WTF-Beta

Oh dear. I hope he heals well.

However, scans showed Froome has five broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a lumbar vertebrae fracture.

I've had the first two, not the third.

I'm in the old enough category and thankful for that.

I read this rather wishy-washy paragraph at NPR:

People who are not officially eligible for the vaccines may still be able to get the shots for themselves or their children by getting a doctor's prescription and paying out of pocket. But that may create insurmountable barriers for many people. The COVID shots can cost $200 or more without insurance, getting a doctor's appointment can be difficult for vaccination can be difficult..

but then:

Nineteen states require pharmacists to follow the CDC's guidelines, according to the American Pharmacists Association. The rules vary in the remaining states.

The word 'fanny' in Britain has a different meaning than here in the US.

First 11 seconds of this video:

I follow Laurence (or Lawrence) ....

It has cooled off here as well, but we are extremely dry. I've never seen it this dry. The grasses are scorched, the earth is parched. We desperately need rain. Had a few very short-lived showers today but just a drop in the bucket.

I'm still waiting on a couple of quotes from the contractor. It's been almost a month since I first called him to discuss my desires.

One contractor I called tried to talk me out of what I want to do with my living room ceiling (replace the southern yellow pine boards with sheetrock) because it was obvious he was daunted by the two exposed beams that he'd have to bring the sheetrock up to, and make it smooth. I know what I want and if he's not qualified, quite simply he doesn't get the job.

The trades up here seem to go by a different work ethic than what I'm used to. They may or may not call back, they may or may not show up, they may take whole days off the project. I could never get away with such behavior at my old job.

Anyway, I do like my contractor and hope he gets back to me with a quote soon. I'd love to get these projects done before it gets cold.

To my knowledge, I've never had covid. I've gotten boosters every year since the pandemic. I am planning to get one this fall--I usually wait until November--unless I read or hear something to discourage me.

purse

I have a couple books going at the moment.

Breakfast reading: "A History of the Arab People" by Albert Hourani, (c) 1991

Other reading: "The Darkening Age, The Christian Destruction of the Classical World" by Catherine Nixey, (c) 2017

@jon-nyc On the face of it, it sounds like some good ideas. (Although how much of it is really new?) I haven't looked into much of the specifics, but am aware that it's not getting the red carpet from all factions of the party.

Some amount of deregulation could be a big boost if it removes barriers towards growth. As long we don't allow ourselves to kick problems into the future.

@Mik Nope. Not the stats I've seen. Progressive ideas are popular. Universal basic income, minimum wage, government run healthcare, climate change. All garner a lot of support. Support for LGBT rights are high as well. Laws against discrimination against the gay community continue to be supported by a majority.

Support for trans equality is not there yet (although growing support), but the fight continues. Rebutting falsehoods is the biggest challenge.

@jon-nyc I don't agree that "identity politics" even exists. It's all just politics. People's reasons for coalescing around policy is irrelevant.

If people who promote policies because of how they identify are engaging in "identity politics", then those opposing such policies are engaging in "identity politics" as well. They can't identify with what it means to be LGBT or etc.; that's their identity. If fighting for the removal of confederate monuments is "identity politics" then fighting such removal is just as much the same. If people resort to fighting for who they are, it's because the current set of classes is exclusionary.

I was born and spent the first 21 years of my life in NH. I returned to NH 12 years ago. Do I identify as a New Englander? Yes. Do I vote for policy positions that will expand social benefits for NH? Yes, but not if those policies will be detrimental to other parts of the US (I don't really know what that would be, but maybe something like unfair share of federal resources). Do I vote against policy positions that will harm New England? Yes, unless there is a compelling reason not to. If New England was being short changed because it's New England (our current POS wouldn't hesitate to do so), would I fight back? Yes.

I am homosexual, have been my whole life (as far back as I can remember). Do I identify as gay? Yes. Do I vote for policy positions that will expand social benefits for LGBT persons? Yes, but not if those policies will be detrimental to other people (in my wildest imagination I cannot fathom what that would be). Do I vote against policy positions that will harm gays? Yes, unless there is a compelling reason not to. If gay people are being short changed because they're gay, would I fight back?

