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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Thursday Early Afternoon Open Thread

Thursday Early Afternoon Open Thread

by WaterGirl|  April 4, 202412:47 pm| 106 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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Feeling totally uninspired today – it’s cold and damp – but it looks like we could use an open thread, so I went out and took 3 photos of the flowers popping up in the yard.

Still feeling totally uninspired, but at least you have happy flowers and a place to talk.

Totally open thread.

 

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    106Comments

    1. 1.

      Fair Economist

      April 4, 2024 at 12:50 pm

      Those are some beautiful flowers!

      Everybody ready for the eclipse Monday?

      Reply
    2. 2.

      BeautifulPlumage

      April 4, 2024 at 12:54 pm

      That first shot is gorgeous. Also rainy and windy and cold and DARK here. Who needs an eclipse when you have PNW clouds?

      Reply
    3. 3.

      Old School

      April 4, 2024 at 12:56 pm

      @Fair Economist:

      Everybody ready for the eclipse Monday?

      Well, I have glasses.  Now we just need the clouds to cooperate.

      Reply
    4. 4.

      Brachiator

      April 4, 2024 at 12:57 pm

      An Easter miracle. When they opened the vault, all the money was gone.

      The Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI are investigating the theft of tens of millions of dollars from a money storage facility in the San Fernando Valley on Easter Sunday, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

      The thieves broke into the facility undetected – without setting off alarms – by going through the roof and somehow getting into the money storage area, which may have been a vault, according to officials briefed on the investigation.

      The company that owns the building did not discover the massive theft until Monday morning.

      How much money? Such much money.

      An employee who works at the facility who wished to remain anonymous was shocked to hear how this all unfolded.

      “It’s just mind blowing that you would never suspect it,” he said. “$30 million in the Valley, gone. How? Why? I’m still trying to process it. Was it an inside job? Was it just one person? Was it a group? You know, there’s a lot of questions.”

      Reply
    5. 5.

      rikyrah

      April 4, 2024 at 12:59 pm

      I have no glasses. Not that enthused.

      Reply
    6. 6.

      Old School

      April 4, 2024 at 1:00 pm

      @Brachiator: A money storage facility?

      Reply
    7. 7.

      Brachiator

      April 4, 2024 at 1:02 pm

      @Fair Economist:

      Everybody ready for the eclipse Monday?

      I will probably go outside to see what the day is like during the eclipse, but I won’t do the glasses thing and watch the details on TV.

      Reply
    8. 8.

      Scout211

      April 4, 2024 at 1:03 pm

      John Eastman is in the news again.  After the State of California took away his license to practice law, he is now asking the State to pause his disbarment.

      Former Donald Trump lawyer John Eastman is asking a judge to pause his disbarment so he can continue to work and earn income as an attorney while legal fees mount in his criminal case connected to his attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 election.

      Eastman on Wednesday filed a motion with the California State Bar Court requesting a stay of Judge Yvette Roland’s order issued last week which recommended that he be stripped of his law license. In her ruling, the judge found Eastman had breached professional ethics rules by pushing a “strategy to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election that lacked evidentiary or legal support.”

      So yeah, “don’t take away my law license because of those criminal things I did under my law license, because I’ve got bills to pay!”

      It almost makes me wonder who in the world would hire him as their lawyer.  And also, it makes me wish California had a debtors prison just for John Eastman.

      Or more logically, sell your damn properties, you asshole.

      Reply
    9. 9.

      hueyplong

      April 4, 2024 at 1:05 pm

      @Brachiator: “How much money? Such much money”

      Here’s looking at you, kid.

      Reply
    10. 10.

      JoyceH

      April 4, 2024 at 1:06 pm

      I’m trying to work up the energy to start hauling things out of the garage. In a few hours a guy with a truck will come and haul away the stuff that’s too big for the trash bin. And there’s a lot of stuff!

      Reply
    11. 11.

      Brachiator

      April 4, 2024 at 1:06 pm

      @Old School:

      A money storage facility?

      Yep. Who knew.

      GardaWorld has branches worldwide and over 132,000 employees. It specializes in cash services, which include ATM services and armored truck transport. According to its website, some of its clients are Fortune 500 companies and even U.S. and international government agencies.

      And the robbers knew exactly how to hit it.

      Reply
    12. 12.

      Baud

      April 4, 2024 at 1:08 pm

      @Brachiator:

      WaterGirl’s next fundraiser is going to be very lucrative.

      Reply
    13. 13.

      wjca

      April 4, 2024 at 1:10 pm

      @Old School: A money storage facility?

      If the police seize cash, in addition to drugs, in a raid, then it is (at least potentially) evidence.  As such, it has to be stored somewhere.  Makes sense to have a (they thought) secure place for storage.

