Aug 272023
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” (The coronation of Poppaea) by Claudio Monteverdi, who is considered to have invented what we recognize as opera. His first operas were based on Greek/Roman mythology, but this was the last one he wrote, and was about historical figures (although the characters given to them are nor exactly historical. Not that history, certainly at this period, is all that reliable. Ancient historians were like the Fox News of their day. A lot of it was just flat made up, and sometimes with an ulterior motive. Nero never fiddled while Rome burned {he wasn’t even there} and he didn’t attempt matricide with a collapsing boat, because it’s impossible for a boat of the the type which was supposedly used to be made to collapse the way it supposedly did. Of course none of that means that he had no flaws, or even that he never tried to eliminate his mother – but he didn’t do either of those things as described. Just as Marie Antoinette never said “Let them eat cake.” OK, end of rant.) Nero seems really to have had an affair with Poppaea, to have divorced and exiled his wife at the time in order to marry her, and to have ordered the suicide of Seneca, for whatever reason. The plot is essentially set up to lead into Nero’s and Poppaea’s final rapturous love duet, which is somewhat repetitive, but – as anyone who has ever been in love knows – there are only so many ways to say “I love you” in any language, and lovers’ conversation tends to be repetitive. This production was recorded in Barcelona in July of this year, which informs me that WFMT wanted (and waited) to present up-to-the-minute productions now that there are enough live performances to do so, which is why they have only scheduled through September 9 at this point, when they expect to be going through November. Also, yesterday was National Dog Day. To all who celebrated, I hope the day was happy – and woof. Off to see Virgil, will post when I get back safely.

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Short Takes –

Colorado Public Radio – Northwest, West Denver’s House District 4 will soon get a new state rep. Here’s how residents can be part of the process
Quote – How the process of filling the vacancy works: A vacancy is filled by the representative’s party, in this case Democrats. A vacancy committee is formed by Democratic precinct organizers who will go on to elect the new representative. That election will take place on Aug. 26. On Saturday, community members can attend the committee meeting, which includes a forum between the candidates and the actual voting from committee members. Check-in for the event starts at 12 p.m., followed by the forum at 1 p.m. and the voting at 2 p.m. It’ll take place at Peter Claver Hall at Regis University, 3333 Regis Boulevard. The event can also be streamed here. [Yes, it’s over – but should be still up .]
Click through for details. Every state does this differently (and we do it differently if the removal was due to a recall) – this is very different from what happened in Tennessee with Justin and Justin – and both are different fom how we handle a vacancy in the US Congress. But understanding the differences can help us evaluate what’s the most fair – and by fair, I mean fair to the consituents.

Reuters – NLRB paves way for workers to unionize without formal elections
Quote – The U.S. National Labor Relations Board on Friday resurrected key elements of a policy it eliminated more than 50 years ago requiring businesses that commit labor law violations to bargain with unions without holding formal elections…. In Friday’s decision, the Democrat-led board partially revived a doctrine known as Joy Silk, named for a 1949 case in which the NLRB said employers must bargain with unions unless they have a good-faith doubt that majority support exists. The NLRB abandoned the Joy Silk doctrine in the early 1970s after the U.S. Supreme Court imposed a different standard in the 1969 case NLRB v. Gissel Packing Co. In Gissel, the court said the NLRB could force employers to bargain when they engage in misconduct so severe that any election would be tainted. Friday’s decision came one day after the NLRB announced a final rule reviving Obama-era regulations designed to speed up the union election process, which is seen as giving an advantage to unions.
Click through for story. If Reuters paywalls you, yu can go to your preferred search engine (mine is DuckDuckGo), put in NLRB and then select “news” as the filter and you’ll have multiple options. This is a BFD for unions.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to get stuff dne with it before SCROTUS steps in.

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Aug 252023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Trump’s Mar-a-Lago IT director gets out from under a MAGA lawyer, gets a new lawyer & flips on Trump

The Lincoln Project – JV

Farron Balanced – Mental Health Expert Warns That Trump’s Mental State Poses Grave Threat To Country

Rocky Mountain Mike – Midday Jail In Georgia – featuring Mary in Ann Arbor

Kitten Brothers Knock Over Every Water Glass In Their House

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump’s internet problems…..

