It’s early on a very busy day. I may be intermittent for the rest of the week. Tonight I have a meeting g to attend. Tomorrow is a grocery delivery day. Thursday I have an Orthopedist appointment. To make matters worse, for the next two to three weeks, a contractor will be cleaning, repairing and pressure washing the exterior of my building. It’s been ten tears. Their equipment makes a major racket and they work from dawn to sunset.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:55 (average 6:41). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football Recruiting:
We still need two new players for Lefty Blog Friends, our fantasy football league. How about you? For more information, click here.
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: Geneticists at the University of Minnesota believe that they have isolated the gene that makes some people much more prone to failure than others.
While the research is preliminary, the scientists said that they were able to successfully identify the failure gene by studying the DNA of males in two generations of the same American family.
“If we have indeed isolated the gene that makes people fail—and we believe we have—all of the subjects in our study are carriers,” said Davis Logsdon, the geneticist who supervised the research.
According to Logsdon, those who carry the gene for failure have “absolutely no idea that they have it” and thus project the confidence and self-assurance of people whose genetic material does not make them likely to wreak havoc on a massive scale.
“Not only does this gene cause people to fail, it makes them fail to understand that they have failed,” he said. “It is a really bad gene.”
Bush Bag Alert!!
Hell Andy! I’ve been telling folks that for years. I call it DEVOLUTION.
From Alternet:
Saying the 2016 Republican presidential contest was “wide open” and launching his first attacks on Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration, Jeb Bush confirmed Monday what everybody has long known: he is a candidate for president…
…Let’s go through eight highlights from his speech, ranging from the obvious and absurd to what will be recurring themes in the 2016 campaign.
1. Anyone think he’s not a Bush? His new bumper sticker is “Jeb!” That’s what filled the posters at Monday’s kickoff. There’s no mention of his last name, which is a silly but conscious political marketing decision. Jeb clearly wants to distinguish himself from his older brother, George W., whose presidency was filled with many disasters. But Bush is part of a political dynasty and that includes certain family traits and views. For example, Jeb recently said he would have invaded Iraq as W. did after 9/11.
Strike Three etches his sketch as well as Little Lord Willard did. Click through for the other seven.
From Think Progress:
Another attempt to clean up the environment, another House hearing on why we shouldn’t do that.
On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) acting assistant administrator Janet McCabe defended the updated ground-level ozone rule at a House energy and commerce subcommittee hearing. The proposed rule aims to further limit ground-level ozone pollution, which is the main ingredient of smog.
The EPA has proposed lowering the national air quality standards for ground-level ozone from 75 parts per billion (ppb) to 65 or 70 ppb — a change the agency says will save millions of people from the effects of poor air quality. The agency reviewed thousands of new scientific studies on health and air quality to come up with the new guidelines, which are expected to be finalized in the fall. By law, the EPA is required to reevaluate the ozone rule every five years. The House has already scheduled two more hearings on the rule this week.
Unsurprisingly, Republicans were roundly unhappy with rule. Here are five arguments McCabe came up against.
It’s not fair.
Several lawmakers went with a favorite childhood argument: that the rule isn’t fair. Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) managed to work in a reference to the Congressional softball game, likening improved public health regulations to moving the foul lines at a recreational event.
“Had we started the game, and then halfway through the game, the number of strikes changed or in the second inning, the number of outs changed… that would make for a very frustrating, impossible game, don’t you agree?” Shimkus said.
The problem with the argument is that rules for games are, in fact, made up, whereas the EPA is seeking to put new standards in place based on the best science available.
Or, as McCabe said, “Ozone is not about rules. This is about science.”
Republicans have a BS in Bullshitology! Click through for the other four.
Cartoon:
28 Responses to “Open Thread–6/16/2015”
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I listened to Jeb's speech yesterday in its entirty. Typical Republican loony crap. I suppose the American people will swallow that crap and vote for him. I'm not happy about another Bush/Clinton presidential election, probably my last election. I won't be around to have to live with, or pay for the mess the Republicans have left our country. I'm disappointed that I've had to live the last part of my life watching the Republicans destroy an economicly healthy America. It started with Reagan and hasn't stopped. I'm lucky I got to live in an economicly healthy America built by my parents generation. It's funny my generation ended up being the greediest most selfish generation. I guess that was to be expected given how most boomers were spoiled as kids and were always out for their own good time without care for the consequences, or their fellow Americans. I don't know what kind of president Sanders might be, but I like that he's at 32% of Democratic party support, if for no other reason than a different line than the corporate line coming from both Bush and Clinton. The American people better wake up! America (and its high living standards) isn't cheap, so if we aren't willing to pay for that better standard of living, then get used to being another 3rd world country living in a China dominated economic world. China's escalation of military might in open seas, their enlarged ground forces and missle capacity will help them seal their economic superiority, just as America did in the 20th century. Capitalism better step up and create an economy that can raise Americans up. We need to spen money on investments to make money. We need to pay workers more so they can contribute to a consumer society. Lessons we already learned from the 20th century, but Republicans have a better idea, right!. Needed to rant today, thanks.
