Yesterday, I set my alarm because I needed to take in a grocery order. At least I got everything in and put away. But that did throw me a little off schedule – to the extent that I even have a schedule. But – today being the last day of Black History month, I think I simply must share something I learned today – from Wikipedia: “Errollyn Wallen CBE (born 10 April 1958)[1] is a Belize-born British composer and musician, who moved as a child with her family to London, England. Wallen was appointed Master of the King’s Music in 2024 by King Charles III, in his first appointment to the post. She is the first black woman to serve in the position, having in 1998 been the first black woman to have a work featured in the Proms.” Oh, and Andy Borowitz has Hillary’s complete opening statement – no joke – though he does joke some in the lead-in.
This from the Brennan Center is an abridged version of their report. The one thing I wanted to see which was not in the summary was which states do what. I found that information by clicking on the “Download Insight” button (Colorado was not the first to correct this, but was one of the first . No one took any action until just before the 2020 census.) The summary is probably comprehensive enough for most people.
A report from Pro Publica on the conditions at the Dilley concentration camp in Texas. The art of children is likely not as monetarily valued as the art seized from German Jews by the Nazis – but it is in its way no less important. How can one put a price on the tears of a child?
Yesterday, the radio opera was Puccini’s “La Bohème.” I would not say it’s everyone’s favorite opera, but it is for a lot of people, and not without reason. And the reasons are not just the music, although the music is some of his best. It’s also the story – it has everything. Its protagonists are “have-nots,” and it makes outrageous fun of “haves.” In between thise, it put on sage what falling in love looks like and feels like. It ahows a Parisian Cafe on Christmas Eve, including a self-employed toymaker selling his wares, with kids begging their parents for this or that. The song the second female lead sings in that setting is so good it was turned into a pop song in the fifties and sung by Della Reese under the title “Don’t You Know?” – you may remember it. Then it turns dark as the female lead, trying to find out why the male lead has been cold to her lately, learns it’s because she has this terrible cough and he’s afraid she’s dying (spoiler – she is). They separate, and the two male leads admit, not out loud to each other, but in soliloquies how lonely they are, and then there’s more humor as the other two show up and they decide to dance, two pretending to be female, but they are interrupted by the two female leads (only one at first because the one with TB can’t climb the stairs alone) showing up. They get the one with TB upstairs, and everyone tries to help, each in his or her own way showing grief and then leaving to get medicine or pawn a coat or whatever they can, leaving the lovers alone. They reminisce about their meeting, and she falls asleep, and the others get back. Soon one notices she is no longer breathing and whispers it to the others. Her lover is oblivious to her death , but notices the others have gone silent, and says, “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” and then it hits him. He rushes to her, calls her name twice and then loses it. The orchestra replays the first phrase of the tune to which they reminisced, and there is not a dry eye in the house. I know that’s a lot happening, but without intermissions it only takes up about an hour and a half total, which is very short for an opera, which also doesn’t hurt its popularity. (The broadcast today did have intermissions, including an Opera Quiz, so the broadcast was a bit over 2 hours.) It’s the first opera I ever owned on vinyl. I found it at the PX for $4.00, which was very cheap even then, and the lead was sung by Renata Tebaldi, who was contemporary with Maria Callas. They were the two biggest names at the time, and were said to be feuding- which I’m pretty sure never happened, but OMG, did their respective fans ever feud! It was, like so many feuds, just silly. I enjoyed both divas, not in the exact same way, but on balance about equally. And, yes, La Bohème was the inspiration for “Rent” Today is not a Sunday that I see Virgil, and Trinette is out of town, so I am hoping to get some knitting done.
From The Root. This is jaw-dropping. I do know a little about prisons, which states have better ones and which states (including Louisiana) have worse ones, and that the gap between good and bad is huge. This blows my mind – in the best way.
Referred by The Smile, this article was a bit annoying to navigate at the original site, so I archived it. Sure, it’s worth a little effort to get to – but it was easy to do and makes it a lot easier to read.
I love my Secretary of State. Next year she’s term limited but will be running for AD (I love my AG even more, but he’s also term limited. He’ll be running for Governor.) One thing about being told to take a hike is Colorado is that there’s virtually no end of beautiful and exciting possible hikes to take here.
Randy – I started the video at 2:43 because that’s where the song starts, but by doing so I left out the first 1:18 of introduction. You can decide how much you want to see by going to YouTube.
