Open Thread November 4 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 042026
 

Yesterday, at about 12:30 pm Eastern (giving him time to type and/or notify an editor), Barak Ravid of Axios received information from the White House that the Liar-in-Chief said he was “in no rush” to decide on restarting war in Iran (Barak Ravid is one of Axios’s reporters, and has had his byline on so many releases or statements from the White House that Malcolm Nance has given him the nicknams “Trump’s secretary.”) Then, about 9:00 pm Eastern (giving him time to confirm it with the Wall Street Journal,write and record it (Ben is quite wordy so it may have been a bit later) Ben Meiselas of Meidas Touch learned that at least five bombs (five explosions were heard) were dropped on Qshem Island, in the Persian Gulf, not all that close to the Strait of Hormuz, but a strategic location in the process of getting oil out of the Strait. Also on Sunday, gas in Colorado Springs (technically in Fountain) and in Pueblo was at $4.19 per gallon. I wonder how much it is now. How much is it where you are (the 84 grade)? You likely knew all of this from your own sources, but possibly not all put together. As I type, I had not yet listened to what Malcoln had to say about this (besides that he predicted it – which he indeed did).

This would, as the saying goes, piss off the Pope. Actually, it probably does – I suspect he knows more than most Popes about what the U.S. was intended to be – and what we are now ain’t it.

OK, a day late (since Tuesday’s my day off) but posting it anyway because – although we’ve won some – it is, I believe, the first time we have won 7-0. Correct me if I’m wrong about that – and really, even if I am, I still think a 7-0 verdict is noteworthy.


This one is optional because it is a 33 minute video. Let me explain. It is an interview between David Sirota of The Lever and Senator Chris van Hollen of Maryland, and the topics discussed include “Does the national Demcratic Party need new leadership?” Y’all probably recognize the Senator’s name, but out of an abundance of caution I’ll remind us that he is the Senator who flew to El Salvador to personally speak with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia about what really happened to him. (And I agree with the opinion about him of Abdul el Sayed which is quoted in passing.) There is a transcription – and it matches the CC, so it probably contains typos, but it should be understandable.

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Potpourri Courtesy of BlueSky …

 Posted by at 4:28 pm  Politics
Nov 032026
 

Few days overdue – but too clever to pass up …

Minimalistic but effective Halloween decorationsOriginal post

— Massimo (mirror) (@rainmaker1973-m.bsky.social) 2026-10-19T01:47:08.945Z

 

Amazing!

But under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you try this at home!

Lion dance practice: #AGoodPlaceSource: www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsi…

— Michelle says: Be kind. Always. ❤️ (@snarkysillysad.bsky.social) 2026-10-17T20:24:31.586Z

This is an example of managing monetary issues efficiently that you will NEVER see in the DJT administration:

Employee of the Month

— Place where cat shouldn't be (@catshouldnt.bsky.social) 2025-02-17T14:26:03.637Z

And this is the kind of weird face we all hope we see on DJT, his corrupt cabal & his MAGATs tonight when the Big Blue Wave TSUNAMI rolls over them!

— Pierre Polyester (@canadian-critic.bsky.social) 2026-10-22T01:12:51.231Z

 

…

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Open Thread November 2 2026

 Posted by at 6:17 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 022026
 

Yesterday, I ran into another verbal pet peeve of mine – confusing or conflating “ancestors” with “descendants.I” I’m not going to share who did this, because I truly believe he is smarter then that (at least about linguistics.) I will mention that I own a Match-3 computer game which has a plot requiring the protagonist to prove his descent from Moctezuma in order to recover custody of an artifact which was taken from him forcibly on the grounds that the thief claims direvt descent from Hernan Cortez. It’s mostly very well done, including portraits of everyone in the family tree (as well as some distant cousins he meets while tracking his tree all over the world), and there is impressive art for each of the locations also. But the word “descendant” is never used in it – only the word “ancestor,” which leads to some rather ridiculous misstatements. The match-3 boards get more and more difficult as the player goes – but at least it doesn’t kick the player out if she or he fails to solve a board withi the time limit three times in a row, which some do. So I keep playing it when I have time.

I share this because Newsom is virtually certain to fun for President. And no, I don’t expect any president to be perfect. But I do excpect voters to be able to see them “warts and all” before we decide how to vote in 2028.

https://steveschmidt.substack.com/p/jfks-four-tests-of-leadership-and
Steve Schmidt writes about integrity, and quotes a JFK speech as a demonstration. Between the intro, the speech, and Steve’s ending remarks, it’s longish – but impressive.

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-week-ahead-5c9
For once, I got, and was able to at least skim, “The Week Ahead” in time to put it up before the beginning of the week. I don’t expct that to happen again any time soon, but this a good week for it to happen.

Mayo Clinic

Just to give you an idea of the scale – the pumpkin starts out at 210 pounds (95+ kilos)

 

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Open Thread November 1 2026

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 012026
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “I Pagliacci” by Ruggero Leoncavallo – although these days they are calling it just “Pagliacci” which I’m not happy about – theres a difference betwen “Clowns” and “The Clowns”, and I think the latter is more appropriate for “This one particular troupe of Clowns.” I’s in the verismo style, characterized by telling stories pf ordinary working class people, and usually violence. Most of my lifetime the tradition was to present Pagliacci in a double bill with “Cavalleria Rusticana” by Pietro Mascagni – butin about the last 25 years or so, both of those have been more often paired with a different short opera, and today it was played by itself. I have heard it often enough – and there is enough distasteful subject matter in it, that, although I set myalarm in time to get up andhear it, when thealarmwent ogg I decided to sleep another two hours. The male lead, Canio, was a signature role of Caruso’s, but it’s been sung by just about every competent tenor anywhere in the world. The main aria – “Vesti la giubba,” has probably been sung in concert even more that it has been sung in full productions. It also inspired the cliche “Laugh although your heart is breaking, which also inspired a pop song in the 30s or 40s. I’m off to see Virgil now and will check in upon return.

