Open Thread - Thurs 10 July 2025: First They Come for the Poor, and Then...?
First They Come for the Poor, and Then...?
As we all know, the Trump administration has been going after universities in the USA with respect to immigrant students, supposed antisemitism, trans-athletes* and wev. One of the tactics the admin is using is cutting funding for all kinds of things that most Americans can benefit from, like cancer research. Some of those universities have been fighting back, with various results.
(from the Times of San Diego article linked below)
It's kind of ironic to me that in the Trump admin's fight against support for trans-athletes*, it went after San Jose State and U Penn. Umm, I went to both of those universities. I wonder if he'll try to go after Newcastle University, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. I went there too. Hah!
Penn gave in, which isn't a surprise. After all, Trump graduated from that University; not that he'll let anyone know how he did there. 
Isn't it funny how I never knew Trump had graduated from Penn when I went there? But, I was doing graduate anthropology and never, ever, paid attention to the business school (Wharton) or anything it did.
Matt Stoller looks at all of this from another angle; on being an American elite (he went to Harvard) and how these attacks on Harvard and other institutions mirror, in a way, the numerous attacks that have been made on the American working and poor which the elite never even know about or acknowledge. It's a good read, if you are interested. It's the first part of his monopoly round-up from a month ago 'The Best and the Brightest Under Pressure'.
* Note: I don't think huge biologically born men should be competing athletically against small biologically born women. I think we should divide competitors up by weight, height, size, age, etc. So, big huge women get to compete against big huge men and tiny men get to compete against tiny women. If someone in a smaller category, like say, 4 ft tall people, wants to compete in a larger category, like 5 ft tall people, then that's ok. But the reverse can't happen, no 5 footers in the 4 footers league. And yea, I know, this is nuts and will never happen!
So, here's the open thread! What's up, whatcha doing? Reading? Thinking? Remember, everything is interesting if you dive deep enough, so tell us about where you're diving!
Comments
Hope you are all having a good Thursday
Or as good as it can be. I am very sad, and I know the rest of you are, about Snoopydawg. I am also happy that Sam is getting a home. OTC rocks!!!
We went from 81F on Tuesday to 65F on Wednesday. Feels like autumn, but it doesn't get dark early enough. It was very cloudy, but no rain, so nothing to lift the drought. Ohh well, gotta water today!
How's everything going with you all? What's up? Whatcha doing?
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Hey, good morning
Have been in countless electrical storms
over the past 70 years, but last night was unique
in my experience. It was the longest thunderous
refrain, lasting almost 2 minutes start to finish.
The spouse said she saw several flashes occurring
pretty much spontaneously, none of which I observed,
as I was facing south and the bomb-like roar was to the north.
Actually enjoy a good lightning storm, but this was extreme in
both volume and duration. Even the walls and floor were shaking.
Imagine a 2 minute sonic boom!
Thanks for posting the OT Sima.
Zionism is a social disease
Coucou QMS, we have had the same in the last two years.
Local Burgundians say they have never had experiences of the kinds of thunderstorms we are getting. They boil up fast and can be very intense: sudden strong wind gusts; buckets of water from small amounts up to two inches and hour according to our Vevor weather station. I also keep an old fashioned manual rain gauge and they usually agree.
As the storm cell is coming we hear continuous thunder then when nearby there is lightening one after another. We live in a stone house and of this I am glad when these things roll in. The last couple of times we had incredibly bright lightening very close followed by thunder in milliseconds which was percussive. We could feel the wave hit.
Storm arriving and aftermath
The link is to our SmugMug gallery on the storm. The third photo is a link to a video of the newest storm to roll in.
I have to really make sure window latches are secure or we get inondation in the house. Horizontal wind driven rain across the corridor and into the living room.
And yes there is me in the back of our car bringing home a most precious new Redbud.
Oh and I want to make sure you have my contact information even though we are far, far away. An email or message sent here?
Thank you for all you do.
If my. video link does not work, let me know.
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.
Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.
Yeah, whatever works for you.
.
have no clue what couscous means
but assume it is French.
The contact list is a two-way street.
You list your screen name (Dawn's Meta), and other contact
information you wish to share with the community. It gets put
into a spreadsheet so others can get ahold of you ( and vice versa )
in case this site goes dark. Maybe best to pm with your info. I then add it
and send you a copy. Best I can manage.
Cheers and Thanks!
Zionism is a social disease
Coucou (like coo koo) is French for hello friend.
Ok I'll pm you my info. In my book this is a lot so thank you again.
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.
Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.
Loved the pics!
Thank you, I loved them. It was great to see your house and place, and how you've done so well with it. Thanks for posting the link, I've bookmarked it
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
That is a crazy electric storm!
We rarely get them here, and certainly never one like that. One of the ones that did happen here (like I said, very rare) sent some lightning that struck our house! Took out the oven and started a fire in the wall and another bolt got the well pump. The fire went out immediately because the rain was so fierce it was blowing huge drops sideways into the wall, phewww. Heh.
