of America, not the greatness that he promises.”

  79. 79.

    jacy

    @gogol’s wife:

    Yeah, you’d think the fact that the mistress is good friends with the judge (and her family helped bankroll his election) would make some kind of a difference, but I’ve been advised that they own all the judges, so even if I could get him to recuse himself, it wouldn’t make a difference. If I had enough money, I could possibly appeal, but they can literally pour a million dollars into court cases and not blink. My attorney says my best hope is that he realizes that raising kids who publicly trash the mistress every chance they get will destroy his lifestyle and just give up. The kids give him a month before he caves, but I think he’ll hold out a little longer. It’s just demoralizing that they’re going to let him indulge his control fantasy and I’ll be left cleaning up the mess, again, as soon as he changes his mind. All we want is to move on and live our lives, but if he’s miserable, he wants everybody else to be too.

  81. 81.

    jacy

    @JPL:

    I will still have joint legal custody — they can’t find any reason to take that away. I’ll just only be able to see the kids about 10 days out of the month. He will have domicilliary custody because it’s been judged that since he’s paying tuition, the children will have to stay in their current private schools. I tried for every weekend, but he’s argued that will interfere with his ability to take them to church, so they’re looking at granting extra weekend time in addition to weekdays.

  82. 82.

    lgerard

    @raven:

    On Facebook (of course) Schilling “announced” that he is planning on running for political office in the near future. The plan: win a seat in the Massachusetts statehouse in the near future and then run for President in 2024.

    LOL

    The MA State House is the sleepiest backwater imaginable. The only reason Scott Brown got elected is that no one knew he had been a State Senator (He never mentioned it)
    Maybe Shilling should move back to Arizona, I assume they still remember him there.

  83. 83.

    Burnspbesq

    “Violent Ball Related Sport 7” (handball) is every bit as violent as advertised.

    Synchronized diving is an Olympic event. The flying ampersand could be that.

  85. 85.

    Soylent Green

    Fuck it, I’m voting for Evan McMullin. He has the electrolytes we need. From his opening statement:

    Our American Nation is the greatest experiment in freedom the world has ever known.

    As well as

    Those who embrace the dignity and value of every human life from conception until death

    Yep, another stalwart defender of freedom Zygote-Americans.

  88. 88.

    bemused

    @jacy:

    Maybe the ex will cave in when the mistress gets fed up with getting stink eyes from the kids or does she have a fantasy that they will grow to adore her?

  89. 89.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    “From Day One, the Trump campaign has brought out the worst of America…”

    Awesome, coming from OK!

  92. 92.

    Hungry Joe

    @raven: A few years ago I saw Schilling on the (dumbed-down) Celebrity Jeopardy. I think he was outscored by a sack of ball-peen hammers. I mean, the guy was missing “He was buried in Grant’s tomb” and “The color of Washington’s white horse” clues. His ignorance was as vast as Wolf Blitzer’s, who on another Celebrity Jeopardy ended up with a score of something like minus-88,000,000.

  94. 94.

    jacy

    @bemused:

    Actually, no one doubts that will happen, now the betting pool opens as to when. It’s been two years since he walked out, and right now the mistress can’t get within 20 feet of either kid without them (literally) screaming at her to get away from them. He says he can’t marry said mistress until the kids give their blessing (and he and the mistress can’t live together until they get married), and he somehow thinks forcing them to live with him against their will is going to change this. There is a faction who know the situation who believe that this is all his passive/aggressive bid to get rid of the mistress (who keeps bugging him to marry her) without having to do the dirty work himself. Having been with him for 20 years, this wouldn’t surprise me. What he really wants to is to live by himself and surround himself with expensive toys and never to have to be responsible for anything. He doesn’t make enough money to do that himself, but the mistresses’ bank account unfortunately comes with strings. It’s a ridiculous situation to put kids into, but here we are. She supposed to be gifting him with a brand new mustang for Christmas, so maybe as soon as he has the car he’ll pull the plug. I just wish we could get to the end game without having to suffer through the next couple of months.

  95. 95.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I’ve been out of Internet contact all afternoon, just logged on to BJ and haven’t yet read through this or any other of the day’s threads.

    So please forgive me if this is old news, but … there’s a new AJC poll showing Hillary up over Donald in Georgia by seven points!! This is not that old boring one from a few days ago that showed a four-point lead (which was exciting enough). No, this is brand new, released today, and makes me think that Georgia might really, actually go blue this year.

    Not that I’m complacent or taking anything for granted. Register. GOTV. Take your friends.

  96. 96.

    Patricia Kayden

    @jl: LOL. It would be Cole winning the gold, silver and bronze! Now that’s the kind of sport which would boost Olympic viewership.

  97. 97.

    Seth Owen

    @raven: ah, there’s the flaw in Curt’s plan. He thinks he is popular enough in Massachusetts to win an election. Look, we all love what he did for the Red Sox, but that’s not likely to carry him into office.

  98. 98.

    Patricia Kayden

    @efgoldman: Pretty sure that Schilling is inspired by Trump’s success in winning the Republican nomination. Now any loudmouthed bigot can run as the Republican Presidential candidate.

    And get their behind beat by the Democratic challenger.

  100. 100.

    Mandalay

    One highlight from an enthralling study from Gawker on why you never see Trump without a jacket….