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Aug 242023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Trump’s lawyers push for April 2026 trial in DC election theft case, & Jack Smith pushes back, hard.

The Ring of Fire – California Woman Murdered By Man Who Was Angry At Her Pride Flag

Thom Hartmann – GOP’s Violent Rhetoric Just Killed Another American! Are You Next?

Randy Rainbow – Don’t Arraign On His Parade

Dog Paralyzed With Fear Learns What Love Is

Beau – Let’s talk about how to predict the future….

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Aug 202023
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Manon” by Jules Massenet (Puccini also wrote “Manon Lescaut” based on the same book, and so did a number of other composers whose works are not in the repertory.) It’s based on a 1731 novel written by a French priest, which IMO is Exhibit A for why priests should not do marriage counseling. Manon is described as “capturing the heart of everyone she encounters,” but in no version that I have seen is she even likeable. She’s a gold digger who can’t even be consistent in digging gold, and she doesn’t just manage to get into trouble herself, but destroys the one man who truly loves her (which doesn’t say much for him either.) But of course the music is wonderful (in both this one and the Puccini) so I listened to it all the way to the end when she and her lover are “lost in the deserts of Louisiana,” even though I can’t help snickering at the thought of any part of Louisiana being desert (you can blame the book for that.) This performance is from Barcelona, and the production looks like someone’s fantasy of modern Las Vegas (well, there is a fair amount of gambling in the opera.)

Also, a PSA – about 11:00 a.m. today Hurricane Hillary is expected to reach the Mexico-California border and by 11:00 p.m. to have passed Los Angeles. If you know anyone in the vicinity (Colleen already has it), here’s a link on preparations. And the LA Times has a map following and estimating its path. California has not experiened a hurricane in living memory – of those alive at the time of the Spanish Conquest. And who knows for how long before that. I know I’m late with this, but if you know anyone it would help, here it is.

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Short Takes –

The Warning – The peaceful transfer of power
Quote – American greatness has been fueled and sustained by qualities of character that are timeless and sorely needed during these days of national crisis. There should be no mistake about this being a moment of crisis or blindness about its cause, or who specifically is responsible…. (discussion of three Presidents’ characters) …Truman, a decorated combat veteran of the First World War, recalled his emotions this way, telling reporters the following day: “I felt like the moon, the stars and all the planets had fallen on me.” Why did he feel that way? What burden was thrust upon him? It was the burden imposed by the most solemn oath that exists in American public life. Thirty-five words long, it is specifically proscribed in the US Constitution, and was taken for the first time on March 4, 1789, by George Washington. When Truman raised his hand, he was the 32nd person in American history to swear it. When he did, he became president of the United States of America. His styling was simple and unadorned. “Mr. President” is what we call the person who swears that oath. Here it is: “I do solemnly swear to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Click through for article. As always on substack, what looks like a paywall isn’t – the message may have an option to “let me try it first” or to “keep reading”or even “no thanks.” There may even be more than one. Whatever it is, click it and you’ll be in. This article is a little pep talk for us who already realize the gravity of our situation.

Upworthy – Daughter comes out as trans, gives dad courage to come out as well: ‘We’re stronger as a family’
Quote – Eric remembers his daughter being bullied as a kid. One of the first incidents of bullying was when Corey was pushed down a hill covered in frozen ice. She suffered injuries to her face and was forced to move to another school, as a result, said Eric, reported ABC News. Eric said the new school’s staff and students were more accepting of his daughter and treat her just like any of the other girls. “She’s allowed to use the girls’ bathroom and locker room, and play on the girls’ sports team and cheer team if she wants to,” said Eric. “We are just like any other kids. We only want people to accept and love us for who we are,” said Corey.
Click through for details. It’s a pretty good bet that anything you see on Upworthy is – worthy to be uprated and upraised. Crooks and Liars recently re-posted the video mentioned (the one with the captions.)

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Aug 152023
 

[They could conceivablly be fighting over his corpus – consider the Andrew Weiss statement quoted in yesterday’s open thread intro.]

