Open Thread September 21 2025

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 212025
 

Yesterday, I was able to hear the radio opera from my laptop. Even set up to the max, the volume was low, and I hope I won’t need to do it again. Faure was one of the Impressionists like Debussy and Ravel, but is much less known. His best known work is probably the Dolly Suite, written for a little girl nicknamed Dolly. This opera, Pénélope, based on the last part of Homer’s Odyssey (when Odysseus finally gets home), doesn’t sound much like the Dolly suite, but it is attractive. Why it’s not performed more than it is is mostly bad luck. It wasn’t a huge hit in the provinces, but when it made its Paris premier, it was well received by the audience and the critics. But within two months another premier at the same theater stole all the oxygen from everything else – it was a little ballet called “Le sacre du printemps,” or in English, “The Rite of Spring.” It actually caused riots, in which people were physically hurt. And it’s not pretty – but it is a masterpiece. But I digress. It has been so long since I read the Odyssey I had almost forgotten about the lack of trust which was normal back when there were no certain ways to establish one’s identity. Odysseus arrives in disguise, and when recognized, orders the person not to reveal him – because all the dudes waiting around for up to 20 years to try to marry his wife would have killed him (instead, he kills them.) When he does reveal his identity to Penelope, she tests him with a fib about having replaced the bed in the master bedroom (not really possible, because the bed was a four-poster and one of the posts was a living tree, and the room was built around it and the bed), and of course he freaks because he knows that, which establishes he really is Odysseus. Off to see Virgil now – will check in.

You are welcome to argue with me about whether this from The Root is good news – since it’s mostly not new, but history. But I maintain the news part is that someone whose name should have been in people’s mouths along with the names of Rosa Parks, John Lewis, and many others is finally getting recognition – at least from the black community, and it should be from us also. It’s not exactly anyone’s fault it’s coming late. Photographers speak with the images they create, not with their mouths, and images are not physically attached to them, so its too easy to forget the people behind those images.

This was apparently a federal charge; I assume that because it was tried in a federal court house and at the Times there is an implication that the prosecution was by a U.S. Attorney. But it’s good news at any level.

There is a lot of good news in this from Wonkette, and it’s from Thursday, so you may have seen some of it. But probably not all of it.

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Open Thread September 19 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 192025
 

Yesterday, I still didn’t have all my electrics and electronics working, which made progress slow. Addition after scheduling: Rolling Stone has more on the decision to “suspend” Kimmel. It’s not pretty.

When you get good political news from Louisiana, you pay attention. Nancy Landry doesn’t appear to be any relation to Jeff (the governor) or Mitch (former mayor of New Orleans, who also spelled it “Landrieu,” probably the original spelling) – it’s just a prominent New Orleans name for so long that any relationships are too distant to trace. In any case, the statistics she provides are consistent with the Brennan Center’s own numbers, and I trust the Brennan Center.

From The F* News. I just don’t know what to say about this. I’m speechless. Being speechless is happening more often for me because so much that is happening is just inconceivable (and I do know what that means. I even looked it up.)

I don’t know of anyone who is always right. In fact, that would almost certainly be impossible. But given Malcolm Nance‘s experience and expertise, I take any warning from him seriously.

Belle – I still couldn’t hear this, had to follow the CC, but it did give me a smile.

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Open Thread September 17 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 172025
 

Yesterday, technology was not kind to me. My radio station was off the air for about an hour and a half – playing static (rhythmic static, but still static); it took me another hour and a half (this time on the phone) to be able to log in to my HRA to provide substantiation for a VISA charge on their card (apparently, when I changed my email address for contacting me but not for my username because the site would not let me) it confused their system so badly it would not let me log in, and I ended up having to pretend I was opening a new account. Then my speaker died. All this was on top of my kitchen light fixture having shorted out (I do have some under-cabinet lights there, but they aren’t a substitute.) Color me irritable.

Yes, we’re past September 13. But Heather Cox Richardson‘s thoughts on narratives are not tied to a particular date. I think they are worth a look and a think.

From Wonkette – and demonstrates one of the reasons I keep subscribing to Wonkette, besides their irreverent style. They do tend to get hold of things that others don’t. Such as what Groypers are (and that they’re not just more right wingers – they have distinct opinons.) And that they have a tendency to violence which may even surpass that of other right wingers. So here it is, and it includes some links to older posts on the same subject. “If they are being opportunistic, we must be as well.” I couldn’t agree more. Incidentally, if the word “sedevacantist” is new to you, here’s a link which goes into that. I agree with Robyn that not knowing they exist and at least generally knowing who they are is “a luxury we cannot afford.”

