Yesterday, having made so many typos and other errors on Monday, I tried to pull myself together. Hopefully I can be a bit more accurace today. Mitch’s issue is not yet solved, but a lot of ideas have come up that he can try, and I also sent him some links to videos to tide him over.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
The Hill – School districts impose mask mandates, defying GOP governors
Quote – “We believe that we have a constitutional obligation to protect the lives of our students and staff,” Rosalind Osgood, chair of the Broward County, Fla., School Board, said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “We’ve received, you know, threats from our governor. And it’s been really, really dramatic and horrible to be put in this position.”
Click through for more. It’s going both ways I’m really, really glad I’m in a position to just stay home – I only wish everyone were.
Mother Jones – This Former Pastor Is Changing Evangelicals’ Minds on COVID Vaccines
Quote – Chang’s group produces a series of videos that dispel some of the myths that circulate widely among evangelicals—some believe that the vaccine is a form of government control or that it contains fetal tissue and is therefore pro-abortion. The group works with organizations including the National Association of Evangelicals and the Ad Council to distribute the videos both to churches and through social networks. Chang’s technique seems to be working{.}
Click through for story and a link to one of the videos. I wish I were more optimistic about who is reachable … but anyone reached will help.
Upcoming event: This Sunday, August 22, is designated “Thank a Criminal Day.” I don’t kow who designated it, because there’s very little information about it. So it’s probably not “official” in any sense. But the point is to recognize that many people who, today, are considered heroes, were, in their own time, considered and treated as criminals. Some examples are Jesus, Galileo, Gandhi, Dr. King, John Lewis, Rosa Parks, John Brown, all those people who signed the Declaration of Independence (thereby committing treason against Great Britain), and so many others. There’s a saying, “the military may defend your freedom, but it was a criminal who gave it to you.” If you think of other historical figures, please recongize them in the comments. I can think of a few who are not yet recognized widely as the heroes they are, but I can and do hope they will be someday: Thomas Drake, John Kiriakou, Jeffrey Sterling, Reality Winner. All four have served time. All four are now, thankfully, out of prison now. I certainly want to thank them. Then there’s Scott Warren, who (after two trials) was finally acquitted of the terrible felony of leaving water in the desert to prevent “illegal” immigrants from dying, but who was locked up for much of the time from the charge to the final acquittal. If you think of more like this please share their names in the comments too. Then there are those who have spent time in prison for something which was not liberating,, which was in fact reprehensible, but who turned their lives around and became heroes. John Dean comes to mind. So does our own beloved TomCat. More examples of these would also be welcomed in the comments – I know they exist. I realize the date is four days down the road, but I wanted to give people time in advance to think about it, since this is an unrecognized day; plus the fact that I am working in advance means that the work itself is often behind when posted. I absolutely did not want to miss it.
There isn’t really a place to click to. Here’s the link to how I learned of its existence (two years old, but I didn’t see it until last year – and then late).
Food for Thought –
16 Responses to “Open Thread for August 18, 2021”
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Cartoon: How cool is this?
The Hill: The school district here has defied his (Abbott’s) mandate, and has encouraged masks at school and while on campus. A good move. Praise Be!
MJ: A good video. Trust is important, trust the experts and doctors. I have.
Thank a Criminal Day: Wow! I didn’t know anything about this. Will re-read, and I definitely signed the petition, Thank You!
FFT: Sad.
‘Typing mistakes’?? Please. You’re doing an awesome job filling in for our beloved TC, who I might add: ‘A mighty fine job’!! Joanne!
THIS JUST IN: TJI: “Blaming Biden for Afghanistan is like blaming him for Covid-19. It’s a disaster he inherited, and to get us out of it was always going to be difficult and heartbreaking. Critics will point fingers over mistakes made in that process, but we should remember how it all started.” ~ George Takei ~
2. “Please send your child to school with a mask and encourage your school board to require them.”
~ Beto O’Rourke ~
3. “I am devastated by the news that Haiti has been hit by a 7.2 earthquake. At a time when Haiti is without an organized government and suffering greatly from COVID-19, the damage is unspeakable. We must do everything we can to get humanitarian support to Haiti now!” ~ Maxine Waters ~
4. “The President is to be commended for the clarity of purpose of his statement on Afghanistan and his action. The Taliban must know the world is watching its actions. We are concerned about reports regarding the Taliban’s brutal treatment of all Afghans, especially women and girls.” ~ Nancy Pelosi ~
5. “My heart has broken. Like most vets, I left part of me in AFG. Later we’ll debate the failures of last 20 yrs, but today our mission is clear: hold the airport as long as possible and get ALL U.S. citizens and as many Afghan partners out as we can. We will debate the rest later.” ~ Rep. Jason Crow ~
BIG LIE – H/T JD
https://youtu.be/vT-J3UUhdLY
H/T – JD
Thank you!
