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Halloween Open Thread

Here's a new open thread, all topics welcome.

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    MO Blue.... (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by kdog on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 12:45:15 PM EST
    Sick costume you had last year...musta been hard work to make such a good egg look so spooky!

    Happy Halloween kiddies...but the real fright comes next Tuesday, Election Day...few things scarier than a no win situation.

    Applying the makeup took over 2 hours (5.00 / 4) (#3)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 12:56:07 PM EST
    I also spent an hour or so on youtube researching how to apply the makeup for the look I wanted . Finally decided I liked the eyes on one video, the face contouring on another and the lips on another one yet again.

    For anyone who missed it:

    MO Blue's 2013 prize winning Halloween costume.

    I definitely agree with you on the real fright:

    the real fright comes next Tuesday, Election Day...few things scarier than a no win situation.


       

    Parent
    wow, that is very scary! (5.00 / 2) (#9)
    by ruffian on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 01:42:52 PM EST
    Well done! I hope those are not your real teeth!

    Parent
    Those are definitely not my real teeth (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:06:31 PM EST
    Only wore them long enough to smile at the judges and members of the audience when we paraded around to show off our costumes. They were not comfortable at all and they should make them in a different flavor other than plastic.

    Most people who stood too close backed up real quick when I smiled at them.

    Parent

    That is simply lovely! (5.00 / 2) (#72)
    by ZtoA on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 12:27:01 AM EST
    I worked up a silicon "skin" on one hand today then blended it into a skin color, used a fingernail scissors to cut thru the middle of it, and then applied green, purple, earth yellows and earth reds to my actual skin underneath and the silicon "skin" on the top of my hand. I elevated the fake skin with tiny bits of paper towel and then applied a bright red runny food coloring to the "wound". It looked very good until I started stacking firewood and used that hand too much. Still it looked gross.

    I offered the kids a bowl of peeled carrots for their "treats" and then, after they looked generally oh so polite, reached for a carrot looking confused, I said "ha! just a trick! here is the real treat" and offered one large handful of that store bought candy. One kid said, after I first offered the peeled carrots "I cannot take anything from a stranger that is not packaged since it might contain marijuana!!!". He immediately started to walk away (he was maybe 10 years old) and I had to yell "hey young dude that was just a trick - here's the real treat! Plus those were not marijuana peeled carrots". I think he was dressed as a vampire.

    The first kids (harry potter and a super hero) screamed, as they left my property "I got a handful!!!".

    Parent

    speaking of which (none / 0) (#2)
    by CST on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 12:52:46 PM EST
    Other news outlets... (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by kdog on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 01:06:21 PM EST
    use the truth to tell lies, but our beloved Onion uses lies to tell the truth.

    Long live The Onion!

    Parent

    Hows about some good jokes for Halloween (none / 0) (#5)
    by Uncle Chip on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 01:06:46 PM EST
    I'm told by people who move to St Louis from other parts of the country that having the kids tell jokes for their Halloween treats is a St Louis thing -- no joke and no bones about it.

    So if anyone has anyone good Halloween jokes, post away --

    Parent

    Knock Knock.... (5.00 / 6) (#7)
    by kdog on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 01:34:45 PM EST
    Who's there?

    9/11

    9/11 who?

    You said you'd never forget!

    Parent

    That was the practice many years ago (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 01:34:58 PM EST
    In my neighborhood but I don't think it is still being done on a regular basis here in my subdivision.

    I haven't been home on Halloween the last couple of years but I gave up asking for a trick years ago when too many kids didn't know what I was talkng about and were completely unprepared to do a trick.

     Many  years ago my daughter came up with the perfect way.

    Halloween came a couple of months before her 2nd birthday. I spent some time teaching her to say "Trick or Treat." Dressed in her costume and  armed with her pumpkin for treats, we started through our neighborhood. All went well at the first two houses. She put out her pumpkin and  said a understandable version of "trick or treat." Well things went downhill at the 3rd house. Out went the pumpkin along with a one word demand for "CANDY."  Nothing I said convinced her that she should go back to saying the correct refrain and it was candy for the rest of the night.

    Parent

    Oh, Lord! (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by Zorba on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:24:14 PM EST
    This used to happen way back in the Pleistocene, when my siblings and I went out on Halloween.  We either used to be expected to come up with a joke when asked, or, for the younger kids, it was expected that they would sing a funny little song or something.
    Yes, I think it's a St. Louis thing.
    The other thing I remember is that the police used to drive around in our area, and pass out bags of chips and other goodies to the kids.  Yes, I know that they were patrolling for any Halloween mischief, but I always used to think that it was nice that they passed out treats to the kids, smiled at them, complimented the costumes, and so on.
    I'm betting they don't do that any more.

    Parent
    Best guess that we are around the same age (none / 0) (#18)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:31:38 PM EST
    give or take a few years.

    I don't think that the police did that in any of the neighborhoods where I lived as a child. Never saw them giving out candy in the neighborhood where I live now and where my children grew up.

    Parent

    Well, they did (none / 0) (#23)
    by Zorba on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:47:10 PM EST
    do that in my suburb, but that was probably peculiar to our particular area.
    And as I said, I'm really betting they don't do that any more.  
    Especially not in Northern St. Louis County, where I used to live.  Not Ferguson, but not all that very far from there.

    Parent
    Wasn't doubting your account (none / 0) (#38)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:32:25 PM EST
    It just never to my knowledge happened where I lived.

    As to Ferguson this year:

    FERGUSON, Mo. - Concerned parents and residents of one St. Louis community prompted an idea to change a holiday tradition.

    'I Love Ferguson' is planning an alternative Halloween celebration for some families who felt unsafe opening their doors and letting children walk the streets this year.

    "I started hearing concerns from parents about, should they send their children out at night on Halloween, and they didn't want to open their door for trick or treaters like they normally do, and it really saddened me to hear that," Brian Fletcher, chairman for the "I Love Ferguson" Committee said.

    "I think that nobody would harm our children, but I can't change the way people feel, and so I came up with an alternative," Fletcher said.




