Yesterday I was quite busy. I located the installation routines for over fifty of the programs I use, downloaded them, and burned them onto a DVD to minimize my down time next week, when I change computers. I tried to log on to the blog to moderate comments and couldn’t get in. I called my HSP and learned the problem was that yesterday’s article on the American Jobs Act went viral and had over 10,000 readers, most before noon. The traffic was so heavy that it overloaded the server. They advised me to install a caching plugin that keeps copies of all the blog’s pages in HTML, updating them when they change to lessen the load on the blog’s database, and therefore, the servers. That should make such problems less likely in the future and improve blog performance. I’m sorry some of you had a database error message, when trying to access PP. I’m current on replies. Today I’ll continue to prepare for changing computers next week.
Jig-Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 5:06 (average 5:20). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Reuters: A strong majority of Americans are aware of the "Occupy Wall Street" protests against U.S. economic inequality and a majority either view them favorably or do not have an opinion about them, a Reuters/Ipsos poll said on Wednesday.
Eighty-two percent of Americans have heard of the protest movement, and 38 percent feel favorably toward it, the poll found. Thirty-five percent are undecided, and about one-fourth — 24 percent — are unfavorable.
What amazes me is that 18% have never heard of it.
From Politico: In a three-page statement released Wednesday afternoon, the New Hampshire secretary of state reiterated his independence and said he’ll move the primary up as far as necessary to maintain first-in-the-nation status and comply with state law.
“If Nevada does not adjust its caucus date to a later time, I cannot rule out the possibility of a December primary,” Gardner wrote.
At this rate, campaign season will be 365 days a year, 24/7.
From Think Progress: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), an agency whose three commissioners are appointed by climate denier Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), has censored a Texas climate scientist’s attempts to warn the public about the threat of global warming to the state’s residents. Rice University oceanographer John Anderson withdrew his article on the Galveston Bay from a collection commissioned by TCEQ after the agency stripped all mentions of climate change, sea level rise, and other man-made impacts on the environment.
Republicans love gutting scientific evidence and promoting folklore as science.
Cartoon:
13 Responses to “Open Thread–10/13/2011”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
4:30 I did well today.
We already have fund-raising and campaigning 365 days a year. Just wait! Next year it’ll be 366 days.
Please someone give that turtleman some Ex-Lax.
Patty, you were the winner today, beating both Jerry and I. 🙂
Amen.
Careful! I can see the headline! Washington DC Hit by Shit Storm!
Presidential elections should be limited by law to no more thsn 180 days in length, from the very first primaries to the election itself. They have become a literal spectacle costing far too much money and one which causes great voter fatigue. Want to increase voter turnout? Then stop bombarding us with bullshit ads for an entire year beforehand. The only ones benefitting from the current system are greedy ad agencies (who are liars to begin with), greedy radio and TV stations which play these bullshit ads, and the media’s political pundits, most of whom don’t have enough to do and don’t have a life anyway.
Agree 100%. Since America has been a corporatocracy for about two decades, I think this is finally starting to sink in with the public — hence the Occupy movement. It’ll be a colossal job, but in order to even have a democracy, we must get publically-funded elections, limited to max 180 days. Politics is now it’s own huge industry — wonder what % of our GDP is spent on this corruption.
I fully agree as well, and have been saying do for years, as you well know.
I have always felt that the American election process was far too long. Were I an American, I’d have voter fatigue. In Canada, granted a different system, we don’t have to go through the primaries ad nauseum. When Parliament is dissolved, the election writ is dropped by The GG and an election date declared. The minimum time between writ and election is 36 days and no stated maximum. However the periods are probably 60 days or less. In 2011, the writ was dropped 26/03/11 and the election 02/05/11 for a total of 37 days.
If you interested, since it is a big deal in the US right now, have a look at the voter ID requirements.
http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=ids&document=index&lang=e
Interesting some of the differences. I would say 180 days is well long enough.
One other issue I don’t like is all the negative or attack ads. Tell me what you’re going to do, why it is important, and how you’re going to do it. Don’t rip into another candidate just to knock him down.
But what about the people that nobody likes well enough to vouch for them? 😉
5:20 You gave it to me and I gave it right back. Looks like Patty is the winner today. I am 91 out of 286 (318).
Today, you have a chance. It should be close.
TC — way to go! 10,000 page views, went viral. You may appear on Ed Schulz yet.
I was too busy fixing the mess! LOL! Thanks Ann.
OWS Poll — Well, considering that the poll had 1,113 respondents from a population of 300 million, how statistically accurate can that be? Obviously you can’t poll the entire nation and 300 million includes children, but still . . . I agree TC, 18% haven’t heard of it? Where are they, or are they the hard of hearing?
TCEQ — Can you say “Has as many brains as a sack of hammers!”
From Think Progress: “It would be irresponsible to take whatever is sent to us and publish it,” TCEQ spokeswoman Andrea Morrow told ThinkProgress Green in a written statement. “And here, information was included in a report that we disagree with.”
So, because the TCEQ doesn’t agree with parts of the report, they can alter it at will? Unbelieveable! I agree with the scientists in pulling the report from the TCEQ but can the TCEQ be trusted to not go ahead with publishing the altered piece? I wouldn’t trust them and I’d have my lawyer sending them a letter to that effect since it certainly would be a reputation crusher.
I wonder if Perry believes in the Easter Bunny?
Cartoon — Love it! But shouldn’t it really be a picture of the entire Republican party and the DINOs? And if so, somebody ban the sale of Ex-Lax in DC otherwise it will look and smell like a stockyard in high summer!
Actually, is the sampling is demographically accurate and the questions are not biased, quite accurate.
Yes – synonym: Texas Teabagger!
I just hope the Easter Bunny doesn’t believe in Perry!!
Amen!