Month: September 2018

Leon Remembered

This post should have been written and posted on 03 September but I was lazy and worried about a doctor’s visit to pay attention….

This is the 80th anniversary of the 4th International…..this will mean very little to most people but as a student of political history I feel that he, Leon Trotsky, needs to be remembered….if not for his life then for is contribution to political discourse.

…the 80th anniversary of the founding congress of the Fourth International, held on September 3, 1938. The establishment of the Fourth International, under the leadership of Leon Trotsky, was an event of great historical significance and contemporary relevance. During the next three months, the World Socialist Web Site will be celebrating this anniversary with a series of publications and events explaining the significance of the Fourth International.

…..

On September 3, 1938, the Fourth International held its founding congress in a suburb of Paris. The conference agenda allowed for only one day of official proceedings, owing to—according to the minutes—“the illegal circumstances under which the congress was held…” The “illegal circumstances” to which the minutes referred were those created by the relentless persecution of the Trotskyist movement by the police of the bourgeois-democratic state in France, the armed gangs of fascists acting with legal impunity in much of Europe, and above all, the ruthless assassins of the Soviet secret police, the GPU, working to carry out Stalin’s instructions that Leon Trotsky and his closest collaborators be physically eliminated.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/09/03/four-s03.html

Like I side mean little to most people but to students it is a study in political discourse…..

Just felt I could drop some history on my readers….enjoy your day….chuq

Sunday–09Sep18 #2

I like to think that I am a foodie but I do not indulge in “food porn”….in case you are not familiar with the term…..taking mouthwatering pictures of delicious foods and proliferating them throughout various social media websites as status updates, thus tempting all those not even currently hungry into getting a food hard-on and getting food-horny and blowing all of their heroic dieting efforts to hell.

One of my favorite dining experiences is in a traditional American diner and that is where we pick up this post…..there is something magical about the taste of food prepared on an old flat grill……now for a cultural look at the American diner from the Smithsonian….

On page and on screen, few settings carry the cultural weight of the humble American diner. Inviting us in with slick chrome and blinking neon, the diner is coolly seductive. It appeals to our baser impulses with outsized portions of high-cholesterol breakfast and pie, wins us over with chatty waitresses and classic jukebox jams, and reminds us, in a fundamental yet inscrutable way, that America itself isn’t always what it seems.

A diner is where Pumpkin and Honey Bunny make their move in Pulp Fiction; where Tony sits down for his final meal on The Sopranos; where the adrift young men of American Graffiti gather to discuss their futures; where Danny and Sandy’s date gets crashed in Grease. Diners suffuse the writings of hard-boiled authors like Jack Kerouac and James Ellroy. In “Twin Peaks,” the otherworldly Washington State locale dreamed up by David Lynch, the Double R is a community mainstay.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/mystique-american-diner-jack-kerouac-twin-peaks-180964680/

For the musical interlude try Tom Waits’ look at the American Diner……

AS long as I am doing the food thing this day….how about a  farm….an underwater farm and NO it is not algae……fruit and veggies…..

Beneath the blue waters 100m off the coast of Noli in northwest Italy lies a cluster of balloon-like pods pegged to the seabed by ropes half a dozen or so metres long. Inside a range of produce is being grown, including red cabbage, lettuce, beans, basil and strawberries.

It may sound like something you’d find in a science fiction novel, but this is the work of Ocean Reef Group. With the help of agricultural experts, the Genova-based scuba diving company is applying its knowledge and technology to finding new ways to produce food.

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/aug/13/food-growing-underwater-sea-pods-nemos-garden-italy

If there is more info you would like then their home page may help…..

http://www.nemosgarden.com/

Hopefully all will enjoy your Sunday…I shall…..later my friends.  chuq

Sunday–09Sep18

MAYO!

The condiment not the Spanish month of May.

It is one of my favorite condiments.  Hell I even like it on french fries and nothing is better in Summer than a tomato sandwich with lots of mayo.

Okay that stroll down memory lane is over.

