SoINeedAName

For Aaron Rodgers: A Dish Served VERY Cold

 Posted by at 1:58 pm  Politics
Jan 232022
 
EDITOR’S NOTE – A Sunday Smile Bonus: While we might not all be sports fans, most of us have probably heard about Green Bay’s quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, who LIED WRT his Covid vaccination status, then started spewing “Fox News” talking points and finally began bashing Pres. Biden for speaking the truth.
So when the Packers (who I actually like, after my Chiefs and Bears) got whooped by San Francisco 49ers last night, I learned I wasn’t alone in my contempt for Rodgers.  So I put together this Diary (for us old Kossacks) or article over at Daily Kos.  And as luck would have it, it reached the top of the Trending List.  So I decided to share it.

If “Revenge is a dish best served cold” then the 49ers last-second defeat (13-10) of Aaron “I’ll-Do-My-Own-Research” Rodgers & the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field last night was a frozen treat!

And the Twitterverse wasted no time in mocking an arrogant Aaron “Natural-Immunity” Rodgers …

 

Bottom Line:

 

And so Rodgers now has some extra time on his hands …

 

It does appear Rodgers is now able to keep one promise …

 

If only Mike Pence wasn’t such a “pu$$y”  …

 

 

Wonder if there’s a vaccine for that …

But maybe we should ease up a bit …

 

At least Dr. Fauci gets a break …

 

And the good news for the rest of us:

 

 

UPDATE: Oops! Forgot to include the link to my Daily Kos Diary/Post:

For Aaron Rodgers: A Dish Served VERY Cold (dailykos.com)

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Friday Fun: Thanks, Canada!

 Posted by at 8:18 am  Politics
Jan 212022
 

NOTE: An email that Mitch shared inspired me to put this homage together honoring our Canadian friends.

 

One has to admire the ability of our neighbors to the North to adapt to what might seem like unfortunate conditions – like WINTER!

But not only do they succeed, they do so with a great deal creativity and humor …

And when those Canuck scallywags get mischievous, they do so with a wink and a twinkle in their eye …

Some even display great talent …

But when Old Man Winter hits them with a wallop, they all pitch in to get the job done …

Although occasionally problems do crop up …

And when someone offers something for free, they’re more than happy to take creative advantage of it – even if “Some Assembly” is required …

But you can’t always take their pronouncements literally …

And they will NOT let Winter cheat them out of their entitled summer fun …

While it’s true that many Canucks love to hunt, their approach to our Second Amendment is delightfully unique …

 

Thanks to our Canadian friends, who have shown they are more than adept at turning lemons into lemonade!

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Weekend Update: ICYMI – Odds & Ends

 Posted by at 2:39 pm  Politics
Nov 072021
 

In case you missed it (but how could you?) – this was not a particularly good week for us Democrats, with Glenn Youngkin winning the governorship of Virginia.

BUT you might have missed this little tidbit:

ICYMI: Glenn Youngkin’s UNDERAGE Son Tried to Illegally Vote – NOT Just ONCE, But TWICE – in This Week’s Virginia Election

 

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo provides the basics:

A little more details from WaPo:

About 20 minutes later, the teen returned, insisting that he be allowed to vote, saying that a friend who was also 17 had been allowed to cast a ballot.

Youngkin had emphasized “election integrity” as the centerpiece of his campaign to win the GOP nomination. He announced the formation of an “Election Integrity Task Force” of citizens who would work “to ensure free and fair elections in Virginia.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/glenn-youngkin-son-vote-election/2021/11/05/f5eb7ce0-3e62-11ec-8ee9-4f14a26749d1_story.html

Where’s the GQP outcry about election fraud?  Where’s the GQP outcry about illegal voting?  And why aren’t they calling for an “audit” to find that 17 y/o friend of Thomas Youngkin who DID vote – at least according to Thomas.

They obviously have NO knowledge about irony, but have an amazing familiarity with hypocrisy.

ICYMI: Melania Scowls and Rolls Her Eyes at TFG During World Series Game

This past week TFG & Melania went to the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves World Series game in Atlanta where the camera caught Melania trading in her smile for rolling her eyes, turning her head away and scowling.

