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Saturday Open Thread: An Unexpected Gift for Blogging

I got an unexpected gift yesterday, and it's a huge one that frees me from the mainstream media's online news sites with their auto play video, intrusive ads, and poorly scaled websites. From a blogging perspective, I feel like I won the lottery. Thank you Lexis Nexis!

For those of you who don't practice law, Lexis is the legal research stuff and Nexis is the news stuff. [More...]

I had complementary Lexis Nexis with full site access for more than a decade (legal research, news and public records) as a member of the Lexis Nexis/ Martindale Hubbell Legal Advisory Board. The board disbanded about six or seven years ago and Lexis Nexis graciously continued my access for another three or four years. But nothing lasts forever, and once I was footing the bill, the economically feasible choice was a Lexis Advance package (not Lexis Nexis) that met my legal research needs, without news or public records.

I really miss that board. There were four ABA presidents, a former U.S. Attorney General, international lawyers, and more. Every meeting was attended by the CEO of Lexis Nexis and head of every department, several of whom became good friends. I have written here many times, Lexis/Nexis is my favorite company. They treated us like royalty, with meetings everywhere from Madrid to Bermuda to Vancouver, Toronto, New York City, Palm Beach, Laguna Beach, Santa Barbara, Phoenix, San Diego and on and on. As I wrote in 2006:

Lexis and Martindale (Hubbell) are my favorite companies....Every year they take us to another spot-- we've been to Bermuda, Canada and all over the U.S. It would be close to impossible for me to either practice law or blog without Lexis-Nexis. To serve on their legal advisory board, as I've done the last ten years, is really a privilege for me.

This will make blogging so much easier. Just last night I read 50 articles on Trump and Russia from a variety of sources in the time I would have read 10 using internet media trying to wade through the mess of ads and video. I downloaded at least 15 to be able to go back to and use as sources.

I'm pretty sure almost every Lexis Advance subscriber got this gift (meaning it wasn't personally directed to me.) Still, Thank You, Lexis Nexis for the surprise gift of the news database for the summer -- You are the best!

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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  • Display: Sort:
    We may have lost Amelia... (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by desertswine on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 01:57:16 PM EST
    WINTER (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 06:30:15 PM EST
    is freakin HERE!

    well in 85 minutes it will be here.

    I can hardly stand it! (none / 0) (#8)
    by ruffian on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 07:18:29 PM EST
    Getting everything done so I can thoroughly enjoy!

    Parent
    winter in july (none / 0) (#10)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 07:21:06 PM EST
    same here

    Parent
    I admit I actually squealed out loud (none / 0) (#23)
    by ruffian on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 11:44:37 AM EST
    when I hit the 'play' button.

    Parent
    watching (none / 0) (#11)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 07:22:29 PM EST
    the finale from last season again.  so good.  damn near perfect.

    Parent
    Arya (none / 0) (#13)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 09:18:05 PM EST
    Is a g-d force of nature.  

    I think she just officially became my favorite character.

    Parent

    I know what you mean (none / 0) (#31)
    by jondee on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 03:35:38 PM EST
    but I'm kinda slowly warming up to the Hound.

    From one dog to another..

    Parent

    me too. He might be my favorite (none / 0) (#33)
    by ruffian on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 04:11:33 PM EST
    The looking into the fire thing was a little unconvincing though. I kept expecting him to be messing with them. Maybe he was.

    Parent
    true (none / 0) (#35)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 04:39:33 PM EST
    great character.  i think the actor has a lot to do with that.

    Parent
    gotta say (none / 0) (#14)
    by ragebot on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 09:25:29 PM EST
    I was a little disappointed. GOT seemed to be a little draggy and nothing unexpected.  In fact after all the buildup I really was expecting more.

    Parent
    i guess (none / 0) (#16)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 09:34:10 AM EST
    except for Arya disposing of the entire house of Frey (before the credits) and Dany returning to Dragonstone after 6 seasons of trying.

    yeah, not much happened.

    btw
    i loved the montage of Sam in the Citadel.

    also the scene of Arya with the soldiers seemed important.  combine that with the opening scene where we are shown from now on we really have no idea who is really who.

    im wondering if the prophecy of Cerci dying by her brothers hands might end up meaning its Arya wearing Jaimes face?

    alo i said a couple of years ago i thought Dany and John would end up getting together and people scoffed.   now Bran knows John is a Targarian.  