    Parent
    It is just so sad (none / 0) (#43)
    by Zorba on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 04:15:52 PM EST
    That nobody can trust anybody any more.
    I can't blame the parents for being concerned.
    Especially the parents of black kids, to be brutally frank.


    Parent
    giving out small bags of chips (none / 0) (#73)
    by ZtoA on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 12:40:01 AM EST
     great idea!!

    Parent
    If you're a Dem in Colorado.... (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by magster on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 01:10:42 PM EST
    Deliver your vote by hand to drop-off box. It's too risky to mail. Gardner and Beauprez will be horrid representatives for Colorado.

    Beauprez is horrible - he was (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by ruffian on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 01:45:07 PM EST
    already horrible when I lived there. The thought of him on a national stage is truly frightening.

    Parent
    Give up (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by jbindc on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:12:13 PM EST
    That is a great costume (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:22:19 PM EST
    Some Republicans might find it scarier than mine

    Parent
    That really made my laugh out loud (none / 0) (#34)
    by ruffian on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:10:18 PM EST
    Wish I had a baby to dress up!

    Parent
    No quaranteen for Kaci Hickox (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:14:38 PM EST
    Judge rejects Ebola quarantine for nurse

    FORT KENT, Maine (AP) -- A Maine judge has given nurse Kaci Hickox the OK to go wherever she pleases, handing state officials a defeat in their bid to isolate her.
    ...
    The judge is requiring only daily monitoring and said she's not a threat to the public. In his ruling, the judge wrote that "people are acting out of fear and that this fear is not entirely rational."



    I am so glad to hear this. (5.00 / 3) (#28)
    by Anne on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:02:56 PM EST
    The whole thing, from her being hustled into an unheated tent upon arrival in the US to being harassed and treated as if she represents a biological weapon, is just appalling.  I'm embarrassed, actually, that in a country that likes to claim it is so advanced, the voices of reason and science have been drowned out by the Neanderthals perpetuating the idea that simply by being in the presence of someone who was physically located in a region where Ebola is present is so dangerous we have to essentially jail people for weeks at a time.  "Can't be too careful," right?  "Better to be safe than sorry!"  Easy for someone to say who isn't going to have to give up three weeks of his or her life out of an abundance of caution.

    Yes, I know Hickox actually treated Ebola patients, but the woman isn't sick.  She's tested negative each and every time she's been tested.  She has no symptoms, no fever, nothing.  No one who has been in her presence, sat next to her on an airplane, stood in line with her for coffee or to board a plane, has fallen ill.  

    The way they've treated this woman, I keep expecting someone to suggest that maybe the reason she isn't sick is because she's...a witch!  Seriously, when do we light the bonfires and hold witch trials?

    Finally, someone in authority has acted in a manner befitting the facts - and surprise, surprise! - it wasn't a politician.  

    Really, it's just embarrassing.


    Parent

    Wise Guy and Maine Governor, Paul LePage: (5.00 / 2) (#30)
    by KeysDan on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:07:01 PM EST
    October 30, " Right now she can come out of her house if she wants, but we can't protect her when she does that.  The reason there is a police car there when she does that is to protect her. Cause the last thing I want is for her to get hurt.  But at the same token her behavior is really riling a lot of people and I can only do what I can do. And we are trying to protect her, but she 's not acting as smart as she probably should."

    Translation:  Yeah, and that sure is a nice boyfriend you have there Kaci, a shame if anything happened to his knee caps.   Nothing much I can do, I just hope no one comes over to your place at 525 Willow, NE, and removes those red shutters and crawls in your unlocked window to the left of the red door,  with an axe or something.   Our folks are real nervous and all, even quarantining anyone who has been in Dallas, and I can't blame them, at least until after the election.

    Parent

    What a classy guy - not (5.00 / 3) (#40)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:50:10 PM EST
    Surprised he didn't start out by saying that he was making her an offer she couldn't refuse.

    Definitely deserves to lose his election this year.

    Parent

    CNN Health, (none / 0) (#35)
    by KeysDan on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:10:56 PM EST
    Thank You Your Honor... (none / 0) (#22)
    by kdog on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:47:01 PM EST
    Suck on that Lepage!

    Parent
    From our "Heads A-Poppin" file: (5.00 / 2) (#21)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:44:43 PM EST
    "I'll be very, very honest with you. The South has not always been the friendliest place for African-Americans. It's been a difficult time for the president to present himself in a very positive light as a leader."
    - Sen. Mary Landrieu, to NBC News (October 30, 2014)

    White Republicans are now demanding that Sen. Landrieu apologize for her remark, because she hurt their feelings by stating the painfully obvious. Well, if she won't express her regrets, then I will.

    I'm very, very sorry that white America is still chock full o'Crackers.

    Honestly, there are still days when I couldn't be more sorry.

    Really.

    If I were British (5.00 / 1) (#53)
    by christinep on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 06:24:15 PM EST
    I'd say that Senator Landrieu's comments were brilliant.  As I read the remarks in an NBC interview: When asked about why President Obama was so unpopular in Louisiana, she first made a generalized statement about the need to develop our energy resources (cue: large number of constituents of all persuasions while also reminding them of her powerful position on the Energy Committee) AND, then, the Senator deftly launched into her accurate yet beautifully constructed remark.

    My, my ... and what is the history of her voter-turnout record in runoffs, etc. in the past (I ask rhetorically)!!  The timing, the two selected messages to two differing audiences in one straightforward delivery ... remarkable.  Very good on her.  Go Senator Landrieu; Let's see the skills of one cool southern Democrat!  The Landrieu family does seem to know what it is doing.

    Parent

    What to apologize for? (none / 0) (#61)
    by Chuck0 on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 08:55:23 PM EST
    When she speaks the truth. I have friends in NW Louisiana. Good people, educated professional people. Yet, they despise Obama but can't make a coherent argument as to why this is. I can only come to the conclusion that it is deep-seated, multi-generational racism. They cannot accept a black man being in charge.

    Although I voted for Mr. Obama, twice, I have become very disappointed with him, so I am no longer a fan.

    Parent

    If you are going to party tonight, (5.00 / 1) (#63)
    by Zorba on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 09:06:09 PM EST
    Please drink responsibly.
    You don't want this to happen.

