I’m writing for tomorrow, day 105. My gut has fully recovered, and the only ill effects from the bug that I still have is from the missed sleep. I’m fortunate. With those, I usually have Republicitis and need to spend hours on the throne. Tomorrow I’m meeting one of my friends, with whom I do volunteer work, for lunch, so on Saturday, I may have just an Open Thread, or nothing at all.
Jig Zone:
Today’s took me 3:24 (average 4:34). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Upworthy: Who would have thought that such a simple action can have such a profound effect on the level of happiness in our lives? Catch the setup in the first 30 seconds, the beauty of the experiment unfolding, the perfect moment at 4:25 that had me a bit choked up, and the best takeaway from it all at 6:25…
No wonder Republican politicians are such unhappy people that they feel the need to share their misery with us. They just have no gratitude for the people stupid enough to vote for them!
From The New Yorker: In what is being hailed as a rare example of bipartisan coöperation [sic], Senate Democrats and Republicans came together today on a near-unanimous vote to defund Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
The measure, which shuts down all nonessential functions of Sen. Cruz, passed by a margin of ninety-nine to one.
As the final vote was announced this morning, Sen. Cruz’s microphone was unplugged and the Senate exploded with cheers on both sides of the aisle…
If only!!!!
From Daily Kos: Republicans haven’t officially unveiled their list of demands for raising the debt limit, but they are previewing them through leaks, and they are every bit as loopy as you’d expect:
House Republicans plan to demand major perks for coal companies and Wall Street banks, alongside healthcare and social service cuts and a one-year delay in the implementation of Obamacare, in exchange for raising the debt ceiling until the end of 2014, according to a source close to the House GOP leadership.
Among the other items on the GOP’s list [Propagandists delinked]: Tax reform on their terms, effectively eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Medicare means testing, blocking net neutrality, forcing approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, expanding offshore oil drilling, and, in the words of a GOP list of talking points: "Pretty much every jobs bill we have passed this year and last Congress."
Dang!! They expect THAT?!!? LOL!! That’s what smoking InsaniTEA will do!!
Cartoon:
25 Responses to “Open Thread–9/27/2013”
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Utterly GLORIOUS video TC – thanks so much! I must say that living in Britain I howled with laughter at 3.20 when the young lady apologised for calling her sister at 4 am! Seriously though – an utterly wonderful video (and all the while I was wondering why they had dressed the young man in a lab coat, could it be – yes, it was – because people believe people wearing labcoats[!]). It was an excellent video and appears to prove what I and others have learned over the years – and our grandparents used to say 'count your blessings' – even better be thankful for them and thank others and the whole world improves!
I discovered this last year when a friend of mine got cancer and I dived into the internet to try and find stuff that would help her – and I found the utterly wonderful Dr Bernie Siegel – an Oncologist from Boston, who had the incredible intelligence to ask various patients who had survived cancers that the pundits were sure would kill them – why they had survived. He asked them. He didn't jump to conclusions – he wanted to know from them what had helped them. They had all chosen different treatments – but they emphasised that they had chosen the treatments themselves, not been pressured into it by doctors or their families or friends or society; the next thing was that they all were GRATEFUL people with aims in life – and it made them happy. Several even had Chemo treatments and had NO side effects at all because they used visualisations and gratitude! I can't be sure that it was because of this, but I do know that Jill had cancer – and was scared as she had to go back as they thought there was a recurrence – but she is fine! Hooray!
Anyway – since then I have made sure that I give thanks daily – and it really does increase one's happiness!
My daily prayers always include thanks for my life, my guysm and you all.
"House Republicans plan to demand major perks for coal companies and Wall Street banks, alongside healthcare and social service cuts and a one-year delay in the implementation of Obamacare, in exchange for raising the debt ceiling until the end of 2014, according to a source close to the House GOP leadership." And there's worse in the paragraph below it – the spoiled babies are threatening to throw their toys out of the pram again, aren't they! Good grief!
"Good Grief!!" I could not have put it better.
Puzzle~~5:30. I know it is not great, but is the BEST I have ever done.
