I didn’t get around to the house update on Friday, so here is a quick mini update on the kitchen. We got the walls up and the room painted, and the counters are in:
The kitchen might be done in the next week!
by John Cole| 94 Comments
This post is in: John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House"
I didn’t get around to the house update on Friday, so here is a quick mini update on the kitchen. We got the walls up and the room painted, and the counters are in:
The kitchen might be done in the next week!
This post is in: Don't Mourn, Organize, Energy Policy, Daydream Believers, Fuck Yeah!
BREAKING: Army Corps halts Dakota Access Pipeline work, tells Standing Rock the current route for the pipeline will be denied.
— Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) December 4, 2016
Goddess, I hope this isn’t another lie from “our” government…
The secretary of the Army Corps of Engineers has told Standing Rock Sioux Chairman David Archambault that the current route for the Dakota Access pipeline will be denied.
The proposed route led to a protest encampment by the Standing Rock Sioux and other activists.
The 1,172-mile pipeline is nearly complete except for a small section beneath a Missouri River reservoir near the encampment, which is about 50 miles south of Bismarck.
Archambault cheered the decision in a statement Sunday.
“I am thankful there were some leaders in the feral government that realized something was not right even though its legal,” he said. “For the first time in hisopry native American, they heard our voices. This is something that will go down in history and is a blessing for all indigenous people.
I heard the army corp of engineers will not grant the easement and they will reroute.
I would say that it is over.”…
Story’s been picked up by the AP / Washington Post.
ETA:
Today's @usarmy announcement underscores that tribal rights are essential components to analysis of #DAPL going forward.SJ pic.twitter.com/2VAiubBTLL
— Sally Jewell (@SecretaryJewell) December 4, 2016
This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Hail to the Hairpiece, Open Threads, Republican Venality, Trump Crime Cartel, Assholes
Who throws a costume party in December anyway, other than in Eyes Wide Shut? https://t.co/oHJN3LFM81
— Schooley (@Rschooley) December 4, 2016
Somewhere Jay Gatsby is going, “Ugh, tacky. ” But not Politico! “Trump attends donor’s ‘Villains and Heroes’ party — as himself”:
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday night attended a lavish costume party on Long Island hosted by his biggest donors, the Mercer family…
According to a Saturday evening pool report, Trump’s motorcade arrived at the party at 8:35 p.m. As Trump entered, dressed in a dark suit, overcoat and tie, he was asked who he was dressed as. Pointing at himself, the president-elect mouthed the word “Me.” Neither his wife, Melania Trump, nor Trump’s children attended. Top aide Steve Bannon and former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway attended, with Conway dressed as Super Woman, according to the pool report…
Although Trump during the campaign decried the influence of big donors, the Mercer family played a major role in his campaign and has wielded vast influence in his transition.
The family patriarch, hedge fund tycoon Robert Mercer, donated $2 million to a pro-Trump super PAC that came to be run by his daughter Rebekah Mercer, who controls the family’s political operations.
Rebekah Mercer played a pivotal role in persuading Trump to bring on three close allies of hers to run the campaign — incoming White House senior counselor Bannon and top campaign officials Conway and David Bossie…
The Mercers have hosted the party at their estate on Long Island’s North Shore around the holidays in each of the past several years.
It’s become an increasingly hot ticket as the Mercers have become bigger players in conservative politics.
Robert Mercer and his youngest daughter, Heather Sue Mercer, are competitive poker players, and past years’ parties have featured blackjack and poker tables. The Mercers supply chips — free of charge — that can be redeemed at the end of the night for lavish prizes such as gold Rolexes, according to people who have attended.
Staff and security at the event were dressed as Hell’s Angels and retro Salvation Army members, according to the pool report.
So, I guess this was a sort of coming-out party for Rebekah Mercer, as the new generation of bloated plutocrat parasitizing our commonwealth.
