Tate Reeve is sacrificing the state of Mississippi like a Judas goat on the altar of Trumpism and the worst part is the people he's trying to impress could give less of a shit about him or anyone in this state. He's like the weird, unpopular kid who wants to be in with the cool kids so he does awful, degrading shit to make them laugh and they still don't invite him to parties. Nobody outside the state of Mississippi gives a tinker's damn about the state of Mississippi, and honestly, sometimes I can't blame them.
I've been waking up pissed off a lot lately, and I don't think it's entirely due to the dreams I keep having of, well, being that weird, unpopular kid. Some of it's that and a lot of it's frustration that using this CPAP machine isn't doing a goddamn thing to help with how exhausted I feel all the time. I think maybe it's making it worse. I can sleep five-six hours a night, be sharp for maybe three hours, and then need a nap by noon. I mean, barely keeping my head up tired. And if I'm not careful, I can then be in a dead-to-the-world sleep for another five-six hours. By the time I get my Daily Peace written, I'm usually wiped out again. I'm sure a lot of it's middle age and a sedentary lifestyle, but still. It's exhausting on a whole 'nother level.
However, most of it is due to the awful situation the world finds itself in with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic and, specifically, how goddamn foul the political and business "leaders" are being about all of it. They're basically telling us "We don't care how sick you get or how bad it screws up your life. This is affecting our bottom line, even if ever so slightly, and we can't have that." Seriously, I have no fucking sympathy for a billionaire with a "B" who's "worried about the economy" when he could, just for an instance, fix the water problems in Flint, MI, with his pocket change.
And, of course, the litany of uber-wealthy and their media toadies telling everyone that not only should they be willing, nay eager to go back to jobs where they work themselves to death for barely enough to live on, if they get the least bit of help during a worldwide crisis, the lazy plebes will forget their place as worker drones. Worse than that, more and more people who don't have an actually useful job keep telling us it's okay if some people die due to COVID-19 so long as they get back to work and get back to making the rich more money.
So, yeah, I'm a little tense, I guess. Christamighty, I'd give my left nut for a bag of good right now. I wrote most of the above this morning before my nap, but I'm going to go ahead and tie it off here. It's very warm here in Enon Holler and I'm sure Otis is up for a stroll. Really not all that much else to look into. I gave Gothic another shot last night. It's got an interesting premise - a prisoner charged with a task in a prison high-fantasy colony - but the control scheme is so weird.
That's one of the things I'm learning about the development of computer games: up until after 2010 at least, games chose any old way for their input. More recently, it's become more streamlined and industry standard. Like using WASD to move, C to crouch, the direction keeps to make necessary alterations, etc. Nothing earthshaking to anyone who's been around, I imagine, but it's interesting from my perspective of someone who stepped away for two decades.
I wouldn't subject myself to the president's daily open-mic night, but a perusal of Twitter says he is being a bit more incomprehensible and embarrassing than usual. dogging governors that down kowtow and name-dropping Tom Brady. Tate Reeves is getting some pushback on his ridiculous order to countermand local social distancing regulations, and that's a good thing. He's got to learn that being that big a rat fink for someone who wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire does him no good politically.
Okay, that's good. I may do some more later. But for now, good talk.
Showing posts with label coronavirus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coronavirus. Show all posts
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Well, good evening. Don't that sun look good going down?
I really don't understand why Sunday's Gibberish got more hits than Monday's News. I thought the News piece was good and the Gibberish was just okay. Granted, no one's telling me that either are good or bad and I'm just going off clicks, but still. I wonder what it is that's pulling in the eyes. At least with the WordPress site, it tells me where some come from and that's always interesting.
Ah well. Today's the second day of the Project and, if nothing else, I appreciate not having to scour the news websites looking for something to spark my imagination. I can just ramble on and talk about video games, which is what I'm going to do. I think the practice of sticking mostly to News benefited the piece, but we'll see how it all works out when I do tomorrow's News.
I guess before I get too deep into things, I should link up yesterday's gobbledygook. This was the latest update on COVID-19, since that's dominating the news and public's attention. Beyond everything else, we've moved into the "we must be willing to sacrifice for capitalism" stage of things, as a swath of talking heads, bloggers and people with podcasts said, hypothetically, it was okay if people got unnecessarily sick, perhaps even died because they went to work. The "strongest economy in history" is apparently so fragile that it can't just chill for a couple weeks until we figure out what's going on and what to do about it.
Skeptical then about the urgency of this claim, I did a little Googling and found out some interesting things concerning just how much wealth the very wealthy have. I know it won't matter to the Renfields of the world, but I truly do not really begrudge someone with millions or billions of dollars they'll never, ever spend. I don't have anything but contempt for them, but hey, don't hate the player, they say. It is what it is.
That all being said, their wealth - a little over 160 trillion dollars all told, and this is actual on-hand wealth - comes from other people doing most of the work. "But they take the risks," I hear you bleat. Yeah, and every time someone drives to work, they take the risk of being t-boned by a drunk driver where the very rich have bailouts and bankruptcy protections. Furthermore, most of these uber-wealthy make more in a day than most of the rest of us see in a lifetime. Some do it in an hour. Kylie Jenner makes the American median salary in two-and-a-half hours. That's a staggering stroke to wrap one's head around.
Anyway, read the Tumblr post and decide for yourself. I don't know if they get a blast fax or subliminal messages from Fox News, but the wingnut Twitter population is down to the ground with the idea of restaurant workers, retail workers and others they feel don't deserve a living wage for a 40-hour work week need to get back to it before some hedge fund loses less than 2% of its worth. I, for one, am not surprised and neither should anyone else. Americans - this may be worldwide, but us especially - have a certain reverence for the wealthy. We like the idea that just because a guy's got a shit-ton of money it not only makes him a super-genius in every other field beyond what he made bank in, but also makes him just a more worthy person. Some even think it means they deserve to be president when the only thing that really made them rich was being born to the right parents.
But I digress. I also got a wild hair and wrote a bit about the excellent and much under-appreciated '80s rock & roll group The Bus Boys. Inspired by the deep delve into the baffling wealth gap in our society, I was inspired to post some music that celebrated the working man. Mainly the Bus Boys and Merle Haggard, but I think that's good enough for anybody.
Okay, video games. I played more of Dungeon Siege as well as its two sequels. Honestly, I may like the second game better than the first. This story's a bit more interesting and there's a graphical upgrade. However it's apparently tougher, as I keep getting wiped out every time the challenge steps up and I have to keep throwing my party at the challenge like battering my head against a wall until it breaks. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, I don't know.
