I wasn't able to get hold of her nurse today, but we talked to the social worker who was able to update us to some degree. The big question at the moment is whether she has end stage kidney disease and will need regular dialysis. The Kidney doctor we have been trying to get an appointment with has been seeing her in the hospital but hasn't yet made that diagnosis. In any case, it appears she will need out-of-home care for some days and the social worker will be looking at alternatives and get back to us.
I forgot to mention that the social worker also said he was going to try to arrange for me and Marcus to visit Penny. I think the idea is that he will also be there and the four of us can discuss next steps together.
Today (Tuesday), the Senate began to debate the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act to protect voting rights. Not a single Republican spoke up for the bill. All 48 Democrats and the 2 Independents who caucus with them—who together represent 40.5 million more people than the 50 Republicans do—support the voting rights bill, but two senators, Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), do not support a carve-out for the voting rights bill so that it can avoid a filibuster by the Republicans.
That is, by demanding a supermajority to pass the bill, Republicans can stop the Democrats from passing voting rights measures that are so popular that, as Jane Mayer outlined in a March 2021 New Yorker article based initially on a leaked phone call, Republicans’ own polls told them they could not convince voters to oppose them, so they had better rely on the filibuster.
The Democrats caucused this evening, and observers expect that they will call a roll call vote on the voting rights bill tomorrow. The Republicans are expected to filibuster the bill. Then the Democratic leadership is expected to try to change the filibuster rules to a talking filibuster with some percentage of the senators present, a return to what the filibuster looked like for most of its history and a measure that should answer the concerns Manchin and Sinema had about getting rid of the filibuster altogether. The Republicans will likely vote against that change. Whether Manchin and Sinema will side with the Democrats in favor of voting rights or with the Republicans against them is the key question.
If this measure doesn’t pass, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) says the Democrats will break it up into individual pieces, forcing senators to take positions against the various pieces of the law, all of which are popular.
Especially not people who set up commercial organizations and thereby subject them to the rules of the state in exchange for ceertain protections. While Georgia seemingly has no standards other than requiring a street address for the place of business, New York seems to have a raft of regulations that businesses have to follow. Setting up an artificial body protects the organizers from personal liability, but not if they engage in criminal activity.
The old salami game: you lose only a single thin slice at a time, until all you are left with is the string. I was reading that Netenyahu is allegedly close to negotiating a plea bargain with prosecutors. It is harder and harder to feel any sympathy for the Israeli government.
Buried in a New York Times story: “Ms. James already questioned another of Mr. Trump’s sons, Eric Trump, in October 2020. He invoked his Fifth Amendment right against incriminating himself in response to more than 500 questions, the new court filing said.”
A reminder of what Donald Trump once said: “The mob takes the Fifth. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”
From beyond the pond: Even under the mask, [Boris]Johnson looked like someone who knew the game was up [Click] “As Sky’s Beth Rigby fired questions over No 10 event, all PM could do was insist no one had told him it was against the rules.” This must surely have some effect on Brexit negotiations, particularly the Northern Ireland customs border--which has already endangered the existence of the Unite Kingdom.
I read about all these shortages and shipping issues and mass quarantines on the horizon and I think, "Well, yeah. We're deep into a two-year (so far) pandemic. This is what happens. I think we need to adjust our expectations.
Around here, there are lots of people upset because mail delivery has become spotty. Some folks go three days without mail. As for me, I'd be happy with a weekly delivery for now. And why not?
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy under pressure to resign, but ... https://www.chicagotribune.com › nation-world › ct-au... Jun 7, 2021 — US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy under pressure to resign, but he's not going anywhere soon: 'Get used to me'. By WILL WEISSERT. Place of birth: Brooklyn People also ask How long does the postmaster general serve? Can the Board of Governors remove the postmaster general? What happened with Louis DeJoy? Feedback
Sanders Calls for Firing of 'Worst Postmaster General' Louis ... https://www.newsweek.com › ... › Joe Biden › Twitter The statement called out DeJoy's "disastrous 10-year plan to substantially slow down mail delivery, cut back on post office hours, shut down ... Dec 23, 2021
Well how about that. We put our 2013 Honda Fit up for sale and, in the end, we decided to sell it to a local family that wants to teach their kids how to drive standard. We could have sold it to a dealership, but this feels so much better. I actually know the mom and the kids a little from my days of working at the Library. They were always such great people...every one of them. I'm kind of tickled about this.
