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Monday, August 08, 2022
Music Week
Expanded blog post,
August archive
(in progress).
Tweet: Music Week: 44 albums, 0 A-list,
Music: Current count 38474 [38430] rated (+44), 77 [75] unrated (+2).
New records reviewed this week:
- 49 Winchester: Fortune Favors the Bold (2022, New West): [sp]: B
- Omar Apollo: Ivory (2022, Warner): [sp]: B+(**)
- Lee Bains + the Glory Fires: Old-Time Folks (2022, Don Giovanni): [sp]: B+(**)
- Axel Boman: Luz (2022, Studio Barnhus): [sp]: B+(**)
- Axel Boman: Quest for Fire (2022, Studio Barnhus): [sp]: B+(***)
- Breath of Air: Breath of Air (2019-20 [2022], Burning Ambulance): [bc]: B+(***)
- Alan Broadbent Trio: Like Minds (2021 [2022], Savant): [sp]: B+(**)
- Kevin Cerovich: Aging Millennial (2022, CVJ): [cd]: B
- Dan Clucas/Kyle Motl/Nathan Hubbard: Daydream and Halting (2021 [2022], FMR): [cd]: B+(***)
- Caleb Wheeler Curtis: Heat Map (2021 [2022], Imani): [cd]: B+(***)
- Lucky Daye: Candydrip (2022, Keep Cool/RCA): [sp]: B+(***)
- Vladislav Delay: Isoviha (2022, Planet Mu): [sp]: B
- Duke Deuce: Crunkstar (2022, Quality Control/Motown): [sp]: B+(*)
- DJ Black Low: Monate WA Piano EP (2022, Black Low Music, EP): [sp]: B+(**)
- Doechii: She/Her/Black B*tch (2022, Top Dawg Entertainment/Capitol, EP): [sp]: B+(**)
- Domi & JD Beck: Not Tight (2022, Apeshit/Blue Note): [sp]: B-
- Coco Em: Kilumi (2022, InFiné): [sp]: B+(*)
- Gas: Der Lange Marsch (2021, Kompakt): [sp]: B+(*)
- Ghais Guevara: May Ur Melanin Shield U From Ragnarok (2020, self-released, EP): [sp]: B+(**)
- Ghais Guevara: Black Bolshevik (2021, self-released, EP): [sp]: B+(**)
- Ghais Guevara: There Will Be No Super-Slave (2022, self-released): [sp]: B+(**)
- Calvin Harris: Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 (2022, Columbia): [sp]: B+(***)
- Shawneci Icecold Quartet: Coldtrane (2021, Underground 45): [cd]: B+(**)
- José Lencastre: Inner Voices (2020-21 [2022], Burning Ambulance): [bc]: B+(*)
- Allison Miller/Carmen Staaf: Nearness (2021 [2022], Sunnyside): [sp]: B+(**)
- Moderat: More D4ta (2022, Monkeytown): [sp]: B+(**)
- John Moreland: Birds in the Ceiling (2022, Thirty Tigers): [sp]: B+(*)
- Fred Moten/Brandon López/Gerald Cleaver: Moten/López/Cleaver (2020 [2022], Reading Group): [bc]: B+(***)
- Nancy Mounir: Nozhet El Nofous (2022, Simsara): [sp]: B
- Nakama: New World (2021 [2022], Nakama): [bc]: B+(**)
- Rico Nasty: Las Ruinas (2022, Sugar Trap/Atlantic): [sp]: B+(**)
- Maggie Rogers: Surrender (2022, Capitol): [r]: B+(*)
- The Sadies: Colder Streams (2022, Yep Roc): [sp]: B
- Serengeti: Kaleidoscope III (2022, Audio Recon): [bc]: B+(**)
- Amanda Shires: Take It Like a Man (2022, ATO): [sp]: B+(**)
- Sinkane: Cartoons in the Night Vol. 1: Live 2019 (2019 [2022], City Slang): [bc]: B-
- Miró Henry Sobrer: Two of Swords (2022, Patois): [cd]: B+(**)
- Whatever the Weather: Whatever the Weather (2022, Ghostly International): [sp]: B
- Jack White: Entering Heaven Alive (2022, Third Man): [sp]: B-
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:
- Kabaka International Guitar Band: Kabaka International Guitar Band (1977 [2022], Palenque): [bc]: B+(***)
Old music:
- The Chap: Mega Breakfast (2008, Lo/Ghostly International): [sp]: B+(**)
- New Bloods: The Secret Life (2008, Kill Rock Stars): [bc]: B+(***)
- Ashlee Simpson: Bittersweet World (2008, Geffen): [sp]: B+(**)
- Joris Teepe Quintet: For Adults Only (1998 [2000], Postcards): [sp]: B+(**)
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Kyle Aho: Rituals (OA2) [08-19]
- Dan Clucas/Kyle Motl/Nathan Hubbard: Daydream and Halting (FMR)
- Roberto Magris: Duo & Trio: Featuring Mark Colby (JMood) [09-01]
- Kyle Motl: Hydra Nightingale (Infrequent Seams)
- Ben Patterson: The Way of the Groove (Origin) [08-19]
- Ben Sidran: Swing State (Nardis) [09-16]
- Chris Walden: Missa Iubileum Aureum (Golden Jubilee Jazz Mass) (Origin) [08-19]
Sunday, August 07, 2022
Speaking of Which
Blog link.
