Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Everybody saw this coming.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

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

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Eh, that’s media spin. biden’s health is fine and he’s doing a good job.

“But what about the lurkers?”

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

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

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

You are here: Home / Climate Change / How about that weather? / Saturday Morning Open Thread: Situation Normal, All Fouled Up

Saturday Morning Open Thread: Situation Normal, All Fouled Up

by | 139 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

Right at this point in time, seems like potentially good news for (central/western) Florida — not so much, the Carolinas:

The waiting is making people a little… squirrely…

But seriously…

Reader Interactions

139Comments

  3. 3.

    NotMax

    Anyone checked out Carnival Row? Holding off formulating an opinion on it for now based on what percentage have seen thus far. One could get quite sloshed quite fast if happened to choose the F word for a drinking game while watching it..

  5. 5.

    Cermet

    Sorry for Florida but that is the deal when one lives there (especially near/on the coasts) – hurricanes are a fact of life; add AGW getting worse so one is living at the end of a shotgun. Obviously planning ahead and being prepared is the best chance to weather the storm. Wishing the best for BJ’ers and the worse for Mar Largo and all the orange fart clouds properties.

  6. 6.

    Paul T

    Nothing worse these days than weather bloggers wetting themselves by choosing one of a few dozen forecast models, hyping it as “truth”, and running with it for social media or their blog. The storm will stall! The storm will turn north! The storm will do circles over Miami Beach!

  10. 10.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Lawyers for former US national security adviser Michael Flynn accused the federal government of stalling their efforts to defend him, and said the former top aide to Donald Trump is not ready to be sentenced for lying about his discussions with a Russian ambassador.

    Flynn’s lawyers lodged their objections to the government’s conduct in a joint status report filed on Friday with the Washington DC, federal court.

    Lawyers for the government countered that Flynn is ready for sentencing, perhaps as soon as 21 October. Both sides agreed that Flynn’s cooperation with various government inquiries is finished.

    I should try this the next time I get a speeding ticket.

  12. 12.

    gene108

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I am surprised Trump isn’t pardoning his goon squad. I think after the 2020 election all the people he deems stayed loyal to him will get pardons. There’s really nothing to stop him.

  13. 13.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @gene108: Loyalty is only one way with Trump Just because Trump offers pardons doesn’t mean Trump will grant them.

  14. 14.

    Immanentize

    And, just because keeping track of this makes me happy, we now have a ninth Republican deciding to retire after this term in the House. Today’s lucky ducky: Rep. Shimkus (R – IL15). Solid Republican district, but still…. And it isn’t even labor day yet!

  16. 16.

    mountain granny

    @NotMax: It’s fairly interesting if you like pseudo-late 19th C. London with coal-air fog and carriages and bowler hats. And Orlando Bloom as a furrowed brow police detective. But after you get used to the people with wings and horns and other animal appendages, it’s sort of a cliche story about xenophobia and serial murder. Not really a way to escape reality, if that’s what you look for in entertainment. And I do, these days.

  18. 18.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @gene108: I actually kind of doubt it. After 2020 he won’t need them anymore. And there is a big incentive against pardoning them: It strips them of their 5th amendment rights against self incriminating testimony. The best trump can do is say, “Keep your mouth shut and I will take care of your family.” If they are stupid enough to have broken the law for him, they are probably moronic enough to believe him.

  22. 22.

    Immanentize

    @Gin & Tonic:
    At least that is what Cuccinelli is saying. It looks more like they tried to do a dirty, got caught, and then ‘clarified.’. Cuccinelli is a bedbug.

    But more importantly! Did you find decking material?

  26. 26.

    debbie

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    The best trump can do is say, “Keep your mouth shut and I will take care of your family.”

    Wait. You think he’ll pay them, as in handing out money? I can’t stop laughing!

  27. 27.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    It’s like the Frankie Pentangeli Gambit, but without Shitgibbon (or Uday or Qusay or any of the other traitors) actually “taking care of” the families. Unless “taking care of” is meant in the Mafia-hit sense.

