.
McConnell: no new Supreme Court justice until the NRA approves of the nominee https://t.co/3VvLhBQVYQ pic.twitter.com/oi4dmYf1Uq
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) March 20, 2016
And also the gun mom shot by her four year old has to be on board. https://t.co/kKRW9K3Ij2
— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) March 20, 2016
David Duke calls SCOTUS nominee Merrick Garland a "Jewish supremacist" https://t.co/iuyZbVjaBV
— Tablet Magazine (@tabletmag) March 20, 2016
So does @SenOrrinHatch stand up to Duke and defend Garland, or can't he because of the ridiculous position he's in? https://t.co/WtiUvLpCgJ
— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) March 20, 2016
Another Republican breaks with party over Obama's SCOTUS nominee: https://t.co/2mZT6J1xw6 pic.twitter.com/3aANvfUjD8
— The Hill (@thehill) March 19, 2016
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) suggested Thursday he would be willing to meet with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, though it won’t change his position.
“I have no problem with meeting with people,” he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’ll have to say, I’m not sure what the point will be.”Johnson, considered one of the most vulnerable senators up for reelection, is the latest Republican to split with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and say he would accept a meeting if the White House reaches out…
Republican Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Mark Kirk (Ill.) and Rob Portman (Ohio) — who are in reelection fights that, along with Johnson’s, will help decide which party controls the Senate next year — have also said they would be willing to meet with Garland…
Separately, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said Thursday he would agree to a meeting, though it wouldn’t change his position. He also spoke with Garland Wednesday.
Simply put: The #SCOTUS nomination is going to have to go to the American people in 2016. https://t.co/AN29xQbfNuhttps://t.co/yWPZzxKKwN
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) March 20, 2016
1) We cannot have a vote on SCOTUS until the voters weigh in.
2) If the GOP’s voters weigh in and nominate Trump they must be stopped.
— daveweigel (@daveweigel) March 20, 2016
***********
Apart from REPUBS IN DISARRAY!, what’s on the agenda as we wrap up the weekend?
Trentrunner
If you think the GOP obstruction of Obama has been bad, wait until HRC is president.
We’ll look back fondly on these days because Obama gave them absolutely nothing actual to work with.
Hillary will make the usual range of Clinton mistakes, and they all will be enlarged “-gated” beyond all recognition.
Also, despite the cracks in the GOP facade, they are not going to approve an Obama SCOTUS nominee. They just aren’t.
Cacti
Thanks to Speaker Ryan for weighing on the House position on a SCOTUS replacement.
Because as we all know, the Constitution empowers the House of Representatives…
With no say whatsoever over judicial appointments.
Sit down and shut up, squeaky.
Germy
Their “let the people decide” argument really bugs me. I voted for O in 2012 because of the possibility of a supreme court nomination. Where’s my voice?
eemom
Yer gonna lose the Senate, fucktards.
Dear God, how I hate these people.
schrodinger's cat
Clean up after massive cooking, where I do most of the cooking for the week. Ironing my clothes, getting ready for the week etc while listening to music.
Hearing 1947 Earth’s score by A. R. Rehman. One of his most inspired. If you haven’t seen this Deepa Mehta movie, you should see this movie to see what happens when you uncork the genie of communal hatred.
ETA: Especially relevant with the rise of Trump.
BBA
Obviously the House will impeach Hillary on day one. You could probably write “BENGHAZI!!!” on a sheet of paper, call it an article of impeachment and get most of the House to vote for it.
David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch
Vintage cars in Cuba have amazing curves (photo)
gogol's wife
@eemom:
They make me so sick with their “let the people decide.”
Technocrat
@Trentrunner:
My theory is that the Republicans discover scandals at a rate that is approximately constant. We don’t see a lot of these scandals because we’re in the liberal “bubble”. But check this out:
Obama is at Two Dozen Scandals and Counting
That’s from 2013, mind you.
Suzanne
Agenda includes finishing cleaning up my house and helping Spawn with her science project.
I’m feeling at a total loss as to what to do with Spawn. I read her diary and her texts. Her best friend is this dude she has been friends with since third grade. He is binging and purging, and he cuts, and he apparently attempted suicide, and I think he encourages her to cut, too. Her other good friend apparently came out as bi. Another friend is apparently being abused by her foster parents and also cuts. I am thinking about sending her to a different school next year. I don’t want her to be in this group that normalizes bad behavior. My ex husband forgot tonpick her up on Friday like he was supposed to. She is still struggling with anxiety.
She has appointments with two mental health professionals this week.
jeffreyw
Freezing a couple of dozen egg rolls. I kept a few out for lunch.
schrodinger's cat
@Suzanne: {{{ }}} I have no advice to give but I will keep you and spawn in my thoughts.
Mustang Bobby
Overheard in Havana as the Obama motorcade went by: “Ejole! Check out the new Cadillac!”
jeffreyw
I wonder who to blame for the Flint water fuckup? I know! Let’s ask the people of Flint! Let the people decide!
Patricia Kayden
I don’t understand Weigel’s second point: “2) If the GOP’s voters weigh in and nominate Trump they must be stopped.”
What makes Weigel believe that Republican Senators wouldn’t vote on and confirm Trump’s nominee if he wins the Presidency in November?
Iowa Old Lady
@Suzanne: It’s tough to know what to do. Parenting is the most subtle thing I ever did.
Patricia Kayden
@Trentrunner: The GOP obstruction of Obama will continue into a Clinton administration only if Republicans retain control of the Senate. Otherwise, Clinton will be smart enough to get as much as she can through during the time that the Senate flips back to Democratic control. She needs to get everything done before the first mid-term election when there is a big chance that Democrats stay home and the Senate flips back to the Republicans.
Anya
I always wanted to ask, is ‘repub’ similar to when republicans saying ‘democRAT’?
AnotherBruce
Ex Senator to be, Ron Johnson is willing to meet with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, but won’t listen to a word he says. “I have no problem meeting with people, but I have to say, I’m not sure what the point would be.” In other words, Ron Johnson has used actual words to say exactly nothing.
Nate Dawg
@Patricia Kayden: he means the GOP is loudly proclaiming that Trump shouldn’t be awarded nomination even if he wins more votes.
Germy
@Anya:
I think repub is an abbreviation (like “dem”). I don’t think it’s meant to be insulting like “democrap” or other variations I’ve heard.
I think democRAT is more like republiklown.
schrodinger's cat
This the most haunting number :
Ishwar Allah tere jahan me
Nafrat kyon hai, jung hai kyon
Ishwar = god in Sanskrit
Allah = god in Urdu
God, in your world why is there is hatred and war?
* 1947 movie is set in Lahore during India’s partition. Lahore saw unprecedented bloodshed during the partition of India. Friends of a lifetime became sworn enemies, capable of most gruesome acts of violence.
lollipopguild
@Anya: I prefer repthuglicans.
BGinCHI
The GOP has a problem understanding elections and voting.