After the Kansas referendum on abortion rights, I figured I should
post something this week. I've felt all along that the amendment
would be defeated in a fair election, while also recognizing that
nothing in the wording or scheduling of this issue was meant to be
fair. Some of my reasoning is explained below. Of course, even the
margin won't alter the will of the anti-abortion forces to come up with some
other way to strip Kansans of their rights. The next big battle will
be in November, when Kansas elects a new governor. (Republicans
currently hold a "veto-proof" majority, but just barely, so we'll
also be closely watching minor shifts there.)
Underreported below is the Ukraine War, which continues to grind
on, with Ukraine making minor progress in the South toward Kherson,
and Russia trying to expand its Donbas enclaves. The war itself has
mostly degenerated to long-distance shelling. (Most alarming:
Rocket attacks at Zaporizhzhia power plant raise fears of 'nuclear
catastrophe'.) Meanwhile, no reported interest on any side for
cease fire and talks (other than allowing one ship of grain to leave
Odesa).
In late-breaking news, [08-07]
Senate approves Inflation Reduction Act, clinching long-delayed health
and climate bill, with concessions to Manchin and Sinema, including
Republicans block cap on insulin costs for millions of patients
(vote was 57-43 in favor of the cap, but in our great democracy that
wasn't enough). Vox has
an explainer. Also Rebecca Leber:
The Senate just passed one of the biggest bills to fight climate change,
ever.
Spencer Ackerman: [08-01]
First Impressions on the Execution of Ayman al-Zawahiri. Author calls
his blog "Forever Wars," of which this is another mark in the forever
timeline. Like many other markers, this could be used as a pivot point
to exiting the process which generates future terrorists faster than
it can wipe them out.
Related:
David Badash: [08-06]
Rick Scott tells CPAC Democrats' policies are 'evil,' the 'militant
left' is the 'enemy' and the 'greatest danger we've ever faced':
I've been reading Heather Cox Richardson's history of the Republican
Party, To Make Men Free, which recounts Republican claims that
Democrats were set on destroying the country going back to the 1870s.
(Evidently, the red baiting started immediately after the 1871 Paris
Commune, although the Federalists made similar complaints about the
Jacobins in the 1790s.) With the New Deal in the 1930s, when it was
the Democrats who saved America from the greatest economic collapse
in American history, Republican hysteria only became more strident.
That Republicans like Scott are dialing their madness up even more
now just shows that even they recognize that they have no solutions
for our increasingly perilous problems. Of course, Scott was just
warming up the crowd for the main event. See Bob Brigham: [08-07]
Trump at CPAC: 108 minutes in speech filled with 'unapologetic
fascism'.
Peter Baker: [08-04]
U.S. Offer to Swap Russian Arms Dealer for Griner Highlights Uncomfortable
Choices: The arms dealer is Viktor Bout, arrested in and extradited
from Thailand on charges that could just as easily be levied against
hundreds of American arms merchants, but the US is one of the very few
nations with the means and will to pursue such cases. Brittany Griner,
at least, was in Russia when she committed her "crime" -- one which,
until recently, the US would have prosecuted her for, though she's
enough of a celebrity she would likely have gotten off lightly in our
vastly unequal system of justice. (Jeffrey St Clair, link below,
notes that "Griner's 9.5-year sentence is actualy 6 months less
than John Sinclair got for possession of 2 joints in Michigan in
1971.) In Russia, however, her celebrity
may be working against her: while her incarceration isn't winning
Putin any "hearts and minds," it does remind us he still wields
considerable power. Still, I didn't flag this piece because I want
to weigh the relative merits of injustice here and there, or the
delicate balance of incentives involved in prisoner swaps. I just
want to remind you that the world would be simpler and fairer if
we had an international law and protocol that allowed political
prisoners to go into exile if they find willing host countries. Both
Bout and Griner would easily qualify, without all the messiness of
negotiations. And the US wouldn't embarrass itself trying to
extradite Julian Assange.
PS: Some background history:
Here are some prisoner swaps that freed Americans.
Zack Beauchamp:
Nina Burleigh: [07-31]
Right-Wing Extremists Are Making Fiction Come True: "Can Democrats
craft a winning message off a smorgasbord of misogynist madness?"
Kevin Carey: [08-03]
Why Is America Fractured? Blame College, a New Book Argues.
Review of Will Bunch: After the Ivory Tower Falls. I recall
Bunch writing a good book about how bad Ronald Reagan was: Tear
Down This Myth: How the Reagan Legacy Has Distorted Our Politics
and Haunts Our Future (2009).
