Friday Fun: Things That Might Be “Bugging” You

Posted by SoINeedAName at 9:49 am Politics

Apr 262019

Who doesn’t enjoy a handful or three of jelly beans at Easter time? Well, now that Easter has passed and you’ve consumed your yearly quota of that confection, it’s probably safe to share with you an interesting tidbit that most of you most likely weren’t aware of …

That beautiful glossy glaze that makes jelly beans glimmer is made from the poop of female lac bugs! YUM! YUM!

The female lac bug (Kerria lacca) sucks the sap out of trees in the forests of India, Thailand and Malaysia, and then poops out the excrement (called sticklac) on branches. This will become shellac that’s used on our furniture as well as “Confectioner’s Glaze”. (I think you’d agree that’s a much more appetizing term than “Liquid Lac Bug Sh!t”).

This sticklac is then then scraped off the branches – but because it also contains pieces of bark and pieces of lac bug, it needs to be purified. The glob is place is a long canvas bag and heated over a fire to liquefy the … hmmm … let’s go with resin. This is then mostly converted to shellac, and it’s estimated it takes anywhere from 50,000 to 300,000 lac bugs to make a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of shellac flakes.

These shellac flakes are then converted into the Confectioner’s Glaze that’s sprayed on jelly beans, Malted Milk Balls, Raisinettes and even apples. It not only produces an attractive sheen, but it also extends shell-life.

To make you feel better, the FDA has approved it as safe for human consumption.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be sticking with Peeps and chocolate Easter bunnies from now on.

As long as were discussing Easter, we shouldn’t pass up covering Rep. Steve (Cantaloupe-Calves) King (R-IA) who had the temerity to claim victimhood comparable to the suffering of Jesus by claiming he’s been crucified by his fellow Rethuglicans.

You can easily recall that while King has a very long and a very ignoble history of uttering racist remarks, this is the one made during an interview with “The New York Times” that crossed the red-line for Rethuglicans:

“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”

He was quickly stripped of all his committee assignments – and his whining immediately commenced.

King said he can easily relate to the suffering of Jesus Christ, equating his recent humiliation to what Christ “went through for us.”

“And, when I have to step down to the floor of the House of Representatives, and look up at those 400-and-some accusers, you know we just passed through Easter and Christ’s Passion, and I have better insight into what He went through for us partly because of that experience.”

Well, if King is saying that he, you know, wants to get the full experience of Christ’s Easter Passion, I’m sure there are people willing to chip in for the lumber. Just saying …

But I don’t want to close with that downer, so I’ll share with you some tidbits and a GIF I came across that illustrates how Twitler will cheat on anyone, everyone, anything and everything … even something as trivial as a game of golf.

Twitler is such a well-know golf cheat that an entire book has been written about it: Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump.

In fact his caddies have witnessed him kicking his ball out from the rough back onto the fairway (a YUGE golf “NO-NO”) that they’ve nicknamed him Pelé, after the Brazilian soccer legend.

But I will say he’s a very accomplished and skillful cheater, as this GIF demonstrates. But I slowed it down and you have to watch closely because he’s perfected the art:

You don’t get that smooth at cheating without years of practice!

She The People

Posted by TomCat at 9:47 am Politics

Apr 252019

Yesterday eight Democratic candidates for the Presidency participated in the She The People forum. They were Corey Booker, Julian Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. The main topic of discussion was, “Why should women of color vote for you?” Some did better than others.

Some 2,000 women, almost all of them women of color, gathered here Wednesday for the “She the People” forum, where they pressed Democrats running for president on how they propose to help support their communities.

The gathering aimed to address “the unfinished business of women of color,” Aimee Allison, founder of She the People and organizer of the event, told ThinkProgress.

“The exciting thing is to be able to highlight women of color… as drivers of a progressive future,” Allison said. She said that one of the goals is to ensure that, unlike in past elections, the interests and needs of women voters of color are given full consideration by the candidates running in 2020.

“We certainly weren’t acknowledged or highlighted in 2016, and we’re not allowing that to happen again,” Allison said.

The eight Democratic contenders at the event, held at Texas Southern University, were Sens. Cory Booker (NJ), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Kamala Harris (CA), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Bernie Sanders (VT), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (TX), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI), and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro.

One by one, the candidates fielded questions from Allison, MSNBC host JoyAnn Reid, and members of the audience on voting rights, climate change, sexual violence, education, health care, and other issues. Each candidate’s interview ended with the same question: “Why should women of color vote for you?”….

Inserted from <Think Progress>

Thought two candidates did poorly. I don’t think they even took Tulsi Gabbard seriously. Bernie Sanders jumped into his standard talking points without addressing their questions. He talked about the 1960s. They wanted to discuss now Their irritation was obvious. Five candidates did well enough to be warmly received, Especially Kamala Harris. One, stood out above the rest, Elizabeth Warren. She alone answered their questions with well planned solutions. They knew she was well prepared and liked it.