A standard transmission Honda Fit? I wasn't aware they made them. After they master the standard transmission, maybe they could learn how to drive a Model T Ford! Three pedals on the floor, left to right Clutch, Reverse and Brake. Throttle on the steering column. My high school driver training course used standard transmission cars; they didn't teach us to double-clutch because the load wasn't enough to need that, but we had to learn how to stop heading upwards on a hill, then continue without rolling backwards--a very necessary skill should one ever be driving through San Francisco and encounter a traffic signal on a hill. I learned how to double-clutch when driving a seriously overloaded old pickup for work one summer. I'm sure I still remember how to do it.
Eventually, we will have to give up our standard shift driving. My Mini Cooper is standard and has only 65,000 miles on it. But the new truck only comes as CVT.
Penny is First! 🦋
ReplyDeleteHoping for an update. Hoping there's some good news.
Thinking of you, Bill.
I wasn't able to get hold of her nurse today, but we talked to the social worker who was able to update us to some degree. The big question at the moment is whether she has end stage kidney disease and will need regular dialysis. The Kidney doctor we have been trying to get an appointment with has been seeing her in the hospital but hasn't yet made that diagnosis. In any case, it appears she will need out-of-home care for some days and the social worker will be looking at alternatives and get back to us.
DeleteI forgot to mention that the social worker also said he was going to try to arrange for me and Marcus to visit Penny. I think the idea is that he will also be there and the four of us can discuss next steps together.
DeleteSusan, see my note at the bottom of the last thread. 🌺
ReplyDeleteStevie Wonder calls on the Senate to end the filibuster
ReplyDeletehttps://crooksandliars.com/2022/01/stevie-wonder-calls-senate-end-filibuster
Heather Cox Richardson:
ReplyDeleteToday (Tuesday), the Senate began to debate the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act to protect voting rights. Not a single Republican spoke up for the bill. All 48 Democrats and the 2 Independents who caucus with them—who together represent 40.5 million more people than the 50 Republicans do—support the voting rights bill, but two senators, Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), do not support a carve-out for the voting rights bill so that it can avoid a filibuster by the Republicans.
That is, by demanding a supermajority to pass the bill, Republicans can stop the Democrats from passing voting rights measures that are so popular that, as Jane Mayer outlined in a March 2021 New Yorker article based initially on a leaked phone call, Republicans’ own polls told them they could not convince voters to oppose them, so they had better rely on the filibuster.
The Democrats caucused this evening, and observers expect that they will call a roll call vote on the voting rights bill tomorrow. The Republicans are expected to filibuster the bill. Then the Democratic leadership is expected to try to change the filibuster rules to a talking filibuster with some percentage of the senators present, a return to what the filibuster looked like for most of its history and a measure that should answer the concerns Manchin and Sinema had about getting rid of the filibuster altogether. The Republicans will likely vote against that change. Whether Manchin and Sinema will side with the Democrats in favor of voting rights or with the Republicans against them is the key question.
If this measure doesn’t pass, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) says the Democrats will break it up into individual pieces, forcing senators to take positions against the various pieces of the law, all of which are popular.
Reminds me of the Roman assault on Masada.
DeleteNY AG Takes Action to Force Trump, Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump to comply with trump organization civil probe. [Click] “No one in this country can pick and choose if and how the law applies to them.”
ReplyDeleteEspecially not people who set up commercial organizations and thereby subject them to the rules of the state in exchange for ceertain protections. While Georgia seemingly has no standards other than requiring a street address for the place of business, New York seems to have a raft of regulations that businesses have to follow.
DeleteSetting up an artificial body protects the organizers from personal liability, but not if they engage in criminal activity.
Sheikh Jarrah: Israeli police evict Palestinians from East Jerusalem home https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-60052131
ReplyDeleteThe old salami game: you lose only a single thin slice at a time, until all you are left with is the string. I was reading that Netenyahu is allegedly close to negotiating a plea bargain with prosecutors. It is harder and harder to feel any sympathy for the Israeli government.
