Greg Sargent: Democrats are taking a big impeachment risk. It's not what you think. (Washington Post)
House Democrats appear to be coalescing behind a strategy of narrowly focusing their impeachment inquiry on the latest explosive revelations involving President Trump's corrupt pressure on the Ukrainian president to interfere in a U.S. election on his behalf. But, while there may be benefits to a sharply focused impeachment inquiry, there's a hidden risk to this strategy: It could paradoxically weaken House Democrats' legal hand in court on other oversight matters involving corruption and abuses of power by Trump that are just as consequential.
Catherine Rampell: What drives Donald Trump? Greed, and greed alone. (Washington Post)
There's a common thread that stretches forward from Donald Trump's financial scandals of the 1980s to his damning phone call with the president of Ukraine. It's the self-dealing. Wherever he was, whatever his title, the president has used the powers at his disposal to enrich or otherwise benefit himself, regardless of what law, fiduciary duty or oath of office bound him to do.
E.J. Dionne, Jr.: Democrats had no idea Trump would hand them so much ammo (Washington Post)
We now know the truth: President Trump asked the leader of Ukraine to investigate the man who was widely seen as his strongest potential opponent during a phone call in which he noted that "we do a lot for Ukraine." He threw an invite for a White House visit into the bargain. Let's say this as simply and clearly as possible. Trump was using the inducement of U.S. taxpayer dollars to get a foreign power to intervene in our politics on his behalf.
One of my favorite films, and Robert Altman's personal favorite of the films he directed, it was also the first feature film to be shot inside the Astrodome. What is this title of this fairly obscure, but delightful, little gem?
The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. Construction on the stadium began in 1962, and it officially opened in 1965. It served as home to the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB) from its opening in 1965 until 1999, and the home to the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 until 1996, and also the part-time home of the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1971 until 1975. Additionally, the Astrodome was the primary venue of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo from 1966 until 2002. When opened, it was named the Harris County Domed Stadium and was nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World".
After the original natural grass playing surface died, the Astrodome became the first major sports venue to install artificial turf, which became known as AstroTurf. In another technological first, the Astrodome featured the "Astrolite", which was the first animated scoreboard. The Astrodome was renovated in 1988, expanding seating and altering many original features.
By the 1990s, the Astrodome was becoming obsolete. Unable to secure a new stadium, Oilers owner Bud Adams moved the team to Tennessee after the 1996 season, where they eventually became the Tennessee Titans. The Astros played at the dome through the 1999 season, before relocating to Enron Field (later changed to Minute Maid Park) in 2000, while the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo continued to be held at the Astrodome until the opening of the adjacent NRG Stadium in 2002. Although it no longer had any primary tenants, the venue regularly hosted events during the early 2000s, and in 2005, was used as a shelter for residents of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Astrodome was declared non-compliant with fire code by the Houston Fire Department in 2008 and parts of it were demolished in 2013 after several years of disuse. In 2014 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Source
Mark. was first, and correct, with:
Houston Astrodome.
Randall wrote:
the Astrodome
Cal in Vermont said:
The late Houston Astrodome.
Alan J answered:
The Astro Dome.
Mac Mac replied:
Astrodome
Stephen F responded:
The Astrodome.
Dave wrote:
Houston Astrodome. Opened in 1965, the Astrodome was at times the home ballpark for MLB's Houston Astros , the home field for the NFL's Houston Oilers, and home court for the NBA's Houston Rockets. Years ago all those professional teams left for other venues but the Astrodome still stands, although it was declared a fire hazard and sits empty and mostly unused. Multi-purpose stadiums have fallen out of favor because converting between sports is both expensive and not fan friendly because of the distance between the seats and the field. Especially so because a basketball court is so tiny when stuck in the middle of a football field.
