#national veep day

[murderousink23]

08/09/2023 is National Book Lovers Day 📚🇺🇸, National Rice Pudding Day 🇺🇸, National Veep Day 🇺🇸, Health Center Staff Appreciation Day 🇺🇸, Indigenous Day 🇺🇳

[gpstudios]

National Veep Day: Celebrating the Role of the U.S. Vice President

Celebrate National Veep Day on August 9th by recognizing the crucial role of the Vice President in the U.S. government. Learn about the history of the Vice Presidency, its responsibilities, and the notable individuals who have served in this vital office.

Every year on August 9th, the United States observes National Veep Day, a day dedicated to recognizing the importance and responsibilities of the Vice President of the United States. While the President often takes center stage in American politics, the role of the Vice President—affectionately known as the “Veep”—is equally vital, especially in times of transition or crisis. National Veep Day…

[darkmaga-retard]

“One debate doesn’t change the issues Americans are facing every day.” — James Rickards

By James Howard Kunstler

JamesHowardKunstler.com

September 16, 2024

By now, you’ve probably heard enough debate about The Debate, so I’ll spotlight only a few points everybody else left out. You might know this, but Hollywood plays a larger role in the Kamala campaign than just stuffing the endorsements of celebs such as George Clooney, Taylor Swift, and John Legend into the corporate media tank. In fact, much bigger playas, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg, are producing and directing things backstage at Kamala Central, so what gets in the Kamala news plays as a Spielberg movie like The Color Purple. Just so you know. . . .

Ms. Harris had the advantage Tuesday night of being able to speak in declarative sentences, while her opponent, Mr. Trump, is given, shall we say, to a more choppy, telegraphic speech delivery. It lent Ms. Harris the appearance of being intelligent. The catch was, everything she said was disingenuous or an outright lie.

One whopper — more significant than you might realize — was her stating that she was in the US Capitol building when the J-6 riot happened. You’d think she’d want to be on-hand there, seeing as a joint session of Congress was about to certify her as the first female veep in US history — a chance to be joyful and shine! But, in fact, at 11:15a.m. on 1/6/21 — hours before protesters breached the Capitol — Kamala Harris was spirited away a few blocks to 430 South Capitol Street, the headquarters building of the Democratic National Committee, where a pipe bomb (or facsimile of one) had been planted hours before by some DC law enforcement person (Capitol police? FBI? DC Metro Police? A paid “contractor” to the preceding outfits?). The exact identity of the culprit has never been released by the FBI, though they have all the perp’s cell phone data and closed circuit TV footage.

The plan, you see, was to disrupt the election certification process underway at mid-day in the House chamber by creating a furor over the discovery of the pipe bomb planted to assassinate veep-elect Kamala Harris — a joint blob / Democratic Party operation. The pipe bomb ruse, it turned out, was never needed because the FBI-instigated riot at the Capitol created a big disruption just in time to send the politicians scurrying for safety and cancel scrutiny of various state’s electors’ reports.

[thesparkwhowalks]

I was thinking about the U.S. election of 1968 this morning.

See, a significant chunk of young voters were furious (and not wrongly so) with the Johnson administration over the Vietnam War. Senator Eugene McCarthy, an outspoken proponent of the anti-war position, joined the Presidential race fighting the incumbent from his own party. He did so damned well that Johnson dropped out of the race rather than be embarrassed, instead putting the focus he might pour into campaigning into peace talks. He'd also lost the support of the deep south by championing and signing the Civil Rights Act. He was also challenged by Governor George Wallace, who softened his "Segregation Forever" stance to "Restore Law & Order To Our Country" to run as an independent in national politics. The "chaos" he was railing against was caused by civil rights and anti-war protests, though that was the quiet part.

Eugene McCarthy had hella ground support from young voters, but only thirteen states held primaries in those days. They certainly helped secure the nomination, but the real prize came from backroom dealing. So McCarthy was narrowly unable to secure the nomination, and ultimately conceded after (so I've read) seeing the Chicago PD bashing in the heads of his supporters rallying outside the convention - he didn't see a clear path to the nomination and the overriding ideal of his campaign is "stop putting our young men in harm's way for nothing", so it made sense.

Meanwhile, Richard Nixon secured the Republican nomination with appealing policy positions. Appealing, but not exactly substantive. He said we shouldn't end the war but that the President was prosecuting it wrong. That appealed to people displeased with how the war was going but not wanting to "lose" without actually having a position. He also didn't speak against the civil rights movement but did adopt the same "law & order" rhetoric Wallace was working. Behind the scenes, he conspired to sabotage Johnson's peace talks to prevent the antiwar issue from becoming moot. Specifically, he is alleged to promised the South Vietnamese better terms when was in office, undermining our allies trust in the President. Did it work? Impossible to know! Maybe the talks would have failed anyway. Maybe the war would have ended in 1968. Thanks Dick.

