Open Thread August 23 2024

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 232024
 

Yesterday, Colorado Public Radio reported on a study from Colorado University (Boulder) which suggests that low blood levels of cortisol are related to long CoViD, and that, although if you google (or DuckduckGo) cortisol, you’ll find much more on how to get your levels down than how to get them up, nevertheless cortisol “is key for humans to generate energy, for everyday activities and also to exercise.” Let me emphasize that this study appears to be the first of its kind and therefore extremely preliminary. Don’t start chugging coffee or binging on sugar if you have long CoViD until and unless your doctor tells you to. But it’s interesting, and particularly so to anylne interested in the roles the body plays in learning and memory.

Although the FBI is trying to at least gain some headway against those who organize into groups (and I believe that falls under RICO laws so prosecution is at least possible.) In case you can’t access it, I printed it to a PDF which I can email if you are interested.

Wonkette is woman-owned, and this post was written by her husbamd (who goes by “Shypixel”). And there is some family history in the post, including how Shy discovered he was a Democrat. But if you aren’t interested in that, scroll down to the last 5 paragraphs (3 of which are only a short sentence each) beginning with “The infectious feelings of hope and love.” I found it an encouraging reminder of the best in us.

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Open Thread August 22 2024

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 222024
 

Yesterday, I got an email from Vote Vets regarding Republican members of Congress who, while accusing Tim Walz of stolen valor, are themselves stealing valor as they speak “A full 29 of the 50 signatures come from Republicans who falsely claimed they are retired. Calling yourself Retired means something. It speaks to a length of time in service that many of the people on that list of Republicans never fulfilled.” They singled out Ronny Jackson and Troy NEhs – but that’s just two out of 29. In case anyone here has a veteran in your life who is Republican, Vote Vets is the place to go for the facts = any and all facts regarding MAGA lies about active duty military and/or veterans. Also, this popped up in Colorado – has any other state done this? Or could this be a model? And all this while Andy Borowitz got some giggles about Melania.

Joyce Vance has a subhead under the title of this post: “I’m not about to let up on this, and you shouldn’t either!” And, you know, she’s right. So I’m adding an extra link here, to her home page. By clicking on “No thanks” you will have access to a sort of “front page” of recent posts.And there are already a few newer than this one. It was a hot week for articles and columns (and the Convention hadn’t even started yet.) But this one is a good introduction. Also, here is something that is getting lost in all the other outrages

I have no doubt that the Obama presidency was used as a recruiting tool for the KKK )and other groups), nor that it was successful (I mean, all you have to do is to look at MAGA to see that), nor that the same is true for protests against wypipo murdering black citizens with no accountability. But that is on them, not on the decent and caring people who voted for Obama or those who object to people getting away with murder. In fact, Pro Publica recently completed an investigation on the phenomenon of radical racists getting more radicalized by Obama, and what can come of that.

There is so much crap in Project 2025 (and in Don-OLD Trump* for that matter) that it’s prectically impossible to keep up with it all. Of course, thet’s what sources like Talking Point Memo, and others, are for.

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Open Thread August 18 2024

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 182024
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Rusalka” by Dvorak, which is the Czech version of the little mermaid. Like the Andersen original, it does not end well (Czech folk tales in general tend to be noticeably grimmer than Grimm). After the prince spurns the rusalka for the foreign princess, the former princess spurns him, devastatingly, telling him to follow his witch to hell. Which he pretty much does. Wonderful music. The “Song to the Moon” may be the best known, but the Polonaise also gets a lot of play. And short enough for me to go back to local radio and hear again almost the last almost-an- hour of “Don Carlo.”

As you watch the Democratic National Convention on TV (or whatever) from the comfort of your home, be glad you are not a Smithsonian curator. Seriously, it’s difficult to keep track of everything the Smithsonian does to preseerve American culture and history. Every once in a while I like to take a look at it, and also remind others.

I realize everyone and his dog (or her cat) is coming out with information on Project 2025. If the aggregate of these guides does not yet surpass the number of pages in the Poject itself, it likely will soon. This is Lakota Law’s version, based on comparing it to “settler violence,” otherwise known as “US policy throughout the 19th century.” The comparison is, IMO, apt, and I think examining it can benefit far more people than just Native Americans and people of color.

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Open Thread August 16 2024

 Posted by at 5:49 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 162024
 

Yesterday, I wondered whether anyone who comes here lives in Chicago. Because Wonkette is having a sort of party there on Sunday. I believe there will be snacks, and I’m certain there will be drinks. (If they were bringing their own bartender, there would be drinks you did not know existed. I’ve read some of his recipes and he is a perfectionist. But they’re not. So it will be mostly beer.) It will be between 5 and 7:30 PM in the bar of the Kaiser Tiger. Details here. Also, Tim Walz’s dog Scout is on the cover of Vogue’s September issue, Also, too my stuff got picked p – so my porch is cleared and ready for more.

Robert Reich on what Harris could do as President to make the economy better. Yes, it gets a bit technical. But it’s Robert Reich, so it’s clearly explained.

CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) has done an investigation of the Republican plan to infiltrate state election systems with themselves in order to refuse to certify elections they don’t like the results of. I’ve seen stories on this, and I’m sure you have too, but nothing beats an investigation report from a responsible citizens’ group. You do have to use the “download” button in order to read it. It downloads as a PDF and does so very rapidly, and it requires less than 7MB of disc space.

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