Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

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

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

Giving up is unforgivable.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

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

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Open Thread: Wacky Caper Spinoff in A Season of Film Noir

Open Thread: Wacky Caper Spinoff in A Season of Film Noir

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It’s all fun’n’games, until the GOP drives the government into default…


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But the kkkrazy complications never end!…

Sign of a guaranteed seat-emptier: When the production team keeps adding ‘shock twists’ rather than scrapping a failed script…

Reader Interactions

213Comments

  1. 1.

    germy

    Bob Schooley said Mnuchin looks like a British comedian from the 1960s who “never caught on” in America.

  2. 2.

    Jerzy Russian

    The fuckhead has $500 million, and needs to take an Air Force plane to see the eclipse?

  4. 4.

    eclare

    There was a comment (I think on Twitter) from some woman saying she was happy to wear a ten dollar dress if she didn’t have to sleep with Mnuchin. I wholeheartedly agree.

  6. 6.

    Mnemosyne

    I did a presentation at work today, and it went pretty well. Otherwise, a fairly quiet day.

  9. 9.

    Major Major Major Major

    Sign of a guaranteed seat-emptier: When the production team keeps adding ‘shock twists’ rather than scrapping a failed script…

    Oh I don’t know about that, lots of folks watched the last two seasons of Lost.

  10. 10.

    dmsilev

    I had the weirdest interaction with a vendor today. Two months ago, we ordered an expensive piece of equipment from them, and it finally showed up last week (a week later than expected, but fine). Problem was, what showed up was the wrong thing; it was wired for UK (240 V) power, not US, and apparently was not easily convertible. Fine, ship it back and get them to send The Right Thing. Which they said they did last week. Until the “I’ve got good news and bad news” email arrived. They didn’t actually ship it last week, because the freight company that delivered it _thought_ that they hadn’t delivered it and told the vendor that, so the vendor thought they just needed to tell the shipping company to make another delivery attempt (this is, mind you, a week after Wrong Thing was delivered and a few days after the RMA’d Wrong Thing was picked up by a different shipper to head back east), and they apparently only realized the contradiction yesterday.

    Three emails and a phone conversation, and I’m still not sure WTF happened.

    Supposedly now the Right Thing is shipping tomorrow. I’ll believe it when I see it.

  12. 12.

    Redshift

    @Jerzy Russian:

    The fuckhead has $500 million, and needs to take an Air Force plane to see the eclipse?

    Because part of being a rich asshole is never paying for anything if you can make someone else pay for it, no matter how much more easily you can afford it.

  15. 15.

    Jeffro

    @eclare: Was just going to mention the same thing/tweet.

    Hell, I’D wear a $10 dress if the alternative was sleeping with Steve Mnunchin. Or even getting within 100 feet of him.

  18. 18.

    Jerzy Russian

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Wipe them out. All of them.

    I am sorry, but I have to ask again: Will Geordi be wiped out too?

    Back on topic, it is amazing how cheapskatesness correlates with personal wealth, especially among the ones very near the top. A plane ticket for that guy is a roundoff error.

  22. 22.

    jacy

    I hate to do this — and if it’s inappropriate, I have no problem having it removed — but if any Juicers would like to help me spread word, I’m doing a modest GoFundMe campaign to finish fixing my car. It’s been out of commission since November, and I finally put about $900 into it, but I’m still $560 short, mostly because I didn’t know I had to physically hand over my license plate for the months I wasn’t driving and the fine state of Louisiana fined me without notifying me. I’ve tried to get it taken care of, but between the neverending medical bills and the lawyer fees for my psycho-ex’s custody war, I just keep finding myself underwater. And this week I lose the use of the car I have been driving, and if I don’t get this one back on the road, I won’t be able to pick up my kids next week. So I’m desperate. This week it’s the car or the mortgage, and the mortgage won.

  28. 28.

    Redshift

    Oh, now that I’m back from vacation, an update on my cancer story. (That still doesn’t feel real.)

