Open Thread–3/18/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:28 am Open Thread, Politics

Mar 182020

It’s a hectic day here in the CatBox, as I try to get my head around the notion that my cancer is stage IV and metastatic, and that I’m very likely to die, before a year is up. I see Evelyn (my Oncologist) again next Tuesday. If my cancer tests amenable to immunotherapy, I’ll go that route. Evelyn wonders whether I can handle chemo. It causes severe Republicosis, and if it hits after I’m in bed, the time it takes to get my leg on and get to the throne is likely to be too long to hold it. I’ll need to do a pain/problem/benefit analysis and decide if the time is worth the decreased quality of life. I will be getting radiation for my spine. She also gave me liquid Oxycodone. Tonight is a WWWendy night. She was very upset to learn of this. Happy Hump Day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:27 (average 4:59). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0318TrumpVirus

0318TrumpVirusTesting

Short Takes:

From Alternet: As nations around the world buckle down amid coronavirus outbreaks, approaches to isolation and social distancing are inconsistent, at best, in the United States. While some cities and states are implementing bans on restaurants and bars staying open and capping the number of people in a space, some groups are moving forward with, ahem, business as usual. One example from last Sunday morning? Pastor Guillermo Maldonado, of King Jesus International Ministry, a megachurch in Kendall, Florida, encouraged his congregation to keep coming to service, downplaying concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, as reported by the Miami Herald.

“Do you believe God would bring his people to his house to be contagious with the virus? Of course not,” Maldonado, a Trump supporter, said to his congregation, as reported by the outlet.

“This service is usually packed. So now they’re home in a cave afraid of the virus, that you want to transmit the virus,” Maldonado continued. The Herald noted the venue “appeared half empty…

…“If we die, we die for Christ,” Maldonado told parishioners. “If we live, we live for Christ, so what do you lose?”

The Jesus that I worship does not call us to be this stupid. I hate to say it, but this is an appropriate strategy for Republicans only! RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump has tested negative for empathy, the White House doctor confirmed on Monday.

In an official statement, Dr. Sean Conley said that Trump submitted to the empathy test even though, in the physician’s opinion, “it was not really necessary.”

“I expected him to test negative,” Conley said. “Empathy-wise, he has been entirely asymptomatic.”

The White House doctor attributed Trump’s empathy-free status to his established practice of social distancing from anyone showing even the faintest sign of compassion, kindness, or humanity.

Dang, Andy! I have zero trouble believing that! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Association – Windy (1967 Ravinia Festival – Highland Park IL )

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–3/16/2017

Posted by TomCat at 11:17 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 162020

It’s a hectic day, here in the CatBox. First, I overslept and got up 90 minutes late. Then I spent 90 minutes on breakfast. It’s a pain, but it’s been several days, since I last lost a meal. Then my oncologist sent me an extensive online questionnaire, and I spent 30 minutes on that. Needless to say, I’m behind schedule. Tomorrow, I have my initial visit to Evelyn Brosnan, my oncologist. I have to be in the lobby before the birds wake up, so please expect no more than a Personal Update from me, most of which I will do tonight to give me a fast escape in the morning. Oh God, it’s Monday Hugs!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:00 (average 4:37). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0316TrumpVirus

0316TrumpVirusTesting

Short Takes:

From Willamette Week: As Oregon Gov. Kate Brown weighs whether to close down bars and restaurants or institute a curfew, at least 360 medical professionals are asking U.S. Vice President Mike Pence for more dramatic action to keep people apart—or, in the parlance of the pandemic, to engage in more social distancing.

Those medical professionals signed an open letter tonight calling for federal action on the new coronavirus outbreak.

“No one should leave their homes in impacted regions except for medical care, essential supplies, essential work services and compelling other reasons that are clearly defined,” they write. “Virtual work options should be encouraged for all businesses, whenever possible.”

I fully agree with these Oregon medical professionals, but because Oregon leads the way, Kate should have been first to close down bars and restaurants. RESIST!!

From Alternet: The Kushner family is trying to cash in on the pandemic that could kill millions of us.