    Fire and Ice.

    Parent

    Did you notice (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by Chuck0 on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 11:42:49 AM EST
    Ed Sheeran among those soldiers?

    Parent
    I didn't recognize him (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by ruffian on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 11:46:48 AM EST
    A girl doesn't have his albums.

    Heard about it afterwards.

    Parent

    The blurb today on (none / 0) (#32)
    by ragebot on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 03:42:00 PM EST
    NPR mentioned a cameo of Sheeran as a soldier singing.  When Arya said it was a nice song who wrote it the answer was he did.

    Parent
    There was a blurb today on (none / 0) (#17)
    by ragebot on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 10:24:00 AM EST
    NPR about how the first GOT show was about setting up things for the rest of the season.  Arya killed Frey last season and he was the real bad guy; the rest of his family were lackys.  What will be interesting is when Sam tells Jon that there is a mountain of dragon glass on Dragonstone.  I am still not sure if the dragon glass is under the Dragonstone castle or somewhere else on the island of Dragonstone.  Kinda like New York can be the city or the state.

    Parent
    Or maybe the dragon glass (none / 0) (#18)
    by ragebot on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 10:27:10 AM EST
    is simply around Dragonmount.  But the book Sam was reading did say it was at Dragonstone.  I am getting confused.

    Parent
    Probably (none / 0) (#19)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 11:08:57 AM EST
    The ppint

    Parent
    Point (none / 0) (#20)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 11:09:13 AM EST
    The GOT wiki (none / 0) (#40)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 08:07:24 PM EST
    Just says it's on Dragonstone island

    Parent
    I'm a little fuzzy on the Dragonglass (none / 0) (#38)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 07:40:44 PM EST
    It rare.  Ok.  It's supposedly was made by dragons.  Right?  Why can't they make more?  

    Am I missing something?

    Does John not know there are now three giant dragons?

    Parent

    Ok (none / 0) (#39)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 08:04:05 PM EST
    Google is my friend

    So

    Dragonglass is obsidion.  A a volcanic byproduct I guess.  But I'm sure I've heard in the series dragons were involved.  Legend I guess?

    Parent

    Interesting theory about Arya (none / 0) (#25)
    by ruffian on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 11:50:44 AM EST
    and Jaime's face. I didn't remember that part of the prophesy.

    So do you think Sam is going to find the cure for that stone disease and spring Joran from the hospital?

    Parent

    here (none / 0) (#28)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 03:24:44 PM EST
    But wait, there is one more piece to the prophecy in George R.R. Martin's books that did not make it into that scene in the show. The witch also tells Cersei: "And when your tears have drowned you, the Valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you." "Valonqar" means "little brother" in Valyrian -- and if we are taking that literally, that means Tyrion . . . or Jaime, who is her twin but could technically be her "little brother." (That really makes the incest somehow even grosser, right?) And it's theorized that her killer could be someone else entirely.


    Parent
    Arya (none / 0) (#29)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 03:27:02 PM EST
    was "a little brother" for a couple of seasons.

    Parent
    What? Compared to pevious season (none / 0) (#21)
    by ruffian on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 11:41:56 AM EST
     Ep 1s, this was practically a whole season! Loved Dany's homecoming. And Sansa throwing Littlefinger some shade (I fear Brienne will pay for that),and how often does Cersei get a marriage proposal?

    and only 5 minutes of Sam looking for something in a book before he finds it. Previous seasons would have dragged that out for 3 episodes.

    I was thoroughly pleased.

    Parent

    And Bran is at the wall! (none / 0) (#26)
    by ruffian on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 12:04:34 PM EST
    That is one of 3 interesting things that have ever happened at the wall, IMO

    Parent
    just (none / 0) (#37)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 06:15:11 PM EST
    reading an interesting theory about the identity of the Night King.  

    we know that Bran can move through time.  lots of speculation he was actually Bran the Builder who built the Wall.  

    the theory was Bran is the Night King.  they used shots of the scenes in the series when we learn how they were created by the children of the forest.  

    interesting quote when she says "we were being slaughtered by you.  by men"  

    there was also a breakdown of the long trailer that spent a lot of time on the closing shot of the icons of all the great houses crumbling into a seven armed spiral in the snow.  we have seen that spiral before.  and that the bitter sweet ending Martin has spoken of could be to save the world John has to kill his brother.