Sounds like your lightning was 'funner'!
Albeit not sure the walls and floors shaking would be good. Yikes.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Good morning, sima!
How does one get a BA in any field without reading a book?
$ perhaps? I thought George "Shrub" Bush was as unintelligent and inarticulate as we would ever get in the White House, but I was clearly wrong.
Thanks for the interesting OT, in which I shall delve into more as the day passes.
Have a wonderful day in the cool weather, chica!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Hi OTC, had the same reaction to shrub. But, I did notice
that before his Lyme Disease diagnosis, he could speak in complete sentences and sounded like he understood normal speech and questions. He changed quite a bit. I forgot because I hadn't heard or seen his earlier self for quite awhile.
Thank you for all you are doing regarding Snoopydawg and Sam. People here are more than keyboard acquaintances. We really have become a family. This event highlights that more than anything.
At this point saying who we are to each other is more important than any anonymity we may hope for.
I hope no matter what to participate more often. Gratitude for snoopydawg.
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.
Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.
Thought the same about Bush too...
But never underestimate the depths of stupidity to which we can sink, or something like that. I was one of those kids in school who always had her nose in a book (or was staring at horses or other animals in delight
And yes, I think it's the $ that earned the BA, nothing else. It was weird at Penn, when I was there. More than a few undergraduates were earning degrees with $. But not the graduates. At least, not in a field like anthropology, which has no $ in it!
Spent the day cutting down thistles, brambles, and weeds. FUN! And the sun came out enough that I felt nice and toasty. Hope your day was good too!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Hi Sima, thank you for all the different subject matter you
send our way. And for your deep dives. Life on a homestead is unpredictable and grounding both isn't it.
Every year I learn so much more about how to garden, how to cook, how to keep a house unlike any we have ever lived in.
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.
Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.
Thank YOU for stopping by!
I'm so glad to see, and hear/read, how you are doing. I am still getting email about Living Overseas from Peddicord. Hubby and I are still dreaming about doing so, and you are an inspiration! Keep on learning and sharing it with us!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
The video in the Stollar article is a very good explanation
of using distributors to control pricing of products to consumers. When I was working for a pharmacy serving nursing homes in the 1980's we kept separate inventories in the same floor space to fill scripts for retail customers and institutionalized customers. Products delivered on the same day from the distributor and with the same lot number (identifies manufacturing batches for quality control) were different price (up to 150%) depending which customer group the product was ordered. At the time there was a court case working through the system (did not take time to find) to prohibit the practice of discriminatory pricing. Fair pricing lost, the court determined if the buyer could shift market share it was a legal practice.
The practice is now widespread in many commercial markets. It can done by lower wholesale prices, monetary kick-backs, free product of a secondary product if buying goals are met, free training, free shelf stocking to reduce labor cost or other creative practices designed for a specific business customer or classification of customer. It is this practice the Chinese on-line retailers such as Temu have been hitting hard. They created a bypass to the US monopoly system and sent products directly to US consumers.
How A Bag Of Doritos Explains The US Economy (16:27 min)
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
I too thought that video was very good...
I never thought about Temu and others like it in respect to what you are talking about, but I think your point is spot on. Thanks for teaching me something new
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
At the risk of sounding like a broken record it is a fact that
Israel
Zionistsare deeply imbedded in every aspect of US structures.Whether it is banking, real estate, Hollywood, the internet, government, AIPAC to name just a few off of the top of my head. They will not hesitate to use this influence to cater to the desires of war criminal Zionist Israel regime to the detriment of the average American individual.
I have never used Grok but with responses like this maybe I
should reconsider it.
I have to admit I never thought about this..
Until the last 15 or so years, and then it sure became apparent. Israel rules us, basically.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Good afternoon Sima. Predicted high of 82 here today,
no bid deal to many, no big deal to me in my youth, but ... Besides that, our backyard right now is 82 in the shade, and rising. So we were up and out getting the yard work done at the crack of dawum followed by a quik trip to costco, the local chinese market and, funny thing, the dollar store for shit you can't find anywhere else. The garlic is all harvested, the soil is freshened a few leek and green onion re-starts are planted and tomorrow I hope to get in some peas and carrots. I somehow lack one fence post to support one end of my proposed jury-rigged pea trellis and I am not going out again today. I do have a ton of stuff to do indoors anyway, so I'll work on some of that.
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 --
90 in the shade already, as my wife and I suspected all along.
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 --
90 in the shade?
I'd melt! Dang. But I used to do that as a young kid in CA. Living in the PacNW for the last 30 years has spoiled me temperature wise.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
We have started harvesting our garlic too
The softneck garlic has been harvested. The hardneck is still making cloves, so, not yet! Might plant some mesclun soon. Ohh, we had to harvest our wallawalla onions a bit because they almost all bolted. I'm still getting what I can out of them, and at least our other onions aren't bolting.
Have a great day and great weekend and stay as cool as possible!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so