    Similar gag(no pun intended) (none / 0) (#65)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 09:20:39 PM EST
    Notice the oculus goggles? (5.00 / 2) (#66)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 09:25:41 PM EST
    Was a real-life black private detective ... (5.00 / 1) (#87)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 12:48:38 PM EST
    ... in 1930s L.A. named Samuel Marlowe (1890-1991) the inspiration for two of the great American crime novelists, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, and did his case work provide the primary basis for their respective hard-boiled P.I. characters, Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade?

    Although Chandler and Hammett would never have publicly admitted to that, given the racially polarizing era during which they both lived and worked in L.A., writer Daniel Miller of the Los Angeles Times wades into the city's noir past and makes a better than decent case for that claim. His findings offer a fascinating story for fans of the two authors and the literary genre they pioneered.

    Aloha.

    I happen to be a fan (5.00 / 2) (#89)
    by Chuck0 on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 03:01:18 PM EST
    of Easy Rawlins. A black private detective in post-war LA. Created by Walter Mosely. Once portrayed on screen by Denzel Washington. Kind of surprised there haven't been more Easy Rawlins movies.

    Parent
    Rawlins is great. I didn't picture him looking (none / 0) (#99)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 08:36:07 PM EST
    like Denzel Washington though.  Mosely does know how to plant you in a milieu.  Mouse.  LOL.  A man's gotta have friends.


    Parent
    You linked (5.00 / 1) (#102)
    by lentinel on Sun Nov 02, 2014 at 08:53:23 AM EST
    to a fascinating article about Samuel Marlowe.

    But I wonder if it is fair to write that Hammett would "never have admitted" to being influenced by him - or acknowledging correspondence with him if he had been asked.

    I think of what Hammett went through due to his political stances - boldly liberal to say the least.

    You may, of course, be correct.
    But personally I am inclined to give this man the benefit of the doubt.


    Parent

    I dunno (none / 0) (#88)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 01:44:27 PM EST
    Some of Chandlers' novels were based on stories that he wrote using a non-Marlowe character, so there's that.

    Hammett had a fair amount of experience himself before writing about it, and he wrote far more stories involving the Continental Op than he did about Spade, who only appears in two stories aside from The Maltese Falcon.

    "But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor--by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.

    "He will take no man's money dishonestly and no man's insolence without a due and dispassionate revenge. He is a lonely man and his pride is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him.

    "The story is this man's adventure in search of a hidden truth, and it would be no adventure if it did not happen to a man fit for adventure. If there were enough like him, the world would be a very safe place to live in, without becoming too dull to be worth living in."

     

    Raymond Chandler, The Simple Art of Murder.

    Parent

    Raymond Chandler wrote a lot of material ... (none / 0) (#93)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 04:07:40 PM EST
    ... that didn't include Philip Marlowe as a character, including co-authoring the screenplay (with Billy Wilder) for the 1944 film Double Indemnity, which has to be considered as one of the truly great noir classics in cinema history. Further, I don't think that anyone in the story is saying that the works of Chandler and Dashiell Hammett weren't original.

    But one has to admit that there are some rather remarkable coincidences at play here -- including the real guy's name and the names of those authors' most famous characters -- and we cannot so easily dismiss them as simply chance occurrences.

    It's also perfectly understandable why those two authors would not disclose that Samuel Marlowe was a source of material for some of their most recognizable works. Los Angeles and Southern California, especially in the first half of the 20th century, had very overt undercurrents of racism which both strongly permeated and influenced much of society, which clearly served to discourage interracial fraternization on most any level and / or occasion. (Still does, for that matter, albeit to a much lesser extent today.)

    It may further be that Samuel Marlowe himself may have had his own reasons for not wanting his connections with those two writers to be publicly disclosed, given both the clandestine nature of his profession and the sometimes unseemly company he kept.

    I just found the story interesting, and it certainly adds to the element of mystery cultivated by Raymond Chandler in his lifetime. I've long been a huge Chandler fan but admittedly, I really haven't read much of anything by Dashiell Hammett, save for "The Maltese Falcon." That I'm familiar with him at all as an author is primarily due to references to that effect, offered by his longtime lover Lillian Hellmann in her memoir "Pentimento."

    Perhaps this should prove the impetus I need for a trip to the library to get a few of his books and short stories, given my affinity for noir. If you have any suggestions or favorites, it would be appreciated.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Actually, that is what I'm saying (none / 0) (#95)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 05:13:53 PM EST
    some of Chandlers'  earliest stories were later recycled into the novels starring Marlowe, so in that sense they weren't original in the way that Sam Spade stuff was.  

    Chandler didn't allow those stories to be reprinted in his lifetime, and they were later collected into paperback, and, I presume, hardcover collections, sometime after he died in 1959. Just saying he patterned Marlowe after this guy when he wrote the novels is a bit too simple, given their somewhat unusual antecedents.

    As for Marlowe, Chandler claimed that he took it from the playwright Christopher Marlowe, and this habit of naming detectives after Elizabethian authors extended to his considering a title taken from a line in Shakespeare, "Zounds, he dies." for the title of one of his works.

    He also took liberties with time and space in at least one novel, The Lady in the Lake, which also has a title taken from early Emglish literature as well.  To believe you can go from LA to the Big Bear Lake area in about an hour, as Marlowe does repeatedly in the novel, you'd have to have a helicopter or a TARDIS to get you there.  In fact, that is also a novel that was recycled from a non-Marlowe story, come to think of it.

    As for the coincidences, I don't think Chandler cared enough about plots to take them from real life.  His Bay City was a thinly-disguised version of then-corrupt Santa Monica, but that was a locale, not a person.

    As for Hammett, I would recommend the Continental Op stories, including such classics as The Creeping Siamese, and This King Business, which takes place in a fictitious country in the Balkins, after WWI.  Also, Red Harvest, which is a novel starting the Continental Op, that had the plot swiped by Kirosawa for his film Yojimbo, which I also highly recommend if you've never seen it.  Also, The Dain Curse, which was adapted for a TV movie back a few decades or so.

