Everyday Erinyes #49

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:39 am Politics

Oct 292016

It's another week when I have so many items today which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them that I won't be able to share them all. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as "unceasing," "grudging," and "vengeful destruction."

A few months ago we got the news that the Department of Justice, after learning the results of an investigation (in which The Nation magazine played a large part), which showed "longstanding patterns of medical neglect in the facility, including operating for months on end without a medical doctor and failing to provide basic care and screening for infectious diseases," was terminating a contract with a CCA-owned private prison. The contract had been in place for 16 years, and still had four years to run, but the DOJ (and specifically the Bureau of Prisons, which operates under the DOJ) evidently felt the prison's shortcoings were so profound as to justify canceling the contract early, and, on October 1, the last federal prisoner was removed from this prison – the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, NM. Yay!

Oh, wait – not so fast. "Now a Cibola County official who says he has been briefed by CCA and members of Congress tells The Nation that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is moving forward with plans to sign an agreement with CCA to reopen the facility as an immigrantion detention center." Because "we would support that because it’ll keep the jobs here."

You see, the Justice Department was speaking for the Justice Department. Its ruling never applied to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), because that is an agency of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS.) Grrr!

After the DOJ ordered the BOP to start closing ALL of its private prisons, Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of Homeland Security, formed a commission to study whether "immigration detention operations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should move in the same direction" as DOJ. That study should be available by the end of November. But ICE isn't waiting. Just this month, ICE extended a CCA contract for five more years for the South Texas Family Residential Center. Yes, "Family." They lock up children.

As ICE "pursues a longstanding policy of detaining new arrivals, including migrants seeking asylum," the detainee population is expected to continue to grow. And grow and grow.

One wonders on what basis ICE is so confident that the as yet uncomplete report will be in favor of their private prison expansion. Alternatively, one wonders whether they even care. What is the definition of a "rogue agency" again? Alecto, check that out for us, will you?

Private use of public land was in the news again this week as the Bundy Crime Syndicate is celebrating their acquittal on all (or all but one which was not ruled on – I'm not sure which) charges. Now, private use of public land is not automatically bad. For instance, if I want to camp in a National Park, and will follow the rules and not block anyone else in the process, that in my opinion is perfectly fine – and what public property was designed to do. The problem arises when someone wants to use public land in a way that cuts off others from enjoying it equally. This is what the Bundys have been doing, both in Nevada with the cattle grazing, and in Oregon at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. One wonders what the jury can have been thinking.

But the Bundys are not the only people who think that public land ought to be allocated to them for their private use. Case in point: Barry Diller, who has for some time dreamed of building an island in the Hudson River, dedicated to himself. "Diller Island," now under construction, is planned to comprise a long esplanade leading to a floating island resting on 300 piles resembling giant golf tees. It will include greenery, walkways, and three performance spaces. Up to 70 feet high and 2.4 acres in surface space, it is expected to just out from the shoreline seven blocks below the High Line – the High Line being an aerial greenway at 20th Street built on an elevated section of a disused railway.

The thing is, the "land where the island is to be built is public. It falls under the jurisdiction of the HRPT (Hudson River Park Trust), a partnership between New York State and City charged with the construction and design of the four-mile Hudson River Park. The Park belongs to millions of New York City residents whose taxes subsidize it."

New York State law requires an environmental impact assessment for construction like this, and this assessment has notbeen filed with the state. The HRPT states that is has performed its own review: "We take our role as stewards of the Hudson River Park sanctuary seriously, and that's exactly why we not only conducted a thorough environmental review in accordance with state law, but went beyond what was required by inviting public comment on that review."

The City Club of New York, a land-use policy organization, however, says the review was never filed with the state. Neither has the Army Corps of Engineers filed a similar report at the federal level. My, my. The City CLub is suing the Trust in the Manhattan Supreme Court to hat the contruction, and is not having much success. This is a long story with a lot of history, which is definitely worth a read, and I'm sure the information will be very helpful to Megaera as she looks into this example of grudging.