The third game, however, left me sort of cold. It looks nice and there seems to be a story worth telling, but I just didn't care. I usually get a taste of a game by either playing through the tutorial or getting past the game's first little bit, like after the Grey Wardens initially get wiped out in Dragon Age: Origins because that obviously evil looking guy did 'em dirty. If it gets me, I come back. This one, however, I was considering just dropping it before I got to that stopping place and deleted it off my hard drive once I did.
Another issue I had with it is a player is given four pre-made characters to go through the story. They all have their own backgrounds and there's no customization or even ambivalence to what they're trying to accomplish. I like a little grey area. In the first game, you're a farmer. In the second, you're a possible repentant mercenary. However, both are open ended enough that a player can add a little nuance to the character. The one in Two Worlds II is defined by his search for his sister and the guy in Divinity II is a raw recruit dealing with everything going to shit even before he's fully inducted.
I need to get back to Two Worlds II to finish it off, just like I need to do with Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pillars of Eternity 2. However, I'll probably put a little more work into Divinity II or maybe give the first games of the Risen and Gothic series another shot. I still have a passel of XCOM-influenced turn-based strategy games to mess around with, too. I don't know how in the hell people with actual lives find the time to play as much as they seem to do.
What else is there. Snopes posted some job openings this morning. I applied to a couple but I doubt anything will come of it. I spent too much time out of the game and haven't done enough work since getting back into it for anyone seriously looking for labor to give a look. Or so in my mind, anyway, but I'm known for having laughably low self-esteem. I posted links to this and The News, since that's all I've got that's less than 15 years old. I think there are plenty of gems among the dross, but I do worry my flippant tone and potty mouth might turn some off. I can behave if I'm getting paid, is all I'm going to say about it.
Otherwise, I'm listening to Waylon Jennings' 1974 album The Ramblin' Man. I've got two tracks to go and once they're done, I'm done. For what it's worth, I don't think we've seen anything close to the end of the whole COVID-19 business and, what's more, it's going to develop into a much bigger hassle whether we "go back to work" or not. Doesn't really affect me either way, but it's interesting to watch how all this plays out from an outsider's perspective. Like I said above, it sort of stuns me that we are that beholden to the idea that unless we work ourselves to death for someone else's benefit and not enough to live on, the entire superstructure will eat itself within a week. If that's the case, maybe we should let it. Maybe make something new and better from the ashes.
Of course, that's an unhelpful thought, mainly because so many people whose backs are already against the wall would suffer the most for it while the very rich might have to give up one of their yachts. So, I don't have any answers or any good suggestions, even. Just questions, that's what I'm here for.
Ah well. Today's the second day of the Project and, if nothing else, I appreciate not having to scour the news websites looking for something to spark my imagination. I can just ramble on and talk about video games, which is what I'm going to do. I think the practice of sticking mostly to News benefited the piece, but we'll see how it all works out when I do tomorrow's News.
I guess before I get too deep into things, I should link up yesterday's gobbledygook. This was the latest update on COVID-19, since that's dominating the news and public's attention. Beyond everything else, we've moved into the "we must be willing to sacrifice for capitalism" stage of things, as a swath of talking heads, bloggers and people with podcasts said, hypothetically, it was okay if people got unnecessarily sick, perhaps even died because they went to work. The "strongest economy in history" is apparently so fragile that it can't just chill for a couple weeks until we figure out what's going on and what to do about it.
Skeptical then about the urgency of this claim, I did a little Googling and found out some interesting things concerning just how much wealth the very wealthy have. I know it won't matter to the Renfields of the world, but I truly do not really begrudge someone with millions or billions of dollars they'll never, ever spend. I don't have anything but contempt for them, but hey, don't hate the player, they say. It is what it is.
That all being said, their wealth - a little over 160 trillion dollars all told, and this is actual on-hand wealth - comes from other people doing most of the work. "But they take the risks," I hear you bleat. Yeah, and every time someone drives to work, they take the risk of being t-boned by a drunk driver where the very rich have bailouts and bankruptcy protections. Furthermore, most of these uber-wealthy make more in a day than most of the rest of us see in a lifetime. Some do it in an hour. Kylie Jenner makes the American median salary in two-and-a-half hours. That's a staggering stroke to wrap one's head around.
Anyway, read the Tumblr post and decide for yourself. I don't know if they get a blast fax or subliminal messages from Fox News, but the wingnut Twitter population is down to the ground with the idea of restaurant workers, retail workers and others they feel don't deserve a living wage for a 40-hour work week need to get back to it before some hedge fund loses less than 2% of its worth. I, for one, am not surprised and neither should anyone else. Americans - this may be worldwide, but us especially - have a certain reverence for the wealthy. We like the idea that just because a guy's got a shit-ton of money it not only makes him a super-genius in every other field beyond what he made bank in, but also makes him just a more worthy person. Some even think it means they deserve to be president when the only thing that really made them rich was being born to the right parents.
But I digress. I also got a wild hair and wrote a bit about the excellent and much under-appreciated '80s rock & roll group The Bus Boys. Inspired by the deep delve into the baffling wealth gap in our society, I was inspired to post some music that celebrated the working man. Mainly the Bus Boys and Merle Haggard, but I think that's good enough for anybody.
Okay, video games. I played more of Dungeon Siege as well as its two sequels. Honestly, I may like the second game better than the first. This story's a bit more interesting and there's a graphical upgrade. However it's apparently tougher, as I keep getting wiped out every time the challenge steps up and I have to keep throwing my party at the challenge like battering my head against a wall until it breaks. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, I don't know.
The third game, however, left me sort of cold. It looks nice and there seems to be a story worth telling, but I just didn't care. I usually get a taste of a game by either playing through the tutorial or getting past the game's first little bit, like after the Grey Wardens initially get wiped out in Dragon Age: Origins because that obviously evil looking guy did 'em dirty. If it gets me, I come back. This one, however, I was considering just dropping it before I got to that stopping place and deleted it off my hard drive once I did.
Another issue I had with it is a player is given four pre-made characters to go through the story. They all have their own backgrounds and there's no customization or even ambivalence to what they're trying to accomplish. I like a little grey area. In the first game, you're a farmer. In the second, you're a possible repentant mercenary. However, both are open ended enough that a player can add a little nuance to the character. The one in Two Worlds II is defined by his search for his sister and the guy in Divinity II is a raw recruit dealing with everything going to shit even before he's fully inducted.
I need to get back to Two Worlds II to finish it off, just like I need to do with Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pillars of Eternity 2. However, I'll probably put a little more work into Divinity II or maybe give the first games of the Risen and Gothic series another shot. I still have a passel of XCOM-influenced turn-based strategy games to mess around with, too. I don't know how in the hell people with actual lives find the time to play as much as they seem to do.
