Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

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

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

T R E 4 5 O N

’Where will you hide, Roberts, the laws all being flat?’

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Bark louder, little dog.

Dear legacy media: you are not here to influence outcomes and policies you find desirable.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Open Thread: Some Good News

Open Thread: Some Good News

by | 220 Comments

This post is in: ,

But we cannot let our guard down for a minute:

Open Thread: Some Good News

This needs to be highlighted in every Democratic campaign. This is not the first and will not be the last where someone is victimized for legally making their own health choices…while they are still legal.

I’m off to a meeting (on a Sunday, so unusual, but when friends want to engage your services AND feed you dinner, who can say no?).

This is an open thread

Reader Interactions

220Comments

  3. 3.

    prostratedragon

    Just saw the headline elsewhere: good. She looks very stunned in that photo. I hope she can get some compensation from the jurisdiction that did this for her discomfiture.

  4. 4.

    JPL

    I’m not sure that money alone will help her recover from the treatment she received from the state of Texas.   How tragic.

  5. 5.

    Rainbowfrite

    They didn’t want this case to be working its way through the courts during midterms. Period.

    If the evidence was so shaky that the case was summarily dismissed then why the massive 500k bail amount? This whole thing reeks of political corruption.

  7. 7.

    trollhattan

    DA named “Gocha” seems very on the nose. Hope there’s a PD in the area named Springya.

  8. 8.

    prostratedragon

    @JPL:  No, but she might actually need a few sessions and a little time off from work. They should cover that for her and then some.

  9. 9.

    zhena gogolia

    This is the kind of thing Ceaucescu used to do. I’m a good Christian, so I won’t wish for a similar ending to the story.

  12. 12.

    scav

    It’d be handy to know the name of the snitching hospital. Broadcasting known possible side effects of interacting with (so-called) health care operations seems good practice. An informed consumer, isn’t that part of their holy unregulated market?

  13. 13.

    Hob

    Here’s a question that I realize may be kind of beside the point due to the massive bad faith inherent in the whole thing, but… do I understand correctly that Herrera was not charged in terms of the new Texas anti-abortion law, but that this was more of a “let’s just go all the way and say it’s murder, and see if we can get away with that in court” thing? As in, SB 8 and this arrest were both made possible by the current political climate, but that the one wasn’t a consequence of the other? It seemed like a major part of the whole weaselly approach they used with SB 8 was that they were not talking about murder charges, or charging the woman who had the abortion with anything at all, but instead allowing civil actions against doctors and anyone else who “aids and abets” it. If so, are we seeing a competition here between different factions of the radical right where some of them got impatient with SB 8? Not that it necessarily matters if they’re working at cross purposes— the end result is that everyone gets terrorized— but the reporting was unclear to me.

  18. 18.

    Kirk Spencer

    The first sentence, second paragraph of the notice from the DA’s office is very interesting.

    In reviewing this case, it is clear that the Starr County’s Sheriff’s Department did their duty in investigating the incident brought to their attention by the reporting hospital.

    See, that much may be absolutely true. However, it in turn means that:
    a) the reporting hospital failed to follow law and current medical practice; and
    b) the DA’s office did NOT due do it’s due duty in ensuring the deeds justified the charges.

    The latter, sadly, happens. New or zealous people get over their skis. Still, given how obviously political this subject is, the process in the county’s DA office should have put the brakes on the charge.

    The former, though? That’s where the lawsuits will be valid. And maybe some criminal charges. Because for a change, “This is a HIPAA violation” is correct, and the violation resulted in a host of the sorts of consequences the act was meant to protect against.

    ETA: corrected typos.

  19. 19.

    JPL

    @zhena gogolia:  After the Supreme Court weakens Roe, it won’t take long before they rule that HIPAA doesn’t apply for those who kill children.   

    Thank you for the book recommendation.

  22. 22.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @WaterGirl: Their point was to intimidate women.  Not just this woman, but all of us.

    You are exactly right. And that makes this terrorism. Republicans are theocratic terrorists. Fucking Y’all-qaeda.

  23. 23.

    Kent

    @zhena gogolia:This is the kind of thing Ceaucescu used to do. I’m a good Christian, so I won’t wish for a similar ending to the story.

    “Good” Christians are why we are where we are frankly.  My extended family is full of them.  Abortion bans and persecution of LGBT people seems their only raison d’etre.  Oh, and the notion that racism doesn’t exist but discrimination against white Christians does.

  24. 24.

    japa21

    “Good” Christians are why we are where we are frankly.

    She wasn’t talking about “good” Christians, she was talking about good Christians.

  25. 25.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @JPL: They are not even pro-fetus. That would require that they support pre-natal care and reducing harmful chemicals from the environment where they can harm fetal development.

    They don’t actually care about anyone except themselves, and this is a way they can control other people while pretending they are being virtuous.

  26. 26.

    artem1s

    @WaterGirl:

    Their point was to intimidate women.  Not just this woman, but all of us.  Fuck them

    Not just intimidate but to criminalize not having a penis. Her constitutional right of presumed innocence was violated as are all the rights of all the women in TX. Don’t forget Purvi Patel who received a 20 year sentence after having a legal chemical abortion because the coroner determined the fetus may have still been alive when expelled. Her appeal took over 2 years to get her sentence overturned.

