Saturday, October 05, 2024
Because Jon Stewart is usually worth it....
Friday, October 04, 2024
Haiku Friday: Comfort Food of Fall
[Ok, first of all, I know the image above is disturbing, and please know that I don't consider cats to be "comfort food." But this is the image that AI gave me when I asked for an image of "Melania Trump having dinner at a diner with Pickles the Cat." The kitten watching the whole thing is probably the worst part. And why is Melania just eating Pickles' disembodied head? When people suggest that AI is something we can trust with important jobs, I will remember this image.]
The air has turned a little cool here, and it's about time! I love the Fall, and everything that comes with it, including the comfort food we turn to as the air turns cold. Let's haiku about that this week! Here, I will go first:
Football game is on?
I'll make "Dad's Famous Nachos"
A fan favorite.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun!
Also, if you want to get that cat picture out of your head, here is what AI gave me for "Melania Trump having dinner at a diner with a panda":
Thursday, October 03, 2024
Political Mayhem Thursday: Reflections on the VP Debate
The VP debate on Tuesday was worth watching, even though it probably will have little to no effect on the election in November. A few observations:
-- In terms of debate style, Vance clearly won. He was smoother, more articulate, and seemed much more adept. He reminded me of Bill Clinton in terms of skill set.
-- In terms of presenting himself as a person we would want in such high office, I think Walz won. He wandered off topic, didn't answer questions directly at times, didn't have the depth of knowledge that Vance did, sure, but he also seemed to have an integrity to him in whole that people find more trustworthy, I think. And he said that if they lost, they would not try to obstruct the election, something Vance can't and didn't say-- and given Jan. 6, 2021, that matters.
-- The single worst and best moments belonged to Walz. The worst was his answer when asked about a prior statement he made about being in Hong Kong during the protests in Tianemen Square in China: he talked for a few minutes before saying "I messed up." He should have led with that. The best moment was him forcing Vance to non-answer the question about whether Trump lost in 2020.
-- I thought it was pushing the "folksy" thing too far when Walz had a beer halfway through the debate (see illustration), but I don't think people cared much.
Wednesday, October 02, 2024
High water
When Hurricane Helene was building up in the Gulf of Mexico, I don't think many people thought "Boy, I'll bet that storm is really going to wallop Asheville, North Carolina." Yet, the is exactly what happened, as Asheville and its environs seem to have suffered the most serious consequences of the storm.
73 people died in North Carolina, with 57 of them from Buncombe County, where Asheville is the county seat. That number may still go up as more missing people are accounted for.
Nature is still a wild and unpredictable thing, and climate change is making that all the more true.
Tuesday, October 01, 2024
The VP Debate
As many of you know, my favorite debate of all time was in 1992, between vice-presidential candidates Dan Quayle, Al Gore, and Admiral James Stockdale. This was long before Dan Quayle saved democracy (THAT was a twist I didn't see coming), before Al Gore lost the bonkers election of 2000, and before the death of Admiral Stockdale in 2005. Stockdale, the running mate of Ross Perot, was a genuine American hero who survived over 7 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and later was a serious scholar of ancient Rome. He wasn't, though, properly prepared for the debate. Among other things, he turned off his hearing aid during the debate (which was, really, a rational choice).
I suspect that both JD Vance and Tim Walz will be properly prepared for the debate tonight, and I really look forward to it-- unlike the presidential debates, this one will feature two smart people who are fully capable of answering questions thoughtfully. Of course, they might not choose to do that....
