It’s afternoon and writing today’s Monthly Report has occupied most of the day. So please color me in rush mode..
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:16 (average 5:01). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From YouTube: Sen. Merkley: We Shouldn’t Have to Choose Between Two Budgets for the Best Off
Oregon’s Jeff Merkley still leads the way.
From Upworthy: On the latest episode of "Last Week Tonight," John Oliver takes a look at the fashion industry’s repeated promises to stop using child labor.
In my opinion, all clothing made using child labor should be seized at the border and burned. All Republicans who help the corporate criminals gut the regulations should be seized at the ballot box and unemployed.
From NY Times: No matter how Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey spins the George Washington Bridge scandal as he eyes a run for president, one thing should be clear: These are his people, charged with a conspiracy to exact revenge against a local mayor by closing lanes to one of the world’s busiest bridges.
David Wildstein, a Christie associate who once held a top job at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to the incident. Two others indicted on Friday for allegedly participating in the scheme were also members of Mr. Christie’s inner circle.
Their behavior shows Mr. Christie’s inability to choose employees, to manage them and, most important, to keep them from abusing their power. His failure to do so created a culture that allowed his underlings to bully the mayor of Fort Lee, Mark Sokolich, by creating a monster traffic jam in 2013 and then lying about it.
I still hope that, after formal indictments are handed down, and the real plea bargaining starts, PIGnocchio will be spitted and served with an apple in his mouth.
Cartoon:
19 Responses to “Open Thread–5/2/2015”
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Cartoon is much like AB today.
I read where a much thinner Wildstein agreed to testify against Christie.
Absent stringent rules being enforced by government, corporations too often consider illegal actions and any related fines the cost of doing business whatever their press releases might say.
Kudos to Merkley stating the problem clearly so no one can misunderstand accidentally.
4:59 average still 5:01.
YouTube – Yes, he's one of the names I bring up when people say all of Congress is useless. I know it's hard for him to know what is right and not be able to do the right thing on account of all the Republicans. We should all thank him, all Progressives, not just those from Oregon, and especially those of us who don't have (or no longer have) a Senator of our own.
Upworthy – Sometimes there are advantages for not being able to wear clothes off the rack. I would be interested in knowing who spins the yarns I knit with. Many but not all seem to be made in Turkey.
NY Times – Well, they are wrong. Chris Christie is excellent at hiring people. Perhaps someone needs to explain the diffference between "inability to choose employees, to manage them, and, most important, to keep them from abusing their poswer," and on the other hand, "brilliance in choosing employees handpicked to abuse their power on command, and competently managing them to take maximum petty revenge most efficiently."
Cartoon – Yup. Ironically, the history of trade guilds in Germany goes back to Medieval times. I'm not sure they were the first, but I'm darned sure they were in the first wave. So much for fostering pure German culture.
Pretty puzzle for escaping 90 degrees tempertures
wow, I bring the US average # of clothes bought in a year way down…..also I work extremely hard to buy US made only…..3 websites I use to get started are madeintheusa.com, madeinamericastore.com, and stillmadeinusa.com
I'm with you! Even counting pairs of underwear and socks, it would take me 2-3 years before getting to the average of 64 items per year. (Wasn't sure relying on CC – but they also had a graphic of the 64)
Thanks for the links.
2:55 That flower looks so soft, just like kitty fur. But since it is part of the geranium family, I'll forgo getting close to it. Geraniums may me sneeze and break out in a rash if I touch them.
3:12 Great time, Lynn!
3:18 Achooo!
So it looks like Christie's defense strategies now boil down to:
[1] I’m so incompetent I had NO idea what the closest members of my staff were doing
[2] I’m so corrupt myself that I saw nothing wrong with what the closest members of my staff were doing
[3] I actually TOLD the closest members of my staff what to do
[4] I’m just too f*cking stupid
I was impressed that Wildstein, Christie's closest aide that ordered the lane closures & pleaded Guilty, has lost over 100+ pounds. And amazed that even post lap-band surgery, Christie doesn't look a bit thinner. Then again, you know what they say about TV cameras – they tend to add at least 10 co-conspirators.
All in all, Christie is skating on some awfully thin ice. And anyone with two eyes can tell that for Christie, that is NOT a good place to be.
Bingo!
Speaking as a large person myself, I have to say if Christie's size is mostly fat, he's perfectly safe. If it's anything else, like edema, he'll have problems.
3.00 for puzzle.
Couldn't add anything that was better and more concise than Nameless' comment – utterly brilliant, Nameless!
I completely agree with your comment TC, about clothes made by children (slave labour) – it should all be seized and burned – the only way to stop the exploiters exploiting people. I normally buy Organic (80 – 90% of the time – some things can't be bought Organically) – Organic suppliers have (heretofore) looked after their workers and given them better working conditions, better wages and healthcare and schooling – which most other employers don't do unless made to by law (fat chance). As a result of the costs I only buy a few things a year (in the sales!).
Puzzle — 2:55 That flower looks so soft, just like kitty fur. But since it is part of the geranium family, I'll forgo getting close to it. Geraniums make me sneeze and I break out in a rash if I touch them.
YouTube — Yeehaw! That was concise, understandable and right on! Even a Republicanus/Teabaggerum could understand . . . if wanted to.
Upworthy — John Oliver is funny and effective talking about serious subjects like child labour and slavery. North Americans need to stop being high consumption societies, wanting more at cheaper prices. Cheap prices have a price . . . it's called child labour and slavery. My church's front sign reads "We need to look at what the world needs, not what it wants."
NY Times — If I may give a new meaning to an old idiom: "it's a pig(nocchio) in a poke(y)! . . . hopefully! Anybody as incompetent, arrogant, dishonest and stupid as Christie should never enter the White House, not even on a "tourist visa".
Cartoon — No doubt! One fascist to a group of fascists!
YouTube ~ Even a fifth grader could understand but that doesn't mean a Rethug could.
Upworthy ~ I would need at least 3 or 4 years to get to that amount of clothing. The only things I buy new are shoes, underwear and socks. Everything else is from Goodwill or Ebay so all is gently used.
NY Times ~ We all knew this would come back to bite him in the arse.
Cartoon ~ Apropos.
Baltimore and DEM primary potential candidate update:
Just read where O'Malley set the stage when he was mayor there for mass arrests without charge like recently happened–Popular Resistance used a statistic like one-sixth of the population…extra glad we have Bernie to support
Thanks all! Pooped and swamped
So Adolph banned Unions and WE beat him. ! Lets repeat.
Love nameless,s breakdown re> Mr Bully boy of NJ. Thanks.