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Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Sunday Mid-Morning Open Thread

Sunday Mid-Morning Open Thread

by TaMara|  April 2, 201712:31 pm| 171 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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My lilacs are getting ready to pop. There are at least a dozen in my tiny yard. I’m not complaining.

I like to make sure we have an open thread going for those who aren’t interested in the writing threads. What’s on the agenda today? We are expected to have a nice day after several days of gentle rain, so I might get outside to garden.

If you’re a movie buff and Hitchcock fan you might be interested in this event:

North by Northwest

Fanthom Events is having a big screen showing, limited run. Click here for details.

Open thread.

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Previous Post: « Writers Chatting: Chapter 6
Next Post: Open Thread: Trolling, Trolling, Trolling… »

Reader Interactions

171Comments

  1. 1.

    Big Ole Hound

    April 2, 2017 at 12:41 pm

    LA Times just started a total expose of Trump in a four part series. Beginning of the end? Lets hope.

  2. 2.

    MJS

    April 2, 2017 at 12:41 pm

    Going to see North by Northwest tonight. Can’t wait.

  3. 3.

    Another Scott

    April 2, 2017 at 12:45 pm

    @Big Ole Hound: Via a jackal downstairs, Our Dishonest President. It is indeed a good read.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  4. 4.

    Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)

    April 2, 2017 at 12:48 pm

    About to catch a showing of Ghost In The Shell. Just rewatched the 1995 animated movie, we’ll see how it compares.

  5. 5.

    Mike J

    April 2, 2017 at 12:51 pm

    Fathom events, not Fanthom. I know a hawk from a handsaw.

  6. 6.

    CaseyL

    April 2, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    @Mike J: …no matter which quarter the wind is blowing?

  7. 7.

    Corner Stone

    April 2, 2017 at 1:00 pm

    It’s supposed to be raining here at some point. It was supposed to overnight and now they have it as raining again today. I’ve got stuff to water, people!

  8. 8.

    p.a.

    April 2, 2017 at 1:01 pm

    NxNW 2pm EDT. Leaving soon.

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 2, 2017 at 1:02 pm

    @MJS:

    I’m seeing it Wednesday. Very excited — been decades since I watched NxNW on the big screen.

  10. 10.

    Mike J

    April 2, 2017 at 1:06 pm

    @CaseyL: At the south end of lake Washington, good weather means winds north by northwest. When storms come in, the wind is from the south. There’s no reason to waste time or energy on sanity until there’s a storm.

  11. 11.

    Corner Stone

    April 2, 2017 at 1:06 pm

    People! A cautionary tale, told by an idiot:
    I wanted to veeeerrryyy lightly dust my fries with a tiny bit of Carolina Reaper powder. The lid has a flip top open/close and small holes under for disbursement. Which I have taped about 3/4 of the holes inside over so I don’t use too much at one shake. Not only is it insanely fucking hot but it is also insanely fucking expensive.
    I carefully flip open the top….and the whole damn thing pops off. Causing a very fine powdery mist of Carolina Reaper dust to sift its way all over my fries. But more importantly, all over my finger tips and as I came to find out later, to my delight, even some in my eyebrows.
    There has been *much* joy in my household over the last 18 or so hours. Much.Joy.

  12. 12.

    sukabi

    April 2, 2017 at 1:12 pm

    @Corner Stone: lol…don’t fear the reaper?

  13. 13.

    JPL

    April 2, 2017 at 1:15 pm

    AARGH! The person who organized a group to go to the 6th district candidate forum, did not know you had to preregister. Ugh.. I guess I’ll just go pull weeds.

  14. 14.

    JPL

    April 2, 2017 at 1:16 pm

    @Big Ole Hound: Thanks
    @Another Scott: Thanks to both of you, since I missed it earlier.

  15. 15.

    Doug R

    April 2, 2017 at 1:16 pm

    @Corner Stone: So you jury-rigged a bottle filled with one of the world’s hottest peppers? What could possibly go wrong?

  16. 16.

    Mike J

    April 2, 2017 at 1:22 pm

    @JPL: Doesn’t sound like they did much organizing. There’s the difference between organizers and activists.

  17. 17.

    Iowa Old Lady

    April 2, 2017 at 1:25 pm

    @Corner Stone: Given the joy, are you sure that was an accident? Remember the smart alecks who would loosen the caps on the squeeze ketchup containers?

  18. 18.

    gwangung

    April 2, 2017 at 1:25 pm

    @Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant): As you may know, this remake does not enjoy a particularly good reputation in the Asian American community. Be interested in what people think.

  19. 19.

    debbie

    April 2, 2017 at 1:26 pm

    TaMara, I hope you’ll share pix of your lilacs. They won’t be blooming here this year because of Bastard Winter. ?

  20. 20.

    JPL

    April 2, 2017 at 1:30 pm

    @Mike J: For a small scale city council election, the person is doing pretty good, but a few events have been a bust. I wanted to attend obviously, for other reasons than wearing a t shirt for a city council candidate.

  21. 21.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 2, 2017 at 1:32 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Aaaaaaaaand yesterday was April 1st, classically the time to loosen lids, switch out the salt and sugar, etc.

  22. 22.

    dmsilev

    April 2, 2017 at 1:36 pm

    @Another Scott: I read that this morning over breakfast (I’m a dinosaur and still like print papers). A good read that makes one wonder whether some snarling jackals staged a stealth takeover of the LA Times Editorial Board.

  23. 23.

    Brachiator

    April 2, 2017 at 1:47 pm

    If you’re a movie buff and Hitchcock fan you might be interested in this event

    Crap. Looks like it’s playing tonight near me, but I have other plans.

    Love Hitchcock, and NBNW is a particular favorite.

  24. 24.

    karen marie

    April 2, 2017 at 1:48 pm

    If you haven’t seen it (or if you have and are unaware), the Peter Cook/Dudley Moore movie Bedazzled is on Netflix. It is amazing! Moore’s best movie, imo. If you’re inclined to believe its premise, it explains a lot about how we got to Trump. I cannot get over how well it stands up to the passage of time.

