Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

American History and Black History can not be separated.

Dead end MAGA boomers crying about Talyor Swift being a Dem is my kind of music. Turn it up.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

This blog will pay for itself.

Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

Second rate reporter says what?

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

You cannot love your country only when you win.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

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

I was confident that someone would point it out and thought why not me.

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

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

The arc of the moral universe doesn’t bend itself. it’s up to us.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Respite Open Thread: Saturday Afternoon Sports

Respite Open Thread: Saturday Afternoon Sports

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(Thank you, Mary G, for the link to Dick King-Smith’s twitter feed… truly food for the spirit!

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67Comments

  1. 1.

    tokyokie

    My niece reported that her cat is liking the lockdown just fine, thank you, as he now has her all to himself and is rewarding her by bringing her lots of dead lizards. I pointed out that the cat’s merely trying to keep her from going out for groceries.

  2. 2.

    Mary G

    Animal twitter is keeping me sane.

    Sandra the orangutang started washing her hands because she saw all the zookeepers doing it repeatedly during the COVID-19 crisis.
    Wash your hands. Be more like Sandra.?❤️?? pic.twitter.com/t8TTizDGeD
    — Rex Chapman?? (@RexChapman) April 1, 2020

  3. 3.

    p.a.

    Former neighbor used to care for a female feral cat, but the cat kept leaving ME the dead mice, snakes etc.  Commented to the neighbor abt it, she said the cat probably thinks I can’t care for myself.

    Not entirely innacurate.

  4. 4.

    Nicole

    Funny thing with all the animal “sports” videos is, horse racing IS actually still going on right now, just not at every track and not with anyone in attendance.  So few gamblers watch racing in person at a track now anyway, I’m not sure anyone noticed the difference. ;)

    I’d consider it mind-bogglingly foolish, except that it’s not like the same workers wouldn’t be there everyday anyway- someone’s got to take care of the horses, who still need to be fed, groomed and exercised.  I guess the only additional people coming in are the jockeys (those that aren’t already also exercise riders in the morning).

    Though a lot of the big tracks have cancelled their meets- the Kentucky Derby is going to be the First Saturday in September this year.  Or that’s the plan, anyway.

  5. 5.

    Doc Sardonic

    Guinea fowl….aka redneck burglar alarm. Anything comes into their area that is not familiar they will raise all matter of hell.

     

    also 520 error when hitting post

  6. 6.

    trollhattan

    @Nicole:

    Santa Anita took out a full-page advert in our local paper this week, telling how wonderful and responsible they are (how may dead horses so far in 2020, guys?) We’re hundreds of miles from Santa Anita.

    I’d say it was perhaps aimed at the legislature, if the legislature were in session.

    #MarketingSoWeird

  7. 7.

    prostratedragon

    (Guess this could also have gone under Leto’s thread.) Someone I once knew who’d spent a lot of time under ghillie suits talked about the excitement of ant races. Bored humans will do about anything.

  8. 8.

    LesGS

    We hand-reared four squirrels that had been blown out of their nest when I was a teen. Looked like pink little baby rats when we got them. They were a heck of a lot of fun. They did, being squirrels, like to climb up things, including people. Could get a little exciting when the weather got warm and we started wearing shorts. They liked climbing my dad the most, because he was the tallest. :D

  9. 9.

    Mary G

    I also love M_Crouton’s twitter feed. He is a rescue steer who lives at an equine sanctuary where vets go for horse therapy, along with all kinds of animals, including a herd of boxers. Here they are playing ball:

    Mayhem ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/vxUZx37bXj— M_Crouton (@m_crouton) March 10, 2020

  10. 10.

    trollhattan

    GREAT set of videos. I’m pondering soccer squirrel in this house given our squirrel-fixated dog. Soccer tortoise is a smash hit and what can I say about guinea hen out-jack russelling a jack russell? Tripod gets all the gold stars for proper enthusiasm.

  11. 11.

    The Dangerman

    Soccer turtle is video of the day; apparently, I am that bored…

    …and now it is supposed to rain for a good portion of the week. Well, I guess it makes no difference, I am indoors, but I was enjoying the hell out of my afternoon walks (it’s so good to be out when I do go out; Vitamin D is good for the soul).

  12. 12.

