August 19, 2016

"I'm from the trump campaign and I am here to help."

I channeled Sir Ronald of Raygun while listening to Teh Donald while he was filmed grabbing 2 boxes of aid and handing them to the next person. His words? "The devastation is terrible, until you see it, you don't know how bad it is. I am here to help. "


How, Donald? How?

August 18, 2016

Is it evil for my icy cold heart to experience schadenfreude?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tony-perkins-louisiana-flood_us_57b5d854e4b0fd5a2f41a503?section=&

If there were any asshole more deserving of a biblical flood, I cannot think of one. Tony Perkins has destroyed more lives and brainwashed more folks than most people still living. While his body count does not approach ISIL, Boko Haram, or others, he has caused endless pain and suffering simply because his poor interpretation of a badly translated, irrational, contradictory, and mostly stolen two part work of fiction says (to his mind) that he should.

Frankly, I hope those storm clouds follow him around much like a character in a that dude in a Douglass Adams book.

A home owned by the head of a “family” group that has claimed that the LGBT community could bring about human extinction has been nearly destroyed in a flood.

In 2015, the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins interviewed extreme Messianic Jewish pastor Jonathan Cahn, who suggested that Hurricane Joaquin, which devastated Hawaii, was a “sign of God’s wrath” against abortion and the Supreme Court’s historic ruling on same-sex marriage. Perkins agreed, saying that while “those on the left like to mock these things,” American leaders have historically viewed hurricanes as signs that “God is trying to send us a message.”

A year later, however, it’s a much different story. On Tuesday, Perkins said he and his family had to escape their Louisiana home in a canoe over the weekend because of the state’s devastating ― and record-breaking ― floods.

“This is a flood of, I would have to say, near-biblical proportions,” Perkins told listeners on his “Washington Watch” radio show, as heard in the audio snippet below. “This is unlike anything we’ve seen before... It’s a matter of picking up the pieces.”

So, is it bad for me to smile, even a little? I usually feel empathy for anyone who suffers. Not in this case. Here is but one example of the blitherings, blatherings, bullshit, and beastly statements:

Perkins returned to the topic later in the program, once again linking sexual assaults in the military to the policy allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly and linking porn viewing by government employees in general to the “sexually charged environment” promoted by Obama.

“Of course, the military has been ground zero in the president’s sexual agenda, first repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, women in frontline combat … and guess what’s happened?” he said. “I know this will surprise you, but sexual assaults have gone through the roof.”

“That’s the result of this sexually charged environment, the results of policies of the Obama administration,” he said. “So we shouldn’t be surprised that every other agency is having these issues.”

August 16, 2016

I can outrun David Rudisha

If he is encased in 15th century armor, is carrying two huge water tank water bottles (full), and is dragging a deployed parachute behind him.

Maybe. Maybe not.

August 12, 2016

Today's London Review of Books explains Trump phenomena

Last issue had a review involving the selection of Trump and his unbelievable rise. A GREAT letter to the editor contains this priceless gem:

"If Eliot Wienberger still finds himself perplexed by the Republican Party's deletion of Donald Trump as its presidential candidate, he need look no further than the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) for an explanation:

trumpery [n]

1. Deceit, fraud, imposture, trickery. Obs.

2. Something of less value than it seems; hence 'something of no value,trifles'; worthless stuff, trash, rubbish.

b. Applied to abstract things, as beliefs, practices, discourse, writing, etc: nonsense, 'rubbish.'

c. Applied contemptuously to religious practices, ceremonies, ornaments, etc.; regarded as idle or superstitious.

d. Showy, but unsubstantial apparel, worthless finery."

I had no idea the OED used Teh Donald as a template for some of the definitions contained therein. Their unerring accuracy is almost scary.

August 12, 2016

The RNC doesn't get it. Teh Don will "win" this meeting.