I bring the subject of Mayo up on this fine Sunday because I read an article that intrigued me…..it seems that the generation we call “Millennials” is killing Mayo…..

Are millennials killing mayonnaise? And, if so, should the generation be celebrated or demonized?

An article in Philadelphia magazine sparked these questions — and more — when it went viral over the weekend. The headline: “How Millennials Killed Mayonnaise.”

As in many cases in which millennials are charged with murder via headline, the piece inspired outcry on social media.

https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-killing-mayonnaise-data-report-2018-8

Oh No!

I use to write a food blog, The Food Nazi, so to help save the memory of mayo I would like to show you how to make your own from scratch….

  1. 1 large egg yolk, room temperature.
  2. 1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste.
  3. 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste.
  4. 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard.
  5. 3/4 cup olive oil.

Place the egg yolk and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the lemon juice and mustard; blend well. With the motor running, add the oil, drop by drop. This will take a few minutes. Don’t rush it or the mayonnaise may “break,” meaning the oil will separate from the egg.

Cover and refrigerate.

Homemade is by far a better mayo……now grab a tomato, some wheat bread and make a sandwich ….you will not be disappointed.

I do hope that everyone has a ducky day and enjoy the Summer Sunday….I shall return with more stuff.

The Assassination Of Huey Long

I feel compelled to help my fellow Americans to learn the history that is left out of most history books…….history is interesting as well as fascinating….there is something for everyone.

On this day, September 8 in 1935 an assassin shot and killed presidential candidate Huey Long of Louisiana.

On this day in 1935, a Sunday, Sen. Huey Long was shot in the Louisiana state Capitol by the son-in-law of a political enemy. He died about 30 hours later at age 42. News of Long’s death made headlines around the world. Some 200,000 mourners flocked to Baton Rouge for the funeral.

Branded a demagogue by his critics, Long was a larger-than-life figure who boasted that he bought legislators “like sacks of potatoes, shuffled them like a deck of cards.” He dubbed himself “The Kingfish,” saying: “I’m a small fish here in Washington. But I’m the Kingfish to the folks down in Louisiana.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/08/huey-long-assassinated-sept-8-1935-242325

A fascinating individual…some called him a socialist, others a populist and his popularity was amazing especially in his home state of Louisiana …….

Huey Long was a fiery and charismatic Louisiana politician who moved up the ranks at a young age. Branded a demagogue and radical by his opponents, and known for turning his back on established processes to gain political victories, Long controlled a vast political machine in the name of courting working class and poor constituents.

https://www.history.com/topics/huey-long

There are those that say that Long was targeted by FDR because he was so popular and was gaining in the presidential polls.

Long did much for Louisiana……built roads, schools took on oil industry and made them pay taxes to be used for education and schools….Long was a colorful figure from the history of the South….his story makes excellent reading.

If you are interested in this American politician than a visit to a website dedicated to him and his story is available……all things Huey Long……

https://www.hueylong.com/

In closing of this post a short musical interlude from Randy Newman in honor of Huey “the Kingfish” Long…..

*****Warning:  The “N” word is used in the song below…if you are offended then you might pass on the video.*****

In closing I would like to let you guys hear some more of Randy Newman and the “Good Old Boys” album….warning the “N” word is used but please listen to the words before you condemn for Newman makes fun the “Rednecks” of the South of the past……

Just had to drop some local history on you, my readers ….now time for my Saturday to kick off with those damn “honey dos”…..

Saturday–08Sep18

I try to make IST something for everyone and a good source of FYI…

As the weekend begins news comes that my state has the second highest incidents of sexual transmitted diseases (STDs)……another list that my state should be embarrassed of ….if it is a “Good” list we are at the bottom, if it is a “Bad” list we are at the top and it has been that way for a very long time.

http://backgroundchecks.org/these-are-the-most-sexually-diseased-states-in-the-us.html

All that comes with more terrible news about STDs…..

