jack, thank you. so beautiful. hard to realize mozart wrote in less than one year (1778) not only that concerto but also a piano sonata and the “paris” symphony. heck, one has to wonder what he did in his spare time.
more amadeus circa 1778Â
The RCM Classical Orchestra, directed by Matthew Truscott, performs Mozart’s Symphony no 31. Commonly known as his ‘Paris Symphony’, the music was written during Mozart’s fruitless job hunt in the city, but endured as one of his most popular orchestral works.
and he was only 22 yo, an age at which I too was fruitlessly looking for a job, but I never seemed to find time to produce a major work of art let alone three.
There is reason to doubt the political sanity of U.S. House Republicans who are refusing to raise the debt ceiling that allows the United States government to pay debts already incurred by past acts of Congress. There is also plenty of reason to doubt their sincerity.
Regarding sincerity, Republican congressmen only threaten to put the nation in default when a Democrat is in the White House. Though spending and debt have gone up and up through four administrations, they did not go to the brink for their elastic fiscal principles when George W. Bush was president, nor when Donald Trump was commander-in-chief. When Democrat Barack Obama was in charge, though, they pushed dangerously close to the edge of disaster and now are ready to do the same with Joe Biden.
That looks suspiciously like partisan politics, not financial prudence.
And, indeed, there is nothing prudent about what the Republicans are trying to do this time. They lack the votes to make the cuts they want in the normal budget process, so, instead, they are trying blackmail: “Give us what we want, Biden, or we will wreck the economy.”
That is neither smart, nor sane. There is no way it makes sense for Republicans to court disaster for the sake of budget cuts that they do not sincerely care about. It is a pure game of chicken and all of us are riding in the back seat of the hurtling automobiles.
[continues]
Somebody once said something to the effect of how it was a relief to live longer than Mozart, who died young, because you feel less guilty about accomplishing so little by his age.
Ted Cruz: “Heidi and I are praying for the families of the victims of the horrific mall shooting in Allen, Texas. We pray also for the broader Collin County community that’s in shock from this tragedy.”
“Our hearts are with the people of Allen” — TX Gov. Greg Abbott
Politicized prayer: How thoughts and prayers hinder gun legislation — “Thoughts and prayers are a strategic rhetorical tool, rather than a religious sentiment, when it comes to gun reform in the US. I confirm my three hypotheses: that the rhetorical use of thoughts and prayers do rise sharply after a mass shooting, that the use is centered in the gun rights coalition, and the use of thoughts and prayers is intentional. This establishes a direct link between the sending of thoughts and prayers and the lack of measurable gun reform laws in the United States.” — Hope Cody, Honors Thesis (pdf), University of Tennessee
Greedy old perverts have a new tool that can scan the news (Google) and for every shooting or massacre it can output the correct version of “thoughts and prayers” or “he was an angry young black man, the police did the best they could”, chatgpt or other thing.
another day another mass shooting. less thoughts about a solution, but more prayers and incitements (“insights” more fitting word here) from the GOPersÂ
In the wake of a fatal shooting in Texas, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is reminding everyone that the lone star state’s top executive once called on Texans to “pick up the pace” on gun sales.
The shooting in Allen, Texas, caused confirmed loss of life, according to CNN. In response to the shooting, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) blamed “mental illness, drugs, and evil forces,” but did not touch on the potential for any firearm reform.
Swalwell on Saturday targeted Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R), who was called “remarkably callous” by MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace for his response to another mass shooting in his state, for his positions on obtaining firearms. Abbott has reportedly called the attack an “unspeakable tragedy,” saying in a public statement published by CNN that “our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas.”
Swalwell wasted no time informing others where Abbott’s loyalties lie. He tweeted the words “Never forget” along with a tweet by Abbott.
“I’m EMBARRASSED,” Abbott’s tweet reads. “Texas #2 in nation for new gun purchases, behind CALIFORNIA.”
“Let’s pick up the pace Texans,” the governor added, including a link to the NRA.
Swalwell’s promotion of the tweet is likely a direct response to recent shootings in Texas.
How can so many people be so abysmally stupid……
Like the man said, “imagine how dumb the average person is, then realize half of the rest are dumber than that”
Durbin on @CNNSotu
on Feinstein — “The bottom line is the business of the committee and the Senate is affected by her absence.” Says he hopes she “makes a decision soon as to whether she’s coming back.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s response to the mass shooting at a Texas outlet mall: “Meds can be the problem…We don’t need more gun control. We need to return to God.”
