In Canada, Thanksgiving dates back to 1578 and the exploration of the Northwest Passage by Martin Frobisher. Canada was untouched by Columbus but many non Canadian people associate Thanksgiving with the US Columbus Day. Rather our first contact with Europeans came in the 12th century with the arrival of the Norse explorer Leif Erikson of Iceland, and later Greenland. From Wikipedia Thanksgiving in Canada
"Years later, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, in 1604 onwards also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed the Order of Good Cheer and gladly shared their food with their First Nations neighbours."
The Canadian Thanksgiving "… corresponds to the English and continental European Harvest festival, with churches decorated with cornucopias, pumpkins, corn, wheat sheaves, and other harvest bounty, … drawn from biblical stories relating to the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot."
I know that my own church has large displays of harvest bounty. We support others with a "modern bounty" . . . food donations that go to our local food bank.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in Canada. I visited my mother and fed her a turkey dinner with all the trimmings today . . . although for her, it is all mashed as she can't chew well. I usually sit between my mother and another resident alternating feeding. It helps the staff to have another set of hands and eyes. By the time I went home, I was exhausted. So here I sit finishing the tail end of the Open Thread having just swallowed the last of my dinner. I am thankful for many things but I am especially thankful for TC and everything that he has taught me; for the friendships of Nameless, JL and Joanne; and for all of you that keep me going. Thank you.
Puzzle — Today’s took me 2:50 (average 4:23). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.
Upworthy— In recent years, we're seeing more and more artists explore new mediums that reduce their environmental impact, like salt, ice, and even trash. It's leading to some incredible work.
Joanna's medium of choice? Fallen leaves.
Having majored in fine arts in high school and been accepted to study fine arts at university, I feel I know a thing or two. Joanna's work is exceptional. Read more at Upworthy.
Mother Jones — Perhaps realizing that Cruz does need to grab some early-state mojo, his campaign has decided to focus more on Iowa. Starting next week, Cruz will blast through the state with 20 campaign stops in seven days.
Is that enough? Robinson suggests that if Cruz wants his rivals to implode, he might have to start explicitly attacking candidates in his brackets, such as Carson, who has a strong presence in Iowa and major support among the evangelical voters whom Cruz needs. Instead, Cruz is acting like a front-runner, setting up a "firewall" and avoiding direct clashes with his primary rivals.
"What signs are there that these [other candidates] are just going to be a flash in the pan and Ted Cruz is going to pick up the crumbs?" asks Robinson. "I don't see any evidence of that."
So, how's it going for you, Cruz? My prediction: Cruz won't last because his non plan is a bust. Read more at Mother Jones.
Think Progress — USHCC President Javier Palomarez challenged the Ohio governor on the fact that women in his state working full time are getting paid roughly 78 percent of what men make — according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau. For Latina women across the U.S., the gap is even greater: just 54 percent of what men made in 2014.
Palomarez pointed out that Kasich has daughters of his own, and asked how he explains this disparity to them.
“Well, a lot of it is based on experience,” Kasich replied. “A lot of different factors go into it. It’s all tied up in skills. Do you not have the skills to be able to compete?”
Kasich really knows how to step in it . . . and right up to his neck! This is the same Republican candidate vying for the nomination to run for POTUS. This is also the same man that on 09/10/2015 said to a New Hampshire audience member that he would "get over" cuts to Social Security payments as a result of his reform plan. A most despicable little man. Read the rest at Think Progress.
My Universe — Mornings can be a bitch. Especially Mondays.
Yep, it's Saturday night and time forRight Wing Folliesbrought to you by the Republican Party of the US and their right wing associates.
Guano Girl! She's baaack!!
3. Climatologist and biblical scholar Michelle Bachmann has a theory about floods.
Where there is horrifically bad weather in America, there will always be some kook proclaiming it is God’s wrath for America’s sinful ways. Same sex marriage, blah blah, abortion, yah de yah de yah.
This week the storm in question was the flooding in South Carolina, and the kook in question was Michelle Bachmann. Turns out that the severe flooding in South Carolina and parts of North Carolina, yep, God’s wrath, people. What’s God pissed off about now? U.S. policy on Israel. “US turns back on Israel, disasters following,” Bachmann tweeted, employing some headscratching grammar. She helpfully included dramatic flood pictures from South Carolina, so her followers would know which biblical flood she was referring to.
How exactly the US is turning its back on Israel is not explained. Of course, this is not the first time Bachmann has pointed out that President Obama’s foreign policy is hastening the End Times. They are nigh, people! Time to take that crash course in arc building.
I have a theory about a flood . . . specifically the flood of nonsense that eminates from Guano Girl! It seems that if she is denied an audience for any length of time, she comes right off the rails! . . . even more than usual!
