Saturday, November 2, 2024

Long Ago And Far Away

 

We're going back to 1910, to Melbourne, Australia, for this look everyday city scenes from "Richmond Train Station, Collins Street, the Town Hall, Elizabeth Street, Little Collins Street, Swanston Street, St Paul's Cathedral, Bourke Street, the Treasury Building, Flinders Street Station," a boat regatta, an industrial show, and more.  We always note some of the constants from these restored early- 19th Century films: the pace of life, the reliance on shoe leather or streetcars/ trains for transportation, and the elaborate, formal clothing that was part of the societal norm.

Friday, November 1, 2024

Today's Cartoons -- VOTE!

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(Ed Wexler, caglecartoons.com)

(David Rowe, Financial Review, Sydney)

(Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune)

(Rob Rogers, Tinyview.com)


(Otoko, dailykos.com)

(Christopher Weyant, caglecartoons.com)

(Steve Greenberg, @greenberg-art.com)

(Kevin Kallaugher, The Economist, London)

(Pedro Molina, Counterpoint)

(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)

(Maarten Wolterink, cartoonmovement.com, Amsterdam)

(Oliver Schopf, cartoonmovement.com, Vienna)

(Adam Douglas Thompson, The New Yorker)




Tweets /Xeets Of The Day

 

New:  The Trump - Jeffrey Epstein connection --


 

Threats from a degenerate fascist --

 

 

 

Lies, lies, and more lies --

 


Trump's would- be cabinet of dangerous clowns --

 


Biden's Archivist is a pre-obeying clown, tooFire her! --

 


What's that Musk-y smell?  One illegal immigrant you should kick out! --

 

 

Garbage man, cont. --

 



Demented Don groovin' to the hits --

 


The day inflation started --

 

 

Don't be shy about the robust economy, Democrats! --

 

 

Twins rule!  Just ask us (Happy Friday)!  -- 


 

 

Weekend Music

 

Last week one of the founding members of the iconic band he Grateful Dead, bassist Phil Lesh, passed away on October 25 at the age of 84 (!).  We want to honor his legacy with a beautiful song he co- wrote with lyricist Robert Hunter, and on which he sang the lead -- "Box of Rain" from the 1970 album "American Beauty."  R.I.P.

What do you want me to doTo do for you to see you through?For this is all a dream we dreamedOne afternoon long ago...
 
And it's just a box of rainI don't know who put it thereBelieve it if you need itOr leave it if you dare
 
And it's just a box of rainOr a ribbon for your hairSuch a long, long time to be goneAnd a short time to be there
 

Access Hollywood Tape Spreads On TikTok



 

A generation of Gen Z'ers will vote this year, and most haven't been exposed to the Malignant Loser's long history of misogyny and predatory behavior. Now thanks to young TikTok users, many are hearing and seeing for the first time the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape of the Malignant Loser bragging about grabbing women's genitals, and are shocked that he's running for President. From The Independent:

"Back in 2016, an interview tape featuring Trump talking to TV host Billy Bush about his ability to grope women when he pleases was leaked just one month before the presidential election. [snip]

Now, less than a week before the 2024 presidential election, the interview is being used by young content creators to shame the 'fathers' and 'Christian conservatives' for voting for Trump in the upcoming election."  (our emphasis)

Sadly, most of them are way beyond shame and decency, since they'll be voting for the felonious rapist a third time. The article continues:

"As Soleil and her friend listened to Trump’s remarks, the two couldn’t help but indicate their disgust and distaste for the politician, making nauseated facial expressions. The on-screen caption read: 'This is who fathers with daughters are voting for.'

Speaking to Teen Vogue, Soleil explained why she felt the need to post her reaction to the audio, given she was 14 years old when the Access Hollywood tape first surfaced. The clinical research assistant said she needed to expose the tape to her fellow followers because some young Trump supporters may not have been old enough or aware of his comments from 19 years ago."  (our emphasis)

It helped greatly that superstar Billie Eilish has shared the video with her social media's 68 million followers, but time's nearly run out for their voting-age daughters (and decent sons) to negate the votes of those "fathers" and "Christian conservatives" whose degenerate cult leader represents a mortal threat to the continuance of our democracy under the Constitution. 

