I’m waiting for Store to Door to call me for my grocery order, and it’s a very busy week. Tomorrow is grocery delivery day and Thursday afternoon I go for the MRI on my shoulder. Getting home, even on the Lift bus, just got a whole lot more difficult. I just learned that Barack Obama will be attending a fund raising event just seven blocks from my home that afternoon, and the streets will be clogged with spectators and the demonstrators protesting the TPP. It could take me hours to get home. Now I’m all for Obama fundraising in Portland, and I’m all for protesting the TPP, but does it have to be THAT day? ARGH! 🙁
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:36 (average 5:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: The most racist areas in the United States
Some of the spots are surprising.
From Upworthy: See how a group of Swedish police officers responded when a fight broke out on the New York subway.
Portland should hire a few Swedish cops!!
From NY Times: When the U.K. Independence Party received a donation of 1 million pounds a few weeks ago — about $1.5 million — it seemed like a big lift heading into the British general election on Thursday.
But the populist, anti-immigration party then faced an unusual problem: spending its cash.
In a country where television election spots are banned, billboards are booked long before voting day, and other strict laws constrain election spending, that task proved so hard that the party says it is unlikely to use all the money before Britons go to the polls.
Britain is not unusual in running short, relatively inexpensive campaigns. But few nations combine enthusiastic fascination with American-style politics — the governing Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party both hired top advisers to President Obama this election cycle — with campaign finance rules so stringent that they would seem better suited to City Council races in the United States.
The US needs to implement campaign finance rules from the UK.
Cartoon:
22 Responses to “Open Thread–5/5/2015”
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4:44 average still 5:51. Up to date, aren't they? Only this morning I saw an article speculating on whether bees can become addicted, and already they have a picture of a bee that is "on" something. TC, I agree, President Obama should have consulted with you before scheduling a visit to Portland. Obviously he doesn't know who he is dealing with LOL.
Daily Kos – State lines would help, but it looks as if I live in a well-below-mean area. Yet my black friend who is bright, an excellent, dependable employee, and put herself through college with a management major while working full time, can't seem to catch a promotion. I may be angrier about it than she is. Mother Jones had an article this week about funding for cystic fibrosis vis-a-vis funding for sickle cell anemia. http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/05/sickle-cell-cystic-fibrosis-funding-race ANY racism is TOO MUCH.
Upworthy – Yes. We should hire the same trainers that Swedish cops use. Nation wide.
NY Times – Priceless. Of course it would be UKIP that gets that kind of money given. I hope they have to give back what they don't use!
Cartoon – Of course Fox was an established (and once more or less respected) name, but Fox did not have the cojones to rename itself "TRUTH."
Also on this date: "Father Noll founded Our Sunday Visitor, a national Catholic newspaper, on May 5, 1912" http://www.osvinstitute.com/21
I like the UK election description focusing less on glitz in 30 seconds…sigh
Proof that law enforcement really can do it differently and have it be effective.
My area says just below to the mean…CA map makes sense when it is focused on racism against blacks. If you included against middle eastern and south Asian and Hispanic areas that look better on the map wouldn't–some of it is because the percent black of the population is so low in the area.
So true, and I think where I live would look different with that information also.
I'd like to see how they defined their terms.
Looks like where I live, we are below the mean to mean. Really, I figure we are above MEAN! And that means meeeeaaannn!
Sorry the Prez spoiled your day by tying up traffic. But we know his coming there is important. Dems need all the help they can get with donations.
Take care, TC! Hope your shoulder gets better!
3:41 Ah! The production of the sweetness nectar of the gods! I had some on my toast this morning . . . golden, unpasteurised, sweet! Thanks bees!
That should read "… The production of the sweetest nectar of the gods!"
3:48 Looks like you have a bee in your bonnet, Lynn. Your purple bonnet, that is.
4:38 I got stung by the bee.
Last!
No, I was last. Bees scare me. Especially when they are "on" something.
Jerry was 2 seconds behind you so you were 3rd out of 5. Feel better now?
Puzzled — 3:41 Ah! The production of the sweetest nectar of the gods! I had some on my toast this morning . . . golden, unpasteurised, sweet! Thanks bees!
