Open Thread December 25, 2022

 Posted by at 6:41 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 252022
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” – not the whole thing, but an abridged version aimed at children. And sung (and spoken) in English. With sets and costumes by Julie Taymor (very fairy-tale-y and lots of puppets.) The Queen of the Night‘s famous “Holy Racket” aria is included, of course. They’ve been using this production for some time (they have another production for the full opera in German) and their experience is that the kids are always most enthralled by Papageno. Not unexpected. He’s the most childlike – not in the sense ob being uncomplicated, but in the sense of being easily distractable, and that’s where all the humor comes from.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Good Word News – How do Christmas traditions vary around the world? See the pictures
Quote – In a show of resilience among Christmas celebrants, 40 Ukrainian refugees in Krakow, Poland, sold handmade items such as candles, tree ornaments and gingerbread cookies during a Christmas craft fair organized with the help of the United Nations Refugee Agency. A stall at the Ukrainian Christmas Market in Krakow, Poland…. It was an opportunity to showcase the “great talent within the refugee community,” Argaz said, adding that the idea for the event was born when UN staff members received a stone “ intricately painted” by one of the residents of a collective center, which is a dwelling that houses a large number of refugees.
Click through. There are other parts of the world included, but this struck me as special.

Good News Network – Man Spells Out ‘Hi Kevin’ in Lights for 20 Years–to Honor His Neighbor
Quote – Witmer says passersby are sometimes confused by his lights, which read ‘Hi Kevin’ across his roof, but it’s to honor the memory of a young boy who passed away from cancer in 2010…. “When I heard he had cancer and was going through chemo and radiotherapy, I wanted to support him. I had this idea to write ‘Get Well Kevin’ in my Christmas lights—what 11-year-old doesn’t want to see their name in lights?” Witmer continued to do it every year, even after his cancer went into remission and Kevin went off to college….
Click through for full story.  (Hanky alert)

Food For Thought

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Open Thread December 22, 2022

 Posted by at 6:49 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 222022
 

Yesterday, though the high for the day was only 47°F, when I went to take out my carts for the grocery delivery (around noon) the sun had been shining on the porch for 4-5 hours and if felt much warmer. Today and tomorrow, we are expecting sub-zero (centigrade: -14°F and +5°F respectively) high temperatures with snow possible tonight. I’m glad I ordered when I did. I don’t like making the delivery folk go out in severe weather. Sure, they get tipped, and I can increase it, but there’s really no tip that can adequately compensate for those conditions. Also, it tool me a while and a little research, but I think I have found the phrase for us to throw back in the faces of those who say “Democrats in disarray.”  How does Republicans in rupture” strike you? Happy Winter Solstice, everyone!

And, yes, I saw the Joint Session with President Zelenskyy’s address.  I have set this link to start when he actually started speaking  If you want to see the announcements of the names of the ushers, the entrance of diplomats, and the entrance of the Cabinet, you can use this link insted – it is the whole enchilada.  I will note that there appears to be ab echo in the closed captions (you will see what I mean if you use them) and there are some errors, which happens even with perfect dictio (if there is such a thing).  But the message – including the comparison to Christmas 1944 – comes through.  If you just want a summary, this one is stunning.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Fox’s Favorite Priest Defrocked By Vatican Over Abortion Stunt
Quote – Pavone, founder of anti-abortion group Priests for Life, frequently posts on social media about politics and abortion, largely in support of former President Donald J. Trump and the Republican party’s anti-abortion platform. The Vatican said it provided Pavone “ample opportunity” to defend himself, but he provided “no reasonable justification for his actions,” according to the letter.
Click through for (frankly disgusting) details. When I first saw a headline on this, I thought he was being defrocked for not being anti-abortion enough, and I was disappointed. My faith in the current Pope has been restored.

The Daily Beast – Trump Special Prosecutor Has a History of Indicting Presidents
Quote – The story may sound familiar, if not a bit like resistance fan-fiction. But this story is actually about Smith’s efforts in Kosovo, a small country in southeastern Europe that was historically an Albanian enclave in Serbia. It was difficult every step of the way. Smith had to defend his work from widespread accusations that he was conducting an unfair political prosecution to remove the nation’s favorite leader. And the narrative was that cooperators are traitors—and that these lawyers like Smith were trying to destroy the country. It may prove to be an invaluable experience.
Click through for background. BTW, that purple you see in his photos, which looks either affected or athletic, is actually a robe worn in the international court. Here, only judges wear robes, but that’s not true in all courts, and especially in Europe (at least he didn’t need to wear a barrister’s wig.)