Glenn Kirschner – Trump tells a witness ‘not to testify’ in Georgia grand jury. Time to detain Trump pending trial.

MSNBC – Jack Smith uses Trump lawyer John Lauro’s words against him in court

Farron Balanced – Trump’s Lawyer Keeps Admitting His Client Committed Crimes

Parody Project – Corruption: Parody of Truckin’ (This really is unfair to Democrats, both in the White House and Congress, who are working so hard to keep democracy.)

Pretty Leopard Gets Stuck In Tight Spot

Beau – Let’s talk about 2 things falling in Russia….

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Aug 132023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Jack Smith asks Judge Chutkan to set a speedy trial date for Trumps’ DC criminal case – Jan. 2, 2024

The Lincoln Project – Ohio

MSNBC – Trump’s social media outburst offers an accurate diagnosis of himself

Parody Project – THREE TIMES – Parody of Three Times a Lady

Watch This Scruffy Feral Cat Turn Into A Blue-Eyed Beauty

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump requesting a SCIF….

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Aug 062023
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Benjamin Britten’s “Turn of the Screw” (libretto by Myfanwy Piper – she was a Welsh poet and librettist), based on the novella by Henry James. I saw this opera performed when I was in college, and I had read the book, and I’ve read critical works about both, and I have no idea what happens in it. But that’s because no oe does. (Well, maybe Henry James, but he’s dead. And Britten and Piper knew what they intended, but they’re dead too.) It’s one of two things. Either a governess comes to s country home to care for a young brother and sister, where the ghostsof the previous (deceased) governess and a (recently deceased) butler have demonically possessed them. Or else, a governess comes to a country home to take care of a young brother and sister, but becomes delusional and evuntually psychotic. And part of the point is that none of the creators – not James, not Britten, not Piper – wanted anyone to know for sure which was “reality.” It’s creepier this way. Britten’s other operas include “Peter Grimes” (considered his masterpiece). “Billy Budd,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Albert Herring,” of which only Peter Grimes is at all ambiguous. And it’s not ambiguous in the same way. There’s no question about what happened – only the degree to which Grimes could have prevented the worst of it if he had done things differently. I’m not sure of that either, but there is enough information that I can understand taking a position and being comfortable with that position, either way. Turn of the Screw, not so much. Melodically, probably the most memorable part is the little song the children sing, “Malo, malo, malo, malo” which due to the peculiarities of Latin really does translate to “I would rather be in an apple tree than a naughty boy in adversity.” Of course the repetition of it doesn’t hurt in making it memorable, nor does the growing implication that i’s darker than the actual meaning would suggest. This production was recorded in Budapest in September 2022, and conducted by Ivan Fischer.  It’s scored for only 13 musicians.  Britten really demonstrates that, if you know wht you re doing, you can get a wole lot of color out of an ensemle that small.  There are six characters, and five of them are sopranos.  The other is a tenor.  Most composers will make their villains baritones, and especially if the villain is supernatural.  I find it much scarier if that character is a tenor.

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Short Takes –

Today’s Edition Newsletter – Our role in ensuring accountability.
Quote – We find ourselves in an unfair situation: To hold Trump to account for his crimes, we must defeat him politically. Embedded in that unfair proposition are two disturbing corollaries:
If Trump (or a surrogate) is elected, a Republican Attorney General will dismiss the charges against Trump; and
Republicans in Congress will accept that perversion of justice by Trump and his Attorney General as “business as usual” in the post-truth, post-democracy second Trump administration.
Click through (and click “Continue Reading”). He’s right. It isn’t fair at all. But – if you thought you could sit back and let the Special Counsel’s office work – you can’t. Actually, I’m sure no one here was intending to sit back and relax for anything longer than a short victory lap. But – if you know anyone who is – best pass this on.

