TomCat

Monthly Report for December 2016

 Posted by at 10:14 am  Blog News, Monthly Report, Politics
Jan 032017
 

Last month, Uniques, Visits, and  Pages were up from November.  Hits and Bandwidth were slightly down.  We might have done better were people not suffering from outrage exhaustion, and were the Care2 Glitch Monster not rampaging.

Here is our latest summary:

Stats1-2017

Reported period

Month Dec 2016

 

 

 

 

First visit

01 Dec 2016 – 00:00

 

 

 

 

Last visit

31 Dec 2016 – 23:59

 

 

 

 

 

Unique visitors

Number of visits

Pages

Hits

Bandwidth

Viewed traffic *

9,993

 

28,413

(2.84 visits/visitor)

84,232

(2.96 Pages/Visit)

255,997

(9 Hits/Visit)

6.74 GB

(248.66 KB/Visit)

Not viewed traffic *

 

 

 

392,674

452,771

8.67 GB

 

Reported period

Month Dec 2015

 

 

 

 

First visit

01 Dec 2015 – 00:00

 

 

 

 

Last visit

31 Dec 2015 – 23:59

 

 

 

 

 

Unique visitors

Number of visits

Pages

Hits

Bandwidth

Viewed traffic *

10,694

 

31,929

(2.98 visits/visitor)

117,395

(3.67 Pages/Visit)

321,420

(10.06 Hits/Visit)

5.72 GB

(187.76 KB/Visit)

Not viewed traffic *

 

 

 

461,461

527,192

8.78 GB

 

Year over year, 2016 is considerably lower in every category.  Here is our latest demographic data from Quantcast:

QUS1-2017

They miss a ton of raw data, but among those they can identify they are a valuable source of information.  We are still mostly older, well educated, Democrats, and politically active, and poor to middle class.  We are  about 40% male and 60% female. 

Here is our ClustrMap for 2016.

ClustrMap1-2017

ClustrMap misses a lot of visits, because many visits can’t be easily traced to a location.  They have changed their format.  When you click the map in the left column, it shows the current month only, but they changed their interface to allow me to pull up the YTD map, and they have made several different  formats available, including one in Russian for Republicans.

Here are our top five articles:

Jane Smiley: Capitalist Pigs 1/17/2010 979
Is Mad Dog Such a Bad Dog? 12/7/2016 434
Unquestioning Support for Cops 7/28/2016 353
My Christmas Greeting 12/25/2016 250
Everyday Erinyes #53 12/3/2016 242 (Posted by JD)

The count represents only the people who followed an external link to that specific article.  Three were from December.  Congrats to JD, who wrote one of them.

Here are our top non-blog/news referrers (100 referral minimum):

Google 2,649
Care2 2,429
Stumbleupon 246

Care2 is way down by over 400,  Google is up by almost 400, Stumbleupon is down 10, Google (Images) did not make the list.

Here are our top  blog/news referrers:

http://infidel753.blogspot.com/
http://crooksandliars.com/
http://bildungblog.blogspot.com/
http://oakcreekforum.blogspot.com/
http://progressiveerupts.blogspot.com/
http://marketwatch666.blogspot.com/
http://www.synapticstew.com/
http://whitenoiseinsanity.com/
http://hamsandwich66.blogspot.com/
http://leftwingnutjob.blogspot.com/
http://theleftinme.blogspot.com/

We had 12 sites  with 2 or more referrals, down 2 from November.  Putting blogs’ links here increases the ratings of their sites, so this “linkey love” is our thank you for their support.  I’m most pleased with the stat and that some of the sites that linked to us are household names. 

We have 240,827 links on other websites, up 3,000 from November.  I expect that to decrease, because thousands of our links are over five years old, dating back to a time, when we consistently averaged over a million hits a month.  I used to have the time and energy for 7-8 articles per day. Major sites (like Care2), where I used to post links are no longer available, I’ve stopped posting links at other major sites, and I no longer visit 20 – 30 blogs per day, because I just can’t do everything I used to do.  However, as quantity has gone down, I hope quality has gone up.

As of Midnight on January 1, we have 7,084 articles and 85,580 comments.

Congrats to Pat B.  She won a Big Mouth Award in November, for the 85,000th comment.

I recommend using your own avatar. Go to Gravatar.  Sign up using the email address you use to post comments here and upload the image you want to use as your avatar.  Whenever you comment under that email address here or on any WordPress blog (several others too), that image will become your avatar.