1. Your voters are voting for Trump. By big majorities. You can’t unfuck that chicken.
2. Obama was voted in, twice, by healthy margins.
3. See #1. You are going to lose again and are not going to pick a SCOTUS nom.
4. Until you get your autocracy, this is going to be hard for you. Maybe take some pills.
Germy
Open thread? Here’s my rant:
Some roof damage. Slate roof needs to be repaired. Last month I called a roofer who’d been recommended to me as a specialist in slate roofs. So I called and left a message. Six hours later I get a call back. The lady tells me to call back in a month as they are backed up. Okay. So last Friday I called back, left another message. Six hours later she calls back (it bounces to voicemail even though my phone was on all day) and tells me they don’t do slate roof repair.
So I wasted a month. I told her a month ago the roof was slate. So now I’m looking for a roof person. I asked a neighbor who’s been in his house since 1975 and he scratched his head. Couldn’t think of a single person to recommend. Said the last roofer he hired, his wife came home in the middle of the day and found the roofing crew drinking beers on top of his house and throwing the cans in the yard.
I’m looking at contractors online, and holy shit, some of the reviews are brutal.
Sometimes I wish I was renting an apartment. Just write a rent check once a month, and not have to deal with screening and hiring carpenters and plumbers and roofers. But my wife is of the Ownership mindset.
Here’s the thing: even though I sometimes find myself wishing I didn’t own a house; wishing I rented, every time I check my local news I see another story about some apartment building or another going up in flames.
Just recently, a gorgeous pre-war building with about 20 tenants burned to the ground because of some drunk asshole with a lit cigarette and candle next to his lazyboy at 3:00am.
So maybe this isn’t so bad.
AkaDad
This is just more bad news for Hillary and the Democrats.
kindness
I have to give Barack credit for this one. What’s the worst that could happen? We end up with this guy as a Supreme Court Justice. Well I’d trade him for Scalia any day, so….Well played Sir. Well played.
Misterpuff
@Germy: Well since both sides do it, I guess elected democratic officials call the other side of the aisle “Republiklowns”.
They don’t ……… but elected GOPers do call the opposition party The Democrat Party, better to suck up to FOX news and The Great Radio Windbag. Just another dog whistle.
I sometimes call em Repugs because they fight every point and defend every slight, but I wouldn’t call tem Repukes. Well maybe certain individual ones.
satby
@Suzanne: hope the counseling helps. Holding you and her in my thoughts.
JPL
@Germy: That sucks… ‘
I blame Obama.
Frankensteinbeck
@Suzanne:
Cutting is generally not seen as ‘bad behavior’, but as a reaction to abuse. Coming out as bi is not a negative at all. If you want to argue that her closest friends are sources of great stress because they’re going through very bad times, you’ve got a point.
Anya
@Anya: @lollipopguild: thanks! I thought that was the mildly insulting liberal way. Tho Andrew K of Buzzfeed says liberals insults are more vicious and more creative than conservative insults.
Major Major Major Major
Blah. Worst Sunday since last Sunday. One of my friends told me the reason nobody’s reached out to me post divorce is because “nobody likes talking to sad people,” so screw that guy.
PhoenixRising
@Suzanne: Is she 13? Because all of that is normal for 13. Not that you should cancel the appointments, but…we didn’t find the therapists to be terribly helpful. All the things she was going through in 8th grade were real things, not the kind of problem that is subject to reframing techniques to become opportunities.
The functional cure for anxiety was living to be 15 and seeing that some of those friends were making drama, some had huge issues threatening their futures, and some made bad choices. YMMV. She’s going to be fine, most likely, and whack your ex upside this head for me when you see him (my kid had all those issues and quite a few more, but a parent who proves that out of sight is out of mind…is not helpful).
Patricia Kayden
@srv: Shut up. You always talk nonsense. Why don’t you go to Stormfront or some other White Supremacist website where you ilk hangs out talking foolishness all day.
There will be no Clinton impeachment, you idiot.
satby
@Major Major Major Major: absolutely. Fuck that guy. And congrats on the ever increasing day count!
Aimai
@Suzanne: I am terribly sorry for what you are going through. My daughter suffers from anxiety as well. I think, given the situation, it might be a good idea if you could move schools. But social media means difficult/ problematic friends, who themselves are hurting, may continue to dominate her social life. Creatung new alliances and friend groups through new activities might work as well as actually moving her. Best of luck.
maryQ
Barack Obama broke the GOP. Barack Obama broke the GOP. The only thing that remains to be seen is whether these f*ckers take the country down with them.
But Barack Obama broke the GOP.
LAO
This really pisses me off. The republicans (nationally) are so shortsighted. Their Supreme Court strategy is not surprising when you consider that their desire to defeat Obama led them to embrace the tea party insanity, which is now ripping the Republican Party to shreds. Don’t get me wrong, they deserve what’s happening, it’s really unfair that the rest of the country is left picking up the pieces. I hate these fckers.
Patricia Kayden
@Suzanne: Sending good vibes your way for how you proceed with your daughter’s situation. I have zero children so I cannot imagine what you are going through. Best wishes.
@AnotherBruce: It would be lovely if Republicans not only lost the White House but also the Senate because of their obstructionism in the face of the fact that the American people by a 2-to-1 margin want them to do their job and consider President Obama’s nominee.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/supreme-court-nominee-poll_us_56e9724ce4b0b25c9183fd33
Patricia Kayden
@maryQ: One more thing to thank President Obama for!!
PhoenixRising
@Patricia Kayden: …have you…read about the House of Representatives?
I will take the other side of that assertion all day and twice on Sundays. 5 will get you 10 that in fact, President Hillary is going to be impeached, in that some twit of a Rep is going to introduce articles. They’ll have to. It will stop all real business and ultimately from the 2099 look-back those impeachments are going to take some of the blame for the results of our failures to act on climate on time….but they’ll do it. They are nihilistic ideologues.
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
@Germy: You have my undying sympathy. Around here we just go with whoever bothers to show up — they’re a rare and special breed.
In keeping with the whole “open thread” thing, I did an 18-mile fundraising ride on my bicycle yesterday. It’s not far, but given the fact that last September I considered myself too damned fat and out of shape to ride, and hadn’t been on a bicycle in over 15 years, I’ll take it. Yay me.
Now they’d better build that rail-to-trail thing we were raising the funds for, or I’ll have spent Saturday morning huffing and wheezing like an idiot for nothing.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Suzanne: I’m thinking good thoughts for your daughter, and your family. I hope that there are good adolescent mental health pros in your area. It’s a traumatic time for all the kids, and when there’s an underlying neurobehavioral issue it’s often rather akin to hell on earth for them.
maryQ
@Patricia Kayden: I just hope he gets appropriate credit. He probably will, someday, if we have a country left.
JPL
@Suzanne: My older son struggled and it’s hard. If I had any advice to give, it would be to take care of yourself. That way you will be able to be there for her. Take care.
Major Major Major Major
@satby: thanks. Seriously, who says that? What an asshole.
