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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

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

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

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

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

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

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

Let me file that under fuck it.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

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You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Friday Morning Open Thread: TOO! MUCH! NEWS!

Friday Morning Open Thread: TOO! MUCH! NEWS!

by Anne Laurie|  November 2, 20186:15 am| 198 Comments

This post is in: Cat Blogging, Election 2018, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome

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This is my life now pic.twitter.com/YyjpVH6Eq9

— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) November 2, 2018

My sleep schedule is even more erratic than usual, and apparently we will never get another 24-hour span of sunlight here. Rain didn’t used to bother me, back before I was old & arthritic & had a yard to tend, but what seems like a solid month of mizzle interspersed with downpours is wearing me down. I finally managed to get outside long enough to break down the tomato ladders and bin the dead plants for city recycling, so now my throat is raw and my sinuses are blocked, because even that token effort stirred up a ton of mold spores. Ever tried raking leaves while wearing a respirator? Ugh.

There’s a bunch of news percolating, but even if I had the mental energy to string the stories together, they’ll probably be superseded by a Friday news dump.

AND YET…

We moved three close and competitive races from Toss-up to Tilt Democratic: #FLsen #NVsen #AZSen https://t.co/yVHMXFLa8u

— Nathan Gonzales (@nathanlgonzales) November 1, 2018

i assure u nate that my uncertainty and feeling of dread intensifies in the final 72 hours
this is the lesson from 2016 tbh https://t.co/UBBxK5lSel

— darth™ (@darth) November 1, 2018

.@Oprah: "Maya [Angelou] used to say, 'Baby, your crown has been paid for so put it on your head and wear it.' Your crown has been paid for and the right to vote is your crown." https://t.co/pJBHSBQeNW pic.twitter.com/sbJAssSEGB

— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 1, 2018

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Reader Interactions

198Comments

  1. 1.

    msb

    November 2, 2018 at 6:28 am

    great speech from Oprah.
    Bring it home, y’all.

  2. 2.

    Balconesfault

    November 2, 2018 at 6:28 am

    So now wing nuts are jumping on an OKeefe story claiming that the Beto campaign would be doing something as stupid as directly funding the caravan.

    The stupid burns. Looking forward to all the debunkings, but meanwhile they’re going to be trying to shove it into the election narrative.

  3. 3.

    geg6

    November 2, 2018 at 6:31 am

    I have to say, that Oprah speech was pretty fucking awesome. She’s got a future in public speaking, I think. ?

  4. 4.

    rikyrah

    November 2, 2018 at 6:33 am

    Good Morning, Everyone ???

  5. 5.

    bystander

    November 2, 2018 at 6:37 am

    My take on McCaskill is that she shouldn’t be siding with twitler on border security. I had forgot she refused to sell her soul for Kavanaugh, tho, and that’s a matter of real substance. KC has a large Mexican-American community who should be a source of strength for CM. But good luck to her. Her rival is despicable. Thus endeth my take on McCaskill.

    The best thing about voting in NYC this round is voting for the replacements for the blue dog Dems we had representing us in Albany.

  6. 6.

    satby

    November 2, 2018 at 6:41 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning ?

    Packed agenda today: early voting, then canvassing the neighborhood with postcards to my neighbors. It’s a mixed race working class area, the kind that can have low turnout because of jobs that limit the time they may have to vote on election day. So I’m going to be spreading the early voting hours and location too.

  7. 7.

    Chyron HR

    November 2, 2018 at 6:44 am

    @Balconesfault:

    After pumping 50 million dollars into the race and having the first family make repeated campaign stops, the GOP is still worried they’re going to lose in Texas?

  8. 8.

    JPL

    November 2, 2018 at 6:46 am

    Anne, I hope you can get some rest.

  9. 9.

    Immanentize

    November 2, 2018 at 6:49 am

    @Balconesfault: @Chyron HR:
    I lived in Texas for more than a decade (South Texas) and if there is one State where people know what that group of people is — NOT an invasion! — for all their conservative attitudes I can’t believe the Texans really believe
    1). The caravan is a threat and
    2). Beto is funding it.

  10. 10.

    Immanentize

    November 2, 2018 at 6:53 am

    My migraines follow a very particular pattern. The come AFTER periods of great stress. Last night I woke with the worst migraine I’ve had probably since last April. Ugh.
    But this also means that the Immp finished his four early applications getting the last one in last night about 6 hours before the final deadline….
    The bad and the good.

    I just looked in the mirror and found the ugly

  11. 11.

    NotMax

    November 2, 2018 at 6:54 am

    Were the title not already so inextricably associated with something else, it would apply well to this election year.

  12. 12.

    NotMax

    November 2, 2018 at 6:56 am

    @Immanentize

    Heh. Great minds…

  13. 13.

    Kay

    November 2, 2018 at 6:58 am

    If Betty has time, I hope she’ll give us a Florida analysis (with her notebook paper map). It’s driving Trump crazy that Florida is leaning D. Delightful to watch him squirm.

  14. 14.

    Immanentize

    November 2, 2018 at 7:00 am

    @NotMax:
    Perfect!

    Have you seen this Danish National Orchestra version of the Good the Bad and the Ugly? It actually makes me tear up for some reason.

  15. 15.

    Kay

    November 2, 2018 at 7:01 am

    Nate Silver
    ‏Verified account
    @NateSilver538
    Follow Follow @NateSilver538
    More Nate Silver Retweeted (((Harry Enten)))
    Pennsylvania polls have been just awful for Republicans. If Democrats have a good night next week, PA would really be the epicenter in some ways—a bit ironically given the preponderance of Trump-voters-in-Pennsylvania-diners-still-love-Trump stories

    Maybe not a Trump realignment after all.

  16. 16.

    evap

    November 2, 2018 at 7:02 am

    My workplace (a major research university in Atlanta) just announced that they are running shuttles from campus to a bunch of nearby polling places on Election Day, and anybody can ride them. As far as I can remember, this is the first time they have done this. What an excellent idea!

  17. 17.

    Quinerly

    November 2, 2018 at 7:05 am

    @bystander: St. Louis has a very large Hispanic community also… Plus a large immigrant community. Don’t want to be a Negative Nellie, but last night I had a sinking feeling about Claire. It hit me about 11…about the time I was coming off of the high from Oprah’s speech. Claire is an amazingly lucky politician who knows every inch of this state. If anyone can pull it off, she can.

  18. 18.

    NotMax

    November 2, 2018 at 7:06 am

    @Immanentize

    In truth, went back and forth for at least ten minutes as to whether to link to that orchestral version or the other one.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    November 2, 2018 at 7:07 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning.

  20. 20.

    Baud

    November 2, 2018 at 7:07 am

    @geg6: More Oprah for President rumors incoming.

  21. 21.

    Baud

    November 2, 2018 at 7:09 am

    @Immanentize: They believe what they need to believe to get themselves behind the GOP.

  22. 22.

    Baud

    November 2, 2018 at 7:10 am

    @Kay: Guilt.

  23. 23.

    Quinerly

    November 2, 2018 at 7:11 am

    Found this morning piece interesting…. how the coordinated Russian press is obsessed with the upcoming American “cvil war.” It’s a great distraction for what’s happening in Putin’s Russia.
    https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/11/01/how-do-you-say-fake-news-in-russian-russia-media/

  24. 24.

    debbie

    November 2, 2018 at 7:15 am

    Yay, Oprah! I know it takes a lot for her to get on the political stage.