  25. 25.

    delk

    April 2, 2017 at 1:49 pm

    The CSO is playing the score to North By Northwest while they show the film. We saw them do The Bride of Frankenstein and The Raiders of the Lost Ark. Very amazing live performances.

  26. 26.

    dmsilev

    April 2, 2017 at 1:52 pm

    Oh boy. He found his phone again.

    @realDonaldTrump
    Anybody (especially Fake News media) who thinks that Repeal & Replace of ObamaCare is dead does not know the love and strength in R Party!
    5:56 AM – 2 Apr 2017

    Please, Donald, tell us all about the “love and strength” in the GOP.

  27. 27.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 2, 2017 at 1:52 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Crap. Looks like it’s playing tonight near me, but I have other plans.

    Check the Fathom site and see if your theatre does either or both of the Wednesday encore screenings. I always try to catch the Wednesday matinees of these TCM big screen classics. Have seen some great films in recent months — All About Eve, Carousel, Dr. Strangelove, and Singin’ in the Rain, among others.

  28. 28.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    April 2, 2017 at 1:57 pm

    Watching Michigan softball on an off day of the Women’s World Ice Hocjey tournament. Yesterday was an amazing day of hockey. Germany beat the Czechs 2-1 in game that, if not god, was at keast interesting in the sense that I’ve never seen a team spend as much time in the offensive zone without generating any good scoring chances as the Czechs.

    Then the U.S. bombwd the Russians 7-0, which is always a good time. It uncluded two goals ib the last 25 seconds to produce a score that better reflected the play.

    In the night cap, Finland beat Canada for the first time ever. 4-3. It eas a great game. Finland was never agead by more than one, but also never trailed. Canada is in big trouble, which just breakd my heart.

  29. 29.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 2, 2017 at 1:57 pm

    @dmsilev: Anybody (especially Fake News media) who thinks that Repeal & Replace of ObamaCare is dead does not know the love and strength in R Party!

    love and strength. His language fascinates me. Even with Bush or Palin word-salads you could usually figure out what they were aiming for and missing.

  30. 30.

    Brachiator

    April 2, 2017 at 1:59 pm

    @gwangung:From an earlier post…

    I also saw Ghost in the Shell today, which fails to improve over the graphic novel or great animated film version. Great production design, but glum soundtrack and undistinguished direction. Some of the best action scenes are lifted straight from the animated film.

    I have mixed feelings about the controversy over the casting. I don’t think it matters as much here given the material’s fantasy universe even though there’s a twist which pointlessly steps into the controversy. Given how similar themes about robotic identity have been explored better before (Robocop, Blade Runner, The Matrix, Ex Machina, Westworld), Ghost in the Shell needed to offer something deeper and more original, and actually the good cast and acting sometimes offers hints of a much better movie that could have been shaped from the raw material here.

  31. 31.

    Oatler.

    April 2, 2017 at 1:59 pm

    The inflection James Mason gives to “Rapid City”.

  32. 32.

    Corner Stone

    April 2, 2017 at 2:00 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady: Probably not. Unless your pet raccoon Rocky has a cousin hanging out down here?

  33. 33.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    April 2, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    @Another Scott: Hey,Scott saw your post about your cat. Sorry to hear about her passing. Sounds like you gave her a nice long life and she sounds like a great companion.

  34. 34.

    Tripod

    April 2, 2017 at 2:02 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Shut up Don, you’re drunk.

  35. 35.

    Brachiator

    April 2, 2017 at 2:03 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Check the Fathom site and see if your theatre does either or both of the Wednesday encore screenings.

    Unfortunately, Wednesday is even worse for me. But you know, I may just rent it. It would be fun to see it again.

  36. 36.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    April 2, 2017 at 2:06 pm

    I have this cold from hell. I have had a few bad upper respiratory infections including the flu but this one is by far the worst. The cough does not stop. I’m exhausted just from the cough. I want a little mini vacuum in my left nostril to suck all the mucus out on a regular intermittent basis.

  37. 37.

    dmsilev

    April 2, 2017 at 2:08 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think he’s trying to back down from his “primary those disloyal bastards” tweets he squeezed out about the Freedum Caucus last week and saying that the GOP is one big happy family united in their common dream to fuck over poor people.

  38. 38.

    lamh36

    April 2, 2017 at 2:09 pm

    It’s supposed to rain here in the Metro NOLA area, flash flood warnings and all. So far, it’s overcast, but not rain just yet. But my sis in the Baton Rouge area says it’s raining there, so it’s still coming.

    I’m resting my leg been twinging the past couple of days and catching up on Major Crimes episodes I missed! Sanchez adopting a lil boy…aww…Rusty all grown up and wanting to become a lawyer…aww…Sharon and Andy…aww…lol

    I’m watching On Demand, and seeing this preview trailer for CLAWS on TNT with @NiecyNash …looks good!
    https://youtu.be/gGGQqsIRwsY

  39. 39.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    April 2, 2017 at 2:12 pm

    @dmsilev: he means the love of money in the GOP and the strength of the person giving you the money in the form of campaign donations and wingnut welfare gigs.

  40. 40.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 2:12 pm

    @dmsilev: Everyone is learning quickly that they can walk all over Trump.

  41. 41.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2017 at 2:13 pm

    @Mai.naem.mobile:

    I bet that’s the same virus I had. The goddamned cough was absolutely relentless unless I took Sudafed every four hours on the dot. The one plus was that it never turned into bronchitis, so I slept fine as long as I took a Benadryl before bed to keep the post-nasal drip under control.

    Be careful while eating, because a sudden need to cough while chewing a bite of sandwich is what caused my Heimlich adventure.

  42. 42.

    amk

    April 2, 2017 at 2:13 pm

    The decorum ship sailed when Trump won. Dems tried "they go low, we go high," and lost. So, low it is. https://t.co/U58fkgi2RV— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) April 2, 2017

    gopee poutrage about dnc chair saying telling it like it is – gopee doesn’t give a shit about voters – is funny.

  43. 43.