Read about the other four Right Wing Moments this Week in Alternetand don't forget the popcorn.
It has been raining all day long. I could hear the steady beat against the rain spout beside the den window. The furbabes are surrounding my feet. Could life get any better?
Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:20 (average 7:09). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.
Short Takes
Upworthy— h/t JL — "It makes their day, and it makes mine to see them smilin' and happy!" he said.
I like his style! My kind of teacher.
Raw Story — Then Noah asked a question that Maddow found nearly impossible to answer.
“If you had to vote for one of the Republican candidates, if someone held a gun to your head because Ben Carson said (to) point it that way, who would you vote for if you had to vote for one of the main 12?” Noah asked.
Read the rest of this short article and view the video at Raw Story. Unfortunately, I couldn't watch the video because it is not on The Comedy Network (Canada's version of Comedy Central) yet, and Comedy Central is not available in Canada.
Daily Kos — h/t Pat B — After a Houston-area mother complained about how his son's ninth-grade Word Geography textbook defined African American slaves as migrants and workers, I was curious to see what my son’s seventh-grade Texas History textbook would say about slavery and immigration. So I looked at the online edition (the history teacher refused to let my son bring home the textbook) of the Texas History textbook published by McGraw-Hill, the same publisher of the now infamous high school World Geography book. And McGraw-Hill did not disappoint me!
Read the rest of this article at Daily Kos. The saying "History is written by the victors" as attributed to Winston Churchill, seems apt here. The text misinforms readers and gives short shrift to the history of African Americans, something totally unacceptable.
My Universe — Sitting down to a great mousey dinner!
I am sitting here checking out some news to cover, and I can hear the rain outside. It is very relaxing to hear as I prepare tomorrow's only article. It is the remnants of Hurricane Oho, the tail end, as Oho has headed up to Alaska. Earlier, while driving about, I had listened to news of the House Speaker's race, followed closely by the news of Oho. I started laughing because I thought they had announced the hurricane's name as Hurricane A##hole. I do have some hearing deficits, but still . . . Maybe it is Washington that has Hurricane A##hole . . . right in the Republican conference room.
Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:04 (average 5:04). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.
Short Takes
Alternet—Why won't the media acknowledge and report the truth rather than made-up issues is the burning question on Paul Krugman's mind in his column Friday. He was spurred by Representative Kevin McCarthy, no longer in the running for Speaker of the House, who guilelessly boasted that Benghazi was all about hurting Hillary Clinton politically, which most sentient beings knew.
IMO, the media should be reporting the facts, reporting the news, NOT being the news. For example, Fox News aka Faux Noise, or for me just plain Faux, is a prime example of so called media being the news rather than reporting the news. At best, the work of O'Reilly, Hannity and the multitude of other on air personalities, is opinion, not news. They are the Republican/TeaParty propaganda wing.
Common Dreams — In what privacy advocates are hailing as a landmark victory, California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a sweeping tech privacy bill which will require police in the state to obtain warrants for access to telecommunications data, including emails, text messages, GPS coordinates, and other digital information.
"This is a major win for privacy and for Californians. With so much of our information existing online, it's important that our communications are protected from government access to the strongest degree possible," said G.S. Hans, policy counsel and director for the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT).
Now, if more states, indeed more countries, take similar steps, would we still have the feeling of 'big brother is watching'? That a person's communication in electronic form is treated differently than that on paper is absolutely ridiculous.
Alternet — Socialism is not about “free stuff,” but cracking down on these corporations that exploit their workers and then rely on the government to make sure they don’t starve. It is not about being lazy and slacking off, but about demanding a fair share and getting paid decently for one’s labor — it is yet another right wing fallacy that people get paid what they’re worth, and that only lazy people are poor. Socialism is about working people, not slackers. It is about fighting capitalist realities like the fact that the top 25 hedge fund managers in America make more money than all of the 157,800 kindergarten teachers combined. Are investors who produce no value really worth that much more than teachers?
I couldn't agree more with the author. Being a Canuck, I am accustomed to a more socialist view of what life should be. Mahatma Gandhi said “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” I would alter that slightly to be “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its people and animals are treated.”
Today has been somewhat relaxing. I even managed to cut the nails of my three furbabes and watched a movie for my "me time"! Tomorrow is my busy day with physio, teaching and a few errands. TGIF!!!
Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:27 (average 5:29). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.
Short Takes
The New Yorker — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has entered rehab to deal with his “struggles with nouns and verbs,” an aide to the congressman has confirmed.
According to the aide, McCarthy abruptly dropped out of the race for Speaker of the House because his difficulties with those two parts of speech had “spiralled out of control.”
