I have not posted in a while as I deal with my mother's passing and preparing her estate. There is still much to do and it will get done eventually. This week is very busy with numerous meetings all crammed into 4 days because yesterday was Victoria Day, a statutory holiday in most of Canada (Québec calls it Patriot's Day). Today's big adventure is taking my 3 furbabes to the vet's for their annual checkup and shots. They love their vet (he's their godfather) and he loves them. By the time I get them home, the car and me will be covered in cat fur, literally!
Short Takes
CBC — A jawbone discovered by German troops in Athens during the Second World War could be evidence that apes and humans diverged 200,000 years earlier than the current theory says.
Chimpanzees and bonobos are the nearest known relatives to humans, sharing 99 per cent of our DNA. It's believed that we split between five and seven million years ago.
However, researchers analyzing two fossils — a jawbone from a German museum and an upper premolar from a collection in Bulgaria — concluded their ages to be roughly 7.2 million years, and belonging to a pre-human.
But there's another significant finding: that human split occurred in the eastern Mediterranean and not Africa, as it is believed.
Well doesn't this just bite if you're an evangelical creationist who believes the earth was created only 6,000 years ago and that God created humans, and humans did not evolve from apes! While the 7.2-million-year-old pre-human fossils might challenge current evolutionary theory, it certainly slams creationists. Let's hear it for science!
Business Insider UK — For most in the hospitality industry, the odd bad review is part and parcel of the trade, but one venue appears to be determined to silence its critics.
According to The Mirror, Sarah Gardner, a 44-year-old mother and part-time nurse, has been threatened with legal action after posting a negative review on TripAdvisor of the Tunbridge Wells-based High Rocks restaurant and wedding reception venue.
The review posted on March 22 has since been taken down, but according to a screenshot obtained by the Daily Mail, it said: “Visited here with my family, been coming here for years. I have found the staff more and more rude each time."
“They have an arrogance that should not exist in a service industry, particularly the management. It’s as if they are doing you a favour, I found dealing with them frustrating and perplexing."
Click through for the rest. Don't let Drumpf see this or he'll try to sue everyone and anyone who speaks negatively about him whether it comes under freedom or speech or not!
Washington Post — President Trump asked two of the nation’s top intelligence officials in March to help him push back against an FBI investigation into possible coordination between his campaign and the Russian government, according to current and former officials.
Trump made separate appeals to the director of national intelligence, Daniel Coats, and to Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, urging them to publicly deny the existence of any evidence of collusion during the 2016 election.
Coats and Rogers refused to comply with the requests, which they both deemed to be inappropriate, according to two current and two former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private communications with the president.
Trump sought the assistance of Coats and Rogers after FBI Director James B. Comey told the House Intelligence Committee on March 20 that the FBI was investigating “the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.”
How many ways are there to say "obstruction of justice"? Drumpf keeps digging a bigger and bigger hole with no end in sight until he is actually impeached or he resigns. I agree with those that say Drumpf thinks he is untouchable. If he resigns the presidency as Richard Nixon did back in 1974 before he could be impeached, I understand that he could still face criminal charges. I guess things are going to get worse before they get better.
YouTube — Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 5/21/17 : Stupid Watergate
John always has something to say and he does it with humour. With the state of US politics right now, if we don't laugh on occasion, we might cry excessively!
US News and World Report — Like most things in politics, impeachment is not as simple as one might think.
The U.S. Constitution lays out impeachment powers for Congress, allowing the governing body to put certain government officials on trial and remove them from power. When an official is impeached, he or she isn't necessarily removed from office – that's a separate step in the procedure.
The process takes on the form of a trial, but the trial takes place in the House of Representatives and the Senate, not the courts.
The result is a blend of law and partisan politics in an often months-long process.
1. Who can be impeached?
According to the Constitution, at the federal level "the president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States" can be removed from office. There have been 19 formal impeachment proceedings at the federal level in the U.S., which ended in seven acquittals, eight convictions, three dismissals and one resignation.
State legislatures can impeach state officials, including governors.
This is a very simple look at the impeachment process. It is not as simple as "kick the bumb out!" no matter how we wish it to be. Some of us remember the Richard Nixon resignation in 1974 when he thought he would be impeached.
YouTube — John Oliver – James Comey
Need I comment further? The Drumpf administration is the worst administration I can think of. Nixon was bad, but Drumpf has him beat.
