Thursday’s Forum
Steven L. Taylor
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Thursday, April 6, 2023
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22 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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After my usual post dinner nap (woke up at 10:30) I never got another second of sleep. Started getting charlie horses in my calves and feet. Spent all night switching out ice packs until I finally said screw it and took a vicodin…. and it didn’t work either. Finally gave up at 4:30 and just got up.
Now I can barely keep my eyes open, but something tells me that if I try again to sleep the CHes will just come back with a vengeance. My body hates me.
@OzarkHillbilly:
That’s awful.
When I get a bad cramp in the middle of the night, I tend to get scared of going back to sleep. Usually exhaustion wins out.
@OzarkHillbilly:
Calcium deficiency can cause CH. I used to get them pretty often, but they stopped (mostly) after I got diagnosed with osteoporosis and started on calcium tablets.
Note also that calcium is lost in perspiration.
The SCOTUS is for sale.
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-travel-gifts-crow
And there ain’t nothing anyone can do about it.
@daryl and his brother darryl: This is just rank corruption. The fact that he didn’t disclose any of these gifts and lied about them in public (“I go on simple vacations to trailer parks”) is evidence of intent to deceive.
@charon: Thanx but I knew that. I’ve been suffering from them my entire life and tried every “solution” (in quotes because I’m pretty sure some of them were little more than quackery but desperate people do desperate things) there is and nothing works. It just sucks to be me sometimes.
Idaho has now passed a law to restrict interstate travel for women seeking healthcare.
And Kansas has passed a law requiring genital inspection of student athletes. Rumor has it that Gym Jordan is considering moving to Kansas.
Republicans are all about freedumb.
@MarkedMan:
By all rights Thomas should be impeached and removed.
Ha…I crack myself up….
@daryl and his brother darryl: 10,000 unemployed comedians and here you are giving it away for free.
@OzarkHillbilly:
Fair market value…
Came here to post the WaPo story (gift link) on the Justice Thomas ongoing corruption issue. @daryl and his brother darryl beat me to it.
What a piece of work Thomas is.
Rebekah Jones 13-Year-Old Son Has Been Arrested for Posting a Meme Critical of Police
Rebekah Jones if you don’t recall, “is the data scientist who worked for the state of Florida on the covid-19 database and claimed the state was hiding the actual numbers on covid.”
Music for the long Easter weekend.
This is the music for my favorite piece in both Fantasia movies: Rhapsody in blue by george Gershwin.
Gershwin composed it for a jazz band, not an orchestra. You can contrast and compare here.
And here’s the Fantasia 2000 version
Former mayor resigns from Missouri transportation board, citing appearance of conflict
I read that headline and thought, “Must be a Democrat.”
This feels like something out of a movie: Defense Department mistakenly detains guest in Boston hotel in training mix-up
Oops.
@OzarkHillbilly: I have suffered with leg and abdominal cramps on and off for decades. Least bit of dehydration and they start. Almond milk in the evening helps. Lots and lots of liquids, no alcohol and only morning caffeine. The doctor in the emergency room gave me horse pills of potassium. Eh. Narcotics don’t touch them, but muscle relaxers are heavenly. Almond milk banana smoothies are delicious and easier to get than a script.
Recently started applying aspercreme directly and it actually worked, to my surprise. Anyway, I feel ya, friend.
@Jen:
Gave me a yakety-sax ear worm.
@OzarkHillbilly: More information is coming to light that makes the arrest a bit less egregious. The kid was making specific threats that had to be checked out.
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/crime/2023/04/06/rebekah-jones-son-arrested-in-florida-what-we-know-about-digital-threat-allegations/70088634007/
Idiot kid shooting off his mouth, or idiot kid about to shoot up his school? With all the guns in America, we shouldn’t assume there’s no danger.
Sometimes two things can be true: fascist DeSantis uses the state to punish his enemies, and the kid needs to be checked out.
@Kathy:
Bruckner, 9th Symphony, BPO conducted by Daniel Barenboim.
John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, MCA Records 1965.
Two of the peaks of late 19th and mid 20th century music, IMUHO.
Some trans news:
“NPR”
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@charon: That’s interesting, but I can’t tell whether SCOTUS declined to intervene for now or for good. I mean, the 4th Circuit isn’t done with it, so they could review after the 4th is done. Bleh.
@Gustopher: Yeah, those statements definitely have some red flags in them. I am generally in favor of engagement with people making statements of this nature, just as I am in favor of always, always taking suicide threats seriously.