Dec 07 2013
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Dec 07 2013
Cross posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette
This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future
Find the past “On This Day in History” here.
December 7 is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 24 days remaining until the end of the year.
On this day in 1787, (In) Dover, Delaware, the U.S. Constitution is unanimously ratified by all 30 delegates to the Delaware Constitutional Convention, making Delaware the first state of the modern United States.
Less than four months before, the Constitution was signed by 37 of the original 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention meeting in Philadelphia. The Constitution was sent to the states for ratification, and, by the terms of the document, the Constitution would become binding once nine of the former 13 colonies had ratified the document. Delaware led the process, and on June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, making federal democracy the law of the land. Government under the U.S. Constitution took effect on March 4, 1789.
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and Virginia’s first colonial governor, after whom (what is now called) Cape Henlopen was originally named.
Delaware is located in the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula and is the second smallest state in area (after Rhode Island). Estimates in 2007 rank the population of Delaware as 45th in the nation, but 6th in population density, with more than 60% of the population in New Castle County. Delaware is divided into three counties. From north to south, these three counties are New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. While the southern two counties have historically been predominantly agricultural, New Castle County has been more industrialized.
The state ranks second in civilian scientists and engineers as a percentage of the workforce and number of patents issued to companies or individuals per 1,000 workers. The history of the state’s economic and industrial development is closely tied to the impact of the Du Pont family, founders and scions of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, one of the world’s largest chemical companies.
Before its coastline was first explored by Europeans in the 16th century, Delaware was inhabited by several groups of Native Americans, including the Lenape in the north and Nanticoke in the south. It was initially colonized by Dutch traders at Zwaanendael, located near the present town of Lewes, in 1631. Delaware was one of the thirteen colonies participating in the American Revolution and on December 7, 1787, became the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby becoming known as The First State.
Delaware is the home state of Vice President Joseph Biden
Dec 07 2013
We wish you an age-appropriate Christmas and a happy Pokémon tree!
Rona Moon
This amazing tree was recently spotted on Japanese site Pokésoku, with the question: “I thought I’d buy my nephew a Pokemon for Christmas, but can a six-year-old child handle it?”
What do you think? Is six too young for your first Pokémon? I know my nephew was mad keen on Pokémon at eight years of age, and he didn’t seem to suffer any ill effects. I think that even a six-year-old would be into catching ’em all. Although in some rare cases children may blame their gambling problem on early experiences with game cards and decide to sue, to the best of my knowledge claims like these have been unsuccessful.
Dec 07 2013
Cross posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette
Full transcript can be read here
Fast-food workers are walking off the job in about 100 cities today in what organizers call their largest action to date. Today’s strikes and protests continue a campaign that began last year to call for a living wage of $15 an hour and the right to form a union without retaliation. Early this morning, Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman and Hany Massoud headed to Times Square in New York City where a group of McDonald’s workers were joined by a crowd of hundreds of supporters to kick off their strike. We hear voices from the protest and speak to Camille Rivera of United NY, part of the newly formed New Day New York Coalition, which has organized this week of action to fight income inequality and build economic fairness.
US fast-food workers strike over low wages in nationwide protests
By Adam Gabatt, The Guardian
Thousands due to strike across 100 cities through the day in a signal of the growing clamour for action on income equality
Thousands of fast food and retail workers went on strike across the US on Thursday in a signal of the growing clamour for action on income equality.
In Chicago, hundreds of protesters gathered outside a McDonalds at 6.15am. As a large “Christmas Grinch” ambled about in freezing temperatures, demonstrators chanted for the minimum wage to be increased to $15 per hour.
It was the first of nine strikes in Chicago, with employees at McDonalds, Wendy’s, Walgreens, Macy’s and Sears also due to walk off shift. Low wage workers were due to strike across 100 cities through the day, including Boston, Detroit, New York City, Oakland, Los Angeles and St Louis.
“Poverty Wages in the Land of Plenty”
By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
The holiday season is upon us. Sadly, the big retailers are Scrooges when it comes to paying their staffs. Undergirding the sale prices is an army of workers earning the minimum wage or a fraction above it, living check to check on their meager pay and benefits. The dark secret that the retail giants like Wal-Mart don’t want you to know is that many of these workers subsist below the poverty line, and rely on programs like food stamps and Medicaid just to get by. This holiday season, though, low-wage workers from Wal-Mart to fast-food restaurants are standing up and fighting back.
“Wal-Mart was put in an uncomfortable spotlight on what should be the happiest day of the year for the retailer,” Josh Eidelson told me, reporting on the coordinated Black Friday protests. “These were the largest protests we’ve seen against Wal-Mart … you had 1,500 stores involved; you had over a hundred people arrested.” Wal-Mart is the world’s largest retailer, with 2.2 million employees, 1.3 million of whom are in the U.S. It reported close to $120 billion in gross profit for 2012. Just six members of the Walton family, whose patriarch, Sam Walton, founded the retail giant, have amassed an estimated combined fortune of between $115 billion-$144 billion. These six individuals have more wealth than the combined financial assets of the poorest 40 percent of the U.S. population.