YouTube — The Young Turks — BREAKING: Eric Trump Is Staggeringly Stupid
I have always felt that Eric Trump was on the clueless side. From confirming his like of nepotism to his comments on Russian money in the family real estate business, he might actually be a prosecutor's best friend. And Drumpf wanted a security clearance for this rube?
My Universe — In the video, which was posted to Youtube by Vancouver’s Michael Fujiwara, the sea lion surfaces near the dock, and swims about looking harmless. No doubt it was drawn by the fish — this is an area, after all, that was once nicknamed Salmonopolis.
But after surveying the area and discovering no fish, the sea lion surprises everyone by approaching a young girl, then suddenly, biting down on her dress and dragging her backwards into the water. …
“The sea lion actually attracted a lot of attention from the visitors there, including the young girl,” he said. “She and her family, I guess, they came, they started feeding the animal bread crumbs or whatever it was, and then I guess the animal got a little too comfortable.”
Fortunately, the young girl was pulled from the water immediately by a family member. The young girl was unharmed, albeit a little soggy, and with a newfound, healthy fear of sea lions.
This happened at the Steveston Wharf which is where many fish boats are docked, so it would be quite normal for seals and sea lions to be around the wharf area. People need to respect wild creatures for the potential harm they can inflict. Seals and their bigger cousins, sea lions, can be dangerous. Nobody should be feeding any wild animal. Here is an additional CBC article about the incident with a little more detail. Fortunately, this story has a happy ending.
16 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 23 May 2017”
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Ahhh – cat hair – the ultimate accessory!
CBC – Always interesting to hear of new discoveries. And, generally takes a while to examine all the corollaries. I will say Fundamentalists' take on evolutionary science doesn't distress me NEARLY as much as their takes on climate science and human reproduction science.
BIUK – There was a time when, I don't know how truly, but it was said – that staff in high end hospitality, particularly restaurants, were trained to be arrogant. I have no idea why. But if that's the reputation that High Rocks is going for, they would seem to be suicidal to repress it.
WaPo – Of course such requests were "inappropriate." But the Flamingo Fool has absolutely NO sense of what is appropriate. If he were, he wouldn't be so opposed to "political correctness," which, of course, is basically keeping conversation appropriate.
YT – I have been putting off watching this because of the length. Thanks for making a cut or two for me.
USNWR – I was referred to this article which may help strengthen our impeachment-resignation backbones.
YT II – I think I might want to hear the tapes – but I think only if they were heavily edited first for actual content.
YT – TYT – Let's see, isn't Eric Beavis to Don Jr.'s Butthead? I never saw the show so I could have them backwards.
UNIVERSE – So glad for the happy ending. (The last time I saw that seat-of-the-pants grab it was a Doberman saving his special young girl from the bite of a poisonous snake in Australia. That had a happy ending too, thankfully.)
CBC: Love science!
BI: If they spent all that time and money on litigation why not get with the customer to remedy the concern that she has? Sounds mean spirited to me, imho.
WP: ugh=dt
YT 1&2: Good videos! John's spot on!
TYT: Saw this previously, doesn't surprise me in the least though. Dirty and crooked!
MU: Thankfully, the little girl is okay, as well as her rescuer who acted swiftly.
Thank you, Lynn for post.
I have certainly missed your articles, and understand what you have had to deal with. You have our support when you can't write and our gratitude when you can.
If chimpanzees and bonobos are the nearest relatives to humans, what are the nearest relatives to Republicans?
Shhhhh!!!
Obstruction is exactly what it is.
Sorry. The whole Kim family is more rational than the Trumps.
Good point. I hear too much chatter that we can inpeach with control of just the Senate.
A botched burglery compared to espionage and high treason.
Consider Eric's gene pool.
Very stupid people!
Good one Squatch!
To answer your question, the nearest relatives to Republicans are assholes! . . . or sphincters if I keep the language polite.
As the joke goes, one doesn't have to be a brain to be the boss, just an asshole passing out a lot of shit!
Amen!
Great to see a new article, Lynn. You sure made up in number of articles for any time you lost; I'm not sure I can do the same and comment on all of them.
CBC: You notice that this important evolutionary research is done on the other side of the world, Lynn. With the further Draconian cuts to science and education American right-wing creationists are doing all they can to keep this undermining research on that side of the planet. With the exception of Canada, where they have little say of course.
BIU: Businesses suing people isn't the norm (yet) in the UK or EU, especially not for people giving a bad review of a restaurant, so it seems High Rocks has taken its cue from the states and started to intimidate reviewers with mock-up court injunctions. Now they have the Daily Mail and others reporting on ist. serves them well.