    Writing[edit]
    Kurosawa stated that a major source for the plot was the 1942 film noir classic The Glass Key, an adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's 1931 novel. It has been noted that the overall plot of Yojimbo is closer to that of another Hammett novel, Red Harvest (1929).[2] Kurosawa scholar David Desser, and film critic Manny Farber claim that Red Harvest was the inspiration for the film; however, Donald Richie and other scholars believe the similarities are coincidental.[3]

    When asked his name, the samurai calls himself "Kuwabatake Sanjuro" (meaning "mulberry field thirty-year-old"), which he seems to make up while looking at a mulberry field by the town. Thus, the character can be viewed as an early example of the "Man with No Name" (other examples of which appear in a number of earlier novels, including Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest).[4]

    Here's an article from the Guardian worth reading about his approach to writing.  Above all he wanted to be a stylist.

    Mahalo.


    Parent

    After reading the article, (none / 0) (#96)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 06:57:09 PM EST
    This could've described Samuel Marlowe:

    "He is a lonely man and his pride is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him."

    Parent

    Perhaps he may have been a model for Walter Moseley's Easy Rawlins, as ChuckO intimated.

    Parent
    Agreed. (none / 0) (#97)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 07:33:09 PM EST
    I consider "The Lady in the Lake" to be one of Chandler's weaker efforts. He sort played his readers for chumps on that one, because unless they were familiar with the L.A. area they probably wouldn't recognize how preposterous his supposition was that one could get to Big Bear from L.A. in an hour, never mind at a time when today's freeways didn't exist. Most of the Inland Empire was rural back then, and I bet it would've taken at least an hour just to get to Ontario -- and that's not even the halfway point.

    The Spouse and I flew with some friends from Van Nuys Airport to Big Bear City a few summers ago in a twin-engine Cessna, and it took us about 50 minutes to get there by air. Now, THAT'S the way to go to Big Bear! Most of the people I've met who live in the mountain communities above the L.A. basin also work up there, too. Otherwise, that would be one hellacious commute by road. But it's certainly gorgeous country, to be sure.

    Thanks for the Hammett suggestions. Aloha.

    Parent

    The answer is simple... (none / 0) (#101)
    by unitron on Sun Nov 02, 2014 at 12:32:21 AM EST
    ...if Hammett wrote it, read it.

    Parent
    My phone (5.00 / 1) (#106)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 03, 2014 at 06:46:32 PM EST
    has been ringing off the hook from the Republican Party. Tonight it was screaming that this is MY LAST CHANCE TO STOP BARACK OBAMA. It's all about the scare.

    Soooooooo, I used to have high speed (none / 0) (#11)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 01:46:07 PM EST
    Internet.  But we have had problems in the past few months, mostly visited Joshua and online gaming.  Time Warner called me today to make me an offer so that I can have the "high speed" internet.  The salesperson said that the internet difficulties we have experienced are probably to do us not having their highest speed internet.  I guess I have low speed internet right now...for $70 a month.  But I get this marvey upgrade for free if they take over my television service, which in the end saves me nothing when compared to what I am currently paying the services we are being provided.

    I told her I must investigate this offer.  I am getting a call back on Tuesday.

    How did I move from high speed internet for $70 a month to low speed internet for $70 a month?

    Forget it, MT (none / 0) (#14)
    by Zorba on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:14:26 PM EST
    It's Time Warner.   :-(
    Sorry about that, but they all seem to do sh!t like this.  Promising one thing, then delivering another.
    Cable companies offering high-speed Internet and changing the terms.  (And they change the offerings on their cable TV, as well- you think you're getting certain channels, and then they disappear and others that you don't really want are added).
    Cell phone companies offering "unlimited data plans" that aren't really unlimited.
    What can I say?  


    Parent
    40 Bucks for 12MB/sec... (none / 0) (#25)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:48:42 PM EST
    ...is pretty standard with $10 in fees.

    Go HERE to see what speed you have, run it when it's slow and run it after dinner when the web is busiest.  It should be the same.

    12Mb/sec is fast enough to run Netflix on two TV's, but most of that isn't 1080p.

    How old is your router ?  Every time I think there is a internet speed issue, first thing I do is reset my router, which can be done from your computer.  That fixes it 95% of the time and the correct way, unplugging it can corrupt the settings.

    This should be done once a month if you have a lot of devises connected.  At any given time, I have two computers, two phones, two TV's, Direct TV, and DVR connected.  I think, but don't know, that creates IP issues and resetting it clears the cache.  Even when they aren't used, they stay somewhat connected so when you do use them it doesn't take 5 mins to reconnected.

    The other 5% has been the router getting old.

    You can also test your modem by connecting direct to it with a laptop using the cord that goes to the router, if that is fast, but the wireless isn't, get a new router.  I would say I have replaced my router every 2 years.

    I would say 6 is slow, 12 good, and 24 fast.

    12Mb is 1.5MB, the number used in your file manager.

    Speedtest also has an app that can test your data on your phone or your wireless at home.

    Comcast doesn't even charge $70 for their BLAST, which is 50mb/sec.

    Parent

    I got (none / 0) (#29)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:04:47 PM EST
    60. Is that good? It's supposed to be high speed internet but if they gave me something else I probably would not know.

    Parent
    60 is great (none / 0) (#47)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 05:43:31 PM EST
    Are You Sure... (none / 0) (#51)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 06:04:58 PM EST
    ...because that is very fast.  I thought BLAST was the fasted available for residential.  That is around 50, but can hit 100 in some areas.

    A GB is 8000Mb or 1000MB so you can download a GB in 133 seconds, 2.2 mins.

    You can, in theory, download a CD is about 6 seconds or a full HD movie in about 10 mins.

    But it's overkill as no one sends data anywhere near those speeds.  Even for what I have, the bottle neck is always the server sending me the data.  The benefit is being able to download from multiple things, like streaming a move while downloading a big windows update and  the kids playing games online.

    IMO you should only upgrade speed when you notice an issue, like stuttering.  Soon enough we will all have fiber at home, which a single strand can send a GB in one second.  Fiber is everywhere, but residential, but they are wiring new homes, at least here, for it, so it's not far off.

