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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… makes me wish i had hoarded more linguine

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

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This blog goes to 11…

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Naturally gregarious and alpha

Nevertheless, she persisted.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

We still have time to mess this up!

This is how realignments happen…

I can’t take this shit today. I just can’t.

Fuck if i know. i just get yelled at when i try it.

Too inconsequential to be sued

I don’t care how fun he is after a few whiskies. fuck that guy.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Four legs? good! two legs? we’re not so sure…

Yes we did.

Saul Alinsky is my co-pilot.

No one could have predicted…

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

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Han shot first.

I really should read my own blog.

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Open Thread: Obama Museum and Selma Anniversary

by TaMara (HFG)|  March 7, 202112:39 pm| 24 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Open Thread: Obama Museum

 

You are America. Unconstrained by habit and convention. Unencumbered by what is, ready to seize what ought to be. For everywhere in this country, there are first steps to be taken, there is new ground to cover, there are more bridges to be crossed. America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.’ That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.

PRESIDENT OBAMA, 2015

 

I thought on this Selma anniversary, it was good to hear from Pres. Obama.

Near-fatal beating of John Lewis, Bloody Sunday, Selma, today 1965: pic.twitter.com/rbyZYit0QI

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) March 7, 2021

show full post on front page

The legacy of Selma is that while nothing can stop free people from exercising their most sacred power as citizens, there are those who will do anything they can to take that power away. As we reflect on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, we must stay focused on the work ahead. pic.twitter.com/DDn1LFfqmi

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 7, 2021

History is not forgotten. 56 years after #BloodySunday, we are still marching in Selma to fight for our voting rights. Let us honor the memory of John Lewis and those who marched alongside him. Congress – let’s pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. #Selma56 pic.twitter.com/cKbC5LIg7K

— Martin Luther King III (@OfficialMLK3) March 7, 2021

Open thread

 

 

Open Thread: Obama Museum and Selma AnniversaryPost + Comments (24)

Yesterday Was a Pretty Big Day

by John Cole|  March 7, 202111:13 am| 221 Comments

This post is in: Proud to Be A Democrat

The Covid Relief bill, which as many of you have already noted, is a pretty big fucking deal, has a lot of good stuff that will help a lot of people. I think the part that excites me the most is the billions spent to expand and facilitate covid testing and distribution of the vaccine, as well as help development of a new vaccine.

The other part that strikes me as game changing is the child tax credit:

The package makes a significant change to the social safety net through the tax code that could have an impact on child poverty rates and potentially form a pillar of Mr. Biden’s economic legacy. The plan would raise the $2,000 Child Tax Credit to $3,000, set the credit at $3,600 for parents of children under age 6 and make parents of 17-year-olds eligible. It would also make the credit fully refundable, so low-income households would get the full benefit, no matter how little they earn. For a household with a 4-year-old and 7-year-old that doesn’t earn enough to pay income taxes, the plan would boost their maximum child tax credit to $6,600 from $2,800.

The proposal would also authorize periodic payments, so that the credit becomes a near-universal child allowance like those in some other countries instead of part of a lump-sum tax refund.

While the package would make the child tax-credit changes only for one year, it is broadly expected that Democrats will seek to make them permanent in the future.

Again, game changing. This will help lift so many kids out of poverty.

Yesterday Was a Pretty Big DayPost + Comments (221)

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Snippets

by Anne Laurie|  March 7, 20215:55 am| 71 Comments

This post is in: Garden Chats

The gardener’s guide to Lenten rose https://t.co/X9dBbIiiYq

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 1, 2021

I seem to remember there are hellebore fans among us…

Low tech ‘farming’:

Turns out the relatively rare fungi can be cultivated and grown outside of its natural habitat after all. https://t.co/uvd3FbAOzI

— Food & Wine (@foodandwine) February 19, 2021

High tech ditto:

Indoor farms, which use vertical growing technology, artificial light, temperature control and minimal soil to grow plants, is gaining ground and investors https://t.co/AOGfmcWefo pic.twitter.com/42aOTReHCI

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 20, 2021

(You guys want pretty pics on Sunday morning? Send me some!)

***********
I broke down & placed my annual order with my favorite heirloom tomato grower in California. The already expensive shipping costs have just about doubled — priority mail is no longer reliable for live plants, so Laurel’s using express shipping exclusively. Decided it was still worth it to me (where else am I gonna find great varieties like Chocolate Stripes, Ruby Gold, or Tati’s Wedding?), but now I feel like Louis deJoy personally owes me money, the sumbich!