    Parent

    I don't think Bran is the Night King (none / 0) (#49)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 18, 2017 at 10:17:57 PM EST
    He doesn't time travel, he can observe events in the past. But his presence there is more of an echo. He doesn't have much physical substance.

    Parent
    His father heard his voice (none / 0) (#51)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 05:16:37 AM EST
    Hodor saw him.  The Night King touched him.

    I don't know if he is the Night King.  It just seemed interesting.  But Bran can time travel and he is just learning.  Lots of people seem to think the line about "you will not walk but you will fly" does not refer to the obvious Warging but to flying thru time.

    Time will tell.


    Parent

    Can you believe (none / 0) (#52)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 05:20:37 AM EST
    I'm commenting at freakin 5:25 am.

    I have been waking up very early to work out side before it get hot.  The heat index has been 100+ here for a couple of weeks and there is stuff I need to get done.

    Parent

    We have no life :) (none / 0) (#54)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 08:43:45 AM EST
    Actually mine has fleshed out some. I snuck down to Crystal City yesterday to take something to my husband. We had a very quick lunch at McCormick and Schmick's. My God the food was incredible, and we were eating apps and soup.

    Then I attempted to explore how I get a wheelchair through the underground mall to my husband's building. I get utterly lost and somehow ended up under the high rise apartments. Trying to get out from under them I end up on this amazing terrace area that connects like 5 high rise apartment buildings. I guess it's their yard.

    I was back on the subway hours later. My daughter tends to think of DC being full of wealthy people and she asked me how it was hanging with the wealthy, but I experience the DC area as the hardest working metropolis I've ever been in. People here work hard and have long days.

    Parent

    Did you see the new trailer? (none / 0) (#34)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 04:29:37 PM EST
    With Ellaria Sand and Yara Greyjoy getting it on? I did not see that coming.

    Not only are the girls running most things right now, but they're hooking up to rule the world.

    Parent

    Was it Yara? I even freeze framed it to see (none / 0) (#42)
    by ruffian on Tue Jul 18, 2017 at 12:00:24 PM EST
    who it was and I couldn't tell if it were her or Sansa!

    Parent
    i think it was probably not (none / 0) (#43)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 18, 2017 at 01:18:27 PM EST
    because of something plotish that i know you dont want me to tell you.

    but maybe.

    Parent

    i am not implying (none / 0) (#44)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 18, 2017 at 01:19:53 PM EST
    her death or anything.  just something else.

    Parent
    That Yara is quite the randy one (none / 0) (#73)
    by jondee on Thu Jul 20, 2017 at 10:08:12 PM EST
    she definately wears the pants in that family, but she can get out them really fast.

    Parent
    End of an Era... (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by desertswine on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 06:36:42 PM EST
    if anyone ever rove (none / 0) (#7)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 07:13:53 PM EST
    it should be him.  he is literally responsible for the zombie culture eating our brains.

    rip indeed.  please george.

    Parent

    um (none / 0) (#12)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 07:23:38 PM EST
    if anyone ever ROSE

    sorry george

    Parent

    RIP, Martin Landau (1928-2017). (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 05:22:17 AM EST
    The longtime veteran character actor of stage, film and television, who capped his mid-career resurgence in the 1990s with an Oscar-winning turn as Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's whacked-out 1994 film "Ed Wood," died today in Los Angeles at age 89.

    Martin Landau absolutely killed it (5.00 / 1) (#74)
    by jondee on Thu Jul 20, 2017 at 10:12:47 PM EST
    in Ed Wood.

    Parent
    Records from 1984 that were previously thought to have been lost or destroyed by Oregon Child Protective Services have since been located and now released to The Seattle Times, and their contents appear damning to Mayor Murray's contention that he's innocent of charges of child sexual abuse, which had long simmered before initially resurfacing in 2008, during Murray's successful run for the Washington State Senate:

    "An Oregon child-welfare investigator concluded that Ed Murray sexually abused his foster son in the early 1980s, leading state officials to assert that 'under no circumstances should Mr. Murray be certified' as a foster parent in the future, according to public records obtained by The Seattle Times."

    "The investigation by Oregon Child Protective Services (CPS) of Jeff Simpson's allegations determined them to be valid -- meaning the agency believed Murray sexually abused Simpson, the records show.