A record has been set in the US, but not one to celebrate: Almost 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were diagnosed last year—more than 200,000 over the record set in 2016, per the CDC in a report released Tuesday. One CDC director says there have been “steep and sustained increases” in sexually transmitted diseases over the past five years, a “very concerning” trend that hasn’t been seen in two decades. Experts suspect that with newer drugs lowering the risk of HIV infection and making the virus itself less lethal if it is contracted, condom usage has declined, leading to the rapid rise in STDs. But experts tell NBC News that other factors likely contributing include less funding for agencies focused on STD prevention, doctors failing to test patients for STDs, and a general lack of awareness about sexual health—including the need to get tested even if no symptoms are present.

These are the estimates of the number of people with new and existing cases of eight STDs in the United States. The estimates are based on 2008 data.

Another fact is the Deep Red South has 10 out of the top 15 states with the highest cases of STDs.

Sad that in the 21st century that this health issue should be in the news…..and as an aunty of mine use to always say…”keep in your pants and you will always smile”…..

As long as sex is the subject of this post…..there is another aspect of the exercise…..this study is one that I would never have considered…..some of this is not news that is uplifting….actually it is kinda sad.

Daniel Noah Halpern checks in on the state of the world’s sperm in a lengthy piece for GQ, and the upshot at its worst is that there is “the possibility that we will become extinct.” That line comes from Hagai Levine, who co-authored a 2017 Hebrew University/Mount Sinai meta-analysis of 185 studies that involved more than 40,000 men’s sperm and found a worsening picture, and sharply so: In 1973, sperm counts were about 99 million sperm per milliliter of semen; by 2011, that count was down to 47 million per milliliter, and it’s still dropping. “We are producing half the sperm our grandfathers did. We are half as fertile,” writes Halpern, and the numbers prod him to ask: “Would 40 more years—or fewer—bring us all the way to zero?”

Halpern explores a number of other questions, among them, why haven’t we noticed such a drastic change, and what’s the cause? In his view, the answer to the latter question is clear, and “the scientists I talked to were less cautious about embracing this explanation than I expected”: chemicals, which we’ve been ingesting since the industrial revolution but even more so since WWII. He offers a primer on endocrine disruptors like phthalates and BPA, which are found in more obvious places like water bottles, less obvious places like grocery store receipts, and far, far less obvious places like pasta and eggs. He also talks about the significance of a man’s anogenital distance (that’s the distance between the genitals and anus) and how it interrelates with those endocrine disruptors. What’s the solution? IVF, perhaps ultimately. Read his full piece for more.

The “Anogenital” distance?

chuq is out….I will relax today and tomorrow…..there is a “honey do” list waiting…..a really long list……have a good day.

Sneakers Are Burning

I guess this is my second Closing Thought–07Sep18

Now if you have been smart and stayed away from the TV then you may not know what I am going on about…..the truth is I was not going to take part in this story for I believe it is just a diversion from more important stuff.  But after all that was happening around the story I felt the need for comment.

Nike has taken its own advice to “Just Do It”—with the “It” being “Get involved in the NFL national anthem controversy.” The company, days before the start of the new football season, has signed up former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as the face of the 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” campaign, CNN reports. Kaepernick, who has been unable to get a new NFL contract since taking a knee for the anthem in the 2016 season to protest racial injustice, tweeted a photo from the campaign with the caption: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” A roundup of coverage:

