Doing my usual Sunday routine; making coffee and listening to @wfuv.bsky.social. Since the station is in The Bronx, playing excellent Irish trad music from behind the Antifa lines, is a revolutionary act. Up the Rebels!

@johnfugelsang.bsky.social has a new, highly successful book, and he's making the circuit. I've seen a lot of his interviews, but I think this one with @wajali.bsky.social is the best so far. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ndM...

optics are important; reportedly war ravaged Portland;

Having a glass of wine to celebrate the return of internet...it turns out to be a long story, ending with a massive tree branches in my back yard. "Clean up? Not my job.", said the installer. The Cabernet Sauvignon is good if you let it breathe. It's Kirkland from Costco, so maybe hyperventilate.

An attempt to watch pirated "Real Time with Bill Maher" failed. HBO/Warner Bros is getting better at scrubbing YouTube...then, I saw the guest list; Aiden Walker, a "content creator" I've never heard of. Michael Smerconish and Rep. Nancy Mace. Oh well, my life will go on...

I am far from an admirer of Winston Churchill, but I have to grudgingly admit how the man could turn a phrase. When I think of Trump's last week or so, I think of Churchill's quote "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

I'm doubly disappointed! First, I'm told my rapture outfit I got from L. L. Bean is useless, (naked? really?) then somebody said the whole thing is being postponed! Who's running this, NASA?

I usually learn quite a bit from @maddow.msnbc.com, thanks to her ability to tell a story. Last night, her interview with Kamala Harris just made me sad...thinking of what might have been, but realizing my vote just wasn't enough. If you missed it;

In the litigious world of Donald Trump, "I'll see you in court" is as common as "good morning". Maybe it's time for Kenvue, the company which makes Tylenol, to haul his ass into court. Kenvue, formerly part of Johnson & Johnson, appears to have deep enough pockets.

This time of year, here in Florida, many of the local weather kids begin to get positively giddy talking about tropical storms turning into hurricanes. The exception is Brian Shields of Orlando's ABC affiliate. He covers the Caribbean, with a minimum of drama.

My Eagles beat the LA Rams 33-26 this afternoon. So I started prepping for dinner, then turned on MSNBC to catch up on the news. They are covering Kirk Fest in Arizona. I would rather watch the Cowboys. And I hate the Cowboys. Looks like a good crowd in Chicago, however.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz is now on MSNBC spouting the Netanyahu line...in short "release the hostages and the war in Gaza will end." Excuse my skepticism.

If asked, could Trump even find Estonia on map? (no fair consulting Melania or his advisors...assuming they would know.)

One of the tasks I've taken on, is to read the poetry of Arthur Sze. He becomes the United States Poet Laurate next month, and think it would be helpful neurologically. The Library of Congress appoints him, so I'm surprised Trump didn't ask for a guy who does limericks...at least not yet.

Today is one of those days where nearly every post on Blue Sky seems to be part of an inside joke, and I'm on the outside. Have people suddenly become more cryptic? Or, am I simply becoming dimmer?

It struck me that Robert Redford was the last of a breed. He wasn't just an actor (his only Oscar was as director of "Ordinary People"), but a genuine movie star. Like Bogart, Gable, Tracy and others of an earlier era, his mere presence made a film, with a minimum of dramatics.

Putting in a new kitchen water filter, and I heard myself say "lefty-lucy, righty-tighty". I probably shouldn't be allowed to use anything more complicated than an electric screwdriver.

Saturday night @orlandocitysc.com travel to the occupied city of Washington DC (Buzzards Point to be specific). Orlando's team has 22 members, who are not US Citizens. I'm just saying...

For a different perspective, I often listen to James O'Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social on LBC. (LBC started as London Broadcasting Company, but is now known as Leading Britain's Conversation) Mr. O'Brien was reportedly taken to task, by listeners, for simply playing Charlie Kirk's actual comments.

What do we actually know about the shooting yesterday? One shot, from approximately 2 football fields away. A lucky shot? Not likely. A trained shooter, with a scope? More likely. 2 persons of interest arrested, then released within hours. A diversion, to allow the shooter to escape? Possibly.

Out of curiosity, I looked up Ghislaine Maxwell. Born in 1961, she has already had a novelesque life, which made me think of the quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald; "Let me tell you about the rich. They are different than you and me." Were he alive today, only Fitzgerald could do her biography justice.

Do they still do "parlor games" any more? Reportedly multiple members of Trump's Cabinet were also involved with Epstein. The game would be surmise which current Cabinet members socialized with the late convicted pedophile. I have my guesses...

Memo to Karoline Leavitt; "Get out now! While you still can."

Trump gets booed at the US Open today...what do they think will happen when the World Cup comes to the US? (Assuming, of course, the matches will not have been moved to Canada or Mexico.)

I'm embarrassed to say that, with all that's been going on, The NFL season sort of snuck up on me. Overnight, the Philadelphia Eagles edged the Dallas Cowboys 24 to 20. I'm an Eagles fan, so it's time to look forward. This is for entertainment purposes only... I never bet on humans.