A Tale Of Two Rallies

 



Both Vice President Harris and the Malignant Loser were in battleground Nevada yesterday at rallies miles apart both in distance and in mood:

The events offered a tight focus on the contrast at the heart of next week’s election. Harris’s rally was a joyful affair, with mothers carrying infants on their shoulders, some supporters and volunteers sporting Halloween costumes and star turns by Mexican band Maná and Latina singer and actor Jennifer Lopez.

Trump’s gaudy pageant warmed up with the sound of Elvis warbling about Dixieland and James Brown’s It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World. His crowd sported Make America great again caps and other regalia, cheered his demonisation of immigrants, jeered the “fake news” media and broke into chants of “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
[snip]

Harris’s rally was staged in a park in the open air against the backdrop of a “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign and attracted a diverse mix across age and race, including young families. There were chants of “We’re not going back!” Among the speakers was congresswoman Susie Lee, who observed: “I’ve seen some scary costumes today but none of them come close to how scary a Donald Trump presidency would be.”
[snip]

Earlier, the mood at Trump’s rally at an ice hockey stadium in Henderson, just outside Las Vegas, was less charitable. Warm-up speakers included far-right Florida congressman Matt Gaetz and Nevada Republican chair Michael Mcdonald, who mocked Harris’s laugh and derided Democrats as “beta males”, claiming “We’re alpha males”[snip]

Trump hurled insults at Harris, saying she lacked “intellect” or “stamina”, and was a “train wreck” and incapable of running a kindergarten. “I’ve worked for 62 days in a row – I haven’t take a day off,” he said, before claiming of Harris: “She’s exhausted. She’s finished.”

He heaped praise on his billionaire backer Elon Musk, stating: “In terms of computer, I would say he’s probably about as good as you get.” And in a bizarre riff against Democrats, Trump said: “They don’t want windows. They don’t want cows. They don’t want anything. They don’t know what they want, actually.”..

Which candidate exudes joy and competence, and which one exudes hatred and division?  Which campaign looks inclusive, and which one plays the Confederate anthem "Dixie"?  Which campaign looks and sounds like its confident of victory, and which one is ginning up threats against the opponents?   The clock is ticking.  You are who you vote for.

(Photo:  John Locher, AP)


Vid Of The Day

 

Watch the powerful video NBA superstar LeBron James shared with his 53 million X / Twitter followers when he endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz yesterday:

 

Thursday, October 31, 2024

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Dennis Goris, @DennisGoris)

(Dave Whamond, caglecartoons.com)

(Jack Ohman, Tribune Content Agency)

(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

(Michael de Adder, The Gleaner, Jamaica)

(Rob Rogers, Tinyview.com)

(Tim Campbell, Counterpoint)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)


(Rick McKee, caglecartoons.com)

(Marian Kamensky, @cartoonmovement)

(Nick Anderson, Reform Austin News/Tribune, TX)


 (Matt Wuerker, Politico)

(Gary Markstein, Creators.com)

(Banx, @Banxcartoons)


Tweets Of The Day

 

The garbage man --


 

 

 


 

P*ssy grabbing sexual assaulter to protect women...."like it or not" --

 

 

 


Another Republican "protector of women" -- 



The "feels" vs. "real" economy, and the press' participation in the con -- 



Worm-brained kook RFK, Jr., and his followers got conned -- 



The invaluable Media Matters for America doing the mainstream press' job --

 


It's Halloween. Be safe out there -- 


 

QOTD -- "No Obamacare"

 

Squeaker of the House MAGA Mike "Moses" Johnson (MAGA-LA) wants to assure you that, in addition to killing Roe v. Wade, MAGA Republicans want to kill the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), because who needs health care anyway?!

“Health care reform’s going to be a big part of the agenda," he said during a campaign event in Pennsylvania for House candidate Ryan Mackenzie, according to footage obtained by NBC News. "When I say we’re going to have a very aggressive first 100 days agenda, we got a lot of things still on the table.

“No Obamacare?” an attendee asked.