Food For Thought

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Video Thread 12/12/22

 Posted by at 11:51 am  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 122022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Why did a federal judge reject the prosecutor’s request to hold Trump team in contempt? An explainer

The Lincoln Project – Remembering Herschel Walker

MSNBC – Meet The 18-Year-Old With The ‘Determination And Drive’ To Become Mayor

Ring of Fire – Trump Lawyers back in court BEGGING for Immunity for former President

Spider Learns To Ask For High-Fives (if y’all don’t like this, I won’t feature aany more arachnids. But I found it kind of symbolic.)

Beau – Let’s talk about dancing, Ukraine, and history…. (Four words: South Pacific. “Honey Bun.”)

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Open Thread December 9, 2022

 Posted by at 7:20 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 092022
 

Yesterday, I was glad to see that we finally found someone acceptable to swap for Britney Griner, who is now on her way home. About time, too.  Of course Republicans are screaming bloody murder.  But there are a few other good news items which got me through the day. and I got to see my BFF, who ca  me by to bring me a prescription so I don’t have to go into a store and get exposed to heaven knows what.  The three items which I think really command attention concern Lizzo, Biden, and Kamala Harris.

Cartoon

Short Takes –

Wonkette – Germany Arrests 25 In QAnon-Fueled Coup Plot, Proving America Does Too Still Export Stuff
Quote – The plot included a plan to attack Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, to kill members or take them hostage. By golly, we have seen that movie…. In addition to the plan to storm the Bundestag, the group allegedly planned to attack Germany’s electric grid and use the resulting chaos to foment a civil war. All told, while only 25 people were arrested, a total of 50 have been accused of involvement in the terrorist organization.
Click through for story. This appears to be a bit of a scoop – there was a short clip on MSNBC and that was all I found (it’s in the video thread.)

Crooks & Liars – ‘Religious Freedom’ Bites Forced-Birthers Where The ‘Son’ Don’t Shine
Quote – Jewish people, for instance, don’t believe the fetus has a soul until it draws its first independent breath. We prioritize the life of the pregnant person above the life of the fetus for the entirety of the pregnancy, including in situations that put the pregnant person’s emotional health at risk. With the imposition of the GOP’s fetus-fetish laws all over the nation, however, Jews and others whose religions don’t subscribe to the ideology of these nutters are fighting fire with fire.
Click through for details. I applaud this work. I’m so tired of people claiming to be Christians saying abortion is murder when the Bible does not say so, but implies it is not. What clearly IS murder is failing to treat pregnancy issues and thereby causing death. If you’re going to outlaw abortion, you might as well also outlaw the Heimlich maneuver.

Food For Thought – OMG, this is beautiful!

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Video Thread 12/8/22

 Posted by at 11:47 am  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 082022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Trump Org GUILTY! Will Donald Trump be next? Plus, J6 committee to make criminal referrals to DOJ

The Lincoln Project – Trump Against The Constitution

MSNBC – Harry Dunn: ‘I’m Not Letting Anyone Steal The Joy I Feel’

Liberal Redneck – Liberal Redneck – Kanye, Nazis, Etc

Bird Loves To Annoy His Dog Brother

Beau – Let’s talk about Sweden, Finland, and cold weather gear….

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Open Thread December 3, 2022

 Posted by at 6:47 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 032022
 

Yesterday, I learned a new word – new to me, at least. A forb is an herbaceous flowering plant other than in the grass family. I get a “Bird of the Week” email from the American Bird Conservancy, and this week’s bird, the Chestnut-collared Longspur, they tell me, seeks shelter among grasses and forbs. Who’da thunk. I also continued listening to a Rachel Maddow podcast, “Ultra,” about a plot from 1940. There are 8 episodes altogether, and each episode has a complete ranscript whic has been edited and proofread, and indicates at all times who is speaking. It doesn’t get any better than that. Also, the episode I listened to on Wednesday included a few commercials, and the transcripts do not. The full 8-episode podcast corcens events which happened in 1940 of which you have probably never heard (I hadn’t) but which are spookily similar to today. (The one person whose name I had heard was Father Coughlin, and I was aware he was terrible, but exactly how terrible, no.) The fact is, eternal vigilance really is the price of liberty. And yet, it’s also true that Democracy requires a lot of mutual trust in order to finction well. Those two truths constantly work against each other, yet neither one is safe alone.

