Althouse: At the Spring Snow Café...

April 10, 2019

At the Spring Snow Café...

... keep your spirits up.

57 comments:

stephen cooper said...: "Hope is a risk that must be run." (Georges Bernanos is considered the author of that quote, but maybe he heard some unknown person say it - maybe his wife, or a friend).; 4/10/19, 8:43 PM
tcrosse said...: The flowers that bloom in the spring,
Tra la,
Breathe promise of merry sunshine —
As we merrily dance and we sing,
Tra la,
We welcome the hope that they bring,
Tra la,
Of a summer of roses and wine....; 4/10/19, 8:54 PM
Big Mike said...: I think out here in Virginia we are past our last overnight freezing temperatures. But spring came late this year, to my distress; 4/10/19, 9:00 PM
Tank said...: Is it not an amazing time to be alive?; 4/10/19, 9:08 PM
YoungHegelian said...: Everywhere I look or listen today, the Democratic Party Machine (including the media) is going ballistic over Att. Gen. Barr statement that Trump was spied on. "No evidence" they say. "Baseless allegations" they say.

I've got a question for them: "What verb would you use to describe what the FBI did to MLK in the 60s?". Well, whatever that verb is, that's what happened to Trump. I think "spied" is a fine verb myself.

The MSM & the Democratic Machine are now in panic mode & are reduced to conducting a gas-lighting operation on a national scale. They have no other choice. "If you strike at the King, you must kill him". Well, their bolt missed its mark, and now the forces of the law & public opinion will inevitably be turned against them. They may not survive in their present forms.

Oh, oh, late breaking news! From the former AG's-pie hole. The verb is investigating. So, the FBI "investigated" MLK. I mean, he really was hanging around with a lot of commies, but what the FBI was hoping for was that they'd catch him messing around with some white chicks. MLK wisely restricted himself to the brown sugar, thus depriving the FBI of its preferred weapon.; 4/10/19, 9:09 PM
Birkel said...: I am glad the Cafes are back.; 4/10/19, 9:22 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: Well, the UK has a Halloween deadline for Brexit. Apparently. Which means, aside from other things, they will have to run MEPs next month.

This is simply incredible to me. "No Deal" is supposed to be some huge scary shock, but if they had just done that when they were supposed to at the end of March, half the transition shock would be over and things would be moving forward from a known state. Instead they just keep this continuous disaster in motion, and no business, ally or trading partner can make any meaningful plans for the forseeable future.; 4/10/19, 9:23 PM
Original Mike said...: "I am glad the Cafes are back."

This insomniac agrees.; 4/10/19, 9:25 PM
narciso said...: Well the Tories have shot themselves in their John lobbs the leave party might benefit but so will labour.; 4/10/19, 9:32 PM
gilbar said...: Isn't it interesting that when there's some big news scoop;
Our Life Long Liberals sort of disappear from the face of the earth for a while?

If they say anything, its something vague
Its Almost like they have to wait for their talking points; 4/10/19, 9:32 PM
Trumpit said...: Trump stated, "fake witch hunt" recently. Was it a Freudian slip? He is not much of a thinker; he's more of a stinker. However, he's right in saying the U.S. is "full." In fact, life on this planet will face one crisis after another from relentless overpopulation. Due to the inaction of world leaders like Trump, humanity and all living things are doomed in the not-very-long run.; 4/10/19, 9:34 PM
narciso said...: Oh what do we have here:

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/Temple-Grad-Given-30-Months-in-Prison-for-54-Million-Green-Scam-by-Mantria-Corp-508184021.html; 4/10/19, 9:43 PM
Lucien said...: But when Eric Holder was in contempt of Congress he did it for Congrees’s Own safety.; 4/10/19, 9:44 PM
narciso said...: Or else they are challenging Paul ehrlich.; 4/10/19, 9:45 PM
Original Mike said...: "Oh, oh, late breaking news! From the former AG's-pie hole. The verb is investigating."

Investigating? Fine. Let the investigating commence.; 4/10/19, 9:46 PM
iowan2 said...: This quote is from Stanford Professor Paul Ehrlic

The battle to feed all of humanity is over. Hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. At this late date nothing can prevent a substantial increase in the world death rate...

