❤️HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CATREONA! 🌟
Hoping your birthday is not as nationally exciting this year. 😉
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🐱❤️🐯 CATREONA is First! 🦁❤️😻
ReplyDeleteMotion seconded. She is missed.
DeleteYes. Wishing her happy birthday. Hope she comes around to see it.
DeleteHave a happy HAPPY, Cat!!
DeleteFolks, please send prayers or the best sort of vibes for a gentleman named Brad.
ReplyDeleteBrad is Wil’s good coworker who, when Wil was in hospital last year, worked in Wil’s place Christmas week when Brad was supposed to be on vacation.
Brad’s dad, one state away, has come down with Covid and is weak enough that he has fallen several times, and Brad’s mom isn’t strong enough to lift him. So, Brad has gone to help his parents, and Wil is working in Brad’s place.
Brad’s parents frequent Faux News and refused vaccination. Brad is fully vaccinated and boostered (and despises Faux News).
But here’s the thing: Brad has serious diabetes and at least one other big deal comorbidity. We are quite concerned that Brad will soon test positive.
😕
Also, it crossed my mind tonight that, already being short staffed, should the worst happen I’m not sure Wil would be able to retire, as they’d need him to train someone first…an 18 month prospect.
May Brad, good soul, come through this all right…! And his parents as well.
Oy!
A good soul indeed; best of luck to him. As for Wil delaying retirement for the sake of the company, screw that. (Pardon my French.) If they are so short staffed that they can't cope with one person being on leave, that is managerial incompetence. They knew the risk and took it.
DeleteOne wonders how big a premium the company would be willing to pay Wil, if it comes down to wanting him to delay retirement. If they were willing to pay him, say, time and a half, that would be evidence of sincerity on their part.
DeleteWil wouldn't be doing it for the sake of the company, but for the sake of his coworkers, one of whom is Root*Center*Son.
DeleteBrad's Mom also has it now, but insists it's "just a cold." Oy Oy Oy!!!
DeleteYou do not want to miss President Biden's remarks this morning on the January 6th insurrection. He gave the speech just after 9:00am ET, but surely it will be replayed.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnn.com/2022/01/06/politics/january-6-anniversary/index.html
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIt occurred to me that the President's speechwriters must have been scouring the record of previous presidential speeches for inspiration. I looked into Lincoln's speeches, notably including his July 4th message to Congress, almost three months after the fall of Fort Sumpter. I failed to find anything sufficiently analogous to the events of a year ago or today; but I can thoroughly recommend reading the message, which I had not done before.
DeleteWow! Very well done video, with some stellar Stellar's photos (I couldn't resist) including 3 from PhD*Son, Shiloh Schulte.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/rare-stellers-sea-eagle-spotted-in-midcoast-maine-audubon-russia-five-islands-georgetown/97-52cc6511-fd40-47c1-a027-2ec00619d92b?fbclid=IwAR2xCidefiYK2HODYT4MxA38qDe3k0Q1QTtKciJ4ZKq04tclZ7oTlVO9rho
It appears likely that the Covid Omicron variant began with the Wuhan variant or something very close to it, then evolved for an extended period in mice, than jumped back into humans. [Click]
ReplyDeleteAnother record breaking number of cases again today in Vermont: 2,188, busting the TWO DAY old record of 1,727. 91 in hospital with 17 in the ICU. Positivity rate is 12.4% (20,981 tests! Not counting the at-home tests that weren't recorded!) No new deaths since yesterday, but I think the month's total so far is 11.
DeletePretty much the same in Illinois. With just over 20X the population we have a bit more than 24,000 cases.
DeleteLast evening I got a moving email from my good Rep. Peter Welch, who is running for Pat Leahy's Senate seat.
ReplyDeleteHere's the letter, which was NOT accompanied by a Donate button. So today I donated.
Tomorrow is the first anniversary of one of the darkest days in our nation’s history. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the horrors we saw in the Capitol, how our democracy is still under attack to this day, and how we can work together to protect it.
I watched the mob march up the mall, chanting violent epithets in preparation to attack the seat of our democracy and all who worked there, including the cafeteria workers, police officers, and cleaning staff. I was in the House chamber when the shot was fired and the violent mob tried to break down the doors.
I will never forget the fear and uncertainty in the eyes of all who were there. I especially will never forget the eyes of one U.S. Capitol Police officer, standing above me in the chamber with his gun drawn. He was prepared to do the unthinkable to protect me and my colleagues, and I will always be thankful for their bravery and service. The loss of five of our officers as a result of that day will always be a stain on our history.
Later that night, after watching insurrectionists try to seize the Capitol, 147 of my Republican colleagues voted to overturn the will of the people and called the election of President Biden fraudulent. Many of those who voted to overturn the election were on the very same ballot as President Biden and Vice President Harris.
Now, aftershocks of this day continue to reverberate through our country. Trump-aligned state houses are working to subvert free and fair elections in the future by making it harder to vote, gerrymandering congressional districts to further marginalize voters of color, and taking away the independent role of state authorities to certify election results. They are trying to do through legislation, what the mob failed to do on January 6th.
There is an ongoing existential threat to our democracy. Make no mistake: our democracy is imperiled.
The right to vote and the peaceful transfer of power are core tenets of our nation’s democracy. The future depends on our fight to protect them.
But I still have hope because of folks like you.
In the year ahead, I am asking Vermonters to step up where they can — talk to your friends and family about the issues you care about, make sure you are registered to vote, get involved in your local elections, volunteer for people and causes that move you. Take care of each other, speak up when you see injustice, and challenge your elected officials, including me, to fight for what is right. These small steps help build the fabric of our communities and in turn strengthen our democracy.
