Althouse: At the Closeup Café...

July 25, 2019

At the Closeup Café...

... you can talk all night.

90 comments:

n said...: Lovely Blossom. Wonderful Fragrance.; 7/25/19, 7:39 PM
Bill, Republic of Texas said...: What happens when you take boys to a feminist art exhibit.

http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=382506

Ahahhahahahah; 7/25/19, 7:53 PM
tcrosse said...: Ever since my 70's feminist first wife explained the art of Georgia Okeefe to me, I haven't been able to look at flowers in the same way.; 7/25/19, 7:56 PM
traditionalguy said...: Peppermint flowers. What will God think of next?; 7/25/19, 7:58 PM
Maillard Reactionary said...: Professor, your last two lily photographs were excellent. Especially this one. Did you get a macro lens?

I've been thinking of getting one for my digital camera.

My wife is very partial to the pink and white "Stargazer" asian lilies. They like the hot light down by the mailbox. Another round is getting ready to open up next week.; 7/25/19, 7:59 PM
madAsHell said...: Ever since my 70's feminist first wife explained the art of Georgia Okeefe to me

If a feminist has to explain the art........just sayin'!; 7/25/19, 8:15 PM
gilbar said...: Nice pix! you're now to the point of goodness (competence?) that you Really Need to start posting
fStop
exposure
lens

along the lines of ISO 1800, 600mm, f6.3, 1/640s; like the members of my landscape photography group on facebook do; 7/25/19, 8:15 PM
madAsHell said...: along the lines of ISO 1800, 600mm, f6.3, 1/640s;

Meta-data.; 7/25/19, 8:21 PM
Jaq said...: I think it is just an off the charts capable point and shoot. That stuff you are going on about is kind of not that important anymore, like setting the points on your engine.; 7/25/19, 8:22 PM
David Duffy said...: If you come home from work everyday and find one amusing story to tell, it will help you have a happy marriage. It doesn't matter if you were the buffoon, the loser, the winner, the righteous one, the ass-kicker or the ass-kicked in the story. As long as it is something about the day. It's best if the story has some comedy about yourself or about life in general.; 7/25/19, 8:22 PM
Beasts of England said...: Need a good laugh?

As I was walking toward my chest of drawers this morning to grab some boxers, I tripped over my running shoes and banged right into the darned thing. No big deal, except my television lives on top. It promptly wobbles off, hits the wall - and breaks. Crap.

I head to Walmart to grab a new one. The old model was small - 17" - and the smallest replacement was 24". Fine. I come back and set it up but realize that the drop has sheared the interior pins of my RCA cables. Ugh. I head to Dollar General and they have none, so I head to Ace hardware and they have the triple set for about $20.

I get back and see that the new tube doesn't have RCA connections - USB and HDMI only. Ugh. At this point, I'm pissed. So I pack up the new television and decide to return it and check the local pawn shops on the way for old models that accept my antiquated connectors. No luck. I then decide to just get a new DVD player. Walmart again.

Back home and I've got it under control now and am proud that I've kept my (infamous) temper under control. I get my fancy new items in place on top of the chest and - boom - the plugs are four inches short of the outlet!! I grab the old components and head out back for launch. I hope the bream and bass can do something with them...

Anyhoo - I head back to DG for a power strip to cover the cord gap. Of course, I have to tape the silly thing to the back of the cabinet so it doesn't look like crap. Okay, it still kinda looks like crap. But, other than that, it was a great day.; 7/25/19, 8:29 PM
stevew said...: Mrs. stevew and Mom-in-Law return from Portugal (Madeira and the Azores) tomorrow. It will be great to have her back, house gets quiet when she's away and after a a few days I've had enough of that. Guaranteed that Mom will tell me, sometime in the first 10 minutes or so, how late it is for her given they left a place that is five hours ahead of us. That's always the first topic to discuss when they return. I will offer polite inquiries about the trip, their traveling companions, etc. to occupy the 35 minute drive home from Logan. As I said, will be great to have other people in the house again.; 7/25/19, 8:30 PM
Lawrence Person said...: Mueller roundup.; 7/25/19, 8:33 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: I was going to buy a nice, mirrorless camera with various lenses for my birthday. The kind of camera that makes a commanding shutter sound. Then we went to a national park that had a video in the visitor's center. Some guy with that kind of camera kept taking pictures of the screen. Why would anyone do that? You're at the park with the things you are seeing on screen. Are you really going to go home and show your friends pictures of the video? Anyway, twenty-five minutes of kshck, kshck, kshck, and I can't stand the sight of a fancy camera. I'll save it for another birthday.; 7/25/19, 8:36 PM
gilbar said...: That stuff you are going on about is kind of not that important anymore, like setting the points on your engine.

