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My dentist said he needed a hand like this...
3,526 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 601 – 800 of 3526 Newer› Newest»The Roger Morris piece has been pre-empted by fund drive, but will be on the web site in an hour or so.
I posted an answer somewhere, but here it is again. Yes, the Vietnam war.
PJ, I am so happy that you are getting well again, although those memories did not help.
RIP Frank Deford. Why more stats, less on what's really happening in the game today? Different emphasis from the editors or writers who don't see what's really happening?
Of course, *some* of us fans actually LIKE sports stats as well as the play of the game :-)
I've finally edited photos from New Zealand. This small album from a native plant garden and forest reserve in Wellington is rather small (I should have returned to do more photos), but the place stands out as one of the finest native plant/native vegetation places I've seen, especially considering that it's a short bus ride from central Wellington.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/45621748@N05/albums/72157684289815446
Spectacular photos, Dave! Is the climate there humid and temperate (i.e., not tropical)?
Very impressive. Not that I know a lot of plants, but I am so impressed that conservation was an issue in New Zealand almost 100 years ago.
Audio online already; transcript should be there later today. "Potent Synthetic Opioids Endanger Drug Sniffing Dogs":
http://www.npr.org/2017/05/30/530677892/potent-synthetic-opioids-endanger-drug-sniffing-dogs
Police dogs in K9 units trained to find potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl risk overdosing. Massachusetts State Police plan to teach officers to administer Narcan to their canines.
Jim, the Ian Master program you recommended is really excellent.
Northern New Zealand has local climates that allow apples and oranges, redwoods and bromeliads. Things tend to remain cool enough for many temperate species to be happy, yet frost free and warm enough so that many tropicals are, too. Moist enough that irrigation is rarely an issue, though I've noticed irrigation lines in a few places.
This makes for lots of agricultural opportunities, including superlative apples and other fruit.
I visited the Hamilton Garden, whose themed gardens work because so broad a variety of plants can be grown. Its a tour de force. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45621748@N05/albums/72157684312959436
Apples and oranges, redwoods and bromeliads: climate sounds a bit like that of California's northern and central coastal region.
I remember a redwood in Christchurch botanical garden. Instead of going up 150 ft before the first branch, it was a cone, a perfect Christmas tree, because it was growing by itself.
Dave, might it have been a Dawn Redwood?
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=639&q=Dawn+redwood+tree&oq=Dawn+redwood+tree&gs_l=img.3..0l8j0i30k1j0i5i30k1.909.5121.0.5520.17.15.0.0.0.0.280.1896.0j4j5.9.0....0...1.1.64.img..8.9.1886.CS2N5Tzasew#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=Dawn+redwood
SCC: Jim!
The giant sequoia trees at Christchurch Botanic Garden are spectacular. It's hard to believe they grew so fast. Didn't see anything comparable in Wellington. I haven't been to the tourist-attracting redwood forest in Rotorua.
California's complex coastal climates are in some cases similar to New Zealand, except that they tend toward summer drought.
Poor doggies. They may want to consider using larger dogs to hopefully raise the overdose threshold, as well.
I am relaxing after treating my shoulder. I have shopping to do later.
"Scott Pelley to Leave as Anchor of ‘CBS Evening News’":
http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/scott-pelley-leave-cbs-evening-news-1202448476
Pelley had been praised for not pulling as many punches as other news anchors do against Trump. Hmmm... I wonder who'll replace him.
In NZ just about anything grows, somewhere in the country. Semi-tropical in the north, like Scotland at the other end. I don't recall the details, but they planted pines or other softwoods for paper pulp, because Eucalypts in Oz were useless for nearly all purposes. They grew too fast to be managed.
Poet (and scam artist) Joaquin Miller, best known for "Columbus," was part of a cartel that tried to make a financial killing in the timber business by planting eucalypti in California. Not only was the wood useless for construction, the trees with their oily leaves have increased the wildfire hazard there ever since (plus the leaves smell like cat pee, and not in a good way :-( ).
Eucalypts are windbreaks in a lot of coastal California. They are good at that job, because they grow large and fast, but are useless for building or paper pulp.
I've seen an impressive Eucalyptus forest in Kerikeri. It has some Douglas firs, about the same size and height around its edges.
Otherwise, New Zealanders were into planting pines and other conifers. I saw very few Australian plants in gardens. It can't be because they don't grow; there was a nice patch of Australian plants in the Wellington Botanic Garden and the Auckland Botanic Garden has lots of "Gondwana" trees including a broad collection of Araucarias and podocarps, many from Australia. I think the New Zealanders historically were into their project of creating a better version of Britain, and planted English flowers and bushes accordingly.
Love the look of Norfolk Island pines. Do they also grow anywhere in Oz or NZ?
In the US, there's been a lot of confusion of Norfolk Island Pine with a similar species, A. columnaris from New Caledonia. Both grow well south of Orlando, but they tend to be on do-not-plant lists because they become ratty looking with age and are prone to be blown over in windstorms.
Bunya pines grow well for us, but few are planted.
OMFSM, another month nearly in the rear-view mirror already :-o So much work left undone that will slop over into June.
On the plus side, another season of The Great British Baking Show returns to PBS in June, evidently the last with our indomitable Mel and Sue as co-hosts and Mary Berry as judge.
"How The Great British Baking Show Can Save Your Sanity":
https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/articles/2017/5/25/great-british-baking-show
"12 Little-Known Facts About The Great British Bake Off":
https://www.popsugar.com/food/Facts-About-Great-British-Bake-Off-43484938
The biggest surprises for me were:
4. Bakers buy all their own ingredients, which can get pretty pricey for them.
9. The application process is extensive. It starts with a multiple-page application form, followed by a phone interview, then followed by bringing a couple bakes to London and having an in-person interview. If you've made it this far, you then have to do a technical bake on camera and bring along a bake from home. If you make it through all that, you have to see a psychologist to be sure you can handle the stress of filming. [my emphasis]
Awww, so sweet! "Roger Moore dead: This anecdote about the James Bond actor just keeps getting better as you read":
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/roger-moore-dead-died-james-bond-airport-story-anecdote-signature-a7752636.html
Assorted Araucarias here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/45621748@N05/albums/72157681450452173
Thanks, Dave! Much that's interesting here, not only Araucarias but also Captain Cook's (anti-)scurvy grass, which I didn't know about. The flower of the "heaven scent" Michelia maudiae looks a bit like orange blossom or syringa. Even dandelions can be beautiful.
SCC: Mock orange.
I lived in Sydney for a decade, and rarely saw an Araucaria. I can't imagine using them in landscaping. Norfolk Island Pines I saw more often, such as out on the bluff by Coogee Beach.
Go to Google Street View for Manly Beach in Sydney. Lots and lots of Araucarias.
Dave, is this a first? "Terra Botanica Might Be the World's First Garden Amusement Park / You can find it in Angers, France":
http://www.teenvogue.com/story/terra-botanica-garden-amusement-park (with photos)
...Think Disney meets the botanical gardens...
Terra Botanical looks like it might actually make a profit, though a mere corn maze looks like an easier proposition.