    I have something going on in my sinuses. No sniffles, but the sometimes dizziness and light-headedness are really annoying.

  25. 25.

    JGabriel

    November 2, 2018 at 7:15 am

    Anne Laurie @ Top:

    Ever tried raking leaves while wearing a respirator? Ugh.

    Does having sex while wearing a snorkel count?

    Not me! I would never do that. I’m just uh … asking for a friend.

  26. 26.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    November 2, 2018 at 7:16 am

    @Immanentize: I used to get migraines on Saturday when I was in grad school–the kind that make you puke. So yeah, stress and then let up and wham!

    I’m tweeting out a pre-election short story about a woman who bewitches an Etsy account and uses it to humiliate Trump. I’m using tweetdeck to post and sadly, they’re not necessarily appearing in order. Boo! I also couldn’t thread it with tweet deck. I used the hash tag #LadiesLikeMe (which turns out to be used by some sad ass men too)

  27. 27.

    Immanentize

    November 2, 2018 at 7:21 am

    @NotMax: I’m glad you chose how you did because I hadn’t heard the uke version before. Thank you!

  28. 28.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 7:21 am

    @Immanentize: @NotMax: A Fistful of Dollars.

  29. 29.

    Immanentize

    November 2, 2018 at 7:25 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:
    Hail, fellow traveler. Sorry if it is TMI but I did not manage to keep it all down until the meds kicked in.

  30. 30.

    JGabriel

    November 2, 2018 at 7:25 am

    Anne Laurie @ Top:

    My sleep schedule is even more erratic than usual, and apparently we will never get another 24-hour span of sunlight here.

    Was going through the same screwy sleep thing for the past ten days, then finally got 9 hours straight yesterday. Wishing you the same for today/tonight, whatever works best for you.

  31. 31.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    November 2, 2018 at 7:26 am

    @Immanentize: Yeah it’s bad. You think it hurts so much you can’t move. And then it turns out have to.

  32. 32.

    Quinerly

    November 2, 2018 at 7:27 am

    Melania and entourage spent $95,000 the day they were in Cairo. Looks like they didn’t even spend the night. https://qz.com/1447896/melania-trump-spent-95000-on-hotel-rooms-last-month-in-cairo/

  33. 33.

    Quinerly

    November 2, 2018 at 7:30 am

    I’m out of Bloomberg today clicks it seems. I posted this on the Book of Faces yesterday: “Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, in written responses to a Democratic senator, said reducing immigration could slow the economy over the longer run by limiting growth in the U.S. labor force.

    The comments came in a written response to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat who asked Powell if he agreed with pro-immigration comments by Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari. Kashkari, whose parents came from India and wife is from the Philippines, called immigration “as close to a free lunch as there is” for the American economy, according to a Wall Street Journal opinion column in January.”

  34. 34.

    Kay

    November 2, 2018 at 7:32 am

    @Baud:

    I like Nate Silver because he directly challenged the NYTimes on the email coverage, and backed it up with a showing of how much time they spent on it. There’s no defense.

  35. 35.

    Quinerly

    November 2, 2018 at 7:37 am

    Did anyone post about this 51 year old white Charlotte chick harassing the two African American sisters who were waiting for AAA? White chick has been fired from her $125,000 a year job, the police are looking for her, and her landlord is going to evict her.
    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/police-not-locate-white-woman-viral-racist-rant-black-neighbors

  36. 36.

    rikyrah

    November 2, 2018 at 7:37 am

    DL Hughley on Kanye???

    https://youtu.be/xV2cKmz-8ko

  37. 37.

    rikyrah

    November 2, 2018 at 7:39 am

    @Quinerly:
    I don’t know if this was posted here before, but I knew about it. All over Black Twitter.

    Add
    Can’t stand by your own car to wait for AAA as something else that Black people can’t do without being harrassed.?

  38. 38.

    rikyrah

    November 2, 2018 at 7:40 am

    @Quinerly:
    Morning to Poco and the tribe ? ?

  39. 39.

    Quinerly

    November 2, 2018 at 7:41 am

    Feel good story from yesterday. Cute boy wanted to dress as a real hero for Halloween so he dressed as the “Waffle House Hero.” Give this sweet story some clicks!
    https://kmph.com/news/nation-world/tennessee-boy-dresses-as-waffle-house-hero-james-shaw-jr-for-schools-hero-day

  40. 40.

    Baud

    November 2, 2018 at 7:41 am

    @Kay: Every once in a while, I come across a posting of an NYT article from the 2016 election. It’s one thing to remember they are garbage. It’s another to relive it two years removed. Our people absolutely have to be prepared for what they will do in 2020.

  41. 41.

    Quinerly

    November 2, 2018 at 7:42 am

    @rikyrah: I just couldn’t watch all the videos. Too disturbing. She appears to be rather drunk imo. Certainly no excuse.

  42. 42.

    rikyrah

    November 2, 2018 at 7:46 am

    @Kay:
    I have been watching the Florida Governor race…
    I am impressed with Gillum. He has a talent. He stands up for himself. Has the ability to get his opponent..and does it all without being able to get labeled as

    ” The Angry Black Man”

    That takes skill. Gillum is a dark skinned Black Man.

    Every racist trope of the Black brute is in an image that looks like Gillum.

    You can’t talk about his ability to be strong, yet not get labeled, because that would mean that you would have to admit that unsaid bias.

    But, it is a talent, and puts Gillum a couple of tiers above your regular politician. If he can pull this off….
    The GOP has reason to be terrified of him.

  43. 43.

    germy

    November 2, 2018 at 7:46 am

    Jacob Wohl tweeted this photo of the ‘Mueller accuser’ (left), who failed to turn up to his press confidence. You can just stick it into Google Images to get her face, since that exact photo is old, already online and.. his girlfriend. pic.twitter.com/rYyauaWFiw— Kevin Beaumont (@GossiTheDog) November 2, 2018

  44. 44.

    Quinerly

    November 2, 2018 at 7:46 am

    @rikyrah: Tail wags and waves.? The bed magnet has ahold of Poco and me. It’s evil. ? We haven’t left our bat cave on the third floor yet. Think John Lennon, fearless rescue kitty, has slept in, too. No meows yet. Have a great day, sweet girl.

  45. 45.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    November 2, 2018 at 7:48 am

    @Kay:

    the perennial “diner” articles

    they never go into a starbucks or a deli or a taco joint. not even a waffle house, 7-11, wawa, or McDonalds.

    it’s always, “lets do a feature on low-information, white reactionaries, who have nothing to do on a work day.”

  46. 46.

    Quinerly

    November 2, 2018 at 7:49 am

    @germy: love the comment….”Probably not as depressed as she. Every sexual encounter they have is the best 23 seconds of Jacob’s day.”

  47. 47.

    Chyron HR

    November 2, 2018 at 7:55 am

    @germy:

    “Me fail psyops? That’s unpossible!”

  48. 48.

    gene108

    November 2, 2018 at 7:55 am

    As much money as we spend on healthcare you think they could come up with a better hospital gown.

    One where your ass isn’t hanging out and hospital staff isn’t awkwardly arranging a second gown on your backside to keep you covered

  49. 49.

    Baud

    November 2, 2018 at 7:57 am

    @gene108: Some of us like to have our ass hanging out.

  50. 50.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 7:57 am

    @germy: Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Dumb as a box of rocks.”

  51. 51.

