Getting ready for the swarms of trick or treaters, and saw this adorable costume via Mike at spaghetti models:
Hehe.
This post is in: Open Threads
Getting ready for the swarms of trick or treaters, and saw this adorable costume via Mike at spaghetti models:
Hehe.
by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)| 10 Comments
This post is in: On The Road, Open Threads, Readership Capture
Good Morning All,
On The Road and In Your Backyard is a weekday feature spotlighting reader submissions. From the exotic to the familiar, please share your part of the world, whether you’re traveling or just in your locality. Share some photos and a narrative, let us see through your pictures and words. We’re so lucky each and every day to see and appreciate the world around us!
Submissions from commenters are welcome at tools.balloon-juice.com
For each picture, it’s best to provide your commenter screenname, description, where it was taken, and date. It’s tough to keep everyone’s email address and screenname straight, so don’t assume that I remember it “from last time”. More and more, the first photo before the fold will be from a commenter, so making it easy to locate the screenname when I’ve found a compelling photo is crucial.
I had internet service issues that turned out to be both router and modem-based (though I received an “all-clear, problem resolved” text from support while I was deeply asleep at 4 AM, you bastards) and not so much service-based. I ended up buying new cable modem and WiFi router, and they all worked well.
And then I was away, knowing internet service was restored at home but when I needed to, I couldn’t connect to my home-office/work machine because I hadn’t configured port forwarding, etc. And since I was away, I was SOL. And so I apologize, yesterday was supposed to be Africa. Tomorrow will be, and Friday will be the overdue West and I’ll punt otmar (if he’s submitted!) until next Friday.
Sigh. Sometimes I think I should throw tech aside and work with non-digital things.
Have a Happy Halloween, folks!
Today, pictures from valued commenter ?BillinGlendaleCA.
I’ve documented a few hikes I’ve taken with my step-daughter(Echo Mountain and Mt. Lowe), most of these have been a lower elevations and the vegetation has been less than foresty. The kid has been yearning for a hike in the forest, I suggested Mt. Pinos, about a 90 minute drive from Glendale. The problem with Mt. Pinos is that due to it’s elevation it actually gets quite a bit of snow, sometimes sticking around until early July in places. While some might not find driving and hiking in 4-6 feet of snow to be a problem(fellow jackal jl questioned my dedication), both the kid and I are native Southern Californians and are neither used to driving or hiking in snow. We finally found a day that worked with her schedule at the hospital and that would be snowless and proceed to drive up to the mountain. Most of the climb to the summit is by car, ending at a parking lot at the 8400′ level. The trail to the summit is actually a road(there’s an Air Force radar installation at the summit) and it’s only about a 2 mile hike.
Mt. Pinos is a 8847 foot high mountain northwest of Los Angeles and is the highest point in both Ventura County and Kern County(the county line bisects the summit). It’s made previous appearances in On The Road as the foreground for star trails that were shot in Lockwood Valley at the foot of the mountain as well as a Milky Way picture that was shot on the mountain. Immediately north of the mountain is the San Andres Fault that runs though a valley separating Mt. Pinos from the mountains further north at the southern edge of the Central Valley. The native Chumash people considered the mountain to be the center of the World.
Taken on 2017-12-01 00:00:00
Mt. Pinos, California
The kid asked for a hike in the forest, and I provided a hike in the forest. We rounded a bend in the road and there was this pine tree(Mt. Pinos in named after the pine tree), the perfect size and shape for a Christmas tree. At the left side of the photo you can see the trail curves over to the Christmas tree and the back didn’t look as well defined as the front.
Taken on 2017-12-01 00:00:00
Mt. Pinos, California
After the first half mile or so, we took a short break in front of this rock formation(we were both not used to hiking in higher elevations). These formations are all over the mountain.
Taken on 2017-12-01 00:00:00
Mt. Pinos, California
After waking though the forest, you come upon an alpine meadow with the wooded summit just past the meadow. You can see the Air Force installation right in the center of the picture.
Taken on 2017-12-01 00:00:00
Mt. Pinos, California
Once we reached the summit, we first went to the condor viewing area. They had some benches and some interpretive displays about the condors. Unfortunately there was a guy there that was talking rather loudly to himself(he could have been on the phone), so we went to the western flank of the summit. The summit is pretty large and flat. This picture looks north with the Central Valley in the haze to the right and the Coastal Range on the left. The mountains in the foreground to the right are on the other side of the San Andres Fault that runs though the valley.
