Writing for tomorrow, day 64, I feel pretty wilted, because the forecast cooler day did not happen. At 10:00 PM, I was blowing 87° superheated air in from the breezeway to cool off the apartment. Ugh! Tomorrow evening my Broncos have a preseason pretend worship with the Seachickens, so I shall be attending the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:25 (average 4:40). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: Iowa congressman Steve King was the star speaker at a “Stop Amnesty” rally in Richmond, Virginia, Monday, and supporters stayed away in droves — the crowd was estimated at between 30 and 60 people, almost none of whom appeared to be valedictorians or drug mules with calves the size of cantaloupes. Despite the disappointing turnout, King offered more of his trademark crazy, warning that Latins will sap and impurify [sic] America’s precious bodily fluids.
30 – 60 is 30 – 60 TOO MANY!
From NY Times: …Put it all together, and it’s a discouraging picture. We have an ill-informed or misinformed electorate, politicians who gleefully add to the misinformation and watchdogs who are afraid to bark. And to the extent that there are widely respected, not-too-partisan players, they seem to be fostering, not fixing, the public’s false impressions.
So what should we be doing? Keep pounding away at the truth, I guess, and hope it breaks through. But it’s hard not to wonder how this system is supposed to work.
This is Krugman’s conclusion to an excellent editorial. Click through for a most informative read.
From Think Progress: Two days after an American became the first athlete to speak out against Russia’s new anti-gay law at the track and field World Championships in Moscow, the United States Olympic Committee staked out its position on the law. Instead of offering support for gay athletes, though, the head of the USOC said that athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi should “comply” with the Russian law that bans “homosexual propaganda.”
“The athletes are always going into countries with laws different than his or her own country. They’re going to agree with those laws in some ways, they’re going to disagree with those laws in other ways,” USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun told Russia’s R-Sport [Russian Tea Party delinked]. “It’s our strong desire that our athletes comply with the laws of every nation that we visit. This law is no different.”
Bull! If the games are not moved, the athletes should either boycott them or flaunt the law at every opportunity. Once Blackmun made this statement, I already knew to which political party he belongs, and sire enough, he is a Republican supporter of Little Lord Willard.
Cartoon:
19 Responses to “Open Thread–8/17/2013”
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3:25 I tied with the TomCat. Will we be moored together?
3:08 Looks like you are. I've already slipped out. Am I chasing Lynn or is she chasing me?
3:40 Jerry, I'm off chasing those big fluffy clouds!
I got my catbox crunchies swipes, and you got your toes crunched.
Putin — Once a Sociopath…always a Sociopath. He is consistant if nothing else.
The olymics is all about the money, has been for several decades. It is no longer about the athletes, if it ever was, but now one sees the true colors and/or political (translate into greed) leanings of those who sponsor it and those who condone the flouting of their own rules for the sake of profit. Disgusting.
That's why he fits so well as a Bagger.
Depending on the sport, it rfemains pure sport for many of the athletes.
The Good News is that "Dancin' Dave" Raps-with-Rove Gregory has dragged Meet the Press from its perennial vaunted Numero Uno spot down to THIRD PLACE on Sunday morning talking heads programs.
God, I LOATHE David Gregory … and with good reason!
What stunned me is that the link from Crooks & Liars to Mediatie shows a preponderance of comments from them believing that Gregory is a LIBERAL! Don't know anything about Mediaite – but apparently their audience is iincredibly STUPID if they think Gregory is a "liberal".
I agree, I quit watching Meet the Press after he came on, he makes me angry every time I listen to him. I cannot believe anyone would think he is liberal.
David Gregory is a bozo in my opinion. In the clip with Glenn Greenwald, I think he showed how incapable he is. How he got into his position, I have no idea.
If David Gregory is a liberal, I look great in speedos.
6:34 – I don't do so well with these but, I try.
I quit watching Meet the Press after –
I thought the downhill slide started after Chris Wallace.
I agree, TC, even one is too many to listen to King.
I posted Krugman's article to Facebook and rubbed my GOP friends noses in the fact that the deficit has gone down. They will read it, but probably won't reply.
We should not participate in the Olympics if they are not moved and the head of the USOC should be castigated until he changes his position.
Thanks Edie!
Thanks again! Sic'em!
I tend to agree, as much as I hate taking it out on the athletes. I almost made an olympic team, so I know how much they put into it.
Puzzle — 3:40 Jerry, I'm off chasing those big fluffy clouds!
Daily Kos — 30 – 60 attended. That's 30 – 60 who obviously either were bored out of their gourds, or 30 – 60 who's collective brains would fit in a thimble with plenty of room left over! Would someone please crazy glue this morons jaws shut so that he can't pollute the air around him with his racist and discriminatory bear scat!
NY Times — Two of the truest statements ever.
Why anyone would rely on a politician as an "authority figure" and expect that politician not to be politically motivated is beyond me. Look at some of the politicians — gynaecologists, eye doctors, lawyers — they might be fine in their own fields (although I have some doubts about that too!), but that does not make them able to explain economics etc. Hell, wasn't it Rand Paul, an eye doctor by trade, who made reference to someone only to be reminded that that person was dead!
And politically motivated? The past 5 years have been Republicanus/Teabagger obstruction, politically motivated because they don't like having a black president — it offends their racist views.
If people want good explanations, they should be listening to educated non partisans like Paul Krugman and Robert Reich.
Think Progress — “Blackmun: We encourage our athletes to work within Russian law, …". Huh? The Russian law is against international human rights law, not to mention against the rule 6 of the Olympics which covers non discrimination based on gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race etc. Blackmun should be upholding the Olympic Charter and rules in his position as the US IOC representative, not his own personally held views.
Cartoon — That elephant should be `white, blue, red` on his lapel! Russian Tea Party indeed!
I got my catbox crunchies swipes, and you got your toes crunched.
At least cover him tgo collec t the methane!
Amen!
Exactly!
Indeed!
Thought I`d share something special that happened today while I was visiting with my mother.
As you know, she has dementia and is in nursing care. As usual, I went up to feed her dinner and then spend time listening to music. Her neighbour in the next room, and my dancing partner, Maurice, was sitting around the nursing station with many others. My mother was very teary eyed when I arrived and that continued. This of course raised her anxiety level and made her restless. After two dances it was snack time before people headed off to bed. Mother was still very anxious so Maurice reached out his hand and took hers. They sat there holding hands. This is not the `hanky panky` kind of holding hands, but rather of two people caught up with the same disease comforting eachother. I looked over and mother raised his hand and kissed it which is something she does with people.
Later, Maurice was having issues, many tears, so it was my turn to help which I gladly did. He is such a special man. The aids got him to bed, but before I left, he was up in the hall. I took him back to bed, and tucked him in, sitting on the side of the bed rubbing his back which gets sore. Within minutes he was asleep.
I think the best thing we can do for eachother is to listen, to empathise and to show compassion. It may not seem like much to hold a hand or rub a back, but it can mean the world to someone!
Kudos and amen!
I think one of the things that oldsters (my Mom is 96, so I have a bit of experience) miss most is just touching – either touching someone else or being touched.
Holding hands is one thing that's so easy to do – and has such a tremendous payoff.
So "GOOD ON YOU!" for being a loving and caring daughter – and friend to Maurice.