But it’s hardly the first time Melania has let her true feelings show.  We all remember her famous vanishing smile during the Inauguration …

 

Or when she slapped his hand away while visiting Israel …

And my favorite: Who can forget her most poignant plea for help from Michelle Obama disguised as a gift from Tiffany’s:

As long as we’re enjoying mocking TFG, let’s compare how his visit with Pope Francis went compared to Pres. Biden’s visit a week ago.

ICYMIT: Trump v Pres. Biden on Meeting Pope Francis

Trump’s meeting with the Pope did not go well …

Compared to Pres. Biden meeting with Pope Francis this past week:

Pope Francis was not the only one at the Vatican who was dumbfounded when dealing with TFG.  A reminder of what an honest reaction to utter incompetence gets from a totally unbiased translator back when Donnie visited the Pope:

 

And here’s a side-by-side snippet comparing the same translator dealing with Biden compared to TFG:

What a difference having a caring, compassionate and competent President makes!

ICYMI: Biden Puts an End to Trump’s Weekly “INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK”

The other big story I’m sure no one missed was the ending of Trump’s FOUR-PLUS YEARS of promising “Infrastructure Week”.  But let’s review a snippet of TFG’s endless promise of “Getting it done”.

Oh, and when the GQP starts whining that Biden’s Infrastructure Bill and Build Back Better will cause inflation (and they will, because lies are all they have), just inform that SEVENTEEN Nobel Prize-Winning Economists disagree!

ICYMI: Nobel Prize Winners: Biden’s Build Back Better Social Safety Net Will EASE Inflation – NOT Cause It

Seventeen recipients of the Nobel Prize in economics signed a letter in support of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion Build Back Better package on Monday. They refuted arguments made by Republicans and moderate Democrats that the massive “human infrastructure” bill—which would provide funding to expand education, health care, child care, and climate efforts—is far too expensive. 

The economists also came out in support of a proposed $2.9 trillion increase in taxes to pay for the program. The new rates, which would mostly impact the wealthiest Americans and large, multinational corporations, would represent the largest tax increase in decades. 

https://fortune.com/2021/09/21/nobel-prize-winning-economists-back-joe-biden-build-back-better-plan/

The signees, who are all currently employed as professors at the nation’s top universities, wrote: “Because this agenda invests in long-term economic capacity and will enhance the ability of more Americans to participate productively in the economy, it will ease longer-term inflationary pressures.”

That should bring you up to speed on those fun stories that might have slipped right passed you this past week.

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Spooky Halloween Bonus Prank – Courtesy of Mitch!

 Posted by at 1:49 pm  Politics
Nov 012021
 

Originally I was going to add this to my yesterday’s “Boo-tiful Babies” post – but it got to be so long I thought I would spread out the Halloween happiness and post it today.

Mitch was kind enough to send me a video of amazing telekinetic powers that would take my breath away if I were there back then.  One aspect I appreciated is they show you how they accomplished it.

It was created and filmed in 2013 at the ‘sNice Café & Coffee Shop in the West Village.  Mitch indicated that when he lived in NYC he was aware of it.  But sadly, it closed in 2014.  (It’s a cleaners now, which saddened Mitch when I told him.)

Enjoy this very clever and well performed video – courtesy of Mitch!

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Let’s Celebrate Halloween With Some BOO-tiful Babies

 Posted by at 3:28 pm  Politics
Oct 312021
 

With few exceptions, Halloween has become a universal holiday celebrated by almost everyone – not only here, but around the world.

So just because you happen to be one of those who made a point to arrive too early and found yourself in a Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), doesn’t mean you couldn’t join in the fun.

It’s become a very common tradition to dress-up the preemies in cute costumes.  Many NICUs organize costume craft parties for parents and nurses to engage their creativity.  Parkland Hospital NICU in Dallas has special education students involved in creating the little one’s ensembles.

When I first started researching for this post, I had NO idea I would find as many different outfits as I did.  And even the ones with the same themes were interpreted a bit different.

