If you didnt know. we've been doing live stream watch along on twitter/twitch/youtube. We want to embed the youtube link into our gamethreads so its easier for you guys to chat and watch, but apparently we need 1000 subs to be able to activate that. We would very much appreciate your help!
We call upon the help and power of our WFC community once more.
I ordered a couple of knife guards because I wasn't sure on the quality and which would fit. I'm keeping one and returning the other. First time I've seen Amazon say keep the item. Here's your money back.
I also ordered No 1 a nice conical countertop coffee grinder for his bday. Saw it during prime day (2nd week of Oct) so I ended up getting it shipped here since his bday is tomorrow. I went to go ship it and all the places are saying $25+ for ground shipping. So I checked amazon and it's actually $5 cheaper than on prime day so I'm getting them to ship it to him for free and then I'm returning the one I got. Gotta love Prime.
one of the women my wife works with at camp is married to a USAF pilot... his uncle had an amphibious plane and dropped him off for a visit at camp by landing on the lake. Sounds like good fun as long as you don't hit anyone out there in a canoe.
Over the weekend I watched the new The Right Stuff. So far I really enjoy it. I remember watching the original movie in the theater complete with an intermission. As a series this one goes in depth of their families and you get to see that the Mercury 7 don't have a perfect family life as was the prerequisite of being selected and like they're portrayed in Life magazine. Some things are fictional so I don't know how much is fictional, like Alan Shepard trying to sleep with every female he sees.
I have enjoyed this version of The Right Stuff so far. Shepard is kind of legendary for being a womanizer, that's even more in the forefront in the short-lived Astronaut Wives Club show that was on ABC (it's available for free at the ABC website, that's how I watched it earlier this year).
By the way, the people/person at Collect Space has been recapping The Right Stuff with a nice section of "The right, wrong and real stuff" of the show.
We've been binging "The Good Place" on Netflix. Surprisingly good (for me, at least). Ted Danson is great, but the actress that plays Janet is pricelessly funny.
In the area of "getting some value out of free Apple TV" - I enjoyed both Tehran and Ted Lasso, the latter much more than I thought I would.
In the area of music, I've been listening to:
Freddie King, Live at the Electric Ballroom 1971
Huraña, Brujas Cholas e Inventadas
Working Men's Club (eponymous album)
Exhaust (eponymous album)
The Meters - Best of (judge all you like)
Harry Styles, Fine Line
Beabadoobee, Fake It Flowers
Japanese Breakfast, Soft Sounds from Another Planet
Sault, Untitled (Rise)
Nova, Re-up (EP)
Johnny Jenkins, Ton-ton Macoute!
Earlier today I was like "I wonder why I never listened to Dag Nasty" and then I listened to "Can I Say" and realized that I must have, somehow, known why 👎🏻
to me, season 4 has too many moving parts and a lack of cohesiveness to tie them all together. the two gangs, the nurse, the mormon FBI, the bad cop, the escaped convict duo, the mortuary family. all loosely intertwined but at this point in the season, its too convoluted. Some of them could be written off mid season and no one would notice.
Yeah, the guys on The Watch podcast kind of nailed why Season 4 feels off: it's like four or five shows happening at the same time, and they only occasionally intersect.
Season 2 is super-tight by comparison: everything connnects pretty easily and directly to the central murder/coverup plot with Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons.
Shows started: On My Block, funny 1/2 hour show; Jane the Virgin, enjoyable send up of the telenovela format. Re-watching for the first time: Community, holds up well.
Lake Hyco. It's near the Virginia border, a 75-minute drive for me -- assuming I don't stop off for carnitas. We own a small lakehouse up there, which has been amazing during Covid.
I think the postponed/canceled games mean that the system is working, sort of. I think across the board, college football players are still getting COVID at a smaller rate than normal people (particularly kids of similar age)...this is particularly true for Cal with just one positive case (which supposedly was not acquired from playing/practicing football).
So the student-athletes got access to better COVID testing, prep for potential future work (in pro football), and the school is getting extra money because the Pac-12 is playing football again. The fact that Cal games may or may not be played at all doesn't change much.
Still got a long ways to go to match last weekend's problems, but Tuesday isn't even over yet. And tomorrow is a holiday, which seems to be by definition a super-spreader event.