  29. 29.

    SFAW

    @germy:

    I’ll see you soon. pic.twitter.com/FicADkSAzS

    — Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) August 30, 2019

    Is Ed Asner having “medical issues”? I mean, I know he’s not a kid (89 y.o.), but I’m not liking the foreshadowing.

  30. 30.

    Sloane Ranger

    I’ve just got back from a Stop the Coup rally in our County town of Northampton. Although the big demonstration is in London outside Downing Street, there are hundreds of smaller demonstrations taking place in towns and cities across the UK to protest Johnson’s suspension of Parliament.

    There were about 150-200 people there, which is not bad given that it was only arranged 48 hours ago and our County voted Leave by a big margin.

    There were no formal speakers but there was an open Mike and various people identified themselves as officers in the local Lib Dem, Labour, Equality for Women Parties plus plenty of who just described themselves as “ordinary people “. People there were determined Johnson will not win.

  33. 33.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @debbie: What I think has nothing to do with it, hence the “they are probably moronic enough to believe him”

    @SFAW:

    Frankie Pentangeli Gambit

    The thing that gets me about that scene is what makes anyone think they actually took care of Frank’s family after he killed himself? They had no incentive to after he was dead. As far as the family goes, the chances of them having any damaging evidence they could testify to was something less than zero, so just let them starve. The whole thing is predicated on some imagined sense of “honor” that none of them ever adhered to.

  37. 37.

    Kay

    Eric Lipton
    @EricLiptonNYT
    ·1h
    How
    @realDonaldTrump’s signature initiative to help poor communities is fueling a once-in-a-generation bonanza for the wealthiest Americans — including Trump’s family and advisers.

    And Chris Christie.

    This reeked of scam from the get-go. More welfare for rich and well-connected people.

  38. 38.

    Spanky

    @OzarkHillbilly: Fun Frankie Fact from Wikipedia:

    This character made the national news on Jan. 25, 2019 because he was referenced in the federal indictment of Roger Stone. Stone was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and charged with seven counts through an indictment in the Mueller investigation; one count of obstruction of an official proceeding, five counts of false statements, and one count of witness tampering.[3] “The indictment contains a reference to a character from ‘The Godfather: Part II’ who is intimidated into not testifying against a mafia boss. According to the indictment, Stone in late 2017 told an associate — identified as “Person 2” — that they should “do a ‘Frank Pentangeli’ before [the House Intelligence Committee] in order to avoid contradicting STONE’s testimony.’ The filing goes on to say, “Frank Pentangeli is a character in the film The Godfather: Part II, which both STONE and Person 2 had discussed, who testifies before a congressional committee and in that testimony claims not to know critical information that he does in fact know.”[4]

    I hadn’t heard that before. Typical Stone move.

  41. 41.

    Amir Khalid

    In the early kickoff this EPL Saturday, 10-man Southampton are hanging on for deal life to 1-1 against visitors Manchester United. Manchester City host 8th-place Brighton & Hove Albion in one of the 3pm kickoffs, and league leaders Liverpool (oh, how I love that alliteration) visit 6th-place Burnley in the 5:30 kickoff.

  42. 42.

    MomSense

    @NotMax:

    I just started it. Was considering going to visit my cousin at camp today but I woke up tired and with a sore throat. Hoping I like it enough to binge.

  43. 43.

    Elizabelle

    @MomSense: Isn’t it always kind that we schedule being sick for our free time on weekends and holidays?

    Uggh! Glad you got through the exhausting first two weeks of your new job, and hope you rest up and feel much better, soon.

  44. 44.

    Amir Khalid

    @Amir Khalid:
    Southampton get their draw. This will feel like a defeat for United fans. United’s first four matches of the new season have ended in a win, a draw, a loss, and now a draw against a side down to ten men. Not the performances United need to get them close to the Big Two.

  45. 45.

