Merry Christmas Forum
Merry Christmas from OTB to you!
Steven L. Taylor
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Monday, December 25, 2023
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42 comments
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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BAH! HUMBUG!
From Solar energy and its cheaper bills are coming to more disadvantaged communities comes this little bit of SSDD:
Merry Christmas and joy of the season to all
Merry Christmas all
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
@OzarkHillbilly:
In Atomic Awakening, James Mahaffey explains a bit about the economics of nuclear power. In particular vs burning fossil fuel.
His point is that oil or coal burning plants are, comparatively, cheap to build and operate, but the fuel is expensive (mostly because you use up a lot of it). Whereas a fission plant is very expensive to build and operate, but the fuel is cheap (because you use up very little of it).
Wind and solar kind of break with this. They’re not expensive to build and operate, and the “fuel” (ie energy source) is free.
To be sure, there are other downsides, see Kathy’s First Law. But that’s true of everything.
I’m surprised Nevada hasn’t climbed aboard solar, though. The state gets a huge number of sunny days, with little rain or even cloud. It’s a natural for solar.
Io Saturnalia!
Deadline approaching for Missouri to opt in to federal summer food program
I fully expect my state government of Misery to leave over $50 million on the Federal table because nothing says “pro-life” like inflicting malnutrition on poor children..
“That’ll teach the rotten little brats!”
Sadie and I went out on a drizzly dawn to walk around the foggy lake. The Christmas lights were all still on and it was quite magical. Soon we’ll go to the kids house and have brunch. Hope to take the festooned pontoon out at dusk and wish our neighbors good cheer.
Merry Christmas to all!
@OzarkHillbilly: George Carlin put it very well:
“Boy, these conservatives are really something, aren’t they? They’re all in favor of the unborn. They will do anything for the unborn. But once you’re born, you’re on your own. Pro-life conservatives are obsessed with the fetus from conception to nine months. After that, they don’t want to know about you. They don’t want to hear from you. No nothing. No neonatal care, no day care, no head start, no school lunch, no food stamps, no welfare, no nothing. If you’re preborn, you’re fine; if you’re preschool, you’re fucked.”
Wi-fi cameras are really something…
With our camera, we can see a great shot of our driveway, covered in snow. Yes, it is a white Christmas in Colorado.
However, 70 here in Pensacola area today.
The trip back to Colorado starts in a few weeks, with visions of snowboarding dancing in our heads.
@Kathy:
For full year 2022, 21% of power generated commercially in Nevada was from solar. For the first nine months of 2023, 24%. The EIA (properly, IMO) considers small individual solar installations (ie, rooftop solar) to be demand management, not supply, so that’s not included in the production numbers.
@OzarkHillbilly: @OzarkHillbilly: Proving once again, Cleek was right, “Today’s conservatism is the opposite of what liberals want today, updated daily.”
FL has not expanded Medicaid under the ACA and we’re the only state to turn down money, 320 miliion for FL, under the Inflation Reduction Act for infrastructure projects because it requires a carbon reduction plan, and that’s just “politicizing our roads”. Why? Because DeUseless thinks Republicans are dumb enough this will help his doomed quest for the GOP prez nomination.
@Liberal Capitalist: Enjoy your stay. Then go home. I’ve been in FL long enough to want to pull up the ladder. It’s not even New Years and the restaurants are already crowding up.
As mostly a lurker on this site, I want to thank everyone who posts and replies regularly for being a thoughtful and entertaining community.
Warm wishes for a safe, happy holiday season to all!
@gVOR10: The Misery Lege refused to expand Medicaid too so the voters did it (60/40 iirc). So then the Lege refused to fund it but (again iirc), somebody sued and the state Supremes said, “Nuh, uh, uhhhh…”
So my smalltown hospital is safe for a little while longer.
@MWLib:
So everyone should get a happy holiday season? All? What did “all” do to deserve warm wishes? Socialist Marxist Communist Libtard!!!!
@EddieInCA: I say we trigger him, and the rest of the libs, by saying “Merry Christmas”.
“Happy holiday season”, pffft….
@Tony W: My local semi-pro newspaper has a letter to the editor this morning bemoaning the removal of “Merry Christmas”. And here I thought we’d lost the war against Christmas again.
Merry Christmas to all!
And a blessed New Year, including re-election of a great president.
Merry Christmas! Off to make candied yams for later.
Steve
Merry Christmas from the Copley Plaza in Boston!
@gVOR10: I actually got criticized once for saying “Merry Christmas.” It was a Jehovah’s Witness who pointed out that they don’t think such celebrations are meritorious. In my defense, I didn’t mean anything by that greeting. I was just saying I was saying automatically at this time of year.
