My 73 birthday was Monday. On Tuesday night my living room temperature was 48 degrees. Water was turned off. I stayed in bed wearing my winter pjs, my heaviest pjs, a long sweater, 2 pairs of wool socks, a scarf, a hat and gloves, 3 blankets and a comforter. I was fine. I had a camping lantern, an extra battery, my cellphone and my kindle. I snacked on GS cookies. I was fine. Not so for many other people in Houston and across Texas. Many are still suffering. The Republican state government knew about the potential problem of deregulation. Ten years ago cold had caused a similar problem. For the sake of money, no insulation of vital energy sources took place. Some of that money made its way in the form of political contributions to Cornyn, Cruz, Crenshaw (my Representative) and many others. Cruz made his way to Cancun and seemed surprised that his neighbors and his daughters’ school friends and their parents shared that tidbit. He lied, blamed his kids and then justified his actions on being a good dad. What a champ. AOC was down here today and many Texas Democrats in state and local government joined her. Our state and federal Republican elected officials were MIA. Thanks for all the good wishes and contributions. They mean a lot. The Houston Food Bank is a great place to help if you want to make a meaningful contribution. Many rabid Republicans are defending Cruz and his cruddy compatriots. I hope enough Texas Republicans, however, are as disgusted as I am and remember when elections come around. The tragedy of preventable events can break you as can the lack of accountability. I won’t be broken.
We share Birthdays DD except I was born in 1935 in the depths of the Great Depression.
Since I was born and live in New York State I have learned to rely on an active Government to provide margins of safety from peril. I understand that Texas and most of the West are satisfied to practice rigid self reliance which is fine and necessary when you are few in number and must provide sustenance on your own.
But the weakness of a Pioneer Spirit of independence already became tattered by the “brave,” souls who perceived mask wearing as Government interference and filled Texas Hospitals as proof otherwise.
I hope the re-visit of the Polar surge creates a sense of reality for the Texas leadership and voters to realize that a strong hand of Government can be a huge relief for human beings when conditions have possible lethal consequences and threaten life and well being.
My view of Government being prepared to provide help when the threat exceeds my personal ability provides comfort on my 85th Birthday.
Happy Birthday to Deborah and Hap! I’m inspired by AOC, Ayanna, Beto, and all who are helping Texans. We just donated to Beto’s Powered by People effort. Also inspired by Deborah’s resilient attitude and Hap’s positive take on the role of government in our lives. Thank you both for sharing your stories.
I have a birthday next week - Hap, only 3 years behind you! This whole Tx mess makes me doubly glad I live here in NY. We of course have our issues, but for the most part our pols do their job. Today still in the 20s I think - didnt look at the temp - fed wildlife & came back in to the warmth. I feel so bad for the Texans that bear the brunt of their (mostly) Repubs greed & stupidity. Cross my fingers you all can "encourage" them to fix things? OR find reps that will.
Happy birthday to us and Susan B Anthony! Texas Republican leadership won’t learn a lesson, but maybe we can get some good legislation passed. Big maybe as both houses are controlled by Republicans. As for the rugged individualism — HCR is spot on when she says it’s all a myth. Republicans are happy to take huge donations from the very people who caused this tragedy. With voter suppression it is an up hill battle each election at every level.
There's no doubt that those responsible knew you were at risk, and they can't deny it. Happy birthday, a bit late. I hope that your gift comes when everyone is no longer blue from freezing cold, and that the unenlightened realize who's more likely to be in their corner, and they help to turn Texas blue, but in a good way.
'Tis blessing to be represented by Warren, Markey and Pressley. I have a special affinity for AOC -- she was often in the library where I worked. It is an honor to be inspired by her.
Yes. I met your Senator Markey years ago when a former student of mine graduated from Georgetown. He had worked in Markey’s office while going to college. Both Markey and his wife came to dinner with us. So very kind and gracious. Loved his very savvy campaign this past election. Also met Warren and heard her several times when she was campaigning in Houston. Very impressive speaker.
You are a lucky duck, DD. I'd like to shake the hand that shook the hand ....
In 2020, thanks to Joe Kennedy's primary challenge, all of MA finally realized that we have TWO outstanding senators providing sterling service to state and nation. The Green New Deal caps his career; his alliance with AOC bolstered him on the left and is typical of his decades of mentoring Youngers in Congress.
Turning State legislatures "blue" is the key to changing the politics in many States we think of as Republican. That party's failure to adequately serve the people's needs now gives Democrats a chance but only if their local political organizations step up to do the job.
Sending you masses of extra strength, warmth, and courage! Of course, you will not be broken! And thanks for the tip about the Houston Food Bank.This, too, shall pass -- may it do so sooner rather than later!
Powerfully stated. It is so important to let all Texans know the work Democrats are doing to help them. Please stay as warm as possible. Hopefully you can truly celebrate your birthday soon.
Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale seems like quite a guy. Housed and fed hundreds of people. If I were anywhere near Texas, I’d remember him next time I needed furniture.
Wow! What an amazing testimonial. May you have many Happy Returns. For your birthday I will donate to Houston's Food Bank. All the best to you in this amazing time.
Good suggestion, but there are many people who suffered far more than I — people with burst pipes and babies. Instead, I will keep on protesting, registering voters and volunteering for good Democratic candidates.
I'm 10 years older, Deb, in NYS. Sounds like you have the original Texan's outlook & capabilities! Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do, right? Take care of yourself and stay safe.
Glad you are okay and made it through! Hope you made it with out burst pipes too. My son living in Plano wanted to go pitch in with AOC. Too far away for one day.
ERCOT was suppose to help with energy reliability after the freeze in 2011. All they did was collect fat paychecks! And the one mayor in Colorado City telling his city it wasn’t governments job to take care of them!
Cruz isn’t running again. But I believe it’s because he wants to run for president. Ha!
Stay Safe! Rising temperatures I know you’ll be much warmer!
Happy Birthday, Deborah! Your report, suggestion to help The Houston Food Bank and the news of your particular situation were welcome. Stay safe and warm.
Happy Birthday! And thanks for the great post. I hope the near future finds you with better representation from people who actually want to serve their constituents.