that's what i'd thought too; we're Both WAY WRONG; 7/25/19, 8:44 PM
Lyle Sanford, RMT said...: Terrific pic! Not for the first time you some how evoke Alexander Calder. It also belongs to that subset of your pics that calms me the moment I see it.; 7/25/19, 9:07 PM
chuck said...: @stevew Do you live in Lincoln? It is where I grew up.; 7/25/19, 9:11 PM
mockturtle said...: Limited perspective observes: If you come home from work everyday and find one amusing story to tell, it will help you have a happy marriage.

When my husband and I were having a serious tiff, we'd put on a Three Stooges video. Hard to stay mad while Larry, Moe and Curly acted out their aggression for us and made us laugh at the same time. Fortunately, we both loved comedy, esp. British comedy like Monty Python, Two Ronnies and Fawlty Towers.; 7/25/19, 9:16 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/25/19, 9:20 PM
Ann Althouse said...: “Professor, your last two lily photographs were excellent. Especially this one. Did you get a macro lens?”

Thanks. Just a new iPhone.; 7/25/19, 9:23 PM
Fen said...: Yah I made it home and am mostly sane!; 7/25/19, 9:30 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/25/19, 9:35 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/25/19, 10:16 PM
madAsHell said...: (Just kidding I am always in a good mood)

Sweet Jesus!! A Mormon!!; 7/25/19, 10:16 PM
Ken B said...: An interesting bit about Snopes and Facebook attacking Babylon Bee https://pjmedia.com/faith/facebook-threatens-babylon-bee-cnn-satire-report-snopes-fact-checkers/

The Bee story is funny, despite what Ann says. But the rest of it shows how Facebook acts in bad faith.; 7/25/19, 10:19 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Fen has survived his well-intentioned, but annoying relatives. Time for a grilled steak and beer, alone, with no f$%#}#}^ questions!; 7/25/19, 10:23 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: I was in Bend, Oregon this week. Very nice place. Saw a bumper sticker, "If you're from California, this place sucks!"

Hmmm. I think they're trying to tell me something.; 7/25/19, 10:25 PM
narciso said...: The advantages of a classical education.

https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-25/boris-johnson-recites-extracts-of-the-iliad-in/11338290?pfmredir=sm&fbclid=IwAR39ZlsSx7AokH88HRhIKf7UeDAXtgZtVt5WuYujNxxV3sY0VzR0mqZnnL8; 7/25/19, 10:28 PM
Narr said...: I for one welcome our giant pink overlords!

Narr
Nighty-bye; 7/25/19, 10:34 PM
Ralph L said...: Shouldn't a beast go commando?; 7/25/19, 10:35 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Trump: "Mueller made Biden 'look like a dynamo'

God Bless this man. He is a comic genius!; 7/25/19, 10:36 PM
Christy said...: Sister got pissed off at me in the spring and ripped out all my stargazers, claiming they were the goldenrod she was weeding out of the front border.; 7/25/19, 10:44 PM
Ralph L said...: Those little magenta fingers are creepy.; 7/25/19, 10:44 PM
narciso said...: Here we go again:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-
07-25/puerto-rico-governor-to-be-faces-probe-hours-after-anointment; 7/25/19, 10:45 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Good news. Harvard Law Prof, Larry Tribe, remains Gung ho on impeachment. Full throttle, Baby! Relentless stupidity!

He's calling on Pelosi and Schiff to get off their asses.

Maybe Tribe and our other favorite Harvard Law Prof, Bruce Hay, can write a paper or something on this to help "move the needle".

I'm thinking impeachment might be revisited after Trumps win election. One can only take so many beat downs.; 7/25/19, 10:48 PM
narciso said...: Taking blutowskis suggestion as an imperative,; 7/25/19, 10:51 PM
Sebastian said...: People! You should watch Chappaquiddick!

Useful reference if you ever think of voting Dem again, or if you ever have a prog asserting moral superiority over you.

Amazing the movie was made, and well made, considering it presents a prog hero as the monster he was.; 7/25/19, 11:04 PM
buwaya said...: I have about, er, six digital cameras, slrs and mirrorless. At this time.
Ok, maybe its seven. Or, ok, eight, if that other one counts, its not really working quite right, so it can't count, can it?