    "'In the professional judgement of this caseworker who has interviewed numerous children of all ages and of all levels of emotional disturbance regarding sexual abuse, Jeff Simpson has been sexually abused by ... Edward Murray,' CPS caseworker Judy Butler wrote in the May 1984 assessment."

    Ed Murray, who is openly gay, has heretofore been an effective chief executive for the city of Seattle. But the now-public record obtained by The Seattle Times completely contradicts his repeated public assertions that Oregon CPS and the Multnomah County (Portland) District Attorney's office had long ago dismissed Mr. Simpson's charges as completely unfounded.

    The evidence shows that Oregon CPS caseworkers and Multnomah County prosecutors had obviously done no such thing. Quite the contrary, actually. Through the course of their respective investigations, they had instead come to believe the veracity of then-15-year-old Jeff Simpson's accusations. While Ed Murray had not been charged in the case, his personal credibility has nevertheless now been undermined:

    "It was Jeff's emotional instability, history of manipulative behavior and the fact that he has again run away and made himself unavailable that forced my decision. We could not be sure of meeting the high burden of proof in a criminal case -- of proof beyond a reasonable doubt and to a moral certainty. However, this in no way means that the District Attorney's Office has decided Jeff's allegations are not true."
    - Dep. District Attorney Mary Tomlinson, to Oregon CPS caseworker Judy Butler (May 15, 1984)

    The first round of Seattle's municipal elections is scheduled to take place on August 1 of this year. But while Ed Murray is not a candidate for re-election this fall, due in large part to these abuse allegations, his continued presence in City Hall through the remainder of his term is likely problematic at this point. Let's hope he does the right thing here for the good of his constituents and the city he loves, and resigns his office.

    Aloha.

    i followed (none / 0) (#46)
    by linea on Tue Jul 18, 2017 at 07:57:28 PM EST
    this from the first day. and from the first day i knew the victim was truthful. he is my mayor and pretty popular.

    the statute of limitations has long since passed in this case.

    Parent

    Yes, it has expired. That's not the point. (5.00 / 2) (#53)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 05:27:19 AM EST
    THere is no similar limitation in the court of public opinion. Ed Murray was not truthful regarding the disposition of the Simpson case, when he insisted repeatedly that Multnomah County officials found the then-adolescent boy's accusations against him to be baseless and without merit. The evidence in the case file contradicts that contention, and I find it very hard to believe that he didn't already know that. His personal credibility and integrity have been hopelessly compromised here by his own hand, and that's why he should do the right thing here and resign as Seattle mayor.

    Parent
    i agree (none / 0) (#64)
    by linea on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 08:32:39 PM EST
    it was heart-wrenching to hear the victim tell how, as a young boy, he loved his foster father and how he was abused and abandoned to the streets.

    Parent
    There are some things that are just ... (5.00 / 1) (#70)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jul 20, 2017 at 02:37:33 PM EST
    ... beyond the pale, which no amount of good works in other areas can otherwise mitigate. Jeffrey Simpson was already an at-risk youth when he was paired up with foster parent Ed Murray in the early 1980s, which obviously only made his situation even more dire.

    It's not an exaggeration to suggest that Murray likely rendered the boy emotionally and socially dysfunctional, thus ensuring that his troubled life would be very hard to salvage, as a direct consequence of the sexual abuse. The mayor knows exactly what happened back then. He faces no criminal jeopardy at this juncture, with the statute of limitations having long since run its course.

    Yet some three decades later, that Murray would have the chutzpah to publicly recast himself as Simpson's victim, as part of a homophobic conspiratorial vendetta being conducted against him by a right-wing political cabal -- well, I don't know how that can be even mildly characterized as anything other than self-serving, self-absorbed and heartless.

    Yes, right-wingers proved themselves to be shamelessly opportunistic by trumpeting Simpson's charges in mindless pursuit of their own warped ideological agenda. But as the evidence shows, those allegations were hardly baseless. And liberal Seattle is not in imminent danger of turning right-wing any time soon.

    Further, given other similar allegations which have also since been leveled at Murray by at least three other men who claim to have been abused by him as young adolescents, the Oregon CPS caseworker was absolutely correct in her assessment that Murray should never be certified as a foster parent.

    Nor at this point, having misled the public for nearly nine years (!!) about the nature and disposition of the Simpson case, should he remain as mayor of Seattle. And it really pains me to have to say that, because I've heretofore been a fan of Ed Murray and think he's otherwise been a good mayor. But with his personal credibility now shot to hell, how can he be at all effective for the remaining six months of his term?