A friend in Houston said it was 50 degrees yesterday. She said spring flowers had begun to poke through before the storm. Hopes they'll recover from the freeze. Happy birthday...
Heather, I hope you bask in the knowledge that you have created a community that adores your clarity, respects your insights and each other's, and is truly a unique creation. When you take an early night --surely well deserved-- we can take turns sharing what's important to us. Tonight, I've been thinking of an article I read with very specific instructions for keeping the progressive surge going and expanding its influence. I hope others will find it a blueprint for action, too. Peaceful night, all.
Yes, we have to make sure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past and squander this important time or let Mitch and the rest of the GOP derail the progress the majority of Americans want and need.
Enjoy your much deserved early night and rest Heather. You are deeply appreciated by so many. Thank you for this past year of history, perspective and clarity.
There is nothing right now more important that insuring a voter participation level in 2022 that is stronger than 2020, concentrated on state/local and supporting D candidates for House and Senate. If the GOP retakes congress - even one house - in 2022, it's "game over" for democracy in this country. Yes, get as many good folks to run as possible, but if the candidate has D after their name in November '22, vote for them regardless.
Thank you for this link, Richard. I was able to find a group about 40 minutes away, in North Carolina, since good ol' SC is just as red as red can be. But we have to start somewhere, right?
Edit - I did a state search and found some chapters in SC - none as close as the ones in NC, but it's encouraging. Is it wrong of me to avoid the chapter that spelled Indivisible wrong on their Facebook page? (Indivisable) Maybe it was on purpose, but even still, it just looks bad
The Maine coast looks frigid, frozen and fantastic.
With no regular LFAA tonight, this suggestion should be of interest.
One rewarding aspect of LFAA is the many books, songs, films etc. that readers recommend, often followed by "just bought it" or "just ordered." For those on a budget (who isn't?), especially with less income during pandemics (plural), here's a good resource: renew your library patron registration at your college/university/high school alma mater. A great many will extend lifetime borrowing privileges to alumni. I long had a library card from my undergrad AM, though since it's 900 miles away there's no use but for rare reunions. My grad AM is 3 miles from home, but libraries now are only a few keystrokes away.
The advent of electronic materials like digital books and e-journals makes access infinitely easier, with some exceptions. Thinking beyond books or monographs, the wealth of information in scholarly periodicals in particular can be a revelation. Public and school libraries still operate during the current pandemic, and thus remain valuable resources even when closed to walk-in traffic. The whole process of gaining access is pretty straightforward.
PROCEDURES
-- Check alma mater library websites for policies and procedures, OR
-- Email/call the Circulation Dept at the library (if calling, ask for staff or supervisor)
-- ID yourself as alumna/us and ask about borrowing privileges
-- A few mins are needed to create patron records w/ contact information, password/pin, etc
-- Contact Reference or IT Help Desk for more details or technical help
CONSIDERATIONS
-- Policies vary between libraries
-- Appearing in person generally required to create patron records (may differ w/ pandemic)
-- Some will restrict or deny alumni access to electronic resources
-- Other restrictions on patron status or using e-resources may exist
Is anything important overlooked? I was Circ staff for nearly 20 years, but c'mon you librarians and teachers, we know you want to share.
There's nothing like owning a physical book, of course, and bookstores really need customers (except when it's an Evil Empire). But libraries need patrons too. Electronic visits count as patron traffic just as much as borrowing physical items, perhaps more these days. Frequent patron use bolsters library budget requests and demonstrates value in the community. Using our access privileges now will boost libraries in the future. Otherwise, if/when they reopen fully, we may find that this precious public asset is gravely weakened and diminished.
Hope this helps; a universe of fact, knowledge and wisdom awaits.
Public libraries and college and university libraries (although some restrict electronic access to enrolled students and employees and have been limiting access to alums because of budget cuts) are invaluable. So is Project Gutenberg (thanks Jan for the reminder!). There are a bunch of other free services and some subscription services have also opened up their archives. Here's a short list:
Internet Archive (archive.org)--they are much larger than Google Books and have actually made books still in copyright available to be read (despite the yells from publishers they were able to persevere as they are organized like an online public library)
Hathi Trust Digital Library (https://www.hathitrust.org): They are a UK-based online library with lots of stuff that is hard to find elsewhere, especially if you're a researcher needing materials that are being gatekept by the "big boys" such as Oxford and Cambridge UP.
JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org): Although most of the time you have to access articles through a library subscription (personal subscriptions are atrociously expensive), in these Covid times they have decided to make it possible to have free download access to 10 articles a month for anyone who signs up. In addition, you can usually read online for free, but without the downloading capacities.
British History Online(https://www.british-history.ac.uk): Although some of the site is subscription only (and my uni library just canceled theirs--sigh), an incredible amount of material is available for free. This is overseen by the University of London. It's a great resource.
CELT--Corpus of Electronic Texts (https://celt.ucc.ie//): This is essentially the Irish version of BHO, overseen by University College, Cork. The only problem with it is that I think they lost their grant so it is in limbo. I keep on downloading stuff in hopes that they will survive but in case they don't . . .
Also, the Library of Congress and the National Archives of the US have very robust websites with lots of open access.
None of these sites have very recent books, because they are limited by copyright laws, but they are founts of information that can provide hours of rabbit-hole-diving enjoyment. In addition, you would be amazed at the number of academic journals that now offer some of their special issues or important collections as free to read online. Again: with libraries cutting budgets but research requirements rising, those of us in academia are often really stuck, and rely on the "kindness of strangers" in order to get our work done.
There are also other organizations worth checking out. The Digital National Security Archive (https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/) has an amazing amount of material on the Cold War (something very few actually have the slightest knowledge of, despite the fact our contemporary world is the result of all that). I did a lot of deep diving there when I was writing both "The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club" and "Downtown" - the amount of stuff "they" actually knew "they" were fucking up in Southeast Asia is stunning even for someone who knew they were fucking up 55 years ago (like me).