By the way, Jeb says Obama has failed and led the slowest economic recovery in American History. Of course he didn't mention his party was responsible for the worst economic crash since the great depression, also brought on by stupid Republican economic policies.
Strike Three also failed to mention that his parrty did evefrything possible to undermine the recovery, committing criminal sedition azgainst the American people.
Does everyone think Jeb has Andy's gene the U of MN isolated? Does everyone in his family have it, too?
What I've read on the history of baseball was that the diamond, strike zone and rules about foul balls, strikes and outs were set arbitrarily rather than based on any scientific research and Congress's laws for the EPA require their standards to be set based on science rather than the politically expedient arbitrary preferences of some in congress and the corporations they prefer to represent in lieu of their constituents.
Cartoon: is this like lifting the ban on arms sales to those violating certain standards?
Prescott the Nazi had it.
For Steve, you deserve a medal for listening to Jeb's speech or do you? Just read on my home page that Donald Trump has thrown in his hat for the presidential run. Or was it his hair he threw in?
4:56 I couldn't beat you on non-edibles. I think I've lost my touch.
4:19 No gold balls for the kitty cat.
My own are already spectacular. 🙂
4:00 All that glitters is not gold!
New Yorker ~ It's a shame they don't recognize that they are losers.
Alternet ~ He doesn't want to define himself as a Bush because he wants to start his own calamities. Maybe south America or Africa? How about another War in Europe, Jebby?
Think Progress ~ TeapublicanTs are unable to think about progress. We all know that.
Cartoon ~ Terrible!
Very interesting.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/13/1393090/-Pope-Francis-Toward-a-Perfect-Storm-for-Revolution?detail=email
Very interesting indeed. Yes. A Christian leader who acts Christian has been a long time coming.
No wonder Republican pseudo-Christians hate him.
I was hoping you'd catch Andy B, TC – I love how he just speaks out, making the obvious even more obvious. I could feel for Steve – we, too, are glad we are old and won't have to watch the monkey farts killing this country finish the job. And Jeb can call himself anything he likes but he's still a Bush…
Dear ol' Ronnie increased our deficit by 72 billion – W took that to 1.5 TRILLION. Obama has lessened it by 1 trillion. So once again, Jeb is WRONG.
EPA regulations are "unfair"?? oh, boo hoo…. of course, creating air nobody can breathe isn't, right? And let's be sure to throw the military in there just in case we can use "patriotism" as an excuse…. barf bag needed now!
A very busy week ahead and two weeks op the joy of listening to the pressure hoses rattling against the front of your building while the radio is trying to overpower that sound. It is summer, you know. On the other hand the landlord is taking care of the building and keeping it in good repair, TomCat, so that is a good thing, I suppose. Good look with all your tasks, (medical) appointments and staying a cool cat with al that racket going on.
The New Yorker: It's been a while since Andy had a short take on this open thread, but he made up for that with this one. Though I think he leaves too much room for the scientists to brag about their findings, and the hard time they had looking for that specific gene. There must be at least a dozen genes messed up in that horrible family, clumps of it, screaming out at them: "look at us, at how bad we are". "Not only are we setting these bodies and brains up for failure without the carriers having an inkling of what's wrong with them, we are so powerfully bad that we can set up a whole country for failure without people having any idea they brought it upon themselves!"
Alternet: And the further down the tree you get, the more bad-ass these genes get and the more oblivious the carrier is.
Think Progress: Another day at the zoo. The real experts in these committees, I mean the ones not bought by the corporations to blabber some BS, but those with a real scientific background must be close to tears half of the time. I really admire those that can calmly refute any of the blatantly self serving elephant dung that is served in these meetings. Kudos to McCabe for cleaning up these huge heaps of dung again and again. Not that'll do any good, there's plenty more where that came from, and in the end it is all show and the GOP will either not vote on it or kill this updated ground-level ozone rule. As usual.
Cartoon: In America there is no ban to lift.
I'm actually not complaining about the maintenance. Inconvenient as it is, I recognize the necessity.