    Aloha.

    Parent

    New series from GAME OF THRONES (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 06:52:44 PM EST
    Creators sounds pretty awsum

    David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the showrunners behind Game of Thrones, have a new drama series in the works with HBO. Titled Confederate, the new show will take place in an "alternate timeline" and chronicle "the events leading to the Third American Civil War," according to the network's press release. "As the brilliant Game of Thrones winds down to its final season, we are thrilled to be able to continue our relationship with Dan and David, knowing that any subject they take on will result in a unique and ambitious series," Casey Bloys, who runs programming for HBO said in a statement. "We have discussed Confederate for years, originally as a concept for a feature film," added Benioff and Weiss. "But our experience on Thrones has convinced us that no one provides a bigger, better storytelling canvas than HBO." No premiere date or casting information has been announced.


    Humph.... (none / 0) (#1)
    by desertswine on Sat Jul 15, 2017 at 10:09:22 PM EST
    I wish that I would get an unexpected gift, instead of this Bluth frozen banana t-shirt that my wife ripped the sleeves off of because she wanted to look tough in her boxing class.

    I had full access to Lexis Nexus as ... (none / 0) (#2)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 07:31:25 AM EST
    ... a senior legislative analyst in the state legislature. It was an invaluable research tool to me when I was drafting bills and committee reports.

    Sounds (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by FlJoe on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 07:37:49 AM EST
    like a news junkie's crack pipe to me.

    Parent
    ... to the work being done in other state legislatures across the country, and to pertinent case law when drafting legislation that could otherwise prove controversial. The news feed was an ancillary benefit which I admittedly enjoyed, but it as not why I used LexisNexis. It was one of the very first comprehensive information research systems on the internet, predating search engines such as Google and Yahoo!, and I'll take Jeralyn's word that it's still one of the very best.

    Parent
    That is fantastic news Jeralyn! (none / 0) (#9)
    by ruffian on Sun Jul 16, 2017 at 07:19:35 PM EST
    Christmas in July! Glad there are some companies that look out for loyal clients.

    Columbia University settles gender bias (none / 0) (#27)
    by McBain on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 02:15:15 PM EST
    lawsuit in the bizarre "Mattress Girl" saga
    Columbia University has settled a gender bias lawsuit brought by a male student who said the school failed to protect him when a female student called him a rapist and carried a mattress around campus to dramatize her pain.

    I've read about some terrible college kangaroo court decisions in cases involving alleged sexual assault but in this case Columbia found that the alleged rapist did nothing wrong.  I guess his complaint was the school allowed the woman to carry a mattress around campus which led many to believe he assaulted her.

    The entire saga is so strange.  The woman basically made an art project out of the mattress carrying.  She later made a p*rn video which she claimed was a reenactment of the assault.

    i believe... (none / 0) (#41)
    by linea on Mon Jul 17, 2017 at 08:59:53 PM EST
    Describing the alleged rape, she said that what began as a consensual sexual encounter in her room turned non-consensual. She alleged that Nungesser choked her, slapped her face, held her wrists, and anally raped her, while she struggled and told him to stop.

    ... the issue here is the lack of a "withdrawal of consent" law. i understand a few states have such laws but most don't. it's still rape.

     

    She later made a p*rn video

    i dont like this. the attitude that there are good women and bad women and the insinuation that "it's not rape if she's a bad girl."

    Parent
    She said (none / 0) (#50)
    by ragebot on Tue Jul 18, 2017 at 10:41:26 PM EST
    "what began as a consensual sexual encounter in her room turned non-consensual".

    But it seems Columbia did not find this credible.  I don't know what happened but given the rules of evidence she must not have had a strong case.  As other posters have noted universities have very liberal rules of evidence, much more so than conventional criminal courts, even more liberal than civil courts.

    As well know you have to be able to prove it in court; and that is something that did not happen in this case.

    Parent

    Hard to prove there was a lack (none / 0) (#77)
    by McBain on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 06:29:41 PM EST
    of withdrawal. I found the video she made to be in bad taste but it doesn't make her a "bad girl".  The video, combined with the mattress carrying art project was just odd.    

    Parent
    Know one (none / 0) (#45)
    by Lora on Tue Jul 18, 2017 at 05:34:03 PM EST
    I've read about some terrible college kangaroo court decisions in cases involving alleged sexual assault

    Not assault per se. But it was devastating.