What else is there. Snopes posted some job openings this morning. I applied to a couple but I doubt anything will come of it. I spent too much time out of the game and haven't done enough work since getting back into it for anyone seriously looking for labor to give a look. Or so in my mind, anyway, but I'm known for having laughably low self-esteem. I posted links to this and The News, since that's all I've got that's less than 15 years old. I think there are plenty of gems among the dross, but I do worry my flippant tone and potty mouth might turn some off. I can behave if I'm getting paid, is all I'm going to say about it.
Otherwise, I'm listening to Waylon Jennings' 1974 album The Ramblin' Man. I've got two tracks to go and once they're done, I'm done. For what it's worth, I don't think we've seen anything close to the end of the whole COVID-19 business and, what's more, it's going to develop into a much bigger hassle whether we "go back to work" or not. Doesn't really affect me either way, but it's interesting to watch how all this plays out from an outsider's perspective. Like I said above, it sort of stuns me that we are that beholden to the idea that unless we work ourselves to death for someone else's benefit and not enough to live on, the entire superstructure will eat itself within a week. If that's the case, maybe we should let it. Maybe make something new and better from the ashes.
Of course, that's an unhelpful thought, mainly because so many people whose backs are already against the wall would suffer the most for it while the very rich might have to give up one of their yachts. So, I don't have any answers or any good suggestions, even. Just questions, that's what I'm here for.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
What goes on in the dark will soon come to light.
I'm not seeing anything in the News that's exactly sitting my soul on fire, so we'll just fiddle around here until we run out our word count. I think we might give the Project a shot this week just for the hell of it. That's the fun thing about writing when no one's paying for it (or reading it, let's be honest), you can do pretty much what you damn well please.
I really don't understand why, but since moving straight to WordPress... the Blogger site still gets more hits. Who knows. Yeah, there's nothing pouring out today. It's raining out, so me and Otis can't take our constitutional. Bounce has a pretty nasty mark on his back where the hair's stripped off and there are some cuts. It's inflamed and hurts him, as well. I'm pretty sure it's from the tomcat that keeps coming up through the woods. They've fought before and Bounce is kind of a wimp. He's not a happy kitty right now but there's nothing I can do out here until tomorrow, and that's only if the veterinarian is open for business.
All right. The rain stopped so me, Otis and Coy took us a nice little constitutional and cleared my head up a bit. I think starting tomorrow we will implement the Project. Do a weekend round-up on Monday, another news piece on Wednesday, and cap it off with a Friday grab-bag. Plus, keep the Gibberish here. It won't be as easy as one thinks, because sometimes that logjam takes hours to unplug. Still, no one's paying me for this, so there you go.
We're now a week into this coronavirus "self distancing" business and it's interesting to see how it's all washing out. Just my two cents, so grain of salt, but I think life is coming to an equilibrium if we can figure out a way to make sure everyone who can't work doesn't starve to death and isn't thrown out on the street by their asshole landlord. Beyond that, yeah, it's smooth sailing right along, Matt.
Anyhow, I've been watching people deal with their new reality with great interest, given my own heavy thirst for Splendid Isolation. We're not quite a week into it and people are bouncing off the walls already. It's going to be hell on them if this goes on for months. For me, it's just an excellent excuse to cancel the very few social obligations I have, so I can't really relate. I'm trying to remember back when I was a bit more sociable and put my mind of those kids who're doing Spring Break and Saint Patrick's Day whatnots.
I guess I can understand it. I did plenty of dumb shit in my 20s that could've killed me and none of it involved a global pandemic I'm not saying it's a good or smart thing those kids are doing; I'm saying I understand. I wonder if these kids are at all plugged in politically. Most of the Gen Z kids that used to cross my radar (working in a kitchen, you get to know a lot of young folks) were generally hip and kept an eye on things even if it wasn't their sole focus. Of course, most of them were musicians or artists, or they were members of some group the Status Quo wants kept in a closet. LGBT folks, that sort of thing.
Okay, what else. Finally getting around to listening to Flogging Molly. On their Swagger album as we speak. It's... okay, I guess, sort of a natural progression of Celtic folk-punk from a band influenced by the Pogues. Not really my cup of meat anymore, but not unlistenable and I can see the appeal. Also got around to actually playing Dungeon Siege unvarnished last night. I bought it yonks ago so I could run the Ultima V: Lazarus. I've fooled around with that a bit - it's not any easier and it's full of bugs, but fun - but never really messed with the base game. Not bad, but I'm inclined to those High Fantasy sword-and-sorcery joints. I also have the two sequels and I'll try those tonight. They're all massively on sale for the rest of the month at Steam, like three bucks for the lot. You can't beat that with a stick.
I'm also finally getting deep into Sean Carroll's From Eternity To Here. I bought it not long after it came out, but that was about the time I quit reading. It was just too dense for me then. Now, I'm sort of surprised at how swiftly it's moving along. I like Dr. Carroll's take on science and think he does a good job explaining things, and I'm about ready to get into his latest book Something Deeply Hidden. That's his take on my latest fascination, Many-Worlds Theory. It's not only nice to be reading again, it's nice to be fascinated by various things again.
So enough of all that.
I really don't understand why, but since moving straight to WordPress... the Blogger site still gets more hits. Who knows. Yeah, there's nothing pouring out today. It's raining out, so me and Otis can't take our constitutional. Bounce has a pretty nasty mark on his back where the hair's stripped off and there are some cuts. It's inflamed and hurts him, as well. I'm pretty sure it's from the tomcat that keeps coming up through the woods. They've fought before and Bounce is kind of a wimp. He's not a happy kitty right now but there's nothing I can do out here until tomorrow, and that's only if the veterinarian is open for business.
All right. The rain stopped so me, Otis and Coy took us a nice little constitutional and cleared my head up a bit. I think starting tomorrow we will implement the Project. Do a weekend round-up on Monday, another news piece on Wednesday, and cap it off with a Friday grab-bag. Plus, keep the Gibberish here. It won't be as easy as one thinks, because sometimes that logjam takes hours to unplug. Still, no one's paying me for this, so there you go.
We're now a week into this coronavirus "self distancing" business and it's interesting to see how it's all washing out. Just my two cents, so grain of salt, but I think life is coming to an equilibrium if we can figure out a way to make sure everyone who can't work doesn't starve to death and isn't thrown out on the street by their asshole landlord. Beyond that, yeah, it's smooth sailing right along, Matt.
