I’m writing for tomorrow, day 177. Today is a Prison Volunteer day, so I’m writing early in the morning to complete my articles before I leave. I’ll be returning home late this evening and will have missed sleep time. The plan is to crash when I get home and upload the articles whenever I wake up, but since tomorrow is a grocery delivery day, don’t be surprised if I have nothing for Thursday.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:06 (average 5:04). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football Report:
Here’s the latest from our own Fantasy Football League, Lefty Blog Friends.
Scores:
Standings:
I got Sasquatched in the last minute of the last game. 🙁
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: But looking back at all Republicans have done, they seem to have achieved one goal really well: convince Americans making just enough that if only those with not enough had less, they’d be doing much better. Put another way, they’ve trained a certain segment of the population to kick downwards. Instead of looking at a system that makes it difficult to survive, instead of looking at the portion of the population that keeps getting richer and richer, instead of looking at how many hundreds and even thousands of times those above them make than everyone else…they look at the people just below them, getting poorer and poorer. Republicans have instilled such a level of contempt in people for unskilled laborers and the poor, that they do the work of justifying paying them less than enough to survive for the party.
Bear in mind, we’re not talking about people who don’t work; we’re not talking about people who earn a lousy living, but a living. We’re talking about people who work hard, and do not earn enough for the basic necessities. And as far as Republicans are concerned, this is good enough: the unskilled laborer’s comfort, standard-of-life, independence, self-respect, health and ultimately life are worthy of only disdain. He is a failure by virtue of being unskilled, and as such deserves contempt. A cheap Big Mac is more important than the person making it being able to afford to pay his rent and put food on the table after working 40 hours a week.
This article does an excellent job of going on to explain how Republicans use lies to convince fools to act and vote against their own interest. Click through for the rest.
From NY Times: Against a backdrop of growing impatience across Europe with Israeli policy, Britain’s Parliament overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution Monday night to give diplomatic recognition to a Palestinian state. The vote was a symbolic but potent indication of how public opinion has shifted since the breakdown of American-sponsored peace negotiations and the conflict in Gaza this summer.
Though the outcome of the 274-to-12 parliamentary vote was not binding on the British government, the debate was the latest evidence of how support for Israeli policies, even among staunch allies of Israel, is giving way to more calibrated positions and in some cases frustrated expressions of opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance toward the Palestinians.
Kudos to the UK for calling out Butcher Ben. I bet our own Pat A had something to do with this. 🙂
From Upworthy: So, yeah. Beer is kind of amazing.
This video got me wondering why all that beer consumption did not spur any evolution in Bubba Bagger, who continues his devolution toward the swamp. Then it hit me, just like yeast is the ingredient needed to make beer, Bubba has a missing ingredient. Brain cells. 😉
Cartoon:
Vintage 10/2011
10 Responses to “Open Thread–10/15/2014”
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4:04 What did the RCA dog say? ~ "Is that my master's voice?"
3:28 Now days, lots of kids have never seen a record or even know what one is.
Patty, here is a link to the dog, Nipper, who was the model for a painting titled "His Master's Voice", the basis for the RCA gramophone logo. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nipper
3:21 Jerry, kids today don't even know about 8 track tapes, and in a few years, I doubt they'll know what a cassette tape is.
FF ~ I'm going downhill fast and skiing season hasn't even started here yet.
Daily Kos ~ Now if only we could get ALL the voters to read this. I shared the link on FB yesterday. I just hope people read it.
NY Times ~ Kudos to Great Britain!
Upworthy ~ Interesting video. Maybe Bubba should stop making alcohol out of swamp yeast.
Cartoon ~ Only the 1% can afford to feed the Elephant.
Daily Kos – I agree, and I would also suggest that the Repug politicians are completely unskilled in anything worthwhile – theire only achievements being in pulling the wool over people's eyes, muckraking, blaming others for what they do themselves, and generally hating everyone and everything that doesn't bow down and worship them!
NY Times – the vote of 274 to 12 was momentous indeed, but I saw David Cameron talking in live coverage from the House of Commons today and he said that he 'looks forward to recognising them' – ie he will avoid doing anything about it any time soon and will avoid doing so for as long as he possibly can. (Thanks for the vote of confidence TC, but although I have signed everything I can and written to my MP, I doubt it is anything to do with me!). I suspect that the whole world has been horrified, appalled and sadly unable to intervene to help Gaza this year, and even our political representatives are realising it at last!
5:11 average unchanged. Too young to remember this model and too poor for an expensive reproduction.
Daily Kos – Read this yesterday and again this morning. Not that there's anything new in it, but it better said than it usually is. I couldn't get through all the cmments. Too much heartbreak.No one is immune to getting screwed, not soldiers/veterans, not complete civilians. I want to say we sould all be working together for everyone, but most of the time we actually are; it's only the Repugs who keep trying to pit us against each other. GET OUT THE VOTE !!!
NY Times – 274-12 is very impressive. Good for them. We in the US have our own record of war crimes and some may be frightened that if we denounce someone else's our leaders may be vulnerable to similar convictions. Now isn't that an honorable position (snark).
Upworthy – Don't get me started on cheap American beer and the 43 (more or less) toxic ingredients therein. But I find beer sufficiently distasteful not to want to spend on healthier brews (even if I had the money.) Just me personaly. Y'all have fun.
Cartoon – Elephants are wonderful, but luxury cars they are not.
BTW with Lona (Care2) I hope your DVD was a smash hit. You said that putting it onto DVD involved a download. Is there a link you can give us, or is it private?
Daily Kos: Isn't it amazing how well the Republicans have sold this line of thinking? People who have little resent those who have less. I hear this kind of talk frequently here. Our unemployment rate is high because coal mining jobs are ending. We have school teachers working as grocery clerks, yet those with better pay can't see that people who are working full time should not be living in poverty.
Cartoon: And, add that only the one percent can live decently, get educated, enjoy life.
Puzzle — 3:21 Jerry, kids today don't even know about 8 track tapes, and in a few years, I doubt they'll know what a cassette tape is.
FF — " I got Sasquatched in the last minute of the last game." — No TC, you got stomped!!! *grin* Amazing, this year I am at the top while all last year, except for one nano second when I was 2nd from the bottom, I was on the bottom. But there is still a lot of FB season left!
Daily Kos — Is it contempt or fear, a fear of having nothing so they are willing to lick the boots of the wealthy in hopes of staying afloat?
The 16th century English poet, Thomas Tusser, said "A fool and his money are soon parted." IMO, these fools are being scammed!
NY Times — I will be glad when Harper follows the UK lead, but I am not holding my breath. He's too Republican to stray from supporting the US. My guess is that if he does not pull back from his unwavering support of Netanyahu, it will be one more thing to hurt him in next year's general election.
Upworthy — I don't think I'll be able to look at a beer again in quite the same way. Thank goodness I don't drink beer.
Cartoon — Put the 1% in the baggage compartment which is located at the rear end of the beast , , , just south of the automatic turn signal! Quick, let's all feed the beast!
Thanks all. Posting and going back to bed.