Open Thread April 11, 2024

 Posted by at 6:02 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 112024
 

Yesterday, I finally took a few duck eggs out of the freezer ((I’m allergic to chicken eggs, n=but not to duck eggs or goose eggs) to use as toppers to corned beef hash (yes, I’m old – that used to be a popular meal, particularly for breakfast). I froze some when my source retired. Freezing eggs is an awkward business – you have to take them out of the shell, because if you don’t, they will break in the freezer, and you also have to at least pierce the yolk. And if you don’t want to use them all together, you need to put each one into a separate plastic bag. So hardboiled eggs are not an option. Traditionally, with hash, they were poached, but that’s not an option either, since the yolk is pierced. I just made a “valley” in the “mountain” of hash and put an egg (out of the plastic bag) into it, then microwaved it. It wasn’t as good as the meals I remember, but it wasn’t bad either. However, the best use of frozen (and then thawed) eggs is in baking. Maybe I’ll feel up to that eventually.

I always enjoy reading Amanda Marcotte. She sees things that otber people, including me, don’t. I don’t claim she’s always right, but what she has to say always bears consideration. I should point out that Salon, where she is a senior writer, is also now on substack (as is I presume her personal newsletter which they mention.)

As Nameless often says, good news is always welcome. And I find this news particularly good coming from Texas. I suppose the whiny Texas GOP will be taking it to the Supremes, but at least there are injunctions for the interim. And the Supremes might turn it down. If they’re smart enough (I know some are.)

Hanky Alert

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Open Thread April 7, 2024

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 072024
 

Yesterday, The radio opera was Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” (“The love Potion”) and I’m afraid I slept through half of it. My alarm went off and I decided not to get up. I’m not a big Pavarotti fan, and while there were other major stars of the time, including one with whom I shared a violin teacher (not of course at the same time – decades apart actually) I just wasn’t inspired to get up then. I did get up in time fpre the second act (there are only two). One of the four main characters is a “snake oil salesman” and i see enough of that in real life.

Heather Cox Richardson is an historian, not an economist – but you don’t really need to be an economist to know that “supply-side” economics does not work. You just need to be over 40 and not blind. The Biden/Sanders video she speaks of is the second with Biden’s name on it in the list of Xitter videos below her list of links. Iy’s supposed to have sound, and it definitely has CC.

April, in the South, is Confederate Heritage Month. The Southrern Poverty Law Center find that less than acceptable. So they are pushing for a celebreation of good things in southern history to replace it – or at least alleviate the bad taste of it.

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Open Thread April 5, 2024

 Posted by at 6:26 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 052024
 

Yesterday must have been an interesting day. I reveived four separate Axios alerts before 1:30 pm. The first was about Democrats putting pressue on Mike Johnson over foreign aid, particularly Ukraine (sure glad to hear that.) The second was that the judge on the Georgia cas rejected Trump’s “First Amendment” challenge to the gag order – also good. The third – and this is huge – No Labels is dropping out of the Presidential race. and the final one was to announce that Aileen (“Loose”) Cannon has again dismissed a Trump** motion to dismiss his case.Four good new breaking alerts in one day is, to put it mildly, rare.

I knew that this was a Civil Rights song. I did not know it was written specifically for the Little Rock Nine. I’m glad to have learned.

I mentioned in a comment that the person who spilled the beans on Kyle Rittenhouse was the defense lawyer at his trial. This story has the details. I think he’s upset that he was taken in and wants to ensure as best he can that no one else is.

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Open Thread April 4, 2024

 Posted by at 5:31 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 042024
 

Yesterday, Hump Day, I accomplished almost nothing. Fortunately, there are other days.

On the last day of Women’s History Month, Heather Cox Richardson posted a biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (And of Marty, from when they met.) I held it a few days because it’s timeless, as opposed to court and political news.

Thom Hartmann frequently uses clickbaity headlines, but he knows a fact when he sees one – his content is as reliable as possible.

From danarheaelliott’s keyboard to God’s monitor. I will say that some of this is so downright idiotic that people of normal and up intelligence may be confused. Don’t worry about it.