  • “Top bracket.” Kaepernick’s existing deal with Nike had been about to expire when it was renegotiated for the new campaign; a source tells the AP that Kaepernick’s compensation will be similar to that of the top bracket of NFL players on Nike’s books—and the deal also includes a Kaepernick apparel line and donations to his charity, Know Your Rights.
  • The backlash begins. Not every Nike wearer was thrilled about the move, with some so outraged that they filmed themselves destroying their Nike gear, Metro reports. Twitter user Sean Clancy posted a video of himself incinerating his Nike shoes, complaining that the company had forced him “to choose between my favorite shoes and my country.” The hashtags #BoycottNike and #JustBurnIt started trending Monday.
  • Cutting swooshes. Country singer John Rich tweeted a picture of his soundman, a former Marine who had “just cut the Nike swoosh off his socks.” “Get ready to multiply that by the millions,” Rich warned.
  • Worth it? Nike, which has been battling Adidas to sign top players, is gambling that signing Kaepernick will be worth a backlash that is expected to include the president, Bloomberg reports. “The long-term relationship and a contract that benefits both parties over the next 10 years will likely outweigh any current controversy,” says Bloomberg analyst Chen Grazutis.
  • Athletes side with Kaepernick. Numerous fellow athletes and other celebrity spoke out in support of Kaepernick on Monday, reports Al Jazeera. #IMWITHKAP,” tweeted Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kenney Stills.
  • Ahmadinejad, Cruz get involved. In what WFAA describes as a “new height of bizarreness” in the controversy, former Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tweeted Monday that it was a shame Kaepernick, “one of the best Quarterbacks in the league,” didn’t have a playing contract. Sen. Ted Cruz then tweeted that the agreement of Ahmadinejad suggested that the NFL, Nike, and Beto O’Rourke, his Democratic challenger, “are all on the wrong side of the American people.”
  • Tillman, too. Pat Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinal killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004, was cited by conservative commentators including Fox’s Stephen Miller as somebody who would have been a better face for the campaign, WBIR reports. Critics said Tillman would have supported players’ right to protest, or suggested he be left out of the debate instead of “weaponized.”

You Tube blew up with idiots setting their Nikes on fire…..goes to show that most Americans have more  money than brains.  They are destroying a $100+ shoe because of something an orange idiot had to say.

Personally I think if you had to protest why not give your Nikes to someone who needed shoes like a homeless veteran?……but wait that action would not give one that You Tube moment that they desire.

If they do not agree with what this man did, Kaepernick, then protests like this school in Arkansas……

Nike uniforms are vestimenta non grata at the College of the Ozarks after the company’s Colin Kaepernick ad campaign. The private Christian college in Missouri announced Thursday that its athletic teams will no longer buy Nike uniforms and any it has now will be removed, the Kansas City Star reports. In a statement, college president Jerry C. Davis accused Nike execs of “promoting an attitude of division and disrespect toward America” with the Kaepernick campaign. “If Nike is ashamed of America, we are ashamed of them,” Davis said. “We also believe that those who know what sacrifice is all about are more likely to be wearing a military uniform than an athletic uniform.”

Nike, which aired a Kaepernick-narrated ad during the NFL season opener, is “free to campaign as it sees fit,” just as the college is free “to ensure that it respects our country and those who truly served and sacrificed,” says Marci Linson, the school’s vice-president for patriotic activities. President Trump also criticized Nike and NFL anthem protests Thursday. “I don’t like what Nike did. I don’t think it’s appropriate what they did,” he said before a rally in Montana. The AP reports that there were no “clear-cut protests” during the season opener, in which the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons 18-12. Sources say Kaepernick watched the ad’s premiere from Nike headquarters in Oregon.

They chose to not use Nike products…..an excellent protest.

This whole thing is silly….Nike is getting all the free publicity they can use….and Our Dear Leader is helping their sales “yugely”……

Burning Nikes is about as moronic as the old days of pouring French wine down the drain because of something they did or said…..or to a lesser extent re-naming French Fries as “Freedom Fries”.

All in all a stupid knee jerk reaction to something that needs no response.

A few closing thoughts…….

“I am patient with stupidity but not those that are proud of it”

“Nothing worse than aggressive stupidity”

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance”

“It is a shame that stupidity is not more painful”

“Do not cater to stupidity”

I must shut down the mind for the day…..I dearly wish everyone have a great evening.  chuq

Closing Thought–07Sep18

A few years ago one of the hottest stories in the news was the militarization of police departments across the country…..(not so much these days)…..I wrote a post about it last year……https://lobotero.com/2017/02/17/coming-of-a-police-state/

Since then the story has taken a backseat to the antics of Our Dear Leader but the militarization of police is still going on….the best question to ask is “with all this military equipment does it make the citizens safer”?  My thought is not really.