[Reporter] "Is the US State Department hindering the transition?"
[Pompeo] "There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration."
While he is undoubtedly speaking tongue-in-cheek, words matter. It underscores that it is and always has been an amateur hour that has lasted 4 hours that cost American lives.
A Pennsylvania postal worker whose claims have been cited by top Republicans as potential evidence of widespread voting irregularities admitted to U.S. Postal Service investigators that he fabricated the allegations, according to three officials briefed on the investigation and a statement from a House congressional committee.
Follow the latest on Election 2020
Richard Hopkins’s claim that a postmaster in Erie, Pa., instructed postal workers to backdate ballots mailed after Election Day was cited by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) in a letter to the Justice Department calling for a federal investigation. Attorney General William P. Barr subsequently authorized federal prosecutors to open probes into credible allegations of voting irregularities and fraud, a reversal of long-standing Justice Department policy.
But on Monday, Hopkins, 32, told investigators from the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General that the allegations were not true, and he signed an affidavit recanting his claims, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe an ongoing investigation. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee tweeted late Tuesday that the “whistleblower completely RECANTED.”
Hopkins did not respond to messages seeking comment.
CNN: Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ husband, will transition his client practice and sever all ties with his law firm DLA Piper by Inauguration Day, according to a campaign spokesperson.
I wonder what it means to transition his client practice. Oh maybe it means transition his clients to other attorneys within the firm. I wonder if when she's done serving her two terms that he can then go back to his previous position at DLA Piper if he wanted.
This is interesting. As recently as last week he was planning to continue with his practice, just from DC rather than LA. He's an entertainment lawyer, so his potential for conflicts was not particularly huge, but he is a partner at DLA Piper, which would come rife with potential conflict.
Given the way that family member work has become such a hot button issue for the right provided that you're not one of them, it's probably a smart move.
Also given how all presidential and vice presidential spouses have given up at least a large portion of their career, if any, to support the office holder, it's an interesting statement for gender roles.
Especially when Dr. Biden isn't giving up her career.
As much as I despise drumpf, I am getting a kick out of the people attacking him for not inviting Biden to the White House yet. Does anyone really think Biden wants to go into that Covid cesspoll right now?
Could you imagine if trump actually did invite Biden and Biden said, let's Zoom? The right would bash Biden saying he didn't respect trump enough to go visit the White House.
While I do think that there will be enough outcry to resist a potential GOP coup, it's still a mockery that there are all these lawsuits and investigations. I can only hope that this would turn into some much needed election reforms.
Speaking about President Trump’s and his legal team’s myriad and baseless claims of massive voter fraud, an anonymous senior Republican official offered a rhetorical shrug.
“What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time? No one seriously thinks the results will change,” the official said. “He went golfing this weekend. It’s not like he’s plotting how to prevent Joe Biden from taking power on Jan. 20. He’s tweeting about filing some lawsuits, those lawsuits will fail, then he’ll tweet some more about how the election was stolen, and then he’ll leave.”
Indeed, what’s a little undermining of democracy between friends?
That would be the best possible result for rank-and-file Republicans. drumpf eventually leaves while Biden is undermined before having to deal with an opposition Senate.
With the added benefit of allowing remaining GOP members of congress to save face with the Trump base. This is all a matter of calculating the politics and understanding that Trump received the second most votes in the history of the US.
Nah, Trump is in denial, and the little flunkies that are 95% of Republicans these days are treating him like an over-tired toddler they don't want to upset.
Love how they aren't questioning the same ballots that show them winning Senators & Congress members - great conspiracy, but only for the President? That's a fail.
All the States are supposed to certify this week, yes? If shenanigans are still ongoing after that then I'll start to worry. The sheer level of incompetence displayed to date gives me solace. On the flip side, Biden and Co. need to go for the jugular. Craftily, mind you, but vicious.
First states certified a couple of days ago, but CA doesn't certify until second week of December (and everyone else is pretty well spread in between).
Biden needs to sweep the leg. I like that Biden has been more active in making public appearances and being more presidential. He can’t just sit back, keep up the pressure.
Ashtyn Davis lowers the boom on Cam Newton. Sack negated by roughing the passer. Hit the shoulder, didn't lead with the crown, didn't do extra apart from having unobstructed sprinter speed at a QB who wasn't looking.
