Saturday Odds & Sods: Lament For The Numb

Pandora’s Box by Rene Magritte.

It’s been a rough summer in New Orleans. I’m ready for it to end without another flash flood or tropical system. That remains to be seen but one thing is certain: the heat will persist until early October. I’m hoping  my ennui will not.

Thanks, Ashley. I needed that. FYYFF.

We’re staying Down Under with this week’s theme song. Kiwi rock deity Dave Dobbyn wrote  Lament For The Numb for the 1993 album of that name. But it applies equally to America circa 2019. We’re all numb from the antics of our idiot president*.

Here’s another Dave Dobbyn song. It has no deep social significance. I just like it:

Now that we’ve gotten numb and danced with the belle of the ball, let’s jump to the break.

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: Lament For The Numb”

Extra! Extra! Screed all about it!

My HD65 rep Michelle Beckley (along with other Texas Democrats who were part of the Blue Wave that kicked out a crapload of right-wing nutcases from the Texas legislature in the last election)  has been pushing for gun registration/background check/red flag  legislation, but in this State, it’s an uphill battle.  My personal views? First of all – I’m a gun owner. . I own a Glock G21 handgun, a single-shot .22 that belonged to my Grandfather, and a .410 that was used in my days as a ranch hand to dispatch armadillo, and put rabbits, duck, and pheasant on the … Continue reading Extra! Extra! Screed all about it!

Yet Another This-Is-Not-Normal Post

Heading out of town for a few days, so apologies for more repeating a common theme than coming up with anything new. That said, I just keep thinking, what the fucking fuck? It’s now just another news cycle when kids born overseas to US military personnel will have to get registered as citizens (not that I’m a big fan of John McCain, but wouldn’t be surprised if this was just another Trumpian MAGA-t swipe)?…sending deportation notices to families with exemptions based on life-threatening medical conditions (how pro-life of them)? Alleged promises of pardons for bypassing, oh, just actual laws to … Continue reading Yet Another This-Is-Not-Normal Post

The Capacity

Right now I’m at a friend’s funeral. He was 22 and died of kidney disease. He was skipping dialysis because he was an hourly food service worker and couldn’t afford to lose any pay. I’m sitting here in the lobby, thinking about the people getting rich off the #ChickenSandwich. — Allison Robicelli (@robicellis) August 24, 2019 You know the responses that come out to a story like this always, because they come out anytime somebody gets hurt/sick and our health care system flattens them: Well why didn’t he … why didn’t she … what if you had … One thing … Continue reading The Capacity

No Reason to Make People Choose

Zero versus sum:  The Green New Deal (GND) remains controversial within much of the labor community, particularly among those in the manufacturing and extractive sectors who fear mass job losses or the dissolution of their entire industries. For them, and for coal miners in particular, the focus is on the idea of a “just transition” — a means of transitioning away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy in a way that will create good-paying new jobs and viable career paths, and won’t leave them high and dry when the last mine closes. The GND resolution does come with a universal … Continue reading No Reason to Make People Choose

Luck Out

I like watching others play football. I never wanted to play the sport because it’s painful and I’m not a masochist. That’s why I refuse to judge those who play or when they choose to hang it up. For NFL players, it should be called working football, not playing. It’s hard and dangerous work. That brings me to the case of recently retired Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Andrew Luck. Luck is only 29 but here’s a litany of the injuries he’s suffered as a pro: … a lacerated kidney, injured ribs, at least one concussion, torn cartilage in his throwing shoulder … Continue reading Luck Out

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Short and Sour edition

Well, kids – yours truly appears to be the guy who was rescued from the house fire and runs back in the burning building.

Maybe if I just ease back in…

POLITICS DONALD TRUMP’S APPROVAL RATING SLIDES TO 36%, THE LOWEST IT’S BEEN SINCE JANUARY (BARF)
Newsweek ^ | 8/22/19 | Asher Stockler

Posted on 8/22/2019, 7:41:16 PM by Maceman

Amid numerous political scandals and an unfurling trade war with China that shows little sign of de-escalation, President Donald Trump lacks the broad confidence of the American public, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

Sixty-two percent of U.S. adults disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job, compared with 36 percent who approve. Predictably, the partisan divides swing favorably or unfavorably towards the president depending on political affiliation. But, notably, the coveted class of self-identified political independents remains opposed to the president, with 65 percent disapproving of the way he is handling his job.

Trump’s approval ratings have not been this low in the monthly AP-NORC survey since January.

While many of the conflicts and controversies that have emerged in recent months pertain to the trade war and Trump’s management of the economy — including a warning sign that a recession may be on the horizon due to a metric known as the inverted yield curve — the public has not been scared off by the president’s economic stewardship. Fifty-one percent disapprove of his handling of the economy, and 46 percent approve. Though this is a net negative rating, it indicates the public is largely divided on the matter, and represents Trump’s highest job approval rating for any category measured in the AP-NORC poll.

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Please don’t be one of those Freepers who replies: “Why post this?”I posted it because we need to know what’s out there, even if it is from the far left propaganda media.

1 posted on 8/22/2019, 7:41:16 PM by Maceman
Um – then why did you add “BARF” to the headline?
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Corporate policy?

To: Maceman

 

Newsweak polled both of their paid subscribers.