    StringOnAStick

    April 2, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    @Mai.naem.mobile: There is a truly nasty cold/respiratory infection going around lately; 2 weeks ago one dental assistant in my office was out all week, then last week the other one got it and was out all week. Both are people who can’t afford a week off work, so I know they were seriously sick, and in between their illness one of my fellow RDH’s was out as well. I’ve got a mountain biking vacation coming up in 2 weeks so I really, really don’t want to catch this one.

  44. 44.

    Tripod

    April 2, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    @dmsilev:

    He reached out to the Democrats, and specifically the CBC. How the fuck did they (he?? who is in charge?) think screwing over his only solid constituency would play?

  45. 45.

    WaterGirl

    April 2, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    @dmsilev: Well, it’s kinda true – they love to hate.

  46. 46.

    Corner Stone

    April 2, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    The only thing worse than Sen Turtle blatantly lying about Garland and Gorsuch is that Chuckles not calling him on any of it beyond a kind of, “Huh, you don’t say?” type follow up question.

  47. 47.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    April 2, 2017 at 2:18 pm

    @Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant):

    I have been interested by the previews, but I would have thought that the original (excellent) movie was on the “no need to remake” list. My fear is that it will be a gorgeous but empty CGI-fest.

  48. 48.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    @amk: Dave is right. Who in America has the credibility to tell the Democrats shit? We’ll decide what’s over the line for ourselves.

  49. 49.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    April 2, 2017 at 2:21 pm

    @Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant):

    I saw it last night – adored it. I found it a very thoughtful production, and knew nothing about it going in.

  50. 50.

    Corner Stone

    April 2, 2017 at 2:22 pm

    Chuck Todd. The R’s were rewarded for all obstruction all the time.
    God damn idiot.

  51. 51.

    mattH

    April 2, 2017 at 2:22 pm

    So, I have an animal issue. My wife and I rescued a stray cat last July, and he’s just the cutest thing, playful, almost constantly loving, but he has huge food issues. Today he went over the line, when I turned my back to grab a plastic bag to put some ham in, he hopped up and started eating what I had just cut. I only had my back turned for a few seconds. He’s never been this blatant with me. Any suggestions on how to mitigate this would be helpful.

  52. 52.

    germy

    April 2, 2017 at 2:23 pm

    Someone was waving a protest sign recently:

    Trump shouldn’t get to appoint a supreme court justice in the final year of his presidency

  53. 53.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 2:23 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    As the Senate gears up to consider President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., predicted Sunday that “it looks like Gorsuch will not reach the 60-vote margin” needed to overcome a filibuster.

  54. 54.

    amk

    April 2, 2017 at 2:24 pm

    @Baud: Turning the other cheek is an overrated bs.

  55. 55.

    Betty

    April 2, 2017 at 2:25 pm

    This monster has hit all over the place. Can take as long as 4-6 weeks to feel normal again. Hope your healing time is shorter.

  56. 56.

    MattF

    April 2, 2017 at 2:26 pm

    @StringOnAStick: I think I got a (relatively mild) case of it. The day-by-day effects have been ‘themed’. Friday, the theme was mucous and snot, Saturday, the theme was coughing. Today, the theme has been sleep. My hope is that tomorrow I’ll be relatively OK, merely feeling like I’ve been kicked in the head repeatedly.

  57. 57.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 2:27 pm

    @amk: Never take advice from a god unless you are one.

  58. 58.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 2, 2017 at 2:29 pm

    @Baud: last week rumors were going around twitter that they don’t have the votes to kill the filibuster. Hard to believe. I assume Collins and I guess Murkowski could take them down to fifty, but I’m stumped at who the others are. I know a lot of the old Dem bulls– Leahy, Levin, Feinstein, ex-Senator Biden– were obstacles when the Dems had control. I can’t see Hatch or McCain playing that role.

  59. 59.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 2:30 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: That would be something. I assumed the nuclear option was a done deal.

  60. 60.

    GregB

    April 2, 2017 at 2:32 pm

    This fucking bum Trump is going to treat all of the autocrats, dictators and tyrants like great leaders and all of the democratic leaders like a pack of assholes.

    Shaming this country by the minute.

  61. 61.

    amk

    April 2, 2017 at 2:33 pm

    @Baud: In the mythical world, gods were known to slap each other. So yeah, fuck ’em and their tips for good living.

  62. 62.

    debbie

    April 2, 2017 at 2:37 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    My guess is that it’s the same kind of love Trump has been expressing for Amash lately.

  63. 63.

    GregB

    April 2, 2017 at 2:38 pm

    @amk:

    Have this short loop handy for whenever the naughty language police on the political right head for the fainting couches over those foul mouthed lefties.

    Trump’s trash talk.

  64. 64.

    debit

    April 2, 2017 at 2:39 pm

    @mattH: I’ve had cats that begged when I was eating (sitting next to me on the couch and trying to snag my food from my plate) but never had ones that jumped on the counter. I’d suggest being proactive: putting double sided sticky tape on the counters or crinkled sheets of foil. Teach him not to jump up in the first place.

    ETA: My cat that begs was semi feral, so he’s an opportunist as well. If you have a place where you prepare his food, make sure it’s away from where you prepare people food. My cats know to run to the table in the basement where the cat food is stored. Doesn’t stop them from begging in the kitchen, but they don’t actually expect to get food there.

  65. 65.

    Frankensteinbeck

    April 2, 2017 at 2:39 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:
    It’s not that hard. “Shut up, WE’RE the good guys!” Bear in mind he lives in a constantly changing fantasy land. He rarely refers to anything real. He heard someone accuse him of being weak and hateful and having lost in the AHCA fiasco, so he’s shouting that he’s rubber and we’re glue.

  66. 66.

    Iowa Old Lady

    April 2, 2017 at 2:43 pm

    @debbie: I hate the way Trump has made me hope that Amash gets renominated.

  67. 67.

    Iowa Old Lady

    April 2, 2017 at 2:44 pm

    @Baud: It’s taken me a while to conclude that if we can’t use the filibuster because we’d lose it, then we don’t really have it.