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Open Thread September 16 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 162025
 

Yesterday, I really overslept. I’m not complaining – I do need that on Mondays as a rule to make up for sleep lost on the weekend. But it does mean I need to be savage with my inbox. Also yesterday – at one time there was a way to link an image to a website here – but that seems to have disappeared. I am concerned that, between its size and the elongation to images we are experiencing, the cartoon may not be legible – there’s so much in jt. So here’s a link where it can be read larger and in proportion.

Chris Bowers has established an Act Blue page addressed to the points he makes. I’m not intending to push that. What I take from this is, frankly, confirmation that, although we can now successfully elect women to the Senate and to be state Governors, even to be Vice President, we cannot yet elect a woman to be President. And, at least for a while, we should quit trying. Because we have only accomplished three things trying – we have ended one woman’s career and allowed her legacyto be tarnished, and we have damaged another woman’s career path (both outstanding women), and we have handed the country over to fascists. I am not saying there will never be a woman President (although I will not live to see one). I am saying we have done enough damage for a while and we need to rebuild the country first – and to work for changes which are not political but cultural in nature.

I confess I did not watch the video that Steve Schmidt included as evidence in this post. But I have no doubt Steve Schmidt has pretty much nailed it (except that I would say Miller is a full-sized Eichmann, not a little one any more.)

From Harry Litman of Talking Feds. Not so much about law as about history. It certainly clarifies the moment – although the moment is unquestionably a dark one.

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Open Thread September 14 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 142025
 

Yesterday, the radio opera (although for the rest of the season, starting yesterday, I’ll be listening on line. Not surprising. Broadcasting these costs local stations money which they now do not have) was another double bill – this one more conventional than the previous one this season – it’s so standard that Opera lovers often just call it “Cav and Pag.” The “Cav” is Cavalleria Rusticana, and the “Pag” is I Pagliacci. Both are from the “verismo” school, which means they are about ordinary people, no nobility or divinity allowed. And they are generally fairly violent. In Cav the violence occurs off stage, but in Pag it is right on stage – and the killer gets the last word – “The comedy is over.” Both include some absolutely gorgeous music, such as “Vesti la giubba” from Pag, which at least used to be very well known way beyond the circle of opera lovers. I don’t know whether it still is..

“Martini Glambassador” is a fan, not an employee of Wonkette. But every day, seven days a week, she provides a .gif file for its “TABS” newsletter. Sometimes they are cute and funny – sometimes just funny – sometimes just cute. I took a screenshot from this one because I wasted to say, “Just look at that tail!” Snow leopards’ tails are distinctively thick, particularly when compared to the tails of other felines. They are also long, but you can’t really see that anywhere in the .gif. The snow leopard who showed off for me in the Pueblo Zoo made a point of showing me the length of his/her tail as well as its girth.

I’m not trying to push Wonkette – I do realize its style is not for everyone – but this certainly appeared to fit into the category of good news. And, yes, I am envious. I don’t have a clue how hard it is for a sentence to hold up in Brazil – but st least they have arrived at one, which is certainly more than we can say.

Of all states which sometimes show up in the news cycle for leading the way – let’s just say New Mexico appears less often than some others. But today, here it is – and a really important way to be leading. I expect this will radically improve the economy of the state. If it spills over into neighboring states, I hope we are one.

This story is courtesy of our Mitch. And I received it just in time for today. Many thanks, Mitch

John D. Cundle is a Canadian doing his best to help us.

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Open Thread September 12 2025

 Posted by at 6:09 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 122025
 

Yesterday, I received an email about an upcoming demonstration, not sprcifically on electoral politic, but on climate, called Sun Day. It’s scheduled for September 21. They havealready scheduled over 350 events in 46 states – fewer that, for instabnce, No Kings, but very large for a climate demonstration. And they’d be happy to add more if there’s not one near you. For anyone interested, here’s the link.

As if the murder of Charlie Kirk wasn’t enough, we had another school shooting in Colorado on Wednesday. Colorado Public Radio reports.