Hamilton Garden, a public park in New Zealand, is more than a bit Disneyesque. The little gardens at the Epcot theme park are mere warmups for their rather crowd-friendly extravaganzas. The extraordinary climate, which allows an incredible assortment of plant life, is very helpful.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/45621748@N05/albums/72157684312959436
Researchers designed an experiment that confirmed that xenophobia with all its ugly consequences becomes acceptable when publicly propagated by influential people.
"From Extreme to Mainstream: How Social Norms Unravel"
http://www.nber.org/papers/w23415
A summary is here:
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-05-26/yes-trump-is-making-xenophobia-more-acceptable
I got TripAdvisor to add a garden to its attractions in New Zealand.
https://flic.kr/s/aHskWfCa7q
While I'm a fan of gardening with native plants, this assemblage of non-natives is spectacular.
I worry about TA getting too powerful for its own good, and do not exactly like that they have gotten into the hotel reservation business. Still, it seems worthwhile to submit reviews, especially for small lodgings and attractions. Not big museums and such.
I hear that our president put on a show in the rose garden with a band and all and that's so typical. The vice pres is speaking now, but I am going to do some more yard work.
I was so looking forward to hearing "50 Years Later, Producer Remixes 'Sgt. Pepper' To 'Bring It Into The Modern World'" on today's Fresh Air, but it's being preempted for Trump's latest carnival. Oh well, at least I'm getting a lot of extra work done today, because I won't be listening to All Things Considered or watching the evening network news broadcasts, either.
Terra Botanical is now on my bucket list itinerary of France ;). Actually got some garden work done, although I have so many hours ahead of me, including putting up chickenwire against rabbits.
Mr. Hastings looks forward to inspecting that for integrity, although not in this present heat-- it's a whopping 78 degrees and sunny. Waiting for the middday sun to pass.
Public Service Announcements:
1. "National Doughnut Day: Free doughnuts at Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts";
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/06/01/national-doughnut-day-free-donuts-krispy-kreme-dunkin-donuts/361383001
2. "New 18-hour United flight to contend for title of world's longest":
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2017/06/01/new-18-hour-united-flight-contend-title-worlds-longest/102379320
... this fall [...] United plans to launch an 8,700-mile route connecting Los Angeles and Singapore. The service, which must be OK’d by regulators, would leapfrog past Qantas’ 8,576-mile Dallas/Fort-Worth-Sydney non-stop and United’s own 8,446-mile San Francisco-Singapore route to become the longest by distance of any airline flying to or from the USA...
3. Meanwhile, back in Coach... "Lie-flat seat wars? United adds option to third domestic route":
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2017/05/31/lie-flat-seat-wars-united-adds-option-third-domestic-route/102343004/
United Airlines will begin flying lie-flat seats on a third cross-country route this summer. The move comes as four of the USA's biggest airlines have increasingly turned to the swanky seating as they battle for high-spending customers on lucrative cross country routes.
United will add the high-end domestic option to its Boston-San Francisco flights starting July 1. The carrier already offers the option on its transcontinental flights that connect its Newark hub to Los Angeles and San Francisco...
In the wake of the Kathy Griffin kerfuffle, I began wondering what Lenny Bruce would've made of a President Trump. Then I recalled that a friend had mentioned having seen Mort Sahl perform a year or so ago in California, so Googled him and discovered that he's very much alive and performing weekly, with no appreciable diminution of satirical powers:
"Satirist Mort Sahl riffs on Jon Stewart":
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/dan-morain/article30433437.html
...On Donald Trump: He’s going to build a wall, and “he’s not going to let me get out of here”...
...What about the current presidential candidates? He appreciates Rand Paul for going after the National Security Agency. He sort of likes that Trump has made money. He likes that Bernie Sanders seems to believe in the need to help poor people. But it’s not the job of satirists to love politicians...
...if you’re in need of a satirical fix as the campaign unfolds, and long to hear someone deflate Trump and point out the hypocrisy of Cruz and Bush and Rubio and Clinton, drop by the Throckmorton, a lovely old hall, or click into Periscope any Thursday evening...
Sahl naturally has a Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/mortsahlsays?lang=en
Also, "Comedy pioneer Mort Sahl celebrates [his 90th birthday] with book signing":
http://www.sfgate.com/performance/article/Comedy-pioneer-Mort-Sahl-celebrates-with-book-11165551.php
"Mort Sahl, Social Satirist / Happy 90th Birthday!":
https://throckmortontheatre.org/event/mort-sahl-social-satirist-05-11-2017/
DFW-Sydney seems pretty much. Houston-Auckland (which I've done 3 times) is enough. I encountered a woman who had, like me, started at Orlando and was continuing on to Perth, which is the farthest commercial airport on the planet from Orlando.
The antipode airport of LAX might be Roland Garros on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, or maybe Tôlanaro Airport at the south-eastern corner of Madagascar.
I remember when the 747SP was introduced, with the shorter fuselage to permit longer range. The range of 5800 miles, which permitted LAX to Auckland, seems small today.
As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future.
bill peduto added,
Sean SpicerVerified account @PressSec
.@POTUS "I was elected by voters of Pittsburgh, not Paris. I promised I wld exit or renegotiate any deal which fails to serve US interests"
Trump should not have mentioned Pittsburgh of all cities, not many Trump voters here.
I should have expanded, LAX-Auckland was a lot quicker than LAX-Honolulu-Nadi(pronounced Nandi)-Auckland, with two intermediate stops omitted.
Pittsburgh. Hmm. Seems the mayor has noticed DJT is an idiot. Or various other diagnoses of why he's not fit to be POTUS.
DJT is going to become irrelevant, soon, except for the specific things POTUS can directly do. Which, alas, is a pretty large set. Too large, IMO.
I suppose the trend over my lifetime of giving POTUS more powers has been predicated on that individual being sane, sensible, and knowing a lot about how the world operates (or able to absorb that from others). Now we see that our US fellow voters can grant those powers to someone with none of those qualities. Congress needs to step back in, but have they surrendered so much power that they can't any more? Joel, where are you?
Joel hasn't posted a story in over a week (his last was on how bad the Trump budget would be for science, medical research, and disease preventation). I expect he will post something about the Paris Accord and the EPA very soon. Not like there wasn't lead time on this story.
Trump seems to yearn for the Rust Belt's boom days of with 24/7 production, like during WW II. All he needs to do now is gin up another war, which will make him feel like a real man :-(
Actually, my fondest hope is that US industry will decide to boycott carbon fuels in their own best economic interests.
Trump is very big on the notion that his predecessors in the White House have been stooges of the wily foreigners, who have plundered our country.
Of course that bodes ill for any kind of foreign relations. I suppose there's no point in wasting money on a State Department. Certainly not on trying to lure foreign tourists.
It looks as though there will be some kind of re-imposition of travel restrictions on Cuba, but it'll be hard to undo flights and cruise ship visits. Apparently no one is talking about closing the embassies. (Miami Herald).
The Atlas of Ancient Rome. What looks to be a very, very expensive publication.
http://atlasofancientrome.com/
A friend who was a music major in college, a long-time junior high English teacher, and now a volunteer part-time ESOL teacher (i.e., she knows her beans!) agrees with this concept.