Delete
ReplyDeleteEric Trump Invoked the Fifth More Than 500 Times [Click] January 19, 2022 By Taegan Goddard
Buried in a New York Times story: “Ms. James already questioned another of Mr. Trump’s sons, Eric Trump, in October 2020. He invoked his Fifth Amendment right against incriminating himself in response to more than 500 questions, the new court filing said.”
A reminder of what Donald Trump once said: “The mob takes the Fifth. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”
So he seems to be admitting that there is overwhelming incriminating evidence.
DeleteOnly if you believe Donald Trump.
DeleteHe's bound to say something correct once in a while--even if by accident. . .
DeleteFrom beyond the pond: Even under the mask, [Boris]Johnson looked like someone who knew the game was up [Click] “As Sky’s Beth Rigby fired questions over No 10 event, all PM could do was insist no one had told him it was against the rules.” This must surely have some effect on Brexit negotiations, particularly the Northern Ireland customs border--which has already endangered the existence of the Unite Kingdom.
ReplyDeleteScotland’s a conservative country. But Scottish Tories are held back by London HQ [Click] “As support for the union wanes, the party north of the border is at odds with its southern peers.”
DeleteWinter gas bill from hell: Oklahomans face paying $1.4bn over snowstorm [Click]
ReplyDeleteLumber Prices Are off the Rails Again. Blame Climate Change. [Click] “This is a supply-side problem. This is unlike any other market that any of us lumber traders have ever experienced.”
ReplyDeleteI read about all these shortages and shipping issues and mass quarantines on the horizon and I think, "Well, yeah. We're deep into a two-year (so far) pandemic. This is what happens. I think we need to adjust our expectations.
ReplyDeleteAround here, there are lots of people upset because mail delivery has become spotty. Some folks go three days without mail. As for me, I'd be happy with a weekly delivery for now. And why not?
Three days without bills? Works all right for me.
Delete
DeletePostmaster General Louis DeJoy under pressure to resign, but ...
https://www.chicagotribune.com › nation-world › ct-au...
Jun 7, 2021 — US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy under pressure to resign, but he's not going anywhere soon: 'Get used to me'. By WILL WEISSERT.
Place of birth: Brooklyn
People also ask
How long does the postmaster general serve?
Can the Board of Governors remove the postmaster general?
What happened with Louis DeJoy?
Feedback
Sanders Calls for Firing of 'Worst Postmaster General' Louis ...
https://www.newsweek.com › ... › Joe Biden › Twitter
The statement called out DeJoy's "disastrous 10-year plan to substantially slow down mail delivery, cut back on post office hours, shut down ...
Dec 23, 2021
Here, prescription drugs are most often mailed
Supreme Court Won’t Block Release of White House Jan. 6th Attack records [Click]
ReplyDeleteWell how about that. We put our 2013 Honda Fit up for sale and, in the end, we decided to sell it to a local family that wants to teach their kids how to drive standard. We could have sold it to a dealership, but this feels so much better. I actually know the mom and the kids a little from my days of working at the Library. They were always such great people...every one of them. I'm kind of tickled about this.
ReplyDeleteA standard transmission Honda Fit? I wasn't aware they made them. After they master the standard transmission, maybe they could learn how to drive a Model T Ford! Three pedals on the floor, left to right Clutch, Reverse and Brake. Throttle on the steering column. My high school driver training course used standard transmission cars; they didn't teach us to double-clutch because the load wasn't enough to need that, but we had to learn how to stop heading upwards on a hill, then continue without rolling backwards--a very necessary skill should one ever be driving through San Francisco and encounter a traffic signal on a hill. I learned how to double-clutch when driving a seriously overloaded old pickup for work one summer. I'm sure I still remember how to do it.
DeleteThe more things change, the more they stay the same; modern electric cars provide full power at any speed--just like steamers!
DeleteEventually, we will have to give up our standard shift driving. My Mini Cooper is standard and has only 65,000 miles on it. But the new truck only comes as CVT.
DeleteAn interesting story: The train to heaven and the train to hell. [Click]
ReplyDeleteActually, I like Robert Bloch's short story "That Hell-Bound Train" better.
Delete