I’m writing for tomorrow, day 126, and I have a lot going on. I finally got to see my Broncos meditate with Houston this morning, and it was not really that bad. The Texans prevailed only because of a couple fluke plays with less than one minute to go in the fourth quarter, when the most players for both teams will be waived in the next couple weeks. Because of watching that, I got a late start. I received some very bad news this morning. I planned to do volunteer work in prison on both Tuesday and Thursday this week. But the prison is in Salem, 60 miles away, and the friend with whom I go there has a family conflict, so I don’t get to go either day..
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:07 (average 4:33). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: Notice what’s wrong with this lede [sic]from the AP’s Donna Cassata?
President Barack Obama’s unpopular health care law is losing some of its political punch as vulnerable Democrats see it as less of an election-year minus and Republicans increasingly talk about fixing it instead of repealing.
To be fair to Cassata, the rest of the article is actually pretty informative, but what’s happening here isn’t just that Democrats are seeing Obamacare as "less of an election-year minus"—it’s that now that Obamacare is delivering tangible results, Democrats are seeing it as an election-year plus.
Democratic candidates who are smart will make the ACA a campaign issue, because Republicans are still denying millions their health care and trying to deprive more millions of theirs.
From TPM: Israel bombed an apartment tower in downtown Gaza City on Saturday, collapsing the 12-story building in an unprecedented strike, while Hamas kept up heavy rocket fire that sent more Israelis fleeing border areas close to Gaza.
The violence signaled that a speedy resumption of truce talks is unlikely, despite another appeal by mediator Egypt. Gaps between Israel and Hamas on a border deal for blockaded Gaza remain vast, and repeated rounds of talks have ended in failure.
In the Gaza City strike, a huge fireball followed by a black column of smoke rose into the sky after two Israeli missiles toppled the Zafer Tower, one in a group of several high-rises in the upscale Tel al-Hawa neighborhood. Neighboring buildings shook from the blasts.
The Israeli military said the missiles targeted a Hamas operations room in the building, but did not explain why the entire tower with 44 apartments was brought down.
This seems to be how Zionists do Kristallnacht.
From Huffington Post: A large earthquake caused significant damage and left three critically injured in California’s northern Bay Area early Sunday, igniting fires, sending at least 87 people to a hospital, knocking out power to tens of thousands and sending residents running out of their homes in the darkness.
Two adults and one child have critical injuries and Queen of the Valley hospital has treated 87 people, the city of Napa in California wine country said in a statement Sunday. Most patients have cuts, bumps, bruises, said Vanessa DeGier, spokeswoman for the hospital in Napa. She says the facility has treated a hip fracture and heart attack, but it’s unclear if it was related to the 6.0-magnitude earthquake. The hospital has set up a triage tent and many people are still coming in, DeGier said.
I hope you will all join me with your hopes, thoughts, prayers, ore however you approach the infinite toward the victims and their loved ones, especially any that we know.
Cartoon:
This time, DON’T follow the money!
17 Responses to “Open Thread–8/25/2014”
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3:52 Don't bug me today.
3:24 An entomologist I am not . . . bugs drive me crazy sometimes, especially those of the group Diptera and Myrmecia. But I love those of the Apidae group because they are so sweet.
4:12 We now know who the buggy one around here is.
4:29 – Puzzle 🙄
5:05 So symmetrical it looks like it's posing for its portrait. It couldn't be, could it?
Daily Kos – It's news to me, but apparently "lede" is correct. The archaic spelling was picked up around 1976 to distinguish the lead-in of a story from lead, a strip of metal separating lines of type. Now that we have PCs and the internet, I questions whether there are still strips of metal separating lines if type, but it stuck among journalists, anyway, and there's at least one blog and a radio show named for it. Not being a journalist, I'm not embarrassed that I didn't know.
TPM – The Anti-Defamation League needs to wake up and realize that the biggest threat to the good name of the Jewish people is Zionism. Similarly the biggest threat to the good name of Christianity in the United States today is dominionism. At least Zionists know they are Zionists. Way too many dominionists have never heard the word and think they are just poor, persecuted Christians (well, they are piss-poor Christians, but that's not how they mean it.) I do think the situation is way beyond Kristallnacht, though. And with no end in sight.
HuffPo – I haven't heard from any of my cousins yet and hope they are all right. It does sound like it could have been much worse, but that's small comfort if it is you or your loved one who is hit.
Cartoon – That sounds unusually generous for a Republican. Sure he didn't mean six ones for a five?
Follow up – mine are fine. My favorite cousin actually slept right through it. I understand not getting excited about it because I grew up there.
I was going to be nit-picky (again) and mention that "lede" is actually correct – but Joanne beat me to it.
Called my nephew yesterday to see if they're OK as they live just south of San Francisco – they're fine. Got to wish him a "Happy Birthday" for the SECOND time (his B-Day was Saturday). I did learn that my two great-nephews (yep, I'm a great-uncle … then again, I ALWAYS thought I was a great uncle) start school today. The 10 y/o is now in middle school (I suppose 5th grade technically IS in the middle of the school years) and 8 y/o is in 3rd.
