Today was rather cloudy, but DRY! Last night there was snow on the North Shore mountains where many of the ski hills are located. It has been cool but pleasant. And best of all, no fireworks! There are some stores already in full Christmas mode, and even some houses with Christmas lights. Just a tad early, don't you think? TC has had his surgery and is safely back.
Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:08 (average 5:11). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.
Fantasy Football — I almost forgot to post this! Look at those Lefty Hillbillies rocket through the standings!
| Points | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W-L-T | Pct | Stk | Waiver | For | Against |
| 1 | 6-2-0 | .750 | W1 | 10 | 803.58 | 582.02 | |
| 2+3 | 5-3-0 | .625 | W3 | 9 | 706.08 | 656.50 | |
| 3 | 5-3-0 | .625 | W1 | 8 | 768.02 | 645.58 | |
| 4+3 | 5-3-0 | .625 | W2 | 7 | 757.20 | 629.68 | |
| 5-3 | 4-4-0 | .500 | L1 | 6 | 713.14 | 806.38 | |
| 6-2 | 4-4-0 | .500 | L1 | 5 | 720.58 | 727.18 | |
| 7-1 | 4-4-0 | .500 | L2 | 4 | 715.46 | 715.80 | |
| 8+1 | 3-5-0 | .375 | W1 | 3 | 747.42 | 819.52 | |
| 9-1 | 3-5-0 | .375 | L1 | 2 | 717.54 | 782.66 | |
| 10 | 1-7-0 | .125 | L7 | 1 | 529.72 | 813.42 | |
* Rank change shown is from week 7 – 8
Short Takes
CBC — Inside the unofficial think-tank of the U.S. Democratic party, the Liberals' winning election playbook is being analyzed and its lessons shared with left-leaning parties around the world.
One observer says prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau's decision to embrace deficits on the campaign trail could play well for some European parties. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)
Matt Browne has prepared a briefing paper on the Liberal win for allies in different countries where he's heard curiosity or seen applicable lessons — including the U.K., Denmark, Holland, France, Italy and Germany.
"It's been a pretty amazing week or so," Browne said in an interview. "Amongst the progressive community in particular, people have been trying to figure out what the lessons of this are."
He works on international partnerships at the Center for American Progress, founded and run by high-ranking figures in Democratic politics. Some of its senior members had met Trudeau and his team in opposition and they offered congratulations on the Liberal election victory.
Click through for the rest of this interesting article. Sometimes it only takes one to dip his toe, and others will start to notice and maybe follow. We know that austerity has not worked, nor has US trickle-down economics worked. But responsible investment in infrustructure, in the country and the people will work.
The New Yorker — According to a format negotiated between the Republican National Committee and the television networks, future Presidential debates during the 2016 campaign will strictly forbid questions about things the candidates “said” or “did,” the R.N.C. confirmed on Monday.
Reince Priebus, the chairman of the R.N.C., said that the deal addressed the candidates’ concerns about the previously broadcast debates, which he called “abusively fact-based.”
“In some cases, moderators were asking candidates questions about statements they made two or three weeks earlier,” Priebus said. “This new format will eliminate that kind of ancient history.”
Priebus said that the new format would satisfy not only the candidates but also Republican voters, many of whom have complained about moderators’ ”out-of-control obsession with verifiable information.”
“This is a Presidential debate,” Priebus said. “If people want facts, they can watch ‘Jeopardy.’ ”
Click through for the rest of the article. Damn, Andy is straight reporting again!
Alternet — What the candidates are really protesting here isn’t the length or format of the debate. What they want is for the debate to resemble the echo chamber of Fox News and talk radio. They complain about the pressure to engage and confront one another, but isn’t that what debates are for? Ted Cruz wants sycophants to ask loaded questions that allow candidates to deliver rehearsed soliloquies, but that’s what stump speeches are for – debates are about forced collisions.
It’s revealing that amidst all the calls for protest and cancellations, the candidates agreed not to implement debate changes until after the upcoming Fox Business Network debate. According to the Washington Post, everyone in that room is “afraid to make Roger [Ailes] mad.” And they should be. Fox News is the fount of propaganda for the conservative movement. Fox is where candidates go to be fellated by know-nothing anchors who ask inane but friendly questions of GOP candidates.
Talk about the tail wagging the dog! Click through for the remainder of the dog wagging. The Republican Party is so fractured and so lame as evidenced by the conduct of the presidential candidates, I question whether the party can survive.
CBC — The decision by TransCanada was likely made for strategic reasons, said Michal Moore, an expert on the oil and gas industry with the University of Calgary School of Public Policy.
Since no progress was being made, the company likely wanted to wait until Obama leaves office, in January 2017.
"With this pause in place, they literally can re-create the project or reimagine it and certainly revisit it in the presence of a new president," Moore said. "They've at least got some negotiating room later on, no matter who's elected president."
Keystone XL is an $8-billion project that would carry U.S. and Canadian oil to American refineries.
A new federal government was recently elected in Canada, oil is below $45 a barrel, and a U.S. presidential election is a year away. All of that seems to lead to the logical conclusion that the company wants to wait for more favourable climate, both economically and politically, said David Gantz, who teaches international trade law at the University of Arizona.