No Obamacare,” Johnson said, reportedly with an eye-roll. “The ACA is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work and we got a lot of ideas on how to do that.”...

Yes, and we know what those "concepts of a plan" are, and it would start with essentially repealing the ACA and fashioning a Big Insurance- backed program undermining Medicaid, raising premiums, and eliminating core protections including denying affordable health insurance for people with pre-existing conditions, while expanding programs that benefit primarily wealthy people. If that sounds like the typical Republican punching down to you, you're paying attention.


Pic Of The Day: Trump's Garbage MAGA Platform

 

This is a picture of the Malignant Loser yesterday in Green Bay, WI, hoisting himself into a garbage truck festooned with his campaign slogan:

Seeing it, we're reminded of a remark Harry S Truman made during a campaign event in Waterloo, IA, on October 29, 1952, while campaigning for Adlai Stevenson.  Referring to William Jennings Bryan, Truman said:

"I heard Bill Bryan make a statement, one time, at a country meeting. They didn't have any platform for old Bill to stand on, so they wheeled out a manure spreader, and he said that was the first time he ever made a speech from the Republican platform."

Well, they've gone from manure spreaders to garbage trucks, but it still the same lying bullshit.  (More in today's "Tweets / Xeets Of the Day.")

BONUS:  Unretouched photo via Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images;  trick or treat? --



(Top photo:  pool, via KHQA.com)

 

"Fiberace" On The Campaign Trail

 

Let's start the day off with Jimmy Kimmel talking about the Malignant Loser's (a.k.a, "Fiberace") crowd size fetish, election "cheating" lies, the Schwarzenegger endorsement, Biden's "garbage" comment (with Li'l Marco Rubio's breathless "breaking news"), the ironic Malignant Loser garbage truck stunt, the unpersuasive spinning on Hitler comparisons, and much more.

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Statuary Of The Day

 

These "lifetime of sexual assault" statues have shown up in Philadelphia and Portland, OR.  Another, a tiki torch statue ("The Donald J. Trump Enduring Flame"), appeared in Washington, DC.

(click on images to enlarge)



The tiki torch inscription reads:

“This monument pays tribute to President Donald Trump and the ‘very fine people’ he boldly stood to defend when they marched in Charlottesville, Virginia. While many have called them white supremacists and neo-Nazis, President Trump’s voice rang out above the rest to remind all that they were ‘treated absolutely unfairly’. This monument stands as an everlasting reminder of that bold proclamation.”  

All reminders of what the Malignant Loser's legacy will be.  Bravo!


Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Liza Donnelly, @lizadonnelly)

(Mike Smith, Las Vegas Sun)

(Robert Ariail, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, SC)

(Chris Britt, Creators.com)

(Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News)

(Rick McKee, caglecartoons.com)

(John Darkow, Columbia Missourian)

(Jeff Koterba, caglecartoons.com)

(Phil Hands, Wisconsin State Journal)


(Jimmy Margulies, King Features)

(Jen Sorensen, gocomics.com)

(Mort Gerberg, @mortgerberg)


Job Creation, Wages Up

 

Speaking of "feels" vs. real, check out this reality:

Private-job creation burst to its highest level in more than a year during October, despite a devastating storm season in the Southeast and major labor disruptions, ADP reported Wednesday.

The payrolls processing firm said companies hired 233,000 new workers in the month, better than the upwardly revised 159,000 in September and far ahead of the Dow Jones estimate for 113,000. ADP said it was the best month for job creation since July 2023.

“Even amid hurricane recovery, job growth was strong in October,” ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said. “As we round out the year, hiring in the U.S. is proving to be robust and broadly resilient.”  [snip]

... In addition to hiring rising, wages grew 4.6% from a year ago.

Moreover, gains were widespread. Leading sectors included education and health services (53,000), trade, transportation and utilities (51,000), construction and leisure and hospitality, which added 37,000 apiece, and professional and business services, which contributed 31,000...

This is what you get in a Democratic economy, responding to Democratic initiatives like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.  Or you could get the Malignant Loser's economy- killing tariffs, higher prices, soaring inflation, and mass deportations.  Tough choices!