The (rightly) pissed off and disillusioned young McCarthy supporters didn't show up for the Democratic candidate, Johnson's veep Hubert Humphrey. Nixon fed Humphrey his lunch, winning by over 100 electoral votes. Nixon continued tge Vietnam War deep into the 70s, with Nixon and his right hand Henry Kissinger conducting secret and illegal bombing campaigns in Cambodia and Laos during their tenure. Many thousands of people died before the war ended in 1975, people who might not have had Johnson's peace talks continued and succeeded (or McCarthy been allowed to be nominated).

History rhymes with the rapidity of Eminem sometimes...

[billhader]

Some of my assorted headcanons for Anoush ☺️

Likes

-Favorite movies: Some Like it Hot, Doctor Zhivago, and Saturday Night Fever

-Favorite TV shows: How to Get Away with Murder, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Frasier, and Veep

-Favorite musical artists: Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Sam Cooke, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Oscar Peterson Trio, Neutral Milk Hotel, Cocteau Twins, Belle and Sebastian, The Cranberries, The Velvet Underground, Beirut, The National

-Favorite foods: Baguette with brie and butter, coq au vin, pasta carbonara, shakshuka, sushi (esp. anything w/ fresh tuna), pozole, orange blossom and pistachio ice cream

-Favorite season: fall (the one thing he misses about New York)

-Coffee order: triple americano with a tablespoon, no more no less, of half and half. If he doesn't trust the espresso at a place, he'd rather get a chai.

Backstory (this gets long)

-He moved out to LA about 15 years ago from NYC, and he grew up near NYC but not in the city. His main motivation for moving there was to get away from overbearing family. He does have cousins in the LA area but most of his family is still out east.

-His father ran a dry cleaning business and his mother was an administrator at a dental office - both have been retired for a while.

-He has a bachelor degree, double majored in economics and history, and he did do law school for a year before accepting that he hated it, which caused a lot of strife with his parents. He tried to make them happy by working at a law firm for a while as a receptionist/file clerk, but the environment was awful for his stress and he just knew he couldn't do it forever.

-When he moved, he worked a lot of odd jobs - a couple restaurants, a winery, some a-hole executive's personal assistant, etc. Hated all of it. He had a very tough time making friends. He even tried going to a nearby synagogue to make friends, though he's not very religious, only to find he was the youngest person in attendance by a few decades that wasn't married with children.

-I might expand on this in a later story, but Anoush met Daniel when he was looking for a car. His own car broke down and money was tight. As they were talking they found out they were both from out east, and ended up having a super long conversation. Anoush left with a nice used car and a job offer.

-He thought he would hate working in sales, but found out that he likes the actual reward for working hard and having conversations with one customer at a time/forming a connection with them.

-In his spare time, he tries a lot of restaurants. He tries to go to one new restaurant every week - he has a huge jar full of hundreds of restaurant names that he picks out of. He also gets out of town as often as he can and takes 1-2 day trips up the coast or out to the desert. California is so different from where he grew up and he just wants to get out and experience as much as possible.

-He has a hereditary autoimmune condition known as Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF). He experiences periodic attacks of abdominal pain, headaches, and inflammation, always accompanied by a fever. It doesn't happen often and it's become less of an issue as he's gotten older, but the attacks can take him out for up to a few days at a time. He's mostly healthy otherwise, but has to be on medication to prevent damage to his kidneys from the condition.

-His sexuality has always been a serious sore spot for him. He's had lots of girlfriends, but it never lasts long. He's known since high school that he's attracted to men, and his only serious long-term relationship was with a guy in college. The list of men he's been with is very short in comparison to the women, and they've always made him much happier - but those relationships have always been covert. Whenever they get to the stage where they're introducing each other to family and friends, Anoush tends to self-sabotage and the relationship ends.

-He's an only child, and the burden of not having any grandchildren for his parents weighs heavily on him. Part of why he left New York was his idea that it would be easier to date girls who weren't from the place or culture he grew up in, and it hasn't worked out. By the time we meet him in Cobra Kai, he's getting desperate to make the fantasy happen. His parents are getting pretty old. He thinks that the disappointment of no grandkids plus the shock of finding out he's gay would be too much for them.