    At those speeds, all you would need at home is a screen and a processor, which could be shared, like a router.  Everything else, including the OS could be stored on servers.  Downloading will be as dated as dial up as everything will be streamed om demand.


    Parent

    Well (none / 0) (#59)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 07:57:17 PM EST
    that is what that site you sent me to said. It's comcast's super duper internet. It costs a pretty penny, more than any other part of the package.

    Parent
    My router is very new (none / 0) (#69)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 11:25:21 PM EST
    My modem is old, very very old.  They said once that they needed to replace it but called back and said that wasn't necessary and cancelled the service call.

    I will run the test tomorrow.  Thanks for the tips.  According to Time Warner I am supposed to be receiving 15mb.  The upgrade gets you 20mb.

    Parent

    What brand and model cable modem? (none / 0) (#81)
    by unitron on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:44:10 AM EST
    And have TWC started charging you monthly rent on it yet?

    Even if you don't own a TiVo, you might want to ask your questions in the Help Forum at TiVo Community Forum (not a TiVo, Inc. site)where there are some very helpful and knowledgeable people. And me.

    Parent

    Both morning, noon. and evening (none / 0) (#91)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 04:01:44 PM EST
    I was 20-21.  So I am at the upgrade promised speed already.  Will continue to test and see if I fall to 15 over the weekend at some time.

    Parent
    All their pricing games.... (none / 0) (#33)
    by ruffian on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:08:51 PM EST
    my cable co is coming out with what they say are higher speeds for everyone at every tier....I'm sure price hikes will follow..

    Parent
    Did they notice that several large (none / 0) (#70)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 11:37:41 PM EST
    Corporations took a hit this past quarter, because Americans are hurting?  We aren't hurting yet, but spoke to spouse tonight and we tallied up the internet, cell phones, and television....all those services have been steadily climbing in price, extra fees added to bills that sometimes seem made up.  The grand total was not a pleasant reality to embrace.

    When the other half gets home this month, we are going to do some reassessing.  The charges are getting ridiculous.  We need to unplug from some providers.  Maybe we don't need all this?

    Parent

    They Know We are Lazy... (5.00 / 1) (#105)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Nov 03, 2014 at 12:24:51 PM EST
    I paid for... not AOL, but similar until like a year ago even though I didn't use it for like 5 years.  $10/month.

    Same with my cell phone, Tmobile went to separating the phone charge form the rest of the bill, even sent me an email to call, so for  like 6 months I was paying the $22/month for a phone that was paid for.  I showed them and got a new phone to make the charge legitimate.

    I also snoozed through notice telling me is I didn't update my corporate discount, it would be gone.  15%

    But I get like 2 pounds a mail a day, almost all of junk, so not catching some stupid notices is because I don't have the energy or the time to ensure every scape of mail isn't junk.

    They know this and that is where we are headed, corporate America using basic psychology to take our dough.  Send 100 junk mailings then slide in an important one, then claim "we sent you a notice".  Like Tmobile didn't know my phone was paid for, they decided to keep charging everyone unless they made an effort.  If it would have been with my bill, I would have caught it.

    Just like when we had the hurricane and everyone had to call Time Warner to let them know they didn't have service for 10 days, even though no one in the city had service, or anyway to check since the power was out for about the same time.

    Parent

    Two thoughts (none / 0) (#39)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:33:43 PM EST
    1. What was high speed in the past is no longer high speed today. The question is, did it work ok before gaming? If so, the gaming is what's sucking up a lot of bandwidth.

    2. If you get a higher speed for the same price as you were paying for a lower speed that's a good deal.


    Parent
    Jim, I think the deal MT's being offered ... (5.00 / 2) (#44)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 05:02:20 PM EST
    ... requires her to also have Time Warner as her cable TV provider, if she wants high-speed internet service at the same price she's paying for the internet service she has currently.

    Personally, I don't think that's sounds like a very good deal at all, especially if MT's otherwise content with the cable TV provider she has now. And even if she does accept it, what's to then stop Time Warner from once again unilaterally changing the terms of her contract at some point in the not-too-distant future?

    I dropped Time Warner for much the same double-dealing reason three years ago at both my home and my business, and I haven't looked back since. I'm tired of corporations that promise you stuff, only to later renege and claim afterward that they had their fingers crossed. Time Warner is sorely lacking in the ethics department.

    You might have a good point about gaming activities using a disproportionate amount of bandwidth, but given that I don't dabble in such activities, I honestly have no idea how much bandwidth they actually consume. Also, I've read that most online gaming activities are hosted by companies residing offshore, which would make me somewhat concerned about going there. Again, whether that's actually true, I really don't know.

    I've always been very wary about conducting business online, given all the potential problems people have experienced due to hacking, etc. While I'm not paranoid, I really do try to keep online activities involving any transaction of funds to an absolute minimum. I don't do my banking online, and most all our online purchases have been travel-related, airline tickets, hotels, etc.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    I understood the conditions. (none / 0) (#52)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 06:13:03 PM EST
    And MT will be getting greater bandwidth for the same price for giving TWC her cable business. That sounds good to me.

    But if she doesn't like TW cable, that's her business although she's lucky to live in an area that has cable TV competition. Many places do not.

    Of course Comcast has purchased Time Warner for $45 billion.

    Does Hawaiian Telephone offer high speed Internet?? I did a lot of business with them back in the day. Had a warehouse out by the airport with a local manager and some delivery people.  Always nice to have a customer in HI when its winter in Denver.

    I don't do banking over the Internet. Period. But I do a lot of shopping, especially for Christmas, using 1 dedicated credit card so if it gets zapped I can shut it down with no side effect.

    Parent

    Hawaiian Telephone is no more. (none / 0) (#67)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 10:14:25 PM EST
    They went belly up about 15 years ago, after Verizon took over in the late 1980s and did a real number on them financially, forcing them into bankruptcy. Afterward, the employees got together and bought out what was left of the company's assets, mostly infrastructure, and then changed its name to Hawaiian Telcom. Similar name, but different company, and they've been quite successful, especially going head to head with Time Warner. They're our family's provider for our home's landline (yes, we still have one), high-speed internet service and cable TV.