Things are doomed...Oh, this is from his book published in 1968 call the Population Bomb; 4/10/19, 9:58 PM
Lincolntf said...: Just got back from a State-wide career skills competition. Got the Silver. Better than a sharp stick in the eye.; 4/10/19, 10:03 PM
William said...: I read Neal Gabler's bio of Walter Winchell sometime back. J. Edgar used to leak damaging info about FDR's enemies, particularly those in the America First and German-American Bund societies to Winchell. Winchell became celebrated and a must read for people in the know. Later on, when Hoover used the same m.o. with American Communists, Winchell became persona non grata among people in the know......The reputation and integrity of the FBI depends upon whom they're investigating. When they're investigating the KKK, white supremacy groups, or Republican pols, they're protecting our country from the enemy within. When they're investigating Black Panthers, Communists, or any left wing group, then they're a dangerous threat to our civil liberties......I'm not sure how investigating women's volleyball coaches shakes out vis a vi our national security and civil liberties. Value neutral, I guess.......I'm sorry for volleyball, crew, and fencing coaches. They finally, after years of hard work, landed a gig where they could pick up a few bucks and, then, this lands on them.; 4/10/19, 10:08 PM
Michael Fitzgerald said...: This would be a very opportune time for a broadcaster to open a right wing media outlet, seeing as how FOX decided to go left. The nation needs an honest unbiased media, next best is a wide range of thought and opinion, worse is lopsided left Americans have been subjected to for two generations, worst is Iron Curtain demagoguery.

The people of the right deserve to see their enemies destroyed very publicly. We have endured this entire century, non-stop threats and tantrums from the left, 8 years of rage over Bush, 8 years of middle finger Obama, and 3 years of outrageous despicable treason over Trump. Now it's our turn to scream and smash things and fuck people up! Time for the right to release our outrage, and show our enemies our anger.; 4/10/19, 10:10 PM
Trumpit said...: "The people of the right deserve to see their enemies destroyed very publicly."

Scary, unhinged comment. No, the Right got its tax cut for the rich, now we want our government back from Trump, McConnell, Ryan, and the dangerous GOP.; 4/10/19, 10:25 PM
narciso said...: Well the opposition should be vigorously countered something fox only occasionally does; 4/10/19, 10:28 PM
n.n said...: The nation needs an honest unbiased media

Or at least a competing interest to mitigate the risk of others running amuck and hunting warlocks, witches, and babies.; 4/10/19, 10:32 PM
traditionalguy said...: First Tee Time is 8:15 AM in Augusta, Georgia, where High Temp will reach 82F.

My oldest Grand Daughter attended the first Women's Tourney ever held at Augusta National, Womens Amateur Masters, last Saturday. She will probably win that title in about 7 more years. She literally never loses at anything.( See her on my Avatar pic).; 4/10/19, 10:35 PM
StephenFearby said...: USA Today April 9, 2019
Trump's cognitive deficits seem worse. We need to know if he has dementia: Psychologist
by John Gartner, Opinion contributor

Hot Air linked to this story earlier in the day. Since I really know a lot of stuff about this subject, it was natural click bait.

Aside from the obvious antipathy the partisan psychologist has for El Presidente, he actually provides some cogent facts.

"...To mental health professionals like me, the red flags are waving wildly. In January 2018, over 70 of us wrote a letter to the president’s physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, urging him to administer a cognitive exam during the president’s physical because we had seen a marked deterioration in his verbal functioning, possibly due to cognitive decline.

In fact, Dr. Jackson did administer the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a screening tool for dementia, and Trump passed. But while Trump bragged that this proved his superior intelligence, this 10-minute screening test, where one must identify a camel, draw a clock and repeat three numbers backwards, only ruled out full-blown dementia.

We argued in a subsequent op-ed that these findings did not rule out the early stages of dementia. We also predicted that if this was organic cognitive decline, it would continue to get worse. And since that op-ed, more than a year ago, it has gotten worse."