    MomSense

    @Elizabelle:

    Considering I don’t have any PTO yet – it’ll do! I’ve got a dog on my feet, a cup of hot coffee and some wool on the needles so it’s not so bad.

  46. 46.

    MomSense

    Oh the latest Randy Rainbow song is amazing. Cheeto Christ Stupid Czar. Randy is a treasure.

  49. 49.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Well considering it was a novel …
    Be that as it may: outside of the whole “honor” thing — which I expect they believed about themselves, regardless (or “irregardless” for you hillbillies) of whether they acted honorably — there’s the (theoretical) idea that if they fuck over someone’s family that way, they can’t use that “gambit” again, because people will find out, and be witnesses. But what do I know?

    Then again, it’s a novel.

  50. 50.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Spanky:

    Typical Stone move.

    First time thru I read that as “Typical Stone movie.” and I’m going, “Noooo…. wasn’t that Coppola who directed that?

    Needs moar coffee.

  51. 51.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @MomSense: Sorry to hear you’re under the weather. How is Korra? Better I hope. You’ve both been on my mind.

  55. 55.

    Raoul

    @Gin & Tonic: I’m certainly glad that the impact will be small. But:
    1. They fkkd up the rollout and deserve the punishing pushback they got. This WH a) sucks at communicating, b) is a propaganda outfit and c) we should weaponize their failures.
    2. Under 100 per year (dod est) is still a big impact for those families, all of whom have a US service member as a parent. If our government can not do this, then why do it?
    “USCIS officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they reluctantly updated the policy because the State Department requested it.” This smells of Miller, and he used Pompeo to get it. (emphasis added)
    3. Truck Fump.

  56. 56.

    Amir Khalid

    @germy:
    I’m beginning to think that this whole “businessman President” thing might be a smidge overrated, especially if you give the presidency to a less-than-stellar businessman.

  58. 58.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Just wanted to point out that the hyperventilation the other day about the citizenship policy for kids born to overseas Americans appears to have been misguided.

    Their broadly similar policy to make surrogacy for LGBT parents harder is also “mostly about paperwork” and will also only affect a handful of families a year, but it’s part of their larger strategy to erode norms around birthright citizenship, and worthy of outrage.

  59. 59.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @germy:

    This is Trump’s 226th day at a Trump golf club and 294th day at a Trump property as president.

    Well on his way to having spent at least a 4th of his “presidency” on vacation. Yes we have a part time president.

  63. 63.

    Kathleen

    @MomSense: Glad you’re staying home to take care of yourself. I remember you saying you were exhausted from your first two weeks on new job.

  65. 65.

    Yarrow

    @MomSense: Has there been an update on the new Balloon-Juice website? I feel like the last we heard they said it would be ready for roll out in two weeks and that seems like it’s more than two weeks ago but maybe not.

  66. 66.

    Sister Golden Bear

    Good evening everyone.

    I finally hit the satay street restaurant at the right time. Too early and they’re still heating the barbecue, too late and they’re sold out.

    $3 for 15 chicken satays, with an awesome peanut sauce and side of bread.

    And $16, including tip, for a wonderful Thai massage this afternoon. First they break you, then they put you back together, and you feel so amazing afterwards. Hurts so good.

    I can see why people retire here. If only the weather weren’t so hot and humid.

  67. 67.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    I can see why people retire here. If only the weather weren’t so hot and humid.

    I also found the military dictatorship somewhat disconcerting. And of course you can’t drink the water, which is a dealbreaker for me. The massages though! Primo, you’re right, and everything is such a bargain.

    @Yarrow: the new website has been two weeks away since May.

  72. 72.

    Steeplejack

    @Amir Khalid:

    Five points out of 12 so far no bueno.

    I have to make a mental note that I’m now eight hours behind the EPL instead of my usual five.

  75. 75.

    debbie

    @MomSense:

    Sorry you’re feeling poorly. My doctor says some of the viruses she’s seen this summer have been extra tough to get past.

