Sep 102013
 

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 88, and waiting for Safeway to deliver a month’s groceries.  Tomorrow is a prison volunteer day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:07 (average 4:45).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: Congress is likely to postpone consideration of an immigration overhaul until the end of the year, if not longer, even as advocates are preparing for an all-out, urgent push this fall to win their longstanding goal of a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants here illegally.

In Washington, the sudden debate over military action in Syria and a looming face-off with President Obama over the budget and the nation’s borrowing limit have shot to the top of the legislative agenda, while Republican angst about losing Hispanic voters in the 2012 presidential campaign has faded.

Well, you wouldn’t expect the Republicans to postpone the next seven votes on repealing Obamacare, now would you?

From Daily Kos:

Lizzie and Labor! What a GREAT combination!

From Huffington Post: The happiest people in the world apparently reside in northern Europe, according to a 156-nation survey published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Released Monday, the 2013 World Happiness Report ranks the happiest countries around the globe, with Denmark, Norway and Switzerland leading the pack. Among North American countries, Canada took sixth place, while Mexico (16) slightly outranked the U.S. (17).

The report is the second of its kind released by a coalition of researchers including John F. Helliwell of the University of British Columbia and Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the London School of Economics’s Richard Layard and Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute. The team drew upon Gallup World Poll data from the the past three years to rank the 156 countries on aspects such as healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices and social support.

Click through.  I’m actually surprised that the US ranked as high as it did.

Cartoon:

10Cartoon

The holy light of the Ellipsoid Orb!

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  25 Responses to “Open Thread–9/10/2013”

  1. 3:49 I got tangled in the vine.

  2. NY Times ~ My guess is that they postpone it until just before Christmas recess. That seems to be their MO for just about everything. Vote on repealing Health Care before anything else. And, keep doing it over and over and over again just becaise they are all INSANE!

    Daily Kos ~ Liz for Prez in 2016!

    HuffPo ~ I am as surprised as you, TC.

    Cartoon ~ It's you and me next week, Lynn. Good luck.

     

  3. World Happiness Report – Canada is 6th, the US is 17th  the UK is 22nd, France is 25th and Germany is 26th! – I am astonished that France and Germany are so low, I really am!

  4. no Tom they will go forward to deny Obama anything.  Even if it is for the American people. Even the money war hungry republian/tea party will deny the vote on Syria.

  5. The right-wing blogs are already crediting Putin with any possible solution to the Syria mess – even though it was SOS Kerry who said it first (even if it was an off-the-cuff remark).

     

    • Of course they are!  Why give credit where credit is due, to a bleeding heart liberal in the Obama administration, when you can give credit to Putin, the only officially recognised card carrying foreign member of the Republicanus/Teabaggers?  I am sure that to recognise an Obama Democrat would be considered party sedition. 

  6. Puzzle — 3:03  Oh what a tangled web I weave, but I do not practice to deceive!

    NY Times — I figured the angst over the Hispanic vote was 'all show and no go' — let's face it, a leopard does not change her spots, and the Republicanus/Teabaggers don't change their bigoted ways! Although a solution to the Syria crisis may very well be within reach, I have every confidence that the Republicanus/Teabaggers will try to make it into an even bigger crisis any way they can, including putting conditions on the current move to have Syria's chemical weapons put into international hands.  As to the lending limit showdown, that is a foregone conclusion for Republicanus/Teabaggers — NO! . . . not without budgetary concessions from the administration.  I wonder if the Republicanus/Teabaggers are still going to try to shut down the government using Obamacare as their ace card?  Wouldn't put it past the bastards.

    Daily Kos — WOW!!!  "If we don't fight, we can't win.  But if we fight, we will win."  There is no mistaking where Elizabeth Warren stands . . . with the people!   "Our agenda is America's agenda!" Such passion!

    Huffington Post — Now, would someone please clue in the world's politicians that personal delusions of grandeur no longer cut it!

