I'm introducing an amendment to prohibit payment of @SecretService funds to Trump businesses. @POTUS should not profit off of the Presidency pic.twitter.com/vRgFRiXvtC
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) August 30, 2017
Rep. Adam Schiff seems to have a certain gift for keeping media attention where it needs to be…
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said he fears the panel’s Russia investigation could end up producing two separate, partisan reports offering contradictory conclusions to Americans.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he will work with other committee members “to do everything we can to prevent two separate reports” on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
“The ideal would be a comprehensive report with bipartisan support,” Schiff said in a phone interview from California with USA TODAY…
Schiff said the committee still has a long way to go in its Russia investigation and he is hopeful that it can avoid a partisan split.
He said the panel has been “making progress” but that it’s hard to say when the probe will be finished. The congressman expressed doubt that the investigation, which was announced in late January, would be completed this year…
Schiff praised the House panel’s staff but noted that they are experts in analyzing the performance of intelligence agencies — which the panel oversees — and are not prosecutors, Schiff said.
For that reason, the Department of Justice investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors is better-equipped to deal with any criminal matters that arise from the probe, Schiff said. He said Mueller also has greater manpower…
The committee is continuing to conduct closed-door interviews of key witnesses and reviewing scores of documents, Schiff said.
“There’s a lot more I think we want to learn about why the Russians decided this was the time to interfere in our election,” he said. “And of course, most importantly of all, we want to learn how we can prevent it from happening again.”…
***********
Apart from cheering on the slowly grinding mills of fate, what’s on the agenda for the evening?
Trentrunner
Just saw an article by McKay Coppins reminding us that it’s as likely as not that Trump will win a second term.
And for those who doubt, think back to how you felt on November 3, 2004.
Yeah.
Trentrunner
Also, FYCK the FYCKING autoplay audio ads at this FYCKING website. FYCK.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
Which is why that Rep from Florida introduced an amendment to cut of most funds for Mueller’s probe 6 months after passage. It won’t pass though, at least not through the Senate, I hope?
Major Major Major Major
This amendment is an ill-timed distraction from the transgender ban, which is a distraction from the tax cuts, which is a distraction from Russia, which is a distraction from CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN.
@Trentrunner: we’re DOOOOOMED!
Mnemosyne
@Trentrunner:
Really, we can’t even get to the midterms before the 2020 gloom porn begins? Jaysus, you need a hobby.
zhena gogolia
@Major Major Major Major:
Thank you!
Kelly
The west wind has carried the smoke over to torment central Oregon. Finally took my 11 year old granddaughter for a trip in our double kayak. Taken her for a ride every summer since she was 6. Next year she’ll paddle her own boat. The simple reality of dealing nature is an excellent way to develop confidence and learn about yourself.
Mnemosyne
Also, too, I am very proud to be a former constituent of Rep. Schiff’s. (We moved one town over and onto the one street in a different Democrat’s district.) He’s a good guy and squeaky clean as far as I know. The biggest beef people have with him is over copyright and other digital issues since the big studios are in his district.
efgoldman
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:
I doubt that Schiff’s bill even gets to the floor for a vote. Still, it’s a good move – make the RWNJs play defense and explain why they oppose something, for a change.
Mike J
@efgoldman: If you’re explaining, you’re losing, and Republicans have a shitload to explain with this maladministration.
Mnemosyne
My coworker and I have the same nasty cold today. Communication between us has been … interesting as we both try to remember in the middle of a sentence what we were trying to say.
Major Major Major Major
So judging solely from the airport, Dallas is exactly like every other big city, although with more cows.
ETA: wait, not quite, all the chip card readers are deactivated.
efgoldman
@Mike J:
In order to make them explain, somebody (hello Village) has to ask the questions, so we’ll see.
Mnemosyne
@Major Major Major Major:
I had a surprisingly non-painful experience flying through DFW last time. Our connecting flight was only a gate or two down from where we arrived, so we had time to have a sit down dinner and drinks at the Chilis.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Major Major Major Major: @Mnemosyne:
This reminds of me of one of my submissions to the rotating tagline two months ago:
This blog will be shut down in 24 hrs by order of the Office of the First Lady of the United States for violating the Protection of Orange Manbabies Act of 2028
Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD)
@Major Major Major Major:
Wait, what?
