September 26, 2017

The Last Word with Bill Moyers

I know a few people have been waiting for this, so here it is:

September 26, 2017

Check out new before & after nighttime satellite images of Puerto Rico

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41392940

Millions of people in Puerto Rico remain without electricity in the wake of Hurricane Maria, a new image taken by a US government satellite shows.

Outside the capital city San Juan, residents are still isolated without power or communications, which could take weeks to restore.

Clean water and medicine are also scarce, locals report.

September 23, 2017

China limits oil trade to North Korea and bans textile trade

Source: BBC

China has moved to limit North Korea's oil supply and will stop buying textiles from the politically isolated nation, it said on Saturday.

China is North Korea's most important trading partner, and one of its only sources of hard currency.

The ban on textiles trade will hurt Pyongyang's income, while China's oil exports are the country's main source of petroleum products.

The tougher stance follows North Korea's latest nuclear test this month.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41370722

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This is the first time I've seen China apply anything but verbal cautions to NK.

Now the ball is in our court, Dump needs a muzzle.

September 15, 2017

They're ba-a-ack! The Great British Bakeoff

I really miss Mary and Sue, it's just not the same on commercial TV.

Here's Episode 3. Episode 2 is also there but in craptacular format. I haven't found Episode 1 yet. Click on the top of the video to get to the You Tube page, as always.

September 13, 2017

Dictators and Despots: A Timewatch Guide

Still another brilliant not quite an hour from the BBC's Timewatch series, tracing dictators from Julius Caesar forward, what they all have in common, how they came to power, and what they did once they got there. It is sobering.

(apologies to anyone who has posted this before. I didn't see it and besides, it does bear another airing.)

August 15, 2017

From the Bald Piano Guy. I think he's onto something.

(courtesy the ladies' knitting circle and terrorist society)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=84&v=ZNPmJbhWwiA

June 28, 2017

Well, that didn't last long

Newly erected Arkansas Ten Commandments monument destroyed

A new monument in the US state of Arkansas listing the Ten Commandments has been destroyed less than 24 hours after it was unveiled.

A suspect is reported to have driven his car into the structure early on Wednesday while filming on his mobile phone and posting footage on Facebook.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40434571

Yeah, he's bonkers. However, he's got good taste. This is the second piece of Christian idolatry he's smashed up.

June 5, 2017

This wins You Tube for the whole week, Fake News alla Rossini

May 18, 2017

"Mail Order Abortions" Deemed Safe

Conclusions Self sourced medical abortion using online telemedicine can be highly effective, and outcomes compare favourably with in clinic protocols. Reported rates of adverse events are low. Women are able to self identify the symptoms of potentially serious complications, and most report seeking medical attention when advised. Results have important implications for women worldwide living in areas where access to abortion is restricted.

http://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j2011

April 28, 2017

Since it is affecting your mental and physical health together, consider disengaging

Tell extended family you are sick of politics and will delete anything but personal stuff like photos of the kids. Then stick to it.

Turn off the news. Nothing made me crazier than the bullshit infotainment the corporations shovel out at us every night. My high blood pressure went away and I was a nicer person within a month. It had only been a habit, a bad one. I found it rather easier to break than I thought I would, and I didn't have a satelitte dish at the time.

You've got access to the NYT delivered right to your door for news. I had to get a WaPo subscription for my Kindle since I now live in godforsaken noplace NM and the local paper is right wing fishwrap. WaPo has been fun, their editorial staff is not fond of Dolt45.

Once you disengage, you'll find that print news is keeping you a lot more informed than the boob tube ever did. TV is great for sports, sitcoms, movies, and the occasional PBS series. It sucks for news. Yes, it's effortless getting sound bites fed to you by the spoonful between ads for beer, cars, and hemorrhoid cream, but it's just making you angry and not informing you.

I felt sick on election night as one tossup state after another went for Dolt45, even though I knew that Comey's interference had ended Clinton's hopes. I felt sicker when DU was targeted. What has given me the most comfort is that this is not my fault. It's not your fault. And we can't be expected to fix it for them, not this time. Remember, there are more of us than there are of them, and even his own lousy, corrupt party is starting to fight him on key issues because it's so obvious he doesn't know what he's doing.

It's not hopeless, it's just our turn to have a complete lunatic in high office. He's a bad smell passing through. His power is limited and he hates that. My guess is that he'll resign at some point after a major temper tantrum over one of his pet projects, like that stupid, useless wall nobody in a border state wants.

It's not hopeless. Let your family continue to try to convince each other they didn't do something so colossally stupid they'll have to live it down for the rest of their lives. Not your circus, not your monkeys. Disengage and stay that way.