Admit evidence to the court, or admit evidence of wrongdoing? because those are two VERY DIFFERENT THINGS and a good lawyer needs to be crystal clear about the difference....
Well, I read The Corruption of Lindsey Graham and recommend it to all. It is a very interesting tale and a very pleasant read. I opened it just to see what it was, read the beginning and found myself gripped. William Saletan is a good writer.
It's worth reading for to reasons. First, it is a comprehensive overview of the horror of Trump. Lindsey's fall had many stages and they all correspond to yet another moment in our history. Saletan recounts and makes it understandable. Worth it just for the historical reminder.
The other, of course, is the main insight he promises. I clearly remember Graham on The Daily Show excoriating Trump in vivid language and have often wonder what happened. Stroke? Bribery? Mental illness running in his family. Saletan explains it and, has he announces in the introduction, it tells us what is happening writ large.
Graham is not an unusual person. His change has something in common with Stockholm Syndrome but is mostly sheer, greedy, amoral corruption. Each step is another moment of self seeking enabled by the sheer, overwhelming badness of life in the Trump era. Neither Salaten or I have any sympathy for Graham.
It is clear that he started out terrified about losing that which is most important (not family or life!), his position, power, influence and that allowed him to justify (not being a guard in the concentration camp!) becoming a quisling, compromising the Constitution, democracy and institutions that he holds most dear.
Great read. Take the time. A couple of hours that go by quickly.
Do you think we might need a different word than "hetero" for a couple who're both nonbinary but one's amab & the other afab? a same gender relationship but not a same sex one.
Oh yeah, I have to make the quarterly amazon order tonight (trying to keep it to semi-annual but things do come up and there's nowhere to *get* some stuff within an hour's drive of here!), should do it via wonkette kickback link.
Rook Texas - the entity that won the Texas Lottery - did not break a single law. They bought every single possible combination (about 28 million), thus insuring they'd have a winning ticket. Their only risk was that someone else might also have a winning ticket; in that case, they'd only get half the winnings and would have been a net loser.
They also won all the other prizes, since they had every combination - 5 right numbers, 4 right numbers, etc. There were 289 of those but that didn't add up to a whole lot of money.
What made this all possible are electronic ticket-delivery systems. There are "stores" in Texas that do nothing but sell lottery tickets via online apps. So, much like with bitcoin mining, if you have the computer power then you can purchase millions of tickets for any game. And that's perfectly legal.
I want to be mad at whoever Rook Texas is (they are anonymous) but the fact is, they didn't do anything illegal. They simply took advantage of the opportunity.
Now, the Texas Lottery has to do something. Ban these machines? Add an extra number to the game? Limit the maximum prize amount to a number that makes buying all the winning tickets not profitable?
Good! Lotteries are a terrible way to fund anything and governments shouldn’t have anything to do with them. Make them untenable and send the gambling back to regulated casinos where it belongs.
Limit buying tickets,.particularly online. This strategy was never workable before because there wasn't enough time to buy and print enough tickets at the many different locations that would be needed to try it.
Maximum of X number of tickets per registered account. Each external payment source can only be linked to one registered account. Etc. And if someone circumvents these restrictions, then you retroactively negate the winnings as being against the spirit of the lottery.
The Bulwark has released the Lindsey Graham piece as a podcast now too. You should be able to find it in The Bulwark’s feed on your favorite podcast app. I just added it to my queue in Spotify yesterday.
Cat and Moth, the movie = your hed gif source. You will want more info, yes? https://open.substack.com/pub/martiniambassador/p/cat-and-moth
Fun little flick in that link. Very illuminating. Addresses the basic mysteries of life and existence, too. Not bad for seven minutes twenty.
My favorite moth is the hummingbird moth. It mimics the ruby throated hummingbirds we get in thee garden.
https://www.google.com/search?q=hummingbird+moth+gif&client=tablet-android-samsung-rvo1&sca_esv=3e5ddf52b76d97c4&sca_upv=1&udm=2&biw=1280&bih=800&sxsrf=ACQVn09xfNO_Yll57FHKnLXGJ6ZNHmTBOQ%3A1713960871459&ei=p_coZry-G-rFp84PhJ-JsAc&oq=hummingbird+moth+gif&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIhRodW1taW5nYmlyZCBtb3RoIGdpZjIFEAAYgAQyBhAAGAgYHjIIEAAYgAQYogRI2jFQsAxYmhlwAHgAkAEAmAFMoAHbAqoBATW4AQPIAQD4AQGYAgWgAv8CwgIEECMYJ8ICChAAGIAEGEMYigWYAwCIBgGSBwE1oAfxDg&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp#vhid=6aTgwjS-1YrpUM&vssid=mosaic
My fav is the luna moth, but the hummingbird moth is very cool. You'd swear it was an actual hummingbird buzzing around.
Pretty! It's like she's wearing a little red miniskirt. A girl after my own heart.
What about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpoP4YSFKGA
?
Uri Berliner is the Bari Weiss of Glenn Greenwalds.
deep cut man. deep cut.
I've been using Martie since they were very new, and I LOVE them!
Yay UFW !
And the Lady of Guadalupe.
LEEEEEEGALLLZ AZ
(hearing reading the defamation case against Lake, and discovery content)
https://twitter.com/JenAFifield/status/1783175266698944759
Kari Lake’s attorney just said, regarding Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer’s defamation claims:
“We did admit everything, as far as the facts.”
