{"id":26269,"date":"2017-02-14T15:08:57","date_gmt":"2017-02-14T23:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=26269"},"modified":"2017-02-14T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T07:00:00","slug":"open-thread-14-february-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2017\/02\/14\/open-thread-14-february-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Squatch&#8217;s Open Thread 14 February 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\">It has been quite a while since I last posted any articles, so long that it feels foreign to me. &nbsp;I was very busy going back and forth to my mother&#39;s care home. &nbsp;I would sit with her for hours every day. &nbsp;But that came to an end with my mother&#39;s passing, age 88, on 04 February 2017 from bronchial &nbsp;pneumonia. &nbsp;I have a lot to do now with her estate. &nbsp;But most of what I need to do is not urgent. &nbsp;I wanted to get back to posting but I have been just too tired this past month. &nbsp;I did however save a few links that I thought were interesting, and some humourous.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\"><strong>Short Takes<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/donald-trump-makeover_us_588a5b0fe4b087fe2d13cabf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\">Huffington Post<\/span><\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\"><strong> <\/strong><\/span>&#8212;&nbsp;Despite<a data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:1,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/topic\/donald-trump&quot;}}\" href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/topic\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\">&nbsp;Donald Trump<\/a>&rsquo;s transition from developer to reality star to president of the United States, his wardrobe and temperament haven&rsquo;t changed a bit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Though no one seems to be able to do anything about his disposition,&nbsp;GQ decided to step in and give&nbsp;<a data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:2,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=l8ajUDl7JrA&quot;}}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=l8ajUDl7JrA\" target=\"_blank\">Trump a YUGE presidential makeover<\/a>&nbsp;in a hilarious new video. The men&rsquo;s magazine trolls the president BIGLY with advice on how to solve his slouchy suits,&nbsp;<a data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;entry_text&quot;,&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:3,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;us_58837f78e4b0e3a735693611&quot;}}\" href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/trump-tie-inauguration-scotch-tape_us_58837f78e4b0e3a735693611\">Scotch-taped ties<\/a>&nbsp;and wrinkled pants. They even offer tailoring tips to make his hands look bigger.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/!--%20TAG%20START%20%20player:%20Embed%20Player,%20owner:%20Embed%20Company,%20for:%20Embed%20%20--div%20class=vdb_player%20vdb_5688f66de4b040e17d9912265688f5c1e4b0f2c97f395156%20vdb_params=m.refbcid=56000e19e4b0e4e194b84b31&amp;m.refpid=5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6script%20type=text\/javascript%20src=\/\/delivery.vidible.tv\/jsonp\/pid=5688f66de4b040e17d991226\/vid=5889fb621c689957673cbd15\/5688f5c1e4b0f2c97f395156.js\/script\/div!--%20TAG%20END%20%20date:%2002\/14\/17%20%20--\">http:\/\/<!-- TAG START { player: \"Embed Player\", owner: \"Embed Company\", for: \"Embed\" } --><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"vdb_player vdb_5688f66de4b040e17d9912265688f5c1e4b0f2c97f395156\" vdb_params=\"m.refbcid=56000e19e4b0e4e194b84b31&amp;m.refpid=5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6\"><a href=\"http:\/\/!--%20TAG%20START%20%20player:%20Embed%20Player,%20owner:%20Embed%20Company,%20for:%20Embed%20%20--div%20class=vdb_player%20vdb_5688f66de4b040e17d9912265688f5c1e4b0f2c97f395156%20vdb_params=m.refbcid=56000e19e4b0e4e194b84b31&amp;m.refpid=5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6script%20type=text\/javascript%20src=\/\/delivery.vidible.tv\/jsonp\/pid=5688f66de4b040e17d991226\/vid=5889fb621c689957673cbd15\/5688f5c1e4b0f2c97f395156.js\/script\/div!--%20TAG%20END%20%20date:%2002\/14\/17%20%20--\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/delivery.vidible.tv\/jsonp\/pid=5688f66de4b040e17d991226\/vid=5889fb621c689957673cbd15\/5688f5c1e4b0f2c97f395156.js\"><\/script><\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/!--%20TAG%20START%20%20player:%20Embed%20Player,%20owner:%20Embed%20Company,%20for:%20Embed%20%20--div%20class=vdb_player%20vdb_5688f66de4b040e17d9912265688f5c1e4b0f2c97f395156%20vdb_params=m.refbcid=56000e19e4b0e4e194b84b31&amp;m.refpid=5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6script%20type=text\/javascript%20src=\/\/delivery.vidible.tv\/jsonp\/pid=5688f66de4b040e17d991226\/vid=5889fb621c689957673cbd15\/5688f5c1e4b0f2c97f395156.js\/script\/div!--%20TAG%20END%20%20date:%2002\/14\/17%20%20--\"><!-- TAG END { date: 02\/14\/17 } --><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\">I cracked up when I saw this. &nbsp;Alas though, nobody can fix the personality . . . not even GQ. &nbsp;Enjoy!