Yesterday, although I had slept reasonably well, I couldnt seem to get in gear. I don’t know why that sometimes happens, but it certainly does. But I did get everything done eventually.
Cartoon –
Short Takes
npr: A tantalizing clue to why omicron is spreading so quickly
Quote – “Strikingly, Omicron was 4-fold more infectious than wild type [the original version of the virus] and 2-fold more infectious than Delta,” Garcia-Beltran and colleagues wrote in their study. The data suggests omicron may be able to infect people at a lower dose than delta or the original variant, Garcia-Beltran says. “That’s a very far-out interpretation,” he cautions. “But we think it will probably pan out that way, given that we’re looking at a variant with more efficient entry into human cells.”
Click through for details. Please ne careful out there.It might be well to go to N95 masks, if you haven’t already. Please stay safe. We need you. (And, no, I don’t know why they call the section “Goats and Soda.”)
The 19th – It’s OK to cut back on the holiday gifts this year. Here’s why.
Quote – At the end of the day, [Dr. Michelle Martel, director of clinical training at the University of Kentucky’s psychology department] said she always reminds people struggling during the holidays that they’re not alone — because a lot of people are struggling right now, whether it’s due to loss or financial stress or being overwhelmed by plans to meet loved ones in groups, and it’s only been made worse by the pandemic. And when so many people are carrying emotional and financial burdens, many of them made worse by a pandemic that they didn’t expect to be enduring for another year, it makes sense to find one less thing to worry about.
Click through for full analysis. There’s a fine line between responsibility and guilt, and it’s not always easy to stay on the right side of it.
Bloomberg – Biden’s Economic Performance Has Proved Unbeatable
Quote – All of which makes Biden’s first year in the White House the standout among the seven previous presidents, based on 10 market and economic indicators given equal weight. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, no one comes close to matching Biden’s combination of No. 1 and No. 2 rankings for each of the measures:
Click through for the measures and the stats. You get one or two free articles a month. If anyone needs a copy, I’ve printed a pdf. No one here needs me to tell tham about Manchin. But you might need some help on responding to it.
Food For Thought:
4 Responses to “Open Thread for December 21, 2021”
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I have days like that too. Glad that you got all done.
Cartoon: ugh!
NPR: I’m seeing a lot of folks not masked, and being close to others. I cringe when I see that, and step away, for my protection, and the others that are with me.
19th News: Awww…..it’s hard, but I try to give help to neighbors and family with free actions. No money given, and the sense of love and pride for those who need help.
Bloomberg: Awesome! What wonderful and great news….and numbers for the US.
Cartoon: Sadly…..yep!
THIS JUST IN: “It was a privilege to place wreaths this morning (12/18) at @ArlingtonNational Cemetery to honor all who’ve served. ~ Liz Cheney ~ #WreathsAcrossAmerica
2. “Joe Manchin wakes up every morning on a yacht he paid for with coal money and drives his maserati to the Capitol to tell the working people of this country what is and isn’t an entitlement.” ~ @Nina T. ~
3. “If any normal American acted in their workplace the way Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene acts in the halls of Congress, they would be fired from their job.” ~ Marcus Flowers ~
4. “”If one person at your network has no integrity, that’s a problem. But if nobody has integrity, that’s a company policy.” ~ Trevor Noah ~
5. “This is a reminder that Republicans wanted to put Jim Jordan on the January 6th committee. The same Jim Jordan who is now confirmed to have texted Mark Meadows with guidance on how to overturn a free and fair election.” ~ John Collins ~
TJI #1 – She may not understamd how an economy works, but by golly, she understand s what a patriot is.
TJI #2 – Don Winslow put that into a video … and it’s in today’s thread.
TJI #3 – Yeah. But normal Americans who have a workplace outside the home work where there boss can see them. Her bosses are back in some racist county in Georgia (and in any case, probably approve.)
TJI #4 – And where it’s a company policy it’s the one (or ver few) person with integrity who stanss out, gets singled out, and gets thrown out.
TJI #5 – I’m sure both Republicans and Democrats saw through that. Being closer to him (in proximity), they almost certainly had all the same suspicions we did, and likely more. Some Republicans probably had actual knowledge.
Comment from Mitch –
NPR: Most interesting, Most crazy.19th: We have been conditioned, by/in our society to equate love with physical gifts and the cost thereof. Our form of capitalism depends, to some
extent, on holiday gifting, which is why the Xmas retailing begins even before Thanksgiving, and Black Friday almost starts on Thanksgiving Day.
Bloomberg: Can’t read beyond a few lines, but the Dem presidents ALWAYS outperform the opposition, and Biden would do better if not for the 2 turncoats.
FFT: Talk about turncoats! SCOTUS has been worse than useless going back quite a ways, now, and Citizens United, was one of their worst decisions.
It is responsible for Manchin and Sinema’s positions, and more.
Mitch
Cartoon: No to that thought!
NPR: I like Pat see plenty of people when I go to the grocery store seeing unmasked shoppers and it frightens me. Then hearing the current local and national numbers rising at a rapid high rate it bothers me even more knowing that there are so many anti vaxers out there who are causing this to go on forever. Yes, I do use the NR95 masks.
19th: I can understand where she is coming from regarding cutting back on gift giving. With Covid-19 pandemic, items shortages, higher costs for everyday living expenses, times have gotten hard for many. I feel being there to help others who are unable to, of picking up something for them if they need something at the store is much more than giving items they may not even really care for or want.
Bloomberg: Wonderful news for President Biden. He’s been doing a great job keeping on top of the important issues.
Food for Thought: Poor Joe. Shame on manchin, he’ll be sorry for being so cruel and heartless.
Glad to hear that you were able to get things done yesterday.
I know on cold chilly days I don’t have much energy to do much except try and keep warm.
Take care. Thanks Joanne