Open Thread February 12 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 122025
 

Yesterday, I learned that Deb Haaland who was Interior Secretary under Biden is running for Governor of New Mexico. Katie Porter has already endorsed her.  Now I have too (for what that’s worth.)

I’m an unpaying subscriber to Andy Borowitz, and that means that, at least on Sundays, I don’t get the whole story. Last Sunday, his post was a letter from Richard Nixon to Elon Musk from hell. I was able to read his introduction, but nothing of the letter. I thought at the time, “I’ll bet that’s priceless.” Well, Robert Reich certainly thought so. He shared the whole thing. It’s NSFW, as you’d expect from Nixon. Enjoy it.

This is John Pavlovitz at his most powerful. Giving us permission to hold individual voters accountable. Not that we need it from him – unless we are not yetgiving it to ourselves. Sometimes good people are held back by also being nice people. We can stop that now. (Healso dais, in a separate post, that it’s OK to be exhausted.)

The F* News also had a lot to say, in this case mostly about litigation and the ways in which both very different sides are reacting an responding to it. Given that in the current administration, and the makeup of the House and Senate, any halfway decent national news is more likely to come from the courts than from anywhere else, concentrating on the courts is probably a good idea. I mean, you’ll get the poisonous news that way too,but with a potential antidote as well

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Open Thread February 9 2025

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 092025
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman”, which I’ve discussed before. It was the choice of Ryan Speedo Green, who picked it because of the performance of George London in the title role. London started singing professionally in 1945, debuted at the Met in 1951, retired in 1967, and died in 1985 after his third heart attack, so I mostly missed him. (I know a lot of earlier singers from my mother’s 78 rpm record collection and of course newer ones from my own listening and collecting. And that includes a couple of the other principals in today’s recording who worked longer and lived longer.) But Speedo was just the right age to hear his recordings while studying … and to enter a competition and get financial help from a foundation London founded, continued by his widow after he died. I’ve also discussed Speedo’s story, which I find incredibly inspiring, so I’ll shut up now. Off to see Virgil, will check in upon return.

Straight from the Root – a list (not inclusive) of companies which continue to support DEI – in fact, some are doubling down. Many are not useful to me, either because I don’t use what they sell, or because I have rejected them for some other reason, but that’s me. Also, they’re all huge. But you can always look up any company on the internet and see whether they have a DEI statement in their “about us” section.

Dennis Donovan at Democratic Underground shares a post from Norm Eisen (cofounder of “The Contrarian”) – it’s a few days old, but I haven’t seen it elsewhere (which may be just me – I had to skip a lot to get through all those emails.)

This is a 23 minute video (with not bad CC – a couple of clunkers easy to mentally correct) and I can’t – not that I would want to – make you watch it. But in addition to advice, it also has some hope. So I thought I’d add it to Sunday.

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Open Thread January 14 2025

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 142025
 

Yesterday, it occurred to me that the name Zuckerberg – with just a little bit of license – translates to “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” I couldn’t even begin to count the possible disrespectful jokes that could be gotten out of that. Also yesterday, the story which was yanked last week did get published, and I went to the new link, and it is working. Here it is. You can see why I jumped to the conclusion I did. It’s very frank.

The Reich on the left is right again. I, and progressives and liberals I am aware of, generally have positive impressions of universities, nonprofits, and labor unions. The media is in a different position. But allowing media, however imperfect, to be destroyed by The new administration’s lawsuits and other attacks is not the solution. And that goes multiple times for small and independent media, who are as much more likely to promote truth as they are to come under attack. I know I probably sound like an obsolete “broken record,” but go over to Substack, see the many people who are posting there, and if you find someone or some two or so whom you respect (and preferably whom I am not regularly citing, to broaden yourself,) sign up for a free subscription. That costs nothing but time – and knowledge is priceless.

(Edited just before midnight to add link to Jack Smith’s Volume #1 (Jan 6)

Robert Hubbell debunks all the lies being pushed by MAGA about the Los Angeles wildfire(s). Unfortunately, the LA Times, now MAGA-billionaire-owned, is widely spreading them anyway. Was it Mark Twain who said “a lie can get halfway around the world wile truth is still putting its pants on”? Or is he just one of the many to whom it has been mis-attributed? Also, you might appreciate, if you have any past or present connection to California, his next rant is here.

