He left out #7 — Beethoven was deaf. At least for the last of his life, from the time of the 5th of 6th symphony until he died. For all of the other amazing aspects of his musical life, this strikes me as one of the most amazing.
Revolution — political revolution — too is manifest in Beethoven’s life and works. Publishing independently, moving away from a system of patronage, celebrating Democracy openly (flipping on Napoleon, from “liberator” to “oppressor”), there’s a heap more going on with him than mere strucural and technical musicianship.
The “Biden” three-cared monte scam continues…
…with just a bit more confusion thrown on the fire….
(Can’t have enough of that!)
File under: Don’t worry, “we” know what “we”‘re doin’…”
The lack of a response to the train derailment in Ohio is just disgusting. And what they have done to make it worse is criminal. Can you imagine if this had happened under Trump? Can you say Katrina?
Yeah, rushing headlong into this Ukraine thing is just working out better and better and better.
Mike
Our classical music radio station (also online at wrti.org) has been featuring a daily countdown of listeners’ 10 favorite composers. The top 3 were a foregone conclusion: Yesterday was W.A. Mozart, number 8; today it’s J.S. Bach. Could tomorrow’s choice be the most ineffably powerful creative force who has ever lived?
“Give me a break” says the most corrupt person occupying the White House in the history of the republic.
A person so corrupt he has to be shielded 24/7 by weaponized government agencies and an equally corrupt legacy media and corrupt infotech sector.
A person so corrupt he had to steal the presidency and prosecute his political opponents for pointing it out.
A person so corrupt he is unable to tell the truth about anything.
A living, breathing, talking coverup; a bombastic, lying plagiarist; a sordid mediocre, goofball; a joke on two legs.
He’d feel right at home in the Central African Republic, Zimbabwe or a dozen other countries.
In fact it seems as though those countries are the very model upon which he’s aiming to transform the country he purportedly was elected to lead.
“Biden says ‘give me a break’ when asked if he’s compromised by his family’s business dealings”— https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/biden-says-give-me-break-when-asked-if-hes-compromised-his-familys-business
OTOH, “Give me a break” is probably the optimal response an utterly compromised person like him could possibly give…
– – – – – – – – – – –
In other news, Fetterman woke up this morning, finally able to grasp—in a rare moment of sanity—that he was a Democrat…
“Fetterman checks himself into hospital for depression…” https://justthenews.com/government/congress/fetterman-checks-himself-hospital-depression-office-says
I guess we now have to feel sorry for the poor fellow….
I didn’t realize the symphony orchestra as we know it emerged from Beethoven’s demands to implement his musical ambitions.
I also didn’t realize “Scherzo” meant prank or joke. I was so traumatized by the “Clockwork Orange” (Wendy Carlos) version of Beethoven’s 9th Scherzo that I thought it meant crazy or schizo.
There was a great WF Buckley quote to the effect “how bad can the world be when one can purchase all nine Beethoven symphonies for $9.99?”
I can’t find that quote now but in this case I trust Google less than my memory.
Buckley was correct, except now one can hear all nine for free via YouTube.
Here we go. Sonatas, not symphonies.
__________________________
Life can’t be all bad when for ten dollars you can buy all the Beethoven sonatas and listen to them for ten years.
~ William F. Buckley, Jr.
__________________________
Even more true of the symphonies, I’d say.
Additional background on the train disaster in Ohio:
“Norfolk Southern Eliminated Key Maintenance Role In Derailment Region, Union Says”— https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/norfolk-southern-eliminated-key-maintenance-role-derailment-region-union-says
Apparently, the railroad company wanted to save a few bucks…
Key grafs:
“[A] union of rail workers has questioned declining maintenance standards following the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which forced the evacuation of the 5,000-person town earlier this month.
“A device that can play a role in preventing derailments is the wayside hot-box detector. It uses infrared sensors to detect bearings, axles or other components of a rail car that are overheating, then uses radio signals to flag rail crews of any overheated components…
“…Wayside hot-box detectors — also called “hot boxes” — are typically placed every 25 miles along a railroad…. Their use has contributed to a 59% decrease in train accidents caused by axle- and bearing-related factors since 1990….
“Declining head counts have led to these mechanisms receiving less preventative maintenance, according to an official from the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen union.
“The [Federal Railroad Adminstration (FRA)] has no regulations requiring the use or maintenance of hot boxes….”
…all of which, according to Sec. Pete, pins the blame squarely on Donald Trump….
Figures…
How long before university music majors and professional symphony orchestras cease playing anything of Beethoven because it is just another example of racism,, and white supremacy (as are most of the musical instruments you find in a symphony orchestra).
Interesting that most Asian nations have philharmonic orchestras that routinely have on their program the works of the great European composers such as Beethoven.
Barry Meislin, news reports I’ve seen say that a “hot box” alert did go to the crew, upon which they applied the brakes, with the derailment happening very shortly thereafter. So it’s not clear that this is the problem in this instance.
That’s right.
But as I understand it, that was one of the hot boxes that was still functioning, IOW—if I understand the article correctly—one of the hot boxes that the company still maintained.
In former times, there would have been a greater number of hot boxes placed at closer intervals…but the company largely stopped maintaining them (or stopped making maintenance a priority), which, since there was no FRA law that this had to be done, was NOT illegal even if it would probably fall under the category of “gross negligence”.
I suggest reading the whole article—it’s not too long—since the topic seems a bit slippery.
The awful thing though is that this could have been prevented. And should have been.
But NO ONE in the “Biden”—or the media—seems to care all that much.