    The funny thing is, there’s a side of Donald that not even [Marla] has seen. She has never seen him completely naked—at least almost never—because he won’t let her. Whenever they’re about to have sex, he makes her go into the bathroom while he gets undressed. As soon as he takes off his clothes, he jumps into the bed and pulls up the covers. She knows that he’s ashamed to show her what a flabby old body he has. He has no idea that just makes him seem cuter and more cuddly to her.

    You’re welcome.

  101. 101.

    Jacel

    @Bill E Pilgrim: It’s like the entire Republican operation is having a macaca moment, such as the one that derailed George Allen’s senate campaign in 2006.

  102. 102.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Eric U.: Reminds me of how the tea baggers got started out with “tea baggers” until they were informed about the existing meaning of “tea bagger”. Then they switched to “tea party”. Still missing the point that the Boston Tea Party was about dumping a corporation’s goods into the bay.

  103. 103.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @hovercraft:

    Lara Trump tried to drive the point home.

    “I had nothing to do with the Facebook page but what I’ll tell you is that there’s a famous quote that says,” she explained before pausing. “Wait, I forgot my quote!”

    Patton reminded her that she meant to repeat a quote often attributed to Albert Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

    Somebody needs to share this with Lara.

  104. 104.

    bemused

    @jacy:

    Oh what a tangled web he’s woven! This actually doesn’t surprise me. I have known a person or two going to extreme lengths to simultaneously get what he/she wants and get out of what he/she doesn’t. His life must be exhausting.

  105. 105.

    Pogonip

    @Iowa Old Lady: I’ve never seen her behave bizarrely, but I have noticed what may be small seizures now and then. If they’re fleeting, which they seem to be, and mostly controlled by medication, I don’t think they’re a bar to the presidency.

  107. 107.

    mapaghimagsik

    Everyone is entitled to a harassment-free workplace.
    Where in the world did these people think they would get that at Fox, which considers all that just ‘political correctness’?

  108. 108.

    Major Major Major Major

    @efgoldman:

    Apparently they either don’t have backups and redundancy, or all the backup hardware, software and storage are in the same physical facility. What the hell way is that to run a major business in the 21st century? That’s just stupid beyond belief.

    There was a nasty thunderstorm around Appalachia a few years back that took down the Eastern US Amazon Web Services facilities for a while, and Tumblr/Instagram/part of Twitter/etc. went down with them. Even they make that mistake.

  109. 109.

    Eric U.

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: Trump is so perfectly ruining the republican party that I don’t think anyone could have come up with such a plan**. So that’s a difference. He’s ruining his own brand at the same time, so the people that think Bill Clinton put him up to it are totally bonkers, kookoobanananuts.

    **now that I think of it, Obama started the whole thing with the WHCD, so maybe this is just his normal 11th dimensional chess and we can’t grasp the subtlety

  110. 110.

    JPL

    @SiubhanDuinne: I don’t think it was an AJC poll, however it is good news. Since Clinton is polling higher in central GA, than in the Atlanta area, it is hard to believe. The President carried Fulton Cty both times and that poll has Hillary at 45 in the Atlanta area, and 49 in central GA.

    Thanks for the link.. I had not seen the breakdown of that poll before.

  111. 111.

    bemused

    @Mandalay:

    I suppose if Trump gets asked to throw out a baseball, he’ll refuse to do it in a uniform unlike wannabe vp Christie.

  112. 112.

    Pogonip

    What am I doing? Waiting, waiting, waiting for Cole. I think these dramatic pet rescues are a sneaky way to increase site traffic. Been checking all day while we wait for the repairman. (He’s come and gone and we have a/c again! Yay!)

  113. 113.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mnemosyne:

    (Ladies, get out your fans before clicking!)

    Whoo-WEE!!

    I may be 74 years old, but I think I just released an egg.

  114. 114.

    raven

    BREAKING – Law suit filed against HRC today. ‪#‎Demexit‬
    “The lawsuit alleges that Clinton’s negligence was directly responsible for Smith’s and Woods’ deaths, even saying that terrorists were able to locate them because of “the information that was obtained from Defendant Clinton’s ‘extremely careless’ handling of confidential and classified government information.”
    But aside from the wrongful death and negligence charges, they’re also going after Clinton for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
    The defamation charge concerns this:
    “Defendant Clinton made false and defamatory statements negligently, recklessly, purposefully, and/or intentionally with actual malice… by stating that Plaintiffs were lying about Clinton having told them that the Benghazi Attack was caused by an anti-Muslim YouTube video.”

  116. 116.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @bystander:

    Plus cocktails!

    Because the entire preceding paragraph was about birds, it’s little wonder that I first read the quoted bit as “Plus cockatiels!”

  118. 118.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Mandalay: Way too much information.

    @bemused: The American public has done nothing to deserve seeing Trump in an umpire uniform. We’re still recovering from Christie’s unsightly photos of the same.

  119. 119.

    rikyrah

    Justin Wolfers ‏@JustinWolfers 2h2 hours ago

    By implementing his proposed childcare subsidy as a tax deduction rather than a tax credit, Trump effectively excludes all poor families.

  120. 120.

    Patricia Kayden

    @raven: So Larry Klayman is pushing another stupid anti-Democratic Official lawsuit? Must be a day that ends with a “y”.

  122. 122.

    jacy

    @bemused:

    Goodness know I find it exhausting. But I’ve gotten used to being the only adult in the room. He is unraveling, just not on my timetable.