      Perhaps one of the lawyers can speak to how ling it gets held, and what happens to it then.

      Reply
    14. 14.

      rikyrah

      April 4, 2024 at 1:10 pm

      @Brachiator:

      Has to be an inside job.

      Reply
    15. 15.

      Scout211

      April 4, 2024 at 1:11 pm

      Breaking

      A Georgia judge on Thursday denied a bid by former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the state election interference to dismiss the charges on First Amendment grounds.

      In a 14-page ruling, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said their right to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election did not protect them from the charges that District Attorney Fani Willis’s office brought.

      The “Court finds these vital constitutional protections do not reach the actions and statements alleged by the State,” McAfee wrote, and their motions to dismiss are “therefore denied.”

      . . .

      McAfee, however, found “the Defendants’ expressions and speech are alleged to have been made in furtherance of criminal activity and constitute false statements knowingly and willfully made in matters within a government agency’s jurisdiction which threaten to deceive and harm the government.”

      Added paragraph

      Reply
    16. 16.

      Baud

      April 4, 2024 at 1:11 pm

      @Scout211:

      👍

      Reply
    17. 17.

      Omnes Omnibus

      April 4, 2024 at 1:11 pm

      Is anyone else following the fun with Trump’s rejected bond?

      Reply
    18. 18.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      April 4, 2024 at 1:12 pm

      Is there anything interesting in Trump’s bond payment being rejected? I know it was missing some paperwork. But are there any implications I don’t see

      ETA: Oh! Omnes posted a minute before I did. Great minds.

      Reply
    19. 19.

      Old School

      April 4, 2024 at 1:12 pm

      @rikyrah:

      Has to be an inside job.

      Or the Beagle Boys.

      Reply
    20. 20.

      Chief Oshkosh

      April 4, 2024 at 1:12 pm

      I am sorry that so many here seem to be uninspired today. In the thread just below this one, Jeffro at #17 provided a link to an FNYT questionnaire asking for people to tell them why they are excited to vote in the upcoming election. I’m not sure if the “Reply” functionality works across threads, but here is a link:

      <a href=”#comment-9155410″>@Jeffro</a>:

      I found it to be an uplifting activity. Try it, you might like it! :)

      Reply
    21. 21.

      What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

      April 4, 2024 at 1:14 pm

      “It’s just mind blowing that you would never suspect it,” he said. “$30 million in the Valley, gone. How? Why? I’m still trying to process it. Was it an inside job? Was it just one person? Was it a group? You know, there’s a lot of questions.”

      I guess the part I’m struggling with is the puzzlement over “why”…seems pretty self evident to me.

      Reply
    22. 22.

      Chief Oshkosh

      April 4, 2024 at 1:14 pm

      @hueyplong: At last the day is came!

      Reply
    23. 23.

      scav

      April 4, 2024 at 1:14 pm

      @Scout211: Aaahhh, even helps a chilly grey morning.

      Reply
    24. 24.

      Trivia Man

      April 4, 2024 at 1:17 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: with great interest

      for those not following, the TLDR is that the bind company did not file THRIR financials. T was not filing anything else.

      Reply
    25. 25.

      Kristine

      April 4, 2024 at 1:18 pm

      Gorgeous flowers 💕!

      I just have daffodils and the tail end of the hellebore and crocuses. The forsythia is showing signs. I have a bleeding heart in the shade garden, but it has yet to sprout.

      Supposed to be partly cloudy here on Monday. They’ve backed off from the earlier forecast of mostly cloudy. Hoping the trend continues.

      Reply
    26. 26.

      Trivia Man

      April 4, 2024 at 1:19 pm

      Tip for the eclipse- find a tree with leaves and look at the shadow. You will see an eclipse shadow in EVERY break in the leaves. Really cool, even when n the partial segment

      Reply
    27. 27.

      Brachiator

      April 4, 2024 at 1:19 pm

      @hueyplong:

      We’ll always have Paris. And lots of loot.

      Reply
    28. 28.

      NotMax

      April 4, 2024 at 1:19 pm

      Fries? Maybe okay. But chicken? Too many things can go awry with or contaminate that to not look askance at this set-up.
      Now there’s an AI gas station with robot fry cooks.

      Reply
    29. 29.

      rikyrah

      April 4, 2024 at 1:22 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      It’s like a vicious cycle.

      His crime was falsifying financial statements.

      In order to get the bond, he has to submit a financial statement.

      Does it have to be truthful?

      Can he submit the false statements that he did before?

      What are the rules?

      Reply
    30. 30.

      John S.