Amy Cheng: [08-05]
Indiana passes near-total abortion ban, the first state to do so
post-Roe;
Amber Phillips/Tom Hamburger: [08-06]
Abortion law in Indiana leads to fallout for state, politics;
Ellen Francis: [08-06]
'Not her body, not her choice': Indiana lawmakers on abortion ban:
One thing the Kansas vote didn't do was to dissuade Indiana Republicans
from passing the first post-Dobbs abortion ban law.
For a summary, see Amanda Marcotte: [08-05]
Republicans learn the lesson of Kansas: Indiana takes repulsive abortion
debate behind closed doors.
Fabiola Cineas: [08-05]
Why the Justice Department made a move in the police killing of Breonna
Taylor. It may not be possible to prosecute cops for going on a
wanton killing spree, but that doesn't excuse them from filing false and
misleading paperwork.
Ryan Cooper:
- [08-02]
The Federal Reserve is risking disaster for U.S. workers: "Impoverishing
the American people is the worst way to deal with inflation." After the
U.S. economy shrunk for two consecutive quarters -- a well-known (but
now we're told incomplete) definition of recession, the Federal Reserve
hiked its base interest rate another 0.75%, "the biggest such move since
the early 1980s, when it intentionally contributed to a massive recession
and crushed the American labor movement to fight price increases."
- [08-03]
Republicans Just Exposed Their Greatest Weakness: "Only a deranged
political party votes against health care for wounded veterans out of
pure spite." Sure, Senate Republicans got shamed into reversing course,
but we should remember their instincts.
Matt Ford:
David Gelles: [08-05]
How Republicans Are 'Weaponizing' Public Office Against Climate Action:
"A Times investigation revealed a coordinated effort by state treasurers
to use government muscle and public funds to punish companies trying to
reduce greenhouse gases." Sometimes "evil" is not hyperbole.
Tareq S Hajjaj/Yumna Patel: [08-05]
10 Palestinians, one child, killed in Israeli attack on Gaza.
Israel decided they could assassinate one of the leaders of Islamic
Jihad. The rest were collateral damage.
Islamic Jihad "retaliated" with some rockets (which didn't hit anyone),
so expect Israel to escalate its slaughter. For updates: [08-06]
Gaza's only power plant shuts down as Israeli airstrikes continue;
and [08-07]
Gaza death toll climbs to 43 amid ceasefire reports.
Steph Herold: [08-03]
Hollywood's Role in Stigmatizing Abortion. Good article as far as
it goes, but it misses one key point, which is that abortions don't
work as stories: typically, a woman has a few bad days fretting over
the decision, then makes it, does it, and gets on with her life. A
rare example where you saw exactly that was in Prime Suspect,
where it took up no more than 5 minutes in a season about something
else. However, had that happened in the movie Juno, that would
have been the end of the story -- instead, it turned into this really
ridiculous fairy tale of a young-but-actually-loving couple generously
giving their baby away to a rich-but-likable older couple. It's easy
to think of movies that helped people get past traditional bigotry,
racism and homophobia, but that's because they could build relatable
stories around them. Those stories are a big part of why the right so hates
Hollywood. But abortion isn't that kind of story, so it's always
been easiest just to ignore it.
Fred Kaplan: [08-02]
Nancy Pelosi Just Lit a Match at the Dynamite Factory. On the
House Speaker's much publicized trip to Taiwan, occurring as it does
as the Biden administration has been talking up China as a potential
enemy while bankrolling a major war in Ukraine.
Also:
- Ross Barkan: [08-02]
Nancy Pelosi Is Creating a Global Military Crisis for No Reason at
All.
- Connor Echols: [08-01]
As Pelosi Taiwan visit looms, Menendez bill would 'gut' One China
policy.
- Ben Freeman: [08-04]
How the Taiwan lobby helped pave the way for Pelosi's trip.
- Robert Wright: [08-02]
How the war in Ukraine could lead to war in Taiwan: "A wartime
psychology knows no bounds." Unfortunately, the paywall kicked in
before he could explain why, so here's my guess: Xi could, for
instance, decide that with the US stretched bankrolling Ukraine,
this may be the most advantageous opportunity China ever gets to
seize Taiwan. I could point out that would be stupid, and that
China has rarely been that stupid in the past (their war against
Vietnam was an exception), but history is rife with blundering war
calculations.
- Sina Azodi/Christopher England: [08-06]
Pelosi's Taiwan visit and the limits of American strategy: "It's
time for American leaders to stop framing international politics as
a competition between democracies and autocracies." One can debate
whether the US even has a coherent foreign policy. Empirically, it
looks more like, in Lionel Trilling's phrase, a smattering of irritable
mental gestures. "Democracy vs. autocracy" has never been a principle,
but it's often a propaganda trope -- irresistible as long as you group
America among the democracies (but that, too, can be debated).