  27. 27.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @Kent: You are talking about bad, hypocritical Christians. There are plenty to go around.

    Good Christians are out there, but they can be hard to find (though there are quite a few on this blog!). But they do exist, let’s not erase them with our rhetoric. #notallchristians

  32. 32.

    artem1s

    @JPL:

    HIPAA doesn’t apply for those who kill children

    SCOTUS already did when they ruled Hobby Lobby could interfere with their employees medical decisions and deny women health care based on an assumption that if a woman needs reproductive care it must be murder.

  35. 35.

    Geminid

    @Formerly disgruntled in Oregon: What I see in central Virginia is the conservative evangelicals forming a political alliance with secular radical conservatives. The latter group doesn’t seem to care much about women’s rights one way or another, but they want power and an alliance with the bible thumpers can dominate the Republican party and (they hope) the state and nation. This seems to be a fairly durable alliance for now.

  41. 41.

    JPL

    @schrodingers_cat: It will only make a difference when it affects their own.  Years ago when GA tried to tighten the abortion laws, it was a republican who stopped it, because his daughter almost died of sepsis.  It was only an abortion that saved her.

  42. 42.

    Soprano2

    @zhena gogolia: I keep thinking about Ceaucescu when I hear these anti-abortionists. That’s what they want – no birth control and having to prove you aren’t pregnant every month.

  47. 47.

    Kay

    @Hob:

    do I understand correctly that Herrera was not charged in terms of the new Texas anti-abortion law,

    That’s correct. There’s another new Texas abortion law though- it controls abortion by drugs- and I think there’s a question whether she could have been charged under that one. Could also have been a misunderstanding about the laws or just hunting around finding something to charge her with.

    But there’s a lot of missing information.

  48. 48.

    Karen

    Will they be investigating every miscarriage or do they realize that the majority of the time it happens naturally and the family is going through enough?​

  49. 49.

    MisterDancer

    Thanks for the update! I sincerely hope, as I always do, that my predictions/opinions on how this came about, are proven untrue.

    But far more crucially, I hope Ms. Herrera gets all the justice in the world that she deserves from this horrific set of acts. And that those who thought this worthy of “reporting,” much less bringing charges, get everything they deserve!

  51. 51.

    Geminid

    @Baud: Yes, except the Chamber of Commerce types still had the upper hand, and the bible thumpers were junior partners.

    In Virginia this changed in the last decade. The Chamber of Commerce types* used to call the shots in the party, but when Dave Brat knocked out Eric Cantor in the 2014 7th District primary the tea party cranks and their bible thumping allies gave notice that they were done with junior partner status. The year before, the popular and electorally succesful Bill Bolling was sidelined when the party chose to have a convention and nominated Ken Cuccinelli for governor. Bolling was a classic Main Street, establishment Virginia Republican.

    The two wings were in conflict the rest of the decade. Glenn Youngkin was able to paper over the party’s divisions with fat checks, and he would not have won otherwise.

    * Obviously the members of the state and local chambers of commerce are not great in numbers, but they punch above their weight. The larger business owners are opinion leaders among their employees and the smaller businessmen. They have economic and social ties with the professional class, and the latter group tends to follow their lead.

  52. 52.

    germy

    if one takes misoprostol vaginally, it can leave a residue. if it’s taken orally or buccally, it will not leave a trace. any complications resulting from mife & miso will be identical to those of a natural miscarriage. there’s no blood/urine test that can show otherwise. love u

    — Hannah ? (@hannahmsays) April 9, 2022

  53. 53.

    Lyrebird

    @trollhattan:

    Hope there’s a PD in the area named Springya.

    Wasn’t expecting a good laugh on THIS thread.
    Thank you.

    With all due respect to PDs, I share the hope ACLU and PP are bringing the big-paycheck lawyers to push back.

  54. 54.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @zhena gogolia: I am a damned agnostic and I had that fight last night.  Bigotry is bigotry as far as I am concerned.  That and the bloodthirstiness that has been bubbling up are making me consider a break again.

  55. 55.

    Ruckus

    @Baud:

    I’m going to use some foul (but not foul enough) language.

    I hope this bites the greasy old poop party in the genitalia so bad that they turn into granite statues that can then be blown up with high explosives (we could skip the statue step).

    Their catch phrase should be “Everything for me, Fuck everyone else.” One of their problems is that they seem to be unable to do anything actually useful, the only words they seem to understand is NO, and gimme, gimme, gimme. They are like extremely spoiled brats who think the world owes them everything, which should cost them nothing.

  56. 56.

    burnspbesq

    @Baud:

    Still hopes this bites the GOP in the ass.

    A few years ago, I might have given odds, but the border region is shifting red in a hurry, and Hispanic women are leading the charge. It’s far more likely that the DA will get primaried next time.

  60. 60.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Kent

    Oh, and the notion that racism doesn’t exist but discrimination against white Christians does.

    This is the part (well, one of them anyway) that tells me that they aren’t who and what they say they are. They do NOT have that awesome personal relationship with God that they so often claim to have, because if you have the love of the Lord of the whole fucking Universe present inside you, then that should outweigh by far anything that remotely qualifies as a persecution here in the U.S. of A.