Dec 07 2013
Cross posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette
Full transcript can be read here
Six months ago today, Glenn Greenwald published his first article about Edward Snowden’s leaks from the National Security Agency in The Guardian newspaper. British police are now examining whether Guardian staff should be investigated for terrorism offenses over their handling of data leaked by Snowden. Jeremy Scahill talks about the “war on journalism” around the world and his work to launch a new media venture with Greenwald, filmmaker Laura Poitras and eBay founder Pierre Omidy
The Guardian and the guardians
UK should be wary of prosecuting newspaper over leaks
For the past six months, western governments have been rocked by the revelations made by Edward Snowden. A former contractor to the US National Security Agency, Mr Snowden leaked vast quantities of secret data on US and British surveillance programmes to the media – in particular, The Guardian newspaper.
The Snowden disclosures have stirred impassioned debates about the nature of state snooping in the 21st century, and the adequacy of political oversight over the intelligence services. However, reactions have differed. While the US government has focused its energies on seeking to extradite Mr Snowden to face justice, in Britain there has been more enthusiasm for turning on the messenger.
This week Alan Rusbridger, The Guardian’s editor, was subjected to hostile questioning in parliament. More seriously, several MPs have been agitating for him to be prosecuted under Britain’s terror laws. The police have confirmed they are looking into the matter. Central to the case constructed by these MPs is the fact that The Guardian passed some of Mr Snowden’s documents to the New York Times to avoid being gagged by the UK courts. Sending secret information out of Britain could be an offence under the 2000 Terrorism Act.
Publication of much of the Snowden material in The Guardian has to date met the public interest test. For instance, news that the NSA has sought to crack the basic encryption used by people operating on the internet is disturbing.
Dec 07 2013
Adapted from Rant of the Week at The Stars Hollow Gazette
November 22, 2013 – Dan Savage joined Bill Maher Friday night for a no-holds-barred talk about all the gay news happening in the world, and Savage was his usual unrestrained self, going off on the “dykes” in the Cheney family and saying he’s getting sick and tired of “kiddy-fucking Catholic priests” lecturing everyone else about morality and the welfare of young children.
Warning video contains offensive language that may not be suitable for the work place or young children.
Dec 07 2013
Welcome to the Health and Fitness News, a weekly diary which is cross-posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette. It is open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.
Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can’t, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.
You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here and on the right hand side of the Front Page.
Planning ahead, I was all set to devote this week’s recipes to potatoes, which I have always defended against the anti-carb brigade because potatoes are a wholesome food, high in B vitamins and vitamin C, potassium and fiber, with some protein and lots of complex carbohydrates. A plain, seven-ounce baked potato eaten with the skin contains half the daily amounts of Vitamin C and Vitamin B6 recommended for adults. I had Thanksgiving in mind, the most popular time of the year for this tuber; or is Hanukkah the most popular time?
As it turns out both holidays fell at the same time this year. All the more reason for five new latke and potato pancake recipes that combine potatoes and other vegetables. If you made mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving you can use the leftovers for the mashed potato and broccoli raab pancakes and for the mashed potato and cabbage pancakes, or just steam up some potatoes.
Indian flavors add a new dimension to potato latkes.
Butternut Squash and Purple Potato Latkes
Purple potatoes add a bit of color and some extra nutrients but regular white potatoes work, too.
Mashed Potato and Broccoli Raab Pancakes
A delicious way to use mashed potatoes, whether they be leftovers or freshly mashed.
Mashed Potato and Cabbage Pancakes
Vegetable pancakes with a sweet and comforting flavor.
Delicious cumin-scented latkes laced with crispy kale.
Dec 07 2013
This is not a rant because I haven’t got enough energy for that. I’m working from a state of exhaustion, which is the genesis of the title.
Over Thanksgiving Debbie and I drove over 1000 miles to North Carolina and back to visit my daughter and her husband and their two children (Rachel (to the left), who is 2 and mighty large for her age, and Zack (to the right, with his father), who just turned two months old). I’ll sprinkle some photos taken during the visit in during my screed…which was generated by commentary left in a recent diary posted at Voices on the Square and Tuesday evening’s diary at Daily Kos.
Upon arriving back home, I was faced with the last week of classes before Finals Week. So on Wednesday I gave exams in all of my classes, which I spent all day Wednesday and Thursday grading so that I could return them today. It turned out that I was able to avoid the all-nighter that was a distinct possibility, but the stress generated still made for less than restful sleep.
That’s a major reason why I do not have something different prepared for this evening.
Zack, with his paternal grandfather
