Summer is upon us, and as an authentic Christian, I greet all of you for whom this day has spiritual significance and celebrate with you. Just in case the universe is out of kilter, the days will shorten by kitty command (see below). I’m feeling somewhat tired, because street noise was worse than usual last night.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:09 (average 5:27). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football Recruiting:
We still need two new players for Lefty Blog Friends, our fantasy football league. How about you? For more information, click here.
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos (classic: 3/2014): http://www.salon.com/…
[T]he only people still debating whether or not climate change is “real,” and caused by human activity, are the ones who aren’t doing the actual research. In an update to his ongoing project of reviewing the literature on global warming, [geochemist James Lawrence Powell] went through every scientific study published in a peer-review journal during the calendar year 2013, finding 10,885 in total (more on his methodology here). Of those, a mere two rejected anthropogenic global warming.
Powell notes that very, very few of climate change deniers–who tend more towards filling Congressional hearings and cable "news" networks with their own carbon dioxide emissions–have ever written a peer-reviewed scientific article in support of their "position." That’s because if you write an article subject to peer review for a scientific publication, you have to back it up with…evidence.
You can be certain the two make a comfortable living from just the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise.
From NY Times: Granted, Khartoum, Tehran, Damascus and Pyongyang are not terribly popular tourist destinations. But they are places Americans can visit without running afoul of federal law. Yet, traveling to Cuba for tourism continues to be banned. Getting there for approved purposes remains needlessly difficult and expensive.
The ban — the only travel prohibition American citizens are currently subjected to — never made sense, and it’s particularly misguided in an era of broadening engagement between the United States and Cuba.
A bill introduced early this year by a bipartisan group of senators who want to repeal the travel ban is the most worthy of the flurry of legislative initiatives sparked by President Obama’s decision last December to re-establish diplomatic relations with Havana. The bill would rescind provisions in laws passed in 1996 and 2000 that barred travel by Americans as part of a strategy to punish and isolate Cuba in hopes of bringing about democratic change in that country. The freer flow of people, goods and ideas is far more likely to lead to meaningful reforms on the island.
I fully agree.
From Alternet: Friday night Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) got the rock star treatment from Real Time host Bill Maher who praised the darkhorse candidate’s campaign for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, telling the fiercely liberal senator that his run from the left has forced consensus favorite Hillary Clinton to start “talking like Elizabeth Warren.
Bernie and Bill is to good a combination not to share.
Cartoon:
19 Responses to “Open Thread–6/21/2015”
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3:22 Is that the Loving Cup for puzzle solving?
3:06 I thought it was a fancy can of ocean fish for the Puddy Tat which he won't be able to claim because he tarried too long, drooling over the thoughts of fish, and I squeaked by!
puddy Tat
I was going to use the cups to grow nip.
6:12 average 5:27. Mouse was acting squirrelly. I could have tried for a better connection, but it didn't look like there was anything to eat.
Daily Kos – Yup. Except some of us who are not doing the actual research are smart enough to listen to those who are – and some are not.
NY Times – I find the proposition that any one at all in the GOP is in favor of "meaningful reforms" anywhere in the world much harder to believe than anthropogenic climate change. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens.
Alternet – Anyone who gives Bernie rock star treatment has my approval!
Cartoon – The universe always feels out of kilter after a solstice because the sunset doesn't change direction so the sunrise has to double up to get the change accomplished (or less confusingly, for now, sunset will continue to get later for a while but the days are still getting shorter because sunset is even more later).
To all of you who aren't up on your rigt-wing KKK & Storm Troopers arcane nomenclature and symbols, and so are a bit confused WRT the references in Dylann Roof's Manifesto, Mother Jones has provided a "decoder ring" version. (The Link below also provides a Link to the Manifesto itself.)
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/06/references-dylann-roof-manifesto-explained-1488
And to all those Rethuglicans who, for the life of them, couldn't see it was racist but really just an attack on "religioius liberty" – here's a scorecard to help you out on the number of times a word appears in the Manifesto:
Jesus – ZERO
Christ/Christians – ZERO
Church – ZERO
Religion – ZERO
N!%%3R – FIVE
Liberal – ZERO
Conservative – ONE
Religious liberty is a catch all for all those pseudo Christian Repubs to use to cater to their base, and I do mean base, followers.