I didn’t interrogate the Witness about her political stance since I have had a few fruitless conversations when I ask strangers about their politics. She might’ve been a liberal or not.
I did see some Witnesses with placards offering free bible exegesis on a downtown street corner. About half a block away there was a homeless guy sleeping in a doorway. Part of me wanted to ask them if their book had any ideas about the homeless, but I controlled my impulse.
It’s a clear, sunny morning along the Colorado River in far west-central Colorado. Time for a walk and some birding then return to the leftovers of the Christmas Eve feast of Danish style roast pork, red cabbage and roasted potatoes.
A wish to all of you for a peaceful season.
As always, Marge is the epitome of good taste:
http://www.rawstory.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-2666801946/
Yeah! After all there is really only one true holiday despite all kinds of band wagon jumpers!
Happy Winter Soltice To All!
Odd experience yesterday. I’m in Sausalito, in a hotel more or less equidistant between our two daughters. I’m with my eldest who is of course wearing short shorts and a crop top despite it being quite cold. (Teh transes sometimes like to eliminate any ambiguity). We stop at a gas station for snacks – only place open. Tiny, tiny little place. The TV is on, a hectoring voice speaking either Arabic or Hebrew, I’m not sure. I just want a Kit Kat.
The clerk is an old guy – my age – and after asking my daughter if she’s from Alaska. Because it’s cold. Then he says to me, “You’re like me.” I say, “A Californian?” Because unlike my daughter I’m wearing a down jacket like a rational human being. “No. . . like me.” At which he points to the TV behind me, the hectoring voice is flanked by stars of David.
The man outed me as a Jew. I ask, “Is it the nose?” Turns out no, that’s not the best way to spot a Jew, it’s in the eyes. Ooookay. I’m pleading to the non-denominational god I don’t believe in, not to trap me in a Gaza argument between the Jewish clerk and my kid in a cold gas station on Christmas Eve. I babble to distract, tap my Amex card and run for it.
Merry Christmas?
@Slugger: Last time I checked, the New World Bible translation used by the JWs still had the passages in the books ascribed to the Prophets calling for the society to care for the widows and orphans. The problem is, still, not the religious texts. It’s
@CSK: To paraphrase the words of the person after whom the holiday is named (and celebrated, as ChatBing tried to finish my sentence): Where her treasure is, there is her heart also.
@Michael Reynolds: Go in peace and serve whoever (because the Bob Dylan song is right–we all “gonna serve somebody”).
Now, before I completely flood out all y’alls holiday, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good day.
It’s 50 and pouring rain in the outskirts of St. Paul. The power went out in my in laws place. One might say it was a sign. Power is supposed to be out all day. I hope the crews they send out to fix it are making bank.
@Michael Reynolds:
Many of us are DEATHLY allergic to subtlety. Eww, the thought of it, gross. Anyway, we did our part to make your holiday Amex payment easier “ooooh! Cool! Animorphs!” My son.
Wonderful Christmas here with all of our kids and almost all of their SIs. When my set took off for their mom’s, I made my annual December 25 trip to the cemetery to see the rest of my family, the ones I used to spend Christmas with. A rainy but beautiful day here in the Midwest. Merry Christmas to all.
@OzarkHillbilly: The governor of my home state of Iowa just turned that money down herself. Her reasoning included the epidemic of childhood obesity in the state.
@Han: Yeah, I read about that. Was not certain of the veracity.
@OzarkHillbilly: Yep, two days before Christmas.
https://apnews.com/article/iowa-summer-ebt-food-assistance-0e878c5c0fc9dd0dd55622cb22a82561
I hate her so much…
@Beth:
Cha-ching!
My contribution to the family Christmas dinner was a traditional Victorian figgy pudding for dessert:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/985351067338432542/1187570128783679498/PXL_20231221_234036231.jpg
@Han:
How does she look at herself in the mirror and not want to cut her own throat as a public service?
Cracker reminds me that his local red collar community uses that $$ to fund school lunches in the summer.
@Stormy Dragon: What does it taste like?
@MarkedMan:
It’s an evolutionary ancestor of the fruit cake, but much softer and moister and with a lot of brandy in it
Brits have a funny way of naming desserts…figgy pudding, no figs. Plum pudding, no plums. Spotted dick, ….
@Jen:
Figgy pudding and plum pudding are the same dish. They did have figs in the middle ages and the name stuck when other dried fruits like raisins and currants became more popular in the Renaissance.
Likewise, “plums” originally meant any dried fruit not necessarily the specific fruit we call a plum today.
@Jen:
No spots?
@Stormy Dragon: What cast iron pan is that? I haven’t seen one with a handle like that.