Open thread 10/3/23
All of it amazes me. But the one-handed stuff amazes me the most. Yes, the smaller woman (she is supposedly 15 but looks younger) is very light. But she’s not so light that it makes sense that another not-so-very-big woman can hold her up with one arm; I’m talking about minutes 0:32 to 1:07, and 1:55 to 2:00. And then there are those crazy crazy backbends.
“Standing in front of the ancient columns of the Stoa of Attalos, Palestinian actress and poet Dana Dajani orated: “If I was president my role as conflict mediator would include therapy and hugs, my constitution would be universal love, my border policy would be open-door, I’d eliminate banks and instead free the poor from the shackles of debt,” she stated. Her green dress resembled an ancient chiton as it swayed in the breeze on the stage of the Athens Democracy Forum (ADF), which entered its second decade this year.”
“‘We are here to talk about two of the most important issues of the 21st century: the fight for democracy and the fight against the climate crisis,’ said John Kerry, former US vice president and the country’s first special presidential envoy for climate, addressing the ADF via video link.
One of the main discussions that took place, on Thursday, was how democracy can survive climate change. “Are our democracies actually fit for purpose to address the urgency of climate change?” asked the symposium’s moderator, Liz Alderman, chief European business correspondent for the NYT.
The Athens Democracy Forum is misnamed – a more fitting name would be the Athens Oligarchy Forum (AOF). These elites actually hate democracy. We are not governed by the best and the brightest but by foolish grifters of the worst sort.
More foolishness at the link:
https://www.ekathimerini.com/society/1221266/takeaways-from-the-athens-democracy-forum/
What would the ancient Athenians think of this nonsense?
Trigger warning – avoid looking at the photo
It’s the Horse’s Ass himself, the other JFK. Not tossing medals, windsurfing, or poping out of a NASA airlock this time.
I warned you Om, don’t look!
Just another open-thread, too-long comment about something I read.
Years ago, I used to like looking through the library’s shelves of books that hadn’t yet been cataloged and classified. Of course, my main motive was to see what was new, but I also had fun looking at titles before they’d been properly arranged by subject. The collision of mismatched ideas was often funny. Of course that’s a joke as old as slapstick; but, in a library, it was an unexpected pleasure.
These days, I sometimes browse through the web site “Arts & Letters Daily” (https://www.aldaily.com/), which compiles links and brief descriptions of news, essays, reviews, and books from a broad range of Humanities disciplines. Like an unclassified library, it’s sometimes funny to find two mismatched(?) things next to each other.
Today’s example:
“In search of fresh material to mine, AI companies are hiring poets, novelists, playwrights, writers, and Ph.D.s… ” (https://tinyurl.com/3st5pu3z)
was followed by
“The academic book review is on life support. If it dies, a vital plank of our intellectual ecosystem will vanish… ” (https://tinyurl.com/y9zarp4x)
there was actually a decent candidate for palestinian leadership, an honest man,
of course Abu Mazen the fundraiser for Munich, would not have him, and the other option is an Al Quassem (suicide bomber) type, under Hamas,
On the subject of female arm strength, yes, I am frequently irritated by what I cannot do, even though I am a tall, active woman. For instance, we have a large gas-powered backpack leaf blower. My husband had shoulder surgery, which turned out to be less extensive than feared; in preparation, I tried to start the leaf blower. I can’t do it. I cannot generate the explosive pull required to start the darned thing.
That’s a great video. I love the song selection too. Scorpions.
Cornflour – Interesting website, thanks : )
yes indeed
https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/the-green-grift-is-not-about-solving?utm_source=post-email-
Lawyer Eugene Volokh on the validity of Butler’s appointment to a Senate seat:
https://reason.com/volokh/2023/10/02/is-sen-to-be-butler-eligible-to-represent-california/
Probably the Senate will seat her, but there are questions about the residency requirement. Technicalities, but Volokh quotes an old judge thus: “Counselor, a wise old judge once said to me: “A ‘technicality’ is another word for a rule of law on which you lose. A rule of law on which you win is a ‘cornerstone of justice.”
Here in analysis by Tucker Carlson which you really need to hear.*
*See https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/1707809499539513723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1707809499539513723%7Ctwgr%5E709a5fee0c630568e0f177a14c6c48ac0e48b84b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2023%2F10%2Ftucker-carlsons-story-russian-revolution-terrifying-living-similar%2F
Sr. Cervantes: Excellent article. Thanks for the link.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy voted Out, 216 to 210.
4:55PM, Rep. Matt Gaetz with live media scrum praises possible elevation of Rep. Steve Scalise. But several possibles mentioned. Assails that no summons of Hunter Biden by Congress means leadership was not serious about Joe’s corruption
Will US bankruptcy finally be faced?
A week or two ago Judge Benitez ruled that California may not require limited capacity gun magazines, … again. This caused the 9th circuit to create and issue an en banc stay to this ruling. Such an en banc stay has never occurred before. This ongoing imbroglio has caused two circuit judges to air the dirty laundry of the court.
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/ninth-circuit-puts-its-finger-on-the-scale-to-delay-derail-california-magazine-ban-challenge/
Hoping Mike K. is well.
It’s the slow and smooth raising and lowering in some routines that always impresses me.
Art Deco…is Mike K sick? I haven’t heard anything.
Ahhhh… young luv
https://twitter.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1709278384713236629
The smaller girl folding herself in half is astounding.