DKOMA
Black Music Sunday is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music, with over 295 stories covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new.
Music helped us get through the coronavirus pandemic, which is one of the main reasons that I started this series. We are faced now with democracy crumbling around us, a mad orange racist with goon squads called ICE running our country, and many of us are swamped in both despair and disbelief.
It seems discordant to even wish someone a happy New Year. But a new year it is, so I thought about songs to play today that make me happy and lift me up, and hopefully they will do the same for you.
First, we have Nina Simone.
In Simone’s “Feeling Good,” she sings:
Birds flying high, you know how I feel Sun in the sky, you know how I feel Breeze driftin' on by, you know how I feel [Chorus] It's a new dawn, it's a new day It's a new life for me, yeah It's a new dawn, it's a new day It's a new life for me, ooh And I'm feeling good
Birds flying high, you know how I feel
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by, you know how I feel
[Chorus] It's a new dawn, it's a new day It's a new life for me, yeah It's a new dawn, it's a new day It's a new life for me, ooh And I'm feeling good
Interestingly, her song was used by a commercial DEI campaign. As a Black woman who has worn her hair natural for more than half a century, I was delighted to see this.
Nina Simone's Feeling Good: Celebrating Black Natural Hair
Everyone deserves to feel good—and feel confident in their beauty. But sadly, this isn’t the case for everyone. Black women are 80% more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms. This has to stop. To expand our work toward eradicating race-based hair discrimination with the CROWN Coalition and the CROWN Act, we’ve joined forces with Verve Records, the Estate of Nina Simone, and 2020 BET Award-winning music video director Sara Lacombe. Our shared vision was to create the first-ever music video for Nina Simone’s iconic 1965 anthem “Feeling Good,” to celebrate Black joy, empowerment, and boundless self-expression.
Nina challenged boundaries and, throughout her career, encouraged empowered expressions of Black culture and beauty. Created in partnership with Dove, the new music video for “Feeling Good” aims to continue Simone’s important legacy by telling a story of Black female empowerment and rejecting imposed expectations. The video follows four generations of Black women living their truths, loving each other, and feeling good.
When I need a “happy” pick-me-up, I replay this Pharrell Williams video:
We are all well aware that we have to double and triple our efforts to get out the vote. If we do that, there might be blue skies ahead—specifically blue states and cities.
“Blue Skies”
Irving Berlin (1888–1989) is considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history. He was born in Russia and came to the U.S. when he was five. Berlin wrote more than 1,500 songs, including hundreds of hits. “Blue Skies” was composed as part of a musical called Betsy. Audiences loved the song so much they demanded 24 encores of it on the show’s opening night!
When I look out my window and skies are cloudy and gray, I play this tune to chase the gray away. And I get a double bonus because it’s Ella Fitzgerald.
Nat King Cole and Patti Page double the uplift.
I play this oldie from Jenifer Lewis to keep my mind on priorities.
For those of you who will be celebrating Epiphany or Three Kings Day, take a look at these archival posts:
Black Music Sunday: Celebrating Epiphany and Three Kings Day
Caribbean Matters: Come celebrate the Three Kings!
Please join me in the comments section below for more and to share your own favorite uplifting/happy songs!
I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... week ahead … and a Happy New Year.
ART NOTES — an exhibition entitled Pursuit of Happiness: the GI Bill in Taos — noting how the GI Bill enabled the southwest to become a post-WW-II artist residence of note — is at the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, New Mexico to May 31st, 2026.
YOUR WEEKEND READ #1 is this essay by the intrepid Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland, who agrees that 2025 was a brutal year in Britain (and elsewhere) … yet denies that acts of courage exist only in the past. He concludes, “It lives on now, all around us. It’s there if we look for it – lighting up the dark”.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named is named Bella the Dog(?) - why yes: the director of a Minnesota cat sanctuary brought her dog to work ... and found that “Bella cries to come into the sanctuary”. She has befriended most of the cats, and if someone wants to adopt a cat: they know if it is comfortable going to a home with a dog.
YOUR WEEKEND READ #2 is this essay by the nonpareil Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher — the most understandable wine columnists I’ve ever read — with their self-explanatory Wine Trends to Watch in 2026 (covering A to Z).
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Cordova the Cat - a California kitteh who spent nearly two years in a shelter due to her dental under-bite. Yet mercifully, she gained her forever home for the Yuletide, thanks to a shelter video posting.
YOUR WEEKEND READ #3 is this Substack essay by the always perceptive Ron Filipkowski, with the title 25 Worst Villains of the Trump Admin (appointees only), which makes some interesting distinctions.
BRAIN TEASER — the BBC has its four-part Quiz of the Year 2025 — Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four — 52 questions in all.
And the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz.
MY FAVORITE BOOK of 2025 —
LAST NIGHT yours truly hosted the Top Comments diary with a look at not New Year’s resolutions (a waste of time) … but instead: a to-do list, plus measurable and achievable goals for 2006.
SEPARATED at BIRTH —
It’s that time of year again when Piers Morgan denies ever playing the ‘Pigeon Lady’ in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York…..— AshfromEnfield (@ashfromenfield.bsky.social) 2025-12-02T10:38:35.104Z
It’s that time of year again when Piers Morgan denies ever playing the ‘Pigeon Lady’ in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York…..
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… this is the final song that I listen to each year. Alas, it’s a bit melancholy: as the bluesman John Mayall died in July, 2024 at age 90 … just three months before his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as an Early Influence, in helping spread the blues in the UK).
