O Holy Night“ (“Cantique de Noël“) is a well-known Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem “Minuit, chrétiens” (Midnight, Christians) by Placide Cappeau (1808–1877). Cappeau, a wine merchant and poet, had been asked by a parish priest to write a Christmas poem.[1] Unitarian minister John Sullivan Dwight,[2] editor of Dwight’s Journal of Music, created a singing edition based on Cappeau’s French text in 1855. In both the French original and in the two familiar English versions of the carol, the text reflects on the birth of Jesus and of mankind’s redemption.
I don’t know what to say.
But, as usual, Kevonstage has a funny take on a subject
https://youtu.be/VKk6TWnlqlg
Beautiful!
I think this is my new favorite version of my favorite Christmas song.
I can see why it is your “new favorite.” It is sung from their hearts and their voices are amazing.
File under Water is Wet…
https://twitter.com/voxdotcom/status/944466356732354560
Chimp is a baboon!
Democrats Must Reject the Coming Bipartisanship Trap
by David Atkins December 23, 2017
Misbehaving dogs, mischievous children and cheating spouses all share a common behavior: once they’ve been caught behaving cruelly and selfishly, they swindle their victim with ersatz overtures of affection, often publicly in front of others. Refusing these overtures makes the victim look mean and unforgiving. Accepting them opens the door to further, more aggressive wrongdoing.
Republicans are set to engage in the same manipulative game with Democrats in 2018. Knowing that voters are set to punish them severely for promoting wildly corrupt and unpopular policies, they’re hoping to ploy Democrats with promises of bipartisan policy. Republicans expect that if they offer false olive branches and Democrats refuse them, voters will grow angry at everyone and throw up their hands in collective frustration. They assume the media will pliantly adopt their usual both-sides-refuse-to-work-together template pieces.
But it won’t work. If Democrats are smart they will reject the gambit and refuse to be played.
To be sure, there are many issues that will require basic compromises in the next legislative year so that vulnerable people are protected and so that the government continues to function. Budgets will need to be adopted, DACA will need to be dealt with, the children’s health insurance program re-extended, debt ceilings lifted, and much else. Republicans will need Democratic votes, and Democrats should use all the leverage they can to force Republicans to observe the minimum priorities in keeping with simple human decency.
But the GOP has already demonstrated shocking bad faith in the past two years that goes beyond political differences and veers into direct and open malevolence. Republicans in Congress and their media allies have gone far out of their way to protect a clearly incompetent and unstable president from investigations into crimes of state, collusion with a hostile foreign power, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, tax evasion and beyond. They have done so by attempting to lambaste the country’s own intelligence agencies and employees–even Republicans who were appointed by other Republicans–as somehow in league with Democrats and engaged in a coup against the president, even though the reality is that partisan FBI agents in the New York leaked a bogus October Surprise on Anthony Weiner’s laptop to conservative media figures, shifting the election to Trump at the last minute.
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/22/17
Trump administration hemorrhaging staff
With several new people announcing their resignation from the Donald Trump administration today, Rachel Maddow runs through the list so far that makes up a 30% turnover rate in under a year.
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/22/17
Pruitt drives out EPA staff, hires unqualified former banker pal
Rachel Maddow reports on the disgraced former banker Albert Kelly, Scott Pruitt’s friend who he put in charge of an EPA superfund cleanup task force as qualified, experienced EPA staff flee the agency by the hundreds.
https://twitter.com/BlackYouthProj/status/944634528961835008
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/22/17
Top FBI lawyer James Baker reassigned without explanation
Joyce Vance, former U.S. attorney, talks with Rachel Maddow about the reassignment of the top lawyer at the FBI and whether this is typical with a new director or evidence of politicizing the FBI
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/22/17
GOP attacking witnesses to head off Trump obstruction case
Rachel Maddow looks at how Republican congressional investigators seem less interested in answering the question of whether Donald Trump colluded with Russia than they are in smearing FBI officials who would be witnesses in a Trump obstruction of justice case.
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/22/17
Trump partner with mob ties interviewed out of range of Democrats
Rachel Maddow reports on the colorful background of Donald Trump business partner Felix Sater, from ties to organized crime to FBI informant, and wonders why this particular witness was interviewed by House Intel staff in New York instead of D.C.
https://twitter.com/AdyBarkan/status/944625027697147904
Folks, on the #KeepJoanWalsh campaign, it pays to go beyond naming a faceless media entity like @MSNBC – the person we want to reach is President #PhilGriffin. It’s his decision to make. Switchboard is 212-664-4444. pic.twitter.com/g6uUcHA8lo— Tom Watson (@tomwatson) December 23, 2017
.@joanwalsh was the first person to ever pay me to write, back when she was the editor of @salon. She is now my friend, my incredibly valued colleague and my documentary partner. She belongs on the air speaking, especially in times like these. We need progressive women’s voices.— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) December 23, 2017
Sheldon Whitehouse @ SenWhitehouse
Why the increased attacks on FBI’s McCabe? Looks like someone has figured out he corroborates Comey against Trump. This is targeted. As were POTUS’s Comey tweets. As is anti-Mueller campaign.
Susan Hennessy @ Susan_Hennessey
Senior FBI officials with whom Comey reportedly discussed Trump’s obstruction efforts at the time include Andy McCabe, Jim Baker, and Jim Rybicki. All are now targets of GOP smear campaigns. Draw your own conclusions.
https://twitter.com/AGSchneiderman/status/944392439623757824
We’re suffering the most hellish nightmare. Remove this thug from office.
https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/944613786140340224
This is horrendous. Crushes my soul. Too much! Poor baby! They get to go home to their little kids and nothing will be done to them. It pains the soul.
https://twitter.com/newscat44/status/944615867316400134
“Co.Design’s Architect of the Year, Phil Freelon, is changing the profession–one building, and one architect, at a time”
You can view 28 photos of his architectural creations at the link here:
https://www.fastcodesign.com/90155468/americas-humanitarian-architect
Excerpt:
https://youtu.be/cCQOrNNJGmI&rel=0
Great article on photography collection at the National Museum of African American History and Culture:
“African-American History Seen Through an African-American Lens”
https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2017/12/19/african-american-history-seen-through-an-african-american-lens/?smid=tw-nytimesphoto&smtyp=cur
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/12/18/blogs/19-lens-rhea-embed3/19-lens-rhea-embed3-blog480.jpg
(“The Talbert family. Circa 1914.Credit John Johnson/Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.”)
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/12/19/blogs/19-lens-rhea-slide-VXQ4/19-lens-rhea-slide-VXQ4-superJumbo.jpg
(“Credit Henry Clay Anderson/Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture”)
Good Morning,Everyone 😄😄😄
Brownie Cake…..
Looks delicious 😋😋
Yummy!
Mmmmm…that looks so good.
Good Morning, 3 Chics Family!
SG2, send me a slice.
You got it!
Good morning, everyone! I still didn’t finish shopping. And I didn’t come home until dark. My feet hurt and I am so tired. I’ll finish up tomorrow because I’ll be cooking all day Christmas Eve. I hope my feet feel better by daylight.
You pace yourself, SG2
Hope you got a good night’s rest and that your feet feel better.
https://www.homedepot.ca/is/image/content/dam/images/events/2017/christmas/outdoor_decor_610x320.jpg
Good morning, Yahtc. They feel much better. Thank you. I’ll wear closed in shoes today. It’s cold here. A front blew in yesterday.