    It should be like water off a duck’s back.  And it so clearly isn’t, for them.  If they ever knew the Lord, they’ve completely forgotten what it’s like.  All they’ve got is whether your soul’s going to Heaven or to Hell, and why should anyone believe them on that either?  Meanwhile, their kids are leaving evangelicalism in droves because they don’t want to be the next generation of assholes in the name of Christ.

  64. 64.

    Starfish

    A lot of the reports that I have seen on this story have lacked detail.

    This piece by Texas Public Radio is better, and it also mentions different funds in South Texas that are supporting women there.

  67. 67.

    J R in WV

    @Karen:

    …do they realize that the majority of the time it happens naturally and the family is going through enough?​

    Nothing is enough if a woman has a miscarriage, whatever the cause. Guilty, Guilty, Guilty ~!!!~

    That’s the whole point of these laws, these theocrats.

    Personally really glad they dropped the charges, hope she and her lawyers take them for a long ride!

  69. 69.

    japa21

    @WaterGirl: I am sure you can go to the web site and watch it.  As I told Mrs. Japa, although he speaks English, he prefers in these situations to speak Ukrainian and feel sure of what he is saying and not say something that doesn’t mean exactly what he is trying to say.  Plus, and this is important, his facial expressions go with his words.  He was, BTW, very complimentary of Biden.  Even as he wishes for more from him.

  70. 70.

    Roger Moore

    @JPL:

    After the Supreme Court weakens Roe, it won’t take long before they rule that HIPAA doesn’t apply for those who kill children. 

    HIPAA already includes a rule that it isn’t a violation if revealing protected health information is necessary to report a crime.  In some cases, medical providers are actually mandatory reporters, i.e. they are legally required to tell law enforcement if they think a crime has been committed.  The thing here is that what she was accused of isn’t a crime, so the exception for reporting a crime shouldn’t apply.

  76. 76.

    Elizabelle

    @debbie: 

    Thank you! They don’t have the transcription yet, for Zelenskyy’s Ukrainian responses, but I hope they put that up soon, and let us watch the whole thing. So prefer the original to the soundbites.

  77. 77.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @japa21: [A]lthough he speaks English, he prefers in these situations to speak Ukrainian and feel sure of what he is saying and not say something that doesn’t mean exactly what he is trying to say.

    More than that. I am morally certain that before Zelinskyy answers a question from Pelley, it is translated into Ukrainian by his trusted interpreter(s) so that he understands exactly what he’s being asked. And I’ll bet good money that he mulls the question over and takes some time to formulate his response very carefully.

    Some of you have gone through reporter Q&As with a single cameraman, haven’t you? I was interviewed once for national evening news and went through it. Interesting process:

    1. Reporter asks question with cameraman behind his shoulder
    2. Your reply is taped
    3. Cameraman moves behind your shoulder, and reporter repeats the question while he is taped
    4. For presentation, tape is spliced so that video of reporter asking the question precedes your reply

    In Zelinskyy’s situation, it would work more like

    1. Reporter asks question (or presents text of the question to Zelinskyy)
    2. Question is translated into Ukrainian by a trusted interpreter
    3. All interpreters (including reporter’s own, if he has one present) confer until agreeing on a Ukrainian equivalent
    4. Question is presented to Zelinskyy, who queries his intepreter (and possibly the reporter’s) until he is sure what is being asked
    5. Zelinskyy considers for however long he needs to and formulates a reply
    6. Zelinskyy delivers the reply, which is taped by the camera shooting past reporter’s shoulder toward him
    7. Reporter asks question in English as the camera tapes him from the front (what would be Zelinskyy’s POV), and this is spliced in front of Zelinskyy’s reply
    8. Zelinskyy’s reply is translated into English by an interpreter and (audio) taped
    9. Translation audio is dubbed over Zelinskyy’s reply, probably back in the studio

    Steps 2 through 5 are elided in the video, as is step 8, which again may involve conference and agreement of all parties including the interpreters.

    In the end, what looks to the 60 Minutes audience like a snappy 30-40 second question and response may have taken 5 or even 10 minutes to set up, film, and edit. /tmi

  80. 80.

    Elizabelle

    @debbie:   Yeah.  I think they put it up for any professionals who want to catch the interview, fresh, while they are working on a transcript.  My guess, anyway.

  81. 81.

    Ruckus

    @Uncle Cosmo:

    I’ve only once had to do an TV interview, and it was done live so the camera did a side shot of both myself and interviewer. But I was working in pro sports at the time and did see a lot of TV stuff being done from behind the scenes so I know that your version of this kind of interview is realistic. Having been in the TV truck during parts of the event really opened my eyes of what is possible and what happens.

  82. 82.

    Citizen Alan

    @JPL: No, they’re not even pro-fetus or else they would want to do something to reduce our abysmal miscarriage rate (compared to other industrialized nations). They just want to inflict suffering, however they can.

  83. 83.

    Joey Maloney

    @zhena gogolia:

    I’m a good Christian, so I won’t wish for a similar ending to the story.

    I’m neither, so I’m perfectly comfortable with my Bad Thoughts.

  84. 84.

    raven

    Want to support Ukraine? They are playing Wales in a world cup qualifier right now.

  85. 85.

    germy shoemangler

    Heading into the weekend like…

    You might notice little ramps & stepping stones placed in the Reflecting Pool and other water features across the National Mall. While mature ducks & geese can easily exit our pools & fountains, little ducklings & goslings need help. #wildlife pic.twitter.com/AmXEQQv4wB

    — National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) June 3, 2022

  86. 86.