Bravo (follow up to a previous post)

Charlie

Delta

Echo

Foxtrot These programs seem to be starting to trend lately. More power to them.

Randy – a day late for Hallowe’en, but a day early for Day of the Dead. Let’s split the difference.

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BlueSky Says “BOO!”

 Posted by at 3:12 pm  Politics
Oct 312026
 

Forget black cats.  This fire breathing cat is a helluva lot scarier!

Fire breathing cat#Cat #Caturday

— Free Cats Daily😻 (@freecatsdaily.bsky.social) 2026-10-07T17:22:20.768Z

And this cat is a helluva lot cuter!

Baturday/Caturday

— KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 (@kojamf.bsky.social) 2026-08-16T00:35:27.790Z

Well, it wouldn’t be Halloween without some clever pumpkin carvings …

I have to pick up a pumpkin soon! 🎃 Here are some of the jack-o'-lanterns I've done for the cats in the past. 1. The vet2. Vacuum cleaner3. Spray bottle4. Nail clippers5. The cone6. Fleas

— Cats of Yore (@catsofyore.bsky.social) 2026-10-25T01:34:09.718Z

But I can’t decide which of the next two pumpkin carvings I like better.  What do you think

If only.

— Maryland Blue Girl 💙 I have words and know how to use them (@quothpam.bsky.social) 2026-10-07T16:18:46.090Z

Or …

The next one runs a bit long – but it is so clever & so well done I know you’ll enjoy it:

One of the best Halloween costumes everOriginal post

— Massimo (mirror) (@rainmaker1973-m.bsky.social) 2026-10-28T23:39:33.273Z

And not to get all pedantic, but I never thought Halloween could serve as a useful lesson on the difference between Capitalism & Socialism.  But I was wrong1

🎯🎯🎯

— Biggie (@biggienotsmalls.bsky.social) 2026-10-20T19:36:30.778Z

 

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Open Thread October 31 2026

 Posted by at 6:13 am  Holiday, Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 312026
 

Yesterday, * SAT *

This seemed like a good article for today. Of course thise would not apply to all ghost stories – but some, very much so.

At one time, I believe it did make sense to appeal to moderate Republicans – because moderate Republicans existed. But, in hindsight, I don’t believe that has been true since 1980. What we need now (and have since 1984) is a modern FDR.

Miles Taylor, with his team at Defiance dot org, has made a documentary called “Corruptionland” which can be seen at corruption dot org. They want your email address, so Defiance dot org can send you information as they update it. If you’re uncomfortable with that, the other button on that page will take you to it on YouTube. The bottom line is that all the corruption they wee able to quantify totals 337 BILLION dollars, and they know there are also some bigger ticket items which they were not able to quantify accurately (his estimates are always substantially too low.)

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Open Thread October 30 2026

 Posted by at 6:07 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 302026
 

Yesterday, I corrected my calendar on a couple of appointments I had entered on the wrong dates, and managed to watch “El Ultimo Sueño” again, and picked up on more thingd I hasn’t noticed the first or second times. I’m afraid that will have to be it, though. So glad I was able to see it at all.

I’m not convinced that knowing the identities of the Orange Oligarch’s unelected henchmen (henchpersons?) will help us to defang him – but ProPublica put a lot of time and effort into this one, and they do actual investigations for good reasons.

It’s not news to sane people that the Apricot Antichrist lies – nor that that applies to everyone in his regime as well. But sadly, there are still people just now finding it out. Ordinarily I can’t get into WaPo, but today, for some reason, it allowed me to. In case it shuts you out, here;s the alternate link.

My feelings are hurt – Colorado didn’t get one of these letters (OK, just kidding – I don’t feel hurt at all. More like a sigh of relief.)

Cat 2fer

A little dark humor on a Friday.

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Open Thread October 29 2026

 Posted by at 5:48 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 292026
 

Yesterday, I did not see this happen, but I heard from several reliable people that it happened – a man at a rally in Mississippi told him to “shove his ballroom up his fat ass.” One of my sources was JoJo from Jerz, who did so in a perfectly JoJo rant.

We keep looking at (and keep having our attention drawn to) Texas because Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton are both running, and they are two of the most awful human beings in the nation, so we are all hoping they both get defeated, by Gina Hinajosa and James Talarico respectively. But The Lever says there is someone else running there (not for the same office as any of the aforementioned) who is even worse. It’s for a very low level position, and it’s on a board which might (or might not) keep him from doing too much damage. But even a low level elected position can be a stepping stone to higher levels.

There was no grand jury or indictment yet – just a “criminal information” – and that on the very last day which the state of limitations would allow (assuming he had actually committed the crime for which he was charged). Axios will be updating – but they cut non-payers off, so you might want to have the link to archive – archive.is. Comey has already submitted a motion for dismissal on the grounds of selective or vindictive prosecution, and Judge McFadden – a Trump appointee – has scheduled a hearing on that motion for tomorrow. A hearing is scheduled for tomorrow on his motion to dissmiss because selective and vondictive prosecution.

As long as this by Mary Trump is, it’s still just a drop – maybe 2 or 3 drops, but not more – in the bucket. I honestly didn’t finish reading it.

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