Open Thread – 10/8/2010

 Posted by at 2:57 am  Open Thread, Personal
Oct 082010
 

I was able to get a little sleep, so I’m back.  I won’t be replying to comments or returning visits today, because I have to do something special.  More on that tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:16.  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Think Progress: Today was a victory for the Affordable Care Act. The first court decision to render a verdict on the constitutionality of the landmark health reform package upheld a key portion of law. Earlier today, Judge George Caram Steeh of the Eastern District of Michigan handed down a twenty page order dismissing a challenge to the Act’s minimum coverage provision on the merits.

Good News here, as expected.

From TPM: Lieberman’s approval rating stands at only 31%, with 57% disapproval — even lower than the 36%-54% for Sen. Chris Dodd, who is retiring. Broken down by party, Lieberman’s rating is 20%-69% among Democrats, 46%-41% among Republicans, and 31%-56% among independents.

LIEberman’s political career will be done in two years, six years too late.

H/T Crooks and Liars:

To borrow a term from baseball, too many Democrats have two strikes and no balls.  Thank God for a few like Grayson.

Cartoon: from Cagle.com

8matson

TGIF!  VOTE!!

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Open Thread – 10/7/2010

 Posted by at 2:29 am  Open Thread, Personal
Oct 072010
 

Yesterday and last night my bronchitis was sufficiently severe keep me from sleeping.  I just woke up from a two hour nap, which is the only sleep I’ve had in 26 hours.  So this is all I have for today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me me 4:57.  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From me:  I heard that Republicans now want to eliminate or reduce the minimum wage.

From me: VOTE!

Cartoon: from Cagle.com

7matson

What do you want to talk about?

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Open Thread – 10/6/2010

 Posted by at 3:44 am  Open Thread, Personal
Oct 062010
 

Yesterday I spent the day resting, fighting off chronic bronchitis and trying to reestablish a sleep schedule.   I hope I’m back to full speed soon.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:14.  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Think Progress: Miller’s proposal to return to the days when senators were chosen by political insiders is actually much less radical than his other proposals to declare virtually everything unconstitutional. When Miller made the laughable claims that Social Security, Medicare, the federal minimum wage, and unemployment benefits violate the Constitution, he simply proclaimed that the Constitution must be read to eliminate laws he personally disapproves of.

And this is the same guy who fired his own wife so she could collect unemployment benefits.  What’s that?  It’s standard Republican hypocrisy.

From Right Wing Watch: Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women of America, explains how health care reform legislation violates each and every one of the Ten Commandments … including the ones against adultery, graven images, and taking the Lord’s name in vain.

Click through to go down the rabbit hole, and you won’t be in Kansas anymore.  Their entire set of absurd arguments violates the Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt not commit Teabuggery.

From MSNBC: Rachel interviews Christine O’Dingbat… NOT! 🙄

6bagley

So much for the Republican pledge of openness and transparency.

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Open Thread – 10/5/2010

 Posted by at 1:45 am  Open Thread, Personal
Oct 052010
 

After about 14 hours sleep, I’m feeling a bit better, but still way below my norm, so I doubt I’ll be back to replying to comments and returning visits today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:27.  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Lefty Bloggers Plus Report:

Scores

Week 4

Score

 

Teabuggery Trashers

Recovering Republic…

103.8

54.2

Final

Rob’s Roosters

Lionel Hutz + The H…

109.4

96.3

Final

Greensburg Wombats

Jay’s Team

83.2

112.8

Final

Seahawks Rock

elliot’s Team

88.8

86.2

Final

hugos misfits

Playin w/out a helm…

64.4

79.1

Final

Standings

Team

W-L-T

Pct.

GB

Seahawks Rock

4-0-0

1.000

0.0

Recovering Republicans

3-1-0

0.750

1.0

Rob’s Roosters

3-1-0

0.750

1.0

Greensburg Wombats

2-2-0

0.500

2.0

Teabuggery Trashers

2-2-0

0.500

2.0

Playin w/out a helmet

2-2-0

0.500

2.0

Jay’s Team

1-3-0

0.250

3.0

Lionel Hutz + The Hail Marys

1-3-0

0.250

3.0

elliot’s Team

1-3-0

0.250

3.0

hugos misfits

1-3-0

0.250

3.0

It’s nice to be out of the cellar at last 😀

Short Takes:

From AP/Google: In a secretly taped recording, Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle badmouths the GOP establishment and wheedles a minor-party candidate to support her campaign, offering help opening doors in Washington if she’s elected.

