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White supremacy is terrorism.

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

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

A fool as well as an oath-breaker.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

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Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

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

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

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

Celebrate the fucking wins.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

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We still have time to mess this up!

You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Something Good Open Thread / Friday Morning Open Thread: Sunisa Lee Is A Gold-Medal Gymnast

Friday Morning Open Thread: Sunisa Lee Is A Gold-Medal Gymnast

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… Sunisa Lee captured the women’s all-around gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, a triumph that wowed all of Minnesota but carried special resonance in the state’s close-knit Hmong American community, one of the largest in the United States.

“I can’t find the words to express how happy we are, how important that was to me and my family and to the whole Hmong community throughout the world,” John Lee, father of one of the brightest lights now in Tokyo, told The Associated Press. “We never expected gold, but she came through. She did it.”

That she did, and dozens of her family and friends gathered early in the morning at a suburban St. Paul event center to watch the gymnastics broadcast from Tokyo.

Sunisa Lee got an opening when reigning Olympic champion Simone Biles withdrew from the all-around competition to focus on her mental health. There was nervous silence at the watch party as Lee turned in a brilliant set on uneven bars, a nervy performance on beam and a well-executed floor exercise…

Also at the celebration was state Rep. Kaohly Vang Her, of St. Paul, whose daughter, Ayden Her, trained with Lee at Midwest Gymnastics for 10 years. Her said the girls in the group, who have stuck together over the years, were all elite athletes — Ayden Her will be a diver at the University of Minnesota this fall. But Lee, she said, was “special from the minute you saw her.”

Many Hmong, who fought for the U.S. in Laos during the Vietnam War, resettled in Minnesota. Patriotism runs deep in the community, fueling the joy over Lee’s success. Her said that’s because the Hmong were oppressed in every other country where they have lived, including Laos and China, and sought opportunity in America.

“Every other Hmong person who has done something as a first is literally living out the dreams of our ancestors,” she said…

Nobody’s gonna say this on camera, but if Simone Biles hadn’t had the courage to step back when she did, most major media stories would have included a bare Also, Suni Lee… paragraph below the fold. Even — especially — if Biles had missed medaling, or (goddess forfend) sustained a serious injury. Lee knows it, and Biles knows it, and they’re both fine with the fact…

Positive reactions, all the way down!

Reader Interactions

186Comments

  4. 4.

    Immanentize

    Nobody’s gonna say this on camera, but if Simone Biles hadn’t had the courage to step back when she did, most major media stories would have included a bare Also, Suni Lee…

    Perfectly said, A.L.

  5. 5.

    Wag

    My daughter is a serious gymnast, and is totally supportive of Simone’s decision to withdraw.  She has a deep insight on the stress Simone  was under, and knowledge of the risks she faced.   

     

    And her enthusiasm about Suni’s victory is something to behold.   The wholehearted support for the women’s gymnastics  team runs deep among her and her teammates.

  8. 8.

    Ken

    @germy: Fallout from the Dominion lawsuit, perhaps?  Has Fox been saying much about TFG’s fraud fantasies lately?

  9. 9.

    Quinerly

    I really dislike her (and that dress is ridiculous pictured in the link.) From Politico:
    When CHUCK SCHUMER announced earlier this month that he might keep the Senate in session into August — delaying a previously scheduled recess in order to shepherd the two gigantic bills through the chamber — Sinema told the majority leader that she was not sticking around to vote, multiple Senate sources tell Playbook.

    She had prior vacation plans, she said, and wasn’t about to let the infrastructure or reconciliation bills get in the way.

    In fairness, Sinema is staying in D.C. this weekend to work instead of attending one previously scheduled event: a wine retreat fundraiser at Sonoma’s ritzy MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa, where summer rates hover around $950 per night. (Wine is kind of Sinema’s thing. Last August, she held a three-week internship at Three Sticks Winery in Sonoma, for which the senator was paid an entry-level salary of $1,117.40.)
    politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2021/07/30/sinemas-vacation-plans-manchin-gets-booed-and-megadonor…

  13. 13.

    Mousebumples

    I believe Suni is the first Hmong-American Olympian to qualify, and now she won the All Around gold! So proud of her, and her teammates!

  14. 14.

    Nicole

    Oh my God, Biles’ reaction made me start to cry.  I love the support those women have for each other.

    Slate has an interesting read on the Wolf Turn, which almost took Lee down, if she didn’t have the “strongest toes in Tokyo.” It’s a good read, especially for those of us who don’t follow gymnastics except at the Olympics.

    slate.com/culture/2021/07/suni-lee-gold-all-around-gymnastics-wolf-turn-ew.html

    All the articles on the twisties have left me possibly unable to watch any women’s routines live again.  I don’t like worrying that the athletes are going to die.  I love the equestrian Olympic events, A) because horses are pretty, B) because men and women compete head-to-head on a level playing field and C) because both the human and equestrian competitors are not infrequently into middle age when they peak, but I can’t watch cross country because I’m too frightened.  Stadium jumping, fine.  Dressage, yes please. Cross country, I’m watching through my fingers over my eyes.  Women’s gymnastics may be hitting the same chord in me now.

  15. 15.

    Msb

    Wonderful performance with wonderful result. Americans come from everywhere: one of our greatest strengths.

  17. 17.

    germy

    @NotMax: @Ken:

    The pillowguy is one of their biggest advertisers, so I’m glad to see them lose ad revenue.

    The dominion lawsuit has them very careful what they say on their shows. As much as they love interviewing him, it was awkward for the hosts when they had to correct  his statements.