    Previously, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had surgery so quickly (three days after the confirming scans) that it made me dizzy. The follow-up CT showed a possible tumor on the liver, which was pretty weird because there wasn’t any evidence it had spread anywhere in between, but unless it could be determined not to be a tumor, it was going to be chemo for me just to be sure. (No fun at all.)

    I had an MRI squeezed in just before we left for two weeks in Europe. While we were traveling, I got a voice mail that it clearly showed that wasn’t a tumor, yay!

    So now I’m back to successful surgery with no signs of it having spread. I’m meeting with various oncologists to decide between radiation or very limited chemo as a precaution, either of which will start in a couple of weeks.

    All in all, much better than it was looking a while ago. It’ll have to be monitored, but with this one round of treatment, chances are less than five percent it will recur.

    Thanks to everyone for your support.

  29. 29.

    Peale

    @dmsilev: people actually believe that the human mind is the most complex object in the universe. I believe that the most complex thing might be your machine. It’s in so many places and not in those places at the same time. It appears to be winning whatever battle it is fighting with is us and fuck if we will ever be able to know what it is.

  30. 30.

    Peale

    Heading to Toronto for the weekend and Monday I’m supposed to find out if I’m promoted or need to look for someplace new to work.

  31. 31.

    Fair Economist

    @Redshift:

    with this one round of treatment, chances are less than five percent it will recur.

    Excellent news! That 5% may look scary, but it is a pretty low chance.

  32. 32.

    germy

    @Peale:

    people actually believe that the human mind is the most complex object in the universe.

    Emo Philips: “I used to think that the brain was the most wonderful organ in my body. Then I realized who was telling me this.”

  33. 33.

    Wilson Heath

    Rank and file IRS employees who the douche is the ultimate boss of are not authorized to use the Acela for legit business travel because it is too “luxurious” and thus unseemly. (Talk to the effected civil servants and it just gets stupider from there.)

    Way to lead by example, asshole.

  37. 37.

    Fair Economist

    @dmsilev: Is this real or an outtake from Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? I can’t decide if I’d like my problems to be surrealistic like that or not.

  38. 38.

    Thoughtful David

    @Jerzy Russian:
    It isn’t the money; it’s a power trip. Mnuchin gets to show off both his arm candy and show everyone that he’s so important that the govt flies him around on a jet.
    That’s what it’s about.
    As Villago says.

  39. 39.

    germy

    Rank and file IRS employees who the douche is the ultimate boss of are not authorized to use the Acela for legit business travel because it is too “luxurious” and thus unseemly. (Talk to the effected civil servants and it just gets stupider from there.)

    Way to lead by example, asshole.

    But his wife seems nice.

  42. 42.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Steeplejack: And he sure ain’t gonna start now. The “Mexicans” paying for that wall are sharing their $$ with him and his lovely wife.

  46. 46.

    WaterGirl

    @Redshift: Thank you for the update. I don’t know if you saw my query to you in a previous thread. That’s such great news! So happy for you.

  48. 48.

    Patricia Kayden

    @EBT: Powerful tweets. Sorry you had to go through all that. And now we have President kicking transgender folks out of our military for nonsense reasons. Sigh.

  50. 50.

    Redshift

    @Fair Economist:

    Excellent news! That 5% may look scary, but it is a pretty low chance.

    I’m okay with it; I’m a natural optimist. During this process, I’ve learned to tell doctors to be completely straight with me about the possibilities and not try to soften it much. I had several gut-punch-feeling incidents, because they thought they were telling me it’s probably cancer, but we need these tests to confirm, and I heard that it might not be, which my optimistic brain turned into “well, hopefully this test will show it’s nothing.” And then when it wasn’t, that would be worse.

    Seriously, I had this more than once during this process before I started to figure it out.

  53. 53.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @jacy:
    Good luck. I wish I could help, but between a bad book launch and supporting a friend while she moves, I’m scraping my own pennies. Hopefully others here will be in a better position to give.