I'll repeat this on whatever is posted today in hopes no one misses it –
Earl Holt III is the leader of the "Council of Conservative Citizens," a racist hate group which was a major influence on Dylann Roof (Roof has said so). Holt has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates over the years. This is so appalling that Ted Cruz, of all people, has announced through his campaign he will be returning the $8500 donated by Holt. If Cruz has done this, all other candidates should follow. People for the American Way has started a petition to all of them to return any donations from Holt. https://secure.pfaw.org/site/SPageNavigator/action.html;jsessionid=99000342AB5340D182690A8FE44D7B8E.app350b?survey_id=10060&autologin=true&utm_medium=email&utm_source=aa&utm_campaign=racism
See today's Open Thread.
RepubliSpeak Dictionary: Religious Liberty
The absolute right of Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians to impose their hate-filled beliefs on people who want nothing to do with them.
That was the best Bill Maher opening guest that has been there! I would love to see the Donald TRY to get such an ovation as Bernie Sanders did! Every sentence was cause for applause! And well worth it!
Daily Kos: The only ones debating climate change are the ones making a profit off the polluters who are causing it. You are right, they are bound to be making a bundle off of Faux News.
NY Times: I hope the bill passes, it has never made sense to ban Americans from travelling to Cuba.
Alternet: "He's got religion, science, and economic reality on his side" This is so true of the Pope abd Bernie Sanders. I am on his FB page and share his messages every day. It is starting to appear that he has a shot at getting the nomination. Go Bernie!
Cartoon: A cat would believe he had that power!
A cat would recognize his sioperpowers.
Puzzle — 3:06 I thought it was a fancy can of ocean fish for the Puddy Tat which he won't be able to claim because he tarried too long, drooling over the thoughts of fish, and I squeaked by!
Daily Kos — Anthropogenic global warming, evidence and a few other words are nowhere in the lexicon of the right wing. My favourite quote from the article.
NY Times — "The freer flow of people, goods and ideas is far more likely to lead to meaningful reforms on the island." Amen!
Alternet — Love me some Bernie!
And I believe him.
Cartoon — Hey kitty, that will mean less time for kitty basking. Are you sure you want to do that?
So sorry – still bleurgh. V gd article and comments.
Hope you feel better!
It was great watching Bernie on Bill's show Friday night but then Bill ruined his show by having the Coultergeist on.as the final member of the panel.
Hope you didnt bring the universe out of kilter even more by commanding the days to shorten for the southern hemisphere too, TomCat ;-). Don't worry about it too much, though, and get yourself a good nights rest.
Daily Kos: Those
scientistsexpertsattention seekers who fill Congressional hearings and Faux News would come and tell the earth was flat and the moon made out of cheese if the price was right. I bet not very few but in fact none of them have an article published in an scientific journal with any impact, that used the standard-peer reviews and whose publisher wasn't sponsored by the Kochs or other fossil fuel corporations.NY Times: Another area in which America lags far behind. We've been able to travel to Cuba for years now, and although I haven't been there myself yet, my brother has visited it three times in the past and has seen the country open up over time and the people enjoying a little more of a better life due to tourism. Free trade could further enhance this "mellowing" of the communistic mindset of the government even more.
Alternet: What a treat, Bernie and Bill together in a video, both saying such sensible things. And Bill is absolutely right, noting what I've called the Bernie Effect here before: Hillary is moving to the left because of Bernies campaign. She's smart enough to see that his influence is to be taken very seriously. They both have to overcome the Granny Factor, though, and appeal to the young, which means Bernie does have to smile a bit more, to be a bit less serious perhaps, and bring his message with just a little more youthly enthousiasm. Because even if the message is 100% OK, the wrapping could do with a little more bling.
It's not the cat's fault that the upside-down people get everything bass ackwards!!
Thanks all. Hugs!