[gatheryepens]

Red, White & Royal Blue book review

Warning: small spoilers

“Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too. I kinda wish people still wrote like that. History, huh? Bet we could make some.”

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince.

As President Claremont kicks off her re-election bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?

Author: Casey McQuinston

Rating: 5/5 ✨

Funny story, I had actually planned on reading this book a lot earlier than intended. About a year ago, for my school newspaper I had actually planned to do a book review on a popular BookTok book. My plan was to do Red White & Royal Blue, however seconds after buying the book I immediately got a refund and email saying the book was out of stock - so I reviewed The Love Hypothesis instead. I am glad that a year later I decided to read the book but at the same time very sad that I didn’t discover it sooner - a true oxymoron! This book was excellent. The book starts off with Alex Claremont-Diaz attending the royal wedding between Prince Philip (Henry’s older sibling) and Princess Martha. During the wedding, Henry and Alex get into a little spat which leaves them ending up in the cake  on the floor. This creates a commotion, which results in several news outlets reporting the matter because of this some serious damage control is required resulting in a fast friendship that ends up being more.

What I really liked about the book is how long it took for the relationship to develop. Although the relationship started fairly fast, the build-up to it as well as what followed afterwards was executed well. Before Henry Kissed Alex, they had formed a nice camaraderie from the emails and the phone calls - I don’t know if I will ever get over the turkey prank. Even after the kiss, the relationship continued to develop with more emails and secret rendezvous. I think what was really beautiful were the individual characters growing and becoming more comfortable with one another. Henry first comes off as surly and standoffish, however we find out (along with Alex) that Henry is a funny person and has a big heart. I am a sucker for enemies to lovers/rivals to lovers and McQuinston did a fabulous job showing the stages  it took to go from rivals to lovers - which made it a good read. 

The writing style, in my opinion, was very simplistic. I don’t mean this in a bad way, I really liked how it was written - it was simple but engaging. This writing style made the book very nice, easy and enjoyable to keep on reading. I also liked the chapter to chapter length ratio, a lot of the times chapters can either be too few or too many or they can be very long or short. Obviously to find the perfect chapter number to chapter length ratio it depends entirely on the book, however McQuinston found the perfect balance. The chapters weren’t too long or too many. I loved the diversity of vocabulary that the author used. Whenever Henry said something really British I would chuckle for a while, a lot of the times anything Alex referred to I would have to look up for example LSAT. McQuinston did a really great job writing this book and showing the chemistry between Alex and Henry.

I really enjoyed reading from Alex’s perspective as I enjoyed going through the self discovery journey with him. Alex’s journey of discovering who he is and what he wants to be was really interesting to see. When we are younger, for some people it can be really hard to decide what you want to do in your future and to also not be swayed and pushed into a career path by other people like family. Alex first wants to go down the politics route (he wants to become a Senator), his main motivation is to help people and to do good in the world. Afterwards, he considers going into law after June convinces him to take the LSAT. Rediscovering yourself and changing your mind on something you're certain about is hard but it makes you a very brave person. One thing I admire a lot about Alex is how open he is to change and how throughout the book considers as well as explores different aspects of himself, whether it be deciding on a new career path or coming to terms and accepting his sexuality. Given that his mother is the President of the United States, approaching certain topics like sexuality or career paths would be challenging - as throughout the book there is a strong emphasis on all members of the family to be involved in the campaign and politics, so to divert/take a step back from politics would be surprising. There is also the issue of when he wants his mother to comfort and give advice as mother she probably lectures him as the President not as his mother and vice versa.

The only negative I have for the book is that I felt like the pacing was inconsistent. At the start, I felt that things happened really fast for example Alex and Henry’s relationship - I counted it from when they kissed. Then near the end it started to slow down a lot which is mainly due to the fact that both conflicts were resolved pretty quickly and  the only thing left to resolve was the politics. I do think that the book was heavy on the politics, which at times made it hard to read/understand - the amount of times I would reread or have to google certain phrases. Despite the amount of politics, I enjoyed having that side plot as when I read romances I really like when there are other things going on besides the romance as it helps us to understand the characters and their motivation a lot better. To conclude if you are interested in enemies to lovers and unlikely relationships, I would definitely recommend Red White & Royal Blue. It was a fun read and had loveable characters which made it an enjoyable experience.

my last review, it was a long time....

[ambientwitch]

It took going to their music festival and listening to them play for multiple hours two days in a row but 1. The best veep fanfiction has been contextualized in such a beautiful way for me now and 2. I finally found a The National song that I like... this is awesome

[twwpress]

Weekly Press Briefing #14 - September 25th - October 1st

Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from September 25 – October 1, 2022. Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing!