  68. 68.

    sukabi

    April 2, 2017 at 2:46 pm

    @dmsilev: yep…someone called for a hatch act violation against the WH communications director for using official communications for electioneering.

  69. 69.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2017 at 2:48 pm

    @mattH:

    Because cats want to be our friends, the most effective punishment is to deprive them of our company. Pick the cat up, put him in the other room, and close the door. Don’t let him back in until you’re done with food prep.

  70. 70.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 2:49 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady: Agree. And it can be used against us without political ramification. No one will blink an eye of the Republicans get rid of it.

  71. 71.

    Brachiator

    April 2, 2017 at 2:50 pm

    @Steeplejack (tablet):

    My fear is that it will be a gorgeous but empty CGI-fest.

    Not entirely empty. I enjoyed the movie, but it was a bit of a disappointment.

    The opening box office was merely adequate. A bad sign is that the Saturday box office was weaker than Friday. The slew of other spring and summer movies will quickly push it to smaller screens.

    The animated Boss Baby apparently overperformed and took number 1 from Beauty and the Beast.

  72. 72.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 2, 2017 at 2:50 pm

    I suspect in the long run this will have all the consequences of, to steal a line I saw here a couple days ago, a fart in the wind, and I don’t know what “Paste” is, but….

    Why Is This Progressive Millennial Running for Congress as a Republican?
    By Walker Bragman | March 30, 2017 | 2:15pm
    She’s a bold progressive, a millennial, and someone Tom Perez needs to pay attention to. Lindsay Brown is running for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th District…as a Republican.
    Her big goals include checking the influence money has in politics, fixing gerrymandering with nonpartisan redistricting, passing single-payer health care or, at the very least, a public option, addressing man-made global warming, raising the minimum wage so it keeps up with inflation and making sure cost-of-living increases from companies do the same, breaking up the banks, tackling student debt, taking in and welcoming Syrian refugees, and, of course, seeing more women and millennials represented in government. On top of that, she is socially progressive—a strong supporter of LGBTQIA, gender, and racial equality. What’s more, she plans to win by taking only small donations.
    Yet the Democratic Party, she says, has lost her, which has left her only one place to turn.
    “I’m actually planning to run in the Republican primary because—especially in NJ—the Democrats and the way the Democratic Party establishment is run is not supportive of young people who don’t have deep, deep political experience or a lot of money to fund their own race,” the familiar voice on the other end of the phone tells me, betraying a slight hint of exasperation. “We shouldn’t all have to be millionaires or deeply politically connected to represent constituents.”

    you shouldn’t have to be deeply political to run for political office. And Jon Ossoff says “Hey!”

    and someone Tom Perez needs to pay attention to.

    mmmm…… no.

  73. 73.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 2, 2017 at 2:51 pm

    @debbie: My guess is that it’s the same kind of love Trump has been expressing for Amash lately.

    as in he wants to fuck him? I do think that’s how trump understands the word “love”

  74. 74.

    amk

    April 2, 2017 at 2:52 pm

    nice tee.

    the girl? ok, what about her?

  75. 75.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    April 2, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    Just found this online…

    Trump’s Impeachment Will Happen This Is Released

    Donald Trump will face impeachment once evidence from a computer server in Trump Tower comes to light, according to the latest analysis by British journalist Louise Mensch, who first exposed the existence of a secret FISA court warrant that targeted the private server.

    That Trump Tower server was communicating regularly with the Russia-based Alfa Bank. The FISA surveillance warrant granted last October was designed in part to find out why, and if the server indicated improper ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia, Mensch reported last November

    .

    I’ve been reading about the server for months now… back before the election, I kept wondering why it wasn’t being treated like a bigger deal at the time… I did read at least one incredibly convoluted ‘explanation’ that said it didn’t mean anything bit it came across as deliberate BS at the time…

    (Apologies if anyone’s already covered this here…)

  76. 76.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I’m actually planning to run in the Republican primary because—especially in NJ—the Democrats and the way the Democratic Party establishment is run is not supportive of young people who don’t have deep, deep political experience or a lot of money to fund their own race,”

    As opposed to New Jersey Republicans?

    Yeah, Tom might want to let this one go.

  77. 77.

    Corner Stone

    April 2, 2017 at 2:56 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Lindsay Brown is running for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th District…as a Republican.
    Her big goals include checking the influence money has in politics, fixing gerrymandering with nonpartisan redistricting, passing single-payer health care or, at the very least, a public option, addressing man-made global warming, raising the minimum wage so it keeps up with inflation and making sure cost-of-living increases from companies do the same, breaking up the banks, tackling student debt, taking in and welcoming Syrian refugees, and, of course, seeing more women and millennials represented in government. On top of that, she is socially progressive—a strong supporter of LGBTQIA, gender, and racial equality.

    And if elected, and she casts a vote for ZEGS as Speaker….all of these goals will come true.

  78. 78.

    MattF

    April 2, 2017 at 2:56 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I agree, but there is some precedent for it. Nowadays, the R/D divide is starkly ideological, but it wasn’t always that way. Once upon a time, Jacob Javits ran and won as a Republican, mainly because he couldn’t get over the hurdles to running as a Democrat. If Ms. Brown ran and won as an R, that would be quite a joke on Republicans and Democrats alike.

  79. 79.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2017 at 2:57 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    And she thinks Republicans are going to vote for her?

    That’s adorable.

  80. 80.

    debbie

    April 2, 2017 at 3:01 pm

    @Baud:

    I say let them go nuclear. It will show they don’t have an insurmountable majority and they can’t do the work of governing. When the time comes that the Dems have control, by reinstating the filibuster, the Dems will show that they are the party of grownups.

  81. 81.

    amk

    April 2, 2017 at 3:01 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: well, nj dems thought christie was doing heckuva job and gave him a second term and he promptly drained the state. who knows?

  82. 82.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2017 at 3:01 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    The district is currently represented by Republican Leonard Lance. If the calculation is that people in the district won’t vote for anyone without an R after their name, it may be the right gamble. But I doubt it.

    And, yes, I’m fucking sick of people who look at the massive 6-year obstructionism by the Republicans and decide that it’s all the Democrats’ fault.