    HinTN

    Three very nice videos, TaMara. Thank you for these. Happy Sunday, y’all, even if it’s already Monday on the other side of this big old world.

  88. 88.

    zhena gogolia

    I keep looking for Betty Cracker. I got to the scene in Hacks where Marcus brings home the Boston terrier puppy. It’s about a 10-second scene but it’s a beauty.

  93. 93.

    Fleeting Expletive

    I too liked the Jeff Bridges interview, he’s been great in so many roles.  In some recent appearances he seems to be fighting with ill-fitting dentures (R.I.P.D, with Ryan Reynolds on HBO), but he has no noticeable problem here.

  98. 98.

    brendancalling

    Gonna go dancing downtown for part of Bulington’s annual Jazz Fest around 3:30, and if the weather warms up, I’m going swimming in the Winooski River. Yesterday, I got a bunch of errands done—and I believe I have found a storage unit for the moving process.

  99. 99.

    Nelle

    When I lived in Lawrence, KS, I was able to be part of the GoFundMe to bring the young man to KU. He has raised more money in order to bring his family to KS but still is short of his goal. How grand that they are reunited.

  100. 100.

    CaseyL

    Well, from the Bridges interview I have learned that FX has made a series out of “The Old Man,” a suspense novel by Thomas Perry!!

    I’ve been a big Thomas Perry fan for decades, so I’m very excited about this, even though I’m almost certain I won’t like whatever changes they’ve made between book and video.  But Perry must have liked the showrunners’ plans, since this is SFAIK the only book of his to be turned into a movie/series, when nearly any of them would make a great movie.

  101. 101.

    Suzanne

    Just threw a big pot of chili together in the crockpot, since I went to the farmers’ market yesterday, and they had these amazing jalapeños. So chili it is. I love the crockpot, it is great for making fabulous soup, and then there’s like 10 servings of soup for lunches or dinners over the course of the week.

  104. 104.

    JML

    @raven: 
    Normally, I’d be rooting for Wales to qualify, now I want them both in. It’s been a terrific match.

  105. 105.

    lowtechcyclist

    This morning, my wife and I ran errands, including picking out a new washing machine that will be delivered in about a week and a half.  (We bought the old one ~2013, and it’s been letting us know that it’s time to replace it.)  The mower’s also dying, and Home Dopey had an assortment of electric mowers for sale, so I’m thinking about switching from gasoline to electric.

    Right now I’m out on the back deck, enjoying this absolutely sparkling weather here in southern Maryland, and contemplating a bike ride shortly.

  107. 107.

    Geminid

    @lowtechcyclist: Battery powered mowers are great! I’ve used one a customer paid for on the fenced part of their lawn for three years. That part of their lawn is only 1750 sq feet, but the mower would probably do 50% more on a charge. The mower is a Kobalt brand purchased at Lowe’s.

  108. 108.

    Ghost of Joe Liebling’s Dog

    @CaseyL: I’ve always wondered why none of Perry’s books got picked up for adaptation.  He’s almost always a tricky, inventive writer (although his last few – sadly, including The Old Man – seemed to me not to quite be up to what I think of as his standard) and I unfailingly check the “new books” section looking for him, each library visit.

    So much of his stuff is memorable! The S&L crisis explanation in Dance for the Dead, the how-to in Metzger’s Dog on bringing LA to a standstill …

    I’ve always wished someone would interview him about the genesis of his fascination with “change your name and move to another state” (as I was once advised by a teacher) as a plot hook ; I’d love to know where that came from.

  111. 111.

    satby

    @lowtechcyclist: I got a Greenworks 40v from Amazon, exact model is now 23% lower in price because it’s older. Loved that thing, but lost it and my beach bike later that summer when my garage was broken into. Worked great on my city lot.

  112. 112.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    In personal news, my vacation started today. Not really going anywhere, but it will be nice to have work off, especially having had to work overtime last week because some co-workers were out sick with Covid

  113. 113.

    JMG

    There’s a vintage Perry on my couchside reading table right now, “Sleeping Dogs,” the sequel to his first “The Butcher’s Boy.”

  114. 114.

    CaseyL

    @Ghost of Joe Liebling’s Dog: The only book of his that I disliked was “Nightlife,” because the detective did really dumb things, and the antagonist seemed to be able to do things way too easily (the fake DL comes immediately to mind).  That one definitely wasn’t up to his usual level of quality.

    I suspect that quite a few of Perry’s books have at least been optioned – a process with a very high failure rate, but the writer keeps the option fee, which is nice.  His characters do a lot of thinking, a lot of the story happens in their heads, and that could be difficult to change into action or dialog without altering the entire tone and rhythm of the book.

  115. 115.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @lowtechcyclist:

    You totally should. Cub Cadet makes excellent electric riding mowers if you’re in the market for one. My folks bought one for their yard and it easily mows everything on a single charge. It’s fun to drive too

  116. 116.

    CaseyL

    @JMG: Oh, that is an excellent series, too!

    One thing I found fascinating about how Perry writes hitmen.  There’s Schaeffer, the anti-hero, and Perry gets into his mind quite a bit.  And then there’s “Pursuit,” with another hitman as antagonist, and Perry gets into his mind quite a bit.  It’s an interesting compare-and-contrast, taking the same type of character, and writing one as sympathetic and one as not.

