Open Thread May 3 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 032026
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin.” I can’t do a better summary than Wikipedia does: “a dandy rejects a young country girl, she successfully grows into a worldly woman, he tries to seduce her but it is too late.” Set during the reign of Catherine the Great (1762–1796 – and she appears briefly in a silent role in some productions – though not in this one), based on a verse novel by Pushkin, it displays (intentionally or not?) issues of the status of women. The opening duet, between Tatiana’s mother and her maid, includes one of the saddest lines ever written: “Heaven sends us habit in place of happiness.” Although Tatiana gets the upper hand by the time the opera ends. I had planned to see Virgil today, but I missed a deadline I didn’t know existed (it’s fairly new, and it was in a form letter I don’t normally read because I know what is says – or thought I did.) Fortunately he phoned last night so I could tell him before he panicked. He took it well. So I’ll be rearranging my schedule.

Archived from The Guardian. This issue – who should hold historical and pre-historical treasures – has been a hot button topic longer than I have been alive – and it still is. I am on Mamdami’s side myself. It isn’t just the Kohinoor diamond that the UK is still sitting on – It also still holds the Elgin Marbles. I do realize that Athens is subject to earthquakes, but I also feel that those  statues must mean more to people who are actually Greek than they ever could to me, regardless of my education.

This video is very short, but it’s on loop, so you won’t miss any of it.

From PBS, referred by Dose of Democracy. Considering how many reactionary bishops we have, this is just a step – but a step in the right direction.

Share

Open Thread May 2 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 022026
 

Yesterday, I learned in passing that – at least for now – TACO (T* Always Chickens Out) has been replaced by NACHO (Not A Chance Hormuz Opens).

I’m posting this from Colorado Public Radio, not so much as Colorado news, as that I’m pretty confident this happening all over the country. Because why wouldn’t it.

I swear I am not making this up.

You can read the letter – or you can listen to Heather read it (under 14 minutes) – they have identical content. I’ve checked enough times to be confident, but I checked this one anyway.

Share

Open Thread May 1 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 012026
 

Today, in addition to being May Day, is also Law Day in the US.

Yesterday, Joyce Vance made a Substack video with Norm Eisen and April Ryan from The Contrarian, and the subject of James Comey’s new indictment came up. I know almost everyone is still upset with him on account of the 2016 election and “her emails.” But the more time goes by, the less I believe that that remark had anything to do with Hillary’s loss. I think pure misogyny was more than enough to sink her. But I digress. April, who had worked at the FBI when Comey was its Director, said something about him that I didn’t know and you probably don’t either. She said he would take every new hire to the MLK Memorial, and show them the FBI files on Dr. King, and say “This is what overreach looks like.”

From The Conversation. The Panamanian company Congress just authorized to mine the Boundary Waters for copper sulfite may be the most egregious example of this. It doesn’y just pollute the water. It also poisons the air.

As Liza Donnelly points out, Heather Cox Richardson nailed the difference between the two speeches. And Liza goes a bit farther by linking to videos. (This from Borowitz is just a footnote.)

There’s been noise about Rep Chuck Edwards (R-NC) being under ethics investigation, but nothing about why. Unless this is it. Not that this sounds like something Republican would care about. I guess we’ll wait and see.

 

Share

Open Thread April 30 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 302026
 

Yesterday, SCROTUS eviscerated the Voting Rights Act. I’m not providing a link because the news is everywhere. I am not saying this in its defense, because there is no defense. But I presume they are looking at Clarence to justify their illusion that people of color are less intelligent. (If they would look at Ketanji, they would not be able to hold on to that lie.) Also yesterday, I received an email which included a poll. I almost never respond to those polls which are sent out, for the simple reason that they include no way to express one’s specific feelings about a person or an issue, and my feelings are generally far more nuanced that the possible responses provided. But this poll had a response which actually nailed my feelings, and even allowed me to add s few words explaining why, so I did respond. If that piques your curiosity, here’s the link. You need to scroll down below the petition to get to the poll part, but not far.

This article comes with a roughly 45 minute video which covers in detail corruption which is a matter of public record but which has been under the radar for at least 30 years. You don’t need to watch it – I’m just telling you so you can make a more informed decision.

This feels like a good day to post an article titled “Six Solutions to Fix the Supreme Court” = particularly when it’s from The Brennan Center.

https://archive.is/h1zxW
Archived from The Lever, the brainchild of David Sirota, a former campaign manager for Bernie Sanders, and a Substack personality in his own right. It’s in the category of “investigative journalism.” The case in the title is a civil suit in Maine. There’s a link to the actual complaint, but the complainants are three named groups and the defendants are six individuals, in their capacities as elected or appointed officials of the state of Maine. Heaven only knows what the short name will end up being.

Dog/Squirrel

Share

Open Thread April 29 2026

 Posted by at 6:14 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 292026
 

Yesterday, Malcolm Nance changed the name of his daily Substack Video (also on YouTube after it ends) from the “US-Iran Warcast” to the “Global Crisiscast.” For good and sufficient reasons. If you have a tolerance for facing worst case scenarios – and the consequences of stupidity and also a tolerance for Malcolm’s style (which includes dark humor), I seriously recommend it. This link will not take you directly to it, because the specific address changes daily, but it will take you ro Malcolm’s Substack home page and the crisiscast should be at or very near the top.