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 255);\"><strong>YouTube&nbsp;<\/strong><\/span>&#8212;&nbsp;<span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 255);\">John Oliver is back and explores Drumpfenfarten&#39;s acquaintance with truth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"695\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xecEV4dSAXE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-ca\/news\/world\/a-taiwanese-teacher-asked-his-students-to-vote-on-a-parade-theme-they-chose-adolf-hitler\/ar-BBxCECg?li=AAadgLE&amp;ocid=spartanntp\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\"><strong>Washington Post<\/strong><\/span><\/a>&nbsp;&mdash; To celebrate the 62nd anniversary of a school in northern Taiwan, students were invited to choose historical figures and &ldquo;cosplay&rdquo; them at a parade Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Liu Hsi-cheng, a history teacher&nbsp;at Hsinchu Kuang Fu High School, suggested to his homeroom class that they go with famous people from Arabic culture, he told the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.taipeitimes.com\/News\/front\/archives\/2016\/12\/26\/2003661929?fb_comment_id=1276915199050331_1277748328967018#f2c17d228676eb4\" target=\"_blank\"><font color=\"#0066cc\">Taipei Times<\/font><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But Liu&#39;s students had another idea: a theme based on Adolf Hitler.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-26291\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Taiwan-300x225-300x225.png\" width=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Taiwan-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Taiwan-300x225-150x113.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Liu warned his students that such a theme would be &ldquo;very controversial,&rdquo; the paper reported&nbsp;&mdash; but ultimately &ldquo;chose to respect the students&#39; decision and did not veto it&rdquo; after the class voted on it twice.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, students from the school&nbsp;in Hsinchu, about 55 miles southwest of Taipei, showed up to the festivities wearing Nazi uniforms and brandishing signs, arm bands and long red banners with swastikas on them.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\">I was flabbergasted when I saw this piece. &nbsp;The teacher, IMO, missed an excellent opportunity to educate the students about history and ethics. &nbsp;Is it any wonder why Drumpfenfarten would like speaking with the head of state of Taiwan against the &quot;One China&quot; policy that Obama and others had maintained? &nbsp;Click through for the rest of the story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-ca\/news\/video\/france-has-unveiled-the-worlds-first-solar-road\/vi-BBxxEhn?ocid=spartandhp\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\"><strong>MSN.com<\/strong><\/span><\/a> &#8212; If you thought the yellow brick road was cool, then you are going to love one road France just paved.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\">I&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\">can&#39;t embed the video but I thought this was really cool, and so proactive, something we won&#39;t see in the US with the current administration, and not likely in Canada either. &nbsp;Click on MSN.com.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/technology\/ruby-sea-dragon-seen-alive-first-time-1.3928881?cmp=rss\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\"><strong>CBC<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\"> &#8212;&nbsp;<\/span>Australian researchers have observed two specimens of a rare sea dragon that&#39;s never before been seen alive.<\/p>\n<p>Sea dragons aren&#39;t very common,&nbsp;found in the waters off the coast of southern Australia. For some time, only two types were known: the leafy sea dragon and the common sea dragon&nbsp;(sometimes also called the weedy sea dragon).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-26293\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/ruby-seadragon-300x169.jpg\" width=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/ruby-seadragon-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/ruby-seadragon-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/ruby-seadragon.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Then, in 2015, PhD student Josefin Stiller&nbsp;discovered that four samples collected over the years &mdash; the first in 1919 &mdash; had been misclassified as a common sea dragon. Instead, it was its own species, named the ruby sea dragon.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\">One more reason why we need to protect the oceans as habitats and as life affirming bodies. &nbsp;Click through for more of this fascinating creature.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\">My Universe<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"695\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PHUEIqygX68?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#0000FF;\">&nbsp;. . . and not to leave out the canines . . .&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"695\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zHPTzFM_DU4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It has been quite a while since I last posted any articles, so long that it feels foreign to me. &nbsp;I was very busy going back and forth to my mother&#39;s care home. &nbsp;I would sit with her for hours every day. &nbsp;But that came to an end with my mother&#39;s passing, age 88, on <a href='https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2017\/02\/14\/open-thread-14-february-2017\/' class='excerpt-more'>[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-open-thread","category-politics","category-35-id","category-5-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26269\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}