The Dupes of Hazzard
Now, now, Repukelicans have to be cut a break for their gun plan. More gun sales to more assholes creates more gun-related death incidents that give them the opportunity too act like they (a) have a heart, (b) have a mind, (c) believe in God (d) blather on about protecting the rights of Americans while pushing to reduce rights of Americans and (e) kiss the ass of the NRA for more campaign dollars. Plus they get to wrap themselves in the proverbial flag and get gun-toting assholes to pony up more money to fund their incessant nonsense.
that woman is a menace
199 mass shootings so far this year
They buried lead from new WaPo/ABC poll: Trump leads Biden by 7 points, 49-42%.
Ugh. 63% say Biden doesn’t have the mental sharpness to be president & 62% say he isn’t in good enough health to be president.
Strange thing about this poll is they sampled all voting age adults, instead of registered or likely voters. So they polled people who aren’t even voters???
Craig – I do not trust any of the polls showing President Biden at or under forty percent of anything.Â
Thanks, Jack. During our late 20s, hubs and I tuned out of popular music of the times and listened to classical radio stations all day, all the time. This takes me back.Â
Ms. Cracker, I’m not sure what her comment even means, but agree she’s a total menace.Â
Those polls are bullshit. Â Pure and simple. Â Just like mid-terms, just like obama was going to lose his second term, and Kansas, etc etc etc. . I don’t know HOW they jimmied those polls–I just know they DID.
There is a massive and constant pressure from the cornered and desperate right wing fascist rats  to splinter and sow division and discord among the democratic voters.  Bullshit polls are one of their favorite weapons.
We should all hang together lest we all hang separately like the old feller said.
Thoughts and prayers are of no use to the dead. Â
Republicans who refuse to do anything about gun reform are also as useless. Â Actually, they are worse than useless; they are obstacles.Â
What are useless as tits on a bull, are polls.  They can be made to look anyway that serves the purpose of those paying for the poll.  The only folks I hear talking about age/mental acuity/vigor are those who listen to right-wing media, or who don’t understand that social media comments are bots or bot-driven rhetoric. Â
Some priest allegedly asked Voltaire on his deathbed if he would renounce Satan. Â Voltaire is supposed to have said, Â “This is no time to be making enemies.”
“… cut a break for their gun plan. More gun sales to more assholes creates more gun-related death incidents that give them the opportunity to act like they…”
are sincerely concerned about overpopulation and are actively involved in the solution to it.
 they should shoot each other and leave the rest of us alone
gun owners should be required to wear targets
as for the poll — they surveyed any adult eating at Mara Ego
Feinstein will be out of office at the end of this year. There is no reason to harass her out of office and rubbish her career. I might add that resigning and allowing Newsom to appoint her successor has great political impact here. Newsom has already said he would appoint a black woman — likely to be Barbara Lee a senate candidate. For those of us who support Katie Porter this is a problem. Â
All the reporting make it sound like she needs a drool cup. I’m about a decade or so younger and sometimes I don’t remember things and I did have an excellent memory. The hardest thing I think for her is the loss of her husband. MrCracker died about 1 1/2 years ago and I am not the same and I”m not doing anything .
Give her some Strom Thurmond time and let her go out on her own terms. And FU DICK DurbinÂ
“A driver plowed into a group outside a shelter that had been housing migrants in a Texas border town on Sunday, leaving seven people dead – including several immigrants – and close to a dozen injured, authorities say.”
“Victor Maldonado, the director of the Ozanam Center, told CNN that about 20 to 25 migrants were sitting on the curb waiting for a bus across the street from the shelter.”
“The driver, identified as a Hispanic man, is being “uncooperative” with authorities, according to Sandoval. He has given authorities multiple names, and police have had to fingerprint him in hopes of finding his identity – which takes more time, Sandoval said.”
