Althouse: At the State Street Café...

May 12, 2019

At the State Street Café...

... you can bring the weekend in for a landing.

107 comments:

chickelit said...: A conspicuous lack of people in that shot. Like a neutron bomb hit.; 5/12/19, 6:17 PM
Narr said...: Quick test--I keep getting different warnings about moderation and approval. I'm not complaining (all I have to do is remember to see what warning flag is out BEFORE! I start typing), more an apology for submitting several of the same comment on another thread . . . before seeing the warning. Most unwelcome, I'm sure.

Narr
One and done, beautiful photo, regards and good night; 5/12/19, 6:22 PM
Big Mike said...: HappyMother’s Day to you, Althouse.; 5/12/19, 6:26 PM
mockturtle said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/12/19, 6:29 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: I think that commenting is disabled.; 5/12/19, 6:42 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Sorry, I had comments moderation on by accident.; 5/12/19, 7:19 PM
Ann Althouse said...: It’s empty because it was early and kind of cold. Everyone was inside.; 5/12/19, 7:20 PM
Lawrence Person said...: Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party is surging in the polls. In fact, they're ahead of Theresa May's Tories.; 5/12/19, 7:21 PM
mockturtle said...: On State Street, that great street,
I just wanna say,
they do things you don't see on Broadway.

They have the time, the time of their life.
I saw a man who danced with his wife..

I guess that one is in Chicago.; 5/12/19, 7:26 PM
mockturtle said...: Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party is surging in the polls. In fact, they're ahead of Theresa May's Tories.

Great! :-); 5/12/19, 7:29 PM
grackle said...: Third grade photo

Like a peddler with a deal,
looking for a skin to steal
or something OK to be,
at nine this shaver called “me,”

this rash lamb with reptile smile,
blind but suspecting the vile
and hunger gaining on fear:
I looked like my Mother that year.

I recall the smile, the face,
and cafe with sweet menu.
She held her head as girls do
while wearing ribbons of lace
and had me before I knew.

Mothers are put here to calm,
to put shoes on our bold feet,
to warm us with soothing balm
and keep us out of the street.

They trigger our first pulse
and then they childrenize us.; 5/12/19, 7:31 PM
mockturtle said...: Unfortunately, the Brexit Party is lagging behind Corbyn's Labour Party. :-(; 5/12/19, 7:36 PM
StephenFearby said...: Andy McCarthy, NRO

"...The real work in the here and now is hardball politics: Hem Trump in. Politicize the intelligence and law-enforcement apparatus. Signal to the public through intelligence leaks and suggestive official public statements that the president was suspected of conspiring with the Kremlin. Convince Trump that using the presidency’s arsenal to fight back would just bolster the obstruction case against him. Sic a special counsel on him if he lashed out anyway. Use the investigation as a rationale for slow-walking Trump nominees and for refusing to deal with him on such critical issues as border enforcement. Drive his numbers down.

It’s working.

It had to have been clear to investigators as of late 2017 that there was no “collusion” case against the president — no proof of a conspiracy with the Kremlin to undermine the 2016 election.

The real work in the here and now is hardball politics: Hem Trump in. Politicize the intelligence and law-enforcement apparatus. Signal to the public through intelligence leaks and suggestive official public statements that the president was suspected of conspiring with the Kremlin. Convince Trump that using the presidency’s arsenal to fight back would just bolster the obstruction case against him. Sic a special counsel on him if he lashed out anyway. Use the investigation as a rationale for slow-walking Trump nominees and for refusing to deal with him on such critical issues as border enforcement. Drive his numbers down.

It’s working.

In September 2017, five months after Robert Mueller took over the Russia investigation, the Justice Department stopped seeking surveillance warrants — i.e., it decided to stop peddling the Steele dossier to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. That means the government no longer stood behind the Clinton-campaign-sponsored opposition-research screed, which alleged — based on anonymous Russian sources — that there was a Trump–Putin conspiracy to undermine the election.

In the months that followed, Mueller returned several indictments. His charges against two sets of Russians indicated that the Kremlin sought no collaboration with Americans; his charges against Trump associates had no connection to Russia.

Notwithstanding the absence of proof, though, the collusion investigation continued for over a year, until late March 2019. Is it any wonder, then, that over 40 percent of Americans continue to believe the Trump campaign was in cahoots with Moscow — even after the announcement that Mueller concluded there was no Trump–Russia conspiracy?

This is an exquisitely planned political campaign.

On CNN this week, Jim Comey, former director of the FBI — i.e., of the nation’s domestic security service — hinted that, the Mueller report notwithstanding, Russia may very well have leverage over the president. Last year, the former director was more expansively suggestive: The lurid dossier allegation about Trump in a Moscow hotel in 2013 with peeing prostitutes — the claim Comey had dismissed as “salacious and unverified” in sworn Senate testimony — might be true after all . . . he just can’t say for sure.

This is of a piece with former CIA director John Brennan’s unhinged tweeting since leaving office — the nod-and-wink exploitation of his public trust; the implication that if only you knew what he knows from having had access to top-secret information, you’d demand that Trump be removed from office.

