Open Thread May 21 2026

 Posted by at 6:10 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 212026
 

Does anyone else find it ironic that a Broadway musical did a better job of encapsulating our Fouders’ intentions (the good ones and also the not-so-good ones) than our current regime can provide? I hope it gets a lot of air time on multiple channels during July – and maybe the last week of June too. I might have it – if so, probably on VCR.

No, I didn’t choose this from POGO to match the next one. Though similar, they involve different agencies but the same principle: let peons die – it’s cheaper than getting medical care for them.

It shouldn’t be surpriing that Kegsbreath killed at least one military member by omission. But it can still be, and should be, appalling.

Common Dreams also had an article featuring Jeff Bezos as a Bond Villain, which was tempting. But I think this is more consequential.What was it again that Zuckerberg called people who trust him? Oh, yes. “Dumb fucks.” If I may digress (or as HCR calls it, “go down a rabbit hole”), “Zucker” is the German word for sugar, and “berg” – with an e – means “mountain” (with a “u”, it means “city”). Rock candy is made with white sugar and water, but the water is removed in the process of crystalization, so what’s left is just sugar. With a little stretch, you could say Zuckerberg” means “Rock Candy Mountain.”

This video is a “short.” The speaker, Morris Pearl, is himself a millionaire, and a member of Patriotic Millionaires.

Cat

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Open Thread May 17 2026

 Posted by at 5:50 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 172026
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Verdi’s “Don Carlo” in an archival recording from 1950. Most of the characters in it were real people, although they weren’t much like the way they they are portrayed in it. It’s true that the real Carlos was opposed to the Pope and the Inquisition, and sympathetic to the Protestants in Flanders which was then under Spanish rule, and that his father, King Philip, felt the opposite. It’s also true that Elizabeth of Valois was engaged to Carlos before the politics changed and she married his father instead, And his father may have wanted to kill him, but instead just locked him up. It is almost certainly not true that he and Elzabeth were in love – that was not a thing in royal marriages – and he was physically and mentally deformed – he was one of the last Habsburgs – the most inbred royals since ancient Egypt. The one character who was made up (not by Verdi, but by the playwright from whom Schiller borrowed for his plat “Don Karlos”) is Rodrigo – who gets the best music.

If you ever get a chance to attend one of these, don’t hesitate. Be there. Even just reding about one is revitalizing. Being there is a whole other level.

Even in Florida, there are still good people. (Even in law enforcement.)

And this is another reason why, though I no longer have any furbabies, I always look at Chewy first when I need something for myself that might be useful for an animal – like a white noise generator, or a broom that basically picks up hair, or a high powered laundry additive. Chewy is not your normal corporation. Chewy actually cares.

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Open Thread May 15 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 152026
 

Yesterday, the “President” landed in China and unsurprisingly behaved like an idiot. There were moments when Xi was clearly struggling not to laugh. But if we laugh too, we should still be keeping in our minds who he took with him. Also, I took in a grocery delivery. Everything is as put away as it is going to get.

I think we’re all aware that whatever the Evil Emperor says, the opposite is true. This is no exception. Robert Reich spells it out.

From The Conversation. I know Colorado couldn’t suspend taxes on gas even if the Governor wanted to.Thanks mistly to TABOR, we currently have the worst budget deficits we’ve had for years.

Archived from The Atlantic – so I could read it. I almost wish I hadn’t – But it’s safer to know than not to know.

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Open Thread May 13 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 132026
 

Yesterday, I expected to have lab work again. My previous PCP wanted me to do that every three months. Over the winter, my PCP moved, and I tranferred to another provider at the same facility in a phone call. At least that was easy. But – because he hasn’t actually seen me yet (that will happen next week). the lab had no order on file. So that was a wasted trip. Not something one wants to do when gas is about to go up again, and we could run out of our reserve and not be able to get any at all. Today’s political video is longer than Belle’s are, but shorter than Glenn Kirschner’s are. I am trying to keep them down.