Yeah I didn't think so either. I think some of it was the height difference. It looked like Ashtyn came in shoulder to shoulder but when he hit he got bumped up and there was some slight helmet contact. I thought it was pretty weak, though at real time that was harder to see. I wonder if it were reviewable if the call would've changed. Although I guess the penalty was roughing the passer not unsportsmanlike conduct - helmet to helmet.
I know that this news has been spun as a negative for the White Sox, but they are probably doing the world a favor by employing La Russa as one would assume that he would be less likely to get a DUI if he has a high profiled job like being a MLB manager again.
California Cutouts. I just got an email trying to get me the cutouts for Memorial and Haas. Gonna pass on that. But I did get the Big Game Ticket Initiative for the Big Game. For $25 you get: Cal face covering, Limited Edition Under Armour T-Shirt, Commemorative Big Game Ticket for your collection, Exclusive Commemorative Big Game Poster.
I was going to take Nos 2 and 3 to the game so I may as well do this instead. Ended up getting 4 so all the boys could get one.
My question is how was the Conference and/or Cal program not prepared for this potential hurdle? Berkeley did not just pass this stringent 14-day quarantine requirement the night before the player tested positive? I don't know the answer...the UW game was probably going to be nixed regardless given the late game-week timing of the positive, but to potentially lose the ASU game 10 days later despite negative tests is puzzling.
If it is 14 days or whatever until the all clear is sounded then I think we're screwed, unless Wilcox and the AD can "negotiate" something with the City.
The university worked with the city and conference to set up their practices. The program thought their set up would avoid the CDC's definition of "close contact" to avoid any self-quarantine or contact tracing requirements, but they were wrong.
As I was preparing this letter, America was caught in a gripping state of anxiety as ballot counting continued to determine our next president. On Saturday, Joe Biden won the razor-thin race."
BULLSHIT He's gonna win by 6 million votes Carol Christ describes that as "Razor-thin"?!?!?!
It's amazing how much the order of counting votes affects people's thinking. If the mail-in ballots are all tallied before Election Day, we see Biden leading MI/WI/PA all the way, effectively tied in GA, and the whole thing is called late that night. It wouldn't feel close if it happened that way.
True, but the reality is he's gotten more votes than anyone for president ever, and is going to beat Trump by 6 million votes - this is a blow-out, not a squeaker.
The ISL (the newish, 2nd-year pro swimming league) events (all held in a bubble in Budapest, Hungary) are all at a rather inconvenient time. I'm on their media emailing list though, so I should probably do a W4C post on it at some point.
By the way, as great of an achievement as it was for Abbey to get the American record, that was apparently only the 4th best time in ISL this year. She's got a way to go before making/medaling in this event in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Ugghhhhhhhhh. So one of my really high potential direct reports told she she is going to grad school. Accepted into NYU Stern and has an interview with Cal tomorrow. She doesn't need the degree IMO but is young and thinks the "ROI" is too good to pass up even though she is about to get promoted and has a chance to be the centerpiece in a new area for our team. Should I be happy for her or bitter because she is young and young people are dumb as hell?
HELP.
If you didnt know. we've been doing live stream watch along on twitter/twitch/youtube. We want to embed the youtube link into our gamethreads so its easier for you guys to chat and watch, but apparently we need 1000 subs to be able to activate that. We would very much appreciate your help!
We call upon the help and power of our WFC community once more.
Please subscribe at http://YouTube.com/WriteForCalifornia!
We are eternally grateful to you fam!
Done
Done
Amazon return
I ordered a couple of knife guards because I wasn't sure on the quality and which would fit. I'm keeping one and returning the other. First time I've seen Amazon say keep the item. Here's your money back.
I also ordered No 1 a nice conical countertop coffee grinder for his bday. Saw it during prime day (2nd week of Oct) so I ended up getting it shipped here since his bday is tomorrow. I went to go ship it and all the places are saying $25+ for ground shipping. So I checked amazon and it's actually $5 cheaper than on prime day so I'm getting them to ship it to him for free and then I'm returning the one I got. Gotta love Prime.
they did that with me for an HDMI cable that was too short. Refunded the money but told me to keep the cable
So, you're wondering what's up with the dildopolis next to Four Seasons Landscaping? The Slate brings hard-hitting interviews that the people want.
https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/11/interview-fantasy-island-sex-shop-four-seasons-landscaping-philadelphia.html
For the price of a 1-bedroom apartment in San Francisco, you can now own a working F4 Phantom. Some other cool planes for sale on the same site.
https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Jets&make=MCDONNELL+DOUGLAS&model=F-4+PHANTOM&listing_id=2315633&s-type=aircraft
DBD Gameday Jet!! I would love to get my pilots license.