That’s my take on it. Here it is in it’s entirety, so you can decide for yourselves. But be warned. The video is three hours long.

What say you?

RESIST!!

Open Thread – 4/25/2019

Posted by TomCat at 9:46 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Apr 252019

It’s a chilly morning here in the CatBox, but it promises to be hot late this afternoon and this evening. It’s a Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. On the Day of Acolytes, Teams pick Orb worshippers from college to meditate with them. My Broncos pick 10th.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:59 (average 4:04). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (CNN Channel): 1998 interview comes back to haunt William Barr

Barrf has not changed. The difference is that Ken Starr was investigating a Democrat. Barrf is Barrf forever. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Jesse Dollemore Channel): Trump Wants Supreme Court to Intervene if Democrats Vote to Impeach. (THAT’S NOT HOW THAT WORKS!)

What an idiot! SCROTUS (Republican anti-Constitutional VD) can’t save him. His best bet is Bought Bitch Mitch and Lindsey Poo. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump was reportedly “furious” on Wednesday morning after a purge of right-wing bots by Twitter left him with a total of fourteen remaining followers, aides have confirmed.

Rising at 3 a.m. to engage in one of his trademark early-morning tweetstorms, Trump was incensed to discover that his Twitter following had plummeted from more than forty-eight million to a little more than a dozen.

At Twitter headquarters, in San Francisco, a company spokesman confirmed that Trump had indeed lost 48,076,920 followers in the bot purge. “It turned out that over forty-six million of the President’s followers came from a single troll farm in Macedonia,” the spokesman said.

As of Wednesday, Trump’s fourteen remaining Twitter followers included his daughter Ivanka; his sons Eric and Donald, Jr.; several White House aides; and someone named Heinrich Himmler III.

Dang, Andy! Isn’t that fourteen too many? RESIST!!

Cartoon

Charging into Impeachment

Posted by TomCat at 9:59 am Politics

Apr 242019

Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten should consider himself very fortunate that Nancy Pelosi is an institutionalist from yesteryear. She wants to proceed with congressional oversight slowly and deliberately, in spite of the many like me who disagree. With even a fair modicum of the cooperation the law requires, Trump could run out the clock. My the time they got around to impeaching him, they would be too busy running for reelection. But the Fuhrer is so narcissistic that he’s charging into impeachment.

President Trump on Tuesday said he doesn’t want current and former White House aides to testify in front of Congress following the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

In an exclusive interview with The Washington Post, Trump said complying with further investigations was not necessary after the White House cooperated with Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible obstruction of justice by Trump.

“There is no reason to go any further, and especially in Congress where it’s very partisan — obviously very partisan,” Trump said.

The comments come amid reports that the White House is preparing to go to legislative war with several House committees as they continue their sprawling probes into the Trump administration.

White House officials are reportedly planning to exert executive privilege after the House Judiciary Committee filed a subpoena for testimony and documents from former White House counsel Don McGahn, who was known to have a contentious relationship with Trump and played a starring role in Mueller’s report…

Inserted from <The Hill>

The Fuhrer has ordered current and former staff not to provide documents answer questions. This is another incidence of Obstruction of Justice, so blatant that no self-respecting majority can accede to it.

Lawrence O’Donnell explains why.

I agree. This is too far beyond the pale.

RESIST!!

Open Thread – 4/24/2019

Posted by TomCat at 9:58 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Apr 242019

It’s a chilly morning, here in the CatBox, and a very busy day. Store to Door is delivering groceries, and I’ll have to unpack and put them away. This evening, WWWendy is coming to destink the putrid TomCat. I think I’ll share my chili with her to make a stereo green cloud.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:42 (average 4:38). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Trae Crowder Channel): Trae Crowder – Californians

LOL! Trae Californicated Californians. RESIST!!

From NY Times: In the months before Kirstjen Nielsen was forced to resign, she tried to focus the White House on one of her highest priorities as homeland security secretary: preparing for new and different Russian forms of interference in the 2020 election.

President Trump’s chief of staff told her not to bring it up in front of the president.

Ms. Nielsen left the Department of Homeland Security early this month after a tumultuous 16-month tenure and tensions with the White House. Officials said she had become increasingly concerned about Russia’s continued activity in the United States during and after the 2018 midterm elections — ranging from its search for new techniques to divide Americans using social media, to experiments by hackers, to rerouting internet traffic and infiltrating power grids.