    @satby:
    It’s completely up to the judge’s discretion whether the children are allowed to say anything. And said judge has found it in his best interest to maintain the children are minors and have no say in what happens. Like I said, I could appeal, but I’ll run out of money before the other side does, so my best course of action is to wait for the ex to implode, as no one, not even his lawyer, doubts he will.

  123. 123.

    Ceci n'est pas mon nym

    @ruemara:

    I’m working out & cuddling up next to a warm tv with half nekkid swimming mens.

    How many half-nekkid swimming men are you cuddling with? You must have a large (but somewhat damp) sofa.

    I was kind of half-asleep at work today due to Olympic sleep-deprivation. Fortunately there wasn’t a lot to do but catch up on e-mail.

    I hate, hate, HATE live coverage on NBC so I’m not watching a minute of it, instead consuming recorded streams. And unfortunately that gives me so many hundreds of hours of TV watching to choose from, I could watch 24/7 for months and still not see everything that I might potentially want to see.

    But I finally figured that for the sports I enjoy, I just like watching anybody compete in them. Medal drama and world records are very exciting, but so is watching preliminaries and seeing the early chapters of the medal drama. And I’ve found I don’t particularly care who is competing, I just like watching the skills and I can always find somebody to root for. So that gives me some hope of being able to watch a reasonable number of hours per day, if I don’t feel I have to watch every second of every 2.5-hr stream I click on. “Think I’ll watch some men’s gymnastics. Time for some volleyball. Hey, I haven’t seen any weightlifting yet…”

    I still get suckered into watching too much though. Last night it was the recording of the 48-kg women’s weightlifting and one heck of a competition for the medal. Ended up getting all involved and watching probably 1.5 out of the 2.5 hrs, way past where I was telling myself I needed to go to bed.

    I’m not normally a sports watcher, so I have no idea why I am so fascinated with so many Olympic sports.

  124. 124.

    satby

    @jacy: I’m really sorry jacy, that just suck. But if the kids know the score this will be a train wreck, because they can be very creative at making people suffer. Try to stay positive with them, and let them know you’ll be waiting when the charade is over.
    Mine only fought for custody because he didn’t want to pay child support, but he was already delinquent when he decided to try for custody. So the judge wasn’t particularly convinced of his parental devotion.

  125. 125.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @jacy:

    I’m so sorry, Jacy. What a sucky situation. I hope at least you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see the kids — and I think (?) they are old enough that it won’t be for too long. But that is, as you say, cold comfort right now. Strength and {{{{{hugs}}}}} to you.

  128. 128.

    Capri

    @jacy: Reserve judgement until it happens. If your ex wasn’t involved in their daily lives, he probably has no clue what that entails. My ex- wanted modest custody, 2/3 of the time they’d live with me and see him a weeknight and alternate weekends and the other 1/3 of the tine the situation would flip. When they stayed with him I refused to pick them up after school and take them to their sports teams, make them lunches, pay for incidentals, etc. – basically all those little things that I had always done when we were married. It lasted exactly 1 time – then they stayed with me and I never heard about them staying with him again.

  130. 130.

    Eric S.

    @efgoldman:

    or all the backup hardware, software and storage are in the same physical facility

    I worked for a company that located their disaster recovery sight 30 minutes away from their headquarters. Their logic, it would be quick for staff and management to get there. Pointing out that a major disaster that took out the power grid – the grid they ran – went right over their heads.

  132. 132.

    JPL

    @Baud: Families who lost sons by political parties are not new. I sorta
    give them a pass. The lawsuit will get tossed, though.

  133. 133.

    Mary G

    @jacy: That sounds awful for you to be in the middle of. Hang in there. I still remember that scene in “Parenthood” where Keanu Reeves’ character says something like “you have to get a license to own a dog, but any old asshole can have kids.” It’s too true.

  134. 134.

    bemused

    @Patricia Kayden:

    No, we’ve been punished enough already.
    I wish I could remember where I recently saw a large photo of Trump from the back with a shot of the back of his head and hair, what little strands of it were draped over. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Trump closeup that revealing. Long pieces of hair flying in the wind, yes, but not what that ridiculous hairless do looks like in the back.

  136. 136.

    SFAW

    @raven:

    Oh waaaaaa, We hate NBC, we hate exploitative sports, we back stories, we hate commercials, we hate announcers. . . what did I miss???

    Fuck that. I hate NBC because (as I understand it) the local franchise is too fucking greedy and is trying to shake down DirecTV for more $$$ to let DirecTV carry the Olympic feed. So, we get the equivalent of a BSOD when we (try to) tune in the Olympics.

    Yes, it’s a Zeroth World problem, and certainly does not come anywhere near the causes that lead to your “Fuck LBJ,” but it would be nice if WHDH (or whatever their call letters are) weren’t such dicks about it.

  137. 137.

    chopper

    @jacy:

    some people are the sort of dicksacks who just want to win and rub peoples’ faces in it. like trump.

    he might come back a month later and tell (not ask, tell) you to take the kids but either way “the court said i was a better parent! it’s right here!”.

    people are real assholes. OTOH, the kids seem to understand all this, and so if you have to humor him, whatever. your kids will thank you.