      April 4, 2024 at 1:22 pm

      @Kristine:

      My rhodies have exploded the last few days. It’s one of the things I love about living in WA state. ☺️

      Reply
    31. 31.

      rikyrah

      April 4, 2024 at 1:23 pm

      @Chief Oshkosh:

       In the thread just below this one, Jeffro at #17 provided a link to an FNYT questionnaire asking for people to tell them why they are excited to vote in the upcoming election

       

      I just want to help protect democracy. It’s messy, but, it’s what we have and it’s worth fighting for.

      Reply
    32. 32.

      rikyrah

      April 4, 2024 at 1:24 pm

      @What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:

      I guess the part I’m struggling with is the puzzlement over “why”…seems pretty self evident to me.

       

      Police officer: Why do you rob banks?

      Willie Sutton: That’s where the money is.

      Reply
    33. 33.

      Nelle

      April 4, 2024 at 1:24 pm

      Thanks for the flower photos.  It gives me hope.

      I was inspired to have a Great Grumble with my neighbor down the street yesterday.  She’s 76, I’m 72.  We both have bodies that are finding new and curious ways to give us Problems and we both end up going from doctor to doctor.  We needed a Great Grumble to each other, to the point that we were laughing in a “what are you going to do?” way.

      And then we agreed to gather a few more friends and assemble bags to hang on doors for the upcoming primary.  We’ll make a party of it next week.

      A Great Grumble should always be followed by something fun and something to try to make a difference.

      Reply
    34. 34.

      Brachiator

      April 4, 2024 at 1:25 pm

      @rikyrah:

      Has to be an inside job.

      Reminds me of one of the elaborate robbery attempts from the movie Heat.

      Reply
    35. 35.

      Nelle

      April 4, 2024 at 1:25 pm

      @John S.: What I long for is that scent of spring in the PNW – a mixture of flower fragrance (mostly rhodies) and salt air.  Bottle that and you will cure a lot of the world’s ills.

      Reply
    36. 36.

      NotMax

      April 4, 2024 at 1:25 pm

      Repeating from earlier.

      Blimp-eye view of the 1925 eclipse over NYC.

      Also too,

      <blockquote<A final anecdote regarding the 1925 eclipse in New York City involved a rather unusual court case that was tried in a courtroom on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (Harlem) on the same day as the eclipse. It seems that on the night before the eclipse, three men were arrested and thrown in jail for apparently causing a ruckus thanks to the fact that they were drunk.

      According to The New York Times, “. . . they had come to their plight through overdoing a liquid celebration held as a preliminary to watching the eclipse.”

      The three men were brought before City Magistrate Richard F. McKiniry on the same afternoon following the eclipse.

      “You were in jail this morning when the eclipse took place?” inquired Judge McKiniry.
      “We were,” the three replied.
      “Well, I think you have been sufficiently punished,” Judge McKiniry said. “Discharged.”
      Source

      Reply
    37. 37.

      hueyplong

      April 4, 2024 at 1:26 pm

      @Brachiator: No doubt some beautiful friendships are under way, unless one of them goes on Jimmy Conway on the others (cue Derek and the Dominos).

      Reply
    38. 38.

      MomSense

      April 4, 2024 at 1:27 pm

      I had crocuses and daffodils coming up-now covered in heavy snow.  We are having a nor’easter. I’d say we have 10-12 inches so far.

      Reply
    39. 39.

      NotMax

      April 4, 2024 at 1:27 pm

      Dammit. Fix. Repeating from earlier.

      Blimp-eye view of the 1925 eclipse over NYC.

      Also too,

      A final anecdote regarding the 1925 eclipse in New York City involved a rather unusual court case that was tried in a courtroom on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (Harlem) on the same day as the eclipse. It seems that on the night before the eclipse, three men were arrested and thrown in jail for apparently causing a ruckus thanks to the fact that they were drunk.

      According to The New York Times, “. . . they had come to their plight through overdoing a liquid celebration held as a preliminary to watching the eclipse.”

      The three men were brought before City Magistrate Richard F. McKiniry on the same afternoon following the eclipse.

      “You were in jail this morning when the eclipse took place?” inquired Judge McKiniry.
      “We were,” the three replied.
      “Well, I think you have been sufficiently punished,” Judge McKiniry said. “Discharged.”
      Source

      Reply
    40. 40.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 1:30 pm

      @wjca:

      When storying $30 million…

      I don’t know, maybe hire some guards or do a check-in or something?

      Sheesh.

      Reply
    41. 41.

      Scout211

      April 4, 2024 at 1:31 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: @Dorothy A. Winsor:

      This CBS article has a good round-up (so far) of the issues and the Knight Securities defense of their surety bond filing.

      Some highlights:

      There seem to be serious issues,” said Bruce H. Lederman, an attorney who has filed many bonds in New York, including for a real estate developer challenging a judgment. Lederman said he was struck by “glaring errors” in the bond.