Anyhow, I've been watching people deal with their new reality with great interest, given my own heavy thirst for Splendid Isolation. We're not quite a week into it and people are bouncing off the walls already. It's going to be hell on them if this goes on for months. For me, it's just an excellent excuse to cancel the very few social obligations I have, so I can't really relate. I'm trying to remember back when I was a bit more sociable and put my mind of those kids who're doing Spring Break and Saint Patrick's Day whatnots.
I guess I can understand it. I did plenty of dumb shit in my 20s that could've killed me and none of it involved a global pandemic I'm not saying it's a good or smart thing those kids are doing; I'm saying I understand. I wonder if these kids are at all plugged in politically. Most of the Gen Z kids that used to cross my radar (working in a kitchen, you get to know a lot of young folks) were generally hip and kept an eye on things even if it wasn't their sole focus. Of course, most of them were musicians or artists, or they were members of some group the Status Quo wants kept in a closet. LGBT folks, that sort of thing.
Okay, what else. Finally getting around to listening to Flogging Molly. On their Swagger album as we speak. It's... okay, I guess, sort of a natural progression of Celtic folk-punk from a band influenced by the Pogues. Not really my cup of meat anymore, but not unlistenable and I can see the appeal. Also got around to actually playing Dungeon Siege unvarnished last night. I bought it yonks ago so I could run the Ultima V: Lazarus. I've fooled around with that a bit - it's not any easier and it's full of bugs, but fun - but never really messed with the base game. Not bad, but I'm inclined to those High Fantasy sword-and-sorcery joints. I also have the two sequels and I'll try those tonight. They're all massively on sale for the rest of the month at Steam, like three bucks for the lot. You can't beat that with a stick.
I'm also finally getting deep into Sean Carroll's From Eternity To Here. I bought it not long after it came out, but that was about the time I quit reading. It was just too dense for me then. Now, I'm sort of surprised at how swiftly it's moving along. I like Dr. Carroll's take on science and think he does a good job explaining things, and I'm about ready to get into his latest book Something Deeply Hidden. That's his take on my latest fascination, Many-Worlds Theory. It's not only nice to be reading again, it's nice to be fascinated by various things again.
So enough of all that.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Monday, March 9 to Friday, March 13, 2020
Here's this week's Gibberish. Basically a daily chronicle of how CORVID-19 spread through the U.S., catching us almost flat footed. "Matt," I hear you say, "You barely touch on the dumb shit the President had to say or the worthlessness of his entire being that he's portrayed in public." Listen, neighbor, at this point you can just assume there's a "Yes, Trump is a useless, avaricious, truculent moron" clause in every one and move on. I ain't got the time, man.
Anyhow:
Monday, March 9
Tuesday, March 10
Wednesday, March 11
Thursday, March 12
Friday, March 13
Plus, a few things on the recent primaries and the unhelpful (to say the least) reaction from some people, via Tumblr.
And, in the interest of a little housekeeping, we're going to try to be a bit more News, a little less bellyaching/navel gazing over at WordPress. If it needs to go anywhere, it'll go here. We'll stick with that format until it becomes untenable or I just decided to change my mind. You ain't paying for this.
Anyhow:
Monday, March 9
Tuesday, March 10
Wednesday, March 11
Thursday, March 12
Friday, March 13
Plus, a few things on the recent primaries and the unhelpful (to say the least) reaction from some people, via Tumblr.
And, in the interest of a little housekeeping, we're going to try to be a bit more News, a little less bellyaching/navel gazing over at WordPress. If it needs to go anywhere, it'll go here. We'll stick with that format until it becomes untenable or I just decided to change my mind. You ain't paying for this.
Friday, February 28, 2020
Friday, February 28, 2020
Here's today's offering from the WordPress site.
In short, more stuff about CORVID-19 and how bad the Trump Administration is handling it; Barry Sanders, Garth Brooks and how dumb MAGAts are; and finally how getting a good night's sleep still doesn't put Matt in a good mood when the rest of the world is ruled by the Dumb.
Have fun.
In short, more stuff about CORVID-19 and how bad the Trump Administration is handling it; Barry Sanders, Garth Brooks and how dumb MAGAts are; and finally how getting a good night's sleep still doesn't put Matt in a good mood when the rest of the world is ruled by the Dumb.
Have fun.
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Gonna knock out a quick one today because last's nights piece wore me slap out. Putting that much effort and research into a piece raises my blood pressure and gives a mess of a headache. I thought it was just hardcore political writing that was whipping me like a mean dog, but no, it's just that much work wears me down, whether it's intensely political or not. Don't know quite how to take that.
And since someone finally poked the Blind Idiot God this morning, Trump gave a speech this evening after spending the morning blaming the Democrats and the media for stirring everyone else in order to "get him" somehow. Undoubtedly, he got this from Medal Of Freedom winner Rush Limbaugh, who spent all day yesterday railing on this and all day today claiming that Trump proved him right. You'd think instead of staying a professional butthole he'd be trying to stay healthy himself - most of the deaths from CORVID-19 have occurred in people with weakened immune systems and he has lung cancer, mind - and spend his more time with his loved ones while he can, but there you go.
Of course, this has trickled down to the lesser wingnut goons, blaming the Democrats while simultaneously moaning that everyone was blaming Lord Trump. Congress got in on the fun, too, with Marco Rubio, The Man With The Liquid Spine And Cushioned Kneecaps, bemoaning China's influence on our medical supply, despite that being the result of conservative policies and Rubio's dumb as a stump. Health And Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, in answering questions, couldn't guarantee that when discovered, affordable vaccine would be available because free market and fuck you. Hey, if nothing else, the masks are being ripped off in the Trump era.
Perhaps the single dumbest thing being taken as gospel by the drooling millions in the Trump cult is that the Center For Disease Control can't be trusted because the doctor in charge of figuring this all out is related to someone who made the fanbase mad. No, really. Dr. Nancy Messonnier is the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases is very well respected in her field, award winning with an impressive bio.
She's also Rod Rosenstein's sister. Remember him? He was the Deputy Attorney General who was a faith assistant lackey of Trump's consigliere Bill "The Pope" Barr until Fox News decided he was responsible for the Mueller Report and the mean ol' Democrats not taking Barr's Cliff Notes version as enough. So, of course, all this is "Deep State" trying to bring down the Chosen One because the world actually works like a third-rate political thriller. Apparently this developed from one of those Q weirdos fever-dream threads and metastasized by Limbaugh and Fox's pet racist pee-paw Lou Dobbs, among others. If Trump isn't tweeting this out by Friday, I for one will be shocked.
