I’m writing for tomorrow, day 135. It has been an incredibly busy day, so this is tomorrow’s only article. I cleaned in preparation for a maintenance inspection. I ordered groceries for delivery tomorrow from Store to Door. I learned that the prison has approved joint executive body meetings this month. During the week if the 21st of this month, I’ll be spending two nights in Salem for joint meetings between the Officers of out outside group and the officers of my guys’ inside group for planning and coordination. I got my motel reservation and bus tickets. I negotiated the migration of this blog to more a more powerful server while renewing our HSP service until September, 2016. The blog may be offline, starting at about 2 AM Pacific time until that transition is complete. If you could not get through, that’s why. I’m so swamped, I even stole last year’s cartoon again.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:06 (average 5:47). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From NY Times: All over Mexico, children have begun making their way to school for the start of a new year — many stepping into run-down buildings without running water, new textbooks or trained teachers.
Spending is not the issue. Mexico budgets more for education, as a proportion of gross domestic product, than Brazil, Spain and even Switzerland. So where does the money go?
According to one calculation now appearing on a new “abuse meter” — a giant electronic billboard hovering over a busy intersection here in the capital — about $2.8 billion annually goes into the pockets of 298,174 no-show teachers and administrators who collect pay without working.
While I agree that Mexican teachers and administrators should not be paid for not working, it’s rather hypocritical of us to criticize. After all Republicans in Congress get paid a hell of a lot more than Mexican teachers, and they do even less than nothing.
From The New Yorker: In what he called “a provocative and defiant act,” President Obama charged on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has started letting his calls go directly to voice mail.
Speaking at the White House before this week’s NATO summit, a visibly furious Obama said that Putin’s new practice of letting his calls go straight to voice mail “hampers our ability to discuss the future of Ukraine and other important issues going forward.”
Having left dozens of voice mails for the Russian President, Obama said that he tried to reach him via e-mail on Monday night but received an out-of-office auto reply.
“Given what he has been up to in Ukraine over the past few weeks, I find it impossible believe he has been out of the office,” Obama said.
No matter what Andy says, Obama is wasting his time trying to get in touch with Vladimir Putin (R-RU). Just like other Republicans, “GOP Pootie” will just lie to him anyway.
From Daily Kos: At the beginning of the year, we heard a lot of talk about how 2014 was going to be another Republican wave year, like 2010, or bigger [Limbarf delinked]. Now, however, it’s clear that 2014 has not followed the same trajectory as 2010.
By this time in 2010, Democratic fortunes were sliding downhill fast, according to generic congressional ballot polling questions. This year—not so much. Take a look at the trends (Loess curves):
Based on the Loess curves, we should win easily, but due to Gerrymandering Republicans have marked the cards and stacked the deck. No doubt Joanne will agree that neither of us has ever said that it comes down to turnout. Riiiiiiiiight!! Get out the vote!
Cartoon:
And the Holy Light broke forth from the Ellipsoid Orb!
15 Responses to “Open Thread–9/3/2014”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
3:29 Just rollin' along.
3:51 I hit a few rocks in the road!
Mashed, so far!
NY Times ~ This is the type of corruption I expect from South of the Border. It becomes "news" to me when news organizations report on our politicians cashing their paychecks for doing nothing. Was the Times just looking for a fluff filler piece?
New Yorker ~ Now there is a big deal about a Putin aide leakin that Pootie said he would be in Kiev within 2 weeks. A takeover???
Daily Kos ~ Just get out and vote. Make sure all your friends, relatives and neighbors vote (unless they're TeapublicanTs).
Cartoon ~ You must be celebrating today Big Time.
Patty, I think they were trying to make the US look less corrupt in comparison. It ain't so.
Gotta love that Orb!
5:46 Wow! A whole second!
NY Times – So – Mexico actually has the public education system the Repubs claim we have? Good Gad.
New Yorker – One of Obama's greatest strengths is the ability to control fury and keep the conversation rational. If the GOP haven't provoked him into appearing the Angry Black Man, Putin is not going to succeed.
Daily Kos – Yeah, thanks TC for singing my song. Especially since the Greedy Old Pigs have disenfranchised so many of us, I worry about us getting overconfident. Every vote does matter. Look at Eric Cantor (if you can stand to).
May the Orb continue to grant you religious ecstasy!
Republicans want schools where the kids graduate more ignorant than when they began.
Dang it Joanne! I did! Now come clean my keyboard!
It's been my song for yeats too.
Amen!
Pootie-patootie has gone over to the dark side. Right along with the Greedy Old Pigs! Love that. Gotta use that. Hope you don’t mind, Joanne D.
Thou shalt steal! 😉
Not original to me and I'm not sure where I picked it up. But the kind of person who would invent it is likely to be generous, and happy for you to use it. Go for it.
You really have had a bad day and it sounds like you will have a busy month!
NY Times: Hahah! You are so right. this congress has done less work than any in the last hundred years, The Mexican teachers who don't work should be fired, same goes for Congress.
The New Yorker: Andy is funny, but Putin does not want to talk to Obama. Now, if Baby Bushe were still in office he might answer the call.
Daily Kos: Get out the vote is right. Although with all the reds I know, I am not sure I want them to vote. Just the blues, please. Mitch is still four points ahead of Alison in the polls. We need every Dem to get to the polls election day.
It wasn't a bad day, Edie, just overstuffed.
I wish I could vote for Alison!
I do, too. Wonder if I have time to import some voters? I have a spare room.
Puzzle — 3:51 I hit a few rocks in the road!
NY Times — A commonality that many problems have in many parts of the world:
It also makes me wonder just how much of this could be driven by the cartels.
The New Yorker — Come on Andy, who do you think is leading the convoys from Russia into the eastern Ukraine? Of course Putin is out of the office! And let's face it, Putin, in true Republican style, doesn't give a rat's ass about some "uppity black guy" living in the White House so of course he doesn't return calls!
Daily Kos — I have one thing to say: GET OUT THE VOTE! And I'll keep saying it for you guys until I'm blue in the face! GET OUT THE VOTE! GET OUT THE VOTE! GET OUT THE VOTE! GET OUT THE VOTE! GET OUT THE VOTE! GET OUT THE VOTE! GET OUT THE VOTE! GET OUT THE VOTE! GET OUT THE VOTE! GET OUT THE VOTE!
OK, starting to get greeny-blue
Cartoon — The cartoon might be a re-run, but so is the puzzle!
I'm sure it's all driven by cartels.
I have no control over rerun puzzles