I’m writing for tomorrow, day 81. Yesterday I spent almost the entire day in bed. I’m still quite worn, but not so much that I can’t write. I am running somewhat late, because we had a beautiful sunny day today with a 60° high, and as we cats often do, I could not resist basking in the sun for a bit.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:26 (average 5:49). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Upworthy: This MLK greatest hits album doesn’t actually exist *yet*, but it’s a pretty damned good idea.
Amen to this. "Beyond Vietnam" is a speech everyone should have heard more than once.
From NY Times: Jorge Ramos, the Univision and Fusion television anchor who is often called the Walter Cronkite of Latino America, was in his suburban Miami broadcast studio when he all but pounced on the chairman of the Republican Party, Reince Priebus, who was appearing from Washington. The Republicans’ immigration policy is “deportations, deportations, deportations,” Mr. Ramos said. “Why?”
Mr. Priebus, who stared out from multiple screens in a control room here looking as if he would rather have been doing anything but talking to Mr. Ramos, insisted it was not so. But Mr. Ramos would not have it.
“The message,” he retorted, “is anti-immigrant.”
It appears that making the official Latino Republican Response to the SOTU the opposite of the of the official Pig Nuts Republican Response didn’t work.
From The New Yorker: President Obama’s proposal to give workers six weeks of paid leave is meeting strong opposition from a group of people who annually receive thirty-three weeks of paid leave…
…The opponents of paid leave, who show up for work a hundred and thirty-seven days per year and receive paid leave for the other two hundred and twenty-eight, were baffled by other moments in the President’s speech.
For example, they were confused by Obama’s challenge to try to survive on a full-time job that pays fifteen thousand dollars, since they all currently hold a part-time job that pays a hundred and seventy-four thousand dollars.
Dang it Andy!! I do news commentary. You do comedy. You’re in MY turf AGAIN!! 😉
Cartoon:
13 Responses to “Open Thread–1/25/2015”
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I like how you themed this one on MLK's economic justice TC.
TY TC – I did like Andy's piece, and your response! Glad you enjoyed the sun (what does it look like by the way – it is too wet and gloomy here for us to remember!).
5:41 average unchanged. It actually took a little longer than that because it waited till I was finished to tell me a couple of pieces that had been in place since the very beginning had not locked, and then the mouse froze. Not that is was responding that well before it froze.
Upworthy – What an achievement – to parody so accurately the "Greatest Hits" commercials that drive me crazy, and have me wanting more. A pretty damned good idea indeed. I'll take two. Or more.
NY Times – Typical Reppublican. You don't like the message, attack the messenger. That's conservattive, if you will. Goes all the way back to ancient Greece that we know of, and probably farther. You go, Jorge!
New Yorker – Yes, even I couldn't find any satire in this one.
Cartoon – And as much as Republicans hate it, I can only wonder why they are not working on pushing sustainable energy just to make this union redundant — and hope I haven't given them any ideas.
3:56 I stopped to smell the flowers a little too long.
3:27 I hope these are edible!
Upworthy:
Looking up for home DVDs of MLK, I found a list of available DVDs on Google. As far as I able to see and ascertain, there aren't any compilations, excerpts of great lines from MLK speeches.
NY Times:
Jorge Ramos has a huge following of Latinos says that the "official" message of the GOP chairman of the Republican Party, Reince Priebus, towards Latinos “is anti-immigrant.” or better known as “deportations, deportations, deportations,”
"Hispanics, the fastest-growing demographic in the United States, accounted for ten per cent of all voters in the election, an increase on last year's record of nine per cent, the polls suggested."
"Of these, 71 per cent voted for Obama, up from 67 per cent in 2008. In a sign Republicans are failing to win over this increasingly influential group, Romney won just 27 per cent."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2229225/Presidential-election-2012-Record-number-Hispanic-voters-head-polls.html
The New Yorker:
Yes, the GOP/TP/Koch Party members were definitely confused by Obama's challenge to be able to survive on $15,000 a year full time job. Of course they were confused, they are of the "low intelligence" group. lol.
Cartoon:
"The UMW was founded in Columbus, Ohio, on January 22, 1890, with the merger of two old labor groups, the Knights of Labor Trade Assembly No. 135 and the National Progressive Miners Union.[4] Adopting the model of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), the union was initially established as a three-pronged labor tool: to develop mine safety; to improve mine workers' independence from the mine owners and the company store; and to provide miners with collective bargaining power."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Mine_Workers
Official Site of United Mine Workers of America: http://www.umwa.org/?q=content/brief-history-umwa
I watched 60 minutes on CBS tonight. I don't believe any change for the next 2 years.
Thanks all, It will take a few days to adjust to the new schedule.
With sixty degree temps, I don't blame you for basking!
Upworthy: I would buy this if it were real!
NY Times: I read the whole article, the Republicans better listen to Jorge Ramos, he has a lot of influence with the Latino community.
The New Yorker: Andy keeps getting closer and closer to fact, not satire.
Cartoon: That was a great day for my family. Sadly, thanks to all the anti union rhetoric and help from Washington, there are very few union mines left in Kentucky. Unsafe working conditions, no health care, and low pay are the result.
Puzzle — 3:27 I hope these are edible!
Upworthy — I loves me some MLK Jr but I hate that "greatest hits" stuff so I was more annoyed than anything. If that came on TV, I'd likely turn it off before I realised it was MLK Jr.
NY Times — The Republicanus/Teabaggers are trying to court a group of people that they really don't give a rat's ass about, other than using them to get into office. It would seem that Ramos has the Republicanus/Teabaggers down for the count. Let's face it, a snake may shed its skin, but it is still a snake!
The New Yorker — Damn, Andy's reporting the news again!
Cartoon — And the Republicanus/Teabagger would just as soon drop them in a deep mine shaft asap.
BTW, I did the walk with difficulty and was glad to get home to an ice pack on my knee. The walk was shorter than we were told and I went at my own pace stopping only once for an advil break. I did about 4 km out of 8 km roughly. Maybe next year I'll be better physically and able to complete the walk. On the other hand, my right foot which I had fractured last September was really good. I wasn't tired or anything, just very sore in my left knee.
Well done for that heroic walk Lynn! Hope your knee is better!
Major kudos to the Squatch!