After all, if it’s terrible optics, then just squelch it…so that—presto!—it’s not happening.
I’d look more at maintenance checks on the railroad cars.
This Fetterman situation is very sad. His depression has become severe “in recent weeks,” that is, since he joined the Senate and it became clear to him that he could not function there. He’s something like 9-10 months out from that stroke, and the damage appears to be permanent.
The point of the article was that that too has been eroded over time.
There’s just not enough people working on the railroad these days, apparently.
AND the companies want to save money…where they can…
(A vicious cycle.)
…which translates into “where they really shouldn’t”.
Oh, I’d agree that railroads are cutting corners.
Speaking of cutting corners, Lefty’s catcher has passed, Tim McCarver dead at 81.
Gentleman.
Fabulous all-around catcher.
Incredible baseball broadcast analyst/commentator. Boy did he ever know his stuff…
It was always a pleasure—and an education—to listen to him.
“Da Tools o’ Perspicacity”….
Kate & Barry Muslin:
I have no idea whom we can trust regarding reporting on the system set up alongside railroad tracks that is supposed to alert train crews to problems with overheating journal boxes or axles. (BTW — remembering many, many years ago when I knew more than your average teen about trains, I believe an overheated journal box is called a “hot box,” which only makes calling the alerting system a “hot box” even more confusing — it is alerting about the presence of a hot box.)
I saw a TV clip on Fox News last night that showed the train moving into East Palestine shortly before the derailment. One of the cars was clearly experiencing a hot box. In fact it had progressed so far that there were flames shooting out of the truck (that’s the assembly of four wheels at each end of a freight car.) From what I have seen in videos of other such situations, that truck would have failed within seconds of the video on Fox.
It is impossible to say, of course, whether the situation had already triggered an alert that was being ignored, or would have triggered one if the alerting system had not been downgraded.
Needless to say, only one truck has to fail catastrophically in order to trigger a derailment of nearly the entire train. So one hot box that does not get immediate attention would have been sufficient to cause the derailment that took place in Ohio.
I have also seen reports that the weight on the train was 40% in the back third of the train, which the railroad company denies.
That was great! That’s what I call performance art.
I thought the flash mob music thing was limited to “The Sound of Music” at Antwerp.
Turns out there are a ton of these videos from all over the world. Just type in “flash mob” to the YouTube search box. Covid stopped them for a while, but here’s one from last Christmas:
I’m glad I’m not the only one here who remembers Lefty and Tim McCarver. Here’s a video of McCarver telling a humorous story about Lefty’s strange packing habits for a hunting trip in South Dakota– in which Carlton’s insistence on taking a caulking gun saved the day:
@ Barry > “Norfolk Southern Eliminated Key Maintenance Role In Derailment Region, Union Says”
I read the post at ZH, which does indeed point out that maintenance is being skimped as a cost saving measure (the net loss after this derailment should convince the bean-counters that such is a false economy but probably won’t):
“Specialized signalmen called “electronic leaders” specialize in maintaining devices like hot boxes.
As recently as three years ago, Norfolk Southern employed five electronic leaders in the area of its rail network that includes East Palestine. Today, it employs zero, according to Christopher Hand, director of research at the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen.”
Then I followed the final link to HuffPo (yeah, I know) and found that the big brouhaha over Trump’s administration* cancelling the Obama break regulations for electronic brakes was just as legitimate as when the gun grabbers call for new gun regulations that would have done nothing to stop the shooting incident that they are using as an excuse.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ohio-train-disaster-deregulation-norfolk-southern_n_63ed16abe4b0255caaefab8a
“The Obama-era brake rule would not have applied to the type of train that derailed in Ohio. But Steven Ditmeyer, a former senior official at the Federal Railroad Administration, and other rail experts told the Lever that the derailment would have been less severe if the train had the upgraded brake technology.”
* * * *
*Or during his administration, no details on who exactly; I doubt that rose to the President’s desk. Who was his Secretary of Transportation?
@ Miguel in re tweet “Logan Hall @loganclarkhall
JD vance is on the ground in ohio surveying damage from the train derailment and speaking to local residents. mitch mcconnell is busy telling the public why we need to sacrifice more for ukraine.
america first vs. america last.”
Further down is a frightening thread about railroads in Ohio in general.
Jack Posobiec ?? @JackPosobiec
“This isn’t a railway in a Third World County
This is in Ohio”
The video is worth a thousand tweets.
Some replies:
Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke
“Perhaps not a coincidence that the past two (perhaps it’s more) Secretaries of Transportation were picked for reasons other than their expertise in transportation (ie suck up to McConnell and DEI).”
Publius Maximus @MaximusPublius
“I just want to know where all those TRILLIONS of dollars sold as infrastructure investment in the last couple of 2000 page bills over the last two years actually went. The bills themselves are unreadable. How do we find out? Serious question.”
Governor Mike DeWine dropped a truth bomb a few hours ago: he has been in contact with FEMA every day since the disaster in East Palestine unfolded, and the Biden Administration is refusing assistance.
Refusing assistance!
Perhaps this is why Mayor Pete has refused to go to the site of the disaster, and why he has been joking on TV while one of the largest environmental disasters in recent history has been ongoing.
…
Many people have been astonished at how little attention the MSM has given to the ongoing disaster. It appears we now know why: the Biden Administration doesn’t want it to be a big deal, despite millions of Americans being affected now and into the future.
A million pounds of toxic chemicals have been released into the environment–including the watershed that serves millions of Americans. The Biden Administration’s response has been “meh, so what?”