Still in the 30s here north of Boston, but the temps are supposed to climb into the 50s this week, so I’m planning to drag the three potted roses and Spousal Unit’s half-dozen planters of autumn-acquired dwarf irises out of the garage into the side yard. Meaning, no doubt, there will be at least one more snowstorm before the end of March…

What’s going on in your garden (planning / prep / indoors), this week?

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: SnippetsPost + Comments (71)

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, March 6-7

by Anne Laurie|  March 7, 20215:11 am| 20 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs

NEW: 2.9 million vaccines reported administered today, 20% above the last record.

Gratitude for all the vaccinators, volunteers, doctors, pharmacists, couriers, manufacturers, civil servants, and soldiers who are working together on this effort.

— Andy Slavitt (@aslavitt46) March 6, 2021

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The US administered a record 2.9 million vaccine shots today, bringing the total to 87.9 million, or 26.5 doses per 100 people. The 7-day moving average rose to 2.16 million shots per day. 17.3% of Americans have received at least one shot; 9.0% are now fully vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/BOLFSfrKYy

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) March 7, 2021

The US had +58,228 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total to over 29.6 million. The 7-day moving average fell to below 62,000 new cases per day, its lowest level since October 19. pic.twitter.com/kgBaTEAEMs

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) March 7, 2021

One year ago today was when we learned for sure that the federal government response to coronavirus would be a disaster https://t.co/JgVRFTjSKv

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 6, 2021

======

WHO head pushes for waiver of some intellectual property rights to coronavirus vaccines, in bid to broaden access https://t.co/HWYiQyhpr7

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 5, 2021

China says it's ready to provide vaccines to overseas Chinese, Olympians https://t.co/Lhhft0yVEJ pic.twitter.com/gwypreQFR4

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 7, 2021

Nine of Russia's 85 regions are still waiting on the Sputnik V jab nearly two months into the country's nationwide vaccination campaign, President Vladimir Putin said Thursdayhttps://t.co/WW1jaLb3NR

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) March 7, 2021

Fast-spreading mutant versions of the coronavirus are powering another uptick in infections in Europe. Among the hard-hit places is the Milan suburb of Bollate, where the virus swept through a nursery school and an adjacent elementary school. https://t.co/DSDx0KxQz5

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 6, 2021

France reports more than 23,300 new covid cases https://t.co/SR1EK7Rhna pic.twitter.com/UCzMdsgpdh

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 6, 2021

NHS England invites people aged 56 to 59 to book COVID-19 vaccinations in coming week https://t.co/andxshJx13 pic.twitter.com/Yi64I3yCbn

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 7, 2021

No jab, no job: As British companies move to mandate coronavirus vaccines for employees, discrimination fears mount https://t.co/ZQsCOQh6o1

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 6, 2021

Researchers in #Brazil found 2 patients that are infected with a mix of 2 variant #SARSCoV2 strains. Both indivs are recovering. It raises serious concern about viruses mixing, swapping genetic material, inside of human bodies. This happens w/#HIV & #flu.https://t.co/T54XAzBtLM

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) March 6, 2021

======

In Oregon, scientists find a virus Variant with a worrying mutation. In a single sample, geneticists discovered a version of the #coronavirus first identified in Britain w/ a mutation originally reported in South Africa https://t.co/IG0VuN6fi5

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) March 7, 2021

Scientists in Oregon have spotted a homegrown version of a fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus that first surfaced in Britain — but now combined with a mutation that may make the variant less susceptible to vaccines.

The researchers have so far found just a single case of this formidable combination, but genetic analysis suggested that the variant had been acquired in the community and did not arise in the patient.

“We didn’t import this from elsewhere in the world — it occurred spontaneously,” said Brian O’Roak, a geneticist at Oregon Health and Science University who led the work. He and his colleagues participate in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s effort to track variants, and they have deposited their results in databases shared by scientists…

No one who received the J&J vaccine was hospitalized or died of coronavirus during the period of 28 days post vaccination, according to the company's clinical trial.