"Using Music And Rhythm To Help Kids With Grammar And Language":
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/06/01/530723046/using-music-and-rhythm-to-help-kids-with-grammar-and-language
Blind kids have language delay due to problems learning meaning of words without visual context, and they tend to pick up rhythm and music / prosody more at first. As for ASL, it has no tune to it, but it's very inflected and rhythmatic. A lot of musicians are drawn to it for that reason.
Visual cues actually amplify the impact of music for many, so there is a visual component to music.
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/08/the-look-of-music/
That Atlas of Ancient Rome seems a classicist's and an architect's dream. I expect sales will be modest but brisk.
A friend from high school marching band had a sister who was completely deaf. She and several of her deaf school friends came a few times to our rehearsals, which they enjoyed tremendously. The hearing sibling explained to us that even totally deaf people can feel (and enjoy) the rhythmic vibrations of a drum line's cadences, which in my ignorance I'd never realized before.
If it's bass enough and the chair vibrates enough, definitely.
I discovered the kit and caboodle when JA was covering the trial. Now the denouement. Reader comments are harsh (some not entirely without justification)
"Former Penn State president Graham Spanier sentenced to jail for child endangerment in Jerry Sandusky abuse case":
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/06/02/former-penn-state-president-graham-spanier-sentenced-to-jail-for-child-endangerment-in-jerry-sandusky-abuse-case/
"The Atlas of Ancient Rome," eh?
All right, then! Wilhelmina Jashemski's "A Pompeian Herbal: Ancient and Modern Medicinal Plants," and "The Gardens of Pompeii, Herculaneum and the Villas Destroyed by Vesuvius, Volume 1" AND "Volume 2." Take a look at those delicacies!
I've only got "The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume 1," and if people keep dangling other fascinating books in front of me, I never will get around to Volume 2 *or* the herbal!
* looks hard at Dave *
Meanwhile, we can't even get year-old onion seeds to sprout :-( "Judean Date Palm Methuselah / This tree was extinct for a thousand years before sprouting again from a 2,000-year-old seed":
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/judean-date-palm-methuselah (with photos)
...The seed was one of six discovered in 1963, in a jar in Herod the Great’s palace at the Masada fortress in Israel. Radiocarbon dating found that the seeds, preserved by the arid climate, were from some time between 155 B.C. and A.D. 64...
The tree's a male, so I wonder whether they can ever find a seed to a female Judean Date Palm for him. Alternatively, couldn't this male pollinate modern date palms, resulting in a hybrid? Dave? DAVE?
SCC: ...a female Judean Date Palm seed that will sprout for him.
[Oh dear, that sounds somehow slightly naughty]
I haven't seen anything more recent, but when the ancient date palm seed was germinated, it was reported in a scientific journal and made the news and caught the attention of palm enthusiasts. It's unusual for seeds to last so long, but not unprecedented.
Germinating seeds reminds me of something from maybe 30 yrs ago. There was an international conference of biogeographers in Oz, Canberra as I recall. Most participants agreed to participate in a study. Their luggage and clothing was gone over with a fine-tooth comb, and any seeds were extracted, and there were a lot. The seeds were germinated to see what they were, and it was a huge variety! (I can't find the paper that describes the study.)
Anyhow, we are one way that plants get from place to place. We probably have a longer range than birds.
Jim, that study was a brilliant idea.
New Zealand just got hit by a rust with the potential to destroy some major native trees. Possibly blew in from Australia, possibly not. While they've become very strict about biosecurity, with $400 fines, I was recently pretty much waved through. I volunteered that I was wearing a brand-new pair of sneakers, the boots had been meticulously washed, including laces (and they'd hardly been worn outside of NZ anyway), and I'd also brought brand new swim fins and a new wetsuit. So no actual inspection.
With all that preparation, it was really annoying to have difficulty walking on a lovely beach morning. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45621748@N05/albums/72157681408011963
I never understood brown iris or daylily flowers. Needless to say, a boodler has posted a fine photo of a brown iris.
The Manila galleons went a long distance, and exchanged foods between Mexico and the Philippines (one reason Filipino food is so great), but there are birds that as I recall go Alaska to NZ and back, which is about the same. So maybe birds were the champs until very recently.
Creosote bush, which is otherwise from southern South America, suddenly showed up in what is now the US southwest about 10,000 years ago. Birds, presumably. Same with lots of grasses and sedges.
As usual, the "facts" on which our president based his decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement are off. The US is not #1 in reduction of emissions, Finland is, and the US ranks #26.
The loss of 6.5 million jobs was established by a study funded by fossil fuel lobbyists and is therefore questionable, The job numbers in alternative energy are increasing at twice the rate of those in coal and gas.
I have not heard the media disputing his reasons, but in the end it does not matter because I automatically assume that anything coming from him is based on alternative facts.
Some in the foreign media assume that the only purpose of this exercise was to please his base and alienate the rest of the world.
http://www.businessinsider.com/fact-check-trump-reasons-for-leaving-paris-agreement-2017-6/#job-losses-1
The Post's analysts have made it pretty clear that rejecting Paris is something that Trump absolutely believes in. One early commentator noted how earnest he was about the facts and figures he recited in his statement. They'd been fed by Bannon and EPA director Scott Pruitt.
Now to watch the debt limit. The OMB director seems to want some add-ons to redo the budget process. And he seemed, in his NYT interview, to be dismissing inability to temporarily pay all of the government's bills as something other than "default," which he claims won't happen. I'll leave it to the financial markets to parse his words; the volume was too low for me to make much sense.
_______________________________________
Universal Studios' new water park got an exceedingly nice review at the New York Times. And the Tribune papers (the Orlando Seninel, specifically) circulated a Judgemental Map of the Magic Kingdom. I haven't been in a very long time, but Disney's original world really wasn't timeless.
http://judgmentalmaps.com/post/161019951895/disneyworld
Rainy season is underway. The vegetation will be rioting by Monday.
I just spent a brisk hour outside hacking down the pokeweed jungle that had happily colonized the daylily bed along the fence. ("Take that! HAH!" *chop*)
Now I'm taking a breather before dealing with all the strangers that have climbed into the bed that's supposed to contain the monarda, the blue iris, and the rose mallow. The lavish rains that have delighted the lawn have also made the weeds a bunch of happy, happy little interlopers -- bindweed, grapevines, violets, and chickweed decided to have a party and invite allllll their little friends.
I am so pleased.
I never heard of the Hispanic Society of America, which has a museum in New York. Now they're closed for two years of renovation and the pick of the collection is drawing multitudes at the Prado.
https://www.museodelprado.es/en/whats-on/exhibition/treasures-from-the-hispanic-society-of-america/c1b08f10-d0d9-499f-8969-160e74000d5b
Happy stroll down Memory Lane in the comments section of this article! "America’s No. 1 song isn’t in English. That doesn’t happen often":
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/06/02/americas-number-one-song-isnt-in-english-that-doesnt-happen-often
Link forwarded by a like-minded elderly cousin. For some perverse reason, the sound isn't working on my computer. However, even only seeing the video and subtitles, it's entertaining.
Real Fake News - Opera vs. Trump (Rossini Edition):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz7SfkhJe74&feature=youtu.be
Got the sound! Clever and hilarious.
Amazon has the Atlas of Ancient Rome for $150.00, which is 25% off the list price of about $200.00. It clocks in at 1,280 pages and is two volumes in a slipcase, so the presentation seems of very high quality. For this kind of work, 150 bucks might be a bargain. Well, a relative bargain.