  56. 56.

    Redshift

    @WaterGirl:

    Thank you for the update. I don’t know if you saw my query to you in a previous thread.

    I did, thanks, but the thread was already stale by the time I saw it. Then I wanted to wait until everything was confirmed at my follow-up yesterday.

  63. 63.

    EBT

    @Cheryl Rofer: In the terms of that story? Yeah, I turned 34 last week. Been on HRT for 11 years (notice the gap between 19 and starting HRT at 23, got a story for that too) and had GRS a little over two years ago.

  68. 68.

    dmsilev

    @Roger Moore: Oh, we have 240 V power. And 230V 3-phase. And 460V 3-phase. But I want to be able to plug Thing (a helium leak detector) into an ordinary wall socket for maximal ease of use.

  75. 75.

    Schlemazel

    We went to the State Fair today, just us and 120,000 of our neighbors. They have a display of ‘crop art’ where people glue seeds of different types down to make images. There was a theme to the winners this year I think a lot of you will enjoy.
    CROP ART
    I also added a shot of the second place in the scarecrow Sr. division.

  82. 82.

    frosty

    @Redshift: That’s also a key part of being a Mafia don. Always go to dinner on a stolen credit card. The food tastes better then.

  83. 83.

    Ohio Mom

    @Peale: We once went on a short vacation a couple of days after Ohio Dad was laid off — the plans were already in place to drive to NYC to visit my family. Our feeling was, Why Not? Was staying home going to change anything?

    It did feel a little weird not to be home, fretting, but we had the rest of the summer for that. I think it helped in a way that it was early into Obama’s first term, when the economy was still wobbly — it didn’t feel all that personal. But then, it hardly ever is, is it?

    Anyway, Toronto is a great city with great food and great things to see. I hope you enjoy yourself and that whatever happens on Monday, it is doable.

  93. 93.

    FlyingToaster

    @jacy: I’m in; it looks like you met your goal.

    TAKE THE EXTRA. You need to gas up, and have some spare for when the state inspection fails.

  97. 97.

    Schlemazel

    @Redshift:
    That is good news. Neither chemo or radiation is fun but if that is what it takes to kill the cancer dead its a fair trade. I is coming up on 6 years since radiation for me, I never want to go through that again but being cancer free is the reward

  98. 98.

    WaterGirl

    @Peale: Well, that’s no fun. But I agree with Ohio Mom. Enjoy Toronto, and as for Monday, well you can deal with that on Monday. A spoiled trip won’t affect the outcome in any positive way. Enjoy!

  102. 102.

    WaterGirl

    @debbie: I don’t suppose his father stood up for him father has ever stood up for anything in his life.

    Fixed that for you.

  103. 103.

    Ruckus

    @Redshift:
    You hear that word, if fucks with you. I don’t care who you are or how strong you think you are. Or how well the treatment goes or, or, or, or.
    Anyway it sounds like things are working out and possibility of relapse is low.
    Very. Good. News.

  104. 104.

    eemom

    @Redshift:

    Adding my congrats at the great news! Haven’t been around here much, so I didn’t even know you had this going on — very glad to have tuned in now.

    As my Mom said yesterday for my birthday, Να τα εκατοστίσεις! (May you live to be a hundred)

  108. 108.

    WaterGirl

    @Ruckus: Hey Ruckus, I finally got to the How Do You Cope thread last night and I got the impression that you were waiting for some important news on Monday. I have been hoping for good things for you.

  109. 109.

    Steve in the ATL

    Do you ever walk around downtown Cleveland and wonder why there are so many hookers out and then you find out there’s a lady Gaga concert that night?

    Yeah, it happened to me too.

  116. 116.

    jacy

    Wow! Thanks to all of you! I’m so excited. Any extra that is not car related, I’ll donate to the local no-kill shelter in Denham that had the flood damage — they’re good people. Not as good as you all, but stil! Gosh, I’m lucky to have this place. I feel a little teary. :)

  117. 117.