    Mnemosyne

    Operation Purple Hair was a success. I think I missed quite a lot of the hair underneath (I sometimes forget that my hair is fairly thick because it likes to all stay together) but it looks pretty good.

    I used coloring conditioner for brown hair from a company called Overtone, so it’s only semi-permanent and will wash out in a week or two. I didn’t want to have to deal with bleaching my hair etc.

  13. 13.

    JMG

    Called just now to our local Italian restaurant for our first takeout order in like three weeks. They won’t have it ready until 7. That’s good! It means they’re busy on a Saturday (it’s not a big place). I want them to get through this, because I need my eggplant rolatini.

  14. 14.

    Mary G

    @JMG: We’re having takeout pizza for the first time in three weeks and we’re all ridiculously excited about it.

  16. 16.

    dmsilev

    It’s oriole season here. It looks really silly drinking from the hummingbird feeder, but seems to be managing.

  17. 17.

    zhena gogolia

    I was hoping the BBQ place down the street would be doing delivery, but it looks as if they closed until April 30. Wishful thinking.

  19. 19.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @JMG: @Mary G: I’ve been ordering out a lot because…  Well, let’s face it, I’ve just been ordering out a lot because I usually do.

  21. 21.

    Mnemosyne

    @JMG:

    I just placed an order with a California Korean place that’s down the street. They have a cheddar kimchi biscuit that’s amazeballs.

  22. 22.

    Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)

    @dmsilev: I’d love to see a pic of the oriole on the hummingbird feederr if you can get one. Orioles of all kinds are favorites of mine!

  23. 23.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @zhena gogolia:  I was hoping to catch you. A friend who’s involved in theater with a bunch of Russians (long story) recommended this set of streaming productions: Red Torch Theatre in Novosibirsk.

    This weekend is The Three Sisters. I plan to watch it later today

    ETA: We just got our first quarantine pizza from our favorite pizza place: chicken, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, basil and other goodies. Delish!

  24. 24.

    Leto

    LAUGH AID: Comedy Gives Back!

    Laughter may not be the cure for coronavirus, but it still can do a lot of good. Join today’s biggest comedians help their less famous comedian friends who have lost gigs and income due to the industry shutting down.
    ​
    The live stream will be a star-studded mix of live performances, special podcasts and sneak peaks of unseen projects. Watch live, who knows what will happen? It’s also exactly what a nation that hasn’t collectively showered in three weeks needs right now.
    ​
    Comedy Gives Back: Laugh Aid is produced in partnership with Laugh Lounge, Starburns Audio, All Things Comedy, Earwolf and Comedy Central.

    Today at 4pm PST, 7pm EST.

  27. 27.

    romeo24

    I’m in NZ and we are on full lockdown, which includes no takeout or delivery. Until yesterday, that included no online shopping for anything (except food from the supermarket), but they’ve just relaxed that a little to allow people to buy essentials (such as heaters, etc.) online. I’ll be honest, I pretty much cooked every day anyway, but I’m interested how other Kiwi families who relied on fast food are getting on. OK, I hope, for their sake and the sake of their kids!

  28. 28.

    cmorenc

    I am sorely missing the closure of the gym I habitually go to 4-5 nights a week (an upscale YMCA), as well as missing refereeing spring season soccer (high school and club both) when I would normally be working around 70 games combined over the four-month season.  Instead, I am trying to make do taking at least one very long several-mile walk each day, but it ain’t the same.  I would get a bicycle, but alas our city (Raleigh) is unfortunately not a very safe city to ride a bike around in, despite some bike lanes nominally being added to many busy streets.  Drivers around here are simply not attuned to looking out for or adjusting their in-a-hurry ways to safely accommodate sharing the streets with bike riders.  Won’t do me any good to stay fit biking if I get hit and severely injured.

  30. 30.

    dmsilev

    @cmorenc: At least around here, traffic is way way down. It might be safer now to ride in the streets than it normally would be for you.

  31. 31.

    JMG

    Tomorrow we will go to a nearby bakery that makes great croissants and also excellent chicken pies. They have curbside service. Then it’s back to our cooking routine.

  32. 32.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @zhena gogolia: Hey, did you know that Jeff Tweedy’s kid went to LU, Class of 19.  Some people from my class could well have been stalkers on Parents Weekend if they had known.

