SL 796

~ Laura

It was a busy day here dealing with the insurance adjuster, water remediation company and contractor, as we clean up the Great Poop Disaster. I spent hours tracking down replacement costs for things like a power cord for a WiiU and the cost of laundry sorter with wheels for the insurance company. And, because I’m me, I put that information on a three-page Excel chart with hyperlinks to the items on Amazon and Home Depot. That way I know exactly how much it will cost to replace the wet items (answer: $6,000).

I’m in a Sporty Spice sort of mood this week, so I’m wearing Superga sneakers with a short denim skirt.

There is a TON of information about school and college closures for fall. In fact, Rutgers just announced that there won’t be many real classes. I’ll do a whole post on this stuff tomorrow.

I think Ghislaine Maxwell won’t serve time, but she might bring down a whole lotta important people with her. I have to ask. Are all super rich people super-pervs?

Speaking of Prince Andrew, the Royal Family is having a bad day and not just because Prince Idiot. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have decided to remind everyone that the Harry’s Great Grandparents were imperialists, and all that money that they get from Harry’s dad to bankroll their lifestyle has dubious origins.

(picture: Ian helped me take apart, label, and photograph damaged items this morning.)

Published by Laura

12 thoughts on “SL 796”

  1. Laura wrote, “I think Ghislaine Maxwell won’t serve time, but she might bring down a whole lotta important people with her. I have to ask. Are all super rich people super-pervs?”

    …and/or like freebies even from super duper shady people?

    Some of the Epstein guests would have been there just as camouflage/bait for the other Epstein guests that Epstein wanted to compromise and extort. My guess is that one of the things that Epstein would have been blackmailing important people into providing was social connections and access to other important people. At some point, it just kind of snowballs.

    I give it a 25% chance that he was working for the Saudis or similar.

    https://asiatimes.com/2019/08/with-epstein-dead-saudi-links-become-a-black-hole/

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  2. Epstein liked to have cognitive scientists/neuroscientists/physicists around, and, I do believe they were there to be beards and not pervs. After all, they cost money and don’t spend it.

    I think garden variety perviness is common among rich people (in the same way that I feel about drug use). By garden variety I mean like Trump and Weinstein, the assumption that if you are rich they’ll let you grab them by the . . . .

    That’s a lot of wet stuff and I am so impressed that you built that spreadsheet.

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    1. bj said, “Epstein liked to have cognitive scientists/neuroscientists/physicists around, and, I do believe they were there to be beards and not pervs. After all, they cost money and don’t spend it.”

      He was a Visiting Fellow at Harvard at some point.

      https://www.harvard.edu/president/news/2020/report-regarding-jeffrey-epstein-s-connections-to-harvard

      “In 2005, the Chair of the Psychology Department, Dr. Stephen Kosslyn, recommended Epstein’s admission. Between 1998 and 2002, Epstein had donated $200,000 to support Dr. Kosslyn’s work. The Visiting Fellow application process does not inquire about possible conflicts of interest and the fact of Epstein’s donations was not disclosed in the paperwork submitted by Dr. Kosslyn in support of Epstein’s application. After reviewing these records, we conclude, and no one argues to the contrary, that Epstein lacked the academic qualifications Visiting Fellows typically possess and his application proposed a course of study Epstein was unqualified to pursue. Epstein’s application was, nevertheless, approved, having been supported by a department chair. Epstein paid the tuition and fees to be a Visiting Fellow and showed up for registration, but we understand he did very little to pursue his course of study. Nevertheless, he applied to be re-admitted for a second year, the 2006-2007 academic year, and was again admitted, but he withdrew from that appointment following his arrest and before the new academic year began.”

      “The third area of focus from our investigation was Epstein’s relationship with the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. As noted above, Epstein initially funded the program in 2003 with a gift of $6.5 million. Epstein maintained a relationship with the director of the PED, Professor Martin Nowak, over the next 15 years, including after Epstein’s release from prison. While we have not been able to determine the precise number of campus visits, we understand that Epstein visited the offices of PED in Harvard Square more than 40 times between 2010 and 2018. We did not find evidence that Epstein engaged with undergraduate students during these visits (or during his time as a Visiting Fellow). Instead, Epstein used these visits principally as opportunities to speak with prominent faculty from the Cambridge area, many of them Harvard faculty.”

      Awkward.

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      1. “I have to ask. Are all super rich people super-pervs?” – You do have to admire Megan Marshack for shutting the fuck up after Nelson Rockefeller died in the saddle! Whatever her deal with the family, she kept it!
        I would think rather that it’s a lot less work for those super rich people who want to perv around to do it than for a working stiff – more likely than that the super rich folks are more likely to have, shall we say, inclinations. If you can set up an apartment for your side squeeze with a velvet swing and it costs you less than a day’s income, that’s not so hard…

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  3. I had a house-reno day myself. I had a carpet company come in to do an estimate for replacing our carpet as we had to let our beloved dog go last week. Before she passed, she made sure to pee on just about every square inch of carpet in the living room. But we loved her anyway. The day after she was put down, I spent the day cleaning and scrubbing the bathroom. I guess it was my way of grieving. To replace the carpet, we will have to move some bookcases, so my next project is to move the books upstairs to an area I’ve turned into my office.
    And tomorrow (today?) my son turns 18. Whoa.

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    3. Sorry about your dog. I remember from a similar situation that a commercial carpet cleaner can do so much better than renting a rug doctor. Also, wood floors are good, if you’re replacing.

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    4. Thanks, everyone.

      “Also, wood floors are good, if you’re replacing”

      I would prefer wood floors, but I was outvoted. Carpet it is.

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