Brachiator
@Trentrunner:
Even if I knew who this person was, I wouldn’t care. Must be a slow news day when pundits start slinging prophecy masquerading as analysis.
Lapassionara
@efgoldman: Yes. This whole idea that Trump can charge the Secret Service and his business makes a profit is just mind boggling. If he wants to go somewhere every weekend, Camp David is a lovely spot.
Major Major Major Major
@Mnemosyne: I got a burger. When I ordered they said “alright, you’re Donald Trump.”
Now, I have a cold too so I’m a little out of it and flying tires me out to boot. And I just look at her like she’s speaking Finnish. And she says “well, unless you have an objection to the fella.”
And then she hands me a branded card with his name on it and somebody calls out another order for Robin Williams and I realize that they just have a pile of celebrity names that they hand out for order identifiers and I happened to have bad luck.
But for a second there I was sure I was in some sort of hell where service staff calls me Donald Trump everywhere I go.
But really the airport is fine, I haven’t spent much time in Texas but one of the big cities is supposed to be pretty alright. In addition to Austin that is.
@Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD): you’ll be happier if you don’t know.
Mnemosyne
@Major Major Major Major:
I’ve started seeing places that do pictures instead of numbers when you order. It seems odd to me. I had to choose an emoji when we were in Santa Barbara.
debbie
@Major Major Major Major:
Only idiots and doofuses let themselves be distracted.
Mike in DC
@Trentrunner:
A 50-50 shot at being reelected, at this point in, is flat out terrible for an incumbent. It will only go down in the next 15 months. Might come back up slightly if Dems do well in 2018, but not enough for him to win.
Elie
I dunno — In my gut I believe that Trump and the GOP are in immense trouble. I think they know it too. Unfortunately, because of their incompetence and evil, so are the rest of us. I see the problem will not be if the Democrats will win — but the scale of the problems ahead of us. I also believe that Trump will continue to be a destructive and divisive force until the last dog dies, so even if ultimately removed, the clean up will be big. Still, I want that rather than what we have. Without a doubt we are in for some amazing times.
Houston is going to be a much bigger recovery than Katrina and will be Trump’s and the GOP’s even worse Katrina. Cost of clean up is going to be massive and its one of their states they are going to be seen as trying to screw.
These are going to be unbelievable times when we look back. That is what my gut says anyway. Its a little scared.
chris
@Major Major Major Major: CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN
Heh. Currently reading the Fuller Memorandum. Yes, I’m often seven years behind but not Charlie Stross. Can’t find it now but in the first third of the book I tripped over the phrase “Make Russia great again.” the book came out in 2010.
Major Major Major Major
@Mnemosyne: I hope you picked poop.
efgoldman
@Mnemosyne:
There are lots of places that name, typically. sandwiches, drinks, or pizzas after celebrities – politicians, move/TV stars, and sports stars, especially local ones. Some of the big delis were doing it 40-50 years ago and more.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Major Major Major Major:
?
West of the Rockies (been a while)
@Kelly
The magazine Adventure Kayak features lots of pictures and articles with female kayakers of all ages… I’ve passed my issues along to my daughter to, I hope, inspire her to follow papa’s footsteps (paddle strokes) on this front.
If your little adventurer needs inspiration, consider grabbing a copy.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@efgoldman:
When I was in LA a year ago on vacation I ate at Pink’s. A bunch of their hot dogs were named after famous people, which makes sense considering the location. It was one of the best hot dogs I’ve ever had
Gaffer
@Trentrunner: Firefox add blocker=no ads of any kind.
rikyrah
@Elie:
Just praying for nothing nuclear. I know..the bar is set low…we will have a lot to clean up..if we can just evade nuclear weapons
Bill Arnold
Adam Schiff needs to work a bit on his timing, but B+ for effort.
@Major Major Major Major:
You arguably missed a step, CNO. LOL though.
West of the Rockies (been a while)
@Major Major Major Major:
Hey, saw your pic of the raven outside a window… very cool! You’ve got a distinct eye and style.