  83. 83.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 2, 2017 at 3:04 pm

    @Mnemosyne: I think I read that LL’s district is north Jersey horse and McMansion land? I don’t think Christie Todd Whitman and Carmela Soprano are gonna vote for the earnest young woman who wants to raise their taxes, the issue that, barring war, trumps (ahem) all others for tote-baggers

  84. 84.

    WereBear

    April 2, 2017 at 3:06 pm

    Here is what today looks like around these parts:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BSZNC8hg6RX/?taken-by=saranaclakeadk

  85. 85.

    Frankensteinbeck

    April 2, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    She’s obviously bought the line that the Democratic Party is corrupt and in thrall to Big Business, so I assume she believes that Republican voters are just economically anxious and a REAL progressive agenda will prompt a voter revolution. This, actually, is why I’m pissed at Bernie. He didn’t just run against Clinton. He actively encouraged conspiracy theories that painted the entire Democratic Party as the enemy of all that is progressive. He abused his power over young idealists to convince them to never vote Democrat again.

  86. 86.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 2, 2017 at 3:08 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: and he was doing it on Friday, on a stage with Elizabeth Warren

  87. 87.

    Steeplejack

    April 2, 2017 at 3:10 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Thanks for putting that so succinctly. It will come in useful when I try to explain this to a couple of less politically savvy friends.

  88. 88.

    Steve in the ATL

    April 2, 2017 at 3:12 pm

    Jon Ossoff’s people just knocked on my door! No one from either party has ever done that since i’ve lived in the suburbs. I guess Tom Price didn’t need to canvass.

  89. 89.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 2, 2017 at 3:18 pm

    @WereBear:

    Beautiful! Is that your normal view?

  90. 90.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 2, 2017 at 3:21 pm

    I’ve been wondering if this would happen, and a lot of people here have been predicting hit

    US hotels and airlines slash prices as Trump policies hit tourism
    World’s biggest travel group says US president is deterring visitors with bans
    Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Expedia, the largest online travel agent by gross bookings, warned the US travel industry is preparing for a turbulent year amid falling international interest in visiting the country.

  91. 91.

    mattH

    April 2, 2017 at 3:21 pm

    @debit: I’ll start the foil and tape today, see if it helps. No idea how long he was out alone, but he’s been really good in every other way, short of trimming nails at home and snatching food from my other two cats. Not food aggressiveness so much as no fear in stealing from the others, so he eats in his own room.

    @Mnemosyne: Should be doable. I don’t know that he’s so attention motivate as much as play. He learned that “treats come in bags” so a rattling bag of any kind brings him running, but I can keep his attention from them with a toy. I just can’t play with him every time he goes foraging.

    Thanks so much, both of you ^_^

  92. 92.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2017 at 3:21 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    This, actually, is why I’m pissed at Bernie. He didn’t just run against Clinton. He actively encouraged conspiracy theories that painted the entire Democratic Party as the enemy of all that is progressive. He abused his power over young idealists to convince them to never vote Democrat again.

    Yup. And they’ll all tell you that nuh-uh! they all totally made up their own minds and Bernie is just telling the truth. The fact that his “truth” is exactly what Republicans want them to believe because it lets Republicans stay in power, like, doesn’t count.

    The person I got really pissed at on Twitter yesterday was a self-described “Baby Boomer feminist” who’s leaving the Democrats in a huff because they’ve been letting her down for decades. Bish, please. Who do you think it was that elected Nixon and Reagan? It wasn’t Millennials, you dumbfuck.

  93. 93.

    WereBear

    April 2, 2017 at 3:22 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: It’s a minute down the street. I wanted a certain mood.

  94. 94.

    lamh36

    April 2, 2017 at 3:24 pm

    Old pic but shows the same current truth… Don’t come for #NiecyZoe unless you want major A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E ???

    https://twitter.com/psddluva4evah/status/848616335223422977

  95. 95.

    dmsilev

    April 2, 2017 at 3:24 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Besides the points that other people have brought up, it’s worth considering the source. Walker Bragman is a “Bernie-or-bust” type, and pretty strident about it. He’s not exactly an objective reporter here.

  96. 96.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 3:25 pm

    @debbie:

    When the time comes that the Dems have control, by reinstating the filibuster, the Dems will show that they are the party of grownups.

    That’s a joke, right?

  97. 97.

    Vheidi

    April 2, 2017 at 3:25 pm

    @mattH: squirt gun/plant sprayer filed with h2o. If bargles thinks about getting on the counter i just have to pull it out, case closed

  98. 98.

    Cain

    April 2, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    @gwangung:

    @Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant): As you may know, this remake does not enjoy a particularly good reputation in the Asian American community. Be interested in what people think.

    Meh. Lately there has been a bunch of people talking about ‘whitewashing’ and so this movie and Iron Fist have come under fire because the lead is white. I reject the whole thing. A race doesn’t own martial arts. So I don’t think we should be so offended about that. Now, there is some nuance to my position. For instance, “Last of the Mohicans” and “Last Samurai” where suddenly the hero is the white guy, that makes me roll my eyes because it is a form of usurping the local culture to some extent. I’m not offended anymore than I was offended at Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom other than the fact that the movie accused nearly a billion people of eating monkey brains and other exotic proteins in a nation that is mostly vegetarian.

  99. 99.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    @mattH:

    If he likes laser toys, allow me to introduce the best cat laser toy EVER when you need to distract kitty from something else. It’s automatic and random so that when (for example) we need to distract Charlotte from coming into the kitchen while I’m cooking, we turn it on and let her play with it while I do that.

  100. 100.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 3:28 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    She’s obviously bought the line that the Democratic Party is corrupt and in thrall to Big Business,

    Look, I don’t want to give the impression that the party is perfect or that people can’t raise legitimate concerns. What I’m tired of is people trying to improve things by shortcuts and gimmicks and, especially, through condescension and hatred and lies.

  101. 101.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2017 at 3:28 pm

    @lamh36:

    I’m telling you — she is going to be your family’s first MD. Start saving for her education now!

