Wicked Blue
Wicked Blue's JournalMy winter solstice poem / meditation for all of you dear DUers
Be the DarkBe still.
Be the dark.
Be the breath of night.
Be silence.
Turn inward.
Be your own breath.
Feel your own dark.
Hear it whispering.
Listen.
What does it say?
What does it say?
What is it saying to you?
Listen.
Hear.
Hear the voice of the dark.
Feel.
Feel the breath of night.
Feel the cold of night.
Feel yourself at the center of a universe
that spins and flows around you.
Feel your smallness.
Feel yourself a singular pulse of energy
racing among stars and galaxies.
Feel.
Sleep.
Sleep breathing deeply.
Sleep safe in the arms of night.
Sleep, growing warm and gentle, like animals
that dream winter dreams
in secret caves.
Sleep.
Dream.
Dream the dreams of stars.
Dream the dreams of the sleeping Earth.
Dream of your earthly body.
Dream of dancing.
Feel.
Feel the stirring.
Feel your soft breathing quicken.
Feel a spark kindle.
Change.
Turn.
Feel.
Wake.
Wake to the lessening dark.
Wake to your heart beating with anticipation.
Wake, stand, stretching your earthly body.
Wake, and see light.
Wake.
See.
See the first gleam.
See incandescence.
See the sun transfigure what was dark
into day.
See it light Earth's body, your body, your blessed spark,
illuminating all.
Dance.
Rejoice.
Be.
(A.S. - December 21, 2022)
Your Christmas eve weirdness - gift edition
HAVE A ROOTIN TOOTIN CHRISTMAS/WINTER SOLSTICE/HANUKKAH/KWANZA!!!!!
4
House passes bill to avoid a shutdown, sending it to the Senate hours before the deadline
Source: NBC
WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House on Friday evening passed a short-term bill to avert a government shutdown, just hours ahead of a deadline that would force U.S. troops, border patrol agents, air traffic controllers and millions of other federal workers to work without pay during the holidays.
The vote was 366-34, capping a tumultuous week in the House that foreshadowed how the new Congress in January might deal with a mercurial Donald Trump back in the White House. A two-thirds vote was needed because the bill came to the floor under a fast-track process.
The legislation now heads to the Senate which must pass it before 12:01 a.m. to avert a shutdown.
The package funds the government at current levels through March 14, and includes disaster aid and a farm bill — while stripping out a debt limit extension demanded by Trump earlier in the week.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/uncertainty-reigns-capitol-hill-government-shutdown-deadline-trump-rcna185006
Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi injured in Europe, admitted to hospital
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi suffered an injury on a trip to Luxembourg and has been admitted to a hospital for evaluation, her office said in a statement on Friday.
Pelosi, 84, is the first woman to serve as speaker of the House and had also been a longtime leader of the House Democratic Caucus.
"While traveling with a bipartisan Congressional delegation in Luxembourg to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi sustained an injury during an official engagement and was admitted to the hospital for evaluation," Pelosi spokesperson Ian Krager said in a statement. "Speaker Emerita Pelosi is currently receiving excellent treatment from doctors and medical professionals. She continues to work."
The San Francisco congresswoman stepped down from her role as speaker -- a powerful position second in line to the presidency after the vice president -- in 2023 but she has continued to serve in the House.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/former-us-house-speaker-nancy-pelosi-injured-europe-admitted-hospital-2024-12-13/
This Trump idea is 'terrible, terrible, terrible,' most Americans say
Source: NJ.com
By Lauren Sforza | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Most Americans are not in support for President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to pardon the rioters who were charged in connection to the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
CNN’s Harry Enten broke down the results from a recent Ipsos poll on Monday that asked Americans whether they support pardoning the Jan. 6 rioters. Trump has repeatedly vowed to pardon the rioters, calling them “hostages” at times and praising them as “patriots.”
CNN’s John Berman asked Enten what Americans think of the potential pardons on Monday.
“In a word, they think it’s a terrible idea. Terrible, terrible, terrible,“ Enten responded, noting that 64 percent of Americans oppose the pardons while just 30 percent favor it.
Read more: https://www.nj.com/politics/2024/12/this-trump-idea-is-terrible-terrible-terrible-most-americans-say.html
N.Y. Times columnist slaps clever (but devastating) nickname on Trump's possible advisor
NJ.com
Updated: Dec. 09, 2024, 12:27 p.m.|Published: Dec. 09, 2024, 12:11 p.m.
By Lauren Sforza | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Conservative N.Y. Times columnist Bret Stephens has a clever new nickname for President-elect Donald Trump’s potential advisor.
Trump has been quickly announcing his picks for his second administration, causing a stir among GOP lawmakers who believe some of his picks are controversial and underqualified. Stephens said in a new column published Monday that the “gold medal” for the worst Trump pick so far goes to Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic lawmaker who was tapped last month to be Trump’s Director of National Security.
In his weekly conversation with The New York Times’ Gail Collins, Stephens labeled Gabbard as the “director of national idiocy” if she is to be confirmed.
“Tulsi Gabbard is my gold medalist. Nominating an apologist for former Syrian dictator and current Russia resident Bashar al-Assad as director of national intelligence means that if confirmed in the job, we’d need to rename her job title “’director of national idiocy,’” he said.
https://www.nj.com/politics/2024/12/ny-times-columnist-slaps-clever-but-devastating-nickname-on-trumps-possible-advisor.html
Mass. Rep. Lori Trahan says she was targeted by a bomb threat
Source: NBC
Dec. 7, 2024, 1:20 PM EST
By Raquel Coronell Uribe and Julie Tsirkin
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., said Saturday that she and her family had been targeted by a bomb threat and that local police are working with the U.S. Capitol Police to investigate the incident.
“This morning, I was made aware of a bomb threat targeting my family and me. I am grateful to the excellent officers at the Westford Police Department who responded swiftly to make sure we were safe and who are now working with the United States Capitol Police and Massachusetts State Police regarding this incident,” Trahan said in a statement.
“It’s a good time to say the obvious: threats of violence and intimidation have no place in our country,” Trahan added.
Westford Police Department Capt. Michael Breault said the department was made aware of the threat via email Saturday morning, at which point they responded to Trahan’s home and notified the Capitol Police and the Massachusetts State Police.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trahan-targeted-bomb-threat-home-new-england-rcna183310
So I smelled gas in the garage today
and called NJ Natural Gas. A technician came right out and confirmed there is a leak inside the boiler that leaks when it fires up. But he couldn't pinpoint the location and advised us to call a service company. And he shut off the boiler, saying it can't be used until the leak is repaired. 
We have hot water baseboard heating.
I called the company that installed the boiler 3 years ago for the previous owners. They sent someone out. He checked everything but said he couldn't find the leak. He advised us to call the gas company again and ask them to pinpoint the site of the leak. He left the boiler shut off. I asked if there was a warranty and he said it was only for 2 years. 
I called the gas company back and was transferred here and there, to finally be told their techs don't pinpoint leaks. They said to contact a licensed plumber or a service company. 
By now it was after 6 p.m. I put a call through to a licensed plumber who's done some work for us. Left a message but haven't heard back.
Drove to Home Depot and bought two electric heaters - one for the house and one for the garage so the pipes don't freeze.
Gonna be a long, cold night. 
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Gender: FemaleHometown: New Jersey
Home country: United States
Member since: Tue Aug 11, 2020, 08:58 PM
Number of posts: 6,776