Open Thread – 11/24/2020

 Posted by at 11:32 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 242020
 

It’s a very tired day here in the CatBox.  Yesterday’s trip it the Oncologist was a disaster.  When we got there, they pulled us back into an examining room.  The nurse told us my chart had been flagged that I might have been exposed to Trump* virus and needed to be isolated.  They said someone would be “right in” to explain.  The assistant I was scheduled to see that is pregnant, and they would not send her into the room with me.  Not knowing that, I sat in ever-increasing pain for well over an two hours.  Nurses asked occasional questions through the door.  They finally determined that the flag must have been in error, and the pregnant assistant came in.  She said she didn’t understand what had happened, because they had never seen a chart with that flag before.   WWWendy would have been unable to wait the additional three hours, and I was in too much pain to stay, so we rescheduled for next month.  The assistant sent me a “my chart” message explaining the mistake.  The hospital decided to routinely flag the charts of app patients who have been tested for Trump* virus, but they neglected to inform the Oncology office of that policy.  Because my chart was their first time to see the flag, they didn’t know how to handle it.  They apologized.  I bet Nameless has a collection of similar hospital horror stories.  In any event, the pizza is magnificent.  Tuesday is Flush Your Republicans Day.  Hold that lid tight!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:15 (average 5:29).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From NY Times: President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. plans to name Janet L. Yellen as Treasury secretary, a nomination that would put a woman in charge of the Treasury for the first time in its 231-year history.

The expected appointment came as Mr. Biden moved to fill other top cabinet roles, selecting Alejandro Mayorkas as the first Latino to lead the Department of Homeland Security and Avril Haines as the first woman to be the director of national intelligence.

Mr. Biden is also expected to create a new post of international climate envoy and tap John Kerry, a former secretary of state who was a chief negotiator for the United States on the Paris climate change accord.

In choosing Ms. Yellen, who was also the first woman to lead the Federal Reserve, Mr. Biden is turning to a renowned labor economist at a moment of high unemployment, when millions of Americans remain out of work and the economy continues to struggle from the coronavirus.

Overall, these are good picks, although there are some I would have preferred that are more progressive. I like Yellen, and Kerry is a solid environmentalist. I need to learn more about the others.  RESIST!!

From Alternet: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is expected to step down in the next Congressional session following stark criticism from progressive lawmakers due to her handling of U.S Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearings.

Multiple people close to the situation confirmed Feinstein’s plans to Politico, and she later released a statement confirming her intent. Although she will be stepping away from the judiciary committee, she did note that she will be working with the Biden administration and will continue to serve on other committees.

“After serving as the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee for four years, I will not seek the chairmanship or ranking member position in the next Congress,” the California Democrat said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to serve as a senior Democrat on the Judiciary, Intelligence, Appropriations and Rules committees as we work with the Biden administration.”

That’s good news for the Judiciary Committee. I’d like to see DINO DiFi head the Senate Washroom committee.  RESIST!!

Frio YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Trump Administration Officially Authorizes Biden Transition

 

This is the best news we’ve heard since Biden passed 270. I think Trump* has actually given up.  He is playing at fighting the results at this point, because he’s realized that fight is a far more profitable method of Sheeple-fleecing than Trump U or Trump Steaks ever were.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Bad Moon Rising

 

They were most prescient to understand so many years ago the climate tragedy we face today. Pray that Kerry’s leadership will help bring Good Moon times.  RESIST!!

56 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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3 Things to Know About Thanksgiving

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Holiday, Politics
Nov 242020
 

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian has me on their mailing list, and so I get direct information sometimes.  Interestingly (to me anyway), I already knew all three of the facts – what I didn’t know was that November is Native American Heritage month  And now it’s already more than half over.

I suspect everyone who comes here already knows the three facts too.  But it’s still a good time to remember them:

FACT: Yes, there was a feast. For the Wampanoag people who first encountered English settlers at Plymouth, giving daily thanks for nature’s gifts was a vitally important tradition. Today they are often portrayed as nameless generic “Indians” who gathered as supporting players. The truth is they played a lead role in this historic encounter. Explorers meticulously detailed their travels and first experiences with Indigenous people, and the written account of one “Thanksgiving” feast, merely a footnote in a journal, became a symbol of cordiality between Natives and Pilgrims. Of course, those initial interactions were rarely without conflict. Over 200 years later, the first official proclamation of a national Thanksgiving holiday was made by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

FACT: Complex and sophisticated civilizations predate the founding of America. Tribal coalitions and governing bodies were in place long before the English colonies were established. The Wampanoag, like hundreds of other tribes in northern America, were far from “wild savages”, but were a sophisticated society who had long occupied the region for thousands of years. The story and depictions around Thanksgiving are told from the perspective of the Pilgrims, and that Eurocentric view has become widely accepted as fact. One of the best ways to celebrate Thanksgiving is by learning about the Native peoples of America—their traditions and ways of life—before and after European colonization.

FACT: Stereotypes persist and remain harmful, even today. The Americans exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian explores how negative depictions of Native Americans permeate our society—from commercial brands to classic western films. While we celebrate the name changes like that of the Washington Football Team, our work is not done. It’s imperative to continue these conversations, especially around Thanksgiving, to help people educate themselves and unlearn the myths about Native communities.