Ms. Cracker, I’m sorry for your loss of your dear Mr. Cracker. What you say is true. Time takes on an altered meaning when we lose someone who was an essential part of our being.Â
Ivy – one of the unexpected effects of zooming around the Sun a few times is what we listened to in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s is now “classical” music to the kids. It is fun seeing some of the old Top 40 playlists for different cities around the country. Almost all songs of the lists from the 60’s kick off in my head as soon as I see the title. From 1971 on they are sketchy due to many reasons, but at least I heard most of them at some point in life.
I still have a few of my Deutsche Grammophon albums of classical music from the above time frames. In my house vinyl never left.Â
“After a mass shooting on Saturday at an Allen outlet mall ended with eight people dead, Texas Republicans are doubling down on their resistance to gun control legislation.”
“In an interview Sunday, Fox News presented Gov. Greg Abbott with a poll that showed Americans overwhelmingly favored background checks and raising the minimum age to buy firearms. But the governor shunned gun safety options in Texas and instead pointed to the need to increase mental health funding.”
“U.S. Rep. Keith Self, a Republican who represents Allen, also emphasized mental health as a solution to gun violence.”
Old, photo-op-Abbott is at a vigil for the dead in Allen, TX. Pro-life, my ass.
There are folks who struggle with mental illness in other countries, but they don’t have assault rifles!
Blue, so true, as I was reminded at the passing of Gordon Lightfoot. As much as I loved his songs, there’s a slate of them I don’t recognize because they came out during my tuned-out phase.Â
BID, same as republicans care nothing how many millions their defiant Covid-posture killed, they care less how many die by the gun. Bodies in the street are the opportunity cost of their brand.Â
“While authorities have not determined a specific motive, the source said the deceased suspect was found with an insignia on his clothing that read “RWDS,” which authorities believe may stand for “Right Wing Death Squad.”
“At least nine people were rushed to trauma facilities, two of whom died, Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said.”
“As of Sunday afternoon, four of those patients were being treated at a local medical center, including three in critical condition and one in fair condition, Allen police said. One patient who was transferred to a Level I trauma center was in fair condition, police said. A patient transferred to a children’s hospital was also in fair condition, while the ninth patient was also treated at a local hospital, police said.”
Make gun and ammo manufacturers responsible for the medical debt incurred by victims of their weapons of mass destruction.
“Braverman, who evangelizes on the benefits of Brexit and has made migration curbs her political mission, has a backstory that seems to teem with contradictions.”
“She is the daughter of migrants, who wants to cut net migration to Britain to the “tens of thousands.” Her parents, both of Indian origin, arrived in the country from Kenya and Mauritius “with very little” in the 1960s.”
“She was a practicing lawyer before entering politics, but has displayed an unabashed indifference about whether her flagship migration bill complies with international law.”
“I would love to (see) a front page of The Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda,” the home secretary (interior minister) told that newspaper, referring to her controversial efforts to deport asylum-seekers to the central African nation. “That’s my dream. That’s my obsession.”
So, Boris Johnson wasn’t the worst the UK had to offer.
NEW THREAD
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jack, thank you. so beautiful. hard to realize mozart wrote in less than one year (1778) not only that concerto but also a piano sonata and the “paris” symphony. heck, one has to wonder what he did in his spare time.
more amadeus circa 1778Â
The RCM Classical Orchestra, directed by Matthew Truscott, performs Mozart’s Symphony no 31. Commonly known as his ‘Paris Symphony’, the music was written during Mozart’s fruitless job hunt in the city, but endured as one of his most popular orchestral works.
and he was only 22 yo, an age at which I too was fruitlessly looking for a job, but I never seemed to find time to produce a major work of art let alone three.
david horsey’s Republicans should heed Reagan’s warnings about debt ceiling shenanigans | The Seattle Times
Somebody once said something to the effect of how it was a relief to live longer than Mozart, who died young, because you feel less guilty about accomplishing so little by his age.
Ted Cruz: “Heidi and I are praying for the families of the victims of the horrific mall shooting in Allen, Texas. We pray also for the broader Collin County community that’s in shock from this tragedy.”