  118. 118.

    Cathie from Canada

    The Steve Hartman video is blocked in Canada (this is a common problem with videos from US platforms and/or television networks, I have found.)
    If you could provide a little more info about it so maybe I can look it up somewhere else on YouTube, I would appreciate it. Thanks

  119. 119.

    Doug R

    @lowtechcyclist: I saw an ad the other day for a mower that runs for an hour on a charge.Sweet, and you don’t have to worry about where that dam power cord is.​

  120. 120.

    NotMax

    ‘@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    Back in the 1970s a friend’s parents had an electric riding mower, powered by a 100 foot extension cord plugged into household outlet. Hazy memory telling me it was a Kenmore from Sears, but don’t hold me to that.

    (Not making this up.)

  124. 124.

    Chris T.

    Having just been through a big remodel , you have my sympathy.

    (Spousal Unit now has the desperately-needed mobility items though, including the really big one, an elevator. And I get to bake chocolate desserts again as we have a kitchen now!)

  126. 126.

    Chris T.

    @satby:

    I got a Greenworks 40v from Amazon

    I’ve seen recommendations for Greenworks in general, you can get interchangeable batteries for the mowers, blowers, hedge trimmers, etc or something like that. As we finally have a small enough lawn that I might in theory be able to do mine myself I’ve been wondering if I want to get into that…

  127. 127.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @NotMax:

    Wow lol. EV tech has definitely improved a lot in the last 40-50 years

    I was actually considering getting an electric pedal assist bicycle from Lectric Bikes

    They come already assembled, easily fold up into a compact, easy to store and transport form, and can have a range of 40 miles to over 100 depending on the model. I have a few Visa cards upstairs worth a few hundred from birthdays and Christmases I’ve never used. I’d just need to spend an extra $300-500. They seem like they’d be a lot of fun w/ a top speed of 20+ mph

  128. 128.

    Sure Lurkalot

    Finally, the windy days we’ve had for the last month or so are waning here in Denver. I’m just now getting back on my bike because riding in 20 mile gusts is a nonstarter for me. Looking forward to building back the muscle memory because this morning’s flat 20 miles wiped me out. Luckily, nothing on the agenda except dinner….

  129. 129.

    Benw

    Went.to the Quogue Wildlife Refuge for a lovely hike, and saw some frogs and snapping turtles. Then got some LI strip mall pizza (aka delicious grandma style) on the way home.

  131. 131.

    Anyway

    OT – I’ve been enjoying (reading) Mick Herron’s “Slough House” series about a group of MI5’s washed-up, rejected, malfunctioning spies who can’t be easily fired for reasons. There’s intricate plotting with lots of twists and nods to classic spy novels, overall he’s created a sly, darkly funny world. The plots are suited for the post-whatever world we live in and contains satires of jerkoffs like Nigel Farage,
    BoJo and some others I probably missed from my perspective across the pond.

    I’m on Book#4 now – Spook Street.

    Apparently this is a series on Apple+ — I might succumb and sign up for a trial subscription to check it out.

  133. 133.

    Baud

    @Anyway: 

    I get three months of Apple+ free with my new iPad, so I’ll be binging on a bunch of shows over the summer.

  136. 136.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Benw: Growing up on LI, the strip mall pizza was the bomb. Tony’s or Vinny’s for traditional, 15 cents a slice and Angelo’s for grandma style, 20 cents. How’d I get so old?

  137. 137.

    Chris T.

    @NotMax: Electrobat, meet electrocat: The article doesn’t mention the 2019-and-later Jaguar I-Pace!

    (It’s what the Model S should have been, as it has a nice interior and not everything is touch screen. My previous car, totaled on the freeway when I was in the middle of a multi-car pileup—I was fine, and nobody died, one woman also in the middle of the pileup had some whiplash though—was much too touch-screen-controlled. Putting everything on one big screen is a bad idea.)

    (Note: when traffic in front of you comes to a full stop suddenly, and you also come to a full stop suddenly, beware of the people behind you who … don’t.)

  143. 143.

    Ohio Mom

    One of my oldest friends had two free tickets to the fancy juried crafts fair so I got to spend time this morning looking at pretty things and catching up, all in the fresh air.

    My friend said she needed a new laptop so I just sent her to MicroCenter with Ohio Dad, the retired computer engineer. He’ll make sure she doesn’t buy more than she needs.

    So a lovely day so far, plus Ohio Son admitted he screwed something up, which I was telling him earlier he was. Nice to hear he heard me and this flash of maturity in his part is a balm.

  146. 146.

    jackmac

    I’m glad you’ve offered some good news to shake off the melancholy generated by Adam Silverman’s Ukraine post last night. I have great respect for Adam and his  expertise, work ethic and willingness to share Ukraine information and perspective to the Jackal community. So no criticism of Adam is suggested here. He deserves thanks for he has done.

    But in last night’s post he took a different turn in answering questions about the political climate at home. And it wasn’t encouraging as Adam offered some educated — and entirely plausible — views on the November elections and beyond.

    “I think things are going to go very badly,” he wrote. “I think that just based on the extreme gerrymandering in Florida and Ohio that the Republicans will retake the House. I wouldn’t be surprised if they establish a sizeable majority.”