Well McCarthy certainly did spill the Republican beans, didn't he! And now out of the race for Speaker. Was it the beans really?
NOLA.com — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's surprise decision Thursday (Oct. 8) to drop out of the race for speaker likely puts an end to Rep. Steve Scalise's run for the No. 2 House leadership post.
McCarthy announced that he plans to stay on as majority leader. McCarthy, a California Republican made his announcements to a GOP caucus meeting that had been expected to vote him the members' choice to be elected speaker during a full House vote slated for Oct. 29.
McCarthy said it's important the GOP caucus be "100 percent united," and that "if we're going to unite and be strong, we need a new face to do that."
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said McCarthy dropped out because he didn't think he could get the 218 votes needed in the House to replace John Boehner as speaker. Issa said neither of the other candidates – Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., and Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, could, either, although McCarthy had the backing of a majority of the GOP caucus.
Continue reading about these GOP follies at NOLA.com. It would seem that there is a lot of confusion and the issue of the ultra conservatives vs the conservatives is shredding the party right now.
Prompted by an e-mail I received, I looked into the Constitution to see who could be the next Speaker. The Speaker need not be a sitting member of the House and "…based on tradition and practice from the earliest days of the nation, to be elected speaker a candidate must receive an absolute majority of all votes cast for individuals, i.e. excluding those who abstain. If no candidate wins such a majority, then the roll call is repeated until a speaker is elected." (from Wikipedia)
Huffington Post — Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Thursday that the GOP's investigation into Planned Parenthood's use of federal funds hasn't turned up anything.
"Did I look at the finances and have a hearing specifically as to the revenue portion and how they spend? Yes. Was there any wrongdoing? I didn't find any," he said during a Judiciary Committee hearing on the family planning provider. …
Chaffetz said Thursday that he still supports digging into Planned Parenthood's activities, even if they're using their money appropriately.
"I think there will continue to be investigations," he said.
Read the rest at Huffington Post. Enough already!!! How many tax payer dollars are going to be misappropriated for what in my mind, should be classified as partisan politics? I would say the same about Benghazi and the ACA too.
My Universe — It's Carnivale for these two energetic Bengals!
Tennessee’s first year of drug testing welfare recipients uncovered drug use by less than 0.2 percent of all applicants for the state’s public assistance system.
The state implemented the testing regime in the summer of 2014, adding three questions about narcotics use to the application form for aid. Anyone who answers “yes” to any of the three drug questions must take a urine test or have their application thrown away immediately. Anyone who fails a urine test must complete drug treatment and pass a second test, or have their benefits cut off for six months.
In total, just 1.6 percent of the 28,559 people who applied for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits in the first year of testing answered one of the three screening questions positively. Out of the 468 people who peed in a state-funded cup, 11.7 percent flunked the test.
You can read the rest of the article HERE. In an earlier Think Progress article, Missouri, Oklahoma, Utah, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arizona were examined for the costs-benefits of their programmes.
As state legislatures convene across the country, proposals keep cropping up to drug test applicants to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, or welfare. …
Proponents of these bills claim they will save money by getting drug users off the dole and thus reduce spending on benefits. But states that are looking at bills of their own may want to consider the fact that the drug testing programs that are already up and running haven’t seen such results. …
The High Costs And Few Rewards In Each State
The drug-testing regimes in the seven states all differ slightly, but the lack of effectiveness is widespread.
In 2011, Missouri adopted a law to require screening and testing for all TANF applicants, and the testing began in March 2013. In 2014, 446 of the state’s 38,970 applicants were tested. Just 48 tested positive.
The budgeted cost for that year’s testing program was $336,297. And, according to numbers provided to ThinkProgress by a Missouri Department of Social Services spokeswoman, the first three years of the program will likely cost the state more than $1.35 million, including start-up costs. …
In 2011, Florida passed a law to require every single applicant for TANF to pass a urine drug test, at his or her own expense (not just those for whom there was a reasonable suspicion). In four month of implementation,108 out of 4,086 applicants tested positive at a cost of $118,140. Applicants who tested negative would be reimbursed by the state. A federal courtstopped the requirement as a violation of the Fourth Amendment’s “unreasonable search and seizures” clause in 2013 — a ruling upheld in December by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. The three-judge panel noted that Florida had “not demonstrated a more prevalent, unique or different drug problem among TANF applicants than in the general population.” A 2012 Georgia law like Florida’s, was revised in 2014 to include a “reasonable suspicion” requirement. A spokeswoman for the Georgia Division of Family and Children’s Services told ThinkProgress that the program is “currently on hold, pending a case in the U.S. District Court.” Its ultimate result could determine the constitutionality of the requirements in other states.
Read the rest of the ARTICLE to see how the other states fared.