Germy
@Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA:
It’s so discouraging. In my experience, some don’t return calls. Some are honest, but incompetent. Some are dishonest and incompetent. Some do good work, but have rotten attitudes.
Congratulations on the bike marathon. Hope something good comes of it.
geg6
@BGinCHI:
They may be about to get a big lesson in elections. Just saw a poll out of Utah that has both Clinton and Sanders winning the state if Trump is the GOP nominee.
Hal
I’ve said before, and I’ll say again; Barack Obama by virtue of his mere existence as potus has pushed the gop to the edge. That alone deserves a medal.
AkaDad
@Germy:
I used to do roofing and we wouldn’t touch slate roofs. They’re extremely tricky to work with. If you can afford it, I suggest redoing the roof with architect shingles. They’re rated for at least 30 years and usually last a lot longer.
Patricia Kayden
@PhoenixRising: I’m not an expert on impeachment but I looked it up in wikipedia just now. You’re right that the House of Rep can impeach Secretary Clinton. However, 2/3rd of the Senate would have to vote her guilty for any punishment to be carried out, i.e., for her to be kicked out of office. I don’t see that happening, inasmuch as even if Republicans maintain control of the Senate, they won’t have 2/3rd of the Senate to be able to vote her guilty.
So yeah. We could end up with another situation like December 1998 where Republicans in the House voted to impeach President Clinton but fell short in the Senate for the guilty vote to remove him. But I really don’t see what such a pointless exercise would do for Republicans. It would just show the world that they have a lot of time to waste and love to engage in useless exercises.
JPL
OT on the OT.. This is a link to CNN International.. If you want to know about the President’s trip.. stream this
geg6
@Patricia Kayden:
And bring her numbers up and guarantee her reelection. Bring it on!
Germy
I’ve never seen such a delightfully deranged spokesperson.
http://crooksandliars.com/2016/03/katrina-pierson-trump-rally-violence
ThresherK (GPad)
@Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA: It’s March. Anyone on a bike can say they’re “just easing into it after winter”. Take it from me,.the guy whose bike still is tucked well away from last season.
Making a brisket which will not be done til somewhat late. My women’s bracket looks much better than my men’s,,, naturally.
LAO
@Patricia Kayden:
So, a continuation of the last 7 years? Never underestimate the Republican Party’s capacity to engage in useless exercises.
Iowa Old Lady
@Germy: Slate is an expensive pain in the butt. You need a specialist. Sorry I’m no help.
@AkaDad: The new “good news for John McCain”?
@Major Major Major Major: Come talk to BJ. We like having you around.
JMG
Dear Suzanne: I know what it’s like to have a young adolescent with serious issues. My daughter pulled out of it with professional help and more than a decade later is a happy if Type A young woman doing well with her life choices. So don’t let your anxiety get an upper hand.
Mai.naem.mobile
@geg6: I know Okl is the reddest of red States but I would like to see Obama or Hillary or Bill use Garland’s work on the Okl bombing to win the Senate seat in Okl. Sen. James Lankfords up for election this year and he was one of the first ones out of the gate saying the GOP shouldn’t even consider the nomination. Make the GOP sweat just a little about a seat they would never worry about.
Patricia Kayden
@Germy: Your voice and the voices of millions of Americans who voted for President Obama (twice) just don’t matter to the Republican dimwits in the Senate. It’s amazing how they are willing to create rules to thwart his every move and to disregard millions of Americans who support him.
@JPL: Watching the livestream now. President Obama has made so much history. Lovely to see he and his family in Cuba. I hope that Cubans get the democracy which they deserve. Not sure when that will happen but certainly no one can argue that the embargo was helping them get there.
Smiling Mortician
@maryQ: Yes. But I think more honestly, the GOP broke itself while Barack Obama stood back and said “You guys should really stop doing that.” I’m glad he’s finally reached the shaking-his-head-and-laughing stage of his presidency.
TaMara (BHF)
@Major Major Major Major: You would be amazed at the stupid things people say when you get divorced. I weeded out a lot of ‘friends’ as the first year wore on.
Some people just don’t know what to say, but offer what support they can. Others are just plain mean and useless. It makes the sorting easy, but not painless.
Lurking Canadian
@Suzanne: Doing my best to send supportive vibes your way. I’m sure you don’t need me to say this, but I think the best thing you can do is let your daughter know you’ve got her back. You want her to know you’ll let her live her life she’s got help if she needs it.
I saw a good suggestion once that if you have a good friend you can suggest to your daughter as an aunt-figure, sometimes kids will tell “Mom’s cool friend Aunt Jill” things they would never dream of telling Mom.
Lurking Canadian
It would give them something to do. It’s pretty clear they are not interested in actually governing the country.
Anya
@Suzanne: Mental health professionals are a great start but there are a lot you can do. First, don’t be judgemental of her or her friends. Be supportive and let her know through words and actions that she can talk to you. Make her feel safe. Unless she gave you permission, don’t let her know that you read her texts and diary. Cutting can be part of the goth culture or for someone going through a great deal of emotional turmoil trying to take control of their emotions. It could also be as a result of vicarious trauma. Two of her best friends are going through a great deal of trauma and she might be acting as a support system for them. That can be overwhelming and might lead her to doing some self-harm to deal with the vicarious trauma.
You can also educate yourself on how to support someone doing self-harm. But above everything else, get yourself some support. First place to start is find a family support group in your area.
Take care of yourself & avoid self-blame.
Frankensteinbeck
@Smiling Mortician:
Remember the Republican congressional Q&A where Obama told them they were painting themselves into a corner with the doomsday rhetoric, and wouldn’t like the result?
Mai.naem.mobile
@Germy: I don’t know where you live but if you live in a fairly large metro area look up the wholesale places where roofers get their supplies from and go there and ask the customer service people if they know any good slate roofers. They usually know the good ones from the incompetent flakes.
Germy
@Frankensteinbeck:
He really hit the nail on the head with that one.
Anya
@Anya: @Germy: this response was for you.
piratedan
@Germy: you might go with a general contractor/remodeller type, instead of a roofing company per se. Especially so, if your options apparently suck.
jacy
@Suzanne:
Hugs and good thoughts. The only thing tougher than being an adolescent is being the parent of one. You worry every day if you’re making the right decisions, saying the right things. If you can find a good counselor/therapist, it helps. I have a 15-year-old in the same boat, and therapy has helped loads.
(ETA — each of us has been in therapy. My therapy helped me to see how I could be a more effective parent, and his helped him however it helped him. One thing that is great for him: what happens in therapy stays in therapy and mom never gets to know about it. So if he’s pissed at me, he has somebody to talk to about it.)
Suzanne
@Frankensteinbeck: I don’t care that her friend is bi—I’m proud of Spawn for not being a homophobe or a Republican. I care that her friends are all depressed and are cutting, because it normalizes that behavior and is dangerous.
@PhoenixRising: I agree that much of what she is going through is normal for 12-year-olds, but her social anxiety is worsening and it is interfering with her academics. She cannot concentrate because she is a bundle of nerves.
