Open Thread June 2 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:02 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 022024

Yesterday, the radio opera was Cinderella (not the Italian “Cenerentola” by Rossini, but the French “Cendrillon” by Massenet, which is much more like the story as we know it, while the Italian one is funnier and played more for laughs.) Massenet is the composer who wrote “Thaïs”, and you have almost certainly heard the “Meditation” from that opera – it’s a solo violin over the orchestra, and so often played it’s almost elevator music now. “Cendrillon” has arias, but none that has been overplayed as a standalone, and is also very listenable, even full length and in French, and this was neither – it was one of the abridged versions the Met does especially for children, usually around New Year’s Day (which this performance was taped on in 2022.)

Just for fun. One for every two counts.

A glimpse of the MAGA universe. But they haven’t thought of everything. No one seems to wonder why, if this were all a setup by Biden, what on earth took him so long? Even if he were in cognitive decline (which I hardly need to say he isn’t), surely (in their world) he would have Machiavellian advisers (which he doesn’t – and apologies, Niccolo) who would have finished the job a couple of years ago.

Several people have put together memes or articles to make the point “This is what ‘Not guilty’ looks like.” Wonkette doesn’t even make that point, being so in awe of the gentleman’s classiness, but I make it, and it’s my favorite in that category.

Open Thread March 12, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:01 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 122024

Yesterday, President Biden sent his budget to Congress – a trifling $7.3 trillion. I wouldn’t count on Congres, particularly the House, to act constructively. Also, I learned VP Harris will visit Colorado today. No, I won’t be there, but I expect to get a report from CPR today or tomorrow. And I found a link to the one-woman show about Ann Coulter. It was made in 2020, and will be available through 2026. It runs abou an hour and 53 minutes. If you have never seen it, you may want to – and if you have seen it, you may want to see it again.

Off topic, but, if you havent, please check out the open thread for March 9 – there’s news about Carrie (not, sadly good).

I don’t doubt this would make a lot of people angry – if they would see it – which they probably won’t. “Le secret des grandes fortunes sans cause apparente est un crime oublié, parce qu’il a été proprement fait” – Balzac – usually quoted in English as “Behind every great fortune lies a great crime.”

If you ever read “The 19th Magazine”, or if you saw this article in their newsletter, you instantly knew I would use it. Women’s History, Black History, even music history, all in one piece – of course I would.

Open Thread February 14, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:51 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 142024

Yesterday, my ballot for the Presidential primary arrived. The election is March 5th. I’ve been avoiding going out the front door since my hospital stay, and even more so, avoiding the porch steps (the last time I ventured on them wasthe day I came home, and that was one way only.) But with that much time, and Trinette coming Sunday, I’m sure I can wait tll then. I know for whom I am voting, and it’s only one block to fill in, and if she takes it out the same day it comes in, it should get there in time easily.

I’m sharing this as a Black Histoy story because IMO there’s no doubt that it is one. You can make up your own mind,of course.

This is a crash course in foreign affairs. If that makes it sound difficult – it isn’t. And it explains a lot about how we got to this point. And it’s available for free to anyne, so you can share (you might want to mention scrolling a little for “continue reading.”)

Open Thread October 18, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:06 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 182023

Yesterday, this paragraph was in the public radio newsletter: “Colorado said the bridge that collapsed near Pueblo in a fatal train derailment was owned by the railroad company, but the company says the state owns it.” It’s going to be a long wait. Sigh. “Photos and videos posted by authorities showed the partially collapsed bridge with the semi-truck caught beneath in the right lane. The images also show a pileup of train cars and wheels scattered across the scene and loads of coal covering a portion of the highway. Thirty-nine cars of the 124 being hauled derailed, the National Transportation Safety Board said.”