  35. 35.

    schrodingers_cat

    Corona Chronicles:

    Had a Zoom call with husband kitteh’s relatives yesterday, total of about 20 people spanning 3 countries(East coast, west coast, Dehli, Mumbai, Singapore) ages 8 to 80 with varying degrees of technical sophistication. A marvel of technology and a test of my patience.

    ETA: Someone’s idea of a “joke” T killing Americans and making America great. I mean for fuck’s sake people you are Modi supporters/voters at least I never voted for the Orange monstrosity ruling us.

  36. 36.

    Van Buren

    There is a local bakery open only Saturdays 10-2 , preorders only. Waited in a long, slow moving,well spaced out line for 45 minutes only to be told that some of my order would be unavailable and the rest would be ready in 30 minutes. They said you wont have to wait in line, just come to the door. So we did, and some guy cursed us out for “cutting ” the line.

    Wife was all out of patience at that point so she gave him the hell that only an Irish lass can give.

  37. 37.

    Anne Laurie

    @prostratedragon: Bored humans will do about anything.

    There’s a rude British expression — Blast this for a game of soldiers — which I understand came from the general consensus that soldiers standing guard would do stuff like bet on raindrops racing down a window, because they got that bored.

  39. 39.

    Elizabelle

    WaPost breaking news banner:

    Some top Sanders advisers urge him to consider withdrawing

    Please, please, please.

  41. 41.

    Roger Moore

    @JMG:

    I had takeout for dinner last night.  My normal Friday night place wasn’t open, so I went to another place nearby.  I am definitely hoping that take-out cocktails continue after COVID-19 is in the rear view mirror.

  45. 45.

    opiejeanne

    @dmsilev: We used to have an oriole feeder, which is just an oversized hummingbird feeder. I think we must have left it behind in Riverside when we moved to the SF east Bay Area in 1992.

  46. 46.

    trollhattan

    Possible good news on the testing front.

    A new immunity test from Stanford University and an increased focus on screening for coronavirus will help the state dramatically ramp up testing over the next few weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Saturday, with an ultimate goal of getting Californians back to work.

    “The testing space has been challenging for us, and I own that,” Newsom said during a news conference. “I have a responsibility as your governor to do more and to better.”

    Newsom has been promising increased testing for weeks, but dwindling equipment and long wait-times for results have hampered that effort. The state has tested 126,700 people, which Newsom says is “inadequate.”

    The Stanford blood test is just “hours” away from federal approval and could allow people to begin to return to work, Newsom said. The tests are “serological,” and could determine whether someone has developed antibodies to the coronavirus. In theory, those who develop immunity may be able to safely interact with others without catching or spreading it.

    The Stanford test is different from others in that it detects only antibodies, unlike point-of-contact testing using RNA from the respiratory system, which can detect an active infection. It is believed that certain antibodies could prove immunity, according to researchers in Italy who are beginning to test areas hard-hit by the virus.

    It’s unclear the timeline for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, even as regulators on March 16 amended their policies for so-called emergency-use authorization.

    The test will begin to be used on Californians in the coming week, said Dr. Charity Dean, assistant director at the California Department of Public Health.

    https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article241774351.html#storylink=cpy

  47. 47.

    Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)

    @dmsilev: Cool, thanks. Yep, that matches a 1st year male Hooded Oriole. He doen’t look that awkward either.

  51. 51.

    Robert Sneddon

    @trollhattan: Everybody and their dog is developing, preparing and/or selling serological test setups for coronavirus antibodies.

    The British government is committed to buying 7.5 million tests to start with. They have obtained sample testkits from an unspecified number of commercial companies. The trials they have made on these prototype test kits suggest they are not suitable for widespread use, probably because the error rates in both directions (false positives as well as false negatives) are too high.

    Expect a lot of “Biggest Bio Breakthrough Since Breakfast” stories and headlines about coronavirus testing, vaccines and wonder drugs over the next few weeks but imagine they are being announced in President Trump’s voice.

  53. 53.

    Sab

    To I have had a Verizon flip phone for 20 years. Didn’t much like it but they have  family free call plan so I lived with it. They announced in March that the current flip phone would die. Same time as windows 7 would not be safe.

    My new flip phone from Verizon sucks beyond belief. Difficult to work. Cannot easily fnd out who called you. Holds a charge formseconds, so you lose calls and take literally hours to reconnect.