Further forgot to mention you can sign up for updates. Just take a look at what's on the front page today: saving Trump's white house records, the report on how war game Able Archer in 1983 nearly caused World War III, etc.
Just to confirm your thoughts on the importance of books recommended and read by LFAA community members. I'm just in the process of reading Hannah Arendt's "the Origins of Totalitarianism"...chapter on imperialism. .
What inspired this note is her discussion of the role of capital and the bourgeoisie businessmen in the development of imperialist expansion ...territorial expansion sactioned by government but uniquely for private profit..linking the role of governments and power in protecting the former's evergrowing profits to the eternal detriment of native inhabitants. The basic Plantation/Movement Conservative/Koch/Trump ideology comes straight out of Hobbes' "Leviathan" . Devastation justification for the capitalist dog-eat-dog "power" environment were no one owes consideration to the other. Both books should be on our bedside tables.
I’m reading Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum. “Totalitarian predisposition” “appeals to people who cannot tolerate complexity, anti-pluralist, suspicious of ppl with different ideas, doesn’t like debate—not a set ideology but a frame of mind.”
Creating the "dissaffected mob" which are so easily manipulated by, and so useful to, capital in its battle to maintain its power over society, politics and the generation of wealth.
Hannah Arendt still repays (re)reading. "TOOT" is remarkably prescient even 70 years after it first appeared. It emphasizes political philosophy more than actions, but makes clear that ideas influence action.
A good book that explains many things nowadays is Chris Hayes' "Twilight of the Elites" - how the upper classes use position to take things over, and how they mostly don't have the skill/talent to do anything with what they get once they get it. When I read it, it completely explained modern Hollywood to me. I am sure it explains many other situations than that.
There are sites you should not go to. One of them is the Digital Lending Library, a nice bit of libertarian "freedom" that is actually theft of copyrighted material, with the scumbags saying "We're just making material available to people in hard times." Yeah, right, sorry - so long as I am still collecting royalty payments on stuff I worked my ass off on, you upper class "do-gooder" twits don't get to steal my money. The Authors Guild has them listed as bad. Check the Author's Guild to see lists of bad actors in this field before you participate. If we writers don't get paid, you won't get much to read.
Sorry, the accurate name of that organization is the Internet Archive "Open Library". The book equivalent of Napster. Fuck the "sharing economy" that steals the work of creative people.
I have been a library fanatic since I learned to read and the branch library was located one block away. My dream job in retirement was to work in a library or bookstore. If I had had to buy every book I ever read, I’d have to live in a warehouse. The library is the first place I go when I want a book. Libraries rock! (Thank you Andrew Carnegie!!)
Go to your public library's web site and look for ebooks, digital resources. See if they have Hoopla, which will get you magazines and books in digital format. It's a library thing.
Agree 100%! I regularly use my local library and my alma mater library as well. I will buy a book when it's special or when I just can't wait until it's available at a library. When I've finished one of these books, I will share with a friend or donate to my library.
A thank you, too, to the poster who reminded me recently that I have access to the NYT through my library. I recently switched my subscription to the WPost, but have found I miss the Times. Now I have both.
So important! I no longer buy books (have shelves full to re-read) but my local library is great! I can go online & find if my favorite authors (or new ones) & reserve books there - call from the parking lot & they bring them to the door. The library itself is open, but I'm staying with pick up!
Chef Andre, Beto and AOC stood in for Clueless Cruz. There *are* people who care about other and restore our faith that there are good people who care about each other.
Thank Buddy for the lovely foggy, post-snowfall shot of the peaceful harbor, with the flag flapping in the wind.
Beto shows up and helps. Chef Andre is a wonderman everywhere in the world and where he can serve. AOC gets things done for people. These are people I want to support. Thanks for the beautiful photo too
Yes! He’s “considering” a run for Governor! Cruz isn’t running again, he’s going for president. Ha! On social media my Dem friends and I have started ending posts with #beto4governor
From Texas? Beaumont, June 21st, 1960 carried a banner across the main street of that town: Ni - - er - Don’t let the sun set on you. I was 21 attending a brother’s wedding. I’ve been back to Dallas and Houston and Ben Wheeler. I shall not return till Abbott and his ilk are toast.
In 1961 the town of Greenville, Texas had the town motto painted on the water tower as well as on banners on each end of the main street. They said "The blackest land and the whitest people on earth" I don't know when it came down but it it is now gone, however I would be surprised if the entrenched racism has disappeared from that area.
Oh yes! It’s on the news along with Beto’s work to help the elderly. It stands in stark contrast what AOC and Beto are doing, next to the Republican leaders who just point fingers. Or worse leave town then blame a child for that bad decision.
It is circulating on social media that the head of ERCOT made $750,000 in 2017. For what?! As a teacher, I made about $50,000 that year and had two jobs. But I did my job! ERCOT did nothing to make energy reliable. An ERCOT rep on Monday, before the weather hit hard, said it isn’t financially feasible to winterize power plants in Texas. She never said it again as people suffered, some forty people died, extensive property damage and people without food and clean water, extreme frigid cold millions without heat. My brother’s neighbor perished in a house fire. The fire trucks just couldn’t pump water due to a frozen hydrant and fire hoses!
After last week’s 150 car pile up on I35W expressway, they at least closed all expressways during the freeze. Texans love going fast, the expressway speed limit is 75 mph for long stretches.
Monday is back to work for my school district. Some can’t open do to property damage. So I’m lucky in many ways! All my family is safe tonight and in good health!
ERCOT pit small power companies against each other to fight for the lowest cost. The best description I heard was it’s like Uber for energy. Now if you don’t have a set price plan, you are at the mercy of these small companies raising their rates exponentially to try to survive. It’s a horrible business plan and Texans are paying the price!
Oh my goodness! Your brother must be a bit traumatized by the neighbor’s death. Then you’ve got idiots on the expressways...thankfully you are safe and sound. And in good health too!!
Thank G-d your family is all safe. If this disaster in Texas isn't an argument for regulation including climate-hardening, and transparency, nothing is.
The FB Republicans I’ve had contact with are spewing their hate of AOC and any Democrat as usual. Saying it was a photo op for her. Defending Cancun Cruz.
