Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Let there be snark.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

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

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

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

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

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

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

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

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

Not all heroes wear capes.

“But what about the lurkers?”

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

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Busy two days. Had a bunch of stuff to take care of yesterday, and this morning I was off at the farmer’s market when Christion called me an told me he needed to go to the hospital. He cracked a tooth two weeks ago and never told me or DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT and his face had swollen up the size of a grapefruit, so I rushed home and spent a couple hours there. He’ll be fine, on some strong antibiotics and off to a dentist on Monday.

I was kinda pissed at him because HAD HE TOLD ME I could have told him that stuff like that is nothing to screw around with and that those types of infections can quickly escalate into life or death situations. I took to calling him Elephant Man and asking him if his siamese twin wanted me to pick him up some soft food. which I suppose was unnecessary.

I’m off for a nap and then I am taking Walter to Harry and Chatman’s Barn With Inn for a little romp and to meet some other dogs.

Reader Interactions

91Comments

  3. 3.

    germy

    from the Washington Post:

    Donald Trump believes that running for president has been good for his bottom line.

    He said so under oath during a deposition he gave in a lawsuit stemming from a dispute over his soon-to-open Washington luxury hotel.

    “I think people like politics. And they like to be around the name and maybe me,” Trump said in the deposition obtained by The Washington Post on Friday. “I think people really dig it.”

    During the more-than-two-hour session in June, Trump noted that a manager at one of his properties in Palm Beach said the presidential run has helped contribute to “the best year we’ve ever had.”

    “Well, maybe the success of the campaign. You know people have said there’s never been anything like this,” Trump said.

    The deposition, which was filed in District of Columbia Superior Court late Friday, was taken as part of a $10 million breach-of-contract lawsuit that Trump filed against famed chef Geoffrey Zakarian. The chef had agreed to open a restaurant in Trump’s hotel but pulled out after Trump launched his campaign by denouncing Mexican immigrants as drug dealers and rapists.

    Trump met with Zakarian’s attorneys at the law offices of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.

    During the deposition, Trump often sounded more like he was giving a speech on the campaign trail than defending a business contract.

    Trump stood by his statements about Mexican immigrants and called the issue a “very big topic” in the nation. “Which is a topic that, you know, has led to my nomination in a major party in the country. So it’s not a very out-there topic,” he said.

    Trump said his June 2015 comments about immigrants that led Zakarian to pull out were not part of a prepared speech, but he said he had planned what he would say.

    In the deposition, Trump blamed the media, including The Washington Post, for misinterpreting his comments.

    “I think the media is very dishonest. But all I’m doing is bringing up a situation which is very real, about illegal immigration,” he said. “And I think, you know, most people think I’m right.”

    Trump said he had made similar statements about immigration before he announced his run for office and before entering an agreement with Zakarian. “My views were out there very, very strongly,” he said.

    At times during the questioning, the billionaire businessman seemed to brag about the impact his campaign has had on his brand.

    “You know people have said there’s never been anything like this,” he said. “I’ve tapped into something. And I’ve tapped into illegal immigration. I’ve tapped into other things, also. But, you know, when you get more votes than anybody in the history of the party, history of the party by far, more than Ronald Reagan, more than Richard Nixon, more than Dwight D. Eisenhower who won the Second World War, you know, that’s pretty mainstream, when you think about it,” he said.

    Trump spoke about how observers have credited him with running a campaign that has been unprecedented in U.S. politics and how he was able to beat seasoned politicians for the nomination.

    “O’Reilly said the other night something to the effect that this is one of the great phenomenons that he’s ever seen in his lifetime,” he said, referring to Fox News host Bill O’Reilly. “I mean it’s pretty amazing. You have 17 people and I end up at the top of you know, one of the two parties.

    “It’s been a lot of wins. We’ve beaten a lot of people and I think people like that. I think it will be great” for his new hotel, he said.

    Trump also said he believed his candidacy could have been a financial boon for Zakarian.

    “I think my running for office potentially would have helped him as opposed to hurt him,” Trump said.

    For his part, Trump said, Zakarian’s decision to back out left him without enough time to find another restaurant for the space. He said the business would have to spend millions to build out the space.