    He also speculated that Dems would be lucky to hold the Senate and that future Senate election outcomes would tilt more and more towards the GOP. Adam goes on to talk about GOP dominance in more than half the states, voter suppression efforts and much more.

    It’s a depressing, realistic and necessary read.

  147. 147.

    Ohio Mom

    @jackmac: It’s a tightrope we walk, working to live in hope (else we will be too demoralized to function) all while looking at our world in as clear-eyed manner as we can.

  148. 148.

    TaMara

    @jackmac: Dear god, why do I even bother trying to give people respite? I’m sure those who wanted and needed to read Adam’s post (including me) have done so. But thanks for bringing down a post that had managed (congrats guys! I was impressed) to stay focused on positive things all afternoon.

    Not everyone needs your “reality check”

    May I all suggest you all skip that comment and continue with your great book recommendations and lovely stories of your activities.

  150. 150.

    NotMax

    ‘@Chris T.

    Hailing from a time when Jaguars were notorious for persistent electrical problems, color me skeptical.
    ;)

    Also too, you betcha (emphasis mine).

    Dr. David Strayer has led a study for the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety that analyzes in-vehicle technology features in newer cars. His research shows that new car “infotainment” is often too dangerous to safely use, with system use being more distracting than cellphone use or even texting while driving. Source

  151. 151.

    TaMara

    @Cathie from Canada: Bummed about that. Here’s the CBS description:

    Six years ago correspondent Steve Hartman first met Baset Azizi, a musician from Afghanistan, who fled to the U.S. as a teenager. Since then, Azizi has interned on Capitol Hill, and graduated from college with honors. All that time, his family was back in Afghanistan, until they fled following the fall of Kabul. Finally, just a few weeks ago, Azizi’s family arrived in the U.S. for an emotional reunion.

  154. 154.

    TaMara

    @lowtechcyclist: I have what is probably a lower-end electric mower and it can mow both my front and back (and that was when my front was all grass).

    I let the backyard grass grow pretty long, the ducks prefer it that way, and helps them keep cool in the summer. This mower tackles it like a John Deere.

    It’s about a 45-minute battery life – and it can actually hold two batteries to extend mowing time. Those batteries can also be used on my trimmer and blower.

    I highly recommend moving away from gas mower – quieter, less maintenance and you can actually hear over it.

  155. 155.

    TaMara

    @jackmac:  Well, then, I guess you’ll want to stay away from my posts, since you find my directness hostile. And we’ll both be happier.

  157. 157.

    Brachiator

    @NotMax: 

    Dr. David Strayer has led a study for the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety that analyzes in-vehicle technology features in newer cars.

    People will adjust. In the good old days, all you had was a push button radio, a slide switch for the heater or AC and an ashtray.

  159. 159.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Geminid:  @satby:
    How well do the electrics handle heavy grass? We’ve got a swale running along the front of our yard in lieu of a storm drain, and because of all the moisture it gets, the grass gets really thick. I don’t worry about a gas mower getting through it, but it definitely slows it down at times. That’s really my only concern with an electric.

    ETA: Naturally, as I was writing this, @TaMara: ​answered this question while I was still asking it. Thanks, TaMara!

    That, and ideally getting one where the whole lawn can be mowed on just one charge, but that’s in the nice-but-not-critical category.

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    Thanks for the suggestion, but our lawn is small enough that a riding mower of any sort would be overkill. Takes me maybe 65-70 minutes to do the whole thing with a gas mower – though I’ve passed the job down to the kiddo as of last summer. Also, there are times (like the past few weeks) when it gets wet enough around here that a riding mower would sink in.​

    More ETA: Anyway, y’all have sold me on switching to electric.  Thanks, everyone!

  168. 168.

    Baud

    @PJ:

    1. Sinema also opposed it.
    2. You can’t trust anything when it comes to Manchin’s motivations.
  169. 169.

    Geminid

    @lowtechcyclist: If the mower were set at its highest cutting level you might be able to mow the higher grass. I’ve occasional attacked small quantities of really high grass by pushing down so the front wheels are in the air. The mower I use hasn’t much torque so that is slow going. But one nice thing about these mowers is that they are considerably lighter than gas mowers and that might make mowing the swale easier, if you keep it mowed.

  170. 170.

    Starfish

    @jackmac: There are other threads. I hope someone creates a Sunday Afternoon Pissing and Moaning thread.

    The previous thread had serious comments about a serious issue, and nothing quite seemed appropriate for general grumblings.

  172. 172.

    scav

    Some people just can’t read a room and then get in a huff. Rather like that screamy poundy counter woman in Statbucks insisting it wasn’t illegal to scream or something of the ilk.

  173. 173.

    Kathleen

    Still recovering from Covid. My doc said the fatigue will last 6 months. He also reported excellent results for patients who took the anti viral drug which I did not get (long story). I can get the basics done (easy worlouts, work, cleaning, doing laundry, grocery shopping) but no energy for anything else. I

  176. 176.

    trollhattan

    Whoa, did anyone ever interview this guy in a local diner?

    A gunman suspected of fatally shooting a retired county judge at a Wisconsin home had a list that included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Whitmer’s office and a law enforcement source said Saturday.

    Douglas K. Uhde, 56, who has not been charged, is suspected of killing retired Juneau County Judge John Roemer at Roemer’s house in New Lisbon on Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said in a news release Saturday.

