Dec 232023
 

Well, I did manage to get everything taken care of on the 21st, although it took till the 22nd before I was certain of it.  And of course learned something in the process.  I knew there were such things as FSAs, qhich are funded with contributions from the person who owns the account (and/or their eligible dependents) and must be used or lost each year.  I knew there were such things as HSAs, which carry over from year to year, and I always thought that was what I had.  Not so.  An HSA, like an FSA, is funded by the person who owns it, and by their eligible dependents.  What I have is an HRA, which is funded by a third party, such as a prior employer.  The only circumstances under which I can put money into it are if I have accidently spent some of it on something that isn’t covered (or something that is covered, but I have lost the documentation for.)  Why does it matter?  Because HSA holders are required to fill out and sign documents giving yhe old provider permission to transfer their account to the new one.  Since all the money in my account comes from USAA, USAA can take care of the authorization for me.  What a relief.

Here are a couple of humorous videos.  There’s no new information in either, they’re just for fun.

This was on the Late Show, so you may have seen it. I don’t care. Watch it again. (Sorry the CC isn’t better but the pictures help interpret it).

This one is from Parody Project.    Good CC and high production values.  And cannot come true too soon for me.

And here is a meme which is timely without being seasonal.

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Nov 222023
 

Yes, it’s that day again – 60 years ago now.  I was thinking about that recently in connection with an article on whether we shoould require the release of medical records by all candidates for President (along with tax records.)  Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it?  But I have very mixed feelings about it.

In any case, before it’s too late, I want to share this cautionary article for anyone who might be honored by being invited to a Black Thanksgiving dinner but not know much about Black food culture in particular.  It gave me some chuckles, a couple of gag reflexes, and a few surprises.

The Root – 17 Dishes You BET NOT Bring to a Black Thanksgiving

#4 – Green Bean Casseerole.  Amongst the several polls I sent out requesting ideas for this list, this abomination was at the top. The only acceptable form of green beans is with smoked turkey neck and potatoes. Why is it a trend to make this a casserole?

#6  – Potato Salad with Raisins

Matter fact, keep anything you got with raisins in it. Keep ya potato salad, ya pasta salad, macaroni salad and the criminal attempt at a pan of macaroni and cheese if it has raisins. You must do time over this.

15 – Gelatin-Based Oddities

We’re wayyy past that odd 1980s moment when everything edible was put in gelatin. Leave it alone, babes..unless it’s Jell-O shots. Those are always welcome.

Yes, there are more.  And pictures.  I hope you get some laughs too.

Personal Update:  I have had one contractor here and have a contract for that service – which kind of has to be, maybe not done, but at least under weigh before I can do much else.  At least I am getting more confident getting around the house, and that’s a good thing.

 

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Oct 272023
 

Yesterday, I was reminded that crazy isn’t always a bad thing. Sure, there’s crazy like Republcans – and that is always bad. But there’s also crazy like your batty old Hungarian vampire Granny, which is – delightful (and especially to raise money for a good cause.) I never tire of good crazy. Is everyone ready for Hallowe’en? I hope everyone will have a lot of fun. Everything doesn’t always have to be fun – but like with no fun at all really isn’t worth living.

Also yesterdayI got the email telling me my ballot has been received.  About d*** time.  If I hadn’t received that today, i was going to look into a replacement ballot – since it was mailed more than a week ago.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Robert Reich – The real reason Biden isn’t getting credit
Quote – One theory is that Trump and Fox News have poisoned their minds…. Which brings me to the second theory about why Biden isn’t getting credit: Biden is terrible at “messaging.”… His speeches aren’t electrifying, to be sure. But he says what needs to be said. He’s truthful. He doesn’t exaggerate. He’s compassionate…. This raises a third theory: Biden doesn’t communicate in ways that today’s media and much of the public are able to hear. I think there’s a lot to this.
Click through for full opinion. Biden probably cannot, and certainly should not, attempt to change his own style, IMO. But his “surrogates” – withpoout pressuring rational people to adopt an emotional style, it’s probably possible to bring on some “surrogate” who already have an emotional style, who are not afraid to use it, and who can send an emotional message. (In this connection, today is the day I’m sharing the last version of the emotional cartoon I’ve been working on, and I hope to get feedback on which packs the biggest punch (or whether combining elements from more than one would pack a bigger one.)