Just had an experience of trying to "friend" a former work colleague who said she couldn't friend me if I supported Biden. My response, "Sorry....be safe."
Partisan loyalty is one of the oligarchs' best tools. It blocks accountability. That is true whether it is Cruz or Cuomo. It is true when otherwise admirable leaders get something wrong, and when scum get something right.
This doesn't surprise me. The lies and divisiveness are, unfortunately, still alive and well. I hope with time and with what the Biden Administration will accomplish for all Americans some people's eyes, and minds, will be opened.
67 in Austin at 12:30 now, and I have the windows wide open to bring the warmth inside; the interior temperature has risen from 42 to 58 and I have hopes that today will bring it up even higher.
There's still no running water here, but our apartment complex management has secured another 300 gallons to distribute for drinking water, but we have to boil it first. People are filling buckets from the pool and using it to flush their commodes.
A local hospital (originally reported as Dell's Children's Hospital, but now is only listed as 'a hospital') put out a call to local pet stores, asking for cat litter to use FOR THEIR PATIENTS because they no longer have running water.
This has been a disaster for Texas. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that, if ERCOT had done the job that was entrusted to them, it would not have been this bad.
Time marks so much, some things marked longer,harder and more trying than folks have the stomach, patience or heart for! Here’s to hoping for better days, ways and a safer direction! Please!?
Some good news and some not so good news. A good week, overall. Texas will survive, RL is dead, vaccinations will get back on schedule. Thank you for your voice.
Thanks Bob. There should be severe legal consequences for the failed-state officials who allowed this Great Texas Winter to happen, then shirked their duty. Not all Texans survived; their spirits deserve justice, and the living a Blue state.
I remember (paraphrasing) Stalin's comment a single death is a tragedy million is just a statistic. We worry about a couple of deaths in Texas because we can grasp the tragedy. Where is our outrage for half a million dead? Why aren't we screaming about the Republican betrayal of our seniors? As stated before if we had closed our borders really as did Australia, with real quarantines for visitors, contact tracing for the virus, social distancing, and effective mask wearing we would have lost 1,000 people per 25 million. Every death above 10,000 is directly attributable to Trump and his enablers: the Republicans.
Border closing might not have helped us much by the time we knew what was going on. Actual responsible leadership - getting PPE to the states, encouraging everyone to wear masks and social distance - would have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
In a monumental upset over prohibitive betting favorite Ted Cruz, Joe Manchin wins last week's "Biggest Political Asshole in the World" competition. When reached for comment by this reporter
on his upset victory, Manchin choked back tears as he dedicated his win to "Rush's tragic death".
Quite the week. No insurgents . No crazy tweets ...just a president who cares and hasn't stoped working since he walked into the White house 🥰 I feel a rush of calm all over the world. My world at leste.
My 73 birthday was Monday. On Tuesday night my living room temperature was 48 degrees. Water was turned off. I stayed in bed wearing my winter pjs, my heaviest pjs, a long sweater, 2 pairs of wool socks, a scarf, a hat and gloves, 3 blankets and a comforter. I was fine. I had a camping lantern, an extra battery, my cellphone and my kindle. I snacked on GS cookies. I was fine. Not so for many other people in Houston and across Texas. Many are still suffering. The Republican state government knew about the potential problem of deregulation. Ten years ago cold had caused a similar problem. For the sake of money, no insulation of vital energy sources took place. Some of that money made its way in the form of political contributions to Cornyn, Cruz, Crenshaw (my Representative) and many others. Cruz made his way to Cancun and seemed surprised that his neighbors and his daughters’ school friends and their parents shared that tidbit. He lied, blamed his kids and then justified his actions on being a good dad. What a champ. AOC was down here today and many Texas Democrats in state and local government joined her. Our state and federal Republican elected officials were MIA. Thanks for all the good wishes and contributions. They mean a lot. The Houston Food Bank is a great place to help if you want to make a meaningful contribution. Many rabid Republicans are defending Cruz and his cruddy compatriots. I hope enough Texas Republicans, however, are as disgusted as I am and remember when elections come around. The tragedy of preventable events can break you as can the lack of accountability. I won’t be broken.
We share Birthdays DD except I was born in 1935 in the depths of the Great Depression.
Since I was born and live in New York State I have learned to rely on an active Government to provide margins of safety from peril. I understand that Texas and most of the West are satisfied to practice rigid self reliance which is fine and necessary when you are few in number and must provide sustenance on your own.
But the weakness of a Pioneer Spirit of independence already became tattered by the “brave,” souls who perceived mask wearing as Government interference and filled Texas Hospitals as proof otherwise.
I hope the re-visit of the Polar surge creates a sense of reality for the Texas leadership and voters to realize that a strong hand of Government can be a huge relief for human beings when conditions have possible lethal consequences and threaten life and well being.
My view of Government being prepared to provide help when the threat exceeds my personal ability provides comfort on my 85th Birthday.
Happy Birthday to Deborah and Hap! I’m inspired by AOC, Ayanna, Beto, and all who are helping Texans. We just donated to Beto’s Powered by People effort. Also inspired by Deborah’s resilient attitude and Hap’s positive take on the role of government in our lives. Thank you both for sharing your stories.
I have a birthday next week - Hap, only 3 years behind you! This whole Tx mess makes me doubly glad I live here in NY. We of course have our issues, but for the most part our pols do their job. Today still in the 20s I think - didnt look at the temp - fed wildlife & came back in to the warmth. I feel so bad for the Texans that bear the brunt of their (mostly) Repubs greed & stupidity. Cross my fingers you all can "encourage" them to fix things? OR find reps that will.
Happy birthday to us and Susan B Anthony! Texas Republican leadership won’t learn a lesson, but maybe we can get some good legislation passed. Big maybe as both houses are controlled by Republicans. As for the rugged individualism — HCR is spot on when she says it’s all a myth. Republicans are happy to take huge donations from the very people who caused this tragedy. With voter suppression it is an up hill battle each election at every level.
Happy Birthday, Hap! Your thoughts and wishes are with the people. Thank you.