      “In all the years I’ve been doing this, you always have to have a certificate from the Department of Financial Services saying that you’re licensed to issue a surety bond,” he said, referring to the missing certificate of solvency under Section 1111 of New York Insurance Law.

      Lederman noticed that Knight Specialty is not listed on New York’s Department of Financial Services website.

      . . .

      Knight Insurance’s president Amit Shah said thatrestriction does not apply to them. He said Knight has over $1 billion in equity.

      “Knight Specialty Insurance Company is not a New York domestic insurer, and New York surplus lines insurance laws do not regulate the solvency of non-New York excess lines insurers,” he said. “So we don’t believe we need the 10% surplus.”

      The billionaire behind Trump’s bond is Don Hankey, the chairman of Knight Insurance, which owns the subsidiary that wrote the bond.

      Hankey said that Trump used “cash” as collateral for the bond, a total of $175 million.

      “First he furnished about $120 million worth of bonds that we OK’d, so we assumed it would be investment-grade bonds and cash. But as it turned out, it was all cash,” he told CBS News in a brief phone call on Tuesday.

      But Trump retained that $175 million cash collateral, according to Shah. He said the money is in an account that is “pledged” to the company. He would not specify the type of account. Trump paid a premium to the company that Shah declined to disclose.

      . . .

      Shah explained that the company is authorized to issue a surety bond in New York through the Excess Line Association of New York (ELANY). He said the company is approved by ELANY to issue bonds from its home domicile state of Delaware, where it is allowed to write surety bonds.

      “Our position is we’re compliant,” said Shah.

      . . .

      Shah initially said that the company had in fact submitted a financial statement with the bond. However, during a conversation the following day, Pepitone said the financial statement was not supposed to be a part of the filing and was “not willing” to share it with CBS.

      If Knight Specialty does not have Trump’s cash collateral for the bond in its possession, Lederman questioned whether the company “could or would pay immediately” if Trump loses his appeal. Lederman said d New York  Attorney General Letitia James should investigate to determine if the company is in compliance with the requirements of the state law.

      Reply
    42. 42.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 1:36 pm

      @rikyrah: In my criminology class in college, the instructor made the point that we shouldn’t be trying to understand why people commit financial crimes – instead we should be researching why someone would be willing to work 30 years for a sum of money that they could have in a day if they stole it.

      Reply
    43. 43.

      stinger

      April 4, 2024 at 1:36 pm

      Love bleeding hearts (any color), Virginia bluebells, and tulips! All I have so far are various daffodils. Which is good, because it snowed here off and on over the past two days. It’s melted now, but still.

      @Nelle:

      A Great Grumble should always be followed by something fun and something to try to make a difference.

      Both parts of this activity sound great!

      Reply
    44. 44.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 1:37 pm

      @MomSense: Hopefully the snow will protect them from the cold.

      Reply
    45. 45.

      Brachiator

      April 4, 2024 at 1:37 pm

      @WaterGirl:

      I don’t know, maybe hire some guards or do a check-in or something?

      Night clerk: We got $30 million safely tucked away in a vault that’s more secure than the tomb of Jesus. Nobody could possibly break in. Good night everybody. See you on Monday.

      Reply
    46. 46.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 1:38 pm

      @stinger:

      Love bleeding hearts (any color), Virginia bluebells, and tulips! All I have so far are various daffodils.

      Then you would be very happy at my house.

      Reply
    47. 47.

      scav

      April 4, 2024 at 1:38 pm

      Their world’s best businessman (and his lauded ability to identity the best apprentices) repeatedly can’t manage basic paperwork (financial or legal), basic makeup or distinguishing a hotel from a landscaping parking lot.  Their errors in basic square footage and the ilk usually err in their immediate favor, but they can’t even get things right when chips are down.

      Reply
    48. 48.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 1:39 pm

      @Brachiator:  LOL

      It’s mind-boggling.

      Reply
    49. 49.

      cope

      April 4, 2024 at 1:42 pm

      Beautiful weather here in Western Colorado with temps headed to the mid 70s this afternoon. Recent storms have snow pack mostly above normal so summer water supplies should be good.

      Both my brothers are coming over in a bit to watch Liverpool play. A win puts them back at the top of the table.

      One of my wife’s best college buds and her new beau are coming to visit this weekend and that should fun.

      We’ll only get around 60% of the eclipse, weather permitting, but I got to see totality in ‘17 so I’m good. I”ll drag my solar telescope out to watch as well as shoot some pics with my solar filter protected camera.

      If only I could bring myself to finish doing our taxes…

      Reply
    50. 50.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 1:42 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: Wondering whether you see any “there” there?