The Good in Us – The Quiet One
Quote – Also, because there is literally no such thing as a moderate Republican in Congress, it would have to be either be an extremist or an ultra-extremist. Once Republicans made it clear that having voted to certify the 2020 election was disqualifying (Tom Emmer, we hardly knew you), it would have to be the latter. Besides, Johnson looks and acts the part—he’s a bespectacled, suit-jacketed, quiet, and respectful back-bencher who, according to The New York Times, has a “gentle style.”… And suddenly having a Speaker of the House feels infinitely worse and more dangerous than not having one.
Click through for details. Mary Trump has done the deep dive into Mike Johnson so that you and I don’t have to. Unfortunately, it isn’t pretty.

Food For Thought

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Oct 232023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Powell & Chesebro plead guilty, flip, & agree to testify against Trump & others: Top 5 takeaways

The Lincoln Project – This Is Your Coup, Jim Jordan

MSNBC – Trump’s embrace of violence since leaving office

John Fugelsang – Kid Rock for Senate?

Wobbly Cat Adopts A Tiny, Wobbly Kitten

Beau – Let’s talk about how Biden’s trip changed….

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Oct 212023
 

Glenn Kirschner – The Biden campaign opens a Truth Social account – @BidenHQ – and OUTPACES Trump’s campaign account!

The Lincoln Project – Rick Reacts: Biden’s Strength In Crisis [zero punches pulled]

Armageddon Update – Israel Attacked…AGAIN!

Parody Project – Tom Dooley Parody about Judge Thomas – HANG UP YOUR ROBE (SPEAK TRULY)

Couples Takes Home Pregnant Stray Cat Living At A Car Rental Shop In Costa Rica

Beau – Let’s talk about what fiction can teach us about politics…

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Oct 172023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Judge Chutkan to decide whether to impose gag order on Trump to protect witnesses/promote fair trial

The Lincoln Project – Strong in a Crisis

Farron Balanced – Jimmy Kimmel Torches Trump In First Monologue Since Writers Strike

John Fugelsang on Christianity (old but good)

Litter Of Kittens Found Living In Someone’s Wall

Beau – Let’s talk about the BBC report and Ukraine….

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Oct 102023
 

All of the legal vloggers (the usual suspects?) are off ba;lance just now. This is from last Friday, but it’s all I could find that was short enough to share, and it’s not without interest.
Department of Justice – This Week at Justice – October 6, 2023

The Lincoln Project – In Memory McCarthy

MSNBC – Hayes: ‘I can’t believe this needs to be said,’ but the GOP is to blame for the GOP chaos

John Fugelsang – “The Way of the Sidekick” with Ed McMahon

Guy Sees Puppies Dumped On Busy Highway

Beau – Let’s talk about Biden, walls, and laws…. (There is also a follow up to this here – I don’t have space for both, but the full picture really needs both)

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Oct 022023
 

Yesterday was National Coffee Day. I couldn’t help remembering that some believe that Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze” was originally written for his “Coffee Cantata” as a metaphor for patriarchy – “God is our shepherd and I, your father, am your shepherd, and as your shepherd, I am telling you, my daughter, to stop drinking coffee!” I’m not sure that that’s true, and if it is, it might have been intended as satire of the pearl-clutchers of the time – there have always been some, and they have always been loud – but it does make a good story. I was also reminded I have a brand new coffee mug – so I made a point of using it. Yesterday was also Jimmy Carter’s birthday (although they held the party Saturday, just in case there was a shutdown, which would have kind of rained on the parade.) It was also Julie Andrews’s birthday (she’s 88), which I would have forgotten had it not been for Wonkette.

Today’s cartoon is the first of four I’ll be introducing over the month. After the fourth, I hope to get opinions on which one is the most effective – and/or if it would be more effective to use an element from one with an element from another.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Common Dreams – Democratic Senators Sound Alarm Over Koch-Backed Plot to ‘Eviscerate’ Regulatory State
Quote – Hours before ProPublica revealed new details about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ relationship with the Koch network, a group of Democratic senators filed a brief on Thursday warning that Koch-backed entities are closely involved in an upcoming case that could further gut the federal government’s regulatory power—and enhance the strength of the conservative-dominated high court. The case in question is Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which stems from a New Jersey-based fishing company’s challenge to a law requiring certain fishing boats to carry federal compliance monitors to enforce regulations.
Click through for article. I’m glad these Senators are on this. I will concede that it is possible to over-regulate, but it’s clear that, as long as one person is being hurt by under-regulation or unenforced regulation, we are not even close to over-regulation. (Off topic, but I think that’s the first picture I have ever seen of Charles without the you-know-what-eating grin. If that means he is less happy – good.)

London Daily – British Writer Pens The Best Description Of Trump I’ve Read
Quote – “Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?”… [W]hile Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.
Click through for every last detail. I have seen this before – I think most recently during the actual Trump** administration – but it is very detailed and every detail worth savoring, so it’s time to re-share it.

Food For Thought

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