Are you proud of your Congressional rep? I used to be, when it was Stephanie Murphy. (House Select Committee to investigate Jan 6th) Now, I'm "represented" by Corey Mills...and the allegations continue to pile up.

OK, quick quiz! What does L-I-U mean to you? If you said Long Island University Sharks, and know it is the opening matchup for 2025 for both LIU and the University of Florida, in Gainesville, you must be a College Football fan. If you're betting on LIU, you must know something I don't know.

I went to a Catholic elementary school in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It struck me that we never had to undergo an "active shooter" drill. (I also missed the "hide under the desk" nuke drills.) Mass every Friday, did not mean we were targets filing into the attached church. What happened?

I was up later than usual, mindlessly watching TV, when an episode of "The Twilight Zone" came on. Called "It's a Good Life", the plot features a 6 year old, with mind reading powers, ruling everyone around him. The adults must praise him and "think good thoughts"...or else. Remind you of anyone?

With Labor Day coming up, let's remember that most daily newspapers have always had a business section...but never a labor section.

Do you think the thugs in ICE have to take in-house professional training? Maybe just the basics, like learning that people born in Puerto Rico are US Citizens, even if they prefer to speak Spanish among friends and family. Asking for a friend in Central Florida.

A while back, I posted that Dems need to look at younger candidates, saying "thank you for your service, Boomers, but it's time to upgrade." Maxwell Frost (D-Fl) is 28, and Kat Abughazaleh (26) is running in Illinois. My new future favorite is Michelle Wu (40), Harvard Law and Mayor of Boston.

Well, it was important while it lasted. I'm not used to the local DOT moving so quickly.

Saw a "press conference" from the Oval Office today, and a thought struck me. My Mother always had a couple of rules; "no elbows on the table and no hats on in the house." There was Trump, in a suite (no tie), wearing a red MAGA hat. Does he wear that damn hat when his hair isn't "perfect"?

Just heard thunder, at 10 am. Here in Central Florida, Summer storms aren't usually due for another 3 or 4 hours...

Trump is in another bind... How does he respond to this? He'll probably try to ignore it, in the hope that it goes away. Or, blame Biden.

Sitcom idea; 3 wacky room mates try to make a go of it in a big old house they share. Starring James Dobson, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. It's in Hell, so the list of guest stars will be incredible.

With Canadians saying "thanks, but no thanks" to Florida, those of us who live here have one important question. Do we blame Trump or DeSantis?

Among the many things I hate about living in Florida? Playing hurricane dodge ball. Monster hurricane Erin is not coming ashore...this time. It's mid August, and we're only at the 6th letter of the alphabet.

If the Trump Administration has turned normality on its head in the areas of foreign and domestic policy, what is often overlooked is how RFK jr. and his minions are affecting health policy. Fortunately, in a world of pseudoscience, Dr. Andrea Love is a dependable voice. @drandrealove.bsky.social

Donald Trump took credit for getting the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Seems odd, for someone who avoids the West Coast in general and LA in particular. Also odd, is his ignoring the 2026 World Cup, with venues in Canada, Mexico and the US; but that may be changing.

Like a mobster, Trump usually lays the groundwork to protect himself in the future. In May, he made loyalist Jeanine Pirro US Attorney for DC. Now, he is moving on that very city. "Someday, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me." --Don Vito Corleone.

So who do you think had the biggest arguments about their kids around the kitchen table? Bobby and Ethel or Mario and Matilda. I'm willing to cut RFK some slack, since he had 11 kids, so if one of them is "difficult", it's understandable. Mario only had 5...

Sunday morning, and as usual, I have traditional Irish music wafting through the house, courtesy of @wfuv.bsky.social from Fordham University in The Bronx. At 11 I switch to something else, since Catholic Mass on the radio just doesn't do it for me. ...but when you're run by the Jesuits...

I briefly caught Scott Jennings last night on CNN. He is fast becoming a real subject of hate for me, and he expressed outrage at the use of the word Gestapo when referring to ICE. Gestapo, original recipe, is short for Geheime Staatspolizei, or Secret State Police. If the swastika fits...

I saw an article from the NYT here on Blue Sky. The headline reads; "Trump Directs Military to Target Foreign Drug Cartels" I can't be the only one who sees beyond the headline, worried that a cartel has the money to buy a large number of soldiers if it wants to. Stupid.

I gotta agree with Trump...I don't recall any other President taking a stroll on the White House roof...he is unique. I may be showing my age, but the sirens in the background made me think of something else www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQNI...

I worked in radio a number of years. One question I often got was "the way they portrayed the people on WKRP... accurate?" My answer was "I never worked at a station with ALL of those characters at once...but each of the stations I worked for had at least one of them." Including a Jennifer Marlow.

Earlier, I mentioned JFK hosting Palo Casals in 1961. Today, I suspect Trump has no idea who Yoyo Ma is...until some advisor tells him. I'll bet, even once he knows, Trump will still giggle every time the name is mentioned.

In 1961, JFK did not need a "golden ballroom" to host cellist Pablo Casals.