      Reply
    51. 51.

      stinger

      April 4, 2024 at 1:42 pm

      @WaterGirl: ​
       I so appreciate you sharing photos of them!

      Reply
    52. 52.

      smith

      April 4, 2024 at 1:44 pm

      @Scout211: He said the money is in an account that is “pledged” to the company. He would not specify the type of account. Trump paid a premium to the company that Shah declined to disclose.

      The fun thing here is that Judge Barbara Jones should have this information in her role as monitor, and she will report it to Judge Engoron. If there’s anything hinky going on, we’ll know about it soon enough.

      Reply
    53. 53.

      MattF

      April 4, 2024 at 1:46 pm

      It’s been argued that a watching a solar eclipse is a good opportunity to run into aliens. The exact motions and geometry of our earth-moon-sun combination are rare enough to attract interstellar tourists, supposing there actually are any.

      Reply
    54. 54.

      BC in Illinois

      April 4, 2024 at 1:46 pm

      I haven’t seen anyone comment that the Trump / Lee Greenwood Bible doesn’t include the entire US Constitution, just the original 1787 edition and the  first ten amendments.

      No 13th, 14th, 19th amendments, etc.

      I think that, in order to be a Trump Bible, it should include Title 18 of the U.S. Code of Laws.

      Reply
    55. 55.

      Soprano2

      April 4, 2024 at 1:47 pm

      So update on hubby – he’s home and seems a lot better than last time. I actually got him to go to the bar with me last night, so that’s an improvement over not wanting to leave the house. That’s the good news. I sure hope he goes to get his blood drawn today when go home to get him, he has to have that done.

      I talked to the intake nurse about the home health care and found out a few things I hadn’t known that I definitely should have been told. First, she said “he was almost septic when he came to the hospital, did you know that? ” I said “No, no one ever mentioned that to me.” I think that would have been an important thing for them to tell me, right? Second, when he was discharged the nurse gave me the discharge papers and said “These are his three new medicines”. I told him that hubby already takes two of them. He acted like he didn’t hear me and insisted they were new, so when I went to the pharmacy I refused them because I already had them at home. One of them was Eliquis, which I just paid $147 for a three month supply for last week. The intake nurse told me that they were different dosages than what he takes now, lower dosages. NO ONE TOLD ME THAT OR SAID ANYTHING ABOUT IT AT THE HOSPITAL! Turns out, thank God, I can cut the Eliquis in half and use it that way, because the dosage they want him to take now is half the dosage of the pills I have. She said I can do that with the other pill if it’s scored in the middle, but I’m not as worried about that one because the insurance pays for it so if I have to get new ones it’s not as big of a deal. Third, she told me they discontinued one of his meds completely. AGAIN, NO ONE TOLD ME THIS AT THE HOSPITAL. How am I supposed to do things if they don’t tell me about them? I talked to the doctor he saw in the hospital and the nurse on the floor, neither one of them said anything about it. They gave me a list of his meds with the discharge papers, I guess I was supposed to look at that list and just know these things without them mentioning it. I wonder how many people would get those new prescriptions and give both pills because no one told them differently? I felt like he got good care in the hospital, but the discharge was fucked up. I guess now I know I have to ask these questions, but how do you know if you’ve never had that experience before?

      Reply
    56. 56.

      Jay C

      April 4, 2024 at 1:47 pm

      @scav:

      TBF, the omissions in the sloppy paperwork filed for posting TFG’s bond were Knight Specialty’s fault; not Trump’s (for a change). Though the instance of slovenly regulatory filing seems very much on character for the client.

      My question is: (if I’m reading their release correctly) – if Trump could cough up $175M in “cash” to Knight to secure the bond, why couldn’t he provide the amount to the court in NY?

      (I’m probably missing something here)

      Reply
    57. 57.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 1:49 pm

      @stinger: The other corner of the yard in back.

      Reply
    58. 58.

      Ohio Mom

      April 4, 2024 at 1:52 pm

      @Trivia Man: Yes! I did that seven years ago when I watched the partial eclipse from my driveway. A colender also works — every circle acts as a pinhole camera. Just hold it up and look at the sidewalk under it. You will see many crescent moons.

      I am very excited for the eclipse. Right next to me (sitting at the kitchen table) is my packing list: eclipse glasses, lots of food and drinks, folding chairs, blankets (it could get chilly, sitting outside), and the colender.

      Reply
    59. 59.

      Old School

      April 4, 2024 at 1:52 pm

      @WaterGirl: Nice!

      Reply
    60. 60.

      Scout211

      April 4, 2024 at 1:53 pm

      @Jay C: if Trump could cough up $175M in “cash” to Knight to secure the bond, why couldn’t he provide the amount to the court in NY?