Lookin' good for your age, Happy! Keep the comments coming.
There's no doubt that those responsible knew you were at risk, and they can't deny it. Happy birthday, a bit late. I hope that your gift comes when everyone is no longer blue from freezing cold, and that the unenlightened realize who's more likely to be in their corner, and they help to turn Texas blue, but in a good way.
Happy birthday, DD.
I donated through my Rep. Ayanna Pressley, whose office organizes a relief campaign for Texas. Your GOP may not have your back, but America does.
Thank you. Your good wishes and donation are meaningful. I will share your comment with my Cornyn Protest Group. We’ve been out there since 1/17.
'Tis blessing to be represented by Warren, Markey and Pressley. I have a special affinity for AOC -- she was often in the library where I worked. It is an honor to be inspired by her.
Yes. I met your Senator Markey years ago when a former student of mine graduated from Georgetown. He had worked in Markey’s office while going to college. Both Markey and his wife came to dinner with us. So very kind and gracious. Loved his very savvy campaign this past election. Also met Warren and heard her several times when she was campaigning in Houston. Very impressive speaker.
You are a lucky duck, DD. I'd like to shake the hand that shook the hand ....
In 2020, thanks to Joe Kennedy's primary challenge, all of MA finally realized that we have TWO outstanding senators providing sterling service to state and nation. The Green New Deal caps his career; his alliance with AOC bolstered him on the left and is typical of his decades of mentoring Youngers in Congress.
Thank you. Turning Texas blue would be a gift that keeps on giving.
Turning State legislatures "blue" is the key to changing the politics in many States we think of as Republican. That party's failure to adequately serve the people's needs now gives Democrats a chance but only if their local political organizations step up to do the job.
Yes and why the Republicans use voter suppression as a key part of their strategy.
Yes it would for all of us! Happy Belated Birthday!🎂
Thank you!
Blue-bonnet state
Sending you masses of extra strength, warmth, and courage! Of course, you will not be broken! And thanks for the tip about the Houston Food Bank.This, too, shall pass -- may it do so sooner rather than later!
Powerfully stated. It is so important to let all Texans know the work Democrats are doing to help them. Please stay as warm as possible. Hopefully you can truly celebrate your birthday soon.
Happy Belated Birthday, DD!! This time the eyes of the country are upon Texas and behind you 100%...
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1363182316961419267?s=20
Mattress Mack opens his showroom in Houston: "The essence of living is giving," he said.
https://news.yahoo.com/texas-furniture-store-owner-turns-200027617.html
It's songs like these that make me pea green with envy not to be from Texas😉
https://youtu.be/4BCpWKDoNnY
https://www.wideopencountry.com/25-greatest-country-songs-about-texas/#:~:text=%2025%20of%20the%20Best%20Country%20Songs%20About,%22The%20Yellow%20Rose%20of%20Texas%20%22%20More
Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale seems like quite a guy. Housed and fed hundreds of people. If I were anywhere near Texas, I’d remember him next time I needed furniture.
Yes. Unfortunately he is also a Trump supporter.
Good to know, Deborah. I will pray that he sees the light.
Morning Lynn!! DD is my heroine of the day.
Maybe tonight (this morn) I'll retire earlier. It's too late to be early.
Thanks for th a.m. links Lynell
Wow! What an amazing testimonial. May you have many Happy Returns. For your birthday I will donate to Houston's Food Bank. All the best to you in this amazing time.
Thank you. The Houston Food Bank supplies many local food banks throughout south East Texas (not just Houston) so it is money well spent.
An after thought. Could you submit your post to your paper?
Good suggestion, but there are many people who suffered far more than I — people with burst pipes and babies. Instead, I will keep on protesting, registering voters and volunteering for good Democratic candidates.
I'm 10 years older, Deb, in NYS. Sounds like you have the original Texan's outlook & capabilities! Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do, right? Take care of yourself and stay safe.
Donating... Thank you!
Thank you! Two weeks today fully vaccinated with two doses so actually celebrating dinner at my daughter’ house inside and not in driveway.
Congratulations... Been in lockdown with daughter and 2 brands for a year. They will be moving away to Texas in May...
Glad you are okay and made it through! Hope you made it with out burst pipes too. My son living in Plano wanted to go pitch in with AOC. Too far away for one day.
ERCOT was suppose to help with energy reliability after the freeze in 2011. All they did was collect fat paychecks! And the one mayor in Colorado City telling his city it wasn’t governments job to take care of them!
Cruz isn’t running again. But I believe it’s because he wants to run for president. Ha!
Stay Safe! Rising temperatures I know you’ll be much warmer!
Thank you. Cruz will be running —either for office or for his own den of inequity.
"My little girls made me do it."
Party of personal responsibility, my apse.
Happy Birthday, Deborah! Your report, suggestion to help The Houston Food Bank and the news of your particular situation were welcome. Stay safe and warm.
Happy Birthday! And thanks for the great post. I hope the near future finds you with better representation from people who actually want to serve their constituents.
Happiest Birthday ever!!
A friend in Houston said it was 50 degrees yesterday. She said spring flowers had begun to poke through before the storm. Hopes they'll recover from the freeze. Happy birthday...
Heather, I hope you bask in the knowledge that you have created a community that adores your clarity, respects your insights and each other's, and is truly a unique creation. When you take an early night --surely well deserved-- we can take turns sharing what's important to us. Tonight, I've been thinking of an article I read with very specific instructions for keeping the progressive surge going and expanding its influence. I hope others will find it a blueprint for action, too. Peaceful night, all.
https://indivisible.org/democracy-guide?akid=70164.55085.rO-UQ6&rd=1&t=8&utm_medium=link2_20210108&utm_source=email
Thank you Richard for this link.
Yes, we have to make sure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past and squander this important time or let Mitch and the rest of the GOP derail the progress the majority of Americans want and need.
Enjoy your much deserved early night and rest Heather. You are deeply appreciated by so many. Thank you for this past year of history, perspective and clarity.
Yes, Heather, we your LFAA faithful are in awe and forever grateful. Thank you!