…
One thing we do know for sure, though, is that somehow this is Trump’s fault. Because of course it is. Just as inflation is. And absolutely anything else that is bad is. Because MAGAts are bad people.
So bad, in fact, that apparently they deserve to be poisoned.
.@TuckerCarlson: “They never said a word about the mushroom cloud…they didn’t even notice. It had nothing to do with EQUITY or CLIMATE CHANGE.
East Palestine is a poor white town that voted for Trump, so…who cares? No one in the Biden administration did care.”
…
A few years ago it would be inconceivable to me that any president of any party could be so petty and vindictive that he would let American citizens be poisoned simply to get revenge upon them for voting for their opponent. I don’t know beyond the shadow of a doubt that this is the case here, but I do know that I now find it quite believable that this is the case.
It’s easy to imagine a man who gave a speech excoriating half the country and essentially calling them evil could do something so awful.
A discussion arose on the Heart Attack thread about the principles of the Left (or the lack thereof), and I commented on a post by David Zweig that Griffin directed attention to, culminating in a not very original observation:
By Dennis Prager
There is only one good thing about the Obama administration’s attempts to nationalize most health care and to begin to control Americans’ energy consumption through cap-and-trade: clarity about the left. These attempts are enabling more and more Americans to understand the thinking and therefore the danger of the left.
…
Principal One: The left, as distinct from traditional liberals, is not, and has never been, interested in creating wealth… The left is interested in redistributing wealth, not creating it. The left spends the wealth that private enterprise and entrepreneurial risk-taking individuals create.
…
Principal Two: The reason the left asks why there is poverty instead of why there is wealth is that the left’s preoccupying ideal is equality — not economic growth. And those who are preoccupied with equality are more troubled by wealth than by poverty.
…
Principal Three: The left everywhere seeks to make as big and powerful a state as possible. It does so because only the state can redistribute society’s wealth. And because only a strong and powerful state can impose values on society. The idea of small government, the American ideal since its inception, is the antithesis of the left’s ideal.
…
Principal Four: The left imposes its values on others whenever possible and to the extent possible. That is why virtually every totalitarian regime in the 20th century was left-wing. Inherent to all left-wing thought is a totalitarian temptation. People on the left know that not only are their values morally superior to conservative values, but that they themselves are morally superior to conservatives…. Therefore, the morally superior have the right, indeed the duty, to impose their values on the rest of us: what light bulbs we use, what cars we drive, what we may ask a prospective employee, how we may discipline our children, and, of course, how much of our earnings we may keep.
And what we can say because we are not allowed to offend them, and what we must do to “flatten the curve” for three years and counting.
That quote is by Burt Prelutsky, an award winning author and screenwriter.
The word “liberals” here covers what we would call “the swamp,” which includes establishment politicians/appointees and the “biased, liberal, fake news media.”
The latest examples of the left’s double standards have reared their heads in the forms of former Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen and former FBI Director James Comey.
For some reason, James Comey is under the impression that he is able to dictate to Congress how, when and if he will respond to their lawful subpoena to testify regarding the Clinton email scandal and the unlawful spying on the Trump campaign on his watch.
Former congressman and now Fox News contributor, Jason Chaffetz, brought up a good point when he asked, “Why is Michael Cohen prosecuted when Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder and Lois Lerner were not?”
Yes, that is a very good question, but a question that we all know the answer to as well. The answer is that “the swamp” is very good at protecting their own, while vilifying and attacking those who threaten “the swamp” to any degree.
“With a Republican president in place and soon-to-be Democrat-run House, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has conveniently remembered that they have the ability to prosecute people who lie to Congress. This was a power they had inexplicably forgotten about during the 10 years that Democrats were benefiting from witnesses who lied.”
And that’s not even taking into account all of the witnesses and participants who were granted complete immunity by a complicit FBI and a complicit DOJ.
“No doubt there should be consequences and accountability if you testify to Congress under oath and blatantly lie or violate the law. But the DOJ seems to have different standards based on which party’s political fortunes will be impacted. It is this unequal application of justice that is dividing the country and threatens peace.”
… “There isn’t enough room on the internet to list all of the examples of double standards and unequal applications of the law. The inconsistency always seems to conveniently favor the Democrats and penalize those connected to Donald Trump. This obvious disconnect legitimately erodes faith in our justice system and further divides the country.”
This, of course, is completely fine with the democrats, as “further dividing the country” is one of their main goals. And they are able to achieve this goal with the willing cooperation of a “fake news” and propagandist media who twist the truth around to attack those who are actually seeking justice.
“The most sacred of the duties of a government is to do equal and impartial justice to all citizens.” – Thomas Jefferson
The power of the Right is principle, and the principle of the Left is power. Understand this and you will understand the basis of modern politics. It also explains why the struggle between the Right and Left is universal and unending, with neither able to gain long-term advantage.
In these tumultuous times of constant controversies, it is normal to seek a lodestone by which to navigate politics. Yet politicians shift stances erratically, and the ebb and flow of party fortunes only increases inconsistency. To find greater constancy in politics, we must first view it externally to see its most basic forms.
Viewing politics from the proposed effects on individuals is pointless. Every party and government, from the most totalitarian to the most libertarian, claims seemingly the same positives for citizens. The more discernible conflicts of politics lie not in the ends, but in the means proposed for achieving them.
…
The Right needs some principles ensconced beyond the ordinary reach of government. Relying only on laws means anything so enacted could be simply overturned in the legislative process’ normal course. So the Right seeks a supra-legislative bulwark.