Oscar Health, the health insurance company co-founded by Jared Kushner’s younger brother, announced Friday it has launched a testing center locator for COVID-19. It shows where more than 100 centers are in the United States. The company is also offering a risk assessment survey and means to talk to a doctor online.

The coronavirus is predicted to kill anywhere from almost 500,000 Americans in the next year to more than 5 million. At least 62 people in the United States had died by Sunday; 3,130 have tested positive.

Do you remember when Kushner said he was delaying a response to “study” the situation? Now we know that sleazy son of a bitch was delaying a response to maximize personal profit from the suffering of others, without caring for the additional Americans, who will die because of the delay! Well, what the hell should we expect from someone, who would marry a Trump*? RESIST!!

From The Guardian: The Trump administration has offered a German medical company “large sums of money” for exclusive access to a Covid-19 vaccine, German media have reported.

The German government is trying to fight off what it sees as an aggressive takeover bid by the US, the broadsheet Die Welt reports, citing German government circles.

The US president had offered the Tübingen-based biopharmaceutical company CureVac “large sums of money” to gain exclusive access to their work, wrote Die Welt.

According to an anonymous source quoted in the newspaper, Trump was doing everything to secure a vaccine against the coronavirus for the US, “but for the US only”. [emphasis added]

That’s is just about as vile as a dirty bastard can get! Trump* virus is a worldwide problem. Solutions need to se shared freely with all patients, who need them, and all governments need to share in reimbursing the companies, who develop those solutions, for their work. Trump* and the Republican Reich would put the solution under their RepubliCare plan: If you can pay, you live. If not, Republican let you die for no extra charge. See below! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Association Cherish 1966

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–3/11/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 112020

It’s a difficult day here in the CatBox. I was able to keep my serving of strawberries and cream instant oatmeal down this morning, but I have a lot of back pain. Tonight, WWWendy comes to de-stink the TomCat and help with chores. For some reason, my shower chair really exacerbates my back pain. I have a few Oxycodone left. I’ll take one when she gets here. Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:09 (average 4:43). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0311TrumpVirus

Short Takes:

From Alternet: Critics are denouncing as ‘corporate socialism’ the Trump administration’s reported consideration to offer oil and gas companies in the U.S. fracking industry a massive bailout amid a drop in prices that comes amid the global coronavirus outbreak.

“Corporate socialists seek welfare from Trump administration,” tweeted journalist David Cay Johnson, in response to reporting by the Washington Post on Tuesday.

According to the Post, the administration is looking to bail out the fracking sector due to its instability in the wake of the ongoing financial downturn:

White House officials are alarmed at the prospect that numerous shale companies, many of them deep in debt, could be driven out of business if the downturn in oil prices turns into a prolonged crisis for the industry. The federal assistance is likely to take the form of low-interest government loans to the shale companies, whose lines of credit to major financial institutions have been choked off, three people said.

I fully agree with one caveat. Bailouts for the worst mother fracking corporate criminals is not corporate socialism. It is Republican National Socialism. RESIST!!

From Crooks and Liars: Always nice to see the fair and balanced (and not completely deranged) hosts of Fox News, or in this case, Fox Business News, working on behalf of Dear Leader. Trish Regan’s monologue was called the “coronavirus impeachment scam.” I suppose none of which should be in any way surprising, as Fox News and its bizarre offspring, Fox Business News, exist to prop up this failed and inept president, even at the expense of public health and safety.

Barf Bag Alert!!

The Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, are so full of shit that their Nazi blue eyes are turning brown. This Republican disinformation will kill people. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): the beach boys – fun, fun, fun

I occasionally dated a gal with a 1957 T-Bird 2 seat convertible (LOVED that car!!). Friends and I used to sing and play this tune to her to tease her. Ah… the memories. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/19/2019

Posted by TomCat at 8:43 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 192020

