I’m writing for tomorrow, and I don’t know why, but I feel lethargic. I’ve gotten enough sleep, and I don’t feel ill. Perhaps it’s that I’m taking Chantix again. My last attempt to quit fell apart during the moving process, so I’m trying again. Q-Day is Infernal Revenue day.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:21 (average 5:09). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: It’s still early yet, but a monster El Nino might be forming in the pacific, and it just might shake up the worlds weather for awhile. Over on the robertscribbler blog is an excellent write up describing the details of a monster Kelvin wave, which sometimes signals the start of an El Nino. Here’s what he has to say about the Kelvin wave:
The pool of 4-6+ degree Celsius above average temperatures continues to widen and lengthen, now covering 85 degrees of longitude from 170 East to 105 West. Perhaps more disturbing is the fact that the zone of extreme 6+ C temperature anomalies has both widened and extended, covering about 50 degrees of longitude and swelling to a relative depth of about 30-40 meters. This is an extraordinarily intense temperature extreme that well exceeds those observed during the ramp-up to the record 1997-98 El Nino event.
more below the fold… [emphasis original]
Click through for an in depth report on this potential El Nino and what it means to you.
From NY Times: Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked legislation meant to close the pay gap between men and women, framing an election-year fight between the parties over whose policies are friendlier to women.
The bill was an attempt by Democrats to press what they see as their electoral advantage among women in the coming midterm elections, but they fell short of the 60 votes they needed to prevent a filibuster and advance the legislation.
Now there can be no doubt. Republicans do not want to see equal pay for people they consider property that should be kept barefoot and pregnant.
From TPM: The House has passed a GOP budget blueprint that promises a balanced federal ledger in 10 years through sweeping cuts across the federal budget and eliminating health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
The 219-205 vote on the nonbinding framework takes a mostly symbolic swipe at the government’s chronic deficits. Follow-up legislation to actually implement the cuts isn’t in the cards.
The plan by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan would cut more than $5 trillion over the coming decade to reach balance by 2024. The sharpest cuts would come to health care programs for the poor and uninsured, food stamps, and array of domestic programs, including Pell Grants, education, and community development grants.
No surprises here.
Cartoon:
Prior to this, white southern racists were a bloc of Democrats known as the Dixiecrats. They were so outraged by this event that they left the Democratic Party. The Republicans, seeing there was no future in representing primarily billionaires and corporate criminals, adopted the Southern Strategy and embraced the racists’ hatred. This is how racists became the base of the Republican Party.
13 Responses to “Open Thread–4/11/2014”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
4:24 I just can't beat that old TomCat when he's tired.
3:27 I love owls! They so wise! I wish I were wise.
Bigfooted!!
5:04 – Puzzle
Daily Kos ~ As the hard-headed denialists say, "This is nothing. We always have temperature fluctuations. There is no climate change." I have this argument with my CONservative cousin at least a dozen times a year.
NY Times ~ Women, please remember this vote when November rolls around. Democrat candidates, remind voters of this and all the rest of the obstruction to progress that takes place on the Hill year round!
TPM ~ Pardon the expression, but, Lyin'Ryan is probably creamin' his jeans over this widespread TeaPublican acceptance of his outrageous budget proposal.
Cartoon ~ They are doing everything possible to overturn the advancement made by LBJ's signature 50 years ago. As Bill Clinton said in Austin, TX yesterday: "Any time you erect a barrier to political participation [by people]…based on their race or capacity or their income…it undermines the spirit of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Right Act." Way to blast the obstructionists and the "CON" members of SCROTUS, Bill.
Jonas Ginter may not be the center of the Universe – but he's certainly the center of his world.
He rigged up 6 cameras to create a 360 degree video of him biking and driving around in Germany. He calls them his "Little Planets" – because they look like little planets. Very cool! (Best watched "Full Screen")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1msuWVZZmQ
🙂
~~It took my 7 years to stop. I was on O2 for three years before I finally stopped. Just get back to it; Chantix is good, I used it at the end.
5:38 That includes the approximately 14 seconds the site froze all the pieces to make me wait for a pop-up which I am supposed to have blocked. The site's parents could not possibly have been married.