Access to sensitive law-enforcement information and classified intelligence is a trust. It is extended with the understanding that it won’t be politicized or used to smear people.

Abuse of this privilege mirrors the most objectionable aspect of the Mueller investigation: The abuse of the criminal-justice process — converting it into a political weapon to smear a person the government has not charged with crimes."...

https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/trump-russia-investigation-partisan-politics/; 5/12/19, 7:41 PM
rcocean said...: David French is being boycotted and boy is he angry. By the Left? Of course, not. The Left loves National Review. No, its Billy Graham's son and his organization. It seems they didn't appreciate French's "Christian" attack on the AFA for supporting Trump.

French has to be the fakest #FakeCon at National Review. Fortunately, only political junkies know who he is.; 5/12/19, 7:48 PM
Fen said...: Good post Steve. I'm surprised it came out of NRO.

I think the biggest blow to the NeverTrumper crowd's credibility was to lecture us about civility and class while the Democrats were attempting a soft coup against a Republican President.

Maybe the boys at NRO ditched Kristol's Cruise and drove around the Heartland. And listened to us. We'll see.; 5/12/19, 7:52 PM
rcocean said...: My mother hates "Mothers Day". She thought it was a fake, make up holiday to sell crap. My wife thinks the same thing, only she thinks its a fake *American* holiday.

I want a girl just like the girl
That married dear old Dad; 5/12/19, 7:52 PM
rcocean said...: "Maybe the boys at NRO ditched Kristol's Cruise and drove around the Heartland. And listened to us. We'll see.'

Campers Ahoy. Get your tickets. Get your red hot tickets at NRO.; 5/12/19, 7:54 PM
Tcdq1293 said...: So, here I'm in downtown Boston supermarket checking out. The cashier - black woman - looks at my bunch of bananas on the scale. "I hate bananas" - she says. Me: "They are practical." She turns to the next cashier, a young black young man. "Never touch them." They shake heads. Me: I mix with yogurt. The woman: "Smoothies are Ok". For a second i thought i was baited. This sucks.; 5/12/19, 7:54 PM
fleg9bo said...: Buwaya's mention of Queen Isabella reminded me of the time we spent the wife's birthday at the parador in the little Spanish hilltop town of Sos de los Reyes Católicos. The town's claim to fame is that it is where the queen's hubby Fernando (Ferdinand) was born. I was looking forward to visiting the house of his birth, now a museum, but, alas, it was closed the next day.

We made up for it by going to Tordesillas where the treaty that divided up the New World was signed by Spain and Portugal. The building in which it happened is also a museum. Chasing history makes travel more fun.

A while back there was a discussion here of the phenomenon of suddenly noticing lots of cars just like the one you just purchased. My experience is sort of a corollary to that: after scraping my car against a concrete pillar in a parking structure, I notice how many cars have scrapes on them.

In another realm, I was watching music videos on YouTube and suddenly got a hankering to hear some Captain Beefheart, after more than a decade. 90 seconds of Trout Mask Replica fulfilled my need for the next 15 years. The best part was that the very next day a commenter mentioned that very band and album right here at this site. It wasn't exactly like hearing Captain Beefheart everywhere but close enough.

I attended a CB concert back in the day and had TMR on vinyl. Live was better.; 5/12/19, 7:55 PM
rcocean said...: Supposedly a benefit of the parliamentary system is that when a Government, loses confidence and can't pass it legislation, it falls and calls an election.

May hasn't done that. The Tories haven't even replaced her. They seem determined to get wiped out, rather then do what they promised.; 5/12/19, 7:56 PM
agentlesoul said...: Here's the guy who the fine people of downtown Philadelphia chose to represent them in the state House: Brian Sims, flaming jerk extraordinaire. So embarrassing. And you can't even call it a mistake, because he's been reelected a couple of times. Sheesh.; 5/12/19, 7:58 PM
J. Farmer said...: Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party is surging in the polls. In fact, they're ahead of Theresa May's Tories.

This is good news but remember it's the EU elections, in which euroskeptic parties tend to do much better than in local and national elections. It was always an absurdity to have a pro-EU prime minister overseeing Brexit. And it was probably even more foolish for David Cameron, one of the most pro-EU politicians in British government, promise a referendum. Not only is the referendum constitutionally questionable, Cameron thought he would easily win it and put a death nail in UKIP, a party he once described as full of "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists."

Funny how in western politics, "racist" is the worst thing you can call somebody. In the Far East, people take it as a matter of course that their government while prioritize the needs of its own people ahead of the world. Not for self-loathing, masochistic, suicidal whites, however.; 5/12/19, 7:59 PM
J. Farmer said...: @rcocean:

May hasn't done that. The Tories haven't even replaced her. They seem determined to get wiped out, rather then do what they promised.