Well done Dotti! Keep it up!
Dang!! I was almost Dot Dunped 🙂
3:15 My, my! That looks so inviting.
3:02 I thought so too, so I rushed down there to save us a spot. Thanks for joining me.
3:24 I hope you saved enough space for TC and I too! Who's got the extra strength sun screen?
CRUNCH!!
Since the countdown clock for ObamaCare is just about down to zero, I came across an article in Money Magazine that I thought was quite helpful.
It's formatted as twelve Q & A, so it won't answer every question – but it's a pretty good overview for the common ones. You can view it here, and below I'll list the twelve questions it deals with:
http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/01/pf/obamacare-insurance.moneymag/index.html
1. Will the new insurance exchanges make buying insurance on my own easier?
2. I've already got insurance at my job. Why does any of this matter to me?
3. I've been buying my own insurance for years. What changes?
4. Will the exchanges lower prices?
5. What about my premium? Up or down?
6. Can I still buy insurance off the exchange?
7. Will I really have to pay a fine if I opt out?
8. I keep hearing about subsidies. Who is eligible for one?
9. I'm retired. What do I need to do?
10. This all sounds pretty complicated. Do we have a logistical disaster in the making?
11. Could the government still pull the plug?
12. What happens if too many opt out?
Thanks, this is good information.
Fune article, Nameless. Thnks!
Upworthy ~ Extremely Cool!!!
New Yorker ~ Wouldn't it be lover-ly?
Daily Kos ~ Are they tilting at windmills like Don Quixote?
Cartoon ~ He should have been wearing his hat during his Full-o-bluster.
Amen!
Yes!
Nope. Quijote was a fool, but a GOOD fool.
True!
Upworthy Loved it and know it is true. I don't meant to sound sappy but I started about twenty years ago to find something to be grateful for every day and I have. I am a happy person generally, and I have so many friends to be grateful for having. Including the new ones I have made on here.
New Yorker I wish!
Daily KOs, I am not surprised.
Cartoon: I hope he has finished his career with his phony buster.
Thanks and Amen.
Me too!
Nor am I.
We should be so blessed!
Puzzle — 3:24 I hope you saved enough space for TC and I too! Who's got the extra strength sun screen?
Upworthy — Awesome video!
OK, I am going to take the plunge. I told my mother, when she was quite able to understand me, what she meant to me. And although we were not particularly close, there are a lot of things that I learned from her like independence, standing up for myself, and learning new things. And I told my paternal grandfather just how much he meant to me well before he died 22 years ago. So today I would like to thank each of you for what you've given me, whether you know it or not. You have shared yourselves in little ways and big. Because of that, I have felt free to share what I do at the care centre where my mother lives. That helps me to "unload" some of the stress I feel and that means a lot. Because I live alone and don't have family close by, well except for my 3 pussy cats who truly are marvels, it really does help to express the joy I feel at helping, and the frustration I feel sometimes when it feels like I'm going backwards, because dementias never get any better. Thank you for making my life so much better.
The New Yorker — If only, indeed! Defund Cruz and there is an immediate positive impact on social programmes and of course, Obamacare!
Daily Kos — Republicanus/Teabaggers are out of control 2 year olds having a big 'hold their breath' tantrum! They should be charged as domestic terrorists because they are holding the country hostage for ideological gain. Their supposed "leaked" list of demands is an affront to sanity.
In a related matter, there is a petition on Care2 to amend the 27th amendment that would, in the face of no budget etc, suspend Congressional salaries.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/499/870/885/amend-the-27th-amendment/
Cartoon — No wonder I've had a case of Montezuma's Revenge!
I always enjoy (and appreciate) the encounters with your Mom that you share with us.
I think he crunched the bottle.
Amen!
{{{Hugs}}}
Amen!
Thanks. Signed!
LMAO!!
~ 4:39
🙂
Not bad at all!
continued:
I think that Greed itself would make anyone unhappy. The more wealth and stuff one has, the more one has to worry about…
Having experienced being both rich and poor, there is ample to worrk about in either state, but at least when you're poor, you know your friends are your friends and not your money's friends.