I am completely swamped. Yesterday I had hour long visits from Home Health PT, OT, and RN, and a two hour visit from my PC repair guy. Today I have to schedule doctor visits. Tomorrow I have the bed rental company coming to take down the hospital bed I’ve been renting before 2 PM, a grocery delivery coming before 2 PM, and the bed setup company coming to install my own hospital bed. Let’s npt even talk about year end financial; record keeping and blog maintenance. I am comp[let5ely swamped.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:24 (average 4:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Religious Ecstasy:
Fantasy Football Report:
Here’s the playoff picture in our own fantasy football league.
Contrast to Patty Monster and Jack for making it to the championship game.
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: In an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Bernie Sanders made some salient points with regard to the unprecedented amount of coverage that the media has given to Donald Trump since he announced his campaign for the GOP nomination for president.
Bernie’s points are spot-on. It’s difficult to find stories that don’t involve the Hairball.
From NY Times: The hedge fund magnates Daniel S. Loeb, Louis Moore Bacon and Steven A. Cohen have much in common. They have managed billions of dollars in capital, earning vast fortunes. They have invested large sums in art — and millions more in political candidates.
Moreover, each has exploited an esoteric tax loophole that saved them millions in taxes. The trick? Route the money to Bermuda and back.
With inequality at its highest levels in nearly a century and public debate rising over whether the government should respond to it through higher taxes on the wealthy, the very richest Americans have financed a sophisticated and astonishingly effective apparatus for shielding their fortunes. Some call it the “income defense industry,” consisting of a high-priced phalanx of lawyers, estate planners, lobbyists and anti-tax activists who exploit and defend a dizzying array of tax maneuvers, virtually none of them available to taxpayers of more modest means.
When Republicans lie that Democrats want to raise YOUR taxes, they are assuming that YOU are a member of the 0.1%.
From Alternet: Campbell Brown Hired Transphobic, Sexist, Racially Insensitive Writer To "Fact-Check" Education Policy Reporting
This summer, teachers union opponent and former journalist Campbell Brown launched a "non-profit, non-partisan news site about education," called The Seventy Four. In spite of the site’s stated mission [Republican propaganda delinked] to combat "misinformation and political spin" with "investigation, expertise, and experience," Brown hired Eric Owens, [Republican propaganda delinked] who has a long history of attacks on students and teachers, to write for the site. Owens has a long history of attacking and mocking teachers and students with transphobic [Republican propaganda delinked], sexist [Republican propaganda delinked], victim-blaming [Republican propaganda delinked], and racially insensitive [Republican propaganda delinked] rhetoric as the education editor at the Daily Caller.
This is just the fifth of five worst Republican media stories about education. Click through doe the other four.
Cartoon:
17 Responses to “Open Thread–12/30/2015”
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4:00 I got stung by the bee.
2:46 I was drawn to the pretty posies!
Bigfooted!!
4:47 (4:51) I'm a little nervous around bees (but a LOT nervous around wasps).
You are under more stress at the end of the year than I am, and I thought it was bad here. At least the Broncos came through for you. It has to get better – doesn't it?
DKos – Yes, Bernie with no publicity is scaring the bejeezus out of everyone – all Republicans and Hillary too. Hard to imagine what will happen if he gets the nomination. There is a case to be made that being under the Republican radar is forstalling more, and mmore vicious, Republican attacks.
NY Times – Well, of course, the 0.1% is all that matters to them, so that's the only people they are actually talking to. If even The Gray Lady can see it it must be pretty obvious to anyone paying attention (darn – there's that phrase again, "paying attention.")
AlterNet – Well, he clearly hired the wrong Eric Owens. Of course this one is too busy with worthwhile things to take on the job, and so is this one, but there are plenty of others who come up before the one he hired does.
Cartoon – And that is exactly why Campbell Brown hired the one he did.
Couple of points:
[1]
In a word: TRIAGE!
You've got a full plate for tomorrow, so treat yourself right & just post a note letting us know you're OK.
(I know what you mean – today I paid my Personal & Real Property taxes, did almost all of my annual donations, converted some Traditional IRA to Roth IRA to take advantage of tax breaks, and started looking for a new smartphone & desktop as both have given up the ghost. Well, the phone works a little bit – but not all the time)
[2] Just in case you don't think the media is totally addicted to promoting "The Donald" – just for the record documenting their obsession (and even if you don't click through, just read the Titles of the articles – they prove the point):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/12/07/donald-trump-has-gotten-more-nightly-network-news-coverage-than-the-entire-democratic-field-combined/
http://www.thenation.com/article/the-discourse-suffers-when-trump-gets-23-times-as-much-coverage-as-sanders/
http://www.wbaltv.com/money/how-much-does-donald-trump-dominate-tv-news-coverage-this-much/36823222
[3] Never did trust Campbell Brown – even when she was the weekend anchor on NBC. She just couldn’t resist promoting Rethuglican talking points.