The Constitution is a perfect example. Yet even here, the Right ultimately must rely on principles that it intends to be beyond challenge, which all political actors will simply respect and accept. Without this, even supposed bulwarks stand little chance—witness the many constitutions regularly violated at will around the world.
Because the Left believes government should take precedence over the market, it must ensure government is not constrained. For something to be truly a principle, it must be a universal. However, because the Left believes government cannot be constrained—that the market is constantly changing and thereby demanding that government keep pace with circumstances yet unforeseen or foreseeable—the Left must ultimately adhere only to power.
Again, the Constitution is a perfect example. For the Left’s vision of government to be realized, there must be ways around a supposedly immutable constraint. So the Constitution must be characterized as “a living document”—one not simply taken literally. It becomes malleable and increasingly porous so that government can move through it.
…
Both the Right and Left harbor the seeds that undermine them in their respective ascendancy. The Right continually hamstrings itself by adhering to principles the Left does not, foregoing the full use of political power when it holds it. The Left constantly and transparently seeks power at all costs, willingly sacrificing the principles the general population embraces as their security.
If contemporary politics seems confusing, it is not because of its vagaries. It is because of the basic certainties arising from the conflict between the Right and Left. Not only are the Right and Left unable to reconcile their differences, they cannot even reconcile their own limitations.
The question arose on the Heart Attack thread as to the propriety of using the same methods as the Left in order to fight back.
If the methods are illegal, unethical, or immoral, the answer is “no.”
But if the methods they use are legal (by their own devising), and not intrinsically immoral (like murder or assault or theft), but possibly unethical (in normal contexts)?
Whether we like it or not, we’re gonna have to start playing the game like the Democrats do. It’s cheap and unsportsmanlike, but then again, so is politics in general. So it’s time to catch up.
…
Trump, I’m sure, will accept the criticism and have a few things to say in return. But we cannot lose sight of our end goal here which is beating the Democrats at their own game and playing dirty with the most legal of ballot harvesting.
If we do that, we have a chance.
If we don’t, well…
A couple of years ago, you couldn’t give a kid aspirin in school without a signed parental waiver; now you can take them out for an abortion or transgender mutilation without telling the parents anything at all.
So far, conservatives and other sane people are pushing back with legal challenges and opting out of the school system where possible.
However, if this keeps on, I’m probably gonna be open to fighting back with methods (objectively) unethical and (technically) illegal, although I’ll hold on to the rejection of immoral as long as possible.
Canadian Parliament committee argues for expansion of state-sponsored suicide to kids … without age limit and without parental consent if necessary
…
Canada’s death cult grows as its government promotes assisted suicide in an activity book for little kids —
Canada’s new official religion of death now does kids outreach!
…
But here’s how The Globe & Mail describes this complete genocidal lunacy:
“If Ottawa actually expanded the availability of medical assistance in dying this widely, Canada would have the most liberal euthanasia law in the world.”
Canada will finally be number 1 at something!
Killing its own people!
…
But, in a reflection of the continuing public debate around medical assistance in dying, or MAID, the recommendations were not unanimous. A dissenting report by Conservatives on the 17-member committee of MPs and Senators suggested that continued expansions of MAID would be reckless, especially when it came to patients under the age of 18.
…
Not only will the Canadian government trans your son or daughter behind your back (then force you to use his or her new name and “pronouns” on penalty of prison), but they’ll also kill your child behind your back!
What a glorious future lies ahead of us!
Wouldn’t you know…the “President’s” health is ALL hunky dory!
‘ Biden physician declares him a ‘healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male’
‘ “The President remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.” ‘— https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/biden-physician-declares-him-healthy-vigorous-80-year-old-male
Gotta love that “vigorous”! (Unless he meant a vigorous liar…)
You see, you’re not supposed to tell the truth about Democrats, and especially not about Joe Biden. Not supposed to undercut the Narrative. Not to suppose to criticize the criminals in the White House. Not even supposed to question Biden’s mental state because that, the Great Man says, is “UNPROFESSIONAL”.
Huh?
(Oh, but question Trump’s all you want, of course… Now THAT’S professional!)
Extraordinary article on Madison and Hamilton and their advocacy in the “Federalist Papers” of an entirely new kind of Republic.
Something to sink one’s teeth into and wrap one’s head around.
With lots of fascinating details and historical tidbits such as the role of Machiavelli as progenitor of “modern” Republicanism, British political thought in the 17th-18th centuries and the relationship between the “Glorious Revolution” and the American.
And why all this is so important to understand especially in these days of factional, marxist revolution, which having successfully infected one of America’s two major parties (the party in power no less), attempts to overthrow the Constitution and destroy the republic.
“Learning from Publius”— https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/learning-from-publius
H/T Powerline blog.
Still wondering why there are so many crises that have to be “created” and then perpetuated?
Wonder no longer.
“Biden” (and Trudeau and many others) have decided that hearting the depraved, China-admiring WTF is a moral and global necessity.
Such that “Crisis Management” has become “Arson for Dummies” and “Development” has become “Destruction” in the overall plan to “manage” and “nourish” the country…and “save” the world.
File under: A time to destroy, and a time to destroy.
Bremmer is malleys sock puppet and he is the puppet master with most strings
Barry Meislin — funny thing — Steven Smith, author of the “Learning from Publius” article aslo makes an appearance (in character and as he should, along with Allan Bloom, Machiavelli, Callicles, Gilles Deleuze, Plato, Hannah Arendt, Fred Nietzsche, Saul Bellow, and another oddball named Costin Alamariu . . .) in the Tablet piece by one Blake Smith: “Bronze Age Pervert’s Dissertation on Leo Strauss” [ https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/bronze-age-pervert-dissertation-leo-strauss ].