  18. 18.

    Immanentize

    There is a hell of a women’s soccer match going on right now against Nederland. We lose, we are out. Currently 2-1 US.

  20. 20.

    Mary G

    Another child of an immigrant TFG would have never let into the country represents the strength America gets from all over the world.

  21. 21.

    Immanentize

    @Mary G: This is a story I want to see the NYTimes do — how many immigrants or their children, who would have been kept out by Trump, participated in the Olympics?

  22. 22.

    Immanentize

    Doesn’t pole vaulting start today? Glad to be rid of jerk anti-vaxxer Sam Kendricks tests positive in Tokyo. How much did his little trip for naught cost taxpayers?

  23. 23.

    Barbara

    Lee has been ascending all year. It’s so nice to see her get recognition and the gold medal too.

  24. 24.

    NotMax

    In future years may the offspring of an Afghan translator achieve something similar.

  26. 26.

    Betty Cracker

    @Quinerly: She’s a preening fool, but what to do? Getting rid of her might be more costly than just putting up with her drama llama bullshit and focusing on making her irrelevant through pickups in other states.

    I don’t know AZ politics at all, but one of our commenters here (Suzanne) says KS’s shtick works there overall, and that seems borne out by state-level polling. But I read recently that something like 2/3rds of AZ Dems support a primary challenge.

    Primary challenges usually end in hard feelings that can be tough to put aside in time to win a general election in a closely divided state. It’s a crappy situation.

  27. 27.

    hueyplong

    @Immanentize: 

    Ha ha, that’s a good one.

    NYT: Trump Supporters Maintain Support, Lose Interest in an Olympics That Run Contrary to Their Values.

  28. 28.

    hueyplong

    @Betty Cracker: It pleases me that the word “preening” seems to be attaching itself as the go-to modifier for the Senator.

    It irritates me that this task is always so easily completed with females, and not with GOPer males.

    Somewhere, Hillary is “cackling.”

  29. 29.

    lowtechcyclist

    Watching Suni Lee on the balance beam, I kept on thinking about how few of us could do any of that shit on level ground, let alone on a beam that’s only 10 cm (not quite 4 inches) wide.

  31. 31.

    Quinerly

    @Betty Cracker: I get it. Been reading threads and basically lurking for weeks on dead threads. In 35 days, I leave for 120 days (this trip itinerary app reminds me every morning) so under the gun to get ready, etc. Had a few mins this AM to actually engage. I try to make it a policy not to criticize other women’s clothing, but that red dress in the Politico piece is ridiculously tight and looks like she’s not wearing underwear. It’s worse than the Wilma Flintstone dress.

  32. 32.

    hueyplong

    @Immanentize: His work certainly inspired it, but literally anyone can do it after reading him for a day or so.

    At times when feeling snarky, the Spousal Unit and I talk to each other in NYT pitchbot.  I wouldn’t give them a penny if a nickel would save all their lives.

  33. 33.

    NotMax

    @hueyplong

    Initial reports are that so far ratings for these Olympics are in the crapper.

    …It’s too soon to say precisely where 2021’s ratings will end up, but the first few days of data suggest a decline north of 40 percent isn’t out of the question. The technical term for this kind of Nielsen performance is “yikes.”

  34. 34.

    Immanentize

    @hueyplong: In this case, she really is both “preening” and “a fool.” One can’t help.if the mot juste has been previously used in a sexist way.  PS really only male birds preen — as the doughty females just clean their feathers.

  35. 35.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Quinerly:

    She had prior vacation plans, she said, and wasn’t about to let the infrastructure or reconciliation bills get in the way.

    The thing that gets me is, you don’t just accidentally wake up one morning as a U.S. Senator.  There are only two from each state, and it takes a great deal of prolonged effort to be one of those two.

    One would think that she would have taken the time to have some idea of what the job involved before going out of her way to win it.  Apparently she didn’t bother with that part.

  36. 36.

    hueyplong

    @Immanentize: I’m totally on board with “preening” in this context.  You could search for days and not find a more appropriate modifier.  I hope it sticks.

    It’s just that preening is all that any GOPer in Congress ever does.  They ran on a platform of being internet trolls 24/7 and they keep their campaign promises.

    Watch that video of the GOPer congresscritters going over to the Senate yesterday.  Preening, the lot of them.

  38. 38.

    Baud

    @Immanentize:

    How much did his little trip for naught cost taxpayers?

    Do taxpayers fund the USOC or athletes? I thought it was all corporate sponsorship.

  39. 39.

    Betty Cracker

    @Quinerly: How exciting to be on the verge of an epic trip! Just got back from a brief trip myself, and it was so weird (but invigorating!) to be fully out in the world again! My pursuits were solitary (sneaking up on birds, mostly), but being on the other side of the continent was different. Haven’t done that in years! Hope you have a great time.

    God, you’re right about that dress! Someone who cares about her should do an intervention. I haven’t followed her career at all, but I used to have a vaguely positive impression of her from the backstory shared at the convention. I’m curious about how she represented herself to AZ Dems when she first ran or if they’re just as surprised by her antics as the rest of us.

  40. 40.

    NotMax

    @Baud

    Ah, Tommy T. Not the brightest spark in the campfire.

    “I’d like to buy a vowel, Chuck.”

    “Okay, which one?”

    “I’d like to buy a Q.”

    //

  41. 41.

    Geminid

    @Betty Cracker: Fortunately, any divisive primary won’t be for three years. In the meantime, Arizona Democrats will unite around Mark Kelly and his reelection race.