You could do your own pregame flyovers!
I don't think it's any sillier than a lot of things wealthy people buy tbh
Those are well-made planes too, but I wouldn't buy an F-105.
Tempted though I briefly was by an old Mig21, I think this is a bit more my speed: https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Multi+Engine+Piston&make=GRUMMAN&model=G44A+SUPER+WIDGEON&listing_id=1730593&s-type=aircraft
Nice! For flying out to your private island!
one of the women my wife works with at camp is married to a USAF pilot... his uncle had an amphibious plane and dropped him off for a visit at camp by landing on the lake. Sounds like good fun as long as you don't hit anyone out there in a canoe.
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYX
https://www.wnem.com/news/michigan-couple-with-14-sons-welcome-their-first-daughter/article_4a56c417-3917-5c27-86bc-232b286a824a.html
Best of luck to her boyfriends and/or husbands.
DBD AV Club
Community (Netflix) Season 2. 17/19.
The Founder (Netflix). Had no interest in the subject, but it auto-started on the home page and got sucked in. Really good. 16/19.
No 3 and I enjoyed The Founder. I thought Michael Keaton did a really good job as Ray Kroc.
Over the weekend I watched the new The Right Stuff. So far I really enjoy it. I remember watching the original movie in the theater complete with an intermission. As a series this one goes in depth of their families and you get to see that the Mercury 7 don't have a perfect family life as was the prerequisite of being selected and like they're portrayed in Life magazine. Some things are fictional so I don't know how much is fictional, like Alan Shepard trying to sleep with every female he sees.
I have enjoyed this version of The Right Stuff so far. Shepard is kind of legendary for being a womanizer, that's even more in the forefront in the short-lived Astronaut Wives Club show that was on ABC (it's available for free at the ABC website, that's how I watched it earlier this year).
By the way, the people/person at Collect Space has been recapping The Right Stuff with a nice section of "The right, wrong and real stuff" of the show.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-100920a-natgeo-right-stuff-episode-recap-sierra-hotel-goodies.html
That's a pretty interesting read. I wonder if I should read the book. I assume it would give much more information than the movies.
I haven't seen the new one yet. The old one came out when I was a kid.
We've been binging "The Good Place" on Netflix. Surprisingly good (for me, at least). Ted Danson is great, but the actress that plays Janet is pricelessly funny.
The actress that plays Janet is from Danville or San Ramon. I loved the whole series. So well written.
Great show and cast.
And it only keeps getting better.
Great show.
I really enjoyed the series.
We've been enjoying Schitt's Creek.
In the area of "getting some value out of free Apple TV" - I enjoyed both Tehran and Ted Lasso, the latter much more than I thought I would.
In the area of music, I've been listening to:
Freddie King, Live at the Electric Ballroom 1971
Huraña, Brujas Cholas e Inventadas
Working Men's Club (eponymous album)
Exhaust (eponymous album)
The Meters - Best of (judge all you like)
Harry Styles, Fine Line
Beabadoobee, Fake It Flowers
Japanese Breakfast, Soft Sounds from Another Planet
Sault, Untitled (Rise)
Nova, Re-up (EP)
Johnny Jenkins, Ton-ton Macoute!
Earlier today I was like "I wonder why I never listened to Dag Nasty" and then I listened to "Can I Say" and realized that I must have, somehow, known why 👎🏻
RE: Working Men's Club, what's their connection to John Cooper Clarke?
I have that Japanese Breakfast as well.
I have no idea, maybe they just like his music? (I had to look him up just now)
Started:
the Queen's Gambit on netflix.
Rewatching Chappelle Show mostly as background noise while I cook dinner.
Fargo season 4
Mandalorian Season 2
Recently finished series/ current seasons
On My Block
Woke
PEN15
The Vow (HBO) and Seduced (Starz) both on the NXIVM cult.