Photos: the decaying stadium | Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan had to wear the ugliest uniform in US professional sports. Ryan played for a remarkable 27 years and is the all time MLB leader in strike outs (5,714) and walks (2794), both by significant margins. And the number of walks is not inflated by hit batters, and Ryan was notorious for intentionally plunking batters who hit a homer off him the previous at bat. To add insult to injury, aggrieved hit batters who charged the mound discovered that Nolan Ryan was a tough guy who was handy with his fists. Ryan also leads the all time list with 7 no-hitters.
zorch said:
The Houston Astrodome, finished in 1965
Jim from CA, retired to ID, answered:
Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas.
Roy, the Proud Libtard in Tyler, TX replied:
The Houston Astrodome was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. Construction on the stadium began in 1962, and it officially opened in 1965.
Rosemary in Columbus responded:
Houston Astrodome
Daniel in The City said:
Houston Astrodome
Kevin K. in Washington, DC, wrote:
Houston, we have an astrodome
That's the Houston Astrodome.
Joe S answered:
The Huston Astrodome. In Texas for crisake. What were they protecting the players from? Sand storm? I remember a Vikings game where it was snowing so hard it was nearly impossible to see the game on TV. I think Joe Kapp was the quarterback and he was throwing passes. And the receivers were catching a lot of them. That was the way football was meant to be played. In the rain, in the snow, in the mud, yes even in dry weather.
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BttbBob has returned to semi-retired status.
~~~~~
• When punk came to Los Angeles, the bands needed a place to play. Because punk was so different - and sometimes violent - finding a place to play could be difficult. A man named Brendan Mullen got drunk and stumbled down some steps and found a place that resembled an underground cavern. For a while, punk bands played shows at the newly named Masque. But due to problems with things such as bringing the space up to city code, that did not last long. Another place they found to play in was a pseudo-Polynesian restaurant/bar owned by Madame Wong in Chinatown. A few shows were held there, but a show with the Bags turned into a disaster, with punk fans turning over tables and chairs. Madame Wong decided to keep on having punk shows there, but without punk bands such as the Bags that had female musicians. Apparently, she reasoned that the female musicians drive punk fans wild, causing them to be destructive. Fortunately, any band that was banned by Madame Wong was able to go to the Hong Kong Cafe and play. The bands that had been banned were able to enjoy revenge. Someone left a tape for Madame Wong, and when she played it on her sound system, a voice screamed that all real punks should go to the Hong Kong Cafe and hear some "real music." The punks left. Another case of revenge occurred in San Francisco when someone kept a punk group called the Nuns from opening for Blondie, featuring Debbie Harry. The Nuns gave a free show at the same time Blondie was performing, reducing the number of fans at the Blondie concert. By the way, although hardcore punk bands can be frightening, often the punk musicians are dedicated to their music. Joe Dirt, the drummer for the F**k-Ups (a band that did not use asterisks in its name), wanted the group to put out a record, but the band had no contract with a record company and it had no money. Mr. Dirt got a job as a subject in a two-months'-long medical experiment and used the money he earned to fund the record.
• In the late 1970s, the punk group Crass had a good response to people who would say, "That lot think the world owes them a living." In this day of big bank bailouts, big automobile company bailouts, and big business using its big money to move American jobs overseas, Crass' response to the DTOUAL question - Do They Owe Us A Living? - is very relevant: "OF COURSE THEY F**KING DO." Punk critic Steven Wells is very aware that music by Crass is basically unlistenable, but he respects their ideas and realizes that Crass was very influential. One thing that Crass did was to produce Do It Yourself records that included their own booklets that were filled with information about smashing the system that was trying to bring you down. A cartoon once showed a punk buying a Crass record, throwing the record away, then eagerly reading the booklet that came with the record. (Mr. Wells quotes a critic who described Crass' music as reminiscent of "two lathes buggering each other on an elevator in an aircraft hangar.")
