I’m writing for tomorrow and hurrying to have time for a nap before the game. It will be over by the time this is posted, so you can judge my emotional state by the notice below.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:45 (average 4:42). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Ultimate Religious Agony:
Republicans stole my team. They did not even show up. :-( Meanwhile the Seachickens excelled at all the Republican skills: deception, obstruction, sabotage, and theft. ;-) Seriously, had they been playing any other team in the AFC, I would have been for them. They won, because they deserved it.
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: …"Regarding U.S. same-store sales for the company’s fourth quarter, ending Friday, Wal*mart said it expects sales, excluding fuel, to be “slightly negative” to its earlier guidance of flat sales at Wal*mart stores "
Why are those sales negative?
Chief financial officer Charles Holley said Wal*mart saw a greater-than-expected negative impact from reductions in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps. The cuts went into effect on Nov. 1. [Faux Noise delinked][emphasis original]
Then it provides some right wing political cover by also blaming storms…
The Walton Family are pretty good about goose-stepping with their 0.1% cronies and their Republican lackeys, and when it comes to SNAP they are leaving their most important concern unsaid. SNAP subsidizes Wal-Fart payroll for the majority of their employees. Cuts in SNAP increase the pressure to pass realistic minimum wage laws. So I don’t expect them to keep providing political cover on this issue for long. This also proves that Republican claims that cutting SNAP would not hurt the economy were lies.
From Think Progress: Herbert Smulls was in the middle of a phone call discussing his attorneys’ final efforts to save his life when he was reportedly seized by prison guards, hauled into an execution chamber, and injected with a toxic cocktail of drugs. At the time of his death, an appeal was pending before the United States Supreme Court asking the justices to halt his execution. Andrew Cohen lays out the timeline:
At 10:11, the final lethal injection protocols were initiated. By this time, the 8th Circuit had rejected all of the claims before it—over another pointed dissent from Judge Bye—leaving only an active appeal before the Supreme Court. At 10:20 Smulls was pronounced dead. Ten minutes later, at 10:30, the Supreme Court notified the lawyers that Smulls’ final stay request had been denied at 10:24. This means that Missouri began to execute a man 13 minutes before it was entirely sure it could do so. Smulls was pronounced dead four minutes before the Supreme Court finally authorized Missouri to kill him.
As Cohen notes, “[j]ust imagine what we’d be talking about today if the justices had granted Smulls’ stay request four minutes after he was pronounced dead.” At the very least, Smulls’ appeal held enough merit that a United States Court of Appeals judge would have granted the stay.
The Republicans running the State of Misery [typo intentional] are so pro-death, that they don’t even wait for the Republican Injustices of SCROTUS to reject an appeal. This has nothing to do with Smulls or what he deserved. This is about who WE are. When the state straps down a defenseless person and kills him for revenge, that is murder.
From Right Wing Watch:
Remember two years ago when the Susan G. Komen For the Cure foundation abruptly dropped its grants to a Planned Parenthood breast-cancer screening program, setting off a national outcry, and prompting the resignation of the Komen official reportedly behind the decision?
The fallout of the debacle is still hurting Komen, which recently reported a 22 percent drop in income over the past year. But the decision to cut off grants to Planned Parenthood seems to be paying off for one person: Karen Handel, the former Komen vice president who was widely reported to have been the driving force behind split.
Now running for Senate in Georgia, Handel has released a campaign video touting her role in severing Planned Parenthood from Komen and fighting back against the “left-wing groups” and “liberal media” that criticized her.
Back when the news first broke that Komen had dumped Planned Parenthood, Handel denied that the decision was motivated at all by her anti-choice politics, despite reports from sources in the organization that said she manipulated its rules to cast Planned Parenthood out.
Barf Bag Alert!
Komen deserves ongoing NO DONATIONS boycotting, and Handel must be kept out of the Senate.
Cartoon:
H/T Carrie at Care2
21 Responses to “Open Thread–2/3/2014”
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The ThinkProgress article had me gasping with incredulity – if anyone doubts that these brutal systems don't just brutalise the inmates but the guards – think about that scene. And as the writer Gerald Hammond had one of his characters say (pointing out that such an experiment was impossible, but the only way to prove things one way or another) his character said that the only way to prove if the death penalty worked was to have the death penalty for murders committed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but not for the other days of the week…..
Right Wing Watch – again the Right Wing are gloating about caring for the foetus and not for any baby, child or adult…
Re Walmart and others making the government subsidise their scandalously low wages – when will America wake up and realise that they are giving billions in subsidies to these companies so they can mistreat their employees by making them work a full week and not earn a livable wage? This is WRONG!
So sorry about the Broncos TC ….
3:33 That dog is flying pretty fast with those little ears as wings.
3:06 I'm flying along with the dog.
3:19 Jerry, the reason you are flying is because you are being chased by a bunch of puddy tats!
We chase cats, not run from them!
Seahawks definitely deserved to win … in a rout!
I felt better about it after learning yesterday that former Broncos quarterback, John Elway, told Faux News that he's a proud Rethuglican because he "doesn't believe in safety nets."
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/02/john-elway-tells-fox-host-i-dont-believe
And I'm ashamed (again) of my Show Me state.
Is that car salesman Elway you refer to? It must be true what they are saying outside the NFL about concussion in the NFL, mustn't it?
http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/01/28/nfl-concussions?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2014-02-03
Didn't get this in time to include it with my first remark
Time : 3: 29 – that lumosity training is paying off, when I do it daily.