This is from Americans of Conscience. All of my experience with running elections was prior to 2016, but when I was doing that work, even under Republican Secretaries of State, the Colorado state government had a strong attitude of inclusion. (Not all the others I worked with did (in precinct  work, workers must comprise equal numbers of Ds and R)s, but the state did, and the County Clerks did.) I did realize that was not the case everywhere. But the extent of the differences may not be as widely known. Plus, these are just two examples – there are at least 49 more.

From The Intercept. I realize there are a lot of things in this world which can hurt other people – or which can hurt oneself if one tries to work with them without good sound understanding of how they work, or to push their limits. Stoves. Cars and trucks. Construction Equipment. Large animals. Large bodies of water. Knives. Stupid people. None of these things are evil in themselves, but people get hurt by them every day. Of them, AI most resembles large animals and stupid people. If the incidents of AI talking people into suicide have not sufficiently convinced you to use it with great caution, if at all, consider this article.

This from Rights and Insights is not new information, but it’s from a different perspective than most. It points out something no one else is saying – that the practices this regime wants to eliminate from elections in order to “make them safer” are exactly the safeguards which allow elections to be free and fair.

Share

Open Thread April 27 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 272026
 

Yesterday, my inbox was reachable again. It took me a while to delete over 350 emails, though, even without reading almost all of them. But I am assuming today there is only one story – one which has multiple possible takes. I’m bumping to Wednesday a story or two which I had in mind for today. See you then.

This is from an attendee of the other party – the one for independent journalists – the people we should all be reading, or watching, if possible. (Not all of them – no one has that kind of time – but some of them.)

This is from The New Yorker. This attendee was at the Correspondents’ party.

https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/the-real-victim-of-the-white-house
Robert Hubbell writes about more than the shooting, including the California Gubernatorial primary, for which he proposes a strategy which highly recommend (assuming it becomes necessary – and it certainly might.) But what caught my eye was his headline point that truth id the chief victim of the WHC dinner shooting – as it is of everything about the current regime.)

Share

Open Thread April 26 2026

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 262026
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “La Sonnambula” by Vincenzo Bellini. It’s classified as an opera semiseria, and yes, that means “halfway serious.” The serious part is the information on sleepwalking, which most people at the time it was written had never heard of, Aside from that, it’s basically a rom com. Bellini was known as “The Swan of Catania,” and was – and is today – afmired for his graceful melodies, which were characteristic of the “bel canto” period, but his really did stand above others.. He died at age 33, and a quotation from the libretto of “La Sonnambula” is engraved on his tombstone – a couple of lines about not expecing a flower would have withered so soon. I was having issues getting into my inbox, which have slowed me down, so please be patient with me until I can get back in. I now uaw Substack so much Ihave lots of places to look, but I’ll still miss some news. Today seems to be a predominantly feline day – even the composer of yestersay’s opera is from Catania.

Archived from 11alive, wherever that is -referred by The Smile. Isn’t Boone gotgeous?

From kitv,wherever that is. Lucky kitties!

Forwarded by our Mitch. Pictures are one thing, and these are amazing – but the project has also halped rangers care for and conserve all the species.

Share

Open Thread April 25 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 252026
 

Yesterday, I wanted to use the cartoon below, but I also wanted to make sure everyone got it. It is titled “Orangemandias” and is a riff on Shelley’s poem “Ozymandias.” If you were ever exposed to it, you probably remember the gist of it. If not, or if you just want a refresher, here it is at The Poetry Foundation. Sorry it’s so hard to see. If you open it in a new tab or window it’s clearer.

From The Root. Long, yes. But please scroll through and read all the names. Especially those whom other Democrats are demanding resign. There are definitely times when public servants need to be forthcoming and detailed about their strategies, including potential ones. This may not be the time – or, on the other hand, it may be but corporate news may not be sharing.

From The New Republic. I didn’t even know Clarence had given a speech until I saw the video with retired Judge Luttig’s take on it. I don’t (ad I’m sure y’all don’t) agree with the Judge’s politics, but despite that, he is a man of honor, and all this must be terribly painful for him. He is proof that it is possible to be an honorable Conservative – and, sadly, also proof that it is bloody difficult to do – since it is so rare.

From The 19th. IANAL, nor a historian, but I do know some things about patriarchy in the Roman Empire. If you had a wife she was property. If you had children, they were property. You could legally kill them, You could rape them, You could sell them. Heck, you could even kill our mother. But you couldn’t legally murder another male Roman citizen – and if you killed your father – Katie, bar the door. The punishment for patricide, called poena cullei, was to be “sewn up in a leather sack, with an assortment of live animals including a dog, snake, monkey, and a chicken or rooster, and then being thrown into water,” where you would drown, unless of course the animals got you first. By the time of Hadrien, there was an alternative method of being thrown to the beasts in the arena. I don’t know whose option that was, but it wasn’t the convicted person’s. I expect very few on the far right knoe about this, allergic to history as they are. But it is the kind of patriarchy they want to bring us back to.

HCR – pious coprolites!

Share
 Older Entries  Newer Entries