This January 6th, tomorrow, is a day for all of us to recommit to doing everything we can to save and strengthen our democracy.
Six weeks ago, I announced my candidacy for the U.S. Senate. A major reason I did so was to do all I can to preserve and protect the democracy so essential to all of us. It is an all-hands-on-deck moment. All of us must play a role and do what we can, wherever we are, to restore faith in democracy and in one another.
We will succeed if we stand together.
Peter
My response:
DeleteDear Peter and indomitable Staff,
We are so grateful for your steadfast service to Vermont. On this day of days, we made a little contribution to your campaign; wish it could be more. As we reflect on last year’s insurrection, we wanted to thank you profoundly, knowing that you were in the balcony during the violence. It warms and impresses us that you are willing to continue on for us, in DC, in these dangerous times.
We remember the days of hands-on mailings at the tiny, shared office in downtown Burlington and marching with you in various parades. We’re ready to be hands-on again as the situation permits and requires. In fact, we remember the days when you were our Senate Pro-Tem here in Vermont in the mid-80’s. What a simple time that was, by comparison. What a legacy you have worked diligently to create.
We’re here for you.
With Deepest Respect and Affection,
Primary Mirror Wings Deploying Tomorrow - James Webb Tracker
ReplyDeleteWe're getting closer! Can't wait to see what it sees!
DeleteI gather that tune-up will take quite a bit of time, as will cooling to operating temperature. But surely they will be giving us teasers along the way. The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum it can see overlaps a bit that seen by Hubble, so they will be able to index the overlays. One theory I came across lately that seems very interesting is that the Big Bang was a white hole--the opposite of a black hole.
DeleteOooooo, a white hole! How intriguing! I will be looking that up, you may be sure.
Delete"White holes may simply be the opposite end of black holes, connected by theoretical tunnels of space-time called (of course) wormholes. So the matter and energy falling into a black hole would eventually beam out of a white hole, somewhere in this or another universe."
DeleteVery Cool!
Also, as we know, there are 5 dimensions: Length, Width, Depth, Time and, of course, The 5th Dimension.
And of course there are truths that are true beyond space and time.
DeleteI seem to recall that things have been observed that may have been small white holes.
DeleteLots of good stories over at politicalwire.com today: [Click] Headlines:
ReplyDeleteEx-Staffers Plot to Try to Take Down Trump
Trump Must Have His Day In Court
Biden’s Speech Was a Turning Point For His Presidency
Trump Did Not Want to Tell Rioters to ‘Stay Peaceful’
The Twisted, Trumpist Religion of January 6th
Republicans Cede the Day to Democrats
Another Anti-Vax Host Dies of Covid
Dick Cheney Greeted Warmly by Democrats
Inside Biden’s Decision to Denounce Trump
CNN did a respectful 2 hour special on January 6th tonight, with Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper hosting it from Statuary Hall in the Capitol Building. There were some clips of the violence, of course, but they were brief and were not the main focus. Rather, it was reflection by key people and honouring of those who suffered, from police officers to legislators. Tasteful, I thought.
DeleteIt seems we have lost our Cat. I'm sad for that...really thought she'd stop by today. I even emailed her inviting her to come by for some cake. I hope something really nice happened on her special day.
ReplyDeleteArizona judge fines Cyber Ninjas $50,000 a day until it turns over election review records [Click]
ReplyDeleteRestoration Research of the American Chestnut [Click] I haven’t noticed news about this for some years; it seems they are making good progress.
ReplyDelete===============================================================
ReplyDeleteJanuary 7th (new thread not yet linked, so posting here)
===============================================================
A few notes via politicalwire.com and politico.com re Biden’s speech yesterday:
Bill Kristol: “I’m cheered up by all the Republicans complaining Biden’s speech was partisan and conservatives whining it was divisive. They must be worried the speech was effective. And that it suggests an effective model going forward.”
Susan Glasser: “It was a powerful speech, an angry speech. A necessary speech. It was also a speech that Biden wanted very much not to deliver. Because doing so meant acknowledging that, although Trump may be out of office, Trump and Trumpism have not been banished but live on as the dominating, unpleasant reality of American political life, a year after his appalling refusal to accept the election results should have exiled him forevermore from the public space.”
Laurence Tribe: “Equal to anything that JFK did or anything that Obama did.”
Jim Clyburn: “The president demonstrated today that we are going to be more forceful going forward than we have been in the past. This speech today could very well be the turning point in what I think is going to be a big surprise for a lot of people come November. . . What they are doing is proper; it remains to be seen as to whether or not it's adequate. . . If they continue that into not just Georgia, but Florida, go to Texas, go to North Carolina, go to these places where people think they have free rein [to restrict access to the ballot] . . I think that we'll see an excited base.”
*********************************************
How This Covid Wave Is Different [From Washington Post]:
“The number of Americans hospitalized with covid-19 reached more than 126,000 this week — the highest level in a year. But this wave of the pandemic looks different from what came before, with dueling variants on the move. This time, a majority of patients counted as covid cases in some hospitals were initially admitted for other reasons, their covid infections discovered incidentally.”
=========================
Cartoon re Jan. 6th & GOP [Click]
NASA will provide live coverage and host a media briefing Saturday, Jan. 8, for the conclusion of the James Webb Space Telescope’s major spacecraft deployments.
ReplyDeleteBeginning no earlier than 9 a.m. EST, NASA will air live coverage of the final hours of Webb’s major deployments. After the live broadcast concludes, at approximately 1:30 p.m., NASA will hold a media briefing. Both the broadcast and media briefing will air live on NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
Just saw that, Alan. OOPSY! Remedied!!
ReplyDelete