And at last count something above 100 film cameras. And corresponding lenses, etc.

I have been downsizing! Honest!

I can too stop buying cameras! No, really! I am not an addict!; 7/25/19, 11:05 PM
walter said...: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/07/25/meet-man-who-created-fake-presidential-seal-former-republican-fed-up-with-trump/?utm_term=.b1001f9d5adb; 7/26/19, 12:05 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: raspberry coulis stalactites
dripping
from a white-chocolate fondant
canopy of confection.

(we just got back from an out-of-this-world party-- some dishes too beautiful to eat!); 7/26/19, 12:07 AM
mockturtle said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/26/19, 12:09 AM
mockturtle said...: Boris Johnson recites from Iliad in Greek

I used to know a little Greek. His name was Danilo.; 7/26/19, 12:11 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: post-prandial prose; 7/26/19, 12:11 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: @Mock

how much did this Grecian urn?; 7/26/19, 12:14 AM
mockturtle said...: About 30 drachmas a week.; 7/26/19, 12:17 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: he gets paid weakly ?; 7/26/19, 12:20 AM
mockturtle said...: This was a long time ago, ICTA.; 7/26/19, 12:21 AM
mockturtle said...: In the 'ode' days.; 7/26/19, 12:21 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: dont mind us-- we just flew in from Chicago, and boy! are our arms tired!; 7/26/19, 12:22 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Icta is a genus of moths. ICTA may refer to: Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture

we know it's a pain in the ass, but it's so much nicer to see the whole name typed out.

--- Ingachuck'stoothlessARM--- it just rolls off the tongue; 7/26/19, 12:26 AM
Yancey Ward said...: Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture

Banana College!; 7/26/19, 12:34 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: paging Robert Meuller!! Line one!

(Meuller fumbling)
AIDE: "It's the yellow one, Mr. Meuller"; 7/26/19, 12:36 AM
Yancey Ward said...: I loved Keat's ode, but I somehow love Desmond's Skirrow's summary better:

Gods chase.
Round vase.
What say?
What play?
Don't know.
Nice, though.; 7/26/19, 12:37 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: just in case an explanation is needed, though no doubt posted prior

'I'm Still Sharp As A Tack,' Insists Mueller Moments Before Taking Phone Call On A Banana

https://babylonbee.com/news/i-am-still-sharp-as-a-tack-protests-mueller-moments-before-taking-phone-call-on-a-banana; 7/26/19, 12:40 AM
walter said...: Bernie bros Facebook "friend" seen lamenting Epstein being offed because he knows too much about..
Truuuuuuuuump!!!; 7/26/19, 12:43 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: @walter
was going to say,
for his testimony, they better keep that mutherfucker alive,
but that wouldnt be the right word; 7/26/19, 12:51 AM
Yancey Ward said...: Didn't Snopes do a fact check on the banana phone story, and conclude it wasn't true?; 7/26/19, 12:59 AM
walter said...: The Bernie Bros still doesn't grasp the scope of Clinton, Inc; 7/26/19, 1:05 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Meuller's ring-tone:

Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day
Me say day, me say day-o
Daylight come and me wan' go home

Dont take the easy way out, Jeff-E !!
https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2019/07/jeffrey-epstein-discovered-jail-guard-suicide-hanging-attempt/; 7/26/19, 1:08 AM
Chris Lopes said...: "Didn't Snopes do a fact check on the banana phone story, and conclude it wasn't true?"

The Babylon Bee is a satire site, of course it's fake. That Snopes is now in the business of fact checking humor is itself funny.; 7/26/19, 1:12 AM
walter said...: It was deemed "mostly true:, being it was a Plantain phone.; 7/26/19, 1:19 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Epstein and Feinstein--
but at least Epstein didnt have a chinese spy chauffeur

https://www.businessinsider.com/jeffrey-epstein-is-financially-tied-to-spouses-of-big-politicians-2019-7

****

"Nobody is above the law—not even the President."

does that apply to illegal immigrants too???; 7/26/19, 1:20 AM
Stephanie Delmonico said...: What happened to ARM? Not that I miss him. And was garage banned or did he just walk away?

This blog has really suffered from poor quality leftist commenters through the years. Althouse has always been the best from the left, but I don't count her. I also perceive that the good Prof Emerita has shifted somewhat to the right in her philosophy over the years.

