But he's OK with strangling and damaging the global economy

 

Mitch McConnell didn't want the U.S. government to shutdown this week.  After all, he and his minions want to cause bigger problems.

Mitch McConnell smacks down the GOP shutdown brigade, warning of 'chaos and uncertainty' if the federal government closes its doors

"McConnell also reiterated his belief that the government wouldn't end up closing its doors. "We're not going to shut the government down," he said. "That makes no sense for anyone. Almost no one on either side thinks it's a good idea."

News for Mitch:   there are a LOT of things that the GOP is doing that make no sense for anyone.  Any chance you could stop pushing for all of those?

Probably not, you fatuous prig.

Putting another place on the list

 

I've been to Paris.  I've seen the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Napoleon's Tomb, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame (many years before the fire), the Pompidou Centre, the Bastille ... and some other places, most of them well-known, a couple more obscure. But there are many places still to see, I've learned, if I ever return there.

The strange thing is, I never appreciated the Pantheon.  In fact, I truly never heard of "The Pantheon" until I saw an article about the original Unknown Soldier, who was in fact French.  The original idea for the Unknown Soldier was to have his grave at the Pantheon (where other famous French notables are buried), but they changed their plans and buried him under the Arc de Triomphe.  However, he was honored at the Pantheon before he was moved to the Arc by a solemn procession.

But recently, Josephine Baker was honored with a burial at the Pantheon, and I saw a picture of the interior, which is quite dramatic, very cathedral-like.  So now, if I ever visit Paris again, I have another place to see.

(By the way, this confused me a bit;  Baker is actually buried in Monaco, so they created a coffin filled with soil from various locations meaningful to her for the enshrinement in the Pantheon.)

Here's a Streetview, in case you're wondering what it looks like.

If you REALLY want to travel in style

 

I occasionally check in with the high-end of the economic spectrum -- so this article about a fully-customized traveling jet definitely grabbed my interest.

Superyacht in the sky? Lufthansa Technik unveils ‘EXPLORER’ luxury cabin concept

One aspect of the design is a cockpit that allows a couple of people to watch the pilots and the view out the front window.

So I guess you could have an ad campaign for the exclusive set that might be able to afford it:  

"Fly the Wealthy Skies"

One thing is clear -- Republicans put party above people

 

There has been quite a bit of commentary like this lately (and I even saw an animated cartoon at Daily Kos on the same subject), but I'll go with more mainstream commentary on it.

The GOP doesn’t care about the suffering it causes — even among its own base

"Should unnecessary deaths and economic hardship increase because of covid-19, you can bet Republicans will consider it a triumph — so long as they win the House majority. Their willingness to increase suffering is many things (irresponsible, un-Christian, unpatriotic, cruel), but it is not “pro-life.” Maybe their constituents will start to notice."

We can hope, but they don't seem to be noticing yet.

Lighthouse of the Week, November 28 - December 4, 2021: Blackwell Island, New York, USA

 

Because New York City is a city around a harbor that several rivers flow into, it shouldn't be surprising that there are lighthouses around New York City.  But this one might surprise some people, as it's located right in the middle of the East River.   Sometimes, Roosevelt Island might surprise some people, as it is located right in the middle of the East River, too. It used to be a place where there were prisons and hospitals and sanitariums (and similar), when it was called Blackwell Island.   Now, with some new development, it was renamed Roosevelt Island.  It's connected to Queens by a bridge and to Manhattan by a tramway (which I'd like to ride someday, especially if I can see Spiderman.)

So let's get some lighthouse history.  This is from the Lighthouse Friends page on this lighthouse.

"This 50-foot-tall, gray gneiss, Gothic-style lighthouse was built in 1872. It is not an official Coast Guard lighthouse, but it was commissioned by the city. The lighthouse’s purpose was to “effectually light” the nearby New York City Insane Asylum for boats navigating the treacherous Hell Gate waters. It was designed by architect James Renwick, Jr., whose other works include Smallpox Hospital and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Inmate labor was probably used in the city-run project, but to elaborate much on its construction is to explore legend."

The Lighthouse Directory adds:

"1872 (James Renwick, Jr.). Reactivated (inactive 1940s-1998; always unofficial and charted as a landmark); focal plane 52 ft (16 m); continuous white light. 50 ft (15 m) octagonal cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted gray stone; lantern painted black. ... The lighthouse was built for the city of New York by convicts from the city's former Blackwell Island Prison. The lighthouse was restored in 1998, thanks to an anonymous $120,000 donation to the city."

Below, pictures and a river view (from Google Streetview).

View from the river; the lighthouse is at the left.

The anti-vaxx Republican blame game

 

Stellar political cartoonist Mike Luckovich comments.

I typed in "Fomes"

 

As I have mentioned occasionally before, when I need to get to Google, I will occasionally type in a random wordlike combination of letters and see what comes up.   As I've also mentioned occasionally, frequently this discovers a raunchy or off-color definition in the Urban Dictionary.

But less occasionally, the wordlike combination turns out to be a word or name that I didn't know previously was a word or name.  That was the case recently when I type in "Fomes".

Fomes, it turns out, is a type of big fungi, with a common shape that is described as "hoof-like", and it can be called "Hoof Fungus". 

More on that here from First Nature (a great Web site):  

Fomes fomentarius 

And what we find from that site is the Otzi the Iceman was carrying some of this when he met his end in the high Alps.  The reason was probably because this fungus burns slowly, helping to start a fire.  For that reason, it's also called "Tinder Fungus". 

Here are three fotographic examples of Fomes: