Saturday Open Thread - 12/7/24: Odds and Ends
Greetings, friends!
It finally got cold here. Brrrr! I sit outside and watch the birds all the time. This cold ass (literally) situation reminded me of a song I heard in my youth:(apologies ahead of time-couldn't resist)
Georgia is in turmoil. Another color revolution. I loved visiting that country. I made friends, enjoyed hearing their world views, enjoyed their hospitality. It just breaks my heart to know how they are on the brink of disaster. Can't think of any music I can identify as native Georgian, so this song from my youth will have to serve the purpose:(I can't listen to it without tearing up. I remember my life in detail in 1960, remember Ray Charles)
In Texas, a presiding judge can appoint an amicus attorney to made an investigation and file a report on where a child in a custody battle should be placed. Unless there is a jury trial, when the judge makes a custody ruling based on the report, it can withstand an appeal 98% of the time.
Easy peasy!
The judge normally appoints an attorney experienced in family law and who has kids. The obvious impression is that the amicus has personal knowledge of the task of parenting, and which parent can best attend to the best interests of the child.
In my current case, the amicus has a young son serving a long (I think 30 years)prison term for continuous sexual assaults of children. She didn't see it, obviously.
It gets better. The Judge is a true family man with a concern about children. His son is serving a 25 year prison term for manslaughter.
I am not on the amicus appointment list because I do not have children. I have Saturdays available, too, whereas they are at prisons visiting their sons.
Sometimes having a parent in power can backfire, except for Hunter.
It is exciting (not) that we have a war going on this week that wasn't going on last week...Syria. Will there even be a Syria next week? Opinionators are all over the place. We will have to wait and see just how far we will go into this for Israel. Do you get the feeling that the whole purpose of The United States is to do whatever is in the best interest of Israel? We have the responsibility, but no real say, no real control. Like raising a rotten kid.
Well, I have a weekend with rains and thundershowers, which is fine, as I ain't going nowhere.
How about y'all? We all want to know!
You might be feeding goats. Well, we don't all have goats, just might like to know what that is like. We don't all have the same gardens, yards, fences, and just may want a good recipe for a casserole.
This is an open thread, open to ideas, experiences, knowledge, and inquiries.
So, good people, let 'er rip!
Comments
Good morning, friends!
First they came after the health insurance crooks, next they came after...doctors?
These are strange times, and a change is gonna come.
I hope we will have more news about the murder of Mr. United Health Care today.
Meanwhile, enjoy your weekend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning OtC & good people
Anthem pauses anesthesia coverage changes.
Health Insurance companies hiding CEO info.
Link
Let the Hide and Seek Games begin!
So, the sobs are suddenly sort of scared to be murderers? Too.F'king. Bad. Let them enjoy their blood soaked riches in a damn bunker.
Looking at this from the perspective of a criminal trial, a jury nullification is not to be overlooked as a possible outcome.
Anesthesia changes is the antithesis of anesthesia requirements.
Is anybody too poor to pay for it game to undergo heart surgery anticipating awakening to feel how sharp the scalpels are? Hey, maybe they could tell the surgeon, "Don't forget to remove the forceps!" (I have had at least 3 clients be harmed by the forgotten and left behind forceps. It is not as uncommon as you'd think.) Poor people do not deserve painless life, amirite?
Have a great weekend, chica!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning...
A brisk 25F here this AM. I went to town, recycled and went grocerying. I skipped Trade Day cause it was empty. Gas is holding steady at $2.70 for the last month or so.
I think Georgia Dream is holding their own. Once the French President (yes, GA has a French president) is out of office by the end of the month and there isn't encouragement, I look for things to calm down. Most of the protesters are foreigners hired by NGO's to stir up trouble...many from Ukraine... as TPTB try to execute another Maidan. What I find even more egregious is the NATO trained and armed terrorists in Syria.
More from the duran...
(20 min)
Stay warm and have a great weekend! Thanks for the OT.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Maybe the Founders
got one thing right. Presidents must be born in the USA. Remember when Swarzenager was a big guy, talk of him running for prez, a lot of support for amending the US birth requirement? Thank goodness his kids' nanny got knocked up. If her birth control had worked, we might have some guy from some African country get elected! (I kid! I kid! That Obama rumor will never die.)
Thanks for the video! I am getting set up to view it shortly.
Gas prices are holding steady here, too. Not so much food prices, though.
The local grocery store has weekend sales, usually 4 to 6 items. Once in a while, something I buy often goes on sale. I saved $6.22 today buying what I always buy. A beer at Luckenbach is $5, and I always tip $1. You can see how this shopping trip was financially responsible for me for future travel.
I hope Trade's Day was closed due to weather. The locals must love it as much as you do, friend.
Have a great weekend and stay warm!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Medicare Advantage while living in a Medical Desert
I have been dodging calls from the Medicare Advantage people. Must have called me 20 times this week. Thank God signup closes today. People are ditching their Medicare Advantage plans. I kind of looked into it recently. Unbelievably, United Health Care had one of the better plans. I guess they are sticking their regular insurance buyers to sweeten the pot for those who they have to offer something to get them to sign up for Medicare Advantage.
The reason I was looking was that DeSantis threw me off state Medicaid, so now I have to pay that $175.00 out of my check every month. I still would rather pay for it then wait around for someone to decide if I need some treatment. He's getting rid of all Medicaid, except for the managed care kind.
Sacred Heart sold out to Accession. All of the doctors are making a hasty retreat to better opportunities. Don't blame them. Recently, had to wait over 3 months to see a specialist. If I was to switch to a Medicare Advantage plan, I would probably have to drive to Pensacola, Panama City, or even Tallahassee. Those trips are between 75-100 miles from where I live. And it's going to get worse.
I received at least 100 Med Ad
callers. The lucky ones that called during my client interviews were snapped at and hung up on, but those that called when I had the opportunity to let fly with the fu's got hit with the rapidity of machine gun bullets.
I live in a remote area that is not on any main thoroughfare. To get here, you must drive specifically here, as you to not pass through or near it on the way to another town. And yet, I live near Houston. Medical Center. Specialists. Anything and everything is there. People from the globe come to Houston for medical treatment. Consequently, excellent facilities are located on the outskirts of Houston. I am 30 to 50 minutes away from any kind of specialist there is.
Sorry about the medicaid loss. It is near impossible to qualify for it in Texas. It is a sad state of affairs that you and your dr. are not in control of your health care, and this has been the norm for decades. People just didn't see this coming until for most of them, it was too late.
Stay well, and maybe some Florida benefit program directed at retirees will come and you get a benefit from some other direction.
Take care, and make sure your auto is in good running condition, chica!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning otc. I wuz gonna reply to your opening tune
with the same song by one of the Jazz divas, but when I went to find one I kept seeing various versions by Buble' and I figured that if it was that much of a classic I shuld go full classic on ya:
Gotta get to farmer's market, more later.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Happy shoppin el!
I am gonna don 4 layers of clothes, head to the local grocery store, catch a sale on bacon. When in doubt about what to cook, think "bacon".
I must respond to the beautiful and peaceful winter song with my favorite winter song, the one that reminds me of seeing the Kremlin decorated by a row of Napoleon's cannons his army left behind as they fled.
Ah, good times!
Have a great weekend, dear friend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
This should never have been allowed to happen
We can thank Obama for most of the enshitification of healthcare in America. It has also led to hedge funds buying out doctor’s practices and veterinarian clinics and hospitals.
Oh yeah and United is in charge of the government run health plans. Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Obamacare. The amount of fraud in Medicare Advantage is well known and yet it’s allowed to continue because government wants to privatize Medicare!
Recently Obama queried why America has become so divided. Well let’s remember his first act as president was to bail out the banks and let them steal millions of homes. And once he left office the rewards started flowing in to him.
Watch the video.
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
Follow up by Matt Stoller
He goes further into the details of what United are doing.
It takes a village to corrupt the healthcare system
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
A believable CEO
full of honesty and integrity...gag! Judge held stocks in this marvelous corporation that is so full of decency...gag again!
Stoller has always been a solid, well-informed advocate of anti-trust laws.
Thanks for the link, chica!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Obama betrayed his constituency
from the moment he got the nomination, and continues to this day. Talk about a mass murderer...
In a just world and a just country, there would be a much bigger benefit to a country to have a healthy, thriving citizenry. Safety, security, economic progress and stability...
Anyway, that 4 minutes of truth was well worth the time. Let's hope everyone on the site can spare the time for the education about how we are sick and dying all day, everyday.
Keep my client warm, missy! Oh, and yourself, too...Lol!
It is raining and cold here. I am pulling the long johns off of the shelf. Must keep my ass warm!
Have fun this weekend, chica!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
The situation in Syria is looking pretty bleak!
I fear Syria is going the way of Lebanon.
Too much oil and wheat to allow the Syrians to have what is theirs.
I seem to recall the spokesperson at the DoD who advocates freezing and starvation just might be advocating a genocide. Ok, visiting several concentration camps and specifically learning about the various methods of starving and freezing people to death, seeing the actual cells, the filthy food troughs, the torture cells with freezing water pools and plumbing connections...I am overly sensitive, I suppose.