Click through for the remainder of the article. As I started reading, I felt this request was likely a strategic move on the part of Trans Canada. Mr Trudeau has stated that he is not in favour of the Embridge pipelines, nor tanker traffic on the coasts. But he has not come out definitively against the Keystone XL. With Hillary Clinton coming out against the Keystone XL, it could be that Trans Canada is waiting in hopes of a Republican in the White House. (God forbid!)
My Universe —
This is how the world should be . . . how I want it to be!
17 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 03/11/2015”
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5:11 (5:11) I probably couldn't do that again if I tried.
CBC – Nothing real Progressives haven't been saying for years if not decades. I have mixed feelings. While I'm glad to see that real economics can be perceived as winning strategy, I worry that using it thus may lead to mere lip service. We don't just need winning campaigns, we need winning legislation and action.
New Yorker – Sounds like merely formalizing existing policy to me. BTW I read Hewlett Packard is going to split itself up?
AlterNet – Don't plan the GOP's eulogy just yet. It will survive just fine. Its crazy base will keep it propped up, even if it looks to us more like a zombie.
CBC2 – I think we all know this is a ploy. Here are two petitions aimed at circumventing it, and I'm sure there are or will be many more:
Friends of the Earth
Sierra Club
Universe – Yes.
Thanks JD. Signed the first but Sierra Club doesn't like my American address.
Thanks, Lynn. Sorry about Siera Club. Perhaps 350.org will be more tolerant:
ThreeFifty dot org
Thanks JD. It was kinder . . . it accepted by Canadian address!
By the sound of it, it was a good day all around for everyone, Lynn. Good to hear TomCat is back in the facility he called The Torture Chamber, which can now continue their excellent care (from what I've heard of it) and rehabilitation program.
CBC: A lot of countries in Europe, but also Australia, could benefit from the lessons Trudeau's win has to offer. Austerity is not the way and the people have felt the pain of it too long to ignore that message. How it translates for each country is a different matter, however. To most Europeans, being a (Canadian or American) liberal is not the same as being a progressive, for instance a Social Democrat. Even being Labor isn't progressive anymore in the UK or Holland, they would have to move back to the left first. But Trudeau's win IS a great example and encouragement and will give rise to other shifts in power before it is too late, I hope, and the populists have taken all.
The New Yorker: Kudos to Andy for his rasor sharp analysis: Republican candidates can not handle anything that is “abusively fact-based.” because they experience anything fact-based as abusive and old-hat, even if it's directly quoted from their own website or twitters.
Alternet: I was late in commenting on yesterday's Open Tread but I got carried away and made a long comment anyway, because this issue really get's to me and I'm surprised by the way most see at comical and rather harmless. So I hope you don't mind I repeat what I've said earlier in this subject.
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 a 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.
CBC2: The best thing for TransCanada is to lay low and hope the tide will turn, they've got nothing to lose by doing that. The economic tide is against them, public opinion is against them and the political tide is undecided, but certainly not pro Keystone XL. They won't make the mistake to spend too much money now on promoting a project that may be economically and politically damned in little over a years time.
My Universe: I wish it was all our universe.
New Yorker: Actually, watching Jeopardy! is better than watching these IDs.
Alternet: We can only hope and pray for their shortcomings…Cruz is completely gone. He must be smokin' those tumbleweeds I keep hearing about…lol.
CBC2: Signed both petitions, thank you, Joanne for the links.
My Universe: Right on!!
I have a neighbor who keeps her Christmas lights up all year long. On holidays, she turns them on. All the Christmas shows/movies will be done by the middle of the month, unfortunately. My grocery store has a Christmas tree in the foyer, nothing about Thanksgiving. Kind of sad, imho. Glad to read about TC, and hope that he is back resting. Enjoy your day, Thanks, Lynn.
Infinitely better than watching these idiots, AND you learn something on Jeopardy!
3:34 I woogied when I should have boogied.
😀 Apparently I know how to boogey! . . . well at least better than you!
OOPS! Great minds fall in the same dih.ct
That ditch gets crowded at times!
CBC – I do hope the Canadian Liberals can help the rest of the world to reject rightwing ideology. Lona is quite correct, Labour isn't left wing any more in the UK and elsewhere – thanks to Tony Blair (if only John Smith had lived!). As it is we suffer from a very Right Wing government elected by 24% of the electorate – and people are still too stupid here to think we don't need electoral reform! The worrying thing is that in times of instablity people vote more Right Wing as they want stability and the Right always promise that – and it seems things could get more unstable (Heaven forfend).
So glad to hear the good news about TC – well done!
My Universe – oh if ONLY!!
I hope so too Pat. The swearing in was yesterday and already comments are coming in from around the world about our direction. I hope it holds.
Thanks Lynn!
The debates. Yikes, can anyone with a functioning brain imagine ANY of the REPUGS running for pres. actually being the President of the USA/ ?? What a Nightmare scenario.. and the poor babies cannot take real questions.
Putin must be laughing his socks off/.
Lots of love to T.C. (and Lynn.)
"and the poor babies cannot take real questions." . . . that is a biggy! That 3 am call will be disastrous! Canada justrid itself of a Conservative Prime Minister who was notorious for not answering questions. Good riddance!
Thanks everyone!