31 thoughts on “Sunday Serendipity”

  1. jack, thank you. fanny sure captures september’s  swirling leaves.   

     

    craig, for some reason jack’s video wasn’t showing up but the link to it was. had to add in the link a second time and that’s why the gap.
    wassup and can you fix it?

  2. Judge rejects DeSantis-drawn congressional map as unconstitutional | The Hill

    A Florida judge on Saturday ruled that a congressional map put forward by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) was unconstitutional and ordered the state legislature to redraw the boundaries.
    Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh found that the redrawn districts authorized by DeSantis in northern Florida violated the state constitution’s Fair Districts Amendments by “dismantling a congressional district that enabled Black voters to elect their candidates of choice under the previous plan.”
    The district, which stretches across much of Florida’s northern border with Georgia, was previously held by Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat who lost in the 2022 midterm election after the redistricting process. 
    In the previous district, 46.5 percent of the voting age population was Black. Under the new map, the four districts in the area are 23.1 percent, 15.9 percent, 31.7 percent and 12.8 percent Black.
    The map approved in the 2020 redistricting cycle was submitted to the Florida legislature by DeSantis’s office, after the governor rejected two earlier maps passed by state lawmakers. 
    Lawyers for both the Florida House and Senate conceded in court that the map did not satisfy the non-diminishment requirement in the state constitution. Only the Florida secretary of state argued otherwise, according to Saturday’s ruling.
    [continues]

  4. belaboring the labor strikes situation

    Studios already lost writers’, SAG strikes. Time to surrender – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

    […]
    Whatever short-term financial gain the studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers hoped to gain by forcing the first dual strike of writers and actors in 40 years has long since been overshadowed by all that they are losing.
    Public support, brand loyalty, individual reputations and group unity, not to mention, as the strikes threaten the fall TV lineup, theatrical release calendar, film festivals,
    The writers and actors have already won the battle of solidarity and righteousness; the question now is how long before the studios get over themselves and make a deal.
    It would be great to say something sensible like “a week,” but given the unfiltered arrogance, shocking hostility and general bone-headedness the studios have displayed thus far, it’s difficult to know. They could double themselves down into a 2024 with few new series and the least surprising Oscar race in history (“Barbie” versus “Oppenheimer,” Round 2.)
    […]
    Yet, despite polls indicating that a clear majority of Americans support the striking guilds, the AMPTP has portrayed the studios as the injured parties: We thought we could make TV without advertising, which obviously we couldn’t, but it’s not our fault.
    […]
    At this point, it’s difficult not to see the studios’ recalcitrance as pure ego. AMPTP members, once a collection of studio heads, now include people who oversee empires — emperors.
    Amazon and Apple may like to win Oscars and Emmys, but they’re not dependent on entertainment for profit. Even older media companies are now in the business of ditching shows, some before they even air, in order to take a tax write-off.
    [continues]

  7. DuhSantis trying to one up Alabama neutralizing black votes. He and Granny Ivey should share a couple of mint juleps and talk about the good old days when blacks knew their place.  Assholians. 

  8. now now, pogo, that’s Governor Assholians.

    by the way, a mystery afoot that may interest you
    this morning at BBCnews:

    A global search has been launched to find one of the world’s most iconic instruments – Paul McCartney’s original HĂśfner bass guitar.
    The Lost Bass Project is appealing for information about what it describes as “the most important bass in history”.
    McCartney bought the instrument for ÂŁ30 ($38) in Hamburg, Germany, in 1961, but it disappeared eight years later.
    The bass features in The Beatles’ music of those years, including the hits Love Me Do and She Loves You.
    Nick Wass is heading HĂśfner’s search project and has joined forces with two journalists in trying to solve the “greatest mystery in the history of rock and roll”.
    He has collaborated extensively with McCartney and written a book about the missing HĂśfner 500/1 Violin Bass.
    Wass told the BBC that the famous Beatle asked him about the guitar during a recent conversation – and that is how the campaign to find it began.
    It is not clear what happened to the instrument, which was put away presumably after the Beatles finished filming Get Back in 1969, he said.
    “It’s not clear where it was stored, who might have been there.
    “For most people, they will remember it… it’s the bass that made the Beatles,” Wass said.

  9. Pat, yep.

    Sturg, you comment from yesterday about Margaritaville is dead on. Context for the song is Jimmy was 30 or 31, struggling to get his career going, going through a breakup and wrote it in the airport and while stuck in traffic on the 7 mile bridge through the Keys while he was hung over while flying and driving home from Austin to Key West. 

    Bink, Buffett glorified a lifestyle that alcohol is a part of – beaches, boats, island life.  I think Pencil Thin Mustache, A Pirate Looks at 40 and, yes, Magaritaville sum it up. He recorded 30 albums and only had 3 songs that most people would know that featured alcohol or drinking in the title. One happened to be his biggest hit. Go figure. I see the focus of his music to be more nostalgia for a simple lifestyle that’s been largely left behind.

  10. more about that missing bass in the BBC story

    YouTube thumbnail

    A global search has been launched to track down Paul McCartney’s missing bass guitar. He bought it for £30 but could now be worth more than £10 million. Despite the small price tag on the bass guitar when he bought it in 1961, the instrument would go on to be a staple in the rise of Beatlemania. McCartney regularly took it on stage from 1961 to 1963, until it disappeared just before the band broke up.

  11. good story for a current day agatha christie mystery if some disgruntled beatle or beatle fan might have “murdered” the HĂśfner —  murder on the bass express-ion?