Thanks for the Xs, humphrey, as always, friend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
In principle I am in favor of an individual's right to invoke
euthanasia in order to avoid unbearable suffering.
But this is a step too far!
The only incentive afforded by euthanasia
should be to avoid the last days of intense suffering from a condition from which there is no chance of recovery.
Unless things change significantly in GB, I will never set foot there again, will never spend a single euro there.
It would be my luck to state a "wrong" opinion and wind up in prison anyway. I have other things to worry about. I will pass on that crappy country.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I wanted to post this song
It's an enka song in Japanese from the 50s, conveniently translated to Korean in the subs. It's a simple love song, so I don't even have to use the naver dictionary (which is a pain in the butt, because I have to type my pin each time, don't know how to change that). It's about a young person apparently separated from their true love. Left along in a remote village, pining for their love. She asks the moon, "sir moon, tonight...?" if he has any news on the missing partner he can convey. Aki has a lovely voice. The original singer is 藤島桓夫 Takeo Fujishima 1957.
12 hours ago, in Yeoido the island in the Seoul metropole, where the National Assembly is located, all the major thoroughfares were occupied by demonstrators against the Yoon administration and the ruling PPP conservative minority party. They have occupied 10 or more kilometers of major roadways. One source gave an estimate of 2 million people. I don't know if its that many, but its multiple times larger than a demo by nurses I saw there maybe a year ago, that was estimated at 100 thousand. So I'm thinking it could be as much as one million.
I saw another large daytime demo at Gwangwhamun of Yoon supporters in the daytime earlier also, that was probably in the tens of thousands waving US and South Korean flags. They were calling Lee Jae-myung and the legislative majority traitors, dictators and the like.
OTC thanks for the open thread.
語必忠信 行必正直
Thanks for the beautiful song
and Korean news.
It is hard to keep upo with everything going on there.
I am pretty shocked Yoon has so many supporters, and that any S. Korean with a functioning brain can wave a US flag.
What a world, friend. What a crazy world.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Been below freezing every night
for a week now, but warming up into the 40s. Mid 50s daytime temps. Holding off mounting my studded tires.
Still have not gotten my heater fixed because the blower comes from back east somewhere. Burned through 7 wheelbarrow loads of firewood since last Sunday. But the house is warm.
I wrote about planting leftover Anasazi beans from New Mexico back in 2022 to see if they would grow and produce after being in the cupboard for 10 years.
Well, they did, and we harvested a coffee can full of them and put them in the cupboard that fall.
Tomorrow I'm going to cook some with another ham hock and some marinated pork al pastor. Don't know exactly what I'll add to it, but red and green pepper along with some Walla Walla onions will start it out.
Inventing here.
I'm shooting for something between a soup and chili.
Welp, fog is rolling in so I'd better go load another wheelbarrow.
Thanks for the OT.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
With all the bad news out there it is time for a chuckle.
Good one!
Ok, I appreciate crude political humor...
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Another chuckle
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
Lol!
We don't, but then, we're not cats!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Yeah but wouldn’t you like to know what they are?
They roll over in tandem.
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
This is not a joke rather it is business as usual.
WTF?
Maybe we aren't so sure about the success of our terrorists wiping out Syria.
I wish I had a decent place to ex-pat. With my luck, I get there, and my money isn't good, my SS stops arriving, and the CIA brings in a coup.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Democracy dies in darkness
.
Simplicius has a great essay on election shenanigans everywhere
The Romania winner was deemed to only have won because Russia and Tic Tok. The current president vows to stay on until a new election elects the correct president. His term expires on 12/21 and the next in line is supposed to take over. This is okay because the guy who won didn’t want NATO to build a bigger base in order to fight Russia.
Georgia is trying really hard to create another Maiden. So far we haven’t appointed a new president for Venezuela like we did with Guido….
Lots more examples of US election interference…but shitlibs still think that only Russia Russia Russia is bad.
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
This is unbelievable
This is text from an MBC news (South Korea) youtube uploaded within the last hour.