Theresa May idiotically called a snap election back in 2017, believing she could increase The Tories already majority position. In fact, they lost seats, and she was forced into a coalition government with the DUP, a North Irish unionist party founded by Ian Paisley.; 5/12/19, 8:01 PM
J. Farmer said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/12/19, 8:02 PM
wildswan said...: There's an issue with an Oxford Fellow who was put out of position because his work was deemed hurtful. This guy, Noah Carl, is a follower of Arthur Jensen and Charles Murray and cited articles in Mankind Quarterly in his PhD thesis. A part of his thesis is that intelligence and "social trust" are correlated and genetically based human characteristics so that failing societies are failing both because their citizens are stupid and because they can't trust each other.

Anyhow what caught my attention was this part of his thesis:
"Research has consistently shown that intelligence is positively correlated with socially liberal beliefs and negatively correlated with religious beliefs. This should lead one to expect that Republicans are less intelligent than Democrats. However, I find that individuals who identify as Republican have slightly higher verbal intelligence than those who identify as Democrat (3-5 IQ points), and that individuals who supported the Republican Party in elections have slightly higher verbal intelligence than those who supported the Democratic Party (2 IQ points). I reconcile these findings with the previous literature by showing that verbal intelligence is correlated with both socially and economically liberal beliefs (β = .10-.32). My findings suggest that higher intelligence among classically liberal Republicans compensates for lower intelligence among socially conservative Republicans." He got his PhD in 2017.; 5/12/19, 8:02 PM
J. Farmer said...: She thought it was a fake, make up holiday to sell crap.

Aren't all holidays made up?; 5/12/19, 8:03 PM
rcocean said...: "Aren't all holidays made up?"

They aren't all made up to sell crap. CF: Easter. Not established to sell crap.; 5/12/19, 8:06 PM
rcocean said...: 4th of July - Not established to sell Fireworks.

Memorial day - Not established to sell flowers

Christmas - Not established to sell Toys - except in Japan.

Thanksgiving - Not established to sell Turkey and mashed potatoes; 5/12/19, 8:07 PM
Bill Crawford said...: Speaking of Mothers Day, did anyone see Alyssa Milanos call for women to boycott sex as long as "reproductive rights" are at stake?; 5/12/19, 8:09 PM
J. Farmer said...: @rcocean:

They aren't all made up to sell crap. CF: Easter. Not established to sell crap.

Ah, I see. I misread the sentence the first time. But it really is a myth that Mother's Day was invented "to sell crap." The founder, Anna Jarvis, herself was critical of the commercial dimension that came to define the holiday. And of course, mother's day celebrations predate this, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate that don't involve buying anything. Make her a nice meal, do a chore around the house she's been meaning to get done, or just a spend a nice time together. My two cents anyway. Happy Mother's Day to all!; 5/12/19, 8:12 PM
J. Farmer said...: @rcocean:

I get it. But the notion that Mother's Day was invented "to sell stuff" is just factually incorrect. Have your mother read the fifth chapter of Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays.; 5/12/19, 8:15 PM
Fen said...: Apologies to everyone for being such a grouch. Today is that day I get to call my Mother and be reminded that she doesn't love me anymore.

Not looking forward to the soul crushing hit I'll carry around all week.; 5/12/19, 8:17 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: To my (American) mind, the first time May's Brexit proposal was voted down, she should have called a general election. If you can't carry the bill for what you were put in charge to do that's pretty much "no confidence" whatever you call it to save face. Yes, Labour would probably come in and be awful, but that's your system.; 5/12/19, 8:17 PM
rcocean said...: I don't care. Its a fake holiday. And I don't need it - to let my Mother know i care. And at her age, she's not going to change her views. But thanks for the info.; 5/12/19, 8:19 PM
J. Farmer said...: @Bill Crawford:

Speaking of Mothers Day, did anyone see Alyssa Milanos call for women to boycott sex as long as "reproductive rights" are at stake?

Sadly, yes. Alyssa Milano as Lysistrata. Her full tweet was:

"Our reproductive rights are being erased. Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy. JOIN ME by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back. I’m calling for a #SexStrike. Pass it on.”

Gee, if only there was something women could do to not "risk pregnancy."; 5/12/19, 8:19 PM
J. Farmer said...: @Fen:

Apologies to everyone for being such a grouch. Today is that day I get to call my Mother and be reminded that she doesn't love me anymore.

Then why call? Honestly.; 5/12/19, 8:23 PM
J. Farmer said...: @rcocean:

I don't care. Its a fake holiday. And I don't need it - to let my Mother know i care. And at her age, she's not going to change her views. But thanks for the info.

Well good luck to you and your mother. You both sound like absolute delights.; 5/12/19, 8:24 PM
narciso said...: Why is it questionable farmer, in fact the admission into the European union, which was organized by a Italian marxisr spinelli, which stripped the UK of everything they had fought for since 1066 is the dodgy element; 5/12/19, 8:27 PM
J. Farmer said...: @Unknown:

To my (American) mind, the first time May's Brexit proposal was voted down, she should have called a general election

May's problem is she's in a multifront war. Not only must she do battle with the Labour party but also with her own back benchers and with Irish unionists. She's been bottling it from the beginning and should've stepped down after the embarrassing consequences of her snap election, a completely unforced error. I'd like to see Jacob Reese-Mogg in the position. I miss unabashedly posh PMs.; 5/12/19, 8:28 PM
narciso said...: And China is certainly in that category:
https://ijr.com/gates-claims-biden-hos-been-wrong-about-every-foreign-policy-issue/?fbclid=IwAR1WTZn_bcqQXihGufckgwikmtzsW-7ehZRIFvCEEovoW1g0I0ezDG1vr_0; 5/12/19, 8:28 PM
Fen said...: "Then why call? Honestly"

My father would rise from the grave and kill me.