But I read an article that was posting on the Defense One website……

In the summer of 2014, unarmed protestors in Ferguson, Missouri were met with a startling and aggressive police response, and a national debate over the proper role of law enforcement in American communities—a dialogue we’ve initiated many times in our history, but never adequately resolved—reignited. For days, cable news networks saturated broadcasts with images of police in armored vehicles designed to withstand improvised explosive devices in Iraq, taking aim at civilians with high-powered rifles, clad in protective gear fit for a theater of war.

I wanted to understand why police had this equipment, why they used it, and what costs and benefits so-called “militarized policing” delivered. As a doctoral student in political science, I knew where to start—locating reliable data—but I didn’t know it would take me four years to assemble and analyze. This week, I published my findings: Militarized police units are deployed more often in black neighborhoods, even after controlling for local crime rates. And while militarized policing does not, on average, make either the public or police any safer, it may tarnish the reputation of police.

https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2018/08/what-i-learned-studying-militarized-policing/150774/

Half tracks used against protesters is what dictators do….not in a supposedly “democratic” America.

Welcome America the newest Banana Republic….and getting worse.

A DC Who Dunnit?

Hopefully this will be my last post on this fiasco, that is unless something really big breaks…..I must add my voice to all the analysis of the situation.

Reporters yelling questions at the president….TV pundits speculating on the author of this now infamous op-ed.

There is a list circulating that predicts a few that are the likely authors…..

Tucker Carlson of Fox News think he has a “pretty good idea” who wrote the anti-Trump op-ed now in wide circulation, but he’s awaiting confirmation before going public, reports the Hill. At the Weekly Standard, Michael Warren has narrowed it down to four likely suspects:

  • Larry Kudlow, chair of the National Economic Council, whose free-market views don’t always go over well in the White House.
  • Kevin Hassett, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, whose views on issues from tax reform to the military generally line up with those of the op-ed writer.
  • Dan Coats, director of National Intelligence, who’s near the end of his political career and would have little to lose from the fallout.
  • Mike Pompeo, secretary of state and former CIA chief. “As someone fond of, and thought fondly of, by CIA agents, Pompeo could be particularly irked by the suggestion by Trump and his supporters that a ‘deep state’ is at work against the president,” Warren writes.

Slate rounds up those who’ve issued denials, including Coats, Pompeo, Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen, Treasury chief Steve Mnuchin, and VP Mike Pence, whose fondness for the term “lodestar,” used in the op-ed, has raised eyebrows. (See what Jimmy Kimmel and other late-night hosts think.)

Why?

Just about everyone knows exactly what is in the op-ed…there is nothing new in it.  What is the purpose of the op-ed?  If things are that fucked up why not resign instead of whining in the shadows?  Does the person want the 25th amendment to be invoke?  If so he/she will be sorely disappointed for their is NO spine for such a bold move.  What will change with this op-ed?

A reader of IST left a comment the other day…….what if Trump did this under one of his personas from the past…after all he loves seeing his name in lights and repeated ad nauseum plus it lathers up his supporters and helps FOX with ratings.  Is this in the realm of a possibility?

And the play continues.

Turn The Page!

A Reliable Referee

Since Fraggle Rock is  no longer with us it is up to me to educate and inform……

Our Congress is in the middle of hearings on the Trump SCOTUS nominee, Kavanaugh…….and all the theatrics that goes with these hearings….

One cannot imagine how most people have no idea what the Supreme Court is all about…..

But let’s look at the Supreme Court.

We have a 3 branch government, the Congress (Legislative), the President (Executive) and the Supreme Court (Judicial)…..when there is a standstill between the Executive and the Legislative then the Supreme Court is the tie breaker, the referee if you will…..

Being a referee would mean that the Judicial should be neutral in all things…that would make the field of government fair and logical.  The judges should have no political entanglements that could hamper their decisions.

In recent decades that has changed….court appoints are made to further a political agenda whether liberal or conservative.  Now presidents long to have the chance to appoint someone that will carry out the purposed political agenda…….it is safe to say the neutrality in the court is dead.

