
Yesterday, I saw Virgil and we played cribbage. We had a wide variety of hands. If you have seen the riddle that Nameless posted Saturday, and read the comments, you may note that one hand I had was quite pertinent to it. Virgil was quite forgetful, but in a good mood (he pretty much always is when I visit.) The drive was uneventful both ways – the weather and the traffic both cooperated. Also yesterday – here’s a little backstory – some months ago, one of the announcers at my local public radio station started a new program – his first themed continuing program) featuring Broadway musicals. Sometimes he’ll feature just one show, but more often it will be four or six shows which have something in common. I have missed having a regular Broadway feature – and it’s been so long since one has been available, I have gotten totally out of touch with the genre, so I listen to it pretty faithfully. Yesterday his show featured just one show – “Come From Away.” I had never heard of it nor of its writers or stars. Well, I have really missed out on something very powerful. It ran for well over 600 performances and won a bunch of awards, so it isn’t that it didn’t have publicity that I missed it – it was just me being out of the loop. I realize many people do not care for, or about, musical theater of any kind. But if you do, and if you aren’t familiar with this one, I don’t think you’ll regret looking it up.
This from The F* News suggests to me that irony may not be dead after all.
Dan Froomkin at Press Watch has the New York Times’s number. I can’t remember having heard or seen the term, “weasel word,” for a long time – possibly because the GOP hasn’t been using any, because they’ve been outright lying and misrepresenting everything. The word “great” really can’t be construed as a weasel word for “dictatorship.” And there are so many ways to spread lies.
Of course it’s not really possible to predict what someone is going to do, and it’s even harder when that someone is demented. But it is possible t recognize a playbook = especially one as well documented as that used by would-be dictators. And the Brennan Center does its homework.