Sometimes I get frustrated looking for articles to feature. The ones with the most (and newest) news are too long, and/or too repetetive, either in themselves or of other articles, or just wrong. Then I trip over a history piece which is relevant to what we are now going hrough (not always in an obvious way, but in some way.) idt Steve Schmidt may not be a professional historian like Heather Cox Richardson, but he has a knack of finding and sharing historical events which feel extremely relevant. Here is one. (The General Butler mentioned cannot be Smedley, who was not born until the last year of the Hayes Presidency. My guess is that it was General Benjamin F. Butler, who was, in 1879, running for governor of Massachusetts [he lost] after failing to win re-election to Congress, so he was at least alive at the time and had the right connections.)

I don’t – not intentionally – subscribe to Political Voices Network – not because the folks are not factual )they are both factual and good), but because there are too many of them and I just don’t have the time. But this came into my inbox, and it has some solid facts and some very good questions. If health insurance CEOs are murderers – why aren’t Republicans who consistently vote against Medicare for all, who strengthen private health insurance providers, murderers too? I can’t help thinking of Wendell Potter and his first book, “Deadly Spin.”

This is a few days old, but I thought it could wait – I didn’t see the MSM covering it under this regime. And it’s good news, as far as it goes. I hope it gets past SCROTUS still standing.

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Open Thread May 10 2026

 Posted by at 6:10 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 102026
 

the radio opera was “La Fille du Regiment” by Donizetti – the opera which includes Luciano pavarotti’s signature aria – the one with nine high Cs. Lawrence Brownlee did one of the best renditions I have ever heard, and received a worthy ovation. I don’t know whether it was a standing one, but it lasted long enough for him to give an encore (which we sadly didn’t hear in this recording.) Hard to believe that an agent he spoke with before he was famous told him he had no future in opera for two reasons: he was short and he was black. Well, he still is both and opera audiences appear to have no issue with either. But I digress. Sandra Oh played the role once played b Ruth Bader Ginsburg ((Brownlee was in that production also.) Ah, well. Happier times. Off to see Virgil now and will of course check in upon return.

This one‘s on loop so you won’t miss anything.

Kudos to Rita Seibenaler – and thanks to National Public Radio for publicizing this.

An extra (non-video) rescue story from Good News Network.

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Open Thread May 8 2026

 Posted by at 12:26 pm  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 082026
 

Yesterday, I got all the printer software installed, only to find that the black ink cartridge isn’t working. My fault, I fear – I pulled something loose while removing the tape, and assumed it would just stay in place. So today I need a trip to Staples. Fortunately, it’s a pretty straightforward and not too long trip. Again, sorrythis is late.

There’s no reason Andy can’t do straight news when the actual facts are this amusing. Maybe I should have saved it for Sunday, but I prefer to avoid politic completely on Sundays if possible.

Archived from the Independent, which has a photo of the note. See what you think. It doesn’t look to me like the writing of an adult. Most peopl’s writing either leans to the right or to the left pretty consistently. This note leans every which way (which is not the only reason it’s almost illegible.)

Common Dreams addresses Tennessee’s very rushed redistricting (inspired by the Callais decision.)

t

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Open Thread May 6 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 062026
 

Yesterday, Malcolm Nance’s (along with Jacob Kaarsbo and Wajeeh Lion) made it pretty clear that Europe is working seriously to make lemonade from the lemons we are throwing at them. And that includes the UK at one end – Brexit be damned – and Ukraine at the other. And more power to them! In fact, Mark Carney of Canada made a speech for their negotiations which included the opinion tat the international rule of law is not dead, but will be led by Europe in the the future. Also, I spent over three hours setting up the printer/scanner I got to replace my all-in-one which died. I got to the point when I was supposed to insert the disc, and discovered I had somehow unplugged the computer. To get to the outlet, one must crawl under the desk. So Trinette is coming by to help me with that this evening.

For this article I only have one word – hope. Not that we don’t still have to be vigilant about getting free and fair elections in November – but this is still promising IMO.

This from The Conversation could explain a lot. Although I remind all that correlation is not the same as causation.

from Vicky Ward Investigates. Well, this explains why Melania did that speech out of nowhere to distance herself from Epstein. And a few other things.At the time, I didn’t really care why she did it – but now tht I know, I do care – if only a little..

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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.

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