• C.J. Ramone (Christopher Joseph Ward) took over on bass after Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Colvin) left the Ramones. As a youth, he started out playing the drums, but he says that he ran into a problem: "When I was young, I played drums, but they must have been too noisy because I came home one day and they were gone." Another Ramones drummer was Marky Ramone (Marc Bell), who says, "I've always drummed in their style - steady and hard-hitting - but it was difficult working myself up to the speed. There are three speeds in the Ramones: fast, pretty fast, and very fast." The Ramones' first album - which was self-titled - is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rock albums ever, but some critics - of course - did not like it. Stephen Ford referred to their speed when he wrote in the Detroit News, "They don't waste their time - they waste yours."
• Punk rockers and their predecessors have done many strange things. Iggy and the Stooges once put water in a blender, turned it on, put a microphone over it, and broadcast the sound for 15 minutes before beginning their normal set. Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols looked the part of a punk rocker and had the image, but he could not play his bass guitar well - not even well enough to play punk music, which was famously amateurish. Steve Jones usually played the bass parts that appeared on recordings. During live shows, the Sex Pistols sometimes did not even turn on the amp for Mr. Vicious' bass.
The older cats are still standoff-ish with the kittens but they sure like that kitten chow.
Tonight, Tuesday:
CBS begins the night with a FRESH'NCIS', followed by a FRESH'FBI', then a FRESH'NCIS: The 3rd One'.
Scheduled on a FRESHStephen Colbert are Rachel Maddow and Thom Yorke.
Scheduled on a FRESHJames Corden, OBE, are Michelle Pfeiffer, Chiwetel Ejiofor, George Salazar, and Mj Rodriguez.
NBC starts the night with a FRESH'The Voice', followed by a FRESH'This Is Us', then a FRESH'New Amsterdam'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon are Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chris Colfer, and the Broadway cast of "Freestyle Love Supreme".
Scheduled on a FRESHSeth Meyers are Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Gary Gulman, and Roy Mayorga.
Scheduled on a FRESHLilly Singh are Tegan & Sara and Alexandra Shipp.
ABC begins the night with a FRESH'The Conners', followed by a FRESH'Bless This Mess', then a FRESH'mixed-ish', followed by a FRESH'black-ish', then a FRESH'Emergence'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Joaquin Phoenix, Elizabeth Olsen, and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.
The CW offers a FRESH'Pandora', followed by another FRESH'Pandora'.
Faux has a FRESH'The Resident', followed by a FRESH'Empire'.
MY recycles an old 'Chicago PD', followed by another old 'Chicago PD'.
AMC offers the movie 'Death Race', followed by the movie 'Independence Day'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 1-Whither Canada?
[6:15AM] MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 5-Man's Crisis of Identity in the Latter Half of the Twentieth Century
[6:30AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 16-Prey
[7:30AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 17-Retrospect
[8:30AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 18-The Killing Game, Pt. 1
[9:30AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 19-The Killing Game, Pt. 2
[10:30AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 20-Vis a Vis
[11:30AM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 21-The Omega Directive
[12:30PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 22-Unforgettable
[1:30PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 23-Living Witness
[2:30PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 24-Demon
[3:30PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 25-One
[4:30PM] STAR TREK: VOYAGER - SEASON 4 - EPISODE 26-Hope and Fear
[5:30PM] MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996)
[8:00PM] APOCALYPTO (2006)
[11:00PM] APOCALYPTO (2006)
[2:00AM] MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996)
[4:30AM] DOCTOR WHO - SEASON 8 - EPISODE 1-Deep Breath (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of OC', another 'Real Housewives Of OC', followed by a FRESH'Real Housewives Of OC', then a FRESH'In A Man's World'.
Comedy Central has 2 hours of old 'The Office', an hour old old 'Tosh.0', followed by a FRESH'Tosh.0', then a FRESH'The Jim Jefferies Show'.
Scheduled on a FRESHThe Daily Show is Anand Giridharadas.
Scheduled on a FRESHLights Out with David Spade are Tony Rock, Patton Oswalt, and Lauren Sivan.
FX has the movie 'The Hangover III', followed by the movie 'Deadpool', then a FRESH'Mayans MC'.
History has 'Ancient Aliens', followed by a FRESH'Ancient Aliens: Alien Invasion Edition', the a FRESH'UFOs: Top Secret Alien Files'.
