Backtalk: A Medium Place
This week's work has involved Christmas puddings, mince pies and seasonal sweets. And frozen chickens. The build up to Christmas has started, though I guess some folk are waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive. It's Peanuts Day, sso his herald is just round the corner.
From “zero to Dijon mustard and tan suits” in the mainstream press literally only took three days
I
empathize with anybody who’s had whiplash trying to absorb and maintain joy from
the brilliance of Youth Poet Laureate (at 16!) Amanda Gorman and the stunning representative
fashion we saw not even four days ago
https://www.instagram.com/sergiohudson/
at the same time we have to worry about cancelled appointments because of vaccine shortages (anybody who has evidence that Jared Kushner sold the missing doses on the black market and cut Azar in so he wouldn’t talk, please move to the front with all due speed) and whether or not either Biden’s TOTALLY CORRUPT Predecessor OR the white nationalist domestic terrorists are going to face ANY consequences … while peaceful protestors from both George Floyd’s murder and FERGUSON still languish in jail.
The
nation has a choice.
Despite some gentle exhortations, I was reluctant to do a whole fashion post because so many who arguably do it better & also have mainstream visibility already did it (I haven’t seen Robyn Givhan weigh in yet, so if anybody has a piece from her, please post!).
But
there will be highlights.
There is
a solstice in two days. It’s supposed to
coincide with planetary movement that hasn’t happened since the Renaissance.
It
better be good.
We will
get to the good news, knowledgeable people, fun people, and nice holidaze songs
in the Disqus comments but there are a few things it feels necessary to cover
first
In case anybody was wondering still, who's responsible for the holdup on COVID-19 relief just days before both Christmas and before the protection expires, it is nobody but Republicans.
Specifically, Toomey - who is NOT RUNNING AGAIN -- wanting the Federal Reserve to relinquish its control over small business loans after this travesty of a Maladministration is fumigated out of the People's House so that Republicans can steal all that money, and McConnell of course backing him up (while the Orange tries to plot some sort of ... martial law takeover of voting machines in four states from inside the actual White House.
Don't let anyone tell you anything other than that.
“What are the odds if left in office that he will continue
trying to cheat? I will tell you: 100%. Not 5, not 10, not 50, but 100%. If you
have found him guilty and you do not remove him from office, he will continue
trying to cheat in the election until he succeeds.”
-- Adam Schiff, Trump's impeachment
IMPEACH HIM AGAIN. And prosecute the complicit Repugnicons. The only debate at this point should be depraved indifference homicide or murder.
Stay trying to clear up the confusion from the Liar's Rhetoric but lighten the mood at the same time ... which is a trick some have mastered but I haven't yet. Will keep trying.
After
(a few more than) a few tries, that headline felt about right for a weekend
that brought us a 7-2 (9-0?) SCOTUS smackdown to that wanna-be dictator (you
know the one I mean) that hopefully established, even in a country that hasn’t
quite overcome its white supremacist roots as it works its way toward
multicultural democracy - and no, we are
not there yet – that you can’t try to muscle a government by literal mob rules
and win.
Roodles and Company (who aren’t disbarred yet and I don’t know why – oh, wait, yes I do) are cooking up some scheme; it involves the radical #WhiteWing currently running the Wisconsin Supreme Court and they have their eyes on January 6, when Congress is supposed to recognize the electors then (so of course they’re strong-arming Republicans in the House, and formal traitor Ron Johnson who’s already been paid by the Russians and we don’t know for what, has been quoted as being willing to “join” them).
First, we flip the Senate blue (your weekly reminder that nobody in the country will get any COVID-19 relief without that happening because McTreason will still be in charge).
Then - we PASS THE JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
Miko Marks & the Basement Resurrectors – Goodnight America
Something
Joyful
Ailey & Ellington Family Program – part of Ailey’s First Virtual Winter Season
But not because of any of these great artists
Black Thought – Tiny Desk Concert
Alicia Keys – Tiny Desk Concert
Erykah – Tiny Desk Concert
Lizzo – Tiny Desk Concert
Mumu Fresh featuring Black Thought and DJ Dummy – Tiny Desk Concert
But instead because of a tiny man who shrank the office even as he continues to try to wreak havoc
Also,
y’all. Even if your family member begs
you to during a pandemic, do not try to
move the furniture around because they injured themselves slightly during a
holiday weekend because they weren’t doing the strengthening exercises for the
rest of their limbs that you suggested because nobody is getting enough
exercise because we’re all indoors other than the Essential Workers who aren’t
being paid essential wages corresponding to their essential work, or the 1%-ers
well-enough-to-do to have one of those IMO rather occult-looking Lululemon
Mirror Trainers on one of their walls. Because if you do try to move that furniture,
you will inevitably drop something on your foot that you were moving that wasn’t
supposed to be on the floor in the first place, and not only will it hurt, but
you will have to wonder if you broke it until the doctors (who also deserve a
holiday more than anyone else) get back in their offices.
So
there’s all that.
It is also Gingerbread Cookie Day, World Television Day, Red Mitten Day, Adoption Day, Pumpkin Pie Day, Guinness World Record Day, Alascattlo Day, False Confession Day, International Games Day and others.
You might need to indulge in some time travel to check these out.
Pretty sure that Frank Oz later reminded Parky that he had been making love to his left arm.#OnThisDay 1978: Miss Piggy was in town and her mind was very much set on Mr Parkinson. Poor Kermit! pic.twitter.com/57Auidvns7
— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) November 20, 2020
I can tell them that Tiddly has more than 13 ways to say feed me.
You could get philosophical about this.
The World of Pygmy Sea Horses.
Shiver me timbers, lover. It's Blackbeard.
There is a tv version of this, but I'm not sure it travels so well.
Barak Obama talks to David Olusoga.
Radio 4's Book At Bedtime will be serialising Obama's memoir in December and it will be available online after broadcast. It usually comes in 15 minute chunks.
Some years back, the buzz word was "imperial overstretch", broadly the idea that empires had a finite life expectancy, hence the end of the Roman, Ottoman and British empires, to name a few, and part of the forward projection was about America reaching that tipping point, if it could be averted, and so on. Wondering if that deserves a relook?
So what do recent years tell us about America?
In Scotland there is no sympathy for Margaret Ferrier, MP after her Covid flit to London and back.
#OnthisDay 1985: Glyn Worsnip caught up with the “pictorial poet” Norman Thelwell to chat about his career as a cartoonist. pic.twitter.com/8NAV0oKlPN
Just in case you were wondering ...
Last week I asked who was the swish chick knocking down a baddy henchman? No guesses, no answers given, no points awarded. It was, of course, tennis champ Jamie Sommers as played by Lindsay Wagner in the tv series The Bionic Woman. Jamie's dog was Maximillian the Bionic Dog, commonly known as Max. I don't think she had a cat.