But seriously, I love her despite herself. She's my mum. Although I have to recognize, as a child of two abusive alcoholics, the bond is stromger due to some abuser/victim baggage.

I don't. Fuck.; 5/12/19, 8:30 PM
narciso said...: She never intended to leave that's why she had gove knee cap Johnson, rees mog would be the youngest PM since Pitt the younger unlikely; 5/12/19, 8:30 PM
rcocean said...: @ J. Farmer

I never understand why people just accept all this fakery and change that comes from down high from the MSM, big Business, and the Government. "They" say we're supposed to celebrate "black history month" and every does. "They" say were not supposed to say "Christmas" and poof - my company memory holes "Christmas". "They" decide "illegal alien" is now "Undocumented migrant" and everyone changes. And so on.

For example, every month my local library is "Celebrating" something. This month its "National deaf month" - last month is was "Asian Hermitage month". So, we get all these exhibits "Celebrating" it. This never happened for 30 years, but now it does.

I don't know who "They" are. But eventually, everyone changes and does what "they" say. To me, it all seems weird and fake.; 5/12/19, 8:30 PM
rcocean said...: "You both sound like absolute delights."

We are. Thanks.; 5/12/19, 8:32 PM
J. Farmer said...: @narciso:

Why is it questionable farmer, in fact the admission into the European union

Because they violate the notion of parliamentary sovereignty and have no force of law. A more proper procedure would have been for a political party to make Brexit part of its manifesto and then stand in a general election. Peter Hitchens has done a decent job covering this story in his Mail on Sunday column.; 5/12/19, 8:32 PM
narciso said...: Like when the Tories coopted the UKIP, parliament will on it's own not relinquish Merkel's serfs collar

https://nypost.com/2019/05/11/the-troubling-reason-why-biden-is-so-soft-on-china/; 5/12/19, 8:34 PM
JackWayne said...: If Farage can boost his numbers over the next 2 weeks to near 40%, then things get interesting in the EU. The “populist” coalition may be big enough to stop EU legislation dead in its tracks. Further, I bet that Farage and Orban can make a deal that ANY deal for the UK will result in at least one no vote, killing the deal and guaranteeing a No Deal Brexit. The howls about the yahoos from the elites will be deafening.; 5/12/19, 8:35 PM
stephen cooper said...: Tcdq -bananas are known to harbor tarantulas. Everyone who works in the grocery business knows that.

Once you know that, your conversation makes sense.

Bananas in a smoothie, obviously, are mostly tarantula free.

Personally, I like tarantulas, and it would make my day if some little tarantula critter walked out of a bunch of tarantulas with his or her big spider eyes and dared me to let him or her run around my house/

Tarantulas don't want to eat us, they just want to run around our houses.; 5/12/19, 8:35 PM
J. Farmer said...: @rcocean:

I never understand why people just accept all this fakery and change that comes from down high from the MSM, big Business, and the Government

Oh I agree completely with that sentiment. I would never advocate that people participate in a holiday because they have been told to. I was not raised a Christian, but my family still celebrated Easter and Christmas. Part of the larger purpose of public holidays is to create commonality and community. The fact that everyone is doing basically the same thing on the same day. It helps bind people together and create what we call a nation. I am not a believer in Buddhism but still participated in a number of Buddhist holidays while living in Thailand, for the same reason. Commercialization is an issue in most every American holiday.

We are. Thanks.

Anytime.; 5/12/19, 8:38 PM
narciso said...: Bananas emit a certain amount of background radiation in the novel by the NPR reporter, they were used to shelter a nuke imported from pakistan; 5/12/19, 8:38 PM
stephen cooper said...: the typos were on purpose ----
had they not been there my comment would have read:

"Bunches of bananas are known to harbor tarantulas"

and

"it would make my day if some little tarantula critter walked out of a bunch of bananas".

I read somewhere that some people are afraid of spiders, I Iiterally do not understand how such a small creature can inspire fear, even if it has a little bit of poison in its little creaturely body.

I mean, maybe if there are thousands of them, but that never happens.; 5/12/19, 8:38 PM
JackWayne said...: I have no doubt that biden is dirty. Any politician that cultivates that “aw shucks” persons is a fake. He’s just smart enough to live a modest lifestyle and let his kids be his bagmen. Occam’s Razor suggests he’s basically a communist so doing business without china is right up his ally. Fellow Travelers and all that.; 5/12/19, 8:41 PM
JackWayne said...: Damn spellcheck; 5/12/19, 8:43 PM
Fen said...: I think she's angry I don't call enough and is punishing me by being distant.