In response to a very elderly friend to whom I sent the Trump/Opera video, she sent me this Broadway medley:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UW2ZndKqcg&feature=youtu.be&list=RDHz7SfkhJe74
Wow. The Capital Weather Gang has a video on their forecast page of a video of a tornado near Calgary in Canada. The clarity of the video and the size of the storm are stunning!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/06/03/pm-update-pleasant-weather-tonight-heat-and-humidity-make-a-return-on-sunday/?hpid=hp_no-name_no-name%3Ahomepage%2Fmasthead&utm_term=.40b79b93aee8
SCC: In response from...
I had figured the Atlas of Ancient Rome might be on the order of $400. I can't exactly imagine buying it, but I did pick up a book list-priced at $200 at half-price last year. The only problem is that the photo (and fashion) book on surfing, which had gotten on to a Post best-of-the-year list, is so big that it'll be a first victim of inevitable downsizing.
The news from London is chaotic. My last visit was a decade ago in January, staying close to Borough Market, from which I obtained provisions, notably cheese from Neals Yard and a big box of lychees from Madagascar.
Wonder if the London attack tonight was intended to cast a shadow (or worse) on tomorrow night's multi-star concert in Manchester headlined by the return of Ariana Grande.
There's a cricket tournament called the Champions Trophy, involving the world's 8 top national teams at one-day cricket, going on now in UK. There's a match every day for the next couple of weeks, with a crowd of 20-40 thousand. I imagine one spends a long time in a queue, and gets inspected very carefully, to be a spectator at one of those.
...as opposed to the Pittsburgh arena, where they couldn't even detect a catfish inside the front of a guy's pants the other night.
Discouraging people from attending public events may be a purpose of the terrorism.
I suggest a travel ban on the UK for obvious reasons.
Two compelling reports on NPR this AM:
1. "Why Republican Mayor In Indiana Isn't Cheering On Climate Agreement Withdrawal":
http://www.npr.org/2017/06/04/531444383/why-republican-mayor-in-indiana-isnt-cheering-on-climate-agreement-withdrawal (audio now, transcript later)
2. Promoting his new book If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? / My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating, "Alan Alda's Experiment: Helping Scientists Learn To Talk To The Rest Of Us":
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/06/04/531271710/alan-aldas-experiment-helping-scientists-learn-to-talk-to-the-rest-of-us (audio and interview highlights available)
The first guest on today's Ian Masters show discussed the UK terrorist incidents. Apparently the UK has been sponsoring local Muslims to go back to their country of origin and fight jihadists there. Except some or maybe even many of them are converted to terrorists during their stay and return with that mindset. The Manchester bomber returned from Libya 3 days before the event. Teresa May was Home Secretary for some of the period in question, sponsoring this activity. ianmasters.com
We think it might be all about Syria. But maybe it's Pakistan (an army with a country), or Yemen, or Libya, or Saudi Arabia, or who knows where.
Much of central Manchester was blown up by a huge IRA truck bomb. Similar bombs in the City of London weren't quite as big.
For a bit of relief, a fresh video from the bizarre and nasty surf at the Newport Beach, California jetty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp0rCredD-g&feature=push-u&attr_tag=PN2HO6Z2ofqkoGIb-6
Off to the side, a bodyboarding contest at Nazaré, Portugal's North Beach. It's where giant wave contests are held. Video quality isn't much, but the contestants gathered in a tent look like the results of a casting call for a movie about some fearsome, perhaps suicidal mission. The unorthodox soundtrack helps.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bodyboard+nazare&&view=detail&mid=C866B7880E6323127849C866B7880E6323127849&FORM=VRDGAR
Finally, a video from perhaps near Pacifica, California. While the waves are huge, it's of more concern that they don't look ridable--they're just collapsing all at once (technical term, close-out).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsJrTnvQQUM
Very much like the Assateague/Chincoteague pony drive, Dülmen, Germany has wild ponies that are collected and culled every year. There's a picture of them at the end of this array of photographs: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/here-are-19-of-the-weeks-best-photos/2017/06/02/876428fe-42f8-11e7-8c25-44d09ff5a4a8_gallery.html?utm_term=.f657a07806c0
Pewter, charcoal, silver, and an occasional dun like a splash of gold -- a fabulous picture!
On my way back from an appointment in northern VA, I stopped by the immygrint grocery store and got a box of merengue cookies, some sweet limes, a can of sweet mango pickle, two bundles of green things, a bottle of rose water, a couple of pounds of okra, three kinds of hot peppers, a package of queso blanco ("Good for snacking!"), a container of peeled garlic, a bottle of pickled Indian cabbage, some Tunisian honey dates, a box of ma'amoul, a bottle of "mango drink," and a frozen package of tandoori naan bread that is, according to the front, ovenable.
I love that store!
Calpyso, enjoy that stash of goodies! Are sweet limes appropriate for Key Lime Pie?
I ♥ Carl Reiner (ever since he was a supporting cast member on Your Show of Shows with Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Howie Morris), then The Яussians Are Coming! The Яussians Are Coming!
"Carl Reiner Is Way Too Busy to Die":
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/06/carl-reiner-if-youre-not-in-the-obit-hbo-documentary-mel-brooks
"Carl Reiner Almost Left Dick Van Dyke Over This Controversial Episode":
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/12/dick-van-dyke-coast-to-coast-big-mouth-carl-reiner
Dylan's Nobel Prize speech (haven't listened to the whole thing yet, and the captions leave something to be desired):
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-bob-dylan-recite-his-nobel-prize-in-literature-lecture-w485839
He starts off talking about Buddy Holly, who I love too.
seasea
Here is Bob Dylan's Nobel lecture, spoken and written.
http://www.svenskaakademien.se/en/nobel-lecture
Sorry, Suesea. I forgot to refresh the page. But in my link you get the original English version.
Good discussion with Robert Baer on tonite's Ian Masters program. One thing mentioned was that Drumpf may not be out of his depth, he may be out of his mind. That has probably occurred to some of us.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Baer
Indeed.
"Let It Pee" (with apologies to the Beatles):
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6b82577dddb10048c21553068f2869f575639f235c19853a35bfb20675491b92.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/e9Kpav/let_it_pee.png
When I find myself in tweets of trouble Mother Russia comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom... Covfefe...
And in my hour darkness she's standing over me
Dripping golden showers .. Covfefe...
Especially for gmbka and ebtnut. "In the ‘Paris of the Appalachians,’ they’re not buying Trump’s climate talk":
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-the-paris-of-the-appalachians-theyre-not-buying-trumps-climate-talk/2017/06/06/6f3ddd8a-49f9-11e7-bc1b-fddbd8359dee_story.html
There are a couple of indefatigable trolls in the Comments section.
Peter Wohlleben's "The Hidden life of trees" is short and not expensive, but it's one of the best books on trees I've read. It will rock people's thought processes if they aren't up on the Wood Wide Web and plant neurobiology, as he talks about trees feeling and such at the start (could also be a German-English verb usage nuance). He's an experienced forester who has insights in what makes an old growth forest tick.