  102. 102.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    @Mnemosyne: And from, it’s just a short hop to HUD secretary.

  103. 103.

    Cain

    April 2, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    @Mai.naem.mobile:

    I have this cold from hell. I have had a few bad upper respiratory infections including the flu but this one is by far the worst. The cough does not stop. I’m exhausted just from the cough. I want a little mini vacuum in my left nostril to suck all the mucus out on a regular intermittent basis.

    I hope you feel better.. May I suggest getting some elderberry extract and Umcka root? They greatly helped me get over my cold or even prevent it from happening in the first place. I usually have about one cold a year (sometimes no cold!) and taking stuff like this really helps.

  104. 104.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2017 at 3:33 pm

    @Baud:

    ?? That’s a pretty rude thing to say, dude.

  105. 105.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 3:37 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Mocking Carson is rude now?

  106. 106.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 3:38 pm

    Joe Donnally (D-Ind) is voting for Gorsuch.

  107. 107.

    zhena gogolia

    April 2, 2017 at 3:41 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    “Rapid City, South Dakota” in James Mason’s voice. Nothing better!

  108. 108.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 2, 2017 at 3:42 pm

    @Corner Stone: Chuckles the Toddler is vying with Mrs. Greenspan for the earliest tumbrel manifest number. Cripes how I loathe him. You have to give Jake Tapper some credit for behaving like an actual journalist the last few months. No such credit for Chuckles.

  109. 109.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 2, 2017 at 3:42 pm

    Well oiled machine

    Daniel Dale‏Verified account @ ddale8 3h3 hours ago
    What a detail: Other Trump aides passed around an Onion story mocking Jared Kushner and his giant issue portfolio.

  110. 110.

    debit

    April 2, 2017 at 3:42 pm

    @Vheidi: The problem with spraying is that the cat knows if you’re not around he’s safe to do as he pleases.

  111. 111.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 2, 2017 at 3:43 pm

    @Baud: Another DINO.

  112. 112.

    zhena gogolia

    April 2, 2017 at 3:43 pm

    @Oatler.:

    @zhena gogolia:

    Ha, always read the whole thread before commenting on BJ!

  113. 113.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 3:43 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: But he’s got that ad with the basketball and making people follow the rules.

  114. 114.

    WaterGirl

    April 2, 2017 at 3:43 pm

    @Baud: Thank you. I read that and thought, hell no!

  115. 115.

    zhena gogolia

    April 2, 2017 at 3:44 pm

    @amk:

    Yessssss!

  116. 116.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 3:44 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Well, it’s Indiana. I’m curious to see what Bennet from Colorado does.

  117. 117.

    zhena gogolia

    April 2, 2017 at 3:45 pm

    @mattH:

    Never turn your back.

  118. 118.

    debbie

    April 2, 2017 at 3:47 pm

    @Baud:

    Really? You think McConnell can be stopped?

  119. 119.

    zhena gogolia

    April 2, 2017 at 3:47 pm

    @GregB:

    With admiring comments all down below it.

  120. 120.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    @debbie: He’ll blow it up. We’re not going to reinstate it when we get the Senate back, however.

  121. 121.

    WaterGirl

    April 2, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    @debbie: Not speaking for Baud, but if they take away the filibuster from us, I sure as hell don’t want to reinstate it so they can block us like the did for the 8 years of President Obama.

  122. 122.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    @WaterGirl: You can speak for me.

  123. 123.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 2, 2017 at 3:50 pm

    @Baud: the fighters-of-the-real-enemies at PCCC have already declared war on Heitkamp and Manchin. I would rather focus on NV and AZ

  124. 124.

    WaterGirl

    April 2, 2017 at 3:51 pm

    @lamh36: I see that face and I think: Do. not. fuck. with. Zoe. Am I allowed to say that? :-)

  125. 125.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 3:52 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I saw that. Can’t stop them, but I’ll be curious to see how much damage they do.

  126. 126.

    BBA

    April 2, 2017 at 3:53 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I dunno, if NJ’s Democratic machine is as bad as NY’s it might be worthwhile to run on the opposition ticket. And Corzine was really fucking awful.

  127. 127.

    rikyrah

    April 2, 2017 at 3:56 pm

    @amk:
    We have 8 years of receipts.
    But, what Perez is saying goes.back at least 30 years of truth.

  128. 128.

    BBA

    April 2, 2017 at 3:56 pm

    @Baud: So they have 50 votes to confirm with 60 votes, but they don’t have 50 votes to confirm with 50 votes or 60 votes to confirm with 60 votes. Reminds me of the interminable ACA process. Ah, memories.

  129. 129.

    rikyrah

    April 2, 2017 at 3:59 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:
    There wasn’t a state house or state senate seat that she could run for?

    She has to show me where the GOP supports anything that she is doing

  130. 130.

    lamh36

    April 2, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    Uh…is there a certain distance ur microwave should be from say the fridge and the stove…asking for a friend???

    https://twitter.com/psddluva4evah/status/848625570116231169

  131. 131.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    April 2, 2017 at 4:02 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    Sorry, Cornerstone… I once had a “friend” urge me to try a spoonful of some wonderful BBQ sauce. It was Dave’s Insanity Sauce. My tongue blistered and I was in tears for 30 minutes. Some people are sociopathic.

  132. 132.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 4:02 pm

    @BBA:
    @rikyrah:

    That seat is currently held by a Republican, so I guess it is unlikely to do harm.

  133. 133.

    WereBear

    April 2, 2017 at 4:02 pm

    @lamh36: That doesn’t look good.

  134. 134.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 2, 2017 at 4:03 pm

    @rikyrah: I guess we should be glad on some level that someone from that corner of the political world is aware of the existence of Congress. Usually they seem to the Obama could and should have ruled by fiat, like Presdinent B*rnie! would have done! because balls!

    @BBA: I don’t know either, but it seems to me if there’s a case to be made for such a corrupt and sclerotic party, it could be challenged by an independent run for the state lege. Like Baud said, this is the quest for a short cut by somebody who’s been convinced that politics is really easy if we just got rid of money or corruption.