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Open Thread January 5 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 052025
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Les Contes d’Hoffman” (the tales of Hoffman) by Jacques Offenbach, who is best known for having composed the “Cancan.” The Tales of Hoffman was his only serious opera, and it is not without comedy. The most obvious is, I think, the “Doll Song,” in which the soprano plays a mechanical, life sized doll with whom Hoffman has fallen in love. During this aria, the soprano “runs down” twice and the toymaker has to run up behind her and “wind her up.” Literally. Back in the day, I was driving on the Washington DC beltway, and this aria came on the radio, sung by Joan Sutherland. Even without the sight gags, she made it so funny that I had to pull off – I was so distracted with laughter – until it was over. The doll is one of three women with whom Hoffman falls in love and loses – this one because she isn’t real, the second because she dies, and the third because she has stolen his soul – well, that’s pretty un-comic. There is also an “evil genius” who in some way comes between Hoffman and all of the women he falls for. It is filled with catchy tunes, a specialty of Offenbach. If you have ever heard his “barcarolle,” which is a real earworm, this is the opera from which it comes. Also yesterday, I received several emails about Ann Telnaes leaving the Washington Post. I’ll link to Andy Borowitz on this, although Heather Cox Richardson also covered the story. We can hope hat she finds a position worthy of her talent and integrity.

In keeping with my intent to reserve the Sunday Open Thread for good news, here is a story from Colorado Public Radio, about a remarkable man, and the tribute to him which is now being paid.

This from Axios is at best halfway good news. I was hoping something better would come along, but sadly, if it has, I haven’t seen it (and I have been looking.)

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Open Thread December 7 2024

 Posted by at 5:58 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 072024
 

Yesterday, my toilet clogged, and the plumber cannot come until Monday. But that’s not why I made this post entirely about healthcare today. I started putting it together when the news of the murder came out. By the way, the picture at left  is from Pearl Harbor. Besides the videos, allow me to add this extra to lighten up a little.
Andy Borowitz on pardons

I have never worked in health insurance, but I have worked in auto and home insurance, and one thing I learned is that if a coverage dispute goes to court, the verdict often goes to the insured, even if the expense is pretty nearly not covered by the contract. And that is because an insurance policy is a “Contract of adhesion.” That means that the insured has little or no say in what the contract says. It’s not a rule (neither is “tie goes to the runner” a rule in baseball). The jury or judge, like the umpire in baseball, must make the decision. But insurance companies know that the insured often gets the benefit of the doubt. I would think this would also apply to health insurance, which leads me to the conclusion that insureds who need help the most are those financially unable to take a case to court – a conclusion which should surprise no one at all. I couldn’t help but think of Wendell Potter – the Cigna CEO who quit because he couldn’t take the corruption. He is still fighting Big Health, and has a column on Substack (the newest entry is from the da before Thanksgiving, so it’s upbeat, but still very telling.)

Since I have already brought up health insurance, this may be an appropriate time to share this story on Medicare Advantage, which is not to anyone’s advantage but those who want to privatize Medicare. And, it not only doesn’t save money for its insured, but it doesn’t save any for taxpayers either. It’s something only a Republican could love. My advice is, don’t get it, and if you have it, don’t renew it. If it’s too late to drop it this year, don’t renew it next year. You’d be far better off setting up a separate savings account for medical emergencies and putting what the pemiums cost into it.

Incidentally, if you live in any of these nine states: Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, and Virginia – you need to know about this. Even if it wouldn’t affect you personally, it might stall affect a friend, a relative, or a neighbor.

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Open Thread November 26 2024

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 262024
 

Yesterday, I learned a lot of things I would prefer not to have happened (as, I’m sure, did you.) For one thing, the National Women’s Health Network is permanently shutting its doors. On the plus side, it looks as though my phone is working again. And one computer has internet access. But I need it on both. So, though I’m up to blogging again, this isn’t over. (and I had almost 300 emails in my inbox yesterday morning. I got it down to under 30, but I didn’t clear it. So today will also be busy.