    “We were really let down,” Trump said. “He had his lease, he was all set. He was going to spend all this money on building this place. All of the sudden he says he’s going to violate his lease.”

    The hotel is set to open next month as part of the $200 million makeover of the Old Post Office Pavilion in Northwest Washington on Pennsylvania Avenue.

    At other points in the deposition, Trump seemed to play down his campaign’s impact on his business and said he doesn’t think it matters “one way or the other.” He added that he had not spoken to his executives about the effect the campaign has had on his companies.

    Trump admitted his comments have also hurt him with some business deals. His relationship with Macy’s has been terminated, he said, as well as his relationship with the mattress manufacturer Serta.

    But he said he was still in demand. Trump said NBC wanted to renew his TV show “The Apprentice” but it was his decision, not the network’s, to discontinue the show. Trump said he was unable to do the show while on the campaign. “They wanted to renew me very badly on ‘The Apprentice,’ ” he said.

    Trump compared his brand to other well-known global companies, such as Coca Cola and Pepsi. “Most of their company is the value of their brand,” he said.

  4. 4.

    Amir Khalid

    @germy:
    Trump surely knows better than to actually lie under oath. I take it that deposition was given under oath. How much of it is true, and how much was self-serving half-truths?

  6. 6.

    Pogonip

    @srv: did any of you read Jackie Chan’s autobiography? If not, get thee to the library. He’s a funny athlete who’s led a fascinating life since he was sold to the Chinese Opera at age 8 or thereabouts.

  8. 8.

    germy

    @srv: Jackie’s the real deal. His own stuntman.

    I wonder if Trump will have the greenscreen man behind him for all future rallies? To sort of nudge him when he goes off topic, while staying invisible to the cameras? Better than the shock collar some here have suggested.

  9. 9.

    Pogonip

    I pulled a muscle in my leg and am walking like Tim Conway’s old-man character (I just dated myself). I sure hope it’s not this sore tomorrow when I MUST go to the big box. For now, I sit with my ice pack and await a romp account from Walter’s factotum, Cole.

  10. 10.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    Hope Christion is better soon. I’ve been in that situation and it’s miserable.

  11. 11.

    germy

    @Pogonip: Jackie’s a big Buster Keaton fan. I’m always reminded of Keaton standing quietly while the house falls down on him whenever I see Mr. Chan defy danger…

  16. 16.

    MattF

    About mouth/tooth infections– I’ve had a few, and I’ve found that dentists/endodontists will generally drop everything and help you out.

  19. 19.

    Mary G

    John, did Walter have his follow up over visit yesterday? How much weight has he gained? Please take photos of him romping and meeting the other dogs.

  20. 20.

    Earl

    @John — if Christion needs help either w/ the unexpected hospital visit or emergency dental visit, please let us (me?) know. Been there, done that, right after college before I had a proper job.

  22. 22.

    pamelabrown53

    Yo John! I always love your daily crisis bulletins.Yet today I have my own daily crisis: I live in north east Fl., agreed to house a Hillary campaign organizer for the duration the day before yesterday.I was astonished by the speed of response. Our organizer is scheduled to arrive this coming Tuesday. Now I’m freaked:. Spent much of today making certain that there’s plenty of drawer/closet/bathroom space so that he can have a cool, calm, collected space to unwind while he works to deliver Florida to Hillary.
    Still, the selfish part of me worries that I’ve taken a too big bite.

  23. 23.

    Schlemazel

    @redshirt:
    Harold Lloyd, a great comic silent actor, not only did his own stunts (most famous picture is of him hanging from a tower clock minute hand in “Safety Last”) was missing a thumb. The hand he is hanging on to the minute hand with only has the 4 fingers.

    They were insane

  26. 26.

    lamh36

    @Mary G: I’m good thx…the rain and water is West of NOLA or on the other side of the lake and river…so up round Baton Rouge way.

  27. 27.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    Please post pics of Walter romping.
    Hope Christion feels better. Hope he has dental insurance. Try and get the dentist to save the tooth(even if its $$$) esp. if its not an end of chain tooth. Pulling a tooth in the middle weakens the whole chain.