In any event, budget hearings to tackle CORVID-19 are being planned by Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi, and Trump's mulling appointing a "coronavirus czar". I seem to remember czars being a bad thing when Obama was in office, but what the hell, nothing matters anymore. In the meantime, he's put Vice-President Mike "Remember Me? Anyone?" Pence "in charge" of the CORVID-19 response, though you're guess is as good as mine what that means or what that weird bastard will do with that mandate.
So, there's that there, then. If you're less than confident and that the dippy bastard in the White House and his coterie of criminal, thugs and outright morons will handle this potentially hellacious event with anything coming close to competency, intelligence or compassion, take heart the rest of the world is on the case. Sometime this morning, more new cases of CORVID-19 were reported outside China than there were in country. Something like 10 cases in China but 2,790 in the rest of the world. Interestingly, the vast majority of cases were reported in South Korea with 1,261.
That fills me with a little more confidence, I don't know about you. South Korea doesn't screw around when it comes to technological advancement. If nothing else, the future of the human race isn't as shaky as all that. Some comfort, I suppose.
EDIT: After I finished this and while I was eating supper, the CDC confirmed the first case of CORVID-19 in the United States that has a "community spread" unknown origin. That is, the first case where the infected hadn't traveled to China recently. Buckle up, it's going to get bumpier.
Lastly, there was another mass shooting today, this time in Milwaukee. Six people just trying to make a living were killed at the Molson Coors plant. So far, not much is known about who or why except the gunman died of a self-inflicted head shot. This was the 51st mass shooting this year.
I have nothing at all flip or clever to say about that.
And since someone finally poked the Blind Idiot God this morning, Trump gave a speech this evening after spending the morning blaming the Democrats and the media for stirring everyone else in order to "get him" somehow. Undoubtedly, he got this from Medal Of Freedom winner Rush Limbaugh, who spent all day yesterday railing on this and all day today claiming that Trump proved him right. You'd think instead of staying a professional butthole he'd be trying to stay healthy himself - most of the deaths from CORVID-19 have occurred in people with weakened immune systems and he has lung cancer, mind - and spend his more time with his loved ones while he can, but there you go.
Of course, this has trickled down to the lesser wingnut goons, blaming the Democrats while simultaneously moaning that everyone was blaming Lord Trump. Congress got in on the fun, too, with Marco Rubio, The Man With The Liquid Spine And Cushioned Kneecaps, bemoaning China's influence on our medical supply, despite that being the result of conservative policies and Rubio's dumb as a stump. Health And Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, in answering questions, couldn't guarantee that when discovered, affordable vaccine would be available because free market and fuck you. Hey, if nothing else, the masks are being ripped off in the Trump era.
Perhaps the single dumbest thing being taken as gospel by the drooling millions in the Trump cult is that the Center For Disease Control can't be trusted because the doctor in charge of figuring this all out is related to someone who made the fanbase mad. No, really. Dr. Nancy Messonnier is the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases is very well respected in her field, award winning with an impressive bio.
She's also Rod Rosenstein's sister. Remember him? He was the Deputy Attorney General who was a faith assistant lackey of Trump's consigliere Bill "The Pope" Barr until Fox News decided he was responsible for the Mueller Report and the mean ol' Democrats not taking Barr's Cliff Notes version as enough. So, of course, all this is "Deep State" trying to bring down the Chosen One because the world actually works like a third-rate political thriller. Apparently this developed from one of those Q weirdos fever-dream threads and metastasized by Limbaugh and Fox's pet racist pee-paw Lou Dobbs, among others. If Trump isn't tweeting this out by Friday, I for one will be shocked.
In any event, budget hearings to tackle CORVID-19 are being planned by Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi, and Trump's mulling appointing a "coronavirus czar". I seem to remember czars being a bad thing when Obama was in office, but what the hell, nothing matters anymore. In the meantime, he's put Vice-President Mike "Remember Me? Anyone?" Pence "in charge" of the CORVID-19 response, though you're guess is as good as mine what that means or what that weird bastard will do with that mandate.
So, there's that there, then. If you're less than confident and that the dippy bastard in the White House and his coterie of criminal, thugs and outright morons will handle this potentially hellacious event with anything coming close to competency, intelligence or compassion, take heart the rest of the world is on the case. Sometime this morning, more new cases of CORVID-19 were reported outside China than there were in country. Something like 10 cases in China but 2,790 in the rest of the world. Interestingly, the vast majority of cases were reported in South Korea with 1,261.
That fills me with a little more confidence, I don't know about you. South Korea doesn't screw around when it comes to technological advancement. If nothing else, the future of the human race isn't as shaky as all that. Some comfort, I suppose.
EDIT: After I finished this and while I was eating supper, the CDC confirmed the first case of CORVID-19 in the United States that has a "community spread" unknown origin. That is, the first case where the infected hadn't traveled to China recently. Buckle up, it's going to get bumpier.
Lastly, there was another mass shooting today, this time in Milwaukee. Six people just trying to make a living were killed at the Molson Coors plant. So far, not much is known about who or why except the gunman died of a self-inflicted head shot. This was the 51st mass shooting this year.
I have nothing at all flip or clever to say about that.
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Okay, so in the past 48 hours or so the freakout level of the world has increased a good bit over this coronavirus business. While we have touched on it in the past, the basic squirrelliness quotient of the human condition has got to the point where I think it'd do us all a bit of good to step back, take a breath and give this some serious thought.
First and foremost, be selective about your sources, people. Most of us have a Hitchhiker's Guide in a pocket and it's good for more than being a dumbass on Twitter or Facebook. Google and other search engines aren't that hard to use. Furthermore, the Center for Disease Control has a very lovely website that's easy to parse. And if you got some sort of hang up about using governmental sources for information, even though that's their job, private interests like John Hopkins University and the Mayo Clinic also have websites that even the dumbest stump could use.
If you're inclined towards media sources, I'm going to recommend The Guardian and Al Jazeera, but that's up to you. What you don't do, friends and neighbors, is listen to your racist uncle go on about biochemical weapons on Facebook or even your dumbass wingnut cousin claiming that it's all because we don't keep brown people out of America. Also, be selective in your YouTube choices. I personally like SciShow for my information. Do not, repeat, do not pay attention to some dingbat who spends most of his time complaining about a dearth white babies or female video game characters with reasonable-sized breasts. Those guys do not have your best interests at heart. Plus, they are, for the most part, extremely stupid people.
Now. Let's look into this a little bit. On December 29, 2019, four people in Wuhan, capital of the Hubei province in China, went to their doctors complaining of flu-like symptoms. In fairly short order, doctors realized they were dealing with something new and unprecedented. Not that coronaviruses themselves are "new and unprecedented". We actually know a good bit about them. "Corona" means "crown" and they look like little crowns under a microscope. Past epidemics like SARS and MERS are coronaviruses and we've dealt with them before.