  76. 76.

    frosty

    @Yarrow:

    it would be ready for roll out in two weeks

    IT schedules: double the time and increment the units, so …
    2 weeks = 4 months

    Happy to help interpret!

    @Major Major Major Major:

    two weeks away since May.

    Counts fingers … 4 months. Perfect!

  77. 77.

    Amir Khalid

    @Steeplejack:
    Two world-class managers and David Moyes have failed at United already so I’m not too optimistic about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s chances. There was a story this week about how Ole was refused four summer transfers he wanted, which is ominous. United’s first team remains in need of an extensive rebuild, and Ole’s superiors not letting him get the players he wants is a bad sign.

  79. 79.

    Yarrow

    @frosty: I don’t really care what IT does but if management wants to keep customers they need to communicate more effectively about progress, timelines and expected outcomes. At this point, customers are moving to on to other providers that are easier to deal with and provide better service.

  83. 83.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Gin & Tonic: Why so smug? In the context of all the evil this administration is doing – such as this – the uproar over the policy was justified. It also appears to be an ex post facto “clarification.” This administration is actively undermining citizenship rights bit by bit and this was just another brick in the wall, so to speak. It backfired on them and they’ve adjusted their explanation. And, “just a bit of paperwork” leaves open the possibility of being denied, which is what they’re working towards. They have not earned one scintilla of the benefit of the doubt.

  84. 84.

    Steeplejack

    @Yarrow:

    It’s a day-to-day thing. She probably needs more help than the two hours a day now, but we’re sort of in a holding pattern until my brother gets back in two weeks to administer it long-term. There are a couple of outfits in contention. And, of course, if she goes full hospice there’s that.

    When I first saw her last Tuesday she looked like she was at death’s door. I was shocked. But she improved a lot even the next day, and on Thursday you could almost buy the theory that “once I recover from this pelvis thing I’ll be back to normal.” Not that she said that. I think the old “normal” is in the rear-view mirror. But her condition and mental state very a lot.

    I have been spending time with her almost every day. Had a day of quiet contemplation yesterday to do laundry, doze a bit (inner clock still screwed up) and make my brother’s greyhound (Woody) more comfortable with Uncle Steep at the helm. (Liberalized treat policy helped.) He likes me, and we have done well in the past, but he is a little more skittish this time. Maybe because my brother has been out of the house a lot taking care of Mom.

    I’m going up to Mom’s house in a bit and will take a variety of foods and treats to see what piques her appetite. Getting her to eat—and keep it down—is a bit of an issue right now.

    All in all, things are going pretty well. But I wouldn’t be surprised at anything that happens.

  86. 86.

    Amir Khalid

    @Tokyokie:
    I’m kind of sympathetic to Ole.Besides, United are well below Liverpool’s level right now, and I can afford to be sympthetic.

  88. 88.

    Yarrow

    @scribbler: It was something of an analogy. People have donated to the site rebuild and also some donate via PayPal for ongoing maintenance, etc. so it’s not like everyone has no financial involvement. Not that that makes them “customers.”

    @Major Major Major Major: I can no longer remember who is and is not working on the website update.

  91. 91.

    gene108

    @Kay:

    In slightly different, “who coulda known?” vein:

    It is true that, ever since Trump was elected, his administration has been rolling back regulations passed by previous Democratic administrations. But, with increasing frequency, these rollbacks are going further than business wants, leaving regulated businesses vulnerable to social disapprobation and abrupt future policy shifts while creating an environment of deep regulatory uncertainty that makes long-term planning difficult.

    It is not “the economy” that benefits from chaos and uncertainty, it’s the polluters, the cheaters, the ones meeting with Trump officials behind closed doors and carving out special deals. What’s being boosted is not capitalism, but crony capitalism.

    https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/8/30/20840224/businesses-oppose-trump-deregulatory-agenda-rules

  94. 94.

    gene108

    @Yarrow:

    I comment less frequently here, because I feel I just don’t have too much to add.

    I remember, when threads petering out at 80 comments were the most discussed here.