    Then they can better consider the Sinema problem. For one thing, they will know more about the Arizona political situation. Joe Biden and Mark Kelly won with a record Democratic turnout. They also carried a majority of non-affiliated voters. Arizona Democrats will know if this strength has been sustained, or even increased.

    And they will know the end result of Sinema’s obstruction. She came through on Senate organization and the American Recovery Act. The other big pieces of legislation in process are the two infrastructure bills and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.  We may not yet know Sinema’s final votes on these vital pieces of legislation, but Arizona Democrats will by the time they decide whether to back a primary challenger or not.

  42. 42.

    stinger

    @NotMax:  Thanks for that link! I love to bake pies, and picked up some tips. Also great anecdotes about the Obamas in the WH. Love the chef’s manner!

  43. 43.

    Immanentize

    @Baud: It is mostly sponsorship, but when it comes to the big international competitions, the US, IIRC, does help with some costs (sometimes security, travel and grants for awards, etc.). And host countries/cities end up paying, through taxes, hugely. I’m not sure when Utah finally retired it’s debt (contrary to Romney’s assertions). The reason Boston pulled out of bidding for the Games was when Marty Walsh learned how much of the bag the taxpayers of Boston (and Mass) could be left holding.

  44. 44.

    Tony Jay

    Since work related arglebargle has put paid to my ‘Working on the couch with the Olympics on’ plans for this month I only caught the edited highlights of the Women’s Insanely Impossible Fantastic Gymnastic event, but bloody hell. Anyone, I don’t care who they are, who is stupid enough to doubt that every one of these women is operating way, way out there at the very tip of the needle of human physical and mental potential could, should, and if I ever bump into them definitely will, benefit from an immediate slap in the face with a paper bag full of moistened dogshit. Fucking idiots. Shut up and sit down.

    I like the suggestion of putting a normal, fit human being through any of those disciplines just as a palate cleanser before the main event. I couldn’t even get onto those bars, never mind flit between them like a spiralling thought. The Floor routines are ridiculous, how do you even jump that high? The Vault? Have you seen the size of that thing? The Beam straight up terrifies me. Basically, they’re out there performing movie special-effects, in real life, and if they get virtually anything wrong they more than likely break something.

    Mad respect. Lee earned that medal fair and square, but I was heartbroken for the Brazilian who took silver. Two steps out of the Floor lines during a routine that was, quite frankly, gobsmacking in its high-flying complexity, cost her the gold. Still, being the only woman from your country to ever medal in an Olympic gymnastic event has to be pretty damned sweet.

  45. 45.

    Immanentize

    @stinger: You probably know this, but I just learned it about three months ago (after making pies for years!) Add a Tablespoon of vinegar to your crust recipe. That is all.

  46. 46.

    Immanentize

    @Geminid: Her race will be interesting, no? She has lost the lefties, probably hated by the Republicans just for being D, so the primary will be where the action is…. But it’s a presidential election year, so there will be heavy turnout on both sides, but a Dems best chance for turnout.

  47. 47.

    Baud

    @Tony Jay:

    how do you even jump that high?

    The type of flooring they use helps.  I don’t think they gymnasts could get that much elevation on a regular gym floor. Still, very impressive.

  49. 49.

    Geminid

    @Betty Cracker: Sinema joined the House Blue Dog Caucus when she was elected to Congress in 2012. So Arizona Democrats at least knew she was a centrist when she ran for the Senate in 2018.

  50. 50.

    Immanentize

    UGH!

    Women’s soccer update: tied 2-2

    We keep putting it in the net, but keep being offsides.

  52. 52.

    Betty Cracker

    @Geminid: I feel for the AZ Dems! They’ve got some tough choices to make. I understand how it is in a closely divided state, though mine is less so now that it’s taken a decisive turn toward the dark side. I never could stand Bill Nelson (D), the preening fake astronaut (now real NASA chief) who used to rep FL in the US Senate until former Gov. Bat Boy (R) dislodged him. But I voted for Nelson for decades because he kept winning Dem primaries, so I had no choice. Sometimes you have to choose the least crappy option.

  55. 55.

    Tony Jay

    @Baud:

    If I so much as attempted a jump on that flooring they’d be picking bits of my kneecaps out of my earlobes. Phenomenal.

    And don’t even get me started on the Men’s Gymnastics. The Rings have got to be classed as straight-up torture devices, haven’t they? I can’t even watch because I just know that something is going to pop out of a socket. The sheer strength they’ve got.

    Your next campaign needs Gymnastic Interns performing during every major policy speech. You’ll get away with so much more that way, I’m frankly amazed no one has tried it already.

  56. 56.

    Baud

    I wonder if ratings are down because of the time difference.  Certain time zones work better than others, especially nowadays when you can get all the news and even the clips instantly over the internet.

  57. 57.

    Baud

    @Tony Jay:

    Your next campaign needs Gymnastic Interns performing during every major policy speech.

    Hmm. I was going to go with skateboarders but your idea is intriguing.

  58. 58.

    stinger

    @Immanentize: I’ve used the Cook’s Illustrated recipe for over a decade, but would like to shake things up a bit, so will try adding vinegar, too (although the former WH pastry chef didn’t seem to use it). Thanks for the tip!

  59. 59.

    Quinerly

    @Betty Cracker: dress is ridiculous. And I’m a clothes horse who loves color and “different.”