Your Administrators are Lynn Squance, aka Sasquatch or Squatch, SoINeedAName, aka Nameless, and I, aka TomCat, the Founder.  Your Editors are Joanne Dixon, aka JD the Erynator and Lona Goudswaard, aka Lona the Napster.  I  promoted them from Author in August to give them the ability to add graphics to comments and the ability to correct my innumerable typos.

This is our policy on links.  We do not embed links to extreme Republican websites, like Faux Noise, Breitfart or World Nut Daily.  However I leave notes in square brackets when I delete such links, (example: [faux noise delinked]) so readers, who wish to follow them can click through to the source article.  I also remove topical links.  Finally, I blank the target on all links, so they open in a new tab or window. 

Given our expanded talent, I expect to resume our overall upward trend, although my medical problems are still interfering with my writing.  Please help by sharing our articles, not only with your family and friends, but also, on other sites, linking back to the article here.  The more exposure we get, the better we shall do at fulfilling our stated purpose, “Overcoming Right Wing Insanity One Day at a Time!”, although surviving might be mjore operative, temporarily.

Thank you for all that you do, here and elsewhere.  You are why we succeed!  You and other activists are America’s only hope.

Remember, before the election I kept warning you that every state was a swing state.  You passed it on, but far too few heeded our warning.  As more votes have come in, we now know that, if voters for Jill Stein, the Green who colluded with Putin,  in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania had only voted responsibly, Hillary Clinton would be President elect today.  America's best hope is to transform the Democratic Party into the party it should have been.  That is done best at the local level, but at the same time we need to fight back nationally.

RESIST!!

 

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Open Thread – 1/3/2017

 Posted by at 10:13 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 032017
 

After getting yesterday’s articles published, I set up a new spreadsheet for tracking my 2017b blood sugar readings, and two new One Note Notebooks for 2017 PP articles and 2017 household records.  I reordered prescription meds.  I planned my grocery order for this week.  Then I made all the graphics and collected all the data for today’s Monthly Report. Winter has returned to Portland with sub-freezing highs at least until Sunday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:31 (average 4:36).  To do it, click here.  Hoe did you do?

Short Takes:

From The Rachel Maddow Show: Trump business entanglements survive Indonesian mining scandal

Rachel Maddow follows the intertwined threads of an Indonesian corruption scandal, an American mining company, and the business conflicts of Donald Trump and a new member of his administration, Carl Icahn.

 

Welcome to Fascist Republican Rectum Reich of Ameristan, a country where one Indonesian criminal is about to have more influence with the government than all the combined fools that voted for Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten.

From The Last Word: Did Donald Trump commit treason?

Lawrence addresses questions of whether Trump’s praise of Putin is treasonous with a look at history – specifically, an accusation of treason against presidential candidate Richard Nixon in 1968. Author John A. Farrell joins.

 

It’s a very complex issue. I have repeatedly said war must be declared for treason to take place, but when I said it, I was not considering that a foreign cyber-attack on our election is an act of war, even if we do not choose to retaliate militarily. On that basis, I would consider Trump a traitor.  Furthermore, treason, as a way to obtain the Oval Office, seems to be an ongoing Republican tactic.

From NY Times: House Republicans, overriding their top leaders, voted on Monday to significantly curtail the power of an independent ethics office set up in 2008 in the aftermath of corruption scandals that sent three members of Congress to jail.

The move to effectively kill the Office of Congressional Ethics was not made public until late Monday, when Representative Robert W. Goodlatte, Republican of Virginia and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, announced that the House Republican Conference had approved the change. There was no advance notice or debate on the measure.

The surprising vote came on the eve of the start of a new session of Congress, where emboldened Republicans are ready to push an ambitious agenda on everything from health care to infrastructure, issues that will be the subject of intense lobbying from corporate interests. The House Republicans’ move would take away both power and independence from an investigative body, and give lawmakers more control over internal inquiries.

The "top leaders," now joined by the Fuhrer, are merely posturing to effect a pretense of ethical concern. Corruption is the only modus operandi of the Republican Rectum Reich.

Cartoon:

0103Cartoon

A flashback to the happier days of 2013, when the worst we had to worry about was Drill Baby Dingbat.

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Noam Chomsky on Democracy Now!