Kelly
@West of the Rockies (been a while): She doesn’t need much inspiration. Her grandma and I have been kayaking her entire life. At four she wanted a pink Jackson Fun1.
rikyrah
@Elie:
I do look forward to seeing them tapdance around Harvey aid money. I would make those muthaphuckas beg for it.
Gelfling 545
@Mnemosyne: I’ve been wondering about him as he is gaining a lot of attention & name recognition & seems to have a knack for saying the right thing or at least not sticking his foot in it. Possibly the VP spot? I mean, I lnow a lot pf people want a rock star but that’s not going to happen and by 2020 not being a moron might be good enough but I don’t know enough abput him to tell if that’s feasible.
schrodingers_cat
@Mnemosyne: I too have a bad cold.
Gelfling 545
@Major Major Major Major: Time to initiate Operstion Basilisk Stare.
Mnemosyne
@Gelfling 545:
I’d like to keep him in CA as either a gubernatorial challenger to Newsome or a replacement senator for Feinstein, but I suppose I shouldn’t be selfish …
WaterGirl
@Trentrunner: AdBlock Plus is your friend.
efgoldman
@Gelfling 545:
Definitely not a moron – a brilliant guy, even from 3000+ miles away. Apparently he’s one of several people waiting to see whether Difi will hang it up.
trollhattan
@West of the Rockies (been a while):
Attached message from Jon Snow, “Send dragons, stat!”
Major Major Major Major
@West of the Rockies (been a while): thanks!
@Gelfling 545: depends how much you trust the targeting AI’s.
raven
@West of the Rockies (been a while): do what?
Robert Sneddon
@chris: Charlie’s BICFOK (Bum In Chair Fingers On Keyboard) on the next Laundry novel (The Delerium Brief) which is set well into Case Nightmare Green. I’m one of his beta readers… Three words, piles of skulls.
WaterGirl
@raven: Not you! Earlier today Major Major Major Major posted a link to his cool drawing of a raven.
Major Major Major Major
@Robert Sneddon: I’ve already read the delirium brief…
MisterForkbeard
@Major Major Major Major: CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN is an obvious distraction from GOD GAME BLACK. Get with the program.
efgoldman
@WaterGirl: @raven:
There can be only one!
Major Major Major Major
@MisterForkbeard: I don’t have GOD GAME clearance ?
West of the Rockies (been a while)
@raven:
You’re being watched. Every breath you take, every move you make….
MisterForkbeard
@Major Major Major Major: Was going to say, pretty sure I read that a few months ago. That said, I love love love that one of the primary antagonists in the novel is the idea of public-private partnerships. Pure comedy gold.
JGabriel
USAToday via Anne Laurie @ Top:
Because – like every other Fox News & RT viewer – Putin dislikes Clinton, likes Trump, wants to destroy America, and believes his own propaganda. It’s not really that hard a question to answer, though I suppose there may be some difficulty in proving it.
Roger Moore
@Mnemosyne:
It sounds like a stupid attempt to differentiate themselves from places that use names or numbers.
@Major Major Major Major:
My guess is that they’ve decided to assign names rather than asking people to avoid the potential problems of:
1) More than one person having the same name, causing orders to be confused
2) People whose name the server has trouble spelling and/or pronouncing
3) Trolls giving fake names
Alain the site fixer
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: I’m getting those in the site soon, don’t despair!
Major Major Major Major
@MisterForkbeard: and the tip of the spear was privatizing the USPS!
lgerard
Since the republicans are big fans of the concept, I purpose means testing for the cost of providing security for the adult members of the President’s family.
It absurd to have the taxpayers pay for trumps kids as they wander around pursuing dealz
Major Major Major Major
@MisterForkbeard: and you can tell it’s a deftly done book when for the first fifth, as lovecraftian horrors from beyond the universe are slowly devouring mankind, I have a pit in my stomach because I’m so worried about Bob’s marriage.
MisterForkbeard
@Major Major Major Major: Contact your line manager and get read in.
@Major Major Major Major: I know, right? Stross is on the freaking ball. I heard he had to retool part of the book when Trump got onboard, and there’s some subtle hints that the election of the american president was a result of growing influence from the GOD GAME folks. :)
And… I admit to being more torn about Bob’s marriage than the ending of the Delirium Brief, which is a pretty concerning event of its own.
