62 thoughts on “Vacate While You Can”

  1. the guardian also had a story on John Oliver on Stephen Miller: ‘Entitled, elitist asshole who refuses to take responsibility’ ” from “last week tonight”.   enjoy.

  2. and in keeping with our thread topic, this quote from the guardian article:

    “Much like the disintegration of western civilization, we begin tonight with Donald Trump, the Donald Trump Jr of American presidents,” Oliver began. “Trump is taking a 17-day vacation from work, which means, more importantly, America may be getting a 17-day vacation from Trump.”

    “Although while he’s there he will still have access to the nuclear codes and, even worse, wifi, so don’t relax, never relax, your life is still a torture chamber of fear and panic,” the host continued. “Trump was leaving at the end of what the White House has deemed ‘American Dream’ week, which Trump chose to mark by demeaning as many American institutions as he possibly could.”

  3. Oliver really has settled into a groove, hasn’t he.

    A leak that really matters:

    NYT: Government Report Finds Drastic Impact of Climate Change on U.S.
    “scientist involved in the process, who spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity, said he and others were concerned that it would be suppressed.”

  4. Speaking of Climate Change, Mr Crawford:

    Heard a report on NPR about science teachers facing a new school year with students questioning if the earth is round. A basketball player’s statement about flat earth is gaining more traction than facts, commonsense. If it is on the internet, it must be true.

    Here is where the influence of parents, from birth, is uber important. My mother signed me up for a library card when I was one month old. My brother, sister & I were allowed to choose any books we wanted ( other than ones that were ‘adult’ content ) & in fact were encouraged to cast a wide net subject wise. As a result we learned to winnow out truth from crap.

    I’ve asked this question before: If parents neglect the intellectual growth & stimulation of a child, isn’t that in a way abuse? Deliberate ignorance = decline of society; also is a matter of national security. We need to be smarter than our enemies.

     

  5. on the subject of climate change, leave it up to the bbc for esoteric info… excerpt from their today’s article

    Climate change is disrupting the birds and the bees


    We all know that climate change will cause more extreme weather and rising seas. But it is also having an unexpected effect on sex.
    [….]

    Warmer climates seem to have a tendency to make animals less faithful. In a 2012 study, Botero studied monogamy in 122 species of bird. He found that “in places where environments change more frequently and unexpectedly, apparently monogamous females tend to hedge their bets by mating with more than one partner on the side”.

    These “extra-pair relationships” become increasingly frequent as annual climatic cycles become more variable. Female birds “are also more likely to terminate bonds with partners that are no longer yielding the benefits they expected”, says Botero. He argues that these “divorces” and “affairs” may become more common as the climate becomes less predictable.

    Increasing infidelity may also be on the cards for mammals like alpine marmots. A 2016 study led by Aurélie Cohas of Claude Bernard University Lyon found that, between 1992 and 2013, the frequency of extra-pair litters increased as spring arrived earlier and winter snowfall increased. This effect was largely due to improved survival as alpine temperatures rose. “The number of pups, as well as their survival, is highly linked to the climatic conditions they endure during hibernation,” says Cohas.

    Pups that survive the winter will tend to stick around and help the family raise the next litter. In turn, “females are more likely to produce extra-pair litters when there are more subordinates in their family” to help, says Cohas. “We could likely expect species living in alpine, snowy and cold habitats to be more unfaithful in the future.”

  6. Art Classes are important. Music education is important. No great stretch to see how these first-cuts in every school budget matter in developing broad creative thinking. Penny wise, pound foolish, we pay the price with limited vision.

  7. sjwny & craig, talk about blessings as a kid, what more fun to roam the stacks of the local library or board the bookmobile to discover the weekly treasures it brought.

  8. what’s up with the 2 recent tornado surprises for Tulsa okla and Salisbury md?  why no timely warnings? both curiously just post facto. something is definitely amiss.  given the increasing extreme weather occurrences, hope they discover and fix the problem.

  9. slew foot or sleuths afoot across the pond

    the guardian:

    Secretive search for man behind Trump dossier reveals tension in Russia inquiry

    Attempt by two congressional staffers to contact former MI6 officer highlights fight for control over House intelligence committee’s investigation

    [….]

    “In this specific scenario, I can’t imagine a staff director sending two staffers on this trip, without the chairman knowing about it,” Blickstein said. “That wouldn’t pass the smell test.”