    Schlemazel

    November 2, 2018 at 8:01 am

    You guys broke me down, I am going to try to vote early today. City hall is a block away. They hand me a regular opti-scan ballot 7 it goes into a locked box just like a regular one.
    Just got up & not going to work. Not a good night. going back to bed but wanted to say good morning to everyone & wish you well.

  52. 52.

    Platonailedit

    November 2, 2018 at 8:02 am

    ‘The real Super Mario’ dies aged 84

    Mario Segale, the man after whom video game hero Super Mario was named, has died aged 84.

    Mr Segale was a successful Italian-American property developer from the US state of Washington.

    In the 1980s, he leased a warehouse to Nintendo of America who decided to name the star of their new video game after him.

    Super Mario was originally called Jumpman until Nintendo decided it wanted to give the character a proper name.

    Mr Segale said it was Minoru Arakawa, who had been tasked with setting up Nintendo of America, who told him the video game hero carried his name.

  53. 53.

    Platonailedit

    November 2, 2018 at 8:07 am

    @germy: The scum sacrificed his own gf for this cheap stinker of a bomb? Jeez.

  54. 54.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    November 2, 2018 at 8:10 am

    @gene108: How are you feeling?

  55. 55.

    germy

    November 2, 2018 at 8:10 am

    Today Wohl is retweeting the veritas ratf*ck of Beto. Says “he should drop out of the race immediately!”

    Why do these dishonest little shits want to ruin our country?

  56. 56.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 8:11 am

    @Immanentize:

    Have you seen this Danish National Orchestra version of the Good the Bad and the Ugly? It actually makes me tear up for some reason.

    That was awesome. I especially liked the hanging effigy.

  57. 57.

    germy

    November 2, 2018 at 8:12 am

    Remember the “LOL” lady who helped suppress voting? She doesn’t look to happy here after a hearing in federal court.

    Ford Co Election Clerk Debbie Cox declines to answer questions from the media after a hearing in federal court over polling locations for Dodge City. #kakenews #vote2018 pic.twitter.com/dnxqgjK1Pc— Pilar Pedraza TV (@PilarPedrazaTV) November 1, 2018

  58. 58.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 8:13 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:

    they never go into a starbucks

    Maybe not, but Jacob “Banned From Securities Work for Life, and I’m Only Just Getting Started in Grifting” Wohl apparently frequents a lot of hipster coffee (or is it covfefe?) shops.

  59. 59.

    NotMax

    November 2, 2018 at 8:14 am

    @germy

    The Wohl is lesser than the sum of his parts.

  60. 60.

    Elizabelle

    November 2, 2018 at 8:16 am

    @Schlemazel: Yea you for voting early. And hope you feel much spiffier soon.

  61. 61.

    gene108

    November 2, 2018 at 8:25 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Better. But there is still pain and mobility issues due to the abdominal incision. Sitting up is still tough but I have a normal gait when walking.

    I am not supposed to bend, lift and twist. The number of routine things that involve bending and lifting is huge.

    Hope I don’t push myself too hard and screw up the recovery

  62. 62.

    Elizabelle

    November 2, 2018 at 8:27 am

    Who put up the youtube for “Fistful of Dollars”? Thank you. Great rendition by the Danes. Love Ennio Morricone.

    “We can fight.” Will play that a few more times in these closing days of midterms 2018.

  63. 63.

    Marcopolo

    November 2, 2018 at 8:33 am

    Good morning folks. I’ve been diligently writing GOtV postcards a couple hours every morning since the beginning of September but finished the last few of them yesterday. Now I’m just sitting here twiddling my thumbs. It feels weird.

    I may go the entire day without doing something directly election-related. I guess it is the calm before the storm. I will be canvassing both days this weekend then doing election protection prep on Monday and an actual election protection gig on Tuesday. And hopefully celebrating on Wed.

    For anyone else looking for productive things to do before Tuesday, check out TheLastWeekend. They will direct you to activities going on in your neck of the woods. If you want to use your own phone contact list to do GOtV look into VoteWithMe. I guess I was only a little surprised by how many folks I know do not necessarily vote in every election.

    Now I think I am going to find a afternoon showing of the Queen biopic–that opened this weekend, right?

  64. 64.

    waratah

    November 2, 2018 at 8:35 am

    @Immanentize: the Republicans are worried and have reason to be. The state and federal candidates are crying and spending time defending their healthcare votes. They have Adelson (sp?) help funding add buy that is supposed to be about Beto’s DWI, with heavy time in Houston Cruz hometown.

  65. 65.

    cain

    November 2, 2018 at 8:38 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
    It is a trope. Real America hangs out at diners, ya know. They love using that shit like it is the 50s. Like real America isn’t in urban areas. Such crap.

  66. 66.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 8:41 am

    @Elizabelle: De nada.

  67. 67.

    satby

    November 2, 2018 at 8:41 am

    @Schlemazel: take care of yourself.

    I think the damage of this administration will shorten a lot of lives indirectly as well as directly (mine for sure) by the insomnia, stress eating, and general depression it induces.

  68. 68.

    Marcopolo

    November 2, 2018 at 8:41 am

    @Schlemazel: Yes! Thanks for joining the early vote club–it’s popular this year.

    As of yesterday, 22 states had surpassed their 2014 early vote totals. My own state of MO was the last to join the list and we don’t even have real early voting (we have in person absentee). The 30 largest counties in TX that report early vote totals have already surpassed their total 2014 vote with large increases in the numbers of younger voters–hopefully good for Beto. In Georgia, out of 1.8 million early votes, there are over 670,000 new first time voters, which is outright freaking amazing.

  69. 69.

    JMG

    November 2, 2018 at 8:41 am

    Going to NYC this weekend to visit my sone and his girlfriend. No election activities, made a last round of donations last night. Tonight, a Thai kickboxing fight card! as one of Josh’s high school friends is in charge of marketing it for a sports agency. I’m assured it will be weird enough to make it a good use of my time.

  70. 70.

    Immantize

    November 2, 2018 at 8:43 am

    @waratah: Houston is lost to Cruz. I assume the play is to just keep Beto’s numbers down. Hell, I think Sugarland is lost for Cruz.

    ETA. In laws live in Richmond

  71. 71.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 8:43 am

    @cain: Lots of diners in urban areas (I miss my favorites), it’s just that they are full of those people.

  72. 72.

    Immanentize

    November 2, 2018 at 8:45 am

    @waratah: Houston is lost to Cruz. I assume the play is to just keep Beto’s numbers down. Hell, I think Sugarland is lost for Cruz. (My in-laws live in Richmond and hate Cruz)

  73. 73.

    Quinerly

    November 2, 2018 at 8:47 am

    @gene108: saw your post about the transplant but the thread was dead. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Keep us updated.

  74. 74.

    hueyplong

    November 2, 2018 at 8:49 am

    @germy: And Debbie Cox appears to be wearing — gasp! — a hoodie. Clear sign of thug status and grounds for a shooting were she more melanin enhanced.

  75. 75.

    debit

    November 2, 2018 at 8:51 am

    @Schlemazel: I voted by absentee ballot again and really cannot recommend it enough. And when you request it there’s an option to just get one with every election, so it just shows up in your mailbox.

    I like voting absentee because I’m terrible about knowing the candidates for the smaller races (school board, etc) so this lets me sit down with my ballot and my laptop and research. I even voted for the judges that had opponents.

    ETA: and I’m sorry you’re not feeling well. Take care of yourself. {{}}

  76. 76.