 Posted by at 10:04 am  Politics
Jan 022017
 

Almost a month ago, Noam Chomsky appeared on Democracy Now! to commemorate their twentieth anniversary.  In the process, hew discussed ways in which the ascension of future Resident (NEVER President) Trump, threatens not only the United States, but also, the survival of humanity.

0102Chomsky

On December 5, over 2,300 people packed into the historic Riverside Church here in Manhattan to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Democracy Now! Speakers included Noam Chomsky, world-renowned political dissident, linguist, author, institute professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "We now face are the most severe that have ever arisen in human history. They are literal threats to survival: nuclear war, environmental catastrophe. These are very urgent concerns," Chomsky said. "They cannot be delayed. They became more urgent on November 8th, for the reasons you know and that I mentioned. They have to be faced directly, and soon, if the human experiment is not to prove to be a disastrous failure."..,

From <Democracy Now!>

 

Folks unable co watch the video can click through for a complete transcript.

I think Chomsky makes a lot of good points here.  There can be only obe response.

RESIST!!

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Open Thread – 1/2/2017

 Posted by at 10:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 022017
 

It's a very busy day, and the tasks at hand keep increasing faster than the available timed to do then.  Just finding material for today's articles.  I shall catch up sooner or later.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today's took me 3:22 (average 5:39).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Religious Ecstasy:

0101Broncos24-Raiders6

They did not make the playoffs.  Mike Shanahan announced his retirement yesterday.  I'm hoping they tap Wade Phillips.

Fantasy Football Report:

This is the final report of the year for our own Fantasy Football league, Lefty Blog Friends.

Playoffs:

17Playoffs

Scoreboard:

Scoreboard

Congrats to Jack for winning the playoffs.  I have already submitted my intent to keep the league going.  If you will not be participating next year, please let me know ASAP.

Short Takes:

From The Hill: Senate and House Republicans are headed for a clash over whether to tackle Medicare reform under President-elect Donald Trump.

Senate Republican leaders prefer to focus narrowly on an ObamaCare replacement bill that does not contain changes to Medicare — a cautious approach that reflects their slim majority.

But House Republicans, firmly in control of the lower chamber, want to aim higher. They say unified Republican control of government is a chance to finally enact the entitlement reforms that they’ve been talking about for years.

Rep. Pete Roskam (R-Ill.), a member of the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over healthcare, said voters have endorsed the Republican argument that Medicare needs to be reformed.

This is not an either/or issue. It's None of the Above! RESIST!!

From CNN: A Texas lawmaker is lucky to be alive after an apparently stray bullet hit his head during a New Year's celebration early Sunday, authorities said.

State Rep. Armando "Mando" Martinez, D-Weslaco, said his wife had just given him a kiss shortly after ringing in the new year with family and friends, and the next thing he knew, "it felt like a sledgehammer hit me over the head."

A bullet fragment had just punctured the top of the south Texas legislator's head.

Martinez said he had just stepped outside a home in a rural neighborhood north of Weslaco when he was hit.

IMHO, they should be looking for the one of Fuhrer's Ammosexual assassins.  RESIST!!

From HRW: Some senior Israeli officials have been encouraging Israeli soldiers and police to kill Palestinians they suspect of attacking Israelis even when they are no longer a threat, Human Rights Watch said today in an analysis of those statements. Other Israeli officials have failed to repudiate the calls for excessive use of force.

Human Rights Watch has documented numerous statements since October 2015, by senior Israeli politicians, including the police minister and defense minister, calling on police and soldiers to shoot to kill suspected attackers, irrespective of whether lethal force is actually strictly necessary to protect life.

“It’s not just about potentially rogue soldiers, but also about senior Israeli officials who publicly tell security forces to unlawfully shoot to kill,” said Sari Bashi, Israel advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “Whatever the results of trials of individual soldiers, the Israeli government should issue clear directives to use force only in accordance with international law.

I bet Butcher Bibi's butt buddy, the Fuhrer, wants popcorn to munch, while they watch the videos.  RESIST!!

Cartoon:

0102Cartoon

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Poll Results – 1/1/2017

 Posted by at 7:03 am  Blog News, Politics
Jan 012017
 

Here are the results of our “Naughty or Nice” poll.  Politics Plus Polls are not scientific, because those who respond are not balanced according to demographic categories.   Therefore, we do not accurately reflect the makeup of the US population.  Nevertheless, our polls are usually factually accurate, and more often than not, they reflect thinking or will of the national majority.

