It is pouring rain right now and I can here wind gusts whipping around my building. My babes are snuggled in bed together having feasted on fresh cooked cod, their 3rd favourite dinner after chicken and turkey (white meat only thank you very much). I have managed 2 loads of laundry so the world is a safer place. I have physio in the morning followed by teaching. I think I can say that my cold is gone, but I still intend to indulge in some cat naps. Thanks to Lona for the supply! You're such a sweetheart for those cat naps.
Puzzle — Today’s took me 2:56 (average 5:02). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.
Short Takes
The Guardian — Carol’s grim demise forms the plot of Unexpected, one of hundreds of evangelical Christian theatrical twists on haunted houses that are produced by American churches each year in the run-up to Halloween. They aim to scare the wayward on to the path of righteousness with a rather more serious question than “trick or treat?” – heaven or hell?
I was taken aback by the whole idea of churches promoting a hell house to offer twists on haunted houses before Hallowe'en. And their goal . . . to scare people to Jesus. I should preface my comment here. I am a Christian, a very liberal Christian, but I will not stand infront of someone and tell them what to believe. I will not be as the very conservative fundamentalist Christians in the US, and elsewhere, forcing my beliefs down the throats of others, and trying to legislate that faith as the faith of the nation. What to believe is a very personal choice. Creating a climate of fear to "scare souls to Jesus" is ludicrous, and only adds to the general fear in society. When fear is the motivator, no matter the area of life, then we stop listening to each other.
Mother Jones — The massive size of the fire trucks' engines, combined with their inefficient combustion in cold weather, means that the air reaching us is replete with fine and ultrafine particles—specks of waste at least 36 times finer than a grain of sand, often riddled with toxic combinations of sulfate, nitrate and ammonium ions, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. Though we have long known that these tiny particles cause and exacerbate respiratory problems—like asthma and infections and cancers of the lungs—they are also suspected to contribute to a diverse range of disorders, from heart disease to obesity. And now cutting-edge research suggests that these particles play a role in some of humanity's most terrifying and mysterious illnesses: degenerative brain diseases. …
The good news is that air pollution is one of the United States' greatest environmental success stories. Particle emissions have been dropping steadily since the 1970s, along with other pollutants governed by laws like the Clean Air Act. The EPA regulates levels of coarse- and fine-particle pollution, and two years ago it strengthened the national standards for fine particles. But there is still no regulation for ultrafine-particle pollution, here or in any other country.
Click through for the rest of the article. As I read this long but interesting article, I could not help but think of my mother, succumbing to dementia. For 40 years, she lived in a mill town where the rotten egg smell of the pulp and paper mill was always prevalent. Add to that the ever present thick coating of greasey black ash which burned paint off of vehicles and buildings. I can't help but find the information in the article compelling. I remember several years ago reading about a town in Wisconsin (?) where whole neighbourhoods had higher than average cancer diagnois and death rates thought to be brought on by high toxic pollution in the river that runs by a Koch Industries plant. We know from their actions that Republicans don't give a tinker's damn about clean air and water if it comes at the expense of their profits. Just read The Fall of King Coal which I posted here on 05/10/15 to look at profit versus people. It is past time to demand more be done . . . to put people before profits.
Alternet — In this, Wallace was using the classic definition of the word “fascist”—the definition Mussolini had in mind when he claimed to have invented the word. (It was actually Italian philosopher Giovanni Gentile who wrote the entry in the Encyclopedia Italiana that said: “Fascism should more appropriately be called corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.” Mussolini, however, affixed his name to the entry, and claimed credit for it.)
As the 1983 American Heritage Dictionary noted, fascism is, “A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism.”
Click through for the rest of this interesting article. The word "fascist" is thrown about a fair amount, but do we have the correct context and meaning? For some, this discussion is not new. For others, it may well be.
Think Progress — Ben Carson is seeking to rally Republican candidates to end most actual debating at future Republican debates. Instead, candidates would spend most of their time taking turns delivering speeches.
Click Rachel Maddow to see Friday's segment where Rachel explores the fallout from the last Republican debate and what is likely ahead. She certainly does become very animated.
Sorry, I can't embed the show as it isn't on YouTube yet.
My Universe —
I found IT!!!
9 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 02/11/2015”
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4:04 They are tasty (the fruit/juice I can testify to), the "stems" (flat parts) are also edible and considered a vegetable, and they have medicinal uses, including diabetes and hangover.
Guardian – There's a great site at http://www.agameforgoodchristians.com which has a few things to say about people who think, just for one example, that a particular word used in the Bible has the same meaning everywhere it appears, or thatit has much relation to the way the word is used today. Actually it has a lot of things to say about a lot of craziness.
MoJo – I have realized this since the seventies … and consider the present mental state of the Republican Party to be proof of it. Alas, we can demand from now until hell freezes over, but it won't accomplish much when those in power just laugh at us – sometimes openly, sometimes behind our backs whole pretending to listen and care. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE like a baby stoat.