It kinda got away from me, but not wanting to leave out too many, I decided I’d put them into GIFs.  I’ll start with one-offs and then move to similar ideas and close with favorites.

MISC

 

BEES

BOXERS

COWS

CRAZY CAT LADY

FLOWERS

LIONS

MERMAIDS

POPCORN

SUPERHEROES

TWINS

MY FAVORITES

The Viking with a beard; the Chipotle burrito; the skeleton with candy in his tummy; the mouse with all that cheese; the fire-breathing dragon

 

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Weekend Whimsy: It Just Wouldn’t Be Autumn Without …

 Posted by at 1:13 pm  Politics
Oct 232021
 

Yep, my favorite time of year is once again upon us.  And by now I suspect you are all close to being experts on the science of the panorama produced by ending photosynthesis.  (Like that’s going to stop me.)

After a new leaf is fully formed, the tree will spend its energy on preparing for the next year’s leaf buds.  They rely on the leaves already in place to create and store food as carbohydrates/sugars for the energy needed for that new leaf bud.  Trees are unique in that they’re able to manufacture their own food/energy, courtesy of photosynthesis.

We all know the green pigmented chemical in leaves as Chlorophyll.  It utilizes the energy courtesy of the sun during the process of photosynthesis to convert water (from the roots) and carbon dioxide (from the air) into sugars and starches while giving off oxygen as a by-product.

Of course the green from chlorophyll is not the only color pigment that’s always present in leaves.  Equally important are the carotenoids (carotene and xanthophyll).  These pigments are used in capturing light energy needed in the process of photosynthesis.  It’s just that the carotenoids are masked by the green of the chlorophyll during the summer months.

Once there’s the nip of autumn in the air, as daylight hours shorten and temperatures drop, cells near the juncture of the leaf and its stem start to divide very rapidly.  This creates the corky abscission layer where the leaf will eventually break from the tree and flutter to the ground.  And then that corky layer serves to protect the branch through winter.

The rapid growth of the abscission layer physically blocks transport of nutrients needed by the leaf to manufacture the carbohydrates.  Consequently the photosynthesis that’s been creating chlorophyll ends.

And once the chlorophyll is gone, the carotene and xanthophyll chemical pigments that have been present all summer long now take center stage.

These carotenoids (carotene and xanthophyll) give their characteristic orange and yellow colors to not just leaves, but also to carrots, corn, canaries, and daffodils – as well as egg yolks, rutabagas, buttercups, and bananas.

When it comes to the forest, they provide the predominant color for about 15-30% of our tree species.  They’re most commonly found in the hardwood species of hickories, ash, maple, yellow poplar, aspen, birch, black cherry, sycamore, cottonwood, sassafras, and alder.

But there’s a third class of chemicals that leaves have (after chlorophyll and the carotenoids) that produce the reds and purples of anthocyanin.  Oddly enough, unlike the other two classes, anthocyanin has not been present in the leaves during the entire summer, but are created brand new – just for autumn’s fall foliage!

It’s a mystery why a tree would expend extra energy when it’s shutting down for the winter to use stored energy to create a new product.

We do know the brighter the sunlight during this period, the greater the production of anthocyanins – and the more brilliant the resulting reds and purples.  This direct proportion of redness to sunlight exposure explains why the periphery of hardwood trees are bright red, while the foliage lower down and inside are the more typical oranges and yellows.

Anthocyanins also account for the coloring of cranberries, red apples, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and plums.  They are present in only about 10% of hardwood species – mainly maples, sourwood, sweetgums, dogwoods, tupelos, cherry trees and persimmons.

But in a few lucky areas — most famously New England — up to 70% of tree species are the type that produce the anthocyanin pigment.  That high concentration of anthocyanin accounts for the intense (but relatively brief) autumnal color display in New England.

So while other areas that enjoy a mix of tree varieties the colors may not be as intense, but the season lasts longer.