Yesterday, the radio opera was Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” I had to use that laptop again, and I suppose I might have skipped it – it’s not as if I’d never heard it – it was one of the first operas I ever owned on vinyl. But it is also the opera which got me my “A” in Advanced Conducting. I’m actually a terrible conductor. But there’s one scena in Rigoletto that I knew I stood a good chance of putting across, and put it across I did – mostly with my face – not even controlling it – the music and situation just gave me the expressions. Also, the part of Rigoletto yesterday was sung by Quinn Kelsey, who recently got such an outstanding review in this role, and even specifically in that scena, that I wanted to hear whether he deserved it. Did he? Oh, yeah. I have never heard a baritone put as much feeling into “Io vo’ mia figlia…” as he did. And I have heard some great baritones sing it. The most famous excerpt from Rigoletto, of course, is the aria “La donna e mobile,” which is pure projection, and, although the word in that sense did not exist in 1851, I’m confident Verdi knew it (the plot of the opera itself belies the aria’s words.) But it’s also catchy, and he knew that too – so catchy that he hid it from everyone including the tenor until the day of the premier, and essentially locked the cast and orchestra up until the show opened. Opera was then so popular that by the time one opened, the town in which it was opening knew every note. But not this time. This time the audience was surprised, and completely won over. And, as projectionist as it is, it’s not really a bad thing it’s so popular and well known – it gives the ending even more punch. Today’s cartoon is a gif file that was used by Wonkette, and you will see why the late Queen Elizabeth liked to be surrounded by corgis – they were her secret service. 🤣
Fat Bear week – Sorry that this is too late to vote for – not that I could tell you how anyway – but the winner won’t be announced until Tuesday, so there’s that.
I love stories like this one from Good News Network. You’ve heard of win-win, but this is more like win-win-win-win. The animals are benefited, as well as the inmates. But so is the prison staff, because inmates in these programs are easier to work with. And so is the entire community, because the recidivism rate goes down. Kudos to Ohio.
This is not news at all – it is Borowitz. But I think TomCat would have loved it. So here it is.
And if you need a lttle something extra to be thankful for, this just might be it. It certainly would have made TomCat’s day – if not his whole year (he would of course wish it had happened in Oregon, but the fact that it happened at all is eexlilarating.)
We know the court date. The other answer we don’t know at time of posting. I want to know too. Also, IF Meadows gets his trial transferred to Federal court, he will still be tried under Georgia law (which is tougher on RICO than the Fed law.)
Glenn Kirschner – Two big court hearings on Monday: Trump’s DC trial date to be set; & Mark Meadows mockery in Georgia
The Lincoln Project – #TrumpMugshot
Thom Hartmann – Is America Run By A Psychopathic Cult? w/ Seth D. Norrholm
Parody Project – WE’RE TRUMPUPPETS – The Maga Theme Song
[Jackson Galaxy] Inmates Find Redemption Through Cats [Long, but worth every second, and the CC is professional]
Yesterday, I once more got the New Yorker’s Name Drop puzzle on the first clue – and I’m willing to bet that most of y’all will or would too. The image of that red coat and sunglasses will take shape in your brain as it did in mine, and the face behind the sunglasses will be very familiar. (In fact, you may get it from just what I have said.) Aside from that, it was pretty quiet. I think I got pretty well caught up on my sleep, but also found a new quote from Robert Reich to console me in case I didn’t. “The sleep fairies do not favor the elderly.”
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
PolitiZoom – Trump’s Calls For Violence More ‘Blatant’ and ‘Overt’ Than Before
Quote – Lofgren brought up Trump’s horrific Truth Social post (that he fortunately deleted) –the one that shows Trump holding a baseball bat right next to a photo of Bragg. She also mentioned Trump’s continual parade of insults and name-calling and his threats of “death and destruction,” coupled with his comments during the rally Saturday. “This is cause for concern,” she said. “We know that certainly not all of his followers are inclined to take up arms, but there’s enough of them who are willing to do battle in his behalf that someone could get killed. And people were killed, obviously, on January 6.” Click through for details. If you have already noticed this yourself, let me assure you that you are NOT imaginng it. It is real.
The New Yorker – The Myth of the Alpha Wolf
Click through for details. I’m not quoting, because I have a lot to say on this, and if you are paywalled out, let me know – I will send it. It’s been known for some time that the initial “research” which came up with the terminaology in the title werenot carried out on wolves in their wild habitat, but exclusively on wolves in zoos. This is like doing research entirely in prisons and then claim that it applies to civilization as a whole. It’s really no wonder, is it, that almost all of the people who seriously buy the “alphamale” image are actual or potential criminals.
But what is new in the latest research (and which surprised the researchers so much that it sent them looking to other species – and fining similar reaults) is the fact that, when two packs battle, the pack that stands the best chance of winning, by a significant margin, is the pack which contains one or more older wolves. Ant that is the most impostant single factor. Apparently, respect for our elders has actual, solid survival value. I believe we should seriously think about this.
We don’t know whether wolves (or elephants or other species) are vulnerable to dementia, and that does make a difference. No one wants Dianne Feinstein to run again for the Senate. But that’s a matter of health, not simply aging. When we have elders like Joe Biden – Nancy Pelosi – Elizabeth Warren – Bernie Sanders – GRACE LINN – who literally have knowledge of what works and what doesn’t,because they have seen, time and time again, what works and what doesn’t – I think we need to stop talking about age as if it were a disqualifier.
