Robot Jazz

  Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees Pastoral scene of the gallant south The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burning flesh Here's a fruit for the crows to pluck For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop Here's a strange and bitter crop - Strange Fruit  by Billie Holiday Did you know April is Jazz Appreciation Month , with April 30th being International Jazz Day ? Probably not, sadly. Despite jazz being America's contribution to the world music scene, most Americans have since moved on to other musical genres more easily monetized by the large music mega-corps. It's a shame that this uniquely American art form isn't more widely celebrated.  However, for those of us who know the way to the back alley speakeasy and remember the secre...

  >10 Print "I am a sucker" Things are not going well in Trump land. Like with any grift, eventually, the mark's patience wears thin and begins to demand results.  That is usually when the grift starts to crumble, forcing the conman to fall back from prevarication to prevarication until, ultimately, he is forced to take the money and run.  Such is the case with Trump. Have you seen Trump's recent polling? It is awful and reflects a wholesale rejection of the first one hundred days of this regime. When looking at these numbers, remember that this is supposed to be the "honeymoon" period for a new administration when the American people are most tolerant.  Here are some snapshots from today's New Zork Times : It's not often that an American president is described as "chaotic" and "scary," but these terms seem to apply to the Trump regime. (Only a MAGA jackass would call it "exciting".) But it gets worse. On an issue bre...

  I've been thoroughly enjoying reading Mary Chesnut's Diary from Dixie . While she and her family were staunch supporters of the slave-holding South, she was also a witty and intelligent woman who I suspect could have effortlessly charmed me into writing her love letters by candlelight.  Putting that aside, I was struck by an insightful observation she made about the various cults of personality that were forming in the confederate government, and the effect it was having on the cult leaders: Much love, admiration, worship hardens an idol’s heart. It becomes utterly callous and selfish. It expects to receive all and to give nothing. It even likes the excitement of seeing people suffer. When I read that, various people in this regime instantly sprung to mind, but first amongst these was the South African idiot savant himself, Elon Musk. This is why I rejoice in the news that Musk's pride and joy, Tesla, is suffering grave economic consequences from his destructive personal...

  Breaking News {SATIRE} Embattled Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has once again become embroiled in scandal.  It has been uncovered that Hegseth has been using a game's clan chat system to discuss classified war plans with his online gaming buddies.  According to an anonymous source, Hegseth would often talk about ongoing military operations while playing Activision's popular battle royale shooter,  Call of Duty: Warzone . An informant, whom we shall refer to as "BBalls" to preserve his anonymity, recently contacted this publication with startling allegations. "We'd often be in the middle of a match when 'Hegmeth' - that was our nickname for him - would say something like, 'I just fragged some guy with a SKS, just like when I ordered a SEAL sniper to whack General Hubuti in Yemen. I'm awesome!'" recounted the source. "He would flex his SecDef muscles like this all the time, usually right after some noob downed him for the um...

  We've all been talking about tariffs lately, but much of that conversation is often centered around the impact that Trump's insane trade war is having on larger business concerns, such as big agriculture or corporate manufacturing concerns. What is often overlooked, though, is the effect on the many "mom and pop" small businesses being ground underneath the jackboot of this MAGA administration.  This was painfully brought to mind when I received an email from GMT Games , a purveyor of niche board games that often deal with military and historical themes. It is no exaggeration to say that over its more than thirty-five years  of operation, GMT Games  has become a pillar of the wargame hobbyist community due to its high-quality products, and friendly and honest service. And now, due to Trump's incoherent trade policy, that might be at an end.  Below is an excerpt from the email sent by 'Gene', GMT's proprietor. It is heartbreaking to read, and a remind...

  [Ironically, I wrote this introduction before I had half a week of migranes hit me. I guess I jinxed myself! Hopefully, I can get back at it.] The activity on my blog is not only unusual due to its (so far) steady pace of entries - yay for me! - but also because of my contemptuous language when describing Team Trump and MAGA.  This is not like me. There is a reason why, pre-Trump, I had friends that spanned the political spectrum from far left to far right. It was because I treated both sides respectfully, as was only appropriate. But, as the saying goes, that was then, and this is now.  My tone has changed because Donald Trump is a uniquely toxic individual. He is a man who has mocked the handicapped. He is a man who has disparaged both POWs as well as the heroic dead (as "suckers" and "losers"). Donald Trump has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault and has even been caught on tape bragging about doing so. Donald Trump is a man who is so corrupt that ...

  I never thought that when I began blogging about The Orange Ass's tariff policy, it would become a cottage industry of nearly daily updates as Trump fell back from defensive redoubt to defensive redoubt. Once again, China has called Trump's bluff and, once again, Trump has retreated. From the New Zork Times: Smartphones and Computers Get Reprieve From New U.S. Tariffs on China Smartphone reprieve: The Trump administration published a rule late Friday night that appeared to exempt smartphones, computers, semiconductors and other electronics from most of the president’s punishing tariffs on China, giving tech companies like Apple and Dell a break from levies that threatened to upend their businesses and increase prices for consumers. I am not at all surprised. In my post yesterday, I warned about the coming COVID-like shortages and price increases on the electronic devices Americans both need and love.  Apparently, this obvious cause-and-effect result which eluded the First F...

  It is a beautifully rainy day today, in other words, perfect blogging weather. Happily, or unhappily, depending on your POV, the news cycle has calmed down since Sir Brave Trump courageously ran away from his tariffs, both claiming that they were the right thing to do as well as declaring that rolling them back was also the right thing to do. Such is the way of MAGA.  After all, you don't have to make sense when your most ardent fans are the type of people who repeatedly respond to 'Nigerian Prince' email scams. Don't believe me? Check out this YouTube video where a beekeeper voted for Trump a third time despite getting burned by Trump's tariffs during Trump 1.0: Yeah, these people are kinda stupid. Of course, Team Trump, looking like the cavalcade of clowns and cretins that they most assuredly are, had to do something to save face, so they announced that the tariffs on China will reach 145% for...reasons, I guess? In response, China, because they can, has announ...

  Like a whipped dog forced to crawl on his belly to his masters, Trump has announced a 90-day pause on his insane tariff policy. As CNN reports: Trump announces 90-day pause on ‘reciprocal’ tariffs with exception of China President Donald Trump announced a complete three-month pause on all the “reciprocal” tariffs that went into effect at midnight, with the exception of China, a stunning reversal from a president who had insisted historically high tariffs were here to stay. But enormous tariffs will remain on China, the world’s second-largest economy. In fact, Trump said they will be increased to 125% from 104% after China announced additional retaliatory tariffs against the United States earlier Wednesday. All other countries that were subjected to reciprocal tariff rates Wednesday will see rates go back down to the universal 10% rate, he said. Remember that this announcement was made via a social media post, not as part of a formal announcement at the White House. I suspect this...