Such a great album!

Of course this changes over time but right now it’s probably a toss up between Marquee Moon by Television and 154 by Wire.

Let’s be clear. The primary reason people have lost pride in America and democracy is Donald Trump and his administration. You can say other administrations have had their faults, certainly, but what’s happening now is far, far worse. And let’s not forget the constant drumbeat of propaganda from Fox News and other right wing outlets telling us our country is a shit hole. And again, we have our problems, but this is how propaganda works. You mix in some truth about something while wildly exaggerating or making up other things about it.

It does seem like a daily assault on our well being, doesn’t it? But there is something that helps with this - read history broadly. It helps give you a deeper understanding of current events that lessens the impact of the current moment. And consider the quote “this too shall pass”. It’s attributed to Sufi poets about impermanence. If times are bad it gives you hope that those times will one day, eventually but certainly, be gone. If times are good it makes you relish the moment deeply and do what you can to make it last.

My wife and I have been binging a show called The Last Ship. Supposedly came out a number of years ago. It’s a Michael Bay production and kind of a post apocalyptic scenario but well worth a watch.

And of course there’s Always Sunny.

And this is the best Biden could do?

What has happened since then?

Trump keeps a diary?

A strong and competent president who cared about this country would never let this topic go this far and would push back as strongly as possible both privately and by using the bully pulpit to make the case of how important it is to our country that this principle be upheld. But Trump is weak and incompetent. And when the topic of something as important as the separation of church and state comes up this administration treats it just like JD Vance treats Watergate, just a 12 hour story in the news cycle. It’s still unbelievable to me we elected this man to be president of the United States.

Gary Marcus has a Substack everyone should read. It’s sobering.

This article is from 2015.

ROFL!

Apparently it’s only girth they can modify. Not length.

This statement should concern us all. Watergate was a tragedy that was a body blow to our nation’s psyches. It could be looked at as the beginning of our nation’s lack of trust in government. I believe Ford should have never pardoned Nixon. But with just this one line Vance has certainly convinced quite a number of people that Watergate was no big deal. Just a blip on the radar. And by saying this he is also implying that something of equal weight, like the things this administration has done almost on a daily basis it seems, is of no big concern. This is part of the vast and coordinated propaganda campaign the right is using on the american people. And the reason it’s particularly egregious now is because for the first time, with Trump as president, the right knows they can get away with almost anything. And they are determined to push things as far as they can go. A lot more Americans need to wake up to this threat.

It’s been known for some time that many of those from outside the US are unfamiliar with our tipping culture. I was a waiter in a nice restaurant in '96 when the Olympics were in Atlanta. We had lots of large parties that we added a 20% gratuity to, and clearly indicated on the check and no one complained. But normally the only place you encountered tipping then was in a sit-down restaurant with waiters. Now there’s a thousand and one places where you’re encouraged to tip. Even places where it’s only counter service and you’re supposed to put money in a tip jar when you pay the cashier. It’s all over the place and it’s completely ridiculous and out of hand. Americans hate it. It’s no wonder our guests are confused and pissed off.

Wait, people were driving on the reflecting pool just after the bottom was painted blue?

Not at all, actually.

Well that sucks.

If it must change it might be cool to have a blade runner vibe where old buildings are retrofitted with futuristic technology.

What’s the reason for no disc? Is this another one of those ‘you buy it but you don’t really own it’ things?