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Saturday Morning Open Thread

Posted: January 4, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Foreign Affairs, U.S. Politics | Tags: , |47 Comments

winterevolving

It was one degree here when I woke up and it’s gone all the way up to seven degrees now. For most of the 46 winters I’ve lived here in the Boston area, the temperatures have rarely gotten into the teens, let alone single numbers or below zero. It looks like it’s going to be a looooooong winter. What’s it doing where you are?

Anyway, I’m getting a slow start today. I will have a longer post up a little later on. Use the comment thread to discuss weather, politics, or anything else that’s on your mind, and please check back later for a longer post. Here are a few links to get you started:

WaPo: Al-Qaeda-linked force captures Fallujah amid rise in violence in Iraq

Aljazeera: Iraq government loses control of Fallujah

NYRB: How Your Data Are Being Deeply Mined (and not just by NSA)

ABC online: Vladimir Putin lifts blanket ban on political protests at Sochi Winter Olympics

LA Times: Dogs align with magnetic fields while pooping, study says

Live Science: The 10 Best Science Stories of 2013

NOLA.com: Louisiana’s young people are asking, ‘Should I stay or should I go?’: Robert Mann

LA Times: Phil Everly dies at 74; half of vocal duo the Everly Brothers

 

47 Comments on “Saturday Morning Open Thread”

  1. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 4, 2014 at 9:17 am

  2. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 4, 2014 at 9:21 am

    Bruce’s album to get early streaming

    Bruce Springsteen fans will be able to stream all 12 tracks of the rocker’s new “High Hopes” album starting Sunday – if they’re in the United States, that is.
    Broadcaster CBS said Thursday it will host the pre-release at http://www.cbs.com/springsteen ahead of a January 12 episode of its legal drama “The Good Wife” featuring three songs from the record. But a CBS spokeswoman told AFP that “streaming of the album is restricted to the United States only” – leaving fans abroad to cool their heels until “High Hopes” gets its general release on January 14. Some fans already have The Boss’s 18th studio album – his first since “Wrecking Ball” in 2012 – on their digital players after it briefly popped up on Amazon.com as an MP3 download last weekend. Springsteen’s label is Columbia Records, a Sony Music Entertainment subsidiary formerly owned by CBS that was behind the surprise online release of Beyonce’s fifth album on December 13. “Beyonce” is currently spending its third week atop the Billboard 200 album chart, having sold more than 1.3 million copies. “High Hopes” is a mix of cover versions, studio outtakes and re-recordings which Springsteen – who has concerts upcoming in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand — has called “music I always felt needed to be released.”

    • minkoffminx's avatar JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
      January 4, 2014 at 1:45 pm

      Hey, if you all get Netflix streaming, check out Lillyhammer it is a series with Little Steven Van Zandt. It is really good.

      • janicen's avatar janicen says:
        January 4, 2014 at 3:35 pm

        Thank you for the reminder. My brother was telling me about it and I had completely forgotten it until reading your comment.

  3. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 4, 2014 at 9:46 am
    • NW Luna's avatar NW Luna says:
      January 4, 2014 at 12:47 pm

      Hilarious! Good way to show why religion should be kept out of healthcare.

      • dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
        January 4, 2014 at 1:53 pm

        Religion should be kept out of everything but a person’s individual life and only if they choose. Drives me nuts we give tax dollars to schools and hospitals that refuse to do things based on outdated views labelled religion. It kills people and spreads ignorance.

    • minkoffminx's avatar JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
      January 4, 2014 at 1:46 pm

      I love that cartoon!

  4. RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
    January 4, 2014 at 11:48 am

    Over the line, even for Fox?

    https://twitter.com/Green_Footballs/status/419226032369971201

    • bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
      January 4, 2014 at 1:11 pm

      Scheuer needs to explain why the CIA base in Benghazi didn’t do anything to protect the Ambassador. Meanwhile, the Secret Service should have a talk with him.

      Good grief!

  5. NW Luna's avatar NW Luna says:
    January 4, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    Ouch. Machinists just voted to accept the latest Boeing contract, which means new hires get no pensions. Current workers keep their pensions. And Boeing gets the 8.7 billion dollar bribe — err, tax cut package — voted them by corporate suckup legislators.

    The Machinists have been under intense pressure, and scare tactics, from state “leaders” (in the race to the bottom) to accept the deal. Never mind the irony that all the politicians and business porkers urging the Machinists to accept the lousy terms are themselves covered by nice pension deals.

    • NW Luna's avatar NW Luna says:
      January 4, 2014 at 1:22 pm

      Members of the Machinists union Friday accepted Boeing’s contract proposal by a slim 51 percent ….

      Tom Wroblewski, IAM District 751 president, announced the result but did not speak to the press.

      Emerging from the hall, Mark Johnson, aerospace coordinator for the national IAM headquarters, said, “It was a tough vote, a hard situation, splitting the membership.” ….

      Yet for the local Machinists who voted, the decision was not reached easily. Inside the union hall Friday night, the announcement of the contract’s acceptance was greeted with shock, tears and one cry of “bullshit.” …. One union member in the hall at the announcement called for a union withdrawal slip. Most filed silently out of the room, consoling each other. “We’re going to be OK,” one said to another.

