Category Archives: Social Commentary

General, Popular Culture, Social Commentary

Silent Night

4 Comments

…by Gabriella.

She recorded this a couple weeks ago. I love the little harmonic at the end of the stanza, and the ones at the end of the song.

If you go all the way to the end, it segues into her amazing cover of Sultans of Swing, that she did a couple months ago. She’s getting a unique sound on that one with steel strings on a classical guitar (usually they’re nylon). They’re probably light ones, because of the weaker neck, but it also makes it easier for her to bend them. I like the brushes with the left hand. You have to appreciate that she’s playing both guitar parts from the Dire Straits version simultaneously on a single instrument. It’s clearly an open tuning, probably DADFAD.

General, Social Commentary

Second Cativersary

14 Comments

[Christmas-morning update]

Merry Christmas (and other holidays) to all of my readers.

[From yesterday]

On this day two years ago, on Christmas Eve, we adopted the kittens.

We originally thought they were sisters, but a few weeks later we discovered that Ashe and Ember were sister and brother. He was the dark kitten who fell down the stairs. He was the runt of the litter, but he’s now outgrown his sister, weighing 15 pounds to her 13. She still scraps with him, though.

They’ve turned out to be pretty good cats, very social and almost too friendly. Ashe likes to lounge on my lap after painfully kneading my right upper leg, but only at my desk. Ember likes to lie on Patricia’s desk while she’s trying to work. He also likes to help out in the kitchen, but he’s not as helpful as he thinks he is. Anyway, here are the Christmas kittens, at age two.

They’ve both obviously grown a lot. Stretched out, he’s almost three feet long, from ears to tail. I didn’t have to put him in that position. They’re both characters.

Business, Economics, Education, Law, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Popular Culture, Social Commentary

California

26 Comments

The totalitarian state.

If it seceded, we’d be out of here ASAP, because the Constitution is the only thing holding these fascists back.

[Wednesday-morning update]

Is California at peak progressive? I hope so.

[Bumped]

[Thursday-morning update]

The slow, painful death of California.

[Late-morning update]

Mike Solana: Extract, or die.

When I first saw the title, I thought it would be about the need of the state to utilize its energy resources. But nope. It’s an excoriation of San Francisco’s government.

[Christmas-morning update]

Rural CA to Newsom: “Kiss our ass.”

All I want for Christmas is a citizens’ revolt against tyranny. As Mike Rowe says, safety third.

[Update a few minutes later]

In the state just to the north, patriots are starting to water the tree of liberty.

Education, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Social Commentary

Jill Biden’s “Doctorate”

25 Comments

It’s garbage because her dissertation is garbage.

Other than Michael Mann, I don’t know any PhD physicists who insist on being called “Dr.” That vanity is reserved for less secure people with lesser degrees.

[Update a while later]

Hans Bader isn’t impressed, either.

[Update early afternoon]

https://twitter.com/mattbramanti/status/1338031367704154112

[Saturday-afternoon update]

Jill Biden: “I worked really hard on this.”

She doesn’t realize that makes it even worse.