    Lapassionara

    November 2, 2018 at 8:53 am

    @Marcopolo: Election Day voting in MO will be a mess, I predict, because the ballot is so long and full of wordy propositions. I just hope our voters have the staying power for the long lines. Even a deep red state like South Carolina has “no excuse needed” early voting for people over 65. Surely MO can at least do the same.

  77. 77.

    Platonailedit

    November 2, 2018 at 8:54 am

    649 days in office.

    6,420 false or misleading claims from Trump.

    That's an average of 9.89 false claims a day, according to WaPo.

    https://t.co/RrjJQuvFS0— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 2, 2018

  78. 78.

    Platonailedit

    November 2, 2018 at 8:55 am

    "In the seven weeks leading up the midterm elections, the president made 1,419 false or misleading claims — an average of 30 a day."

    https://t.co/RrjJQuvFS0— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 2, 2018

  79. 79.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 8:55 am

    Blue Man Group Performs with Kodo Drummers Skip to the 5 minute mark.

  80. 80.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 9:03 am

    @Lapassionara:

    Surely MO can at least do the same.

    You haven’t lived here very long, have you?

  81. 81.

    waratah

    November 2, 2018 at 9:04 am

    @Immanentize: I think Beto has cut into the Republican vote all over the state. he may not get the Panhandle but he has been all over it in a lot of the small towns and I think he will get more than my sons brother-in-law thinks.. I kind of think he will get Lubbock. I was very surprised of the turnout in East Texas at his rally’s.

  82. 82.

    glory b

    November 2, 2018 at 9:04 am

    @Immanentize: I was listening to an npr “On Point” podcast the other day (don’t hate me).
    A caller was a younger female Repub from Texas. She said she wouldn’t vote for Cruz because he didn’t defend his wife from attacks from Trump. She said it’s a pretty low bar, if he won’t stand up for his wife, he’s not worth having in office.

  83. 83.

    MomSense

    November 2, 2018 at 9:06 am

    I share your malaise, AL. It’s another cold and rainy day here. I’m asking too much of my coffee.

  84. 84.

    ThresherK

    November 2, 2018 at 9:10 am

    @Platonailedit: Jeebus, that’s a lot. Does Trump talk in his sleep?

    Or does he really have no filter between his impulse brain and his speech center?

  85. 85.

    Lapassionara

    November 2, 2018 at 9:10 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Hah.

  86. 86.

    Marcopolo

    November 2, 2018 at 9:12 am

    @Lapassionara: Hey! Good morning. The two issues I know folks will be working on post-election here in MO will be Medicaid expansion & a make-voting-easier ballot initiatives. I suspect we will see that in a lot of places.

    As for our the length of our ballot, all I know is the voting guide I put together as kind of a lark for my friends has apparently been forwarded quite a bit a little to my chagrin. There are a lot of people out there who don’t know me but have now seen my flip “No No No Hell No” comment on Amendment 3.

  87. 87.

    JPL

    November 2, 2018 at 9:12 am

    @glory b: As someone said yesterday, Cruz has spent more time defending Steve King than he did his wife.

  88. 88.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 9:13 am

    @ThresherK: Like all pathological liars, it is as reflexive as breathing. He literally could not tell an unadulterated truth even if it would help him.

  89. 89.

    raven

    November 2, 2018 at 9:14 am

    Back from there beach after a beautiful week. My wrists, hands and knees are covered with gnat bite and I’m climbing the walls. . . the price we pay!

  90. 90.

    Tom Levenson

    November 2, 2018 at 9:15 am

    @germy: Geebus. Clearly the guy has never heard the advice: stop digging.

  91. 91.

    Princess

    November 2, 2018 at 9:17 am

    @rikyrah: I cosign to everything you are saying about Gillum. He is extremely impressive and I love the way he goes after racists and racism with a big smile on his face and a stiletto. He and Stacy Abrams give me a lot of hope.

  92. 92.

    Lapassionara

    November 2, 2018 at 9:21 am

    @Marcopolo: good morning. What is this voting guide of which you speak?

  93. 93.

    Marcopolo

    November 2, 2018 at 9:21 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Appreciate the snark but it will happen. And through ballot initiative. It’s a no-brainer that the average voter will want to make things easier despite R electeds wanting exactly the opposite.

    I’d put it like this: malls are dying because folks don’t want to/need to go out to shop. They can order things over the innertubes & have them delivered to their doorstep. If you tell them they can get their ballot, fill it out in the comfort of their own home & then mail it it they will shout “sign me up”.

    Oh, and I’ve only spent about 45 years of my life in MO–is that enough to have earned any credit?

  94. 94.

    chris

    November 2, 2018 at 9:26 am

    @raven: There’s a product here called Afterbite that stops the itching. Hint: It’s mostly household ammonia.

  95. 95.

    germy

    November 2, 2018 at 9:26 am

    Abrams isn’t qualified. LeBron isn’t smart. Maxine Waters has a low IQ. Seems to be a theme here whenever the president attacks prominent people of color. https://t.co/2gnI3Rcr2Y— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) November 2, 2018

  96. 96.

    Marcopolo

    November 2, 2018 at 9:28 am

    @Lapassionara: In mid-October I sent an email to my friends where I went through the ballot & told them how I was going to vote on everything, including the dreaded judges part. The folks I sent it to know me & my politics & we all generally agree on issues, but about half of them have forwarded it on to other folks who don’t know me. As they say, once something is out on the internet it lives forever–or something like that.

    Btw, I know you actually have a life & plans & stuff but I’m knocking doors in West County on Sat @ 11 if you want to join in the fun.

  97. 97.

    kindness

    November 2, 2018 at 9:28 am

    Sorry about the weather affecting you Annie. Move to California. If we’re lucky it rains the 3 months in the winter and that’s it. We haven’t been so lucky lately. Damn I wish it would rain in the summer here.

  98. 98.

    germy

    November 2, 2018 at 9:30 am

    “Hi I’m Mike Pence, I’m going door to door to ask you to consider voting for —“ pic.twitter.com/NeFsmiZDqP— Ira (@ira) November 1, 2018

  99. 99.

    Platonailedit

    November 2, 2018 at 9:30 am

    @Marcopolo:

    Yup. People will need and will take to change and dems need to push plain common sense proposals which will eventually click even in deep red states. Clever cynicism is useless surrender in politics.

  100. 100.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 9:32 am

    @Marcopolo:

    “No No No Hell No” comment on Amendment 3

    You and me both.

  101. 101.

    raven

    November 2, 2018 at 9:32 am

    @chris: Oooo, I look for it, thanks!

  102. 102.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 9:36 am

    @Marcopolo: 60 here with a few brief sojourns to the wild lands. 45’s enough. Hell, 6 months ought to be enough for most people to see how backwards we can be. On the issue of vote by mail, I can see it happening but it won’t be easy (VOTER FRAUD!!!) and it will probably take a few elections.

  103. 103.

    Uncle Cosmo

    November 2, 2018 at 9:43 am

    @Immanentize: Brilliant arrangement & performance – complete with a guy who’s “really hung” & an Arty-Deco ikon of The Stranger In The Lice-Infested Poncho hovering over all. (Multiculturalism, ho!)

  104. 104.

    Marcopolo

    November 2, 2018 at 9:44 am

    @germy: And Andrew Gillum is a “stone cold thief.” Kinda surprised that one was left out since it was said at the same time at the same rally.