    “I find the fact that they presumably spent taxpayer money to undertake such a hyper-partisan and unprofessional effort extremely troubling,” John Sipher, a former senior CIA officer said in an emailed comment. “There are normal ways to do this through our existing institutions, and their relationships with our British partners. This is bad on many levels.”

    “Republicans that are part of the House investigation should not be undertaking efforts without informing their Democratic colleagues,” Sipher added. “Not only is it unprofessional but it is impolite. Mr Steele was a professional who worked on important and compatible issues with the US. He deserves better than being ambushed by a bunch of hacks.”

  10. Re.wine:

    Craig and Pogo,

    Have been doing a lot of tastings recently. Am really beginning to like some of the full bodied red blends. Pair well with food, and are especially nice with a good book in that last hour or so before going to bed. Quite reasonably priced as well.?

     

  11. Personally I would like to see Trump vacationing for a period of not less than 5 nor more than 8 at a Federal prison facility, on charges of conspiracy to commit election fraud and collusion with a foreign power for personal financial gain. Time off for good behavior would be conditional on his giving up his twitter account, and performing productive services at said institution. Services of a type usually reserved for  ” illegal immigrants”. He looks sort of like a tidy bowl guy, why not act like one.

  12. Eprof,

    Nothing says variety quite like AZ. If they had been blessed with ocean front they would have it all.

  13. Pogo,

    Thought Manchin’s profanity laced outburst against democrats was interesting.His reelection prospects must really be circling the drain. In his world it is apparently better to distance himself from the Frankens and Warrens of the world than to distance himself from the disaster that is the Trump clown show.

    If Manchin and others like him were really as ‘independent ‘ as they claim they would be caucusing with Sanders and Angus King.Can a change in party affiliation be far behind? Perhaps he should change his last name to Manchurian.

  14. Jamie,

    From yesterday’s thread re. Rising stars in the Democratic Party.

    I was being partially facetious. Yes there are some. That said, if you look at

    Paterik, Harris and Booker, I don’t see any of them being able to out perform Trump in the handful of counties that made Trump possible.

    Obama  was never able to deliver his coalition when he wasn’t on the ballot, and none of the above mentioned potential candidates would have much more luck in that regard. Don’t see any of them being able to bring dissalusioned Obama voters back into the fold.

     

     

  15. hmmm, considering those 7 signs of the apocalypse – antichrist, war, famine, plague, judgment, chaos, and silence – looks like we’re about there.

    assuming either the twit or bannon is the antichrist

  16. We could use less variety here. I’m in favor of crating up our winters and send them to south for uncrating in the summer. It would temper things a bit for avid lawn mowers like Mr. Flatus, and other lovers of the outdoors like Mr & Ms Wino and Mrs & Mr eProf. I’d give up all that below zero for free.

  17. uh oh myrtle is extremely irritated at you-know-who and wrath hath no fury like a turtle scorned

    abc news:

    Speaking at a Rotary Club gathering in Kentucky on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vented about what he called President Donald Trump’s “excessive expectations” regarding the legislative system, which the Kentucky Republican argued has led to the unjustified perception that the Republican-led Congress has not been productive.

    He told the Florence, Kentucky, group that he found it “extremely irritating” that Congress has earned the reputation of not accomplishing anything.

    “Part of the reason I think that the storyline is that we haven’t done much is because in part the president and others have set these early timelines about things need to be done by a certain point,” he said.

    […]

    “Our new president, of course, has not been in this line of work before. And I think [Trump] had excessive expectations about how quickly things happen in the democratic process,” McConnell told the group. “So part of the reason I think people feel we’re underperforming is because too many artificial deadlines — unrelated to the reality of the complexity of legislating — may not have been fully understood,” he said.

  18. Re: “Tornado surprises”, patd – a couple weeks ago three tornadoes touched down south of Buffalo; really did a number on the Erie County Fairgrounds. Senator Schumer announced today he is asking for an explanation from the NWS as to why the unfortunate communities received warnings after the storm had passed. People literally got caught in this stuff. Weird. Some computer unfriendlies playing naughty with a proven system that saves lives?

     

  19. SJ,  if you’re lurking, shoot me an email at lwchafinATgmailDOTcom.  Li’l Pogo is getting ready to become a student in NYC and I’m looking for some local knowledge.

  20. Mitch needs to learn that in Washington DC perception is everything. Always has been. For a guy that has been around as long as he has he sure hasn’t learned much. Most rookie legislators pick that lesson up on their first day there.

    Couple that with the fact that in this instance, perception of a do nothing congress, and the reality of a do nothing congress are absolutely aligned, he has a real problem.