The Boys
Taste the Nation
Crossing Swords
Fargo 4 is not as good as season 2 (still the best) but much better than 3.
agreed. This season has been a letdown
to me, season 4 has too many moving parts and a lack of cohesiveness to tie them all together. the two gangs, the nurse, the mormon FBI, the bad cop, the escaped convict duo, the mortuary family. all loosely intertwined but at this point in the season, its too convoluted. Some of them could be written off mid season and no one would notice.
Yeah, the guys on The Watch podcast kind of nailed why Season 4 feels off: it's like four or five shows happening at the same time, and they only occasionally intersect.
Season 2 is super-tight by comparison: everything connnects pretty easily and directly to the central murder/coverup plot with Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons.
Season 2 was so, so good; one of the best things I've ever watched, and season 1 was most excellent as well.
I guess, but I'd still rank from best to worst: 2,1,4,3 - you're right, but it's at least been an entertaining mess.
I enjoyed season 3 more than 4 (so far)
Season 4 has been pretty weak thus far IMO.
Gonna watch The Crown on Netflix which will be released on the 15th.
Been watching The Boys on Amazon Prime. Sometimes the violence gets a bit much, but it's well-structured and compelling.
I've heard that's good, but way too violent to watch with the wife. Oh well.
Shows started: On My Block, funny 1/2 hour show; Jane the Virgin, enjoyable send up of the telenovela format. Re-watching for the first time: Community, holds up well.
Shows started:
Fargo Season 3. So far it is as good as the first two seasons.
Mindhunters: finished season 1 last weekend and started season 3. This is a great show and I recommend it.
Movies:
Terminator: Dark Fate. I thought this was the best terminator movie since T2 and I enjoyed it.
Mindhunter - is very, very good.
My Friday Night Dinner Party pod watched Lovecraft Country over the past 3 months or so....just finished. WTF happened there?
Mirror
Note: That's Mrs. SG Bear in the picture this last Saturday, looking down a channel that connects two different parts of the lake.
which lake?
Lake Hyco. It's near the Virginia border, a 75-minute drive for me -- assuming I don't stop off for carnitas. We own a small lakehouse up there, which has been amazing during Covid.
This is for sale, if you want to be my neighbor.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/75-Summerlyn-Pl-Semora-NC-27343/119394938_zpid/
i just got an invite to buy the house next to my cousin in Lulea, only 10x cheaper
https://www.fastighetsbyran.com/sv/sverige/objekt/?objektID=1673413&fbclid=IwAR1-x11efjal9-jGxy2e02uaOBnePvBSrFIes0i_4-PWSDvzMZnkE5pdCtw
That is a long way north
it is not far from the arctic circle. it is beautiful up there. we have only been once on a family vacation, but been to Sweden many times.
let me check w/ my sister in law. they live in Apex, near you.
By providence, I'm driving to Apex today to look at a plot of land to potentially buy.
near here?? Havenfield Ct, Apex, NC 27523, USA
Gosh, it’s a bargain!
(I'm just mad because I don't know enough people to fill it up)
Elsewhere in college
Rutgers favored in a Big 10 football game for the first time in six years.
https://www.onthebanks.com/2020/11/8/21555424/rutgers-opens-as-seven-point-favorite-against-illinois-big-ten-football
BLM: LSU freshman alleges illegal search by cops. 3 cops get paid leave.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/09/us/louisiana-lsu-football-player-police-allegations/index.html
Colorado's PK medically retires after continued injuries and getting replaced mid-game by a freshman last weekend. James Stefanou is 33 years old.
https://www.ralphiereport.com/2020/11/9/21557652/buffaloes-kicker-james-stefanou-the-oldest-player-in-college-football-retires
Texas A&M halts all activities due to Covid
*in the distance Fire Starkey cackles
MS State vs. Auburn postponed due to Covid at the former
Air Force vs. Wyoming cancelled due to Covi at the former
LSU, Wazzu, Utah admit that it may be a challenge to field a team this Sat due to Covid
Alabama-LSU game postponed
https://twitter.com/JTalty/status/1326264225157832704
I think the postponed/canceled games mean that the system is working, sort of. I think across the board, college football players are still getting COVID at a smaller rate than normal people (particularly kids of similar age)...this is particularly true for Cal with just one positive case (which supposedly was not acquired from playing/practicing football).