    Uhde was found in the basement of the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, following attempts by police to negotiate with him. Uhde is hospitalized in critical condition, DOJ officials said.

    Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul on Friday said the shooting appeared to be a “targeted act” and that the gunman had selected people who were “part of the judicial system.”

    But investigators believe the gunman also may have planned to target other government officials and found a list in his vehicle that contained the names of several other prominent elected leaders, a law enforcement official said. The other targets on the list, which mentioned Roemer, included Evers, McConnell and Whitmer, the official said.

    Roemer was found zip-tied to a chair in his home and had been fatally shot, the official said. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

    Uhde has an extensive criminal and prison record dating back at least two decades, including a case when he was sentenced by Roemer to six years in prison on weapons charges. He was released from his last prison stint in April 2020.
    apnews.com/article/politics-gretchen-whitmer-michigan-wisconsin-shootings-0c6e4877dfe366eda990e2f401…

    “Extensive criminal and prison record”; can buy gun. Checks out.

  177. 177.

    MagdaInBlack

    @NotMax: Thank you for posting that. I’ve mentioned I work in the collision repair industry, and I have been saying since I first started seeing them that those touch screen controls are dangerous.

    Can’t use a cell phone while driving, lets put a tablet computer in the middle of the dash. ffs.

  179. 179.

    lowtechcyclist

    Had a very pleasant bike ride this afternoon, did ~15 miles at a relaxed pace with a couple of stops along the way.  Back on the deck (of course!) enjoying this amazing weather.

  181. 181.

    raven

    @Kathleen: I don’t know what to think. I did get the antiviral and the sore throat, which was all I had, went away in two days. I’m a little tired but not really a big deal. I hope you get better soon.

  182. 182.

    Geminid

    @jackmac: There was a lot of truth in what Mr.  Silverman wrote. I was skeptical, though, about the prediction that the Senate would become more Republican over time. The numerical imbalance will become greater as populations in states like West Virginia and the Dakotas remain stagnant, but I can’t identify the states that will actually provide additional Republican Senators.I guess Georgia and Arizona could if recent trends reverse, and Manchin could be the last Democratic Senator from West Virginia this century. But unless Republicans steal purple state Senate seats, which they certainly will try to do, I don’t see an inevitable trend towards a Republican Senate.

    Ed. And now I see that this topic is not necessarily appropriate for a good news thread, but I guess this response was positive enough to leave up.

  183. 183.

    ColoradoGuy

    Get better, TaMara! Love your posts with the ducklings. And yes, we all need a respite. My therapist ordered me to take a one-week fast from Covid doomscrolling … so far, mostly successful.

    Erie is having some sort of downtown get-together, with the main street blocked off. A neighbor down the block is having local blues-band musicians play in their garage for the entertainment of our neighborhood. Me, I’m sitting indoors in the air conditioning and enjoying a quiet afternoon.

  184. 184.

    Kay

    @lowtechcyclist: 

    Love my electric mower. I can cut about half before I switch out the battery but that just takes a minute. I used it last weekend to cut a friend’s yard that had gotten really long- she has all consuming family problems- the grass had seed heads so maybe 6-7″ long. I had to do two passes and go slow but it didn’t clog or stop. The second pass was just to chop up the long grass I cut on the first pass.
    I gave my gas mower to my son and 6 months later he got an electric and gave it to someone else :)

  185. 185.

    trollhattan

    Wales decides to go the unpopular route, crushing Ukraine’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup while punching their own ticket.
    #SportsIsCruel

  187. 187.

    Baud

    @Kathleen:

    I’m sorry to hear that.  I’ve never heard of someone getting a specific prediction on how long fatigue will last. I will pray it’ll be shorter than 6 months.

  189. 189.

    PaulB

    @jackmac: Oh, garbage. TaMara did no such thing. “Bullying?” Seriously? Get a grip.

    As for your comment, perhaps you should read the first post in a thread before commenting. Had you done so, you would have seen this: “Thought I would give everyone a chance to cease doom-scrolling for a bit and share some good news.”

  190. 190.

    brendancalling

    @NotMax: My dad bought this incredibly complicated and not at all intuitive Pioneer system for his previous car. Just trying to figure out how to turn it on—never mind going from CD to radio or phone—was comparable to texting while drunk driving.

  192. 192.

    PaulB

    @prostratedragon: My FoodSaver vacuum sealer included a special wine cork that allows you to remove much of the air from your re-corked bottle, presumably preserving it.

    Alas, I’m not much of a wine drinker and I’ve never used it, so I don’t know how well it works.

  194. 194.

    Kathleen

    @raven: Thanks Raven!  I got tested at an Urgent Care where the PA was totally negative about the medication and I felt too lousy to sort it out. When I followed up with my Doc I wish I had  talked to him earlier. GRR. But I was glad to hear how well it was working!

  196. 196.

    Kathleen

    @Baud: Thank you Baud. While I love and trust my doc ( he’s called me at home on Sundays!) I’ll give myself space to be open to a shorter time frame!

  199. 199.

    kalakal

    @lowtechcyclist: I use an electric. If the grass is really high and heavy I’ll use a 2 steps forward 1 step back technique, that seems to do it. You can definitely hear it slow down with really heavy grass. The other trick is if there’s a very high/dense patch is to give it a fast haircut with a high powered electric weedwhacker then use the mower

  200. 200.