      See my link above:

      But Trump retained that $175 million cash collateral, according to Shah. He said the money is in an account that is “pledged” to the company. He would not specify the type of account.

      Trump has not handed over the money, he just promised it.  They took his word, of course.

      Reply
    61. 61.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 1:53 pm

      @Jay C: Maybe you’re missing the part where the [fill in the blank with the country or zillionaire of your choice] passed him there bag of cash under the table

      edit: or what Scout211 said

      edit2: then they never should have reduced his amount down to 175.  grumble-grumble

      Reply
    62. 62.

      Old School

      April 4, 2024 at 1:53 pm

      @Soprano2: Glad to hear hubby is doing better!

      The regulars at the bar must have been thrilled to see him.

      Reply
    63. 63.

      Scout211

      April 4, 2024 at 1:53 pm

      @WaterGirl: Your whole yard is so beautiful!

      Reply
    64. 64.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 1:54 pm

      @Old School: I swear I thinned out the daffodils last year and gave a whole bunch of them to my best friend.  They are spreading faster than I can thin them.

      Reply
    65. 65.

      JCJ

      April 4, 2024 at 1:56 pm

      @WaterGirl:  So lovely!  Such a difference in blooming between where you are in Illinois and SE Wisconsin at this time of year

      We have some daffodils blooming, but they look like they are not happy about the recent snow.  and tulips?  We don’t even try since they are all eaten by large brown rats (aka deer)

      Reply
    66. 66.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 1:56 pm

      @Scout211:  Thank you!

      Flowers make me happy.

      Reply
    67. 67.

      hueyplong

      April 4, 2024 at 1:56 pm

      @Jay C: Trump paid a “premium” to the bonding co.  That “premium” wasn’t $175M.

      In a normal case, the person turns over a percentage in cash and pledges collateral sufficient to cover the balance.  You can imagine the legitimacy of Trump’s pledging” of the balance to a company controlled by a big contributor to his campaign.

      Reply
    68. 68.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 1:57 pm

      @hueyplong: I wonder – and by wonder I mean hope – that this wing-wink transaction isn’t good enough for the person who is watching over the financial side of things.

      Reply
    69. 69.

      scav

      April 4, 2024 at 1:59 pm

      @Jay C: Well, half of the makeup errors were Giuliani’s in similarly utter fairness and loads of his legal errors (not checking boxes to get the correct venue, admitting evidence without thought I seem to remember) are due his cheap-ass legal minions.  That is partially the point, he surrounds himself with cheap-ass minions / apprentices. And promises to run the nation as he does his cheap-ass failing & flailing business empire.    Rub his maga supporters noses in their basic incompetence and incoherence.

      Reply
    70. 70.

      scav

      April 4, 2024 at 2:02 pm

      @WaterGirl: Spreading daffodils.  That is a problem I would so love to have.  Also with snowdrops, glory of the snow, cyclamen and squill if at all possible.

      Reply
    71. 71.

      hueyplong

      April 4, 2024 at 2:02 pm

      @WaterGirl: The worry I have about the reduced bond is whether the appellate court is thinking about reducing the award on appeal, which would make reducing the bond genuinely fair (even though applied to a miscreant like Trump).

      Big-ass awards are often reduced on appeal, despite the fact that we disagree for public policy reasons.

      Reply
    72. 72.

      karen marie

      April 4, 2024 at 2:04 pm

      @Old School: “may have been a vault”

       

      It’s a complete fucking mystery!

      Reply
    73. 73.

      Ohio Mom

      April 4, 2024 at 2:04 pm

      @Soprano2: Discharge must be an Achilles heel of medicine. Over the years, Ohio Family has experienced several sets of screwed up discharge instructions. It’s like they are so happy to get rid of you, they can’t be bothered with any details.

      Reply
    74. 74.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 2:07 pm

      @scav:

      Also with snowdrops, glory of the snow, cyclamen and squill if at all possible.

      Cyclamen is the only one on your list that I don’t have.  I will have to google.

      edit: Pretty!

      Reply
    75. 75.

      Brachiator

      April 4, 2024 at 2:09 pm

      @cope:

      If only I could bring myself to finish doing our taxes…

      More Procrastination is just an extension away.

      When I did more individual taxes, I would have a few clients who would wait until the very last minute to get me their information. Finally I had to inform clients that I would not do any new work during the two days before the filing deadline. I would happily process extensions.

      I had one person challenge me on this, who said, “We have until April 15.”

      I explained that they had until April 15 if they wanted to file their own taxes, but that if they wanted my services, they had to meet my deadline.