  30. 30.

    rikyrah

    You wrong for that Elephant Man crack…

    but, then again, you’re right..LOL

    Reinforces that there are Elders out here looking out for him, and just cause he’s grown..doesn’t mean that he’s GROWN….

    he still needs help and guidance.

    So happy Walter’s getting out.

    You’re still good people, Cole.

  32. 32.

    philadelphialawyer

    More on Trump and the missing money…his campaign had 20 million on hand at the end of June. He says his campaign raised 80 million in July. And now has 37 million on hand. So, where did the rest go? He should have 100 million, if there were no July expenditures. And we know he spent nothing on TV ads, and very little on GOTV, State offices and so on. Where did the other 63 million go? Is he just crazy overcharging the campaign for every Trump Inc expense he can dream up? Is he paying his wife and kids big money out of campaign funds? Is the reality merely that, yeah, the campaign technically “raised” 80 million, but that was gross and not net, and the professional fund raisers got the bulk of it? Did he actually repay himself the money he lent the campaign and claimed that he had “forgiven?”

  33. 33.

    Ruckus

    @germy:
    There is one proper word for Trump. Delusional. You could make it somewhat better with two words. Totally delusional. OK three words would be best. Totally fucking delusional.

  35. 35.

    Earl

    @philadelphialawyer: $80m is joint with RNC. The RNC probably raised the majority of that based on previous effort levels from the Trump campaign. I have no idea what agreements there may be about distribution between RNC and Trump. My guess is the RNC controls a bunch of that cash and may prefer to send it to downticket candidates who are putting in some effort.

  36. 36.

    Ruckus

    @efgoldman:
    My immediate inferior on board ship for 2 yrs was nicknamed Ensign Parker. He did hold that rank btw but he was a ringer for the character. I think someone actually called him that to his face once. Not sure if he understood.

  37. 37.

    philadelphialawyer

    @Earl: How much did the Trump campaign itself raise? And why is it so hard to get this information? I see all kinds of numbers thrown around, from 34 million to 80 million. And when does Trump have to file again? For July.

  40. 40.

    philadelphialawyer

    @Thoughtful David: I keep reading no. That he really did “forgive” the loan. And that he filed “FEC paperwork” that proves it. But I have my doubts, this being Trump!

  41. 41.

    Aleta

    I remember when I learned about the life-saving (my life!) power of antibiotics, watching a red infected line grow toward my heart. After I finally surrendered to the doctor (but I’m young! I don’t need no reeking doctors!) the first two antibiotic tries didn’t stop it. The horror! Before that I truly didn’t get it.

  42. 42.

    cckids

    @MattF:

    About mouth/tooth infections–I’ve had a few, and I’ve found that dentists/endodontists will generally drop everything and help you out

    Yeah, depends on where you are, how much $$ you have and whether or not you have a regular dentist. My son had one in April-May, and the dentist he finally found who would even see him made him wait 10 days. And if he hadn’t had the financing/cash up front, wouldn’t have seen him at all.
    It ain’t like an emergency room.

  43. 43.

    Shana

    @efgoldman: I thought I’d heard recently that bookings are way down at all his properties. How he makes that into “good for my brand” is beyond me unless he’s thinking of all those campaign events that his campaign coffers pay his properties for.

  44. 44.

    Ruckus

    @Aleta:
    This year I had a massive E-Coli infection after a procedure. It takes over your entire life, there is no particular point of pain, you just get massively sick. And you can’t even really tell how sick because while it comes on slowly, it is relentless, so you get sicker and sicker but there really isn’t pain, the usual sign. When you get proper medical help it takes several days to start to understand how sick you really were. Strangest illness I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot of them over the years.

  45. 45.

    Baud

    NYT

    Olympics officials on Saturday gave what they said was a definitive explanation of why the water in two competition pools turned green this week: Someone mistakenly added 160 liters of hydrogen peroxide last Friday, neutralizing the chlorine and allowing the growth of “organic compounds” that might have included algae.

  46. 46.

    Shana

    @pamelabrown53: If your campaign worker is anything like mine, don’t expect to see much of him/her. Sometimes I’m still awake when she comes home but not often. I do occasionally see her in the morning. There’s a bunch of take and go foods in the fridge that she got at Trader Joe’s recently and some leftover indian from a few days ago. That’s about it.

