Alby's Latest Posts
DL Open Thread Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024
Whether you’re talking about the presidential debate or the Delaware primaries, things went about as well as could be expected yesterday. The News Journal, as if to remind us it could have gone even better, headlined John Carney’s win in Wilmington, which has to represent the biggest self-demotion in Delaware political history. Some of you […]
Presidential Debate Open Thread
I don’t have cable TV, so I couldn’t watch this debate even if I wanted to. So I’m counting on you readers to keep me apprised of developments.
Song of the Day 9/10: Electric Light Orchestra, “Showdown”
Tonight’s televised face-off between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump can’t possibly meet expectations, if only because they’re so high for Harris and so low for Trump. I think those expecting a Trump meltdown will be disappointed, and if he holds himself together he will be declared the winner because he stepped over that low bar. […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024
Gonna be a busy day. Delaware’s primary elections wind up today – polls close at 8 p.m. – and the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump begins at 9 p.m., about the time primary results should be coming in. We’ll have an open thread for debate watchers and another for primary watchers. House Republicans […]
Song of the Day 9/9: Weird Al Yankovic, “Bob”
It took me a minute to figure out what was going on here. Yes, of course it’s a parody of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” but what seem to be surreal mid-’60s Dylan lyrics all have something in common. The title itself is a clue, but I didn’t catch on until he got to “Madam […]
DL Open Thread Monday, Sept. 9, 2024
John Carney wasn’t alone in trying to force people into Medicare Advantage. Among the horrors of Project 2025 is a scheme to make Medicare Advantage rather than traditional Medicare the default plan for enrollees. That’s not just bad for enrollees, who have worse outcomes on Medicare Advantage, it’s bad for Medicare’s solvency. In theory, the […]
Song of the Day 9/8: English Teacher, “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab”
The Mercury Prize, awarded for the best album by a British or Irish act, had an upset winner last week. English Teacher, a fledgling post-punk band from Leeds, took home the £25,000 first prize for their debut album, “This Could Be Texas,” beating out the heavily favored Charli xcx’s “Brat.” Even the band seem surprised; […]
Bethany Hall-Long Copies Trump, Slings Mud in Desperation
Today marks the fourth day in a row I’ve received a mailer from Ms. Creant and the sleazy unions backing her that compares Matt Meyer to Donald Trump. You’d think they were running against a Republican, but no, all they have is that he once contributed to some Republicans – while you contributed to the […]
Song of the Day 6/6: unknown artist, “Walk on Back”
If you want to encounter soul music you’ve never heard before, the seven-CD set “Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos,” released last summer, represents a treasure trove. Archivist and producer Cheryl Pawelski spent 17 years combing through unlabeled demo tapes to unearth songs that had been recorded by the Memphis label’s songwriters and […]
Song of the Day 9/5: Ween, “Ocean Man”
One reason rock is fading away: Gen X bands just don’t have the staying power of, say, the Rolling Stones. For example Ween, the oddball alternative duo from New Hope, Pa., just disappointed its small but dedicated fan base by cancelling a short tour, including a sold-out show at the Mann Music Center, celebrating the […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024
“Trump has yet to find an attack on Harris that will stick.” This is, no joke, how the media is treating his campaign’s All Insults, All The Time strategy, along with dutifully repeating every insult every time. That they consider this part of their mission is good evidence that they are part of the problem. […]
Song of the Day 9/3: James Darren (as Vic Fontaine), “Come Fly With Me”
To people of a certain age – say, 80 – James Darren, who died yesterday at age 88, will always be Moondoggie, the handsome male lead in “Gidget.” That now-ignored 1959 film made Sandra Dee a star, introduced the country to the surfing scene that would sweep teen culture, and made Darren a dual-threat teen […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024
Trump did and said some dumb shit yesterday, I don’t even know what and I don’t much care. He’ll do and say some dumb shit today that they’ll report tomorrow, too, because they just can’t quit saying “You won’t believe what he said now.” Yes, yes I would. He obviously will say anything, and it’s […]
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