From private prisons to privatization of public land, we move to privatization of public utilities. Always a bad idea. Always leads to spending more and getting less in return. Pittsburgh is no exception.

Pittsburgh has a long history of having clean water. However, in 2012, the utility, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, having made a series of poor financial decisions, was hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. Residents were complaining of poor customer service and unfair fees.

With public funding drying up (pun intended) and infrastructure more and more outdated (gee, do you think there might be a connection?), Pittsburgh is far from the only municipality to be running into trouble. Pittsburgh is also not the only utility to turn to a private management company to help out. Pittsburgh called in Veolia.

If you haven't heard of Veolia, it's time you did. Based in Paris (France, not Texas), the company operates in 68 countries, and, in the USA, consults or manages in 530 cities (though that number is growing.)

In Pittsburgh, while initially promising no layoffs, by 2015, the utility had laid off (or fired) 23 people, notably the safety and water quality managers. The laboratory staff was cut in half. And major changes were made to the water treatment system. (Cue ominous music.)

For decades, the utility had been adding soda ash to its water to prevent the pipes from corroding and leaching into the water. in 2014, soda ash was replaced by caustic soda, with no environmental review. But this year, as the disaster in Flint came to the notice of the nation, they switched back to soda ash. Because soda ash prevents lead from pipes getting into the water. And caustic soda, apparently, doesn't. Were they in time? Well, not really.

This summer 81,000 homes in Pittsburgh received notice of elevated levels of lead "in some homes." Seventeen per cent had levels comparable to those in Flint. Prior to this testing, Pittsburgh lead levels had always been normal.

Had the lab staff not been drastically reduced, a formar water quality director says, "We would have been researching like crazy this lead corrosion problem to see how to correct it."

Another former employee, asked about Veolia, said, "They will come in, rape your water company, and leave with money bags." Yup. That's about the size of it. Tisiphone, although this may have been more attributable to greed than to vengeance, please see what you can do. Many thanks.

If anyone has the stomach to check into any more stories, here are some links:

North Carolina Republicans try to stop 100-year-old Grace Bell Hardison from voting
(New Mexico) AG says APS violated open records law. Now they’re still denying a mother the documents
Jailed 96 days on bogus charge: It is no one's fault?

The Furies and I will be back.

Cross posted to Care2 at http://www.care2.com/news/member/101612212/4018423

Personal Update – 10/28/2016

Posted by TomCat at 12:17 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 282016

Yesterday my volunteer trip was somewhat disappointing. The President of our volunteer group had not done her job coordinating the meeting, because she recently suffered the sudden death of her best friend, and my guys’ new staff adviser seems to be somewhat of a minimalist, where her job is concerned. My guys did not even know I was coming, until I wheeled into the visiting room. In addition, since the last time I was there there, over six months ago, the inside group has elected new leadership. I have never even met the new President, and he didn’t even know that I’m still a board member of the outside organization. As a result, my only roll was that of observer. Used as I am to be in the thick of things, it’s was a bitter pill. At the same time, I have to realize that I just can’t be engaged in the same way I was, as I can visit only around three times a year, instead of being with them in the trenches three times a month. Instead of being a teacher/facilitator, I must become more of a friend/advocate. That will take some getting used to.

The trip itself was quite tiring. Transferring between my chair and a car and back takes all my strength, and I did that twice. In addition, using the visiting room restroom requires me to leave my chair outside the room, get through the locked door, and creep to a toilet 20 feet from the chair using my quad cane. I did it, but when I made it back to the chair I was actually winded. So I’m really tired today. I’ll bed back to posting tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:19 (average 4:59). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Friday Fun – Please Read NO Further If You Suffer from Samhainophobia

Posted by SoINeedAName at 9:11 am Politics

Oct 282016

It’s that time of year when our doorbells will be getting their heaviest workout of the year with the ringing and buzzing from impatient Trick or Treaters.

Since Halloween is now the second most commercialized holiday of the year (after Christmas), I thought it'd be a hoot to take a look at some of the history, trivia and fun facts about it.