While he mainly references Central Europe, some tidbits here may be useful for anybody planting trees and wanting them to survive anywhere. He also in passing, while discussing how trees create their own climate (this I knew), he also mentions the importance of coastal forests in preventing droughts inland, and the importance of uninterrupted forest in transporting/sucking water from the coast to inland.
And it's easy enough to understand for the non-biologist, I believe.
Timothy Snyder, author of "Bloodlands" and "On Tyranny" is on Ian Masters' show today. It will be on the website in about an hour.
http://www.salon.com/2017/05/01/historian-timothy-snyder-its-pretty-much-inevitable-that-trump-will-try-to-stage-a-coup-and-overthrow-democracy/
Well, we all know that Bigly would much prefer being a single head of state with no pesky legislatures and no effective rule of law to limit him, but I don't see him getting there unless he moves to Roosevelt Island and declares it an independent nation.
For one thing, he doesn't have the means to carry out a coup. The US military isn't going to do anything of the sort. And while he might be able to incite some of the armed Bigly fans to flock to DC with their arsenals in their trunks, there are an awful lot of police and an awful lot of National Guards who would put a stop to an attempted insurrection. Can you imagine the Secret Service going along with that? I can't. The DC cops? I can't.
We've been a democracy for the last 240 years, so it's not like we're a shaky new nation. We're accustomed to being a democracy. If Bigly decided to try to set himself up as a dictator, he's going to think the troubles he has NOW are a day in the country, compared to what would happen next.
...not to mention the courts.
Breaking news: "Sessions offered in recent months to resign as attorney general":
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/sessions-offered-in-recent-months-to-resign-as-attorney-general/2017/06/06/030366fc-4b17-11e7-bc1b-fddbd8359dee_story.html
Wow, the comments on that story are pouring in faster than one can read all of them, although I must say "Well played" to Calypso! Lots of schadenfreude, only a few trolls with talking points (doubtless still awaiting further instruction from the Kremlin).
Not literally a coup where the military takes over, but more power to the executive vis a vis media and other levels of government, and "temporarily" abrogating certain individual individual rights. As Snyder said, if a terrorist event happens, it will be important to take the long view and act to prevent having rights taken away. For example, if something like one of the British attacks occurs in the US, work to prevent a response of reducing people's rights vis a vis the government, deal with it using existing models unless it's extraordinary -- don't let it become a Reichstag fire. Some people being killed by someone driving a truck through a crowd does not qualify to change the US model of government, although that may be claimed.
Just think, if something like that occurred between now and 10 AM EDT Thursday, it'd be a two-fer for Trump: prevent Comey from testifying AND enable Trump to impose martial law.
NP, I hope you are poor at predicting.
Oh Jim, I'd love to be wrong on this.
Hmm. I could see a few scenarios: assassination (Pence, Comey), or the classic bomb threat. You are right he will attempt to be disruptive, or at least keep attention to him as much as possible.
He already has said he will tweet during the testimony. That alone is ridiculously childish and disrespectful.
Uday and Qusay's chutzpah is again on display. "Trump’s sons recommend the high road they usually don’t take":
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/07/trumps-sons-recommend-the-high-road-they-usually-dont-take
...“Morals have flown out the window,” Eric Trump lamented on Sean Hannity's Fox News show Tuesday night. “We deserve so much better than this as a country, and, you know, it's so sad.”
In the same interview, Eric Trump said this of his father's critics: “To me, they're not even people.”
In an interview that aired earlier Tuesday on ABC's “Good Morning America,” Donald Trump Jr. said Kathy Griffin “deserves everything that's coming to her”...
“I've raised $16.3 million for the greatest hospital in the world — that's St. Jude,” Eric Trump told Hannity. “And I get attacked for it.”
By “attacked,” he meant scrutinized by Forbes magazine, which reported Tuesday that Eric Trump's annual charity golf tournament doubles as a revenue stream for Trump family businesses. Although Eric Trump claimed that his family donates use of the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, N.Y., public records show that the club has accepted $1.2 million in payments over the years...
Crocodiles, fast and thick. Sick, too.
Crocodile tears, I meant, but it works the other way, too.
We got it, Pup.
I assume everyone will be watching tomorrow morning. After reading today's WaPo stories.
PBS (which we'll be watching) is among the networks carrying Comey's testimony. Also ABC, CBS & NBC. Don't know about Fox News, but that's a moot point since we don't have cable anyhow.
Show of hands: Who's had a boss who when s/he said "I hope..." the only reasonable translation was "Do it, or else..."?
Mr. P asks, is John McCain getting senile, or was he on meds during his questioning? The equivalency he seemed to be trying to draw between Hillary & Trump was so clearly false.
Meanwhile, the polling places in Cornwall were busy today. My swag from St, Ives is two small pieces from the Leach Pottery, a Leach book, and an item from another potter.
Here in Newquay, the supermarket has cherries and berries inside the front door, but blocking the view is a rack of wetsuits.
I love Robin Givhan. Her take on the Comey hearing:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/06/08/the-comey-hearing-was-washingtons-great-fashion-show-of-2017-and-comey-dressed-like-its-star/?utm_term=.0cc1ce16925b
"With his penchant for skinny ties with spread-collar shirts that make his already slim neck look positively spindly, 40-year-old Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) regularly aims for a hipster look (no, not successfully)."
I'm afraid I'd noticed Comey's perfect dimple. Some tie-wearers never learn how. Dimples count.
Catching up with Florida, Sawgrass Mills,The vast mostly outlet mall near Ft Lauderdale remained flooded out today after torrential rain. Over 10"
Yesterday, someone on the CWG weather blog announced that his dad in central Florida (or thereabouts) just got 11 inches of rain and the elderly gentleman's ceiling was giving way and falling on his head.
Didn't sound good to me --
Wonder what the rain gauge is reading at Mar-a-Lago today :-)
Over in UK there was an election. Looks like the Conservatives are still the largest party, but lost their majority, and now will need the Lib Dems in coalition. I wonder what that will do to Brexit negotiations. Up in Scotland, the nationalists lost 40% of their seats, and generally Labour staged a comeback. This is all based on exit polls and the final figures will likely be different.
The Tories did lose their absolute majority, but May is on her way to the Queen to ask permission to build a government with the agreed upon tolerance by the Ulster Democratic Unionist Party. The DUP does not want any cabinet positions, but a soft Brexit to maintain economic and political connections with the Republic of Ireland.
This election made it clear to me how un-unified the United Kingdom is.
RISKS Digest (risks to the public in computers and related systems) always has some interesting articles, but this edition is more juicy than usual.
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/30/30
It was a lovely day, warm but not too hot, comfortable with a little breeze, lots of birds chirping and flowers blooming, and as the sun went down, the fireflies came out and the Evil Stranger Kitty came over to politely ask if I felt like sharing some of my ice cream. A full moon is supposed to rise soon. Starting tomorrow it's supposed to be nasty-hot - and humid - but right now it's perfect.