Poll 163 votes Show Results Who Lost the Fortnight ?!?!? Andrew Tate, losing his comeback boxing match in Dubai badly, seeing some of his seized bank accounts directed towards domestic violence victims and facing an increased effort to extradite him to Britain to face sex crime charges New CBS head Bari Weiss, spiking a 60 Minutes story about a deportation concentration camp abroad (wanting to add a Stephen Miller rebuttal) … only to realize the video of it had already been distributed in Canada via licensing deals Actor/comic Russell Brand, a newfound supporter of Krasnov, now facing two new charges of rape and sexual assault in his native Britain (in addition to the five charges he already faces involving four other women) Heirs of the Texas automotive software mogul Robert Brockman, who was facing massive tax fraud charges (before his 2022 death), forced to pay $750 million to settle his case David Courvelle, a former detention officer at an ICE detention center in Louisiana, pleading guilty to sexual abuse of a ward or individual in federal custody by beginning a physical relationship with a Nicaraguan detainee Arthur “Skip” West, a financial advisor in “The Villages” on parole for groping a woman at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, now in jail after his parole was revoked for sending threatening texts and voice mail to his ex-wife Enrique Molina, a pastor of a New Jersey Pentecostal church, arrested for aggravated sexual assault with a juvenile parishioner across four towns The Jim Beam bourbon whiskey firm (which has some donations to Krasnov), having to stop production at a plant due partly to changing consumer tastes … but also tariffs and the absence of sales to Canada Brandon Merrifield, a California juvenile detention officer, arrested on multiple sexual crimes, including felony sexual activity with an inmate and felony arranging a meeting with a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense Brian Cole, arrested nearly five years after he planted pipe bombs near the Capitol before the Jan. 6 attack, with court documents showing he believed that the 2020 election had been “tampered with” in a confession Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, convicted on all counts of abusing power and money laundering by the nation’s high court, using his office to move sums from the country’s sovereign-wealth fund to his personal accounts Alabama police officer Jacob Clifford, arrested on four counts of sexual abuse of a child under 12 Thomas M, a steward of silver at the French presidential palace, facing charges of stealing precious items (perhaps $30k) that were later found in his locker, car and home State Rep. Bill Allemand (R-WY), a member of his state’s Freedom Caucus, arrested on drunk driving charges All of the sex offenders, stalkers and rapists Multiple names listed - feel free to note in a comment Write-in vote 163 votes Vote Now! Who Lost the Fortnight ?!?!? Andrew Tate, losing his comeback boxing match in Dubai badly, seeing some of his seized bank accounts directed towards domestic violence victims and facing an increased effort to extradite him to Britain to face sex crime charges 4% 6 votes New CBS head Bari Weiss, spiking a 60 Minutes story about a deportation concentration camp abroad (wanting to add a Stephen Miller rebuttal) … only to realize the video of it had already been distributed in Canada via licensing deals 38 votes Actor/comic Russell Brand, a newfound supporter of Krasnov, now facing two new charges of rape and sexual assault in his native Britain (in addition to the five charges he already faces involving four other women) 1% 1 vote Heirs of the Texas automotive software mogul Robert Brockman, who was facing massive tax fraud charges (before his 2022 death), forced to pay $750 million to settle his case 2% 3 votes David Courvelle, a former detention officer at an ICE detention center in Louisiana, pleading guilty to sexual abuse of a ward or individual in federal custody by beginning a physical relationship with a Nicaraguan detainee 1% 1 vote Arthur “Skip” West, a financial advisor in “The Villages” on parole for groping a woman at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, now in jail after his parole was revoked for sending threatening texts and voice mail to his ex-wife 0% 0 votes Enrique Molina, a pastor of a New Jersey Pentecostal church, arrested for aggravated sexual assault with a juvenile parishioner across four towns 0% 0 votes The Jim Beam bourbon whiskey firm (which has some donations to Krasnov), having to stop production at a plant due partly to changing consumer tastes … but also tariffs and the absence of sales to Canada 6% 9 votes Brandon Merrifield, a California juvenile detention officer, arrested on multiple sexual crimes, including felony sexual activity with an inmate and felony arranging a meeting with a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense 1% 1 vote Brian Cole, arrested nearly five years after he planted pipe bombs near the Capitol before the Jan. 6 attack, with court documents showing he believed that the 2020 election had been “tampered with” in a confession 2% 4 votes Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, convicted on all counts of abusing power and money laundering by the nation’s high court, using his office to move sums from the country’s sovereign-wealth fund to his personal accounts 0% 0 votes Alabama police officer Jacob Clifford, arrested on four counts of sexual abuse of a child under 12 0% 0 votes Thomas M, a steward of silver at the French presidential palace, facing charges of stealing precious items (perhaps $30k) that were later found in his locker, car and home 1% 1 vote State Rep. Bill Allemand (R-WY), a member of his state’s Freedom Caucus, arrested on drunk driving charges 1% 1 vote All of the sex offenders, stalkers and rapists 81 votes Multiple names listed - feel free to note in a comment 9% 14 votes Write-in vote 2% 3 votes
A look at my plans for 2026, after-the-jump ...
But first: Top Comments appears nightly, as a round-up of the best comments on Daily Kos. Surely ... you come across comments daily that are perceptive, apropos and .. well, perhaps even humorous. But they are more meaningful if they're well-known ... which is where you come in (especially in diaries/stories receiving little attention). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send your nominations to our KosMail message board by 9:30 PM Eastern. Please indicate (a) why you liked the comment, and (b) a link to the comment itself.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send your nominations to our KosMail message board by 9:30 PM Eastern. Please indicate (a) why you liked the comment, and (b) a link to the comment itself.
This week, my Top Comments colleague brillig wrote about 2026 intentions — with which I concur, as the word “resolutions” has become something in-between a joke and something purely aspirational. “Do better at _ _ _” and “I want to lose weight” are perfectly fine wishes … yet likely doomed to failure.
What I began doing years ago is preparing a list of Goals — although some are more of the “To-Do” variety — that have dates and are specific. “Will I know if I have achieved goal #5, or not?” is important. And on-or-around New Year’s Eve, I review how last year’s goals fared.