I am shocked to learn that Steve Uhr is or was a member of the bar. His comments show a lack of sophistication in matters of jurisprudence. "Alleged facts' is not something a competent attorney would use in the context of Mr. Uhr's question. Just typing those two words would give a competent lawyer pause. Or so I would think.

But what would I know? I'm just some broad.; 7/26/19, 1:32 AM
walter said...: Yep..and a born Blogger commenter July 2019; 7/26/19, 1:36 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: maybe it's best not to ask. Like saying "Candyman" 3 times.

dont the assigned troll-bots just morph into 'new' ones?; 7/26/19, 1:47 AM
walter said...: C'mon. Pretty clever to name a woman after a cut of beef.; 7/26/19, 1:51 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: does she know a Phil A. Mignon?; 7/26/19, 1:55 AM
walter said...: In the era of Trans-cendence, T-Bone has potential.; 7/26/19, 1:56 AM
madAsHell said...: some dishes too beautiful to eat!)

THIS!!.....is sexual inequality!!; 7/26/19, 2:56 AM
rehajm said...: If there were journalism awards for journalism Kim Strassel would win them all.; 7/26/19, 5:21 AM
stevew said...: @chuck: no sir, not Lincoln, northshore, near Ipswich.; 7/26/19, 5:40 AM
Jaq said...: We all thought that Inga was a moron, but Althouse has decided that she was smarter than she pretended and just here to disrupt. Well, Inga did say one time that her only purpose here was to disrupt. I think that commenters like that, by not responding to valid criticisms, only harden the positions they are trying to attack. It’s like inoculating with a weakened virus.; 7/26/19, 5:43 AM
Anonymous said...: Fen, you've mentioned you live in MD several times. Whereabouts? Asking because I lived in MD all my life until I expatriated to FL 6 months ago.

__Rt1Rebel; 7/26/19, 5:45 AM
Jaq said...: Stephanie is a bit too harsh with the name calling for me. When you start getting into name calling, it’s just an admission that you have lost. Personally, when I am debating somebody and they lapse into name calling, I figure they are out of ammo.; 7/26/19, 6:01 AM
Jaq said...: readering’s big problem is she knows that if she says what she’s really thinking, it won’t fly here, so she dances around it, it’s not that she’s a “pig fucker,” Stephanie.; 7/26/19, 6:04 AM
Original Mike said...: Blogger Stephanie Delmonico said..."What happened to ARM? Not that I miss him. And was garage banned or did he just walk away?"

I don't know what happened to ARM.

Garage just walked away. He said something about coming to hate his fellow lefties. Seems like he had a falling out or an eye-opening event.; 7/26/19, 8:52 AM
purplepenquin said...: You should watch Chappaquiddick!

Useful reference if you ever think of voting Dem again

Why do you consider that to be a reflection on every member of the political party (past, present, and future) rather than the actions of the one or three individuals involved? I can understand using the events of that day to never vote for Ted Kennedy...but to use that as an excuse to not vote for someone who wasn't even born yet when it happened seems to be an emotional reason rather than logical.

(And given the constant harassment, name-calling, and sometimes even death-threats...why is anyone surprised that "lefties" are driven away from here? Sounds to me that the plan is working as intended.); 7/26/19, 9:45 AM
Michael K said...: sometimes even death-threats...why is anyone surprised that "lefties" are driven away from here?

Hilarious. Try not to be so obvious about your self reverential issues.; 7/26/19, 10:32 AM
Michael K said...: This blog has really suffered from poor quality leftist commenters through the years.

Have you read any left wing blogs ? I used to until I got banned for not agreeing that single payer would solve the healthcare crisis. It didn't matter that I had 40 years experience and an additional degree in health care policy. So we talk about it at Chicagoboyz.; 7/26/19, 10:35 AM
purplepenquin said...: Hilarious.

I also used to think that online threats of violence & killing were kinda funny and not to be taken seriously, but given our current political climate I have a hard time laughing about it now.; 7/26/19, 10:54 AM
Anonymous said...: "Blogger purplepenquin said...
'You should watch Chappaquiddick!

Useful reference if you ever think of voting Dem again'

Why do you consider that to be a reflection on every member of the political party?"

Ted Kennedy was, at the very least, guilty of voluntary manslaughter. In spite of that, he was reelected, feted, and lionized by Democrats and continues to be to this day. His memory absolutely reflects on all of those people.

If you - individually and collectively - don't have the moral integrity, even today, to reject the man as the scum he was, you don't have the moral authority to talk about anybody else's morals. Ever.; 7/26/19, 10:54 AM
Original Mike said...: Nadler holding a press conference to say Mueller is not senile.