    In travel news, this is the trip I started planning in Jan when I was afraid I was cracking and could only focus on maps and researching obscure roads/routes and finding a vehicle to sleep in thru CO in Sept and thru AZ in Dec. Fortunately bought the 2019 AWD Toyota Sienna before prices got crazy (been offered $4000 more than I paid). Feeling a little uneasy about houseguests who will be flying into Santa Fe in Oct from Eastern NC. They are vaccinated and already worrying. She has shingles that flare up if stressed. He’s an overweight hypochondriac who is 67 and has never flown. Of course, JoJo las Orejas is oblivious. That pup loves to ride in that minivan.

  60. 60.

    Tony Jay

    @Baud:

    Por que nos dos?

    Just tell the gymnasts you don’t think they could possibly perform on a moving skateboard and watch them work to prove you wrong. Plus, imagine the savings in set-design you can then use to defray interest on the Mafiya loans underpinning your campaign.

  63. 63.

    stinger

    @stinger: I loved my mother’s pie fillings, but her crusts were like leather. She’d flip the dough, add flour, work it some more, sprinkle some water, roll it again…. I was astonished when I learned that pastry should be handled as little as possible. But for decades I’ve had light, buttery pie crusts that tended to stick to the counter. Now this video says to flip it and add flour to keep it from sticking. Sigh. I’ll never get the hang of it — but that won’t keep me from trying!

  64. 64.

    Miki

    East Side (St. Paul) Pride is huge today (and also yesterday). Waving to East-Side Laura!

    My neighborhood is at least 1/3 Hmong families, including the neighbors across the street who have lived here for 40+ years. So thrilled to watch a young Hmong woman at the very top of her sport. Woo-hoo!

  65. 65.

    Geminid

    @Betty Cracker: You Florida  Democrats have quite a year ahead yourselves. Val Demings will cruise to her Senate nomination, but on the Governor side, the primary contest between brash newcomer Nikkie Fried and grizzled veteran Charlie Crist could be interesting. It shouldn’t be too divisive, though.

    The last few Florida Governor and Senate elections have been remarkably  consistent: very close Democratic losses. I tend to consider Florida a purple state, with a gerrymander-red legislature. But things may look differently where you live than they do from my lofty Virginia perch.

  67. 67.

    Immanentize

    @stinger: There are a million ways to make crust both good and bad. The little bit of vinegar breaks the gluten bonds enough to aid in fluffiness. So, your mother’s recipe plus a little white vinegar might do it!

    I learned this trick from a french recipe for pate brissee.

  69. 69.

    Immanentize

    @raven: that’s “extra time.” The five minuyes was still part of “full time” which gives back time for play stop. This is a tight one. Extra time coming and I have to go!

  71. 71.

    Immanentize

    @sab: see comment 67. I just looked, and the newest version of Joy of Cooking also has a bit of vinegar in their crust recipe.

  73. 73.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Immanentize: I went to a pie and tart class at the King Arthur Baking School and they didn’t say anything about vinegar. The key is butter, and keeping everything as cold as possible, according to them.

  74. 74.

    SFAW

    @Baud:

    Tommy Tuberville would like a word.

    That brings up a philosophical/medical question: can someone, whose brain activity (or lack thereof) is so suspect, “wake up”?

    Well, I guess if he started showing signs of brain activity, sure. But has Tuberville shown any of that?

  77. 77.

    SFAW

    @Immanentize:

    I just looked, and the newest version of Joy of Cooking also has a bit of vinegar in their crust recipe.

    I’ve been using Joy of Cooking for 40-plus years. So, when the Irma Rombauer character showed up in Julie and Julia, and was depicted as someone who never (or rarely) tested/checked her recipes, I was crestfallen. I have no idea whether that depiction was accurate, of course.

  78. 78.

    Immanentize

    @SFAW: As I am suggesting an actual French recipe addition, maybe I should say to G&T:
    “I tart in your general direction.”

  79. 79.

    Immanentize

    @SFAW: As they say, the kids are alright. I have a twenty five year old Joy and the new one. The new one is in many ways better.

  80. 80.

    SFAW

    @Geminid:

    the primary contest between brash newcomer Nikkie Fried and grizzled veteran Charlie Crist could be interesting.

    I wish Crist would either go the fuck away, or declare himself a Rethug (again), or move to ‘Bama. He’s like a one-hit singer who keeps thinking the crowds still adore him, even though he’s old, fat, and can’t hit a note on-key.

  82. 82.

    sab

    @Immanentize: That’s an edition with the Rombauer family back in control, isn’t it? I have my grandmother’s edition from the 1930s, and a paperback version I bought in the early 1970s, and the differences were startling, and not in a good way. So many shortcuts that the recipes didn’t work anymore. Glad the family got control back.

  83. 83.

    Immanentize

    @sab: Yes. What a saga!

    ETA I like Bitman’s, How to Cook Everything, but the new Joy is better than that.

  84. 84.

    Rusty

    @NotMax: We are Olympic junkies, but NBC has made it extremely difficult to watch their coverage.  There are a lot of cord cutters like us.  Where we live, we can’t get the NBC over air coverage without installing an aerial.  Go to the NBC Olympic site, and you can’t stream anything, they force you to go through the cable company.  No cable subscription, no streaming.  I was even willing to pay for the Olympic coverage, but they don’t offer that.  Finally, after 2 days my daughter figured out we could sign up for Fubu, use the introductory offer and finally stream the regular coverage plus some of the live events (but certainly not all!).  It’s NBC’s own fault for the terrible ratings, they have made it ridiculously difficult for anyone without cable to watch.  Does anyone under 60 make decisions at the company?

