Absolutely the best version of A Christmas Carol. It's very true to the book and Caine plays Scrooge so well. That part when he watches his nephew Fred play the guessing game and hears that he is the answer of this unwanted animal that is not a cockroach or rat . . . that's a gut punch for him. And we get to see that on Caine's face. It makes the redemption arc so much more believable because of how we see his emotions throughout, including his conflict and hurts (when Belle sings When Love is Gone, OMG, so glad that was restored as it was another critical plot point).
I'm a fan of the George c. Scott version. So many wonderful British actors in that film. As a voiceover for BBC America, performed by John Oliver no less, long ago and toned, Brits have an advantage on storytelling because what do you expect when you take a class-bound society and not make any elemental changes to it for 700 years. The result is a people with the knowledge of and taste for thrilling drama and cutting comedy.
And George c. Scott seems to simply be playing himself, the allowing him an advantage which let him keep up with the acting skills of the rest of the cast.
One version. That's long forgotten, probably because it's terrible, is the relocating of the story to a 19th century, early 20th century, New England. Ebenezer Scrooge is played by the Fonz himself, Henry Winkler, is a bright young man with ideas on how to make the household furniture industry more efficient and profitable.
That one might even be called a New England Christmas Carol, if I remember rightly.
So if the military operation to capture Maduro was done at the behest of the Justice Department, is that a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 and its modern revisions? Would it be insane if a judge rules that way?
Little hope there. Little Marco has already claimed that it was a law enforcement operation, which is one of the exceptions that the courts have recognized for years, I.e that presidents can use military assets to protect law enforcement agencies affecting arrests, etc.
It's a near certainty that they're hand-picked federal judge will defer to. The judgment of the executive branch is to what is and is not a law enforcement action. Similar bullshit happened with the Noriega case 36 years ago. So those precedents are also there for today's American despots to use as fig leaves over the illegal and unconstitutional parts of their actions.
Well, they did effect an arrest on criminal charges handed up by a US District court grand jury. The legitimacy and constitutionality of each link in that chain of events, good people hope, will be carefully examined in open federal court.
Yes, that elastic exception is also nightmarish. If the Constitution of the United States is truly "not a suicide pact," then it must allow that the foreign policy of the United States affects all of its inhabitants and institutions, and that the idea that the entirety of discretion over the country's relations with other nations lies solely at the whim of one person is absurd and anti-democratic on its face.
-50°F/-47°F in town, depending upon which weather report you’re trusting. My thermometer says it’s 18 below here, so guess who’s not going to town today? I decided against pulling in more firewood last night, I thought that could wait until daylight. So that’s on the agenda today, along with filling the bark tote and cleaning the ashes out of the stove.
I watered the plants before I went to bed,and when I stepped out of my bedroom this morning,, the house had that greenhouse smell of warm damp earth. May be a good day to putter with plants.
Might make a quick run to check the mailbox (2 miles round-trip, so yes, I’ll be taking the car).
Good day to make some soup, put on some music, maybe paint? There’s always chores to do, but it’s good to take a break once in a while.
Is your house normally warm enough? That would be really concerning for me, but that’s because it gets cold here quite a bit. So I tend to project my own experiences on that.
If you lived here, would be having conversations and consultations about your weatherstripping and your windows and your insulation and your orientation and how you’re heating your house and how big your house is, and whether your plumbing is safe.
I was exaggerating. Heating systems are designed to withstand 10ºF here, it's only gone to -15 once in my life, in the 1990's. My boiler can handle it. But in the house I lived in back then, the main sewer pipe froze solid for a couple of days.
My ex is going through that right now. It was on the side of the house, where the gable end keeps the snow from piling up against the house. Ex has criticized me for banking snow along the south side of the house, for the roof overhang keeps snow from building up. (The other three sides are earth sheltered.)
I made a soup today that was inspired by your recipe. When I went to the grocery store yesterday, things were so picked over that there was a lot more empty spaces than me. So no ham hocks no bones. I did find a very good chunk of Durock ham. I sautéed onions, carrots, celery, orange, pepper, chicken bouillon,and the ham in olive oil, drained, and rinsed three cans of beans, added the beans and water, and some salsa.
This turned out so good! Really hit my spot. Served with a little cheese and sour cream. I think this would be really good using dried beans that had been soaked and sprouted.
I plan on freezing some of it, and I want to try baking some of it as a casserole. Anyway, thank you.
I fell asleep on the couch while the soup was cooling. I have a silicone freezer container that looks like a big ice cube tray with four compartments. I filled that with soup and set it outside to freeze. I separated the rest into a casserole dish and a soup dish, with the casserole having less liquid in it than the soup.