Taken on 2017-12-01 00:00:00
Mt. Pinos, California
Until this hike, every time the kid and I have gone hiking, we’ve had crappy visibility(either smog, marine layer, or clouds). This hike was much different. This view looks east to the Sierra, and you can see the snow capped peaks of the eastern Sierra about 120 miles away. The mountain that you can see just left of the tree is the western face of Mt. Whitney(the tallest peak in the lower 48 states) and just left of it is Mt. Williamson, the second highest peak in California.
Thank you so much ?BillinGlendaleCA, do send us more when you can.
Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.
One again, to submit pictures: Use the Form or Send an Email
This post is in: Election 2018, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome
My father is 96 and a half years old. In his long life he has never seen anything like what’s happening to our country. I love him. And I want the country he fought his whole life for. pic.twitter.com/ZeTPTKTS2u
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) October 30, 2018
Barack Obama To Visit Georgia And Florida To Support Stacey Abrams And Andrew Gillum
https://t.co/RCYGlu2NIu— Elayne (laynie) (@LaynieR) October 31, 2018
Damn. Hillstradamus. https://t.co/CQ8YK5IpwB
— Ragnarok Lobster (@eclecticbrotha) October 30, 2018
So, in review, during the period when Robert Mueller absolutely wouldn’t have made headlines, Jacob Freaking Wohl put him in the news while taking down himself and Gateway Pundit in the process.
Reminding voters of Mueller before the midterms. Priceless.
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) October 30, 2018
Take solace in the fact that Trump’s desperation is a result of knowing what’s coming on Tuesday.
He knows he is seven days from the worst public shaming of his lifetime.
Narcissists rage when drowning.
Watch with detachment and it becomes downright zen. He knows he’s losing.
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) October 30, 2018
Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Marching Towards A Finish LinePost + Comments (163)
This post is in: Dolt 45, Excellent Links, Open Threads, Republicans in Disarray!, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome
He's a procrastinating fascist. Realized he hadn't quite created the MAGA Aryan utopia he'd promised, the midterm exam is next week and is now cramming. https://t.co/Pecbypr1JC
— Zedward D Wood Junior (@Zeddary) October 30, 2018
I think people are underrating just how colossally screwed Trump will be if/when the Dems win the House.
[THREAD] pic.twitter.com/tHRRacODdZ— Greg Olear (@gregolear) October 27, 2018
1/ All of the committees will be chaired by Democrats. Schiff at Intelligence. Nadler at Judiciary. Cummings at Oversight. Waters at Financial Services. These Committees have the power to investigate, serve subpoenas, and keep the spotlight on the crimes of Trump and his cronies.
— Greg Olear (@gregolear) October 27, 2018
4/ I CAN’T WAIT to watch @RepAdamSchiff systematically destroy @DevinNunes. It will be like in Pac-Man, where Pac-Man eats the magic dot and can go chase down the ghosts. The Putin asset Nunes will wind up in prison or in exile in Baku.
— Greg Olear (@gregolear) October 27, 2018
9/ The week ahead is going to be batshit. Trump is well aware that his only chance now is to flood the zone with crap and hope voters get ennui and stay away from the polls. Because if the House flips, Trump is done. The Senate would be nice, but isn’t necessary.
— Greg Olear (@gregolear) October 27, 2018
(Even happier speculation in the rest of the thread.)
The Russians know. They describe the #midterms as “the electoral death match.”https://t.co/EYGnytqtHu
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) October 27, 2018
by Adam L Silverman| 23 Comments
This post is in: Absent Friends, Open Threads
For those of you who asked in the comments and/or emailed me concerned that Yarrow was absent, I did reach out to Yarrow. And, as I said I’d do once I heard back, I am now reporting back that I’ve heard from Yarrow. Yarrow is fine. Just very busy. As you may recall he related he was dealing with/helping out with some health issues pertaining to his dad. That is taking up a lot of his time and energy. So he’s out there, doing what he has to do, and doing right by his dad. So send some good thoughts his and his dad’s way.
Open thread!