- Michael D Swaine: [08-05]
China retaliates with snap suspension of dialogues with US. This
includes discussions about climate change. As St Clair notes below,
"If global warming hits 2C, it could "double" the flooding costs in
China compared to 1.5C." Sounds like that should be a much bigger
concern for all sides than the egos bruised by Pelosi's visit.
- Chris Buckley/Amy Chang Chien/John Liu: [08-07]
After China's Military Spectacle, Options Narrow for Winning Over
Taiwan. Pelosi's trip was foolish, but so is Xi's reaction.
Hitherto, China has always shown patience in dealing with border
issues (e.g., Hong Kong and Macau), and they've constructed their
military primarily as a defensive force. It seemed clear before
that the only way Taiwan would reunite with mainland China would
be voluntarily, but that became even more unlikely after the
crackdown on Hong Kong, along with the repression in Tibet and
Xinjiang. Taiwan has only been part of China for 4 years over
the last 120, and China was far from whole at the time (1945-49,
when Mao ruled much of the country, but not Taiwan). Russia's
attack on Ukraine, and the US/NATO response, reduce the prospects
for Chinese military takeover even more. I'd say the gig is up,
but until Beijing admits as much, why try to goad or humiliate
them?
Ezra Klein: [08-07]
I Didn't Want It to Be True, but the Medium Really Is the Message:
A dive into some media theorists (especially Marshall McLuhan and Neil
Postman), finding they were onto something. Klein covers the same
territory in his interview with Sean Illing [07-26]
How We Communicate Will Decide Whether Democracy Lives or Dies.
Illing interviews book authors for Vox, but having co-written a book
(The Paradox of Democracy: Free Speech, Open Media, and Perilous
Persuasion, with Zac Gershberg), he contrived for Margaret Sullivan
to interview him: [07-31]
Free speech is essential for democracy. Could it also be democracy's
downfall?.
Jonathan Martin: [08-07]
Liz Cheney Is Ready to Lose. But She's Not Ready to Quit.
I'm ready for her to lose, too, but I wouldn't be surprised if
she survives: people in Wyoming don't like to be told what to do,
even by morons like Trump.
And while I don't mind giving her credit for her work on the
January 6 Committee, we should be clear that if she managed to
survive and recast the Republican Party in her image, it wouldn't
be one iota better than the degenerate party she declaims. Also:
Liz Cheney's Latest Fans: Democratic Donors: What a waste!
Jane Mayer: [08-06]
State Legislatures Are Torching Democracy: Ohio, for example.
Casey Michel: [08-04]
The Kleptocrat Who Bankrolled Rudy Giuliani's Dive for Dirt on Biden:
Dmitro Firtash.
Ian Millhiser: [08-02]
The uncomfortable problem with Roe v. Wade. A fairly deep and useful
background piece on Roe v. Wade and its recent overturn, touching on
questions of due process and enumerated vs. unenumerated rights. Much
of this will be familiar to readers of Millhiser's Injustices: The
Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting
the Afflicted.
Viet Thanh Nguyen: [07-22]
Asking "What About . . . ?" Is Essential to Achieving Justice:
"Selective empathy prevents us from making connections." War in
Ukraine is most obviously on his mind, but he offers examples going
back to the 1864 Sand Creek massacre (which reminded me of a crusade
in medieval Europe, where the order was to kill everyone, leaving it
to God to sort the innocent from the guilty). From Vietnam, he notes
that Lt. William Calley was convicted of murder at My Lai, but "a
considerable portion of the American people sympathized more with
the American murderer . . . than with the Vietnamese dead." With
this in mind, feel free to read Masha Gessen: [08-01]
The Prosecution of Russian War Crimes in Ukraine, where Ukrainians
have identified 25,000 cases so far, but I'd wager none of them involve
victims of Ukrainian firepower, even among their own people. Sure, one
might argue that none of these crimes would have occurred had Russia not
invaded, so Putin bears a unique responsibility there, but it also seems
clear that Ukraine and its suppliers and cheerleaders haven't put a lot
of effort into negotiating an end to this war. And once again, Americans
are especially conspicuous among the self-sanctifiers.
Alex Pareene: [07-11]
The Never-Ending War on the Woke: "Or what the Democratic center has
failed to learn over the past three decades." Or what it's learned all too
well: that the more threatening Republicans seem, the better they can
deliver on their own value-proposition, which is to keep the left down,
so "centrist" Democrats can deliver greater profits to the rich donors
they cultivate. Pareene starts with the example of 1994, where at least
some of Clinton's strategists cheered on the Gingrich revolution as a
way to neutralize the "dead wood" Democrats who had dominated Congress
as far back as any of them could remember. Having demolished the Party
(and especially its labor base), liberal Democrats had little choice
but to rally behind Clinton in 1996, and a second term that sowed seeds
for the disastrous Bush terms to follow. Obama's 2014 debacle followed
suit, not least because he stocked his administration with Clintonian
"centrists." And now Biden is widely expected to blow 2022 as badly.