    WTF were their people thinking when they allowed this donkey into their stable? I have been a faithful Verizon subscriber for twenty years, and after this week I would never subscribe to their stuff ever again.

  55. 55.

    Spanky

    Had takeout last night and tonight from 2 of our go-to restaurants. Last night’s had been almost exclusively dine-in pre-COVID, one of our favorites, and they aren’t doing so good. It’s a shame, because failing would leave a big hole in the community.

    Tonight’s was from more of a take-out grill joint, and they’re doing a pretty good curbside business. Food’s so-so, but seems to suit the uncaring palates around here. They’ll do just fine.

  56. 56.

    Spanky

    @Sab: Same business plan that fucks up land lines so much that you give up on them and go cell only. Now they’re telling you to get a smart phone or gtfo. They’re the phone company – they don’t have to care.

  57. 57.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Omnes Omnibus: I’ve been ordering out a lot because… Well, let’s face it, I’ve just been ordering out a lot because I usually do.

    You make up for people like me, who learned to cook for themselves because they like to eat & are cheap barstids.

    I got a broadcast email last week from one of my State Delegates, urging folks to patronize fooderies in our district this weekend who are still open doing carryout or delivery. Of the 28 establishments listed, I have eaten in two (one for breakfast) and know of a third. The rest might as well be on the seventeenth moon of Neptune for all I know – and I’ve lived in the area for well over 30 years.

  58. 58.

    trollhattan

    @Robert Sneddon:

    This could be significant should it be easily produced in large numbers. U.C. Davis Med Center is a mere five miles from the State Capitol and unfettered access to the Dept. of Health. Lucky us, the governor is engaged in a good, not-ironic manner.

    We’ll see.

  60. 60.

    NotMax

    Sort’a loosely respitey longish read.

    Meet Eric Yuan, the founder and CEO of Zoom, who has made nearly $4 billion in 3 months as usage of his video conferencing software skyrockets amid the coronavirus pandemic

    A tidbit which caught the eye.
    The United States denied Yuan’s visa application eight times before allowing the future billionaire to move to California in 1997, Fortune reported. Yuan was 27 at the time, according to CNBC. Yuan told The Financial Times that he had a disagreement with the immigration official who processed his application.
    Same official eight different times?

  61. 61.

    Robert Sneddon

    @trollhattan: So could all of the other three dozen or so similar tests coming Real Soon Now, according to the press releases and Twitter reports I’ve seen pop up on the Internets. As I said the British government has stood up and said none of the sero/blood tests they’ve validated are worth a bucket of spit (although they said so somewhat more politely than I did).

     

    Bad tests will kill people — folks will think they’re Superman due to a false positive since coronavirus will just bounce off their immune systems and they go out and contract the disease for real and travel around spreading it to others.

     

    I’m no epidemiological mathematician myself but I’d really like some folks a lot smarter than me to decide whether a Powerpoint Ranger’s idea of a valid test is trustworthy and reliable in quantity one million. Until then, like I said just imagine all of these wunder-announcements are being read out by President Trump at his nightly election rallies.

  62. 62.

    Robert Sneddon

    @Robert Sneddon:

    Addition: I found a quote by the UK Health Minister, 2 days ago.

     

    Mr Hancock also said there had been problems with some tests being inaccurate. “In one case a test that I’m being urged to buy missed three out of four positive cases for coronavirus,” he explained.

    “That means that three-quarters of cases, that test would have given the false comfort of sending someone with coronavirus back on the wards. Approving tests that don’t work is dangerous and I will not do it.”

  63. 63.

    Brachiator

    An AP Biology Evolution class, recorded using Zoom and put onto YouTube popped up in my Google News items.

    I watched a chunk of it. It was terrible.

    The teacher lectured in a monotone and kept blowing into the microphone.

    The Power point slides accompanying the lecture were filled with too much text.

    Worse, the instructor read every goddam word on the slides

    Just one example, but I hope this stuff gets better

  64. 64.

    Redshift

    @Brachiator: I recall being paid to attend an online tech conference (can’t recall the topic, but it was something I was starting to work on at the time.) One of the premier presenters, whose fill-time job was to do this sort of thing, had slides densely packed with text and read every word.

  67. 67.

    laura

    I wish ABC would run vintage Wide World of Sports on at least one night a week until they run out of old shows. We could use some barrel jumping and cliff diving right about now.

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