“Our hearts are with the people of Allen” — TX Gov. Greg Abbott
Politicized prayer: How thoughts and prayers hinder gun legislation — “Thoughts and prayers are a strategic rhetorical tool, rather than a religious sentiment, when it comes to gun reform in the US. I confirm my three hypotheses: that the rhetorical use of thoughts and prayers do rise sharply after a mass shooting, that the use is centered in the gun rights coalition, and the use of thoughts and prayers is intentional. This establishes a direct link between the sending of thoughts and prayers and the lack of measurable gun reform laws in the United States.” — Hope Cody, Honors Thesis (pdf), University of Tennessee
Greedy old perverts have a new tool that can scan the news (Google) and for every shooting or massacre it can output the correct version of “thoughts and prayers” or “he was an angry young black man, the police did the best they could”, chatgpt or other thing.
another day another mass shooting. less thoughts about a solution, but more prayers and incitements (“insights” more fitting word here) from the GOPersÂ
‘Never forget’: Eric Swalwell trolls Texas Gov. over gun comments after deadly mall shooting – Raw Story – Celebrating 19 Years of Independent Journalism
How can so many people be so abysmally stupid……
Like the man said, “imagine how dumb the average person is, then realize half of the rest are dumber than that”
Durbin on
@CNNSotu
on Feinstein — “The bottom line is the business of the committee and the Senate is affected by her absence.” Says he hopes she “makes a decision soon as to whether she’s coming back.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s response to the mass shooting at a Texas outlet mall: “Meds can be the problem…We don’t need more gun control. We need to return to God.”
The Dupes of Hazzard
Now, now, Repukelicans have to be cut a break for their gun plan. More gun sales to more assholes creates more gun-related death incidents that give them the opportunity too act like they (a) have a heart, (b) have a mind, (c) believe in God (d) blather on about protecting the rights of Americans while pushing to reduce rights of Americans and (e) kiss the ass of the NRA for more campaign dollars. Plus they get to wrap themselves in the proverbial flag and get gun-toting assholes to pony up more money to fund their incessant nonsense.
that woman is a menace
199 mass shootings so far this year
They buried lead from new WaPo/ABC poll: Trump leads Biden by 7 points, 49-42%.
But a majority think Trump should be indicted???
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/07/president-biden-post-abc-poll/
Ugh. 63% say Biden doesn’t have the mental sharpness to be president & 62% say he isn’t in good enough health to be president.
Strange thing about this poll is they sampled all voting age adults, instead of registered or likely voters. So they polled people who aren’t even voters???
Craig – I do not trust any of the polls showing President Biden at or under forty percent of anything.Â
Thanks, Jack. During our late 20s, hubs and I tuned out of popular music of the times and listened to classical radio stations all day, all the time. This takes me back.Â
Ms. Cracker, I’m not sure what her comment even means, but agree she’s a total menace.Â
Those polls are bullshit. Â Pure and simple. Â Just like mid-terms, just like obama was going to lose his second term, and Kansas, etc etc etc. . I don’t know HOW they jimmied those polls–I just know they DID.
There is a massive and constant pressure from the cornered and desperate right wing fascist rats  to splinter and sow division and discord among the democratic voters.  Bullshit polls are one of their favorite weapons.
We should all hang together lest we all hang separately like the old feller said.
Thoughts and prayers are of no use to the dead. Â
Republicans who refuse to do anything about gun reform are also as useless. Â Actually, they are worse than useless; they are obstacles.Â
What are useless as tits on a bull, are polls.  They can be made to look anyway that serves the purpose of those paying for the poll.  The only folks I hear talking about age/mental acuity/vigor are those who listen to right-wing media, or who don’t understand that social media comments are bots or bot-driven rhetoric. Â
Some priest allegedly asked Voltaire on his deathbed if he would renounce Satan. Â Voltaire is supposed to have said, Â “This is no time to be making enemies.”
“… cut a break for their gun plan. More gun sales to more assholes creates more gun-related death incidents that give them the opportunity to act like they…”
are sincerely concerned about overpopulation and are actively involved in the solution to it.
 they should shoot each other and leave the rest of us alone
gun owners should be required to wear targets
as for the poll — they surveyed any adult eating at Mara Ego
Feinstein will be out of office at the end of this year. There is no reason to harass her out of office and rubbish her career. I might add that resigning and allowing Newsom to appoint her successor has great political impact here. Newsom has already said he would appoint a black woman — likely to be Barbara Lee a senate candidate. For those of us who support Katie Porter this is a problem. Â
All the reporting make it sound like she needs a drool cup. I’m about a decade or so younger and sometimes I don’t remember things and I did have an excellent memory. The hardest thing I think for her is the loss of her husband. MrCracker died about 1 1/2 years ago and I am not the same and I”m not doing anything .