  12. I don’t care what they say, masks reduce the viral load of viruses of all types.   Social distancing, masks, and vaccines saved lives.  Just got back from the store, and I wore a mask although I didn’t see any other shoppers.  But, I also went to lunch with a friend this week.  We ate at 2pm, so we were almost the only diners.  A few braved the heat in the shaded patio.  I’m looking forward to my next vaccination.   

    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-will-the-next-covid-vaccine-be-available-and-who-should-get-it/

    “According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the updated fall COVID booster will likely be available around mid-September—once the agency authorizes it.”

  13. https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/02/ken-paxton-impeachment-trial-rally/

    “Paxton is under a gag order that prevents him from discussing the trial that begins Tuesday. But in remarks to a packed pavilion at a park near his North Texas home, Paxton blasted the Texas House of Representatives that impeached him and name-checked its leader, Speaker Dade Phelan.”

    “Let’s clean house,” he said.

    “Appearing alongside Paxton Saturday was his wife, Angela Paxton, a two-term Republican state senator who holds the McKinney seat he previously held. As a senator, Angela Paxton will sit for the trial but won’t be allowed to vote or attend private deliberations.”

    “The Senate will serve as the court of impeachment, and senators will act as jurors, in the trial that begins Tuesday.”

    How is going after those who brought articles of impeachment against him NOT violating his gag order? Paxton is trying to be a tiny tRUMPsy.

    “Paxton faces 16 impeachment charges, many of which accuse the three-term attorney general of repeatedly abusing his office to help a campaign donor, Austin real estate investor Nate Paul. The Texas House approved the impeachment articles in May by a 123-23 bipartisan vote…”

  15. Lovely tribute to Jimmy Buffett from Paul McCartney

    It seems that so many wonderful people are leaving this world, and now Jimmy Buffett is one of them. I’ve known Jimmy for some time and found him to be one of the kindest and most generous people.  I remember once on holiday when I had forgotten to bring my guitar and was itching to play. He said he would get me one of his, but I said, ‘I’m left-handed’. So, Jimmy had his roadie restring one of his guitars which he loaned me for the duration of the holiday. He then followed this act of generosity by giving me my own beautiful left-handed guitar that had been made by one of his guitar-making pals. It’s a beautiful instrument, and every time I play it now it’ll remind me of what a great man Jimmy was.  He had a most amazing lust for life and a beautiful sense of humour. When we swapped tales about the past his were so exotic and lush and involved sailing trips and surfing and so many exciting stories that it was hard for me to keep up with him.  Right up to the last minute his eyes still twinkled with a humour that said, ‘I love this world and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it’.  So many of us will miss Jimmy and his tremendous personality. His love for us all, and for mankind as a whole.  Last, but not least, is his songwriting and vocal ability. If someone made an interesting remark he repeated it in his gorgeous Louisiana drawl and said, ‘That’s a good idea for a song’. Most times it didn’t take too long for that song to appear. I was very happy to have played on one of his latest songs called ‘My Gummy Just Kicked In’. We had a real fun session and he played me some of his new songs. One, in particular, I loved was the song, ‘Bubbles Up’. And I told him that not only was the song great but the vocal was probably the best I’ve heard him sing ever. He turned a diving phrase that is used to train people underwater into a metaphor for life when you’re confused and don’t know where you are just follow the bubbles – they’ll take you up to the surface and straighten you out right away.  So long, Jim. You are a very special man and friend and it was a great privilege to get to know you and love you. Bubbles up, my friend.  Love, Paul

     

  16. Jack

    Thank you for this week’s serendipity.  Sometimes the ladies do it better and you wonder how much great music was lost to a male focused society.

     

     

  20. FOX host Jesse Watters: “The mugshot unintentionally created a bond between Donald Trump and black Americans. Today my garbage man told me he’s buying mugshot t-shirts for everyone he knows this Christmas”

  21. Yeah, GOP mouthpieces have been peddling these made-up anecdotes about “black” people all week, it’s all bullshit, they don’t interact with the commoners 

    How often do you “talk” to your “garbage man”? Probably never, they’re working to hard and fast to chit-chat

  22. I worked with a guitarist one time whose day gig was being a garbage man.   He was not full of great stories about the people on his route.  
     A good many, though, about people yelling “Hey! Hold up, there!” as they try to cram one last thing into the can as he’s on his way to the truck with it.
    That was in the old days of garbage collection. Nowadays there’s a whole new dynamic. It’s just not the same.

  23. Jesse Waters brainstorming for his nightly monologue:
     
    ”Hmm, i need to contrive a context in which i spoke to a black person, hmmmm…”
     
    ”I know!  ‘Garbage man’!”
     
    these GOP assholes…

  25. My personal rule is if i can’t get it into the can, i save it for next week, i am not making that dude get out of the truck to lift bags
     
    If i generate so much trash it won’t fit in the can, i’m living wrong
     
    ok, enough outta me, have a great weekend 💪 🇺🇸 

  27. living in Kansas City where we had a 2 bag limit and having to clean out rental properties. I have found it pays to know your garbage collector. I would give them a $20 tip for Christmas and never have to worry if I went over the 2 bag limit. An old Polish lady told me one time to leave a pint of vodka on anything I really needed picked up. like old tv’s that they weren’t supposed to put in the truck. 
    Jack 

  28. Jimmy Buffet, he sold a fantasy, it is why I went to Key West and dreamed of other points South. That I would reach with my sailboat, never mind that it would take a lot of work to do that and I’m lazy. Being lazy may have something to do with my attraction to his music and it is full of good humor and fun. It doesn’t make you think too hard.
    Jack

  29. Jamie
    An interesting thing on her Wiki page. They are discovering that a number of pieces that were originally published under her brother’s name were hers instead. She was a great talent, it had to be frustrating for her.
    Jack

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