Wednesday: October surprise today? Who gives a rat’s…..
Posted: October 24, 2012 Filed under: 2012 elections, 2012 presidential campaign, Affordable Care Act (ACA), Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, morning reads, nature | Tags: Capella, disabled patients, enchidna puggle, historical weather, medicare, star gazing, the perfect storm, Tropical Storm Sandy 74 Comments »
…ass!
Good Morning
After reading all the “God is good, god is great, let me thank him for this rape” shit last night, I honestly did not think I could write today’s post. It was so upsetting to me. (For reasons you all know.) I can not believe the way things are going in this election. So this morning there will be a few links that I think you will find interesting and no, they ain’t political…save for one.
Now, since I started this post with the words, rat’s ass, here is a cartoon about one I hope we will finally be rid of in 13 days.
Well, I guess you are all aware that today is October surprise day…Here is what Cannonfire thinks about these “Scandals.”
The only October surprise I am watching for is named Sandy….Yup, there is a possibility of some bad weather in the Appalachians and Northeast.
Tropical Storm Sandy headed for Jamaica, then Cuba
Tropical Storm Sandy was expected to become a hurricane on Wednesday as it approaches the south coast of Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, prompting authorities on the Caribbean island to close schools and prepare shelters to take in residents of flood-prone areas.
The storm was centered about 195 miles south of the Jamaican capital, Kingston, late on Tuesday evening and had top sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (95 km per hour).
Forecasters said a tropical storm watch might be issued for south Florida on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, but the storm did not pose a threat to the Gulf of Mexico, where U.S. oil and gas operations are clustered.
And before you blow this off as a ridiculous warning, remember the Perfect Storm back in 1991. Tropical storm Sandy scenarios: Northeast smash or out to sea most likely
Some computer models continue to simulate a crushing storm for early next week near or close to the East Coast. The explosive storm develops as tropical storm (or hurricane) Sandy merges with a powerful cold front charging towards the East Coast late this weekend.
Although a historic storm is a possibility, the storm could deliver just a glancing blow or even miss the East Coast entirely. And for residents of the mid-Atlantic (including Washington, D.C. and points further south), a direct hit is not particularly likely although it cannot be ruled out.
Residents of the Northeast, perhaps, should be most concerned. The European model – which did the best job simulating hurricane Isaac’s track in late August – delivers a devastating blow from central New Jersey to southern New England (including New York City), with Long Island and southern Connecticut ground zero. The model simulates the storm’s minimum central pressure below 940 mb, which is the equivalent of a dangerous major hurricane.
Y’all keep an eye on Sandy…latest updates here. Hey, as I was posting this a new storm has been formed in the Atlantic, Tony. At least, it looks like Tony will be staying away from the US Atlantic coast.
Okay, now for some cool links.
I saw this picture on Andrew Sullivan’s blog weeks ago, it is the oldest tree on earth, well older than “Jeeezus.”
Looks like the tree in Tim Buton’s Sleepy Hollow…
Meet the bristlecone pine:
The oldest of the living bristlecones were just saplings when the pyramids were raised. The most ancient, called Methuselah, is estimated to be more than 4,800 years old; with luck, it will soon enter its sixth millennium as a living, reproducing organism. Because we conceive of time in terms of experience, a life spanning millennia can seem alien or even eternal to the human mind. It is hard to grasp what it would be like to see hundreds of generations flow out from under you in the stream of time, hard to imagine how rich and varied the mind might become if seasoned by five thousand years of experience and culture.
So, as Autumn gets into full swing, take a few minutes to look up in night sky: What bright star flashes red and green in northeast?
Every year in autumn, we get questions from people who see a bright star twinkling with red and green flashes, low in the northeastern sky. Capella is a golden star when seen higher up in the sky. If you could travel to it in space, you’d find that it’s actually two golden stars, both with roughly the same surface temperature as our local star, the sun . . . but both larger and brighter than the sun.
At mid-evening, don’t mistake the much brighter planet Jupiter for Capella. At mid-northern latitudes, Jupiter rises in the east-northeast about two and one half hours after Capella does. In the Southern Hemisphere and northern tropics, Jupiter rises before Capella. Whereas Jupiter shines with the brighter and steadier light, Capella sparkles fiercely, flashing with the colors of the rainbow when near the horizon.
If you live at far northerly latitudes, you can star-hop from the Big Dipper to Capella, as depicted on the chart
And why does the star blink so?
So here is a golden star that flashes red and green when it’s low in the sky. Why does it do that? The reality is that every star in the sky undergoes the same process as Capella, to produce its colorful twinkling. That is, every star’s light must shine through Earth’s atmosphere before reaching our eyes. The key is that, when you look at an object low in the sky, you are looking through more atmosphere than when the same object is overhead. The atmosphere splits or “refracts” the star’s light, just as a prism splits sunlight.
