I was in sufficient foot pain yesterday that I could not concentrate to produce an Open Thread. At physio today, my therapist looked at my foot and did some manipulations. It is still quite painful, swollen and red, but nothing compared to yesterday. Seems I have dislocated bones on the lateral side of my right foot so it is rest and ice with a follow up on Monday. I have no idea how I dislocated the bones. On a happy note, our gardens are blooming with crocuses, narcissus and forsythia. Some daffodils and tulips are about 12-15 cm high and just developing their buds. Even some of the trees are starting to bud! Today the temperature was 16 C (61 F) although tonight it is supposed to go down to freezing.
Short Takes
Huffington Post — Many of the progressive wish list issues Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) advocate for as they campaign were achieved in Oregon in the last year. …
Since taking office, Democratic majorities in both chambers of the legislature have sent Brown bills addressing such progressive measures as expanding voting rights, access to birth control and background checks for gun purchases, as well as enacting paid sick leave and making community college nearly free for thousands of students.
Brown has tried to balance "fighting for working families and making sure we open the doors of opportunity to every single Oregonian" and treading cautiously because she is acutely aware that voters did not actually elect her into office.
Normally, I would leave this for TC, but with him sick, I elected to pass on the positive news. The headline: The Political Revolution Is Close To Fruition In Oregon. As TC would say, Oregon leads the way!
Alternet — In October 2001, the U.S. launched its invasion of Afghanistan largely through proxy Afghan fighters with the help of Special Operations forces, American air power, and CIA dollars. The results were swift and stunning. The Taliban was whipped, a new government headed by Hamid Karzai soon installed in Kabul, and the country declared “liberated.”
More than 14 years later, how’d it go? What’s “liberated” Afghanistan like and, if you were making a list, what would be the accomplishments of Washington all these years later? Hmm… at this very moment, according to the latest reports, the Taliban control more territory than at any moment since December 2001. Meanwhile, the Afghan security forces that the U.S. built up and funded to the tune of more than $65 billion are experiencing “unsustainable” casualties, their ranks evidently filled with “ghost” soldiers and policemen — up to 40% in some places — whose salaries, often paid by the U.S., are being pocketed by their commanders and other officials. …
… economically speaking, how did the “reconstruction” of the country work out, given that Washington pumped more money (in real dollars) into Afghanistan in these years than it did into the rebuilding of Western Europe after World War II? Leaving aside the pit of official corruption into which many of those dollars disappeared, the country is today hemorrhaging desperate young people who can’t find jobs or make a living and now constitute what may be the second largest contingent of refugees heading for Europe.
Click through for the rest of this interesting article. Afghanistan is a country rich in natural mineral resources, but it is also a very poor country. One natural resource that flourishes in this harsh environment is the poppy. The economy, such that it is, is being supported by the poppy which makes its way around the globe. This from Wikipedia:
… The cultivation of opium [in Afghanistan] reached its peak in 1999, when 350 square miles (910 km2) of poppies were sown … The following year the Taliban banned poppy cultivation, … a move which cut production by 94 percent … By 2001 only 30 square miles (78 km2) of land were in use for growing opium poppies. A year later, after American and British troops had removed the Taliban and installed the interim government, the land under cultivation leapt back to 285 square miles (740 km2), with Afghanistan supplanting Burma to become the world's largest opium producer once more.
Foreign Policy — For nearly 17 years, K.T. has been living with a secret. In 1999, during the conflict in Kosovo, she was gang raped by Serbian forces.
When her son found out, she says, he had a question for her: “Why didn’t you ask them to kill you instead?”
If that was the reaction of her own family, what would the neighbors say? Fearing the humiliation, she suffered in silence. She says she tried to commit suicide. When she talks about that day, she still sometimes says it would have been better if she had been killed.
Thousands of survivors of the wartime sexual violence in Kosovo that took place when Serbia fought against an independence movement here in the late 1990s still suffer from stigma like K.T.. So it was a significant step when the country’s parliament moved in 2014 to recognize them as war victims, entitling them to a state pension, after years of refusing to acknowledge them. Nearly two years later, the government is expected to soon form the commission that will begin accepting applications. …
“I’m trying to convince other women who were raped to register, but very few will do it,” she said. “They’re afraid it will cause problems with their families — many are afraid their husbands would divorce and leave them. They say it’s been 17 years and we’ve gotten nothing, so why register now? The risk is too big.”