So the student-athletes got access to better COVID testing, prep for potential future work (in pro football), and the school is getting extra money because the Pac-12 is playing football again. The fact that Cal games may or may not be played at all doesn't change much.
Texas aTm at Tennessee apparently will have to be moved or postponed. Alabama at LSU reportedly can't be played in Baton rouge this weekend.
Memphis at Navy postponed.
ATM - Tennessee now postponed.
Gosh who could have imagined that this would continue to be a problem. Hope all these kids recover quickly and fully.
Still got a long ways to go to match last weekend's problems, but Tuesday isn't even over yet. And tomorrow is a holiday, which seems to be by definition a super-spreader event.
Today in Covid
Didn't you hear. We're turning the corner and the media doesn't care about it after the election.
Lotta dead people today. The 7-day rolling average is gonna go back above 1,000 for the first time since August.
OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY
You gotta be frickin' kidding me. Devin Nunes' acolyte/hack Kash Patel somehow becomes the new Secretary of Defense's Chief of Staff.
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1326264956430520326
Glad to see all the ideologically reliable apparatchiks are in place to cause a civil - military crisis.
Cunningham concedes. Sen. Tillis (R-NC) retains his seat to bootlick and NOT represent his state.
https://twitter.com/AP/status/1326263869975752705
See trump, that's how you do it.
WaPo's well-researched piece. Not earth shattering, but interesting behind-the-scenes look.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/the-long-love-affair-between-fox-news-and-trump-may-be-over-heres-how-it-ended-last-week/2020/11/09/f4dddb5e-2095-11eb-90dd-abd0f7086a91_story.html
In a potentially related event, hell may have frozen over.
https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-election-fraud-may-not-alter-outcome-1546252?fbclid=IwAR2OziUqmUnIfzskU8Ll--Anw4ujIsrFX7VzwRB_J_Ek1soKNKIiZmsGSoc
[Reporter] "Is the US State Department hindering the transition?"
[Pompeo] "There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration."
While he is undoubtedly speaking tongue-in-cheek, words matter. It underscores that it is and always has been an amateur hour that has lasted 4 hours that cost American lives.
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/latest-updates-biden-trump-election-2020/card/9R79eYJZj2BluVFXMKT3
Actual clip:
https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1326228853610647554
How is he winded from the exertion of standing still?
Interesting voter turnout infographic
https://twitter.com/Nate_Cohn/status/1326241141235310593
CNN fact checks some Trump conspiracy believers. Several come dangerously close to being self-aware and then veer hard back toward conspiracy.
https://youtu.be/uDuFm5DtboE
Dumb ass makes Tik Tok video of him destroying fake Trump ballots "as a prank". GOP supporters run with it and now it's a problem.
https://heavy.com/news/tiktok-video-destroying-trump-ballot-bigchoppadoe/
A Pennsylvania postal worker whose claims have been cited by top Republicans as potential evidence of widespread voting irregularities admitted to U.S. Postal Service investigators that he fabricated the allegations, according to three officials briefed on the investigation and a statement from a House congressional committee.
Follow the latest on Election 2020
Richard Hopkins’s claim that a postmaster in Erie, Pa., instructed postal workers to backdate ballots mailed after Election Day was cited by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) in a letter to the Justice Department calling for a federal investigation. Attorney General William P. Barr subsequently authorized federal prosecutors to open probes into credible allegations of voting irregularities and fraud, a reversal of long-standing Justice Department policy.
But on Monday, Hopkins, 32, told investigators from the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General that the allegations were not true, and he signed an affidavit recanting his claims, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe an ongoing investigation. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee tweeted late Tuesday that the “whistleblower completely RECANTED.”
Hopkins did not respond to messages seeking comment.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/postal-worker-fabricated-ballot-pennsylvania/2020/11/10/99269a7c-2364-11eb-8599-406466ad1b8e_story.html
now the republicans are going to say the Dems got to him.
Happy Lawyer Day!
CNN: Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ husband, will transition his client practice and sever all ties with his law firm DLA Piper by Inauguration Day, according to a campaign spokesperson.
I wonder what it means to transition his client practice. Oh maybe it means transition his clients to other attorneys within the firm. I wonder if when she's done serving her two terms that he can then go back to his previous position at DLA Piper if he wanted.