      Reply
    76. 76.

      smith

      April 4, 2024 at 2:11 pm

      @hueyplong: I saw a commentary by Michael Popok in which he speculated that the reduced bond did indeed reflect the Appellate Court’s intention to reduce the amount of disgorgement, not because of favoritism toward TFG, but because they disagree with Engoron’s interpretation of the statute of limitations.

      Reply
    77. 77.

      smith

      April 4, 2024 at 2:13 pm

      @scav: and squill if at all possible.

      Be careful what you wish for. Squill is one of the most aggressive plants I’ve ever grown.

      Reply
    78. 78.

      Wapiti

      April 4, 2024 at 2:14 pm

      @Jay C: TBF, the omissions in the sloppy paperwork filed for posting TFG’s bond were Knight Specialty’s fault; not Trump’s (for a change). 

      :shrug: So let James start seizing Trump properties to pay the judgement, and let Trump sue Knight Specialty. Seems fair to me.

      Reply
    79. 79.

      hueyplong

      April 4, 2024 at 2:15 pm

      @smith: That’s disappointing, but we’re seeing that Trump can be put in a bad spot without his obligations breaking the half-billion mark.  In the grand scheme of things, it just means he’s for sale at a cheaper price than we thought.

      That’s small potatoes next to his status as a serial rapist and traitor.

      Reply
    80. 80.

      Wapiti

      April 4, 2024 at 2:20 pm

      @Brachiator: Yeah, my father has dithered on his taxes and worked with extensions for years, to the point that it’s a family joke. In 2022 he was scrambling to try to get a second extension (which I don’t think exists). In 2023 I worked with his tax guy and got them done on time. I finished the 2024 taxes and asked him to look them over… and he started explaining that he wasn’t sure of some of the numbers…

      In his defense, he has good days and bad days, and in a pinch I’ll just sign them with the power of attorney. But over-achievers and their fear of turning in something that might not be perfect. (I do suffer from this, but not on taxes). Perfect is the enemy of good enough.

      Reply
    81. 81.

      Soprano2

      April 4, 2024 at 2:21 pm

      @Old School: Yes, they were. I John I had to provide them with proof of life.

      Reply
    82. 82.

      Soprano2

      April 4, 2024 at 2:23 pm

      @Ohio Mom: Hubby wouldn’t use the call button, so I’m sure they were glad he was gone. OTOH, that meant he got help to use the bathroom quickly. Sometimes he was already in there when they got to the room. He said if he had to wait for them he’d pee the bed. They put him on an IObserver, which is a nurse who watches you through a camera in the room. Not creepy at all…..

      Reply
    83. 83.

      scav

      April 4, 2024 at 2:31 pm

      @smith: To be specific, I’m hoping for Scilla siberica, the little guys.  I think my sister had massive issues with one of the larger types.  They certainly seemed happier around Chicago, but not here in the upper left so far.  Luckily, they’d be in an area where letting them rip would be ok.  Still, good to know.

      Reply
    84. 84.

      geg6

      April 4, 2024 at 2:33 pm

      @Scout211:

      Hmmmm, I’m no financial or legal whiz, but something does not smell right here.

      Reply
    85. 85.

      SkyBluePink

      April 4, 2024 at 2:34 pm

      Beautiful flowers! Beautiful yard!

      Reply
    86. 86.

      stinger

      April 4, 2024 at 2:35 pm

      @WaterGirl: Ohhh, yessss!

      Reply
    87. 87.

      geg6

      April 4, 2024 at 2:36 pm

      @cope: ​
       
      We should have about 97% here in Pittsburgh (which is why I declined to drive up to Erie, where it’s supposed to be the full monty). Now, if only it isn’t too cloudy to view.

      Reply
    88. 88.

      Nelle

      April 4, 2024 at 2:38 pm

      @WaterGirl: Beautiful.  Absolutely beautiful.  Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
    89. 89.

      smith

      April 4, 2024 at 2:42 pm

      @scav: I’m pretty sure I have Siberian squill here — they were already in my yard when I moved in, so I don’t know for sure. But I’m also in Chicago, and it may be that the conditions here are exactly right for them to proliferate.

      Reply
    90. 90.

      mrmoshpotato

      April 4, 2024 at 2:43 pm

      @Ohio Mom:

      I am very excited for the eclipse. Right next to me (sitting at the kitchen table) is my packing list: eclipse glasses, lots of food and drinks, folding chairs, blankets (it could get chilly, sitting outside), and the colender. 

      How far are you traveling?

      Reply
    91. 91.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 2:48 pm

      @scav: Those are the ones I have, they are really pretty.

      Reply
    92. 92.

      mrmoshpotato

      April 4, 2024 at 2:51 pm

      @MattF: 🙄 And yet aliens have never shown up for a solar eclipse in the past.