They're both scary-smart – but at opposite interests. The older boy is doing HS algebra & trig, and the younger guy writes short stories … for fun!
Nameless, that's why one of my screen names is "Pedant"!
Deepest sympathies with you falling asleep over the keyboard TC – I may do the same soon!
Such a terrible situation in Gaza – and there seems to be nothing we can do to stop it, no matter how many petitions we sign; Netanyahu and the Right Wing are determined to pound it into dust – and cannot see how abominable and inhuman their actions are – and how much misery they are setting themselves and their people up for in the next how ever many years as a result. God bless the very brave Jews in Israel who get spat on and worse, trying to demonstrate for peace.
Sorry to hear about the earthquake – I hadn't heard.
Nameless, it is no surprise that a) you are a GREAT uncle and b) that your great nephews are so smart – hooray for them!
Huffington Post:
I live only 9 miles from the epicenter of the 6.1 earthquake. I was watching a DVD TV series when I felt a rumbling and then I was jerked, rolled from side to side and was instantly wide awake. Power went out and was out for several hours. Walked outside, after getting dressed, to town of Sonoma and it looked ok. Ran into a few of my neighbors and discussed what was what. People were getting into their cars and driving off and away. Came back home, puttered a bit. Somethings were all over the floor, a small mess, and picked up in the AM, in daylight and after the electrical power came back on. Had to reconfigure the internet connection (a drag), lol.
Just to show you how far Sonoma was from the 6.1 earthquake from the epicenter.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake hit at 3:20 a.m. and was centered:
6km (4mi) NW of American Canyon, California
9km (6mi) SSW of Napa, California
13km (8mi) NNW of Vallejo, California
14km (9mi) SE of Sonoma, California
82km (51mi) WSW of Sacramento, California
http://patch.com/california/napa-valley/bay-area-quake-click-here-patchs-full-eathquake-coverage#.U_ozFN1R0oQ
More on the earthquake with photos: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Magnitude-6-0-earthquake-reported-in-Napa-County-5708791.php?#photo-6766457
There are a few members on C2 who do live in the Napa area as well as here in Sonoma. I do hope the members in Napa are doing ok.
Glad to know you didn't suffer any major damage.
Daily Kos ~ It's about time Dems realized that "Obama-Care" is good for the majority of people. I mentioned to a few people this weekend that I am losing 2 of my doctors, my long time 20+ years GP and my surgeon. Immediately , out of their big TeapublicanTs lives: "Because of ObamaCare, right?" The answer is that my GP is retiring and my surgeon left the area. FAUX NOISE and its minions continue to be effective if that's the only news source to which you give credence, Never mind the truth.
TPM ~ One has to wonder if BeBe et al thinks that Hamas is a substitute for Hitler and the Nazis.
HuffPo~ The destruction was incredible. So far, no deaths have been reported. I pray that continues to be the news.
Cartoon ~ Gladly.
Follow up on my GP I had a regular appointment with him this AM and he told me he is not retit=ring. He is lmoving to another Family Practice and I already initiated the paper work to follow him there. I am happier than a TeapublicanT at a Family Values revival.
Puzzle — 3:24 An entomologist I am not . . . bugs drive me crazy sometimes, especially those of the group Diptera and Myrmecia. But I love those of the Apidae group because they are so sweet.
Daily Kos — I think it is past time to do a Shout Out for Obamacare! Nothing is perfect, especially in a programme that affects millions upon millions of people. But for those that still want to bitch about Obamacare, it is time for Democratic candidates to remind voters what state they are in. Did that state not expand medicaid? If so, that is the culprit, not Obamacare.
TPM — I was appalled at this strike. I read in Al Jazeera I think that the Israelis gave Gazans a 10 minute warning to get out of the building. How thoughtful . . . NOT! Netanyahu and the Israeli leadership have learned all to well from Hitler who tried to wipe out Jews, and others. Destroy a 12 storey building with 44 apartments all for one war room? ***sigh*** Insanity!
Huffington Post — The earthquake certainly made the news here. Every time there is an earthquake in the Pacific Rim, the buzz for weeks around here is "are you prepared"? I am very glad that Jim is OK. He was the first person I thought of, but of course I am concerned about others too. I hope there will be help from the government but I am not holding my breath.
Cartoon — I'll accept a fiver from a Republicanus/Teabagger providing it didn't come from the pit beneath the kybo! That's a 20% return! I wonder if he has a large supply of $5 bills he wants to trade on the same basis?
If democrats think the ACA is such a minus, they should have worked harder to make it better, instead of ending up with essentially the republican alternative of HillaryCare.
So sorry you won't get to go see your guys.
Daily Kos: These dems should start embracing the ACA as more people are realizing its benefits. It is not a perfect act but it is a very good start to providing universal health care for our country.
TPM: I recognize that Israel has to defend itself, but cannot understand why they are destroying entire housing complexes. Children are being harmed and killed in these bombings. Too complex for me to deal with.
Huffington Post: Sending good thoughts to the people of NAPA, and also the people of Eastern Kentucky whose homes were flooded Friday night.
Cartoon: Love it, that is really how they do math, isn't it?
Thanks all. Fell asleep, Glad Jim OK.