  47. 47.

    mike in dc

    @philadelphialawyer:

    In about a week they have to file an itemized report. I expect they spent about 10 million on staff, Trump organization facilities and equipment, maybe 500 grand on Trump merchandise, and probably a decent “skim” for the fundraising op. Unless they are planning a massive last-minute blanket negative ad campaign, time is running out for the real election-winning stuff like ads, GOTV, etc. You can’t just dump money in September and October and hope for the best.

  48. 48.

    Gin & Tonic

    @philadelphialawyer: I scanned through the $10 million or so in expenditures listed on his June report, and there’s just a ton of really mundane shit – airfare, car rentals, hotels, facility rental fees, office supplies, that sort of stuff. Quite a few for “field consulting”. Nothing that seemed particularly large in comparison to anything else. Anyone who wants to scan through it, go here. If I were bored I’d scrape the data and run some analyses, but I have other shit to do this weekend.

  49. 49.

    Ruckus

    @Shana:
    His pockets filling up is all that matters. In all aspects of his life, it is first and foremost about him. Always look at it from the standpoint of does it benefit D Trump in some way. It does not have to be a way that you see as a benefit, only that D Trump sees it as one. It is his defining characteristic. He is a grand example of a republican, it is always and in every way IGMFY.

  52. 52.

    Sloane Ranger

    Watching Olympics. Great night for GB in Velodrome plus fingers crossed for repeat of Super Saturday!

  53. 53.

    Aleta

    (Elizabeth Drew, American Democracy Betrayed)

    The partisan distribution of House seats leads to the situation in which, while majorities of Americans support gun control measures, are pro-choice, and worry about climate change, their views don’t have proportional representation in Congress. … Sam Wang, a Princeton neuroscientist who doubles as a political scientist and is known for his highly accurate computer models of voter behavior, was struck by the effect of the post-2010 reapportionment on the results of the 2012 election …. Wang’s analysis concluded that the post-2010 gerrymander was “historic and different from others in the modern era.”

    What is to be done about partisan districting? Fortunately, a workable answer isn’t obscure or unachievable. The process has to be taken from the parties and turned over to nonpartisan commissions. But for the most part, the Democrats aren’t seeking to change the system that the Republicans have done such an effective job of exploiting; their aim is to emulate the Republicans. Only six states—Arizona, Iowa, California, Washington, Idaho, and New Jersey—use some form of nonpartisan commissions, some with provisions for involvement by the legislature though the legislature itself doesn’t draw the lines. Efforts to move to a less partisan redistricting are being made in a few more states: Florida, Maine, and even Ohio (though its process would involve only state districts and would still involve the parties).

    Paradoxically, then, the most important procedural impediment to the working of democracy is also the easiest to fix. It’s more conducive to a solution than, say, campaign finance reform or even voting rights (both of which, particularly the latter, would be easier to fix after fair redistricting). What is required is a sufficient number of people who understand the issues at stake to bring pressure in their state to rectify its districting system. …

    Since commissions are obviously the most promising way to go toward taking the partisanship out of redistricting, why hasn’t more been done in this direction? Redistricting is so political that institutions that might deal with it have steered clear of the subject. Congress uses the excuse that this is a matter for the individual states to resolve though it could assert jurisdiction over the rules for federal elections. But members of Congress were elected under the existing system, and this is a powerful incentive for maintaining the status quo. A congressional aide said to me, “That’s simply a nonstarter.” (The same “reasoning” applies to campaign finance reform.)

  54. 54.

    philadelphialawyer

    @mike in dc: Does that add up, though? Why only 37 million on hand if they raised 80 million, had twenty million to begin with, and only spent 20 million or so?

  55. 55.

    rikyrah

    @philadelphialawyer:

    I’ve been telling you…

    The GOP is faced with the first Nominee that looks at the ACTUAL CAMPAIGN AS THE GRIFT.

    I am SO not convinced that he ‘ forgave’ those ‘ loans’ to his campaign.

    Uh uh
    Uh uh.