And this year, rather than individual photos of fall I’ve found a wonderful aerial video to share featuring foliage of New England:

 

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Weekend Wisecracks: Medical Student Bloopers

 Posted by at 5:38 pm  Politics
Oct 172021
 

PERSONAL NOTE:

I apologize for being somewhat sporadic in my contributions as of late.  Unfortunately, my 91 year-old uncle (by marriage) has been admitted to the hospital three times in the last two months. 

Fortunately, they were able to get him stabilized and into the Cardiac Rehab unit.  Last week we were able to move him to an Assisted Living facility.  He hopes to make it back to his apartment, but I’m not sure as he’s still on 2 Liters of O2 with barely acceptable FiO2s.

His 83 year-old sister (my aunt) lives less than a mile from me, and doesn’t drive, except to the grocery store and church.  He has a son (cousin), but he lives on the other side of the Metro, so I’ve become the designated driver for his sister – and it’s a little over a half-hour drive one-way to the Assisted Living place.

But it did get me thinking that maybe I could use a little medical humor to lighten the moment.

So I’ll begin with a classic story that’s frequently told on your first day of Medical School orientation:

 

Brand new M-1s (First-Year) medical students were being oriented to their anatomy class involving a cadaver.  They gathered around the stainless steel tank with the body covered by a white sheet.  The professor started the class by telling the students:

“In medicine, there are at least three important qualities a physician must possess: The first is absolute Respect for your patients, so treat these cadavers with respect during your dissections.

“The second is that you absolutely cannot be disgusted by anything involving the Human Body”.

As an example, the anatomy professor pulled back the sheet, stuck his gloved-finger in the rectum of the corpse, slowly withdrew it and then put his finger in his mouth.

“Now I want each one of you to do the same thing,”

Stunned, the M-1s hesitated for a long moment before one brave soul broke the ice and did as instructed.  Slowly, with great hesitation, they all stepped forward to take their turns doing the same exam, and all with disgusted faces.

When everyone finished, the professor looked at them shaking his head, and informed them: “The third most important quality is Observation.  If you had paid attention you would have noted I stuck my middle finger in the rectum, but sucked on my index finger.  Now learn to pay attention.”

 

Let’s enjoy a few actual entries by medical students in patients’ charts – obviously oblivious to the third quality: PAY ATTENTION!

By the time he was admitted, his rapid heart had stopped, and he was feeling better.

On the second day the knee was better and on the third day it had completely disappeared.

She has had no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband said she was very hot in bed last night.

Discharge status: Alive but without permission.

The patient refused an autopsy.

The patient has no past history of suicides.

The patient’s past medical history has been remarkably insignificant with only a 45 pound weight gain in the past three days.

She slipped on the ice and apparently her legs went in separate directions in early January.

Between you and me, we ought to be able to get this lady pregnant.

She is numb from her toes down.

While in the ER, she was examined, X-rated and sent home.

When she fainted, her eyes rolled around the room.

The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.

Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.

Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.

 

And I’ll close with this well-meaning health information sign that was clearly created by a republican:

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Friday Fun: Pop Quiz Courtesy of “The New York Times”

 Posted by at 2:52 pm  Politics
Oct 082021
 

Quiz: If America Had Six Parties, Which Would You Belong To?

America’s two-party system is broken. Democrats and Republicans are locked in an increasingly destructive partisan struggle that has produced gridlock and stagnation on too many critical issues — most urgently, the pandemic and climate change.

Unfortunately the Quiz is behind the NY Times paywall.  BUT there are two workarounds:

[1] You’re allowed a certain number of free articles every month.  If you’ve already met your quota, you can clear your cache and that resets the dial.