Basically, they're respiratory diseases. Coughs, breathing difficulties and a fever come around and pneumonia can spring from since it lowers your immune system's strength. This particular little booger - dubbed CORVID-19 by the eggheads - is following this path so far. Infected complain of pneumonia-like symptoms and it does a number on their immune systems. In fact, the vast bulk of people infected with CORVID-19 who've died have done so because of that lowered immune system. They either have something like heart disease already and their not strong enough to deal with it or they develop full-blown pneumonia which knocks 'em out because, again, lowered immune systems.
Most of the people who've been infected with CORVID-19 or died due to it have been over 40. The youngest reported case was 13. At current count, 80, 598 have been diagnosed with CORVID-19 with 2,712 deaths. The vast majority of the cases are in China, though it has spread to Japan, the U.S., Italy and Australia, among other places. While the first four cases were in Wuhan and researchers do think it's very likely this virus jumped from animal to human, which isn't all that rare, they really don't know for sure. Even how it's spread we don't know, though researchers are treating it as if it's airborne.
And there lies the rub. We really don't know exactly what we're dealing with, we just know it's serious and needs to be dealt with. We all remember SARS and avian flu and Ebola, and what a massive bummer those were. In some places, the death toll was pretty staggering and, as with how these cases play out, we don't know exactly where will get the worst of it. For example, despite some chicken littles that we inexplicably paid too much attention to, Ebola in the States wasn't that big a deal but it kicked the living shit out of West Africa. Those same chicken littles are doing us a whole lot of not good right now and they really, really need to be ignored this time around. It's a shame they're in positions of power nowadays rather than just being the random goobers on Twitter they should remain, but one must play with the cards one is dealt.
But here's some good news. Of those 85,000 reported cases, only 49,776 are active with 28,110 discharged. The infection rate is something like 3%, as opposed to the 1917-1918 Spanish Flu pandemic which saw one-third of the world's population come down with it. Indeed, despite the CDC and other organizations being Johnny-On-The-Spot with this, the plain old flu is considered a much nastier bug. At last count, over 29 million Americans have come down with the flu this season and we haven't even got good and started on it yet.
So what should you do to protect yourself or if you think you've got CORVID-19? Well, treat it like the flu. Wash your hands a lot, don't cough on people, stay home from work if you're sick, and if you're feeling particularly rotten, go see your doctor. If you travel a lot or, indeed, live or work around people who travel a lot, be extra on guard about staying clean and safe like you would otherwise during flu season. Maybe go ahead and get that flu shot if you haven't so far. Ya never know. It's here already and will affect more people, but really, this is elementary stuff.
Though very serious and definitely worth paying attention to, this is not considered a pandemic so far. Furthermore, after dealing with SARS, Ebola and so forth the past 20 or so years, governments around the world are jumping on this and working very diligently to stay on top of this so we don't have another ugly situation like SARS, which saw a 10% mortality rate. Indeed, the Chinese government has been commended by the CDC for their swift, decisive action, giving the rest of the world time to get situated.
What you should NOT do is spread dumbass racist rumors about the Chinese government brewing up a bioweapon that got out of control. Yes, that is dumbass and it is extremely racist, and if that judgement offends, cry more and then wash your hands. This shit happens and it's happened since time immemorial, and it's entirely possible this virus has lain dormant for thousands of years and is just now deciding the be a pain in the ass.
Of course, there are some other concerns. Trump's approach to "governing" has left us as a country a bit under-defended and caught off-foot due to his hard-on for defunding anything that Obama had a hand in. It has affected the stock market, causing the largest drop in two years, and is probably got more surprises in store. Most of us aren't really as hip as we should be about our reliance on China to, well, make stuff, so the country clamping down has resulted in problems in everything from food to iPhone parts. That's just how it's going to be until the boffins get their heads around it. Settle down and quit your sobbing.
And yes, the quarantines have been a stone cold bummer and certain cities in certain states are coming off looking like buttholes for being so ugly about sick people. The former is just the way things have to be while the latter is merely another example of our shit-ass nature taking precedent in this, the Trump Era. A lot of folks are cutting down on travel, mainly because they don't want have to be stuck in their hotel room for weeks at a time. Furthermore, the dumb son of a bitch we have as president doesn't really inspire confidence, partly because he's run off anyone with any sense or spine but mainly because he's a profoundly stupid human being who wallows in his ignorance. Again, the cards we're dealt, what are you going to do.
Okay for all that. I hope this has been educational and, maybe, a bit comforting. While serious - and this is serious despite my light-hearted flippancy - it does no one any good to lose their shit over anything, especially when people who study this for a living are on the job. Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, and don't spread racist bullshit on Facebook like a drooling moron, and we'll all be cool.
No, really. Calm down, have a candy bar. I wouldn't put the shuck on you. Relax.
First and foremost, be selective about your sources, people. Most of us have a Hitchhiker's Guide in a pocket and it's good for more than being a dumbass on Twitter or Facebook. Google and other search engines aren't that hard to use. Furthermore, the Center for Disease Control has a very lovely website that's easy to parse. And if you got some sort of hang up about using governmental sources for information, even though that's their job, private interests like John Hopkins University and the Mayo Clinic also have websites that even the dumbest stump could use.
If you're inclined towards media sources, I'm going to recommend The Guardian and Al Jazeera, but that's up to you. What you don't do, friends and neighbors, is listen to your racist uncle go on about biochemical weapons on Facebook or even your dumbass wingnut cousin claiming that it's all because we don't keep brown people out of America. Also, be selective in your YouTube choices. I personally like SciShow for my information. Do not, repeat, do not pay attention to some dingbat who spends most of his time complaining about a dearth white babies or female video game characters with reasonable-sized breasts. Those guys do not have your best interests at heart. Plus, they are, for the most part, extremely stupid people.
Now. Let's look into this a little bit. On December 29, 2019, four people in Wuhan, capital of the Hubei province in China, went to their doctors complaining of flu-like symptoms. In fairly short order, doctors realized they were dealing with something new and unprecedented. Not that coronaviruses themselves are "new and unprecedented". We actually know a good bit about them. "Corona" means "crown" and they look like little crowns under a microscope. Past epidemics like SARS and MERS are coronaviruses and we've dealt with them before.
Basically, they're respiratory diseases. Coughs, breathing difficulties and a fever come around and pneumonia can spring from since it lowers your immune system's strength. This particular little booger - dubbed CORVID-19 by the eggheads - is following this path so far. Infected complain of pneumonia-like symptoms and it does a number on their immune systems. In fact, the vast bulk of people infected with CORVID-19 who've died have done so because of that lowered immune system. They either have something like heart disease already and their not strong enough to deal with it or they develop full-blown pneumonia which knocks 'em out because, again, lowered immune systems.