IFC -
[6:00A] The Three Stooges - A Bird in the Head
[6:25A] The Three Stooges - A-Ducking They Did Go
[6:50A] The Three Stooges - All Gummed Up
[7:15A] Flashdance
[9:15A] Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation
[11:15A] Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise
[1:15P] Revenge of the Nerds
[3:15P] The Breakfast Club
[5:30P] Hall Pass
[8:00P] Knocked Up
[11:00P] I Love You, Man
[1:30A] Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation
[3:30A] Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love
[5:30A] Pee-wee's Playhouse - Ice Cream Soup (ALL TIMES EDT)
Sundance -
[6:00am] M*A*S*H
[6:30am] M*A*S*H
[7:00am] M*A*S*H
[7:30am] M*A*S*H
[8:00am] M*A*S*H
[8:30am] M*A*S*H
[9:00am] M*A*S*H
[9:30am] M*A*S*H
[10:00am] M*A*S*H
[10:30am] M*A*S*H
[11:00am] The Karate Kid Part III
[1:30pm] Rudy
[4:00pm] Law & Order
[5:00pm] Law & Order
[6:00pm] Law & Order
[7:00pm] Law & Order
[8:00pm] Law & Order
[9:00pm] Law & Order
[10:00pm] Law & Order
[11:00pm] Law & Order
[12:00am] Law & Order
[1:00am] Sleepy Hollow
[3:30am] Sleepwalkers
[5:30am] The Andy Griffith Show (ALL TIMES EDT)
SyFy has the movie 'Jeepers Creepers II', followed by the movie 'Jeepers Creepers 3'.
TBS:
On a RERUNConan (from 8/19/19) is Gerard Butler.
Jerry Seinfeld has emerged the winner of a legal battle with a former collaborator who claims that he came up with the original idea for "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee."
U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan ruled on Monday to dismiss Christian Charles' suit on grounds that it exceeded the three-year statute of limitations for civil copyright suits.
"Because Charles was on notice that his ownership claim had been repudiated since at least 2012, his infringement claim is time-barred. His joint authorship claim is also time-barred for the same reasons," Nathan wrote in the filing obtained by TheWrap.
According to Charles' complaint, the idea for "Comedians in Cars" originally came about during a collaboration he had with Seinfeld in the early 2000s. Charles says that he pitched Seinfeld an idea for a show about two friends "talking and driving," years ago, but that Seinfeld declined it at the time. Then, in 2011, Charles says that Seinfeld told him about plans for a project about "comedians driving in a car to a coffee place and just 'chatting.'"
Though Charles was at one point attached to "Comedians in Cars," which debuted on Crackle in 2012, he ultimately left the project due to a dispute over whether he would be a "work-for-hire" director, as Seinfeld wanted, or whether he would get "compensation and backend involvement" as Charles requested.
BBC director general Tony Hall has stepped in to reverse the company's decision to reprimand a presenter over comments she made about Donald Trump following a five-day-long backlash against the UK broadcaster.
In a move the BBC hopes will calm a story that has been raging in the British press, Hall said he personally reviewed the complaint about BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty and found there was no case to answer.
In an email to staff late Monday in London, Hall said: "In this instance, I don't think Naga's words were sufficient to merit a partial uphold of the complaint around the comments she made.
During a July broadcast of BBC Breakfast, Munchetty took issue with a now-infamous Trump tweet, in which he called on U.S. congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib to "go back to the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."
Asked on air how she felt about the tweet, she said: "Absolutely furious and I can imagine lots of people in this country will be feeling absolutely furious a man in that position thinks it's OK to skirt the lines by using language like that."
Barely a year after celebrating her first kiss, wartime Jewish teenager Renia Spiegel took to her diary in June 1942 to pray for her life.
The Nazi Germans had just killed all the Jews in one district of her southern Polish town of Przemysl, requiring many to dig their own graves.