This past year? Pretty good … almost all of the travel items are complete (except for our Birthday Bash around Yuletide that we had to postpone due to snowfall in the NYC area). I also regularly worked from home once a week and took the bus to work once a week (even though the schedule is most inadequate).
The biggest failure … was lack of specificity. As I hope to retire in two years, my downsizing plans often fell short. For one (discarding of old clothing that is not worn-out) I have no excuse … as my office has one of these … in the parking lot:
So I have set a monthly goal for 2026: the second Monday of each month I will set-out a bag to put something in there (or discard) until my wardrobe is current. For other bric-a-brac I no longer need: that will be the 4th Monday of each month. In addition: for the gift cards I received from family, I will use them to replace old items that are worn-out (such as my CD player), not new items unless needed.
Travel plans (especially for holiday rail travel) I will make in time to get reservations (I’ve already booked Netroots Nation in Philadelphia this June). Just need to place on my calendar.
I mentioned a few goals in response to one of my favorite social media sources, the comic George Wallace … and was pleased to get a “like” from him.
Reply with your resolutions, y'all. I will sprinkle whatnot magic on 'em. And whatnot.— George Wallace (@mrgeorgewallace.bsky.social) 2025-12-29T17:14:05.553Z
Reply with your resolutions, y'all. I will sprinkle whatnot magic on 'em. And whatnot.
That’s it for now for me … I will add to/amend my list in the future. Happy New Year to all.
Let’s close with this 1970 Canned Heat song …. may none of us have Future Blues.
Now, on to Top Comments (and some Top Photos):
Highlighted by exlrrp:
Highlighted by Chloris Creator:
And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the diary by Irontortoise about the Krasnov veto (of a unanimously passed water project bill) that was in part aimed at Rep. Lauren Boebert (for her role in the Epstein files discharge petition) — first, Mike Daniel looks at her congressional district, then RTRhead cites an old TV moment in describing the changing GOP landscape.
And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
1) Quaoar, thank you for doing this every day. … by lmb02 +129 2) She may be dumber than a stump but I suspect she … by FishOutofWater +109 3) It’s supposed to run at a loss. It’s … by Farradin +100 4) Get members of Congress scared. Both parties. … by decisivemoment +89 5) Don’t know about Boebert, but I take MTG at face … by centerline +83 6) Dumpsters by Denise Oliver Velez +75 6) Dump by Denise Oliver Velez +75 8) Trump isn’t fit to shine FDR shoes … by 22 Trucks +74 8) Nicely written… but I think the word is “me … by Patriot4peace +74 10) There is NOTHING in the US constitution saying t … by HikerGuy +73 11) Thanks, Greg. Daily Toons: ICE by Denise Oliver Velez +69 11) Quaoar thank you so much from the bottom of my h … by forest gardener +69 13) When you drop off your ballot ask the clerk at t … by snowball2015 +68 14) Deportation by Denise Oliver Velez +67 14) I’m hoping some of the MAGA women voters wake up … by samanthab +67 14) I thought she might have some trouble in the for … by uptownbro41 +67 17) Zuck … by Denise Oliver Velez +63 18) One note on the blackout: Moscow oblast is 8.5M … by CharlesII +62 18) [embed] by SanAntonioKrusty +62 20) Having just reviewed his wikipedia pag … by Irontortoise +60 21) The Postmaster General is now David Steiner who … by Paul C +59 21) A tweet the GOP no longer wants anyone to s … by AKALib +59 23) CBS by Denise Oliver Velez +58 23) Yup, it was Quaoar’s posts here on the Ukra … by Prairiecrat +58 23) Special Election Wins by Engaged +58 23) Believe it or not, precise and correct use of la … by DrDiva +58 27) Thank you for the “Pie” option; I chose pie to e … by frank1030 +56 27) Trump attempted to shut down Radio Free Europe/R … by Lincoln green +56 29) MAGA by Denise Oliver Velez +53 29) Had an awww moment watching the Christmas Corgi … by Rexxmama +53
Welcome to the Street Prophets Coffee Hour cleverly hidden at the intersection of religion, art, science, food, and politics. This is an open thread where we can share our thoughts and comments about the day. Marriage is sometimes a controversial subject. To deepen the subject a bit, let’s look at marriage in ancient Ireland.
Enjoy these cartoons highlighting the many ways that President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement goons are nothing more than a bunch of racists in cosplay. And feel free to share more of your favorites in the comments.
Originally published June 28.
Originally published July 14.
Originally published Aug. 22.
Originally published Aug. 25.
Originally published Sept. 16.
Originally published Oct. 11.
Originally published Oct. 15.
Originally published Nov. 1.
Originally published Nov. 8.
Originally published Nov. 10.
Originally published Dec. 10.
We had spent Christmas week with relatives in California, and were returning home to the Phoenix area, a four-day drive in our RV. Four hours from home, on a twisty, long, steep downgrade, we came around a curve to see something large and black across the road. My husband stood on the brakes, but it was not enough. We plowed through what was (as we found out later) the bottom view of an overturned trailer, and into the pickup truck beyond it, before coming to a stop. It was a multi-vehicle pileup, with no emergency vehicles present.
When we stopped I was sitting with the passenger side widow in my lap, a heap of glass, and the frame of the door next to me was twisted. I called 911. My husband tried to get the door open, to no effect. Several people tried from the outside---no effect. Eventually three people got us out through a window, using a ladder. We sat on chairs beside the road (chairs that were in our towed car, because we had just bought them at Costco)—while the driver of an 18 wheeler on its way from Washington to Tucson took charge. Meanwhile a vehicle pulling a horse trailer was added to the mess. (It turned out that the horses were OK.)
After a while my husband climbed back in the window and salvaged our most important belongings: our computers and medications, and a few other items, and handed them out the window to someone, who later remarked to me that “He’s spryer than he looks.”