Also, my ballot arrived. I already knew how I wanted to vote on the two issues, but there is also a school board election. Five candiedates. Two vacancies. At least this time Ballotpedia came through on a couple of them (one yes, one no) and another candidate ‘s name was unusual enough that just her name brought up that she’s registered D. So I had two that I could vote for, and did. The other two should have filled out the questionnaires.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

John Pavlovitz – The One Place to Stand in The Israel-Palestine Violence
Quote – As a person of faith, morality, and conscience, I don’t know where to stand in times like these—other than with squandered, brutalized life. That means I don’t get off so easy as to be able to make a tidy little declaration and walk away feeling good about myself. It means I have to leave the shallows of ambiguity and into deep waters of nuance and history and human nature. It means I have to read and learn, to listen and reflect, to pray and wrestle. It means I’ll end up with fewer answers and more questions and I might be sick to my stomach. But this place of staring at the ugly unfigureoutable is where I am, where many of us are.
Click through for full secular sermon – which is what I found it to be. Yes, John is a pastor, but he does his best to speak to everyone, and often succeeds. I think he succeeds here.

Colorado Public Radio – Navy honors sailor who helped stop Club Q shooting
Quote – During a ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 5, Rear Adm. Scott Robertson, director of Plans, Policy and Strategy for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command, presented the medal on behalf of the Navy…. “I myself can only hope that I would channel the courage in our Navy core values like he did,” Robertson said. “But, we don’t have to wait for crisis to apply core values. We can and should apply them every day. That’s what I am taking away from the lessons you taught us all.”
Click through for full story. This is a week or more old – I saved it until Pat got back. Thank God Tommy Tuberville didn’t have his way before this occurred – it could have been much worse.

Food For Thought

Open Thread October 11, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:02 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 112023

Yesterday, I had calmed down some and thought maybe I was cool enough to address the Middle East war – though still not in my own words. I’m going to give you three articles without comment. One of them appears to be on Substack – it doesn’t exactly say so, but the quote function it uses looks like Substack’s. At least the clicking to continue is not too onerous – certainly less so than YouTube has become. While I was putting it together, my keyboard – um -started pining for the fjords -I tried new batteries, but no luck. So I’ll be getting a new one. I may be able to find a corded one I can use as a temp. The on-screen one is not that much slower, but it obscures part of the screen. Update – I found it. It’s laid out a bit funny but it works. And as a postscript – George Santos was hit with 23 new charges, including identity theft.

Cartoon – Number 2 of 4.

Short Takes –

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/09/israel-war-hamas-benjamin-netanyahu-government
The Guardian – We feel fear, anger and helplessness: all of Israel is in a state of war. But revenge is not the answer
Quote – Here in Jerusalem, we are trying to hold on to the hope that Hamas won’t launch missiles towards the city due to its proximity to al-Aqsa mosque, but the general anxiety still lingers. Schools have been closed, as have all businesses, and very few people are on the streets. Those who don’t have to, do not leave their homes. On Saturday night, after hours of anxious staring at the television and social media, my daughter was panicked by the fear that Hamas militants, armed and still inside Israeli territory, might make their way to Jerusalem and attack us in our home. Only after a thorough tour of the public shelters in the neighbourhood did she calm down slightly and manage to fall asleep.

https://www.dogshirtdaily.com/p/how-not-to-respond-to-a-terrorist
Dog Shirt Daily – How Not to Respond to a Terrorist Attack
Quote – The reason I don’t write about Israeli-Palestinian matters much is that the more time I have spent with them, the less I think I have anything useful to say on the subject. The process of spending time with the actual conflict has humbled me to the point that I am these days much more interested in asking questions than I am in making pronouncements. I am much more interested in conveying information than I am in telling people what I think—when I even know what I think, which is increasingly infrequent.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-israel-was-duped-hamas-planned-devastating-assault-2023-10-08/
Reuters – How Hamas duped Israel as it planned devastating attack
Quote – A careful campaign of deception ensured Israel was caught off guard when the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched its devastating attack, enabling a force using bulldozers, hang gliders and motorbikes to take on the Middle East’s most powerful army. Saturday’s assault, the worst breach in Israel’s defences since Arab armies waged war in 1973, followed two years of subterfuge by Hamas that involved keeping its military plans under wraps and convincing Israel it did not want a fight. While Israel was led to believe it was containing a war-weary Hamas by providing economic incentives to Gazan workers, the group’s fighters were being trained and drilled, often in plain sight, a source close to Hamas said.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 4/5/2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:53 pm Open Thread, Politics