    Figure it’ll pick-up as actual elections happen or something more significant than “Trump said what?”

    Coverage of Mueller’s testimony was lively and active and analysis went on for a few days after

  95. 95.

    Steeplejack

    @Yarrow:

    I might have missed the point of your question.

    My mother is accepting help, somewhat grudgingly. I don’t know whether she thinks it’s “temporary” because she’s going to “get better” or if she is really accepting it. She is in a strange state of being pretty realistic about her situation but studiously ignoring a lot of the ramifications. And I don’t feel that this is the time to have a “discussion.” I’ll be here for another two and a half weeks.

  96. 96.

    tybee

    @JPL: yeah, i’m on a higher part of this particular sand bar so flooding is not real likely unless we take a cat 4 or 5 just south of here.
    what worries me is trees. with matthew, we were the only folks on our street that didn’t have at least two trees on the roof.

  97. 97.

    Dev Null

    @Major Major Major Major: I am guessing that Trump’s been advised that he can’t end birthright citizenship by EO, so instead they’re trying to construct a policy that will be challenged in court that they can take to SCOTUS, about which SCOTUS will use patented literalist / originalist / Federalist Society reasoning to discover on a 5-4 vote that the 14th Amendment doesn’t mean what the Congress that passed the 14th Amendment clearly intended the 14th Amendment to mean.

  100. 100.

    J R in WV

    One of my favorite project scheduling sayings is that the last 10% of the development takes the other 90% of the work!!

    That only makes sense if you’ve managed software projects. My first swing at that, I fired one of the guys for product that worked as if it was for Martians, and didn’t do that very well. So then had 2/3rds of a team. Long time ago, and well behind me.

    But it showed I knew how to estimate a project. In the end it took exactly as many worker hours as I estimated before they made me shrink the estimate. I didn’t understand the point of that until I realized it needed badly to be done for other projects to proceed, yet wouldn’t be approved with the real schedule. No one cared it ran over, by then it was too close to cancel. Strange Management philosophy. !!!

    Was working as a contractor with a major gas transmission company, still in business, still all hosed up.

  101. 101.

    Yarrow

    @Steeplejack: So she’s back in her home? I guess I read that wrong in your previous comment.

    Dealing with seniors is definitely challenging. Sorry your mom is in this situation. It’s nice for your brother that you can come relieve him. It’s hard to be the front line person making the decisions in real time as they happen. Remember to take time for yourself while you’re caring for your mom.

    Just some thoughts from experience:
    – If your mom hasn’t been evaluated for a bladder infection, make sure she is if you think her mental state is getting worse. Bladder infections in the elderly are for some reason under-tested and very often lead to impaired mental state.
    – If someone hasn’t done a review of all her medications recently it’s good to do. Many times in the elderly there are interactions that cause problems and some medications are even unnecessary. A review can streamline what the senior takes and often they feel better
    – Aspiration of food and drink can be a problem in the elderly and can lead to pneumonia. If she can sit upright to eat and drink that can minimize that possibility.

    Thinking of you and sending good thoughts for your mom’s recovery.

  102. 102.

    Kay

    @gene108:

    There’s polling that says the message that Trump ripped off voters on economic policy resonates in the midwest. Which doesn’t surprise me. It’s what Obama ran on here in ’08 and (almost exclusively) in 2012.

    John Cole got invited to a meeting with bloggers and Axelrod before the 2012 election, in DC. No one else wanted to go so I went. It was 100% economic populism. That was the entire focus in these states. Warren is best at it, of the current choices.

  103. 103.

    James E Powell

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    The whole thing is predicated on some imagined sense of “honor” that none of them ever adhered to.

    Well, the whole story was imaginary.

  104. 104.