Cartoon

Short Takes –

truthout – Fracking Firm Agrees to Pay a Small Town’s Water Bills for 75 Years
Quote – After years of legal wrangling, the company formerly known as Cabot Oil & Gas agreed to plead no contest to 15 criminal violations of state environmental laws and pay nearly $16.3 million for the construction of a new public water supply for Dimock. Activists say some Dimock residents went years without access to clean tap water, and Coterra Energy, the company that bought Cabot, will pay their water bills for 75 years under a plea deal with Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. It remains unclear whether Coterra would be permitted to frack the area in the future, but production was halted years ago as the scandal unfolded.
Click through for story – This is something we don’t see every day (but probably should.) I was thinking that if one ever wanted a prosecuting attorney, the prosecutor in this case would be the one you’d want… but he’s not available. He just got elected Governor.

Crooks & Liars – Russian Propagandist Admits: If Russia Loses, We’re All Going To The Hague
Quote – “I want to say that if we manage to lose, the Hague, conditional or concrete, is even waiting for the janitor who sweeps the paving stones behind the Kremlin wall. What do we need from the fact that another district of Kyiv will be left without electricity or not? The scale of the catastrophe for our country, if we manage to do it [lose] is unimaginable. To be afraid of The Hague – do not go into the forest, ”said Simonyan. However, propaganda host Vladimir Solovyov summed up at the end that if Russia loses, there will be no The Hague. According to him, if this happens, then “the whole world will go to dust.”
Click through for a little more. Yes, this fear has substance. The Iternational Court has formed (or is forming) a court specifically to investigate Russian war crimes.

The 19th – Bipartisan bill would require human trafficking hotline to be posted in every U.S. port of entry
Quote – Senators introduced on Thursday the Human Trafficking Prevention Act, bipartisan legislation which was shared first with The 19th. The bill would direct the Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security to ensure the hotline is also visible in every individual plane, bus and train restroom. The companion bill, introduced by Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat, and Darrell Issa, a Republican, passed in the House in July. Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, one of the bill’s primary sponsors, said transportation hubs are a “common-sense place to intercede” by letting victims and bystanders know who to call for help.
Click through for details – I’m going to try not to be snotty, and just say this is a good idea, and it’s good that it’s (at least to some extent) bipartisan.

Food For Thought (updated by me.)

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Open Thread November 30, 2022

 Posted by at 7:10 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 302022
 

Yesterday, we did indeed have snow as predicted, but the sun was out a couple of hours before is was supposed to slow down to a trickle. (the prediction also suggested it would continue to trickle throug the night, which it may – or may not.)  It was also Giving Tuesday, so my inbox was about twice its usual size. And one more notable thng – the Senate passed the law upholding same-sex marriage 61-36  At this link you can see the 12 Republicans who voted yes, and I guarantee some will surprise you.  Now, this doesn’t mean some (*)hole state will not challenge the law, but it does make it harder.

Cartoon – 3

Short Takes –

Mother Jones – How Did a State Known for Its War on Immigrants Approve In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students?
Quote – Proposition 300, [passed in 2006, was] a successful ballot measure that made university students in Arizona who were not US citizens or permanent residents and those lacking legal status ineligible for in-state tuition and federal and state financial aid…. Sixteen years later, that could change. The majority of voters in Arizona during the recent midterm elections were in favor of Proposition 308, a ballot measure that repealed provisions from Proposition 300 and opened the way for any high school graduate, regardless of immigration status, living in Arizona for at least two years, to access in-state tuition rates at state universities and community colleges.
Click through for analysis. It makes sense to me. If you don’t like a groups of people, at least in part because they are uneducated, then educate them. but then, I’m a flaming liberal.