And speaking of wolves (and canines in general) and prisons, here is an extra, which I would have used in the video thread if if had beeen possible to embed it. (The srticle ccontains an embed code, but it doesn’t do anything through my computer, not did it work for Lona, who passed it on to me.) I hope y’all will enjoy it. The Colorado prison system does have a “Prison Trained K9 Companion Program” – in fact they just picked up a bunch a couple of weeks ago who were rescued from a hoarding situation – but no lifers that I know of. So I have also sent information on the article to the DOC (not the live link – they have to be suspicious of links – but the defanged link and the information to find it through a search engine.) Do click through for a sweet story.
Yesterday, I didn’t get much done. I did some clearing of my desk, but you wouldn’t know it to look at it. I lost some time because there was a phone outage, and I thought I must have done something wrong witth the modem, and it took me a while to realize it wasn’t me. So I ended up staying up a bit late. Oh, well.
Cartoon (also applies to today’s GOp platform) –
Short Takes –
Daily Kos (Aysha Qamar) ‘Huge loss for the community’: Police say Planned Parenthood building fire was intentional
Quote – The fire comes after another incident of hate toward the center in January 2021 during which someone fired a shotgun at the doors of the clinic, shattering the glass and peppering the reception area with holes, the Associated Press reported. In that incident too, the clinic was closed and unoccupied. What’s worse is the incident took place on the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade case. The recent arson incident comes at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a case that could possibly overturn the landmark precedent. Click through for full story. Or at least, as full as it can be. There is no suspect yet.
New Mexico – State prisons outsource personal mail to inmates to Florida firm, causing concern for some
Quote – Eric Harrison, public information officer for the Department of Corrections, told NM Political Report turnaround time is currently 48 hours for inmates to receive personal mail that the correction facility currently inspects for contraband. He said that when the incoming mail becomes outsourced to Securus Technologies in February, the incoming mail will still be given to inmates in “the same time frame we’re seeing now.” Click through for differing views. I can tell you the reason they are doing this – it’s the same reason all rules exist – it’s bedause there are always jerks who ruin things for the rest of us. There are jerks who would happily soak paper in drugs befor writing on it and mailing it, so that an inmate can swallow pieces of it and get high. Heck, I’d bet my last pension payment that there are people who would cough on their letters before sending them — even if they knew they had CoViD – in the name of “personal contact.” Even a lipsticked lip print on a letter could be dangerous. Cruel I grant that it is. Ridiculous it is not.
Washinton Post – New York fire that killed 19 likely began with space heater, fire chief says
Quote – Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who represents the Bronx, said that the country has a “crisis” in housing maintenance and that many of the buildings in his area lack basic fire safety equipment, such as fire alarms in every apartment and stairwells with self-closing doors. City housing code requires self-closing doors to slow the spread of fire and smoke from one unit to the rest of an apartment. “There is often a disconnect between the requirements of the law and the actual living conditions of these buildings,” Torres said. Click through if you aren’t paywalled out. I really don’t have words. I believe Toeers is a caring person. I can’t help but wonder what hice voice sounded like as he used the word “disconnect.”
Yesterday was another pretty quiet day. I’ll take all of those that I can get. Incidentally, as it is now a new week, maybe Nameless can get a tech out to look at his computer. I surely hope so. But it’s also the first workday after a holiday week, so it might not be today.
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Short Takes –
Crooks and Liars – The New Face Of The GOP?
Quote – So try to imagine what will happen if Rittenhouse is acquitted. Trump will issue a statement somehow taking credit for it. Fox News will fly Rittenhouse to New York for triumphant interviews. Social media will erupt with joy, as millions of conservatives cry “Suck it, libs!” He’ll appear on T-shirts and bumper stickers; maybe he’ll speak at the next Conservative Political Action Conference. And don’t be surprised if Trumpist candidates start seeking Rittenhouse’s endorsement and asking him to appear on the campaign trail with them. Click through for more, including (paywalled) link to Washington Post. The only light I can see at the end of this tunnel is that George Zimmerman eventually got into enough non-political trouble to get dropped like a hot potato, and it’s probably safe to expect that to happen to Rittenhouse also (and maybe even his mother, God willing).
AP News – Workers at federal prisons are committing some of the crimes
Quote – More than 100 federal prison workers have been arrested, convicted or sentenced for crimes since the start of 2019, including a warden indicted for sexual abuse, an associate warden charged with murder, guards taking cash to smuggle drugs and weapons, and supervisors stealing property such as tires and tractors. Click through for details. I’d file this under “No shit, Sherlock.” No prison is any better than its warden … and in 2019, the warden was Bill Barr (and before him, Jeff Sessions.) Not that that is an excuse, of course.
The 19th – The word missing from the vast majority of anti-trans legislation? Transgender
Quote – More anti-trans bills were introduced in state legislatures in 2021 than in any previous year on record. The 19th reviewed the text of 102 bills in seven states that were primarily designed to restrict access to sports or gender-affirming care for trans youth, like hormones and puberty blockers, and only seven bills mentioned the word “transgender.” Only eight passed, primarily those focused on sports, although legal battles in several states have barred most from going into effect. Click through for story. Granted there are (probably) fewer transgendered people than just about any other minority group, there are certainly enough to account for a large (and disproportionate) number of suicide and murder victims. And no one is free until and unless we are all free.