Mike G
@gogol’s wife:
They make me so sick with their “let the people decide.”
More relevant for the senate is “Do your damn job.”
Germy
@Suzanne: Is she being bullied?
If so, the school should deal with that. There was a time when they could get away with ignoring it, but no more.
Suzanne
@jacy: I found her a psychologist, and she had an evaluation last week. She has an appointment on Thursday. Of course, this psych doesn’t accept insurance. She seems really great, though. Personable and approachable and relatable.
SiubhanDuinne
I hate these fuckers so fucking much. Fuck ’em.
jacy
@Suzanne:
I don’t know if there’s a program in your area, but there are types of occupational therapy to help with social anxiety in an academic setting. The Boyfriend has an 11-year-old who was having the same trouble, and he goes to occupational therapy through the school to help him deal with the anxiety and be more comfortable in the academic setting.
Suzanne
@Germy: Kinda. Apparently a rumor was spread about her earlier in the year, and now I hear about how her entire grade hates her. My kid doesn’t help matters by being sarcastic and saying weird things in order to pretend like it doesn’t bother her, then she comes home and loses her shit about it. I am leaning towards having her change schools, but I don’t know.
Ohio Mom
@Suzanne: I have a kid with very different issues but I can say that being an advocate for one’s kid is very, very hard work, especially if other adults don’t support your efforts by dismissing your concerns or undercutting them.
I think you are right to look for professional help and to think about changing schools to get your daughter into a different environment and peer group. You are teaching her what it means to be proactive and to make choices that make our lives better.
As for her current group, have you thought about calling child protective services for the one who you suspect is being abused by her foster parents? I think you can make the call anonymously. If the investigation finds nothing amiss, fine but if it doesn’t…
Matt
Shorter McConnell: “Did you know my constituents elected a turtle hand puppet to the Senate? It’s true, you can practically see Wayne LaPierre’s frickin’ KNUCKLES when I talk!”
debbie
@Anya:
I think what you want to say is “Rethug.”
debbie
I don’t think the GOP will begin to recover until after they’ve tossed McConnell out.
Suzanne
@Aimai: Thanks. She has a new volleyball team this semester, and they all seem like great girls. None of them go to her school, but I am pleased and am encouraging them to socialize more.
I have not let her have Facebook or any other social media yet. For that I am grateful.
Davis X. Machina
They’ve backed themselves into a corner — Look at it their way:
The minimum requirement for a Supreme Court justice is that he or she be an American.
No Democrat is actually an American, not really.
No Democrat can be a Supreme Court justice.
If you accept the premises — and a lot of people do — then the conclusion is necessitous.
You can’t deny the conclusion without denying one or more of the premises.
Weaselone
@srv:
Thanks for the laugh. The DOJ concluded its investigation months ago, the FBI isn’t even investigating her and the NSA has no jurisdiction.
Suzanne
@Ohio Mom: Her suicidal friend has been in lots of mental health care. We notified the school psych last year after he made threats, and they sent the response team. The other friend who is being abused by the foster parents has been getting home visits, but apparently she is lying about the abuse because she doesn’t want to be removed from her home again. These poor kids need a break.
SiubhanDuinne
@Suzanne:
I’m so sorry that your beautiful Spawn is going through this difficult and anxious time, and I’m glad you’re there for her and making professional support available to her. FWIW, virtual hugs from Atlanta to you; you’ll get them in person in about two months!
By the way, what is this thing with fathers “forgetting” to pick up their kids, or being an hour late with no phone call or textplanation, or cutting their visitation weekends short for no reason? I have (counts on fingers) four FB friends whose exes pull this kind of shit all the time, and now your story. Inexcusable unless they are having emergency open-heart surgery.
dlm
@schrodinger’s cat: I visited the link you posted. That’s a beautiful song. I have no idea what the words meant, but very beautiful and sorrowful none the less. I also found the movie with subs which I bookmarked for later. Thank you.
Ohio Mom
@Suzanne: Well then you have done what you could.
Definitely too much unecessary sorrow in this world.
Mnemosyne
@Suzanne:
Ugh. Unfortunately, it sounds like Spawn is going to have to learn one of the hardest lessons in life, which is that you can’t save other people. Having her start talking to professionals now is a good idea, and you should probably be willing to listen to what those professionals may have to say about adjustments you may have to make to your own parenting style. No one wants to be criticized, but it may help her in the long run.
James E Powell
@efgoldman:
I am kind of curious how Republican obstruction could be worse. What I am not eager to see is the corporate press/media’s hysterical reaction to the election of a person they have been demonizing since 1992.
Suzanne
@SiubhanDuinne: My ex husband is a dickhead. He said he was sick and turned his phone off and went to sleep, but he also told Spawn that he is drinking (he’s been in AA for years and he got a DUI a few years ago). This was also just a couple of days after he freaked out at me, screaming and cursing, because I told him that I expected him to help pay for Spawn to go to counseling/psych. So I don’t know if I believe him.
SiubhanDuinne
@Patricia Kayden:
Completely agree with your reaction and advice to srv. He is a pestilential bore.
However, I cannot be as sanguine as you about the prospect of an impeachment for HRC. Whatever tattered remains of the GOP House are around in 2017, I can almost guarantee that they’ll find something, anything, to hang articles of impeachment on. There won’t be a conviction in the Senate (especially, obviously, if it flips back to D), but the House Rethugs are more than capable of pulling a gigantic distraction and yet another reason not to do their damn jobs.
satby
@Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA: Yay you indeed! You’re my role model!
James E Powell
@efgoldman:
If the Newt Gingrich & Tom Delay Republicans had not obstructed, investigated, and impeached Clinton, President Gore would have appointed two supreme court justices – No Roberts, no Alito. No huge tax cuts, also too. They have no regrets and they will not hesitate to do it again if HRC is president.
Suzanne
@Mnemosyne: The psych told me that she wants to start Spawn on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, which includes some parenting training/help for Mom and Dad and other family members regarding how to be most effective and supportive. I am definitely OK with that. For sure.
Zinsky
I really wish the BJ authors and commenters would drop these “Republicans in disarray” and the “GOP is splitting apart” memes. They aren’t true. These people are so irrational and so tribal nothing is going to cause them to “split apart” or form a third party. They are too stupid and lazy for the latter. That would take a lot of thought and hard work that they are not able or willing to expend. Beat them senseless in November by going to the polls and getting everyone of your lazyass liberal friends to do the same. If we keep the White House and take back the Senate, then we can pontificate about the future of the Republican Party.
gogol's wife
Wow, Touch of Evil is a gripping film, isn’t it?
JPL
@Zinsky: this
debbie
@SiubhanDuinne:
I agree. Hillary’s treatment will be no different than Obama’s treatment. If one doesn’t think conservatives can be as misogynist as they are racist, one only has to review the tapes of hearings with Anita Hill, Brooksley Borne, and any other number of women.
Kathleen
@Suzanne: {{{{Suzanne}}}}.