    As for Abrams, she’s degreed from Spelman & Yale, unlike her opponent knows proper gun etiquette, and has more government experience, including being the minority leader of the GA assembly. I think that also clearly makes her more qualified for just about any position than Drumpf.

  105. 105.

    Luciamia

    November 2, 2018 at 9:44 am

    This Caravan story is s gonna rival Wells War of the Worlds broadcast for sheer hysteria. Let’s hope people don’t try suicide out of terror of the”invaders”.

  106. 106.

    MazeDancer

    November 2, 2018 at 9:46 am

    Balloon Juice Candidate Lizzie Panhill Fletcher is down one in Texas-7.

    Down 1

    In Texas.

    Could be a great pick-up.

    Info on PhoneBanking for Lizzie: PostCardPatriots.com

  107. 107.

    dww44

    November 2, 2018 at 9:47 am

    @evap: Better be careful, though. The Repubs are liable to claim that this is an illegal use of public monies!! Of course, if it’s not a public university, then they got squat.

  108. 108.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 9:49 am

    @Platonailedit:

    “In the seven weeks leading up the midterm elections, the president made 1,419 false or misleading claims — an average of 30 a day.”

    The Traitor-in-Chief wants to nail down his first-ballot selection to the Liars Hall of Fame. Maybe Bill James can weigh in on Lying Littledick’s LAR* stats. I’m sure that his numbers would kick the butt of anyone trying to compete against him.

    *LAR = Lies Against Replacement. Sort of like the WAR (Wins Against Replacement) stat used to assess baseball players, but not like GWAR, which is something else altogether.

  109. 109.

    chris

    November 2, 2018 at 9:51 am

    @raven: You’re welcome. I’m not sure what your gnats are but we have blackflies and nosee’ums in the spring that make me a little crazy. I carry bug spray and Afterbite at all times.

  110. 110.

    Manyakitty

    November 2, 2018 at 9:52 am

    @satby: I’m pretty sure I’ve aged at least ten years in the past two.

  111. 111.

    Aleta

    November 2, 2018 at 9:53 am

    @MazeDancer: I’ve been wanting to thank you for what you’ve been doing and for all the encouragement. Thank you !!!

  112. 112.

    Aleta

    November 2, 2018 at 9:56 am

    @raven: In the meantime a paste of baking soda mixed with water may help. It works fast for me on stings and bites.

  113. 113.

    Platonailedit

    November 2, 2018 at 9:57 am

    In response to that perennial hack of a hag, andrea mitchell who tried to turdsplain it away.

    We had rocks thrown at us all the time in Afghanistan. Responding with lethal force is a fucking war crime.

    https://t.co/CqKYWfy3so— Joe Kassabian (@jkass99) November 1, 2018

  114. 114.

    sherparick

    November 2, 2018 at 10:01 am

    John Cole mentioned this on twitter, but I thought I would post it here. Apparently, besides a complete wag the dog spectacle, one of the biggest threats are right wing militias stealing U.S. military equipment.

    https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/10/31/deployed-border-troops-are-preparing-for-militias-stealing-their-gear-protester-violence-documents-show/

    “….From the papers, the military is preparing to defend against an “estimated 200 unregulated armed militia members currently operating along the [Southwest Border]. Reported Incidents of unregulated militias stealing National Guard equipment during deployments. They operate under the guise of citizen patrols supporting [Customs and Border Patrol] primarily between [Points of Entry].”

  115. 115.

    chris

    November 2, 2018 at 10:02 am

    Scott Walker puts the “con” in Wisconsin.

    It’s difficult to summarize all the problems with the Foxconn deal, but suffice it to say that it is bad for Wisconsin taxpayers in three big ways: The jobs numbers are misleading, the cost per job is monumental, and the breakeven period for this incentive and subsidy package is hundreds of years away. One other thing is certain: Wisconsin’s government will be forever tainted by the legacy of this deal. The reputation for honest, open government earned over generations is rightfully gone.

  116. 116.

    Aleta

    November 2, 2018 at 10:03 am

    @satby: yes. The Repubs should be sued for damages, for the headlines at least. I bet there will be suggestive medical stats for this period published some day,

  117. 117.

    Aleta

    November 2, 2018 at 10:10 am

    Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford was on a Delta flight from Indianapolis to Boston on Tuesday when she noticed the woman next to her showing signs of distress. So Dr. Stanford did what she was trained to do in more than a decade of experience as a doctor — she began to assist her.
    But Dr. Stanford, who is black, said she had just started to help the passenger when a flight attendant approached and asked if she was a doctor. Dr. Stanford said yes and, without being asked, she took out her medical license, which says she is a physician registered in Massachusetts and has the letters “M.D.” after her name.
    “I know I don’t look the part,” Dr. Stanford, 39, said in an interview on Thursday. “So I just carry it with my driver’s license at all times.”

    The flight attendant glanced at it and walked away, she said. As Dr. Stanford continued to try to calm the passenger, another flight attendant approached and asked to see the license. She, too, looked at it and walked away. Then the two flight attendants returned together and began another series of questions.

    “Are you a head doctor?” one of them asked. When Dr. Stanford said she did not understand the question, the flight attendant asked, “Are you actually an M.D.?”
    Then the second flight attendant spoke: “Is this your license?” When the doctor asked what she meant, the flight attendant repeated the question. “Why would I carry someone else’s medical license?” Dr. Stanford said she replied.

    Dr. Stanford, who practices obesity medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and is a Harvard Medical School instructor, has carried the wallet-size version of her medical license with her since 2016, when she read about a black doctor whose offer to help a sick passenger on a Delta flight was challenged. She spoke with local news media outlets and wrote about the encounter on social media accounts this week, reviving questions about implicit bias against black professionals.

    The unguarded skepticism about medical professionals and race is something that Dr. Stanford, who graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in 2007, said she has often discussed with colleagues of color, who have swapped stories of being mistaken for support staff, or asked to remove trays or wipe up messes in the emergency room.
    …
    Dr. Stanford said she was not challenged for the rest of the two-hour flight. As they were descending, she said, one attendant told her they would not need to check her license anymore because “it seems like you were able to handle everything.”
    She interpreted the encounter as biased because of the persistent questioning about whether she was a physician even after she had provided proof. “It never stopped,” she said. “I just couldn’t figure out why we were having this discussion.”
    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/02/us/delta-black-doctor-racial-profiling.html

    This link worked slowly for me.

  118. 118.

    tokyokie

    November 2, 2018 at 10:13 am

    @Immanentize: All the goobers nitwitted enough to believe that Beto is funding the caravan (I guess as a front man for Soros) are already voting straight-party Republican, even on the bond issues on the ballot. But I’m also thinking that for a lot of Latinos, especially in the Rio Grande Valley, this will only intensify their efforts to defeat the bastards.

  119. 119.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 2, 2018 at 10:16 am

    “If there is a civil war in this country and you were on the wrong side,” Spaeth said he told his sister, “I would have no problem shooting you in the face.”

    The reporter asked if he was joking, and Spaeth insisted he was serious.

    “No, I am not,” he said. “I love my sister, we get on great. But she has to know how passionate I am about our president.”

    Fucking Nazis.

  120. 120.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 10:22 am

    @Aleta:

    As they were descending, she said, one attendant told her they would not need to check her license anymore because “it seems like you were able to handle everything.”

    The condescension is dripping from that statement.

  121. 121.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 10:24 am

    @A Ghost To Most: Seems to me she has a lock down case for justifiable homicide.

  122. 122.

