DramatistDreamer

Speaking of media not spending time reporting on certain issues, imo it's downright odd that there are all these forums that are not being reported about in the news. I had no idea Democracy Now had hosted a town hall. If it weren't for this exchange between Amy Goodman and Elizabeth Warren, I might have never known. FWIW, I do think that the question is a valid one because we know that for some candidates, New Hampshire and Iowa have been made out to be "make or break", while another candidate is skipping both altogether. Warren's reaction to the question, though, was not very good.

I agree with this. I'm not trying to be dismissive of Berrettini but Novak demonstrated how many holes there are in his game just by switching up the pace of his shots and refusing to trade FH strokes from the baseline. I agree about Monfils, who, despite his posturing, let nervousness and an unfamiliar opponent get the better of him in NYC. Today, I did hear some tennis fans on twitter request Monfils to be subbed in, in place of Berrettini, LOL. No such luck because if anyone withdraws, we're going to get Bautista-Agut. No thanks, lol. Novak's team prepared him well to play Berrettini, who was a bit nervous and uncomfortable and never got a foothold in the match, mainly because Djokovic wouldn't let him. Anyone who wants to beat Berrettini going forward needs to watch that match, Novak provided a very clear primer on how to beat Berrettini. Don't give Matteo a clean, flat, hard-hit ball because he feasts off it. Add variety to the choice of shots and mix up the pace. Don't allow Matteo to camp on the baseline and trade forehand shots. Also, exploit his dodgy volleys.

Watching this Djokovic/Berrettini match and has Matteo's return always been this bad? Novak curled in a meatball second serve and Matteo swatted at it and dumped the return in the bottom of the net. Even Novak was like "welp", lol.

I remember that match. Fortunately for Monfils, that seemed to motivate him to return the favor the next time they played.

Something that not enough people are paying attention to--how the Asian/Asia-American communities are voting.

Every few years, it seems that talk turns to how divided people still are, not really in terms of politics but in mindset between people who lived in the East and people who lived in the West. I remember a few years ago, there were stories of some Germans who were born, raised and still live in the East saying that they felt as if the resources had not been equally apportioned to bring up the standards in the East, while some in the West complained that they felt that an unequal amount of their tax dollars were being spent to bring up living standards in the East. I wonder if people feel that things have since been balanced, in terms of where the money toward resources go.

Bloomberg plans to skip Iowa and New Hampshire, yet I have yet to hear anyone claim that his campaign is in trouble.

My Portuguese is not great but it seems as though in his speech of stated "thank yous" Lula didn't mention Rousseff, odd since she was his protege and handpicked successor. I wonder what that's about. Since her impeachment, it seems as if she may have been all but exiled from Brazilian politics, which is a cesspool but Argentina is not that much better. FWIW, in her statement, she proclaimed that she always believed in Lula's innocence. EDT: So, according to Brazilian law, Lula is not allowed to run for president for eight years after he was sentenced but he's not barred from political activity so, just as he mentored Dilma, I expect he'll be playing political king/queenmaker in Brazilian politics. He's still by far, more popular than Bolsonaro will ever be.

Obama ran after two and a half years into being a U.S. Senator, which probably did annoy some people (especially many HRC supporters) but I think Harry Reid did have a point when he pointed out that longer you stay in government, the harder it becomes to run for president because your record will likely be held against you. I do agree that the KHIVE folks can be like the Beyhive in swarming folks. OTOH, I can't help but feel that it's somewhat due to their agitating the issue of her erasure from this race, that she's getting a bit more press these days. But I've been saying this time and again and I really do believe this, it's so early. Yesterday, I realized that the Iowa caucases don't even begin until February. IMO, It's insane that people are talking as if these things are starting tomorrow. People are talking as if it's too late for some to course correct, while others (*coughs* Bloomberg) feel as if they have plenty of time to get in the race. After 2016 when many thought they had the presidential race all figured out, I am definitely not going to make any judgements. It's way too early.

Well, I hear Muguruza is coachless these days so... @ChitHappens Have you seen this thread? It's still going on, lol.

It would be to the surprise of no one if Lula were to run again.

I'm still unsure as to whether this may be some type of Photoshop or something.

Honestly, I think it's a matter of priorities. The ATP invested heavily in China, even though the number of Chinese ATP players in the Top 100 was and continues to be negligible. It's pretty obvious why. As for ROI in Latin America and Africa, remember that the ATP has a whole entire Latin/South American swing during the spring and it's usually very well attended, I'd say attendance is consistently better than the tournaments in China (with the possible exception of the later rounds in the Shanghai Masters). I'm not sure why the lone ATP tournament in South Africa was disposed of but when the Williams Sisters did their mini-tour in South Africa, they were wildly successful, but then again, both Williams Sisters have pretty much been beyond tennis for a few years now. Seeing clips floating all over SM of Venus co-hosting the 3rd hour of the Today Show pretty much tells me so. The ATP/WTA are not so much about "growing the game" anymore as they are about the cash grab. China/Europe, (China especially) and parts of the Middle East --those places provide the quick cash. If KSA weren't so tainted right now, I'm sure they'd want to have a tournament there too.

@Gray BunnyNo offense, but you should really be asking a Black woman that question of whether Black woman are responding to Harris. I don't expect most people to know the answer to that question because frankly, the media seems indifferent to reporting on this, though black women have been proven to be the most consistently reliable voter among the Democratic base. Like Obama, a lot of black women are wary of whether the overall Democratic party would vote for her but this may give some indication of how Harris is being received.

Thanks for the reminder. I had forgotten about this. The majority of the players in the Top 10 are European, which is likely why the event will remain in Europe for the foreseeable future. The only way the event moves to Latin America is if there are more Latin American players in the Top 10. Monfils is the only black player in the Top 10 so unless, there is a surge of African/African descended players in the Top 15 (diversity matters), South Africa is a long shot.

Time for the ATP to find a new destination for these Finals, London is not even trying anymore. Stale.

I kind of like the look of these ATWT promos that used to run during GL in 1993. I'm not sure how many people have seen this one with a pre-Y&R Sharon Case as Debbie Simon. I'm not even sure I remember seeing this one. Seems pretty rare.

Same.

Elizabeth Warren has these billionaires coming out of the woodwork to try to fight her on Medicare 4 All. I may have to tune out this campaign until the primaries begin in earnest in the wintertime, some of these discussions feel like they are wasting my time and energy. A possible Bloomberg candidacy feels like a vanity run.

ICYMI

Geez, this dude is dirty!

This has been an ongoing case. It seems like I've been reading about this, on and off, for about a year now.

Oh. my.

Oops, was in such a rush today that I didn't even click on that link. My bad @DRW50! Perhaps this may only come as a surprise to the Bernie Bros but this will hardly surprise anyone else that Pressley is endorsing fellow Massachusetts politician, Elizabeth Warren.

Anybody remember this woman? I do, lol.