With friends like that...; 7/26/19, 11:14 AM
purplepenquin said...: Ted Kennedy was, at the very least, guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

On this, we agree. The rest, not so much.

E.A. Bucchianeri put it best: "It is unfortunate that in most cases when the sins of the father fall on the son it is because unlike God, people refuse to forgive and forget and heap past wrongs upon innocent generations."

If someone is actively praising the guy, then of course call 'em out. But to simply assume that your neighbors view Ted Kennedy as some kind of hero just because they voted against Scott Walker is kinda silly, no?; 7/26/19, 11:19 AM
Anonymous said...: You're intentionally missing the point. Kennedy was, until the day he died and even after, lionized by the vast majority of Democrats. That lack of moral integrity is their sin, not their fathers'. There really isn't any excuse for it, though, and it absolutely negates their moral authority. So the next time you wonder why Republicans tolerate Trump's peccadilloes, it's because we lost that fight to the Democrats. Decades ago, repeatedly with Kennedy, and then again with Billy Jeff. So when a Democrat attempts to shame me with Trump's behavior, I just laugh at them, and will continue to do so. You collectively have no standing, and it's because of your own collective behavior. I can explain it to you again, but I can't understand it for you.; 7/26/19, 11:31 AM
Stephanie Delmonico said...: Thanks for the info folks.

AAT - I've read her stuff here as long as she has posted... she's a dishonest commenter. To pretend you can have a real discussion with her is just wishcasting. I've got plenty of back-up for my beliefs, but that stuff is wasted on her. Haven't you been paying attention?

Doc, been to many lefty sites. Been banned from a few. I know what you are getting at... I still visit lefty sites on a daily basis because I do want to be informed and have my beliefs challenged. The quality of arguments coming from that side is indeed poor.

I am happy to engage anyone in substantive arguments and discussions. Takes two to tangle, though.
And yes, I chose to not write tango.; 7/26/19, 11:31 AM
Original Mike said...: What are the top one or two lefty comment sites? I've never known where to go.; 7/26/19, 11:35 AM
purplepenquin said...: There really isn't any excuse for it

Yet, you're making an excuse for behaving in the same exact manner in regards to Trump and other Republican's immoral behavior. I am sure they beleive their excuse is just as valid as you beleive yours to be.

(BTW - just 'cause I don't march lockstep with the Republicans doesn't mean I support everything the Democratics do...so please remove me from that collective "you" and "yours". Thanks); 7/26/19, 11:40 AM
Stephanie Delmonico said...: Blogger purplepenquin said...
Ted Kennedy was, at the very least, guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

On this, we agree. The rest, not so much.

So you disagree that he was "he was reelected, feted, and lionized by Democrats and continues to be to this day." ?????

Do you deny he was re-elected? Do you deny that he was feted? Do you deny that he, literally anointed by the Democrats post-Chappaquiddick as 'The Lion of the Senate, was lionized?

Phil, I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment.; 7/26/19, 12:00 PM
Anonymous said...: You miss the point, again. I'm not excusing behavior, I'm conceding that the battle is lost. Those rules simply no longer obtain, and any attempt to invoke them is futile and deserving of derision. Would I prefer elected representatives of high moral character? Yes, of course I would. Will I ever get them? Unlikely. Those standards no longer apply. And Teddy Kennedy and his enablers/supporters/excuse makers, are a huge part of that. Chappaquiddick was uniquely bad. Nothing Trump - or any other American national politician I can think of, at least for the past century - is even accused of (much less guilty of) is even remotely as bad, or excused for so long.; 7/26/19, 12:02 PM
purplepenquin said...: Do you deny he was re-elected? Do you deny that he was feted? Do you deny that he, literally anointed by the Democrats post-Chappaquiddick as 'The Lion of the Senate, was lionized?

By each and every Democratic voter? Past, present, and future?

"Deny" is a weird word to use, but I do disagree with that opinion.

Those standards no longer apply. And Teddy Kennedy and his enablers/supporters/excuse makers, are a huge part of that

I don't disagree that for some people the standards no longer apply, rather I am pointing out that you, yourself, are also using him as an excuse for you personally to not apply any standards to people in your party.

I ain't mad at ya, or even blame ya, for feeling as such - it's all part of the "divide&conquer" strategy that's been played against all of us for the past several generations.; 7/26/19, 12:43 PM