    Parent
    Yeah, GTE purchased Hawaiian Tel (none / 0) (#85)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 11:56:10 AM EST
    around the mid 60's (I think)and was part of the ITT anti-trust law suit triggered in part by a cancellation of a large equipment order with ITT and then given to AE....GTE then merged with Bell Atlantic to form Verizon around the late 80's...Bell Atlantic was part of the divestiture ruled by Judge Greene... which created 7 Baby Bells to increase competition. The DOJ subpoenaed me and I wound up being deposed but never called.

    For a while there you couldn't tell the companies without a score card.

    I loved HI, especially Kauai although landing at the Lihue airport was always a thrill.

    Parent

    We don't have cable competition here (none / 0) (#76)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:00:35 AM EST
    Unless we went to satellite cable service, which during heavy rain will likely be knocked out.  We have cell phones though, and internet access through them.

    Parent
    When you say cable TV competition... (none / 0) (#82)
    by unitron on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:47:42 AM EST
    ...do you mean more than one cable TV company from which to choose, or merely one cable TV company as an alternative to Satellite TV and DSL internet?

    Because most places with "a" cable company only have "a" cable company.

    Parent

    True, most places only have one (none / 0) (#83)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:57:42 AM EST
    But competition is allowed. ATT is pushing Uverse, don't know if it is available in MT's neck of the woods.

    Parent
    I was talking about internet access (none / 0) (#92)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 04:03:02 PM EST
    Only.  Our television services are provided via DirectTV.  We have no cable internet provider competition.

    Parent
    Are you currently a TWC victim... (none / 0) (#50)
    by unitron on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 05:57:02 PM EST
    ...I mean customer?

    For just internet or internet and cable?

    Parent

    Internet only (none / 0) (#77)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:01:07 AM EST
    We are DirectTV customers.

    Parent
    Surprised no one posted this (none / 0) (#19)
    by jbindc on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:34:18 PM EST
    But not really.

    On the Other Side of Ferguson's Protest Lines, Officers Face New Threats

    Just 11 weeks ago, on the morning of Aug. 9, the Ferguson Police Department was an unremarkable Midwestern force, with 54 officers -- 50 of them white -- in a city of 21,000 that is two-thirds black. By nightfall, it had been transformed into something approximating the occupying force of a white power structure.

    Since then, frustration from years of racial profiling and harassment, perceived and real, has poured out. Ferguson has become a flash point, its police department now a symbol of jackbooted oppression.

    Some of the actions taken by the Ferguson police after Mr. Brown's death certainly fueled the ensuing outcry: leaving the body in the street for several hours, for example, and using heavy-handed force during the protests, at which hateful things were said from both sides of the so-called skirmish line.

    But there is another side to this tragedy's aftermath. It is not the only side, or the opposite side. Just another side.

    "What I can't understand is the constant hate," Ms. Johnson said. "And the failure to be patient until there's a thorough investigation."

    These days, Ferguson police officers say that they live as though someone out there intends to do them harm. They no longer wear their uniforms to or from work. They vary their routes back home. A few have relocated their families.

    Even a simple stop for a soda at the Circle K has become unsettling, because of what the police describe as social-media talk about catching Ferguson officers off guard at the convenience store -- and shooting them in the head.

    "You are constantly wondering," Sgt. Mike Wood, a Ferguson native, said. "I know I didn't sign up with Burger King, but...."

    SNIP

    The chief said people should not forget that some of the protests over these past two and a half months have been violent. "The reality was, it was a deadly-force situation," he said. "And nobody got hurt."

    But Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum in Washington, said that the Ferguson Police Department was paying a price for failing to develop a stronger relationship with its African-American constituency.

    "They're trying to build trust from a defensive position instead of having done it beforehand," Mr. Wexler said. "They have a difficult job."

    That job will not get easier anytime soon. The expectation in the basement police headquarters is that if the grand jury indicts Officer Wilson, there will be unrest, and if it does not indict Officer Wilson, there will be unrest.

    Seems like a no-win situation.

    As soon as I find my teeny-tiny (5.00 / 2) (#36)
    by Anne on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:20:09 PM EST
    violin, I will play a sad little tune for the poor, benighted members of the Ferguson Police Department.

    Yes, I'm sure there are good cops in Ferguson, but even they bear some responsibility for the current state of affairs, to the extent their silence or denial has enabled the culture there to thrive.  Not saying it's right for citizens to issue death threats, or threats of violence - it's not - but it just seems to me that the anger of those who haven't been abusing their power ought to be directed at the fellow members of the FPD who have been.

    The feelings expressed in your excerpt remind me of the ones expressed by Chief Jackson, in the immediate wake of the Michael Brown shooting: that this was also a tragedy for Darren Wilson.  Poor Darren.  Let's all shed a tear for him.

    Kinda sounds like this: "We know we've been treating you people like dirt for years and years, taking your money for ticky-tack reasons, making it hard to resolve the tickets and citations, stopping you whenever we wanted and making your lives miserable, and now, thanks to that thug Michael Brown, the whole world knows what we've been up to, but golly, you don't have to snap at us like that - we're people, too!"

    And the FPD wonders why they have a problem.

    Parent

    Long before Brown (5.00 / 2) (#37)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:24:09 PM EST
    Police Officers Are More Likely to Shoot Black Men, Studies Suggest

    That study was conducted in 2001.

    Wilson claims he killed an unarmed black teenager because he feared for his life. Was that fear based on the actual deaths of Ferguson police officers while on duty? Anyone want to take a guess of how many on duty police officers were killed by black men since the data was tracked sometime around 1836?

    Well Wilson came from the Jennings Police Department. Maybe there was a large number of police officers shot down in the line of duty while he was there. Anyone want to guess how many on duty police officers were killed by black men in the last 25 years?


    Parent

    Now They Know What It's Like to be.... (5.00 / 3) (#45)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 05:04:12 PM EST
    ...a black man in Ferguson.  

    Not fun to live life looking over you shoulder and being on edge all the time knowing that no place is safe for them or their families.