Effectiveness against severe disease increased over time — to more than 90%.https://t.co/i6f1E4Q3yQ

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 7, 2021

Altimmune, a Maryland biotech company, has launched a 180-person clinical trial of its intranasal vaccine, called AdCOVID. Scientists are testing what side effects it might prompt & what levels of antibodies & T-cells it triggers. Altimmune already produces an intranasal flu vax https://t.co/bhXMe6VI4J pic.twitter.com/A0siaDsVeE

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) March 6, 2021

To prevent pandemics & protect biodiversity, it's time to combat wildlife crime. The growing prevalence of zoonotic diseases, not to mention the current pandemic, make tackling the illicit trade in wild animals a top global priority https://t.co/EPpQ9diuXz

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) March 6, 2021

The question used to be whether Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is effective. That answer is yes. Now the question is whether Russia can keep up with the worldwide demand for it. https://t.co/FpGZmX80Tg

— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) March 7, 2021

"Despite having world-leading genome sequencing infrastructure & more #COVID19 infections than any other country, US lagged far behind in sequencing genomes
& spotting worrisome variants."
But now labs are finding new variants, in CA, NY, Louisiana etc.https://t.co/wpBbhlsSmc

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) March 6, 2021

======

Older Americans who can spend hours online to sign up for COVID-19 vaccine or have relatives to help them navigate the system are the fortunate ones. Health officials are worried about an untold number of isolated seniors who aren't getting vaccinated. https://t.co/BlhB2nxgow

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 4, 2021

“Pharmacy deserts”: Getting a COVID-19 vaccine has been a challenge for residents of rural U.S. counties without a pharmacy or a well-equipped clinic. More than 400 rural counties lack a pharmacy partnering with the government to administer vaccines. https://t.co/MIyC50z3Fo

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 6, 2021

After days of halting statements about vaccine morality, multiple Catholic leaders call the shots urgent, important https://t.co/rkkxdxpQkT

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 6, 2021

Your employer can ask whether you’ve received the coronavirus vaccine — and even require it https://t.co/niFqyJcWxO

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 6, 2021

At Yankee Stadium, New Yorkers are waiting for vaccines in the middle of the night — and happy about it https://t.co/dAikmtPV9l

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 6, 2021

Vroom, Vroom, Cough? The pandemic is cutting attendance at Daytona Beach, Florida's annual Bike Week. Still, up to 400,000 are expected. The city has imposed limits on bars' indoor capacity, but mask wearing is rare. https://t.co/UqXvtAuCIF

— AP South U.S. Region (@APSouthRegion) March 6, 2021

The Iditarod starts Sunday, but this year's edition will see a lot changes because of the pandemic. The race will be shorter and the finish line won't be in Nome. Instead, mushers will go to the ghost town of Iditarod and loop back to the Anchorage area. https://t.co/A2ajbAYHzl

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 6, 2021

California to open outdoor attractions in April https://t.co/jGVJ0K5aIg

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 6, 2021

Ritualized mask burning in Boise wins this week’s award for acts of symbolic stupidity. pic.twitter.com/jCbXS6U3uv

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) March 6, 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Saturday/Sunday, March 6-7Post + Comments (20)

Late Night Open Thread: Fake Outrage Is *All* The GOP Has Left

by Anne Laurie|  March 7, 202112:42 am| 100 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Popular Culture, Republican Stupidity

Late Night Open Thread:  Fake Outrage Is *All* The GOP Has Left

(Drew Sheneman via GoComics.com)

Republicans have spent the past week complaining about their plastic potatoes not having secondary sexual characteristics and defending honor of evolutionary dead ends while Democrats argue how to best give Americans 2 trillion dollars, but its Democrats who are bad at politics.

— Tentin Quarantino (@agraybee) March 5, 2021

show full post on front page

Qanon is the future of the party. The whole big money wing has faded into nothing. Even the evangelicals are only relevant insofar as they get on board with the nutbags.

— Tentin Quarantino (@agraybee) March 5, 2021

Funnily enough, I’ve been looking for — and failing to find — ‘jokes’ about Gender Neutral Barbie. Mattel actually brought out a line of multi-ethnic ‘Creatable World’ choose-your-own-presentation dolls, back in 2019, and I don’t remember one jeremiad about how seeing ‘she-male’ dolls at WalMart or Target was yet another sign of the fall of the American empire. Either toys in the girls’ aisles weren’t important enough to get upset over, or (my personal suspicion) the usual Wingnut Wurlitzer subjects didn’t feel the need for a Kulturkampf campaign right at that moment…

Late Night Open Thread:  Fake Outrage Is *All* The GOP Has Left 1

Late Night Open Thread: Fake Outrage Is *All* The GOP Has LeftPost + Comments (100)

Open Thread: Bad Guys

by WaterGirl|  March 6, 20218:30 pm| 245 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Popular Culture

I am catching up on Black Lightning this evening, and I thought – not for the first time – that Tobias Whale is the creepiest bad guy that I have ever seen in a film or TV show.