Major Major Major Major
@MisterForkbeard: they’ve been fired along with the rest of the department.
Smiling Mortician
@Major Major Major Major: Gotta say, that was a weird entry to land on when scrolling without reading what preceded it.
WaterGirl
@Roger Moore: Only an idiot restaurant manager would hand out cards that say Donald Trump.
Elie
@rikyrah:
For sure but I feel that its gonna be way worse than that.. I could see a major crisis around an environmental hazard such as this described by Charlie Pierce. I don’t think a lot of folks realize what a big economic impact the Houston area has either and how fucked up it is going to be for a pretty long time. Lots of disruption and very unhappy citizens.
Trump is so so far out of his depth and the Congress, run by Republicans, is so unable to govern, I hope we can keep the lid on the pot without blowing up our economy and what remains of our political system. These people passed “fucked up” in the rear view mirror a while now. I also truly believe we will see some new leaders during this…
Mnemosyne
@schrodingers_cat:
Summer colds are the worst. I just had to walk to the opposite end of the building and back again and now I’m exhausted. ??
chris
@Robert Sneddon: Yes! I follow the blog. Fuller is the third in the series, 4 and 5 are up next.
Agorabum
@Trentrunner: the idea that Trump is even odds is just silly. Bush had 90% approval after 9-11 and the invasion or Iraq and toppling of Saddam just took a few weeks (and the occupation was going bad but was set to get much worse in 2005 and 2006).
Bush was able to assemble a coalition of the willing. TRUMP can’t assemble a 10 piece puzzle.
Major Major Major Major
And I’m off to LGA!
Alain the site fixer
@Smiling Mortician: Hey there – how goes the treatment? Mom had her first chemo today (finally, a series of confusions finally resolved, no more delays!) And we received, but haven’t yet opened, our opera tickets for the season.
Roger Moore
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:
It’s very popular in the LA area for businesses to put up signed headshots of celebrities who have eaten there. Pinks has the toughest vetting process that I know of; they’ll only put up pictures of regulars, and they take them down when they stop being regulars. When they name something after a celebrity, it’s almost certainly because it’s actually that celebrity’s favorite order, not because they’re trying to steal some cachet.
Smiling Mortician
@Gelfling 545:
Who was the rock star we had waiting in the wings in August 2005? Seems like we ended up with one in November 2008 anyway. You never know who’s gonna break out with the ideas, the energy, the courage and the organization to do it.
Apologies for my optimism. I’ve had a good few days and I can’t help myself.
craigie
Golf carts! Excellent.
Major Major Major Major
@Roger Moore: a taqueria I love in Marin has all the signature burritos named after famous Latinos like El Diego Rivera, El Chupacabra, and El
Chewbacca.
Smiling Mortician
@Alain the site fixer: I’m feeling great, Alain! Thank you for asking. The first infusion went very well, I’m on good drugs to counteract any side effects, and after four days I am feeling energized and healthy. Partly the drugs, partly the relief that chemo ain’t what it was back when I was terrified of it decades ago. Medical oncology has truly made strides. Also, I’m eating better and exercising more, so I’m just overall in a pretty positive place.
I hope your mom does at least as well as I’m doing — and I hope you both love the opera this season!
Bill Arnold
@Major Major Major Major:
You saw Doug!’s complaint a few posts down about a NYT Erik Prince op-ed? ( FTR, Erik Prince: Contractors, Not Troops, Will Save Afghanistan )
Elie
@Smiling Mortician:
Glad you have had good days…. Eureka!
I totally agree with your assessment. The leaders find us and the time in history….
Roger Moore
@Mnemosyne:
A replacement for Feinstein would be great, but I don’t see him putting his hat in the gubernatorial ring. If you want to avoid Newsome and Villaraigosa, you’re probably stuck with John Chiang.
Alain the site fixer
@Smiling Mortician: I’m so very glad to hear that! Continued best wishes!
Smiling Mortician
@Elie: Right? I mean, who was that skinny big-eared black guy with the awesome speech at the 2004 convention? Nobody, that’s who.
And the days are all good right now. I’ll take it.