Tomorrow, I’m going to add eggs and cheese and some seasonings to the casserole and pop it in the oven. My cup runneth over.
Tom Cotton, the Republican chair of the Senate intelligence committee, admitted on CNN’s State of the Union that there were “still a lot of questions to be answered” about what happens next in Venezuela. He reined sharply back on Trump’s claim that the US would run the country, redefining that startling comment as meaning that the leadership would have to abide by US demands.
“The president wants to give them a chance to turn the page in Venezuela and to help America achieve our policy goals there,” he said. Cotton listed some of the US government’s demands, including: “we want them to stop the drug trafficking. We want them to kick out the Iranians, the Cubans, the Islamic radicals.”
“Just return to being a normal nation that will help build stability, order and prosperity, not just in Venezuela, but in our backyard,” Cotton added.
The Milwaukee Brewers have several players, as does most MLB teams, in Venezuela playing winter ball. The team has been unable to contact the players. Of course the airports are closed.
I've heard Dem congressional leaders refer to the things TFG has been doing, tariffs, deportations, military deployments in American cities, the invasion of Venezuela, as unconstitutional, immoral, and illegal, but I've never heard them call those actions what they really are: stupid. We here in the mommy log have said that, but that point needs to be driven home constantly. We are being ruled at the moment by the stupidest people imaginable, and we should also point out the level of gullibility required of TFG's followers.
I've always maintained the Democrats should have a full-court press "you're getting chumped by Trump" in all Maga states. Pointing out what they're losing, how much Trump and Republicans and the rich despise them, saying they're getting played, and falling for it. Loud, rude and repetitive. I don't need Democratic worthies talking to us about things we already know, or speaking to the Senate gallery or looking for validation from the NYT. Go on the offensive, get out there in Magaland and do some damage behind enemy lines. The consultants will hate it, you're supposed to be respectful. But these are not potential Democratic voters, they're potential Maga cult defectors. Let Buttigieg be the nice guy on Fox, everyone else get out there and wreck some Maga morale.
Why some people idolize this guy has always been a complete mystery to me. I've been preaching to friends and family members for decades about what a fraud and criminal he was. Some people just refuse to see.
A big reason, IMHO, is that dumbass tv show, The Apprentice. It made him appear to be a big, successful businessman, to many not fully engaged, low information citizens.
And if enough of us started knocking them in the teeth and serving our jail time every time these cretins open their mouths, we would be in a better position.
Denys gives his take on Russian blunders in the Ukraine war: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy6YQz3syzQ. "Russia wasted its entire army. All of the reserves from the Soviet Union era, the reserves that were accumulated for the fight against the entire NATO bloc, have now been almost wasted in the Ukraine war. The war against not a big neighboring state, but with a population that was determined to defend that state .." Plus he thinks Putin was dumb to turn down the ceasefire proposal last year, which Ukraine had been prepared to accept. Putin wants more than what he has: "he wants to establish full control over the ex-Soviet countries." But the army is becoming depleted. Full mobilization and heavy use of conscription wouldn't be popular. The economy is not doing well. A lot of skilled workers are leaving or have left, those who could.
May be, but it is not large enough to take big sections of territory. The attacker always needs more forces than the defender, and drone tactics in the war make offensive maneuvers very costly.
Philip Itner, a journalist I've heard on Hal Sparks' radio show, has said pretty much the same thing. Of course, here in the good ol' USA, all we hear is how Ukraine is doomed if they don't lay down for Russia
Trump prosecuting anyone for corruption is a joke. There is no politician as corrupt as Trump. He has monetized the presidency, in addition to keeping his usual business, which is money-laundering. He has usurped the power of the purse from Congress to reward his friends and punish his enemies. He has taken millions in bribes.
Our press seriously needs to be dismantled on the back end of this. Much of this is their fucking fault for normalizing it for the drooling goddamned chud filth.
And who are the 1/3 of Venezuelans who "fled" the country and are supposedly celebrating right now? The parallel to the right-wing Cubans who are hate mongers?
Absolutely the best version of A Christmas Carol. It's very true to the book and Caine plays Scrooge so well. That part when he watches his nephew Fred play the guessing game and hears that he is the answer of this unwanted animal that is not a cockroach or rat . . . that's a gut punch for him. And we get to see that on Caine's face. It makes the redemption arc so much more believable because of how we see his emotions throughout, including his conflict and hurts (when Belle sings When Love is Gone, OMG, so glad that was restored as it was another critical plot point).
