Arizona – Ducey’s bad actions against mask mandates

Like DeSantis & Abbott, Ducey is escalating his offensive against blue jurisdictions requiring masks or vaccines. The dominant GOP impulse remains to defend the unvaccinated-even as evidence grows that the vaccinated, across party lines, are ready for tougher steps against them. https://t.co/wjKw5rTMl0
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) August 17, 2021

This is the most absurdly dangerous and anti-science step @dougducey has taken (and that’s saying a lot, 2020).

Until kids under 12 have access to the vaccine, what are parents supposed to do? Just hope their kids don’t get sick and end up in the ICU? https://t.co/8f6IOqtwHX
— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) August 17, 2021

Gov. Ducey is now going to incentivize #AZ schools to ignore public health guidance and put our children’s health at risk. https://t.co/fo43Qy8u8v
— Kelli Butler (@KelliButlerAZ) August 17, 2021

Watching DeSantis, Abbott, & Ducey choose death over life; & centralized power over community decision making is painful & resulting in unnecessary, premature deaths.

It is one thing to NOT have a mask mandate. Wholly another to block municipalities from letting science lead. https://t.co/DSQmJ7hYoi
— (((Howard Forman))) (@thehowie) August 17, 2021

It’s like these governors are competing to see who can be more reckless and irresponsible.https://t.co/KCrDQMxoHL
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) August 14, 2021

One Perfect Shot on the commentary on Boogie Nights

Boogie Nights is a great film. I would put in my top 25 American films without question.

BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997)

Cinematography by Robert Elswit
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
What we learned from this film's DVD commentary: https://t.co/ZLJvjuxVEz pic.twitter.com/XgE4Vt898H
— One Perfect Shot (@OnePerfectShot) August 17, 2021

Trump won’t promote the vaccine but his cult members wouldn’t take it anyway

It’s too late. They are locked into their position. I blame Trump for this and thousands of unnecessary deaths.

Let's be honest about the Right:

If Donald Trump had said when this all began: "This is a serious danger. We all need to mask, distance, wait on a vaccine, and get it once it arrives" that's what Conservatives would have done—period.https://t.co/C2R3vZyTl2
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) August 14, 2021

Trump ignoring pleas to promote vaccine, thinks it helps Biden: report #SmartNews https://t.co/fpWUm0E46b
— Sandra Rodkey (@SandraRodkey) August 14, 2021

For many in the Trump base — like some of the folks we met here this week at the Mike Lindell event in South Dakota — getting vaccinated is a red line. They wouldn't take it even if Trump really pushed it, they say. pic.twitter.com/JcbR9dceF7
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) August 12, 2021

“We did not predict the politicization of vaccines that has led so many Republicans to hold back,” Trump’s HHS Secretary says, adding Trump should have gotten it on tv. https://t.co/7MQb44Udc9
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) August 3, 2021

Despite being approached by multiple allies, Donald Trump has no interest in doing any public service campaign to promote the COVID vaccine – even though its development in Operation Warp Speed was one of the greatest achievements of his administration.https://t.co/q06FepEIoP
— Politics1.com (@Politics1com) August 12, 2021

Barbecue/pit beef I have eaten during the pandemic – Baltimore

Support local restaurants! Pit beef is a Baltimore thing – it’s not the same as barbecue but there are similarities. For pit beef, start with Chaps. The original location is on the parking lot of the Gold Club strip club!

Mission BBQ:

Smokey’s Barbecue Shack:

Urban Bar-B-Que:

Chaps:

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A post shared by Baltimore History Channel (@baltimorehistorychannel)

Bullhead Pit Beef:

John Hersey

I admit that I have never read Hiroshima by John Hersey. I have read several of his novels – A Bell for Adano (1944), Too Far to Walk (1966) and Under the Eye of the Storm (1967).

A Bell for Adano has been made into a good film which has never been on DVD or Blu-ray. TCM broadcasts it occasionally and I recommend it.

Guys. I have been trying to track this down forever: the original August 31, 1946 issue of the @NewYorker, which contained John Hersey’s “Hiroshima” report WITH the original white paper band … and this treasure was just unearthed in storage at the John Hersey High School in IL: pic.twitter.com/UnNqxf8dB0
— Lesley M. M. Blume (@lesleymmblume) August 10, 2021

Polls show support for mask mandates

There is public support for mask mandates for some or all people. All you see on TV are people who are violently opposed to them.