    Gin & Tonic

    @O. Felix Culpa: Not smug, I just prefer to have all the facts and understand all the implications. I know many long-term expats, and will shortly have one in my family, and while there are things they complain about (taxes, banking) the question of US citizenship for their children has never been in doubt – the rule is clear and unambiguous for 99.99% of the cases: they get it automatically. I recently ran into a friend of my son’s at an event, pushing his ~6-month-old infant in a stroller. Said the first thing he did after coming home from the hospital was go to the US Embassy and get her a US passport. And he’s a civilian, non-government, not on US assignment, and with a non-citizen wife. Again, the citizenship is *automatic* if you are a US citizen who has resided in the US for 5 years. Yes, there are weird edge cases, and yes, this administration is not to be trusted, but the whole “nobody will ever volunteer for overseas duty anymore” freakout had no basis in fact.

  105. 105.

    Yarrow

    @Steeplejack: Boy do I get where you’re coming from. Have been there. Reality for seniors in that situation isn’t very fun and a lot of them don’t like to look at it.

    At least she’s accepting help. That’s the first step. You can always build on that if it’s successful.

  106. 106.

    gene108

    @Dev Null:

    It’s not just birthright citizenship conservatives want to strip out of the 14th amendment, but “the equal protection under the law” part of the 14th amendment, since it is used to frequently overturn conservative state laws.

    The people, who want to take us back to 19th century jurisprudence have deep pockets, and no incentive to stop undermining progress.

  107. 107.

    James E Powell

    @Kay:

    Anyone who writes a phrase like “Trump’s signature initiative to help poor communities” is a scoundrel.

  108. 108.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @MomSense: Glad to hear Korra’s so much better! Liking new food is always a good sign.

    How is this website project? I feel like we Jackals have given all of you way too much work to do.

    You’re kind to think of the work involved, but I’ve been off the team for months. So you (and all Jackals) haven’t given me any work.

    @Yarrow: Major Major Major Major (at 91) is correct to my knowledge. @Yarrow: +87/64

    It would be nice to have an update. People are drifting away as the website becomes more difficult to deal with. Fewer comments. Less engagement.

    Email Cole – seriously. That was his suggestion when I told him folks were asking

    tell them to email me

  109. 109.

    Steeplejack

    @Yarrow:

    Thanks for the tips.

    She fell and cracked her pelvis around August 1, I think. It was right when I had my own (very sudden) cancer operation, so I missed some of the details. She was in a rehab facility and then a “post-acute” place until last Thursday or Friday, when she went home. Her house is all on one floor, pretty senior-friendly. I took up some area rugs to avoid tripping. (She is finally willing to use a walker, which is good.)

    Her meds have been checked. She takes very few: one for high blood pressure, one for anxiety and now an anti-nausea one because the pain pills make her sick. All of that seems to be sorted out. I felt sheepish when I woke up her with a phone call yesterday, but it is good that she is able now to get some sleep.

    She eats sitting up, either at a table or from a TV tray. She’s not bedridden, just moving slowly and gingerly. And she’s very tired, as expected.

  111. 111.

    Steeplejack

    @Yarrow:

    I’ll be happy if I can help lay down a solid base routine for when my brother gets back. He and Mom have a bit of folie à deux in their relationship and really know how to push each other’s buttons. For some reason I manage to avoid that dynamic.

  112. 112.

    gene108

    @Kay:

    There’s polling that says the message that Trump ripped off voters on economic policy resonates in the midwest.

    I just wish Dems could go beyond “Trump’s failed economic policies” to “Republicans failed economic policies”.

    It’s not a lie. There’s 38 years of data showing tax cuts for the rich, and corporations don’t pay for themselves, add any real growth to the economy, and that refutes pretty much every Republican talking point.

    We need to make this modern strain of conservatism toxic to voters. So much of it is just based on lies and wishful thinking.

  113. 113.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Ruviana: It was pretty similar to a nicer Western-style white bread.

    The Thais seem to borrow the bits of Western culture that suits them, albeit often adapted to their taste (e.g. durian pizza and tom yum pizza). In this case, the bread is good for mopping up the peanut sauce.

    The 7-11 had little bags of bread, although they didn’t look appealing enough try. But it’s suggestive that it’s part of the culinary culture here. (Westerners are pretty scarce on the ground locally.)