I wanted to visit her in Dallas last Oct or Nov. She's going to the deer lease with her friend, but she doesn't hunt. And really, all Fall your unavailable?

Then I arrange for Jan or Feb. Too cold she says, come to town when its warmer. We can drive to the farm in Houston and hit the beach in Galveston.

So I make plans for March or April. Nope, she'll be doing taxes and the house will be a wreck. Uh-huh.

So I'm sure there will be another excuse for this summer. Fine. I'll stay with my inlaws so she can see just how silly this game is.

My problem is I suffer from chronic depression. My friends understand this - I'll disappear off the social radar for weeks at a time and then come out of hibernation. No calls, no contact. It's not personal and they don't take it that way.

But she thinks depression is like a headache. "Just think positive thoughts!" and pop a motrin. The book, Adult Children of Alcoholics is like a biography of my life. She doesn't understand why I suffer from chronic depression, she has NO IDEA that she (along with my father) is the primary cause of it, and if she did understand these things it would break her heart.

So I gotta bite the bullet and be my Father's son. "Call your mom, tell her you love her, tell her thanks for having you".

Here we go...; 5/12/19, 8:43 PM
J. Farmer said...: @Fen:

My problem is I suffer from chronic depression. My friends understand this - I'll disappear off the social radar for weeks at a time and then come out of hibernation. No calls, no contact. It's not personal and they don't take it that way.

Honestly not trying to be glib at all, but there's help out there for that. Depression is a treatable condition. And there is nothing ennobling about suffering.; 5/12/19, 8:46 PM
narciso said...: But wait theres more whose the front man for rosemont, none other than whitey bulger's nephew James son of the president of the Massachusetts senate; 5/12/19, 8:58 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: The woman who invented Mother’s Day came to hate it
Mother’s Day means big business for retailers. This year is no different — shoppers will spend an average of $196 per mom.

If you hate all of the commercialization behind the day that celebrates moms, imagine how Anna Jarvis would feel now.

The holiday’s founder worked so hard to get the world to give moms everywhere a shoutout. But before her death, even she had to admit she had some regrets about starting Mother’s Day.; 5/12/19, 8:59 PM
narciso said...: The Chinese are targeted
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7020499/Gwadar-gunmen-kill-five-Pakistan-terrorist-attack-Pearl-Continental-hotel.html?ito=social-facebook&fbclid=IwAR0_SccFje9FCTEPl9h_EsJ6t1FgAKwpBULywkElO8NPh8hrIIjWW_xy1oo; 5/12/19, 9:06 PM
Big Mike said...: Personally, I like tarantulas, and it would make my day if some little tarantula critter walked out of a bunch of tarantulas with his or her big spider eyes and dared me to let him or her run around my house

@stephen cooper, bunches of bananas can also be the home of the Brasilian Wandering Spider, generally regarded as the world's most venomous. I suspect even our friend and fellow Althouse commentator Phiddipus would be careful around it.; 5/12/19, 9:09 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: Daylight come and me wan' go home!; 5/12/19, 9:15 PM
Henry said...: I called my mom and she kept getting confused about which holiday it was. Happy call your mom day, mom.; 5/12/19, 9:20 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: @Fen
FWIW
you've sucked it up, you've shielded her from deserved heartbreak, you've taken the high road-- take heart in that.
Might for Right

mag·na·nim·i·ty
NOUN
the fact or condition of being magnanimous; generosity.
synonyms:
generosity · charitableness · charity · benevolence · beneficence · open-handedness · big-heartedness · great-heartedness · liberality · humanity · nobility · chivalry · kindness · munificence · bountifulness · bounty · largesse · altruism · philanthropy · unselfishness · selflessness · self-sacrifice · self-denial · clemency · mercy · leniency · forgiveness ·; 5/12/19, 9:23 PM
walter said...: Alexander Downer looks like Hank Hill..; 5/12/19, 9:23 PM
stephen cooper said...: what ingachuck said,at 9:23, is truth, I think.

also, some ethnic groups experience something like depression on a periodic basis and it is considered normal back in heir home countries, and not depression, just the detachment from the world that those of us with difficult memories have to deal with: but that being said, J. Farmer (at 8:46 PM) is completely right - there are some medical professionals who know how to treat depression. It is worth looking for them, if you can afford it (and if you are a veteran or on medicare, don't let them tell you you have to stay with the first doctor they assign you, tell them you want a different, better, doctor if the first one is no good. And trust me, a huge minority of doctors are not good at their job).; 5/12/19, 9:29 PM
narciso said...: Things that make you go hmm:

https://mobile.twitter.com/CJBdingo25/status/1126908449642745856; 5/12/19, 9:37 PM
Gregg said...: RE: Comments Moderation:

A month ago, or so, you were having problems with too many nonsense comments who were hijacking threads. Wouldn't Twitter solve that problem for you? Twitter comments are much shorter, hence the restriction on length forces comments to be more interesting and stay on point.