2 posted on 8/22/2019, 7:42:19 PM by E. Pluribus Unum (“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”)

Um – no, but thanks for playing.
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Come on now – surely someone here in Freeperville actually READ the article and noted the polling methodology?
To: Maceman

 

Where did they do the poll? Gay bars and bath houses?

25 posted on 8/22/2019, 8:42:52 PM by sport

Forget I asked.
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And from the “It might be true, but I don’t give a fuck” department :
To: Maceman

 

Even IF it were true….I’d rather have a leader that leads with conviction then whats palatable to the media.

24 posted on 8/22/2019, 8:41:54 PM by patriot torch

Gotcha.
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One more shortie after the thingummybob ….
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Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Short and Sour edition”

Private Equity is Doing to Digital What They Did to Newspapers

This is a familiar tune:  This man is not the adult in the room at the former Gawker Media, just as Kendall Roy was not the adult in the room at Vaulter and Alden Global Capital executives are not the adult in the room at any of the 100 newspapers they are destroying. Sending a copied-and-pasted company handbook, issuing vague edicts about becoming sites for “enthusiasts,” and making inexplicable changes for the sake of making changes are the professional equivalent of a small boy dressing up in his father’s suit: He is role-playing, deluding himself but no one else. The … Continue reading Private Equity is Doing to Digital What They Did to Newspapers

The Completely Predictable Podcast ‘Revolution’

What a load, but then this is how it always works:  It’s that sort of flawed logic that drives the podcast community up a wall. To whatever degree this medium ever enjoyed a meritocracy, increased monetization strips it away by default and by design. O’Brien was offered seven figures on the assumption that he’d produce a strong podcast—a correct assumption, but in sharp contrast with even the heaviest hitters of the medium, who must always work twice as hard to prove what they’ve done for us lately. I remember when Politico launched, and everyone acted like these two plucky boys from nowhere … Continue reading The Completely Predictable Podcast ‘Revolution’

Not Everything Sucks

National Farmworkers Week exists:  Now in its third year, the event helps mark National Farmworker Appreciation Day, which takes place Aug. 6 each year. It’s an event that’s dear to Jaime Valero. Valero, workforce consultant at the organization, worked in the fields after school starting in seventh grade. Farmworkers’ contributions to the community extend beyond the field, he said, and the work they do deserves appreciation. “It’s how everybody eats. Onions are a big cash crop here and the workers make money and then use that money in this area,” said Valero. Appreciate the people who make your food possible. … Continue reading Not Everything Sucks

Saturday Odds & Sods: Deeper Water

Gulf Stream by Winslow Homer.

Since we have something of a nautical-as opposed to naughty-theme I thought we’d dive right in without any dockside formalities. I won’t invite you into my stateroom because this might happen:

I would never take a cruise. The thought of doing so reminds me of the not so great Poop Cruise of 2013. Hell, I get seasick contemplating the Winslow Homer painting above.

Let’s move on to this week’s theme song. Singer-songwriter Paul Kelly is often called the Bob Dylan of Australia but he never broke through stateside. Kelly co-wrote Deeper Water in 1994 with Randy Jacobs of Was (Not Was) in case you was (not was) wondering.

We have two versions for your listening pleasure. First, the 1995 studio version that was the title track of Kelly’s tenth album. Second, a 2013 live version from a show Kelly did with Neil Finn. For some reason it’s listed as Deep Water but it’s the same tune. Wow, that’s deep, man.

I hope we’re not in over our heads. Let’s mount the diving board and jump to the break.

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: Deeper Water”

The Colossus Of Toads

So, after yesterday’s performance, does anyone really doubt the conclusions of Rachel Bitecofer? Her analysis of the 2018 midterms, in which she predicted a strong showing by Democrats, included the following Although Trumpism has been an effective rallying cry for the GOP base, it has galvanized a previously complacent part of the electorate; white, college educated millennial women as well as all voters under age 40, who represent a far more diverse and liberal voter universe than their older counterparts … 2018 is a story of turnout and turnout was powered by one thing, and one thing only: Donald J. … Continue reading The Colossus Of Toads

Not Everything Sucks

Future President Cardi B exists: I love her willingness to talk about things like this with her followers, most of whom seem otherwise pretty disengaged (mercifully so) from the day-to-day nonsense of this administration and the primary crap. She’s not speaking in Beltway-ese but she’s not stupid, plus her very existence pisses off all the right people: Bernie Sanders is using Cardi B to win over young voters. To be clear here, Cardi B: – Is a former stripper – Has admitted on video to drugging men in order to rob them – Is facing felony charges for assault – … Continue reading Not Everything Sucks

‘knowing that some of my friends would dislike it’

Let’s unpack Donna Brazile, who like most of Clinton’s staffers has been using her ex-boss’s victory as her entire resumé for years, agreeing to be in a book intended to launch Mark “I Masturbate To My Subordinates” Halperin back in to the mainstream: We condemned it. Stood by the women. He was fired and disgraced. I chose to be interviewed for this project knowing that some of my friends would dislike it. — Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) August 18, 2019 Because there’s something more going on here than just Donna deciding that her friendship with this filth pig is worth more … Continue reading ‘knowing that some of my friends would dislike it’