  140. 140.

    satby

    @Capri: and as jacy says that will probably happen with her ex, too.
    Mine put my kids through Oscar level performances of how much he wanted them with him but mean old mom stood in the way… until the first summer he had them for a month. The next summer things he had going on prevented them from visiting for more than two weeks. Then they didn’t see him for 5 years.
    But the kids suffer from being pawns and realizing their other parent doesn’t really care all that much about them.

  141. 141.

    JPL

    @Baud: True.. The attorney is paid for by the political party. Unfortunately the used families can never move forward.

  142. 142.

    bemused

    @jacy:

    I hope it works out better than his history indicates. He could very well be in over his head this time and won’t be able to keep up his machinations…too many balls in the air.

  144. 144.

    SFAW

    @Hungry Joe:

    His ignorance was as vast as Wolf Blitzer’s, who on another Celebrity Jeopardy ended up with a score of something like minus-88,000,000

    Don’t exaggerate — it was only minus-387,000.

  145. 145.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JPL:

    I don’t think it was an AJC poll

    You’re absolutely right. I first saw it on the AJC website and was too quick to share the info (aka leap to conclusions). Still, it is encouraging to see numbers like that in this state.

  146. 146.

    lamh36

    I mean…these male divers’ suits…are just barely covering their junk…

    I ain’t complaining, IJS…lol

  147. 147.

    Corner Stone

    Man, another thread with a significant chunk of parenting comments in it. Why does shomi force me to keep coming here?!

  148. 148.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    @raven: We hate it, yet we watch it. If we watch, they have no reason to change. NBC wins.

    Oh, you left out LBJ (Fuck LBJ!); some of us hate LBJ.

  150. 150.

    chopper

    @jacy:

    She supposed to be gifting him with a brand new mustang for Christmas,

    if she has even a few brain cells to rub together she’ll be smart enough to conveniently keep forgetting to sign the title over.

  151. 151.

    bystander

    What BJ wag wrote the “Come fireworks, land on Trump” poem?

    That’s up there with “Black Trump” in the category for next year’s Jeopardy Tournament of Champions’s category “Things that Made Trump’s Failed POTUS Bid Liveable”.

  155. 155.

    JPL

    @SiubhanDuinne: I still think it’s wishful thinking. The numbers from central and coastal GA for Hillary are toooooo high. They are spot on in north GA though.

  157. 157.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @jacy:
    As bullshit as all of this is, seeing you reaching out to the public and posting regularly on BJ again is wonderful. I have never forgotten you, either as a person or as a crucial helper in getting me to a life where I’m earning a living as an author.

  158. 158.

    MomSense

    @jacy:

    Do you have a Guardian involved? If possible, I would ask your lawyer to file a motion to have one appointed. It sounds like you would also have to screen any potential guardian for conflicts with the mistress. Giving in to this custody change is setting off all of my alarm bells.

    Sending you strength and support.

  159. 159.

    Magatha

    @jacy: Sounds like you’re doing everything right in a very tough situation. I agree: you’ll need the money you save for your kids after their father implodes. Meanwhile, hang in there, keep your kids close emotionally…and start writing that screenplay. Who should play you in the film?

  160. 160.

    SFAW

    @raven:

    Hahahaha! Dish is fucking great!

    Get thee behind me, Spawn of Satan!

    Actually, I don’t give a shit either way. For all the TV that I watch — close to none, except for Jeopardy — I might as well use the thing as a dartboard. Except when the Olympics come around, or when the Mets make it into the World Series, or the Jets into the Super Bowl. (So you can see how little I use it.)

  161. 161.

    lamh36

    @Emma: Right…I mean…I ain’t complaining but for example, the British team guys after each dive…my Lord…makes me feel like a dirty ole lady…lol

  163. 163.

    Mnemosyne

    Oh, since narcissists are on the menu, I have a query for you all:

    So I texted and emailed my Disney World plan to my older niece and got the same response as last time, namely, My mom loves the idea and says she’ll call you with permission. Naturally, there’s been no call.

    Now, because I was fully expecting this, I don’t actually need the call until about mid-November. So, since I’m dealing with a narcissist, how often should I politely nag? I’m leaning towards once a week, myself, but let me know.

  167. 167.

    raven

    @SFAW: I really didn’t know until it started but there are 8 channels with Olympics plus Dish has and APP that puts you on whatever you want. I also have the Hopper and Dish sling so I can get all of it on my computers and iPad. My biggest regret is that I scheduled my hernia surgery the Tuesday after it is over, it would have been great to have it for the couple of days I’ll be out of commission.

  168. 168.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @JPL:
    While I understand all too well how it works, seeing Jacy curl up and hide from the world as she went through the absolute Hell of the last few years has been very sad. Even this mess means a friend has dragged herself up out of the real abyss.

  169. 169.

    SFAW

    @Mandalay:

    She knows that he’s ashamed to show her what a flabby old body he has.

    More bullshit. Why, just a couple of months ago, he classy doctor said that Deadbeat Donnie, when he gets elected, would be in the best shape of any President EVAH EVAH EVAH! Of course, I didn’t hear Deadbeat say he has THE BEST health and THE BEST body, but that’s because he’s a modest chap. And his BMI of 31-plus is also THE BEST.