    A cop too scared to wear their uniform in public is a cop who has failed so deeply at being a cop, they should be terminated on the spot and never allowed to wear a badge again.

    Normal cops love wearing their uniforms and getting all the perks that come with being a cop.  They only fear the bad guys, not the people they are suppose to protect, but in the eyes of a Ferguson cop, they are one in the same.  And now they are scared to go to the mart, ain't karma a beotch some days.

    Parent

    I'm really getting tired... (5.00 / 2) (#49)
    by unitron on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 05:56:30 PM EST
    ...of hearing complaints about Brown's body being left there for hours seeing as how it was the unruly crowd present that made it unsafe for the man who was there to drive it away to do his job and he had to sit there and wait.

    Parent
    Here's more news. This time (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by oculus on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 07:14:51 PM EST
    about the purported Twitter leak by a grand juror:

    LAT

    Parent

    Good article (none / 0) (#64)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 09:06:13 PM EST
    Gave both sides of the issue. Did not take McCullloch's statement as gospel and presented other ways Nichols could have sent the tweet.

    Bottom line, McCulloch's office stopped way shortt of conducting a complete investigation. Not surprising.

    Parent

    I wonder how (none / 0) (#20)
    by sj on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:41:43 PM EST
     many warrants are out there for the cops

    A report issued just last week by the nonprofit lawyer's group ArchCity Defenders notes that in the court's 36 three-hour sessions in 2013, it handled 12,108 cases and 24,532 warrants. That is an average of 1.5 cases and three warrants per Ferguson household. Fines and court fees for the year in this city of just 21,000 people totaled $2,635,400.


    Parent
    It's so freakin cold here (none / 0) (#24)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:47:51 PM EST
    going to be low 20s tonight.  If I went Trick or Treating it would be as an Eskimo.
    Here is my contribution to the mood

    Victorian photography of the dead

    Adding (none / 0) (#26)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 02:51:50 PM EST
    i had a childhood friend who lived with his grandmother.  Evertime I would stay over she put us in a room filled with these creepy a$$ed photos of dead children.  I suspected she didn't like me.

    Parent
    There is so much pathos (none / 0) (#27)
    by sj on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:00:43 PM EST
    in some of those photographs.

    Parent
    I have this friend (none / 0) (#31)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:07:54 PM EST
    who enjoys Halloween a lot.  He has an annual event described in this YouTube video.  This is his current FaceBook profile photo.  Yes that's him.  Also the host of the video.

    Brandywine Cemetery has a website.

    Well (none / 0) (#32)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:08:46 PM EST
    I bought 100 pieces of candy. My husband says is that enough? I frankly have no idea. He said last year you ran out. I said well, there are years when I have had a ton left over. It's going to be cold here so I've probably got enough candy. Cold weather seems to keep them away.

    We don't have trick or treaters (none / 0) (#62)
    by cpresley on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 09:02:34 PM EST
    Where we live the merchants in town hand out the candy. The fire dept. make hotdogs & hamburgers and have a fun house for the kids.

    Parent
    Just saw a really (none / 0) (#41)
    by oculus on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 03:55:28 PM EST
    puzzling costume. Quailman

    Too much trouble to link (none / 0) (#42)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 04:05:40 PM EST
    But your comment made me curious.

    Quailman from the Nickelodeon cartoon Doug is a perfect choice for a homemade costume since all you need is a belt, towel, underwear that you wear over trousers
    ...

    Parent
    This 30-ish fellow had a Q (none / 0) (#46)
    by oculus on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 05:10:16 PM EST
    t shirt and red cape.

    Parent
    Yep that is part of the costume (none / 0) (#48)
    by MO Blue on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 05:47:18 PM EST
    Now on my Mac and not on my iPad. Here is the link to image of costume.

    Quailman is the Super Hero alter ego of Doug Funny from the Nickelodeon/Disney Channel cartoon, Doug.

    Parent
    Yes. And he has an alter ego dog. (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by oculus on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 07:10:41 PM EST
    Virgin Galactic (none / 0) (#56)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 07:26:50 PM EST
    reading about the crash today I was thinking that today might be a good time to remember that the entire Virgin empire started with Virgin records which started with Tubular Bells which became famous because of

    The Exorcist.  Happy Halloween.

    The first release on the label was the progressive rock album Tubular Bells by multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield, who was discovered by Tom Newman and brought to Simon Draper - who eventually persuaded Richard and Nik to present it as their first release in 1973, produced by Tom Newman for which the fledgling label garnered unprecedented acclaim.


    So (none / 0) (#57)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 07:37:12 PM EST
    The Exorcist gave us Commercial space travel and Captain Howdy.

    :-)

    Parent

    Sharyl Atkinsson hacking story (none / 0) (#58)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 07:49:10 PM EST
    doesn't add up

    Attkisson quotes one expert as saying intrusions of this caliber are "far beyond the the abilities of even the best nongovernment hackers", while at the same time quoting another expert saying the "ISP address" is a smoking gun pointing to a government computer.

    Both can't be true. Hiding ones IP address is the first step in any hack. You can't simultaneously believe that these are the most expert hackers ever for deleting log files, but that they make the rookie mistake of using their own IP address rather than anonymizing it through Tor or a VPN. It's almost always the other way around: everyone (except those like the Chinese who don't care) hides their IP address first, and some forget to delete the log files....

    Attkisson quotes an expert as identifying an "ISP address" of a government computer. That's not a term that has any meaning. He probably meant "IP address" and she's misquoting him.

    Attkisson says "Suddenly data in my computer file begins wiping at hyperspeed before my very eyes. Deleted line by line in a split second". This doesn't even make sense. She claims to have videotaped it, but if this is actually a thing, it sounds like more something kids do to scare people, not what real "sophisticated" hackers do.




    Her video of the purported event (5.00 / 1) (#80)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:33:47 AM EST
    is here on Politico.

    It would be a lot more believable (which isn't saying much) if you didn't hear the mouse or keyboard clicks accompanying every one of the mystery deletions.