    Schlemazel

    @Ohio Mom:
    The art work was all very vanilla and non-political until after 2001. Most of it still is but there are always a few, they are always progressive and they are not down voted for their politics.

    OTOH I saw 4 MAGA hats in the sea of people. Two were on a couple riding mobility scooters. I wanted to go over and remind them that the Nazis gassed disabled people too but the wife held me back. As a Minnesotan she did not want a scene ;)

  118. 118.

    WaterGirl

    @raven: I was just singing that to my kitty this morning. Only it was “oh black kitty, bam-bah-bam”, and I make up the rest of the lyrics as I go.

  123. 123.

    WaterGirl

    @jacy: Maybe don’t donate the extra for a bit? With everything going on, gas money and a little emergency money could be a good thing! And people donated even after you met your goal, so I think people intended for you to have that money. Stuff always comes up when money is tight. Always.

  128. 128.

    WaterGirl

    @debbie: I’m not all that hopeful that the next generation won’t be screwed up, too. Ugh, imagine having that cretin for a father and a loveless marriage as your model.

  129. 129.

    Ohio Mom

    @Schlemazel: We were in DC in June and saw a family walking around the mall — as we were, and hundreds of others — decked out in MAGA hats and tee-shirts. They stuck out in a goofy way.

    After all, everyone on the mall is already reveling in AMERICA, there you are between the Capitol and the Washington monument, surrounded by museum after museum full of our history. Those three looked like they were trying a little too hard to prove how patriotic they consider themselves. That they had sour looks on their faces was the cherry on top.

  135. 135.

    Schlemazel

    @Ohio Mom:
    The two in the chairs looked smug af. One of the other 2 was about 15 and a perfect little Nazi with his reflective shades

  137. 137.

    TheMightyTrowel

    so my latest paper has been getting media attention. just got picked up by Fox News. Considering it’s about how ancient SE Asian people had much more complex and sophisticated societies and technologies than previously assumed, I’m rather surprised….

  139. 139.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Schlemazel: looks like I at least will have fun when I go to see my parents next weekend. Not sure my mother will but I am getting quite irritated with them in regards to politics.

  141. 141.

    WaterGirl

    @Ohio Mom: Probably not. I want to say that maybe it’s better that way, but that’s pretty glib. I’m sure it’s hurtful to feel either invisible or like a prop. Maybe he has a good relationship with his mom.

  153. 153.

    WaterGirl

    @Shana: Shit, I thought the more money you had the more you generous you are able to be with what you have. I have been doing it wrong. Fuck.

  162. 162.

    Shana

    @eemom: My father always said, and I’m sure he got it from his parents, “wear it in good health” when I got new clothes. I found myself saying it to my daughter recently and was stunned to hear it coming out of my mouth.

  163. 163.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    @rikyrah: ya know I was never a Sharpe fan during his playing days but man he’s been on fire on race issues as a commenter.

  165. 165.

    Schlemazel

    @Shana:
    Back when he was making movies in England Cary Grant was in a film about 2 rich guys who make a bet. They give a bum (Grant) a 100 Pound note (a princely sum at the time) and he finds he can’t spend it because people give him stuff because they believe he is rich. I have not seen that move in 45 years but I wish I could find it on TMC or something because it was fun & also a bit sad because it is believable.

  167. 167.

    lafcolleen

    @jacy: can you hang onto it for a bit? I’d like to hear you used it for other expenses. How are your tires? Give yourself a gas budget out of it.

  168. 168.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @eemom: @Shana:

    Igor: You know, I’ll never forget my old dad. When these things would happen to him… the things he’d say to me.
    Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: What did he say?
    Igor: “What the hell are you doing in the bathroom day and night? Why don’t you get out of there and give someone else a chance?”

  169. 169.

    mai naem mobile

    Somebody on Twitter took the pic of Mnuchin and Linton getting off the plane and photos hopped it with bubbles next to her ‘sunnies’,shoes, handbag etc.with names of people he screwed in the fucked up foreclosures he pulled in the bank he took over. Pretty snarky and to the point.

  170. 170.

    jacy

    @lafcolleen:

    I’ve already bought a new battery, new tires, and gotten an oil change, in preparation for getting back on the road. What I will do is buy the next three months of heartworm/flea protection for the critters — three dogs and three cats adds up. Thanks goodness all the turtle needs is the occasional filter change.

  171. 171.

    dmsilev

    @Omnes Omnibus: Paraphrasing from one of Pratchett’s Discworld books:
    “In times like these, I wish I had listened to what my father told me”
    “What did he say?”
    “I don’t know; I didn’t listen.”

  174. 174.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @jacy: Pet expenses are a good use that people here will appreciate.

    Volvos are good, reliable cars*, but when they break, they aren’t cheap. Hopefully, you’ve fixed all the problems and your car will work well from now on.

    *Said with pain as a Saab person.

  176. 176.

    Westyny

    So I saw Logan Lucky tonight and I liked it. Made being working poor in West Virginia seem more fun than it probably is. I kept waiting for Adam Drivet to whip out a Light Saber.

  177. 177.

    Miss Bianca

    @eclare: I actually forwarded that one on to my friend who went to the same college as Louise. My friend was telling me this crazy story about meeting Louise for drinks at the atrump Tower when she was in DC for a meeting this spring…

  178. 178.

    Ohio Mom

    @WaterGirl: I grew up in a moderately dysfunctional family and my siblings were my anchor. As I suppose I was to them. We could validate one another’s feelings and perceptions.

    But maybe you have a point about Barron’s step-siblings!

    I remember reading that Melania’s parents live nearby. Let’s hope they are good enough grandparents.

  179. 179.

    Felonius Monk

    @dmsilev: And from Mark Twain:

    “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he’d learned in seven years.”

  185. 185.

    Kay

    It’s so gross (and typical) how they’re all working so hard on a tax bill when they slapped that piece of shit health care bill together in 20 minutes.

    They didn’t care about the health care bill because none of them rely on it. Cutting taxes they care about. That’s serious business. 22 million people denied health care? Who cares? Scrawl some shit on a cocktail napkin and vote on it.

    I swear. You can sure tell who is important with these guys.

  200. 200.

    Origuy

    @jacy:

    Thanks goodness all the turtle needs is the occasional filter change.

    How do you change the filter on a turtle? Do you have to remove the shell?

  202. 202.

    eclare

    @WaterGirl: She is a full figured gal, big boned, barrel chest, so her songs are “Brick House” and “Baby Got Back”. She earns both, and yes, I sing them to her.

  210. 210.

    Central Planning

    @Redshift: I had a similar experience with my testicular cancer and the liver – they found a bunch of small hemangiomas (basically a bunch of blood vessels) on my liver too. They said half the population has them, they don’t cause issues, and it’s not a big deal. They decided just to keep their eye on them, to see if they change. That would indicate a problem.

    Good luck, and great that things are looking up. And fuck cancer.

  211. 211.

    opiejeanne

    @Omnes Omnibus: Yes. She stood up for him and said that children should be off limits.

    After a few agreeable ones, the first one was just some idiot saying that he never thought he’d ever agree with her on anything because Clinton, ew. Then it just went to shit.
    I do not understand why people do this, I really don’t.

  212. 212.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @EBT: Hugs, if hugs are OK. So glad you made it though, too many of us don’t. And yeah, when comes to having wide child-bearing shoulders and size 13W shoes, I hear ya, I hear ya…

  213. 213.

    Citizen_X

    I know this is a dead thread and all, but nobody saw fit to Carly Simonize this shit?

    Then you flew an Air Force jet to fucking Kentucky, for a
    total eclipse of the sun

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