(Political Ramblings from a Little Left of Center)
My last post prompted several readers to note (and I’m paraphrasing here) that they were surprised to read something from me that wasn’t accompanied by a large black cloud. Damn. While I readily admit that my Scotch glass is often half-empty, I hate being predictable. To demonstrate that I haven’t always been the curmudgeon that…
Exactly 92 years ago today, an enterprising baker in Chillicothe, Missouri named Frank Bench sold the very first loaf of machine-cut bread using the brand new invention of one Otto F. Rohwedder. Okay. So? Well, after yesterday’s post recounting our H1 2020 version of the signs of the Apocalypse, I thought I might share some…
We’ve only just passed the halfway mark in 2020. Here’s a few highlights of the year thus far: An accelerating COVID-19 pandemic coupled with idiots who won’t take basic precautions to help slow it down. An economy on the brink of disaster coupled with an overvalued stock market artificially supported by Congressional and Federal Reserve…
An unexpected Kentucky primary battle is brewing (distilling?) over who gets the Democratic nod to run for the U.S. Senate in November. Slate recently dubbed it “The battle for who gets to lose to Mitch McConnell” … and they’re probably right. Still, Democrats need to make a best effort to retire the dystopian Toby the…
Here’s an update to my COVID-19 analytics, now reflecting 6/20/2020 data. This snapshot begins to show the impact of the lifting of restrictions in the U.S. See below for commentary and some explanatory notes. Click on any table to display a larger version; hit the back button to return here. Selected Countries by % of…
As a non-young, middle-class, white male, I hesitated to immediately offer my thoughts on the racially-charged unrest currently sweeping the country. I am certainly in no position to comprehend the perspectives of any black American. I am even more incapable of fully understanding how a young, poor, black person views our shared country. However, as…
It tolls for thee. The twisted John Donne poem is sadly appropriate. Donne was saying that we’re all interconnected and that anyone’s death is a loss for all of mankind. So wear a damn mask! Here are just a few ideas for conversations with people that won’t. For those that don’t believe masks are necessary: …
Here’s an update to my prior COVID-19 analytics, now reflecting 5/23/2020 data. This snapshot is largely prior to the free-for-all lifting of restrictions in the U.S. See below for commentary and some explanatory notes. Click on any table to display a larger version; hit the back button to return here. Selected Countries by % of…
Ever wonder what foreigners think of Trump? A “Nate White” apparently posted a response to that question last year on Quora. While an appropriate Quora profile exists, I can find no direct proof of authorship. No matter. The essay has been preserved on the Internet and, regardless of the author, it deserves to be repeatedly…
It irritates the hell out of me that I have to keep coming back to this topic. The latest reason is the Republican argument against providing financial assistance to the states in the next stimulus package. The pandemic should rightfully be a political issue in the 2020 campaign. However, politics should be kept to a…