Daily Kos – Yes, well, when I am housebound here due to a blizzard in July I will come here to cry. I won't even think about listening to locals droning "What global warming?" I can't stand any more of that.
NY Times – Please be understanding of me because it makes me really crazy to see Republicans execute obvious ploys to make Democrats look bad, which would not deceive a baby who was paying attention, but which do make the tin foil hat brigade say "Look what the Senate did! Got to get them Dimmycrats out of there!" So if my language gets colorful, please just look the other way.
TPM – Of course it passed the House. Did anyone think it wouldn't?
Cartoon (particularly in connection with the short takes) – I think we need to redefine "humanity" as "that which perished in the Zeppelin crash in 1937." I was brought up to believe that humans are defined by their humanity, but I was wrong. Sure, some humans have humanity (look at TC and all his voluntarism) but it certainly doesn't distinguish the mass of humanity I see around me today.
TC, when at first you don't succeed, try, try again! There is no shame in trying, only in giving up!
Puzzle — 3:27 I love owls! They are so wise! I wish I were wise.
Daily Kos — Over the course of my relatively short life span, I have seen many kinds of weather change. Winters were cold and snowy in southern Québec and Ontario always. Then by the time I hit high school there was a decided change to being wetter and milder, but still what one would call cold. I remember being disappointed when there was significantly less snow, especially at Christmas. But now there are extreme ice, snow and wind storms that blow through creating havoc. During the spring and fall, there seem to be more tornados which I never saw as a child. Summers are hotter and muggier. It is fine to say that these are normal fluctuations, but in my mind, they are not. The changes hold more intensity and are less predictable. Climate change is real. The global temperatures are increasing and weather patterns changing significantly. Add to that man made events that can screw things up — Bohpal and Chernobyl for example — or natural events such as the Mount St Helens eruption and the volcanic eruptions in Iceland. These events have changed patterns around the world. Man's dependence on dirty energy in various forms also contributes big time to climate change.
NY Times — Equal pay for equal work!
Now why the hell would the Republicanus/Teabaggers want to "go to war" over women's issues/policies? Women compose one half of the electorate. That is not good, clear thinking on the part of the GOP!
I wish I could vote in a US election because I would love to nail a Republicanus/Teabagger ass to the barn door, maybe even use it for target practice. Rotten eggs at 20 paces?
TPM — No surprises in Lyin' Ryan's budget. He should also look at increasing revenues . . . but that won't happen because the easiest way to increase revenues is to tax the 1%. Instead he probably increased taxes on the poor and middle class and then declared that that did not help the balancing of the budget enough. What a long nosed putz!
Cartoon — The Civil Rights Act was long overdue! Too bad that 46 years later, the Southern Strategy is still being used to marginalise and deny people.
I hope you feel better today. Chantix does some strange things to you, might be better off without it.
Daily Kos: I looked at the graphs and feel very ignorant. The written data, however is scary. Of course, the naysayers will say it is just a natural order if we have sunamis floods and hurricantes. To say other wise would be to admit to global warming.
NY Times: I read the whole article, I am so glad(sarcasm) that Mitch is watching out for woment. He is really worried this time around, he has two challengers in the Republican primary, and Grimes, the female democrat is leading him in the polls. Ask a woman who is doing the same work as the man beside her who is making more money if she feels the act would be redundant. Women outnumber men in this country, if more women would wake up and use their power to vote, we could stop this nonsense.
TPM: I normally do not wish anything bad to happen to anyone, but I hope Ryan has to ask for help someday, really be brought down to the level the poor and middle class suffer. He is an elitist who pretends he cares while pulling the rug from under people who are all ready deprived. Bet he goes to church every Sunday.
Cartoon: The Civil rights act was necessary and has improved conditions for many peope. The Republicans decided to use it to their advantage at the time and have ruined the party that Eisenhour represented.
I am sad over the utter divisivness our country experiences today, so much hatred and so many mean spirited people in office!
Thanks everyone for the support. Chantix gives me some vivid dreams, but none of the other mental side effects.
Do whatever it takes TomCat, It has been 4 years for me on May 10, 2014. 😥