  135. 135.

    debbie

    April 2, 2017 at 4:04 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    I don’t know. Leaving it at 51 votes isn’t such a great idea either.

  136. 136.

    lamh36

    April 2, 2017 at 4:07 pm

    @WereBear: IKR…

    my last oven was near the stove, but I did have a bigger kitchen. I have a dishwasher attached to the reverse counter, but I wasn’t gonna use it, it’s a bit outdated, works I’m sure, but outdated…so I bought a dish drying basket…ya know…so I didn’t want it near the wet dishes…

    But I’m thinking I may have to just go ahead and use the dishwasher as a dish dryer…lol…like my mom does…then I can use the bigger counter for the microwave

  137. 137.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2017 at 4:08 pm

    @Baud:

    You weren’t mocking Carson. You were mocking the idea that a black girl should aspire to be an MD because, hey, she’ll just go bonkers like Carson anyway, amirite?

  138. 138.

    rikyrah

    April 2, 2017 at 4:09 pm

    @lamh36:
    Don’t mess with Zoe ??

  139. 139.

    raven

    April 2, 2017 at 4:10 pm

    @lamh36: Doesn’t your dishwasher have a dry function?

  140. 140.

    WereBear

    April 2, 2017 at 4:11 pm

    @lamh36: That’s not a bad idea of your Mom’s at all; and when company comes, you just close the door :)

  141. 141.

    lamh36

    April 2, 2017 at 4:11 pm

    @WaterGirl: lol…it’s def an statement we’ve all made when we see the same face…lol

  142. 142.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 4:11 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Nope. Mocking Carson.

  143. 143.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    @lamh36:

    I would worry that you might accidentally melt the edge of the microwave since it’s overlapping the stove a little. You should probably move it.

  144. 144.

    lamh36

    April 2, 2017 at 4:13 pm

    @raven: it does, but I don’t know that it’s that great…it’s an older model, and to be quite honest, the complex needs to update it soonner than later…but it def can be used as a drip dry

  145. 145.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2017 at 4:13 pm

    @Baud:

    … by saying that any Black doctor would go nuts, too.

    ETA: That may not be how you meant it, but that’s how it came across to me.

  146. 146.

    Baud

    April 2, 2017 at 4:14 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Any one of us is capable of going nuts. Carson is just someone we know who did.

  147. 147.

    lamh36

    April 2, 2017 at 4:14 pm

    @Mnemosyne: yeah…I figured. Besides, I don’t want a smaller mircrowave anyway…so I’m def move it…

  148. 148.

    gene108

    April 2, 2017 at 4:16 pm

    @amk:

    well, nj dems thought christie was doing heckuva job and gave him a second term and he promptly drained the state. who knows?

    Christie greatly benefited from the Obama recovery in his first term.

    The NJ Democrats, from what I have seen living in this state for 20 years, are like feudal lords, with Part Bosses ruling their local fiefs, first and foremost, and not always willing to unite under a single Party leader.

    It didn’t help that McGreevey resigned in disgrace, and Corzine went around the Party hierarchy, by throwing a good chunk of his personal fortune into running for governor. There was no center to NJ Democrats, so they kept to their local power bases, doled out patronage and expected something in return.

    Christie, initially was able to “buy off” many local Democrats, as they were more interested in controlling their “little piece of heaven”, than mounting opposition to Christie. He got very little scrutiny from the “loyal opposition”.

    And then the GWB closing came to light, Christie’s fierce promise to rebuild after Sandy started getting mired in fraud and abuse, and he spent the better part of 2014 working for the Republican Governor’s Association, and then 2015 running for President, and 2016 campaigning for Trump, people are sick of his shit.

    He’s been an absentee governor the last three years and the state hasn’t missed him.

    He’s shown he’s not needed and no one wants him.

  149. 149.

    gene108

    April 2, 2017 at 4:22 pm

    @Baud:

    Hope the Dems voting for Gorsuck are making the same deal Collins, and I think Murkowski did on the Devos nomination: Vote against your Party to preserve your Street cred, but knowing their are enough votes in the Party to get the person confirmed or in this case opposed.

  150. 150.

    raven

    April 2, 2017 at 4:23 pm

    @lamh36: The biggest issue with them is that the “dryer” is a heating element on the bottom of the unit and you have to keep any plastic items on the top rack.

  151. 151.

    lamh36

    April 2, 2017 at 4:25 pm

    all right the microwave has been moved across the kitchen above the dish dryer/dishwasher?

    https://twitter.com/psddluva4evah/status/848632249880858624

  152. 152.

    workworkwork

    April 2, 2017 at 4:26 pm

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: We saw it yesterday and enjoyed it. The production values are fantastic and I loved seeing the best action scenes from the anime translated to live action.
    The casting was good, particularly Takeshi Kitano as Aramaki. He projected just the right qualities of wisdom and hard-won experience. (Just don’t mess with his team.) I would have liked to have seen more of the other members of Section 9, but there’s only so much time.

  153. 153.

    gene108

    April 2, 2017 at 4:27 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    The only thing worse than Sen Turtle blatantly lying about Garland and Gorsuch is that Chuckles not calling him on any of it beyond a kind of, “Huh, you don’t say?” type follow up question.

    But if Todd asked follow-up questions, no one Republican will come on his show, because he’s being a Great Big Meanie ☹️??

  154. 154.

    raven

    April 2, 2017 at 4:32 pm

    We are re-watching Treme so I made duck gumbo!

  155. 155.

    joel hanes

    April 2, 2017 at 4:33 pm

    @Corner Stone:
    capsaicin is fat-soluble
    so “wash” your face and hands with olive oil, or butter, or cream,
    and then wash with soap
    rinse, repeat

    been there, although not with Carolina Reaper

  156. 156.

    chopper

    April 2, 2017 at 4:37 pm

    @dmsilev:

    to be fair to drumpf, nothing says “love” like gutting health coverage for tens of millions of people out of sheer spite.

  157. 157.

    WereBear

    April 2, 2017 at 4:44 pm

    @debit: You are exactly right.