Apr 052021

IMPORTANT This is long, but if you watch even a little, you are likely to learn something you didn’t know (but may have suspected.) There’s even more news available because, of all people, archaeologists have been telling some tales. Google “Dimona” (or “archaeologists Dimona”) for that. I apologize that the CC is less than perfect, but it’s pretty close.

Georgia Voting Law – unbelievable.

From yesterday – no one is more moving to me than the King family members. (And there’s no ad at the end, so it’s all good)

My bestie in Florida is probably beating her head against the wall in frustration – she knew all this for years At least she says she’s safe (her home)

VoteVets – held over from yesterday because the last thing we needed on Easter was more Gaetzgate.

Teachers and students …

13 Things My Black Cat’s Good At…

Open Thread – 11/28/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:01 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 282020

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox, but I have enough gas in the tank for a full post today. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update, as it’s a WWWendy day, and we are having our Thanksgiving dinner. It’s also a Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos are praying the Saints, but it won’t be televised here. I hope you are having a fine holiday weekend, even if it isn’t a holiday for you.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:01 (average 4:26). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Now, as states across the country contemplate new lockdowns to slow down the rampant spread and record hospitalizations, the unprecedented demand for food aid is on the rise, according to the Guardian’s latest snapshot survey:

In Cleveland, 5,000 families showed up last Thursday for the pre-Thanksgiving drive-in distribution compared with 3,300 a week earlier and an average of 1,600 over the summer. Some 54% of the food distributed was for children and seniors. “We’re now seeing families who had an emergency fund but it’s gone and they’re at the end of their rope. We’re going to be doing this for a really long time, and that’s frankly terrifying given the impact hunger has on physical health, learning and development for children and parents’ stress,” said Kristin Warzocha, president of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
One woman in Cleveland, who didn’t want to be identified, discharged herself from the hospital against medical advice so that she didn’t miss the Thanksgiving food box delivery. “That’s the depth of need and desperation some families are feeling,” added Warzocha.

Not surprisingly, the Trump administration is making a bad situation worse, The Guardian reports. Instead of boosting Snap benefits (food stamps), it cut eligibility. The USDA’s Farmers to Families program expires at the end of the year, as does a $450 million boost to the Emergency Food Assistance Program. “Without government assistance, ‘we’re headed toward a massive cliff come January,’ said Erin Pulling, CEO of the Food Bank for the Rockies which serves Colorado and Wyoming.”

Barf Bag Alert!!

This will not change when Trump* is gone. How many years have you seen me say, “Every penny Democrats spend to feed hungry families is a penny Republicans can’t give to a billionaire.”? RESIST!!

From NY Times: Iran’s top nuclear scientist, long identified by American and Israeli intelligence as the guiding figure behind a covert effort to design an atomic warhead, was shot and killed Friday in what the Iranian media called a roadside ambush as he and his bodyguards traveled outside Tehran.

For two decades, the scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was the driving force behind what American and Israeli officials describe as Iran’s secretive nuclear weapons program. His work continued after Iran’s push to develop a bomb was formally disbanded in 2003, according to American intelligence assessments and Iranian nuclear documents stolen by Israel nearly three years ago.

One American official — along with two other intelligence officials — said that Israel was behind the attack on the scientist. It was unclear how much the United States may have known about the operation in advance, but the two nations are the closest of allies and have long shared intelligence regarding Iran, which Israel considers its most potent threat.

There are three possibilities. Butcher Bibi, criminal Fuhrer Trump* or both in unison. I pick door number three. RESIST!!

