George’s slightly off-center view of the world
You start the dishwasher, expecting an explosion. Instead, you get “like four drops of water.” You hear the toilet flush ten times, “Ten times right… Not me, of course. Not me. But you. Him.”
You’re probably thinking, What’s the deal with water?
Continue reading “Water, In All the Wrong Places”“Ike Turner is one of the most dehumanized figures in rock history.”
– allmusic.com
“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” has been well-received by reviewers since opening on Broadway in October, 2019. Critics have especially praised Adrienne Warren in the title role. Warren reprises her performance in the London West End production that opened April, 2018.
A major musical number in the first act is “River Deep – Mountain High,” recreating on stage a Phil Spector production from 1966.
Continue reading “Tina Hits the Wall of Sound”“It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?” — Ronald Reagan
You thought no president would be lazier than our fortieth? Even George W. Bush (43) spent much of his time clearing brush and driving a pickup truck around his Crawford Texas ranch.
There’s a quick and easy way to keep abreast of what the current occupant of the White House is doing. The web site Factba.se posts the president’s rigorous schedule, updated daily. For example, here is his very busy Friday, January 17, 2020.
11:00 am The President participates in the visit of the 2019 College Football National Champions: Louisiana State University Tigers
2:30 pm The President and First Lady depart the White House
5:25 pm The President and First Lady arrive at Mar-a-Lago
6:30 pm The President participates in a roundtable with supporters (closed to press)
7:00 pm The President delivers remarks at a joint finance committee dinner (closed to press)
Fun fact: Condominiums in Trump-branded buildings on average sell for 18.2% less per square foot compared to similar units in the same ZIP code.
“The industry has reached the point of acute oversupply due to diminishing volumes sold. That will lead to vineyard removals — and fallowing in some cases — and reduced returns for growers.”
When I moved to Sonoma County in 1995, it seemed every bare patch of ground — and acres formerly planted with apples, hops and other crops — was being planted with new vineyards; until 2008, that is. The wine business recovered from the recession, but is now facing another downturn.
In its annual report on the wine business, Silicon Valley Bank stated that the industry is “in the midst of a consumer reset.”
Continue reading “Wine: Good News ~ Bad News”Boeing Company’s board of directors decided it was time for Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg to go. Muilenburg oversaw the 737-Max disaster, with a pattern of obstructing F.A.A. oversight. Two crashes of the now-and-still-grounded plane killed 346 persons. Recently-released internal company communications display employees ridiculing the design and safety of the 737-Max. One employee derided the jet as “designed by clowns, who in turn are supervised by monkeys.”
Continue reading “Failure Rewarded”But first, one bit of detritus from the national scene ~
The Trump administration wants to delay a Democratic effort that would require the Secret Service to disclose its spending on the protection of the current occupant of the White House and his family during their travels.
The Government Accountability Office estimated that travel by the former reality-TV performer cost taxpayers $13.6 million in one month of 2017. At that rate, travel costs in eight months would exceed the total — $96 million — for Barack Obama’s eight years. That projects to $1.3 billion for eight years of golfing.
Continue reading “Politics: Grass-Roots Miscellany”