But in a meeting this year, Mick Mulvaney, the White House chief of staff, made it clear that Mr. Trump still equated any public discussion of malign Russian election activity with questions about the legitimacy of his victory. According to one senior administration official, Mr. Mulvaney said it “wasn’t a great subject and should be kept below his level.”

The Republican Reich is the place where organized crime and narcissism join forces. RESIST!!

From Alternet: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to block Democratic proposals like the “Green New Deal” and “Medicare for All” after the 2020 elections.

McConnell told constituents in Owensboro, Kentucky, that none of the proposals would come to pass if he is still in power in 2021.

What’s the best solution for Bought Bitch Mitch’s promise. Any ideas? 😉 RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Stupid Suit

Posted by TomCat at 9:49 am Politics

Apr 232019

Putin’s Puppet, Resident Donald Trump, does not think his financial records should be investigated. Why? He does not want the hundreds of crimes and torts, above and beyond the purview of the Mueller Investigation, to be exposed for the world to see. In a thoroughly incompetent attempt to stop it, he’s actually suing Elijah Cummings to prevent the House Oversight and Reform Committee from getting the records.

President Donald Trump on Monday filed a lawsuit against House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings to block a subpoena of the president’s financial records from an accounting firm, escalating tensions between the White House and congressional Democrats who are investigating his business empire.

In a new court filing, Trump’s attorneys asked for an order to block Cummings’ subpoena to Mazars USA. The Democratic lawmaker is attempting to obtain eight years of the president’s financial records from Mazars, which had asked the committee for a so-called friendly subpoena so that it could comply with the request.

“We will not allow congressional presidential harassment to go unanswered,” Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said in a statement Monday.

The committee is investigating allegations from Trump’s former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen that the president at times artificially inflated and deflated his assets for his personal benefit…

Inserted from <Politico>

Foolish Fuhrer is in for a surprised. Rachel Maddow has a 35 minute explanation on how this issue became settled law.

In other worlds, Trump can run but he can’t hide. Long term, the men in the white coats are coming to throw a net over him.

RESIST!!

Open Thread – 4/23/2019

Posted by TomCat at 9:48 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Apr 232019

It’s another busy day here in the CatBox, and last night was so muggy that I slept poorly. Have a great day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:29 (average 5:50). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Trey Crowder Channel): GOT’damn with Trae Crowder

This is still way over my head, but do they really day ‘Dayyum’ in the crypt? RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Robert Reich: America Has Already Fired Trump

Is the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, right? I agree, but only up to a point. The Fuhrer of the Reich on the right, the Republican Reich, is still capable of inflicting considerable harm on America and the world. RESIST!!

From NY Times: Before the F.B.I. arrested Larry Hopkins, the leader of the right-wing militia that detained migrant families in the New Mexico desert, he’d had so many run-ins with the law that his police record stretched across much of the United States…

…Mr. Hopkins finally came under the scrutiny of federal authorities in 2017, after the F.B.I. received reports that his group was “training” to assassinate Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and George Soros, according to documents unsealed Monday in federal court. [emphasis added]

Dang! When I wrote about him yesterday, I knew he was an Ammosexual Republican, bit he’s even more Republican than I thought. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

It’s hard to believe that Politics Plus existed (on Blogger) before YouTube did.

Elijah on Impeachment

Posted by TomCat at 9:52 am Politics

Apr 222019

The more I think about it, the more I agree with Elizabeth Warren that it’s time to open an impeachment investigation into Putin’s Pet Pervert and Obstructer-in-Chief, Resident Donald Trump. Civil Rights hero and Representative Elijah Cummings [D-MD] might not be quite there yet. However he is clearly leaning in that direction.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MA [sic]), chair of the House Oversight Committee, on Sunday predicted that history will “smile upon” the lawmakers who pursue the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

In an interview on Face the Nation, CBS host Bob Schieffer noted that several high profile Democrats are calling for impeachment proceedings to begin due to the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation report.

“This is a political act, and if you do vote to impeach him and then the Senate votes not to remove him, won’t that look like a victory for him?” Schieffer wondered.

“It may very well, but you know, sometimes, Bob, I got to tell you, there comes a point in life where we all have to make decisions based upon the fact that it is on our watch,” Cummings replied. “History, I think, even if we did not win possibly, if there were not impeachment, I think history would smile upon us for standing up for the Constitution.”… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>

I could not embed the video clip included with the article, but YouTube had a clip of the entire interview.

As I see it, this is the bottom line. If we take no action, it will embolden Trump, Pence, the Republican Reich, and their Russian allies to interfere in the 2020 election. In 2016, Obama did nothing, because Bought Bitch Mitch objected. Look where we are now.

Do we want to be the party of political expedience, because we think it will help us get elected, or the party that takes a risk, because it’s the right thing to do? You tell me.

RESIST!!

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