Crooks & Liars – Russian Mothers ‘Rewarded’ With A Set Of Towels For Fallen Sons
Quote – On the occasion of Mother’s Day, one of the leaders of the Kursk region in Russia made a grotesque gesture, presenting a set of towels to mothers who lost their sons on the Ukrainian front. Outrageous news came to light in the Russian media: one of the district leaders of the Kursk region, Sergey Korostyev, gave a set of towels to mothers who lost their sons on the Ukrainian front, reports the Russian newspaper Vesma.
Click through for story and sources. Mothers Day in Russia is celebrated on the last Sunday in November. I don’t know about the “Dollar store” part. I expect the government is hurting for funding.

Food For Thought

 

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Open Thread November 24, 2022

 Posted by at 6:46 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 242022
 

Yesterday, I had already picked out short takes for today – being a holiday, and specifically a holiday for gratitutde, I didn’t want to be gloom and doom, and i haven’t changed them. But I was – you migt say sucked in – by the title of Steve Schmidt’s newsletter for the day: “It’s time to pick up JFK’s unfinished business.” An an unpaid subscriber, I didn’t reveive the full article, but he opens discussing oratory. JFK was no mean speaker, but Schmidt transitions to MLK’s Promised Land speech and Bobby’s extemporaneous speech on MLK’s death – “one of the greatest pieces of oratory in American history” and “the greatest extemporaneous speech in American history” respectively – and links to videos of them. Truly, all three men deserve our gratitude, and if yours is up to the associated grief at their loss, you can read (part of) the article here and link from it to videos of those two speeches. I don’t know whether they have CC; I couldn’t. Also, Virgil called, and Pat emailed to let me know that, between Thanksgiving and multiple famiy birthdays, we may not see her for a couple of days.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Russian POW Offers Himself In Exchange For Stolen Raccoon
Quote – A Russian prisoner of war (POW) has offered to exchange him for a raccoon stolen by Russians from the Kherson zoo. The relevant statement was made by Kherson Regional Council First Deputy Head Yurii Sobolevskyi on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The video shows the Russian military saying: “I, Oleg Mokashov, a private, born in 1975, from Novosibirsk, am asking the government of Russia to swap me for the Kherson raccoon.”
Click through for story, meme, and video. This seems to be a new level of trolling (which apparently is not always a bad thing.)

Open Culture – Jim Henson’s Commercials for Wilkins Coffee: 15 Twisted Minutes of Muppet Coffee Ads (1957-1961)
Quote – Drink our coffee. Or else. That’s the message of these curiously sadistic TV commercials produced by Jim Henson between 1957 and 1961. Henson made 179 ten-second spots for Wilkins Coffee, a regional company with distribution in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. market, according to the Muppets Wiki: “The local stations only had ten seconds for station identification, so the Muppet commercials had to be lightning-fast–essentially, eight seconds for the commercial pitch and a two-second shot of the product.”
Click through for video collection. Yes, I could have put this in the video thread, but I already have Mrs. Betty Bowers there, and this is pretty unusual – typical Henson, and quite amusing.

The Warning – “0ur faith sought the harmony of man with his surroundings”
Quote – There is an accompanying arrogance that rides comfortably with obliviousness and ignorance. It gives license to people in the present who know nothing of the past to indict the totality of the struggle for justice and progress against a present standard that is as deluded as it is preening. It is also not cost-free. There is a cost for fighting over the past, which cannot be changed, and it is a terrible one. The fight costs the future and strangles the imagination needed to create it…. Apache, Black Hawk, Kiowa, Comanche, Chinook, Lakota are the names of the great tribes, which the US Army has named their helicopters. They are named in honor of the warrior spirit and fierceness of those tribes’ warriors. Yet, the greatest attribute of a warrior in Lakota culture was not fierceness, deadliness or success. It was humility. Strength will be required to forge reconciliation. Weakness will be required to sustain more fighting. Humility will be required to listen. Listening will be required to hear, and hearing will be required to obtain wisdom. There is great wisdom in the culture of America’s native peoples who have forged this nation from its first hours. Harmony is at the center of much of American Indian belief. The white man has much to learn from this. There was a Lakota word for “white man” that roughly translated as “fat taker.”
Click through for full article (you may have to click “Let me read it first.”) The faith in the title is the faith of Native Americans. I don’t always agree with Steve … but he certainly knows a thing or two about what we as Americans need to do, and he’s not shy about saying it.

Food For Thought

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