  56. 56.

    philadelphialawyer

    @rikyrah: I hear ya’. I’m just trying to figure out how he’s doing it. There are lots of “Trump” expenditures in the June list, of one kind or another. So, that part is hiding in plain sight. Why is that not a media issue, I wonder. Do candidates typically bill companies they own for so much shit? I don’t think so. I wonder about the loans too, no matter what the papers say, and about kickbacks, about family members as “consultants,” about all the sort of cryptic “ABC company” items, and so on.

  57. 57.

    hovercraft

    @Amir Khalid:
    He says that he ‘believes’ certain things, so technically he’s not lying. Crazy but not lying. According to actual ‘data’ his beliefs are not correct. From CNN

    Donald Trump’s campaign to make America great again may not be so great for his businesses.
    There has been a clear decline in foot traffic to Trump-branded golf courses, hotels and casinos in the U.S. since Trump entered the presidential race last June, according to data released Thursday from Foursquare (yes, that Foursquare).
    The data, based on the activity of Foursquare’s 50 million monthly users, shows a growing falloff in visits starting in March as Trump emerged as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.
    Foot traffic to Trump-branded properties was down 17% in March and April from the same period a year earlier. In July, foot traffic was down 14% year-over-year.
    By comparison, Foursquare’s data found that traffic to those properties was “steady year-over-year” before Trump announced his candidacy.
    A key factor in the decline, according to the report, is that Trump’s properties are overwhelmingly located in blue states where consumers are more likely to take issue with the candidate’s policies and campaign rhetoric.
    “His hotels, casinos, and golf courses are mainly located in reliably ‘blue’ Democratic states, and depend highly on guests and visitors who live in the region,” Foursquare’s team wrote in a post sharing the data.
    Related: Clinton’s Facebook page says ‘Sign Up’; Trump’s says ‘Shop Now’
    The Trump SoHo in New York and the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago are said to be two of the properties that have experienced the largest declines in foot traffic.
    There has also been a noticeable decline in women visiting Trump-branded properties, according to the study, perhaps reflecting the criticism that Trump insults and offends women.
    Reps for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment.

    He has a habit of saying things he believes to be true, in an earlier deposition he stated that his net worth was based on his ‘feelings’.

  58. 58.

    hovercraft

    I’m in moderation, and I didn’t even use any of the known triggers, or a naked link. Please release me.

  60. 60.

    Ruckus

    @rikyrah:
    As I said in my reply to Shana above it is always about what D Trump wants and thinks benefits him. He has lawyers to delay and roadblock for him. This is always how he has done business. It is how he was taught by his father. I’d bet that the FEC will come down on him but he expects to win and be president and therefore he will be able to do anything he wants and get away with it. I think the next 3 months will be an interesting one, if not a lot of fun, even to watch.

  61. 61.

    Ruckus

    @philadelphialawyer:
    Well look at conservatives yelling about the Clinton Foundation. About how it is getting enriched and exploiting the law. This is what they would do so they think the other side must be doing it too.
    It is always projection. Always. Projection is the only constant.

  62. 62.

    Gex

    Reposting from a dead thread:

    I’m just amused because 7 years ago today I complained on FB about a David Frum piece in which he discusses under which conditions it would be okay to shoot a president. This was 2009, Republicans were calling the mandate fascism and they were marching around with guns talking Second Amendment remedies.

    The article has of course been disappeared. I’d be curious if that was a regular process for the site or if it conveniently disappeared after Trump’s statements. In any event, while Trump is uniquely awful in many ways, a lot of the hate, violent rhetoric, and refusal to accept the results of the democratic process when Democrats win is not new or unique.

    Most of the evidence of his words would be found in the comments, not the main post.

  64. 64.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    Sorry to hijack, but was anyone else stunned by the story in the news yesterday about college-educated people moving away from the Republican Party? I, perhaps smugly, assumed college-educated people voted (by majority) Democratic.

  67. 67.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @philadelphialawyer: A lot of the big numbers that Trump is claiming is for the “joint fundraising” operations with the GOP. Trump’s campaign doesn’t get all that money, and may not even be getting half of it.