Most of the people who've been infected with CORVID-19 or died due to it have been over 40. The youngest reported case was 13. At current count, 80, 598 have been diagnosed with CORVID-19 with 2,712 deaths. The vast majority of the cases are in China, though it has spread to Japan, the U.S., Italy and Australia, among other places. While the first four cases were in Wuhan and researchers do think it's very likely this virus jumped from animal to human, which isn't all that rare, they really don't know for sure. Even how it's spread we don't know, though researchers are treating it as if it's airborne.
And there lies the rub. We really don't know exactly what we're dealing with, we just know it's serious and needs to be dealt with. We all remember SARS and avian flu and Ebola, and what a massive bummer those were. In some places, the death toll was pretty staggering and, as with how these cases play out, we don't know exactly where will get the worst of it. For example, despite some chicken littles that we inexplicably paid too much attention to, Ebola in the States wasn't that big a deal but it kicked the living shit out of West Africa. Those same chicken littles are doing us a whole lot of not good right now and they really, really need to be ignored this time around. It's a shame they're in positions of power nowadays rather than just being the random goobers on Twitter they should remain, but one must play with the cards one is dealt.
But here's some good news. Of those 85,000 reported cases, only 49,776 are active with 28,110 discharged. The infection rate is something like 3%, as opposed to the 1917-1918 Spanish Flu pandemic which saw one-third of the world's population come down with it. Indeed, despite the CDC and other organizations being Johnny-On-The-Spot with this, the plain old flu is considered a much nastier bug. At last count, over 29 million Americans have come down with the flu this season and we haven't even got good and started on it yet.
So what should you do to protect yourself or if you think you've got CORVID-19? Well, treat it like the flu. Wash your hands a lot, don't cough on people, stay home from work if you're sick, and if you're feeling particularly rotten, go see your doctor. If you travel a lot or, indeed, live or work around people who travel a lot, be extra on guard about staying clean and safe like you would otherwise during flu season. Maybe go ahead and get that flu shot if you haven't so far. Ya never know. It's here already and will affect more people, but really, this is elementary stuff.
Though very serious and definitely worth paying attention to, this is not considered a pandemic so far. Furthermore, after dealing with SARS, Ebola and so forth the past 20 or so years, governments around the world are jumping on this and working very diligently to stay on top of this so we don't have another ugly situation like SARS, which saw a 10% mortality rate. Indeed, the Chinese government has been commended by the CDC for their swift, decisive action, giving the rest of the world time to get situated.
What you should NOT do is spread dumbass racist rumors about the Chinese government brewing up a bioweapon that got out of control. Yes, that is dumbass and it is extremely racist, and if that judgement offends, cry more and then wash your hands. This shit happens and it's happened since time immemorial, and it's entirely possible this virus has lain dormant for thousands of years and is just now deciding the be a pain in the ass.
Of course, there are some other concerns. Trump's approach to "governing" has left us as a country a bit under-defended and caught off-foot due to his hard-on for defunding anything that Obama had a hand in. It has affected the stock market, causing the largest drop in two years, and is probably got more surprises in store. Most of us aren't really as hip as we should be about our reliance on China to, well, make stuff, so the country clamping down has resulted in problems in everything from food to iPhone parts. That's just how it's going to be until the boffins get their heads around it. Settle down and quit your sobbing.
And yes, the quarantines have been a stone cold bummer and certain cities in certain states are coming off looking like buttholes for being so ugly about sick people. The former is just the way things have to be while the latter is merely another example of our shit-ass nature taking precedent in this, the Trump Era. A lot of folks are cutting down on travel, mainly because they don't want have to be stuck in their hotel room for weeks at a time. Furthermore, the dumb son of a bitch we have as president doesn't really inspire confidence, partly because he's run off anyone with any sense or spine but mainly because he's a profoundly stupid human being who wallows in his ignorance. Again, the cards we're dealt, what are you going to do.
Okay for all that. I hope this has been educational and, maybe, a bit comforting. While serious - and this is serious despite my light-hearted flippancy - it does no one any good to lose their shit over anything, especially when people who study this for a living are on the job. Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, and don't spread racist bullshit on Facebook like a drooling moron, and we'll all be cool.
No, really. Calm down, have a candy bar. I wouldn't put the shuck on you. Relax.
Saturday, February 15, 2020
Saturday, February 15, 2020
Well, shoot. Another day where I really don't have anything kicking around my noggin screaming and clawing to get out. Ah, but we persevere and the Work must be done.
Monday, February 10, 2020
Monday, February 10, 2020
After two days of sunny relief, the rain is back with a vengeance. It poured so much that the day went from a Mose Allison one straight into a Charles Mingus one. Believe you me, get Mingus out in the country is a pretty fierce rain indeed.
We spent the morning put a new front door in with my Uncle, Momma's surviving brother. It has a little doggie door because Momma's tired of having to call me in to let Otis back in after he's decided he doesn't like being outside alone. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to grasp the concept. He'll see the cat and sit there losing his mind, not even paying the door any mind as he scratches at the bottom. I've had to push him through, and he still fights me. Ain't that a helluva note?
For whatever reason, the Jukebox in the Corner of My Mind is working today. Used to, anytime I'd take a nap, I'd wake up with a song playing in my head. One of Alabama's last chart toppers was called "Jukebox In My Mind". I always thought that was apropos to my particular tastes in music and, more importantly, listening to music. I like variety. I want to hear Motorhead followed by George Jones followed by Art Blakely. I can't imagine people who listen to one or two albums over and over.
I would always tell myself I'd start writing about those songs when they'd pop up, but before I got loose of the bayous, I never could make myself do it. Of course, once I decided to actually do it, the songs stopped coming. Somewhat coincides with the return of dreams, I wonder if they're connected. In any event, they came back today, and they'll be at the Tumblr site. Today's offerings are "Come Back To Us, Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard" by John Prine and, when I finish it, "Pray For Me Mama (I'm A Gypsy Now)" by Jason & The Scorchers.
Well, what else? News? Oddly enough - or thankfully enough - there doesn't seem to be a whole lot going on today. The Coronavirus continues to spread, taking lives, and, far as I can tell, scientists and doctors are no closer to finding something to fight it. Both parties are camped out in New Hampshire tonight in preparation for tomorrow's primaries. Trump's having one of his usual Assemblies of the Faithful, telling the usual lies the crowd eats up like Sugar Babies. As for the Democrats, the odds are leaning towards a shootout between Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg with Elizabeth Warren pulling up third. Joe Biden seems to have already thrown in the towel in the Granite State but promises big things once we come down South.