    Platonailedit

    November 2, 2018 at 10:27 am

    @A Ghost To Most: More likely the sister will kick this numbnut’s gnads and take down his moronic racist dumbass.

  123. 123.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 2, 2018 at 10:27 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I have received similar notices of intent from family and their friends.

  124. 124.

    JoeyJoeJoe

    November 2, 2018 at 10:27 am

    @MazeDancer: That particular district, in addition to being in Texas, was actually the most Republican district in the nation in the 1980s. In 1984, Reagan got 83% there, his best nationwide

  125. 125.

    different-church-lady

    November 2, 2018 at 10:29 am

    My roof leaks. Therefore I am acutely aware of how much it rains. And it is not your imagination or just old age making you more aware: it has rained an absolute shit-ton this autumn.

  126. 126.

    Barbara

    November 2, 2018 at 10:29 am

    @rikyrah: I feel the same way about Stacy Abrams. Watching her leave Meghan McCain looking foolish by rising above her was a thing of beauty. And she did it with humor and references to her grandparents. Even more important, she made it so obvious that McCain was trying to do a gotcha.

  127. 127.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 2, 2018 at 10:32 am

    @A Ghost To Most:

    I have received similar notices of intent from family and their friends.

    I love my family and I love my friends and I have a real hard time seeing myself walk away from any of them over a political difference, even one as deep and wide as the one we are faced with today. But that would be a deal breaker. Fortunately all of my family and 99% of my friends have pretty much the same politics as I, so I don’t have to worry about it.

    ETA I am sorry you have to go thru it.

  128. 128.

    TS (the original)

    November 2, 2018 at 10:32 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    The condescension is dripping from that statement.

    Polite word for racism. They would have arrested her if things hadn’t gone well.

  129. 129.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 2, 2018 at 10:32 am

    @A Ghost To Most: Steve Spaeth, a 40-year-old West Bend man who operates a home exteriors company, told the reporter during the Oct. 24 rally in Mosinee that “hate” was not too strong a word to describe his feelings toward anyone he considers a political enemy.
    …
    “They want to turn America into a socialistic country,” Spaeth said. “It’s disgusting.”

    one of those cases where I wish news orgs could have interns go through their interviewees’ tax returns and financial history to show all the ways they benefit from “socialism” and are hurt by “pro-growth” policies. Not that Steve would ever get it.
    Also, I’d be willing to bet he has bad debts, maybe to that liberal sister

  130. 130.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 2, 2018 at 10:34 am

    @Barbara: I always say Megs could give the Romney boys lessons in born-on-third-base lack of self-awareness. She really thinks she’s a self-made genius. She’d give trump’s Fredos a run for their money.

  131. 131.

    different-church-lady

    November 2, 2018 at 10:38 am

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: People miss the mark about these articles: the press has a sort of “bug under a microscope” fascination with this one tiny demographic slice of the country and they just won’t turn away. The writers think of them as some sort of different, weird species that nobody can figure out, isn’t this amazing, they have seven eyeballs on one side of their nose, they’re so different from the normal people our readers see every day in their vegan bistros and support group for affluent power-mothers with addiction issues.

    And the rest of us are like, “Nah, they’re just stone cold racist assholes, we’re already quite aware of them, STARE AT SOMETHING ELSE.”

  132. 132.

    Tenar Arha

    November 2, 2018 at 10:39 am

    @Tom Levenson: I didn’t even watch it I watched the reactions over this week. My fave was @Popehat here on Tuesday.

    This is my good deed to the richly undeserving, offered as I hope for grace when I don’t deserve it:

    Shut the fuck up, completely, immediately. Hire a lawyer. Keep shutting up. Don’t delete anything. Don’t talk to anyone. Obey your lawyer.

    ETA & yes, Wohl has evidently ignored all such advice

  133. 133.

    efgoldman

    November 2, 2018 at 10:39 am

    The great Molly Ivins once said “We don’t blame our Messicans when the owl runs out”

  134. 134.

    different-church-lady

    November 2, 2018 at 10:43 am

    @germy: Nobody could possibly be that stupid by accident…

  135. 135.

    trollhattan

    November 2, 2018 at 10:44 am

    @kindness:
    We made it through October with 0.04 inch of rain. Break out the liferaft!

  136. 136.

    chris

    November 2, 2018 at 10:46 am

    @different-church-lady: It’s not an accident.

    One thing we're seeing now is the 2nd generation of Fox conservatives. The first grew up in a normal world & was pulled into Fox world (like my dad). But they *remember* the normal world & can still pass in it; they know what tone & keywords to use. However …— David Roberts (@drvox) 30 October 2018

  137. 137.

    Tenar Arha

    November 2, 2018 at 10:48 am

    @different-church-lady: It’s just-so self-soothing via national newspapers. I really think that’s why “racially charged” gets in the headline rather than “racist,” the NYT et al are soothing the millionaires in their gated communities that they’re not like “those” people, so they’re not to blame for for their vote against Hillary.
    ETA grammar

  138. 138.

    different-church-lady

    November 2, 2018 at 10:49 am

    @chris: No, I mean it’s eleventy dimensional chess or something — put all the focus on these two clowns while the skilled pickpocket is behind us…

  139. 139.

    efgoldman

    November 2, 2018 at 10:50 am

    @gene108:

    One where your ass isn’t hanging out and hospital staff isn’t awkwardly arranging a second gown on your backside to keep you covered

    I just don’t give a shit any more

  140. 140.

    Gelfling 545

    November 2, 2018 at 10:50 am

    @Immanentize: Wow. Makes me feel I should watch the films again. When I was in college a bunch of the guys we socialized with had a cult like devotion to the Eastwood westerns. Weekends often involved shoehorning a bunch of us ito some borrowed vehicle and watching an all night run of them at the drive in ( we still had those back then.) with the guys chiming in on the somewhat minimal dialogue.

  141. 141.

    catclub

    November 2, 2018 at 10:51 am

    @JGabriel: I noticed this:

    and apparently we will never get another 24-hour span of sunlight here.

    and figured she lives above the Arctic Circle, but the axis of the Earth’s rotation has changed tilt so she is no longer above the circle.
    Which is worrisome.

  142. 142.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    November 2, 2018 at 10:52 am

    @Barbara: Watching Gillum and Abrams shows us not only how good they are, but what empty bags of wind DeSantis and McCain are.

  143. 143.

    Gelfling 545

    November 2, 2018 at 10:53 am

    @Baud: I devoutly hope we have seen the last of “personalities” with no political experience running for major offices.

  144. 144.

    different-church-lady

    November 2, 2018 at 10:55 am

    @gene108: I was once given one that had a side-tie. Seemed great. Went back the next year for the same procedure on the other side and they had gone back to the standard rear-tie. You can’t explain that.

  145. 145.

    different-church-lady

    November 2, 2018 at 10:57 am

    @Gelfling 545: The only thing Mike Judge got wrong about Idiocracy was the timeline.

  146. 146.

    SiubhanDuinne

    November 2, 2018 at 10:58 am

    @efgoldman:

    Hey efg, good to see you. Please check your inbox for an email from me in the past couple of days. Thanks!

  147. 147.

    The Moar You Know

    November 2, 2018 at 11:00 am

    Did anyone post about this 51 year old white Charlotte chick harassing the two African American sisters who were waiting for AAA? White chick has been fired from her $125,000 a year job, the police are looking for her, and her landlord is going to evict her.

