Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“But what about the lurkers?”

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Trump’s legal defense is going to be a dumpster fire inside a clown car on a derailing train.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

T R E 4 5 O N

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

The Supreme Court is corrupt. Democrats must win in November and force court reform.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

If you are in line to indict donald trump, stay in line.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It’s easier to kill a dangerous animal than a man who just happens to have different thoughts/values than one’s own.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

Come on, man.

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Archives for April 2021

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – Live!

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In case you’re new to Medium Cool, BGinCHI is here once a week to offer a thread on culture, mainly film & books, with some TV thrown in.

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – Live!

In this week’s MC, let’s talk about live performances.

We’re all tired of being cooped up, and while things are slowly starting to open up in many parts of the country, live shows are still pretty rare.

So let’s talk about memorable live performances you’ve seen. Not just concerts, but lectures, standup comedy, readings, recitals. Maybe even puppets. The more profound and unusual the better.

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American Aid To India

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The covid situation in India is horrendous: 350,000 infections a day, 2500 deaths. After an apparent delay, the United States is sending help.

The statement in the first two tweets can be found here.

This list of what is being sent represents the most urgent needs, the things that are most likely to make a difference quickly. Discussions between the two countries continue.

There’s been a lot of impatience on Twitter about DOING SOMETHING. But arrangements must be made between the two governments on what is needed and the best way to deliver it.

Sadly, the virus has its own timetables built into it, and we will not see significant changes in India’s situation for at least a few weeks.

Cross-posted to Nuclear Diner

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Authors In Our Midst: Dorothy Winsor, The Trickster

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I feel terrible, I completely missed Dorothy’s publication date, even though I knew it was coming up! I blame raising ducklings. So delayed, but welcome, here’s Dorothy Winsor on her latest novel:

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Authors In Our Midst: Dorothy Winsor

Last weekend, Frankensteinbeck told us about how his new books spin off characters into books of their own. I did the same thing with the three-book series I just wrapped up. The Wind Reader was about a kid who was stuck in a city far from home and hanging out with two other street kids. The Wysman takes one of his friends, a kid with a crutch, and gives him his own story. The Trickster, which came out last month, is about Dilly, the pickpocket girl of the original trio.

Writing about Dilly was made easier because I knew some things about her ahead of time. As The Trickster opens, she’s gone home to Lac’s Holding and is a lady in waiting for the lord’s daughter. I knew Dilly had always admired this woman and was thrilled just to be near her. So obviously, I had a chance to spoil that. Yay!

Also I’d never set a story in Lac’s Holding, but I knew it was a port city and I’d always thought of it as being like New Orleans. So I set the story during a festival like Mardi Gras because story possibilities are built into people in masks amid drinking and chaos.

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Under the Corporate Thumb

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Like most couples, one of us is the person handling the money. In our case, that’s me. I call it “paying the bills” but I should call it “ducking the corporate fist”.

This morning, my duck-the-fist-list included activating a debit card that I received as a rebate, signing up for a class action so that I can get a few bucks in a few months because my insurance company colluded to fix prices and got caught, and dealing with an airline that decided to change my itinerary to add another connecting flight (which I specifically avoided by paying more for the ticket in the first place).

I’ll preface this by saying that I’m a privileged guy and most of this is just an annoyance rather than a serious issue. Still, I think one of the superpowers that Democrats get from small-dollar funding is the ability to run against stuff like this, and then fix it, because we shouldn’t be beholden to corporate contributions.

I realize that Republicans and corporations will squeal like stuck pigs, but fixing this stuff is not that complicated. Why shouldn’t we just outlaw rebates? They’re just a weaselly way for a corporation to advertise a discount that they don’t really want to give. Why the fuck is anti-trust and other consumer protection being done by class action lawsuit? The overhead here is enormous. Class-action lawyers make millions, and millions more are sucked down by third parties distributing the ridiculously small individual settlements. How about this instead: have anti-trust and consumer protection laws and enforcement with teeth. And, my sweet Lord, when we de-regulated airlines that didn’t mean that they could revert to a state of nature where any fee or fuck you is allowed, because freedom.