That’s where Capella’s red and green flashes are coming from … not from the star itself … but from the refraction of its light by our atmosphere. When you see Capella higher in the sky, these glints of red and green will disappear.
By the way, why are these flashes of color so noticeable with Capella? The reason is simply that it’s a bright star. It’s the 6th brightest star in Earth’s sky, not including our sun. Capella is in the constellation Auriga the Charioteer, but since antiquity it has carried the name “Goat Star.”
The star will rise to overhead around 3-4 am in any time zone…look for it.
Now for something completely different: Adorable tiny echidna puggle to be raised in captivity
A tiny echidna puggle is being hand-fed by a staffer at the Taronga Wildlife Hospital of western Australia after being found on a walking trail.
The short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is a relative of the platypus, according to the San Diego Zoo’s Animalbytes website. They’re also known as spiny ant-eaters, even though they aren’t related to the North and South American animals known as anteaters.
As baby dogs are called puppies and baby foxes called kits, baby echidnae are called “puggles.” The echidna puggle in this video got separated from its mother somehow. It may have fallen from her pouch, a feature that echidnae have in common with marsupials like kangaroos and koala bears.
Now named “Beau,” the little puggle hasn’t grown any spines or fur yet. Annabelle, the vet nurse caring for Beau, said that in all of her years caring for sick or hurt echidnae, she’s never seen one this young. Mother echidnae have no teats, but rather flat milk “patches” on their bellies, so Beau the puggle drinks milk from the flat of Annabelle’s hand.
They still don’t know the sex of the puggle, that is because it is still a baby and it will be months before the vets will not know if Beau is a boy or girl. There is video at the link, too cute.
Finally, here is some good news: Disabled patients to benefit from Medicare change
Lawyers for Medicare patients say the Obama administration has agreed to a change that would help people with severe chronic illnesses like Alzheimer’s keep receiving rehabilitation services, even if they’re not getting better.
The proposed agreement filed with a federal judge in Vermont would allow Medicare patients to keep receiving physical and occupational therapy and other services at home or in a nursing home so that they can remain stable, said Gill Deford, a lawyer with the Center for Medicare Advocacy.
That’s been a problem for thousands of patients because of a longstanding Medicare policy that says they must show improvement to keep getting rehab. Deford’s group and other organizations challenged it in a nationwide class action suit.
This will be a relief for so many families…so what are you reading or thinking about today?
Sima
dakinikat
ecocatwoman
fiscalliberal
grayslady
mablue2
NW Luna
peggysue22
quixote
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
And it happened again: Ohio County Mailer Sends Wrong Voting Location And Date To 2300 People | ThinkProgress
JJ…..Keep your head-up sister, we’re with ya!!!
Thanks Mouse…don’t know what I would do without you all!
ditto JJ, we love waking up to your articles, cartoons, and links, and all the unrelated events that make for a great day.
JJ — don’t let those sick heartless irrational thugs get you down. Yeah, easier said than done, but throw a curse at them and then get back to enjoying puggles and cute lab rats lapping mochas, and the wonder of ancient bristlecone pines that grow in high clean air and form beautiful curving enduring shapes.
This is something, check it out: The Towering Legacy of George W. Bush — The League of Ordinary Gentlemen
Wow, and I mostly agree, though it smashes my crackers to think that Reagan is still popular. Communitarian Federalism? An interesting “Third Party” viewpoint-not one that I care to see expand.
Info on Sandy: Sandy approaches hurricane strength as it nears Jamaica | Agricultural Commodities | Reuters
Is it possible that we have lost our collective reasoning when men like Richard Murdouck have reached a level of standing with voters that could possibly see him actually becoming a US senator?
And that Todd Akin may very well join him in January at the swearing in? Or how about George Allen from Virginia standing alongside with Tommy Thompson bringing up the rear? Is this where the nation is going in seeking governance? Ted Cruz from Texas anyone?
In Massachusetts we are looking to elect Elizabeth Warren against a man who is not considered as “batshit crazy” at the above mentioned but how do the voters of these other states support the stupidity of these officials who would serve a 6 year term while denying climate change as one issue even in the face of factual evidence to the contrary.
In a nation where we see the divisions in sharp contrast are we willing to allow ignorance to triumph over commonsense?
I fear we may very well be. If we believe the polling coming out of these states then the possibility is quite real.
Y’all need to read this: An Open Letter to Ann Coulter | The World of Special Olympics
John Stephens is light years more evolved than Ann Coulter.
The fault lies not so much in Ann Coulter but with those who give her a forum to spread her hate and lies. Whether she be nothing more than a provocateur, or just a hateful tool for the far Right, she is treated with a certain degree of credibility by those who take pleasure in her scornful diatribes.