    @Quinerly: Been following this, my parents and sister live there. She was awful…but I’ve got a feeling they’re going to find that she’s killed herself. One of those super angry, super brittle personalities that can’t handle setbacks.

    No loss.

  148. 148.

    tokyokie

    November 2, 2018 at 11:01 am

    @Immanentize: I watched it, and I, too, teared up. Because until you see it performed by a full orchestra and choir, you don’t have a feel for how rich the music of Il Maestro, Ennio Morricone, is. And this is all in furtherance of what, at the time it was released, was considered a film in a B-movie genre, but what is now considered one of the all-time great films. (Quentin Tarantino and yours truly consider Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo the greatest movie ever made, but some days I think C’era uno volta il West is.)

  149. 149.

    chris

    November 2, 2018 at 11:03 am

    @different-church-lady: Ah, yes. watch this bullshit and you won’t notice Zinke stealing a national park. I believe it’s all written in the autocrat’s handbook.

  150. 150.

    different-church-lady

    November 2, 2018 at 11:06 am

    @The Moar You Know: Alcoholic.

    The big takeaway for me was, “Wait, cable companies pay $125k?”

  151. 151.

    tokyokie

    November 2, 2018 at 11:08 am

    @SFAW: And be sure to make note of the mezzo-soprano’s earrings.

  152. 152.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    November 2, 2018 at 11:09 am

    @Gelfling 545: So you’re not onboard with Avenatti 2020 then?

  153. 153.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 2, 2018 at 11:11 am

    @different-church-lady: I could only get one of the short videos to play, but I was thinking she was smashed.

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: that nonsense is over, right?

  154. 154.

    trollhattan

    November 2, 2018 at 11:12 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:
    Avanti 1963–then, more than ever!

  155. 155.

    Platonailedit

    November 2, 2018 at 11:14 am

    Amazing athlete

    American Simone Biles has become the first gymnast to win 13 world titles.

    The 21-year-old won vault gold at the World Championships in Qatar.

    It was Biles’ third world title in this year’s championships and she has now broken the all-time record set by Belarusian male gymnast Vitaly Scherbo in 1996.

    On Thursday, Biles made history by becoming the first woman to pick up four all-around world titles after winning the team and all-around events.

  156. 156.

    trollhattan

    November 2, 2018 at 11:14 am

    @tokyokie:
    I want to see how they score the “Ah-ee-ah-ee-ohs”

    And what’s with the hanged(?) guy? Those Danes, so very Danish. Gorgeous hall BTW.

  157. 157.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    November 2, 2018 at 11:17 am

    @SFAW: Can’t even guess what WAR and GWAR might mean. Is that something like “He’s 3-2 against left-handed third-basemen in 7th innings in October”?

  158. 158.

    BC in Illinois

    November 2, 2018 at 11:17 am

    @tokyokie:

    be sure to make note of the mezzo-soprano’s earrings

    Okay, you made me go back and watch the video a second time.
    (I had played it a third time, in the background.)
    It’s good music for this weekend.

  159. 159.

    hueyplong

    November 2, 2018 at 11:17 am

    @tokyokie: I never have a day in which I doubt that “Once Upon a Time in the West” is better.

    “You brought two too many.”

  160. 160.

    different-church-lady

    November 2, 2018 at 11:25 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: You don’t want to know.

  161. 161.

    catclub

    November 2, 2018 at 11:40 am

    @Balconesfault:

    Beto campaign would be doing something as stupid as directly funding the caravan.

    Is the theory that it will make Trump stroke out?

  162. 162.

    tokyokie

    November 2, 2018 at 11:41 am

    @trollhattan: Maybe the hanged guy is Shorty.

  163. 163.

    Elizabelle

    November 2, 2018 at 11:45 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: GWAR is a shock-rock group outta Richmond, VA.

    Costumes, tastelessness, the whole deal. They’re very popular.

  164. 164.

    tokyokie

    November 2, 2018 at 11:53 am

    @hueyplong: I tend to think of Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo as the greatest spaghetti ever made, and C’era una volta il West as the greatest traditional western ever made. Which I consider better on any given day is whether I’m feeling more traditionalist or non-traditionalist. But you have to credit Leone for using the most divisive conflict in U.S. history as a backdrop for a story about three back-stabbing scoundrels (and apparently the only sane men in the New Mexico Territory) trying to acquire a fortune in stolen gold, or how he reduces the symbol of America’s western expansion as the means by which Tuco rids himself of the burden of an overweight prison guard. And I’ll see your “You brought two too many,” and raise you a “If you’re gonna shoot, shoot. Don’t talk.”

    And yes, I have the latter as a ringtone.

  165. 165.

    Big R

    November 2, 2018 at 11:54 am

    @JGabriel: I wish both you and Anne good luck in finding a 24-hour span of sunlight in Florida. Or anywhere that isn’t a pole.

  166. 166.

    hueyplong

    November 2, 2018 at 11:59 am

    @tokyokie: I can buy into your breakdown into categories.

  167. 167.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 11:59 am

    I haven’t read it yet, but the title is intriguing:

    I TRAVELED TO A DINER IN TRUMP COUNTRY TO WRITE ANOTHER ARTICLE ON WHETHER THE PRESIDENT’S SUPPORTERS STILL WANT TO, QUOTE, “SMASH MY LIBTARD FACE IN”

    Amazingly enough, it’s not in the FTFTFNYT

  168. 168.

    Ruckus

    November 2, 2018 at 12:01 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:
    When the docs ask me the pain level I tell them it sometimes gets to 12.
    “The level only goes to 10.”
    No, that’s only as high as you are willing to write down. 10 is you have to be hospitalized. 11 is you wish you’d just die and get it over with. 12 is thinking that if I blew my brains out it couldn’t hurt any more for a split second and then, relief. They look at you in that professional way of shock, not shocked. Then they ask you about suicide. Answer – Have been having migraines for decades, if I was going to kill myself I’d have done it long ago.

  169. 169.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 12:04 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    If I understand it correctly, Wins Against Replacement (“WAR”) is how many more wins a particular baseball player produces in a season, compared to a typical replacement player. A higher number is better. It’s allegedly used by savvy general managers or some such, when trying to obtain talent to help them win the World Series.

    Re: GWAR: Elizabelle has it right. It’s just one of my little simple-minded (attempted) jokes, has nothing to do with baseball.

  170. 170.

    tokyokie

    November 2, 2018 at 12:05 pm

    @hueyplong: C’era una volta il West was the first movie I went to see twice during its initial run and something that struck me on first viewing as a work of genius from just the opening title sequence. The 50th anniversary of its premiere in Torino comes up next month on the Friday before Christmas. And today’s links have reminded me to pick up the Italian Blu-ray of the movie, which appears to be 1 minute longer than the versions from other countries.

  171. 171.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 12:07 pm

    @tokyokie:

    I tend to think of Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo as the greatest spaghetti ever made,

    Very few people are aware that it was based on a Kurosawa film

  172. 172.

    Ruckus

    November 2, 2018 at 12:08 pm

    @gene108:
    @Baud:
    Can’t get a better gown after all these years, butt’s hanging out. It’s a butt, everyone has one. Different shapes, still a butt. Not ashamed, not proud, it’s a butt.

  173. 173.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    @tokyokie:

    “When you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk.”

    A line I have repeated often. [I hope you don’t mind my correction.]

  174. 174.