책임총리 위헌적 발상”..“윤석열 내란, 한동훈·한덕수 2차 내란으로 확장” -
(“Unconstitutional idea of the Prime Minister in charge”.. “Yoon Seok-yeol’s rebellion expands into Han Dong-hoon and Han Deok-soo’s second rebellion”
Back in the old dynasty days, if the King died before the crown prince was of age to rule, in other words as a minor he was incompetent to rule, a regent would be appointed ostensibly to guide and advise the new underage king. But in fact, the regent would effectively run the government. It may be the young king's uncle (a prince) or grandmother ( the dowager queen). There is absolutely no pecedent for this in the current Korean constitution as far as I know. Han Duck-soo and Han Dong-hun seem to have created this artifice to preserve the minority ruling party's effective control of the administration of government. Elsewhere, in this or another recent MBC broadcast I heard Han say that this is being done to prevent "paralysis" of the South Korean government. This is one of the reasons given for Yoon's martial law announcement which had no basis in any emergency fitting the requirements of the constitution. It was his consistent refusal to negotiate and his party's refusal to compromise on any issue with the opposition majority party that "paralyzed the government." So what is this a co-regency? If the impeachment had been approved, Yoon would have been immediately suspended and a trial date set for his impeachment trial by the Constitutional Court. There would be no uncertainty who the chief executive of the government would be, it would be Han Duck-soo as provided by the constitution. So Yoon isn't getting impeached due to Han's dissimulation, the leader of the government is unclear because Yoon hasn't resigned, and is still in office. WTF? I'd like to hear any cogent explanation of how this makes any sense.
Meanwhile, the PPP party leader on the floor of the assembly who lead the PPP boycott of the impeachment vote, resigned his party leadership position. He also tried to obstruct, the vote against martial law by his actions, and is therefore suspected of either conspiracy to overthrow the republic along with Yoon, the Defense Minister and others, or at least aiding and abetting the attempted coup d'etat.
The defense minister is under arrest. It is yet to be decided if he will be jailed pretrial. There are reports that he changed his handphone which was seized, and also that he had destroyed some other material records. Frankly, the former defense minister's trial may just be for show. I can't take any of these remedial measures in lieu of impeachment seriously. Han Dong-hun simply is not trustworthy. As Yoon's dupe for decades who could possibly have any faith in his words?
There is no legal authority for what Han Dong-hun and the prime minister is doing. They're just making it up as they go along to buy time. They are looking for an eventual Lee Jae-myung final conviction to disqualify him from office or running for president after Yoon leaves office.
Prevent confusion? They've obviously concluded Yoon is unfit to rule and dangerous, but he's still in office, but they say he can't do anything, they're running things. Who's in charge? Who's the commander in chief of the armed forces now? Legally, it's still Yoon. This is important because the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of the ROK Armed Forces reported that the former Defense Minister now under arrest for the coup attempt, told him last week to attack the source of any further launches of the so called "garbage balloons" from North Korea. This could have resulted in armed conflict. The Chief of Staff refused to execute such a policy. Fortunately, no such balloon flights have been carried out this month.
語必忠信 行必正直
William Gallo from VOA Korea has noticed this situation
One wrinkle that I didn't notice in my own evaluation above that is pointed out by Kim Min-seok, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party: "Han Dong-hoon and Han Deok-soo have no constitutional or legal authority" As a likely participant in the martial law/coup d'etat attempt, the prime minister as a suspected plotter in the unconstitutional scheme cannot succeed to the position of executive power as acting president.
So who's in charge of South Korea now? Good question.
語必忠信 行必正直
Same as Ukraine,
same as US insofar as who is in control.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
The US has always been in charge, hasn't it?
Carry a burning candle and share the light.
.
The US lost "control" of events in SK in 2017
They regained "control" only when Yoon was elected.
I do believe that Han Dong-hun is acting as their proxy here. I've pointed out a couple of the tells in previous posts. The most revealing was his meeting with US Amb. Goldberg, in which the translator attempted to misrepresent the prior relationship between Han and Goldberg. John Linton was there. The "white Korean missionary doctor" has a presence in the inner council of the PPP and the legislature. He always seems to be there on the inside when the pivotal events are happening. It was disclosed that Linton was Goldberg's "doctor."
I have mentioned Han's trip to the US just after Yoon was elected, where his itinerary was unclear. His wife works for the most powerful law firm in S.Korea. They represent the largest US corporate clients.
Goldberg also made a call presuming to advise the Speaker of the National Assembly amidst the tumultuous events surrounding the military coup. They are obviously trying to "control" events, but no one can be said to control events when hundreds of thousands of people are in the streets and the chain of command in the police and military are breaking down.
edit: typos; added the Goldberg's doctor comment.
語必忠信 行必正直
Thanks for clarifying.
Carry a burning candle and share the light.
.
News
I drop in this link for the news about the fall of the Syrian government but do not wish for anyone to take the reasons for it in this very slanted, biased article.
The truth is, the rebels won, Basshir is somewhere.
Syria is the new Lebanon.
https://apnews.com/article/syria-assad-sweida-daraa-homs-hts-qatar-7f658...
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981