But I'd submit that things are different this time. The only constant
is that the "centrist" hacks are still working to prevent change, but
who's listening to them any more? How can anyone seriously believe
that Democrats would do better if only they were more racist? (E.g.,
see Eric Alterman: [08-05]
It's Not Wokeism That Threatens Our Democracy.)
John J Pitney Jr: [08-05]
Democrats Are Running as Opposition Party: "This year, the Supreme
Court and Trump have made it possible for Democrats to run as a check
on Republican extremism."
Nathan J Robinson:
- [07-29]
How Bill Gates Makes the World Worse Off: Interview with Linsey
McGoey, author of No Such Thing as a Free Gift: The Gates Foundation
and the Price of Philanthropy (2015), and The Unknowers: How
Strategic Ignorance Rules the World (2019).
- [07-19]
We Need to Get Serious About Universal Access to Shade.
- [07-13]
Are Web3 and Crypto Just a "Grift Pouring Lighter Fluid on Our
Already-Smoldering Planet"?: Interview with Molly White, who
follows this stuff on her
Web3 is going just great website, where you can find articles
like "India frees assets of WazirX, Binance's Indian exchange"
and "Michael Saylor steps down as MicroStrategy CEO as the company
reports a $918 million impairment charge on Bitcoin holdings" and
"After five years in prison for a Ponzi scheme and a lifetime ban
from the pharmaceutical industry, Martin Shkreli announces his new
venture: a web3 drug discovery platform."
- [08-04]
Against Liberalism: A review of Luke Savage's forthcoming book,
The Dead Center: Reflections on Liberalism and Democracy After the
End of History. I read a number of left critiques of liberalism
c. 1970 (e.g., Robert Paul Wolff's The Poverty of Liberalism),
but have softened my views as conservatives equated liberals with the
left and sought to destroy both. I figured that gave us some common
ground, and that liberal ideals were prerequisite to left development,
but it's still aggravating when liberals' ambitions stop with their
own personal freedom. (Adam Gopnik's A Thousand Small Sanities
is a good example I've read; Paul Krugman's The Conscience of a
Liberal at least offers some economic insight that liberalism might
be more broadly beneficial.) Still, most leftist critiques these days
use the term "neoliberalism" to define their target, as we no longer
care to argue with the old liberal virtues (e.g., Wolff's chapter in
A Critique of Pure Tolerance), but still find plenty fault in
their economic concerns. Savage's book appears to be more topical:
a collection of pieces on political figures who often disappoint but
are still better than the Republicans they promise to save us from.
On the other hand, their faults are more easily explained by corruption
than by ideology.
PS: Following the
link
to the publisher, I found several more books that continue the left
critique of "centrist" Democrats, like
Robert Eisenberg: The Center Did Not Hold: A Biden/Obama Balance
Sheet, and a pair of fake-confessionals before and after the
2016 disaster:
My Turn: Hillary Clinton Targets the Presidency
(by Doug Henwood), and
How I Lost
by Hillary Clinton
("based on her own words in speeches and emails, a devastating
indictment of a disastrous election defeat . . . introduced and
annotated by Joe Lauria").
Kevin Roose: [08-06]
Don't Expect Alex Jones's Comeuppance to Stop Lies: The trial
went against Jones, ordering him to pay $45 million to parents of
children murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. I'm
not much in favor of defamation lawsuits, but Jones crossed a lot
of lines, and did so knowingly and maliciously, so some kind of
comeuppance is in order. "But, even if Mr. Jones's career is ruined,
his legacy of brazen, unrepentant dishonesty will live on --
strengthened, in some ways, by the knowledge of exactly how far
you can push a lie before consequences kick in."
Richard Silverstein: [08-05]
Aipac Pumps $30-Million into Democratic Primaries to Defeat Israel
Critics. Israel not only interferes with US elections more
than Russia, they don't even try to hide it.
Sarah Smarsh: [08-03]
Why the Defense of Abortion in Kansas Is So Powerful. Author grew
up here, and wrote a powerful memoir that was especially conscious of
the hardships and dim prospects endured by teenage mothers (Heartland:
A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on
Earth).
More pieces on the Kansas vote:
- Miranda Moore: [08-01]
Follow the Money: Who Is Funding Kansas Abortion Amendment Ads?
Most of the pro-amendment money came from Catholic groups, especially
Archdiocese of Kansas City, KS ($2.4 million). It is interesting that
the business groups that typically fund Republicans in Kansas didn't
put much effort into this (although their money may just be hidden,
especially through Kansans for Life; presumably abortion isn't a hot
button issue for the Koch Network -- supposedly libertarian, but
they've never had qualms about supporting extreme anti-abortion
zealots like Mike Pompeo). Some PACs supported the NO campaign, but
the largest chunk came from individual donations ($2.3 million).
- Mitch Smith: [08-02]
Millions in Advertising Help Shape Closely Watched Abortion Vote in
Kansas.