This post is in: Open Threads
I have nothing to add to the Wohl shitshow discussed by Tom and Cheryl, but I felt this title for a post was too good to pass up. Watching the Pens and relaxing- Genine is on a flight back to the left coast.
Thurston misses her.
This post is in: Criminal Justice, Election 2018, Information Warfare, Open Threads, Assholes, Blatant Liars and the Lies They Tell
Tom has given us one of today’s gems of humor, and I want to share the other one. There are far, far more tweets than I can possibly include here, but I will try to indicate the range and depth of incompetence, which is truly monumental.
First, a narrative account for those of you who prefer such things.
At the center of the scheme is publicity-hungry Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman, who has repeatedly dabbled in internet conspiracy theories in the past, including promoting the idea that murdered Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich was killed by deep-state government operatives.
….
Burkman has not any offered any evidence at all of his accusations and his previous “bombshell” press conferences on other stories have become notorious flops in Washington media circles.
….
Burkman’s latest gambit has far higher stakes than his previous ones; but it too seems similarly bound for self-destruction. Allegations that he was offering to pay women to accuse Mueller come from an uncorroborated email sent to a number of media outlets, including The Daily Beast, by a person who identified herself as Florida resident “Lorraine Parsons.”
In her emails, Parsons claimed that Burkman and his associates were pressuring her to “make accusations of sexual misconduct and workplace harassment against Robert Mueller” and to “sign a sworn affidavit to that effect.” In exchange, she said, they were offering tens of thousands of dollars. Parsons repeatedly declined to talk to The Daily Beast on the phone, and internet searches have failed to provide any background on her. Parsons didn’t respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
….
Jacob Wohl, a right wing Twitter personality and a self-described friend of Burkman, said Burkman had told him he had hired Matthew Cohen, who is a managing partner at the private investigations company Surefire Intelligence, to assist with the investigation.
Surefire is a bit of a mystery. Since-deleted Craigslist advertisements for the company said it “was founded by two members of Israel’s elite intelligence community.” The ads billed services including “counter intelligence,” “private spies,” and “ethical hackers.”
More amusing details at the link. And yet more on Twitter. Stuff is being deleted (although I’m sure copies exist), which Popehat earlier pointed out could be destroying evidence in an FBI investigation.
https://twitter.com/EdKrassen/status/1057384188213637120
Bellingcat is ON IT! (disclosure: I have worked with Bellingcat and occasionally write articles for them.)
Just finished a new post that rounds up @JacobAWohl's hilariously bad attempts at smearing Mueller and making a fake intelligence firm:
The Unintelligent Design of SureFire Intelligencehttps://t.co/DqZK4IIZOa— Aric Toler (@AricToler) October 30, 2018
Looking into the employees for "Surefire Intelligence" on LinkedIn, and it's not a promising start for this being a legit place. pic.twitter.com/LgCtEsAsjt
— Aric Toler (@AricToler) October 30, 2018
Jacob Wohl is a moron and didn't realize that there are reverse image search engines other than Google when he was adding filters to these pictures. Yandex got this as the very first result.
— Aric Toler (@AricToler) October 30, 2018
Popehat and other lawyers are yukking it up.
In anticipation of likely questions: "being a moronic manchild" is not a defense to federal criminal charges.
— NotOutlandishHat (@Popehat) October 30, 2018
So we all know Jacob Wohl is a dumbass, but aside from the whole “ridiculous fake intel company that uses his mom’s voicemails and stolen photos of supermodels as Tel Aviv special agents,” there’s also this gem from today. pic.twitter.com/FtY1AFJvcb
— Ms. Entropy / سيدة الفتنة (@MsEntropy) October 30, 2018
Jacob Wohl is still trying to deny he set this whole thing up, despite the phone number for this company redirecting to his mum’s voicemail. https://t.co/u5ORLGgI7G
— Nick Waters (@N_Waters89) October 30, 2018
Odd. Jacob Wohl says he doesn't know nuttin' about Surefire Intelligence, the firm tied to the bizarre Mueller allegations. Take a look at the photos below of Mathhew Cohen, head of 'Surefire,' and of Jacob Wohl. pic.twitter.com/Q1rAW4wkPO
— Jane Mayer (@JaneMayerNYer) October 30, 2018
https://twitter.com/kim/status/1057363567693852672
A friend said this has been the best day he’s seen on Twitter for a while.