Omnes Omnibus
@Roger Moore: There is a brunch place I go to that gives you a foreign flag to mark your table. They are large enough to be quite visible and they are easy for the staff to recognize. It is one of those order at the counter and then seat yourself places.
Mnemosyne
@WaterGirl:
Sadly, it’s probably not a bad gamble in Texas.
Immanentize
@Smiling Mortician: Good on you!
Remember — Optimism is a strategy.
Alain the site fixer
@Immanentize: And how are you and the young one doing? You’re also often in my thoughts.
Amaranthine RBG
@Trentrunner:
It’s unfortunate how many people have their heads in the sand about this.
Smiling Mortician
@Immanentize: Yes, it is. And it’s a strategy that I thought I had lost in the weeks after my diagnosis. Turns out I was wrong. I actually finished the revisions to my play yesterday and sent it off to the director — just a couple of weeks ago I was mumbling about how I didn’t know whether I could finish it on time, or at all . . .
Mindset. It matters.
Speaking of, you remain in my thoughts daily.
Elie
AND — I know its weird but I believe that there is enormous confusion and chaos in the White House at every level. For example, the observation that Melania wore black spike heels and a totally off battle jacket when she boarded AF1 for their visit to Houston — says to me on a very minor thing like this that should be easy peasy — no one caught her and straightened her our until she got on Airforce One. She emerged in a more appropriate costume when they arrived, but a First Lady who is not prepped for such an easy situation is a marker that they aren’t doing the easy things…. They are so totally and profoundly clueless in every way that its damned dangerous. You have to wonder how in tune even the generals are in terms of what reality is and isn’t….How long can you be a party to such insanity and not be affected yourself? How do you stay straight and dialed-in? And with NO staff to help keep you tightened up and on the beam?
SiubhanDuinne
@West of the Rockies (been a while):
Saw that this morning! Terrific drawing, MMMM!
Roger Moore
@Omnes Omnibus:
That seems like a reasonable plan, though I think you’d want to vet your choice of flags carefully, both to eliminate ones that might be politically incorrect (should you have an Israeli flag? a North Korean flag? a Vietnamese flag?) and ones that might trip up colorblind servers.
WaterGirl
@Alain the site fixer: @Alain the site fixer: Alain, I’m thinking you had better hope that “the young one” does not read this blog… I’m thinking he’s well old enough to take issue with that description!
Immanentize
@Alain the site fixer: Alain — thank you so much. I know you have a huge amount on your plate as well.
As I was talking to and texting J’s parents and brother who live just outside of Houston these past few days, I realized our metaphor: the grief we are experiencing is our own personal Harvey which has stalled over our house with lots and lots of rain. I know it will move on eventually, but I also suspect it will be replaced with other storms — but hopefully none so violent. We are getting through it.
It is a weird, mostly unpleasant, new thing for me to experience. But not without its own bright flashes of beauty.
frosty fred
@WaterGirl: “Sorry, you just took away my appetite.”
trollhattan
@Roger Moore:
Senate seat is a hell of a lot bigger prize than the California governorship.
At this point I think Feinstein has played coy so long she’s de facto running for term #infinity
Immanentize
@WaterGirl: The Immp would love this blog! But he wouldn’t be caught dead reading what his father reads. Although I did just get him Breakfast of Champions for his Kindle.
SiubhanDuinne
@schrodingers_cat:
There is an announcer on our local NPR station who sounds as though she has a perpetual code id her head. “I’be [her dabe] add you’re listedig to WABE, your EdPeeAr statiod id Atladda.” Makes me crazy.
Bill Arnold
@Elie:
One darkly-amusing bit is that due to voids at the top levels of leadership, the Federal response to H. Harvey is being run by elements of the “Deep State”, i.e. competent career employees of the Federal government.
WaterGirl
@Immanentize: I felt the same way the year my mom was dying. She died on Halloween, and for at least 30 days before that, maybe even 45, all we had was dark, cloudy weather, no sun. That wasn’t a violent storm; it was strangely comforting to see my world reflected in the weather.
SiubhanDuinne
@Immanentize:
How are you and the Immp doing these days? And how are your in-laws coping? You would be amazed at how often I think of all you folks I’ve never met. Wishing all of you well.