0101Poll

Since our polling site no longer enables us to copy and paste your poll comments, you may read them here.

I voted naughty, because TomCats are naughty by definition. I would have preferred very naughty, but sadly, I’ve forgotten how.

The first poll of the new year is up.

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Open Thread – 1/1/2017

 Posted by at 7:02 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 012017
 

Because today is such a busy day, I’m actually staying up last night to get as much of today’s work done in advance as I can.  Finding two more short takes this morning took some doing.  Go Broncos!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:13 (average 5:38).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Salon.com: 2016 was a challenging year for LGBT rights. A year after the Supreme Court legalized equal marriage 5-4 vote, an unprecedented number of bills targeting queer and transgender people were introduced to state legislatures. According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 200 anti-LGBT bills were debated by states across the U.S., including Massachusetts, Illinois, Louisiana, and Montana. Many failed, unable to make it out of committee or vetoed by state governors. Others passed.

The 10 public figures listed below were those most active in creating a climate of bigotry and hate this year, in which a backlash to LGBT equality flourished. If 2017 is just as bad of a year for queer folks as the last one was, you’ll have these people to blame.

1. Pat McCrory, Governor of North Carolina
…
2. Mike Pence, Vice President-Elect [Resident NOT President]

I shared two Republican homophobes. Click through for the other eight. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Media Matters Channel): There’s a reason they hate us

Barf Bag Alert!!

 

If the Republican Rectum Reich hates them, that’s more than sufficient cause to love them. RESIST!!

From Think Progress:  It’s now 2017 and we are down to the last 20 days of Barack Obama’s presidency. In 2012, prognosticators were very confident about what would happen to America by now because of Obama’s reelection. Let’s check in and see how their predictions turned out:

1. Gas was supposed to cost $6.60 per gallon.

In March 2012, on the floor of the United States Senate, Mike Lee (R-UT) predicted that if Obama was reelected gas would cost $6.60 per by the end of Obama’s second term. Lee said that gas prices would rise 5 cents for every month Obama was in office.

That’s one. Click through for the other three. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

0101Cartoon

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Why Republicans Hate Health Care

 Posted by at 12:07 pm  Politics
Dec 312016
 

Lyin' Ryan (R-WI) has made it completely clear that one of the top priorities when the Republican Rectum Reich takes charge next year is repealing ObamaCare.  Although the Fuhrer promised over and over again, as he travelled the nation on his March of Million Lies, that Americans would NOT lose their health care, he was lying.  The only unanswered question is when.  Paul Krugmann wrote an excellent editorial on why Republicans want to snatch health care from millions.  Here is his conclusion.

1231krugmanhc

…Why do the Republicans hate health reform? Some of the answer is that Obamacare was paid for in part with taxes on the wealthy, who will reap a huge windfall if it’s repealed, even as many middle-income families face tax hikes.

More broadly, Obamacare must die precisely because it’s working, showing that government action really can improve people’s lives — a truth they don’t want anyone to know.

How will Republicans try to contain the political fallout if they go ahead with repeal, and tens of millions lose access to health care? No doubt they’ll try to distract the public — and the all-too-compliant news media — with shiny objects of various kinds.

But surely a central aspect of their damage control will be an attempt to push a false narrative about Obamacare’s past. Health reform, they’ll claim, was always a failure, and it was already collapsing on the eve of the G.O.P. takeover. When the number of uninsured Americans skyrockets on their watch, they’ll claim that it’s not their fault — like everything, it’s the fault of liberal elites.

So let’s refute that narrative in advance. Obamacare has, in fact, been a big success — imperfect, yes, but it has greatly improved (and saved) many lives. And all indications are that this success is sustainable, that the teething problems of health reform weren’t fatal and were well on their way to being solved at the end of 2016.

If, as seems all too likely, a health care debacle is imminent, blame must be placed where it belongs: on Donald Trump and the people who put him over the top. [emphasis added]

From <NY Times>

I shared his conclusion here, but I strongly recommend that you click through to read the entire editorial for an understanding of the facts he used to reach that conclusion.

Now, Republicans will offer their own health plan instead.  It's called RepubliCare, and it's famous for the RepubliCare Death Benefit.  Here's how RepubliCare works.  If you are rich enough to pay for health care, you get health care.  If not, the RepubliCare Death Benefit kicks in.  You get to die, and the Republican Party won't charge you a penny for the privilege.

RESIST!!

RepubliCare

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