Oh, yeah … Samhainophobia is the term for a fear of Halloween.

Halloween Comes to Us Via Ireland

Samhain was a sacred Celtic festival that marked the end of the Celtic calendar year. Celts believed that during Samhain the wall between the present-day world and the afterlife became porous allowing spirits to get through. So it was a common practice for the Celts to disguise themselves in costumes and masks to befuddle the evil spirits that may be wandering their streets, and thus escape their attention. While at the same time, covering all their bases, they would put out special food treats to placate them.

As part of the celebration of Samhain, bonfires were lit to ensure the sun would return after the coming long, hard winter. And Druid priests would throw the bones of cattle into the flames – hence, “bone fire” became “bonfire.”

Catholics had a three-day Hallowmas holiday close to the Samhain time that was designed to honor and pray for the recently deceased. And in the hopes of winning pagan converts over to them, in the early part of the 11th century the Pope decreed Hallowmas would coincide, lasting from Oct. 31 (All Hallow's Eve) until Nov. 2.

"All Hallow's Eve" then evolved into "All Hallow's Even" – and by the 18th century it was commonly referred to as "Hallowe'en."

But Halloween has also been called Witches Night, Lamswool, Snap-Apple Night, Samhain, and Summer’s End – all centering around harvest time.

It’s not all Irish that influences the holiday. Some traditions of Halloween come by way of the ancient Roman festival Pomona, which celebrated the Harvest Goddess of fruit trees who goes by the same name. That’s where are custom of bobbing for apples at Halloween parties comes from. And it was the tradition that the whoever got the first bite of the apple would be the next one permitted to marry.

But the Irish did provide the legend behind our ubiquitous Jack-o’-Lanterns. They’re named after a fellow called Stingy Jack.

The folklore is that Stingy Jack was out drinking with the Devil when Jack convinced Beelzebub to turn himself into a coin to pay for the drinks so Jack wouldn’t have to. Jack then put the Devil-turned-coin into his pocket – which just also happened to hold a silver cross, thus preventing the Devil from transforming back. Jack promised to free the Devil as long as the Devil wouldn’t bother him for a year, and when he died, the Devil would never claim his soul.

Jack played several more tricks like this on the Devil, all designed to ensure that the Devil would never take his soul. But when Jack finally did die, God was not pleased with his chumminess with the Devil and so decided he wasn’t fit for heaven. And since the Devil kept his promise to never claim his soul, Jack was sent off to roam Earth with only a burning lump of coal from purgatory for light.

He put the coal into a turnip carved with opening to serve as a lantern, and Stingy Jack became “Jack of the Lantern” or “Jack o’ Lantern.”

And the Irish actually carved scary faces preferably into turnips, but also beets and potatoes, to scare away Stingy Jack or any other foreboding spirits of the night. But when they arrived in America turnips were hard to come by, so they switched to pumpkins.

Halloween wouldn’t be completed without mentioning witches. The word “witch” comes from the Old English wicce, which means “wise woman.” Surprisingly, wiccans were highly respected people at one time and were said to hold one of their two main meetings, or sabbats, on Halloween night. In fact they still celebrate their New Year on Samhain – or Halloween.

Wiccans provide us with their familiar family of fiendish friends – black cats, spiders and bats. Black cats were often sacrificed by Druid priests in the bonfires during Samhain celebration. This has led a number of animal shelters to refuse the adoption of black cats during the month of October for fear of similar sick sacrifices. (Not sure why, but white cats, rather than black cats, are thought to bring bad luck in the UK. Maybe Lona has some thoughts.)

And those same Samhain bonfires drove away insects – which then attracted bats feasting on a ready-made buffet.

And it seems that the traditions of Halloween keep evolving – even to today. More and more of us adults are now coopting the holiday for ourselves, apparently not wanting to let go the fond memories of our Halloweens of yesteryear.

In fact the sale of adult costumes now outpaces that for kids. It’s anticipated that we’ll spend $2.6 billion on Halloween costumes, broken down as $1 billion on children’s costumes – but $1.2 billion on adult costumes, with another $330 million spent on pet costumes!