I love Indivisible. It will require work to keep our legislators engaged. This begins to lay out how.
https://indivisible.org/democracy-guide?akid=70164.55085.rO-UQ6&rd=1&t=8&utm_medium=link2_20210108&utm_source=email
Thank you David, for this link. I just went on Indivisible and Joined!!
Boy, are they Busy And Informative!!😊
I also love Indivisible and have picked up lots of ideas on how to remain active. Thank you!
There is nothing right now more important that insuring a voter participation level in 2022 that is stronger than 2020, concentrated on state/local and supporting D candidates for House and Senate. If the GOP retakes congress - even one house - in 2022, it's "game over" for democracy in this country. Yes, get as many good folks to run as possible, but if the candidate has D after their name in November '22, vote for them regardless.
I volunteered with Indivisible all spring and summer doing texting. Highly recommend their take on what actions to take
Thank you for this link, Richard. I was able to find a group about 40 minutes away, in North Carolina, since good ol' SC is just as red as red can be. But we have to start somewhere, right?
Edit - I did a state search and found some chapters in SC - none as close as the ones in NC, but it's encouraging. Is it wrong of me to avoid the chapter that spelled Indivisible wrong on their Facebook page? (Indivisable) Maybe it was on purpose, but even still, it just looks bad
The Maine coast looks frigid, frozen and fantastic.
With no regular LFAA tonight, this suggestion should be of interest.
One rewarding aspect of LFAA is the many books, songs, films etc. that readers recommend, often followed by "just bought it" or "just ordered." For those on a budget (who isn't?), especially with less income during pandemics (plural), here's a good resource: renew your library patron registration at your college/university/high school alma mater. A great many will extend lifetime borrowing privileges to alumni. I long had a library card from my undergrad AM, though since it's 900 miles away there's no use but for rare reunions. My grad AM is 3 miles from home, but libraries now are only a few keystrokes away.
The advent of electronic materials like digital books and e-journals makes access infinitely easier, with some exceptions. Thinking beyond books or monographs, the wealth of information in scholarly periodicals in particular can be a revelation. Public and school libraries still operate during the current pandemic, and thus remain valuable resources even when closed to walk-in traffic. The whole process of gaining access is pretty straightforward.
PROCEDURES
-- Check alma mater library websites for policies and procedures, OR
-- Email/call the Circulation Dept at the library (if calling, ask for staff or supervisor)
-- ID yourself as alumna/us and ask about borrowing privileges
-- A few mins are needed to create patron records w/ contact information, password/pin, etc
-- Contact Reference or IT Help Desk for more details or technical help
CONSIDERATIONS
-- Policies vary between libraries
-- Appearing in person generally required to create patron records (may differ w/ pandemic)
-- Some will restrict or deny alumni access to electronic resources
-- Other restrictions on patron status or using e-resources may exist
Is anything important overlooked? I was Circ staff for nearly 20 years, but c'mon you librarians and teachers, we know you want to share.
There's nothing like owning a physical book, of course, and bookstores really need customers (except when it's an Evil Empire). But libraries need patrons too. Electronic visits count as patron traffic just as much as borrowing physical items, perhaps more these days. Frequent patron use bolsters library budget requests and demonstrates value in the community. Using our access privileges now will boost libraries in the future. Otherwise, if/when they reopen fully, we may find that this precious public asset is gravely weakened and diminished.
Hope this helps; a universe of fact, knowledge and wisdom awaits.
Public libraries and college and university libraries (although some restrict electronic access to enrolled students and employees and have been limiting access to alums because of budget cuts) are invaluable. So is Project Gutenberg (thanks Jan for the reminder!). There are a bunch of other free services and some subscription services have also opened up their archives. Here's a short list:
Internet Archive (archive.org)--they are much larger than Google Books and have actually made books still in copyright available to be read (despite the yells from publishers they were able to persevere as they are organized like an online public library)
Hathi Trust Digital Library (https://www.hathitrust.org): They are a UK-based online library with lots of stuff that is hard to find elsewhere, especially if you're a researcher needing materials that are being gatekept by the "big boys" such as Oxford and Cambridge UP.
JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org): Although most of the time you have to access articles through a library subscription (personal subscriptions are atrociously expensive), in these Covid times they have decided to make it possible to have free download access to 10 articles a month for anyone who signs up. In addition, you can usually read online for free, but without the downloading capacities.
British History Online(https://www.british-history.ac.uk): Although some of the site is subscription only (and my uni library just canceled theirs--sigh), an incredible amount of material is available for free. This is overseen by the University of London. It's a great resource.
CELT--Corpus of Electronic Texts (https://celt.ucc.ie//): This is essentially the Irish version of BHO, overseen by University College, Cork. The only problem with it is that I think they lost their grant so it is in limbo. I keep on downloading stuff in hopes that they will survive but in case they don't . . .
Also, the Library of Congress and the National Archives of the US have very robust websites with lots of open access.
None of these sites have very recent books, because they are limited by copyright laws, but they are founts of information that can provide hours of rabbit-hole-diving enjoyment. In addition, you would be amazed at the number of academic journals that now offer some of their special issues or important collections as free to read online. Again: with libraries cutting budgets but research requirements rising, those of us in academia are often really stuck, and rely on the "kindness of strangers" in order to get our work done.
Thanks, Prof M. I knew there was something missing.
-- Prof J
There are also other organizations worth checking out. The Digital National Security Archive (https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/) has an amazing amount of material on the Cold War (something very few actually have the slightest knowledge of, despite the fact our contemporary world is the result of all that). I did a lot of deep diving there when I was writing both "The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club" and "Downtown" - the amount of stuff "they" actually knew "they" were fucking up in Southeast Asia is stunning even for someone who knew they were fucking up 55 years ago (like me).
Forgot to mention that much of their material is there as a result of their relentless FOIA requests.
Further forgot to mention you can sign up for updates. Just take a look at what's on the front page today: saving Trump's white house records, the report on how war game Able Archer in 1983 nearly caused World War III, etc.
Just to confirm your thoughts on the importance of books recommended and read by LFAA community members. I'm just in the process of reading Hannah Arendt's "the Origins of Totalitarianism"...chapter on imperialism. .