If I say I'm fighting for my rights as a New Englander, I am not generally considered to be engaged in identity politics. If I say I'm fight for gay rights (or trans rights, or racial equality, etc.) then I'm considered engaged in identity politics?

"Identity" politics is an arbitrary label.

What about rural Americans vs. urban Americans. Surely this has everything to do with identity. Yet one of the biggest problems facing the Democrats is this shift of the left into major metropolitan areas and the right settling in rural America. I read something recently that stated this shift in demographics creates a very real struggle for Democrats to achieve 270 electoral votes. Urban America doesn't identify with rural America, and rural America doesn't identify with urban America. Identity politics? No, just politics.

What about the wealthy fighting for low-tax policy that benefits them at the detriment of most of the nation? Identity politics?

In the end, it's just "politics".

My argument isn't about a single man, Biden. It's about how the progressive wing of the party is treated by congressional "leadership". Pelosi saw to it that people like AOC were not allowed leadership positions. That type of shunning isn't going to work much longer. At the moment I have strong doubts the Democrats will be able to pull together a coherent vision for the party, and the party is in trouble. The "abundance" faction is at odds with the base. That's not going to be an easy reconciliation.

Please explain what you mean by "identity politics".

So, jon-nyc, about those op-eds which you speak of. Where were the centrist Democrats? Why weren't they penning op-eds explaining the concept in less militant terms? I'll tell you where they were: Distancing themselves. Afraid they'll be labelled radical and apparently fearing they wouldn't be able to defend themselves against such accusations. Cowering in fear of the right, as usual.

I still believe the lesson centrist Democrats need to learn is that it won't work to continue shunning the progressive arm of the party. Party leadership had many opportunities to embrace progressives and work with them over the past decades but chose to distance themselves instead of engaging in dialogue and hashing out what's extreme and what's acceptable and what terms work best.

I'm pretty sure the election was not lost on social issues. The right wants everyone to believe we lost on social issues because it's a wedge they can rely on. Shame on Democrats who play into that narrative. We lost on economic issues--as is almost always the case. The right's playbook is to target a minority, demonize them and work up the conservative base and then accuse the left of harping on social issues when they come to defend the minorities. FTS.

@Steve-Miller It reminds me of a barn just up the road from my place. I'll snap a picture next time I drive by.

That's a really beautiful property and I would be very happy to live there. I do like historic houses to be period decorated, so I would make some decorating changes inside. But, wow, nice place! A dream.

@Big_Al said in Almost hit head on:

As you may have guessed, my father-in-law grew up and learned to drive in NYC,

And thanks, Big Al.

@pique Oh, no. I didn't know you were rear-ended. I hope you haven't suffered any lasting consequences from it. Whiplash can be very bad. I knew someone (in the sense of an online acquaintance, though I did meet him and his partner one time in a yarn shop in MA) from a weaving forum who was rear ended by someone at high speed. He and his partner ended up in hospital with him in ICU. His partner came online a week later to inform us of his passing from his injuries. It was a shock to all of us. He was a dear man, a minister in fact, and prolific weaver. Always learning new techniques.

@rustyfingers Pretty color.

India Walton has a warning message for progressive Democrats during Donald Trump’s second presidency: don’t water down your politics to win over the establishment.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/19/india-walton-interview-progressives-democrats

(Emphasis mine)

One example Walton pointed to was the debate on “defund the police” that did damage to many progressive and centrist campaigns. The real message, which Walton said had been distorted, was about shifting police funding toward social services and mental health care.

Serious question: So why wasn't the distortion rebutted in an effective way? I suspect fear in centrist Democrats (practically synonymous with Dem leadership) kept them from speaking up. There are still (it seems to me) too many Democrats in the center, afraid to embrace progressive ideas and defend them. IMO, they may well have been shooting themselves in the foot all this time. Times have changed, and the party needs to change with them.