"...In Alzheimer’s, as language skills deteriorate, we see two types of tell-tale speech disorders, or paraphasias:

Semantic paraphasia involves choosing the incorrect words. For instance, after Attorney General William Barr released a letter on the Mueller report, Trump said: “I hope they now go and take a look at the oranges, the oranges of that investigation, the beginnings of that investigation."

'...Phonemic paraphasia, which is linked to the moderate to severe stages of Alzheimer’s, is described as "the substitution of a word with a nonword that preserves at least half of the segments and/or number of syllables of the intended word.” For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu becomes “Betanyahu,”..."

Gartner closes by recommending Trump get a "full neuropsychological evaluation and share the results with the American public."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/04/09/does-donald-trump-have-dementia-we-need-know-psychologist-column/3404007002/

IMO, instead of complaining, Gartner should start a Go Fund Me page to buy Trump one of those remarkable $1750 anti-inflammatory 40hz Vielight Neurogamma 810nm infrared LED headsets:

https://vielight.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Vielight-News-Apr-2019.pdf; 4/10/19, 10:38 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: We may need to employ Althousian entymological expertise on the definition of "spying."

Barr: "I think spying did occur"

Blumenthal: "The only spies interfering in the 2016 campaign were Russian ones. As Attorney General Barr himself admitted, there is absolutely no evidence that our nation's own law enforcement officers did anything unlawful during their investigation into Russian meddling in our democracy. To recklessly suggest otherwise is deeply offensive — and worse, it is dangerous."; 4/10/19, 11:14 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @BAG,

To recklessly suggest otherwise is deeply offensive — and worse, it is dangerous.

As opposed to saying that the duly-elected President of the USA is a traitor, a Russian agent, at best a Russian dupe.

"Rambo Rick" Blumenthal was, needless to say, all over the airways excoriating those on his side of the political spectrum when they were peddling such "deeply offensive...dangerous" ideas about the Trump presidency.

What's that you say? He wasn't! I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked!; 4/10/19, 11:25 PM
readering said...: The Washington Post's lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss the Sandmann libel case in Kentucky. As one would expect from Williams & Connolly, the memo in support is pretty hard-hitting and comprehensive, focusing on each of the statements referenced in the complaint and showing how, individually and together, they were not defamatory of the youth. So far the only response I've seen from his Kentucky lawyer is to challenge the claim that the lawsuit is politically motivated as part of the war between Trump and Bezos.; 4/10/19, 11:28 PM
mockturtle said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/10/19, 11:31 PM
mockturtle said...: StephenFearby: Malapropisms are common. Like 'tactile' nuclear weapons, for instance.; 4/10/19, 11:32 PM
Anonymous said...: I ditto last comment; 4/10/19, 11:33 PM
Michael Fitzgerald said...: LOL@Trumpit@10:25PM with a weak riposte..."tax cuts"... Lamer than usual, Tbag! Whassamatta, Trump break ya? LMAO @ you, fool. Gonna be a long hot summer for the despicable Democrat party, and it has already begun! First one to the docket, Obama's chief counsel. Womp Womp. The president, Donald J Trump, is about to go biblical on the dirty rotten Democrat party traitors and the treasonous rat Republicans who abetted their wickedness.

Was it Feinstein who asked what the punishment for treason was?; 4/10/19, 11:35 PM
mockturtle said...: Per narciso's link @ 9:43PM: These investors, husbands and wives nearing retirement, retirees looking to invest their savings, and other small-time prospectors, were wooed by the idea of big profits from clean energy: getting rich and saving the world.

The wisdom of WC Fields asserts that you can't cheat an honest man.; 4/10/19, 11:44 PM
readering said...: Don't you mean tactile nucular weapons?; 4/10/19, 11:50 PM
YoungHegelian said...: No, "tactile" like "You can't hug your kids with nuclear arms".; 4/10/19, 11:52 PM
Original Mike said...: "As Attorney General Barr himself admitted, there is absolutely no evidence that our nation's own law enforcement officers did anything unlawful during their investigation into Russian meddling in our democracy."