    The fancy supermarket at the Western-style mall also had a number of “Western” foods such as cheeses, lunch meats and crackers (which was convenient for picking snacks for the hotel room). But there’s also a lot of Japanese foods — Chonburi is popular with Chinese, Japanese and Korean tourists, so Chonburi is probably a bit more on the cosmopolitan side than other parts of Thailand.

  114. 114.

    gene108

    @Yarrow:

    I can tell you what JGC, Jr. needs to do to make the site “customer” friendly: comment likes and threaded comments.

    I’ll show myself out…

  115. 115.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Gin & Tonic: “Hyperventilating” sounds smug to me, plus comments made in the original post about this issue. As for “but the whole ‘nobody will ever volunteer for overseas duty anymore’ freakout had no basis in fact” I didn’t read the comments as saying this, but more as evidence of yet another betrayal of promises made, including to our armed forces. Have you forgotten this? The military is kicking out foreign recruits it needs – for having foreign ties.

    As for experience in these matters, I am the child of a serviceman born overseas and both of my children were born overseas during an expatriate stint. I am a US citizen and so are they, for now. My lawyer son has been worried since the beginning that this administration could go for his citizenship status. Based on this admin’s record, that worry has merit. They might not be successful – in this case – in rescinding citizenship, but it doesn’t mean they won’t try, causing tremendous hardship and heartache in the process.

  116. 116.

    scribbler

    @Steve in the ATL:

    I would never want to do that, especially to you, Steve in the everywhere in Small Town America.
    As a just recently commenting, long, long time lurker, I was trying to make a funny.
    I might have missed the mark.

  117. 117.

    Yarrow

    @Steeplejack: That sounds really good and positive! She’s moving forward very quickly. Did her doctors write a prescription for at home therapy? For both my parents and my uncle doing therapy right away and very consistently made a massive difference in their recovery. For at-home versus inpatient therapy the patient does have to do the exercises on their own in between therapy visits, which can be a bit more challenging to get done.

    @Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: Thanks. Personally i don’t think Cole responding individually to people about the progress of the website rebuild is as efficient as a status update post but I guess he doesn’t want to post about it.

  118. 118.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @O. Felix Culpa: ETA: I also maintain that the admin’s “clarification” was an ex post facto walk back of their intentions precisely because so many people were “hyperventilating” about it. There is nothing honest about these people and we should never ever ever give them the benefit of the doubt when people’s lives are at stake.

  119. 119.

    Millard Filmore

    @Sister Golden Bear: I just came back to the USA from there. The weather was unexpectedly nice. Simply stay out of the sun and any breeze is relatively dry. Not so different from a day at an L.A. beach.

    Of course there are worse times of the year when I would get anxiety attacks as the day starts hot and humid.

  120. 120.

    Steeplejack

    @Yarrow:

    No physical therapy so far. One of the reasons she went from the rehab place to the “post-acute” place was because the rehab place was flogging her into exercise when her pain hadn’t been alleviated yet, so she was in agony. The plan is to get her somewhat stable first. The pain has been managed successfully only since Thursday.

  121. 121.

    MomSense

    @Yarrow:

    I don’t think we can attribute it to the website. Life changes. I’ve been on much less because of new job, the sandwich generation obligations to aging parents, and some reticence about expressing what I think about the Dem candidates here. There’s always the trump fatigue which necessitates frequent mental health breaks.

  122. 122.

    Yarrow

    @Steeplejack: Sorry to hear she was in such pain. Sounds like you’ve got a good plan for her.

    @MomSense: No, not all attributable the website but we have had people say they are posting less frequently because the website is a pain. It uses so much memory that it shuts down their browser or the ads use too much data on mobile, and specifically because it doesn’t remember their nym and email.

  123. 123.

    James E Powell

    @Yarrow:

    People are drifting away as the website becomes more difficult to deal with. Fewer comments. Less engagement.