    Guilt was predetermined and the so-called investigator simply twisted all evidence against the individual, and in some cases simply made stuff up.

    And the accuser was guided to make a complaint by a person in authority. It was completely bogus.

    Damage was done to the campus, the student, the student body, the faculty and staff, and most significantly to the accused and family.

    Sexual harassment and/or assault are very serious and devastating acts.  But there need to be protections and fairness in place for the accused.  In this case, there just weren't any.

    Parent

    This is one of those court cases (none / 0) (#58)
    by NYShooter on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 02:55:16 PM EST
    where you had to have been there in order to get a better feel for the veracity of both the accuser and the defendant. Simply hearing the verdict doesn't tell you the whole story

    How the heck is a jury supposed to determine what really happened that night?

    "what began as a consensual sexual encounter in her room turned non-consensual".

    Absent a video tape this case should have never seen the inside of a courtroom.

    Parent

    KONG, SKULL ISLAND (none / 0) (#47)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 18, 2017 at 08:01:54 PM EST
    I just did a PPV. It's one I meant to catch in the theater and missed.

    Really good.

    If you want a summer popcorn movie hard to beat Sammuel L. Jackson, John C. Reilly and John Goodman with killer effects ans stunning scenery

    Also (none / 0) (#48)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 18, 2017 at 08:26:20 PM EST
    The soundtrack is excellent.  

    Parent
    Never, ever, call the police. (none / 0) (#55)
    by Chuck0 on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 09:04:00 AM EST
    You never know what's going to happen anymore. Or if you will end up dead. This poor women from Australia was murdered in Minneapolis. Can't wait to see how McBain justifies this one. This time it is a white women, so the pretzel may have to get really twisted.

    I don't know Chuck... (none / 0) (#56)
    by kdog on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 10:53:50 AM EST
    I'd imagine an Australian accent is not all that common in Minnesota, I'm sure the officer was caught off guard by it and feared for his life. Hence totally justified in mowing the suspect down.  

    Parent
    Oh I don't know (none / 0) (#57)
    by Zorba on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 12:13:23 PM EST
    Maybe he thought she had a big knife hidden in her pajamas.

    Crocodile Dundee

    Parent

    i suspect (none / 0) (#65)
    by linea on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 08:43:31 PM EST
    this isnt from the news. so it's just me guesing.

    this seems like the most rational explanation given this scenario -- the officer was in the passanger seat and fired across the car, past his seated partner, through the door, and killed the woman in her pajamas who had placed the 911 call -- that his gun discharged when he removed it from his holster, with his finger recklessly on the trigger, while seated in the patrol car.

    Parent

    You almost had me, K-dog (none / 0) (#78)
    by MKS on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 01:02:41 PM EST
    But that comment is so not you.....

    When did you start doing irony?

    Parent

    John McCain (none / 0) (#60)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 07:14:57 PM EST
    Has a brain tumor

    Doctor (none / 0) (#61)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 07:16:57 PM EST
    Saying the type he had is malignant and very aggressive with a very low survival rate.


    Parent
    Talked to (none / 0) (#62)
    by Zorba on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 07:58:53 PM EST
    Mr. Zorba, the scientist, about this.
    Yes, glioblastoma is extremely aggressive, one of the worst cancers you can get.  The average survival time after diagnosis is 14 months, with treatment.
    (Glioblastoma is what killed Teddy Kennedy, by the way.)

    Parent
    I knew this for an (none / 0) (#63)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jul 19, 2017 at 08:05:59 PM EST
    Embarrassing reason.  The movie THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES

    Parent
    This is what the doctors suspect (none / 0) (#69)
    by Anne on Thu Jul 20, 2017 at 01:10:06 PM EST
    my daughter's father-in-law has...he had surgery last Friday to remove the tumor, but preliminary pathology indicated some cells suggestive of a grade 2 astrocytoma, and some cells suggestive of a grade 4 glioblastoma.  They now have to wait for the more precise pathology, which should be in late next week.

    Of course, we are all hoping for the slower, less aggressive cancer, which has much better outcomes and more options for treatment, but the presence of cells suggestive of glioblastoma is not encouraging of that result.

    He has excellent doctors and access to the best treatments, so all we can do at this point is hope for the best.