It seems to me, making Twitter more of a priority would solve most of the comments problems you've been having on this blog.; 5/12/19, 9:38 PM
walter said...: Sure..Jack D. et al would make all good.; 5/12/19, 9:40 PM
walter said...: I love all the Dems yammering about a "constitutional crisis".
It's almost as if the Constitution is hip again.; 5/12/19, 9:46 PM
narciso said...: Mifsud was in Saudi Arabia with a deputy director mi 6 in 2016, who worked with downer who himself has Australian intelligence ties; 5/12/19, 9:47 PM
narciso said...: Sorry 2017, this is after the bureau interviewed him, 2016 was downers deal.; 5/12/19, 9:49 PM
Chris Lopes said...: "Sadly, yes. Alyssa Milano as Lysistrata."

Since I wasn't planning on having sex with Alyssa Milano anyway, it's no lose. Seriously, the woman was out acted by Tony Danza.; 5/12/19, 9:52 PM
Fen said...: Ingachuck'stoothless: FWIW. You've sucked it up, you've shielded her from deserved heartbreak, you've taken the high road-- take heart in that. Might for Right

Thanks. And for letting me share all that. Felt good to be able to communicate it.

Just got off the phone, call went very well. She does still love me.

Happy Mother's Day.; 5/12/19, 9:52 PM
Fen said...: Farmer: Honestly not trying to be glib at all, but there's help out there for that. Depression is a treatable condition.

Yah, I understand. I was on a psychotropic for awhile, but because of it's link to school shootings, and my Marine Corps rifle and IED training, I felt I had an obligation to find another way. Working on it still.

And hey, I know I was an ass to you a few days back. I'm sorry. I'm just weary of all the attacks on Trump and you were the closest thing to take it out on. No hard feelings, I hope. We are in 100% agreement about the need for a wall and the impatience and lack of trust after being misled by our leaders for so many decades.

Cheers; 5/12/19, 9:56 PM
narciso said...: She wasnt acting in all those direct to video work in her IMDb, and the long island lolita the least needs to be referenced.; 5/12/19, 9:57 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Glad to hear it.

we got your 6, sir; 5/12/19, 10:00 PM
Clyde said...: But not a King's Landing.; 5/12/19, 10:08 PM
FullMoon said...: RE: Comments Moderation:

A month ago, or so, you were having problems with too many nonsense comments who were hijacking threads. Wouldn't Twitter solve that problem for you? Twitter comments are much shorter, hence the restriction on length forces comments to be more interesting and stay on point.

It seems to me, making Twitter more of a priority would solve most of the comments problems you've been having on this blog.

Seems that problem mostly solved itself with the release of the Mueller report. Go figure...; 5/12/19, 10:12 PM
mockturtle said...: Re StephenFearbys post at 7:41: OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!; 5/12/19, 10:15 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Hang in there, Fen. It would be presumptious to offer unsolicited advice, so I won't. But, again, hang in there. At a minimum, your insights and opinions are definitely valued here.; 5/12/19, 10:20 PM
mockturtle said...: Apologies to everyone for being such a grouch. Today is that day I get to call my Mother and be reminded that she doesn't love me anymore.

Well, I love you, Fen. Does that help? ;-); 5/12/19, 10:23 PM
h said...: replying to wildswan at 8:02 or so.

I'm a professional economist but also a devout Christian. So I understand the scientific method as it applies to a lot of questions of social and policy issues; but I also understand the concept of faith. As a religious person I accept that certain beliefs (or hypotheses) are not subject to scientific inquiry -- they are not refutable. If you told me you had DNA from Jesus and Mary's husband Joseph and you could test the hypothesis that Jesus was actually the biological son of Joseph, I would shrug, and such a test would not shake my Christian faith in Jesus as the son of God. But I think we need to recognize that there are certain articles of faith of secular belief that are similarly not subject to scientific inquiry. And among these (perhaps chief among these) is that there is not a genetic link to determination of IQ. So Noah Carl is not making analytical mistakes, he is asking a question which has no relevance to the great body of believers.; 5/12/19, 10:26 PM
wwww said...: Clyde,

Writers broke 4th wall a couple of years ago: "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention."; 5/12/19, 10:33 PM
wwww said...: I'm sorry today can be hard. People who have lost mothers or for mothers who have lost children. Or difficult relationships with mothers. Husband noted twitter had a unusual number of threads about depression today. One neurologist wrote it was hard to deal with because it's got multiple components, cognitive, physical, emotional.

Fen, glad it was a good convo with her tonight.; 5/12/19, 10:38 PM
hawkeyedjb said...: My French teacher finds it quirky and interestingly American that we have a holiday on which everyone eats the same thing - turkey at Thanksgiving. There are some foods associated with some holidays in Europe, but not to that extent.

What's the food that should be associated with Mother's Day?; 5/12/19, 10:59 PM
hawkeyedjb said...: "Wouldn't Twitter solve that problem for you?"

Certainly. It would get rid of most commenters. Especially those who have ever expressed a non-PC opinion - if they aren't banned from Twitter already, they will be.; 5/12/19, 11:02 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: What's the food that should be associated with Mother's Day?

broccoli. For old-time's sake; 5/12/19, 11:07 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: Old-time's sake?; 5/12/19, 11:16 PM
madAsHell said...: What's the food that should be associated with Mother's Day?