Daily Kos — Don't you know that the area where my mother's father lived in New York state is in an area with a high rate of racism . . . in and around Buffalo. For me, it would be interesting to know if this predelection for racism was at the same level or higher when my grandfather was alive. Although I don't think of him often unless something like this article brings it up, I have never been able to understand racist view points. We are ALL God's children.
Upworthy — "… these four men just showed us that it can still be guided by respect and empathy — not ruthlessness and brutality." Amen! This is why thinking and respectful officers are needed.
NY Times — Although campaign financing here in Canada is much, much better than in the US, we too could use some UK advice.
Cartoon — Of course one fascist will emulate another fascist. I wonder if the Republicanus/Teabaggerum realise that Pravda was a communist tombe?
Interesting reading from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pravda
Came across this cool T-shirt for Bernie Sanders. It features just a halo of his unruly hair with the inscription:
"Time for Tough Love on Wall Street … Without the Love"
http://www.redbubble.com/people/jrstees/works/14122148-bernie-sanders-for-president-hair?grid_pos=1&p=t-shirt&ref=shop_grid
I have NO connection w/ RedBubble or the T-shirt. In fact i was going to order it, but I Googled RedBubble and they got less than stellar reviews.
Still, it is a pretty cool T-shirt, and the price isn't bad.
OK – what the HELL is going on here?!?
First, what did it do to my Name? "Sudanese" – or w/e it is?
Second, I could have sworn I posted this and the clown limo comments yesterday – but when I checked early this morning – I didn't see a thing. So I re-checked shotly before lunch (my time) – still nothing.
So I re-posted the Bernie's T-shirt this evening, and when I get around to scrolling down I see both of my comments (limo and T-shirt) are now there.
My guess is that w/e happened to my name (Sudanese) put me as a newbie in the hold box. And then sometime after checking I was "released" as "Sudanese" (which is what the spell check ALWAYS wants to call me – no matter thow many times I tell it to add "SoINeedAName").
At any rate, sorry for the duplicate – but it is a cool T-shirt. (And I have NO financial connection to RedBubble.)
Don't feel too bad – I was pretty sure I recognized your style under the unfamiliar monicker. You are unique.
This has happened before, so your posts wen't through immediately. I never had to approve them. You said before that it had to do with how you were signed in. They were always ther, and I replied to one yesterday. Nameless or Named, you're approved.
Darn that Obama! Write him a letter and make him change the date!
Daily Kos: Did you notice that those states below the mean were the least populated? that might explain why they have less prejudice, fewer people. I was not surprised by the rest.
Upworthy: I have seen this video before and I have hopes that we will see this behavior here some day.
NY Times: I wish we had the same regulations on elections here, I am so sick of tv ads all ready, and the Pres. election is so far away. No tv ads would cut down on the money spent, too.
Cartoon: The Repubs are working hard to see that we have that kind of news. There are few true journalists these days, since most of the papers and tv stations are corporate owned and the corporations decide what is news.
Ah – there are people over here who have news for the NY Times – not all in the garden of finance and running for political office is as rosy as they think. Many people over here think that the government should provide financing for each party at the same level – and no more should be spent over that. Strange strange things happen in our political races too – if you look at the political map of London it is mainly red ( red is the colour of Labour over here) – yet Boris Johnson (Tory/Conservative) keeps getting elected as Mayor of London (BTW my dear friends, Boris was born in America, and he is alleged to have aspirations to be a Tory Prime Minister, so if he fails at that he may be coming over there to be a Repuglicon – be afraid my friends, be very afraid!)..
Upworthy – God bless those Swedish Policemen – I wish we had people like them all over the world!
PS – I hope your MRI is alright – how badly did you hurt your shoulder? Surely typing hurts if it is that bad?!
I injured it over a year ago and cannot raise my arm above shoulder level. Over 6 month of physical theraoy did not help.
Igor Bubbabagovitch went out with money his wife had given him for Pravda. He bought vodka instead. When he got home he told his wife he didn't need Pravda, bevause they had a radio. She told him to wipe his ass on the radio, then.
Hugs to all!