Two new polls find very broad support for various mask mandates, including among GOP-leaning demographics. This suggests that if GOP officials hadn't adopted Trump's project of stoking Covid conflict wherever possible, things might be very different today:https://t.co/5MiexqE3WI
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) August 11, 2021

Joe Biden won the election with 51.3% of the popular vote. 69% of the US population wants at least an indoor mask mandate in public places. Sounds like a no-brainer even for a politician. https://t.co/ABCl9fA9TF
— Dana Ludwig (@danaludwig) August 8, 2021

Completely agree. This is just like CNN always interviewing Trump cult/QAnon supporters but never interviewing Biden supporters. Biden supporters are boring because we believe in facts and don't spread outrageous conspiracy theories.
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) August 11, 2021

A poll released Wednesday found that 62 percent of Florida voters support a mask mandate for schools. At first blush, you might think that might cause DeSantis to rethink his position. pic.twitter.com/JktRu6A36P
— Jack Mobley (@Greenerpalmbea) August 9, 2021

"DeSantis’s position is horrible policy and rotten politics. A recent St. Pete poll finds that 62 percent of Floridians want a mask mandate in schools…" https://t.co/SF6us0sedY
— BrownEyedGirl (@Wandrwoman) August 5, 2021

This is what the media covers:

The parking lot after a school board meeting last night in Franklin, the wealthiest place in Tennessee. Parents harassed medical professionals who had spoken in favor of masks in schools. “We know who you are. You can leave freely, but we will find you.” pic.twitter.com/SzR0uvMeE7
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) August 11, 2021

In June Americans opposed mask mandates 60%-40%. Now they favor them 55%-45% — a big, sudden U-turn that reflects growing fears about Delta. The problem? Almost none of this extra caution is coming from unvaccinated people. The new @YahooNew @YouGov poll: https://t.co/7sAUvgsRpS
— Andrew Romano (@AndrewRomano) August 4, 2021

Scotland is investigating Trump

So far, nobody in our country has held Trump accountable. Maybe Scotland will.

NEW: A judge has ruled that Scotland can pursue a money-laundering investigation into Trump's golf courses, after lawyers cited the Trump Organization criminal cases in New York.
— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) August 11, 2021

UK joins US, NY, GA DC in investigating Trump. https://t.co/5fSMJixkDl
— Jill Wine-Banks (@JillWineBanks) December 13, 2021

Interesting.

They’re pushing for an “unexplained wealth order,” which is designed to combat money laundering — and which would force Trump to explain his funding and why he’s kept a property that’s lost over $60 million since 2014. https://t.co/6sC9YoYHeU
— Angry Staffer (@Angry_Staffer) October 27, 2021

New satellite photos allegedly show Trump's destruction of sensitive sand dunes despite promises to preserve them https://t.co/RZPsryilJN pic.twitter.com/V8WV8zUNvP
— The Hill (@thehill) October 16, 2021

The threat of violence from the Trump cult

Homeland Security warns of "increasing but modest" threat of violence from Trump conspiracy. https://t.co/vpSZrI2ojo
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 9, 2021

DHS issues new warning of potential conspiracy theory-fueled violence in August, from ⁦@Geneva_Sands⁩ https://t.co/WlbL2g7kP1
— Carrie Cordero (@carriecordero) August 9, 2021

Die hard Trump supporters increasingly demand violence if he isn’t reinstated, Homeland Security warns https://t.co/GLgC66c8TG pic.twitter.com/9DcpyRYKNU
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) August 7, 2021

"It is becoming more and more evident that right-wing outlets that give oxygen to the Big Lie are helping to foment possible violence," @oliverdarcy writes in @ReliableSources: https://t.co/iMKBcfeqAF
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 10, 2021

Good Morning America
‘Perfect storm’: Bulletin warns of extremist violence as pandemic restrictions lift

"Whenever a political faction becomes obsessed with violent rhetoric and fantasies, brutal acts aren’t far behind….The cancer of political violence is not an endemic American disease. At the moment, it is a Republican disease."

Good from @Ibishblog:https://t.co/QGOJWRTgg3
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) August 12, 2021

The Covid Lambda variant

There's a lot left to learn about Covid-19's Lambda variant, which is still rare in the US. Here's what experts know so far. https://t.co/N6Q5sEW71H
— CNN (@CNN) August 7, 2021

Covers: Don’t Fear the Reaper

“Don’t Fear the Reaper” is a 1976 song by Blue Oyster Cult. It’s famous for the 2000 “More Cowbell” skit on Saturday Night Live. GQ just published an oral history of the song.

Danny and I are a part of this @GQMagazine oral history of Don’t Fear The Reaper! We made sure to sound super professional. https://t.co/gErP6FFShG pic.twitter.com/2ciK5jskj4
— Brian Wecht (@bwecht) August 5, 2021

Will Ferrell turns 55 today.

After “More Cowbell” aired on SNL in 2000, he said, Christopher Walken couldn’t escape cowbells. Folks would ring them at Walken’s B'way shows. Waiters would ask if he “wanted more cowbell.” “I think he was really mad at me.”pic.twitter.com/AmpnkKZqwr
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) July 16, 2022