Open Thread - Thurs 06 June 2024 - Read and Watch! (2024)

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 06/06/2024 - 5:00am

Read and Watch

Recent Reads:
Matt Stoller recently wrote an article for the Guardian called 'Corporations are forcing Americans to pay more for less – in their own words'. It's worth a read; it dives into the proof that's available that the high prices (a very recent example, utility prices going up) and bad economy many of us are feeling are real, despite all the good stuff like more jobs, etc.

I wasn't at all surprised to learn that big business groups are conspiring/plotting through price-fixing to make us pay more on things like gasoline, housing, utilities, meat/food, hotels and more. I wish more people in power would pay attention to this, but that's a pipe-dream, isn't it?

Stoller concludes:

There are also a number of concrete steps policymakers can take to respond to this price-fixing.
The first is to arrest or sue the offending executives for criminal activity.
The second is to strengthen price-fixing and merger laws, allow more private class-action suits, force judges to speed up cases and increase the budget of antitrust enforcers to make collusion more difficult.
The third is to reform the Federal Reserve so policymakers there stop using macro-economic models that avoid considerations of profits and price-fixing.
And the fourth is, frankly, political. One key reason there is action on these schemes is because Biden has prioritized antitrust enforcement. He hasn’t put enough into antitrust, and he doesn’t talk about it very often. But he should, or else Americans are likely to fall into the trap of thinking that what is good for big business is good for their pocketbooks, when the opposite is so often the case.

Fun!
Hubby and I have been watching a show from Britain about archaeology. We are half way through this current series about the recent excavations at Pompeii.

The episodes bring back so many memories of when I was young and studying/doing archaeology (I never did archaeology at Pompeii, only in Britain and the USA but I did visit the city several times). There's so much new that's been and is being discovered at Pompeii! Anyway, this dig is the one that found the painting of 'pizza'; Roman pizza. The shows are an hour long, so sit back and enjoy when you have time! Here's the link to the first episode.

I first visited Pompeii when I was 13. I was completely, utterly, fascinated, entranced and sorrowed in a way by the remains of the dead. When I graduated from college the song Cities in Dust, written by Siouxsie Sioux (my Goth Queen) about Pompeii, was popular. The song, the memories the song evoked in me, was one of the things which inspired me to switch from engineering to archaeology for my graduate degrees.

Nikko sez Hi!
Fox or dog? You decide.

Tags:

Open Thread

#price-fixing

#stoller

#pompeii

#siouxsie_sioux

Vote

12 users have voted.

Comments

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 06/06/2024 - 3:18am

Happy Thursday!

Hope the day is going well for everyone. It's sunny and nice here, I wish it was the same for everyone! Gonna be weeding and dentisting (going to the dentist) today. Fun, fun!

Looking forward to reading what's up with everyone! Have a great Thursday and a great upcoming weekend!

9 users have voted.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by QMS on Thu, 06/06/2024 - 6:51am

dobroe utro ( доброе утро ) ~ good morning

.
.
Today we get your rains. About one inch predicted. Time to catch up on reading.
Now is a story about the Quaker whaling trade based in Nantucket mid 1800's.
A well researched history of a sperm whale sinking a whaler in the Pacific.
Not real keen on killing whales, but one got some revenge.
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

Hope you are enjoying your new puppy!
Thanks for posting the OT.

8 users have voted.

Submitted by Sima on Fri, 06/07/2024 - 12:08am

Good morning!

@QMS
I have been trying to learn Russian. I think you know it better than I do.

The book you are reading sounds interesting. I know about the recent 'attacks' where killer whales are taking out yachts and such in the Med. and around it. One group of whales, perhaps led by a young whale who got hurt by the touristy type yachts, is now ramming and playing with yachts at will. I didn't know about whales doing such during the whaling years. Very interesting!

Have a good weekend, reading or whatever

3 users have voted.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by Tall Bald and Ugly on Thu, 06/06/2024 - 7:26am

I made

various comments some time ago
about how reducing particulate matter
in the air causes a Rise in temperature
said particulate matter acting as a set of
Sunglasses of sorts.

80% of new heating of earth’s atmosphere
caused by One policy change

read the nature article linked in the video
and weep

Thanks for the ot and second Q’s puppy wishes

8 users have voted.

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Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .

Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .

If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march

Submitted by snoopydawg on Thu, 06/06/2024 - 11:13am

We are also being affected with heat because of how

@Tall Bald and Ugly

active the sun is right now and it’s supposed to start cooling next year.
Plus we’re still being affected by the Honga Tunga volcano that erupted last year and threw millions of gallons of water into the atmosphere. Might take a decade to stop affecting us.
But if this climate change is man made then stop all the military activities immediately and see if that helps. Jets are flying again 3 days this week. Adds noise pollution too.

8 users have voted.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Voting is like driving with a toy steering wheel.

Submitted by Sima on Fri, 06/07/2024 - 12:11am

I agree..

@snoopydawg
Stopping military activities would help so much. In all ways, climate, political, world ... not gonna happen

5 users have voted.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by Sima on Fri, 06/07/2024 - 12:14am

Pretty obvious...

@Tall Bald and Ugly
human activity is affecting everything. Many of the affects are negative, some are positive. And it's so dang complicated. So complicated.

