Good Morning Friends, Neighbors and seekers of solace and uplift! The Good News Cafe here in Gnuville, in the Oblast of DailyKos, is open for toothsome comments, insightful out-takes, hijacked comment threads, trivia and its hard-to-miss opposite, MASSIVA (aka DJT’s ego…..)
Good News in Politics
Politics from the Left side of the Street are welcome at this site and we open today with a nicely toasted bit of Shadenfreude, that delicious German word that means “rejoicing at someone else’s misfortune.” If the Democrats are going to get past the Sinemanchin Blockade in the US Senate they need to hold all their seats at flip at least 2.
- While John Fetterman continues to smack around Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania and New Jersey with headline-grabbing shade, next door in Ohio, Democrat Tim Ryan is making a serious run at flipping the Ohio Senate seat up this November. Like Pennsylvania this year, this Ohio race is for an open seat, and the GQP has nominated JD Vance as their MAGA-flavored champion to try to hold it. Vance has some talent as a writer (I usually respect a book in print) and parlayed his fame into the nomination. But he can’t run a campaign.
THIS STORY points out that not only did Ryan out-raise Vance in the 2nd Quarter in the money race (and by 6 to 1! $12 million to $2 million), the Vance campaign has managed to spend ALL that $2 mil….AND all the carryover from the 1st Qtr…..and THEY ARE BROKE. (NOT a good look with about 100+ days to go to the election.) Vance is reduced to sending out fund-raising letters asking donors to help PAY OFF HIS DEBTS. I gotta say that is NOT a good look…...except as shadenfreude!
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Fani Willis and the Georgia Special Grand Jury are getting down to brass tacks on their election tampering case. They are issuing “target letters” to various, well, targets (like 16 Fake Electors in Georgia) and subpoenaing witnesses like Senator Hoopskirt of South Carolina. Lindsay Graham first fought his subpoena, but the other day caved and said he would now show up.
OTOH, Rudi “Sweat Me a River” Giuliani also fought his subpoena in federal court in his back yard in Manhattan. Well, sort of fought it. Yes, he and his lawyers filed certain motions to dismiss/quash. BUT Rudi himself NEVER SHOWED UP in court to plead his case. (Stupid? Arrogant? Demented? With Rudi these days it is SO HARD to tell…...Condescending---”Its merely Georgia, and from a black woman; nothing to bother about...”)
Well yesterday the federal judge in New York issued an 8 page ORDER (HERE) that Rudi MUST comply, and that NOT SHOWING UP was part of why the order was issued. YAY! Let Justice be Done!
- Tonight is the night! 8:00pm Eastern, the J6 Committee holds its Season 1 Summer Finale Hearing. The Preview notes say the focus here will be on the infamous 187 minutes the Lord of the Lies did NOTHING about the Capitol Coup Seditionists (except to cheer them on). Some have suggested the Committee might go 187 minutes tonight, closing with, “Its been 187 minutes since we started tonight. You heard in testimony and saw in clips what happened, what was being attempted, and who was doing his NOT BEST to stay in power. 187 minutes…...187 minutes of this…..(insert graphic images here)”
Indeed this is SUCH a major event that the gravitational force of tonight’s approaching Prime Time hearing has mostly flipped the History Corner on its ear and caused it to be presented today with Previous July 21sts in Reverse Chronological Order…..Like this:
1974 Washington DC After most of year of Congressional hearings, testimony from various witness, and tons of evidence placed on the record as to what happened at Watergate, in a grave, gravity-laden, heavy, historic moment, the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives this day votes approval of 2 Articles of Impeachment against President Richard Nixon. Its been over 100 years since such a vote has been taken against a President, and all eyes are on the Committee. (Approval by the whole House looks likely; the only way to avoid such a formal Senate trail is for the President to resign. Since that has never happened before, we can take that off the list, right?)
Good News of Artistic Arts of Sight, Voice, Word and Sound
Yes, nowadays we have that thing called “selfies”. You hold up your Internet-alarm-phone-text box- GPS-current time in Hong Kong- current weather in Barcelona---cost of turnips in Rio----CAMERA (finally found the app….), point the reverse lens/screen/enhance-image/erase artifacts THING and take your own photo. (I refuse to do so.)
But there used to be a MUCH better yet MUCH harder way to do this. First you had to have actual artistic talent, then the motivation, and then a mirror. And one of the people who did this turns out to be the celebrated Vincent Van Gogh. A Scottish Museum has announced, using x-rays, it has found such a selfie UNDERNEATH another painting (recycling an old canvas.) Fun to know…..and find!
1951 Chicago Birth of Robin McLaurin Williams, actor, comedian. A reserved and rather shy little boy, he hit his stride in middle and high school in drama (voted “Funniest in Class” at graduation.) In college, switched from political science to acting; one of his professors said he was hard to work with because the rest of the cast would be laughing so hard all the time at his improv. Won a full scholarship to Julliard in New York, where his classmates included Christopher Reeve, Mandy Patinkin, and William Hurt, all learning from visiting professor John Houseman. Robin made it big on TV’s “Mork and Mindy”, and made us laugh and cry in “Good Will Hunting,” “Good Morning Vietnam,” “Jumanji” and the voice of the genie in “Aladdin”, just to name a few. His acting was funny, warm and always Good News.