EDIT: Was reading the comments in reverse order, but I now see that you have written about your situation above, so please, no need to respond to me.
Omnes Omnibus
@Roger Moore: It is not a very big place, so they only need about 10 flags; they all dissimilar. Ireland, but no other tricolors. And so on.
WaterGirl
@frosty fred: I would have completely refused to take that card. I’m pretty sure they would have gotten a lecture from me, as well.
Yutsano
@Major Major Major Major: DFW or Love?
EDIT: based on your food choices has to be DFW. Not bad from the inside but oh damn is it holy hell to drive around!
WaterGirl
@Immanentize: But would he like being called “the young one”???? (Just to be clear, I’m not seriously picking on Alain.)
SiubhanDuinne
@WaterGirl:
My mom died on October 26, but we had her memorial service on the 31st. I’ve always tried to avoid Halloween since then. (After 42 years you’d think I could get over my aversion to that holiday, but at this point I wouldn’t even know what to do on Halloween.
Mnemosyne
I just realized that the thing I wanted to make for dinner is going to take 2 hours — an hour to marinate and an hour to cook. Feh. Maybe I’ll make something else.
MCA1
@Agorabum: Yeah, I’m not even gonna bother reading Coppins’ piece before I declare it garbage analysis. Dude’s at 35% approval 7 months in and he hasn’t even been tested once yet. He hasn’t for one second even pretended to be the president of anyone other than his most rigid base. Democratic turnout will be at record levels in 2020, and GOP’s in a civil war with regular voters annoyed or disappointed which leads to terrible turnout. A lot can change but at this point it’s the fastest failed presidency in history. Bush had 3x the goodwill and unified party support that Drumpf does in ’04 and only really started to see it go seriously south after Katrina, if memory serves.
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: Yep, It’s not great to lose someone on a date that has special meaning. The first halloween after my mom died, I felt I had a choice: either mope and wallow in my sadness or have a Halloween party. There was no in between for me; I went with the latter.
In recent years there are almost no kids who come door-to-door in my neighborhood, and I hate buying candy and waiting all night for someone to come to the door, and have the dogs barking, so I just make sure I’m not home. bah humbug, I guess.
SiubhanDuinne
@Smiling Mortician:
As do you in mine, SM.
Yutsano
@Mnemosyne: It’s only 4 pm. There is also tomorrow.
SiubhanDuinne
@Major Major Major Major:
?
SatanicPanic
@Smiling Mortician: Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand seems pretty rock-starry
Yutsano
@SiubhanDuinne: Hallowe’en is the day after my birthday, so I am with you in avoiding that as much as possible. But even after 42 years she was still your mom so that weight sticks around.
Also: *hug*
When are you coming up our way?
bemused
I must be seeing the same clip of Trump when I’ve glanced at the tv a few times today. His hair looks bright fluorescent yellow as if it was about to burst into flames. Could be the lighting but perhaps not. Does he dye his own hair or does Melania have to do it?
SiubhanDuinne
@WaterGirl:
There was a M*A*S*H episode in which the doctors were trying hard to save a life, but in vain; it took place near midnight on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, and when the soldier died, Hawkeye changed the clock by a few minutes (forward or back, I cannot now remember) so that the time of death would not be recorded as happening on Christmas and give his family additional pain.
Smiling Mortician
@SiubhanDuinne: Knowing that means a lot to me. It truly does.
SiubhanDuinne
@Yutsano:
There are a lot of places in the PNW and West that I’m eager to visit. I’d like it to be sometime in 2018, but have some complications that may put it off until the following year. But we will do a memorable BJ meetup when it happens!
Smiling Mortician
@SatanicPanic: I kinda have major political crushes on both of them right now.
trollhattan
@SatanicPanic: Either can make a mark. I’m especially smitten by Gillibrand’s ability to present as a Sunday school teacher while saying “fuck.”
Frank Wilhoit
Drafting error! Elementary beginners’ drafting error! For “including”, read “including but not limited to”.
If Rep. Schiff is one of the half-handful of members of Congress who didn’t start out as a lawyer, he might get a pass; but hasn’t he got staff?