I do love Rocky Mountain Mike … and he just keeps getting better. I put this into my email signature as a sort of “Easter egg” (remember those?) I also put it into my signature at DU (and posted a newer one, “Hooked on their Stealin'”), and had a very positive response. Some nice person even bought me a year’s paid membership. (Of cousr, since it was done anonymously, I can’t prove the events were related, but I do have my suspicions.)
TJI #5 – Rep. Jason Crow’s comment is very well said!
TJI #1 – Thank you, Mr. Sulu!
TJI #2 – Of course that’s good advice. It’s from someone who is opposed to children dying.
TJI #3 – Auntie Maxine is right of course, and I hope she gets heard.
TJI #4 – It’s truly ironic that some of the hand-wringing about women and girls in Afghanistan is coming from those who most want to treat American women and girls the same way the Taliban treats theirs.
TJI #5 – As a Coloradan, I am so proud of Jason Crow (and wish he represented my district. Sigh.) This is good advice. Don’t hold your breath waiting for Republicans to take it.
TJI#1: So true.
TJI#2: Wise words.
TJI#3: She speaks for many of us who are stunned by what Mother Nature has done there in Haiti. Hopefully many will help and assist them.
TJI#4: Ditto Joanne’s comment.
TJI#5: Appreciate Rep. Crow’s touching words, regarding serving/leaving part of himself there, plus all of the Vets who were there these past 20 years. Bless them all.
I hope Mitch finds a solution – and soon! I miss his input.
School districts impose mask mandates, defying GOP governors
Good for them! I just do NOT understand such stubborn idiocy by these GQP governors. Don’t they care about their people?
And now DeathSantis is literally traveling around Florida to promote use of Regeneron (a legitimate monoclonal antibody COVID drug) – and it just so happens that his largest donor has invested MILLIONS in that drug.
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-08-17/desantis-top-donor-invests-in-covid-drug-governor-promotes?context=amp
https://wbng.com/2021/08/17/desantis-top-donor-invests-in-covid-drug-governor-promotes/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/top-donor-of-floridas-ron-desantis-invests-in-covid-drug-that-governor-promotes/ar-AANqO83?li=BBnbfcL
Regeneron is a good drug – but has limited indications for its use:
https://www.regeneron.com/downloads/treatment-covid19-eua-fact-sheet-for-hcp.pdf
And just a couple of months ago, added outpatient use with LIMITED indication:
https://investor.regeneron.com/index.php/news-releases/news-release-details/nih-covid-19-treatment-guidelines-strongly-recommend-use-regen
This Former Pastor Is Changing Evangelicals’ Minds on COVID Vaccines
Good for him! (But I think the operative word is “FORMER”.)
“Thank a Criminal Day”
People deserve a second chance – even if they’re not famous.
But off the top of my head, I’d add Nelson Mandela and Susan B Anthony – and maybe the 14th Dalai Lama, since exile is a kind of prison.
Food for Thought
*sigh*
PERSONAL FRIDGE UPDATE
Well, the repair man came yesterday with a little good news, but more bad news.
The good news is that the refrigerator itself works just fine.
The bad news there’s a leak somewhere in the body of the cabinet the bleeds out the Freon – and it’s not accessible, and even if it were it’s not reparable.
He gave the option of doing nothing ($50 service call) or filling it with Freon ($140 total).
I had him refill it w/ the Freon, and he said it might run a day or a couple of years. Depends on how big the leak is. But at some point I’ll need a new fridge.
I have two fridges in the basement that still work – so I have options. But the problem is that I have to lock the cat in a room whenever I go down to the basement – otherwise he literally attacks me. And I don’t mean playfully! He loves when I let him go down to the basement (I keep the door closed all the time) – but he thinks it’s HIS domain alone.
I’ve had enough cat bite cellulitis episodes! So I bought some time w/ the added Freon. I’ll see how it goes.
I do like all your suggestions for criminals to thank. Thiking internationally, I’d say Alexander Navalny is also a good prospect – his work has yet to come to fruition, but many do not accomplish their full potential in their lifetime. Amnesty International also has a lotof names we never heard of who deserve ot only freedom but gratitude.