  172. 172.

    jacy

    @Capri:

    That’s what’s coming. I’ve been a work-at-home mom their entire lives, and I’ve had them 24/7 the last two years. He has no clue what it takes to parent. He hasn’t even been to a single school event for either of them in the past two years, let alone had to take care of every one of their extracurricular activities (between them they have multiple extracurriculars), doctor’s, lunches, homework. And he works in another city from where they go to school, so he’ll have to get them to school for 7:30, commute an hour, work for a couple of hours, commute an hour back to be there by 3 PM. EVERY DAY. And unless something drastically changes, he can’t see the mistress when he has the boys — they flat refuse and will continue to do so quite vocally. He’s not going to survive very long like that.

    @satby: He’s fought me about child support for two years. Never paid a dime. (I do make more money than he does, which, in his mind, meant he didn’t need to pay, even though he rarely saw the kids). That’s what started this whole thing. But now he’s going to end up paying both private school tuitions, all incidentals, and all the wear and tear from commuting. He might have ended up owing me a couple hundred bucks a months, but now it’ll be costing him close to $1200 extra a month. On top of whatever he paid a lawyer to take me to court. Makes no sense, but there you are.

    @SiubhanDuinne: Thanks. We’ll get through it. They are wonderful, brilliant, clever children. They’re smarter about it than either of their parents. They know the score and know I’ll be there no matter what. It just sucks they have to deal with it. A year and a half and the older one will probably never see or speak to his father again. Which sucks for both of them, but I actually hope someday their father comes out of his midlife crisis and decides it’s worth having a relationship again, and at that point it’s not too late.

  173. 173.

    Emma

    @lamh36: And they got bronze, yes? I wonder whether it was the jumps or the assets that dazzled the judges! *snicker*

  176. 176.

    SFAW

    @Mnemosyne:

    Just send me her contact info, and I’ll handle it for you.

    Wait … do you want to remain on speaking terms after this is all done? Because that’s generally not an option when I work my “magic.”

    [Sister? Or sister-in-law?]

  177. 177.

    hovercraft

    @catclub:
    The original has acumen ? Who knew, and here I thought he was just a con man, who buries anyone who complains in endless litigation.

  179. 179.

    Mnemosyne

    @jacy:

    Even otherwise normal fathers sometimes get really weird about paying child support. My brother was bitching about it because his ex-wife had remarried someone richer than he is, and I pointed out that they’re HIS children and if he didn’t want to support them, he shouldn’t have had them. Shut him right up.

    (And he does have joint physical custody and was still bitching about it. I think he’s still mad that his ex remarried before he did.)

  180. 180.

    Eric S.

    @lamh36:

    those divers heads seem SOOOO close to those platforms

    As I recall that is very intentional. Getting to far away from the board / platform can cause a point deduction.

  181. 181.

    Ceci n'est pas mon nym

    @ThresherK: You made me realize I hadn’t yet watched any diving. And I’ve NEVER seen synchronized diving. Interesting.

    As I’ve already mentioned, I’m mostly watching online via the BBC website. All I had to do was invest a few bucks in a VPN client to make it look like I originate in the UK (if that sounds too techie, it’s really not. You just download something like “Strong VPN”, let it do its setup thing, and then pick a server located in the UK). I don’t own a TV.

  184. 184.

    JPL

    @jacy: It does suck, but it sounds like you are able to keep you and yours, together. It’s going to be a tough few months, and hopefully you come out stronger because of it.

  185. 185.

    ThresherK

    @lamh36:

    Me: “What are those marks on the Britons’ suits?”
    Spousal ThresherK: “I can’t tell.”
    Me: “Look closer.”
    S-T-K: “I can’t tell. I’m looking as close as I can, trust me!”

  186. 186.

    Bex

    @Miss Bianca: A new novel called “The Hamilton Affair” came out Aug.2. All I know about it is there’s a waiting list for it at the library.

  187. 187.

    SFAW

    @hovercraft:

    The original has acumen ?

    I think catclub was thinking of that other fascist, the one who wrote “Drumpster is i-cumin in, Lhude sing goddam”

  188. 188.

    Mnemosyne

    @SFAW:

    Sister-in-law, who is the sole surviving parent for my two nieces and is convinced that we’re trying to steal them away because we think she’s a bad mother. Which we are, because she is, so I have to play nice if I want to be able to see them.

    Basically, she’s like a three-year-old who’s lost interest in a toy but refuses to let anyone else play with it because it’s HERS.

  189. 189.

    Mnemosyne

    @raven:

    And yet the fact that the other parent is an asshole doesn’t relieve him from his financial responsibility towards his children. True story.

  190. 190.

    hovercraft

    @JPL: @SiubhanDuinne:
    I think this is the poll from JMC Analytics polling

    SUMMARY

    For the last two Presidential elections, Georgia has been competitive for a Deep South state, as robust population
    growth has introduced both geographic and ethnic variety into its electorate, particularly in the counties in and
    around Atlanta. This poll was recently conducted by JMC Analytics and Polling to gauge voter attitudes about both
    the Presidential and the U.S. Senate race.

    Polls conducted since the Democratic convention have showed some movement towards Hillary Clinton, and this
    poll has shown similar movement: Clinton has a seven point (44-37%) lead over Trump, while 7% favor
    Libertarian Gary Johnson, 1% favor Green Jill Stein, and 10% are undecided. While robust black support (84-6%
    over Trump) helps Clinton, she’s also pulling 25% of the white vote, while Johnson gets another 10%, and Trump
    can only get 52%. From a geographic standpoint, only the (nearly all white) counties in the Chattanooga TN and
    Greenville SC media markets are showing much affinity for Trump. It also helps Clinton that there is a 14-point
    gender gap: men favor Trump 41-40%, while women favor Clinton 48-35%.