Fair Economist
@SiubhanDuinne: My grandmother died in late November shortly after my father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer (of which he died 2 months later). That was a very sad Christmas for me and for years I found Christmas carols depressing. I did get over it about about a decade.
SiubhanDuinne
@Roger Moore:
Thinking of the Help Wanted sign in the window: COLOR-BLIND NEED NOT APPLY.
Mnemosyne
@Yutsano:
I also have the ingredients to make burritos in less time, so that’s probably what I’ll do.
I’m on a limited diet right now due to some ongoing tummy troubles, so I have to cook from scratch for the next few weeks.
SiubhanDuinne
@Fair Economist:
Obviously there’s no time of year when that kind of one-two whammy would be welcome, but during the relentlessly cheery holiday season it seems especially cruel timing. Glad you can once again enjoy Christmas carols.
Fair Economist
@MCA1:
Yeah, W was re-elected in a pretty close election, and his approvals were about 50% in 2004. Odds are strongly against Trump at this point, not 50-50.
Smiling Mortician
@SiubhanDuinne: Come see me! I mean, if you’re in the neighborhood . . .
Roger Moore
@SiubhanDuinne:
Exactly. I feel as if one part of being a good liberal is to at least try to think of this kind of thing before you’re confronted with a problem.
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: Excellent choice. Speaking of Hawkeye Pierce, have you ever seen Same Time, Next Year with Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn?
Yutsano
@Mnemosyne: Burritos are a 15 minute meal for me as long as everything is defrosted. Canned refried beans really are a great thing to keep around!
@SiubhanDuinne: I’m hoping one way or another I’ll be back in the Seattle area some time around then. No guarantees but it’s something I’m actively working on!
mai naem mobile
@Mnemosyne: I don’t like Newsom ant all and I think he’s a wasted vote for governor. The guy would never win a national office because of his personal life. A Dem CA gov. should automatically be considered a possible POTUS candidate. Brown obviously is too old.
debbie
@WaterGirl:
My father died on January 20, 1974. I don’t remember any of us having issues with holidays until the first Christmas. The more we pretended to be jolly for my youngest brother (8 at the time), the worse we all felt. I know it’s an overused expression, but the loneliness and loss were palpable. Bright Christmas tree, decorations, and a fire in the fireplace didn’t warm the room up in the least. All these years later, I feel a bit of a pang on Christmas morning. But after a moment, I’m all get out of my way so I can get to my gifts!
SiubhanDuinne
@Alain the site fixer:
Alain, I’ve seen your comments about your beautiful mother at all kinds of inappropriate times (by which I mean, hours if not a day or two after reading your updates), so haven’t commented. But I truly have been holding both of you in my heart and mind (my version of praying) and hope all goes well for her and that she is in your life for many years to come. And of course, as one of the Met Opera’s “Live in HD Ambassadors,” I am thrilled that you have opera tickets sitting there just waiting to be opened. What company? What operas?
Mnemosyne
@mai naem mobile:
I don’t like him much, either, but he’s kind of got a lock on the race, unfortunately. It’s either him or Villaraigosa, because apparently we can’t have a gubernatorial candidate without zipper control issues this time around. ?
SiubhanDuinne
@WaterGirl:
Practically have it memorised. One of my very favorite movies of all time.
frosty fred
@WaterGirl: Oh, I absolutely would have refused it, just trying for a little humor.
SiubhanDuinne
@Smiling Mortician:
Would love to come see you! Am not sure, though, what your neighbourhood is. As a retiree with relatively few obligations, I have the luxury of going pretty much anywhere I want to go, and love the idea of planning an entire road trip out west around the availability and location of the BJ community..
chris
@Trentrunner: One more vote for adblock. There are autoplay ads that are not visible on the page, no idea how that works. FY Sleep Country Canada!
Roger Moore
@Fair Economist:
I would guess the big question is how often a president has managed to have an approval rating as low as Trump’s is right now and manage to bounce back to positive numbers. Looking at past polling numbers on 538 suggests that it’s clearly possible to bounce back from numbers as bad as what Trump has now. Clinton, Reagan, and Truman all had numbers about as bad as Trump’s current numbers and managed to bounce back to get reelected*. Bush I, Carter, and Ford got at least as far down as Trump is and didn’t recover.