A female version of Rush Limbaugh, this woman has for years made a living by screeching and spreading her scurrilous views with a degree of respect, even managing to be invited onto mainstream shows like “Meet the Press” as one example.
Where is Sarah Palin in all this? Is she not offended at the use of this word or is that manufactured outrage only trotted out when it can be applied to a Left Wing speaker?
If I thought that Coulter’s latest remarks would be the end of her so called career I might be able to extract some pleasure from seeing her sent back into her batcave. But if her remarks about the 9/11 widows weren’t enough then this latest diatribe will go unchallenged.
Look for her appearance on another show where ratings are all that counts.
Here’s a poorly written article from 2008 on the Romney divorce testimony. I can’t see much of an “October Surprise” here. It’s just more lying and dishonesty by Mitt, and since the voters don’t seem to care about that….
http://tantmieux.squarespace.com/cyrano-tant-mieux-articles-old/2008/2/5/a-fish-out-of-water-mitt-romney-the-wanna-be-president.html
wow…
How typical.
The article merely illustrates that Mitt Romney has been a liar his entire life. The ends justify the means in his world so no surprise there.
What is more troubling are those who stand by him and support his candidacy regardless.
Knowing his penchant for lying repeatedly they still would place their support, and the nation itself, in the hands of this untrustworthy creature aside from the cost it will incur.
How does one believe a word this man says? His only focus has been to make money and his treatment of others – unless of the same class – is questionable.
I can’t imagine what a Romney presidency would look like if he is able to garner that 50.1%.
Well actually I can and that is what makes me so uneasy.
Uplifting!!!
Luv Nina……………always makes me feel good.
Utah GOP Fundraiser Accused Of Rape Commits Suicide
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/greg_peterson_suicide.php?ref=fpb
Coward!!!!!
Damn, the coward, and I can’t believe I was thinking about following up on his case yesterday after reading about the other child sexual abuser that was posted here. You do know that the republicans couldn’t get away from him fast enough, but made sure he had his rights “not guilty till proven so”…………………..
Apparently he met a circumstance he couldn’t rape, he couldn’t molest, he couldn’t conquer, he couldn’t control and he couldn’t talk himself out of, so he killed himself. I should have some pity, but he had no pity on his victims. I’m just glad he judged himself guilty and saved the victims of his crime the grief of having to testify and the taxpayers the time and money required to try and incarcerate his sorry ass!
You nailed it Mouse…………and to think the family wants us to be respectful of this difficult time……….schitt.
Republican meetings, kidnap, rape, suicide? That cabin is going to need a multitude of blessings, from all different sources, to clear the evil and make the deer come back. Call the Heber Valley Native American Pow-Wow Committee. Maybe they have some ideas.
I’m really not being flip. This is not a just end for the women and will leave unfinished business, the focus of which is that cabin, that place.
Take a look at this: Ending Rape Illiteracy | The Nation
And this:
Richard Mourdock Says Pregnancy From Rape Something God Intended
one more: What Does Paula Ryan Think? Castration is a Gift From God | RH Reality Check
And another: Shakesville: Another Republican Genius on Rape
Mourdock is a DICKhead!!! They don’t own our bodies and it just galls them that we think for ourselves, take care of ourselves and are not subservient to anyone. Their desperation is why I’m FEELING GOOD!!
That was a beautifully written letter. I can only hope that Mourdock reads it.
He won’t.
Mouse: Love it! Thanks for digging that one up. I needed an uplift message this morning.
My pleasure, Pat.
I put that in a post a couple of days ago, but I never get tired of it. I loved that song when I was a kid.
It’s message is timeless!!!
Wonderful, interesting links, JJ. I loved that Leslie Gore video. here is one link on Ryan’s speech to the “Poor People”.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/10/24/1078681/eight-ryan-poverty/
Have you guys seen this?
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/10/24/labor-board-to-evaluate-dog-tracking-system-used-on-hyatt-housekeepers/
It’s like the workers are “doing time”.
That baby puggle is freaking awesome! Great post JJ and love the Gump cartoon,
Jon Stewart On Romney’s Foreign Policy: ‘Follow Me! I’ll Be Right Behind The President’
I really love Hillary’s common sense. Is it too much to ask others to be equally sane? I don’t think so at all.
NYT: Clinton: ‘Cherry Picked’ Libya Emails Prove Little
Can someone please explain to me what difference it makes how the attack started? This is like Whitewater all over again.
None of us can explain it because we have normal minds.
Maybe someone at the Ratfucker blogs has the scoop or should I say poop. 
Exactly, mouse!
Mourdock has now apologized to anyone who misinterpreted his remarks. Isn’t that nice?