So much on the news is politics (especially US and British), deaths, etc. In desperation for something to brighten my day, I visited this website, which has something for just about everyone:
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/
[Ah, the joys of insomnia]
"It’s not just Trump’s message that matters. There’s also his metamessage" by Deborah Tannen:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/its-not-just-trumps-message-that-matters-theres-also-his-metamessage/2017/06/09/57321c90-4d20-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html (with some *ahem* excellent reader comments by Calypso and YT, inter alii)
A brand-new pair of clouded leopard kittens, a leggy Przewalski's colt, some elegant rhea chicks, a litter of "pocket-sized piglets," a fuzzy new elephant baby that's kind of shy, and all the rest of them. ZooBorns.
http://www.zooborns.com/
Joel has posted two stories (not kits) this week, both related to the opoid crisis. Not really jolly kit stuff.
I'm over what probably was norovirus this week. Back to some exercise and I got in some gardening finally, but I don't have enough stamina in the heat. Mr. Hastings cased the joint for rabbits and played some this morning, too.
Plan to rest a little, and see if I can do more tonight.
Why do heroin dealers cut their drug with deadly fentanyl? Sure it's cheap, but it doesn't seem like a sound business plan to sell product that potentially kills customers (instead of keeping them alive and buying).
Could it be an evil anti-drug conspiracy by, say, religious or moralist zealots, or by Naloxone manufacturers?
HP, I am so sorry to hear that you have been unwell, but glad you are better now. Just don't overdo it with work, give your body some time to recover fully.
We are having summer now, too, and for the next three days the temps will be in the low nineties. This made me walk to the pool today to see whether it was filled and the water can heat up a bit before they open on Tuesday. Arriving at the pool I saw the head life guard standing in the surely icy water removing debris with a net. He is really devoted.
The heat also means I have to water a lot, with a watering can because the rain-barrel is full. I really suffer from my ecological correctness. Self-inflicted, no doubt.
I would like to see a web post, with a map of the US, by County. There are 3000-odd Counties. I would go to that map and, maybe after enlarging it to see a particular County, click on that County, and the graphic would show me the Federal $ going to the County or individuals in the County. (Would it be possible to include $ to the State that end up in that County? Probably.) It would be nice to break this down further by Federal Program. Does anyone know of such a website? I haven't found any, but I suspect one exists.
Or if it doesn't exist, someone studying R would like to create it. (R being a statistical program.)
This shows it in aggregate, but if it could be broken down geographically, people might realize how it affects them, maybe even Drumpf voters.
http://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/policy-basics-where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go
Looking at the article, I find that Veteran benefits should be listed under defense and not with federal employees benefits. The way it is done it just hides our real defense expenditures.
I found a table that lists the most and least states depending on the federal government.
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-least-dependent-on-the-federal-government/2700/
Would be good to divide defense into past (vets) vs current and future (DoD).
Drumpf tries to turn any question into "He said, he said", ignoring the content of the issue, and now he's gotten Sessions to join that mode.
Jim, the business model Trump touted in his campaign as how he'd run his presidency is one of him having the final word on everything, and woe betide anyone who challenges his authority.
However, some significant portion of 100 Senators, 435 Representatives, 9 SCOTUS justices and assorted lower court judges, not to mention even some in his Cabinet and their underlings, feel obligated by the checks and balances woven into the Constitution (or even by their own substantial egos) to challenge him when they think he's wrong. I don't know how long Sessions will be willing to bend to Trump's will, or if even he has a breaking point.
HP, I hope (not in a Trumpian way) you're continuing to feel better. You know the drill: fluids, electrolytes, not overdoing it in the heat, etc.
First World Problem lament: The 71st Tony Awards are on CBS this evening opposite the (possibly final) 2017 Stanley Cup game on NBC, both aired live. I predict that both the TV remote control and my thumb will get heavy workouts during those three or so hours. Here's hoping I face no worse dilemmas today :-)
I took a middday nap-- encouraging Mr. Hastings to do the same so he is not out in the midday sun. L'Anglais.
It cooled to the 60's last night, after dinner, which made fine porching weather. I took advantage while Mr. Hastings checked out all the dogs around and did his sprints.
Today is a bit cool (rained overnight) and overcast. I am decidedly more lethargic today. Getting milk and eggs will probably make it a day for me, although Mr. Hastings will want his outside exercise.
I annually joke that I am the only straight man in America who watches the Tonys instead of the NBA finals. Since 'Amelie' got shut out of nominations (and has since closed), the only horse I have in the race is 'Dear Evan Hansen' which I saw during it's DC tryout run two years ago.
The lead of "Dear Evan Hansen" was on Colbert and he did a song, too. Interesting.
NYTimes has a template for White House leaks journalism that may save both journalists and readers time. It's also funny.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/10/opinion/sunday/opart-white-house-leak-template.html
HP, that template is very clever and funny indeed. Take it easy.
It looks good for Macron and his REM party.
HP, thanks for the link, which I've already forwarded to the usual suspects!
gmbka, that's great news re the rejection of LePen and her party.
yello, you're not alone. My dad would've been watching the Tonys, and Mr. P will be. I long for the days when Ed Sullivan would have Broadway cast scenes on his show throughout the season, so even those of us in the boondocks were familiar with at least a few numbers or scenes by award-time.
Also, more Broadway musical tunes were played on radio, and even made it into the Top 40. I've read that the last to hit #1 was Satchmo's rendition of the title song from Hello, Dolly!, although certainly many others in the '50s and '60s were well-known to the public. The earliest tunes I ever can recall my dad singing around the house, having picked them up on radio, included Ezio Pinza's "Some Enchanted Evening" from South Pacific suited his bass-baritone voice particularly well.
Fiddler on the Roof, Mame and Sweet Charity also had hit songs in the mid-'60s. Even the Fifth Dimension's medley from Hair ("Aquarius" and "Let the Sun Shine In") made it onto the Top 40 in the late '60s, as did Judy Collins' rendition even later of "Send in the Clowns" from Sondheim's A Little Night Music. Wracking my brain trying to think of subsequent ones... You kids get off my lawn!
I forgot several songs from My Fair Lady, West Side Story and Camelot, as well as "The Impossible Dream" from Man of LaMancha.
Oh gosh, so many more keep flooding back: Annie, Get Your Gun, Kiss Me, Kate, Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and in the mid-'70s A Chorus Line. The latter two as well as South Pacific even won Pulitzer Prizes.
And in a meta-moment, don't forget Bye Bye Birdie, with its famous tribute to Ed Sullivan (as well as several hits).
I'll TRY to stop now; I can stop any time I want ;-) Although, in these grim times, such happy memories are therapeutic and afford many earworms.
I think I will feel better once there is solid dirt on McConnell and Ryan made public and they're pressured to resign, Sessions is out, and the dominoes are really tumbling at last.
But no doubt about it, this is a weekend to grieve, same as November 9, particularly as Congress is racing against time to try and get their agenda and hide the dirt.
I haven't much been able to focus on my own stuff. One thing though, if England could survive Cromwell, America can survive this, but I am among the vulnerable who would be deeply hurt by the agenda, and I do not have many other options at this point. I figure my best shot is to get healthy and things managed and worry about that when it comes, and fight in the meantime.
And we must fight the senate ACHA bill coming up, the repeal of Dodd-Frank (which would probably weaken the RICO cases against banks which are key witnesses/evidence in the case against Trump and a lot of congressmen.), and crap, get more people to resign.
I hope Puerto Rico decides to become our 51st state, but it's unlikely they would be able to send senators to be seated before July/August. We should be asking for the UN to oversee our special elections henceforth, really.
