Disney announced many shows coming to Disney+ but I ask when? I signed up to Disney+ last year but honestly the only things I got from it so far is the Mandolorian and Hamilton. Really, it has been disappointing so far.
Richard Hofstadter, The Paranoid Style in American Politics., from the November, 1964 issue of Harper’s Magazine. I guess this thinking has always been with us, but seemingly growing every more powerful.
Thank you, Dr. Zhang:
Dr. Zhang acted without being incentivized by the huge amounts of money that the companies will receive—Moderna’s stock has increased almost 700 percent already—and he faced down potentially catastrophic consequences for himself and his lab.
The phrase “enemy of democracy” has a sinister bearing. But how else to describe those who would use raw political power in Republican-controlled legislatures to overturn a national election? Public officials swear an oath to “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” It is a mandate that responsible citizens should take seriously.
I read a lot and have started building a list of the books I read along with a very high level summary of what I lead from the reading, but it is nothing like the book summaries available at Durmonski.com. Recommended.
I think main lesson we need to learn from COVID-19 is that a pandemic can and will happen again in the United States and we need to address it nationally like we address every other threat. A part of why the response was so chaotic in beginning is that the Trump administration just viewed the previously implemented contingencies as just “Obama fat” to be trimmed. We need to accept what has happened is bad enough to work to prevent it from happening again.
I am so tired of these “what Republicans are saying privately” pieces. It’s time for the press to stop coddling Republicans. If they don’t say it publicly, don’t say anything, don’t help their attempt at soothing their conscious. Republican’s need to own Trump.
Despite potential claims to the contrary, I am not sure I see much difference between Om’s idea of what Twitter should do and Apple News, of which I am currently trying a free trial.
I took a look at my Xfinity (Comcast) account again today due to the pending enforcement of their data caps. What I see on Xfinity’s site is that while I thought they had turned caps off, it might have been on since July. What bothers me is that it doesn’t look like Xfinity provides any warning to users when they are about to exceed their data cap. I thought there was an account configuration so that I could have Xfinity send me an email when I’ve consumed 50% and 75% of the data, but I don’t see any option. In my opinion, any service that has data caps and corresponding charges when they are exceed should be legally required to provide customers warnings that they are going to exceed those caps.
Zeynep Tufekci warns that we must stop thinking a coup can’t happen here. Coup attempt is the right adjective for what is taking place, and we need to recognize that while Trump is the public face of the coup, Republicans are willing and active participants. If you claim yourself a patriot the following must be seen as true and terrifying.
What starts as farce may end as tragedy, a lesson that pundits should already have learned from their sneering dismissal of Trump when he first announced his presidential candidacy.
Individualism is the core principle of conservatism, which is why something as simple as recognizing that we have to work together is seemingly so difficult in our country.
How the United States is responding to COVID shows just how much the conservative ideology has metastasized within society.
I am still bumming since learning on Friday that Len Kasper is leaving the Chicago Cubs to be the lead radio announcer for the White Sox. What I like about Len is that he is a genuine baseball guy, he isn’t a broadcaster who also does baseball, so moving from TV to radio makes sense. Of all sports baseball is best for radio.
My life experience with the Chicago Cubs has always been narrated by TV play-by-play guys: Jack Brickhouse, Harry Caray, Chip Caray, and Len Kasper. There have been a few others who have been briefly behind the mike, but these are the voices that replay in my head.
The first words are Jack’s calling another Dave Kingman home run. Most of the words are spoken by Harry, who was with me from teenager to adult. Chip is sentimental following his grandfathers death, where Len will always be part of the Cubs finally making it to and winning the World Series in 2016.
White Sox fans are getting a great baseball guy to tell them the White Sox story when baseball starts in 2021. I might try to listen to a few games, particularly when the White Sox come to Detroit and Len sits closer to Ernie Harwell’s seat. In the meantime I’ll watch for who will be next at broadcasting for the Cubs.
“Godly knowing is a humble and non-grasping kind of knowledge; it becomes a beautiful process of communion instead of ammunition and power over. It is basically reverence! Knowing without loving is frankly dangerous for the soul and for society.” (Richard Rohr, Mike Morrell, The Divine Dance)
The restaurant industry in Michigan has been in a huge fight with the state because of indoor dining being shutdown in the state. I understand the industry’s point of view because its costing them money and jobs, but the data, such as shown the studies referred to in this article, and common sense, tell me it’s not safe to eat indoors at a restaurant.
Even if allowed to, I will not eat in a restaurant until I am vaccinated and this pandemic is under control, for two main reasons. First, one cannot eat and wear a mask at the same time. Second, I have no idea of the air flow within the restaurants I might dine in, and air flow can cause the virus to be spread across greater distances than six feet.
Will people skeptical of a vaccine be convinced to take it if they were payed $1500 to do so?
The iPad, Magic Keyboard, and Me
I am completing the first week of using my iPad Air and Magic Keyboard during my work day and I am happy with the result. Over the years I’ve tried using different keyboard cases with tablets and usually end up setting them aside because I found it too difficult to switch between hand-held and keyboard modes. The magnetic attachment of the iPad to the keyboard makes it easy to remove and re-attach the iPad to the case, so when I want to hold the tablet to read or write notes with the Apple Pencil, it’s no more difficult than picking the iPad up off the table and when I want to type notes it’s as easy as placing the iPad back on to the magnetic back of the case.
The main negative of the case is that it adds a lot of bulk and weight, so there are times when I won’t want to carry both. When we get back to being able to travel around freely I will probably get Apple’s Smart Folio, which also attaches magnetically, to protect the iPad Air in those instances.
The dismantling of the 2016 Chicago Cubs has begun through the Cubs not making an offer to Kyle Schwarber. Unfortunately right now it seems though Kyle was a one hit wonder, but that hit will always be memorable to Cubs fans.
Beware Of The U.S. Theocracy
Dana Blankenhorn wrote:
When the nation state came to glory in the 19th century, it was as a bulwark against religion. The great threat of our time is the unity of the state and religion
I wish citizens of the United States would think a bit more deeply about our history, particularly the context in which First Amendment was written. The world from 313 AD until when the U.S. Constiution was ratified was basically governed by a theocracy. You had the Holy Roman Empire and Rome ruling most of the western world, then came Protestantism and it’s alignment with kings and The Thirty Years War, and then, more directly you have the Church of England that emerged to consolidate power in England when Henry VIII wanted an annulment that the Pope would not grant.
The founders knew how those who seek power, be they kings, dictators, oligarchs, and political parties, use religion to increase that power. After all, it’s one thing for a President to say something, it’s another when a preacher claims what he or she says is the literal word of god.
So, while the first ammendment constrains the U.S. government of what it can do to religions, more importantly it is intended to prevent the merger of religious and political power.
I agree with Dana’s warning about our real risk, which is the emergence of a religious-based rule in the United States. It started with Ronald Regan creating the snowball and rolling it down the hill to create the “Religious Right” under the pretext of a Pro-Life movement. It picked up more steam to elect George W. Bush that lead to a tremendous amount of lost life in wars authorized by national emergencies that are still not over. And finally in a mutal in-sincere but profitable alliance, enabled and put in place Donald Trump, and with him the breaking of everything Jesus taught.
Please, if you call yourself Christian and find yourself agreeing completely with these claims of religions liberty, stop and consider the very real possibility that your actions are actualy enabling the very opposite of what you think will be the outcome. In the process you are handling over all your authority, necessary for people to even consider the Good News, let alone follow Jesus.
Three years ago on this date I was here, in Bermuda.