    "There is now a rising worldwide demand that policy be more closely aligned with what really matters to people as they themselves characterize their well-being," Sachs said in a released statement.

    Do you notice that the top 10 are all further away from the equator towards the poles, and most have colder weather?  Having lived in Canada's north, one thing we always said was that you had to be more community minded, watching out for your neighbour because lives could often depend on it.  At the last report, Canada was #5 so I am attributing the slip to Harper and his harlots.

    10. Australia (7.350) 
    9. Iceland (7.355) 
    8. Austria (7.369) 
    7. Finland (7.389) 
    6. Canada (7.477)
    5. Sweden (7.480)
    4. Netherlands (7.512)
    3. Switzerland (7.650)
    2. Norway (7.655) 
    1 Denmark (7.693)

    Cartoon — OK Patty, I've set my lineup and am ready to go!  Congratulations on your win!

  7. Well my brother and his wife arrived safely and wanted to see my mother right away.  Needless to say, not having seen my mother since 2009 or 2010 latest, he was quite taken aback.  We arrived after dinner started so the staff let me feed her.  Rather amusing, my SIL said I was a tough cookie when it came to get mother eating. "Are you sure you haven't raised kids?"  I bribe and negotiate with mother to eat — she loves sweets so it is 'no desert until you've eaten your dinner' bribery and 'eat this much and then you're done' negotiating.  Neither of them could believe the amount of patience required just to get her through a meal.

    Afterwards, we got them settled and then went out for a nice relaxed dinner.  They were very tired (3 hour time difference) so I imagine that they slept well last night.  We will be going back to see mother again today and maybe go for a walk.

    When I saw my brother from across the baggage claim, I thought it was my father.  He really is a lot greyer than me even though he is younger.

    Just heard from him so we will go to see mother and take her out for a walk.  I think her dinner must have been difficult for him because he doesn't want to be there then.  Oh well.  We'll ahve a good visit today.

    • I'm sorry, Lynn, I believe this is tough for you, too.  He hasn't been there in three years, you are there every day.

    • I agree with Edie.  The change is not as drastic to you.  Sorrt it was a rough one.

    • Thanks guys.  

      We went for quite a walk today and my brother and I are both burned on the face neck.  I was able to get a bit more out of my brother and he definitely doesn't want to have dinner with my mother because it is too hard reaising that this is his mother.  I have often talked to my brother about mum not recognising his name just to prepare him, and he said that didn't bother him.  But I think it bothered him more than he thought it would.  After holding her hand etc for some time, (she would not let go!) when I reminded her that this was her baby boy, she said "Oh!".  My brother dealt with my step-mother's Alzheimer's and it was quite different.  She remained manipulative and conivng to the end, able to spin really tall tales, where mum can't.  We'll go up again tomorrow (today) and perhaps take mum for a walk again.  It hit 29 C while we were out walking and tomorrow promises to be hotter.  On Thursday morning, my brother goes up the coast to visit friends which they will enjoy.

      Thanks for letting me tell you all about this.  It might be tough, but you guys help keep me grounded.

      Oh, one last thing, yesterday some of the residents thought we would be dancing.  Today again, when a couple saw me, they wanted dancing.  Proof to me that they enjoy it!

      • It's good your Mum has you. All too often the old folks are neglected because family thinks "they don't know if I'm there or not". There is still a small spark of memory there. When you were a baby, did you know what was going on? No. That is what I used to say to my patients' families.

        Bless you, Lynn.

      • They like itm huh?  Even in the darkest moments….

        Yoiu can only talk about it on days that vegin witgh a T: for example… Today.

  8. How did you do? 5:13

    Daily Kos ~ Liz for Prez in 2016!

    Patty

    I'm with you on this one Patty… Or VP under Hillary Clinton… 💡

  9. The Republicans don't care if they destroy the whole country if they can harm Obama in the process.

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