Even if P.R. voted for statehood, this must be approved by Congress and since they probably would deliver two more D senators there is little chance for that to happen. And that is in addition to their debts.
They would seek statehood by 2025. The governor would pick the first representatives to go to Congress to seek statehood, elections to be held thereafter.
I suspect Congress leaders might say yes but only if they could make a deal re said representatives, and that could be a nice legal trap. So they might say no, or stipulate conditions. But, historically, Puerto Rico has been promised statehood if they want it, and they will use every ounce of leverage they can to get that, or bargain for money.
However, only 23% turned out to vote in this non-binding referendum. But the governor may proceed anyway.
http://www.puertoricoreport.com/tennessee-general-assembly-resolution-supports-statehood-puerto-rico/#.WT3Rv8a1tPY
All in all, an eventful evening. Nice to get a respite.
When Mr. P was out watering the vegetable garden just before dark, he noticed that the earliest blueberries are starting to ripen. He reported that his quality control test on a few was favorable :-) Time for him to get the bird-netting over them in the AM.
I'm home after 2.5 weeks (with 3 days back in the interim), 3 music festivals, many hikes, and a gypsy moth caterpillar s#!t storm.
I've been out of the loop. Anything important happen?
Hi HF, welcome back. Nothing happened that is more important than a nice vacation. Congratulations.
This guy is still in the WH, now together with wife and child.
The chance of Puerto Rico being granted statehood is close to zero. Perhaps more likely, Congressional meddling, since Congress owns the territories more or less the way it owns the District.
HF's hiking sounds good. My purchase of the day, along with cheese for the neighbors, is a collapsible custom-adjusted cane. The recovering knee is restive.
After DelFest, we spent the next week in Ithaca. We hiked a couple of the gorges. We were in the Watkins Glen gorge when a thunderstorm rolled through. It was wet, but we just hunkered down until it passed. It was kind of dumb luck that there was a street festival in downtown Ithaca that weekend. HFGF granted me a solid day in Corning, while I glass-geeked out. She did enjoy it, but we were both museumed out by the time they were closing. I could have spent more time watching demos, but that was enough.
Glad to hear of Dave's and HF's respective adventures. Hope HP's feeling better.
Here's something obvious that never occurred to me before. "‘Bake in Space’ Experiment Aims to Make Crumb-Free Bread on ISS / Slated to launch to the ISS in 2018, 'Bake in Space' will test special dough with a microgravity oven to bake bread in orbit for the first time in history":
https://www.seeker.com/space/bake-in-space-experiment-aims-to-make-crumb-free-bread-on-iss
The Delta-Virgin terminal at Heathow is quite the shopping mall. Wasn't scanned but had to remove belt. Can't wait for entry formalities at NY.
This AM on NPR, "At 'Washington Post,' Tech Is Increasingly Boosting Financial Performance":
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/06/13/531099577/at-washington-post-tech-is-increasingly-boosting-financial-performance
(I've been annoyed by WaPo's switch to clickbait-y headlines)
Also "History Of Our Time: Software's Power To Replace Humans":
http://www.npr.org/2017/06/13/532724722/history-of-our-time-softwares-power-to-replace-humans (text not yet online)
Petri's latest column, "‘I love you more, Mr. President’: A Cabinet competition":
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2017/06/13/i-love-you-more-mr-president-a-cabinet-competition
Especially for Jim, today's Google doodle is a cricket match.
The pool opened today and because of the heat we are having the water was not too cold. I am almost in heaven. Swimming outdoors never fails to make me euphoric.
Do weasels have beady eyes? Yes, I watched some of Sessions testimony.
I object! Weasels are cute little things, with pointy noses and bright little eyes and lots of whiskers, and they don't deserve in the slightest to be insulted by the comparison with that sad little homunculus with the desperate look on his miserable face.
I'm looking forward to hearing what privilege AG Sessions will come up with that means he can just not answer questions as "inappropriate". I think he wants to call attorney client privilege, but he's not Trump's attorney.
Thanks to declaring my Neal's Yard Dairy cheese at Customs in NY, I waited for my checked bag with an agent, went to the ag inspection room off to the side, and the bag was x-rayed rather than inspected. Go figure. I think this is a case where Global Entry status was a plus. The Global Entry crew seemed not busy at all.
Dave, I'm glad you and your dairy purchases are home safe and sound. However, you piqued my curiosity, so I Googled "Neal's Yard Dairy cheese" and found this poignant message at the bottom of the page:
Our Borough Market shop will be closed until we are given permission from the authorities to reopen - be kinder than you need to be. We are offering FREE SHIPPING online until then, use the code BOROUGHMARKET at checkout. Our Covent Garden shop is open as usual.
https://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/
HF et al., if you think Sessions is a jerk, just see what Louie Gohmert was up to today:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2017/live-updates/trump-white-house/sessions-to-testify-before-senate-intelligence-committee/gohmert-get-rid-of-mueller-he-is-dirty
I should have mentioned that their Borough Market shop, which has to be the busier, is closed. I think it was right in the middle of the stabbing spree.
Having been to the Borough Market store in the past, I planned to visit them before the attack. I had an incentive to make a bit bigger purchase, and of course mentioned the Neal's Yard background to the Customs guy while waiting for my bag.
NP, thanks for the link to the virtual cricket match.
So many jerks, everywhere. Sessions avoiding the Dems' questions until their 10 minutes were up, vs. answering the Reps' softballs at theatrical length, was dreadful.
Jim, a friend in California just sent me this link re Kamala vs. Jeff:
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/06/13/jeff-sessions-to-kamala-harris-being-rushed-makes-me-nervous/
Po' baby Jeff, getting picked on by that mean lady ;-)
In suburban London, I saw a poster for this music festival: https://www.51ststatefestival.com
It's American music in the London area. Nothing to do with Puerto Rico. Nothing at all.
How can the Dems get the message across? "Unless you are really, really rich, your welfare depends on not voting for Republicans at every level (local, city, county, state, national), unless you think that denying other people the ability to have an abortion is the most important issue." How do the Dems' donors get in the way of that? Is it because they are really, really rich?
Or guns. The sheriff in Brevard County (home of the Kennedy Space Center) thinks everyone should be armed.
Including the Moose Lambs?
Considering the likelihood of nasty would-be crusaders, I suppose so.
In London, various faiths are mobilizing to help those affected by the horrific apartment building fire. My hotel, in a 19th century row house, while very well-outfitted, did not have sprinklers.
Every baseball player should carry a gun after this morning's shooting.
Some schools have masonry walls to fend off flying bullets. That doesn't help the kids, who under Florida rules, are expected to walk up to two miles. Some might benefit from armored buses.
Are you shure the school buildings have masonry to fend off bullets? There could be a lot of other reasons for that.
I am surprised that American children walk at all. A 30-40 min. walk to school is not excessive, but then I like to walk.
And welcome back to the land of the free (shooters).
My town hasn't had shooting incidents outside schools (although the high school neighborhood is getting problematic), so elementary schools have fences and the high school is fenceless, in front. Other communities have gunfire in the vicinity of schools, so walls become useful.
It's never going to stop, is it?
