After returning from my volunteer work in prison, I slept for more than my norm and am feeling a bit groggy still. I have another bust month ahead, but for the weekend, it’s writing, snoozing and basking in the early summer weather.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:55 (average 5:10). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From MoveOn: 10 Ideas to Save the Economy: Strengthen Unions
Inequality has skyrocketed as unions have weakened. That is no accident.
The Reich on the left is right. The Reich on the right is worse than wrong. It is Republican. I have never been a union member. I have never crossed a picket line. I do not intend to do so ever. This is the seventh video in the series. Please click through to MoveOn and share it from there.
From The New Yorker: Calling the Obama Administration’s actions against the soccer organization “weak and ineffective,” Senator John McCain on Thursday proposed military action to “dismantle and destroy FIFA once and for all.”
“These are people who only understand one thing: force,” McCain said on the floor of the United States Senate. “We must make FIFA taste the vengeful might and fury of the United States military.”
McCain said that he was “completely unimpressed” by the Department of Justice’s arrests of several top FIFA lieutenants this week, calling the action “the kind of Band-Aid solution that this Administration, sadly, has become famous for.”
“Rounding up a few flunkies in a hotel is meaningless when the leader of FIFA remains at large,” he said. “I will follow Sepp Blatter to the gates of Hell.”…
When will Andy call for military action against McConJob?
From Upworthy: What’s happening to put a stop to plastic microbeads?
Right now, about 18 U.S. states including California, Canada, Australia, and several countries in Europe are considering banning products that contain plastic microbeads. Unfortunately, industry is pushing back with a bill that leaves loopholes for the microbeads to be replaced with other kinds of plastics. The Story of Stuff Project is leading a coalition of over 100 groups to get these tiny plastic beads out of commerce. Ban the beads!
I learned about this several months ago. I had no idea I had been using a body wash with microbeads. I stopped immediately. I fully support banning them.
Cartoon:
15 Responses to “Open Thread–5/30/2015”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
5:51 (average still 5:10). I'm on the computer that invariably wastes time making me tell it no, Jig Zone is not a virus. But unfortunately I had business on it.
Move On – Had I ever worked in a field or in a job that was unionized, I certainly would have been a member. But that never happened. And I don't cross picket lines either. And, yes, the Reich on the left is right. And boy, the opposition has certainly done an effective job (I was going to say a good job, but there is nothing good about it) of demonizing unions, haven't they?
New Yorker – The interesting thing is that anyone is even noticing there is corruption. We don't notice it in the NFL, for instance, and we certainly don't notice it in Congress. I assume that's because soccer is one of "thim furrin" sports.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.keystoneprogress.org/images/roge150529.gif
Upworthy – And the thing about plastic microbeads is that they don't even work very well. They aren't – well, abrasive enough. I personally like ground apricot pit shells (not the seed, too cyanide-y). Even so, I don't use them all the time. I've signed many petitions to ban them. I realize that disposing of plastic is a problem, but microbeads are emphatically not the answer.
Elizabeth Warren – Sent me this in an email:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b0obdnXfqg
Cartoon – Some love it, some hate it – some need it, some don't. I wonder what kinds of comments this cartoon will attract LOL.
I only saw your comment and cartoon on FIFA corruption after I had put in mine, Joanne. I agree with you that it is rather starenge that the corruption of FIFA, with which America has very little dealings, is so hotly pursued while the more obvious cases are shunned. I don't think it is only because it's a foreign sport and American soccer teams have little to loose in an investigation, unlike an investigation into the NFL, but also because America may have something to gain if the FIFA is split or completely destroyed and needs to be restarted.
I think FIFA forgot to buy the Republican Party.
PETITIONS to Ban plastic microbeads with Story of Stuff:
OUTSIDE US:
http://action.storyofstuff.org/sign/jandj_microbeads/?utm_source=action_picker&utm_medium=website
IN US:
http://action.storyofstuff.org/letter/Microbead_Free_Waters_Act/?utm_source=action_picker&utm_medium=website
CALIFORNIA ONLY:
http://action.storyofstuff.org/letter/Microbeads_State_Letter/?utm_source=action_picker&utm_medium=website
There are other petitions to sign. Use Google with these key words:
Petition to ban plastic microbeads
Thanks Jim, signed the Outside US petition
In case any of you Liberals like me (aka, "Libtard") were wondering who your REAL father was, the Right Wing Watch group monitoring Sandy Rios from the American Family Association has learned that he was SATAN!
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/sandy-rios-liberals-love-radical-islam-because-they-both-come-satan
So, Sandy, as a card-carrying Liberal I just want you to know that, while I may be a "spawn of Satan", I think I really just have more of a ceremonial role. But thanks for the genealogy update.
2:36 OK Puddy Tat, put away the catnip sauce! No dawg fricassée tonight! Look at those little eyes beseeching someone to save her. You're safe now!
