It’s a temperate day, here at the CatBox. We didn’t finish our business yesterday, so I’ll go back Monday afternoon. It was a long day, and I’m very tired.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:40 (average 5:21). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Donald Trump Disregard For Congressional Oversight Untenable In America (25 min.)
Damn! Trump and the Republican Reich, that has enabled him almost without exception, could ruin a wet dream. If you thought Putin’s Plaything would produce documents or personnel, we need to talk about my bridge for sale. It spans the East River. RESIST!!
From YouTube (Bernie Sanders Channel): Amy’s Daughter Died Because She Couldn’t Prove She Had Insurance
Condolences to Amy and her family. This must not happen here. Bernie is right about this. We need universal health care, such as Medicare for all. RESIST!!
From NY Times: As the pilots of the doomed Boeing jets in Ethiopia and Indonesia fought to control their planes, they lacked two notable safety features in their cockpits.
One reason: Boeing charged extra for them.
For Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers, the practice of charging to upgrade a standard plane can be lucrative. Top airlines around the world must pay handsomely to have the jets they order fitted with customized add-ons.
Sometimes these optional features involve aesthetics or comfort, like premium seating, fancy lighting or extra bathrooms. But other features involve communication, navigation or safety systems, and are more fundamental to the plane’s operations.
Many airlines, especially low-cost carriers like Indonesia’s Lion Air, have opted not to buy them — and regulators don’t require them. [emphasis added]
In short, the people were killed by the greed of Boeing Republicans. RESIST!!
Cartoon:
16 Responses to “Open Thread – 3/21/2019”
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MSNBC: Great video! People are getting laid off from their jobs at these plants, because of dt’s tarriffs on steel and aluminium. It’s affecting people’s lives !
YT: This should have never happened!!! How horrible, and sad !!
NYT: wth?? At the cost of folks losing their lives, over a fact that the airline didn’t pay for a part, with Boeing upping the price, is reprehensible! Such a tragedy and loss of life! I doubt I’ll be flying anywhere soon……
Cartoon: Remember reading about this in Life magazine. Those who marched and protested have my utmost respect, and are Heroes, imho.
Sounds like you had a busy day, get your rest. Hope that you have a good rest of your day, take care, and Thanks, Tom.
*This just in: “According to a new book, Ivanka Trump reportedly thinks she could be president one day. Not every woman in America has a vote to say about it.” ~ Chelsea Handler ~
5:51 The perspective is brutal.
Rachel – Well. Another word we need to add to the description of Orange Judas is “solipsist.” It looks like the recession that’s coming will be sooner than later, and may reach the status of depression … and will, of course be global. Sorry, world. I didn’t vote for him. WRT subpoenas, Republicans certainly are big on party loyalty, aren’t they? Sooner or later, one by one, they will gradually come to see that Traitor Tot’s base is not enough for them to be reelected on, and they will need to do something different. I suspect many already have realized it, but have not come up with an alternate behavior that will work for them. My name is Joanne Dixon, not Jeane Dixon, so I can’t do this, but I would love to be able to see some years into the future to know how history will treat all these players.
Bernie – The number of people who must be complicit in the current system for this to continue to happen is staggering. Wendell Potter had an epiphany … what will it take for enough others to have an epiphany?
NYT – Republican greed. Yes. No cure for it … they must be voted out, and replaced by Democrats who will regulate in life saving ways.
Cartoon – And you were there.
Calling our health “care” system barbaric is much too kind! And where are the “pro-lifers” for people who die so needlessly?
Anything that improves the safety of a plane is NOT an add-on – it is a necessity. Greed, greed, greed!
The Republican Reich is pro-death.
One of those interesting tidbits you learn when one of your best friends from grade school lives in Manhattan (and you’ve visited him a couple dozen times) is that the East River actually isn’t a river. It’s a salt water tidal estuary.
i must have Tweeted Amy’s story hundreds of times!
Happiest places to live (World Happiness Report, 2019)
1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Norway
4. Iceland
5. Netherlands
6. Switzerland
7. Sweden
8. New Zealand
9. Canada
10. Austria
11. Australia
*19. United States*
Having universal healthcare & a safety net makes people happier!!!
MSNBC: Unreal! the new normal is “Anything goes!” because His Orangeness likes it! Rebelling, N.J. was named for the son of the fellow who built your bridge, Tom.
AMY: Capitalism gone crazy!
NYT: Capitalism gone crazy! It is abominable that any airline, or other, manufacturer can with hold safety for the sake of their bottom line. What was it called when the Mafia could guarantee your safety…for a little cash on the side? Same thing!
‘Toon: A promise lost!
PP – PSA
I’m hoping for maybe a “Saturday or Sunday Smile” in lieu of tomorrow’s absent “Friday Fun” – but time will tell.