I think Heather Cox Richardson is writing for reality skeptics in this post, because it sounds as though she didn’t know for absolute fact that Trump** was lying, and I’m sure she’s smarter than that These people who nightmared up (to coin a phrase) Project 2025 claim to be business people. But I have an MBA from George Washington University, and one absolutely basic principle I learned there was that if you were put in charge of a group you had no been directly promoted from, you should never institute any changes for AT LEAST SIX MONTHS. In this case that would be six months from the day you take office, not from the day you were nominated, nor from the day you were confirmed, nor from the inauguration – you need to be actively, physically in that division seeing what is actually happening for six months before changing a thing. Apparently no one ever taught these supposedly educated business people that. Or else they just think that since they are white men they must know better.

Well, this, from The Root, was definitely not on my Bongo card, and I’ll bet it wasn’t on yours either. But it certainly sounds like jolly good fun.

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Open Thread November 18 2024

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Politics
Nov 182024
 

Yesterday, I saw Virgil and we played cribbage.  It was an interesting visit in that it really showed how unpredictable his mental acuity is – it’s all over the place.  There were time I had to remind him how many cards he should deal us.  But there was also a moment when I was telling him I had started going through my costume jewelry, including watches, of which I discovered I had way more than I thought of basically disposable watches which I hadn’t disposed of.  He asked how many, and I said I hadn’t counted but at least two dozen, maybe as much as three or even four dozen, and he responded, “Wow!  You sure had a lot of time on your hands!”  All in all it was a great visit, and the drive was good both ways.

Trump’s Not Hitler He’s Stalin. We’re Back In the USSR


This is from PolitiZoom. I don’t know that I 100% agree, but it surely is interesting speculation. When I think of Stalin, I think of anecdote such as Dmitri Shostakovich keeping a suitcase by his front door every night so that then the secret police came to get him in the middle of the night, he would at least be ready with a few small comforts. Definitely something to think about.

https://www.wonkette.com/p/new-zealand-maori-lawmakers-give
Wonkette picked up this delightful story. If the two articles I picked for Sunday did not complement each other so well, I might have kicked this up to Sunday. But we need enthusiasm on Mondays too. The Maori haka is sacred to the Maori. We could use something like that (I’m not advocating cultural appropriation, nd I don’t mean exactly hakas, but something which might function the same way. Doktor Zoom suggests Jasmine Crockett might provide suggestions.)

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Open Thread October 20 2024

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 202024
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Samson” by Jean Philippe Rameau, a composer of the baroque era. I Have see/heard one complete opera by Rameau – a comic one – “Platée” – which is a very funny comedy. I’m not sure I can really honestly say I have heard “Samson” now – the libretto (by Voltaire) is intact (all the versions), but the music has been lost and not yet found (and may never be), so this score was reconstructed from drafts, and from later operas Rameau may have recycled music from this one into. The opera was not heard in Rameau’s lifetime, and in fact has never been performed until this production. The censors of that time would not allow an opera on a “religious” subject and the wealth of non-Bibilical stuff Voltaire concocted would not budge them an inch. And, of course, it was Voltaire, whose opposition to the church was notorious. (now, next wek, the opera will be “The Shining” from the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Who knew?)  Off to see Virgil now – will check in on return.

https://www.wonkette.com/p/judge-chutkans-got-your-weekend-reading
Wonkette shares links to all four volumes (totalling 1889 pages) of the appendices released Friday. They are redacted but mostly the redactions are names. Many are identifiable.

https://19thnews.org/2024/10/latinx-artists-storytellers-border-narratives/
Last Tuesday was the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month – but this story from the 19th wasn’t available until Wednesday so I just held it till now. You know, all these people coming from countries south of us are doing so because our politics, our CIA, enabled terrible leaders to become strong in their own countries and by so doing made life hell for them. Now we are still making life hell for them by keeping them out. I’m sure there is a bad parenting analogy like this – something like bringing a child up to despise him or herself and then as adults locking the child up to prevent him or her from seeking psychiatric care. If you can imagine and phrase it better, please do. At least there are now creative artists doing their best to bring healing and we can be grateful for that.

‘New York Times’ To Cease Publication


This from The Onion is perfect for a Sunday.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-election-chaos-detroit-misinformation-rcna174091
This was referred by Talking Points Memo, which also vouches for the quality of the journalism of the two co-authors. i guess I hope it scares you enough but not too much.

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