1948 New York City Birth of Garretson Beekman Trudeau, cartoonist. Grew up in Saranac Lake, earned degrees from Yale in graphic arts. Was already cartooning, spoofing the Yale quarterback in “Bull Tales”, sharpening his sardonic humor. Graduated in 1970 and United Features took an interest in his college work and bought it. Called the strip “Doonesbury” and Garretson got shortened to Garry Trudeau. Currently syndicated in over 1000 newspapers worldwide. Happily married for over 40 years to news journalist Jane Pauley.
1899 Oak Park, Illinois Birth of Ernest Hemingway, journalist, author. From a well-off family, he got to spend summers in Michigan learning to love hunting, camping, fishing. After high school he worked as a reporter for the Kansas City Star for 6 months and said he wrote the rest of his life by their style guide: "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative.”. 7 novels (“The Sun Also Rises”, “Farewell to Arms”), 6 collections of short stories, 2 non-fiction books. "Never confuse motion with action."
From the Hemingway Parody Conference: (Impressive when read aloud in a gravely voice….)
Only More So
It was a dark wet night. Gerty Stein would have called it a dark dark wet night night. But I’m not Gerty. I’m Nick. I entered Harry’s Bar. It was dark and wet. In my last story it was clean and well-lit. I never repeat myself. I ordered a banana daiquiri. “Make it a double; I’m depressed,” said Nick.
“Catch any big fish lately, amigo?” It was Lardo. Lardo fought bulls. His skin was the color of meatloaf. His hands were as supple as a steelworker’s. “No,” I replied. “I see,” said Lardo.
Lardo saw. I did not. I punched him in the mouth. It was a good punch. A big punch. A punch as big and good as the haunches of a female elk in rutting season. Lardo fell. He fell well. All Spaniards fall well.
“Why did you do that, amigo?” he said.
“I don’t know.”
It was good I don’t know. I sat down at the bar like any other man, only more so, and chugged my daiquiri. “Oh hell,” I muttered and threw the straw away.
Lardo got up from the floor….He struck my unshaven writer’s chin with his supple bullfighter’s fist. As he did, I could hear a bell toll in the distance. My body hit the floor hard. I wondered who the bell was tolling for.
“Whom,” said the bartender. By Steven Spivak
1897 London The opening this day of the Tate Gallery, one of the world’s finest collections. (Should be on your Bucket List…..for at least one full day.)
1865 Mannheim, Germany, Birth of Robert Kahn, composer. He was one of several children of a wealthy banking family. Was able to attend a music college in Berlin and had a friendly, influenced relationship with Johannes Brahms. In the 1890s became a teacher at his alma mater, with students like Arthur Rubenstein. Wrote numerous chamber pieces and songs, both solo and choral, but very little for full orchestra (except for a noted orchestral serenade); in addition to Brahms, shows influences from Mendelssohn and Schubert. Very productive, (hundreds of pieces) but all of these manuscripts (thank goodness for printing in other countries) were suppressed and burned in the 1930s because he was Jewish and in Germany. He lived out his final years in England; only recently are his pieces getting a fresh hearing.
Good News about……. News
1918 Orleans, Massachusetts (the Northern, not New, Orleans) GERMAN ATTACK REPORTED! See what a catchy headline will get you for a semi-Goofy nugget? Yes, on this day, Europe in its 4th deadly year of war, America pulled in since late last spring, and regular reports of new tech causing endless misery. But all of that is “over there”, and we Americans have a 2-ocean Navy plus sheer distance to protect us. Well maybe. In the wee hours of this morning several explosions are heard from a Cape Cod marsh. As dawn comes in and light improves, Massachusetts faces its first direct shelling of its territory by a hostile force in about 140 years. A German submarine throws several shells into enemy territory, raising sand plumes along Nauset Beach. No one is hurt, nothing is sunk, and then they submerged, went away, and everyone except the locals forgot about them…..but July 21sts they still hang 2 lanterns (“Two if by sea!” Paul Revere style) just in case….
1912 AND 2022 Stockholm, Sweden AND Lausanne, Switzerland The 5th Modern Olympic Games were held here in 1912. It was considered the “Swedish Masterpiece” of organization and ceremony. Overall, 2400 athletes came, representing 28 countries. 26 men competed in the Pentathlon (javelin, discus, long jump, 200 meters, 1500 meters), with the Decathlon (100 meters, long jump, high jump, 400 meters, shot put, 110 meter hurdles, discus, pole vault javelin and 1500 meters) drawing 29 competitors from 12 nations. In a stunning exhibition of athletic prowess, American (Native American Wa-Tho-Huk, a blend of Sac and Fox) Jim Thorpe won BOTH events.
In a nasty bit of racist crapola and official bigotry, Thrope was later stripped of his medals on grounds he had once accepted a few dollars for a baseball game, making him a “professional athlete.”