    I wouldn’t sweat the Trump numbers. Hillary seems to be raising plenty, and Trump’s not spending whatever funds he’s raising effectively. It would be good to know where the rest of the GOP and Superpac money is going, but we’ll probably find out soon enough.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  68. 68.

    Gelfling 545

    @MattF: I was suffering from aging compounded by fibromyalgia. I started doing Taoist Tai Chi a few years back. I now walk better at 66 than I did at 50. Not a cure all but a great help. I understand that yoga can do similarily but have not tried it yet though I hope to now that I can get up and down on the floor without block and tackle.

  70. 70.

    philadelphialawyer

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: I’m not worried about Trump raising money and Hills not. I know she is doing fine in that area. Also, your link is to old numbers, ending in June. And is kinda cryptic too.

    “Trump Victory Committee, the main joint fundraiser that was started in May, raised $25.7 million through the end of June, according to the quarterly report the group filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday.
    “About $2.2 million of the total haul was transferred to Trump’s campaign, while $10.1 million went to the RNC.”

    2.2 plus 10.1 does NOT equal 25.7.

  71. 71.

    rikyrah

    A ‘Sex and the City’ for African Viewers
    By JADA F. SMITH
    AUG. 13, 2016

    Let’s get this out of the way up front: “An African City,” the steamy Ghanaian web series about five young women looking for love in Accra, is an unabashed rip-off of “Sex and the City.” There are the ubiquitous five-inch strappy sandals, the scene-stealing dresses made of Fanti fabric and the bevy of men who hop in and out of the beds of Nana Yaa, Makena, Zainab and Sade. The women are as free and liberal about sex as their American HBO foremothers, with the exception of the fifth character, Ngozi, who is such a Charlotte.

    The women fit perfectly into Carrie- or Miranda-type boxes. Nana Yaa, the main character, is a radio journalist who ponders existential dating questions in voice-overs throughout the show. Zainab and Makena both function as a Miranda — fiercely independent and all about their business. Ngozi is the church girl who works for a nongovernmental organization and purses her lips at too much talk about the male anatomy. And Sade is Samantha, with condoms spilling from the designer handbags that her rich, married boyfriend buys for her. The women spend an enormous amount of time sipping cocktails in dimly lit restaurants as they chat about rolling power outages, good condom etiquette and men who expect them to leave their jobs and make fufu all day.

    But the show’s creator, Nicole Amarteifio, who moved from Ghana to New York and then back again, is also presenting an unseen side of culture on a continent that is usually depicted with footage of war, famine and poverty. There is none of that here. Instead, “An African City” struts into the lives of well-off African women. Makena is an Oxford-trained lawyer, and Sade graduated from Harvard Business School. Zainab sits atop a growing shea butter empire, and Nana Yaa’s father is the country’s minister of energy. Through the five women, “An African City” explores what it means to be a westernized young woman readjusting to the culture and surroundings of her home continent.

    The five women are all “returnees,” the children of families who left Ghana for the West and then came home with so-called “returnee savior syndrome.” The phrase “to whom much is given, much is required” could be their unofficial motto, as it frames their interactions and challenges their way of thinking. They are constantly fretting about whether they would tip so little if back in Manhattan, or why the “white wedding” is considered better than a traditional one.

  72. 72.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @philadelphialawyer: The rest of the money is sitting in the joint fundraising ledger and hasn’t been transferred yet.

    Yeah, the numbers lag. The point is that all the Eleventy Bazillion Dollars that get tumpeted, heh, don’t get transferred to Donnie.

    HTH.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  73. 73.

    catclub

    @West of the Rockies (been a while): Nope, not surprised. Most voting is economic and income correlates pretty well with voting, so
    most of those low economic stats folks vote more Democratic than GOP. And college educated generally means whiter and better economic status – so no surprise – more GOP voters. Scientists and PhD’s are probably leaning back to Democratic, but they are very small numbers. Medical Doctors lean GOP I suspect.

  75. 75.

    mike in dc

    @Baud:
    I think right-leaning college educated white people are deeply uncomfortable with overt racism and xenophobia. Dog whistles and stereotypes, they can live with, but they don’t want to associate openly with the stars and bars set or white supremacists. The fact that Trump comes across as, well, stupid and uninformed and incompetent is just icing on that s**t cake for them.