- Maggie Astor/Nate Cohn: [08-03]
Here's how abortion rights supporters won in conservative Kansas.
- Nate Cohn: [08-04]
Kansas Result Suggests 4 Out of 5 States Would Back Abortion Rights in
Similar Vote. Not sure what the methodology is here.
- Ed Kilgore: [08-04]
Kris Kobach Is Making Yet Another Comeback Attempt: He just won
a three-way Republican primary for Attorney General with 42% of the
vote. As his yard signs make clear, he's not interested in fighting
ordinary crimes. He wants to use the AG office to "Sue Joe Biden!"
- Amanda Marcotte: [08-03]
Kansas abortion win is a wake-up call: Americans do not want GOP bans.
- Rani Molla: [08-03]
4 charts that show just how big abortion won in Kansas: Sorry to
be picky, but I only count 3 charts. Big one is that turnout was up
50% from 2020 and more than double from most recent primaries. The
Republicans deliberately decided to tie the vote to the primary
instead of waiting for November to skew the electorate in their
favor: Kansas Democrats almost never have competitive primaries,
so few Democrats bother to vote, and independents (30% of total)
aren't allowed to vote in primaries so never show up (about 100k
did this time). While voter turnout was record-high, it was still
down 32% from the 2020 presidential election, so motivation was
arguably a factor. But turnout was only down 11% from 2018.
PS: As of
July, registered voters number 1,929,972, so voter turnout
on Amendment was 47.7% (920,671); Republican voter turnout was
53.4% (455,182 / 881,882); Democratic voter turnout was 56.8%
(281,546 / 495,574); Independent turnout (counting registered
Libertarians) was 31.6% (183,943 / 582,516). Voter turnout in
the 2020 primary was 34.2%; in the 2020 general election, the
turnout was 70.9%. In 2018, the primary turnout was 27.1%, and
the general election (voting for governor but not president)
was 56.4%.
- Ed Kilgore: [08-05]
Kansas Shows the Potential Power of Pro-Choice Republican Voters:
Starts with a Steve Kornacki tweet that argues that "at least 20% of
R's were No's." I'm sure that's right. Before Roe, Kansas had
legalized abortion, and that was mostly Republicans (Democrats actually
tended to be anti-abortion, which turned out to be a problem in 1994,
when KS had an anti-abortion Democratic governor, and anti-abortion
Republicans like Sam Brownback took over the GOP). On the other hand,
the title is misleading. Pro-choice Republicans have been totally
purged from offices in KS, so they have zero power over the party.
All they can actually do is defect: a number have, including some
once-prominent names, but most keep voting for Republicans who will
leave no stone unturned in their campaign to end reproductive rights
(a term I'm not wild about, but appropriate here given how Brownback
is opposed to all forms of birth control, and to any medical use of
stem cells).
- Harold Meyerson: [08-03]
Kansans to Alito: F*ck You. "Americans, it appears, don't like
their rights taken away."
- Bill Scher: [08-05]
The Ads That Won the Kansas Abortion Referendum. I got a bit
snippy when I read the subhed (of course, Scher would complain about
"progressive pieties"; he always does), but that was not only ground we could
win on, it was ground worth defending. The sign in our front yard
read "Stand for Liberty; Vote No." The Republicans were trying to
take that away, so it made perfect sense to call them on it.
- Peter Slevin: [08-07]
Blueprinting the Kansas Abortion-Rights Victory.
- Tessa Stuart: [08-05]
Her Team Helped Beat Back Kansas' Abortion Ban. Here's What She Wants
Other States to Know: Interview with Ashley All of Kansas for
Constitutional Freedom, shows a very nuanced (and I think accurate)
understanding of politics in Kansas.
- Kathleen Wallace: [08-04]
What Happened in Kansas: Common Sense, Common Ground.
- Jonathan Weisman/Katie Glueck: [08-05]
Republicans Begin Adjusting to a Fierce Abortion Backlash:
Yeah, but then look at what they did in Indiana (noted above).
"For Republicans, one problem might be the extensive trail on the
issue they left during the primary season." On the other hand: [08-03]
'Your Bedroom Is on the Ballot': How Democrats See Abortion Politics
After Kansas.
Jeffrey St Clair: [08-05]
Roaming Charges: The Mad-Eyed Lady of Pac Heights. I've been
recommending his columns regularly, figuring his insights make up
for his occasional lapses of taste and decorum. But his opening
screed on Pelosi and Taiwan goes way beyond my own criticisms, and
I never care for his regular potshots at Bernie Sanders (even if
one also hits Rand Paul). So, fine, skip the first half, and read
about Brianna Grier. Also the one about the Oklahoma Board of
Education.
