Today has been one of those days. It started out OK but then I had to go for my quarterly fasting blood tests. It’s a diabetic thing. Something that usually takes 20 minutes took 1.5 hours and by the end, I was well into low blood sugars. Fortunately, I had my glucose tablets so half an hour later, I was fine. Back to the keyboard, and don’t you know that I kept losing the Open Thread. After 4-5 tries (I lost count), I’m going to go direct to publish. If you see a low flying unpublished Open Thread, shoot it!
Puzzle — Today’s took me 2:58 (average 4:38). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes
The Hill — The House voted Thursday to give GOP leaders flexibility next week in fast-tracking a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.
Democrats protested over the move, known as martial law, which allows the House to consider a rule that establishes procedural guidelines for debating legislation on the same day it is produced by the House Committee on Rules.
Under normal circumstances, the House must wait a day before conducting a floor vote on a rule reported out of the committee.
House GOP leaders routinely deploy martial law around tight legislative deadlines. However, Democrats have not always forced the House to conduct a roll-call vote to adopt it.
Four Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing the rule change in the 237-187 vote: Reps. Justin Amash (Mich.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Walter Jones (N.C.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.).
They are at it again! Republicans using anything and everything to get their agenda done.
Alternet — It’s a scenario straight out of The X-Files: A prehistoric pathogen, isolated for millennia in Arctic ice, comes to light in the modern world.
The catch is that it’s not science fiction—and thanks to the great Arcticthaw, the discovery suggests an emerging public health worry unless nations sharply cut fossil fuel use in the next few decades.
French scientists announced this week that working in the lab, they have found a “giant virus” in a 30,000-year-old sample of permafrost from Siberia.
It is the second giant virus isolated from the same permafrost sample in two years. The team found each one by infecting Acanthamoeba, a common contemporary protozoan, with viral material from the sample.
Yet another reason that we need to do everything possible to slow and stop global warming. I remember watching a series episode where this very thing happened. My reaction then . . . yeh, right. My reaction now . . . oh crap!
The Guardian — The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has said Russia has proposed talks between the two countries’ militaries on the situation in Syria, apparently in response to Washington’s concern over reports of a Russian military buildup there.
Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov made the offer during a phone call on Wednesday, said Kerry, adding that he was in favour of such contacts because the US wants a better idea of what Russia’s current intentions are in Syria. Kerry said Lavrov had told him Russia was only interested in fighting the Islamic State militants.
This and the following article are related. Yesterday while driving, I heard the briefest of notes, almost a footnote to the days events — Russia aproaches the US about the civil war in Syria and the war with ISIL. OK, they got me hooked. So the Guardian article is more about the coming together against ISIL while the Slate article is more about Russia's motives. I am sure that Putin will find fertile ground in a Republican dominated Congress should he decide to pull a "Netanyahu".
Slate — A few weeks ago, I noted that with Russia’s economy sagging under the weight of both international sanctions and low oil prices, and the situation in Ukraine mired in stalemate, Vladimir Putin’s government was badly in need of a new foreign crisis in which the president could demonstrate decisive leadership. As it turns out, that crisis has been found not in the Baltics or the Arctic but in Syria, where Russia, in recent weeks, has launched both a military build-up and a diplomatic offensive.
The Pentagon says that Russia, one of the main international backers of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been building up its military forces in Syria, setting up a forward operating base near the northern coastal city of Latakia and using an air corridor over Iran and Iraq to fly in military equipment and personnel. Defense officials have compared the operation to the build-up of Russian forces in Crimea prior to the 2014 annexation.
My Universe — h/t JL — This is my version of heaven . . . absolutely purrfect!
22 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 17/09/2015”
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Thanks Lynn–some very important international news and Congressional antics of the moment. Will be back tomorrow when my brain is working better.
I think those that vote for a shutdown position should have to reimburse us for the related costs. Will try for more when I've had my morning coffee.
The Hill: Thanks for posting this, I did not see it on the nightly news. The Repubs will use this to defund Planned Parenthood for sure. Who knows what other dastardly deed they will do?
Alternet" Yikes is right, who knows what kind of viruses are lurking under that tundra?
Guardian and Slate: If Putin is helping anyone, it is himself. War weary Americans need to watch this man closely.
My Universe: Yours and mine, and my husbands's worst nightmare. He still has not recovered from having ten cats last fall when I fostered a pregnant cat who gave birth to five kittens. He was going from store to store to buy litter and food so no one would realize he had so many cats. LOL
He should be a proud papa and needs to know that nobody will judge. If someone dpoes judge, they can kiss my grits!
I will tell him you said that!