Over all, I thought the game last night was a bit boring, I thought that Denver was off to a poor start and expected a come back, not even close. Maybe the Seahawks will now be the newly crowned team to beat, they won the Super Bowl with an excellent defense, andonly fair offense. The commercials as expected for $4 million per 30 seconds, were very good. Coke has a marvelous ad that wasn't even discussed. ( I guess one dare not ever sing America The Beautiful in both English and Spanish.) Budweiser's commercial with the puppies was just great. Half time blew my hair back, a fantastic performance by Bruno Mars, would have liked to see more of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but it was a very entertaining half time.
Wal-mart and Karen Handel are of the same mold. To hell with the constitution and freedoms, just follow my lead. Both are of the mind set that only they know what is good for this country. Those low prices at Wal mart are directly tied to low-low wages for workers, both in their stores and foreign workers.
With-out SNAP to cover their miserly wages will Wal mart be forced to pay better wages? I doubt it.
How are you feeling TC? Much better I hope.
I guess I don't expect an form of fairness from the "Judicial system" any longer. The prison had a time planned and that was the end of that. When the US grows up and becomes a civilized society we will not be reading about people killed by our united hands. We are all culpable, as we continue to vote in those who relish the death penalty.
When Oh When will America join the civilised world and stop the babaric use of the :death penalty?
Can there be ANY light at the end of the tunnel. I remain dismayed!.
4:42 I knew it was going to be slow when the timer charged me 15 seconds for waiting for the pop-up blocker to STFU and let me move pieces. Sheesh.
Sorry about the Broncos!
Wal*mart – Yup. You reap what you sow, don't you. Kos also basically said "storms, my body part. Predicted storms get people to stock up which covers any losses during the storm itself. No other grocer is reporting losses like Wal*mart."
Think Progress – So what will it take to "show" the state of Missouri that they are collectively a murderer (with a pass to Nameless)? Do they have ANY defense for this? Or do they not think they need one?
RWW: So Handel is running for Senate? In Georgia? Against Michelle Nunn? I assume the Rethugs are still at the primary stage? Well, there's one to watch.
While I don't really follow professional football, but having grown up in Seattle, I am glad to see them WIN!
Once again, California is one of the leading state in miniumun wage increases. They are raising the minumum wage to $10/hr at the beginning of 2016.
Note to self when signing on to TC's blog; do not gloat, do not gloat, do not gloat . . . Oh, hell, maybe just one little bit – not since 1994 has the nation been so upset by a slow, white Bronco.
OK, now I've got that out of my system. I was living in Seattle when the Seahawks were formed. Watched their first game even. Nobody expected them to win much, but they were entertaining to watch – you never knew what they'd do next. I have always wondered what kind of receiver Steve Largent could have become if he'd played for a team with a good quarterback and a decent offensive line.
It seems to take me much longer than everybody else to complete the puzzles. Exactly how much longer will forever be classified, but I'm obviously in serious need of lessons.
Think progress – sad and disgusting beyond belief. We need to join the rest of the civilized world and abolish the death penalty.
Wal-Mart – the mills of the gods grind slowly, but exceedingly fine. Hopefully, karmic retribution, when it finally arrives, will be proportional to the many offenses they have commited against both their employees and the rest of us.
4:54
I support planned paranthood, shame on the Komen org…
Coming back to follow up my previous comment on Wal*Mart – not only did they post losses when others didn't, but now the Dow has plummeted. Coincidence? Ya think?
I hope you are getting well and not too devastated by your Bronco's loss.
Daily Kos: I am sure the cuts to the Snap program affected Wal Mart, but I think also that some are becoming more aware of how badly their employees are treated and are leaving for that reason. Those protests by their employees before the holidays were widely reported. I do my part by telling everyone I know what a disservice they do to our community when they shop there. This is a small rural area, though, and they ran out most of the local businesses when they came here, so sometimes you have to shop there.
Think Progress: All execution should be stopped, period. The person who decided to go ahead before a decision was made should be without a job today.
Right Wing Watch: I quit donating to the Komen foundation after they cut off Planned Parenthood. This Handel will probably get elected in Georgia. Yuck
Cartoon: Cats can sleep anywhere.
Puzzle — 3:19 Jerry, the reason you are flying is because you are being chased by a bunch of puddy tats!
Sorry you are suffering from religious agony, but fortunately it is not terminal. And as I said yesterday, the Seahawks fly higher than the Broncos can buck.
Daily Kos — I love it when the right gets skewered by their own sword! Cut SNAP and see profits drop! Will Walfart up the minimum wage they pay so that employees don't have to rely on SNAP? I doubt it!!!
Think Progress — Do away with the death penalty permanently nationally! If a mistake is made, there is no going back.
Right Wing Watch — Handel is such a joke . . . accusing Planned Parenthood of politcal activity. Komen and Handel are the political animals. Any group that would deny women their rights to health information and services such as cancer screenings etc does not deserve to exist.
Cartoon — Love it! I had a poster of Garfield saying "Somewhere in your dinner is a cat hair!" This little one is the epitome of Garfield's words.
Thanks everyone. Big Rush. See tiday's Open Thread.
Nameless, I loved himj as a player, but as a man, he;s Hellway.
Tom, I am in agony also. These Seattleites are crazy!! After the game, the fireworks went on and on. There was $20,000 worth of damage to downtown. A Parade tomorrow and people are already lining up on the streets. It is cold!! And they are pre-empting my Soaps for the parade. The nerve!!