  86. 86.

    Betty Cracker

    @Geminid: I’m so excited about Demings! Someone asked her if she’ll campaign on her Harley, and she said she will! I don’t know if she can knock Rubio off his perch, but my feeling is support for Rubio even among Republicans is reflexive rather than passionate. He’s such a nonentity, but he benefits from being on the ballot with red-meat Republicans.

    I think you’re right that Crist vs. Fried won’t be too divisive. If it has to come down to those two (and I wish it didn’t!), I’m for Fried, but it’ll be a tough climb for either one. DeSantis has much higher approval ratings than he deserves, but I’m hoping the scales fall from the eyes of low-info voters and indies. He’s horrible, and the entire country would be better off if his ambitions are nipped in the bud.

  87. 87.

    Immanentize

    @SFAW: I love that scene, perhaps the most. Why people don’t meme it more vis a vis folks like Nina Turner is beyond me.

  88. 88.

    SFAW

    @Rusty:

    I tried watching some of the rowing on NBC. The “color commentary” was pretty effing bad, as was the “play-by-play.” I normally reserve my at-screen yelling for things like Rethugs, but the coverage I saw got me cranked — and not in a good way — in about 30 seconds.

  90. 90.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (AP) — Daryl Barker was passionately against a COVID-19 vaccination, and so were his relatives. Then 10 of them got sick and Barker, at just 31, ended up in a Missouri intensive care unit fighting for his life. […]

    “I was strongly against getting the vaccine,” Barker said through labored breathing. “Just because we’re a strong conservative family.” […]
    Slowly, Barker started to recover. Sohal is optimistic but said Barker, who has been hospitalized for three weeks, isn’t out of the woods.
    “This is the time when he’s going to get a lot better or a lot worse,” Sohal said.

  91. 91.

    sab

    @SFAW: The good thing about the original Joy was that Irma Rombauer was actually not a very good cook, so she collected classic recipes and was meticulously detailed about the instructions. So a novice cook could follow them. None of the “cook until done” instructions that other cookbooks of that era used. My family has kept and passed down all of our cookbooks, and a lot of them you really have to know what you are doing ahead of time for the recipe to be to a success.

  92. 92.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Ken: What I’ve been noticing is Fox News is conservative spin to the news and the other RWM like Oan that Fox News competes with is outright Conservative Fan Fiction. Fox News might not like getting associated with My Pillow Dude conspiracy theories because it damages their brand.

  94. 94.

    Betty Cracker

    @Rusty: Amen to that! We’ve watched very little of the coverage for the exact same reason. This probably won’t help with the Olympics problem, but have you looked at the Locast app for streaming “local” channels? We live too far from Tampa to pick up local channels with a standard antenna, so we were doing without. But the Locast app is free, and we can now watch whatever networks are broadcasting in Tampa.

  95. 95.

    mali muso

    @Rusty: We are in a similar position.  Cord cutters for some 10ish years, so we can’t stream online or catch anything over the air.  I have cable on the TV in the meeting room at work, so I’ve had the Games on sort of in the background during the day, but not any kind of serious watching.

  96. 96.

    SFAW

    @Baud:

    That’s what I keep telling the women on Tinder.

    I have been trying to dispel (or “dispel with,” for Floridians) the probably-unfounded rumor that Tinder created a “swipe down” function for your profile

    ETA: I figure a “swipe left into the next county” function was not feasible.

  97. 97.

    Benno

    Open thread, so anybody have any experience with insulinoma in dogs? My 3 y.o. just got diagnosed and the intertubes don’t have very much positive information.

  98. 98.

    germy

    "I am pulling everything!" Lindell tells me. "Fox [News] denied the ad, and they based it on 'pending litigation.'"— Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) July 30, 2021

    Pull the other one.

  102. 102.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Tony Jay: I’ve being meaning to ask you Tony, that film of Boris “Intellectual Toy Giant” Johnson not knowing how to operate an umbrella; is Boris losing it for real or this is more of his lovable John Bull in a bad suit act?  I mean not being able to use an umbrella seems like a strange move for a politician whose political persona is “more Englishman than thou”.  It seems sort of like a Texan politician not being able to put on a cowboy hat correctly.  That all feels like there is something wrong with Boris and he is trying to hide it as just him preening.

  104. 104.

    Emma from Miami

    @Tony Jay: ​To this day I can’t watch gymnastics live. I was watching when Dominique Moceanu slipped on the beam and landed On the beam On her head. And then it was “up girl and keep going.” It was straight up child abuse, and everybody was cheering.

  105. 105.

    Immanentize

    Ugh. Going to penalty kicks in the US women’s game. I was supposed to get out of here by 9:15. I’ve cancelled two morning meetings….

  106. 106.

    sab

    @Immanentize: Cedarburg (WI) Cookbook 1916. Lists of ingredients with almost no instructions.

    It has the great-great aunt’s fruitcake recipe, 30 lbs of various fruits, lots of alcohol, and a teaspoon of baking powder for leavening.

  107. 107.

    germy

    I remember one of my mother’s old cookbooks humorously referring to tequila as the “gulp of Mexico.”

  108. 108.

    Michael Cain

    @SFAW: I watch some of the fencing on streaming.  For a fencer watching fencing, the 2012 London games were perfection.  Raw feed from the venue of every minute of every bout.  No announcer.  Main camera feed from the center of the strip.  Following every touch, a slow motion replay from higher and behind the fencer who scored while the fencers went back to the on guard lines.  Web interface made it really easy to find who was fencing when and jump to them.  Rio was a disaster, and the Tokyo games are smoother but are doing “fencing for the layperson.”