Challenges/Prompts:

The following is a roundup of open challenges/prompts. Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

Trope Soup: A Josh/Donna Tropes Fest is open for prompt submissions and claims. The deadline was extended and fics will be revealed on Saturday, October 22. Learn more here.

The October 20 prompts in 20 days are up on Tumblr.

 Photos/Videos:

Here’s what was posted from September 25 - October 1.

Bradley Whitford posted BTS photos from The Handmaid’s Tale, including one of him doing the splits at Commander Lawrence’s desk and one of him cuddling with Max Minghella. 

Dulé Hill posted photos from his family’s Disney Cruise.

Allison Janney posted a photo of herself on set for the movie Lou. Amy Landecker posted a photo of Brad with Margo Martindale.

Marlee Matlin posted photos of her family dropping her daughter off at college as well as a photo post for National Daughters Day. 

Marlee Matlin posted a photo of herself with Daniel Durant and Troy Kotsur at Dancing With the Stars.

Josh Malina posted an edited image of himself with a shofar for Rosh Hashanah and a photo of himself and his sister for her birthday.

Donna Moss Daily: September 25 | September 26 | September 27 | September 28 | September 29 | September 30 | October 1

Daily Josh Lyman: September 25 | September 26 | September 27 | September 28 | September 29 | September 30 | October 1

No Context BWhit: September 25 | September 26 | September 26 (2) | September 27 | September 27 (2) | September 28 | September 28 (2) | September 29 | September 29 (2) | September 30 | September 30 (2) | October 1 | October 1 (2) 

@JanelMilfoney: September 26 | September 28 | September 29 | September 30

@down_brad_: September 25 | September 26 | September 26 (2) | September 26 (3) | September 27 | September 27 (2) | September 28 | September 29 | September 30 | October 1

@thefinestmuffin: September 25

Edits/Artwork:

#JOSHDONNA i don’t want you like a best friend by @joshlymoss [VIDEO EDIT]

#TWWCAST: all my heroes by @teresalisbcn [VIDEO EDIT]

#TOBYANDY: i knew you’d come back to me by @jenniferjolie [VIDEO EDIT]

Miscellaneous:

Dulé Hill and his wife Jazmyn Simon have a picture book coming in May of 2023.

The casts of Veep and The West Wing are teaming up for a live-streamed event for the Wisconsin Democrats on Sunday, October 9.

 Creator Spotlight:

Each week, we talk to a fandom creator and ask them questions about their work and their process. You can follow our twitter if you want a chance to ask questions of them, too! Want to be a featured creator? Find us via one of the methods listed at the end of the briefing!

This week’s creator is @joshatella (on twitter and on ao3). You can find the spotlight on tumblr or on twitter.

This Week in Canon:

Welcome to This Week in Canon, where we revisit moments in The West Wing that occurred on these dates during the show’s run.

Season 4, Episodes 1 & 2: 20 Hours in America (Part I and II) aired on September 25, 2002.

Season 7, Episode 1: The Ticket aired on September 25, 2005.

Season 1, Episode 2: Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc aired on September 29, 1999.

Season 5, Episode 2: The Dogs of War aired on October 1, 2003.

Editor’s Choice:

It’s 20 Hours in America week, so while our guys walk this off a bit, here are some of our favorite fics and hidden gems set during or just after the episode.

“Quit whining."  from my other half was you by sam_writes_fics | Rated M | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | Complete | a collection of sam/josh prompt based ficlets

A Whole World, Bit by Bit by Dipenates | Rated G | No characters tagged, but focuses on Josh Lyman | Complete | Back from his road-trip, Josh thinks about politics. And Sam. Episode tag for 4.1-2 "20 Hours in America".

stuck with nowhere to go by perfect_little_fool  | Rated E | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | “In your apartment,” she recalls, craning her neck back to squint at the sky as they walk. “I think I was changing your bandage on your chest and you, uncharacteristically, became very grateful and thanked me for helping you. Then you made some comment about how if you were stranded on a desert island one of the things you’d want with you was, well, me.”

Josh is looking at her, but she’s pointedly not looking at him. For reasons. “Because you’d be the one to get us off of it,” he finishes, nodding his head like he remembers the exact conversation. It’s few and far between that Josh illuminates his feelings about her, even if they’re strictly professional and platonic, but when he does it feels nothing short of a miracle.

Her heart is pounding again. “Yeah. You’re lucky to have me.”