  21. Someone needs to tell Leader (sic) McConnell that sometimes perception if also the fact

  22. “hmmm, considering those 7 signs of the apocalypse – antichrist, war, famine, plague, judgment, chaos, and silence – looks like we’re about there. assuming either the twit or bannon is the antichrist” – Ms Pat

    I figger, trump is the false preacher & putin is the biggly (5’7″) badass monster.

    A course, my credentials as a Christian, let alone a Christian literalist, are awfully spotted, holey, holey, holey, and raggedy. I’d make a better Buddhist or Muslim, to tell the absolute trufe.

  23. sjwny, house/trump budget cuts to weather satellite program will make things worse warning-wise.  really looks like the gopers are bent on depopulation via death and disaster given their stances on cutting healthcare, environmental regs and repairing infrastructure.

  24. buckle up, girls and boys, it’s starting

    BEDMINSTER, N.J., Aug 8 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday North Korea “will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen” if it threatened the United States again.

    “North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen,” Trump told reporters at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

  25. kgc, he’s watching tv between rounds of golf… they need to cut the cable and take away his tweeter (or put it back in his pants and zip shut) until things calm down.

    politicususa

    President Trump managed to take a moment in between rounds of golf in New Jersey to threaten a potential World War III by launching a military attack on North Korea.

    According to a statement by Trump via the White House press pool:

    If there is one thing that Donald Trump could do to make himself less popular while endangering the entire world, it would be to threaten North Korea with a military attack. One can only guess what Trump was threatening to do, but a safe bet would be that he is hinting at an air strike against the North Korean missile program. If the US did strike, the North Koreans would immediately retaliate by launching attacks on South Korea and Japan.

    Trump is setting the stage for what would be anything from a regional war to World War III.

    This president doesn’t know what he is doing. He has no clue what he is talking about, and his reckless bluster just pushed the United States closer to a military conflict with North Korea.

    Trump managed to do all of this while hanging out in the clubhouse of his golf course on vacation.

  26. Fire and  fury, shock and awe? Who comes up with this shit?

    Fire and fury sounds like something that could be attributed to lil’ Kim or Saddam Husain.

    Shit for brains, how appropriate. To call him an imbecile would be an insult to imbeciles everywhere.

  27. So his son and other family members are accidental traitors and he will accidentally start a nuclear war

    Everything about PG and his staff of maroons screams 3rd rate and not in a good way

  28. Pogo…  don’t know if you’ll read this before she contacts you….   but sjwny lives in Buffalo….  not NYC.

    Yeah… I’ve been on vacay from SFB lately too….   feels glorious!

  29. World War III ?

    You know what a fughing liar that stinking orange sh*tpile is.

    Lemmee know when the deadbeat heads to the mountains of WY.

     

  30. “U.S. stocks fell, with the S&P 500 at a session low after Trump’s comment, while a widely followed measure of stock market anxiety spiked higher and was on track to close at a one-month high. The U.S. dollar index slightly pared gains as the safe-haven yen strengthened against the U.S. currency.” Reuters.

    Donnie the deal maker strikes again.

    Thata boy asshole keep it up and in another few months the dollar will be everyone’s least favorite currency. That’s some real business acumen. Just for your information, the art of the deal means we come out on top not vice versa. But hey while your at it maybe you could ask North Korea about paying for that wall, what have you got to lose?

  31. According to my trusty tablet news alerts, Glen Campbell has died at age 81.

    Inevitibel I suppose but very sad just the same.

  32. Jace, I’m relieved Glen Campbell’s suffering is finally over. They say that at the end he could no longer speak but still was humming tunes to himself. Never thought he got enough credit for the joyful entertainer and true gentleman that he was.

  33. I was incredibly fortunate in having two fine libraries within ten minute bike rides from our house when I was a little kid. The first was on the way home from Fairfax School. I would stop there several days a week starting in the third grade. I was exceedingly fortunate in having a kind librarian take the time to explain the Dewey Decimal System along with its nuances when I became a research regular around age eleven.

    The second library was in the opposite direction from school and was also excellent. Its distinguishing feature was a close-by drugstore with a super-duper soda fountain.

  34. Craig,

    Yes. It always sounds a little trite to say someone is in a better place, but in this case I think it may be true.

  35. From your Campbell article, Craig,  “We used to watch TV by candlelight,” Campbell told Rolling Stone in 2014.”

    I wonder why Rolling Stone quoted that, three years after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Did they think it was funny? Or stupid? Or, what?

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