2020 archive
Twits on Twitter 0
We have two pandemics. The other one is a pandemic of the venally stupid (or is it the stupidly venal?–but I quibble).
You Can’t Trust Dr. Google 0
Not that that should surprise anyone.
Tales of the Trumpling: Snapshots of Trickle-Down Trumpery 0
Afterthought:
I’m so old that I can remember when they actually raced in stock cars.
An Off the Rails Reality Check 0
I am not sanguine.
Twits on Twitter 0
Timothy Lydon is less than optimistic about the effects of our anti-social media.
A Tune for the Times 0
Warning: Language.
It’s been nearly a month since the local supermarket we use most often has had either TP or paper towels on the shelves. To paraphrase my internet friend Brad, “I don’t get the toilet paper thing. It’s not diarrhea. It’s a respiratory disease.”
We are a society of stupid.
The “Not Me” President 0
Doyle McManus stands amazed at Donald Trump’s ability to find someone else to blame for everything all the time.
Cruising on Cruz Can Troll 0
Warning: Mild language.
And Now for a Change of Pace 0
I don’t know how long I’ve had this aloe–long enough to have repotted several times in successively roomier pots.
This is the first time it’s bloomed.
The Vacuum 0
At the Portland Oregonian, Steve Duin muses on the many differences between a true wartime leader and the wannabe. A nugget:
Because Trump lacks focus and empathy, the White House briefings invariably take a mean and sullen turn. At the onset, we are on common ground, seeking reassurance and precious honesty about the battle at hand.
After a maddeningly robotic opening, the president abandons us. He has scores to settle, ratings to celebrate, snake oil to sell. Trump is never more animated and aggressive than when he wanders off script to belittle reporters, belabor grudges, brag about mythical travel restrictions, or highlight the corruption – unsubstantiated, of course – in vote-by-mail.
The Social Safety Not 0
The Inky reports on the trickled-on in these viral times. A snippet:
And now there is a whole new category of people — gig workers, independent contractors, and self-employed people like Cruse. The federal government’s $2.2 trillion economic relief package for the first time extended unemployment aid to cover those workers when they lose their jobs. Yet most states have yet to update their systems to process these applications.