  191. 191.

    raven

    @Mnemosyne: That’s right and he would never consider not fulfilling his responsibility. Being a shitty, lying fucking parent isn’t gender specific and she’s all that.

  193. 193.

    JPL

    @hovercraft: When I saw the link that Siubhan provided and read the polling results, the only accurate section is North GA. The Atlanta area has always been democratic, but it’s not yet strong enough to carry the rest of the state. The poll, imo, looks skewed.

  194. 194.

    Roger Moore

    @lamh36:

    I mean…these male divers’ suits…are just barely covering their junk…

    The swimmers used to wear the same style of suits, until the new-fangled low-drag suits came along. But the divers are generally much more ripped than the swimmers are. They aren’t supposed to, but judges tend to give better scores to better looking divers, so they tend to be pretty ripped. OTOH, spending as much time in the water as swimmers do generally results in them having enough subcutaneous fat that you’ll rarely see a swimmer with good definition.

  197. 197.

    Mnemosyne

    @raven:

    I never said that my brother was a shitty parent. In fact, I specified that he’s a good parent, and so is his ex. Nonetheless, he still has this weird kick that paying child support for his children isn’t fair because his ex’s husband makes more than my brother does.

  198. 198.

    bemused

    @jacy:

    The ex is his own worst enemy and can’t see it. They eventually manage to orchestrate their own downfall and it sounds like the ex is soon to find that out. He won’t take any responsibility and it’s frustrating that you and kids have to put up with this needlessly but you will get through it.

  200. 200.

    PsiFighter37

    I was watching women’s rugby earlier at work…I would not want to be hit by any of those women. It looked brutal out there!

    PF37 +5

  201. 201.

    raven

    @hovercraft: I thought I answered DC??? Yea, I did, at 180.

    “The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by Larry Klayman of Freedom Watch USA on behalf of Patricia Smith, the mother of Sean Smith, and Charles Woods, the father of Tyrone Woods, for allegedly wrongfully causing the death of their sons as well as for defamation and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress”

  202. 202.

    Roger Moore

    @lamh36:

    Ugh…those divers heads seem SOOOO close to those platforms sometimes…ugh.

    It isn’t just “seem”. They’re supposed to go as close to straight vertical as possible, so they really are that close. Every diver has hit the board occasionally during a dive, and even Olympic caliber divers will do it occasionally during competition. Famously, Greg Louganis hit the board in the prelims in the 1988 Olympics, got stitches between dives, and went on to win the gold.

  204. 204.

    hovercraft

    @JPL:
    Georgia is going to be our version of PA for a couple of cycles I think, but as long as she is off the air in VA and CO, and she has the money, why not put some of those savings into GA. If nothing else it would forces both the Trump campaign and the NRSC to spend money there.

  205. 205.

    Mary G

    @lamh36: I wanted to share this article by Tom and Lorenzo, Fabulous and Opinionated, about the best costumes in the opening ceremony last night. I’m sure you agree with number one!

    The readers there call themselves the Bitter Kittens, and if you scroll down to about the 10th comment by Anna, there is a cute GIF there of what all the BKs are doing today.

    I am the least fashionable person in the world, but I love their blog and the BKs. Did you know the lining of the Australian team’s blazers had the name of every gold medal winner ever from their country?

  209. 209.

    Mnemosyne

    @raven:

    You seem to think the fact that your buddy’s ex is an asshole is germane to the conversation. Nobody is saying that women aren’t assholes, but many guys do have a weird beef about paying child support to their exes, even if they’re good dads. What, exactly, is your argument?

  210. 210.

    Anoniminous

    @hovercraft:

    Need to contrast/compare to exit polls from 2012 to be able to get a grip on what is happening. I doubt Georgia will flip. Yet this election is so whacked-out freaky can’t rule anything out a priori.

  211. 211.

    JPL

    @hovercraft: It is likely that the democratic running for Senate, will be in a runoff with Isakson. Hopefully, they have money left over to contend that seat Isakson used to be a moderate, and now seems to be concerned about making sure we have another racist like Scalia on the court.

  212. 212.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @raven: The judge should summarily dismiss, then inform the DC bar that Klayman should be stripped of his professional certification for filing an obviously frivolous suit.

  213. 213.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @hovercraft: Ben Jealous was just on the Hayes show and said he chalks her lead up to white women and the six to ten percent of African-Americans who usually vote GOP but are deserting Trump.

    He also said there are over half a million un-registered minority voters in GA, which was a stat I thought I’d remembered hearing but thought I must’ve misheard or misremembered. It’s a staggering number.

  214. 214.

    lamh36

    It’s great to see the emotion in the new Olympians or first time medalists. They are just as excited for a Bronze as for Gold…

    The joy on the faces of those folks is a reason to watch the games.

    I like when the veteran Olympians are still excited to medal, even if it’s NOT gold. I mean ya gotta think about it, 107 nations, and only a small few will even medal in the games…so yeah…I like to see celebration when it happens to not be Gold.

  216. 216.

    Emma

    @lamh36: I admire each and everyone of them, even the ones that come in last. They are part of the elite of their sport, worldwide. I’d love to be 45th in the world at something!