One thing that's again being ignored in this presidential election is the African American vote. This is, of course, nothing new. Trump loyalists are calling for him to get as high as 40 percent of the vote, but I wouldn't put money on this because not everyone thinks he's as magical as they do. Right now, Trump has like a 7 percent approval rate among black people and I really don't see him turning that molehill into a smallish hill, much less a mountain.
Like every other white person who thinks they know all that needs knowing, I don't have a good bead on who might get the black vote. Were I still in New Orleans, I'd have more input, but on this Hill? Not so much. I'm seeing, however, a fairly even split between Biden, Warren and Sanders online. Time will tell, I guess. It's too bad the Democrats can't seem to realize that the most loyal voters they have is black voters and if they'd concentrate on issues that improve the black situation in America, other people would come right along. In any event, they need to stop chasing the "working class vote" which invariably means middle-class white people. We are not to be trusted.
In other news, Trump's using his "victory" in the impeachment business to launch another ridiculous budget, a $4.8 billion monster that promises more tax cuts at the expense of food stamps, student loans and Medicaid. Among other things, this budget will push the deficit to past $1 trillion dollars, but since deficits only matter during Democratic administrations, I don't really know if this actually means anything, I ain't going to lie.
Finally, some folks are sort of put out that not one single Republican Congress critter spoke out against Trump's weekend head-piking of "disloyal" actors like Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and UN Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland. Both mean testified against Trump in the impeachment and, just like Mitt Romney, Trump and his howling sycophants are calling for his blood. The only thing that really confuses me is why anyone would think a single GOP politician would chasten Trump on this matter, knowing The Base would eviscerate them come election time. Y'all are asking for more spine than the average politician has, much less conservative politician.
We're looking at more rain tomorrow. Matter of fact, we're looking at heavy rain until sometime Thursday and there's all sorts of concerns over potential flooding, especially since we've barley dried out from last week's drenching. Stay on high ground if you're in the path, beloved, because the sun will shine again eventually.
We spent the morning put a new front door in with my Uncle, Momma's surviving brother. It has a little doggie door because Momma's tired of having to call me in to let Otis back in after he's decided he doesn't like being outside alone. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to grasp the concept. He'll see the cat and sit there losing his mind, not even paying the door any mind as he scratches at the bottom. I've had to push him through, and he still fights me. Ain't that a helluva note?
For whatever reason, the Jukebox in the Corner of My Mind is working today. Used to, anytime I'd take a nap, I'd wake up with a song playing in my head. One of Alabama's last chart toppers was called "Jukebox In My Mind". I always thought that was apropos to my particular tastes in music and, more importantly, listening to music. I like variety. I want to hear Motorhead followed by George Jones followed by Art Blakely. I can't imagine people who listen to one or two albums over and over.
I would always tell myself I'd start writing about those songs when they'd pop up, but before I got loose of the bayous, I never could make myself do it. Of course, once I decided to actually do it, the songs stopped coming. Somewhat coincides with the return of dreams, I wonder if they're connected. In any event, they came back today, and they'll be at the Tumblr site. Today's offerings are "Come Back To Us, Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard" by John Prine and, when I finish it, "Pray For Me Mama (I'm A Gypsy Now)" by Jason & The Scorchers.
Well, what else? News? Oddly enough - or thankfully enough - there doesn't seem to be a whole lot going on today. The Coronavirus continues to spread, taking lives, and, far as I can tell, scientists and doctors are no closer to finding something to fight it. Both parties are camped out in New Hampshire tonight in preparation for tomorrow's primaries. Trump's having one of his usual Assemblies of the Faithful, telling the usual lies the crowd eats up like Sugar Babies. As for the Democrats, the odds are leaning towards a shootout between Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg with Elizabeth Warren pulling up third. Joe Biden seems to have already thrown in the towel in the Granite State but promises big things once we come down South.
One thing that's again being ignored in this presidential election is the African American vote. This is, of course, nothing new. Trump loyalists are calling for him to get as high as 40 percent of the vote, but I wouldn't put money on this because not everyone thinks he's as magical as they do. Right now, Trump has like a 7 percent approval rate among black people and I really don't see him turning that molehill into a smallish hill, much less a mountain.
Like every other white person who thinks they know all that needs knowing, I don't have a good bead on who might get the black vote. Were I still in New Orleans, I'd have more input, but on this Hill? Not so much. I'm seeing, however, a fairly even split between Biden, Warren and Sanders online. Time will tell, I guess. It's too bad the Democrats can't seem to realize that the most loyal voters they have is black voters and if they'd concentrate on issues that improve the black situation in America, other people would come right along. In any event, they need to stop chasing the "working class vote" which invariably means middle-class white people. We are not to be trusted.
In other news, Trump's using his "victory" in the impeachment business to launch another ridiculous budget, a $4.8 billion monster that promises more tax cuts at the expense of food stamps, student loans and Medicaid. Among other things, this budget will push the deficit to past $1 trillion dollars, but since deficits only matter during Democratic administrations, I don't really know if this actually means anything, I ain't going to lie.
Finally, some folks are sort of put out that not one single Republican Congress critter spoke out against Trump's weekend head-piking of "disloyal" actors like Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and UN Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland. Both mean testified against Trump in the impeachment and, just like Mitt Romney, Trump and his howling sycophants are calling for his blood. The only thing that really confuses me is why anyone would think a single GOP politician would chasten Trump on this matter, knowing The Base would eviscerate them come election time. Y'all are asking for more spine than the average politician has, much less conservative politician.
We're looking at more rain tomorrow. Matter of fact, we're looking at heavy rain until sometime Thursday and there's all sorts of concerns over potential flooding, especially since we've barley dried out from last week's drenching. Stay on high ground if you're in the path, beloved, because the sun will shine again eventually.
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Man, the Sleep took a-hold of me this morning and instead of trying to fight it off, I let it run wild. I didn't have anything I had to do today besides go to the gym, and I don't really like doing that any way. I need to go, don't get me wrong, and I recognize that, but you will never get me to enjoy it.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Sunday, January 26, 2020
I guess we've all heard the sad news about Kobe Bryant and his daughter. The Lakers star who part of the Michael Jordan-driven dominance of the '90s died in a helicopter crash this morning, which killed eight other people including his daughter Gianna "Gigi". All over the sports world, they honored Bryant with chants of "Kobe! Kobe!" and letting the 24-second shot clock run out in his honor as his Lakers jersey was No. 24.
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