Mnemosyne
@Suzanne:
I was a pretty difficult child (undiagnosed ADHD, but girls “didn’t have ADHD” when I was a kid, so undiagnosed) but fortunately my parents were open to the idea of doing things differently than other parents of their generation (like giving up spanking). If they hadn’t been, things would have been a lot worse for all of us.
Plus 12 is pretty much the very hardest age to be, especially when it comes to shit like bullying. Those were definitely the hardest years for me and my other geek friends. Getting her involved in different social circles outside of school should help a lot.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@maryQ:
Just by presidentin’ while black. It’s amazing, really, how much they couldn’t handle such a simple fact.
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
@satby: Thank you!
Anya
@maryQ: More like racism broke the republican party
SiubhanDuinne
@Suzanne:
Oh lordy. Is Al-Anon and/or Ala-Teen anything that might be useful? I’m not recommending, as I know exactly zilch and nada about them, but as he’s already in AA, there might be some value to the auxiliary groups.
(FTR, am not a huge fan of AA, based on what I know about it, especially the religious centrality, but I do know a few people whose lives truly have been turned around, arguably even saved, by following the 12 steps, so am not about to condemn.)
Anya
@Suzanne: DBT is very good. I had a friend who was doing various self-harm things and she was helped by DBT and CBT. I think the therapist helps because the first psychologist was terrible but then they had this therapist and everything changed.
Denali
@Suzanne,
Please consider a change in schools. Glad you have found a psychologist, if your daughter feels comfortable with her. You are doing the right thing in addressing these problems. I do think you should stay away from her diaries. Diaries are private. I know from experience that boundaries are very hard to respect, especially with mothers and daughters.
A therapist for you might offer some helpful advice. I learned that verbal abuse is even more damaging than physical abuse, and sometimes we adults just learn to shut out verbal abuse, where children do not have the tools to deal with it.
Just finished two very insightful novels dealing mother/child relationships – My name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout and A Spool of Ble Thread by Anne Tyler. Sometimes fiction can be more revealing than psychological self-help books.
Thinking of you tonight.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
One for David Koch: Dick Nixon on Mashable giving Hillary advice on how to unify the party.
Lots of over the top imagery, but some useful things to think about even if one doesn’t agree with his conclusions.
Cheers,
Scott.
Ultraviolet Thunder
I’m back in the USA again for a while.
Some people think all Canadians are polite and mild mannered. Those people have never tried to sleep through a Saturday night in a Toronto hotel. That’s two Saturdays’ sleep in a row ruined by rambunctious drunks at 3:00 am.
I’m tired of it. And just tired. Ethanol seems to be an effective solvent for the thin veneer of civilization covering our animal urges.
Smiling Mortician
@Frankensteinbeck: How bad a person am I, that I’m hoping to savor the president’s gentle but solid Told You So in November?
piratedan
@Suzanne: and I think someone else mentioned martial arts in a previous thread, I would also encourage that. Many of those folks help emphasize discipline, strength and most importantly self-esteem. Plus, it gives your kid some much needed self-confidence and back up if there is indeed bullying going on. Besides, not many 12 year old geeks don’t secretly lust after ninja skills. Allows her some physical expression and outlet for her frustration. We did said same for our two boys because they were the quiet introspective types, we’re pleasantly surprised in parent teacher conferences when we were told that they came to the defense of classmates being bullied. The spousal unit (former 3rd degree black-belt in TKD) still has contacts with folks in the phoenix metro area with the ATA folks if you need a reference.
Gvg
@Zinsky: no they are in disarray and splitting apart. They are fighting within themselves and there have always been different factions. They annoying thing is we could see the different factions years ago and never understood why they were together in the first place. We have also been predicting a split between the two oldest obvious factions for years when it didn’t come true so now we kind of think we have heard about how this wolf too many false alarm times. The difference is this time we have different pundits and leaders trying to undermine others and the primary voters behaving differently than past history.
Now I don’t know exactly what will happen next but I don’t think it’s going to be a routine election. Things are getting shook up, more on the GOP side than ours but if they realign on some issues, it will cause a reaction in our party down the line. Since I like the party mostly the way it is, that does make me a little nervous.
piratedan
@efgoldman: true that…. I’ve also tried Help Advisor (their free competition but all they seem to be is a business rolodex online) and prefer the Angie’s List experience. There’s at least some accountability there and I’ve had dealings with the folks who’s services I’ve contracted with who say maintaining a good AL profile is profitable for them because of the business received.
lamh36
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: someone on another blog posted this link to NYT article on Cuba ahead of POTUS trip today.
Some very lovely pics of everyday Cuban…
Elie
@Zinsky:
I disagree. While I agree that parts of their way of being is naturally chaotic, I think that the entropy now is very real and going forward they will be quite a mess. I don’t think that is any reason for us to let up on what we need to do at all, but I think they are gonna have a hard time. Will they still be disruptive and chaotic and assholes — well, yes, that is who they are. But it will have huge impact on what they will be able to do — Trump is the stage 4 cancer they contracted from their internal toxins. There is no cure and the treatment is painful and ineffective. There will be a lot of pain and the anger will make their pain worse and worse. WE have to stay safe and protect our citizens and the process from them. Unfortunately we can’t open up a trap door through which they could fall. They will have to go through their extremes amidst us.
Felonius Monk
@gogol’s wife:
Yes, it is. I saw it when it was first released (I was in high school). It is still gripping.
Skerry
@Suzanne: {{hugs to you and spawn}}
Daughter #2 and I had a hard time with her middle school years. She had friends that were going through all types of problems, had social anxiety issues, and a father/ex-husband who was unreliable. She would not participate in therapy – just sat there and said nothing. We finally tried reading age-appropriate fiction and having our own “book club” to discuss the issues presented in the books. She would talk to me about the characters as long as I didn’t directly relate the books to her friends or her life. She was bright enough to make the connection herself. I found it helped.
@PhoenixRising: Impeachment hearings will take them away from the real business of repealing Obamacare.
Baud
@James E Powell:
I don’t think O’Conner resigns if Gore is the president. Rehnquist would presumably still die
qwerty42
@Misterpuff: … but elected GOPers do call the opposition party The Democrat Party …
I think it goes back to “Mr Republican” — Sen Robert Taft of Ohio. I seem to recall that when Bill Buckley was asked about the use of “Democrat” vs “Democratic” he said something like ‘why would you use a noun when you had a perfectly good adjective to use’. I thought using “Democrat” as an adjective was some sort of old-timey thing and did not hear it for years. Then it started showing up …
NotMax
@gogol’s wife
About the only thing in which Charlton Heston is bearable. The man couldn’t act his way out of a wet paper sack. He could pull off tall and square-jawed, but had less range than a cattle ranch on Gibraltar.
Baud
McConnell is listening to Daily Kos
Felonius Monk
@Suzanne:
Just because the provider(psych) doesn’t accept insurance, doesn’t necessarily mean that your insurance won’t cover it. Be sure you check with your insurance company to see if this is covered and how to get reimbursed.
