I’m running on little sleep, as I write for day 37, because the next door neighbor from hell, a likeable enough fellow, but playing with a 48 card deck, decided to have a noisy day and night. Asking him to shut-up works, but only for a few minutes. ARGH!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:43 (average 6:07). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From NY Times: After days of angry protests and mounting public pressure, President Obama summoned five of his closest advisers to the Oval Office on Thursday evening. It was time, he told them, for him to speak to the nation about the Trayvon Martin verdict, and he had a pretty good idea what he wanted to say.
For the next 15 minutes, according to a senior aide, Mr. Obama spoke without interruption, laying out his message of why the not-guilty ruling had caused such pain among African-Americans, particularly young black men accustomed to arousing the kind of suspicion that led to the shooting death of Mr. Martin in a gated Florida neighborhood.
On Friday, reading an unusually personal, handwritten statement, Mr. Obama summed up his views with a single line: “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.”
It is a shameful thing that almost 50 years after the Voting Rights Act, now emasculated by Republican Injustices on SCROTUS, black families are talking to their children about how they can act around white people. Republicans see this as not being so uppity. I see this as second class citizenship. Shame!
From Roll Call: A meeting of Senate Republicans on Wednesday grew tense as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told his members he could have gotten a better deal on nominations than the one negotiated by rank-and-file Republicans.
McConnell’s tone, according to multiple sources, implied that he had been kept in the dark about the talks between some in his own ranks and Democrats. However, those same Republicans say they kept McConnell updated throughout their negotiating process.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., got so frustrated with McConnell’s presentation of events, that he called “bullshit” loud enough for the room to hear, nearly a half-dozen sources said. The heated exchange underscored the “buyer’s remorse” among some Republicans, especially leaders, one senior Republican said on background. [emphasis added]
This is one of few chances you’ll get to witness me saying this about a Republican. Kudos to Bob Corker (R-TN).
From Daily Kos: In about two weeks, House Republicans will begin their summer vacation, taking nearly the entire month of August off and returning to work after Labor Day. And what will their schedule look like after returning from vacation?
After taking almost the entire month of August off, House leadership has penciled in just nine workdays for September.
To be fair, September has just 30 days, and they’re already spending the first two of those days on vacation. If you subtract the 8 weekend days, that leaves just 20 workdays left in the month. So it’s not like they’re spending all of their time screwing around doing nothing—they’re only taking off 11 of the first 20 workdays after their vacation.
This is just how much Republicans care about solving America’s problems.
Cartoon:
24 Responses to “Open Thread–7/21/2013”
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4:24 I wanted to get those stinky, dead fish done as quickly as possible today.
4:33 Something is fishy about this puzzle.
4:52 Dem fishes stink higher den herring 'n reduction!
Third and Mashed!
"It is a shameful thing that almost 50 years after the Voting Rights Act, now emasculated by Republican Injustices on SCROTUS, black families are talking to their children about how they can act around white people. Republicans see this as not being so uppity. I see this as second class citizenship. Shame!" TC – you took the words right out of my mouth – this is beyond dreadful!
Thanks Pat. Would that they were not true.
One day at a time. 37 days is great. I am 37 years and 7 months sans alcohol and 6 years 7 months sans tobacco today. Keep it up, my friend, one day at a time.
William, I do not know you but I celebrate your 37 years 7 months of sobriety and 6 years 7 months without tobacco. I celebrate your spirit's strength and your relationship with your higher power. The first steps are but steps in a longer journey in life. Well done.
Thank you.
Congratulations to both of you for successfully waging a tough battle.
Thank you.
Thanks all, and congrats to William.
I am over eight years sans alcohol, but do not count the time, because it was never an addiction for me.
It was a real addiction for me. I couldn't function, I was forever in trouble, I even spent time in a state psychiatric hospital. And it was not easy stopping. Congrats to you too.
I have no doubt. I cofacilitate two CoDA groups in prison as a volunteer, and we get lots of crossover from people already in AA and NA.
It is a tough battle. Of the major drugs, the only one I needed to kick (and did ) was tobacco (37 years and just under 2 months). Those who have kicked both tobacco and heroin pretty well agree tobacco is harder. Kudos to both of you and anyone else who is working on it.
I enjoy the JigZone puzzles, but my browser is so sluggish that the only way I am ever going to get a respectable score is to reduce the number of pieces. Seriously, unless I am very lucky, it can easily take me 5 seconds just to get teo pieces that fit together to lock. That doesn't leave much margin for error. If I can beat average by even a second or two it is a real accomplishment for me! So I won't be doing any bragging LOL.
(Now don't share this with the others, but I've found that if you hit that "Auto Solve" button it produces a time that ALWAYS beats the best of these guys' score. And it's Easy-Peasy to do. I don't post my time with this method because I don't want to be looked on as a braggart – but I'll stare it with you.)
Bad, Nameless! BAD!
LOL Nameless! I think you've been sent to the cat box . . . the deep end!
The deepest part of the deep end! 😉
Congrats, Joanne. Fortunately for me, the one time I tried heroin, over forty years ago, I did not like the effects.
I use Firefox for most things, but it is also sluggish. Try using Chrome for puzzles.
I hope you get a new apartment soon!
It is indeed a disgrace that race is still such an issue in this country. I am still astounded at the muck that arose over the Cheerios commercial. I am thankful that we lived in an integrated communtiy when our son was small. He does not see color, just people. It is hard on him in Mississippi, but he keeps trying to change attitudes.
Poor, poor Mitch. Someone made a decision without his permission? I doubt it.
Thanks Edie. Me too!
Kudos to your son.
LOL!
Puzzle — 4:52 Dem fishes stink higher den herring 'n reduction!
NY Times — I can remember my mother saying to me when I was a child "Young lady, don't get uppity with me."
Uppity:Taking liberties or assuming airs beyond one's station; presumptuous; not yielding easily to persuasion or control.
So according to the second definition, it was probably justified — I was asserting myself and didn't want to submit to my mother's control. But the 1st definition rankles because it is about "class". Republicanus/Teabaggers just love to wage class warfare (among other wars) and have been clearly doing it for some years. It is clearly rank discrimination of the foulest kind. And it is this discrimination that has formed in the consciousness of young black men over generations, a feeling of "class culture" that they should never have had to endure.
Amen!
Roll Call — Is it possible that there is a growing dissatisfaction with towing the party line without question and thus getting little done? Or is it that McTurtle has lost all credibility? There is no doubt in my mind that McTurtle is an "asshole that passes out a lot of shit!"
Daily Kos — Dock their pay for lack of work!
Cartoon — And now the Republicanus/Teabaggers who send the nation's children off to war want to cut their mecdical care and other benefits etc! Cut Republicanus/Teabaggers off from their gold=plated medical and benefits.
Dem fishes are yummy! Republican fishes are the ones that stink!
The use olf the word is different in Canada. Here it's the first definition, and it is applied almost exclucively to black people.
I think there most be some Republicans that realize their goose-stepping may cost theim their careers.
Since 2011!
Amen!