It’s an exhausted day here at the CatBox, so this is my only article today. Yesterday, they started my test an hour early. The nurse inserted my IV in a very small vein, and the pain I felt when the anesthesiologist shot the Jungle Juice was extreme and intense for the minute or two it took to knock me out. I was done and ready to go home at 12:30. WWWendy’s school had told her she could leave an hour early at 2:30. But both of her co-workers called in sick, so they let her go an hour late at 4:30, and she hit rush hour traffic. She did not get to the hospital until after 5:30, and it was after 6:30, before she got me home. None of this was her fault, and I am blessed to have her. I have a very sore throat and raging heartburn. I have a tumor growing where the esophagus meets the stomach, partially blocking the passage. Food gets hung up there, and when it can’t go down, it comes up. The doctor said it looks malignant, but we won’t know for sure until the lab results from the biopsies come back. The pictures he took are sitting on WWWendy’s dashboard. I’ll scan and post them for you tomorrow, as tonight is a WWWendy night. Those are not the results I wanted to get. ARGH! I just can’t catch a break these days. Happy Hump Day to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:07 (average 6:13). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The Borowitz Report: In an apparently successful attempt to get under the skin of Donald Trump, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has purchased Greenland from Denmark.

In an official statement released on Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, would not disclose the price that Bloomberg paid for Greenland but indicated that it was an “all-cash offer.”

“Mr. Bloomberg has a lot of money,” Frederiksen added.

News of Bloomberg’s purchase of Greenland reportedly infuriated Trump, who immediately ordered his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to make an offer to buy the Faroe Islands from Denmark.

Andy, is it true that Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten* was so pissed that he went to Nambia for a Hamburder? RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Lawrence & Rachel Question Reports That Barr May Leave DOJ Over Trump Tweets

I so wish Barrf would quit that I can taste it, but if you believe it, we really do need to talk about that bridge I’m selling. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): How Democrats Clean Up the Messes Left by Republicans with Robert Reich

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right, and the Reich on the Right, the Republican Reich, is shitting all over America with their welfare for billionaires. This is NOT Trump. The Republican Reich had done this for years, and I have been calling them on it for years too. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Ricky Nelson – Travelin’ Man 1961

I danced the cha cha to this, when I was 13. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/17/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:45 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 172020

I want to rest all I can today, because tomorrow is shove a camera down my throat day. Please expect only a Personal Update. By the time WWWendy gets me home it will be supper time. Depending on how I feel I may or may not be able to publish Wednesday. I’ll update you as soon as I can. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:56 (average 5:27). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

This is how white supremacists used to steal elections.

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Trump’s newest Medal of Freedom winner was apparently terribly concerned about presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg kissing his husband on stage during an ugly rant on his radio show last week, where he said this during his attack on the former mayor’s sexuality:

Now, there may be some Democrats who think that is the ticket. There may be some Democrats who think that’s exactly what we need to do, Rush. Get a gay guy kissing his husband on stage, to ram it down Trump’s throat and beat him in the general election. Really. Having fun envisioning that.

Buttigieg was asked if he wanted to respond to Limbaugh’s remarks this Sunday by Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union:

Now Mayor Pete is not my 1st choice, but when it comes to Rush Limbarf and Republican homophobia, I could not be more on his side. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Slick Lobby: Velshi On How Fossil Fuel Is Buying Your Vote

I’m sure none of my regular readers are falling for this Republican bullshit, but we need to educate others: Corporations are NOT people. Money is NOT speech. Fossil fuels are killing YOU! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): I Think We`re Alone Now – Tommy James & The Shondells

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread – 1/2/2020

Posted by TomCat at 7:50 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 022020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, and it’s a very slow day for news, so this is today’s only article from me. I see the thoracic surgeon in two weeks, so I’ll know more about my cancer then. I hope that your your week is Republican free.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:09 (average 5:39). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Full Frontal Channel): Full Frontal Rewind: How We Destroyed Health Care

Didn’t Sam do a great job with this? American health care is screwed for three identical reasons: the Republican Reich! RESIST!!

From CNN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested immunity from prosecution in three corruption cases in which he faces indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Netanyahu submitted the request to the Knesset late Wednesday night, saying he plans on leading the country “for many years to come.”