What inspired this note is her discussion of the role of capital and the bourgeoisie businessmen in the development of imperialist expansion ...territorial expansion sactioned by government but uniquely for private profit..linking the role of governments and power in protecting the former's evergrowing profits to the eternal detriment of native inhabitants. The basic Plantation/Movement Conservative/Koch/Trump ideology comes straight out of Hobbes' "Leviathan" . Devastation justification for the capitalist dog-eat-dog "power" environment were no one owes consideration to the other. Both books should be on our bedside tables.
I’m reading Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum. “Totalitarian predisposition” “appeals to people who cannot tolerate complexity, anti-pluralist, suspicious of ppl with different ideas, doesn’t like debate—not a set ideology but a frame of mind.”
Creating the "dissaffected mob" which are so easily manipulated by, and so useful to, capital in its battle to maintain its power over society, politics and the generation of wealth.
Applebaum is excellent - and also proof that "conservative intellectual" isn't always an oxymoron.
Hannah Arendt still repays (re)reading. "TOOT" is remarkably prescient even 70 years after it first appeared. It emphasizes political philosophy more than actions, but makes clear that ideas influence action.
A good book that explains many things nowadays is Chris Hayes' "Twilight of the Elites" - how the upper classes use position to take things over, and how they mostly don't have the skill/talent to do anything with what they get once they get it. When I read it, it completely explained modern Hollywood to me. I am sure it explains many other situations than that.
Project Gutenburg. 60,000 public domain e-books in most formats. https://www.gutenberg.org/
Librivox. 15,000 public domain audiobooks. https://librivox.org/
Volunteer efforts.
There are sites you should not go to. One of them is the Digital Lending Library, a nice bit of libertarian "freedom" that is actually theft of copyrighted material, with the scumbags saying "We're just making material available to people in hard times." Yeah, right, sorry - so long as I am still collecting royalty payments on stuff I worked my ass off on, you upper class "do-gooder" twits don't get to steal my money. The Authors Guild has them listed as bad. Check the Author's Guild to see lists of bad actors in this field before you participate. If we writers don't get paid, you won't get much to read.
Thanks for the info, TC. I think I've seen that in search results before and thought it didn't look right.
Sorry, the accurate name of that organization is the Internet Archive "Open Library". The book equivalent of Napster. Fuck the "sharing economy" that steals the work of creative people.
I have been a library fanatic since I learned to read and the branch library was located one block away. My dream job in retirement was to work in a library or bookstore. If I had had to buy every book I ever read, I’d have to live in a warehouse. The library is the first place I go when I want a book. Libraries rock! (Thank you Andrew Carnegie!!)
Public libraries too.
Go to your public library's web site and look for ebooks, digital resources. See if they have Hoopla, which will get you magazines and books in digital format. It's a library thing.
My county library uses Libby. Currently borrowing Dark Money by Jane Mayer....plus this app let's me send many of the books to my kindle!
Yup
Agree 100%! I regularly use my local library and my alma mater library as well. I will buy a book when it's special or when I just can't wait until it's available at a library. When I've finished one of these books, I will share with a friend or donate to my library.
A thank you, too, to the poster who reminded me recently that I have access to the NYT through my library. I recently switched my subscription to the WPost, but have found I miss the Times. Now I have both.
Good responses, everyone!! Libraries need love, as do those who love them.
So important! I no longer buy books (have shelves full to re-read) but my local library is great! I can go online & find if my favorite authors (or new ones) & reserve books there - call from the parking lot & they bring them to the door. The library itself is open, but I'm staying with pick up!
Thanks, TPJ. All of this is valuable information. Much appreciated.
Brain food. Let's see if LFAAers follow up. Thanks, Nancy.
Chef Andre, Beto and AOC stood in for Clueless Cruz. There *are* people who care about other and restore our faith that there are good people who care about each other.
Thank Buddy for the lovely foggy, post-snowfall shot of the peaceful harbor, with the flag flapping in the wind.
Beto shows up and helps. Chef Andre is a wonderman everywhere in the world and where he can serve. AOC gets things done for people. These are people I want to support. Thanks for the beautiful photo too
Why not Beto for governor. Is he viable? Abbott is vulnerable now.
Yes! He’s “considering” a run for Governor! Cruz isn’t running again, he’s going for president. Ha! On social media my Dem friends and I have started ending posts with #beto4governor
Beto For Anything Over Any Repuglycan
And, President Biden was sworn in a month ago today. Look what he has already accomplished! As always, Heather, thank you from Texas.
Here's the deal. We've celebrated Biden's victory so often, he's now the 67th president.
Where is the "laugh" button?
From Texas? Beaumont, June 21st, 1960 carried a banner across the main street of that town: Ni - - er - Don’t let the sun set on you. I was 21 attending a brother’s wedding. I’ve been back to Dallas and Houston and Ben Wheeler. I shall not return till Abbott and his ilk are toast.
Yes, from Texas. Racists exist in every state. I am sorry that you had that experience.
In 1961 the town of Greenville, Texas had the town motto painted on the water tower as well as on banners on each end of the main street. They said "The blackest land and the whitest people on earth" I don't know when it came down but it it is now gone, however I would be surprised if the entrenched racism has disappeared from that area.
:( Such hatred in this world. So sorry....and in the "right" plsces today, that can still happen. A sin.
Horrific! We are still in the throes of this in SC.
Thanks for all that you do. You have been an invaluable quarantine companion, providing latter day fire side chats to me and so many others.
We are all Texas. Rest up, we've only just begun.
Beautifully put, EE.
Take two nights off.
Play some cribbage with a friend.
Another glass of wine, please.
It’s getting warmer in Texas! 59 in Ft Worth today. So those of us that weren’t hard hit are getting back to something like normal.
Love the picture! Thanks to Buddy!
Have a restful evening! 💙
Good to know the freeze is lifting. Is there any talk in Texas about the $4 million for relief raised by AOC and the Squad?
Good question, Joan. The contrast with TX GOP should be the talk of the Lone Star State.