Give her some Strom Thurmond time and let her go out on her own terms. And FU DICK DurbinÂ
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/07/us/brownsville-texas-car-crash-accident/index.html
“A driver plowed into a group outside a shelter that had been housing migrants in a Texas border town on Sunday, leaving seven people dead – including several immigrants – and close to a dozen injured, authorities say.”
“Victor Maldonado, the director of the Ozanam Center, told CNN that about 20 to 25 migrants were sitting on the curb waiting for a bus across the street from the shelter.”
“The driver, identified as a Hispanic man, is being “uncooperative” with authorities, according to Sandoval. He has given authorities multiple names, and police have had to fingerprint him in hopes of finding his identity – which takes more time, Sandoval said.”
Ms. Cracker, I’m sorry for your loss of your dear Mr. Cracker. What you say is true. Time takes on an altered meaning when we lose someone who was an essential part of our being.Â
Ivy – one of the unexpected effects of zooming around the Sun a few times is what we listened to in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s is now “classical” music to the kids. It is fun seeing some of the old Top 40 playlists for different cities around the country. Almost all songs of the lists from the 60’s kick off in my head as soon as I see the title. From 1971 on they are sketchy due to many reasons, but at least I heard most of them at some point in life.
I still have a few of my Deutsche Grammophon albums of classical music from the above time frames. In my house vinyl never left.Â
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/07/allen-shooting-guns-mental-health/
“After a mass shooting on Saturday at an Allen outlet mall ended with eight people dead, Texas Republicans are doubling down on their resistance to gun control legislation.”
“In an interview Sunday, Fox News presented Gov. Greg Abbott with a poll that showed Americans overwhelmingly favored background checks and raising the minimum age to buy firearms. But the governor shunned gun safety options in Texas and instead pointed to the need to increase mental health funding.”
“U.S. Rep. Keith Self, a Republican who represents Allen, also emphasized mental health as a solution to gun violence.”
Old, photo-op-Abbott is at a vigil for the dead in Allen, TX. Pro-life, my ass.
There are folks who struggle with mental illness in other countries, but they don’t have assault rifles!
Blue, so true, as I was reminded at the passing of Gordon Lightfoot. As much as I loved his songs, there’s a slate of them I don’t recognize because they came out during my tuned-out phase.Â
BID, same as republicans care nothing how many millions their defiant Covid-posture killed, they care less how many die by the gun. Bodies in the street are the opportunity cost of their brand.Â
Surprise!Â
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/07/politics/donald-trump-e-jean-carroll-battery-trial-testimony/index.html
Australia. It sounds so familiar. Higher wages are not the problem.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/07/us/allen-texas-mall-shooting-sunday/index.html
“While authorities have not determined a specific motive, the source said the deceased suspect was found with an insignia on his clothing that read “RWDS,” which authorities believe may stand for “Right Wing Death Squad.”
“At least nine people were rushed to trauma facilities, two of whom died, Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said.”
“As of Sunday afternoon, four of those patients were being treated at a local medical center, including three in critical condition and one in fair condition, Allen police said. One patient who was transferred to a Level I trauma center was in fair condition, police said. A patient transferred to a children’s hospital was also in fair condition, while the ninth patient was also treated at a local hospital, police said.”
Make gun and ammo manufacturers responsible for the medical debt incurred by victims of their weapons of mass destruction.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/07/uk/suella-braverman-profile-migration-gbr-intl/index.html
“Braverman, who evangelizes on the benefits of Brexit and has made migration curbs her political mission, has a backstory that seems to teem with contradictions.”
“She is the daughter of migrants, who wants to cut net migration to Britain to the “tens of thousands.” Her parents, both of Indian origin, arrived in the country from Kenya and Mauritius “with very little” in the 1960s.”
“She was a practicing lawyer before entering politics, but has displayed an unabashed indifference about whether her flagship migration bill complies with international law.”
“I would love to (see) a front page of The Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda,” the home secretary (interior minister) told that newspaper, referring to her controversial efforts to deport asylum-seekers to the central African nation. “That’s my dream. That’s my obsession.”
So, Boris Johnson wasn’t the worst the UK had to offer.
NEW THREAD