  219. 219.

    Ceci n'est pas mon nym

    @lamh36: I had a friend compete in rowing in one Olympics. They ended up coming in 5th, which means they made the finals.

    Making the finals in the freakin’ Olympics, coming in 5th in the whole freakin’ world is pretty damned exciting. I was very excited and awestruck on his behalf.

  221. 221.

    raven

    @Emma: It’s the one’s that come in 4th that I feel sorry for. Then there were the two UGA women swimmers on the relay team. They swam in the prelim not in the final. They get Silver but they were not on the stand.

  223. 223.

    lamh36

    @Mary G: I love TLo’s blog. I check it almost daily, and I comment pretty regularly sometimes…I consider myself an honorary Bitter Kitten…lol

  224. 224.

    SFAW

    @Mnemosyne:

    Sounds pretty bad. Sorry for your nieces, glad you’re doing what you can, they do and will appreciate it, I’m somewhat certain. I hope the situation improves, although I imagine the odds are poor.

  226. 226.

    Mary G

    @lamh36: +Me too! I’ve been reading them since they started out reviewing Project Runway and called themselves Project Rungay. I’m happy they’ve had so much success.

  227. 227.

    hovercraft

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:
    Obama’s pollster Cornell Belcher was on one of the shows last week , he said that they considered going into GA, but the ATL media market is just too expensive. The potential was there, but the didn’t have the resources to spare. As for the unregistered African Americans, across the south the numbers are there, registration of new voters of color and the influx of northerners are how he won NC the first time.

  228. 228.

    Emma

    @raven: It must be heartbreaking to lose by a smidgen, so to speak. But still, 4th in the freaking world. Jesus.

  229. 229.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I’m sure this will have no effect at all on Trump’s efforts to stay on prompter

    James Hohmann ‏@ ameshohmann 3m3 minutes ago
    BIG: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) will NOT vote for Trump. Explains why in op-ed for Post

    Should we have a contest to guess her nickname before he tweets it out?

  230. 230.

    raven

    @Emma: Allison Schmidtt won a bronze on the 4×100 relay in 2008, five medals: three gold, one silver, and one bronze in 2012 and a silver last night. What I didn’t know is that she suffered a major depression and was helped by Phelps and his wife to address it.

  235. 235.

    Mandalay

    Ruh-roh….I bet they were thinking that they finally had him potty trained over the weekend, but Trump is off his leash again this evening…

    Many people are saying that the Iranians killed the scientist who helped the U.S. because of Hillary Clinton’s hacked emails.

    I starting to believe that those who argue that Trump doesn’t want to win really are on to something.

  243. 243.

    bmoak

    @jacy: Wait. Your kids are teenagers and the family court judge never asked their opinion on placement or custody?

  244. 244.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: she doesn’t say (per Kornacki), but she’s one of those I suspect will vote for Clinton

    @Corner Stone: Yeah, from what Kornacki read it’s all about civility and tone, I must’ve missed her denunciation of the racist Trumpling who is currently her governor and fellow Republican. I hope she draws Trump’s wrath, and LePage’s, she deserves it and I want them all tearing at each other

  246. 246.

    Tripod

    They are dragging out all the hits of the nineties.

    Hillary has re-started her ruthless assassination program, i.e. some random, never associated people have died. There’s a conspiracy afoot!

  247. 247.

    Corner Stone

    @bmoak: In TX the court can choose to hear the testimony of a child of 12 years or older.
    Doesn’t mean that’s the decider, but still.

  248. 248.

    raven

    @Emma: And one wonders how incredible pressure and success contributed to her depression. I remember when the introduced her at halftime of a Georgia football game and 90,000 people when nuts cheering her.

  250. 250.

    Emma

    @SFAW: Every time I see that video I cry. Especially when you realize that a lot of people, including athletes, have decided to wait for him, just to cheer him on.

  251. 251.

    Percysowner

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    she doesn’t say (per Kornacki), but she’s one of those I suspect will vote for Clinton

    Kornacki just corrected. She said she won’t vote for Clinton either. Still Donald losing a vote is a good thing.

  252. 252.

    J R in WV

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Wow! I wish I could have someone follow me around with a diazepam injector!

    That would make life so much less tense:

    You look nervous!

    Psssht … Instant calm!

    ;-) if only….

  253. 253.

    Mandalay

    @lamh36:

    even if it’s NOT gold

    How long before some dumbass journalist asks that eternal brain dead question: “How does it feel to ONLY get silver?”.

    AFAIK nobody ever asks “How does it feel to be nominated for an Oscar, and then fall at the final hurdle?”, or “How does it feel to be nominated for the Nobel Prize for Physics, but then fall short?”. But in sport you can ask the dumbest questions and get away with it.

  255. 255.

    Emma

    @raven: I do wonder about that myself, especially after their careers are over. What do you do with yourself? What second act can compare to being an Olympic athlete?

  256. 256.

    jacy

    @bmoak:

    The two that are still at home are 16 and 11. It’s the family court judge’s discretion whether children are consulted or not. Small town Louisiana. Children don’t have much agency, less so when their mother is a heathen and the father’s side piece is a prominent Catholic with lots of money and a politically-connected family.

  258. 258.

    raven

    @Emma: It’s that way in a lot of sports. I knew a guy who was a tackle at Illinois and he really hit the wall wen his career was over.