It’s been a week with lots of news – and too much of it important for me to be able to begin to share it. But this by Robert Reich, which came out Tuesday has to be shared. We can’t afford not to. Reich is a specialist in labor, and from that place also an economist. He knows it will hurt. He also knows that any other course of action will hurt worse in the long run.

This is long for a Borowitz Report (at least it is for a free one) and it’s not terribly funny (although it is cute in its way). But it may come in very useful.

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Open Thread September 10 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 102025
 

 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT, CHARLIE KIRK WAS SHOT AND KILLED LAST NIGHT WHILE SPEAKING IN UTAH.

Yesterday, I’m not excited about rehashing things, especially when there is so much rapid-fire news. On the other hand, G. K, Chesterton had it eight when he said “The human race does not need to be instructed so much as it need to be reminded.” We know that George Washington warned us about Trump**(*) (not a prediction so much as a general knowledge of human nature.) But The Conversation recently published a scholarly article addressing the details of that warning. Also yesterday, this from Liza Donnelly – you may find some of it elsewhere, but as I type, it’s all new to me (some, but nowhere near all, is from Heather Cox Richardson – I checked because they are close friends.) And also, I have noticed that Heather Cox Richardson and Joyce Vance have done a Substack Live and I have really wanted to see it – and today I was able to see it through Preet Bharara’s Substack. Both are knitters (and I knitted while watching.) If you want to watch but skip the knitting talk, start at 4:20. Also, it says it ends at 52:47 but it actually ended at 48:43 – and that’s including a bit about book tours, which can be skipped.

I have gotten to the point that when I come to a headline in The Root which begins “Black People Need To Know About”, my immediate gut reaction is “Sure, but do white people and other non-Black people know enough about this, since we are the ones doing it, and maybe the ones in the best position to do something about it?” In this particular case, sane white people have been opposing it for decades – maybe forever – and haven’t had much luck. But now is not the time to give up.

I think of Jennifer Rubin as being a journalist, not a lawyer – but I looked her up in Wikipedia and she does have a Juris Doctor degree – in fact, headed her law school class. So her opinions on the Courts – what they are doing, and what it means – are at a minimum educated thoughts.

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Open Thread September 7 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 072025
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was a double bill: “Dido and Aeneas” by Henry Purcell and “The Seven Deadly Sins” by Kurt Weill. The performance was from Copenhagen. The two don’t have much in common, but perhaps that was the intention. Purcell lived from 1659-1695, during the baroque period. Kurt Weill lived from 1900 to 1950. We all know Weill from “Mack the Knife,” of course – but (at least in my generation) know “September Song” equally well but don’t know that it was also from a Broadway show – “Knickerbocker Holiday.” His “The Seven Deadly Sins” was called a “ballet chanté” rather than an opera because the man who commissioned it was married to a dancer who bore a strong resemblance to Weill’s wife, singer Lotte Lenya, and it was written for them, so the central character, Anna, is written as a split personality. I have heard of it, and read about it, but never actually heard it until yesterday. It is satirical – I would not take moral advice from it. For just one example, the last sin addressed is greed – and the conclusion is that Greed is good – just like Gordon Gecko. Danielle de Niese, who doesn’t just sing opera, but also on Broadway, in films, and on television – though much of that is not in the U.S. – but y’all might have heard of her – sang both personalities as well as Dido in this broadcast. The most famous aria from “Dido and Aeneas” is one of those “Don’t Cry for Me” pieces which irritate me in principle, because I don’t think you need to be Elizabeth Kübler Ross to be aware on some level that grief for someone’s death is really grief for our own loss of that person, not “for” the person who has died, so telling us not to grieve is really telling us not to heal. Not that I would expect the character of Dido, who, if she lived, did so in the 12th or 13th century BCE – and the aria is well known because it is beautiful. Off to see Virgil – will check in upon return.

NBCU Academy is clearly associated with the National Broadcasting Company, since the peacock is in their logo. And it appears to be working to ensure that aspiring journalists can get excellent education for that career. Given that (for just one example) Alan Dershowitz was educated at (and later even taught at) Yale Law school, their participants are not going to be 100% ethical. But it’s still a good thing, and far better than nothing. And this story from their project really is good news.

And this story from The 19th is really just amazing – and, in Louisiana, you know they did not get a lot of encouragement or assistance from the state, so they were working with virtually nothing but themselves.

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