  76. 76.

    Lurker Extraordinaire

    If having a cracked tooth is like having an abscess, that is NO BUENO! Been there, done that, never want to do that again. Hope Christion heals quickly.

    When we finally get single payer health care in this backward ass country, it better include dental health. Bad teeth can cause heart problems if not taken care of!

  78. 78.

    Mnemosyne

    @rikyrah:

    It’s actually really common to have “local” versions of successful shows — just about every country has its own version of “The Office,” and “Ugly Betty” was a huge hit in several South American versions before it came to a network here. So I wouldn’t be at all surprised if HBO licensed “Sex and the City” to that show’s creators.

  79. 79.

    Ruckus

    @Lurker Extraordinaire:
    This seems to be a medical system problem. I’ve never understood why. The eyes and teeth are a part of the body and having them unhealthy makes doing a lot of things harder or damn near impossible and can lead to major medical issues as you state. Maybe it’s because eye glasses have to be replaced regularly and in the system we have glasses are expensive, therefore the system doesn’t want to pay for them. Teeth seem to be expensive as well, a root canal can easily run $1500. Now preventive care of teeth will lessen the need for expensive work but that is going to dentists, not MDs. On the other hand I can remember most of the adults I knew when I was a kid had prosthetics(false teeth!) from a bridge to all teeth. My last dental visit the dentist remarked that it is unusual to see someone my age without prosthetics. So maybe it’s just old concepts that everyone will need extensive dental work as they get older.

  80. 80.

    Lurker Extraordinaire

    @Ruckus: I agree with everything you said. Orthodontics need to be covered as well. I know my dental problems stem from the fact that not only is my mouth too small for the full set of adult teeth, but I also had all four wisdom teeth. Luckily, the Army did a great job of removing them. Here I am, a few years away from 40, and I still have crooked teeth. Until they are straightened, I can’t properly clean. And of course, hardly any dental plans cover adult orthodontics. Hopefully, my daughter won’t have any of these problems, and if for some reason she needs braces and we can’t afford them, I’ll be hooking on the corner for them.

  81. 81.

    Lurker Extraordinaire

    The sky is dark here in the Columbus area, but no rain like the forecasters have promised us. We need it, too, since we have been on the dry side.

  83. 83.

    NoraLenderbee

    I picked 42 pounds of tomatoes today. Some of the Kellogg’s Breakfast (orange ones) were so big, they resembled pumpkins. The Amish Paste toms are huuuuge, too. It’s a good year.

  85. 85.

    Brachiator

    @rikyrah:

    . The five women are all “returnees,” the children of families who left Ghana for the West and then came home with so-called “returnee savior syndrome.”

    Sounds like an interesting show, especially the “returnee Savior syndrome” thing. If the show is in English or had English subtitles, I would like to check it out, if it were easily available.

    As another poster has noted here, there are a number of hit shows adapted for local consumption. There’s a boatload of Doc Martin variants, for example, in various countries.

  86. 86.

    gwangung

    @rikyrah: Um, this sounds very cool.

    @Mnemosyne: No doubt, but there are no new ideas under the sun. It’s the unique variations that make a series fun, and the added depth from the cultural specificity makes it fun (and one local producer did a long running theatre serial that was an Asian American version of SATC).

  87. 87.

    Miss Bianca

    Well, you all have convinced me to go get my crown replaced, finally…was waiting to save up the money to do it, but maybe I’ll just “charge it, please, like Eloise” and try to get it done this week.

  88. 88.

    phoebes from highland park

    Has anybody ever looked up Trump’s voting record? I’d be interested to know how many elections he’s actually participated in because he doesn’t seem to know much about the actual electoral process.

  89. 89.

    Miss Bianca

    @rikyrah: Ghana! That’s a country I’ve always wanted to visit. I wonder if we can get that series over here somehow??

  90. 90.

    Aleta

    @Ruckus: Excluding teeth and eyes (and ears and brain) from health coverage is pretty barbaric really. It’s not just inhumane, it’s cost ineffective all over the place.

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