    As for McCain, the man has been through things that would have broken lesser people, and it's unfortunate that he is faced with yet another steep climb.  I'm sure his family is devastated, as any family would be.  

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    That's just very sad (none / 0) (#72)
    by Zorba on Thu Jul 20, 2017 at 09:30:06 PM EST
    about your daughter's FIL, Anne.  Such a difficult time.  I hope he has the more treatable cancer.  

    Parent
    thanks, Zorba (none / 0) (#75)
    by Anne on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 07:54:51 AM EST
    As much as we are hoping for the best, it's hard not to consider what happens if it's the worst.  My son-in-law is extremely close to his dad, but at the same time, he's pretty buttoned-up emotionally - just like his dad, and very much like his mother.  He tends to deal with things by not dealing with them, which puts more of the burden on my daughter, since he is an only child.

    Can't help wondering why these things happen, but since there's no answer to that, I guess we just take it one step at a time and try to be there for each other.

    They see the surgeon on the 27th, so we'll know what we're dealing with then, and what the treatment plan is.

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    Best of luck to all of them (none / 0) (#76)
    by Zorba on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 01:36:59 PM EST
    And as far as your daughter having to shoulder a bigger burden is concerned, if she has even half the psychological and emotional strength of her mother, she will be able to deal with this.
    Not that this is ideal, but she can do it.  And I'll bet that you will be there to help her and her family in any way you can.

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    John McCain (none / 0) (#66)
    by KeysDan on Thu Jul 20, 2017 at 11:13:46 AM EST
    was subjected to unfathomable torture as a POW and, he, like all US military in such straits, deserves our respect and appreciation.

    And, now, once again, he is subjected to an unbearable medical condition.  We all wish him the best in this fight.

    These contributions having been acknowledged, the rhapsodic comments extending to his political life are not entirely merited.  McCain, unlike some of his cohorts, was given slack in the Keating Five scandal, and his "maverick" label was often more talk than action.

      McCain is a reliable party man, taking, in largest measure, right wing positions, including opposition to federal funding for birth control, sex education, against gun control, initially opposed to MLK, Jr. holiday, anti-gay positions, opposed to repeal of DOMA, DADT, adoptions, marriage equality. And, of course, always the war hawk.

    And, he was not particularly graceful in his opposition to President Obama, despite Obama reaching out with an olive branch after his defeat by being invited to the WH for dinner. Although, he did have the courage during the campaign to correct a woman who claimed that Obama was not an American. but, then, he would have saddled American, if he won, with the governor of Alaska.

    Since I do not know McCain personally, my concerns for him are as a human being suffering from a horrible sickness with a dire prognosis. The remainder is  his professional life in politics, on balance I find it to be that of an unremarkable conservative.

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    I was (none / 0) (#67)
    by FlJoe on Thu Jul 20, 2017 at 11:36:52 AM EST
    playing cards last night when the news of McCain's diagnosis broke, our token tRumpster immediately started trashing him as a closet Democrat and accused him of ratting out his former POW cellmates.  Simultaneously  bizarre and par for the course, as usual in tRumpland.

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    Well, as with Trump, (none / 0) (#68)
    by KeysDan on Thu Jul 20, 2017 at 11:46:11 AM EST
    one of the card players does not like people who get captured.

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    Ratting out (none / 0) (#79)
    by MKS on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 01:05:15 PM EST
    his cellmates...

    How vicious can one get?   He did decline early release ahead of others who were there longer.

    Some really messed up thinking by people who should never be in power.

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    all true (none / 0) (#71)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jul 20, 2017 at 03:48:37 PM EST
    still...

    that incident in the 2008 election, will we ever see the like again?  im afraid we wont.

    also in this particular time McCain, whatever he is, has always seemed to be the most reliable and staunch bulwark against Trumpism.  he has the gravitas, the respect and the friends to speak truth to Trump.  and to Putin.  

    he is the one i would look to first to save us from the creeping fascism.

    whatever he is IMO we need him now maybe more than we ever did.  i think his loss would be very bad for the country.  and the world.

    i hope to god he come back from this.  but i know the odds.

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    The idea has been (none / 0) (#80)
    by MKS on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 01:07:08 PM EST
    that McCain can be the modern Goldwater and force Trump to leave.....(Both are from Arizona.)

    But, I am not so sure that McCain would ever go against party like that....

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    Now more than ever (none / 0) (#81)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 02:24:55 PM EST
    He is thinking about legacy

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