WP: Drumpf came very close to crossing the line of obstructing justice?! My $%& he has. From this it has become clear he has obstructed justice on two more occasions than the public was aware of. What does it for reporters and politicians to just state the facts and start impeachment on the basis of these facts?
John Oliver #1: John speaks for us all, I think, when he states he has something in common with Drumpf: he liked his previous life, before Drumpf became president, better too. 😀 🙁
UNWP: Since Impeachement powers lie with Congress and the GOP has the majority there, the impeachment process will not even be set in motion until the people of America tell Congress to do so by giving Democrats the majority back in 2018. That is a mighty long time in Drumpf days and a lot of (irreparable) damage can be done until then.
John Oliver #2: Stop that five year old from shitting on the salad bar!
TYT: Eric Drumpf has once again proven that Drumpfian stupidity is hereditary; and why Daddy has to give his children a job in his "new firm": nobody else will.
My Universe: People can be so ignorant, and completely clueless about what makes a wild animal tick, which is sustenance and procreation, i.e. survival mainly. Glad the girl was unharmed, otherwise they probably have had to take the sea lion down.
Impeachment:
Video & Transcript dated 2017/1/27
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/1/27/hundreds_of_thousands_sign_petition_to
Professional Petition: https://impeachdonaldtrumpnow.org/
Includes Explanations:
Why Impeachment?
Grounds For Impeachment
The Impeachment Process
Additional Resources:
Download our Resolution
Download our Press Release
Download FAQ’s about the Campaign to Impeach President Trump
As of 8:55 am EDT, May 24, 2017, 1,121,004 people and counting have signed their names to the campaign to Impeach Trump Now.
Rep. Al Green (D) Texas, Interview:
Video from May 24, 2017 broadcast:
https://www.democracynow.org/
Begins at 30min 55 seconds into today's video
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Addendum to comments, links above:
Rep. Al Green to Draft Articles of Impeachment Against Trump, Citing Obstruction of Justice
Video & Transcript: (CC)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/5/24/rep_al_green_to_draft_articles?utm_source=Democracy+Now%21&utm_campaign=d1bc21dc85-Daily_Digest&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fa2346a853-d1bc21dc85-191305865
More Than 1.1 Million Sign Petition Supporting Impeachment of Trump
Video & Transcript: (CC)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/5/24/more_than_11_million_sign_petition
Texas Rep. Al Green Faces Threats of Lynching & Murder After Calling for Trump's Impeachment
Video & Transcript: (CC)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/5/24/texas_rep_al_green_faces_threats
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I have been reading about the racist threats made against Green and find them despicable and unacceptable, and the people making them even worse. He right to call for impeachment IMO, but the bills of impeachment must be exact and carefully worded. As I understand, there are Republicans that would endorse bills of impeachment, but not enough to get it to the Senate. Republicans would have to be desperate to endorse impeachment because it would likely affect their individual political careers.
Gladly signed, Jim, thanks.
I've long maintained that Eric is a perfect Beavis to Don Jr.'s Butt-Head
I know the names of course but I don't know the characters. Having said that, your pictures sure lend credance to that though. I think of these two as the devil's spawn.
RIGHT ON! Having had a child wholoved to watch that show, I am more than familiar with their scuzzy personas!
Thanks all.
As an update to the sea lion incident, apparently it was someone else who was feeding or mock feeding the animal. The 6 year old did sustain superficial scratches on her hip from the seal lion and was taken to the emergency at Children's Hospital and given the appropriate antibiotics. She will certainly have a story to tell for years to come.
…and a video to prove it! lol.
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Just saw this today.
CBC: Sadly, if one were an Evangelical Creationist this would simply impel such a one to hide his/her head still deeper in the sand, which is just what Rev. Ham, who founded the Creationist Museum, in Kentucky, did when he found that "…the evidence for evolution was becomong overwhelming." Nonetheless, the article is quite a surprise.
WP: Rumpleshit just keeps digging himself a bigger hole, the sides of which will one day, perhaps soon collapse in on him!
YT- "Stupid Watergate": And there was stupid Hannity, now on an early "vacation" pushing real news!
YT- "Comey": Schrodinger's asshole!" Brilliant!!!
YT- "The Young Turks": See what brilliance I miss by not watching TV on TV? I get my TV here, at C2 and Politics Plus!
My Universe: Glad to see that the seal only got her by the dress! In any video seen previously, it looked like he'd got her by the glute!!