{"id":25259,"date":"2016-12-14T00:53:50","date_gmt":"2016-12-14T08:53:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=25259"},"modified":"2016-12-14T00:53:50","modified_gmt":"2016-12-14T08:53:50","slug":"squatchs-open-thread-13122016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/12\/14\/squatchs-open-thread-13122016\/","title":{"rendered":"Squatch’s Open Thread 13\/12\/2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

The past few days have been somewhat boring as I stayed off the snow covered streets — my concern is other drivers because I know my driving abilities, but too many others don't understand driving to conditions.  I finally went out late Sunday afternoon only to have a man tell me I'd never get out of the parking slot, let alone the lot.  He watched as I backed out and was amazed.  Silly man didn't like a woman showing him how it's done no doubt.  Today was a beautiful  day, clear skies and lots of sunshine.  Temperatures are low with day's high -2 C (28 F).  Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same with  overnight plunging to -10 C (14 F). Ah, retirement!<\/span><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

CBC<\/span><\/strong><\/a> — For Angela Keizer, there's more than one Santa Claus — and they all wear steel-toed boots.<\/p>\n

Last month the Dartmouth, N.S., woman was running out of options, out of money and fearing her family would soon be without a home<\/font><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Attempts to rebuild after a house fire came to a halt after problems with Keizer's contractor, but the unexpected generosity of strangers from as far away as Ontario has put the project back on track.<\/p>\n

"Three weeks ago … I thought I was going to have to walk away," Keizer said Tuesday.  …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

"I was always a trusting person before, and then when this disaster happened, that died. But there's so many people that have restored that faith. There's a lot of good people out there."<\/p>\n

I could start off my comment with how these contractors are helping Keizer so that they get free advertising and more contracting jobs etc, and in so doing, wouldn't I be the "Grinch who stole Christmas"!  But that's not me.  This is<\/span> a "feel good" story that has no other meaning than to celebrate that people can be compassionate and love their neighbours no matter how far away they live.<\/span><\/p>\n

TIME<\/strong><\/span><\/a> — For nearly 17 months on the campaign trail, Trump did what no American politician had attempted in a generation, with defiant flair. Instead of painting a bright vision for a unified future, he magnified the divisions of the present, inspiring new levels of anger and fear within his country. Whatever you think of the man, this much is undeniable: he uncovered an opportunity others didn’t believe existed, the last, greatest deal for a 21st century salesman. The national press, the late-night comics, the elected leaders, the donors, the corporate chiefs and a sitting President who prematurely dropped his mic—they all believed he was just taking the country for a ride.<\/p>\n

Now it’s difficult to count all the ways Trump remade the game: the huckster came off more real than the scripted political pros. The cable-news addict made pollsters look like chumps. The fabulist out-shouted journalists fighting to separate fact from falsehood. The demagogue won more Latino and black votes than the 2012 Republican nominee.<\/font><\/a><\/p>\n