Alby's Latest Posts
DL Open Thread Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Karl Baker at Spotlight Delaware dove into the 2024 Delaware Bond Bill so you don’t have to, and he found lots of specific projects under vague descriptions, obscuring the total of $50 million the state, Gov. John Carney, will spend on buildings in Wilmington, future Mayor (he hopes) John Carney. Lots of other nuggets in […]
Song of the Day 7/23: McFadden & Whitehead, “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now”
The Harris for President people have their hands full, so I doubt anyone has thought about what the campaign’s theme song should be. I humbly propose this 1979 disco hit, which captures the sudden burst of enthusiasm Democrats are feeling with passing of the torch. Philadelphia sports fans of a certain age might remember the […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, July 23, 2024
America’s political scribblers have been having a conniption for the past 24 hours because Democratic voters and donors rallied to Kamala Harris as soon as Biden announced his withdrawal from the race. The punditocracy, you see, wanted the candidate chosen at the party convention, the way their grandpappies did it, and they’re doing their damndest […]
Song of the Day 7/22: NSYNC, “Bye Bye Bye”
Considering how many good things he did and tried to do, Joe Biden has been widely unappreciated during his four years in the White House. He has governed well to the left of expectations, which probably pissed off the centrists who backed him in the first place, but his policies were more liberal than his […]
DL Open Thread Monday, July 22, 2024
It was a sad day for Delaware as its beloved hometown hero was forced to the sidelines. Aubrey Plaza was spotted on crutches at the WNBA All-Star game, where she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee playing knockout. In general, Democrats reacted to Joe Biden’s decision to end his re-election campaign with […]
Breaking: Biden Is Out
Joe Biden announced he’s withdrawing from the presidential race. https://news.sky.com/story/joe-biden-pulls-out-of-2024-us-presidential-race-13178802
Song of the Day 7/20: The Newbeats, “Bread and Butter”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona When the Newbeats sang their new 1964 earworm hit “Bread and Butter” on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand,” teens all over America were surprised to see that the lead singer wasn’t a girl. The high-pitched vocal came from a sturdy-looking blond guy at a time when falsetto singing in pop music […]
Song of the Day 7/19: Eddie Vedder, “Save It for Later”
Lots of TV shows lean on pop and rock songs to serve as their soundtracks, some more heavily than others (when medical shows proliferated, putting the word “breathe” in your song title almost guaranteed it would air during an ER scene). Some shows, like current critical darling “The Bear,” actually build scenes around the music. […]
Song of the Day 7/18: Tenacious D, “Tribute”
OK, so now we’re all supposed to act shocked and saddened by the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The guy in Tenacious D – not Jack Black, the other guy – didn’t, and now the duo is no more. Kyle Gass is the guy’s name. When Black surprised him with a birthday cake during a […]
Song of the Day 7/17: Tom Waits, “Circus”
I haven’t tuned in to the Republican National Convention, but I imagine it’s very much like Tom Waits described his circus in this cut from 2004’s “Real Gone.” Waits doesn’t play piano on any track on the LP, but he does play the background music here on a keyboard instrument – the chamberlin, a precursor […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Joe Biden’s handlers don’t fill me with confidence, but they’ve apparently hit upon the bright idea of having him act presidential by throwing a little red meat to Democrats. After years of resisting the obvious, he’s decided to back Supreme Court reform and will announce it with lots of fanfare. GOP apoplexy to follow. The […]
Song of the Day 7/16: Dexys Midnight Runners, “Come On Eileen”
I’m no lawyer, but I’ve read enough commentary on Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of Trump’s stolen document trial to know it’s got no basis in American jurisprudence. Will she be reversed on appeal? Tune in for another exciting episode of “As the Despot Turns”! I confess to an irrational hatred of this song, which is […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Political party conventions used to deserve media attention. Reporters covered them because the party’s nominee wasn’t pre-ordained. That changed when primaries replaced caucuses and smoke-filled rooms. With the nominee already decided, conventions became PR events, but they still get flood-the-zone coverage, just like the Super Bowl. And just like all the words wasted in the […]
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