“What is being done to me is a field court-martial by misleading the public,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement Wednesday evening in Jerusalem. “The immunity law is intended to protect elected officials from fabricated legal proceedings — from political indictment intended to damage the will of the people. This law intends to ensure that those elected can serve the people according to the will of the people, not the will of the law clerks.”

Charges against Netanyahu were unveiled in November. He’s maintained his innocence throughout the ongoing criminal proceedings, calling them an “attempted coup” led by the left and the media.

Butcher Bibi should share a cell with his beloved idol, from whom he has learned so well to dodge the consequences of his crimes. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Byrds – Eight Miles High – 9/23/1970 – Fillmore East (Official)

I had left NYC and the Lower East Side by then, but I loved the Byrds, I loved this instrumental version, and I loved Fillmore East. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread – 12/31/2019

Posted by TomCat at 8:02 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 312019

It’s New Year’s Eve here in the CatBox, and this is my my only article today. It’s a slow news day, and I’m tired. Tonight can be dangerous with drunken Republicans on the roads. If you can, stay home. If not, stay safe.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:13 (average 5:59). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): How Citizens United Got Us Trump with Robert Reich

Of course the Reich on the Left, Robert Reich, is right. The Reich on the right, the Republican Reich, has become an alliance of greedy billionaires, who have sold us out to purveyors of hatred and lies to motivate their deplorable base. Dump the Republican Reich forever! RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Joe Biden pitches unexpected running mate

Considering all the crimes that the Republican Reich have committed against the American people, can Democrats even consider nominating a man, who would consider a Republican VP? If he won, Ammosexual Republicans would flock from all over the country to punctuate Biden’s death warrant and criminally install a Republican in the White House again! How foolish can he get? RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Beach Boys-In My Room

Another favorite of mine from high school. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread – 12/25/2019

Posted by TomCat at 7:33 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 252019

It’s Christmas morning, here in the CatBox. WWWendy celebrates with her family on Christmas Eve, so my present today is to become a de-stunk TomCat. I gave her a set of Mellanni king size sheets. There are none softer. For her birthday last week, I gave her a large basket of gourmet sweets. She loved/hated them. She’ll be here around three and is bringing ham and beans, cooked in my pressure cooker to make it easier for me to digest. Merry Christmas to you all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:35 (average 8:13). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Three pastors at Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Virginia decided to give the holiday gift of school lunch debt relief to local families. While school lunch debt shouldn’t be a thing families (and specifically students) have to worry about, it very much is. So a group of pastors decided to take $17,000 from the church’s budget to erase much of the lunch debt at two local school systems.

The Rev. Brian Bennett, the Rev. Jerry Williams, and the Rev. Andrew Segre donated about $7,000 to Spotsylvania County Public Schools, which covered balances in the entire district, as well as just over $10,000 to Stafford County Public Schools, which covered balances at a few elementary schools.

“It seemed like a good idea, [but] we didn’t know if there was a need because no one ever seems to talk about this,” the Rev. Williams explained in a Facebook video, which quickly went viral. “So we called the school systems. And gosh, wow, was there a need.”

“This is not a churchy thing,” Williams stressed. “This — helping children and families — this is a thing that anyone can do.” He and the other two pastors say they plan to pay off lunch debt again. As The Washington Post reports, donations to cover this lunch debt came from the church’s 2019 budget. Because the church generally saves 10% of its annual budget for charitable projects, Williams suggests they could make a similar donation next year, based on their 2020 budget.

As Baptists are evangelicals, I probably disagree with these gents on a number of issues, but here, we praise and acknowledge the good done by those with whom we disagree too. They illustrate that, while Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians starve hungry children, authentic Christians feed them. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): 5 Ways to Stop Corporations From Ruining the Future of Work with Robert Reich

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right, and the Reich on the right, the Republican Reich represents the greediest capitalists at all our expense. However, automation in other nations will drive American workers into the unemployment lines . Therefore, in addition to support for labor, profits must also fund volunteerism, child, health, disability and elder care, education, housing and food for those without means, and public research and development, and more, not just the accumulation of money by the greedy rich! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the season): Celtic Woman / Chloe Agnew – ”O Holy Night”

This is one of my favorites. Mary Christmas to all! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

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