"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
by liberal japonicus I tend to think that the transactional nature of politics, particularly in the US House and Senate, makes it a certainty that the people who end up there never seem like the person they were when they started. Reading the Guardian's obit of Feinstein underlines that. Whether it reveals their true nature … Read more
by liberal japonicus With Janie faithfully putting up open threads (greatly appreciated), I'll try to alternate with some more focussed posts and for this one, I'll let all of you give your predictions about the Supreme Court, using this vox article to prime the pump. Predictions and links appreciated!
by JanieM This little guy has been contemplating the universe, and sometimes fishing, at the Mount Vernon town beach for as long as I’ve been going there to take pictures. He moves around a bit now and then, perhaps wanting a slightly different view of the water in different seasons or weathers, or to stay … Read more
by JanieM The picture is of a section Water Street, the main street of Hallowell, Maine, on the Kennebec River just south of Augusta. (Bigger version here.) Signs of modern life: a brew pub next to a cannabis store. My topic is a different feature of modern life, perhaps the most characteristic of all: the … Read more
by liberal japonicus I think that since most of us here are not fanatical followers of sports in general or football/soccer in particular, an interesting discussion might be had about everything related to the unsolicited kiss from Rubiales, head of the Spanish Soccer Federation. If you aren't aware of any of this, basically, the Spanish … Read more
by liberal japonicus ProPublica has had a number of great deep dive exposes lately. They seem to do particularly well with problems in the Navy and their most recent piece about the Navy's failed Littoral Combat Ship program is the latest. One point that caught my eye (and accounts for the title) was this General … Read more
by JanieM In my love of springtime, I tend to forget how lovely late summer and early fall can be. July is the only month that consistently brings us stretches of sweltering weather here in central Maine; August is almost always moderate and pleasant. September is similar, if a little cooler, but because the kids … Read more