I could go on and on, but I need to call the airline again since they didn’t return my call in the promised 52 minutes after I made it. Their time: precious. My time: expendable.

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Tales from the Big Tent (Open Thread)

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NY-14 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a virtual townhall on Friday and had this to day about President Biden and the administration: [USA Today]

“One thing that I will say is that I do think that the Biden administration and President Biden have exceeded expectations that progressives had,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a virtual town hall. “I’ll be frank, I think a lot of us expected a lot more conservative administration.”

Ocasio-Cortez, a vocal member of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, also said Biden’s willingness to collaborate with more progressive members “really impressed” her, and despite areas of disagreements, the administration’s conduct has been “not just in good faith but active incorporation of progressive legislation,” Ocasio-Cortez added.

“Biden announced that he plans to cut emissions by half by 2030,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that two years ago it was almost unthinkable to think that Joe Biden would be making an announcement like that.”

During the campaign, Biden set a goal of zero emissions by 2050, so the half by 2030 target isn’t an “unthinkable” acceleration of the stated timetable, IMO. But it’s true the needle has moved on party consensus for seriously addressing climate change. Good!

In personal news, I got stung by something on Friday. I think it was a horsefly; one was allegedly seen leaving the scene of the crime. Had a nasty reaction to it, as I often do when bitten by venomous insects or arachnids. I probably should not live in a swamp, but here I am.

Yesterday, I did a shopping run and then loafed around, keeping the affected arm elevated and taking Benadryl to address the symptoms. I watched two bad movies on Netflix: “Stowaway” and “Crimson Peak.” Neither is recommended. “Stowaway” in particular was a pity because the actors are really good and deserved better material.

Recommended viewing on YouTube for those who enjoy cooking  shows: “Buon-A-Petitti,” which features an Italian grandma living in New Jersey who cooks traditional Italian meals for her apparently very large family. Also, “Pasta Grannies,” which is a series about grandmas (and a few grandpas) making pasta from scratch and a variety of sauces, mostly in Italy.

I find these shows comforting in a similar way that the Great British Bake-Off episodes are comforting, or at least were in the old days before Mel, Sue and Mary Berry decamped, then Sandi left, and then they brought in the weird, awkward, vaguely creepy guy.

It’s a rainy morning in Camp Swampy. I’m making a blueberry pie since blueberries are in season and I picked up a vast quantity of them yesterday at a produce market. I’ll update the post with a photo of the pie when it comes out of the oven.

I believe this will be my first blueberry pie. I’ve made blueberry cobbler many times but never a pie, at least not that I recall, and wouldn’t that be something a person would remember? The mister does most of the baking around here.

Anyhoo, the recipe I’m using advises bakers to let the pie cool for a full three hours before slicing to give it time to firm up. We’ll see how that goes. How’s your Sunday going?

Open thread!

ETA: Ta-da!

Tales from the Big Tent (Open Thread)

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Sunday Morning Garden Chat: ‘My Love Affair with Alstromerias’

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Sunday Morning Garden Chat: 'My Love Affair with Alstromerias'

From commentor FelonyGovt:

I’m a novice gardener but have fallen in love with these alstromerias, also known as “lily of the Incas” or Peruvian lily. They’re a tuber, with pretty leaves and gorgeous flowers in a variety of colors.

I’ve been growing them in large pots but plan to start putting some in the ground as well. I really like the yellow ones.

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: 'My Love Affair with Alstromerias' 3

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: 'My Love Affair with Alstromerias' 2

The plant in this last photo is called Rock and Roll, with variegated leaves and dark red flowers — looks like it’s about to bloom.

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: 'My Love Affair with Alstromerias' 4

They are easy to care for but probably need a warm-ish climate. I’m in Southern California.

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What’s going on in your garden(s), this week?

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