Thanks Lynn – please take care of your health, we can't have you off sick too!
Lovely cartoon – but carrying 11 or 12 kittens together – well, let's hope it was only a short journey for the little darlings to a nice comfy bed and dinner! (Sorry – not enough brain power to comment on articles – kidney stones).
3:54 Was it the Scottish flag today? Your link dodn't work.
Rope clete was for the 17th. Sorry about the link. I lost the entire post 5 or 6 times which drove me nuts. I guess I missed one.
Not a problem. You're doing a great job!
3:02 I got tangled up in the rope.
Thursday Rope Cleat 5:21 (4:38) Roped and tied and immobile.
I do realize there are quite a number of dedicated medical professionals of all kinds who post here, and I am sure I am not talking about you. But many years ago, after a friend barely survived a stress test, I told her I could never have been a medical professional because I am so much less interested in test results than in people's actual health. Sounds like you ran into one or more of those.
The Hill – Interesting. Four Republicans. Three fom the South. One of those three from McTurtle's Kentucky. Edie, did you influence him?
Alternet – But anyone who didn't see this coming now must have been living with his or her head in the so-called permafrost which is losing its perm.
Guardian – Here we go again?
Slate – Here we go again!
Universe – Guess one doesn't need a vase.
I have blood sugar lows fairly frequently, usually when I wake. But this time I woke late and I was fasting for my blood tests. My tests usually don't take that long, so normally it's not a problem. Just a bit of an issue yesterday, but I'm fine now.
No, not for that bouquet!
Joanne I wish I could say that I did, but he is not my representative.
You're doing an awesome job, filling in for TC. Has anyone heard anything about him?
I'm still hoping and praying for his recovery, and that he's all right.
Thanks y'all.
I see you found more info in Lynn's Comment at this post:
https://www.7thstep.org/blog/2015/09/17/surrogate-updates-questions-concerns-wrt-tc-page-2/#comments
love the bouquet, thanks
May the permafrost, i it is going to melt further, melt under Putin's ass, an tss him into a sinkhole soooo deep…along with the Repugs!
what a vision of Putin and the Repugs!
another petition for the US to increase our number of Syrian refugees to 100,000:
https://action.savethechildrenactionnetwork.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=15962
I'm with Pat, Lynn. You're doing an amazing job, and we're all very grateful – and most important of all, so will TomCat be when he comes back – but your health, like TomCat's, is the most important thing.
The Hill: "The House was originally scheduled to be in recess all of next week, but changed plans after Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced that Pope Francis would address Congress on Sept. 24." Please tell me I'm interpreting this the wrong way, but I think this says that Republicans didn't think an upcoming government shutdown was important enough to cut back on their recess, which is indecently long anyway, but the head of a Religious order addressing congress is??? Mind you, I've nothing against Pope Francis addressing them, he'll probably put the majority of the politicians there to shame with his "socialist" ideas of compassion and taking responsibility, but this address is only OK in a congress based on a division between church and state if all other religious leaders, including Muslims, are asked to speak there. But I'm really livid about the fact that Republicans hide behind Pope Francis' skirts to come back from recess and do something that looks like trying to run the country. Yes, they're at it again and worse than ever before.
Alternet: It's really hard to be more inclined towards pessimism than towards optimism these days. Really hard…
The Guardian and Slate: Russia is playing chess on a lot of boards simultaneously, but so is America, and much of this new power version of chess is played for impression formation, keeping the enemy guessing and soothing the restless natives at home. The one good thing in all of this is that both America and Russia are willing to talk – each saying the other has come up with a proposal to talk, no doubt. Not that it'll make much difference, military buildup on both sides will continue as before. The only thing that is unclear is whether it's going to be an all-out war against Da'esh and if Assad is going to be sacrificed.
My Universe: Gimme, gimme, gimme.
Oh, geez! The Not-So-Permafrost is going to be the downfall of humanity! SERIOUSLY! I would have never thought of viruses and stuff like that surviving the Permafrost! That is SO, SO creepy! No telling what else will come out of that ice when it all melts!
The rest of it is TEApublikkkan party hijinks and so the people of the country will have to foot the bill for them trying to shut down Planned Parenthood! Such oblivious FOOLS! Don't they know that PP STOPS a while lot of abortions by doing what their name says? PLANNING WHEN YOU WANT TO BE A PARENT!!!!
For the other Puttin stuff, he's gonna do what he wants and I don't think we can stop him. He want to shut America down! Why don't the Repukkklicans go after HIM, instead of Obama?
Thanks everyone! New post going up shortly.
Lynn you doing a great job keep up the good work and you health .