  109. 109.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Simone Biles stepping back; that’s how it’s supposed to be in a sane word, if an athlete injured, time to coincide. It shows us how fucked up sports has become that it’s seen as an heroic act.

    And it’s hilarious to listen to the Dudebros howl, it’s clear these  guys are projecting their masculinity on to some teenage girl.

  110. 110.

    Immanentize

    AND the women of the US take it 4-2 in penalty shots. Rapinoe just smashing the last one in.

    ETA see ya Jackals in the funny papers.

  111. 111.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Ken: Boris accidently hitting Prince Charles with his umbrella so many times security is forced to tackle Boris would an equally perfect ended to that video.

  114. 114.

    narya

    @Immanentize: I have one from the 70s, which my grandmother gave to me–but I found one from the 30s in a laundry room in a building in which I lived! I grabbed that sucker for the historical interest right away. My go-tos these days, though, are the Moosewood low-fat cookbook and Sally Schneider’s “A New Way to Cook,” if I even bother with a cookbook. For baking, I go to “The Art of French Pastry” by Jacquy Pfeiffer (a chef at the pastry school I attended).

  117. 117.

    Betty Cracker

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Sounds like that dude fatally sucked at risk evaluation (wanted to wait a year to get it to see if others experienced adverse effects) as opposed to the “strong conservative family” moron you flagged at #90. But outcomes are apportioned randomly, which is a pity.

  118. 118.

    PST

    @Betty Cracker: Maybe Gabby Giffords is ready to go back to Washington. I’d love to see a husband-and-wife team representing Arizona. (Or Ohio. Let’s draft Connie Schultz!)

  119. 119.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Betty Cracker: I do applaud these families for making their cases public, even allowing cameras into hospital rooms. I just wish they and all their brethren and sistren hadn’t let things get to this point.

  125. 125.

    Nicole

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’m so mad at the vaccine-reluctant, but then I watch these videos and I still grieve for the family left behind.  Though, FSM forgive me, but when his fiancée said they all went to the beach without sunscreen (which is how the man found out he had Covid; he had to go to the ER with a bad sunburn) I thought, this is not a family with any skill for risk assessment.

    That said, I’m still torn up for his 5 kids.  It sucks to grow up without a parent.

  127. 127.

    Kay

    Philadelphia elections officials signaled Friday they won’t participate in a “forensic investigation” of the 2020 election that’s being spearheaded by a top Trump ally in the Pennsylvania legislature, setting the stage for a potential legal fight.
    In a draft letter, Lisa Deeley, Philadelphia’s top elections official, wrote Friday that the city’s election system is “fair and secure” and warned that State Sen. Doug Mastriano’s inquiry would cost taxpayers millions of dollars and throw upcoming elections into chaos.

    Yay. Rein the nutters in. Let them sue. No reason everyone else has to kowtow to .1% of Trump loonies.
    If Pennsylvania has to replace voting equipment due to the low quality Trump hires pawing all thru the info and contaminating the integrity of what is a public record it will cost 35 million. Coddling these people is getting really expensive.

  128. 128.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    I wish people who aren’t dedicated liberals realized how expensive conservatism is, both in terms of money and nonmonetary costs.

  129. 129.

    L85NJGT

    “The twisties” is b.s. framing to explain away head injuries. Gymnasts take a lot of repetitive jolts to the brain. If this was an NFL player, there would be much smart set tut-tutting about CTE.

  130. 130.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Gin & Tonic: 

    I went to a pie and tart class at the King Arthur Baking School

    If they tell you to add five teaspoons of an ingredient, do you count “One, two, FIVE!” before someone corrects you?

  132. 132.

    Ken

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: I also would hope Johnson’s battle with the umbrella wasn’t deliberate buffoonery, since it was at a police memorial service, and in the presence of a member of the royal family.

    Though the bit where he accidentally pushed the button to collapse the umbrella, then accidentally turned it inside out while re-opening it, did look like a skit Benny Hill would have rejected as too farcical.

  133. 133.

    SFAW

    @Michael Cain:

    doing “fencing for the layperson.”

    As a fencing layperson, I would be OK with that. Had the rowing coverage been “for the layperson,” I would have been OK with that, too. But the rowing commentator(s) were annoying, one of them spouted gibberish (although not authentic frontier gibberish, sadly) — a bunch of English words strung together, but not really saying anything decipherable — and the tenor of the “conversation” struck me as not unlike “and those Sinkovic brothers are wearing some snazzy unitards, wouldn’t you agree Babs?” [OK, I’m taking some major liberties here, but they still struck me as vapid in the extreme.]

    And those stupid CGI meters-per-second figures. No one gives a shit about that stuff, except for those who think they’re Bill James reborn.

  134. 134.

    SFAW

    @lowtechcyclist:

    If they tell you to add five teaspoons of an ingredient, do you count “One, two, FIVE!” before someone corrects you?

    I’m hoping G&T doesn’t use Holy Hand Grenades when he cooks.

  137. 137.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Maybe it’s good. Trump denied losing the election and the entire Republican Party decided to pretend he didn’t lose too, so they never did the ordinary post mortem after a loss and changed nothing about their approach. Good. Stay the course to Looneyville. Follow this whining, delusional one term loser right over the edge.

  139. 139.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    I hope it ends up good.  The GOP so far doesn’t yet seem to have the sort of momentum that the out party usually has.  I think it helps that they are being less ambiguous about who they really are.