How would you react if your son said to you “Why didn’t you ask them to kill you instead?”, all because you had been gang raped by enemy soldiers during war? Society, by shaming these war victims, is blaming the victim rather than the perpetrator. We say "That is in Kosovo. It would never happen here.". But it does happen in the US. Just listen to Republican politicians talking about rape and abortion. Victims are stigmatised.
I kept hearing on the news that Trump said he likes uneducated people. I found that offensive. But it also tells us that he wants supporters that are uneducated so he can build his base with people that don't generally think critically.
The New Yorker — Making good on one of his key campaign promises, President Obama signed an executive order on Tuesday relocating the United States Congress to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
The President seemed to relish signing the order, calling the relocation a “win-win for America,” and indicating that Congress could be moved to its new headquarters “immediately.”
“We don’t envision doing any renovations to the facility down there,” he said. “It is ready to house Congress right now.”
The President did not specify what the current U.S. Capitol building would be used for in the future, but he hinted that it could be the setting for historic reënactments in the manner of Colonial Williamsburg.
Is Andy onto something or what?
My Universe —
Is this chick crazy? The cat certainly is patient and tolerant!
9 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 24/02/2016”
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HP: Good news and Kudos to Oregon for leading the way!! I just wish that my state would follow. It won't, but I can dream. WTG, Governor Brown!!
FP: Heartbreaking! I wish K.T. well, and the many other victims of abuses who were, and are, traumatized by this.
C & L: Ugh!! Scary numbers, he's @ 44%, Cruz @ 21. ''Great numbers coming out of Texas..'', ''serious NRA'', ''Liberty University, and evangelicals''. UGH !! I'm amazed at the cluster supporting this guy. Unreal. This should be the mornings' BBA !!!
NYer: If only, that would be a dream come true!! I wish they would….LOL, Andy. He gets better and better, doesn't he? Clap, Clap!!
My Universe: Aww….this is so adorable and sweet!! The cats are so gentle with them too!
So sorry to read about your foot…I do hope that you stay off of it, and have some pain meds if needed. As I get older, I have to be more careful with steps, and watching my sleeping dog, as I've tripped over her a couple times. The cat knows enough to get out of my way..LOL. My two fig trees are blooming, and the birds are busy making their nests. Early spring, perhaps?
Take care, and Thanks, Lynn.
You dislocated some bones in your foot, but you don't know how? It must have happened when you were chasing that rat in your dreams, Lynn, don't you think? Joking aside, it sounds dreadfully painful and I hope your PT's intervention has put them back again so you can heal and be pain free (as much as possible) once more.
HuPo: Oregon certainly leads the way, and I'm sure TomCat won't mind you spreading this good news, Lynn. He's so proud of his state, and rightly so. Besides being beautiful, Democratic Oregon has a lot going for its citizens too, and if the Bundys and their ilk stay out of it, it is one of the few states I could see myself living in.
Alternet: Afghanistan, and Iraq, should have taught the West not to meddle in Middle Eastern affairs. The Russians had tried to put Afghanistan to order and failed miserably, of course motivating America to go in and prove they could do it better. The US dragged all its allies into it – the Dutch for example fought there and later set up training camps for Afghan police men – and all of them pumped money into the country, only to have it siphoned off by the war lords who, then and now, rule the country and by corrupt officials. And now their refugees, fleeing war and poverty, stand before the gates of Europe. Will the West never learn not to meddle in other countries unless it's prepared to take the consequences?
Foreign Policy: The women of Kosovo, the slaves of Boko Haran and Da'esh, the Indigenous women of America, of Australia… women have always and everywhere been (systematically) raped as a way of showing dominion in war and colonization. Terrorism at its worst, using the reactions of family and community towards these raped women to break down communities long after the terrorists have gone. As long as cultures are prepared stigmatize and condemn women for having been raped, men in war and politics will use rape as a weapon.
Crooks and Liars: Trumps likes uneducated people because they are his equals but he thinks he's better than they are. Tomorrow he'll say he likes highly educated people. Well, he can try, can't he?
The New Yorker: Great idea, Andy. As Congress isn't about to do any work and frankly hasn't done so for years, it can go to Cuba and say Guantánamo Bay is a holiday resort and match its working environment with its working status. Yup, a win-win for all.
