Sep 022026
 

At 81, even in a small family, I’ve known some morticians – including away from the funeral home. They are human. Probably no two of then would tell you this in the same words – but they’d all tell you that everything they do is done for the families of the deceased – and also, that dealing respectfully with the remains is at the very top of the list of thingd that are done for the family. Do, when I came across a YouTube channel called “Lauren the Mortician,” it shouldn’t be surprising that I watched a few episodes, and ended up bookmarking the home page. She makes a new video each Monday (which she refers to as “morbid Monday”), and iy sholdn’t be a surprise that this Monday she was all over the Nepal disaster. If you can’t stand thinking or talking about death, ignore this. But if you are open to getting a little better acquainted with the Grim Reaper, this week’s video is here (spoiler – almost no one drowned.)

Referred by VoteVets. Maybe I’m seeing ghosts – but with Tramp [sic] and Kegsbreath shooting off their mouths about how shipboard deplotments shoud routnely be a full year – I can’t help but wonder whether they are being influenced by someone who realizes how detrimental that would be to morale – both to the teoops trapped in that situation and to troops who aren’t there but are scheduled to be up next – and to those who have not enlisted but were considering doing so – and now won’t. Someone who wants to see the US military completely destroyed. It’s easy to say that this regime care no more about human beings serving in the armed forces that they would about a part in a machine – but, honestly, they don’t even care that much. Machine parts wear down and need maintenance too – and without that maintenance the machine won’t work.

Breaking news from Axios when I first saw it. It isn’t good wnough in this regime to agree (or xapitulate) on some things or even most things. It’s got to be everything, or you’re O-U-T, out.

Joyce Vance asks the question we’s all like to know the answer to – especially if the answer contained informatin we could use to get rid of them. I think it is both possible and plausible – although, alas, not presumptive) that he has dirt on them. That’s been an arrow in his MO quiver since he was an apprentice in Daddy’s company. And, for three of them at least, we even have a pretty good idea of what the dirt might comprise. But that is not the only possibility – and there may in fact be multiple reasons, and different ones for rach compromised justice.

Cat 2fer

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Aug 302026
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Johann Strauss Jr’s “Die Fledermaus” (“The Bat”) There is no (visible) bat in it, but it is filled with absurdities. It’s a comedic takeoff on the “revenge tragedy” form, but but the revenge is for making the “injured” person look silly by leaving him in the public park dead drunk and still in his bat costume from the party they both attended, so that when the rest of the city woke up, he became a laughingstock. It’s an opera I’m very familiar with, having costumed it for Adams State College when I was working for the the theatre department more than 40 years ago. You can make up your own mind how funny it is, but the Viennese to this day think it is a hoot. It is staged there every New Year. (I don’t know how they managed that during the two World Wars, and perhaps they didn’t, but if not, that was another huge grievance against the Germans.) Austria, and particularly Vienna, takes its light music seriously.) The broadcast [erformance was recorded at the Vienna State Opera, and it was in fact recorded last New Year’s Eve.

This sure sounds like good news to me. A pricey crop that doesn’t require rivers for irrigation is just what Colorado need right now.

Not news – but a whole lot of fun for those of us into medieval history. At one time I thought of joining – I only got as far as picking a name, which was Fontaine d’Artois. (There are – or used to be -a respectable number of Artesian wells in the San Luis Valley, where Alamosa is located.)

Lima

Mike

I’m always ewluctant to say “The kids are all right,” because there are always some who aren’t. But clearly these young women in Alaska are just fine, thank you.

I’m always ewluctant to say “The kids are all right,” because there are always some who aren’t. But clearly these young women in Alaska are just fine, thank you.

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Aug 282026
 

Wednesday, I went to bed around sunrise, and got up around sunset, and stayed up. On Thursday, I did the same, and finished and posted this in real time, around sunrise. That won’t last too long. The opera is tomorrow, and Trinette will be coming over Sunday. By Tuesday at the latest I should be back on a schedule which, if not exactly normal, is at least normal for me.
ttps://harrylitman.substack.com/p/the-other-side-of-dojs-corruption
I am not saying, and I don’t think Harry is saying, that this is entirely due to this DOJ having thrown the presumption of regularity out of a fiftieth story uindow. But I can’t help but think it does play a part. And so does sheer incompetence (something which affects every aspect of this regime, not merely the DOJ.)

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/revisiting-can-federal-troops-be
It always surprises me – and, frankly, feels false – when the Mango Moron is described as using a “trial run.” simply because I don’t think is intelligent eough – and I do think he is too vain – to believe he needs one. However, he does have lackeys who are knowledgeable enough to recommend trial runs to him, and possibly glib enough to get his approval. Of course, a trial run on his part may also become a trial run on our part – or, at the very least, a telegraphing of the nature of the attack before it occurs. I’m very glad Joyce Vance is doing the analysis so that I don’t have to – she is SO much better at it than I could possibly be.

https://thefuckingnews.substack.com
I expect the Guardian has all of these stories, and a lot more respectfully at that. Somehow, to me, the tone felt exactly right.

https://www.confrontthehate.com/p/the-american-caesar-why-extremists
Well, here it is at last – the truth that, if we become a fascist nation, it won’t happen or at least not completely, from our being careless and just sliding into it. We will have been deliberately dragged into it by people who know exactly what they are doing, and want it to happen, because tthey think it will allow them to get everything they want. It won’t. But by the time they figure that out, since they are wealthy and think wealth will buy everything, i will be far too late for all of us. So much for “most of us just want the same things.” The people who want the power they believe a monarchy will give them re totally different. They are a minority, yes -but they are a larger minority than normal people can begin to comprehend.