2:52 Bow Wow! The little pup is doubly safe now. Both of us are blocking him. Where's Jerry?
Poor starving kitten!!
Puzzle — 2:36 OK Puddy Tat, put away the catnip sauce! No dawg fricassée tonight! Look at those little eyes beseeching someone to save her. You're safe now!
MoveOn — The Reich on the left is so correct. In Canada, we do not have the misnomer "right to work" to which I am aware. When WalFart first came to Canada, they tried to block the employees from joining a union and threatened to shutdown some stores because of it. That was the first shot for my total disgust and dislike of WalFart. I think one store was shut down in those days. I believe WalFart has learned its lesson here. Another matter, the right to form a union is enshrined in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms so any corporation trying to block such a move goes before a Labour Relations Tribunal, a Human Rights Tribunal, or the provincial Supreme Court and maybe the federal Supreme Court, depending on the outcomes. Ask me sometime how our big banks reacted to the move of unionisation in the 1970s. I was junior management and one that believed in some flexibility with staff on certain matters. Good-bye flexibility unless I was in a non union branch. And that loss of flexibility was a pain to some of the unionised staff — manage to the contract, no more, no less.
The New Yorker — I wonder why McConjob is getting in such a lather about International football when Americans don't even like it? It wouldn't surprise me if McConjob sees international football as a Muslim terrorist plot since children learn and play football from a young age. Republicanus/Teabaggerum paranoia!
Upworthy — I found out a fair amount about this and my personal products do not have microbeads in them. For the past few years, I have gone out of my way to avoid products with microbeads.
Cartoon — From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_brassieres
My stepfather had 2 pet names for a bra:
1) Over shoulder boulder holder; and a German name
2) Dezin vil stopens da flopens.
I have always maintained that a man designed the damn things, but that is not necessarily true.
So glad you have the right to belong to unions in your Charter of Rights and Freedoms Lynn, I hope you are all keeping an eye on that as it seems likely that Harper would like to remove it. We have learned the hard way over here that we cannot take the protection of past laws for granted, as as soon as the Right get into power they want to erode every protection for ordinary people that they can.
TY TC. 2.35, darling little dog. Am glad you have the weather to bask TC, we have cold (max 10 degrees C/ 50 Degrees F) and we have the joy of gales/strong winds with pretty constant gusts of 50 mph for two days Monday/Tuesday – I don't know how anything will grow in the gardens and fields at this rate. Thank God I have some food for the wild birds and their chicks!
Upworthy – I agree microbeads are awful. So are the several staggeringly huge plastic gyres in the oceans where the plastics disgarded/dumped float and float but eventually degrade down to plastic beads which are innocently eaten by birds (and fed to their chicks which it starves) and fish too – which have evolved to know food, but haven't had the chance to evolve to know plastic – nor will they if this goes on. Argh.
MoveOn ~ The working class does not realize what Unions did for the labor force here in the USA. They listen to all the bagaboo spouted by the "oh so wrong Reich on the Right". The people should be rising against Corporate America instead of against Unions and the working poor.
New Yorker ~ "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb! Bomb FIFA!
Upworthy ~ I have been telling my family and friends about microbeads and advising them to avoid products containing them. For once, they listened to me.
Cartoon ~ A sad day in History. Ban the bra!
Good to hear yoy caught up on some sleep, TomCat, and your plans for writing, snoozing and basking in the early summer weather sound excellent. Enjoy that summer weather while you can, we won't get any for a long time yet with this antipode of El Niño in the Atlantic, which has never been so cold before, destroying any chance of summer.
The New Yorker: From a European perspective Andy is absolutely hilarious. I think a lot of European FIFA members wouldn't mind America going after the leader, Sepp Blatt, now that this most corrupted of the whole bunch of corrupted is re-elected again for the 4th time by those who need him to shield them from investigation of the way he has bought their votes. But McCain's fury of the United States military following Sepp to the gates of Hell, might be a little over the top for your average soccer fan. From my perspective it is rather strange to see America go after corruption in a world organization with its roots in Europe, when equally corrupt companies and politicians are hardly ever looked into. And it makes me wonder why America would do this (mind you, I'm glad it's doing it). The FIFA is BIIIIG business, a World Cup brings in more money than Olympic Games do for an organizing country (and FIFA), so I get the distinct feeling American corporations would love to have FIFA destroyed and then start up a new association from North (and South) America and reap the profits.
Upworthy: I knew about these micro beads, but jotted down the names of the four poly…ingredients and went to check our toothpaste and body wash to make sure. They didn't, thank goodness.
Cartoon: Another thumbs up, although I've never been really comfortable wearing them.
Thanks all. I totally pooped as today's Open thread will explain.
As for bras, I have little inerest, one way or the other, although I must confess partiality to their contents.