It was a long time before emergency vehicles showed up, because they were coming from the two closest towns, 40 miles away in two different directions. We were so scattered along the roadway that I hadn’t realized that anyone was hurt---but a man was loaded into an ambulance, and later word came back that he had died. They said he’d been thrown from his vehicle. I think it was the car pulling the trailer that had turned over, but I’m not sure. That was the tragic part of the whole experience. His daughter was there, and I could hear her crying in the distance, but I never saw her.
We were there for about three hours. Eventually all the vehicles were towed away, including our RV, which needed a special large tow truck. My husband had detached our towed car, which was fine, and finally they let us go, to get home at 11:00 PM.
Now I’m coming to the reason why I’m writing this story: if I had not been wearing a seatbelt, I’d have been catapulted out through that front window and immediately run over by our own vehicle. I’d be dead. Instead all I have are some aches and pains and a few tiny glass cuts, like pinpricks. My husband might have survived without a seatbelt, because he was holding the steering wheel---or maybe not. He has no damage at all.
I assume most of you wear your seatbelts habitually. (I wear mine in my own driveway!) But if any of you don’t, PLEASE take this to heart. A seatbelt can save your life. It’s not just a slogan, it’s true.
As this year ticks down to 2026, kitties are ready to celebrate… They are ready for a new year...
But first, the rules…
You are all welcome to join us!
Here are few not-too-onerous PWB rules
Kwanzaa began on Friday, and continues until New Year’s Day. It is a celebration of African culture, and every night has its own theme.
Umoja ( Unity) in the family, community, nation, and race
Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) to create ourselves, name ourselves, speak for ourselves
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) building community and solving problems together.
Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) to build and maintain our own businesses and profit from them together.
Nia (Purpose) our collective calling is to develop our community and restore our people
Kuumba (Creativity) to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
Imani (Faith) in our people, in righteousness and victory.
Update Jan 12, 2026 Yeah, I'm Still, Talking To You. You All Know, Who, You Are. And "JUSTICE FOR RENEE!"
Sudan The Forgotten War(s).
---—
"Carry Out Random Acts Of Kindness, With No Expectation Of Reward.
Safe In The Knowledge That One Day, Someone Might Do The Same For You." Princess Diana
Prince Harry Sentebale Charity Organization For African Orphans.
Sentebale Coping With The Changing Climate, And Our Continued Focus, On Fighting HIV/AIDS.
Jango Social Radio-Music Videos A free personalized music streaming service that offers unlimited listening with no commercial interruptions and no ads.
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The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
LIHEAP Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program A nationwide US government program. For everyone financially eligible, not just Seniors. LIHEAP Is A Federal Program. Run By Individual States.
Assists eligible lower-income households with their heating and cooling energy costs, bill payment assistance, energy crisis assistance, weatherization and energy related home repairs. Benefits.
Gov't And Social Services Links For ♥All Our Troops♥ And Veterans♥
The Hero's Journey
National Coalition For Homeless Veterans Hotline 1-877-424-3838 (1-877-4AID-VET). Available 24/7. The National Coalition For The Homeless
You can also reach the Veterans Crisis Line by calling 988 then pressing 1 or by texting 838255. This line provides confidential support and can connect you with resources, even if you are not in immediate crisis.
How To Get Help If You Are Experiencing Homelessness. The National Alliance To End Homelessness
Invisible People
🎅🎄💚🎁⛄💙💛🎅🎄💚🎁🎅
US Immigration Info. Legal, Links, Videos, Temporary Worker Visas.
Hispanic Heritage.
Spanish To English And Other Languages-Dictionary
Republican Senators-Stop Ignoring, Immigration Reform. DACA ♥ The Dream Act, Now!
The Story Of Kwanzaa For Children / Kwanzaa Quotes, Sayings And Quotations / Videos - Sesame Street / Images Of Kwanzaa Coloring Pages.
Kwanzaa Dec. 26th Through Jan 1st. In the Virgin Islands, Kwanzaa has been celebrated for more than four decades, with community groups, families, and individuals continuing the tradition through annual observances and activities.
The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa Nguzo Saba.
Dec 26 Umoja-Unity. Striving for and maintaining unity in the family and community.
Dec 27 Kujichagulia–Self Determination. Defining, naming, creating, and speaking for ourselves.
Dec 28 Ujima-Collective Work And Responsibility. Building and maintaining community together and solving problems collectively.
Dec 29 Ujamaa–Cooperative Economics. Supporting and building our own businesses and shared economic strength.
Dec 30 Nia–Purpose. Committing to the collective vocation of uplifting our people.
Dec 31 Kuumba–Creativity. Using creativity to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
Jan 1 Imani–Faith. Believing in our people, parents, teachers, leaders, and the righteousness of our struggle.
♥African American History, Cvil Rights, Music, Media And Art♥
Dial 211 For Free Food And Other Social Services
Find Food Banks
Help For The Okiciyap Community Food Pantry♥/And A Links "Information-A-Thon" For Everyone.
♥SuAnne Big Crow Boys And Girls Club♥
Greta Thunberg Arrested In London-Palestine Action Hunger Strikes.
Videos / Images Activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in central London during a demonstration in support of Palestine Action hunger strikers. Tuesday, Dec 23, 2025.
For Anyone Interested
Help Send, Lifesaving Pacemakers To Cuba.
Global Health Partners is leading an emergency drive to supply Cuban hospitals with desperately needed medical equipment. Building solidarity, advocacy and medical aid throughout Latin America. Nonprofit organization
Cuba has no pacemakers, leaving patients suffering from heart disease with a three-year wait for the lifesaving devices.
While the US embargo prevents the country from purchasing pacemakers in the global market, Cuba urgently needs 2,000 pacemakers to treat its heart patients.
Another day of recovery.