Amy B Wang: [08-03]
Sen. Johnson suggests ending Medicare, Social Security as mandatory
spending programs: This tells us two things: one is that Johnson
doesn't have the vaguest idea how Medicare and Social Security work,
so he has no idea how hard it is to replace them with any other even
remotely acceptable scheme; the other is that he wants to kill them,
but for now he'll settle for being able to hold them ransom every
year so they can extort concessions, like Republicans currently do
with the debt limit. If people understood what he was asking for,
public support would be less than 5% (although it could still be a
majority of the people who donate to his campaign, especially if
weighted by how much). Which raises another question: Michelle
Cottle: [08-07]
Why Is Ron Johnson Still Competitive Despite, You Know, Everything?
Li Zhou/Natalie Jennings: [08-03]
4 winners and 1 loser from the Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, and Michigan
primaries: I don't think I've commented on any primary elections
before this week, and I don't have much to say here. The only races
I'm seriously interested in are ones that pit D vs. R, and it doesn't
much matter to me which D or which R. So while I would have preferred
Andy Levin and Lucas Kunce to have won their primaries, I'll happily
take the less promising Democrats who won, and mildly dissent from the
notion of "Loser: Progressives." As for "Winner: Democratic meddling
in GOP races," I think that's dubious tactically, but it matters little
to me whether Peter Meijer or his Trump-backed challenger won. I'm also
dubious about how big a trend that is, or whether cross-voting D's had
much effect. I know Democratic-leaners here in KS who register R so they
can vote in contested and more consequential primaries, but I've never
heard of one voting for the more toxic candidate (e.g., Kris Kobach).
In any case, the numbers are so vanishingly small it's hard to see them
ever having any effect. Perhaps when it comes to donors, it's more of a
thing, but no more likely to work. Amy Davidson Sorkin: [08-03]
A Bad Democratic Bet in the GOP Primaries talks mostly about Peter
Meijer's primary loss, but if he really wanted Democrats to support him,
shouldn't he have switched parties? And short of that, why should we
care? And if this really is a thing, is there any reason not to think
that Republican donors aren't doing the same thing to Democrats?
Monday, August 01, 2022
Music Week
Expanded blog post,
August archive
(in progress).
Tweet: Music Week: 47 albums, 3 A-list,
Music: Current count 38430 [38383] rated (+47), 75 [77] unrated (-2).
Nothing much to say this week, except I'm still here, and
functional at a fairly minimal level.
Recommended music links:
New records reviewed this week:
- Beabadoobee: Beatopia (2022, Dirty Hit): [sp]: B+(***)
- Beyoncé: Renaissance (2022, Parkwood/Columbia): [r]: B+(***)
- Jane Ira Bloom/Mark Helias: Some Kind of Tomorrow (2020 [2021], Radio Legs): [sp]: B+(**)
- Jane Ira Bloom: Picturing the Invisible: Focus 1 (2022, self-released): [sp]: B+(***)
- Steve Cardenas/Ben Allison/Ted Nash: Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley (2021 [2022], Sunnyside): [sp]: B+(***)
- Do'a: Higher Grounds (2022, Outside In Music): [cd]: B+(*)
- Steven Feifke: The Role of the Rhythm Section (2022, La Reserve): [sp]: B+(*)
- William Flynn: Seaside (2019 [2022], OA2): [cd]: B+(**)
- Ronnie Foster: Reboot (2022, Blue Note): [sp]: B+(*)
- J-Hope: Jack in the Box (2022, HYBE): [r]: B+(*)
- Sheila Jordan: Live at Mezzrow (2021 [2022], Cellar Live): [sp]: B+(***)
- Geoffrey Keezer & Friends: Playdate (2021-22 [2022], MarKeez): [cd]: B+(*) [08-12]
- Stan Killian: Brooklyn Calling (2021 [2022], Sunnyside): [sp]: B+(**)
- Gerard Lebik/John Edwards/Paul Lovens: Lepomis Gibbosus (2015 [2021], Fundacja Sluchaj): [bc]: B+(*)
- Lizzo: Special (2022, Atlantic/Nice Life): [r]: B+(**)
- Mabel: About Last Night . . . (2022, Polydor): [sp]: B+(**)
- Francisco Mela/Shinya Lin: Motions Vol. 1 (2021 [2022], 577): [bc]: B+(***)
- Meridian Odyssey: Earthshine (2021 [2022], Origin): [cd]: B+(**)
- Flo Milli: You Still Here, Ho? (2022, RCA): [r]: B+(**)
- Tobin Mueller: Prestidigitation (2022, self-released): [cd]: B-