A month and a half later, the 18-year-old's boyfriend Zygmunt Schwarzer, who although Jewish too had a work permit saving him from immediate deportation, hid her and his parents in an attic outside the Jewish ghetto.
But an informant gave them away.
The diary survived and now, after nearly 80 years including decades in a bank vault, it will be published around the world.
Stacey Dash was reportedly arrested and charged with domestic battery on Sunday night after an alleged altercation with her husband.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office told ABC Action News station WFTS that the Clueless star, 52, and the alleged victim - believed to be Jeffrey Marty - got into a verbal argument at around 7:45pm at an apartment in New Port Richey before she allegedly pushed and slapped him in the face.
According to WFTS, Dash's arrest report has deputies noting that "the victim sustained red scratch marks to his left upper arm from being pushed." Dash was taken into custody, as the marks were reportedly evident upon arrival. TMZ reports she is currently being held on $500 bail. Local authorities typically hold people for a 24-hour cooling-off period.
Body cam video obtained by WFLA from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office showed Dash complying during her arrest. When asked by the arresting officer what she did for work she replied, "I'm an actress. ... I did a film called Clueless." She told the officer she was "taking a break" from acting. "I did politics for a while. I was a Fox News contributor."
Dash, a vocal supporter of President Trump, met Marty around the time she decided to withdraw from California's congressional race. The pair secretly wed in April 2018 - just 10 days after they first met. This is Dash's fourth marriage.
Congress is closer to approving a contentious wild horse initiative backed by national animal welfare groups and the livestock industry but condemned by leaders of the largest and oldest coalition of mustang advocates in the West.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $35 million last week for the program supported by an unprecedented alliance including the Humane Society of the United States, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, National Cattlemen's Beef Association and American Farm Bureau Federation.
They say it would eliminate the threat of slaughter for thousands of free-roaming horses and shrink the size of herds primarily through expanded fertility controls on the range.
Critics say it drops long-held opposition to the capture of mustangs across 10 western states and could allow for sterilization of mares - a hot-button issue with horse protection advocates historically.
Backers of the bill approved by the Senate panel said it provides added assurances the horses will be treated humanely. They had sought a $50 million increase in the BLM's $80 million annual horse budget, arguing any boost in spending on contraception and other population controls ultimately will save money as herds shrink.
Celebrities joined Last Week Tonight With John Oliver to create a PSA against corrupt compounding pharmacies. Unlike traditional drug manufacturers and pharmacies, the FDA does not have complete oversight over compounding pharmacies, which mix small prescription drugs.
The lack of oversight has led to several deaths as well as fraudulent claims that have cost the Department of Defense over $2 billion a year.
One particular company by the name of NECC, New England Compounding Center, claimed to sell fake prescription to celebrities and famous characters. John Oliver said, "They also filled prescriptions with names -- and this is real -- like Jimmy Kimmel, David Schwimmer, Michael Bolton, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), Rupaul, and Method Man."
Oliver was able to get the aforementioned celebrities to tape a message to the compounded drug industry. In the message, they ask the pharmacies to not use their names while committing crimes.
Despite the corruption, compounding pharmacies do play a vital role in providing medicine to patients. And as we learned in the PSA, they are also used to help with Michael Bolton's parrot.
Hundreds of hotels in Spain are facing imminent closure over the collapse of British travel giant Thomas Cook, the head of the Spanish hotel federation warned on Monday.
"There are 500 hotels which are going to close immediately due to the collapse of Thomas Cook and the situation could get worse if the government doesn't take immediate action," Juan Molas, head of Spain's Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation, told business daily Cinco Dias.
And the sum in unpaid bills left by the demise of the tour operator would be much higher than the initial estimate of 200 million euros ($220 million), said Molas, whose organisation represents 15,000 businesses.
"It will be much more. The amount for only eight chains is close to 100 million."
Of those hotels facing immediate closure, 100 were exclusively dependent on Thomas Cook, he said, while the rest counted on the firm for between 30 and 70 percent of their clients.
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