I spent Xmas day with my critters. I slept and sat in my recliner working on my YouTube channels.
My hand suddenly developed a large bruise, similar to those sported by tRump. I don't know why as I dont recall banging it. I sent a message to my surgeon asking if I need to be concerned. It doesn't hurt nor has it affected my hand's functionality.
I have been coughing as since I had a tube in my lungs my esophagus was rubbed raw.
I should be week for several weeks. I'm not supposed to overly exert myself for several weeks. Fortunately it's winter break and no subbing until January 12.
#jtg
I spent Christmas Eve Day mostly sleeping and cuddling with my critters, especially Fenris and Thoth, who are eternally lying on me.
I am feeling more stable, but I need to be careful and not get too bold, as I could easily fall, which would reverse my lifestyle quickly.
Santa came last night, and cat and dog food got delivered to the front porch after sundown in the rain. I had to get dressed and go out on the porch to open boxes and bring in the bags of dry dog and dry cat food. I left the canned critter food in the rain as I was cold and getting wobbly. The canned food will not be hurt by the rain.
Thanks to the Elves who packed Santa's bags for my critters via my Amazon pet supply wishlist.
I even got some food for the lead critter, me.
I got home yesterday evening. It was one of the windiest days of the year with sustained winds of 30 mph with gusts up to 60. Walking across the yard was a challenge as I was, an remain, very weak and unsteady. The doggo went nutzo when I got inside, and Thoth appeared quickly. When I got to my recliner, I was covered in a living blanket of fur babies. I fell asleep in the chair and slept all night and into today with only a couple of pee breaks.
Thoth was cuddled on me all night. A couple of times he would stand up, walk around on me, and return to his spot lying against me. Thoth was on my right side and Fenris was on the left. A few times Thoth started licking Fenris but Fenris did not approve. I tried to explain that Thoth loved his pupper but Fenris did not like his head cat kissed.
Thoth did not want me to leave Monday morning. He knows when I get dressed that I'm usually going somewhere. Usually this is to go to school to substitute teacher time. Me getting dressed in the middle of a winter night seemed to freak jim, so he kept jumping on me and cuddling tight while complaining when I tried to stand up.
Being that Thoth was a long time homeless stray. And several times since I brought him inside I've disappeared for weeks into hospital, he is very sensitive to being left alone.
More to come.
Ask me in comments. I haveread all of them. I will reply soon.
On my way home to my 🐈 s and 🐕 s.
I am hopefully going home today. My blood pressure is low causing me to be unsteady in walking. Hopefully that resolves soon. I'll let you know.
I am currently exhausted. I am limited to answering with my phone.
My blood pressure is critically low so the nurses won't let me stand, much less walk, without one nearby holding on to me arm. They think this will fade after a night of sleep 😴.
Bookmark this diary and over the next couple of days I will have a lot to say.
I was again touched by the community support when I saw the flood of positivity when I got to my phone post unconscious.
I am hoping these surgery will be a turning point for the positivity.
Keep checking here.
In recovery.
I had to lie on my back for four hours until the incision in my groin stopped bleeding. It killed my back.
I'm now sitting up in a chair. My blood pressure is very low, 80/50, so I'm not allowed to get up and walk yet.
I haven't eaten in 22 hours so that's not helping my stability.
Food is coming.
Procedure seems to have been successful.
I'm out of AFib for the first time in years.
I'm still in recovery lying on my back in bed
I'll write more when I can sit up.
#htg
As you are reading this, I am either in surgery or soon to be out.
This is yet another intense medical procedure of many over the last 18 months. I am getting very PTSD over all this.
I am having a long-scheduled and long-delayed procedure called catheter ablation at Stanford Medical Center. Simply put, the surgeon will put a catheter into a vein in my leg and thread it up through to my heart. Then she will burn out a small portion of the interior of my heart. Hopefully, this will stop my long ongoing AFib, and my heart will go back to its normal beat again.
This is supposed to be a nearly routine procedure, but anytime someone is poking around inside my heart while I’m under general anesthesia, things can go wrong fast. One oops, and the heart interior or a vein can be ripped, and that would result in an emergency cut-open surgery, or worse.
I am fortunate in that Stanford is considered one of the best hospitals in the world. I was there for my staghorn kidney stone removal, and the professionalism compared to my local hospital is not comparable.
Normally, they would send me home the same day, but due to my physical conditions, size, et cetera, they are going to keep me overnight for observation and recovery. Plus, being about 100 miles away would not be an easy trip right after this kind of surgery.
If all goes well, I’ll be home sometime Tuesday. I’ll probably be very sore for about a week.
I timed this for school winter break, with three weeks off.
I recorded a YouTube video on my Mister Green Explains YouTube channel. Check it out.
In the meantime, I could use your support. In particular, my critters need dry food from my Amazon Pet Supplies wishlist.
Ask any questions in the comments.
Thank you for your support.
Help keep me living indoors
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Poll 305 votes Show Results Have you ever had surgery? Yes No Again and again and again... Other in comments. 305 votes Vote Now! Have you ever had surgery? Yes 221 votes No 8% 25 votes Again and again and again... 58 votes Other in comments. 0% 1 vote
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES — an exhibition entitled Art and Life in Rembrandt’s Time — with over 75 works from a private collection of 17th-century Dutch artists (featuring a dozen by Rembrandt and the only painting by Johannes Vermeer in a private collection)— will be at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida to March 29th.
YOUR WEEKEND READ is this essay in Mother Jones by Samantha Michaels on how the occupation of Memphis by the Stephen Miller Brigade is leading everyone to ask …. When will this all be over?
CHEERS to the French government, which has formally exonerated more than 11,660 people (most of them posthumously) who were convicted between 1870 and 1975 of performing or seeking an abortion.