- Nina Nastasia: Riderless Horse (2022, Temporary Residence): [sp]: B+(*)
- Sinéad O'Brien: Time Bend and Break the Bower (2022, Chess Club): [sp]: B+(***)
- Peaness: World Full of Worry (2022, Totally Snick): [sp]: B+(**)
- Phelimuncasi: Ama Gogela (2022, Nyege Nyege Tapes): [sp]: A-
- Carol Sloane: Live at Birdland (2019 [2022], Club 44): [sp]: B+(***)
- Spinifex: Beats the Plague (2021, Trytone): [cd]: B+(**)
- Jamie T: The Theory of Whatever (2022, Polydor): [sp]: B
- Xiomara Torres: La Voz Del Mar (2022, Patois): [cd]: B+(*)
- Chucho Valdés & Paquito D'Rivera Reunion Sextet: I Missed You Too! (2022, Sunnyside): [sp]: B+(**)
- Luis Vicente/Seppe Gebruers/Onno Govaert: Room With No Name (2019 [2022], Fundacja Sluchaj): [bc]: B+(*)
- Joshua Ray Walker: See You Next Time (2021, State Fair): [sp]: B+(**)
- Water Damage: Repeater (2022, 12XU): [sp]: A-
- Walt Weiskopf European Quartet: Diamonds and Other Jewels (2022, AMM): [cd]: A- [08-19]
- Working Men's Club: Fear Fear (2022, Heavenly): [sp]: B+(**)
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:
- Phelimuncasi: Phelimuncasi: 2013-2019 (2013-19 [2020], Nyege Nyege Tapes): [sp]: B+(***)
- Clark Terry Big Bad Band: Live in Holland 1979 (1979 [2022], Storyville): [sp]: B+(*)
- Bo Van De Graaf: Eccentric Music for Audio Hunters (2002-16 [2021], Icdisc): [cd]: B
Old music:
- George Coleman/Tete Montoliu: Dynamic Duo (1977 [1992], Timeless): [sp]: B+(*)
- George Coleman: Amsterdam After Dark (1978 [1989], Timeless): [sp]: B+(**)
- Ingrid Laubrock: Who Is It? (1998, Candid): [sp]: B+(**)
- Ingrid Laubrock: Some Times (2001, Candid): [sp]: B+(***)
- Ingrid Laubrock With Liam Noble & Tom Rainey: Sleepthief (2007 [2008], Intakt): [sp]: B+(***)
- Lizzo: Lizzobangers (2009-13 [2014], Virgin): [sp]: B+(**)
- Lizzo: Coconut Oil (2016, Nice Life/Atlantic, EP): [r]: B+(**)
- Slickaphonics: Wow Bag (1982, Enja): [sp]: B+(**)
- Slickaphonics: Modern Life (1984, Enja): [sp]: B+(*)
- Bob Stewart: Then & Now (1995-96 [1996], Postcards): [sp]: B+(***)
Limited Sampling: Records I played parts of, but not enough
to grade: -- means no interest, - not bad but not a prospect,
+ some chance, ++ likely prospect.
- Jane Ira Bloom/Mark Helias: See Our Way (2021-22 [2022], Radiolegs): [bc]: +
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- JD Allen: Americana Vol. 2 (Savant) [08-26]
- Roxana Amed: Unanime (Sony Music Latin) [09-16]
- Richard Baratta: Music in Film: The Sequel (Savant) [08-26]
- Matthew Fries: Lost Time (Xcappa) [09-23]
- Shawneci Icecold Quartet: Coldtrane (Underground 45) [2021-06-14]
- Ethan Philion: Meditations on Mingus (Sunnyside) [08-26]
- Dave Rempis/Tomeka Reid/Joshua Abrams: Allium (Aerophonic) [10-04]
Thursday, August 04, 2022
Doing some router research:
Currently have:
ASUS RT-AC66U Dual Band 3x3 802.11AC Gigabit Router (2013)
Miscellaneous notes: Wi-Fi 6 = 802.11ax, vs. 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5);
Wi-Fi 6E is an extension which adds a 6GHz band (faster, but not
much uses it, and higher frequencies have shorter range).
Single units (Wi-Fi 6/Dual band):
- Asus RT-AX88U: $299.99, faster, more options, AiMesh compatible
- Asus RT-AX86U: $292.08
- Asus RT-AX86S: $189.99
- ASUS AC1900 Range Extender: $79.08
- Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000: $349.99
- Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (RAX80)
- Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500: Wi-Fi 6e/Tri-band: $555.06
Mesh routers:
- Netgear Orbi WiFi 6E (RBKE963): $1499.99
- Netgear Orbi WiFi 6: $353.93
- Netgear Orbi RBK852: $699.99
- Netgear Orbi RBK752: $319.01
- Linksys Atlas Max 6E: $1016.35
- Linksys MX8503 Atlas WiFi 6E Mesh (3-pack): $999.99
- Linksys MX8503 Atlas WiFi 6E Mesh (2-pack): $899.99
- Linksys MX12600 Velop Mesh WiFi 6 (3-pack): $499.99
- Linksys MX8000 Velop Mesh WiFi 6: Tri-band (2-pack): [$279.99] $399.99
- Asus ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 (2-pack): $399.99
- Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8): $248.91
- Asus RT-AC68U AiMesh 2-pack: $170.00
Wi-Fi extenders:
- Netgear AX1800 4-Stream Mesh Extender (EAX20)
- TP-Link AX3000 WiFi 6 Range Extender: $119.99
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Jul 2022 |
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