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Open Thread April 3, 2024

 Posted by at 5:38 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 032024
 

Yesterday, I looked up on the HRA website to make sure that a payment of $10.84 was sent to one of the providers involved in my hospital and rehab time. Because they keep billing me and billing me – and I paid it. I did find the proof, with all the details- including the date the check was cashed – which was March 27. So I made no attempt to contact them right away. But I did take a screenshot and circled a few details, and saved it, so if it doesn’t (finally) stop now, I’ll be prepared. After the one I was looking for information on yesterday, I think there are now few enough who haven’t billed me to make a separate list of them in one place so I won’t have to go through 9 MSEs for every bill.

The playbook is straight out of the 1930s. Robert Reich spells it out.

Joyce Vance’s weekly “The Week Ahead” is generally useful,and this week’s appears to be no exception, even a couple of days late.

Now this was just revealed yesterday. You should have heard about it – it’s a story large numbers of people will care about (and get angry. I did see it in The Daily Beast – they interviewed Chef Jose Andrés and got an earful.) DU has the story, but they got it from a xeet from World Central Kitchen. A commenter there found it on Yahoo! news.

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Open Thread April 2, 2024

 Posted by at 5:58 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 022024
 

Yesterday, it literally took me more than four hors to payy just one medical bill with a credit card. A big part of that was that the bill showed a single figure which I had to go through 11 MSNs (formerly EOBs) where i found more than 10 line items for this particular service, not all of which were from this provider, and the only way I could find out which were was by trial and error adding p combinations until I foundthe combination that matched the bill. That took about three hours. Then I spent 15-20 minutes making a PDF of just the claims which applied to this provider,because it would have taken even longer to do it later, and w=even paying by credit card on line I willl eventually have to provide documentation to my HRA. The outher hpur was spent fighting with the provider’s billing agency’s website. I wasn’t expecting that, and after spending all that time just putting the information tpgether, I was not in a good mood to begin with. And then I had to get back to my email inbox, which was pretty well stuffed.

This is a “Missouri leads the way” story, which I can now put up because Nameless’s computers (yes, that’s plural – everything was down) are fixed. It’s not the Missouri government, of course – it’s individual Democrats working together to unsure there is a Democrat in every race.

This is a very moving story about an extraordinary person, who has a warning for all of us.

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Open Thread April 1, 2024

 Posted by at 6:21 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 012024
 

Yesterday, Trinette was by – she says hello to all – we chatted for a long time, though. After she left, I renewed my PBS membership and changed my password on a website I have often bought jewelry supplies from, and which has just upgraded their site and have asked every customer to change their password. They said March 29, but I thought I’d wait and maybe avoid the rush. It went smoothly, which might have meen me waiting or it might just jhave been the upgrade working well. Anyway, it’s done. I hope everyone’s Easter went well.

Nicely done. And about time someone did.

TPM looks a litle different from other Substack users – I found two places I had to click to keep reading (both in the upper right of the page or the box) and a third when I refreshed the page to copy the URL. But I think you’ll find the information worth while.

Someone who wants to emulate Trump** had better take steps first to ensure that people believe he – or she – or they – have lots of money. The technique doesn’t work so well without that.

 

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Open Thread March 28, 2024

 Posted by at 6:02 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 282024
 

Yesterday, I could hardly wait to see what Joyce Vance (who lives in Alabama) had to say about the upset special election there (while being aware it might have shocked her so much that she wouldn’t react until tonight.) Well, I did wait up for it, and here is a quote: “In the category of “you can’t make this up” the special election happened because David Cole, the Republican who previously held the seat, pled guilty to voter fraud charges when it came to light that he didn’t live in the district he voted in and represented.”  While waiting, I sent a litte money to Katie Porter’s PAC, “Truth to Power.” As she won’t be in Congress, she’s very motivated to help as many solid campaigns as she can.

Lakota Law has a petition on behalf of all native American nations. It’s to Pope Francis, and it’s asking him to return lands seized by the church to those tribes to whom it belonged. This link has been cut so it will not prefill with my information, and verified to make sure it works the way it should. There is some background at the link, and also another link to the full petition so you can be clear on what is being asked.

Mixed news here – good that it’s at least being considered – bad that it’s necessary.

I’m big on whistleblowers anyway, and this one is especially deserving of admiration. It’s 180 degrees removed from trading in classified information. Democracies need to, and have a right to, know the truth. ( Wonkette – who agree.)

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