[2] The good people at Daily Kos provided a link to the Quiz that let’s you avoid the paywall.  I subscribe to the NY Times, so I don’t know if it works for everyone – but worth a shot.  You might have to copy/paste it into the address bar if a direct click doesn’t work

FREE LINK:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/08/opinion/republicans-democrats-parties.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUyYiZ_tU1Gw5CRWySB4B991re1L-XkPs7nn74LS-TDixP1_kfB4mL8kHWIKZuYtw4xT2HX5pZOaUzRfFpiO9DOkgnAy-Znqy5orVXaSMktdD0GWIww5_XVLsk8CHnKTHnd-ohmeWz-hmKa2b1XPTehWkrcQ80vZszdwqg3yBZw63OEPVnmYUrhYdXDZ5-TT8GdXPK66GuU0MiTY3AOhLM6QA2W_VbUSXRlLOf47ECdQZUCTHWXS81oDZ8uJ4HZoRhbOuoJAUgecH9nbwaFmdoSY-iDJQ3TIXU_K54B-LmzV7D4_OkGag7QRU-OA&smid=url-share

It’s an interactive Quiz where the questions advance only after answering the first one.  So I went ahead and typed out the questions for some background.  But unless you answer them online, you will not get the results that place you in one of the six “new” parties.  (Lee Drutman provided this graph where you’ll be plotted based on your answers.)

But I did include the thumbnail info of each – but the site provides a lot more info – demographics for each party, etc.

It’s readily apparent that you can “game” the quiz to put yourself where you want – but I was brutally honest, as I really wanted to know.

And a couple of the questions are fairly nuanced, which might change your answer.  Have fun!

Straight Link:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/08/opinion/republicans-democrats-parties.html

[1]

Marijuana should be legal

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[2]

Should same-sex marriage be legal

Yes – No

[3]

How easy of difficult should it be to immigrate to the USA

Much Easier – Slightly Easier – Same – Slightly Harder – Much Harder

[4]

How do you feel about reducing government regulation of business

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[5]

Local government should decrease the size of police forces and the scope of their work

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[6]

It is the responsibility of the federal government to see to it that everyone has health care coverage

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[7]

When it comes to really important questions, scientific facts don’t help very much.

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[8]

The minimum wage should be raised

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[9]

I would rather be a citizen of the USA than any other country.

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[10]

Gun control laws should be …

Stricter – No Change– Less Strict

[11]

American society systematically advantages white people

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[12]

I think abortion should be …

Legal in all cases – Legal in some cases and illegal in other – Illegal in all cases

[13]

An important reason that some people are poor is because the economy is unfair

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[14]

Racial minorities have mostly fair opportunities to advance in the USA today

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[15]

Today, discrimination against white people has become as big a problem as discrimination against Black people and other minorities

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[16]

Should the government raise taxes on incomes above $200,000?

Yes – No

[17]

Do you favor or oppose of providing a way for undocumented immigrants already in the USA to become citizens?

Yes – No

[18]

Wealthy people spur innovation

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

[19]

How important is the issue of climate change to you?

Very important – Somewhat important – Not very important – Unimportant

[20]

It’s the responsibility of government to reduce the income differences among people

Strongly Disagree – Somewhat Disagree – Neutral – Somewhat Agree – Strongly Agree

 

PARTIES

Progressive

The Progressive Party is focused on equity and racial justice, with a strong vision of inclusive social democracy. Its strongest support comes from politically engaged, highly educated younger people, especially women.

 

New Liberal [This is where my answers placed me]

The New Liberal Party is the professional-class establishment wing of the Democratic Party. Members are cosmopolitan in their social and racial views but more pro-business and more likely to see the wealthy as innovators.

 

American Labor

The American Labor Party is focused on economic populism, with an appeal to working-class Democrats who don’t have college degrees and don’t follow politics closely. It is more moderate on social and cultural issues compared with the Progressive Party, but also more diverse, appealing to many working-class Hispanics.

 

Growth & Opportunity

The Growth and Opportunity Party is the socially moderate, pro-business wing of the Republican Party. It is the heir to the old moderate “Rockefeller Republican,” the East Coast wing of the G.O.P.

 

Patriot

The Patriot Party is the party of Donald Trump’s 2016 primary campaign: the coalition of the small town, white working-class Americans who feel left behind by globalism and condescended to by cosmopolitanism. It is economically populist and strongly anti-immigration. Its strongest support among lower-income conservatives comes from exurban America.

 

Christian Conservative

The Christian Conservative Party is focused centrally on issues of religious liberty and morality, with very limited government. It will find stronger support among the most politically engaged and affluent, especially men.

 

 

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