Chinese President in the US?? Pope in the US??

[Capetan Mihali]

Thought we should have a thread for these two heavy-hitters making their way across America, leaving unbelievable chaos in their wake.  Or are there threads already?   Languish to Tim, domestic needs require your immediate return to the United States, repeat immediate return to the U.S.A.

Apparently Xi made a joke about House of Cards while he was here in Seattle.   High on the Sino-American agenda is going to be: intellectual property.   For his part,Francis is set to give his big talk to Congress today, IIRC.  The likely topic -- climate change.   So far he's been mobbed in D.C., talked immigration and climate change and family values with B.H. Obama, and canonized an old Spanish California missionary.

The Chinese visit has produced a "traffic nightmare," as the Seattle press put it.  Coming back from the UW yesterday, the bus driver announced that we were going to be stuck indefinitely, as the street going over the freeway was closed off for a long, long time in anticipation of Xi's motorcade.  Cops were everywhere, but you could still stand on the overpass at either end...which, given all the other extreme measures, seemed like a bit of a security oversight.  

It was a beautiful day, so I eventually hopped out and started hoofing it home, 4 miles away.  I did see some motorcycle cops zooming along I-5, presumably in advance of the motorcade, but no Xi sighting.   But I did make friends with a woman from the bus as we walked together for a half hour.   I also made the junior high kids on the bus titter when I muttered "Fuck this" a bit too loudly under my breath when I decided to abandon the bus.   The swearing and confrontation culture up here is rather underdeveloped, at least when compared with the urban Northeast.

[KRonn]

It certainly is an "interesting" week with these two visitors. Lots of stuff for the news to cover so news folks are all happy. 

[Josquius]

Will they fight?

[Malthus]

Will they fight?

You have to put them both in the same bottle first. Then they will either fight or mate. 

[Eddie Teach]

But I did make friends with a woman from the bus as we walked together for a half hour.  

is she hott

[HisMajestyBOB]

LOL Seattle can't handle celebrity visits.
Traffic in DC hasn't been better during the Pope's visit, thanks to the push to get people to telework this week.

I got a glimpse of the Pope and his Fiat as he went to that church on Rhode Island Avenue. Pretty cool

[The Brain]

How many divisions does the Chinese president have?

Also: The Pope makes me sick.

[HisMajestyBOB]

Also: The Pope makes me sick.

Did you try getting an exorcism?

[The Brain]

Also: The Pope makes me sick.

Did you try getting an exorcism?

Max von Sydow is too expensive.

[Martinus]

I'm loving this Pope. Best Pope ever.

[Valmy]

I'm loving this Pope. Best Pope ever.

How is his popularity in Poland? I mean besides you

The things he says seems to annoy alot of Republican Catholics over here. Granted I don't hang with too many Catholics in general so I could be wrong about that.

[FunkMonk]

LOL Seattle can't handle celebrity visits.
Traffic in DC hasn't been better during the Pope's visit, thanks to the push to get people to telework this week.

I got a glimpse of the Pope and his Fiat as he went to that church on Rhode Island Avenue. Pretty cool

This ain't no joke. The Pope needs to come to town more often.

I was given a ticket to the west lawn of the Capitol through a friend out of the blue yesterday so I got to mill about the grass all morning to see the speech on the jumbotron and then see the Pope say kthanxbye on the balcony as John Boehner wept incessantly next to him. All in all a cool morning. 

[Valmy]

John Boehner wept incessantly next to him

From being overwhelmed by religious ecstasy from standing so close to the successor to St Peter?

[citizen k]

The Chinese visit has produced a "traffic nightmare," as the Seattle press put it. 

As if that wasn't enough:

http://q13fox.com/2015/09/24/crash-involving-ride-the-ducks-vehicle-and-bus-close-all-lanes-of-aurora-bridge/

[lustindarkness]

That will buff right out.