Yesterday I spent most of the day mournfully engaged in meditation on he Ellipsoid Orb, but I did do some advance prep for dinner today. I’m current on replies. Today I will be cooking most of the day.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 4:04 (average 5:07). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Religious Agony:
Short Takes:
From NY Times: Newt Gingrich declared confidently the other day that he would get his name on the ballot for the Virginia presidential primary. In fact, he said he already had the requisite 10,000 signatures and an additional 2,000 to 3,000 for safety’s sake and would probably collect even more.
But that turned out not to be the case. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, the Virginia Republican Party announced via Twitter that Mr. Gingrich had failed to submit enough signatures by the Thursday deadline.
Duh!
From NY Times: A formal state review of Detroit’s books — a step that could lead to the appointment of an outside emergency manager to take over the city’s finances — was announced this week. City leaders are conducting urgent meetings with labor union leaders and financial consultants in a race to cut costs and head off further intervention.
This would be tragic. Thank the fools who stayed home and threw away their votes in 2010.
From CNN: Donald Trump continued to tease a potential presidential run by changing his voter registration Thursday from Republican to "unaffiliated" and publicly denouncing the behavior of members of his former party.
What can I say? Christmas Eve is a slow news day.
Cartoon:
4 Responses to “Open Thread–12/25/2011”
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Newty — Oh! Self newtering must be really painful! Just goes to show where Newties brains are!
Detroit —- Pontiac, Flint, Benton Harbour (have to love that one — looking at putting in a posh golf course that none of the residents can afford to use in a public waterfront park), and now possibly Detroit. So one person is going to dictate to and overrule over 700,000 people? This should be interesting. Based on the article, Detroit could use some help, but an Emergency Manager seems a little draconian. I think the manager is doing the right things in talking to financial consultants and stakeholders. We’ll have to wait and see.
Trump — Oh puleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze! No more drama queen crap from this reality show reject! Whp is he kidding?
Cartoon — Just great! But then I’m a sucker for anything to do with pussy cats!
Puzzle — 5:03 under the 5:13 average! Doesn’t happen often so I’m bragging. I did make it under the averages on 3 while you were catnapping for 10 days but I lost my list. It wasn’t by much though.
LOL!
I see nothing good coming there.
It was a slow day for news.
Way to go!
Have a good holy day Tom.
As for Detroit I have lived here in this vastly majority Black community my entire life. The more they look into the books the more they are finding that the financial mismanagement started long long before Detroit was majority Black and during the administrations of the Jerry Cavanaugh administrations who would borrow and bond to pay for services rather than cut services and the hole kept getting deep as they move forward through the books. If Detroit comes under a consent agreement or and EFM it makes little difference to this White boy because just like every other citizen in this city I am disenfranchised as a voter. I will have another new experience about what Black America has felt during most of her entire 20th century history. This will all shake out fairly soon, no matter what employees, are going to lose jobs, retirees are going to lose pension monies and them at the top are not going to take any cut at all in their office holder funds and expense accounts. Some (one or two of 9 will) say the $700.000+ they receive each as office holder accounts is barely enough and they SHOULD have police body guards and free cars, gas and insurance. Taxes will go up, residency will go down and if an EFM takes over Detroiut 51% of Black voters in Michigan will be under the control of a that EFM not their elected officials. Funny when I was born 1954 Detroit was America’s 5th largest city now it 18th. Yet size wise (infrastructure, square miles of acreage etc.) it is in the top four at 136 square miles of roads and all that still need maintenance because grids are all one. You can’t turn a portion off and have other portions further down the line still working.
Peace
Be Well
We of Detroit will survive and fight back as we can.
Mark Durfee aka The Walking Man.
You too, Mark.
I only wish I had something encouraging to say.