About three-quarters of us will hand out candy, half will carve a pumpkin, 20% will visit a haunted house and a little over 10% will costume their critters.

Why, here’s a cat that’s dressing up as the Easter Bunny:

So what about the treats, you ask? Well, about half of the kids prefer chocolate candy, a quarter want something non-chocolate and about 10% want gum. (That gum number surprised me.)

Although Snickers are ranked as the favorite by Trick-or-Treaters, Reese’s actually outsold them for Halloween in 2012: $510 million to $457 million. And M&M’s were actually the #2 seller at $501 million.

That’s a LOT of candy, but maybe not so surprising, given that the annual consumption of the stuff in the USA is close to 25# per person! (Are you doing your share? I know I am!)

Some fun facts about those ubiquitous Candy Corn Kernels you see at this time of year. October 30^th is National Candy Corn Day. Brach's uses the same recipe (sugar, corn syrup and marshmallow) as the original Jelly Belly company did back in 1900. Although they were actually invented by George Renninger in the 1880’s in Philadelphia.

It was originally called “Chicken Feed” and didn’t become associated with Halloween until after WWII. We purchase over 20 million pounds of the Kernels each year, and if Brach’s laid out the Candy Corn Kernels it sells each year end to end, they would wrap around the Earth 4.25 times!

All totaled, we’ll spend close to $6 BILLION dollars to celebrate Halloween. That includes the costumes, candy and cards – and works out to about $70 per person. Living in the KCMO Metro – home to Hallmark – we thank you for shelling out for those 19 MILLION Halloween cards that get sent.

But that only gives it sixth place honors for card-sending. Christmas comes in first place, with a whopping 1.6 billion cards sent each year! My guess is Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Birthdays and ??? have more. But what do you think is in fifth place?

When it comes to the accoutrements of Halloween, it looks like there’s been another world record set this year for the largest pumpkin weighing in at 2,632 pounds – shattering the record set just last year of 2,323 pounds.

And the fastest pumpkin carver honors go to a Stephen Clarke, who got it done in 24.03 seconds – smashing his previous record of 54.72. The rules of the competition state that the pumpkin must weigh NO less than 24 pounds and be carved in a traditional way, which requires at least eyes, nose, ears, and a mouth.

But I like the boasting rights for most lit Jack-o’-Lanterns with a close race between Boston (30,128) …

And Keene, NH (30,581)

And although 99% of all pumpkins grown end up destined for Jack-o’-Lanterns, some ended up in this record-shattering pumpkin pie measuring 20 feet in diameter and weighing in at 3,699 pounds. It was baked by the New Breman Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio in 2010, breaking their own previous world's record of 2,020 pounds. The ginormous orange pie contained 1,212 pounds of pumpkin, 233 dozen eggs, 109 gallons of evaporated milk, 525 pounds of sugar, 7 pounds of salt, and 14.5 pounds of cinnamon.

But there’s no contest when it comes to the world’s largest Halloween parade. That goes to the Greenwich Village Halloween parade in New York City with 50,000 participants and over 2 million spectators.

I actually attended it once back in 1988 – the year that Greg Louganis won his diving Gold Medal in Seoul. If you recall, Louganis had suffered a concussion and cut his head when he landed head-first on the diving board. There was this guy who actually looked a lot like Louganis who had a great costume. His head was poking through a diving board made of Styrofoam with“blood” streaming down his face while walking around in just a Speedo. Well, it IS the Village!

And a fun fact: In Alabama, it is illegal to dress-up as a priest for Halloween. I have NO idea why. Then again, it’s illegal to wear a mask without a permit in Walnut Creek, CA; to go Trick-or-Treating if you’re a teen in Bellville, MO; or to sell, or even possess, Silly String on the 31^st in Hollywood!

To end on a serious note – be careful out there! Children are more than twice as likely to be killed in a pedestrian/car accident on Halloween than on any other night of the year.