Here [perhaps needless to say, quotation does not imply endorsement]
Bloom’s combination of culture-war sloganeering and philosophical eroticism, public success and private deviance, was unstable, even ridiculous, in his own work; since his death of AIDS in 1992 there has been no sequel to it among American Straussians. Following what seemed to be the message of Strauss’ famous 1941 essay “Persecution and the Art of Writing,” they have disguised themselves as—and, in the end, perhaps become—conventional conservatives and patriots. Alamariu’s dissertation advisor at Yale, Steven Smith, exemplifies the soporific dullness of this tradition.
At conservative gatherings I have twice struggled to remain awake through Smith’s presentations on the necessity of being moderately patriotic, loving America in a rational, genial fashion. Such sermons are not exactly wrong—it would be nice, after all, if we were more united with our fellow citizens in a not-too-energetic appreciation of our country. But they seem hopelessly ineffectual, unable to arouse conviction even in those, like me, who are sympathetic to their point. Indeed, they are not even able to convince other Straussians. In recent years, a set of wholly immoderate West Coast Straussians have convinced themselves that America needs a Trumpist revolution to reclaim “the republic” from the progressive-bureaucratic “regime,” election results notwithstanding. Divided between hapless moderates and unhinged reactionaries, the American Straussian project seems to be unraveling.
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He left out #7 — Beethoven was deaf. At least for the last of his life, from the time of the 5th of 6th symphony until he died. For all of the other amazing aspects of his musical life, this strikes me as one of the most amazing.
Revolution — political revolution — too is manifest in Beethoven’s life and works. Publishing independently, moving away from a system of patronage, celebrating Democracy openly (flipping on Napoleon, from “liberator” to “oppressor”), there’s a heap more going on with him than mere strucural and technical musicianship.
Ohio train derailment story gets a whole lot worse:
“Toxic train broke down two days before Ohio derailment, had too much weight: workers”—
https://nypost.com/2023/02/16/toxic-train-broke-down-two-days-before-ohio-derailment-workers/
Likelihood is, unfortunately, there’s more to come….
– – – – – – – –
Other than that, it’s a small, small, small, small world…
(…where Hunter Biden is concerned, that is…).
“Hunter Biden’s link to disgraced ex-FBI official Charles McGonigal”—
https://nypost.com/2023/02/15/hunter-bidens-link-to-disgraced-ex-fbi-official-charles-mcgonigal/
…but then, what are friends for?
Hizzoner stands up for principle:
“Eric Adams fails to support NYC charter schools when given chance in Albany, cites $1B cost”—
https://nypost.com/2023/02/15/eric-adams-fails-to-push-for-nyc-charter-schools-when-given-chance-in-albany/
See, he’s in favor of fiscal responsibility!!
Right?
Um, no, he’s in favor of this:
“Alaska board members brawl over silencing dad exposing book on kinks and sexting: ‘I’m going to interrupt you’ ;
The dad told Fox News Digital, ‘They’re pushing critical gender theory on kids starting in elementary school’ “—
https://www.foxnews.com/media/alaska-board-members-brawl-silencing-dad-exposing-book-kinks-porn-im-going-interrupt-you
This crap—this evil—has reached Alaska!
From the “Now-He-Tells-Us” dossier…
“Blinken Warns Ukraine Against Seizing Crimea In About-Face”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/blinken-warns-ukraine-against-seizing-crimea-about-face
The “Biden” three-cared monte scam continues…
…with just a bit more confusion thrown on the fire….
(Can’t have enough of that!)
File under: Don’t worry, “we” know what “we”‘re doin’…”
The lack of a response to the train derailment in Ohio is just disgusting. And what they have done to make it worse is criminal. Can you imagine if this had happened under Trump? Can you say Katrina?
Hmm.
One’s an accident?
Two’s a coincidence?
Three’s enemy action?
“Train derails outside Detroit, authorities say hazardous materials on board, no signs yet of leakage”—
https://justthenews.com/government/local/train-derails-detroit-police-says-hazardous-material-exposed
(With echoes of various and sundry food-processing plants, power stations and energy installations…)
Ah, but WHO is the enemy, exactly…?
File under: Just keep ’em guessin’, confused, skeered ‘n panicky!!
Disclose.tv
@disclosetv
·
3h
NEW – McConnell: “Defeating the Russians in Ukraine is the single most important event going on in the world right now.”
https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1626264672868392963
Yeah, rushing headlong into this Ukraine thing is just working out better and better and better.
Mike
Our classical music radio station (also online at wrti.org) has been featuring a daily countdown of listeners’ 10 favorite composers. The top 3 were a foregone conclusion: Yesterday was W.A. Mozart, number 8; today it’s J.S. Bach. Could tomorrow’s choice be the most ineffably powerful creative force who has ever lived?
“Give me a break” says the most corrupt person occupying the White House in the history of the republic.
A person so corrupt he has to be shielded 24/7 by weaponized government agencies and an equally corrupt legacy media and corrupt infotech sector.
A person so corrupt he had to steal the presidency and prosecute his political opponents for pointing it out.
A person so corrupt he is unable to tell the truth about anything.
A living, breathing, talking coverup; a bombastic, lying plagiarist; a sordid mediocre, goofball; a joke on two legs.