The roughly made recording offers an unvarnished look into back-room politics, with tea party favorite Angle alternately nudging and cajoling candidate Scott Ashjian, whose support could be crucial in her bid to oust Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Not only does it expose her utter hypocrisy, but also, it should make her big Republican Party fundraiser in DC tomorrow most interesting.

From Alternet: A possible terror plot against European cities has confirmed longstanding fears among Western security services that Al-Qaeda and its allies could try to recreate the 2008 onslaught on Mumbai.

Please keep the people od Europe in your thoughts, hopes, prayers, or whatever you do.

From TPM: Now this is just hilarious. It turns out that a recent Harry Reid ad that attacked Sharron Angle for her alleged right-wing positions on health care in the state legislature appears to have been false. And Reid’s source for the claim was…Sharron Angle’s false statements about her record in the state legislature.

That’s the problem with the Nevada Leg Hound.  The fool believes whatever he hears from Republicans.

Cartoon: from Cagle.com

5matson

28 days to go! VOTE!!

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Open Thread – 10/4/2010

 Posted by at 3:42 am  Open Thread, Personal
Oct 042010
 

I spoke too soon.  I could not sleep at all last night because of severe coughing and need to go back to bed, so there is only one article today and no short takes.

Jig Zone Puzzle (I’m easy pickings.):

Today it took me 7:02.  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Religious Ecstasy:

DenWeek4

Cartoon: from Cagle.com

4bagley

OGIM!

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Open Thread – 10/3/2010

 Posted by at 11:06 pm  Open Thread, Personal
Oct 022010
 

Yesterday I felt a tiny bit better, but not much.  I managed to post my articles, answer my email, set my fantasy football lineup, and that’s all, before I crawled back to bed.  Part of the problem is also that my earlier attempt to adapt to a CPAP torture device upset my long established circadian rhythms so badly, that I have not yet discovered what my new sleep cycle is yet.  I think that lowered my resistance.  Hopefully I will be back to addressing comments and returning visits soon.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:13.  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From AFP/Google: Indonesia’s top Islamic body said Friday homosexuality is an abuse of human rights and demanded the government ban an ongoing gay and lesbian film festival.

Isn’t it interesting how Republican pseudo-Christian fundamentalists and Muslim fundamentalists share the same warped ideas.

From Common Dreams: Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation has doubled its backing of the Republican party in advance of next month’s mid-term elections by awarding $1m to an interest group that is leading the attack on Democratic candidates through political TV advertising.

The donation, revealed first by the website Politico, was made to the United States Chamber of Commerce, which has a stated intention to spend $75m on November’s elections.

Corporations are NOT people!  Money is NOT speech!  News Corporation (especially Faux Noise) is NOT news!

From me:  New Rules from last weekend.

Cartoon: from Cagle.com

3matson

How’s your weekend?

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Open Thread – 10/2/2010

 Posted by at 3:12 am  Open Thread, Personal
Oct 022010
 

Yesterday I spent most of the day in bed.  I did manage to cantc up back email, bit that’s about all.   I suspect that getting out today’s articles will be my limit for today, as I am still quite ill.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:29.  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Lefty Bloggers Plus:

Don’t forget to set your rosters for this weekend’s games.

Short Takes:

From LA Times: Meg Whitman’s campaign for governor has doubled its advertising on Spanish-language radio and increased the number of its Latino television spots by roughly 50% as the former EBay chief executive seeks to blunt the impact of news that she employed, then fired, an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper.

Similarly, the KKK is asking for African American support. 😉

From Washington Post: The United States revealed on Friday that the government conducted medical experiments in the 1940s in which doctors infected soldiers, prisoners and mental patients in Guatemala with syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases.

How horrid.  At the same time we were prosecuting German doctors at Nuremburg for doing the same thing.

From Think Progress: In an interview with the conservative Christian Broadcasting Network, Delaware GOP Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell suggested that the almighty has “strengthen[ed] and empower[ed]” her campaign so that she can be around to filibuster during the lame duck session.

Sadly, I think she may actually believe it.

Cartoon:

2keefe

One month to go!

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Open Thread – 10/1/2010

 Posted by at 2:30 am  Open Thread, Personal
Oct 012010
 

Yesterday I stayed in bed.  Usually I get a severe upper respiratory infection around this time of year, and this year is no exception.  There are no short takes today, because I did only the research necessary to post the articles I wanted to cover.  Depending on how I feel later, I may or may not be back to reply to comments, and will probably not be returning visits until I feel a bet better,  Thank you for your patience and support.

Jig Zone Puzzles:

Yesterday it took me 4:41 and today, 3:59.  To do them, click here and here.  How did you do?

Cartoon: from Cagle.com

1matson

TGIF!

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