Maybe the best outcome the rest of us can hope for is that Ms. “But She’s the Smart One” comes to blows with “Daddy’s Little Princess” before the Trump Kakistocracy can embed itself too deeply in the national hide. Because I suspect those two have as many issues to work out as their more-famous-for-now daddies…
1. Remember this photo, demonstrating Trump's contempt for ethics and democracy? https://t.co/8TxnnE1Oip pic.twitter.com/Lq2h20IA3k
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) December 4, 2016
4. The Japanese retail giant Ivanka wants to do business with is OWNED by the Japanese government https://t.co/wNTKf5qvLC pic.twitter.com/gY4Unn4CLn
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) December 4, 2016
Open Thread: Masque of the Red(state) DeathPost + Comments (50)
by TaMara| 178 Comments
This post is in: Authors In Our Midst, Writing Group
Welcome.
To get things started, I’m going to propose two topics, but don’t feel you need to stick to them, I just wanted to give us a place to begin.
jacy provided a great suggestion in the last writers post. With your first comment, introduce yourself, tell us a bit about what you’re writing, what experience you have and what you’re interested in. And remember my golden rules: kind, supportive and informative comments only, leave your snarky, critical, discouraging voice for another time and place.
First topic, by popular request: How to begin and how to stay focused. Hillary R has some very helpful advice over at her place and I’m going to start with this piece:
(1) Show it! Often we procrastinate because we’re afraid to show our work to anyone. (“Afraid” is probably putting it lightly—we’re often terrified.) So stop hoarding your work and start showing it. But be judicious: there’s no point in showing to clueless or callous people. Show only to kind supporters who “get” what you’re trying to do.
Start now! Show bits and pieces, or the whole thing. Invite any feedback, or certain kinds of feedback, or no feedback at all. (Tell your audience what you want!) The showing, not the feedback, is the important part.
(2) Finish small stuff. Finishing is a skill you can practice. If you’re a fiction writer, write anecdotes and vignettes. (Bring them to completion, and then show them.) If you write nonfiction, write up (and show) one small point instead of several big ones. If you’re stuck on a complex email, write (and send) several small ones instead. (Here’s how to overcome email overload.)
Click on over to the entire article to read the rest. She’s going to try and stop by to answer questions today. What helpful tricks do you have for starting and staying on your writing task?
Second topic, for those who are farther along, or who have actually published and can offer advice. What to do when it’s time to start the editing process. I’ve spent my life in theatre, film and television, so I understand collaborative art, the whole process is a group effort. But I am stymied when it comes to novels and short stories. How do you go about editing – finding a good editor, incorporating their input in what is a highly personal work, what boundaries to set, etc. So I would love to hear your thoughts and struggles in the editing process.
Okay that’s it, have at it…
FYI, to read all our group posts, just click on the Writing Group tag and it will pop all of them up in a window.
by TaMara| 29 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
When I posted a few days ago that I felt I needed to provide entertainment and distraction, I’m glad you guys took me seriously and sent me some fun things to post! Here are a few submissions:
Bystander sent a cute picture of Buster, who just turned 11:
Our Buster turns 11 on Monday. So we are celebrating with a few salmon roe along with this month’s flea/tick/heartworm treatment. Buster is not a natural for the camera, hence no modeling career. Cheers, bystander
And Laura sent a few cute pix, here are two:
And finally, I saw this yesterday. Swan man to the rescue:
Send me more stuff, I’ll post it. I also received some great recipes, so I’ll put this out there again:
if anyone wants to send me recipes and info on different holiday celebrations, please do. I would love to post about that – include photos!
Open thread.
by John Cole| 83 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
Just winging it:
The Trump administration is seriously thinking about not submitting a budget to Congress next year .
Although the Congressional Budget Act requires the president to submit the fiscal 2018 budget to Congress between January 2 and February 6, Trump could easily say that it was the responsibility of the outgoing Obama administration to comply with the law before the new president was sworn in on January 20.
But while the new president not sending a budget to Congress might not be illegal, it would clearly be unprecedented.
***First, it would allow Trump to avoid the complaints that always come from those the budget proposals would harm by denying them a platform to criticize the White House. No proposals on paper would mean nothing to disparage.