This is the $#|¥ he thrives on. A private meeting, on one side, the RNC with its desperation seeping through the walls. On the other, Teh Don, ready to "negotiate" a deal. No matter what happens, the RNC will walk away quietly, and teh Don will proclaim victory. That is how he operates.

The idea that the RNC has a spine under these circumstances is simply wishful thinking. They will be spinned, bent, cut, torn, spindled, mutilated - and they won't even know it.

August 11, 2016

NBC has achieved the unthinkable.

They took what has been historically one of the greatest international sporting events and turned it into something resembling night soil, except NBC's is far more pungent and lacks any ability to fertilize vegetation or crops.

Watching video of American spouses of athletes? Seriously? When there are exciting matches being played live? US- centric coverage might be understandable, but for the fact that so little sport is being shown.

Even worse, you'd figure that with all of the advance warning that they won the monopoly bid to film and show the games, that they would have designed a fantastic (with emphasis on the "fan&quot app for android or iOS. Instead, their Rio app is buggy, consists of mainly advertising and silly commentary, and shows little sport. For the few hours that I tried to watch, between crashes and hang ups, I saw no sport at all, but got to see lots of ads.

NBC Has to go. We need to prevent them from ever doing such a lousy job again. I think a healthy dose of competition would serve everyone a lot better.

NBC has earned an F+. Barely

August 9, 2016

Delta Meltdown

So, one of the best run, profitable, and on-time airlines built its own internal computing system to track flights, issue tickets, handle scheduling, billing, and more.

It is a complex, robust, effective computer system, far better than the 1890's technology that Southwest Air has been trying to replace.

Can someone explain to me how a power failure in Atlanta caused the airline to collapse? Even my home office computer has a backup power system, letting me work even if the office is getting no power. Do they really expect us to believe that with all its programing and computer successes, Delta did not have a backup power system set up to prevent such a meltdown?

August 6, 2016

I was struck by Trump's lack luster support of Ryan and McCain

Clearly, he was reading a script. His lack of enthusiasm was as clear as the tips of his tiny fingers.

So, it begs the question: What just happened behind the scenes? And who has the clout with Teh Don and enough "respect" from him to get his addled attention long enough to convince him that this was a necessary, if painful, step?

His closest hired aides? Doubtful. Rob Bennett? The guy who called Ben Carson the smartest guy he had ever met? Heh. Lewandowsky? He is too busy making an ass of himself on CNN. Paul Manafort? ha.

I am going with his daughter and one of his sons. Even they realized how bad the optics were becoming.

August 3, 2016

"It's only a scratch"

"I've cut off both your legs!"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-manafort-trump-turmoil_us_57a218cfe4b0104052a0a203

WASHINGTON ― Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, pushed back against reports of turmoil within the Republican nominee’s campaign on Wednesday, accusing Hillary Clinton’s campaign of spreading a false narrative.

“The candidate is in control of his campaign. That’s number one, and I’m in control of doing the things he wants me to do in the campaign,” Manafort said in an interview on Fox News.

“The turmoil, this is another Clinton narrative that she put out there and that the media is picking up on,” he added, describing the campaign as “in very good shape” after reportedly raising $82 million in July ― its best month yet.

The campaign careened off the rails over the weekend after the Trump picked a fight with the Gold Star parents of a slain Muslim American war hero. Ignoring aides and prominent GOP members, he doubled down by saying he didn’t “regret anything” about critiquing the family.

The real estate mogul didn’t stop there, however, racking up an astonishing number of controversies in the last 48 hours that threatened to disintegrate his already shaky support among elected officials in his party.

August 1, 2016

Normally I won't discuss the looks of a politician's spouse

(Although Bill is looking a lot healthier of late. He really looked bad a month or so ago).

In the case of Melania, I will make an exception.

No, I don't care about the nudes, so long as Barbara Bush doesn't join in the fun. What really strikes me is her expression. Is it a sneer, is she myopic? What is she trying to say, other than "this is my trademark look?"

It really is off-putting, even strange. If that is the look that attracts Teh Don, wow.