He’d feel right at home in the Central African Republic, Zimbabwe or a dozen other countries.
In fact it seems as though those countries are the very model upon which he’s aiming to transform the country he purportedly was elected to lead.
“Biden says ‘give me a break’ when asked if he’s compromised by his family’s business dealings”—
https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/biden-says-give-me-break-when-asked-if-hes-compromised-his-familys-business
OTOH, “Give me a break” is probably the optimal response an utterly compromised person like him could possibly give…
– – – – – – – – – – –
In other news, Fetterman woke up this morning, finally able to grasp—in a rare moment of sanity—that he was a Democrat…
“Fetterman checks himself into hospital for depression…”
https://justthenews.com/government/congress/fetterman-checks-himself-hospital-depression-office-says
I guess we now have to feel sorry for the poor fellow….
I didn’t realize the symphony orchestra as we know it emerged from Beethoven’s demands to implement his musical ambitions.
I also didn’t realize “Scherzo” meant prank or joke. I was so traumatized by the “Clockwork Orange” (Wendy Carlos) version of Beethoven’s 9th Scherzo that I thought it meant crazy or schizo.
There was a great WF Buckley quote to the effect “how bad can the world be when one can purchase all nine Beethoven symphonies for $9.99?”
I can’t find that quote now but in this case I trust Google less than my memory.
Buckley was correct, except now one can hear all nine for free via YouTube.
Here we go. Sonatas, not symphonies.
__________________________
Life can’t be all bad when for ten dollars you can buy all the Beethoven sonatas and listen to them for ten years.
~ William F. Buckley, Jr.
__________________________
Even more true of the symphonies, I’d say.
Additional background on the train disaster in Ohio:
“Norfolk Southern Eliminated Key Maintenance Role In Derailment Region, Union Says”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/norfolk-southern-eliminated-key-maintenance-role-derailment-region-union-says
Apparently, the railroad company wanted to save a few bucks…
Key grafs:
“[A] union of rail workers has questioned declining maintenance standards following the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which forced the evacuation of the 5,000-person town earlier this month.
“A device that can play a role in preventing derailments is the wayside hot-box detector. It uses infrared sensors to detect bearings, axles or other components of a rail car that are overheating, then uses radio signals to flag rail crews of any overheated components…
“…Wayside hot-box detectors — also called “hot boxes” — are typically placed every 25 miles along a railroad…. Their use has contributed to a 59% decrease in train accidents caused by axle- and bearing-related factors since 1990….
“Declining head counts have led to these mechanisms receiving less preventative maintenance, according to an official from the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen union.
“The [Federal Railroad Adminstration (FRA)] has no regulations requiring the use or maintenance of hot boxes….”
…all of which, according to Sec. Pete, pins the blame squarely on Donald Trump….
Figures…
How long before university music majors and professional symphony orchestras cease playing anything of Beethoven because it is just another example of racism,, and white supremacy (as are most of the musical instruments you find in a symphony orchestra).
Interesting that most Asian nations have philharmonic orchestras that routinely have on their program the works of the great European composers such as Beethoven.
Barry Meislin, news reports I’ve seen say that a “hot box” alert did go to the crew, upon which they applied the brakes, with the derailment happening very shortly thereafter. So it’s not clear that this is the problem in this instance.
That’s right.
But as I understand it, that was one of the hot boxes that was still functioning, IOW—if I understand the article correctly—one of the hot boxes that the company still maintained.
In former times, there would have been a greater number of hot boxes placed at closer intervals…but the company largely stopped maintaining them (or stopped making maintenance a priority), which, since there was no FRA law that this had to be done, was NOT illegal even if it would probably fall under the category of “gross negligence”.
I suggest reading the whole article—it’s not too long—since the topic seems a bit slippery.
The awful thing though is that this could have been prevented. And should have been.
But NO ONE in the “Biden”—or the media—seems to care all that much.
After all, if it’s terrible optics, then just squelch it…so that—presto!—it’s not happening.
I’d look more at maintenance checks on the railroad cars.
This Fetterman situation is very sad. His depression has become severe “in recent weeks,” that is, since he joined the Senate and it became clear to him that he could not function there. He’s something like 9-10 months out from that stroke, and the damage appears to be permanent.
https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2023/02/16/breaking-john-fetterman-checked-himself-into-walter-reed-for-clinical-depression-n704675
The point of the article was that that too has been eroded over time.
There’s just not enough people working on the railroad these days, apparently.
AND the companies want to save money…where they can…
(A vicious cycle.)
…which translates into “where they really shouldn’t”.
Oh, I’d agree that railroads are cutting corners.
Speaking of cutting corners, Lefty’s catcher has passed, Tim McCarver dead at 81.
Gentleman.
Fabulous all-around catcher.
Incredible baseball broadcast analyst/commentator. Boy did he ever know his stuff…
It was always a pleasure—and an education—to listen to him.
“Da Tools o’ Perspicacity”….
Kate & Barry Muslin:
I have no idea whom we can trust regarding reporting on the system set up alongside railroad tracks that is supposed to alert train crews to problems with overheating journal boxes or axles. (BTW — remembering many, many years ago when I knew more than your average teen about trains, I believe an overheated journal box is called a “hot box,” which only makes calling the alerting system a “hot box” even more confusing — it is alerting about the presence of a hot box.)
I saw a TV clip on Fox News last night that showed the train moving into East Palestine shortly before the derailment. One of the cars was clearly experiencing a hot box. In fact it had progressed so far that there were flames shooting out of the truck (that’s the assembly of four wheels at each end of a freight car.) From what I have seen in videos of other such situations, that truck would have failed within seconds of the video on Fox.