Admit evidence to the court, or admit evidence of wrongdoing? because those are two VERY DIFFERENT THINGS and a good lawyer needs to be crystal clear about the difference....
Well, I read The Corruption of Lindsey Graham and recommend it to all. It is a very interesting tale and a very pleasant read. I opened it just to see what it was, read the beginning and found myself gripped. William Saletan is a good writer.
It's worth reading for to reasons. First, it is a comprehensive overview of the horror of Trump. Lindsey's fall had many stages and they all correspond to yet another moment in our history. Saletan recounts and makes it understandable. Worth it just for the historical reminder.
The other, of course, is the main insight he promises. I clearly remember Graham on The Daily Show excoriating Trump in vivid language and have often wonder what happened. Stroke? Bribery? Mental illness running in his family. Saletan explains it and, has he announces in the introduction, it tells us what is happening writ large.
Graham is not an unusual person. His change has something in common with Stockholm Syndrome but is mostly sheer, greedy, amoral corruption. Each step is another moment of self seeking enabled by the sheer, overwhelming badness of life in the Trump era. Neither Salaten or I have any sympathy for Graham.
It is clear that he started out terrified about losing that which is most important (not family or life!), his position, power, influence and that allowed him to justify (not being a guard in the concentration camp!) becoming a quisling, compromising the Constitution, democracy and institutions that he holds most dear.
Great read. Take the time. A couple of hours that go by quickly.
I spent a satisfying ten minutes telling Google Maps that their generative AI tool was stupid. That was cathartic.
"...check their specific plan online, where the terms and conditions are outlined in black and white, without relying on a customer service provider."
Riiiiiiight. What do those guys know? Might as well ask the guy on the next bar stool.
Standards for nursing home staff? FINALLY!
Anyone complaining about this is a horrible, horrible person and deserves to be mocked and shunned.
Frisky 78-year-old Friend in assisted living is demanding the hiring of more hot gardeners.
Do you think we might need a different word than "hetero" for a couple who're both nonbinary but one's amab & the other afab? a same gender relationship but not a same sex one.
The ol' "queer" umbrella could be applicable, but not everyone is fond of that term.
Partners?
Oh yeah, I have to make the quarterly amazon order tonight (trying to keep it to semi-annual but things do come up and there's nowhere to *get* some stuff within an hour's drive of here!), should do it via wonkette kickback link.
"An Indiana court ruled that Jews have a religious liberty right to abortion. Here’s why that matters."
https://www.jta.org/2024/04/11/ideas/an-indiana-court-ruled-that-jews-have-a-religious-liberty-right-to-abortion-heres-why-that-matters
Religious freedom cuts both ways. Christianists would do well to remember it.
Fresh hell YES!. thank you for sharing this
Rook Texas - the entity that won the Texas Lottery - did not break a single law. They bought every single possible combination (about 28 million), thus insuring they'd have a winning ticket. Their only risk was that someone else might also have a winning ticket; in that case, they'd only get half the winnings and would have been a net loser.
They also won all the other prizes, since they had every combination - 5 right numbers, 4 right numbers, etc. There were 289 of those but that didn't add up to a whole lot of money.
What made this all possible are electronic ticket-delivery systems. There are "stores" in Texas that do nothing but sell lottery tickets via online apps. So, much like with bitcoin mining, if you have the computer power then you can purchase millions of tickets for any game. And that's perfectly legal.
I want to be mad at whoever Rook Texas is (they are anonymous) but the fact is, they didn't do anything illegal. They simply took advantage of the opportunity.
Now, the Texas Lottery has to do something. Ban these machines? Add an extra number to the game? Limit the maximum prize amount to a number that makes buying all the winning tickets not profitable?
We'll see how this plays out.
Good! Lotteries are a terrible way to fund anything and governments shouldn’t have anything to do with them. Make them untenable and send the gambling back to regulated casinos where it belongs.
Limit buying tickets,.particularly online. This strategy was never workable before because there wasn't enough time to buy and print enough tickets at the many different locations that would be needed to try it.
Maximum of X number of tickets per registered account. Each external payment source can only be linked to one registered account. Etc. And if someone circumvents these restrictions, then you retroactively negate the winnings as being against the spirit of the lottery.
This week's Wonkette Movie Night selection is 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 (𝟏𝟗𝟓𝟎). Fun times with a 6 foot 3 and 1/2 inch white rabbit Pooka named Harvey.
https://open.substack.com/pub/ziggywiggy/p/wonkette-movie-night-april-27-harvey?r=2knfuc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Hey Ziggy! Harvey is available for free on the Internet Archive.
https://archive.org/details/harvey-1950
Thank you. I have the link in my post. I found this one but sometimes I don't, so I appreciate it!
Okay, some Harvey movie-link/trivia, then. James Stewart reprised his role in a 1972 TV movie. It is on YouTube in two parts.
https://youtu.be/kIpVwvFN-gE?si=pyHQTiCJ3dDFzQ22
https://youtu.be/ovP8Yar3_Ro?si=GttlVBjnPb8F6fnn
The Bulwark has released the Lindsey Graham piece as a podcast now too. You should be able to find it in The Bulwark’s feed on your favorite podcast app. I just added it to my queue in Spotify yesterday.
LOL at the use of this debt chart. Something maybe left out of the discussion.
https://twitter.com/cbekae2014/status/1782962111259492599?t=B2hFW6zND7TTnO_9W-ZOrw&s=19