NPR – Petting other people’s dogs, even briefly, can boost your health.
Quote – I started pondering the power of dogs during one of my daily strolls around my neighborhood. Almost invariably, I’ll run into at least one person walking their dog. If I get the OK to pet the pooch, it’s a joyous moment of cooing and sloppy kisses. I always walk away from these canine exchanges feeling just a bit more relaxed, and happy. And that got me wondering, could these short interactions with other people’s dogs actually be good for me?
Click through for story. Though not mentioned, I’m sure this is also true for cats – for some people, even more so. “Dog people” and “cat people” do exist (granted with a good deal of overlap.)

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Jul 302023
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Li zite ‘ngalera” by Leonardo Vinci, neither of which/whom I had ever heard of (Of course I know who Leonardo da Vinci is, but this is an 18th century namealike.) It is a comedy; the title translates to “The Newlyweds;” the libretto is in the Neapolitan dialect (Neapolitan composers as a group are credited with re-shaping operas in the direction of the form we recognize from the 19th and early 20th centuries.) The plot is easily described: Carlo leaves his fiancee Belluccia for greener pastures; she follows him disguised as a man; she ends up cutting him out with his new flame and s couple of other girls and he ends up back with her. But “easily described” is not the same thing as simple. I can see, and you likely can too, all kinds of complications, not even including the one that Belluccia’s father is furious with Carlo, and she has to save his life from her Dad. It premiered in 1722. Handel had left Italy (where he studied Italian opera) in 1710 for the court of Prince George of Hanover (later George I of England), but since he wrote a good number of Italian and Italian-style operas in England and was very successful until “The Beggars’ Opera” hit one out of the park (causing Handel to switch to oratorios), it’s not impossible that he knew it. I didn’t hear any influence on Handel in the music, but I did hear the beginnings of the recitativo-aria pattern which was standard by the time of Mozart. (I also heard some “gender-bending” which was pretty standard in opera at the time. Carlo sung by a woman may have been an attempt to replace a castrato role, but that would not explain the presence of a female character sung by a tenor.) The production is from La Scala from this year.

Since Pat B is away for the weekend on a family outing, I am going to slip in a couple of TJIs which I would ordinarily have sent her.
TJI #1 – (A response to DeSaster’s word salad while being questioned about his travesties of education policy) DeSantis was trying to wrap himself in the Cloak of Invisibility but instead slipped on the Hoodie of Absurdity. – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
TJI #2 – Justice Alito secured his place in history as the Court’s cranky old man yelling at Americans to “get off my lawn!” – Robert Hubbell

Off to visit Virgil – will post when I return as always.

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Short Takes –

AP News – Biden openly acknowledges 7th grandchild, the daughter of son Hunter and an Arkansas woman
Quote – “Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,” Biden said in a statement. It was his first acknowledgement of the child. This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter,” he said. “Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”… The president, who has made a commitment to family central to his public persona, has faced increasing criticism from political rivals and pundits for failing to acknowledge the granddaughter. According to a person familiar with the matter, he was taking the cue from his son while the legal proceedings played out. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
Click through for story. I could have told you that Joe would do this just as soon as Hunter taking responsibility for his actions got to the point it has now reached. And not a moment sooner. (And I can also tell you with no additional evidence but with complete moral certainty that he is incredibly relieved that the time has come. Joe’s primary motivator is love – it’s that simple.)

Letters from an American – July 28, 2023
Quote – On Wednesday, soldiers of the presidential guard overthrew Niger’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, and replaced him with a military general, Abdourahmane Tchiani…. Niger is a key player in the struggle to establish democracy in Africa, and Bazoum’s overthrow is part of that larger story. Niger is a landlocked country about twice the size of Texas in the center of the Sahel region in Africa, a dry grassland region that crosses the continent from the Atlantic to the Red Sea…. That region has also been plagued by violent Islamic groups, and strongmen promising to restore order have launched successful coups in the countries of Mali and Burkina Faso, which are Niger’s neighbors. (When Vice President Kamala Harris went to Ghana in March, her visit was partly to shore up democracy in that country, which is on the edge of the Sahel region and under pressure from militants in Sahel countries.)
Click through for details. Reuters had this story and so did MSNBC, though not in the headlines. I didn’t see it anywhere else, though I didn’t look everywhere, and of course, Heather has all the history. I find this scary on a level with Trump**.

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