5:29, average up to 8:57! For something pretty, that is probably about as ugly as it gets.
New Yorker – Quite obvious which family that is, even without the picture.
Alternet – Another one with a PhD (Piled higher and Deeper) in Bullshitology (if they called it Boustroskorology, would they sound any smarter?) As for the history – I was born just five months too early ro be a boomers, so all of the boomers I knew were towards the early end of the boom. Practically none were "spoiled," and many were very active in the civil rights and peace movements, often at great personal risk, when the youngest boomers were still being born. (The concept of "spoiled" is a flawed concept anyway – what is called "spoiling" is just as likely to lead to altruism and abuse is just as likely to lead to acting "spoiled.")
Think Progress – Games are (supposed to be ) fair (even though they often aren't.) It's not unreasonable to ask and expect a game to be fair. LIFE ISN'T FAIR. I could construct a baseball analogy that would be more reflective of reality – it might involve balls starting to explode and produce poison gas in the second inning, or comething similar – but they wouldn't get the point.
Cartoon – Lona is right. We have never banned white supremacy hate groups. We just watch them – and by "we" I don't even mean the government, I mean sane people like SPLC.
People need to be reminded again and again that JEB stands for John Ellis Bush. It doesn't sound quite so folksy that way.
Man, the EPA has a hard row to hoe, for sure! If repukkklicanTs win the presidency, we are ALL screwed! They will take EPA to the dumpster and carry on polluting forever!
Ugh!
I like that term, devolution, it so aptly describes Dubya. Andy writes so convincingly, you almost think you are reading facts,not satire.
Alternet: Jeb worries me as much as Dubya did, they are both off the wall egocentrics who pander to the right wing and evangelicals for votes and campaign contributions. Neither of them have the interests of the country on their agenda. The charter schools is an excellent example of Jeb's agenda, making more money for his friends, just as the war in Iraq did for Dubyas.
Think Progress: The biggest obstacles to Clean Air are the manufacturers, oil, gas and coal industries. They are also the big money contributors to the Republican party. Living in coal country as I do, all I hear is condemnatin of Obama's EPA that is supposedly causing the destruction of the coal industry and jobs. The coal here has basically been mined out, without using Mountain top removal, which is likened ot bombing the whole area. Natural gas prices are far cheaper, so many are turning to that for their heat. Still, the EPA gets the blame. A study released this week shows that Kentucky has the highest incidences of cancer in the country. Big surprise. Our water, air, and soil are contaminated by dozens of minerals and chemicals that cause cancer, all released by the mining industry.
Cartoon: With the militarization of local police departments, we may soon have our own storm troopers.
Don't forget whatever they're calling Blackwater now.
Puzzle — 4:00 All that glitters is not gold!
The New Yorker — "“Once we identify someone as a carrier of this gene, we can try to keep him out of situations where he might do great harm to others,” Logsdon said." . . . if only! There is a specific population with the gene in the US called Republicanus/Teabaggerum. In Canada, they're called Harper and his harlots!
Alternet — I wonder how John Ellis Bush aka Jeb would respond to the new IMF report, Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality: A Global Perspective? It isn't so much what Jeb talks about in his speech as it is what he doesn't say.
What he didn't say was that the financial crisis was created by big brother, Baby Bush, and the rapacious corporations and 1%, and left to Obama to clean up with no help from the obstructionist Republicanus/Teabaggerum.
Think Progress — "Republicans have a BS in Bullshitology! " I disagree . . . they have a PhD!
Cartoon — I agree with Lona, JD and Edie on this one.
I posted an article on Care2 about the IMF report "Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality: A Global Perspective" which looks at the "trickle down" economics of the 70s and 80s. You might find it interesting. To be sure, we already knew that trickle down didn't work and is more appropriately named "gushing up" economics.
http://www.care2.com/news/member/775377582/3888964
Excellent,
3.38. Lovely article on the gene for failure, it does suit them doesn't it!
I saw this in The Guardian "Jeb Bush makes presidential pitch: 'We will take command of our future again'" – I take it he was using "the royal we", they are treating that job as though it was their family perquisite. There was an American comedian who said that America is the world's greatest democracy, where any boy or girl can grow up to be President if they belong to one of three famous families – looks as if the Right Wing believed him!
With Jebbie and now Trump announcing, if we love to have comedy in our daily lives, there's a good chance the clown TRAIN is about to provide plenty. The whole fiasco may well just derail itself….
Now we just need to get non-Teabaggers and non-Rethugs to the polls!
Amen!!
Thanks all. Hectic Day!! Hugs!!