Yesterday the heat returned, groceries were delivered, and Wendy came for kitty-primping. When I got out of the shower and dried, by the time I got back to my apartment, I had to dry off the sweat. Finally, the site turned to mud, so I spent the first couple hours after breakfast on the phone with tech support. The problem was that PP was chocking the cache system designed to speed up page load, because we have thousands of graphics that are poorly optimized. She turned off the cache system and that fixed the problem. However, cobbling the site together by someone who isn’t an IT pro (me) has taken its toll over the years. The tech sent me detailed instructions on how to optimize all aspects of the site. It looks like I have many hours of work to do in the coming months. Tomorrow, I need to venture into the heat to submit to torture from Courtney, my Physical Terrorist. Therefore I will probably have no more then a Personal Update for you tomorrow.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:22 (average 4:56). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From NY Times: Another Earth could be circling the star right next door to us.
Astronomers announced on Wednesday that they had detected a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the closest neighbor to our solar system. Intriguingly, the planet is in the star’s “Goldilocks zone,” where it may be neither too hot nor too cold. That means liquid water could exist at the surface, raising the possibility for life.
Although observations in recent years, particularly by NASA’s Kepler planet-finding mission, have uncovered a bounty of Earth-size worlds throughout the galaxy, this one holds particular promise because it might someday, decades from now, be possible to reach. It’s 4.2 light-years, or 25 trillion miles, away from Earth, which is extremely close in cosmic terms.
When I first heard this, I thought it might be a good place to put Republicans, but on further consideration, a mere 4.2 light years is just too damn close!!
From Daily Kos: Many people who are prone to allergic attacks are also prone to having their throat air passages close from the internal swelling and inflammation. Without immediate treatment this can cause many children and adults to suffocate and die. They die a terrifying death of asphyxiation.
In 1977, the life-saving Epi-Pen was created. The self-injecting shot of adrenaline can sometimes halt the air passages from closing further, for a brief period, which gives the victim more time to seek emergency care.
A pharmaceutical company called Mylan [capitalist pig delinked] acquired the EpiPen in 2007, and immediately began hiking up the prices to a whopping 600%. That’s wonderful for the multi-billion dollar company, and it’s been awesome for Mylan CEO Heather Bresch who gave herself a big fat pay raise. Reports show that from 2007 to 2015, Bresch’s total compensation went from $2,453,456 to $18,931,068 [capitalist pig delinked] — yet she can’t afford to offer her “generic” drug at a fair price in order to save the lives of those who are in need and don’t know how to obtain the life-saving medication any other way.
As a former volunteer firefighter, I have used an EpiPen to save a life. I have seen what it does and now necessary it is for someone suffering a life-threatening allergic reaction. Heather Bresch’s Republican greed is obscene!
From The New Yorker: Calling it “the best use of our resources at this time,” the Republican National Committee has decided to pull money originally earmarked for Trump campaign ads and spend it on alcohol instead.
According to the R.N.C. chairman Reince Priebus, the decision to reallocate the funds from television advertising to alcoholic beverages came after careful review of the polling in crucial battleground states.
“With about seventy days to go until the election, we had to consider what was the optimal way for us to get through those seventy days,” he added. “We are confident that we have found that way.”
“The decision was unanimous,” he added.
Dang Andy!! If you’re right, that’s the most intelligent idea for Republicans I’ve heard.
Cartoon:
19 Responses to “Open Thread – 8/25/2016”
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4:38 (4:56) Aaaaaw.
NY Times – LOL! Given that we can't actually reach the speed of light, let alone warp speed, How fasr a speed would we actually need to reach to make this planet reachable in one's lifetime, with enough years left to adapt? Half the speed of light would make the trip 8.4 years – is thet possible?
DKos – Heather Bresch is the daughter of Joe Manchin. Would those who dislike Hillary rather have had him as our candidate?
New Yorker – Sounds like a plan. (Wish it was true.)
Cartoon – That would be four ones for a used five, of course?
"That would be four ones for a used five, of course?"
EWWWWWW!!!
Now we can.t go anywhere nere that speed.
Using the five first is what Republicans would do.
NYT: How fascinating!!! …passing this article on to Science teachers I know.
DK: I have two family members who use this. Like Martin Shkreli, she has no empathy for those who need this life saving drug. I find both of them despicable, with no compassion for others. Corporate greed at their best ugh!!
NYer: My question: What's the difference between a drunk republican and a sober one? Nothing. Just don't let them go rafting. lol.
Unfortunately, I don't know a thing about computers. Sounds like that's a hard project. Best to you today & tomorrow. It's now too bad here today, temperature wise, low 90's with more rain forecasted. Enjoy the rest of your day. Take care, and Thanks, Tom.
WOW !!! I cannot believe that the company that makes EpiPen is raising the price of this life saving drug that much! Martin Schkelly (sp) is right up there with this Heather Bresch is a greedy, money-grubbing whore! She could NEVER be a progressive! She I just TOO greedy for our side of the aisle!!
Sounds like we might want to take over that new planet!!!! If it as much like Earth as the scientists say it is, we can leave this polluted, over-populated cesspool and start a new society that helps people instead of tearing it to pieces!!!
Well, unfortunately WRT Heather Bresch – since her father is Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), odds are that she's not a Repubican.