And feel free to stash away some of your treats if you or your child makes a killing. Milk chocolate candy is good for about 9 months, and dark chocolate candy lasts for two years. Hard candy stays good for about a year. But watch your intake of treats! Both the high fructose content found in most candies – or even worse, the sorbitol in sugar-free candies – can cause a case of … well, Republicrrhea.

Personal Update – 10/27/2016

Posted by TomCat at 7:20 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 272016

I’m posting a quick note before pre4paring to leave for my volunteer work in prison. Please see yesterday’s Open Thread for more details.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:41 (average 5:01). To co it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

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In the last 30 years, it has increased to over 1,500,000.

Keith Could Not Be More Spot On

Posted by TomCat at 2:15 pm Politics

Oct 262016

1026keitholbermann

Once upon a time, Keith Olbermann videos were a regular occurrence at Politics Plus, but a few years back, he lost his job an MSNBC and returned to sports casting. Now, just in time, he’s back to politics with GQ. In the last few days he has done three videos that are so crammed full of facts that they tend to overwhelm, but Keith could not be more spot on!

Would a Trump Win or a Foreign Invasion Be Worse?

Over a third of the American people would not be supporting a foreign invader, but largely because of the Republican Party and the US media, especially the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, they support Rump Dump.

This Election is Too Important Not to Vote for Hillary

I have been saying exactly this for months. Even without Trump, the Republican Party has worked tirelessly to establish one party rule, A Republican Reich in which elections exist only for show, because the Reich controls who is allowed to vote.

The Normalization of Violence at Trump Rallies

Trying to rig elections has been a Republican Party staple for a long time. So far, they have only gotten away with it twice. The defense against it is to give Clinton a wider margin than the Republican criminals can overcome.

Vote Blue!

Open Thread – 10/26/2016

Posted by TomCat at 2:12 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 262016

I'm having a very busy day. I have a grocery delivery coming in the next couple hours, and need to unpack them and put them away. Later Wendy is coming to scrub and de-stink the TomCat, tighten down the nuts and bolts on my power chair, do some light cleaning, and eat both the supper I prepared for her and some sweets to contribute to the Southern Exposure Project. Tomorrow I'm going to the prison to help facilitate a Victims Impact Meeting, involving several outside victims and up to 100 of my guys. Because I won't be home until quite late, please assume that I will be publishing Personal Updates only and Thursday and Friday and will not be sending links messages on Care2, so please don't worry.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today's took me 4:10 (average 5:30). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NBC: Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the Pentagon on Wednesday to stop clawing-back the bonuses that thousands of soldiers got for reenlisting to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There is no more important responsibility for the Department of Defense than keeping faith with our people," Carter said in a statement. "That means treating them fairly and equitably, honoring their service and sacrifice, and keeping our word. Today, in keeping with that obligation, I am ordering a series of steps to ensure fair treatment for thousands of California National Guard soldiers who may have received incentive bonuses and tuition assistance improperly as a result of errors and in some cases criminal behavior by members of the California National Guard."

Carter's announcement was greeted with cheers in Kempner, Texas where Don and Susan Haley — both Iraq War veterans — had been struggling to pay back the bonuses they got when they reenlisted a decade ago in the California National Guard.

I trust JD will be most pleased with this.

From US News: A new report finds that the global gender pay gap will not be closed for another 170 years if current trends continue.

Click through to watch the video. I had to remove it because it autoplays.

A woman's place is in the House… and the Senate… and the White House… and above the glass ceiling!!

From NY Times: Thanks to recent gains, the Democrats now have a clear but vulnerable lead in the race for Senate control. Prediction markets give them a 78 percent chance of winning control, according to PredictWise.

There are nine competitive races, and the Democrats need to win at least five of them (if they also win the vice-presidency, which breaks Senate ties).

Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, the Times editorial board and contributing writers from around the world.

Democrats have seemingly safe leads over Republican incumbents in Illinois and Wisconsin and are also favored in Nevada, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. Missouri is a toss-up.

