I’m writing for tomorrow, day 7. Winter is hitting Portland with wind gusts to 40 MPH. I had to take a quick trip to the corner store, and even wearing long johns, I was shivering. Tomorrow is a grocery delivery day, and I still haven’t caught up housework yet. It’s always patient. Later the storm has really set off my COPD.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:07 (average 5:57). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football Report:
Here’s the latest from our own fantasy football league.
Scores:
Standings:
Can I top that sasquatch? 😉
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos (Hat-Tip JL A): In a huge development for millions of net neutrality advocates, President Obama has issued an unequivocal statement in support of net neutrality, calling on the Federal Communications Commission to reclassify broadband internet access under Title II of the Telecommunciations [sic] Act. Here’s his video statement:
While you can click through for the text, I prefer to watch the video. Here it is.
Great! This is exactly what I recommended in 2010.
From The New Yorker: The United States of America is on the wrong track and no one is taking action to fix it, says a broad majority of registered voters who did not vote last Tuesday.
According to a new survey, anger, frustration, and a pervasive view that the nation is moving in a fatal direction dominated the mood of those who were doing something other than voting on Election Day.
Exit polls involving election non-participants took place as they left malls, nail salons, gyms, and other locations where no voting occurred on Tuesday.
“The system is broken,” said Carol Foyler, thirty-one, a democracy abstainer from Akron, Ohio. “We need to come up with some way that ordinary citizens can make their voices heard and have some impact on who is running things in Washington.”
We have to get Andy off straight news.
From Upworthy: Enjoy the journey you’re about to take with Professor Lawrence Lessig as he brilliantly explains how money has destroyed our elections. It’s only a six-minute trip, so I don’t think you’ll need to use the restroom before you leave — but if you have to, I won’t judge.
I fully support 100% public campaign financing. It is preferable to small donor financing, because giant companies used to pay their employees to become small donors, and will again, if prevented from buying elections in secret. However small donor financing is a huge improvement over what we have.
Cartoon:
13 Responses to “Open Thread–11/12/2014”
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Cartoon: No. The least part of the GOP/TP’s anatomy is that special place where the sun don’t shine as it is constantly so full of crap that they cannot seem to get their stuck head out of it to get rid of it all. lol.
3:53 I used to have one of these, commonly called "Crown of Thorns".
4:28 This is a thorny issue.
I don't even get to eat thorns. 🙁
But you might be able to boil them up for a hot cup of tea!
Winter hit you early. Stay warm! My kitties have already started to hibernate.
FF ~ I got trounced!
Daily Kos ~ I've already hear TeapublicanTs calling his proposal "Obamacare for the Internet". I really think they believe this crap.
New Yorker ~ Yes, Andy has to go back to satire.
Upworthy ~ I agree that we need public financing with limitations placed on contributions like it used to be.
Cartoon ~ The ears or the brain?
5:25 average up to 6:11. So do lemurs clamber around in those things? The spines look strong enough to support a small or maybe even a medium sized lemur. I'm impressed.
After spending all summer getting soaked by the polar ice cap, we have now been hit by the polar vortex. High in the 20's yesterday, single digit expected for today. Sure glad I got my furnace cleaned. I wouldn't discuss the weather with anyone here because I am too tired of hearing that global warming can't be real because it's cold.
New Yorker – Gee, and here I thought their mood was – "Whatever."
Upworthy – The problem is that the one thing we need to do to get back to people powered elections (Back, what am I saying, were we ever there) is the one thing that our own actions, or inactions mostly, have made absolutely impossible. Was this speech given beforre or after he experimented with the Mayday PAC? It just says "this year" and I don't remember exactly when Hong Kong was in the news.
Cartoon – The tongue is part of the head, and they use it A LOT.
So sorry your weather is still being extreme – but this time extremely cold!
Thanks for the video of President Obama – presumably (politics being politics) he had to wait to get these recent elections out of the way before he spoke his mind.
New Yorker – you are right TC, he is going to have to stop reporting fact! I have a new tactic – whenever someone starts to moan about something – roads, taxes, etc – ask them if they voted, if they didn't, tell they to shut up as they have given away their right to complain.
Upworthy – may God bless Prof Lawrence Lessig and all like him forever – he is utterly correct, and thank the Lord that he isn't just giving up – on the contrary, he is standing up and providing solutions and still arguing and contending to get back to democracy and to fight corruption – Hallelujah!!! (I was recently sent a book detailing what went on behind the scenes twenty years ago with the Lib Dems over here – a party not ever in power at that time, and you'd have thought them not worth the trouble of paying a penny to – and the things that went on behind the scenes were so utterly alarming that I can't describe them – but it makes you think, what on earth went on with those actually IN power, and in every country in the world – help! Thank God for Lawrence Lessig and all who fight corruption.).
Side note – have just been watching BBC news 24 – and the European Space Agency have just landed their Rosetta probe Philae lander on Comet 67P, 300 million miles away – well done, we may learn a lot from this.
Puzzle — 4:28 This is a thorny issue.
Cartoon — That is one bitter teabag!
Fantasy Football — "Can I top that sasquatch? " Probably, but not without a good stomping! I am having too much fun!
I'm off to bed now. My arthritis is acting up and my fingers are almost killing me.
I was hoping your COPD would be better today. I hope you can stay inside tomorrow!
Daily Kos: I hope they stand up for us, instead of caving in to the corporations, as usual.
The New Yorker: I believe Andy is reporting straight news. I am always amazed at the people who don't vote because they don't think it matters! Voting is a right and a privelege and we all should vote in every election, and keep fighting the politicians who are trying to limit our rights to vote.
Upworthy: I am with you on this TC. Public financing would take the Koch Bros. and their ilk out of politics and we would all be better for it.
Cartoon: They don't LISTEN, They don't HEAR unless it is from the Kochs.
bros anha
dad
Sorry for all the gibberish at the end of my post, lots of typos tonight.
Thanks all. Bad air day.
Daily Kos — There is nothing ambiguous in what Mr Obama is saying — open and neutral internet! I agree, it should be classified as a public utility, no fast lanes, no two tier system.
The New Yorker — Personally, I really liked Andy's 04/11/14 piece http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/exit-polls-indicate-nation-suffering-severe-memory-loss because it tells it straight up why "the system is broken" and who is likely responsible. Another case of reporting the news and not being satirical.
Upworthy — Professor Lessig is right when he says that money has destroyed elections. And it isn't just in the US. In Canada, Harper and his harlots tried to do away the per-vote subsidy which would have essentially put Conservatives in the driver's seat. In my opinion, the rules in Canada need to be tightened up, but don't expect that from the Conservatives as they would just as soon have corporate donations etc, just like their big brothers in the US, the Republicanus/Teabaggers.
As it is right now in Canada, corporations and trade unions for example cannot make contributions to any political party or candidate http://canadaonline.about.com/od/federalelections/a/contributions.htm. An additional article outlines political financing in Canada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_political_financing_in_Canada.
What is most noticeable is the difference in the amounts of money in politics in the US and Canada. I am a firm believer that the amount of corruption in politics is directly related to the amount of money in politics.