  141. 141.

    Tony Jay

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Bear in mind, that was at a memorial service for UK Police killed in the line of duty, and still the guff-craniumed buffoon couldn’t help but jizz around with a prop in the hunt for laughs. That’s who he is, a deliberately constructed cartoon with not the slightest shred of empathy or concern for anyone or anything else. Every situation has to be ‘Funny Old Boris’, no matter how serious or solemn it’s supposed to be.

    So, no, I don’t think he’s losing it. I think he saw a chance to give his fans in the Media some cheery, music-hall style japery to chuckle over and went for it. 5000 dead Police officers? Well they can’t vote for him can they, haw-haw-haw.  He knew the News Media in this country would basically cover for him. Remember, this is the guy who turned up to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph hung-over and barely able to wall straight and the BBC ‘accidentally’ substituted footage of his disgrace with clips from the previous year.

    It’s an incestuous bonkathon between Flobalob and his journalistic cheerleaders that we’re all supposed to pretend is a decorous professional joust, without mentioning the deafening splat of wet parts slapping and all the stomach-turning gurgling.

  142. 142.

    SFAW

    @Kay:

    I recall them doing a post-mortem after (I think?) the 2008 election, and recall Reince Priebus talking about how they need to change etc etc. That picosecond of self awareness was quickly deep-sixed, eventually leading to the Party of Insane Traitors that exists today. So, in theory, you’re right, but I think practice has shown otherwise.

  143. 143.

    Tony Jay

    @Emma from Miami:

    Yeah, it’s terrifying to watch. But in its defence, if you could do the things they can do, wouldn’t you want everyone in the whole wide world to know about it?

  145. 145.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Tony Jay: Well, Boris is literally one of them.  He was a “journalist.”   It’s just Boris being Boris, y’know.  No real harm done.  It not as though the Queen was there.

  146. 146.

    sab

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I commend tjese familoes too. There will be blowback from monsters.

    I had a niece who went public with an early case (February 2020)  to say “I was really sick. Take this seriously”)  and a lot of people were horrible to her. Faker, crisis actor, liar. The usual nonsense. Since people are still not beimg vaccinated I assume the response from the anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers will be the same now.

  148. 148.

    SFAW

    @rp:

    Thanks for the correction and Onion reminder. Did you catch the “Hillary considering 2016 run, sphere doubles in size” graphic at the end?

  149. 149.

    Tony Jay

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    The pearl clutching when, say, past Leaders of the Opposition ‘fail’ to perform a deep enough bow to the exacting standards demanded of all public figures (snark) is a delightful counterpoint to the languorous, eyes-open fellation Johnson receives from our ‘fiercely independent’ Fourth Estate.

    Hypocrisy, the tribute Vice pays to Virtue. Or, as I like to put it, they’re a bunch of lying twats with the credibility of a crusted sock.

  150. 150.

    rp

    @SFAW: Oh yeah…the best (or worst) bit. Although Richard Burr ending his career in service to the evil shrieking sphere was also good.

  151. 151.

    Geminid

    @SFAW: The Republican National Commitee had a review after Romney lost in 2012. A panel analysed voting patterns, and came up with recommendations as to reaching out to voters outside the core base. Then trump came along and basically did the opposite, and the base loved it.

  153. 153.

    sab

    @WereBear: I didn’t use regular rolling pins because the handles always broke off. So for 35 years I used a wine bottle. In summer I could fill it with water, stuff the cork back in and then refrigerate it.

    One of the male baking jackals ( JR in WV, Ozark?, I can’t remember) recommended a marble rolling pin, and I couldn’t be happier. I can put it in the freezer. It is really heavy and very smooth. The heaviness means it does all the work. The marble means I can freeze it so it is really cold when I use it, so the dough stays that way also.

    Pricy, I admit. I am not big on buying new kitchen stuff (my old rolling pin was a 35 yo wine bottle) but the marble pin is amazing.

    I agree that wax paper is essential for pie dough.

  154. 154.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Tony Jay: God damn, and I though the press over here was too cozy with Trump because he was reality show personality like they are.  So it’s basically just all frat boi in jokes?

  156. 156.

    prostratedragon

    @Nicole:
    Stadium jumping, fine.
    Oh, the things I’ve seen … (I don’t think there was loss of life, but really not sure. Soldier Field, ca. 1963.)

  157. 157.

    narya

    @sab: My mom had a pie slate–a HUGE circle of slate (because they live near the slate belt) and she was GOING TO GET RID OF IT. I snagged that sucker right away. That said, I also use silpats, or plastic, or even parchment paper to avoid overusing flour.

  159. 159.

    sab

    @JPL: I wish Ohio could get its act together on districting.

    Nina Turner v Shondel Brown. Who wins matters hugely to me. I am in the fifth largest city in Ohio, divided right down the middle. One Congressman was Marcia Fudge. The other was Tim Ryan. Marcia Fudge went into Biden’s cabinet. Tim Ryan is running for Senate. Who wins Marcia Fudge’s district is hugely important to me, but I don’t get a vote. My housing development (400 houses) is in two Congressional districts, but one City Council ward. It is nuts.

  161. 161.

    sab

    @narya: Our parents and ancestors had so much better stuff to work with. It wasn’t a choice. They made the pie or had no pie. We make the pie or buy an inferior one.

  162. 162.

    prostratedragon

    @Msb:  I’m impressed in this Olympics how many countries are fielding teams with immigrants or immigrant offspring. Cubans playing for European vball teams, African athletes competing for Iran, Poland, and Japan, and on and on. It’s slow and there’s a lot of friction, but it is happening.