This Thanksgiving, although we are not out of the woods yet, we have a lot to be thankful for.  May that continue and increase for the rest of the holiday season, and in the New Year.

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Of course it isn’t Thanksgiving without food -some kind of food -wrapped up in history (or maybe myth, or both) and traditions.  So what do you say to a couple of recipes from the National Museum of the Holocaust’s files?

Apple Tart – and – Green pea Soup

Walnut Cream Cake (which is even gluten free)

And of course each one has a story.

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Video Thread 11/23/20

 Posted by at 1:54 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Nov 232020
 

Surprise!

Now This News – About GD Time!

The Lincoln Project is now taking on TrumpISM.

Beau on Trump’s supporters (i wish I had his confidence)

Slow Day, but at least there’s Keith.

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Personal Update – 11/23/2020

 Posted by at 7:05 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 232020
 

It’s a crazy day here in the CatBox.  WWWendy will pick me up at 9:00 AM, and we should return at mid afternoon, stopping to pick up a pizza on the way home.  I may be bck in the saddle Tuesday, depending on how tired I am.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:28 (average 4:41).  To do it, click here.  How did you do.

Cartoon:

Looking ahead in anticipation.

Religious :

 1122Broncos20-Dolphins13

What a glorious Orb!  And it blessed Pat too!

Short Take:

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Clear Blue Skies

 

I remember clear blue skies. We need to build back clear blue skies again!  RESIST!!

57 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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Video Thread 11/22/2020

 Posted by at 2:08 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Nov 222020
 

Not a video but good

A-maz-ing.

Indian Visual Planet – Loeffler and CoVid

Just an observation here that “Republican Voters Against Trump” and “Republicans for the Rule of Law appear to have teamed up and are putting out identical videos now. Here’s just one:

“Let It Go” parody

Sorry no CC available on Mrs. Bowers

Beau on Nuremberg (Yes. I’m behind with Beau.)

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Personal Update – 11/22/2020

 Posted by at 10:55 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 222020
 

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox.  I need to get as much rest as I can in preparation for tomorrow’s Hospital trip, infusion, and WWWendy day.  Tomorrow please expect only a pit-stop Personal Update.  May the holy Ellipsoid Orb bless your team, unless they are aquatic mammals.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:36 (average 5:01).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Take:

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Where Do The Children Play?

 

Under the Republican Reich, most of our nation has been poisoned, will soon be underwater, or both. “Build Back Better” must repair an earth fit for future children to play here.  RESIST!!

58 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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Video Thread 11/21/2020

 Posted by at 1:51 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Nov 212020
 

Brian Williams

Jon Ossoff on Lawrence

Meidas Touch anti-Perdue

Rev Warnock – Yes, this is 5 minutes. But it’s stunning.

Really American

Founders Sing – “Don’t Let My Hair Dye Run”

Beau. Famine.

Release transition funds
Demand Progress

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Open Thread – 11/21/2020

 Posted by at 11:05 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 212020
 

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, but I am eating well.  Tomorrow is a Holy Day in the Church Of the Ellipsoid Orb.  My Broncos will be playing the Dolphins, but the game won’t be televised here.  On Monday I have my Oncologist appointment, my infusion at the hospital, and a full WWWendy Day, so tomorrow I want to get as much rest as I can in preparation.  Because Trump* is circling the drain, Saturday had become CATurday again,  Happy CATurday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:49 (average 4:38).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Compared to Trump*, Nixon’s crimes are chicken feed.

Short Takes:

From NY Times: A coalition of Democrats, Native Americans and liberal activists is urging President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. to nominate one of Congress’s first Native American women to head the Interior Department, putting an American Indian in control of vast swaths of the continent and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The nomination of Representative Deb Haaland, Democrat of New Mexico, as Interior secretary would have undeniable symbolic power. If confirmed, a Native American for the first time would oversee 500 million acres of public lands, including national parks, oil and gas drilling sites, and endangered species habitat, and control the federal agencies most responsible for the well-being of the nation’s 1.9 million Indigenous people.

Ms Haaland and Sharice Davids of Kansas made history in 2018 as the first two Native American women elected to Congress, and Ms. Haaland would do so again as the first Native American cabinet secretary. But her lack of policy experience worries some Biden advisers, who have suggested another Native American candidate: Michael L. Connor, a deputy Interior secretary in the Obama administration, whose experience is unquestioned, even if he lacks the star power of Ms. Haaland.

I think filling that position with a Native American is a great idea and that either Haaland or Connor would be an excellent choice for the post.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Lawrence O’Donnell Thanks Rachel Maddow For Her Powerful Covid-19 Message

 

Rachel Maddow has been a Godsend to all Americans who love this nation. This is the first time I learned that her partner, Susan, had almost died from Trump* virus. Both are in my thoughts and prayers with thanks that Susan survived. Please join me!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for our earth): Buffy Sainte Marie – No No Keshagesh

 

Listen to Buffy! The time to stop Republicating our earth and Build Back Better is NOW!  RESIST!!

59 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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