My Universe: There's something very weird about these videos (there seem to be a lot of them). The chick has inprinted on the cat, so it only does what comes natural and it tries to hide under the 'feathers' of its mom. The cat however, appears fearful (lots of licking in the first video) and keeps an eye on the camera person at all times as if it is afraid (has learned) that it will be punished if it reacts to the chick as nature intended. So many people put animal videos on the internet; I'm not convinced they are all as innocent as they appear.
Lona, funny you should mention that rat — my physio said I could have done it while I was sleeping.
Sorry to hear about your foot – and odd that there’s no clear etiology. [It wasn’t an injury from too much wine … which also fogged your memory, was it? 😉 ]
Good rule of thumb for managing all soft tissue injuries is to RICE them. No, not Arborio, Basmati or even Uncle Ben’s – but Rest, Ice, Compression (like an Ace wrap) and Elevation
Weird cat/chicken bonding videos: In the first video I noticed that the cat did quite a bit of lip-licking, which is a pretty common sign for illness in cats. So I thought that might be the explanation – just too sick to care.
But the second video shows the chicks have grown larger, and the cat is still docile … and probably (or at least hopefully) VERY well fed.
I have become a YUUUGGE fan of a Japanese Cat Game – Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector – on my phone. It’s strangely addictive, requires no real skill other than being an attentive “cat sitter” – and it’s FREE!
You start out with some virtual money (fish) allotted to you to spend on other food, treats and cat toys. You place them around your little yard, and then cats will eventually show up, play with the toys and eat your food. So keep that cat food bowl filled! The critters leave you Gifts in the form of money so you can buy more and better food/toys to attract more/better cats.
I have an Android phone, so I got it at the Google Play Store. I know Apple has the same game – but not sure about their App download protocols.
It's really been just mindless fun that I find very relaxing.
It's not actually that hard to dislocate something gradually and not realize it till it crosses a critical point. Or until a medical professional notices, whichever comes first. And then, like all bad habits, it is painful to go back. Glad you at least have some flowers. I don't, yet, but the ones in the front at least are coming along. I have become very blase about promises of "freezing temperatures" here – even the meteorologists seem to have been sucked in to the idea that freezing is 32F, but at 6500+ feet (well over 2000 meters) that is of course not true.
HuffPo – Oregon does indeed lead the way. I SO hope Kate Brown can hang on to the governorship.
AlterNet – Why this would surprise anyone except Republicans is beyond me. They really are good at doing things that don't work, and very bad at doing things that do work.
Foreign Policy – Rape victims? Heck, even the Girl Scouts can't catch a break!
Apparently the Archbishop thinks they are all future sluts. At least one can count on Faithful America to start a petition.
Crooks – Well, "liking uneducated people" goes along with the Republican idea that educated people are somehow "elite." Yeah, right.
New Yorker – My, wouldn't that be nice!
Universe – Well, it does give a new meaning to the expression "crazy chick."
JD, I had read about the Archbishop and was appalled! Thanks for the petition Signed with the following comment:"Archbishop, you appear to live in the Dark Ages! The primary message of the Christian Gospel is love — love God and your neighbour. Love also means seeking justice which both Oxfam and Amnesty Int'l do. You, sir, are out of step with God's law! … not the Girl Scouts."
Huffpo: We need to use Oregon as an example for the rest of the states to emulate.
Alternet: This was a long article but well worth reading. The US it seems has made a bad situation worse, but the last paragraph seemed like the thing to do. Rebuild the areas that farm and assist in repairing the irrigation systems so these people can grow something other than heroin producing poppies. The poppy is one of the easiest flowers to grow and it reseeds rapidly. Giving these people an alternative makes sense to me.
Foreign policy: Yes the victims are shamed, there and here. Remember when Jeb Bush proudly signed the bill in Florida that required women filing for assistance to publish the list of sex partners they had if they did not name the father of their children? Women have achieved much in the last fifty years, but our current crop of politicians want to send us right back to the fifties.
Crooks and Liars: you would have to be poorly educated to vote for him.
The New Yorker: I would sooo love for that to happen. Love Andy.
My Universe: That is one sweet cat.
Edie, I had forgotten about Jeb's BS shenanigans. Thanks for reminding us! Can't you just feel the love coming from these so called pseudo Christians, especially the Republican presidential candidates?
Thanks all!