4 users have voted.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by snoopydawg on Thu, 06/06/2024 - 11:08am

2 very, VERY lucky people

An out of control train ejected 2 people onto a busy highway at the time there was a slight break in traffic. Rain slicked road and they skittled across like butter in a hot pan….

https://www.rt.com/russia/598831-passengers-ejected-from-speeding-tram/

Hey, more yada about Nikko.

I picked up ALL of Sam’s toys yesterday and put them in her bed and today I found that she had flipped her bed and scattered them across the room. I’d make her do it, but don’t want to hear her laugh when I suggest it.

6 users have voted.

—

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Voting is like driving with a toy steering wheel.

Submitted by Sima on Fri, 06/07/2024 - 12:20am

That video of the tram was nuts...

@snoopydawg
I wonder why the tram was out of control? And then it hit another tram and killed someone. Nuts!

Nikko and Sam stuff - our bedroom is a mess, torn up paper, dog toys everywhere, chews, and more. It's great Hope your bedroom isn't quite as messy now that Sam has grown up!

3 users have voted.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 06/07/2024 - 12:42am

Sam is 4 1/2 and she dumped her bed yesterday

@Sima

And she still loves every one of her ‘babies'. It’s funny to watch which one she gets attached to each day. I’ll wake up and find myself surrounded by numerous babies she brought to bed for some reason. The other morning I woke up to a large rib bone she got only gawd knows where.

I think the brakes failed on the tram….but those people are damn light to be alive.

2 users have voted.

—

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Voting is like driving with a toy steering wheel.

Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Thu, 06/06/2024 - 5:19pm

The Pompeii excavation film was incredible.

I was also in my teens the first time I visited, and my memories of Pompeii have remained vivid and iconic. The modern archeologists in the documentary seemed to blend into the story. Their faces were were timeless. as if the humanity lost 2000 years ago were speaking through them. (Italian archeologists are also iconic to me, perhaps because the Roman Empire is such a Western obsession, or maybe because I am Italian.) I've come to regard the time two millennia ago as a very recent period on the current time continuum we travel. My interests, however, push me toward the earlier agrarian periods and the human ingenuity and adaptations that came directly from the transition from nomadic life to cultivation. In China those connections and the ancient historic timelines are especially well preserved. Thanks for posting this.

8 users have voted.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

Submitted by Sima on Fri, 06/07/2024 - 12:32am

Love your points about Pompeii

@Pluto's Republic
They echo how the city, and the archaeology of Rome, of anywhere, make me feel. Seeing those casts of the bodies, of the holes that the bodies left that lasted for almost two thousand years, those really really got to me. Could make out the expressions on some of their faces...

I did 'local' Californian archaeology for a while. But my heart and dreams made me go to Europe; Romans, Greeks, Celts, Goths... love them all!

Thanks for stopping by with the great comments and glad you liked that show. I loved it; and yes, the faces of the archaeologists sure seem to echo the faces of the people they are studying. So cool! I loved the animated illustrations they used in the show as well, very Roman painting-like but, animated.

3 users have voted.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Thu, 06/06/2024 - 5:42pm

Truth rarely spoken

I wasn't at all surprised to learn that are conspiring/plotting through price-fixing to make us pay more on things like gasoline, housing, utilities, meat/food, hotels and more. I wish more people in power would pay attention to this,

are the People in Power. They paid for the development of this continent. They have always been behind the politics and have always funded the politicians. The US is a plantation, the people are exploited completely. The Interests of the People in Power lie in global matters, which isolated Americans know nothing about. They are blind to the big picture and don't understand how they are used and how little they benefit. Americans are not nurtured into citizens. They are exterminated, neglected, and thrown away like garbage. Or slaves.

6 users have voted.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

Submitted by Sima on Fri, 06/07/2024 - 12:34am

So damned true...

@Pluto's Republic
So true. Maybe all people are like this, I mean, the ones not in power. Like the poor in Pompeii, the workers... the same as those in the USA now? I dunno. Sure seems that way.

3 users have voted.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by on the cusp on Thu, 06/06/2024 - 11:45pm

Good evening sima, et al!

Long day, intense work, just now got the time to watch the fascinating video about Pompeii.
At the time of COVID, I had a trip planned with a friend to go there.
At least your video gives me an excellent look. Simply fascinating.
Now, my vote goes ...dog? Might that be the best pup EVEH?
It did not rain a drop today. Fantastic! In fact, no rain in the forecast until Monday, so our trip to the bayou country to a zydeco band concert should be a good weather day.
Thanks for the OT, and it is great to get to know Nikko, the site's new lovable puppy!

5 users have voted.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Sima on Fri, 06/07/2024 - 12:43am

Hope the day went well,

@on the cusp
despite the intense work. Glad you liked the video of Pompeii, it's very good, I think!

I think Nikko looks like a dog too, lots of people think he's a fox though. Too funny!

As for rain, I'm glad you didn't get any! We are into a no rain period. I bet the grass turns golden! That zydeco concert sounds great. I wish I could do more of that, maybe as things stabilize with the new pup and the old dad... Have a great weekend!

3 users have voted.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by on the cusp on Fri, 06/07/2024 - 12:22pm

Matt Stoller is a great advocate

for trust busting, and knows exactly what is needed to keep the Corporate Donor class in line.
Unfortunately, until we overturn Citizen's United, we can only keep our expectations for their profit gouging to be the occasional occurrence.

2 users have voted.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981