    Ruckus

    November 2, 2018 at 12:16 pm

    @germy:
    They want to ruin it so that everyone else will be at the same level of issues that they are. Their lives suck, mainly because they suck as humans, but it still sucks. They are too stupid to realize that it’s them that makes their lives suck but they have decided that everyone’s lives should suck as much as their’s does. Fortunately because they suck and are stupid and incompetent at everything, they make life semi miserable for a few and provide hours of wondering how they manage to continue to live without someone just running them over with a car, to make all of our lives better. It isn’t worth the effort, the gas, the car and the jail time – easier to just point and laugh.

  175. 175.

    brantl

    November 2, 2018 at 12:20 pm

    @Platonailedit: If they quoted him as much as he yaps, surely that would be much higher?

  176. 176.

    Ruckus

    November 2, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    @ThresherK:
    His impulse center IS his brain.

  177. 177.

    catclub

    November 2, 2018 at 12:30 pm

    @SFAW: which one? I thought I knew Kurosawa’s works fairly well.

  178. 178.

    Ella in New Mexico

    November 2, 2018 at 12:34 pm

    @germy: He’s so doomed.

    This freaking hilarious clip from “Pod Save America” about Jacob Wohl convinced me I need to listen to their podcasts WAY more often

    https://twitter.com/PodSaveAmerica/status/1057771656372867072

  179. 179.

    tokyokie

    November 2, 2018 at 12:46 pm

    @SFAW:

    I tend to think of Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo as the greatest spaghetti ever made

    Very few people are aware that it was based on a Kurosawa film.

    Um, I think you mean Per un pugno di dollari, which is an uncredited (and frequently shot-for-shot) remake of Yōjinbo, which itself follows the basic structure of Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest. Leone’s thievery was so blatant that to settle the ensuing lawsuit, Kurosawa was granted the full Japanese distribution rights to the first Man With No Name movie.

  180. 180.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 12:55 pm

    @tokyokie:

    I was kidding about the Kurosawa thing. Sorry, sometimes my “humor” is a little abstruse.

    Yeah, I know about Red Harvest — I read it about 30 or 35 years ago, after finding out about the Yojimbo connection. (Although I’ve also read some article disputing that, but I prefer to believe that there is a connection.) I also hear/read people talking about Lucas and The Hidden Fortress, but I think the connection there is more superficial.

    That being said, Shichinin no Samurai is one of my all-time favorite movies, although I wish they could have gotten Yul Brynner to reprise his role as the bald ronin/gunfighter. [Yes, that’s a joke.]

  181. 181.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    @catclub:

    which one? I thought I knew Kurosawa’s works fairly well.

    It was a joke. Sorry.
    With all the Westerns and similar that were based on Kurosawa films, I figured I’d add one more.

  182. 182.

    trollhattan

    November 2, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    @tokyokie:
    That must be it.

    Have the Leone box set; need to break it out for the YouTube-fixated daughter. “Honey, here’s an oeuvre for your fashion videos.”

  183. 183.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 12:58 pm

    @tokyokie:

    Forgot to mention that I think Python’s version of The Wild Bunch (at a garden party) was probably inspired by the last duel in Sanjuro. Well, not really, but what the hell …

    ETA: Forgot to ask in a previous reply: have you read Red Harvest? It’s a lot murkier (in terms of how the Continental Op sets things up) than Yojimbo.

  184. 184.

    TenguPhule

    November 2, 2018 at 1:13 pm

    @Immanentize:

    for all their conservative attitudes I can’t believe the Texans really believe
    1). The caravan is a threat and
    2). Beto is funding it.

    George W Bush
    Ted Cruz

  185. 185.

    catclub

    November 2, 2018 at 1:19 pm

    @SFAW:

    is one of my all-time favorite movies,

    Ikiru is mine.

  186. 186.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    @catclub:

    Ikiru is mine.

    I’m OK with it, but my brother hates it (too sappy).

    I’ve been taking High and Low/Tengoku to Jigoku out of the library, but I realized I wanted to read the novel it’s based on, before watching it. Eventually I’ll watch it. Mifune, Nakadai, Shimura, Tono — what could be better?

    In the novel, the Mifune character is kind of a dickhead, I’ll be interested to see if he’s heroic or not-so-much in this film.

  187. 187.

    Steve in the ATL

    November 2, 2018 at 1:50 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:
    1. Third basemen don’t pitch; and
    2. There are no left-handed third basemen.

  188. 188.

    J R in WV

    November 2, 2018 at 1:57 pm

    @efgoldman:

    @gene108:

    One where your ass isn’t hanging out and hospital staff isn’t awkwardly arranging a second gown on your backside to keep you covered

    I just don’t give a shit any more

    I’m with you EFG, if they don’t care about my ass hanging out at the clinic/Dr’s office/hospital, I sure don’t care. Nothing about me a medical staffer hasn’t seen 10,000 times already! After boot camp and getting old, no shy left whatsoever in this house.

    Although some seem taken aback that I don’t care at all… which is a little strange.

  189. 189.

    Mnemosyne

    November 2, 2018 at 2:13 pm

    @J R in WV:

    This is reminding me of a story a friend told me about when she had her baby at UCLA Medical Center. Since it’s a teaching hospital and she was a graduate student, she basically had to agree that they could bring medical students in for “teaching purposes” at pretty much any point.

    After a while, so many people were coming in to take a look at her cervix that she wasn’t sure they were even medical personnel, and she didn’t really care anymore. She was like, “The janitor wants to have a look at my cervix? Whatever!” ?

  190. 190.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 2:21 pm

    @efgoldman:

    Hey! Welcome back! I hope you’re feeling OK.

    [You’ve probably been back for a few days, but I’ve only been here sparingly.]

  191. 191.

    Ruckus

    November 2, 2018 at 2:36 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    Whatever!
    At some point the entire world is a whatever. Medicine has for a very long time tried to teach about body parts rather than an entire human. Docs only work on parts, no one sees the entire picture. There is a certain need for this, but there should be limits to it as well. Some people seem to even despise the entire picture, that it’s beneath them.

  192. 192.

    Burnspbesq

    November 2, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    There are times when you just want to say “aw, for fuck’s sake.” Reading the Nigerian military’s tweet was one of those times, and not even reading the district court’s smackdown of Kemp made it better.

  193. 193.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)  ??

    November 2, 2018 at 3:15 pm

    @germy:
    Judge will not order Ford County to open second polling location in Dodge City

  194. 194.

    Gravenstone

    November 2, 2018 at 3:25 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    West Bend

    Go figure.

  195. 195.

    Gravenstone

    November 2, 2018 at 3:33 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: WAR is intended to be a statistical measure of a player’s value against an average (or replacement) player at the same position. I think at least half the numbers are pulled directly from someone’s ass.

    GWAR is a theatrical heavy metal band known for over the top costuming of the various members.

  196. 196.

    SFAW

    November 2, 2018 at 4:03 pm

    @Gravenstone:

    I think at least half the numbers are pulled directly from someone’s ass.

    Well, as Shakespeare or someone else once said: 73 percent of all statistics used in conversations are made up.

  197. 197.

    Yutsano

    November 2, 2018 at 4:14 pm

    @Ruckus: When I was in the hospital for my transverse myelitis, the hospital wanted to take three MRIs. Two were for diagnostic purposes. The third was “because your lesion is unusual and we want it for medical purposes”. I should have asked for royalties.

  198. 198.

    Ruckus

    November 2, 2018 at 4:36 pm

    @Yutsano:
    You didn’t? What weren’t you thinking?

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