Homeland is back tonight, the Good Wife is not.
Our last open thread is full, here's a new one. All topics welcome.

Our open threads have been filling up much more quickly the past few weeks. They close automatically at 200 comments. So please don't be a blog-clogger. No one should have 20 or more comments in a single thread. And there's no need to take up a comment space just to say "wow" or "me too." Comments are for your thoughts and observations. An open thread just means you get to pick the topic you want to write about. Whether it's politics, what you cooked for dinner, TV, your pet, it's all fine.

As always, no name-calling (including calling others "trolls") and no personal attacks or profanity. TalkLeft welcomes all points of view. No one is a "troll" because they don't share your (or my) viewpoint. On the other hand, repetitive chatter -- making the same point over and over is objectionable, and those commenters will be limited to the number of times they can comment in a particular thread. If you want to have an extended conversation with a single commenter, please find another site for that. Open threads are not for extensive personal banter between two people. [More...]

Four days to set up a brand new computer is a record for me. I've had so many battles with tech support at various companies I feel like I've been through a war zone.

After the hardware issues (most of which resulted from poor or inaccurate setup instructions), there are the software licensing issues when trying to re-install your programs on a new computer, particularly with Adobe (Acrobat Professional and Photoshop) Microsoft Office and Corel Wordperfect. I was lucky this time, and didn't have to buy new versions of any of them.

I have a few more installations to go (scanner, fax machine, labeling and postage machine) after which I will take all the boxes and my old computer out to my storage unit and hopefully be done by tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's a new open thread, all topics welcome.

I'm still setting up my new computer. I'm just about ready to turn it on for the first time.

Our last open thread is full, here's a new one. All topics welcome.

I've been trying to set up a new computer and router for hours. I probably won't get done until very late. Our last open thread is overflowing, here's a new one, all topics welcome.

Our last open thread is full. Here's a new one, all topics welcome.

Here's a new open thread, all topics welcome.

President Obama is holding a public forum on Ferguson protests.

Black Friday sales fizzled, will Cyber Monday be better?

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

I'll be back to blogging soon, just not quite yet. Our last open thread is full. Here's a new one, all topics welcome.

Showtime's Homeland is back in its element. After a shaky start this season, it slowly got back on track, and the last two episodes were Homeland at it's best.

Separated at birth: One of the two guys above is Saddam Jamal, a terrorist in real life, now with ISIS, and the other, Numan Acar, plays one on Homeland. I think they look a lot alike. If you haven't been watching Homeland, which one do you think is the real terrorist?

In the news department, the court administrator of the St. Louis Circuit County Court has issued a statement contradicting news reports that the Judge has agreed to consider releasing the Wilson/Brown grand jury records if no Indictment is returned. She hasn't even considered it. The letter is here.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

JFK was assassinated today in 1963. I just tuned into a CNN special and saw Lee Harvey Oswald get arrested, and then shot. They cut to interviews of passersby. "That wasn't right. He deserved a fair trial," said the first one. The second one echoed the same sentiments.

Amazing how many people forget or intentionally disregard that bedrock principle of our criminal justice system. The latest victim: Bill Cosby. I won't dignify the accusations against him by repeating them. I will report that he got a standing ovation in Florida last night.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

More court today (and now Monday and Tuesday as well) and jail visits. I wish I could recoup the hours I spent after court this week at the Apple store (that "new" phone they gave me 3 months ago stopped working. I'm now on my third iPhone 5s) and on the phone with Comcast (the "hunt" feature and caller ID on my phone lines stopped working, and my cable bill jumped $50). All fixed now though.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Here's a new open thread, all topics welcome.