I'm a fan of the George c. Scott version. So many wonderful British actors in that film. As a voiceover for BBC America, performed by John Oliver no less, long ago and toned, Brits have an advantage on storytelling because what do you expect when you take a class-bound society and not make any elemental changes to it for 700 years. The result is a people with the knowledge of and taste for thrilling drama and cutting comedy.
And George c. Scott seems to simply be playing himself, the allowing him an advantage which let him keep up with the acting skills of the rest of the cast.
One version. That's long forgotten, probably because it's terrible, is the relocating of the story to a 19th century, early 20th century, New England. Ebenezer Scrooge is played by the Fonz himself, Henry Winkler, is a bright young man with ideas on how to make the household furniture industry more efficient and profitable.
That one might even be called a New England Christmas Carol, if I remember rightly.
I watched this for the first time recently. While everything else was great, I thought the songs were wretched.
So if the military operation to capture Maduro was done at the behest of the Justice Department, is that a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 and its modern revisions? Would it be insane if a judge rules that way?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act
Little hope there. Little Marco has already claimed that it was a law enforcement operation, which is one of the exceptions that the courts have recognized for years, I.e that presidents can use military assets to protect law enforcement agencies affecting arrests, etc.
It's a near certainty that they're hand-picked federal judge will defer to. The judgment of the executive branch is to what is and is not a law enforcement action. Similar bullshit happened with the Noriega case 36 years ago. So those precedents are also there for today's American despots to use as fig leaves over the illegal and unconstitutional parts of their actions.
That explains why they brought an FBI agent to Maduro's house during the raid.
Well, they did effect an arrest on criminal charges handed up by a US District court grand jury. The legitimacy and constitutionality of each link in that chain of events, good people hope, will be carefully examined in open federal court.
Does make me wonder how quickly SCOTUS will have activate. They mostly stay out of his way when it comes to "foreign policy"....
Yes, that elastic exception is also nightmarish. If the Constitution of the United States is truly "not a suicide pact," then it must allow that the foreign policy of the United States affects all of its inhabitants and institutions, and that the idea that the entirety of discretion over the country's relations with other nations lies solely at the whim of one person is absurd and anti-democratic on its face.
it's a holdover from the age of kings.
-50°F/-47°F in town, depending upon which weather report you’re trusting. My thermometer says it’s 18 below here, so guess who’s not going to town today? I decided against pulling in more firewood last night, I thought that could wait until daylight. So that’s on the agenda today, along with filling the bark tote and cleaning the ashes out of the stove.
I watered the plants before I went to bed,and when I stepped out of my bedroom this morning,, the house had that greenhouse smell of warm damp earth. May be a good day to putter with plants.
Might make a quick run to check the mailbox (2 miles round-trip, so yes, I’ll be taking the car).
Good day to make some soup, put on some music, maybe paint? There’s always chores to do, but it’s good to take a break once in a while.
Here it is
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/105518/the-best-bean-and-ham-soup/
I love that greenhouse smell—I had some perfume that smelled of damp soil and tomato leaves and such—clean and damp. Good stuff.
I’m trying to decide which slinky celebrity they would get to sell a perfume named “clean and damp“.
If it were 18 below here, 47 degrees would be the temperature inside this centrally heated house, with the thermostat set at 74.
Is your house normally warm enough? That would be really concerning for me, but that’s because it gets cold here quite a bit. So I tend to project my own experiences on that.
If you lived here, would be having conversations and consultations about your weatherstripping and your windows and your insulation and your orientation and how you’re heating your house and how big your house is, and whether your plumbing is safe.
I was exaggerating. Heating systems are designed to withstand 10ºF here, it's only gone to -15 once in my life, in the 1990's. My boiler can handle it. But in the house I lived in back then, the main sewer pipe froze solid for a couple of days.
My ex is going through that right now. It was on the side of the house, where the gable end keeps the snow from piling up against the house. Ex has criticized me for banking snow along the south side of the house, for the roof overhang keeps snow from building up. (The other three sides are earth sheltered.)
Snow has now been banked over the frozen pipe.
That’s cold. I’m making 15 bean bean soup with a ham bone today that will carry daughter’s lunches for a couple days.
That sounds delightful. I may pick up a ham bone next time I go grocery shopping. I’d love to know more about how you make it.
All I’ve got on hand right now are makings for chicken soup, but you do what you can do.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/105518/the-best-bean-and-ham-soup/
I made a soup today that was inspired by your recipe. When I went to the grocery store yesterday, things were so picked over that there was a lot more empty spaces than me. So no ham hocks no bones. I did find a very good chunk of Durock ham. I sautéed onions, carrots, celery, orange, pepper, chicken bouillon,and the ham in olive oil, drained, and rinsed three cans of beans, added the beans and water, and some salsa.