I’m not sure how relevant that history is, though. For both Clinton and Reagan, their low numbers were outliers, where they dipped to the 35% range and then bounced back to substantially higher, if still below 50%, approval. Truman had long periods with low numbers, but that looks as if it was at least as much because of infrequent polling as because of sustained low popularity. In contrast, Trump has been heavily polled, and his numbers have shown a sustained decline. It’s certainly possible somebody with numbers that low could bounce back but A) he’d better hurry before his numbers get any worse and B) I don’t think Trump is the man for the job.
*Where I’m counting Truman’s 1948 run as a reelection.
Smiling Mortician
@SiubhanDuinne: Southern edge of the Olympic Peninsula, near the coast. It’s pretty. Three hours’ drive to Seattle on an OK traffic day, but I’m old enough to remember when it was just 2 hours.
SiubhanDuinne
@Smiling Mortician:
Nice! I’m there!
Roger Moore
@Yutsano:
Blasphemer! Canned refried beans are Satan spawn. Learn to cook your own beans, and you’ll never want that crap again. FWIW, cooked beans freeze pretty well, so you can cook a large batch and freeze it in more manageable portions.
WaterGirl
@debbie: Hard times. With your young brother you had to put on a happy face. At least when you’re all adults you don’t have to do that. Things do change and get better over time, first holidays are the worst
Christmas doesn’t feel like Christmas to me anymore, which is sad because I’ve always loved Christmas. I spend Christmas at my niece’s, with her family and her mom (my sister) and the other niece and her family, but even with a roomful of people, it does not feel like Christmas. It’s the kids who get all the gifts, so I can’t even get excited about that! There are 13 of us, and I end up buying gifts for everyone in all 4 families (12 gifts) and I get 4 gifts in return I do like to give gifts, though so there’s that! But whatever used to make it feel like Christmas is gone. Glad you still have it, though!
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: One of my favorites, too, though I haven’t seen it in years. I will have to see if it’s on Netflix. I hope it holds up well. It did the first 10 times I watched it. :-)
WaterGirl
@frosty fred: It would have ruined my appetite, for real, so I didn’t get that you were being humorous! :-)
Fester Addams
@Major Major Major Major:
“No, I’m not, and if you call me that again, we-all are going to have a problem.”
Bill Arnold
@chris:
I used to use NoScript(Firefox), which is a lot more interactive/geeky, in blacklist mode (forbidding scripts from certain sites) and recall that site “ora.tv” was a(the) culprit for autoplay.
Roger Moore
@Bill Arnold:
I strongly recommend Privacy Badger from EFF. It’s available as a plugin for both Chrome and Firefox. It isn’t an adblocker per se, but it does block trackers. In practice, that blocks most ads and is nearly perfect in blocking the worst offenders. For example, it leaves the small ads from Amazon, PayPal, the Balloon-Juice store, and Hosting Matters on this page but blocks all the other ads. It’s automatic settings are generally pretty good- it’s designed to monitor cookies’ behavior and block the ones that ignore do-not-track, which seems to work very well- and you can fine-tune it if you decide it’s blocking something it shouldn’t. A good example is that I have manually permitted stuff from Twitter so I can see tweets with their full formatting rather than the unformatted versions you get if it blocks everything from Twitter.
J R in WV
@Smiling Mortician:
So glad to hear you’re doing well.
Years ago I was a member of the YWCA, because I walked from work past it to a parking lot where the manager was a close friend. Anyway, there was a guy about my age I saw there often.
One day we were both getting into the hot tub, and I asked what he did. He said “I’m a pediatric oncologist.” and I said that must be very hard some days.
He said “When I started, yes, it was. 10% saved and 90% lost was very hard. But today it’s reversed, 95% saved and 5 to 10% lost, so work got much better as I went along.”
I was impressed, that’s doing very much better.
My dad beat a bad from of leukemia back in the early 2000s, average survival was 9 months. He got into a clinical trial in Houston (what a coincidence!) and lasted years after that. Died of side effects, COPD, from treatment before he got into the clinical trial. We’ll miss Houston while they are down, down there.