From Alternet: A new viral video released by “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” on Friday offers an in-depth look into President Donald Trump’s ongoing refusal to condemn white supremacy.

According to the three-minute YouTube video’s description, it aims to highlight Trump’s “cozy relationship with supremacists.” The video, which garnered more than 700,000 views in less than 24 hours, notes Trump’s repeated attacks on nearly everyone under the sun.

Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent for the Noah’s show, provided the commentary for the video. During the video, he noted that Trump has often been “famous for being quick with an insult,” reports the Huffington Post. From lawmakers , state, and local officials, to Democratic voters, Trump has so easily insulted tons of people—except white supremacists.

When Trump was elected, racists rejoiced. White supremacists rallied around him holding rallies and blatantly making their racial bias known. On multiple occasions, Trump has retweeted white genocide posts on social media and subtly defended the actions of white supremacists.

This will not change when Trump* is gone. Trump* did not choose the Republican Reich. The Republican Reich chose Trump*, because he represents them. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Paradise

John Prine was a man who loved this planet. Sadly his fight is over. Seven months ago, Trump* and the Republican Reich murdered him with Trump* virus. RESIST!!

52 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 8/26/2020

Posted by TomCat at 12:03 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 262020

It’s another tired day, here in the CatBox. I overslept again this morning, but I still took a morning nap. Then I overslept from that too, so I’m running somewhat behind schedule. Last night I got to tell WWWendy she’s full of shit. She used my toilet and plugged it. That’s what happens when you get too many Republicans in one place. Fortunately she unplugged it too. Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:16 (average 4:19). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

US Cases: 5,957,522
US Deaths: 182,471
Plus the many GOP plague murder victims Republicans are hiding from us.

RNC Deplorables Take:

Night two of the RNC was more of the same.

I was particularly taken with the abject hypocrisy of der Reichsminister der Staat, Mike Pompeo. Do you remember how Republicans screamed when the Chicks (then Dixie Chicks) criticized GW ChickenHawk, Fuhrer of the failed Fourth Reich, for lying about his failed attempt to conquer Iraq for oil and profit? Then Republicans claimed that all politics stops at the water’s edge. But last night, Pompeo delivered his totally political message, praising Trump’s* failed foreign policy, from Jerusalem. Republican pseudo-Christians (the opposite of real authentic Christians) loved it, but it was unethical at best, if not criminal.

The following is a summary of everything that occurred:

Short Takes:

From USA Today: Hurricane Laura, which grew to a Category 3 storm early Wednesday, is forecast to bring “potentially catastrophic” storm surge, fierce winds and flash flooding to eastern Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday night and early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center says.

More than half a million people were ordered to evacuate as the storm approached, including the Texas cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur.

Even if Laura reaches Category 4 strength during the day on Wednesday, forecasters still expect the storm to hit near the Texas-Louisiana border as a Category 3 hurricane, as it’s predicted to weaken slightly before landfall. The storm has already intensified a “remarkable” amount in the past 24 hours, the storm center says.

Laura is growing in size, too. “Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles,” forecasters said.

0826Laura

Aren’t we lucky that criminal Fuhrer Trump and the Republican Reich stole FEMA’s operating funds? The poor that are devastated by this Republicane are SOL. But what will Republicans raid to pay for slightest storm damage to the property of billionaires: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, aid to starving children? If you’re in Laura’s path, please tale care. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Trump’s 40 Biggest Broken Promises Revealed

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right, while the Reich on the right, the Republican Reich, don’t care how wrong they are. They’re too busy having wet dreams over criminal Fuhrer Trump*. They chose him to be their beloved Fifth Reich Fuhrer, because he reflects the ideas, values and policies of the Republican Reich better than anyone since the original Fuhrer, who lead the Third Reich! But how did Robert limit it to just 40? RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Trump Song Parody Blasts the President’s Many Misdeeds

Amen! Kudos to left-wing protesters! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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