This turned out so good! Really hit my spot. Served with a little cheese and sour cream. I think this would be really good using dried beans that had been soaked and sprouted.
I plan on freezing some of it, and I want to try baking some of it as a casserole. Anyway, thank you.
Awesome. 15 bean soup was put on hold until tomorrow. Forgot to soak the dried beans. Daughter has a home made bean soup to finish off. Stay warm!
I fell asleep on the couch while the soup was cooling. I have a silicone freezer container that looks like a big ice cube tray with four compartments. I filled that with soup and set it outside to freeze. I separated the rest into a casserole dish and a soup dish, with the casserole having less liquid in it than the soup.
Tomorrow, I’m going to add eggs and cheese and some seasonings to the casserole and pop it in the oven. My cup runneth over.
Thank you! I have some canned beans in the pantry, and some sausages. I might do something instead of the chicken today. It’s not the same but…
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Inside myhouse is about 120° warmer than town temps, so I’m sitting in the catbird seat.
It's TACO time already...
𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩'𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐔𝐒 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 '𝐫𝐮𝐧' 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐳𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐚
Tom Cotton, the Republican chair of the Senate intelligence committee, admitted on CNN’s State of the Union that there were “still a lot of questions to be answered” about what happens next in Venezuela. He reined sharply back on Trump’s claim that the US would run the country, redefining that startling comment as meaning that the leadership would have to abide by US demands.
“The president wants to give them a chance to turn the page in Venezuela and to help America achieve our policy goals there,” he said. Cotton listed some of the US government’s demands, including: “we want them to stop the drug trafficking. We want them to kick out the Iranians, the Cubans, the Islamic radicals.”
“Just return to being a normal nation that will help build stability, order and prosperity, not just in Venezuela, but in our backyard,” Cotton added.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jan/04/nicolas-maduro-jailed-us-attack-venezuela-donald-trump-reaction-latest-news-updates-live
IOW, you have no fucking idea what you're doing and never have. FOAD asshole.
And free and fair elections, right, Tom?
Tom Cotton can enjoy chewing my farts. He's an unmitigated reeking turd.
Always go with polyester or wool, ‘cuz “cotton kills”!
There’s a Christmas Carol episode of Sanford & Son!? I am gonna watch that RIGHT NOW! Thanks Ziggy!
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hold everything- where do I find this gem?
Free on Peacock, buy/rent on Amazon (think you gotta buy the whole season)
The Milwaukee Brewers have several players, as does most MLB teams, in Venezuela playing winter ball. The team has been unable to contact the players. Of course the airports are closed.
Tulsi Gabbard’s CIA couldn’t give US citizens a heads-up?
This is just downright terrifying and absolutely infuriating.
It's only going to get worse.
Now that the US has conquered the Sudetenezuela and installed a puppet dictator, who do they propose to invade next?
Greenland?
Poland Springs. Woke water will not be tolerated.
Sturmbandgruppenfuhrer Katie Miller is slavering for Greenland
https://xcancel.com/KatieMiller/status/2007541679293944266#m
So hubby can deport the Inuit to Venezuela?
That's literally a little too close to home.
Rubio thinks it's Cuba.
Of course it’s Cuba. That’s why he’s more of a slathering sycophant than ever.
Couldn’t get past the NYT paywall but found this.
https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2025-12-14-u1-e199894-s27061-nid316702-estrategia-marco-rubio-cuba-venezuela-cae-maduro
Marco wants to ‘restore democracy’ to Venezuela, but not immediately give Maduro’s opposition leader the Presidency?
Should ask him to define “democracy”
You mis-spelled "fantasizes"
Merde uh Liardough
I've heard Dem congressional leaders refer to the things TFG has been doing, tariffs, deportations, military deployments in American cities, the invasion of Venezuela, as unconstitutional, immoral, and illegal, but I've never heard them call those actions what they really are: stupid. We here in the mommy log have said that, but that point needs to be driven home constantly. We are being ruled at the moment by the stupidest people imaginable, and we should also point out the level of gullibility required of TFG's followers.
I've always maintained the Democrats should have a full-court press "you're getting chumped by Trump" in all Maga states. Pointing out what they're losing, how much Trump and Republicans and the rich despise them, saying they're getting played, and falling for it. Loud, rude and repetitive. I don't need Democratic worthies talking to us about things we already know, or speaking to the Senate gallery or looking for validation from the NYT. Go on the offensive, get out there in Magaland and do some damage behind enemy lines. The consultants will hate it, you're supposed to be respectful. But these are not potential Democratic voters, they're potential Maga cult defectors. Let Buttigieg be the nice guy on Fox, everyone else get out there and wreck some Maga morale.