    Here’s my tips for keeping cats off kitchen counters.

    It’s a partnership.

  158. 158.

    J R in WV

    April 2, 2017 at 4:45 pm

    @mattH:

    @debit:

    WE had a really big snow white tom cat with bright red spots that I rescued from the local hardware store. Named him Rufus for the red spot on his head. He was affectionate, and eventually at dinner would take a seat and be just so proper. Eventually one of us would give him a tiny scrap of whatever meat or seafood we were having.

    He was totally polite and well mannered. We never gave him more than 1 or 2 tiny tastes, and he just purred and never demanded anything at all.

    When he got aged a little, he would creep into bed after I fell asleep, and curl against my bald head, keeping both of us a little warmer. He was our second giant white cat with red spots, they were both wonderful partners to live with.

    Currently we have two rescued feral cats who are affectionate, but also have trouble controlling their claws, so I’m covered by little slices and snags. I use alcohol to sanitize my forearms and thighs when they get a little too affectionate. At night they like to sneak into bed, fortunately the covers keep them from doing damage at night.

    I wish we had a king bed, then there would be room for the dogs, who will join either of us for an afternoon nap. But not room for everyone at the same time.

  159. 159.

    Another Scott

    April 2, 2017 at 4:46 pm

    @Mai.naem.mobile: Cat?!? j/k ;-)

    Thanks for the kind words, Mai.

    And thanks, everyone. I didn’t mean to hijack so many threads, but do appreciate the good thoughts.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  160. 160.

    Juju

    April 2, 2017 at 4:59 pm

    @mattH: I’m not a cat person because I am allergic to cats, but could you put him in a kitty carrier while your working with food and let him out when you’re done? Would something like that work with cats?

  161. 161.

    WereBear

    April 2, 2017 at 5:04 pm

    @mattH: From my decades of rescue experience, it’s simple: he’s hungry. If he had any survival struggles at all, it was a life or death thing; and that leaves a mark.

    Can you put a sliver of ham in his dish for him? And if he asks politely, he gets another sliver? This will teach him yours and mine.

  162. 162.

    Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)

    April 2, 2017 at 5:12 pm

    @Brachiator: Agreed. The soundtrack could have been lifted from any of a hundred other movies, and the griping about the cast turned out to be meaningless because they were given next to nothing to do.

  163. 163.

    hovercraft

    April 2, 2017 at 5:21 pm

    @Another Scott:

    Our Dishonest President.

    Great read.
    Only 70 days in. I decided to watch Meet The Press to see where the villagers are on this clusterfuck of an administration.
    Amy Walters pointed out that Twitler is already at the point where Bush, Clinton and Obama were when they lost congress. His approval among republicans is high, but his mistakes and failures have already dispirited them, the strong approval is being swamped by strong dissaproval, 2 to 1, and he’s at 33% approve with independents. Right now he’s already lost the support he had from the middle and the only people who are energized are the democrats. Everyone on the panel agreed that between his fuckups and Ryan’s the GOP is in trouble, trash talking from the sidelines is easy, but governing is hard, and given the competing interests and priorities of the various factions, pulling them into a cohesive governing congress will be almost impossible. Cue the newest MSNBC host, Greta, it’s still early guys and you’re forgetting that if by election time the economy is growing at 4% all this wil be a distant memory and republicans will win!! Of course no one thought to ask her what was going to lead to this growth rate, I’m sure the answer would have been tax cuts, and if tax cuts are that stimulative why Kansas and Wisconsin are not shining examples for us to observe.

  164. 164.

    Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)

    April 2, 2017 at 5:25 pm

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I think that you are the target audience – among those who had no previous exposure.

    The theater I went to had no matinees on opening day, and only one each over the weekend. My showing had less than 20 in it. Not a good sign…

  165. 165.

    Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)

    April 2, 2017 at 5:28 pm

    @Steeplejack (tablet): After rewatching the original, I agree there was no need for a remake. The effects were fine, and actually not over CGI-ified.

  166. 166.

    WaterGirl

    April 2, 2017 at 5:34 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Wow, that’s not how I took Baud’s comment at all.

    That may not have been how he meant it? Have you met Baud before? Of course that’s not how he meant it.

    edit: and I say that as someone scorned by Baud just this morning in the little girl loves the water heater thread.

  167. 167.

    WaterGirl

    April 2, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    @lamh36: Much better! I missed your whole move. What did I miss? Did you move to another city? Is the annoying boss at the old place or the new place? Promotion? Lateral move? Where are you now?

  168. 168.

    WaterGirl

    April 2, 2017 at 5:45 pm

    @WereBear: *WHERE WERE YOU 7 YEARS AGO WHEN I GOT MY KITTIES AND TRIED TO TEACH THEM TO STAY OFF THE COUNTERS???

    (pardon my shouting, but I surely wish I had read that a very very long time ago.)

    Is it too late? They are 7.

    p.s. the all caps was meant to be funny, not trying to be a jerk.

  169. 169.

    WereBear

    April 2, 2017 at 6:06 pm

    @WaterGirl: Sure, it can still work :)

    You have nothing to lose by trying, certainly.

  170. 170.

    Brachiator

    April 2, 2017 at 6:36 pm

    @Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant):

    Agreed. The soundtrack could have been lifted from any of a hundred other movies, and the griping about the cast turned out to be meaningless because they were given next to nothing to do.

    After a while, I got a little bored, and actually began thinking during the movie that it would be a lot more fun if it were more about the team and the Major. Her second in command (the guy who got the special spectacles) was interesting. The scene with the dog was typical (and kinda lame) character building, but there was one scene where he is walking and you see him with his clothing and weapons, and I thought “I like the way this character moves. I wish more was done to show his character by how he commands the physical space, not just how he is a sentimental guy who loves doggies.”

  171. 171.

    Barbara

    April 2, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    I love North By Northwest! As a footnote to history. Remember the scene with the corn field and him dodging the plane? That was filmed just outside my home town, Corcoran, California, (North of Bakersfield and south of Fresno) and they had to plant the corn! I always laugh when I see that scene.

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