      Reply
    93. 93.

      Brachiator

      April 4, 2024 at 3:01 pm

      @Wapiti:

      In his defense, he has good days and bad days, and in a pinch I’ll just sign them with the power of attorney. But over-achievers and their fear of turning in something that might not be perfect.

      I can understand this, but sometimes people hurt themselves by scrambling at the last minute. I had one client who was an actor. He would often call me close to the deadline to tell me he had found additional W2s for small roles that he had forgotten about. And this was after I had completed his tax return.

      I tried to be as helpful as possible with people like this, but would try not to absorb their procrastinating or desire to drag things out.

      Reply
    94. 94.

      Another Scott

      April 4, 2024 at 3:52 pm

      @geg6: Supposedly even 99% is not good enough to get the full effect.  But I understand not wanting to fight the traffic.

      It will be 87% in DC. The last partial one we had in 2017 was 82% and it was interesting. WaPo story with nice time-lapse movie, etc..

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
    95. 95.

      Albatrossity

      April 4, 2024 at 3:55 pm

      For those of you who believe that Meta/Facebook is the spawn of Satan, here’s more evidence. The Kansas Reflector, an excellent journalism site here (they broke the story about the police raid on the small-town newspaper in Marion KS), published an article about climate change that criticized FB. When the editor tried to link that article on the Reflector’s FB page, it was rejected. Twice. Shortly after that FB swept ALL FB pages of ALL links to the Reflector, claiming that they constituted a “cybersecurity threat”.

      I had 61 FB posts removed, some over two years old.

      Snowflakes have algorithms, apparently.

      Reply
    96. 96.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 4:06 pm

      @JCJ: I wouldn’t have expected that much difference in weather.  But I guess it’s like differences in ages in relationships.

      15 and 25 – huge difference, and legal issues

      25 and 35 – not so much

      40 and 50 – not so much

      50 to 80 – huge differences

      So maybe weather not so different most of the year, but pronounced differences in early spring and later in the fall?

      Reply
    97. 97.

      Xavier

      April 4, 2024 at 4:40 pm

      Why is it that flowers in cool and moist climates seem to be subtle and muted, whereas flowers that bloom in the desert after a rain are exuberant?

      Reply
    98. 98.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 4:59 pm

      @Xavier: Maybe it’s just my garden?  I am more of a soft palette person.  Though I do have hot pink peonies that aren’t blooming yet.

      Reply
    99. 99.

      wjca

      April 4, 2024 at 5:29 pm

      @Scout211: Trump has not handed over the money, he just promised it.  They took his word, of course.

      So, if when he stiffs them, does that count as taxable income to him?

      Reply
    100. 100.

      evodevo

      April 4, 2024 at 6:15 pm

      @Soprano2:  This is why there are so many iatrogenic conditions and deaths 250k!!) in this country..you’ve got overworked personnel at the lower levels, and MD’s pushing patients through to meet quotas.  You need a degree or a hobby in pharmacology to survive.  That shouldn’t be true in a supposed First World country…

      Reply
    101. 101.

      evodevo

      April 4, 2024 at 6:17 pm

      @Scout211:  Well, ya see, he can use that same $175k in several different courts, right?  Right?  I’m sure that’s what he was counting on…

      Reply
    102. 102.

      evodevo

      April 4, 2024 at 6:24 pm

      @Albatrossity:  Yep…I had one removed today from…2022!  i can’t even remember what it said, and when you click on the “more information” button, all it does is repeat what the first notice said.  Kinda hard to avoid whatever triggered the algorithm when you can’t even see the original post.  What a bunch of morons..

      Reply
    103. 103.

      Mary

      April 4, 2024 at 6:41 pm

      Can you tell us the name of the lovely flowers?  I may try to grow some if they would survive in a pot. They’re gorgeous.  Thanks!

      Reply
    104. 104.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 6:43 pm

      @evodevo:

      Well, ya see, he can use that same $175k in several different courts,

      Oh, I bet you’re right.  That was the plan.

      Reply
    105. 105.

      WaterGirl

      April 4, 2024 at 6:46 pm

      @Mary: Not sure which you mean, but I’ll try.

      The first one is a bleeding heart.  They come in white and in pink.  Not sure they would work in a pot.

      Second on is a Virginial Bluebell.  Not sure that would work in a pot.

      The tulips would grow in a pot, though, because I tried doing that with some of my tulip bulbs last fall – for a friend who loves tulips but can’t really grow them in her yard because it’s too shady and too damp because of the shade.

      You’ll see several clumps of those in the third photo.

      Reply
    106. 106.

      kalakal

      April 4, 2024 at 8:56 pm

      @WaterGirl: Lovely, I do miss spring bulbs

      Reply

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