For the London apartment tower fire, this paragraph from the Guardian looks to be crucial:
The London Fire Brigade wrote in April to all councils warning them about the use of insulation panels on high rise buildings after tests revealed they were highly likely to have caused a devastating fire in Hammersmith and Fulham last year. The investigation showed the panels came apart when burnt exposing flammable insulation to the flames. The FPA had “lobbied long and hard” for building regulations on the issue to be changed, but nothing had happened.
As the BBC story made clear, the idea in such buildings is that a fire in one apartment should stay confined to that apartment. I saw precisely that happen in Silver Spring some years ago, watching from friends' condo across the way to a vigorous fire in a building across a wide lawn. It was scary, but reassuring.
My sister left her Christmas tree up too long one year and the lights set the dry needles on fire. The entire condo and its contents incinerated to the point of melting the the appliances. Since the condo itself was poured concrete the fire did not spread to any other units.
In my neighborhood last year a major fire took out a ground floor and second floor condo but more or less spared the adjacent units. They had cedar shake shingles on the outside wall which may have been why it spread as much as it did.
Melting the appliances, yello? Yikes! PBS's "Ask This Old House" had a segment on fire showing how quickly it can get dangerously hot and how quickly it can spread. You have a very short time to try to get it out before you need to leave to preserve yourself. It's not something to mess around with.
Yello, I haven't heard a medical update from you recently. How are you and what's going on?
This made me giggle:
"Did the singer-songwriter take portions of his Nobel lecture from SparkNotes?"
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2017/06/did_bob_dylan_take_from_sparknotes_for_his_nobel_lecture.html
Yello, this Christmas tree story of your sister is horrifying. At the same time it reminds me of the people here seeing the wax candles on my Christmas tree. Without exception they thought it was a tremendous fire hazard. The difference here is that I know it is hazardous and I am prepared with a bucket of water hidden nearby. In addition I never would leave a room with a burning candle in it for more than a minute or two.
So, to emphasize pj's question, how is your elbow?
And pj, how is your heart behaving?
Candles on Christmas trees are a good Germanic and Scandinavian tradition. Not that I've ever seen it. My dad preferred electric lights on the tree. One must always be careful whichever way one goes.
So far, so good with my heart, gmbka. Thanks. It seems to be behaving normally. I hope that keeps up. I go back to the cardiologist in November.
A few weeks before that, it looks like I'll be going to London for my next music trip. Following in Dave's footsteps. I like London, so it will be nice to go back. Assuming that the terrorists don't try to blow us up.
My elbow is brace-free but I only have about half the range of motion that an elbow should have. We'll see how much that improves but I won't ever get the full range back as-is. My orthopedist is talking about a full joint replacement in about six months but I may get a second opinion before then.
So you didn't have another surgery, yello? It's great that you are brace-free! That must make life a little easier even with limited range. I hope they can get you even better.
Since I am a true follower of WebMD, a site my doctor recommended, I looked up elbow replacement. It looks like a very difficult healing process. A second opionion is a very good idea of yours.
http://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/elbow-replacement-surgery#1
pj, I keep my fingers crossed. From what I remember other boodlers saying, some patients needed several ablations. The best part is that you enjoyed your trips anyway, and London hopefully will be no different.
As far as terrorism goes, there is no safe place and we might as well continue our normal lives. I am going transatlantic too, in August.
I did have a second surgery about a month ago to remove a plate and file off excess bone growth but the surgeon warned be ahead of time he didn't expect it to restore full function. Which it hasn't.
Okay, yello. Thanks. Ugh. Getting another opinion sounds like an excellent idea.
Where are you headed, gmbka? Back to Germany or elsewhere? Very nice that you can go. I thought your travel ability was limited.
pj, my two step daughters are spending some time here and I'll be off for a short week. Yes, various places in Germany. I'll try to get your upgrade deal. You called the airline the day before departure, IIRC?
From a New York Times story on educating autistic children: "Some students had pedals, like bicycles, under their desks to allow those who need to fidget to pedal their feet while they worked."
I have restless leg syndrome, which has receded and now requires only low doses of medication. But at one point, desk pedals would have been welcome. Also a standing desk or a treadmill desk. When it was at its worst, I could attend movies or theater events only by standing at the rear.
The Post reports that Congressman Steve Scalise remains in critical condition.
Oy, Dave, RLS also would make traveling rather difficult and I am glad you have it under control now.
gmbka, when I upgraded my flights, I did so online. The airlines usually don't let you check-in more than 24 hours later. Check with your airline's Web site. I suspect calling would work, too, but doing it on-line was easy.
I'm glad your medication is working on your legs, Dave!
pj, I am having reading comprehension problems. So, within what time frame should I try to get a cheap upgrade?
Oops. What I said wasn't clear. Most likely it will be 24 hours before your flight leaves, gmbka. What airline are you flying on?
I also thought you would like this article about another German grocery store, Lidl, that is opening in the U.S.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2017/06/15/what-is-lidl-5-things-the-german-grocer-is-bringing-to-america/?utm_term=.cdd648dcfd1d
Thanks, pj, that's what I'll do, even though I fly Condor, a Lufthansa daughter located in Germany and I may have to get up in the wee hours to call because Germany is so far east.
I am not familiar with Lidl, but I was told that it is better than Aldi. Since we have Aldi stores here, I shop there about every 2 to 3 weeks. Things like Organic spring mix are even cheaper than Costco, not to mention the croissants. Also, they have a product line called Deutsche Kueche, German kitchen, which I buy from. Not everything is good, their soups are salty enough to trigger a stroke for people with high blood pressure, but they have Bavarian mustard and other things I cannot find in any other grocery store. Unfortunately they also have very good no brand chocolate and cookies ...
Here is Condor's page for online check-in, gmbka:
https://www.condor.com/us/flight-preparation/check-in/online-check-in.jsp
When I upgraded, I did it through the airline's Web sites and I was only successful on the flights from the U.S. to Europe. When I checked in 24 hours before my flights left Europe, there was no upgrade available. I was also traveling in the spring and fall. Traveling in August, the flights may well be full. Regardless, try it. I'm sure you can also check for upgrades when you get to the airport. That's probably not very likely, but it won't hurt.
It does not hurt to try, thanks again, jp, I copied and saved the link. I have a direct flight to Frankfurt, and even in August I may have a good chance to get an upgrade because who would fly from Frankfurt to here in August?
Make a decision whether you want to laugh or cry:
An astonishing number of Americans think brown cows make chocolate milk — 16.4 million, to be precise. [Washington Post / Caitlin Dewey]
I decided on laughing.
From Vox sentences.
Let's see. Dave, I didn't mention it at the time but I really enjoyed reading about your adventures in the UK.
gmbka, have a safe trip, and after reading about all that wonderful food, now I'm all hungry.
pj, glad to hear that your heart's behaving itself!
And yello, man, that just doesn't sound right! All that trouble from one little spill. What a shame! I hope you can surprise your doc by getting more range and strength than expected. What with Dave and pj and gmbka doing all this traveling, are you and mrsjkt off to any far parts any time soon?
Oh, wait -- gmbka, let's postpone my wishes for a safe trip for a few weeks, until it's closer to your actual date of departure. What with all this traveling going on, I thought you were all packed. Never mind!
But I'm still all hungry.
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