I've heard this line from several sources taday. He didn't say there wasn't any evidence, he said he wasn't going to discuss it with Congress today.; 4/11/19, 12:04 AM
eddie willers said...: This insomniac agrees.

I'm not insomniatic, but I go to bed about the time Althose gets up, so live Cafes are wonderful for me.; 4/11/19, 12:14 AM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: Althose sounds like it should be an ancient Pharoh.; 4/11/19, 1:33 AM
Francisco D said...: In fact, life on this planet will face one crisis after another from relentless overpopulation. Due to the inaction of world leaders like Trump, humanity and all living things are doomed in the not-very-long run.

What actions are you recommending?

Perhaps we should follow the Soviet model and starve 10% of the population to death. After all, there are only so many bullets.; 4/11/19, 2:07 AM
Crazy World said...: My spirits are very much on the up and up, really looking forward to this cleansing Easter Season. Beautiful picture Althouses!; 4/11/19, 2:09 AM
Narayanan said...: I nominate ... Ethan of Athos by Lois McMasters Bujold; 4/11/19, 2:16 AM
Drago said...: Trumpit: "...now we want our government back from Trump..."

Molon labe.; 4/11/19, 2:18 AM
Clyde said...: Just read a CNN article about how gasoline prices in California are approaching $4.00 a gallon, while the national average is only $2.76. Average prices in California had gone from $3.31 a month ago to $3.87, with prices several cents higher in L.A. and S.F. The blame for the price increases was placed on switching over to summer blends of gasoline, which are more expensive to produce, and planned and unplanned refinery maintenance lowering supplies available.

A word search of the article for "taxes" produced zero results. Unexpectedly.; 4/11/19, 2:59 AM
Clyde said...: Trumpit said...
Scary, unhinged comment. No, the Right got its tax cut for the rich, now we want our government back from Trump, McConnell, Ryan, and the dangerous GOP.

*Snicker* Does anyone want to tell poor Trumpit that Ryan declined to run for re-elction in 2018 and is not even in the House of Representatives any more?; 4/11/19, 3:09 AM
stevew said...: @Clyde

If I understand the difference between summer and winter blend gasoline, the vaporization rate is different to account for colder temperatures in the winter, why would they need two different blends in California given the narrower range of temperatures there? Agree with you that this explanation appears to be a smokescreen or diversion.; 4/11/19, 4:49 AM
David Begley said...: Massive blizzard in western Nebraska. Interstate 80 closed.; 4/11/19, 6:11 AM
alanc709 said...: The only overpopulation this world has, is of people like Trumpit. Malthus was a joke, right up there with global warming for hysteria and fear-mongering.; 4/11/19, 6:17 AM
David Begley said...: Former WH Counsel Greg Craig to be indicted. He will sing. Big fish are doomed. Walls closing in.; 4/11/19, 6:34 AM
chillblaine said...: I appreciate seeing the flowers. I meant to offer my thanks for the daffodil post from a few days ago. That was neat. I noticed that the tulips are about to bloom. They remind me of my mother, because I gave her some tulips on Mother's Day once. She was happy and also shared that they probably would not last too long in our southern California climate. So, it feels wonderful to find myself in Idaho, and seeing the bright red tulips, and appreciating the change of seasons.; 4/11/19, 7:06 AM
iowan2 said...: Worst political class in history

Maxine Waters, Chair of the Consumer finance Committee. She is the Chair of the Committee, the one that Sets the agenda, starts legislation about banks and financial institutions that they regulate across the Nation. As the Chair, her actions affects 100's of millions of citizens. Maxine Waters, as the Chair, By congressional demand, called together CEO of the 5 largest banks for a scolding. From the chair she laid out the disaster that is Student Loans. She them demanded each of these CEO's tell her, because she is the Chair of the very powerful committee, what they were going to do about it.
Each CEO responded succinctly, that they were out of the Student loan Business since sometime after 2009 when the Federal Govt, by President Obama's Executive Order had the Federal Govt take over the Student Loan Program and barred private lenders from participating in the program.

To sum up. Maxine Waters, Chair of the powerful Finance Committee, is so uniformed of widely known and understood facts that she, and her staff, that wrote the questions are clueless.