Honestly, probably retirement/speeches. Or he will be of counsel.
This is interesting. As recently as last week he was planning to continue with his practice, just from DC rather than LA. He's an entertainment lawyer, so his potential for conflicts was not particularly huge, but he is a partner at DLA Piper, which would come rife with potential conflict.
Given the way that family member work has become such a hot button issue for the right provided that you're not one of them, it's probably a smart move.
Also given how all presidential and vice presidential spouses have given up at least a large portion of their career, if any, to support the office holder, it's an interesting statement for gender roles.
Especially when Dr. Biden isn't giving up her career.
less opportunity for conflict of interest I suspect
Both he and VP-Elect Harris are still searchable on the Cal Bar website.
As much as I despise drumpf, I am getting a kick out of the people attacking him for not inviting Biden to the White House yet. Does anyone really think Biden wants to go into that Covid cesspoll right now?
Nah, Let's have a Zoom call. I'm good.
Could you imagine if trump actually did invite Biden and Biden said, let's Zoom? The right would bash Biden saying he didn't respect trump enough to go visit the White House.
pool
So I worry that we are witnessing a slow moving coup of our election by trump and the GOP. Someone tell me I’m just overreacting.
While I do think that there will be enough outcry to resist a potential GOP coup, it's still a mockery that there are all these lawsuits and investigations. I can only hope that this would turn into some much needed election reforms.
So far it's just the usual Trump bluster, and he's like 0-10 in lawsuits. I'm not worried about them actually reversing the result.
Speaking about President Trump’s and his legal team’s myriad and baseless claims of massive voter fraud, an anonymous senior Republican official offered a rhetorical shrug.
“What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time? No one seriously thinks the results will change,” the official said. “He went golfing this weekend. It’s not like he’s plotting how to prevent Joe Biden from taking power on Jan. 20. He’s tweeting about filing some lawsuits, those lawsuits will fail, then he’ll tweet some more about how the election was stolen, and then he’ll leave.”
Indeed, what’s a little undermining of democracy between friends?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/10/whats-downside-humoring-him-gop-officials-unintentionally-revealing-quote-about-trump-era/
That would be the best possible result for rank-and-file Republicans. drumpf eventually leaves while Biden is undermined before having to deal with an opposition Senate.
With the added benefit of allowing remaining GOP members of congress to save face with the Trump base. This is all a matter of calculating the politics and understanding that Trump received the second most votes in the history of the US.
And is the only one-term, impeached president that never won the popular vote.
Still a LOSER. A sore loser.
Nah, Trump is in denial, and the little flunkies that are 95% of Republicans these days are treating him like an over-tired toddler they don't want to upset.
Love how they aren't questioning the same ballots that show them winning Senators & Congress members - great conspiracy, but only for the President? That's a fail.
All the States are supposed to certify this week, yes? If shenanigans are still ongoing after that then I'll start to worry. The sheer level of incompetence displayed to date gives me solace. On the flip side, Biden and Co. need to go for the jugular. Craftily, mind you, but vicious.
First states certified a couple of days ago, but CA doesn't certify until second week of December (and everyone else is pretty well spread in between).
Biden needs to sweep the leg. I like that Biden has been more active in making public appearances and being more presidential. He can’t just sit back, keep up the pressure.
PRO
This golf shot. 🤩
https://twitter.com/BonaguraESPN/status/1326235761465647104
Ashtyn Davis lowers the boom on Cam Newton. Sack negated by roughing the passer. Hit the shoulder, didn't lead with the crown, didn't do extra apart from having unobstructed sprinter speed at a QB who wasn't looking.
https://twitter.com/NYJets_Media/status/1326179825397141504
Clean hit, hard hit to be sure but didn't warrant "roughing the passer" call.
Yeah I didn't think so either. I think some of it was the height difference. It looked like Ashtyn came in shoulder to shoulder but when he hit he got bumped up and there was some slight helmet contact. I thought it was pretty weak, though at real time that was harder to see. I wonder if it were reviewable if the call would've changed. Although I guess the penalty was roughing the passer not unsportsmanlike conduct - helmet to helmet.
