I'm just posting a quick round of links. I have some actual paying work I'm going to try to get done tonight and don't want to tap myself out. Long story short, all three WordPress links are about the United States' continuing struggle with the COVID-19 virus, how bad the federal government is handling things and how the states are having to pick up the slack, with varying results.
Monday.
Wednesday.
Friday.
I was fairly active over at the Tumblr site, as the Jukebox In My Mind did a lot of work. Here's something about Dallas band The Old 97's and here's something about John Prine. He's currently battling the COVID-19 and we wish him a lot of luck. I'm a fan. I haven't yet wrote about Bill Withers yet, but I'm a huge fan of his and want to remember his passing.
A couple of times I got clever about the vocation and, if you will, art of journalism. It's super easy to hate on the "mainstream media" but most folks do it in a way that manages to blind them to not only the good and necessary journalism brings to the party but obscures the actual real flaws that mustard up the whole affair. So here's a riff on a Twitter thought and a pair of quotes, one from Kolchak: The Night Stalker by Jeff Rice and the other by Hunter Thompson's second book of letters Fear & Loathing In American: The Brutal Journey of an Outlaw Journalist. For the record, both books are recommended.
Maybe more tomorrow, we'll see. Wish me luck.
Showing posts with label john prine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label john prine. Show all posts
Saturday, April 4, 2020
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.
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