I'm thinking about buying something very expensive. Maybe an antelope.

Anya ,'Get It Done'


Natter 71: Someone is wrong on the Internet  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


Volans - Nov 11, 2012 9:45:51 am PST #432 of 30001
move out and draw fire

On a totally other topic, has anyone here used TaskRabbit, or is anyone a TaskRabbit? Thoughts? I'm thinking about posting for help wi craigslisting stuff.


Stephanie - Nov 11, 2012 9:47:06 am PST #433 of 30001
Trust my rage

I know we don't have facts, but I thought it was Broadwell who sent threatening emails to the other woman from Petreaus' account? Or something like that?

I don't really get why he resigned either. I read somewhere that he was doing well at the CIA and better than one might expect of a general. I mean, was sending emails dumb, sure, but why did he have to resign?


Jesse - Nov 11, 2012 9:48:42 am PST #434 of 30001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

Did she do a lot of overly wide craxyeyes?


DavidS - Nov 11, 2012 9:54:33 am PST #435 of 30001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

On a totally other topic, has anyone here used TaskRabbit, or is anyone a TaskRabbit?

Javachick has used it and liked it.

I want to know who the other other woman was in the P4 scandal. She had to be somebody pretty high up that she warranted and FBI investigation over harassing email.


Laura - Nov 11, 2012 9:57:38 am PST #436 of 30001
Our wings are not tired.

I don't really get why he resigned either. I read somewhere that he was doing well at the CIA and better than one might expect of a general. I mean, was sending emails dumb, sure, but why did he have to resign?

That seems to be a big part of the discussion too. A lot of people are saying there is nothing there (that we know of) that necessitated resigning. He certainly seemed respected and valued by all. My completely naive and uninformed opinion that it is just a part of his personal character that he had to resign because he screwed up and that was the price to be paid.

It is a fascinating thing to watch, but I do feel very bad for the innocent parties.


le nubian - Nov 11, 2012 10:03:09 am PST #437 of 30001
"And to be clear, I am the hell. And the high water."

I want to know who the other other woman was in the P4 scandal. She had to be somebody pretty high up that she warranted and FBI investigation over harassing email.

She was a State Department liaison to the military.


le nubian - Nov 11, 2012 10:04:27 am PST #438 of 30001
"And to be clear, I am the hell. And the high water."

BTW, I am not sure the FBI investigation is because the woman is "high up", I think it was because P4 was implicated in the email. FBI is the body who investigates CIA problems. I think there was thought P4's account was hacked or someone was going to threaten him.


DavidS - Nov 11, 2012 10:07:49 am PST #439 of 30001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

Patraeus had to resign because he exposed himself to blackmail by (a) having an affair; and (b) using gmail to contact her with details of the affair.

Considering that China devotes thousands of man-hours daily to hacking, he dangerously exposed himself and compromised CIA security.


Liese S. - Nov 11, 2012 10:09:00 am PST #440 of 30001
"Faded like the lilac, he thought."

It's the same thing as why it's bad to have athletes gambling, even if it's not in their sport. Running up gambling debts exposes you to risk because it gives someone a lever that they can use against you that might coerce you to do something illegal, i.e., throw a game.

Having an affair itself probably doesn't affect your work as a spy any more than the distraction issues, but it provides a potential lever in your life where there is now vulnerability that might be applied against your professional life. I.e., blackmail, but say it wasn't by the mistress, but instead some enemy of the state got hold of the info. Could your affair be used to coerce you to give up information in your professional life? Maybe not, maybe you would never do that, but now there's at least the appearance of that, or the opportunity. It makes you vulnerable, which the head of a spy agency shouldn't be.


Steph L. - Nov 11, 2012 10:09:11 am PST #441 of 30001
the hardest to learn / was the least complicated

Totally un-Petraeus-related:

So, we just got back from the football stadium (this is relevant), where there was a traveling exhibit of all the Batmobiles (from Adam West's to the Tumblers), as part of a promotional thing since DKR comes out on DVD soon.

Because there was a football game going on (this is relevant), the Batmobiles were all out on the plaza level outside the actual stadium, so one didn't need an expensive ticket to the game to see the Batmobiles.

It was pretty damn cool. There was no one cosplaying Batman, which I found weird, but there was a Catwoman and a...wait for it...Bane. AT THE FOOTBALL STADIUM.

I know it's just fiction, but having Bane at a packed football game weirded me out just a bit. But I got a picture of him and Catwoman with the packed stadium in the background. Because how could I NOT, right?