AlterNet – I knew it wasn't Mussolini that said it – I didn't know he claimed to have said it – certainly it reflects his views. And mine, as far as the definition is concerned; I don't mean that I agree with it as a system – anything but.
Think Progress – Writing in The Nation, Joan Walsh suggests "Ted Cruz Is Right: Let Limbaugh and Hannity Moderate a GOP Debate!" on the grounds that "Voters would get to see the way the conservative entertainment complex now controls the Republican Party." I'm not sure it would work, but it's a lovely thought.
Universe – I'm afraid to ask what.
3:31 I got stuck on the prickly pear.
3:30 I shook myself loose.
fascinating, the guardian story on halloween churches hell house is weird, bizaare, sickening
I'm OK w/ Rethuglicans during their "debates" into Infomercials – AS LONG AS they AIR at the same time as infomercials … say, 2:00 AM.
Then again, maybe having them questioned by the likes of Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, etc. is exactly what’s needed to expose their fraud & put the final nail in the GOP coffin.
Nice array…I saw where Preibus had cancelled with NBC due to the candidates complaints about actually getting questions related to ability to be Potus…
Glad you are feeling better. Your furry babies get treated better than mine, they only get cat food.
The Guardian: I had never heard of the practice before, and it appalls me. I agree with you, I am of the Christian faith, but I do not expect everyone to believe the same way, and really worry about how much control the evangelicals are taking in our everyday lives here in the US.
Mother Jones: My own mother has dementia, too. She lived in coal camps almost all her life. The cancer and Copd rates in this area are higher than in the rest of the country. The coal companies have polluted at will, with hardly any sanctions from the government. No attempts have been made to diversify here, either. We are the land that time forgot. Now that coal is on its way out, many here are unemployed. We get a lot of lip service from our Senators and Representatives, but little help.
Sorry, I clicked too soon
Alternet: I shared this on Facebook, and I hope some of my friends who are red will read it. This really describes what is happening in our country today, all too well.
Think Progress: Of course he is, he didn't do well in the debate.
My Universe: As the proud companion of four cats who have not been declawed, I understand this too well.
With all the work you're doing and keeping TomCat's blog up and running more than adequately with the four of you, you're more than welcome to the catnaps, Lynn.
The Guardian: Scaring people to Jesus on Halloween? That's going back in time a bit, isn't it? Sounds like the middle ages when people were kept under control of the clergy by an all-seeing wrathful god, a far cry from the God Jesus was speaking of. It is a sign of the times in America it seems, where people are scared into submission by the revengeful God of the Evangelicals and by fear of just about anything else the Republicans can think of, except all those things people should truly fear like Climate Change, Plutocracy hiding behind Theocracy and Republican hopefuls for the presidency.
Mother Jones: Yes, the old economies have battled air pollution well, that is they've reduced the larger particle emissions to acceptable levels at a time when the economy grew which is always the best time to invest in the future. A lesson which unfortunately the new economies like China and India didn't have time to learn. However by the time the relationship between ultra fine particles, emitted by for example traffic, and disease became clear other governments have come to power which refuse to invest into measures to decrease their emission. A growing economy is more important than keeping the work force that drives this growth healthy; there are plenty where they came from.
Alternet: “Fascism should more appropriately be called corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.” Hmmmm…that sounds terribly familiar, doesn't it? But so does: "fascism is 'A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism.' " Apparently when the Republicans gain full control of America they can choose either Fascism or Corporatism for their particular form of ruling, same difference. There's one thing for it, Americans: get out the vote and make sure those elected are really chosen by the majority.
Think Progress/ Rachel Maddow: This of course goes much further than the debates: the Clown's car wants to leave the Circus and start a clowns-only show of their own. These are individuals who have been riding on the back of the GOP to reach their personal goal, become POTUS. It has become clear that even the GOP doesn't want to vouch for the quality of these people and has been trying to rule them in and give the voters the idea that they stand for the GOP (whatever that may be), but these candidates couldn't care less about a party, and don't have to as they are backed by corporatist/1%-er that is financing (i.e. has bought) them. This is the ultimate proof that they have nothing to do with politics, they are individuals with enormous egos who kick on the idea of becoming president, not out of (a little bit of) drive to do something for the country but just for the status. Their "political" ideas correspond best with that of the GOP and that is the only reason they joined that party, but their true allegiance is with the 1% and with themselves
In a real world the GOP should kick all of these candidates who want the best of both worlds out of the party and force them to go Independent, demand their money back for all they have spent on them so far and start all over with a few good candidates. But in this circus that will not happen, because then Trump and Carson will take all their votes of the dumbed down and the fringe with them and the GOP will implode for good and they know it. The Grand Old Party has now become hostage to the worst group of candidates in its history. And this was the party that wanted to bring Democracy to the Middle East. All you're doing now is putting all Western Democracies to shame!
My Universe: From the state this sofa is in I can tell this pusscat has been living there for quite a while 🙂