Iowa Old Lady
@qwerty42:
Gee, Mr Taft. Maybe because calling organizations by the name they give themselves is normal practice?
qwerty42
@Weaselone:
No, no. This is real. He heard it on the internet, so it has to be true.
SiubhanDuinne
@NotMax:
Oh so fine, this.
Randy P
@Patricia Kayden: I think the point is the hypocrisy of those two contradictory positions.
1. We have to trust the will of the voters. We poor politicians shouldn’t advise and consent on the Supreme Court. The voters have the last word.
2. Idiot voters. Doesn’t matter who they vote for, if we don’t like their choice.
ThresherK
@NotMax: Among other things I love it for:
The opening tracking shot, which I always wanted someone to parody with a wedding cake that gets destoyed.
The ulitmate bon mot from a noir lawman: “I only frame guilty people!”
qwerty42
@Iowa Old Lady: Apparently even Buckley thought it was a tired old shtick, but it is always new and exciting to this group.
Eric U.
@Zinsky: I don’t think the republicans will split apart either. Particularly since they are so strong at the local level. Not sure what’s going to happen at the national level though
tybee
@SiubhanDuinne:
he’s a skilled troll and occasionally gets a solid hookup. low percentage of strikes on a high speed way back bait but he does hook his share…
Iowa Old Lady
@qwerty42: Also I learned from listening to Hamilton that the country apparently once had a political party called the Democratic Republicans. So shut up, Rs.
Felonius Monk
@NotMax: You might say that Heston was a Ronald Reagan class actor. IMO, neither should have quit their day jobs to take up acting.
Even so, I still really liked Touch of Evil.
Mark B
Apparently the will of the people in 2008 and 2012 doesn’t matter to the Republicans. They’re always hoping for a do-over.
David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch
Obama ends the Cold War (photo)
D58826
@Patricia Kayden: just think 50+ useless votes to repeal Obamacare. They are like gerbils on a wheel – going round and round and never getting anywhere
lollipopguild
@NotMax: There are cattle ranches on Gibraltar? Wow! You learn all kinds of things here at Balloon Juice! I am gonna guess that the cows were kinda small though.
Frankensteinbeck
@tybee:
I think he’s a performance art troll. He finds the most bizarre thing that could be passed off as a trolling comment on any issue. The Trump campaign has been a gold mine for that schtick.
Hungry Joe
From about 1948 till the mid/late-’60s the Democrats were at least as split as the GOP is now: Southern segregationists were in the same party as blue-collar northerners & good-old-fashioned liberals. But the Dixiecrats and their ilk* never formed a real party — they just hightailed it to the GOP, taking some of those blue-collar guys with them. I don’t know how the current GOP is going to shake itself out, but it’s hard to imagine a real split, maybe just because it’s been so long — 150+ years? — since that happened.
* It’s hard for me to accept that “ilk” is non-pejorative. It simply means “type” or “kind,” with no negative connotation, but I would never write “Obama and his ilk” or (my all-time hero) “Hank Aaron and his ilk.” ILK. Dictionaries be damned — it’s a loaded word.
qwerty42
@Gvg: …Things are getting shook up, more on the GOP side than ours but if they realign on some issues, it will cause a reaction in our party down the line. Since I like the party mostly the way it is, that does make me a little nervous.
Josh Marshall (I think, although it might have been Kilgore or Chait) has written something along these lines. The disruption in one party sends folks to the other (given the iron rule of the two party system). Most of the liberal Republicans were decamping through the 70’s and 80’s. Moderates followed. But who actually leaves (each side) is a bit of a mystery until it starts. We need a political scientist down here.
NotMax
@Felonious Monk
Don’t get me wrong, love the film.
The sheer chutzpah of Welles in dolling himself down into a shambling hulk that made viewers long to look at Akim Tamiroff instead, and also of putting Dietrich in ‘Mexican’ make-up is wonderful to behold.
Unlike Reagan, Heston could posture as sanctimonious. Interminably.
SiubhanDuinne
@Hungry Joe:
When I was younger, I was kind of a nut about heraldry and coats of arms and Royal standards and all. One of my favourite books was called Simple Heraldry Cheerfully Illustrated by one Sir Rupert Iain Kay Moncreiffe of that Ilk, 11th Baronet, CVO, QC. I promptly lost my heart to the entire concept of “ilk” and have never looked back.
Mnemosyne
@Iowa Old Lady:
The weird thing is, in Hamilton’s time, they were known simply as Republicans. They became Democratic-Republicans a little later, eventually dropped the “Republican” part, and just became the Democratic Party. IIRC, Lincoln’s party used the “Republicans” name to hearken back to Jefferson and the founding of the Union.
Most historians backdate things and call them “Democratic-Republicans” so it’s more clear that they’re the party that morphed into the Democrats.
Miss Bianca
@Suzanne:
Man, that’s bad. I am so sorry to hear about your and Spawn’s struggles.
I’m having flashbacks to my high school days, and my circle of friends, who were all incredibly brilliant, funny, sensitive, depressed kids – in and out of psych wards, cutting, fingerpainting with the blood in their journals…I watched one of my friends go thru’ anorexia so bad she almost died from it. And my mother hated, HATED the fact that I hung out with them, and was constantly battling with me over it. I resisted violently, partly because I loved them dearly and valued loyalty above all other qualities and partly because I really didn’t care for most of the other kids in my high school.
I never did any of that stuff – I was kind of the court jester of the crowd – “hey, I know! Let’s go to the movies instead of talking about how we’d kill ourselves!” – but it never really occurred to me how painful it had to be for my poor mother to watch all this stuff going down and wonder whether her kid was going to start doing this stuff and why her kid couldn’t or wouldn’t find a different crowd to hang with…
Have to second, third, fourth the suggestions re some sort of physical outlet like martial arts, if Spawn shows the slightest interest. For me it was getting really involved with theater and stage combat that helped me deal. Something about gaining that kind of mastery over your body and reflexes – particularly if you’re a really head-driven kid – really seems to help.
Don’t know if The Circus Farm in Mesa would be an appropriate outlet – looks like they offer mostly fire-eating/dancing lessons – but “social circus” classes in general are amazing for kids dealing with issues. I do social circus work with a woman who started one here in CO after working for many years with the Belfast Community Circus – which was started during the Troubles to bring Catholic and Protestant kids together who were dealing with all kinds of traumatic stress conditions. Discipline, focus, getting along with other kids in a non-competitive environment…I’ve seen it work miracles. Hope something helps for you!
Hungry Joe
@SiubhanDuinne: “Sir Rupert Iain Kay Moncreiffe of that Ilk, 11th Baronet, CVO, QC” sounds like a basset hound at a dog show, but maybe that’s just me.
gogol's wife
@NotMax:
Yes, it’s amazing what Orson gets out of him.
raven
Brooklyn is a nice little movie.