    I must be missing something or I’m just (uncharacteristically) lucky because I haven’t had any serious difficulty dealing with the website. Certainly not anything that would cause me to drift away.

  126. 126.

    Aleta

    @Steeplejack: Getting her to eat

    I noticed a couple of things that I didn’t expect that encouraged my mom to eat.

    Putting less food on her plate at a time. She’d always had interest in varied food and tastes (part of her profession) and she loved when I brought food. I wasn’t piling her plate at all, it was less than a normal amount for her, but somehow the visual of a smaller portion had a different mental effect that helped. (I found it worked with my old cat when her appetite crashed too. That and hand feeding. For the cat.)

    Sitting with her as she ate. (Also seemed true for the cat.) Especially if I had a plate and ate a bit myself as she was attempting. The social stimulus I guess.

    I imagine it’s a pleasure for her having you around. Keep the faith.

    Here on the quiet N. Atlantic coast my only news is I’ve been trying to make friends with the crows, putting out some watermelon at the same time the last four days. It’s working. A colorful sight as a number of them hop around with pieces of watermelon in their beaks. They’ve just now arrived. There’s at least one raven I sometimes see too.

  127. 127.

    Steeplejack

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Inorite. I brought the Chromebook to Vegas, and I get the worst of both worlds—the full desktop site with all the autoplay ads. No sound, at least, thank God.

    The mobile site on the Android phone is much better, except for writing comments longer than a few lines.

  129. 129.

    Steeplejack

    @Aleta:

    She wants to eat but couldn’t keep anything down until the hospice organization finally got her the anti-nausea pills on Thursday. (There seems to be a layer of cottony bureaucracy there that I’m going to be watching.) She did wolf down some KFC as soon as the first pill started working. But her appetite, and her ability to keep stuff down, still comes and goes.

    The whole situation is fluid. I just called her to let her know I was coming and to ask if there was anything special she needed, and she sounds like crap again. Another thing I suspect that I will need to watch is that (I think) she doesn’t take her pain pill until she is in pain, so she’s constantly behind the curve. She needs to stay on the schedule. And of course she was a nurse herself way back in the day. [Eye-roll emoji.]

  130. 130.

    Elizabelle

    @Steeplejack: Wishing the best to your mother and you.

    I hear you re the med schedule. And being a former nurse is the icing on the cake on that one.

  131. 131.

    Yarrow

    @Steeplejack: The understanding of managing pain has evolved. Not sure how long ago she was a nurse but these days they try to keep pain under control because it’s more effective than letting it get bad and then dealing with it. Toughing it out is actually less effective.
    @Major Major Major Major: It’s awful. There’s some pop up ad at the bottom of the page. I have to enlarge the screen to ridiculous size to hit the X just right to close it. It makes using the site on some devices almost impossible because of how slow it make everything.

  133. 133.

    Elizabelle

    @tybee: I worry that a Wilmington NC landfall could impact the special congressional election in NC’s ninth a week from next Tuesday (September 10). Could affect turnout.

    North Carolina nine is northwest of Wilmington, maybe 40-50 miles inland. Could take a lot of flooding and storm damage.

    Of course, bad for any residents in its path.

  135. 135.

    Steeplejack

    @Yarrow:

    To be honest, the tl;dr is that she has a strong case of “You’re not the boss of me!” directed at the world in general.

  138. 138.

    leeleeFL

    @germy: That made me tear up for the first time since I heard! Sweet, a d maybe, true. Asner is up there in age. I can’t believe she was 80! Safe home, Rhoda Faye. Hug that crazy Mother of yours for me.

  139. 139.

    leeleeFL

    @OzarkHillbilly: That was not the CW in Brooklyn when I was a kid. They actually did take care of the family. Honor is in the eye of the beholder.
    Also, too, John Gotti’s neighbors lIved in the safest place in NYC. No punks would dare touch a little old lady’s purse, or hurt anyone at al. They would NEVER be seen again. Pest control! Never understood why they wanted him in prison. He only took out bad guys, as far as I know

Comments are closed.