We didn’t always talk about the Supreme Court in crassly partisan terms. The court had liberals and conservatives, and general voting patterns, but public analysis of the court’s activity normally centered on the legal reasoning behind decisions and dissents. People might disagree with one ruling or another, but the court’s overall authority, rooted in its role as a trusted arbiter of competing claims, enjoyed a basic respect.

Today, in contrast, it’s common to regard the court as little more than another political body. More and more, Senate votes for judicial nominees, such as Brett Kavanaugh, break down along party lines, and people tend to assume that the outcome of a given case will hinge on which bloc of justices, liberal or conservative, has the majority. Justices—like everybody else in our tribal world—are now seen as vehicles for expressing a political preference.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/09/06/common-ground-good-america-society-219616

The SCOTUS decisions should be made using the US Constitution as a guideline…..(yet another aspect that most have no idea)….but I can help….

Then there is a crash course for those interested beyond the talking points from their favorite newscaster…….

Class Dismissed!

Did You Know North Korea Was Still There?

As usual the situation with North Korea is not very newsworthy these days….we have a SCOTUS duel, a op-ed that has the Dear Leader batcrap pissed and then there is the probes this and the probes that….and in all the drama the situation with North Korea soldiers on……

Since the MSM wants to sweep most of it under the rug (would that be a Persian rug?  Persia?  Ain’t that Iran?)…….

It seems that Kim wants a declaration of peace for the Korean Peninsula and Trump’s boyz are waffling……

White House and State Department officials are reiterating that they have no current interest in making a deal with North Korea that would involve a peace declaration ending the Korean War.

The State Department said on Wednesday that the US position is that “denuclearization has to take place before we get to other parts.” The administration has repeatedly said they believe Korean denuclearization will take years, and that they want “progress” before the 2020 election.

The Korean War began in 1950, and 68 years later, there has never been a formal peace treaty ending the conflict. North Korea has been seeking a peace treaty for decades, with the US always resisting such a deal.

(antiwar.com)

Another summit is coming to a screen near you……mind you what Barry Goldwater said about a “summit”…..”only summit meeting that can succeed is the one that never takes place”…..could that be accurate in this case?

South Korean officials announced on Thursday that a deal has been reached to hold a summit in Pyongyang from September 18-20. The summit is to focus on “practical measures” which could be taken for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong told reporters that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has “reconfirmed his determination to completely denuclearize,” and that he continues to have faith in President Trump.

The commitment to denuclearize is a major announcement, as US officials have been increasingly dubious about that, and complaining about the lack of quick progress. North Korean officials say Kim is frustrated by the doubts expressed in the international community about his will to preemptively denuclearize. He told Chung that he feels the good faith moves made by North Korea should be reciprocated.

(antiwar.com)

The trade war that Our Dear Leader has started with China has consequences……many have said the China has been a big help getting NK to the negotiating table….but for how much longer?

While the US has been pushing for diplomatic progress with North Korea to be met with even more restrict sanctions and restrictions, other countries have called for the UN to ease them. The US has blocked that, so far, but it isn’t stopping nations like China unilaterally easing limits on trade.

China has long been North Korea’s main trading partner, and while that trade ground to a halt earlier this year, a lot of it shows signs of picking up. Reports have China reopening coal trade, restarting frozen construction projects, and again allowing tourists into Pyongyang.

Analysts are suggesting that this “undercuts” US calls to keep escalating sanctions on North Korea, though there is also a case to be made that China is trying to ensure that it retains a major seat at the table if North Korea suddenly becomes an opened market with a lot of trade business.

(antiwar.com)

How much longer will China assist the process with this trade war looming large?

As one can see here is more going on on the Korean Peninsula than we are being told…..

A closing thought–President Trump tweeted to thank North Korea’s Kim Jong Un for his “unwavering faith,” promising that the two leaders would “get it done together.” This came after Wednesday’s reports that Kim, despite frustration at the diplomatic process, remains confident in Trump’s ability to progress things personally.