Scott Alloway
@Suzanne: As the partner of a therapist and hearing her voice as I write this, I suggest consulting a therapist for you to sort out what to do. The cutting, purging and other behaviors need to be addressed, but you are in an awkward position as a third-hand source. The bi thing is a not-alarming issue, but the self hurt needs attention. My two cents (cheaper than my better half – she’s been at it 40 years).
raven
@gogol’s wife: Ju know what it is de reefer? Ju know what it is the mainliner??
You better lay of the candy bars.
Mike G
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:
That’s a powerful pic in context.
schrodinger's cat
@dlm: The song laments about the superficial differences that separate us like religion, borders and how that causes so much violence and bloodshed. The partition of Punjab was bloody and bitter and a wound from which India and Pakistan have still not recovered.
A. R. Rahman got an Oscar for what was at best a mediocre score (for him) of Slum Dog Millionaire, 1947 Earth and Dil Se are two of his best works in my opinion.
Here is a song from happier times celebrating the arrival of spring from the same movie.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@srv: Maybe Ryan can just push threw an impeachment of “Clinton or Sanders, who ever wins this fall”?
schrodinger's cat
@raven: Its on my list of movies to see.
Miss Bianca
@SiubhanDuinne:
completely o/t (even if it *is* an open thread) – but did you say you had relatives in the Loveland – or Lakewood – or one of those “L towns” in CO? You wouldn’t be planning a visit to ’em sometime in oh, say, mid-April, would you now?
raven
@schrodinger’s cat: Dennis Weaver is a trip but Marlena is the bomb!
SiubhanDuinne
@Hungry Joe:
It’s quite possible. In the publishing world, nobody knows you’re a dog.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@raven: It’s on my list (as it is for schrodinger’s cat). BTW, have you been over to the testing joint lately?
raven
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Um, tell me more? What testing joint?
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@raven: Comment testing: post for testing. I’m interested in your view on the latest features there. Mine are not ambiguous.
SiubhanDuinne
@Miss Bianca:
Not an L town — my sister lives in Aurora. And I’m afraid April travel is committed to the other end of the country: I’m driving to Boston for Seder with friends and a couple of symphony concerts (and hopefully a BJ Meetup).
I’m driving to Phoenix in May and I guess it’s possible I might go via Denver area and pick up my sister for the last leg of the trip, but I suspect that won’t happen. I do want to visit her, though, so even if it doesn’t happen until 2017 I’ll post travel plans and itineraries here at BJ in order to meet you and as many other Juicers as possible.
raven
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Oh, got it. No, my day was full and I have a rare trip to the big city @ 5am so I’m on the lam.
NotMax
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
(cue ominous music)
;)
SiubhanDuinne
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): @raven:
We’re testing joints now? Why were the rest of us not informed?
Gin & Tonic
@gogol’s wife: Wow, Touch of Evil is a gripping film, isn’t it?
Is this your first time? Which version are you watching?
Amaranthine RBG
@Germy:
How in the world do you go from voting for Obama to working for Trump?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katrina_Pierson
Miss Bianca
@SiubhanDuinne:
Ah, well…yes, please do post itineraries!
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@raven: I hope you can look over briefly. Have a good trip.
@SiubhanDuinne: Sadly no bud.
schrodinger's cat
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Just for you. Ranveer Singh in Malhari from Bajirao Mastani, celebrating victory over the Nawab of Deccan. This song had the right wingtards in India in a tizzy.
Gin & Tonic
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Why do I suspect “not ambiguous” may also mean “not remotely positive”?
SiubhanDuinne
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
Figured from subsequent comments.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@NotMax: You could join in the festivities, you know. ;)
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@schrodinger’s cat: Oooh! Thank you.
@Gin & Tonic: Because you are very perceptive. Would you like to join the festivities?
RaflW
@Patricia Kayden: Unfortunately for all of us, I think there will be an articles of impeachment vote against HRC in the House (barring a thunderbolt shocker flip of the House). It may stall there as just a theatrical set of hearings and a failed vote, or it most certainly will die in the Senate, where actual conviction on articles happens.
But the GOP will have it’s circus. They may be racist jerks to Obama, but they hate the Clintons with a white heat that blinds them to their own folly. (I count srv in the white hot folly camp, too).
Edit: Also, too, what SiubhanDuinne said upthread on this.
Chris T.
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
Too complicated. The House just needs to set up a standing “Impeachment of Not-Republican President”, to be applied during all years there is a non-R president.
After all, that is the single thing the Constitution says that the House is to do, right? Impeach everyone who’s not Of The Party?
raven
@RaflW: so what? Fuck em.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@raven: Ya lost me over there. Can you give feedback about the changes proposed in the testing?
NotMax
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
Seriously considered it. However, Alain’s assurances notwithstanding, would prefer not to have a functional email address of mine within a country mile of a certain someone.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@NotMax: If you want to send me a throwaway of yours to flsgreen at gmail, I’ll send you a link.
Iowa Old Lady
I’ve had so much work done on this house that I have a contractor who knows where I hide the spare key to my house. He comes over and lets workmen in and stays with them when I’m away.
Gin & Tonic
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): I don’t really have the time to do this well. I have a long enough background in IT to know that a tester who doesn’t have time to test is pretty useless.
Gin & Tonic
@NotMax: Wow, is Cole really that fearsome?
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Gin & Tonic: LOL. Steve is.
NotMax
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
Appreciate it, but with people of fortitude such as you, raven, WaterGirl and (I think he’s part of the testing) The Other Chuck there I’d mostly be superfluous.
sherparick
@srv: Every blog should have a pet troll.
benw
Once there was a president who was black
Which gave the Republicans a heart attack
Of Supreme Court nominees,
He got one, two, and THREE!
So the Senate tried to take one of them back
Felonius Monk
@schrodinger’s cat: We were over in Williamstown yesterday. Is that anywhere near you or are you further east?
gogol's wife
@Gin & Tonic:
It’s certainly not my first time, but I saw it in the old days on some TV station in Kansas City, MO, so I’m sure it was a bowdlerized version. This was whatever version they were just showing on TCM, looked all nice and spiffied up and had some rather risqué dialogue by Joseph Cotten that I don’t remember from the old version.
Gelfling545
@Iowa Old Lady: one of the hardest parts is that you don’t know for years if you did it ok. Both mine are over 30 employed & never got arrested so I guess things turned out ok. (They’re both smart & fun to be with so maybe a little better than ok but mostly through dumb luck.)
schrodinger's cat
@Felonius Monk: An hour and half to the east.
Calouste
@SiubhanDuinne: I looked up Sir Iain Montcrieff of that ilk, and I noticed that at one point he held the office of Unicorn Pursuivant. I’m not making this up. There is an actual official position in Scottish heraldry that is called Unicorn Pursuivant.