Friday will be my fifth out of six past business day morning visits to the Wound Clinic. And I have a (hopefully) last F/U [MEDICAL: Follow-Up] appointment next Monday.
Fingers-crossed that will be it. But I’m a bit concerned because the Iodoform gauze wick got pulled out of the abscess with the dressing change this morning – and it bled quite a bit afterwards on the way home.
(Not that it’s not a “hoot” to have them probe the abscess to see if there are anymore pockets of pus. But I’ll put up with anything to get this taken care of!)
Time will tell.
Ur doin it rite. Not that I expected anything else from you. Thanks for the heads up.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed too that the Wound Clinic finally has your abscess under control and your torture will end on Monday, Nameless. Still on good terms with Nike, I hope.
As if one of you with medical mayhem is not enough, we have two! I was hoping yours would be mended by now, but then I thought back to my experience a few years ago. Two weeks of IV antibiotics and then the real healing started. Please look after yourself Nameless. Perhaps slip Nike a little extra kibble or whatever he likes to eat best . . . that way he won’t go after you.
You just take care of yourself, dear friend.
MSNBC: Like the viideo. tRump’s tariffs are ruining our economy. Why he’s playing so many games with so many lives, I’ll never understand. He a heartless idiot.YT: Shameful…our healthcare system has gotten worse all thanks to GREED.NYT: Heard that the FBI is going to join in doing criminal investigation about Boeing certification of their 737 Max,
3:15 Sorry to take your seat, TomCat, you have better use for it than I have.
MSNBC: Drumpf believes he’s above the the law, or worse, his dementia has him “know” he’s above the law no matter what everyone else tell him. And there are always people who cater to his whims, as those in the intelligence office who fabricated this secret rapport that the national security is at stake where foreign cars are concerned. Drumpf also firmly believes that the Republicans will back him no matter what he does, simply ignoring the recent signs of voting against his interests (National Emergency) and the growing discontent with his solo actions. Drumpf also thinks he has the perfect backup with Kavenaugh and Goresuch’s appointment to SCOTUS. For what I’ve seen of the Senate’s Republicans and SCOTUS, senile Drumpf may well rest easy in the believe he’s in the clear.
YT: Shocking on so many levels. Amy’s daughter had health insurance but couldn’t prove it, so they let her die. But even if she had had no insurance at all, in any developed country, she would have been treated. It is beyond understanding that doctors can hide behind administration to deny people life-saving healthcare, or worse, send people packing themselves.
NYT: The reasoning behind selling safety features as a “customized” add-on, is the same as not training pilots in adequate responses to changed features in the plane. It cost Boeing too much; something I mentioned in a comment last week. Insiders who have heard the voice recording of two pilots during the crash have “leaked” that the two were fighting for nine minutes to keep the plane from crashing while frantically searching through the manuals for an answer or procedure, and praying. Imagine: 9 minutes of agony before losing their lives and of all their passengers aboard. Twice. Because Boeing wanted to make more money.
Cartoon: That march is still in need of finishing.
Puzzle — 4:40 Don’t think you’ll find anything to eat here Puddy Tat unless of course you’re into the ever present spiders, ants and garden slugs.
MSNBC — Senator Sam Ervin: “… The president not only has constitutional powers which require him to see to it or take care that the laws are faithfully executed … owes it a high standard of moral leadership to this nation … “. I think were he alive today, he would be saying the same thing about Trump! This might be Trump trying to flex his muscles because he thinks he has the right to deny access for no other reason than he wants to, or there could be things that he doesn’t want to be public. Again from Senator Sam Ervin:
In my opinion, the emperor has no clothes. The US is a representative democracy (well supposedly) and the people should expect honesty and integrity from their elected officials, including the president. While he may hope that the injustices have his back if push comes to shove, if they look hard enough they will find precedence from previous SCOTUS decisions to guide their decision. The president is not above the law.
Bernie Sanders — Nobody in the modern era should die for lack of affordable health care. I was curious as to what propelled Amy Vilela into her health care activist role and came across this article in Rolling Stone. It is from May 2017 and an interesting piece and proves that sometimes meaning comes from adversity.
To me, it is absolutely stunning that anyone should die for lack of affordable healthcare.
NY Times — Safety equipment should never be an extra! I hope Boeing is sued by the relatives of the victims of the 2 crash disasters.
Cartoon — The march MUST go on until there is no more need!
Geez Louise! More medical mayhem on Monday? Make sure you get your rest over the weekend in preparation. Spring has sprung!!! I neglected to mention earlier that we have a ton of purple crocuses and some narcissus (possibly the jonquil variety) popping up everywhere. They are simply gorgeous in the sunshine. And some trees have buds too.
Thanks and TGIF Hugs to all.