Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Open Thread September 9, 2023 Where do Americans mingle the most?

A question being asked by The Economist; Where do Americans mingle?, Vienna Virginia  Sit-down chain restaurants foster more cross-class mixing than any other institution. Sit-down chain restaurants, like Olive Garden, Chili’s, and Applebee’s are prime sites for many Americans. Restaurants bring Americans together more than any other private or public institution and eclipse bars, churches, petrol […]

Open Thread August 31, 2023 Mixed News Topics

Not Everything We Call Cancer Should Be Called Cancer, rsn.org. The NYPD Denied Our Request for Body Camera Footage of a “Friendly Fire” Killing. Here’s How We Got It Anyway, ProPublica, Mike Hayes. Clarence Thomas officially discloses private jet trips on GOP donor Harlan Crow’s plane, CNN Politics, Ariane de Vogue and Devan Cole. Stay […]

Open Thread August 23, 2013 – Starting Aug. 1, the sale of energy inefficient lightbulbs was banned in the US.

A minimum standard for lightbulbs has been set at 45 lumens (brightness) per watt. Most traditional incandescent and halogen lightbulbs won’t make the cut. Switching over from older lightbulbs to newer LED bulbs will “conserve energy and help consumers save on their energy bills.” This according to the rule announced in April last year. Changing Energy Costs, […]

Open Thread June 17, 2023 Students Loans

Maybe you have been unaware of it, the repayment of student loans is to begin again come September 2023. President Biden had stopped all payments and interest accruing early on during the Covid Pandemic. Offering up reductions of ten to twenty thousand in reductions for outstanding loan was apart of the president’s plan. For many […]

Open Thread June 12, 2023 SCOTUS on Wetlands

Alito pretends physics does not exist. Nearby wetlands do not matter unless they have a surface connection to a stream, river, or lake. The notion a wetland can only be linked to streams or lakes by a continuous surface connection—presumably visible to the justices themselves—is fundamentally at odds with hydrology or the science of water. The movement […]

Open Thread June 8, 2023 New SCOTUS Ruling

Open Thread June 4, 2023, Angry Bear, angry bear blog Just a thought, and this is new at this moment. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined with the court’s liberals in affirming a lower-court ruling finding a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act in an Alabama congressional map with one majority Black […]