Gin & Tonic
@gogol’s wife: There was a version issued in 1998 that was arguably very much closer to Welles’ original vision than was the 1958 version that the studio took away from him. Looks to me like that is what TCM is showing now (the way to tell is running time; the 1998 version clocks in at 111 minutes, whereas the 1958 version was 95 minutes.)
scav
@SiubhanDuinne: Oh, thank you for Sir Rupert Iain Kay Moncreiffe of that Ilk, 11th Baronet, CVO, QC, who of course I had to look up. His first wife (Diana Hay, 23rd Countess of Erroll, apparently nick-named Puffin) was the daughter of Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll, the one that was murdered and a member of the Happy Valley set (“Are you married or do you live in Kenya?”). Wodehouse meets Christie meets Bedroom Farce with Lions.
sherparick
@gogol’s wife: I think you meant Charlton Heston. Orson Wells unfortunately could never figure out the art of getting on with studio executives (and one strange choice (why put a blonde wig on Rita Hayworth in a “Lady from Shanghai”) but almost every movie he made was a masterpiece or near masterpiece. I recommend the “Chimes at Midnight.”
sherparick
@sherparick: Sorry, I wrong. I is Joseph Cotton.
SiubhanDuinne
@Calouste:
I know!! Isn’t it wonderful?
The Dangerman
Poor UNI. Utter disaster in the last 45 seconds or so. Brutal.
SiubhanDuinne
@scav:
This, this, a thousand times this.
Anoniminous
@geg6:
Polls this far out from the election are meaningless.
Major Major Major Major
@Calouste: OMG thank you all for this unicorn and heraldry stuff you just made my day.
@SiubhanDuinne: AA is what you make of it and comes in many flavors. The god thing is super annoying though.
Exurban Mom
@Suzanne: I am so sorry your child is struggling. As to your child’s friend: many schools have an option to anonymously report if you believe a child is in trouble. I’ve used it, and a child received the help he needed.
Anoniminous
@srv:
You forgot the Food and Drug Administration, the Inter-coastal Water Ways Commission, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Mnemosyne
@sherparick:
That wasn’t a wig on Hayworth — they actually cut and dyed her famous hair. You can find the publicity photos on Google of Welles doing the initial cutting.
Their marriage was on the verge of breaking up at the time, so the photos are weird and uncomfortable to see now.
Blue Galangal
@Germy: Respectfully I disagree with the posters who recommended ditching slate. My parents are in a neighborhood with 150 year old homes, about 15% of which still have their original slate roofs (here in Cincinnati we do have enough slate roofs to support a good slate roof company), and if taken care of, they literally last the life of the house. The key is to find some one who understands slate and whose first reaction is not “get shingles, slate is haaard.” Mostly you have to repair and replace individual tiles, and sometimes, particularly if the flashing has gone bad and the roof has rotted, replace that part. Slate is very durable but is prone to wind hail tree type damage. Flashing is key, as it is with all roofs. It’s sad; slate is an outstanding roof material. is there a neighborhood near you with slate roofs? Drive around and see what roofers have their signs in yards. Is there a specialty lumber company that’s known for high end type custom molding or anything like that? Start there if so. If there is a place in town that does salvage from old houses, give them a call. They might know someone.
PurpleGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: A few weeks ago Alain asked for volunteers to test a new version of the site. The keys were not made public, you had e-mail Alain that you wanted to volunteer.
Uncle Cosmo
@benw: What have we here? Reads like a lamerick to me.
Keep your day job. At least until you pass Remedial Scansion.
Ruckus
@NotMax:
Understand but I think he’s given back the keys or the locks were changed.
It would be helpful if more would take a look and if everyone would answer the survey that goes along with it. Alain commented that only 3 people had.
When the site was changed live it got huge reviews. Few of them positive but lots of reviews. It was suggested that a test site would have been appropriate and that is surly true. It is. But test sites don’t work unless enough people look and make valid suggestions. Which the suggestions I’ve seen have been, but the quantity of suggestions is small. And the survey asks some very good questions, things that people were complaining about in the last go round.
My two cents.
joel hanes
@Patricia Kayden:
I really don’t see what such a pointless exercise would do
It would suck all the oxygen out of DC, making it very difficult to focus on the kinds of things that a Dem President with a Dem Senate might try to accomplish otherwise. It would be yet another demonstration that the Republican House regards elected-with-a-majority Democratic officeholders as somehow illegitimate, which is the message that unites their base.
Whether DC Republicans still think it’s a good idea to feed their base a diet of 100 % raw political meat, deponent knoweth not. We will all see, I guess.
Meanwhile global warming accelerates far past the worst-case predictions of just a few years ago
Original Lee
@Suzanne: So sorry to hear this. My daughter has anxiety, too, and her current group of friends includes some with serious mental health issues. Therapy can help things not get worse, but improvement will take a long time because anxiety is a very personal disorder. What wigs out one person doesn’t faze another, so she and the therapist have to figure out what her triggers are and then figure out how to deal with them. We found that one of the best things for Original Daughter was to Turn. Off. Her. Phone. when she started getting upset by social media or emails (after texting one of us first to let us know). YMMV. She soon was able to regain her equilibrium after only a few minutes off her phone, and she found that break gave her the ability not to return to the conversation that upset her.
PurpleGirl
@PurpleGirl: The problem with joining a thread late is by the time you comment, the readers are on to the next thread.
Re Touch of Evil Law & Order had D.A. Jack McCoy referencing the Ferris wheel ride scene in the context of a defendant knowing or not knowing the effect his actions would take.
NotMax
@PurpleGirl
Sure you aren’t thinking of The Third Man?
benw
@Uncle Cosmo: ooooh! One these days, POW! Right in the kisser, UC.
Tripod
Why is the nice old pop pop waving a gun around?
Jesus fuck. Paul Ryan is Speaker of the House.
Think it’s bad now? Wait till she takes the oath of office.
chopper
@Suzanne:
DBT is really good shit. but make sure the therapist is actually for real trained in it. there’s a world of difference between an actual DBT clinician and someone who went to a workshop.
Suzanne
@chopper: Apparently this psych is very experienced in it, and ran a group for young teens who were cutters for a while. She came recommended from another psychiatrist who said this lady is an expert. I have only seen her one time, and I have a positive impression. I just wish she took insurance because I have a $3K out-of-network deductible and then they only pay 50/50, and Spawn is also in braces, and ex husband isn’t helping me financially with any of it.
@Original Lee: Her anxiety is primarily social. Like, she was terrified to get a haircut because the hairstylist would be a stranger. She is pretty introverted, too, and crowds of people cause her stress. If we go to the movies, she wants us to sit far away from others. Couple that with stupid typical middle school bullshit, and she is fairly constantly anxious.
No One You Know
@Mnemosyne: You and me both. Although 13 was hugely, orders-of-magnitude worse thanks to undiagnosed endometriosis. Thank God for menopause.
Mnemosyne
@Suzanne:
This may sound weird, but has she been screened for an autism spectrum disorder (what they used to call Asperger’s)? It manifests slightly differently in girls and they don’t always have the obvious social problems that boys do. I can’t explain why, but something about the way you described your daughter’s anxiety made me think of my niece with ASD who wasn’t diagnosed until middle school.