My suspicions were confirmed that she’s a right-wing shill when I learned she’s married to that weasel, Dan Senor. Senor was Romney’s “foreign policy advisor” & is a frequent contributor to Faux News & Murdoch’s rag, the “Wall Street Journal”
It worries me to hear how swamped you feel right at the end of the year, TomCat. It would worry me under normal circumstances, but you're just back from a long stay in the hospital and you are still convalescing and getting your bearings as an amputee. Please make the right choices and give priority to your health. I know you've just taken the blog back under your care which of course is very important to you (and we love you for it), but don't over-fatigue yourself, please. Let others fill in whenever you get too swamped, or remind yourself it's the holiday season for all of us and take a few days off to clear your back-log.
Daily Kos: I don't think the media are blind to their own failings at all, the only strange thing in this interview is that Cuomo asked Sanders this question at all. The media know full well that they are promoting Trump with their coverage, saving him millions on advertising, while they keep their ratings up and money from advertisers coming in; at least the media in Europe and Australia were honest enough to put it out there very plainly. I guess they think they can fool their American public by feigning ignorance of the facts by asking Sanders a stupid question like that. The fact that only ABC comes up with numbers from the Tyndall Report also underscores American reality: most media are biased towards or even driven by the 1% and their minion, the GOP.
NY Times: The way hedge funds work is disgusting enough, making money with money at the cost of everyone else; the fact that hedge fund magnates have access to every tax loophole in (and out of) the books, creating loopholes if necessary, should be enough to make hedge funds illegal. Hedge fund management is knowing how to suck the life out of the real world with something that almost exists in virtual reality only. However, they have become so powerful that they've become the ones who write the laws, so there's little chance of them disappearing soon, unless the whole market of hot air collapses, taking us all with them in their fall.
Alternet: Sigh…another list with The worst of … in 2015. This has been a terrible year in American politics, but I've got the feeling there's worse to come in 2016.
Thanks! I'm finally getting stuff scheduled.
I hope you had someone to help you with the groceries. get some rest if you can.
Daily Kos: I agree with Bernie. Trump hasn't had to spend any of his own money because the networks give him free coverage. Our so called news networks are craven purveyors of the outrageous to get ratings and more advertising revenue and should quit calling themselves news. I tried, unsuccessfully, to share this one.
NY Times: This article shows that both Republican and Democratic candidates are basically owned by the 1%. People need to start paying attention and vote the bums out. I am about ready to give up. No matter how often we protest or sign petitions, the politicians keep doing the same old things, to the detriment of the poor and middle class.
Alternet: Anyone who has known a teacher will hate all these posts. My sister taught for 26 years, and spent hundreds of dollars out of her own pocket each year to buy supplies or to help a child who needed lunch. After "No Child Left Behind" started, she was no longer allowed to teach except "for the test". Countless studies have shown the Charter schools don't match the quality of education found in public schools. The only ones who benefit from Charter schools are the people who own them. Talk to a few teenagers about civics or geography. You will be amazed at how little they know about either because those subjects are not "on the test". Our kids are not getting the education they deserve thanks to our Congress, not the hard working teachers.
Cartoon: Don't ever try to confuse a Republican with facts.
For those of you who have asked, Cousin Phillip is still in the hospital, almost six months now. He had surgery on both feet yesterday. All the toes on his left foot were removed down to the first joint, and two toes on his right foot. The doctors have assured him that he will be able to walk when he heals. He will be seeing a hand surgeon next week. He still has a remarkable attitude, as does Becky, his wife and my dear friend. Please keep them in your prayers and good thoughts.
Sorry to hear about your cousin. Hope all will turn out well for him
In my very limited experience w/ toe amputations, I will say people don't realize how important they are for walking – especially the big toe. The big one is what you push off with and bears the most weight. BUT even without it, walking is easily doable – just a bit more awkward.
Thanks, Nameless, he loves to play golf and is worried that he can't.
Thank you for reminding me that I'm fortunate compared to some, He is back in my thoughrts and prayers!
Thanks, TC, that is very thoughtful after what you have been through.
TC, how about I put together the stats for December so that all you have to do is tweak it in a few places, like last time! Would that help to take a little something off your plate?
Puzzle — 2:46 I was drawn to the pretty posies!
Fantasy Football — Good luck everyone! For my own selfish self, at least I know I will do no worse than 4th for the season . . . a decided improvement over the past 2 years.
Daily Kos — "It’s difficult to find stories that don’t involve the Hairball." — Amen! Sometimes I think I will hurl if I see another piece about him!
NY Times — I was reading a piece a few days ago about Europe having the same problem — the use of offshore facilities for tax avoidance. It is time that nations come together to put an end to the scourge of offshore deposits. The trouble is though, havens have lots to lose and are unlikely to coöperate.
Alternet — With all that Ihear and read about primary/secondary education in the US, it seems that the US is in a race to the bottom. Who is it racing against? Itself.
Cartoon — We don't need no stinkin' facts!
That would be wonderful! Thank you so much! If I forget, please remind me to send you the Care2 number tomorrow.
AWSTATS screwes up. No Care2 Numbers.
Thanks all! Hugs!