Mac Williamson suing SF Giants in an effective slip-and-fall lawsuit
https://twitter.com/hankschulman/status/1326223111109308417
Court docs: Tony La Russa cited for DUI in Feb.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30288007/chicago-white-sox-manager-tony-la-russa-charged-dui-stemming-february-arrest-court-docs-show
I know that this news has been spun as a negative for the White Sox, but they are probably doing the world a favor by employing La Russa as one would assume that he would be less likely to get a DUI if he has a high profiled job like being a MLB manager again.
He likes his drink...this was a positively dreadful hire by The Dorf.
CAL
California Cutouts. I just got an email trying to get me the cutouts for Memorial and Haas. Gonna pass on that. But I did get the Big Game Ticket Initiative for the Big Game. For $25 you get: Cal face covering, Limited Edition Under Armour T-Shirt, Commemorative Big Game Ticket for your collection, Exclusive Commemorative Big Game Poster.
I was going to take Nos 2 and 3 to the game so I may as well do this instead. Ended up getting 4 so all the boys could get one.
Go, Bears.
SJ Merc runs story about how Cal may have to play outside of Berkeley to get around city's rules.
https://twitter.com/insidetroy/status/1325852236845445120
My question is how was the Conference and/or Cal program not prepared for this potential hurdle? Berkeley did not just pass this stringent 14-day quarantine requirement the night before the player tested positive? I don't know the answer...the UW game was probably going to be nixed regardless given the late game-week timing of the positive, but to potentially lose the ASU game 10 days later despite negative tests is puzzling.
Update from Wilcox interview: they'll decide tomorrow whether or not to cancel the ASU game
https://twitter.com/AdamsonAshley/status/1326227272227942400
If it is 14 days or whatever until the all clear is sounded then I think we're screwed, unless Wilcox and the AD can "negotiate" something with the City.
The university worked with the city and conference to set up their practices. The program thought their set up would avoid the CDC's definition of "close contact" to avoid any self-quarantine or contact tracing requirements, but they were wrong.
Where would Cal practice? Oakland Coliseum or a Juco somewhere?
Laney College Golden Bears?
St. Mary's College Twists?
Please Laney; St. Mary's stopped playing years ago; I watch a game against Drake University there years ago.
BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
WTF? (email from our Chancellor)
"Dear Cal alumni and friends:
As I was preparing this letter, America was caught in a gripping state of anxiety as ballot counting continued to determine our next president. On Saturday, Joe Biden won the razor-thin race."
BULLSHIT He's gonna win by 6 million votes Carol Christ describes that as "Razor-thin"?!?!?!
It's amazing how much the order of counting votes affects people's thinking. If the mail-in ballots are all tallied before Election Day, we see Biden leading MI/WI/PA all the way, effectively tied in GA, and the whole thing is called late that night. It wouldn't feel close if it happened that way.
True, but the reality is he's gotten more votes than anyone for president ever, and is going to beat Trump by 6 million votes - this is a blow-out, not a squeaker.
He's got a chance to get 80 million votes.
This would only happen if all the votes were counted roughly the same time.
If you got a reverse count, you'd get the stress of drumpf tweeting about the closing gap and saying how everything was called prematurely.
But the thing is, it would have been called that night and not days later.
Unless they only counted mail in on election night, then waited to count in-person. But I agree otherwise.
Go Bears!
Alumna Abbey Weitzeil smashes American record in the 50 free. Stunning achievement.
https://calbears.com/news/2020/11/9/womens-swimming-diving-weitzeil-smashed-50-meter-free-american-record-again.aspx
The ISL (the newish, 2nd-year pro swimming league) events (all held in a bubble in Budapest, Hungary) are all at a rather inconvenient time. I'm on their media emailing list though, so I should probably do a W4C post on it at some point.
By the way, as great of an achievement as it was for Abbey to get the American record, that was apparently only the 4th best time in ISL this year. She's got a way to go before making/medaling in this event in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Ugghhhhhhhhh. So one of my really high potential direct reports told she she is going to grad school. Accepted into NYU Stern and has an interview with Cal tomorrow. She doesn't need the degree IMO but is young and thinks the "ROI" is too good to pass up even though she is about to get promoted and has a chance to be the centerpiece in a new area for our team. Should I be happy for her or bitter because she is young and young people are dumb as hell?
Yes
is she hot?
yes, actually
Both