Dang – I’m sorry about the refrigerator. I was able to save my own refrigerator, but when my stand-up freezer failed, I had to replace it fast. I was fortunate enough to luchk into a sale at Lowe’s which included free dlivery 9And they always include free removel of the old one too), and to have enough in savings to grab it. In your place, I’d start scouring the net for sales, and making a list (or setting up bookmarks, maybe in a special folder) in order to keep checking back to ake use of the borrowed time. But you probably don’t need advice – you are sharp and prudent.
And I too miss Mitch.
Thanks Joanne.
The fire (Calderon) in my area that began 4 days ago, as we’ve been in red alerts, grew yesterday from 6500 to over 53000 acres with spot fires also spreading so we have many miles of evacuations due to reliance on just a few roads to get out and covering most of this part of the county’s water infrastructure, crossed Hwy 50 with stretches evacuated that go to edge of neighboring counties, etc. It also includes the area with the lowest socioeconomics in the county. Know way too many people who had to evacuate. Wind supposed to change tonight where that will help in some areas of it, the opposite in others.
One TX school district added mask requirement to their dress code that falls under a statute where it is solely their authority.
Good for the former pastor–every voice can make a difference!
Many visionaries do not get respected at home–calls for audiences that are at a distance, not in the same group, etc. or is left to historians to recognize. Interesting frame for how to view current events…
Prayers being sent your direction JL. I pray that you and others are kept safe from these awful fires. Please be safe and keep us posted.
PLEASE, STAY SAFE!
AMEN to all.
Cartoon: Wow.. sure brings memories seeing the photo.
The Hill: Glad that these schools are making masks mandatory. The governor has no right telling them to do the opposite. He’s not one to talk, now that he has Covid-19, even after being vaccinated.
MJ: It’s about time. How much more proof do these people need prove that the vaccines are safe and that they do help?
Thank a Criminal Day: Never heard of it before. I agree with Nameless that people Do deserve a second chance.
Food for Thought: Sad photo. Bless these doctors and nurses who loss their life while working/helping others. ]
Joanne you’ve done a wonderful job taking over this entire site since TC, bless his sole passed. When I read what your post, I guess I don’t notice you typos.
It was a nice cool day here, we’ve been having hot and humid days all month. The cooler weather lasts till next Tuesday, when it’s suppose to be in the 90’s again.
I hope Mitch can get his issues fixed, so he’ll be back soon. Did he buy a new computer or is he on a different server that he can’t get connected? I know you mentioned Apple Mac device. but is it new?
Hope your day went well.
Take care. Thanks Joanne
I don’t think it’s new, but I don’t know how old it is. And I’m not sure he’d know if his serveer changed. I wouldn’t know if CenturyLink moved me to a different server unless that told me in simple words.
I do know that if you use a browser which isn’t Internet Explorer (now Edge), or Chrome, or maybe Firfox, sometimes, some sites don’t code for you. But I thought Safari was one that everyone coded for. One of the things he’ll bedoing is looking for information on how differennt ones work with Mac OS’s.
I’m the worst typist ever, and I usually blame my typos and spelling mistakes on English being my second language. But if truth be told, I can’t spell in Dutch, or German, to save my life either. So I’ve installed the free version of Grammarly which has different levels of installation: just the browser you use (Firefox in my case) and/or Office which covers both Word and Outlook. Of course, I have installed it on all possible levels. It is also one of the few spelling/grammar programs that allows me to chose Aussie spelling, as you may have noticed from my odd “ou” use.
It has the usual drawbacks in that it takes space on your screen in Office, slows things down a bit and probably keeps track of some personal data, but I couldn’t type without it.
Cartoon: A wonderful achievement.
TH: I won’t waste another good image on DeSantis, but WTF is he doing, threatening school boards that won’t put the lives of the children, teachers and other staff at risk? Kudos to those on that school board. I hope many more will follow their brave example.
MJ: Good on ya, Mr Chang. I’m sure being a former pastor helps a lot to understand the mindset of those Evangelicals and find ways to get through to them.
Criminal Day: No American examples from me, but I’ve got a Rhodesian/South-African friend here in Oz who still considers Nelson Mandela a terrorist despite having to admit that he was the best thing that ever happened to South Africa.
FFT: This is one of the saddest pictures I’ve seen for a while; it brought tears to my eyes.