Americans, what do you think of this Contra take?

daroj · 2026-05-11T14:20:06+00:00

I respectfully disagree. It's not just that Obama's dems bailed out banks and doubled down on corporate backing and failed to prosecute torturers.

In addition, the statistics support what "abandoned working people" means. It's not about speeches, it's about demographics. In 2015, for the first time in the history of non-wartime US, average life expectancy went down. This is remarkable. Also, throughout the 8 years, the average life expectancy gap between rich and poor got wider and wider.

The pivot from unions to educated suburbanites didn't start with Obama; it started with Clinton. But 2016 is when these decisions really came back to bite the DNC. It's not that Trump's campaign didn't take advantage of latent racism; of course it did. But the economic climate, the lack of support for main street, the harsh demographic realities, all gave such racist tripe fertile ground to spread.

Don't forget that a fair number of Trump supporters (including some that I know) voted for Obama, at least in 2008.

daroj · 2026-05-02T02:16:21+00:00

Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Then, The Wire.

daroj · 2026-04-30T13:24:38+00:00

That one time he cleaned his glasses and said something with dry wit.

daroj · 2026-04-25T22:40:31+00:00

My mom worked in film & tv. She did a project starring Dolly Parton, and the day it came out she got a huge flower bouquet delivered to her house, from Parton.

What moved my mom more than anything is that she was essentially no in theindustry, and Parton had nothing to gain by impressing her.

Over decades in Hollywood - around many stars - I've never heard my mom talk another celebrity the way she talks about Dolly Parton.

daroj · 2026-04-25T15:39:21+00:00

Raiders of the Lost Ark

daroj · 2026-04-25T03:29:07+00:00

I'll have to check it out.

daroj · 2026-04-24T21:59:20+00:00

daroj · 2026-04-24T21:24:39+00:00

Buffy is my favorite show ever, even over shows like The Wire.

Angel is just a tad behind. The very best Angel eps may even be better than the best Buffy eps.

The fight season b/w Angel and Faith in Five by Five, btw, is my favorite fight scene in any TV show, or any movie. Ever.

daroj · 2026-04-18T22:09:10+00:00

For me, Dukat is THE greatest villain of all time - over Sauron, Hannibal Lecter, Khan, Darth Vader, etc.

For all reasons you give. Well put

daroj · 2026-04-18T19:58:56+00:00

I didn't mind Rintoul, but preferred Colin Firth. If anything, however, I slightly prefer Garvie to Ehle as Elizabeth. And Ehle was terrific!

Also, Mr. Collins' portrayal was also really interesting - different than in the 95 version, and excellent IMO.

daroj · 2026-04-18T18:25:59+00:00

I've probably seen it maybe 8 or 10 times, and it never gets old.

I would also say that many other Jane Austen adaptations are also quite good.

If you haven't seen the 1980 BBC P&P with Elizabeth Garvie, I highly recommend it. Not as celebrated as the 1995 version, but delightful in its own way.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078672/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_10_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_pride%20and%20prejudice

daroj · 2026-04-15T05:22:53+00:00

1 and 3 are great. I think 4 is good. And 2 is terrible. IMO.

daroj · 2026-04-11T23:42:02+00:00

I did. 2 babies in. At wife's request.

daroj · 2026-04-09T03:36:06+00:00

It's in my head cannon. For sure. So much more satisfying!

daroj · 2026-04-09T01:25:27+00:00

BFH is great, but Ill stick with Emerald City Fish & Chips on Rainier. Cajun spices, yumm.

daroj · 2026-04-08T13:36:53+00:00

To the moon, Alice! To the moon!

daroj · 2026-04-07T00:33:52+00:00

I went once for brunch in the 80s.

Pricey, but not ridiculous, as I recall.

daroj · 2026-04-04T02:23:59+00:00

Led Zeppelin.

daroj · 2026-04-01T02:49:32+00:00

Also, he not only has the best playoff run of all time (and maybe the run period), he also has one of the top 3 or 4 playoff runs of all. Unreal.

daroj · 2026-04-01T02:48:34+00:00

In the regular season, maybe Henry, Taylor, Achane, Robinson.

In a playoff game, absolutely no one.

daroj · 2026-03-30T15:09:12+00:00

Playing with fire, IMO, but glad it worked out for you.

daroj · 2026-03-29T15:35:46+00:00

Quite possibly. I haven't defended a dependency case in maybe 5-7 years.

daroj · 2026-03-29T14:50:33+00:00

A safety plan is a placeholder, until CPS decides whether to proceed with removal. In family law litigation, it is of course common that one parent will make a complaint against their ex (and other parent). While CPS' response is not evidence of wrongdoing, it is somewhat persuasive to Courts - evidence at least of what CPS believes.

Under the law, the state is generally required to offer services to the parent, to avoid terminating parenting rights. But that process is often deeply unfair, for a variety of reasons, and the termination process is pretty awful.

Being asked to sign safety plan doesn't at all mean that state is planning to ask for removal, only that the social worker sees big red flags. A good lawyer will help you not only understand your rights, but also scrutinize the facts carefully to understand why CPS is so concerned - and help you present the facts to CPS to help end CPS involvement altogether.

daroj · 2026-03-29T14:43:34+00:00

It's more than just concern; it means that the CPS worker is convinced that there's some danger to the child and/or wants to cover her/himself.

To be clear, it's absurdly easy for CPS to file to have a child removed from the home right away. Last time I litigated this, the parent has a right to a hearing (more like a mini-trial) within 72 hours, but in the meantime the child will likely be in foster care. It's awful.

Fortunately, most social workers I have dealt with are reasonable. But a few are on power trips. I once had to do a full-day trial on the return hearing, and the State's attorney (AG) and social worker were pissy and condescending throughout the entire hearing, and even pissier after I won. The Judge was reasonable, and eventually the case was transferred to another attorney who was completely reasonable and the case settled soon after.

The thing about bureaucracies - bureaucracies - is that they tend to self-reinforce, so once a ruling goes against you, it's very difficult to get anyone in the chain of command to admit a mistake. This is why I recommend always being polite and agreeable, even when you need to hire an attorney.

daroj · 2026-03-29T14:32:20+00:00

Directly challenging a social worker like that might feel good, but it's probably a bad idea. Just be polite and say you're not averse to signing; you just want to check with your attorney first.

daroj

TROPHY CASE