As long as you have got the bread, there's nothing more that need be said.

The President appoints the ambassadors.

The latest revelations puzzle me. If Mr Trump was dissatisfied with his ambassador, he could just fire her and appoint someone more to his taste. Indeed, he did fire her and appoint someone more to his taste. Why would agents acting on his behalf (allegedly) go through such an elaborate and risky surveillance, to say nothing about what action was contemplated that required such surveillance? Only if one were hoping to create a provocation and pin it on someone else, it seems, would it be worthwhile to go through such a charade.

-- Mal

I seem to recall a Tomahawk strike a while back...

... on Syria, IIRC, where we warned the Russians in advance about the strike so there wouldn't be any casualties among them. Let's see, the Syrians evacuated the buildings and all we did was blow up some facilities and runway structure. Which had some on DU whining about how "ineffective" the response was, and others angrily defending it as really quite serious.

Dunno why that came to mind just now.

-- Mal

Merry Hollidays

Copyright violation IS a real problem.

I used Google search to try to identify the provenance of a painting I've seen around. A million sites may use the pic, but none credit the painter. So I reckon when creative artists bitch about their work being used without compensation or credit, they have a legitimate beef after all.

-- Mal

Scenes in the City

Well, here I am, right back where I was yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that.

Quoth the Raven?

I have had a number of sightings of posts on social media featuring a video of "X reads the Raven," so I couldn't resist digging this up from the dustbin of history:

"The Spaniel" by Edgar, Al, & Moe (From Mad Magazine)

"Once upon a midnight cautious, while I pondered, weak and nauseous,
Over some advertising copy I had wrote for Macy's store -
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a yapping,
As of someone loudly yapping, yapping at my office door.
'Tis some client there,' I muttered,'yapping at my office door -
only this and nothing more.'

Then I felt my terror worsen, for my guest was not a person!
In there stepped a cocker spaniel, naturally I jumped in fear.
Tried to climb an oaken panel, ripping there my new grey flannel,
But the spaniel merely stood there, speaking out with voice so clear -
Speaking out like Jack Lescoulie, in a voice both loud and clear -
Quoth the spaniel - 'Drink Blatz Beer!'

How I marveled this ungainly dog who did commercials plainly;
How he spoke the message clearly; selling points he underscored.
For I could not help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet could mouth a slogan without sounding
Slightly bored -
Most announcers being human, can't help sounding
slightly bored -
Quoth the spaniel, 'Buy a Ford!'

Thus this dog with voice like Murrow made my heavy
brow unfurl;
Thoughts of fortunes I could make now made me shake
down to my knees.
But the spaniel set me grieving then by turning tail
and leaving.
Naturally, I begged him tarry, crying out, 'Stay
with me, please!'

Chasing him along the hallway, crying out, 'Stay
with me, please!'
Quoth the spaniel, 'Eat Kraft Cheese!'"

-- Mal

I preferred when it was hip to be contemptuous of authority...

... not the default state.

-- Mal

The perfect song for Mr Trump

You Tube never fails me...

What do you call a dominatrix from Bangkok?

... the Thai that binds.

--Mal