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Aug 262026
 

Yesterday, Dolly Parton died, aged 80. Many people will mourn her because of her singing, and the songs she wrote. And that is understandable. She was at the top of her genre, and it’s one which tugs at heartstrings. This  the New Yorker speaks toall who will miss her. I will grieve because, while she lived, no majority black high school band in Tennessee ever had to fundraise to get band uniforms.
Today I have two medical appointments -one at 9:00 am (with 8:30 checkin) and the secoand the second at 4:30pm (with 4:15 checkin.) I decided my best chance of getting to both on time and awake was to stay up all night Monday, sleep all day Tuesday, and stay up all Tuesday night. We’ll hope it works.

From Talking Points Memo. This is quite an analogy – The Orange Ogre’s drug of choice is not adderall after all, , but his fantasies about reality,which he cannot accept. At this late date, after all these years, I doubt that an intervention is going to change anything.

Archived from the Old Gray Lady because paywall. Referred by Allison Gill. This does appear to be yesterday’s biggest news. This is why so many people are discovering that not all Democrats are alike – and that we don’t want coporate ones (also known as “third way” Democrats.)

I couldn’t agree with Robert Reich more. This should be painfully obvious. (It probably won’t be, given MAGA’s Trump Derangement Syndrome – but it should be.)

Wampanoag

Cat

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Aug 232026
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Giuseppe Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” – one of his early successes which made masterpieces like Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Rigoletto and more possible. It reminds me of La Gioconda, in that both have a character who has the hots for the heroine (who is in love with someone else) and is so resentfl at being turned down that he destroys pretty much everyone else in the cast. Verdi named this character “Wurm,” so you know right up front just who he is. (Come to think of it, “Andes Chenier” has one of those too.) Off to see Virgil now – will of course check in upon return.

Golf

Hotel

India

Juliet

Kilo

Dave is not the first male Drama Queen I have ever encountered – not even the first male felins Drama Queen. But he may be the loudest.

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Aug 212026
 

Yesterday, I overslept, even for me. Well, that happens.

From Colorado Public Radio. Sadly, it makes sense to me. A fast burning fire would probably be at a higher temprature – and accordingly, do more damage in less time. And that’s in addition to burning more area. Knowing this would, it seems to me at first glance, give us the opportunity to do some manual re-seeding to give the area a boost to re-grow, but the article doesn’t mention that, so there may be reasons why this would not work, or worse, would make the area even more vulnerable to climate change. The people working on this are not idiots.

I do realize how next to imposssible it is to get people who live in fantasy worlds to see reality. But we are able to know reality when we see it – and there’s some reality in this letter which we should all be aware of.

This from Drop Site News may well tell you more about what some call the Boatiac Murders than you ever wanted to know. Yes, apparently they are no longer happening around Venezuela, but around Ecuador. But still being done in our name with our money.

Oh, goody. Just what we needed – NOT. Where’s the international association to teach the our people how to spread democracy? Yes, it takes capital to start a news outlet – nut there are some patriotic millionaires – there’s even a group called that.

Cat

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Aug 192026
 

Yesterday, I played around some with how to get one or more of my computers to play a DVD. The 8.1 says I need software while the 10 desktop just lies there like Manhattan Island. I didn’t get around to trying the 10 laptop or the 7 laptop yet. But I’m determined.

https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/a-band-of-plucky-protesters-nets
From Harry Litman last Friday. How-tos don’t get dated as fast as news, though. It may not be pracical for some situations, but that’s a different issue.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/10/trump-white-house-transgender-mike-pence/688284/?gift=btq5fcO7tIGzv2lsrFLX2GUso66KGmgCQ6Urutno_iY&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Referred by Vote Vets(one of their “four stars), who thought it was important enough to be a gift article (which requires an uncut URL). And I agree.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/andy-burnham-donald-trump-aide-susie-wiles-b3034057.html
From The Independent (UK). Well, this is a fine kettle of fish. And it isn’t even the first time. Yet, here we are, oblivius, and silent while AI takes over our news, our brains, our ears, and our drinking water. Because this will happen again. And regardless who the President is. It’s not a think only morons need to worry about.

Stonewall

2fer

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Aug 162026
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was the one which is part of what is possibly the oldest operatic pun. Let me explain. Richard Wagner managed to get on a friendly basis with the mad King Ludwig of Bavaria – the one who built Neuschwanstein Castle (which is a story in itself.) He also funded the building of Wagner’s new opera house, called the Festspielhaus – a coined word which entered the language to mean any theater built for opera and/or other large musical events. In the early 1900s, one critic started calling the New York Metropolitan Opera House “Das Faustspielhaus” – because it put on Gounod’s “Faust” so often. I think everyone knows the soul-selling-to the devil story, which isn’t pretty, although the music is. I haven’t seen or heard it since CoViD (when the Met was free-streaming and put up a production in which Faust was a nuclear physicist in the 1940s and 50s.) There’s a lot about it to like. I won’t list all the catchy arias, duets, and ensembles, it would take too long. And all the good news stories speak for themselves, so I won’t comment on them

Alfa

Bravo

Charlie

Delta

Echo

Foxtrot

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