Professor Moriarty in the TV show Elementary also creeped me out, though I don’t exactly know why.

Who would you name as your best/worst bad guys in film or TV?

Totally open thread.

Update:  Sort of related…  (has to do with TV) I am finishing Season1 of Crossing Lines, which I paid for on Amazon Prime, and I have Season 3 recording on Tivo, but I cannot find Season 2 streaming anywhere.  This show keeps me engrossed while I am walking on the treadmill, so I would really like to find Season 2!

In the meantime, I just downloaded Season 1 of Bosch for when I finish the final 2 episodes of Crossing Lines, Season 1.

Open Thread: Bad GuysPost + Comments (245)

Saturday Evening Open Thread: A Big Biden Deal, Indeed

by Anne Laurie|  March 6, 20217:29 pm| 69 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat

Great job by the Democrats. There was agita about the composition of the bill. But Dems went big, and—this is crucial—it seems nearly devoid of useless payouts to GOP constituencies; almost every dollar is about COVID, helping people who need help, & ramping up the economy

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) March 6, 2021

From the Washington Post, official paper of the company town where the monopoly industry is politics, “Biden stimulus showers money on Americans, sharply cutting poverty in defining move of presidency”:

President Biden’s stimulus package, which passed the Senate on Saturday, represents one of the most generous expansions of aid to the poor in recent history, while also showering thousands or, in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars on Americans families navigating the coronavirus pandemic.

The roughly $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which only Democrats supported, spends most of the money on low-income and middle-class Americans and state and local governments, with very little funding going toward companies. The plan is one of the largest federal responses to a downturn Congress has enacted and economists estimate it will boost growth this year to the highest level in decades and reduce the number of Americans living in poverty by a third.

This round of aid enjoys wide support across the country, polls show, and it is likely to be felt quickly by low- and moderate-income Americans who stand to receive not just larger checks than before, but money from expanded tax credits, particularly geared toward parents; enhanced unemployment; rental assistance; food aid and health insurance subsidies…

The total numbers are staggering. Cumulatively, the government will hand out $2.2 trillion to workers and families between the relief passed last year and this latest bill, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan group. That’s equivalent to what the government spends annually on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid combined…

The Democratic stimulus package also provides significant funding for vaccine distribution and state and local governments. Business and health leaders say getting most Americans vaccinated is key to the economic recovery. But most of the attention on the bill has focused on its overall price tag and the payments that are set to go to about 150 million American households.

The latest stimulus will reduce poverty by a third, lifting nearly 13 million Americans out of it, according to an analysis by Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy. Black Americans, Hispanic Americans and poor families with children are set to benefit the most. Child poverty would be reduced by more than half, the researchers predict…

show full post on front page

BREAKING: Senate Dems pass Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus

Biggest provisions:

— $1,400 checks per adult & kid
— Unemployment @ $300 thru Sept. 6
— $350 billion for cities, states, tribes
— $3K/yr per kid 6-17, $3,600 kids 0-6
— $170B for schools
— $100B public health

— Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) March 6, 2021

Biden with a fairly overt contrast in his remarks on the Senate passage of the Covid bill: “When I was elected, I said I was going to get the government out of the business of battling on Twitter and back in the business of governing for the people.”

— Sam Stein (@samstein) March 6, 2021

A lot had to fall in place to enable the $1.9T price tag but this was a crucial moment: January 9, 2021 — Joe Biden made the case that deficits don’t matter right now and Dems must go big. It changed the frame of the debate.https://t.co/oooXwAKQ3K

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 6, 2021

This is also really important. And it’s worth remembering back to CARES that eligibility expanded significantly. A lot of gig workers & people who haven’t earned much or worked many weeks are getting UI they wouldn’t have were it not for this change https://t.co/zJlyGlqh86

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) March 6, 2021

Honestly, that puts (or better, keeps) money in pockets now. Not doing it means most people, when faced with a big bill next month, would be sure Biden raised taxes.

— Malaclypse (@Mal_A_Clypse) March 6, 2021

Saturday Evening Open Thread: A Big Biden Deal, IndeedPost + Comments (69)

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