    TaMara

    @Kathleen: It sucks so badly and I am sorry. It may last six months, but, at least for me, there were multiple good days followed by a couple of bad days.  Hoping you get more good days than bad.

  201. 201.

    raven

    @Kathleen:  Damn, my GP was totally pro-active. I mentioned it and she said, “at your age, yes”, called it in and I had it in an hour at no cost. It made my mouth taste funny but not as bad as some folks experience.

  202. 202.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    After reading a few Stephen King books and another super fucked up scary book over the last few months I needed something light for a change. I came across, “West with Giraffes.” A story about transporting 2 giraffes across country during the Great Depression. I love it so far.

  204. 204.

    TaMara

    PBS is using a 1985 Prince and the Revolution Concert for fundraising. I don’t know if I should feel horribly old (hush, child) or just grateful because watching Prince dance, prance, and spin across stage makes me incredibly happy.

    But I know somewhere, someone’s Gigi, just fell off her rocker. LOL

    And probably got back up and turned up the volume.

  207. 207.

    TaMara

    @Baud: I guess. I was not expecting Darling Nikki to be playing in the same waters as Masterpiece Theatre.

  208. 208.

    dnfree

    @MagdaInBlack:  We have a 2014 Cadillac ATS with a fairly big screen. We had a deer incident in 2017–hit one at 70 mph with the front driver-side corner. The airbags didn’t go off, but the estimate for repairs was something like $14,000–close to totaling the car, but apparently not quite. So they fixed it (and it is still doing just great), but when we picked it up, the repair place said “and the screen was cracked before the accident, right?” Um…no, it wasn’t. That added another $1000, they said. Probably would have totaled the car if they’d included that in the estimate.

    But on the plus side, not only were we completely unhurt, we were able to drive the car about 15 miles to the dealership. I had a little Ford C-Max that got 40 mpg that I loved driving. But I realized that if we’d hit a deer at 70 mph in my little car, the outcome could have been a lot different. So I sold that and got a sturdier car.

  209. 209.

    SamIAm

    @lowtechcyclist:

    I’ve switched to electric and the mower is ok.  But it’s obvious some manufacturers are exploiting the GCC and dumping low quality machines on the market.

    I would avoid purchasing the “Masterforce” brand.  Mower was >$700, battery is a separate purchase at >$300 and the mower chokes easily on tallish grass.

    Even overlapping my passes still leaves strips where the grass is higher than the surrounding areas.

     

    I was taken like a fool.  On the plus side no more two stroke pollution and GHG.  And it runs very quietly in comparison.

  210. 210.

    J R in WV

    We live in the woods. I sometimes do use a weed-whacker along steps and the path, but not often.

    But back when I had to mow some, I quickly learned if the grass was thick and high, to mow a narrow strip rather than the full width of the mower.

    The higher/thicker the crap to mow, the more narrow a strip I would mow. Yes, it makes the job take longer, but at least I didn’t have to stop, dig the packed in grass off the bottom of the mower deck, and restart the thing up — back when they were all gas powered. Dad’s yard was like 100 yards long, down hill… which meant half the job was going back up the hill !!

    I hated mowing back then, which is why we have NO grass now, living in the rocks and woods as we do. I also have a tractor with a brush-hog for the bottoms along the county road, which I mow once or twice a year…

  213. 213.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Geminid: ​
    @Kay: ​

    @kalakal: ​
     

    Thanks for all the additional encouragement, y’all! Just now, I also talked with my next-door neighbor who has one, but I hadn’t really asked for details before now because I really expected my current gas mower to last several more years. He has a Greenworks like Satby did before it got stolen, though I think he said the voltage on his was 56v or 60v, something like that. He said it did better with the high grass than his old gas mower had.

    Now it’s just a question of which electric I will buy. Probably will do a bit of research sometime this week, then buy one.

  214. 214.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Old Dan and Little Ann:

    After reading a few Stephen King books and another super fucked up scary book over the last few months I needed something light for a change.

    And you’re not telling us the other book so we don’t get scared? :)

  215. 215.

    Miki

    Spent a lovely afternoon at a Minnesota vineyard (Alexis Bailly) drinking a really nice chewy red (made with all Minnesota grapes), eating charcuterie, sitting on a lovely lawn listening to jazz with my seester and her hubby. These folks started their vineyard in 1973 and have done it right. No fake pretentious Tuscan theme. Just good old Minnesota knotty pine, lawn chairs, and the occasional doggo. (No limos or tour buses, either.)

  216. 216.

    kalakal

    @lowtechcyclist: mine’s an Earthwise, after 6 years the safety interlock has given up the ghost. It’s done well by me

    NB it’s corded but they also do battery. I’ve also had Greenworks recommended to me

  217. 217.

    Ohio Mom

    @Kathleen:  This is probably too late for you to see it. Did you know that UC Health just started a multi-discipline Long Covid Clinic?

    You could be just the sort of patient they are looking to help. And even if they have nothing for you right now, you’ll be helping medical science, and if/when treatments for persistent fatigue are developed, you’ll be in line for them.

  219. 219.

    Kathleen

    @raven: I know. I’m kicking myself now for listening to the PA. I’m so glad it helped you and that you’ve recovered!

Comments are closed.