Second, it would allow the White House to avoid having to say how much its taxing and spending proposals will increase the federal deficit and national debt.
Given that many estimates put the likely annual deficit from the Trump campaign plans at $1 trillion or more and that the total increase in the national debt before the 2020 election could easily equal the borrowing during the first 4 years of the Obama administration, the likelihood that this is a major consideration should not be downplayed. Just think of the value of not having to publish a table that for the first time shows those very high numbers, and not having to answer to the House Freedom Caucus.
Third, it would also eliminate the need for the administration to publish a table with the very optimistic GDP growth promised during the campaign, the high interest rates many economists think are coming and Trump’s unrealistic assumptions on jobs and unemployment.
Fourth, it would eliminate the need for the House and Senate to hold hearings on the Trump budget. That would expedite Congress’ consideration of its 2018 budget resolution and the reconciliation process that is widely expected to be used to accelerate the passage of many of Trump’s and the House and Senate GOP’s priorities.
Fifth, although there have been a few rumors about possible directors of the Office of Management and Budget, almost a month after Election Day no one has yet been named. That almost certainly will delay the development of the Trump 2018 budget until almost the summer and the GOP congressional leadership might not want to wait that long to begin its work on the all-important 2018 budget resolution and reconciliation.
Finally, because the White House and Congress will be preoccupied until around the end of March with a budget resolution, reconciliation bill and appropriations for 2017 and a new debt ceiling increase, Trump may not have time for the 2018 budget that would have to be developed at that same time. Given that schedule, plus the fact that it will take some time to get the Trump cabinet and subcabinet confirmed, the White House may think that not submitting a 2018 budget and just working with Congress will be its best chance to be successful.
Of course, the lack of transparency and accountability are very desirable and will facilitate the great looting that is about to take place, but I suspect there is another reason why they won’t submit a budget.
They don’t have anyone or any staff that know how to do it. They never thought they would win. They never thought about these things. And Trump Republicans aren’t numbers people. Their reactionary radicals who think a facebook meme is a thinkpiece. They don’t know how government works, they don’t understand budgets, budgeting, and the legislative process. They just want to destroy things they think liberals like, shit on Democrats and the “elites” and the people who don’t look like them, and generally blow shit up.
What we are going to see is an administration completely disengaged from actual governance, while within the Republican House and Senate individual fiefdoms will handle the money grab. In chaos, the criminals find opportunity (see Richard’s post below). In 20 years if we are still around, we may begin to get a full accounting of how Trump drove the country into financial ruin and how we ended up with the top 1% owning 99.99% of everything while we have two trillion annual deficits but are still all starving.
But that’s if the media hasn’t been banned by then.
This post is in: Open Threads, Politics, Republican Stupidity, Assholes, General Stupidity, Not Normal
A lady wearing a hijab was in front of me in line at the grocery store yesterday, unloading her cart with the help of her two tween girls. While waiting my turn, I scanned the racks of magazines, puzzle books, comics and scandal sheets and saw this:
It occurred to me that we’re entering the Tabloid Era. Trump himself or one of his associates could very well be the source for that story. Some of Trump’s minions have advanced the theory that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the US government and that Huma Abedin was an agent of the Brotherhood somehow.
If I recall correctly, the shitgibbon cited the National Enquirer as a credible news source at some point during the campaign. The Enquirer’s publisher, the aptly named David Pecker, claims Trump as a friend and supposedly axed stories that might have reflected negatively on the shitgibbon, while publishing lurid tales claiming that Hillary Clinton was on death’s doorstep throughout the campaign.
Oh well, I was thinking, standing in that line. We’re a cheap, tacky joke of a country now, mirroring the character of our soon-to-be leader, so why not make the National Enquirer the “paper of record”? It’s not like The New York Times has been using that role to any good purpose anyway.
But my heart ached for the mother and two daughters who unloaded their cart while I waited in line behind them. I was hoping maybe they wouldn’t see the headline. But of course, they see it more clearly than I do. Every single day.