She might be a DINO. I have the impression that he is.
I consider Manchin a Republican. If it smells like a fart…
Good luck with your IT chores. I, too, am still trying, without much success, to understand how to properly use this gadget. Not as much as you, though.
NY Times: This is a very exciting discovery, with promises that if we finally destroy earth, there may be somewhere else we can locate to begin destroying.
Daily Kos: Their greed is disgusting, and they are aided daily by our Congress. Time to clean house in DC.
The New Yorker: If I were a Republican, I would start drinking heavily. All the polls show Clinton will win. Hope they are right.
Cartoon: You know I understand this one, an old hillbilly such as myself has suffered one of these. Hated it..
Thanks to Gene Jacobson on Care 2 who informed us that Mylan is the daughter of Joe Manchin, Senator from Wva
Yes, kudos to him!
I can commiserate on your PP site problems, but not on heat problems, TomCat. Site building programs like WordPress and Yoomla (which I use) offer nice building blocks for simple sites with limited interaction, but as soon as you want something more fancy trouble starts.And over time they all turn to mud and/or get invaded by malware. On the weather front things have gone from far to warm for the time of year to definitely winterly with cold winds called Westerlies. But I can just add another layer of clothing to keep warm, and I imagine there's not much left for you to take off. Perhaps you need to start panting and wet your paws like your furry avatar would be doing to keep cool. 🙂 Good luck with the website and the heat wave, TomCat.
NYT: This planet is so close to it's very weak sun that it's locked into it's orbit like our moon's is locked to Earth: with the one side always facing it so one half is in perpetual daylight and the other in perpetual dark. Doesn't that night side sound like a good place to dump the remnants of the GOP after all?
DK: Utterly disgusting. Sometimes I'd wish there really was something like Scrooge's ghosts who dragged Heather Bresch to witness the slow suffocation of people who can't afford her ridiculously prized EpiPens and then make her suffer the same fate until she changed for the better. Martin Shkreli wouldn't be her illegitimate spawn by any chance, would he?
TNY: That's all very well for Republicans, Andy, but how are WE going to get through the next 70 days?
Believe it or not, I've finished most of the work
Sorry I'm so late to the party today. It was 36 C (97 F) this afternoon and I was so tired from the heat after dinner that I fell asleep for a few hours. It is 19 C (66 F) now so decidedly cooler, but the heat takes time to completely bleed off. Tomorrow is scheduled to be as hot at least but Saturday is cooler and we are scheduled for rain on Monday. Oh happy day! Maybe it will be the first time I can say "OMG it's Monday" and be happy about it!
Puzzle — 3:13 This is definitely a thorny issue!
NY Times — "…I thought it might be a good place to put Republicans, but on further consideration, a mere 4.2 light years is just too damn close!!" — On the other hand, if it is totally viable etc, why not leave Republicans here and everyone else goes to Proxima b. Let's face it, Republicans are dedicated to screwing this planet even more. Let them keep it!
Daily Kos — Outrageous! I don't know what an epi-pen costs here but I am going to check to see if it is covered by our Pharmanet and what price. It won't be the same as in the US, that I know. There is a special place in hell for people like Bresch and Shrkeli who are profiteers from the misery of others.
The New Yorker — I read this one in my inbox and just killed myself laughing! Boehner would have been right at home in the RNC now.
Cartoon — We had one of those at my grandfather's summer home but without the ventilation on the door, and no elephant. When we switched to indoor plumbing, the outhouse door became an aquaplane towed behind the boat with someone standing on it. Perhaps we should have carried some Republicans, hit some big waves and dumped the Republicans in the water!
At Walgreens, a box of two costs about $635 (US).
May you and Courtney have a fine time of it. Tech problems…ouch!!!!
NYorker: Lynn is so right about Boehner…he's probably wondering how this opportunity slipped by!
NY T: Tidally locked, and in the Goldilocks zone, but the surfce area that is habitable may be minimal because of the locking. So, what we need to do is VOTE BLUE ALL THE WAY DOWN, and relegate the GOPigs to the cess pool of their own minds!
DK: So, that's what happened, the origiinal company got bought out, I guess, and Ms.Greedy took over. Despite her father's being in the Dem.party, she seems to be a fan of St. Reagan, wanting to "…have it all!" PIG!
Cartoon: Well, TC, you've put them in the right place for their cess pool trip to commence!
Yep, Ms. Greedy said, "it's a business!!" as if that makes price-gouging just peachy. The drug companies have a zillion excuses why their prices are so high but I read once how they get all kinds of tax breaks and grants…I guess they need these huge profits so they can afford to advertise ad nauseum on tv – and so they can make millions off other's misery. Hope karma bites em where it hurts most.
Think winter, TC…. it will come and then we'll all be cold….
Until the government makes the Drug companies negotiate,this will go on. They have already killed the Affordable health Act.
It was sabotaged deliberately with the helpl of the Congress,(guess how!!?) Countries with Universal Heath Care,You know the Civilized ones in Europe pay FAR LESS for their medications. All are negotiated(as are the veterans Ass. in the USA.)
I did not make this up.I am an health care professional ,and last time in the UK. I asked around in my local hospital. Wake up America you are getting the "Royal Shaft"
Thanks all! Bleary-eyed hugs!