Oh yes! It’s on the news along with Beto’s work to help the elderly. It stands in stark contrast what AOC and Beto are doing, next to the Republican leaders who just point fingers. Or worse leave town then blame a child for that bad decision.
It is circulating on social media that the head of ERCOT made $750,000 in 2017. For what?! As a teacher, I made about $50,000 that year and had two jobs. But I did my job! ERCOT did nothing to make energy reliable. An ERCOT rep on Monday, before the weather hit hard, said it isn’t financially feasible to winterize power plants in Texas. She never said it again as people suffered, some forty people died, extensive property damage and people without food and clean water, extreme frigid cold millions without heat. My brother’s neighbor perished in a house fire. The fire trucks just couldn’t pump water due to a frozen hydrant and fire hoses!
After last week’s 150 car pile up on I35W expressway, they at least closed all expressways during the freeze. Texans love going fast, the expressway speed limit is 75 mph for long stretches.
Monday is back to work for my school district. Some can’t open do to property damage. So I’m lucky in many ways! All my family is safe tonight and in good health!
And, I'm reading that Texans will see huge spikes in their electric bills.. ERCOT just can't get enough I guess.
ERCOT pit small power companies against each other to fight for the lowest cost. The best description I heard was it’s like Uber for energy. Now if you don’t have a set price plan, you are at the mercy of these small companies raising their rates exponentially to try to survive. It’s a horrible business plan and Texans are paying the price!
Oh my goodness! Your brother must be a bit traumatized by the neighbor’s death. Then you’ve got idiots on the expressways...thankfully you are safe and sound. And in good health too!!
Thanks! I’m definitely in a better state than most! Like a set electric rate. Who knew that would be a really solid life decision!
Whoa, hang in there, Denise. The eyes of America are upon Texas, and hearts beat for you.
Thank G-d your family is all safe. If this disaster in Texas isn't an argument for regulation including climate-hardening, and transparency, nothing is.
The FB Republicans I’ve had contact with are spewing their hate of AOC and any Democrat as usual. Saying it was a photo op for her. Defending Cancun Cruz.
Just had an experience of trying to "friend" a former work colleague who said she couldn't friend me if I supported Biden. My response, "Sorry....be safe."
Well, it saves you the trouble of unfriending her later on, when her posts raise your blood pressure!
Partisan loyalty is one of the oligarchs' best tools. It blocks accountability. That is true whether it is Cruz or Cuomo. It is true when otherwise admirable leaders get something wrong, and when scum get something right.
Love it. May the good people of Texas kick Cancun Cruz out of Congress.
Cruz is not running again. He’s going to try running for president.
You really can't cure ignorant/stupid. many of these people are willfully horrible.
Main word, WILLFULLY!!!! What a Fiasco 😣
Fled Ted fled.
This doesn't surprise me. The lies and divisiveness are, unfortunately, still alive and well. I hope with time and with what the Biden Administration will accomplish for all Americans some people's eyes, and minds, will be opened.
I’ve seen the same thing!
And benefitting from a photo OP during a crisis is bad?
67 in Austin at 12:30 now, and I have the windows wide open to bring the warmth inside; the interior temperature has risen from 42 to 58 and I have hopes that today will bring it up even higher.
There's still no running water here, but our apartment complex management has secured another 300 gallons to distribute for drinking water, but we have to boil it first. People are filling buckets from the pool and using it to flush their commodes.
A local hospital (originally reported as Dell's Children's Hospital, but now is only listed as 'a hospital') put out a call to local pet stores, asking for cat litter to use FOR THEIR PATIENTS because they no longer have running water.
This has been a disaster for Texas. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that, if ERCOT had done the job that was entrusted to them, it would not have been this bad.
Time marks so much, some things marked longer,harder and more trying than folks have the stomach, patience or heart for! Here’s to hoping for better days, ways and a safer direction! Please!?
Welcome, Donald. I see you're new. Hope you like the club.
Welcome aboard, Donald. We'll break you in gently.
Some good news and some not so good news. A good week, overall. Texas will survive, RL is dead, vaccinations will get back on schedule. Thank you for your voice.
Thanks Bob. There should be severe legal consequences for the failed-state officials who allowed this Great Texas Winter to happen, then shirked their duty. Not all Texans survived; their spirits deserve justice, and the living a Blue state.
I remember (paraphrasing) Stalin's comment a single death is a tragedy million is just a statistic. We worry about a couple of deaths in Texas because we can grasp the tragedy. Where is our outrage for half a million dead? Why aren't we screaming about the Republican betrayal of our seniors? As stated before if we had closed our borders really as did Australia, with real quarantines for visitors, contact tracing for the virus, social distancing, and effective mask wearing we would have lost 1,000 people per 25 million. Every death above 10,000 is directly attributable to Trump and his enablers: the Republicans.
Where is our outrage?
https://indivisible.org/democracy-guide?akid=70164.55085.rO-UQ6&rd=1&t=8&utm_medium=link2_20210108&utm_source=email
Never forget!
Border closing might not have helped us much by the time we knew what was going on. Actual responsible leadership - getting PPE to the states, encouraging everyone to wear masks and social distance - would have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
RL?
The talk radio blowhard, whose name I won’t repeat either
What a week! Rest well, much love from all of us regulars to you. 💜
Don't feed the trolls; they'll either see reason or they won't, time will tell.
In a monumental upset over prohibitive betting favorite Ted Cruz, Joe Manchin wins last week's "Biggest Political Asshole in the World" competition. When reached for comment by this reporter
on his upset victory, Manchin choked back tears as he dedicated his win to "Rush's tragic death".
Trae Crowder, a hilarious Knoxville native, does a Daily Dumbass segment on Evening Skews.” Calls himself the Liberal Redneck.
Quite the week. No insurgents . No crazy tweets ...just a president who cares and hasn't stoped working since he walked into the White house 🥰 I feel a rush of calm all over the world. My world at leste.
hard to believe all that in a week! but yes it did happen. And America landed a rover with a drone on Mars.
I'm glad you're taking the night off. Enjoy some family time; the history marching on will let you catch up. Great photo; Buddy has a nice eye.