  163. 163.

    James E Powell

    @Baud:

    I wish people who aren’t dedicated liberals realized how expensive conservatism is, both in terms of money and nonmonetary costs.

    The California governor recall election is going to cost $250 million.

    There is a non-zero chance that Newsom will get < 50% and the next governor will be a right-winger who gets like 25% of the vote.

  164. 164.

    JPL

    @JPL: From the article
    Mr. Trump did not name the lawmakers, but at other points during the call he mentioned Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, whom he described as a “fighter”; Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who at the time promoted the idea that the election was stolen from Mr. Trump; and Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, whom Mr. Trump praised for “getting to bottom of things.”
    The notes connect Mr. Trump’s allies in Congress with his campaign to pressure Justice Department officials to help undermine, or even nullify, the election results.
    The lawmakers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

  166. 166.

    Emma from Miami

    @Tony Jay: I would want to let the whole world know but not if it was going to kill me. Or if I had to tolerate being abused by my doctors and coaches. That’s why I admire athletes that take control of their physical and mental health and refuse the “you owe your country/coaches/Olympic Committee” framing.

  167. 167.

    JMG

    @Rusty: In re NBC: It is important to remember that NBC is owned by Comcast, whose main business is cable TV. They are not about to let Peacock, the streaming service, operate on its own without a cable tie-in. Basically, Olympic ratings are down because of the time difference. It’s impossible to avoid sports spoilers, and people are much less likely to tune in to watch an event of which they already know the ending. Ratings for Sydney and Beijing, when cord-cutting didn’t really exist, were down as well compared to London and Rio.

  168. 168.

    narya

    @sab: or, in my case, make inferior pie. :-)

    It’s really not my best thing, despite pastry school; I tend to stick to sablee or brisee crusts because then I don’t have to worry about what size the butter pieces are, or I make a rough crust for a galette. Just got peaches, blueberries, AND apricots in the farm share, so some kind of tart is in the offing.

  170. 170.

    Martin

    @Baud: All of the major venues are already built. They’ll build a temporary aquatics center, but beyond that it’s just little setups for beach volleyball and other speciality events. They’ll of course be some renovation, but no new permanent venues.

    Most of the budget is going into accelerating build-out of already planned/in progress mass transit.

  171. 171.

    J R in WV

    @sab:

    Thanks, all, for the wax paper idea! Sounds great. Just pick it up, drop it onto the pie pan. Will also try vinegar out next time I do  a pie crust.

  173. 173.

    Martin

    @WereBear: That’s not the flour, it’s the water. Sub some vodka in for some of your water. The alcohol will evaporate off but the alcohol doesn’t cause gluten to form. Use too much and your  problem will be getting your crust to hold together at all. I’d start by replacing ¼ of your water with vodka. And remember to only use enough liquid to hold your dough together – no more. Most  recipes I’ve seen recommend about 2x as much water as is necessary.

    I use one of these to roll out dough. Bit of flour. Wooden rolling pin. Once rolled out, dust the top, use the silpat to gently fold the whole thing in half so you can transfer it to the pie dish.

    They’re also must-haves for baking cookies, etc.

  174. 174.

    Martin

    @Immanentize: Ew. No. Use cheap vodka. Trust me on this one. If you’re feeling fancy, use a flavored vodka – the alcohol will evaporate off while baking but the flavoring won’t.

  175. 175.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Martin:

    Most of the budget is going into accelerating build-out of already planned/in progress mass transit.

    True, the delays in getting the Crenshaw line* up and running are concerning.

    *It was supposed to open 2 years ago.

  177. 177.

    sab

    @narya: I bet you can make cakes, which I cannot. My pies are praised, but my cakes tend to collapse. I once made an angel food cake that came out an inch tall and the texture of Kraft cheddar cheese.

  178. 178.

    JustRuss

    @Baud:

    The type of flooring they use helps.  I don’t think they gymnasts could get that much elevation on a regular gym floor. Still, very impressive.

    Not really.  The spring floor cushions your landing, but doesn’t give you any significant lift when you jump. A few inches maybe. It’s for injury prevention, not performance enhancement.  I dabbled in gymnastics a bit years ago.

  179. 179.

    Suzanne

    @Betty Cracker:

    I’m curious about how she represented herself to AZ Dems when she first ran or if they’re just as surprised by her antics as the rest of us. 

    Kyrsten Sinema has been running for office for like twenty years. She used to be a lefty Green and she didn’t win anything. She became her “moderate” nonsense self and started winning. She opposed letting in Syrian refugees, for God’s sake. They know who she is.

  181. 181.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Martin: The experts at King Arthur tested this extensively and found no advantage to using vodka for pie crusts. Their advice was to drink the vodka and use pure water for the pie crust.

  183. 183.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Miss Bianca: I am, pretty obviously, not a vodka drinker. All I can tell you is what I was told by the good people at the King Arthur Baking School – when making a pie crust, use butter, as opposed to lard or shortening, and use water, as opposed to any other liquids. The key is butter – since butter is basically an emulsion of fat and water, when the crust is baked the fat melts and the water turns into steam (expands) giving the crust its flakiness.

  184. 184.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @Tony Jay: yes! I knew Suni won gold and Rebeca from Brazil won silver before i saw the competition, but had no idea how wonderful R’s floor routine was until I saw it. Suni’s gold was by no means an easy win. All the women were wonderful  and the routines amazing.

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