Too many states are seeing drug testing as a panacea for high welfare costs. Unfortunately, the costs far out weigh the benefits. And the causes of job loss or welfare assistance are not uniquely the fault of applicants. But in addition, there are other costs like the affront to a person's dignity. I can remember the first time I had to go on Unemployment benefits. I stood at the counter, dressed as if I were going to work, in full blown panic attack mode, shaking like a leaf in a strong wind. I had to fill out papers but I could not write. With no one at home to assist me, the clerked filled it out as I mumbled answers to her questions. My face was beet red, my legs like jello. I finally signed it but the signature didn't resemble my usual signature. Had I been required to "pee in a cup", I think I would have totally lost my mind.
Is it right to ask people to "pee in a cup" when they are already down, especially when the testing lacks effectiveness?
In July 29, 2013, a Latina mother in Illinois named Natasha Felix sent her three sons, ages 11, 9, and 5, out to play with a visiting cousin, a young girl, in a fenced park right next to her apartment building. The oldest boy was charged with keeping an eye on his siblings, while Felix watched them all from the window. While they were outside, a local preschool teacher showed up at the park with her class. She saw the 9-year-old climb a tree. Felix’s youngest son fought with his cousin over a scooter and, at one point, ran with it into the street. Based on this, the teacher called the child-abuse hotline, and Felix received a visit from the Department of Children and Family Services.
However, when Rodriguez asked Felix if the boys had any special needs, Felix replied that the 11-year-old and the 9-year-old had been diagnosed with ADHD. On the advice of their doctor, they were off their medications for the summer. Rodriguez later wrote that “based on the mother not knowing that the kids were running into the street with the scooter, based on the children having ADHD,” she recommended that Felix be cited for “Inadequate Supervision” under the Illinois Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. As a result, Felix was placed on the state’s child-abuse registry, which led to her losing her job as a home healthcare aide and ended her dreams of becoming a licensed practical nurse. …
“Certainly, prior to this, I don’t think most white people knew very much about the child-welfare system, or were afraid that someone was going to knock on their door and say, ‘Let me see your kids,’” says Dorothy Roberts, a University of Pennsylvania law professor and the author ofShattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare. “Whereas in black neighborhoods, especially poor black neighborhoods, child-welfare-agency involvement is concentrated, so everybody is familiar with it.” …
Whatever you think of parents who use drugs, it’s clear that poor parents and parents of color are held to a very different standard than middle-class white parents. “My daughter broke her collarbone twice when she was a young child,” says Guggenheim. “I took her to the same hospital, and the second time I brought her they treated me with great dignity and respect. If I were in Bed-Stuy and a single parent, [CPS] might have come to my door, they might have found some joints on my nightstand and taken my child, and I would be lucky if, 12 months later, I got her back in my custody. That’s how I live my white privilege every day. And they would have found joints on my night table, let’s be clear about that.” …
This is not just a US problem. There are the same types of issues in Canada, the UK, Australia and other so called developed countries. As reported at News 1130,
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond says the province has fewer social workers now compared to 13 years ago and that the government must hire more by boosting funding for the Children’s Ministry.
Turpel-Lafond concludes in a report that consistent failures within the ministry mean it has failed to meet its own standards to protect children.
A woman I know had 4 children with her spouse. She had a minimum wage job in agriculture, while he was not working because when he did have one, he was chronically late and unreliable. She went to work one day leaving the children ages 3, 5, 8 and 11 in the safe keeping of her husband. Later in the day, she received a call from police to get home immediately. When she arrived home, she discovered that the children had been running loose, the youngest literally playing on the street. The children had been left in the care of her husband but he was nowhere to be found. She had a choice to make . . . quit her job to look after her children or lose them to CPS. She quit her job. She would not abandon her kids. It turned out that her husband was bored so took off to be with friends, either drinking or gambling, rather than honour his obligation as a father. She is a loving mother who is loved by her kids in return.
This situation is all too common, especially if the family is poor or a minority. In this case, they are both. Now the father is gone and a community has come to the aid of the mother and kids to support them in all sorts of ways. I am part of that community.
I think that a family's culture is also important to consider. People have different ways of bringing up their children depending on circumstances. For example, refugee children may almost be "adults" in certain ways because of what they have endured. The full story of a family should be listened to. Social workers should not be saying "this is how we do things here" and leave it at that. But I am also concerned that the caseload for an individual social worker is too high, and possibly contributes to a "get them through" mentality.
Look at First Nations families that have historically been ripped apart, the community ignored.
There are no cookie-cutter solutions or quick fixes, but some respect is a good place to start along with ensuring that children are in no immediate danger. What do you think? How has this impacted your life, if at all?