Well now, a good 100 years later, a serious wrong is being righted. By action of the International Olympic Committee Jim Thorpe’s gold medals have been restored, with an apology. Never should have happened, but at least now, a measure of justice. (Thorpe played football, and his college had a chance to play THE national power, the cadets of Army at West Point. After one of those games, an Army linebacker said in awe that Thorpe was “the greatest athlete I ever saw.” Let THAT quote from Cadet Dwight Eisenhower always be recited…….)
1816 Kassel, Germany Birth of Israel Beer Josaphat, telegrapher, reporter, businessman. Son of a rabbi, in his 20s he met scientist Carl Gauss and helped with some experiments with messaging by wire and electricity. Then moved to London changed his name to Julius Josaphat. Converted to Christianity and was baptized in a Lutheran congregation, once again changing his name, to Paul Julius Reuter. After a stint as a reporter in both Paris and Brussels, he moved back to London and set up a news agency and newspaper: the Reuters News Agency (still a world power in reliable news.) Clever fellow too: in the 1860s, at his own expense, he erected a private telegraph line from London to Crookhaven, Ireland, the physically closest point to North American shipping routes. Then he arranged for steamers arriving from America & Canada to toss sealed canisters containing newspapers and journals overboard. These would wash ashore and be retrieved by Reuters people and then telegraphed to London, where Reuters would scoop the other British papers with “Fresh News from Abroad” by two or three days before the ships docked in Cork or Southampton.
Good News in Science
When is DeJoy going to get canned from the US Postal Service? And why is this burning question here in a science Good News section? The US Postal Service obviously has a fleet of local delivery vehicles to deliver your mail and periodically they need to replace these. Its a big fleet order and makes the news. It made the news when DeJoy rigged the decision for the newest round to be overwhelmingly gas-powered vehicles.
Now comes THIS STORY that thanks to major pushback from activists and various states, the number of electric vehicles will be MUCH higher! Not a full win (sacking DeJoy would qualify) but worth a couple cheers for sure.
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Theism. A-theism. Poly-theism. Mono-theisim. These terms and others have often been ranged to oppose facts, data, observation, measurement, hypotheses and the occasional theory and the few basic Laws of Science. Science vs. Religion. Fact vs. Faith.
All of us seem to come to grips with this dichotomy, and every once in while there comes something that makes you stop and re-consider.
I have to say THIS STORY about a neutron star giving off a regular energy pulse is one such head scratcher for me. Yes, yes, its a neutron star which has certain atomic processes happening in conjunction with mass, energy, gravity, etc. etc. The scientists who found it will naturally say the same. BUT…...they have already nicknamed there pulse a galactic HEARTBEAT. (Now is that a resting pulse, or under stress? What is the valve function? The interstellar blood pressure?) But space has a heartbeat….or a beat…..with a back beat? Can you dance to it? Where is Dick Clark and American Bandstand when you need them?
And in another scientific note in today’s Upside Down History Corner (but if we are in non-linear time, perhaps this entry comes earlier…..or later…..before…….after…..simultaneously….)
1620 La Fleche, France Birth Jean Picard, astronomer. Studied at College Royal Henry-Le-Grand and became a Jesuit priest. Exchanged letters and ideas with Isaac Newton, Christaan Huygens and Giovanni Cassini, so he moved in heady circles of astronomers. Also spent several months in the house of Tycho Brahe in Denmark. Eventually, Picard used some intricate mathematics and a series of 13 carefully plotted triangles from Paris to a clock tower in Sourdon to determine exactly 1 degree of earth’s latitude. His 17-century calculation He came within 0.44% of the modern figure in determining the precise size of the earth. (Nice figuring, Tex! My theory is he later retired to the family vineyard with several brothers and sisters. 24 generations later the family gave (or will give; I’m not wrong so far!) birth to another explorer of the heavens and named him Jean-Luc……..to boldly go where no one has gone before…..)
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And, although sporting rather less hair on the scalp than the 1620 edition of Jean Picard, maybe with this label?:
Alright Friends and neighbors, girls and boys, adventurers and home bodies, The Owned by Cats and The Tended by Dogs, all the Good folks of Gnuville and all those seeking the Good News for the Living of these Days, I hope these bits and bites and nuggets on this Thursday will hold you and get you started.
As always, the Pixel Floor is always open for you to mambo in with a new story, tango with a passion for a point of view, rhumba enticingly with a fresh take on a well-hidden bon mot, waltz with a sweeping turn around the good points of a fresh idea, or just get out and rock and roll for the sheer sake of the joie de Vivre. Its what we do here in all the comments and stories posted below.
P.S. The Famous, indeed, nearly legendary, WineRev Samba of Suave is Saved for my sweetie SageHagRN (and we had the chance to impress the young folks at the family wedding a few weeks back). Of course, to be done with maximum flair, the lighting conditions do not lend themselves to videos…..so just…..imagine….
May all your News be Good, comforting and inspiring.
Shalom.
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