But, good heavens! That might hurt the feelings of some shitbag MAGA chud somewhere, what we are supposed to be "understanding" and "reaching out to."
“shitbag”
tsk, tsk…
I'll reach out ... with a clue-by-four.
Trump surpasses Pericles' Funeral Oration in eloquence.
"Trump Says Colombian President Needs “To Watch His Ass” Following Maduro Capture"
Trump is a coward who has never been in a fight his entire life. His MO has always been to let others do his dirty work.
Then, not fully pay his workers.
Why some people idolize this guy has always been a complete mystery to me. I've been preaching to friends and family members for decades about what a fraud and criminal he was. Some people just refuse to see.
A big reason, IMHO, is that dumbass tv show, The Apprentice. It made him appear to be a big, successful businessman, to many not fully engaged, low information citizens.
His brain dead base loves talk like that, because as Joe Walsh said on MSNOW earlier, it sounds tough and pisses off libs.
And if enough of us started knocking them in the teeth and serving our jail time every time these cretins open their mouths, we would be in a better position.
The jails couldn't hold us all! XD XD XD XD
It's his FAFO Era.
Which is next for drump? Columbia or Cuba?
Golf.
Greenland
Alberta
'LET'S INVADE EVERYONE!!!'
Denys gives his take on Russian blunders in the Ukraine war: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy6YQz3syzQ. "Russia wasted its entire army. All of the reserves from the Soviet Union era, the reserves that were accumulated for the fight against the entire NATO bloc, have now been almost wasted in the Ukraine war. The war against not a big neighboring state, but with a population that was determined to defend that state .." Plus he thinks Putin was dumb to turn down the ceasefire proposal last year, which Ukraine had been prepared to accept. Putin wants more than what he has: "he wants to establish full control over the ex-Soviet countries." But the army is becoming depleted. Full mobilization and heavy use of conscription wouldn't be popular. The economy is not doing well. A lot of skilled workers are leaving or have left, those who could.
Wishful thinking. The Russian army is larger now than before the war, without full mobilization.
Quality of the troops? Attrition rate? Possible to keep it at that level for 2 or 3 more years?
They are not fighting a war that requires high quality soldiers. They can sustain this level of effort for many years. Unfortunately.
May be, but it is not large enough to take big sections of territory. The attacker always needs more forces than the defender, and drone tactics in the war make offensive maneuvers very costly.
Philip Itner, a journalist I've heard on Hal Sparks' radio show, has said pretty much the same thing. Of course, here in the good ol' USA, all we hear is how Ukraine is doomed if they don't lay down for Russia
If I were placing a bet right now on which country is more likely to achieve military victory, it would be Ukraine, not Russia.
If I were placing a bet right now on which country is more likely to achieve military victory, it would be Ukraine, not Russia.
"You got to surrender." <<< LMFAO Who TF even says this..
"Idiocracy, The Musical", now playing at the "Trump-Kennedy Center For Performing Farts".
tramp will "save" Venezuela by announcing a Kiss/Lee Greenwood concert residency.
.
Also, get ready for "Trumpezuela"
Trump prosecuting anyone for corruption is a joke. There is no politician as corrupt as Trump. He has monetized the presidency, in addition to keeping his usual business, which is money-laundering. He has usurped the power of the purse from Congress to reward his friends and punish his enemies. He has taken millions in bribes.
Billions.
"....and yet, with all the evidence, nothing happened..."
Our press seriously needs to be dismantled on the back end of this. Much of this is their fucking fault for normalizing it for the drooling goddamned chud filth.
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mbmaihwzgg2q
Cuba's next.
This Time It's Personal.
or Columbia.
Or, why not BOTH!
You get invaded! and YOU get invaded! EVERYONE gets invaded!!
The "Donroe" doctrine. Fuck these smug idiots. Cuban Americans are some of our most right wing hate mongers.
And who are the 1/3 of Venezuelans who "fled" the country and are supposedly celebrating right now? The parallel to the right-wing Cubans who are hate mongers?
All because they miss their grandparents' slave plantations...
Spineless piece of shit.
Daniel, I am trying to find that delicate balance between acknowledging and liking.
You can always say "Liked but do not like."
“Angry upvote”
Look out, Mr. Gooding!
This is all going to blow UP in the Fetid Fascist's fat orange face.
The problem is that we are going to suffer in that explosion.