Food?? I dunno!! But, she never complains when we eat at the 'Y'.; 5/12/19, 11:19 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Well, that GoT episode was something. Kings Landing razed to the ground.; 5/13/19, 12:12 AM
walter said...: Fen,
Nice to have someone to ring up.
That is all.; 5/13/19, 12:27 AM
StephenFearby said...: @Fen

Front Psychiatry. 2019

Mitochondria, Microglia, and the Immune System-How Are They Linked in Affective Disorders?

"Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe mood disorder and frequently associated with alterations of the immune system characterized by enhanced levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and microglia activation in the brain. Increasing evidence suggests that dysfunction of mitochondria may play a key role in the pathogenesis of MDD...."

https://tinyurl.com/y36vuwx3

In psycho babble, considerations of stuff like this and the various ways that might successfully address it is called psychophysiology. Wikipedia's definition:

"Psychophysiology...is the branch of psychology that is concerned with the physiological bases of psychological processes."

Much more satisfactory than talk therapy.

There are two scientific societies in the USA (Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback and the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research. There are others in Europe. International Journals include Biological Psychology, Biological Psychiatry (Elsevier) and (of course) Psychophysiology (Wiley).

One of the more recent interesting interventions to quickly address inflammation in the mitochondria is anti-inflammatory 810nm near-infrared LED light The latest gadgets to do this have been developed by a Toronto Company (with input from the University of Toronto) called Vielight.

Sci Rep. 2019; 9: 6309.
Pulsed Near Infrared Transcranial and Intranasal Photobiomodulation Significantly Modulates Neural Oscillations: a pilot exploratory study

"Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) is the application of low levels of red or near-infrared (NIR) light to stimulate neural tissues. Here, we administer tPBM in the form of NIR light (810 nm wavelength) pulsed at 40 Hz to the default mode network (DMN), and examine its effects on human neural oscillations, in a randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded trial. Using electroencephalography (EEG), we found that a single session of tPBM significantly increases the power of the higher oscillatory frequencies of alpha, beta and gamma and reduces the power of the slower frequencies of delta and theta in subjects in resting state..."

5 studies registered with Clinical Trials (including the San Francisco VA), mainly for dementia (associated with brain inflammation).

Recent company blurb:

https://tinyurl.com/y6zjola7

Unfortunately this type of intervention doesn't address the UNDERLYING CAUSES of brain inflammation. If it is stopped (for example in Dementia patients) the problems return.

The nutraceutical approach seems to better address the underlying causes but probably takes longer before it becomes effective. Recent examples (for mitrochondrial inflammation in the eye):

Current Neuropharmacology, 2018
Rational Basis for Nutraceuticals in the Treatment of Glaucoma

https://tinyurl.com/y2xugto4

2018
A [successful] Randomized, Double-Masked, Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Efficacy of a Novel [12 ingredient] Neuroprotective Combination for Reversing Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Glaucoma

https://tinyurl.com/y5v3j339

YMMV; 5/13/19, 12:58 AM
StephenFearby said...: I forgot to include the link to the pdf of the Scientific Reports study on the Vielight. It is:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-42693-x.pdf; 5/13/19, 1:07 AM
Gospace said...: Banana boats, and yes, there are banana boats that carry pretty much just bananas, flood their holds with poison gas to kill the tarantulas and other nasty creatures. The gas also kills humans- and the occasional stowaway isn't aware of the gas treatment...

The newer banana boats carry standard shipping containers of bananas making the transfer of bananas to rails and trucking easier. They're flooded with poison gas.... Albany NY was and may still be the receiving and distribution center for many of the bananas consumed on the East Coast and North Central states. America eats lots of bananas. Getting bananas from where they're grown to market before they're overripe is an elaborate ballet carried out by private enterprise. I can't imagine how central planning would ruin banana marketing.; 5/13/19, 1:13 AM
gadfly said...: chickelit said...
A conspicuous lack of people in that shot. Like a neutron bomb hit.

Or rapture, perhaps?; 5/13/19, 1:17 AM
Gospace said...: hawkeyedjb said...
My French teacher finds it quirky and interestingly American that we have a holiday on which everyone eats the same thing - turkey at Thanksgiving. There are some foods associated with some holidays in Europe, but not to that extent.

What's the food that should be associated with Mother's Day?

I'd go with tuna casserole (or perhaps any kind of casserole dish), but chicken soup seems to be a motherly thing.

Lamb is associated with Easter. I never eat lamb. Can't stand it.

Independence Day- Hot dogs and hamburgers, neither of which existed when we declared independence.

