{"id":38535,"date":"2019-12-24T09:01:34","date_gmt":"2019-12-24T17:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=38535"},"modified":"2019-12-24T09:01:34","modified_gmt":"2019-12-24T17:01:34","slug":"open-thread-12-24-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2019\/12\/24\/open-thread-12-24-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread – 12\/24\/2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday was not my day.  The gastroenterologist told me I need to get an endoscopy, or camera down the throat.  It’s a same-day inpatient procedure at the hospital.  She told me that I have already eliminated the foods I should avoid, and that I have already tried all the palliative medications she could give me and that I am currently on the the one she would recommend.  They can’t offer more relief because they don’t know what’s causing it.  The length of the wait is because this week and next are holiday weeks.  I’ll be scheduling on the first Tuesday I can get.  That’s the day of the week WWWendy can take me home.  Next, my oncologist called.  Those nodes in my left lung are carcinomas, so I’ll have to have them surgically resected.  ARGH!!  Stay holiday safe please!<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today’s took me 3:13 (average 4:55).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Cartoon<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font> <\/p>\n

Fantasy Football Report<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Here’s the news from our own Fantasy Football League<\/a>.<\/font><\/p>\n

\"16Playoffs\"<\/a><\/font><\/p>\n

Congrats to Vivian and me for winning our games.  Kudos to me for beating the Regular Season Champion and for the highest single-week score of the season.  This weekend, I play Vivian in the Super Bowl, WWWendy plays Squatch for 3rd place, and Patty Monster plays the empty team and will win 5th place.  Perhaps we can get Colleen to join the league next year.  Good luck to all!<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From The New Yorker<\/a>: <\/font>Scientists have discovered a powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life, a sobering new study reports.<\/p>\n

The research, conducted by the University of Minnesota, identifies a virulent strain of humans who are virtually immune to any form of verifiable knowledge, leaving scientists at a loss as to how to combat them. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese humans appear to have all the faculties necessary to receive and process information,\u201d Davis Logsdon, one of the scientists who contributed to the study, said. \u201cAnd yet, somehow, they have developed defenses that, for all intents and purposes, have rendered those faculties totally inactive.\u201d <\/p>\n

Actually, Andy, that strain it not new. It is a devolution to a pre-hominid state: Sphincterpithicus R<\/em>epublicanis.  RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font> <\/p>\n

From YouTube<\/a> (Washington Post Channel<\/a>): <\/font>Track Santa around the world<\/font> <\/p>\n