      Corliss said nobody was happy with the contract offer. “But when the gun was held to their heads, our members felt compelled to vote yes,” he said.

      http://seattletimes.com/text/2022593956.html

      • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
        January 4, 2014 at 1:57 pm

        Those who get to keep their pensions now will probably be sorry when Boeing scales them back or removes them later. Asshats.

    • minkoffminx's avatar JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
      January 4, 2014 at 1:50 pm

      There is a cartoon on this Digby post that makes that point: Hullabaloo

  6. NW Luna's avatar NW Luna says:
    January 4, 2014 at 1:05 pm

    Moving in the other direction:

    On his third day as Seattle mayor Friday, Ed Murray positioned himself as a leader on the push toward a $15 minimum wage, even though he didn’t immediately change anyone’s paycheck.

    Murray announced in his first City Hall news conference an executive order telling his staff to take the first steps toward raising the minimum wage for city workers to $15 an hour.

    • dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
      January 4, 2014 at 1:49 pm

      If the Colorado’s Day One of Pot Sales is any indication, Washington State should have enough taxes to do all kinds of things and pot tourism will create a boom. The airport will have more than enough money.

  7. minkoffminx's avatar JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
    January 4, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    BB, yeah it is cold as hell out there…oops, I mean cold as Mars: This Is What Happens When You Use A Water Gun Outside (When It’s As Cold As Mars) | Geekosystem

  8. dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
    January 4, 2014 at 2:05 pm

    CBS journalist alleges that anti-LGBT Republican Rep Aaron Schock is gay

    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/04/cbs-journalist-alleges-that-anti-lgbt-republican-rep-aaron-schock-is-gay/

    self hating republican closet case … party is full of them

  9. dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
    January 4, 2014 at 2:10 pm

    and the continuing saga of waiting to see who George Zimmerman kills next:

    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/03/george-zimmermans-girlfriend-didnt-report-violent-episodes-because-she-feels-he-always-gets-off/

    The video of her questioning — posted directly below — belies her claims of having been intimidated by police investigators. In it, she sits calmly in the corner, answering the questions of Stephen LaGuardia of the Seminole County Sheriff’s office in an even-tempered voice, even when describing disturbing events, like the frequent “episodes” in which Zimmerman is violent with her.

    “During these episodes,” LaGuardia asks, “has there ever been any violence between you and him?”

    “He choked me once,” she replies.

    “About how long ago?”

    “About a week,” she replies.

    “And was it a choke with his hands, with his arms?” LaGuardia asks.

    “With his hands.”

    “And at that time,” he continues, “did you lose consciousness? Did you have trouble breathing?”

    At this point, Scheibe calmly describes how Zimmerman choked her until she “had trouble breathing.” She says she asked Zimmerman, “‘Seriously, are you going to do this right now?’ And that’s when he got more aggressive, and my voice started changing, to where I couldn’t talk at all. It bruised my throat.”

    LaGuardia then asked her “why [she] didn’t call the police at that time?”

    “Because,” she replied with a laugh, “I feel like he always gets off.”

  10. RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
    January 4, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    Interesting question they can’t seem to answer.

    https://twitter.com/Green_Footballs/status/419559981856198656

  11. minkoffminx's avatar JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
    January 4, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    Oh this is priceless

    New Report Says: Jenny McCarthy’s Son May Not Have Had Autism After All – Hollywood Life

  12. RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
    January 4, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    Sotomayor screwed up royally issuing an injunction for this spurious suit.

    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/03/the-nuns-obamacare-contraception-lawsuit-isnt-about-religious-freedom/

    All the Little Sisters and religiously affiliated groups like them have to do is fill out a piece of paper. They will not have to pay for or in any way facilitate contraception access to their employees. That’s at least less of a burden than a lawsuit. This can’t be legal grounds for any kind of judgement.

    • NW Luna's avatar NW Luna says:
      January 4, 2014 at 4:27 pm

      But–but–but–then their employees would have their health care covered!

      Religious extremists find it horribly burdensome when other people are covered for legitimate medical needs.

  13. minkoffminx's avatar JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
    January 4, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    Nice picture to look at:

  14. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 4, 2014 at 8:50 pm

    Luna,

    Did you see this in The New Republic?

    The War Against Income Inequality Suffers a Big Loss in Seattle

    http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116101/boeing-machinists-union-vote-seattle-win-income-inequality

    • NW Luna's avatar NW Luna says:
      January 4, 2014 at 11:11 pm

      I think there was a hell of a lot of heavy-handed pressure and fear tactics slammed on the Machinists. 51% is barely passing, and since Boeing basically shuts down between Xmas and New Year’s the vote timing was bad.

      This makes all the workers’ rights fights even harder now, since the corporate masters see they just have to throw a huge threatening temper tantrum to cow the employees.

  15. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 4, 2014 at 9:01 pm

    Playoff porn: Andrew Luck almost naked….

  16. dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
    January 4, 2014 at 9:36 pm

    Josh Marshall ‏@joshtpm 32s
    Realizing theres demographic dialect in which term “rape” primarily denotes an egregious act which govt bureaucracies do to men over age 50

    True dat, sadly

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