  262. 262.

    raven

    @Emma: Richard Thompson may have hit it in the King Of Bohemia.

    Did your dreams die young
    Were they too hard won
    Did you reach too high and fall
    And there is no rest

    For the ones God blessed
    And he blessed you best of all

  265. 265.

    Corner Stone

    Why do all the USA mens swimmers have those circle hickeys on their chest and back?

  266. 266.

    JPL

    @jacy: I didn’t realize you were in Louisiana, for some reason I thought you were in Texas. Decades ago, I lived in Lake Charles. Since my ex and I both worked for IBM at the time, we moved a lot. When we lived in IL the son’s pediatrician’s daughter, was going through a bitter divorce in Louisiana and her husband wanted custody. The doctor said I noticed you lived in Louisiana, and said they can’t do that, can they, and I said yup ..

  268. 268.

    SFAW

    @Percysowner:

    She said she won’t vote for Clinton either.

    Party before country, as usual.

    So, as always, the “moderates” fall in line. She should know better that Hitlary is not what Trump, Putin, and Alex Jones try to claim she is.

    I think it would be good fun if Angus ran against her, next time she’s up.

  270. 270.

    raven

    RIO DE JANEIRO — Olympics trivia: What has 19 gold medals and a bunch of purple circles?

    If you watched a certain swimmer’s Rio Games debut on Sunday night, when he propelled the United States 4×100-meter relay team to a gold medal, you know the answer: Michael Phelps.

    While it may look like Phelps and several other Olympians with those skin marks have been in a bar fight, the telltale dots actually are signs of “cupping,” an ancient Chinese healing practice that is experiencing an Olympic moment.

    “Because this particular recovery modality shows blemishes on his skin, he walks around and looks like a Dalmatian or a really bad tattoo sleeve,” said Keenan Robinson, Phelps’s personal trainer. “It’s just another recovery modality. There’s nothing really particularly special about it.”

  271. 271.

    Mike E

    @lamh36: one of the best commercials leading up to an Olympics was of an Iranian weightlifter clearing a tremendous lift and all pandemonium breaks out…he and his coaches jumping around like little kids while the narrator intones, “Whoever said ‘winning isn’t everything it’s the only thing’ never won a silver medal.”

  274. 274.

    JPL

    @Corner Stone: There is a cup that is placed on the back in order to release toxins and improve blood flow.. Some type of ancient Chinese thing.. It appears to suck up the skin, so maybe nsfw.

  276. 276.

    Mike E

    @Corner Stone: one of the Lonely Planet Globetrekkers had some physical issues and followed local advice to go to the corner Chinese apothecary…herbs were burned, a hot cup was applied and it all seemed kinda painful. I say no thanks, also

  277. 277.

    NoraLenderbee

    This a very funny troll, worth reading:

    How I Infiltrated a White Pride Facebook Group and Turned It into ‘LGBT Southerners for Michelle Obama’

  278. 278.

    Emma

    @Omnes Omnibus: Some have the drive and some have the chances. But it must be hard to face the rest of your life, if only because the massive structure is gone.

  279. 279.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Emma: But they also tend to be very driven, dedicated people. That can translate into success in other fields.

  281. 281.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Villago Delenda Est: I can’t link to the article but recently Klayman filed a frivolous lawsuit against BLM, President Obama, etc, on behalf of all White people. Read it on the Wonkette website. He should be fined and disbarred for using the courts for such nonsensical matters.

  282. 282.

    Mnemosyne

    @JPL:

    IIRC, it’s a medieval European thing (though I think it’s also done in China). In Europe, it was done as a bloodletting thing to put your humours back in balance.

  284. 284.

    hovercraft

    @Corner Stone:
    funny story, Russian TV is telling their audiences that it’s cheating.

    Michael Phelps won his 19th Olympic gold medal on Sunday, and attracted just as much attention for the purple marks all over his body. They come from cupping therapy, a suction-based massage popular with the US Olympic team. There was a huge Google spike after Phelps won gold from fans trying to figure out if he’s been attacked by leeches.

    While most searches revealed that cupping is legal under IOC rules – if the benefits are still under question – Russian state TV had its own thoughts.

    What is meldonium and why did Maria Sharapova take it?
    “Following the Hollywood trend, the method was adapted by athletes,” said the Russian report, via a translation from Mashable. “According to them, vacuum-based massage improves circulation and overall well being, suggesting that muscle repair happens faster after physical exertion. In other words, the net effect from such practices in many ways, is not unlike those of meldonium.”

    Meldonium first came to prominence earlier this year when the Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova tested positive for the substance and received a two-year ban.

  285. 285.

    Fair Economist

    @Eric S.:

    those divers heads seem SOOOO close to those platforms

    As I recall that is very intentional. Getting to far away from the board / platform can cause a point deduction.

    I always hated that sort of thing. I was very happy when figure skating switched from rewarding close passes in side-by-side camel spins to penalizing them. I think it was driven by Elena Berezhnzaya’s gruesome training accident which was really awful although she eventually made an almost full recovery.

  294. 294.

    The Pale Scot

    @JPL:

    I didn’t realize you were in Louisiana

    Damn, I was thinking Pakistan

    Though I guess they’re not too much different.

  295. 295.

    different-church-lady

    300 comments and no sign of the usual trolls nor any mention of Greenwald? You folks are really wasting your summer vacations.

Comments are closed.