HAIL and FAREWELL to the English blues-rock guitarist Mick Abrahams — who was on the first Jethro Tull album (This Was) and then founded Blodwyn Pig, whose magnum opus See My Way has been covered by others — who has died at the age of eighty-two (and he had not been in good health for years, having had a stroke in 2009).
THURSDAY's CHILDREN are named Oakley the Dog and River the Cat: Oakley bonded with River as a kitten and now (in his dotage): River has become Oakley's caregiver, offering massages daily.
PROGRAMMING NOTE — there will neither be a Friday posting in Cheers & Jeers, nor a weekend Odds & Ends due to Yuletide travel. Whether you celebrate it or not, all the best during this holiday season.
ENVIRONMENTAL NOTES — Ghana has banned mining in forest reserves as part of sweeping environmental protections aimed at safeguarding water and halting deforestation. Africa’s top gold producer is battling a surge in poorly regulated small-scale mining that is destroying cocoa farms, degrading forests and rivers, and heightening sustainability risks for its mining sector, sparking protests.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Maximus the Cat - the kitteh of Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever, who shows him on Instagram with captions in Flemish ... plus this:
BRAIN TEASER — try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz.
THE OTHER NIGHT yours truly hosted the Top Comments diary with a look at a Jamelle Bouie gift essay in the NY Times about outsourced policy in the administration.
TRANSATLANTIC COUSINS? — rock singer Debbie Harry and the recently deceased Scottish fashion designer Pam Hogg (who designed some of Debbie’s outfits).
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… with the Winter Solstice set to arrive this Sunday: although it was written by Joni Mitchell: each year at this time, I feature the man who popularized this song and — according to Rolling Stone — ushered in the singer/songwriter era. “I wasn’t sure if they were crediting me … or accusing me,” he remarked.
Say what you will, Tom Rush gets around. He was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, came-of-age in Massachusetts, made his mark at the Boston/Cambridge coffeehouses of the early 1960's, is part of the Class of 1963 at Harvard, has lived in the Rockies and the West Coast, then Vermont, now back in Massachusetts and who-knows-where tomorrow (as he counts having moved twenty-six times).
As Steve Leggett of the All-Music Guide puts it, “Rush's warm and slightly world-weary baritone” has a way of growing on you, and he was one of the first performers to feature works by Jackson Browne and others when they were just beginning. Garth Brooks has cited him as an influence, with James Taylor going so far as to say, "I took as much from Tom Rush as possible and unwittingly modeled myself on him. Like a lot of people who do what I do, I owe my career to him".
For a few years, Tom Rush has had an album of humorous tunes Trolling for Owls - which he notes is "not available in stores!" And one of them - The Remember Song - has received in excess of 7.3 million hits on YouTube. After being told it had gone viral he wrote, "I thought I was being accused of being a musical equivalent of Ebola ......... but my children explained to me ... that this was a good thing".
And for several years, The Very Best of Tom Rush has provided listeners with his classic songs (as well as a 2013 documentary film). But it wasn't until 2009 that he released What I Know — which was his first new studio recording in 35 years — because as he explained, "I don't like to rush headlong into these things".
In 2018, he released the album Voices — with some traditional tunes as well as several new songs — of which he says, “There are very few labels that are just content to put out good music and make a reasonable profit at it. Appleseed Recordings, the label I’m on, is one of them, and I’m very thankful to be working with them.”
This marks the 64th anniversary of the career of Tom Rush and — at age 84 — is still quite active. In 2012 he recorded What's Wrong with America? — a spoof of Mitt Romney's notorious “47%” comments. He performs in a lot of college towns and — without mentioning you-know-who by name — said a few years ago:
In terms of the politics, I try to create kind of a little oasis from the problems of the world. So I don’t tend to get political, because I really don’t want to remind people of how much things suck. I’d rather give them a little holiday from all the turmoil. On the other hand, there are times when I just can’t help myself and have to comment on something. I’ve been saying lately there are aspects of the recent election cycle that make you realize we really have to spend more on education. You can make of that what you will.
In terms of the politics, I try to create kind of a little oasis from the problems of the world. So I don’t tend to get political, because I really don’t want to remind people of how much things suck. I’d rather give them a little holiday from all the turmoil.
On the other hand, there are times when I just can’t help myself and have to comment on something. I’ve been saying lately there are aspects of the recent election cycle that make you realize we really have to spend more on education. You can make of that what you will.
Last year, he released his latest album Gardens Old, Flowers New — with keyboardist Matt Nakoa (who produced the album) and harmony vocals by Abbie Gardner and Monica Rizzio. Then he gave a brief commencement address to graduates at Franklin Pierce University here in New Hampshire (before singing his Child’s Song).
“If you find something you love to do, it’s so much easier to get good at it. So, look for something that you love to do and go for it. And also, I’ve realized that in terms of performing … [the audience doesn’t] want perfection; they want connection. And I think that’s true in all of our relationships.”
While he has no upcoming shows, he did four concerts in California recently with Judy Collins. And he was delighted to meet two women in their early 20s who stood in line for 30 minutes after a show to meet him. He figured they must have grown up with grandparents who loved his music. Not so.
“They told me they had gone to a used record store to get LPs to hang on the wall. But they thought maybe they should play them once first. They were so blown away. When they met me, they were just incoherent with glee, and they could hardly talk. It’s a crazy, crazy world.”
That Joni Mitchell song that Tom Rush helped to popularize: is her 1966 tune Urge for Going - about the oncoming Canadian winter (which she did not release on an album until 1972). Below you can hear Tom Rush sing it (with the accent guitar of the late Bruce Langhorne — who accompanied Bob Dylan frequently — that, to me: is what truly makes this version special).
