Meet the new year, same as the old year. Sure, COVID-45 numbers continue to explode, now over 22 million confirmed cases with record new numbers of cases and deaths. But is the new year the same? Not exactly… we had the soon to be erstwhile “President” literally incite a riot directed at the United States Capitol, where the Vice President and a joint session of Congress were meeting to officially pronounce Joe Biden as the next President. The repercussions of this event, where thousands of pro-Trump rioters were permitted to enter the United States Capitol and came within a few...

And so it looks like with Joe Biden’s electoral college victory in hand, Donald Trump’s “operation warped vision” looks like it is all but over, notwithstanding Senator Josh Hawley’s commitment to being an asshole on January 6th. Let’s just say that Mr. Trump is as committed to smashing on (indeed, urinating on) established Washington norms with almost the same vigor that Barack Obama employed to defending norms. Sigh. Where was I? Well, a few hours of 2020 to go, before we all say good riddance to it. Familia TD is home (though the Loquacious Pup will be out and about,...

It is now ten days after the November 3rd election, and six days after the major television networks and the Associated Press called the Presidential election for Democrat Joe Biden, by a 306 to 232 margin in the electoral college (and now well over 5,000,000 more popular votes, and rising). Nonetheless, “President” Donald Trump still refuses to concede the election, including a refusal to cooperate in the transition process. Former Vice President Biden is pressing on with the transition, as best he can. Today, the last two states not previously called by the major news services– North Carolina for Trump...

Mrs. TD and I were married just 29 years ago today. Draw your own conclusions.

And we’re off: nineteen years ago today was the first entry on this here blog, then as now, a week after 9-11, then as now, just in time for the Jewish new year holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Unusually, Israel, which Donald Trump thinks is the “homeland” of American Jews, is going to be under a Covid-19 related lockdown, just in time for the most important holidays of the religious calendar. This apparently is 100% the fault of feckless PM Netanyahu, just as it becomes clear that over 90% of the over 200,000 Americans who have died in this pandemic are...

Happy happy fun fun. It’s 9-11, boys and girls. Plague year edition. As long-time readers know (glad you’re both still with me!), I often do something… commemorative about September 11th on its anniversary. In this case, I am pleased in some sense that the twin beams of light (“Tribute in Light”) launched from the site of the original twin towers of the World Trade Center will be going forward, despite concerns over safety of workers as a result of COVID-19. I mean… concern for the safety of workers at the WTC? Why start now? And while the “official” ceremony will...

Hard to believe that the Loquacious Pup, who wasn’t even two years old when this here blog got started a week after 9-11, is now starting her senior year of college. But there you go. Her college, for reasons of its own, has opted for a “hybrid” of some on-line classes and some in-person (though all students have the option of all on-line). Because she has a couple of “hands-on” classes, she has opted to return to campus (or near campus, anyway, as for various reasons, she and two friends are renting an apartment near by… an unfurnished apartment– more...

And so we come to the weekend between the scheduled Democratic and Republican National conventions, which, this year, because of the COVID-45/Donald Trump plague, are largely “virtual” affairs made for television and computer live-streaming. For his part, Joe Biden made a decision (that I consider to be a catastrophic mistake) of not traveling to Wisconsin, the original “live site” of the convention. Joe, what part of “if Hillary did it, I shouldn’t” did you miss? Trump, like the shark he that he is, perceived some blood in the water and made sure to get himself to Wisconsin. Meanwhile, top Democrats...

As we roll through a summer like no other in an election year like no other when the uniquely awful attributes of the uniquely awful American system make the least-experienced, least appropriate by temperament and intellect and just plain worst President (by far) in American history still potentially viable for reelection (and God knows the American media which created him in the first place is still desperate to prop him up to create their “horse race narrative”) some dismal science is starting to emerge, such as the likelihood that Democratic candidates actually disproportionately benefit from voting by mail. This simple...

As I write this on TD Dad’s (of blessed memory) 83rd birthday, I note that exactly two months ago, Mrs. TD and I landed in Madrid for what we hoped would be a week’s visit with the Loquacious Pup, then studying abroad there. She had also planned study in Paris later in the spring (would be close to being done with it and then visiting Italy right about now, actually). What a difference a plague year makes! Instead of a week’s visit, we were frantically woken up (as if we could sleep!) by several friends in the middle of the...