If you see new polls from Pennsylvania and Missouri, pay particular attention. Recent polls have shown the Republicans slightly ahead, but the prediction markets seem to think the polls haven’t yet caught up to the Republicans’ Trump-inflicted wounds.

Keep an eye on North Carolina and Florida, too. The Republicans — Richard Burr in North Carolina and Marco Rubio in Florida, both incumbents — are still favored, but the Democrats have a shot.

I happily endorse every Democrat. Even a DINO is better than a Rump Dump Rectumite!

Cartoon:

1026Cartoon

The military doesn't want the F-22, but Republicans won't allow its removal from the budget.

The Buzz on the Third Debate

Posted by TomCat at 1:32 pm Politics

Oct 252016

If there is one subject you are sick of hearing about, it must be the third Debate between Hillary Clinton and Rump Dump Rectum. Nevertheless, your collection of debate materials cannot be complete, until you get the buzz on the debate from Samantha Bee!

Debate 3: The Good, The Bad, The Nasty (Act 1, Part 1)

I understand that Wile E. Coyote is suing Sam for defamation of character.

Debate 3: The Good, The Bad, The Nasty (Act 1, Part 2)

Actually there is such a thing as a partial birth abortion. Only the bad part of the abortion that we call Trump was born.

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did.

Open Thread – 10/25/2016

Posted by TomCat at 1:31 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 252016

I must say that I enjoyed meditation yesterday evening. Today I made my grocery order. My guys at OSP have a new staff advisor, and in spite of sending three emails, starting three weeks ago, I stall have not received confirmation that they are expecting me at the prison on Thursday, so I need to chase her down today (accomplished). Tomorrow I have grocery delivery and Wendy, so my week is getting very busy very fast.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:06 (average 5:10). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Religious Ecstasy:

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Fantasy Football Update:

Here’s the latest from our own fantasy football league, Lefty Blog Friends.

Scores:

I’m still trapped inside a stinky blob of Sasquatch toe jam!

Standings:

Congrats to Vivian and Rob for leading the league.

Short Takes:

From CBS: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has never had much to say about Donald Trump. But lately, he has fallen completely silent.

On the few occasions when the Republican leader has appeared publicly in his home state of Kentucky this month, he’s either avoided answering reporters’ questions, or explicitly refused to address the topic he acknowledged was on everyone’s mind: His party’s presidential nominee.

At a local Chamber of Commerce event in Danville, McConnell twice instructed the crowd not to ask him about the presidential race “even though that’s what I know you all wanted me to talk about.”

At an earlier event in Pikeville, McConnell refused to answer a reporter’s question about Trump not paying any taxes.

If he had the slightest bit of integrity, he would disavow Trump and withdraw his endorsement, but he has none. That identifies him as a Republican and proves that he is still Bought Bitch Mitch.

From TPM: Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said he is confident that he has laid the groundwork for Democrats to nuke the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees if they win back the Senate in November.

Envisioning Hillary Clinton in the White House and Democrats controlling the Senate, Reid warned that if a Senate Republican minority block her Supreme Court nominee, he is confident the party won’t hesitate to change the filibuster rules again.

How long have I been pleading for Democrats to do this?

From NY Times: Senator Elizabeth Warren delivered a blistering rebuke of Donald J. Trump on Monday, warning him that “nasty women vote” and imploring a crowd to cast ballots for Hillary Clinton.

“I don’t know about you,” Mrs. Clinton said as she flashed a thankful smile and seized the microphone from Ms. Warren at a rally in Manchester, N.H. “But I could listen to Elizabeth Warren go on all day.”

She might have to.

With polls and early voting data signaling that Mrs. Clinton is likely to prevail against Mr. Trump in two weeks, liberal Democrats are already looking past Election Day — and relying on Ms. Warren to become the thorn in chief in Mrs. Clinton’s side, scrutinizing her appointments and agenda.

Please click through for much more. In my unmitigated support of Hillary Clinton over Rump Dump Trump, I have not become naive. Managing her will be far more difficult than electing her, and I expect Elisabeth Warren to be key in that capacity.

Cartoon:

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