Actually, they're the only holidays I can think of traditional foods for. Christmas depends on family.; 5/13/19, 1:22 AM
rehajm said...: Brexit- You can go with humans are tribal and also bureaucrats never cede power.; 5/13/19, 4:22 AM
rehajm said...: Nor do Targaryens.; 5/13/19, 4:23 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: I just finished an interesting read: the memo from Bill Barr to DAG Rosenstein dated June 8, 2018. I especially commend it to the attorneys here, since it shows an excellent job of lawyering. Looking back, this may historically be seen as the beginning of the end of the Mueller investigation. It appears that in maybe the spring of 2018, the Mueller lawyers, led by Andrew Weissman, had adopted a novel legal theory that interfering in any way into any legal proceeding, prosecution, investigation, etc could constitute Obstruction of Justice. The interference was the Actus Reus. All that was needed for a crime was such interference plus the Men’s Rea of corrupt intent. Thus, the Mueller investigation was demanding an interview with President Trump in order to determine whether there was any corrupt intent. Thus, for example, Trump fired Comey for lying, but that affected the investigation by the FBI of Trump, even though Comey had lied to Trump, telling him that the FBI was not investigating him. This formed the Actus Reus of one of their charges of Obstruction of Justice.

This extremely broad interpretation of one Obstruction statute in hand, along with a handful of other Presidential actions that might have impacted some ongoing investigations (even if intentionally hidden from the President), the Mueller prosecutors were demanding an interview with the President, in order to attempt to prove corrupt intent. And the President’s lawyers were (rightfully) extremely reluctant to make their client available for an in person interview, esp given his reputation of being a horrible witness for himself. With this Barr memo in hand (and in the hands of DAG Rosenstein and DoJ’s OLC), they were able to push back and demand that an actual underlying crime be shown to have been committed that Trump may have been implicated in. They were able to do this because the memo essentially showed that the Mueller interpretation was impermissibly broad, violated normal statutory interpretation rules, and could not Constitutionally be applied to the President. If they had gone to court demanding an interview, they would almost assuredly have lost. DAG Rosenstein, the ever cautious lawyer knew that, and must have made it clear to Mueller that he would therefore not authorize him going to court to force the President to personally testify. Without the ability to assume the Actus Reus of Obstruction, and force an interview to prove Mens Rea, there was no possible way to prove Obstruction. As far as it’s primary aim, of destroying, or at least harming the President, the Mueller investigation was essentially all but over.; 5/13/19, 5:00 AM
stevew said...: "I read somewhere that some people are afraid of spiders, I Iiterally do not understand how such a small creature can inspire fear, even if it has a little bit of poison in its little creaturely body."

Considering the size difference between humans and spiders, and the fact that most spiders we encounter are harmless to us, it makes no sense to be afraid of them, but I am one who is so affected by spiders will just say it is a phobia which, by definition, is not rational.; 5/13/19, 5:17 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: one of the things that the Barr memo pointed out was that the Mueller interpretation of that one Obstruction of Justice statute (that is aimed at just destruction of evidence and the like) is that the same theory could be used to charge any person utilizing prosecutorial discretion, from the AG down (through the DAG) to the line attorneys at the DoJ. One interesting thought here is that Rosenstein may have violated FISA by authorizing one of the renewals of the FISA warrant on Carter Page. Allowing the open ended Mueller investigation to continue indefinitely was essentially preventing Congress and the OIG from fully investigating the granting of the FISA warrants on Page. This was fairly obvious reading all of the transcripts of the Congressional interviews of FBI officials during the last third of 2018. Preventing his own indictment for a FISA violation would surely seem a corrupt motive, and allowing the Mueller investigation to continue would seem to qualify as the Actus Reus under the Mueller Obstruction interpretation. The question I have is whether Rosenstein was a good enough lawyer to see his own legal vulnerability under that interpretation. I think that he was, which may be why he essentially adopted Barr’s interpretation instead.; 5/13/19, 5:20 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: “Considering the size difference between humans and spiders, and the fact that most spiders we encounter are harmless to us, it makes no sense to be afraid of them, but I am one who is so affected by spiders will just say it is a phobia which, by definition, is not rational.”

Maybe not rational in terms of today, but probably very rational in terms of evolution. Spiders can kill. And, along with snakes, are some of the biggest dangers to arboreal species, as our ancestors were.; 5/13/19, 5:24 AM
Clyde said...: wwww said...
Writers broke 4th wall a couple of years ago: "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention."

I would say that Arya has added one final name to her list. We'll see next week.; 5/13/19, 5:26 AM
Marcus Bressler said...: "What's the food that should be associated with Mother's Day?

Food?? I dunno!! But, she never complains when we eat at the 'Y'."

Kinky! "Dining at the Y" is a slang phrase referring to cunnilingus.

THEOLDMAN; 5/13/19, 7:24 AM
Jaq said...: t seems to me, making Twitter more of a priority would solve most of the comments problems you've been having on this blog.

rhardin and ST and probably myself would be banned from Twitter in about the time it would take Inga to ring up Stasi. That’s only the beginning. None of the problematic trolls would ever be banned.; 5/13/19, 8:29 AM
Narr said...: I don't Twitter or Faceborg, or many other things people get up to nowadays.

Narr
This is a refuge!; 5/13/19, 10:15 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: What's the food that should be associated with Mother's Day?

Apple pie, obviously.; 5/13/19, 11:11 AM
mockturtle said...: As a little girl I heard that tarantulas are sometimes found in bananas and it was years before I dared to peel one.; 5/13/19, 1:33 PM