    It would have been smarter to have held the camera so that the screen, the keyboard and the [de-batteried] mouse were all in frame, while using an external bluetooth keyboard and bluetooth mouse off camera, out of microphone range.   Who films their word processing anyway?  If it were transpiring at "hyperspeed," it would have been over before she remembered her phone's camera, much less had time to pick it up and turn it on.

    FWIW, google has photos of Verizon ONT boxes like the one she describes.

    Parent

    It also would've been smarter ... (none / 0) (#100)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 11:29:01 PM EST
    ... for Sharyl Attkisson to have actually recorded this supposedly incriminating video in December 2012, which is when she claims to have first informed her bosses at CBS News about her computers' security being breached by an unknown intruder. But unfortunately for her, an observant commenter named WiscoJoe over at Media Matters noted the following:

    "Attkisson shot this video on or sometime after September 16, 2013. The episode of 'Dancing with the Stars' that is playing in the background features Valerie Harper dancing a Foxtrot to 'Some Kind of Wonderful' and first aired live on the evening of that date."

    In other words, her documented "evidence," which she claims shows her computer being accessed illegally by Federal agents in December 2012, was in fact manufactured by Ms. Attkisson nine months ex post facto.

    Clearly, this woman is a real piece of work.

    Parent

    One of the questions I raised back when (5.00 / 2) (#103)
    by Anne on Sun Nov 02, 2014 at 09:00:42 AM EST
    this story first appeared was whether Attkisson might be taking advantage of people's willingness to believe this could have happened to her because of what we do know is the government's interest in going after journalists and reporters.

    But, looking at the kind of "reporting" she seems to be interested in, it would seem there's quite an obvious agenda at work, and it doesn't seem to have much to do with unearthing the truth.  I mean, the name of her book is Stonewalled. My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama's Washington - note that it's not just "Washington," it's "Obama's Washington."

    Which is not to say, sadly, that the government couldn't be engaging in the kinds of things Attkisson says happened to her, and it pains me that if she is just making it all up - and it sure seems that she is - she weakens efforts to hold the government accountable for its actions in general.

    Fox Nation will love the book, though.

    Parent

    It's the 21st Century version (none / 0) (#104)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sun Nov 02, 2014 at 10:54:46 AM EST
    Of The Boy Who Creid Wolf.

    Parent
    Happy Halloween! (none / 0) (#60)
    by Mr Natural on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 08:47:40 PM EST
    The other day on the way home from somewhere I saw these two guys working on a vintage truck...

    This seems to be making the rounds today... (none / 0) (#68)
    by desertswine on Fri Oct 31, 2014 at 10:26:28 PM EST
    Boris Karloff's Guacamole.  A touch of sherry.

    Hey, Cubbies fans, what say you? (none / 0) (#71)
    by oculus on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 12:06:27 AM EST

    We saw it as a unique opportunity and faced a clear dilemma: be loyal to Rick or be loyal to the organization. In this business of trying to win a world championship for the first time in 107 years, the organization has priority over any one individual. We decided to pursue Joe.

    Joe Maddon

    Election Day (none / 0) (#74)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 09:11:51 AM EST
    for the record I still think there is better than even odds the dems keep control of the senate.
    That said, listening to beltway bloviating, I'm starting to think it might be better if they did not.  It would be an ugly two years but it would be ugliest for republicans.  Maybe ugly enough to let democrats take the House along with the Senate which everyone expects.
    For example, let's say Mitch gets frustrated with obstruction and decides to invoke the "nuclear option" to pass standard legislation.  Just to, as I just heard a republican pundit say, pass legislation and dare him to veto it.  He will. Of course he will.   Any one who think he will allow any rollback of things like healthcare or environmental stuff is IMO deluded.  He will veto it and Mitch can't change the number of votes required to override a veto.  But what will have happened is that the nuclear option will have been used.  And you can't unring that bell.  Democrats will use it when they take back the senate, which they will in 2016,  to do everything the republicans have stopped for six years.  Any law or nominee will pass with a majority.  Possibly even SC judges.  
    I think Mitch will be to smart to do that but the pressure would be huge.  
    Again, I believe dems will retain control of the senate.   But it could actually get very interesting if they do not.

    Oops (none / 0) (#75)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 09:13:43 AM EST
    i think Mitch will be smart enough to NOT do that...

    Parent
    Do you think that (5.00 / 1) (#84)
    by ZtoA on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 11:16:47 AM EST
    Mitch McConnell might be in trouble because of his father-in-law?

    Parent
    It can't help (none / 0) (#86)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 12:44:51 PM EST
    but his biggest problem is that people are sick of him.   Even republicans.  

    Parent
    The shooting (none / 0) (#78)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:04:12 AM EST
    is going to continue. Should the GOP not take the senate the firing squad is going to come out. Should the GOP take the senate the shooting is going to continue because the GOP base is going to demand that Mitch put the crackpot legislation up for a vote like a personhood amendment to the constitution. Should Mitch not put it up there's going to be shooting. I just don't see how the shooting stops no matter what happens on Tuesday.

    Parent
    Shooting blanks (none / 0) (#79)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 10:25:56 AM EST
    they can't do any real harm without a presidential signature or a two thirds vote in both houses neither of which they will get.

    The worst case means the only thing we really have to worry about Is the health of the sane SC justices for the next two years.

    Parent

    I guess (none / 0) (#90)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 03:09:08 PM EST
    I should have been clearer. What I meant is the GOP is going to keep shooting at each other no matter what happens.

    Parent
    Oh (none / 0) (#94)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 01, 2014 at 04:21:33 PM EST
    yes they probably will.  If they don't take over the senate after all this foreplay who knows what will happen.    Some say it will make it more likely an extremist like Cruz could get nominated in 16.   Who knows.  I hope we get to find out.

    Parent
    With All Due Respect (none / 0) (#107)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 03, 2014 at 07:10:46 PM EST
    That's the name of the new show Mark Halperin and John Heileman have on Bloomberg.  Been watching.  It's not bad.  Both smart guys.  It's on now.

    It's nice to see them on air not being shouted down by one or more of MSNBCs windbags.

    It isn't (none / 0) (#108)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 03, 2014 at 07:25:12 PM EST
    just MSNBC that has people screaming. It's all the cable political shows.

    Parent