Worst political class ever.; 4/11/19, 7:10 AM
iowan2 said...: Blumenthal: "The only spies interfering in the 2016 campaign were Russian ones. As Attorney General Barr himself admitted, there is absolutely no evidence that our nation's own law enforcement officers did anything unlawful during their investigation into Russian meddling in our democracy. To recklessly suggest otherwise is deeply offensive — and worse, it is dangerous."

No evidence= No investigation?????
He's so stupid he has no idea, the can worms he opened

There is no evidence to launch an investigation into the Trump Presidential Campaign.
Blumenthal needs to be asked if no evidence= no investigation where did Mueller come from?; 4/11/19, 7:23 AM
rhhardin said...: Maxine Waters forms an example of black people in charge. You'd think black people would want her out of there for that, or at least lead the mocking.; 4/11/19, 7:24 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: Massive blizzard in western Nebraska. Interstate 80 closed.

Brings back memories from most of a half century ago. Had a girlfriend of sorts from college from the Scottsbluff area. Went up there for a couple days over maybe New Years. Her father advised me to hit the road, and head east down the river, hitting I-80 that way, instead of due south, which is the way I had come. He said that they were expecting maybe six inches of snow. I demurred, since I had been driving snow and ice in CO for nearing a decade at that point, and six inches was nothing. Whoops. The road south to I-80 was closed for two more days. I learned what "average" meant then. There was an "average" of half a foot of snow on the ground. What that meant in reality was 20 foot drifts over the highway, with much of the ground being almost clear. In Colorado, in the mountains and foothills, where I had spent most of my winter driving, a half foot of snow essentially meant a half foot everywhere. In W NE, it meant something very different.; 4/11/19, 7:59 AM
Ralph L said...: President Obama's Executive Order had the Federal Govt take over the Student Loan Program and barred private lenders from participating in the program.

Has Trump rescinded that EO yet? We need that Hawaiian judge to restore the rule of law after he does.; 4/11/19, 8:08 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: Blumenthal: "The only spies interfering in the 2016 campaign were Russian ones. As Attorney General Barr himself admitted, there is absolutely no evidence that our nation's own law enforcement officers did anything unlawful during their investigation into Russian meddling in our democracy. To recklessly suggest otherwise is deeply offensive — and worse, it is dangerous."

Of course there was evidence. FISA warrants were issued for at least Carter Page. They were unlawful because of the very blatant lying by omission in the applications signed by the top people in the DoJ and FBI. Moreover, the FBI and CIA shouldn't be luring campaign workers for the opposition party's Presidential nominee over to Europe so that they can be subverted and dirtied up. I am sure that some law can be found that they violated - maybe wire fraud or entrapment. After all, agents of these agencies had to have communicated electronically with their targets while they were in the U.S., and the lure had nothing to do with why federal money was essentially being used to fly them there. Maybe misspending federal monies (can't remember the statutes, but definitely there are some there). (And, yes, that was federal money being indirectly spent to fly the targets to Europe, where they would be outside the constraints of full Bill of Rights protections, etc.); 4/11/19, 9:22 AM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: April is the cruelest month.; 4/11/19, 9:48 AM
Michael said...: First Tee Time is 8:15 AM in Augusta, Georgia, where High Temp will reach 82F. --TradGuy

Commentators say, Tiger is on the leaderboard. He is -1 after two holes.

"What goes through your mind when you hear Tiger fairway fairway, one-under?"

Yawn. But good answer: "I see the efficiency in workplaces all over America going down."

Good luck to your granddaughter, hope your forecast aces.; 4/11/19, 10:58 AM
Michael K said...: The blame for the price increases was placed on switching over to summer blends of gasoline, which are more expensive to produce, and planned and unplanned refinery maintenance lowering supplies available.

Arizona gas prices have spiked to $2.49 a gallon. Arizona has no refineries and the price spike is blamed on weather in the Midwest, flooding and blizzards. We drive to CA every few months and will go next week. We fill up in Arizona and usually only have to fill once in CA. If it's a quick trip like next week, we can sometimes make it without buying gas in CA.; 4/11/19, 11:44 AM