I awoke today and found the frost perched on the town It hovered in a frozen sky then it gobbled summer down When the sun turns traitor cold and all the trees are shivering in a naked row I get the urge for going ... but I never seem to go Now the warriors of winter give a cold triumphant shout And all that stays is dying and all that lives is getting out See the geese in chevron flight flapping and racing on before the snow They got the urge for going and they've got the wings to go And they get the urge for going when the meadow grass is turning brown Summertime is falling down Winter's closing in
Now the warriors of winter give a cold triumphant shout And all that stays is dying and all that lives is getting out See the geese in chevron flight flapping and racing on before the snow They got the urge for going and they've got the wings to go
And they get the urge for going when the meadow grass is turning brown Summertime is falling down Winter's closing in
Poll 149 votes Show Results Who Lost the Week ?!?!? College quarterback Diego Pavia, so upset that he was not chosen as the Heisman Trophy winner that on social media he launched an f-the-voters screed that may affect his status in the NFL draft, concerned he is a liability Jared Kushner, whose plan to build a Trump hotel in Serbia – redeveloping a site bombed by NATO – was scrapped after it had become a quagmire over citizen protests and indictment of a senior Serbian official Luis Uribe, a U.S. Customs & Border Protection officer who allegedly sexually assaulted women in the Chicago area, charged with deprivation of civil rights under color of law and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence Jeanine Pirro, Krasnov-appointed U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., has quietly shut down her much-hyped “investigation” into the city’s crime statistics — without filing a single criminal charge James Watford, a pastor at a North Carolina Church of God assembly, arrested on two counts of first degree kidnapping, and four counts of indecent liberties with a child Mike Johnson, as three discharge petitions have forced a House vote on legislation he refused to bring to the floor just this autumn The Krasnov Justice Department, failing for the second time in seven days to indict NY state attorney general Tish James Stephen Phillips, a Florida optician, arrested after he pulled out a silver semi-automatic gun and aimed it at a vehicle’s occupants (including a 3-year-old) with his finger resting on the trigger during a road rage incident Coast Guard admiral Kevin Lunday, forced to delete (from its workplace harassment policy) the downgrading of swastikas and nooses from overt hate symbols to “potentially divisive,” in order to end the freeze on his promotion Pentecostal minister Joe Campbell, who had ministered to thousands of children across four states, arrested on child sex charges in Oklahoma of one count of first-degree rape and one count of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16 Sanford, Florida police officer Ronny Neal, who ran his department’s polygraph tests, arrested for falsely claiming 79 off-duty shifts for which he did not work FBI second-in-command Dan Bongino, who gave up a podcaster gig for this post yet spoke about the hardships it entailed, announcing he is leaving on January French anesthesiologist Frédéric Péchier, sentenced to life imprisonment for poisoning 30 patients aged between 4 and 89 (causing cardiac arrests) including 12 that were fatal, aimed at harming colleagues whom he was in conflict with Rep. Elise Stefanik, who went from a moderate NY state Republican into full MAGA, announcing she will leave Congress and not seek the GOP nomination for governor Ronald Spektor, arrested for a phishing scheme that stole nearly $16 million from about 100 users of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, by contacting users to claim their assets were at risk from a hacker Braden Birdsong, sentenced to ten years for a hate crime (admitting to beating a Black co-worker at an Oklahoma restaurant) while using racial slurs Joshua Rogers, sentenced to 9 years in prison for aiding and abetting a Memphis police officer (previously sentenced) kidnap and kill a man dating his former girlfriend, then dump his body in a river after fixing chains and cinderblocks to it All of the sex offenders, stalkers and rapists Multiple names listed - please note in a comment Write-in vote 149 votes Vote Now! Who Lost the Week ?!?!? College quarterback Diego Pavia, so upset that he was not chosen as the Heisman Trophy winner that on social media he launched an f-the-voters screed that may affect his status in the NFL draft, concerned he is a liability 3% 4 votes Jared Kushner, whose plan to build a Trump hotel in Serbia – redeveloping a site bombed by NATO – was scrapped after it had become a quagmire over citizen protests and indictment of a senior Serbian official 4% 6 votes Luis Uribe, a U.S. Customs & Border Protection officer who allegedly sexually assaulted women in the Chicago area, charged with deprivation of civil rights under color of law and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence 1% 1 vote Jeanine Pirro, Krasnov-appointed U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., has quietly shut down her much-hyped “investigation” into the city’s crime statistics — without filing a single criminal charge 4% 6 votes James Watford, a pastor at a North Carolina Church of God assembly, arrested on two counts of first degree kidnapping, and four counts of indecent liberties with a child 0% 0 votes Mike Johnson, as three discharge petitions have forced a House vote on legislation he refused to bring to the floor just this autumn 22 votes The Krasnov Justice Department, failing for the second time in seven days to indict NY state attorney general Tish James 6% 9 votes Stephen Phillips, a Florida optician, arrested after he pulled out a silver semi-automatic gun and aimed it at a vehicle’s occupants (including a 3-year-old) with his finger resting on the trigger during a road rage incident 1% 1 vote Coast Guard admiral Kevin Lunday, forced to delete (from its workplace harassment policy) the downgrading of swastikas and nooses from overt hate symbols to “potentially divisive,” in order to end the freeze on his promotion 2% 3 votes Pentecostal minister Joe Campbell, who had ministered to thousands of children across four states, arrested on child sex charges in Oklahoma of one count of first-degree rape and one count of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16 2% 3 votes Sanford, Florida police officer Ronny Neal, who ran his department’s polygraph tests, arrested for falsely claiming 79 off-duty shifts for which he did not work 0% 0 votes FBI second-in-command Dan Bongino, who gave up a podcaster gig for this post yet spoke about the hardships it entailed, announcing he is leaving on January 3% 4 votes French anesthesiologist Frédéric Péchier, sentenced to life imprisonment for poisoning 30 patients aged between 4 and 89 (causing cardiac arrests) including 12 that were fatal, aimed at harming colleagues whom he was in conflict with 4% 6 votes Rep. Elise Stefanik, who went from a moderate NY state Republican into full MAGA, announcing she will leave Congress and not seek the GOP nomination for governor 22 votes Ronald Spektor, arrested for a phishing scheme that stole nearly $16 million from about 100 users of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, by contacting users to claim their assets were at risk from a hacker 0% 0 votes Braden Birdsong, sentenced to ten years for a hate crime (admitting to beating a Black co-worker at an Oklahoma restaurant) while using racial slurs 0% 0 votes Joshua Rogers, sentenced to 9 years in prison for aiding and abetting a Memphis police officer (previously sentenced) kidnap and kill a man dating his former girlfriend, then dump his body in a river after fixing chains and cinderblocks to it 1% 2 votes All of the sex offenders, stalkers and rapists 47 votes Multiple names listed - please note in a comment 9% 13 votes Write-in vote 0% 0 votes
A look at two forces-behind-the-throne, after-the-jump ...