It is impossible to say, of course, whether the situation had already triggered an alert that was being ignored, or would have triggered one if the alerting system had not been downgraded.
Needless to say, only one truck has to fail catastrophically in order to trigger a derailment of nearly the entire train. So one hot box that does not get immediate attention would have been sufficient to cause the derailment that took place in Ohio.
I have also seen reports that the weight on the train was 40% in the back third of the train, which the railroad company denies.
I hope the NTSB can sort this out.
One of the best renditions of An Ode To Joy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJcQYVtZMo
And it’s basically a commercial, for Banco Sabatelle.
I love the two little girls “conducting”, and the other young girl who climbed the lamp post so she could see.
https://twitter.com/loganclarkhall/status/1626326512780603392?cxt=HHwWgMCzsZjW75EtAAAA
Re: Flash mob “Ode to Joy”
OBloodyHell:
That was great! That’s what I call performance art.
I thought the flash mob music thing was limited to “The Sound of Music” at Antwerp.
Turns out there are a ton of these videos from all over the world. Just type in “flash mob” to the YouTube search box. Covid stopped them for a while, but here’s one from last Christmas:
–“Handel’s Messiah • Flash Mob at the Mall • Dec 2022 • Franklin, TN”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_35E5pb7GM
There is something wonderful about great music being performed live outside the hallowed confines of a concert hall and surprising the unsuspecting.
Joy.
Huxley: https://youtu.be/PJNp5UKRtbQ
sdferr–
I’m glad I’m not the only one here who remembers Lefty and Tim McCarver. Here’s a video of McCarver telling a humorous story about Lefty’s strange packing habits for a hunting trip in South Dakota– in which Carlton’s insistence on taking a caulking gun saved the day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLWB0Ra9K7A&ab_channel=scottyballgame1
I didn’t know until today that there is such a thing as the Irish-American Baseball Hall of Fame, but McCarver was inducted into it in 2010:
https://irishbaseball.org/hof/
@ Barry > “Norfolk Southern Eliminated Key Maintenance Role In Derailment Region, Union Says”
I read the post at ZH, which does indeed point out that maintenance is being skimped as a cost saving measure (the net loss after this derailment should convince the bean-counters that such is a false economy but probably won’t):
“Specialized signalmen called “electronic leaders” specialize in maintaining devices like hot boxes.
As recently as three years ago, Norfolk Southern employed five electronic leaders in the area of its rail network that includes East Palestine. Today, it employs zero, according to Christopher Hand, director of research at the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen.”
Then I followed the final link to HuffPo (yeah, I know) and found that the big brouhaha over Trump’s administration* cancelling the Obama break regulations for electronic brakes was just as legitimate as when the gun grabbers call for new gun regulations that would have done nothing to stop the shooting incident that they are using as an excuse.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ohio-train-disaster-deregulation-norfolk-southern_n_63ed16abe4b0255caaefab8a
“The Obama-era brake rule would not have applied to the type of train that derailed in Ohio. But Steven Ditmeyer, a former senior official at the Federal Railroad Administration, and other rail experts told the Lever that the derailment would have been less severe if the train had the upgraded brake technology.”
* * * *
*Or during his administration, no details on who exactly; I doubt that rose to the President’s desk. Who was his Secretary of Transportation?
@ Miguel in re tweet “Logan Hall @loganclarkhall
JD vance is on the ground in ohio surveying damage from the train derailment and speaking to local residents. mitch mcconnell is busy telling the public why we need to sacrifice more for ukraine.
america first vs. america last.”
Further down is a frightening thread about railroads in Ohio in general.
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1626356622279819264
Jack Posobiec ?? @JackPosobiec
“This isn’t a railway in a Third World County
This is in Ohio”
The video is worth a thousand tweets.
Some replies:
Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke
“Perhaps not a coincidence that the past two (perhaps it’s more) Secretaries of Transportation were picked for reasons other than their expertise in transportation (ie suck up to McConnell and DEI).”
Publius Maximus @MaximusPublius
“I just want to know where all those TRILLIONS of dollars sold as infrastructure investment in the last couple of 2000 page bills over the last two years actually went. The bills themselves are unreadable. How do we find out? Serious question.”
And then there is this….
https://hotair.com/david-strom/2023/02/16/biden-administration-refusing-to-help-in-east-palestine-disaster-n531229
A discussion arose on the Heart Attack thread about the principles of the Left (or the lack thereof), and I commented on a post by David Zweig that Griffin directed attention to, culminating in a not very original observation:
https://www.thenewneo.com/2023/02/16/heart-attack-rise-in-young-people/#comment-2667083
In trying to find the “some pundit” (unsuccessfully, of course), I turned up a few posts along the same lines that I thought I would pass along.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/07/21/the_danger_of_left-wing_principles.html
And what we can say because we are not allowed to offend them, and what we must do to “flatten the curve” for three years and counting.
Second example:
https://mrericksonrules.com/2018/12/04/if-liberals-didnt-have-double-standards-they-wouldnt-have-any-standards-at-all/
Third example:
https://thefederalist.com/2017/09/04/means-right-animated-principle-left-power/
Bonus Meme on double standards:
https://hotair.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/epa.jpeg
The question arose on the Heart Attack thread as to the propriety of using the same methods as the Left in order to fight back.
If the methods are illegal, unethical, or immoral, the answer is “no.”
