Dec 032021
 

Yesterday, I got the groceries put away. I finished all the cartoons for December. I put together and submitted the claim for reimbursement for my thyroid. And I puttered around a little with beads and pendants.

Cartoon –

Short Takes

Crooks and Liars – Wait Til You Hear What Kimmel Called Tucker Carlson This Time
Quote – To scare grandma, they need fresh villains. So they zero in on this tiny, adorable, tired man, who has done nothing but good for this world. Dr. Fauci has probably done more good for the world than all of us in this room combined.”
Click through for what he called Tucker. What impressed me more was his description of Fauci, so that’s what I quoted.

The Revelator – Invasive Species Are Threatening Antarctica’s Fragile Ecosystems
Quote – We mapped the last five years of planes and ships visiting the continent, illuminating for the first time the extent of travel across the hemispheres and the potential source locations for non-native species. We found that, luckily, while some have breached Antarctica, they generally have yet to get a stranglehold, leaving the continent still relatively pristine. But Antarctica is getting busier, with new research stations, rebuilding and more tourism activities planned. Our challenge is to keep it pristine under this growing human activity and climate change threat.
Click through for details and prognosis. The Revelator is a niche publication, ;iterally all about saving the earth for human habitation, which means it’s very much about climate change and reversing its effects.

SILive – Honoring frontline workers and more: See how Jill Biden decorated the White House for Christmas
Quote – This year marks Joe and Jill Biden’s first holiday season in the White House as president and first lady. Jill Biden explained they were inspired by Americans across the country who remind us that “our differences are precious and our similarities infinite.” The year was also defined by the uncommon acts of compassion, bravery and selflessness by many — and the White House celebrates their service and sacrifice, Jill Biden said.
Click through for more. I wanted an article that was positive about it, which eliminated Slate and the New York Times quickly. I think most of us are glad to have a President and First Lady who are human and humane.  BTW, I think the video – in the Video Thread – shows more detail.

Food for Thought –

Share
Oct 302021
 

Yesterday, I essentially got ready for today. That didn’t leave much time free. By the time this posts, I’ll be on the road, and by the tie the video thread posts, I’ll be in the middle of my visit. See you all when I get back.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Pattern Of Democratic Clean-up On Aisle Republican Deficit Continues
Quote – Now we have the Biden economy doing what Trump had promised, but without having reversed any of the Trump tax cuts (yet). Just think how much better off our national finances could be if at least certain Democrats (cough, Sens. Manchin and Sinema, cough) would acknowledge that and help the president take the obvious next steps.
Click through for column. It’s short but meaty.

Mother Jones – The Owners of the Democrats’ Big Data Firm Have a Side Gig: Working to Elect Far-Right Republicans
Quote – The involvement of TargetSmart’s owners in electing right-wing Republicans has remained unknown among the political professionals within Democratic and progressive campaign circles. Informed about this, a former technology specialist for the Democrats says, “This is not a good look for TargetSmart.” And a union official notes, “This is pretty damning…In the world [TargetSmart] occupies, it couldn’t be much worse. A lot of Democratic consulting firms do work for corporations that don’t always support Democrats or progressives. But to have a sister company working on behalf of Republicans is not good for its standing.”
Click through for full story. Sadly, the cold fact is that big successful businesses and Republicans go together We all would be better off to stay aware of thet.

The Revelator (Center for Biological Diversity) – A Nose for Science: Conservation Dogs May Help in Search for Endangered Franklin’s Bumblebee
Quote – The quest to save a rare pollinator from extinction has just gained an unlikely ally: a mutt named Filson. A six-year-old Australian cattle dog mix with black and tan fur and oversized ears, Filson will soon join the mission to find the endangered Franklin’s bumblebee (Bombus franklini). The fuzzy pollinator, which no one has observed in 15 years, became a federally protected species this summer.
Click through for more, and not just bees. This really is exciting for anyone who realizes how connected we all are.

Food for Thought –

Bonus – a comment from the Wonkette newsletter:
A Journey Of One Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Baby Step. And we really do have a thousand miles to go when it comes to fixing America’s infrastructure, and this bill that was going to be a giant stride forward is ending up to be just one step. But it is a step, in the right direction for once. And we should embrace that, and own that, and harken back to a time when all the steps were backwards, into authoritarian nativism, which really wasn’t all that long ago.

Share