In November, 2016 (after the election) I recall Newt Gingrich saying on NPR that Krasnov told him something along-the-lines of “I didn’t realize being president would involve so much work”. That was borne out when we read about his schedule involving Executive Time (i.e., watching TV), as he must have thought the job would be powerful yet ceremonial (signing things, giving speeches, et al). Then, he had some people who had governmental experience and some independence, which was no longer true by the close of his first term.
Jamelle Bouie of the NY Times (in a gift article) does not use the term outsourcing, yet indicates that he has largely outsourced most of his work. When asked about some of his pardons or decisions and Krasnov responds, “I don’t know about that, it was suggested to me” … sometimes he’s hiding the truth, yet by outsourcing: there may be times it is true. Jamelle Bouie notes two figures:
Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, is the de facto shadow president for domestic affairs. As one senior government official told ProPublica, “It feels like we work for Russ Vought. He has centralized decision-making power to an extent that he is the commander in chief.” It was Vought who orchestrated the administration’s assault on the federal bureaucracy, including the wholesale destruction of U.S.A.I.D. It was Vought who either froze or canceled hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for anti-poverty programs, H.I.V. reduction initiatives and research into science, medicine and technology. And it is Vought who has been pushing the boundaries of executive power as he attempts to turn the federal government into little more than an extension of the personal will of the president — as channeled through himself, of course.
The other power broker?
Stephen Miller is its shadow president for internal security. Miller, Trump’s top domestic policy adviser, is using the president’s authority to try to transform the ethnic mix of the country — to make America white again, or at least whiter than it is now. He is the primary force behind the expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection into a roving deportation force. He has pushed both agencies to step up their enforcement operations, targeting schools, restaurants, farms and other work sites and detaining anyone agents can get their hands on, regardless of citizenship or legal status. It is Miller who is behind the militarization of ICE, the use of the National Guard to occupy Democrat-led cities and assist deportation efforts, and the plan to blanket the United States with a network of detention camps for unauthorized immigrants and anyone else caught in his dragnet.
Read the gift article, as it’s not long and goes into the “unitary executive” theory behind it. There are others that Krasnov delegates power to … and one wonders how much Executive Time he has on his hands (including nap time) nowadays.
Let’s close with the late, great Diane Keaton singing this Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields classic for Steve Martin in 2007, when he received the Kennedy Center honors … which will always be its proper title.
Highlighted by Chillier:
Highlighted by Sarkazien:
Highlighted by Molly Bloom:
To end on a brighter note …..
Thank you for your attention to this matter.— Elayne Boosler (@eboosler.bsky.social) 2025-12-18T23:02:50.349Z
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
In the diary by TheCriticalMind explaining Krasnov’s boast about a ‘warrior dividend’ being financed by tariffs was merely a re-direction of other already authorized funds — Lincoln green looked at which publications fell for the ruse … and which did not.
1) From Axios: “The revealing pointlessness of Trum … by AKALib +164 2) I feel compelled to repeat these lines: … by Paul C +155 3) Agree. Let’s make sure our crazy uncles watch th … by AKALib +145 4) Tom Nichols on tonight’s rant — … by AKALib +144 5) [embed] by Meteor Blades +141 6) They should try emailing Jesus instead. by Carmeninvermont +128 7) He’s angry because his ratings are tanking, and … by xaxnar +123 8) I watched the Trump tirade. … by eflos +121 9) Odd, I am also older and that story isn’t foolis … by jfromga +118 10) [image] by exlrrp +113 11) [image] by exlrrp +104 12) A quick summary of the 20-minute rant (he left o … by AKALib +102 13) Guns by Denise Oliver Velez +96 14) Paul Krugman this morning at paulkrugman.su … by AKALib +91 15) EPSTEIN EPSTEIN EPSTEIN! by NeverEverAgain +90 16) The precondition to all this is that any no … by Knute Heimdall +84 16) Gaslighting lunatics galore in these times of tr … by AKALib +84 16) I saw a recording of the first minute and the&nb … by HughJimBasile +84 19) SPOCK: Captain, the speech follows no logical pa … by Proginoskes +82 20) Oh FFS. … by BayAreaKen +81 20) Thanks, Greg. Daily Toons: ICE by Denise Oliver Velez +81 22) That guy, apparently, cannot be put in front of … by Shazster +80 23) Well worth repeating. by Meteor Blades +79 24) Dump/Rob Reiner by Denise Oliver Velez +78 25) I have always loved that story. But I am a … by Carmeninvermont +75 26) I lasted about a minute. He started in on the sa … by LeirsinnDave +74 27) Nichols is dead on the money. by Meteor Blades +72 28) Bondi Beach by Denise Oliver Velez +71 29) The potential loss of command, control and commu … by marking time +70 29) Squeaker Mikie wants to promote HSA’s that are o … by pauliewallnuts +70
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