It has been a record physiotherapy day. I did 50 minutes of bike riding and 40 reps of 5 resistance exercises on top of ultrasound, traction and chiropractic. Three hours work which left me with low blood sugars and tired. But all is well. As soon as I am done here, I have a date with an ice pack and my favourite chair!
Huffington Post — Brandon Nichols knows first hand what it's like to get poisoned by mercury.
"I got mercury poisoning two or three times," he told CBC news. "I got some serious headaches."
The University of British Columbia grad student had been in South America, researching small scale gold mining operations in Ecuador and their use of mercury.
Mercury is widely used by the miners because it bonds with gold, allowing it be more easily separated from the ore hauled out of countless mines dotting the countryside.
The widespread use of the toxic liquid metal is creating a long lasting environmental hazard that starts with ore processing and travels all the way up the food chain. But much of it is hidden in remote corners of the developing world so it's receiving little attention.
Click through for more on an environmental catastrophe that we hear little about, but which we can reduce.
Alternet — While U.S. politics has a long history of nasty elections and ugly fights, it is now fair to say that Donald Trump wins the award for the most polarizing and offensive top-ranked candidate in our nation’s history. Put simply, he’s an asshole. And so are his supporters. That story has been covered, so I won’t rehash it here. Instead the question that I want to ask is how his divisive bigotry is affecting the rest of us.
Trump’s politics are not just based on bigotry; they are based on hostility. They are founded on a winner-take-all strategy that characterizes anyone who disagrees with Trump as a loser. It’s a politics of bullying and bluster. But the problem is that bullying becomes the defining political discourse.
Republicans notoriously refer to Obama as a very divisive person, which is a lie in my view. If we measure divisiveness by how often Republicans don't get their own way, then I suppose Obama is divisive, but that is not how it is measured. Obama, although not perfect, tries to put people first which is anathema to Republicans, who delight in building up the rich and corporations. "Divisive asshole" is the perfect name for Trump. And the fact that so many people believe his fearmongering, while the MSM delight in promoting all his bullshit which provided titillation to "the masses", is abhorrent.
Politicususa — The Massachusetts Senator crystallized the issue by calling out Republicans for working for the NRA instead of the people, “If the Republican Party would rather work for the NRA than the American people and if they won’t do their jobs to keep our children safe, then somebody else has to step up.”
“And that’s why I strongly support President Obama’s actions to use the existing laws on the books to reduce background check loopholes, to increase mental health treatment and reporting and to improve enforcement of our gun laws,” she clarified, carefully using the phrase “existing laws on the books” to counter Republican claims that the President doesn’t have this authority.
Go Lizzie!
My Universe —
6 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 06/01/2016”
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Lizzie is great, and I am hoping will, one day, be our President!!!
Alternet: "Divivsive asshole," is being very nice to the Hairy Rump! Hey, I just made that up!
That is the first time I've seen a cat incubating eggs! You might consider writing up a paper and submitting it to "Science!"
Three hours of grueling physiotherapy 50 minutes of which sitting on a bicycle, poor you, Lynn. Did you manage with just the one ice pack? I hope you could sit down alright in your favorite chair.
HuPo: it seems a lot of mercury poisoning could be prevented with simple enough tools as long as the global treaty called the Minamata Convention would be ratified by more countries. It is unclear from the text why countries, among them Canada, will not ratify it, but my guess is – as with so many things involving countries where life and labor is cheap – it is all about profit of the mining companies. Let's hope the "new"Canada under Trudeau will take responsibility and ratify it soon.
Alternet: Bullying in politics, making the lives of people who do not agree with that political view a misery, is Fascism in my book. Let's not beat about the bush, Trump is not simply a divisive asshole, he's much worse than that, he's a fascist.
Politicususa: Kudos to Elizabeth Warren for standing with Obama on his actions on gun control. She understands that ALL Democrats must stand as one behind their president because he has chosen to work for the people instead of the NRA and so should all of them. If they miss this opportunity to stand as one, Trump will be one step closer to the White House.
My Universe: Why I love cats 🙂
HuffPo: UGH ! I didn't even know about this. Passing this article on also.
AlterNet: I don't like the man, nor listen to him. He is an A- – !!
Politicususa: What a sweet lady. I know she's not running, but what a shame she couldn't be a VP to Bernie's Presidency!! Now wouldn't that be grand?
My Universe: My cat tries to stuff herself in small boxes, she doesn't fit. It's hilarious. Love Grumpy.
Wow! What a workout !! Hope that you rest, and take a nap. Enjoy your day, Thanks, Lynn.
Warren is great at keying in on the essential message to avoid myth spinning opposition…Trump apparently wants to go down in history in the worst way and chooses the easiest one that doesn't require any aptitude for POTUS.
Mercury poisoning is no joke and takes very little for permanent damage.
HuffPo – I'm not totaly sure it is possible to "know what it is like to get poisined by mercury," because one of the first thinks it affects is the brain, and with that, knowledge. Hence the real-lif "mad hatters" of history. But I suppose if anyone does know what it's like, it would be Brandon Nichols, who is at least paying attention. I wish him luck with his dream of cleanup.
AlterNet – Trump is actively divisive. He talks division, he supports division, he promotes division. Obama is passively divisive. He divides Republicans who hate him simply because of his color from the rest of the world. I agree with you, Lynn, that he is therefore not divisive at all, because the division is not coming from him but from bigots. however it would be folly to deny that the division exists!
Politicus – Elizabeth Warren has common sense and a few other aspects of intelligence that most people don't. The more responsibility she can be given, the better off the United States will be in the long run. Therefore, we should think long and hard about removing her from the Senate, especially if we are removing Bernie at the same time. Yes, there are some great Progressive champions in the Senate, though not enough, and they do not get the press that she does. I would rather see one of them become VP while she gains greater Senate responsibility. I also think we should be careful not to assume that Bernie will be elected just because he is the best person for the job. We all know life is not like that.
I got my PT/OT workout today.
Aren't there otherways tp refine gold?
His hateful rhetoric puts standard Repiblican policy on open display, whan many other Republicans want to hide it.
Ditto :"Go Lizzie!"
Lucky Cat!