Of course, it was not really an apology. Mourdock claims his words were “twisted”. This is obviously a guy who knows twisted.
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/politics/richard-mourdock-on-rape-comment-words-were-twisted
We should send him Fuck You Note!
I signed a petition – and you can leave a note there for him. FY sounds about right.
We’re getting a barrage of anti-Donnelly ads today from Rove’s PAC, American Crossroads. They are not backing off from their Tea Party darling Dick Mourdock. It’s stomach-turning.
Beata, I want to say to take good care of yourself, just as good as you do for your mother. It’s compassionate and fulfilling to caregive but can also be draining. Hope everything goes as well as possible.
Here’s Mourdock’s Contact Page, give him a FU for JJ and for all the women who’ve suffered and been denied control of their own bodies because of the caveman attitudes of these people.
http://richardmourdock.com/contact
Sorry I defiled this wonderful blog with that nasty link, but I thought others may want to register their disgust with Mourdock’s BS as much as I do.
President Obama’s interview with the editorial board is excellent.
Des Moines Register: After editor’s blog, President Obama releases transcript of Register interview
Ralph, that was great! To bad the media will not see it that way.
We on the left are always foot shooters. Gee, the republicans are getting behind a liar and throwing their core values out the window! Can we just get past Making sure Romney isn’t in the White House? Shamed? Really? Tin foil hat, maybe putting it out this way might make more people look at it.
Des Moines Register Shames Obama Campaign Into Putting Interview on the Record
By: David Dayen Wednesday October 24, 2012 9:15 am
FDL
The folks at fdl may be great but I have slightly less than zero respect for their common sense. They are classic examples of why Democrats lose so often.
10/17/2012 –
10/24/2012
CVOTER International
(Sponsored by UPI)
Obama 49.0 %
Romney 47.0 %
10/21/2012 –
10/23/2012
PPP (D) +
(Sponsored by Americans United for Change)
Obama 48.0 %
Romney 48.0 %
10/21/2012 –
10/23/2012
Rasmussen +
Romney 50.0 %
Obama 46.0 %
10/23/2012 –
10/23/2012
RAND *
Obama 49.19 %
Romney 45.34 %
10/19/2012 –
10/23/2012
Reuters/Ipsos *
Obama 47.0 %
Romney 46.0 %
I’ll take ‘em.
Gallup today. Romney 50 Obama 47
So much for that big surge
Ooooh, it’s like a tidal wave!
The amazing thing is that yesterday Gallup had it Romney 51 Obama 46, today it’s Romney 50 – Obama 47. that’s a two point swing toward Obama overnight in a rolling average. The uptick for Obama was sizeable. I’m not a math person, but I can count.
These people are sick freaks. Reminds me of the ratf*ckers.
NYT: Strident Anti-Obama Messages Flood Key States
omg……they are the sickest of the sick freaks.
BB, you haven’t mentioned coming home for a visit recently. If I were you, I would stay away at least until after the election. Moving back permanently is not a wise plan either, imo. Stay in New England. I envy you being there.
True that Beata. Don’t go south BB
Trump is a cheap carnival barker. What a joke!
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/trump-announcement-obama-161111445–election.html
It’s a game changer, Ralph! If only I could take back my early vote for Obama, I would!
Brhahahahahaha!!!! He’s offering $5 million dollars to charity for transcripts and passport applications? As if folks can’t see that Trump is nothing more than a well-heeled, silver-spoon Carnival Barker trying to sell a false narrative, Again!!!!. Hell, I’d give $50 dollars to charity to look in Trumps sock drawer, which I’m certain is stuffed full of incriminating evidence. Donald Trump can’t make himself relevant no matter he does.
Buzzfeed seems to have more of a game changer than Trump. Duh, he spray tans.
How Mitt Romney Gets So Tan
A win in job-compensation parity between traditional “women’s work” and men’s — in the UK.
That should happen here!!!!!
Inspection at unregulated compounding pharmacy found
http://seattletimes.com/text/2019502115.html
Damn, can we get some decent regulations for this industry please. I also want the same for nutritional supplements and homeopathic products. It should have been proven by now that greedy people will abuse anything which is left substantially unregulated.
Yes, and yes again. Industry cannot police itself. Supplements and “natural” supplements don’t always have in them what their labels say, or it’s from plants grown next to a highway, or there are amounts of pharmaceutical drugs in the “herbs.” Some are OK, but how do we know?
I’m all for a nanny state that ensures we really know what’s in products.
A paid informant for the New York Police Department’s intelligence unit was under orders to “bait” Muslims into saying inflammatory things as he lived a double life, snapping pictures inside mosques and collecting the names of innocent people attending study groups on Islam, he told The Associated Press.
Don’t the NYPD have real work to do instead of creating entrapment?