But if the methods they use are legal (by their own devising), and not intrinsically immoral (like murder or assault or theft), but possibly unethical (in normal contexts)?
https://notthebee.com/article/trump-announces-he-is-embracing-ballot-harvesting-in-effort-to-master-the-democrats-own-game
A couple of years ago, you couldn’t give a kid aspirin in school without a signed parental waiver; now you can take them out for an abortion or transgender mutilation without telling the parents anything at all.
So far, conservatives and other sane people are pushing back with legal challenges and opting out of the school system where possible.
However, if this keeps on, I’m probably gonna be open to fighting back with methods (objectively) unethical and (technically) illegal, although I’ll hold on to the rejection of immoral as long as possible.
https://notthebee.com/article/canadian-report-to-parliament-argues-for-expansion-of-state-sponsored-suicide-to-kids
Wouldn’t you know…the “President’s” health is ALL hunky dory!
‘ Biden physician declares him a ‘healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male’
‘ “The President remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.” ‘—
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/biden-physician-declares-him-healthy-vigorous-80-year-old-male
Gotta love that “vigorous”! (Unless he meant a vigorous liar…)
But WAIT—here’s another angle (just slightly more concerned)!
“Biden to get annual physical, while former Obama doc is concerned for POTUS’s health: ‘He’s not a young 80’;
“The former White House doctor warned that whatever comes out of Biden’s physical, the public ‘is not going to learn anything’ “—
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-get-annual-physical-former-obama-doc-concerned-potuss-health-not-young-80
HOLD ON! This former presidential physician isn’t having ANY OF IT nosssirreee:
“Trump’s White House Doctor Alleges Biden’s Physical Was a ‘Cover Up’ “—
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/trumps-white-house-doctor-alleges-bidens-physical-was-a-cover-up/ar-AA17AMjl
(Actually, this guy was both Obama AND Trumps physician. Now—scratch head—WHY would they want to leave Obama out of that headline?? Hmmm.)
And wouldn’t you know? Obama is NOT pleased with this former doctor of his, no he is NOT:
“…Read the private email Obama sent his former doc after he questioned Biden’s cognitive health;
“Obama told Jackson, who was the doctor for three presidents, that criticizing Biden’s mental state was ‘unprofessional’ “—
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/exclusive-read-private-email-obama-sent-former-doc-after-questioned-bidens-cognitive-health
You see, you’re not supposed to tell the truth about Democrats, and especially not about Joe Biden. Not supposed to undercut the Narrative. Not to suppose to criticize the criminals in the White House. Not even supposed to question Biden’s mental state because that, the Great Man says, is “UNPROFESSIONAL”.
Huh?
(Oh, but question Trump’s all you want, of course… Now THAT’S professional!)
+ Bonus:
Towards the end of that second link above—
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-get-annual-physical-former-obama-doc-concerned-potuss-health-not-young-80
—we have an earnest and reassuring quote from KJP:
‘…White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that the public will learn the results of Biden’s physical, stating, “We want to be transparent, want to make sure you have the information.”….’ [Ephasis mine; Barry M.]
Right! Indeed! So good to know! Thanks, KJP….
Translation: Be very, very wary.
And so the coverup continues.
(As would—should—be expected with this administration.)
…as that Ohio train disaster looks like just another bad optic for “Biden” to “smother with a pillow”….
” Ohio train tragedy blasts toxic cloud of hypocrisy over Buttigieg, green liberals
Biden administration’s response to East Palestine unleashes fury, from locals to Washington figures.”—
https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/fri-ohio-train-tragedy-unleashes-toxic-cloud-hypocrisy-over-buttigieg-and
Extraordinary article on Madison and Hamilton and their advocacy in the “Federalist Papers” of an entirely new kind of Republic.
Something to sink one’s teeth into and wrap one’s head around.
With lots of fascinating details and historical tidbits such as the role of Machiavelli as progenitor of “modern” Republicanism, British political thought in the 17th-18th centuries and the relationship between the “Glorious Revolution” and the American.
And why all this is so important to understand especially in these days of factional, marxist revolution, which having successfully infected one of America’s two major parties (the party in power no less), attempts to overthrow the Constitution and destroy the republic.
“Learning from Publius”—
https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/learning-from-publius
H/T Powerline blog.
Telling us something we already know:
“World Government Summit Suggests Crisis Events Are A Useful Path To Globalism”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/world-government-summit-suggests-crisis-events-are-useful-path-globalism
“Suggests”?? Um, er…
Still wondering why there are so many crises that have to be “created” and then perpetuated?
Wonder no longer.
“Biden” (and Trudeau and many others) have decided that hearting the depraved, China-admiring WTF is a moral and global necessity.
Such that “Crisis Management” has become “Arson for Dummies” and “Development” has become “Destruction” in the overall plan to “manage” and “nourish” the country…and “save” the world.
File under: A time to destroy, and a time to destroy.
Bremmer is malleys sock puppet and he is the puppet master with most strings
Barry Meislin — funny thing — Steven Smith, author of the “Learning from Publius” article aslo makes an appearance (in character and as he should, along with Allan Bloom, Machiavelli, Callicles, Gilles Deleuze, Plato, Hannah Arendt, Fred Nietzsche, Saul Bellow, and another oddball named Costin Alamariu . . .) in the Tablet piece by one Blake Smith: “Bronze Age Pervert’s Dissertation on Leo Strauss” [ https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/bronze-age-pervert-dissertation-leo-strauss ].
Here [perhaps needless to say, quotation does not imply endorsement]