(or, the one that asks and answers: what if it was only Josh and Donna who'd been left behind by the motorcade? just the two of them?)

Back to Earth by ETraytin | Rated T | Donna Moss, Josh Lyman | Complete | Donna's trip to Indiana with the campaign ended up being a lot longer than she planned. The day after isn't looking to be much shorter.

20 Hours in America by PrettyPretty [archived by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist] | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Post-Ep to 20 Hours in America

20 Hours in America [The Acheinu Kol Beit Yisrael remix] by seekingferret for elrhiarhodan | Rated T | Toby Ziegler, Josh Lyman, Donna Moss | Complete 

These Things in My Head by Ryudoowaru | Rated G | Toby Ziegler | Complete | Toby's inner thoughts

Fics:

Presenting your weekly roundup of fics posted in the tag for The West Wing on Archive of Our Own. If you are so inclined, please be sure to leave the authors some love in the form of kudos or comments. Be mindful of posted warnings/tags for each story.

Josh/Donna

wherever you go (i follow) by hanyolo | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

Give you my wild, give you a child by StealtheRest for WitchyPrentiss | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

31 Days of Halloween by sam_writes_fics | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

plant a little happiness; let the roots run deep by flowersinapril | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

A Different Lens by eowyn_of_rohan | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

Brand New Day by Shinyrosa | Rated T | Complete

always thinking you're behind me by cleansl8 | Rated E | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

Abbey/Jed

Wait For Me by imperfectirises | Rated M | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | In Progress

Holding Hands by Thedoctorsblogger | Rated M | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | In Progress

Miracle by imperfectirises | Rated M | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | In Progress

Other Pairings/Gen Fic

it started off with a kiss... now it ended up like this by imawkwardlysoc | Rated G | Sam Seaborn/Original Female Character | In Progress

The Manchester First by pipisafoat | Rated G | Josh Lyman, Ron Butterfield, Original Characters | Complete

Pressing Her Luck by freshtart | Rated T | Danny Concannon/C.J. Cregg | Complete

Figures of Speech by Darsynia | Rated T | Toby Ziegler/Original Female Character | Complete

The Language of Healing by silasfinch for justdreaming88 | Rated M | Ellie Bartlet/Original Female Character(s) | Complete

Multiple Pairings

those people keep on movin' (and that's what tortures me) by jazzjo | Rated G | Andrea Wyatt/Toby Ziegler, C.J. Cregg/Andrea Wyatt, C. J. Cregg/Andrea Wyatt/Toby Ziegler | Complete

(so romantic) on the borderline tonight by jazzjo | Rated G | Andrea Wyatt/Toby Ziegler, C.J. Cregg/Andrea Wyatt | Complete

don't you love farce (my fault I fear) by jazzjo | Rated G | Andrea Wyatt/Toby Ziegler, C.J. Cregg/Andrea Wyatt, C. J. Cregg/Andrea Wyatt/Toby Ziegler | Complete

The Girl from Madison by Shinyrosa | Rated T | Donna Moss/Sam Seaborn, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

Not Quite the Parent Trap by eowyn_of_rohan | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Ainsley Hayes/Sam Seaborn | In Progress

your best-kept secret (and your biggest mistake) by rearviewmirror | Rated T | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet, Jed Bartlet/Leo McGarry, Abbey Bartlet/Leo McGarry, Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet/Leo McGarry | Complete

Red, White, and Boo by fleurfemme (Scream crossover) | Rated M |  C. J. Cregg/Toby Ziegler, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Dewey Riley/Gale Weathers, Ellie Bartlet/Sidney Prescott | In Progress

THE WEEKLY PRESS BRIEFING TEAM CAN BE REACHED VIA THE FOLLOWING METHODS:

Twitter: @TWWPress

Email: weeklypressbriefing@gmail.com

Feel free to let us know if we missed something, if you have an event you’d like us to promote, or if you have an item that you’d like included in the next briefing!

xx,

What’s next?

[versatileer]

FYI: Happy National Veep Day – 2024 http://dlvr.it/TDDpRq

[spaciousreasoning]

Walking Again

Tuesday morning’s blood sugar was down to 193! No doubt due to all the walking we did on Monday and, once again, no munching peanuts during the evening while watching TV.

We finally got a phone call from the Subaru representative with some answers to a couple of questions our smarter-than-average car was presenting us. One we could fix, the other we could not. The maintenance notifications were likely based on the age of the car, because we have not had it for six months and we are only half way to 6,000 miles. I will, however, have to live with the Outback reminding me to keep my eyes on the road.

Speaking of Subarus, they are all over the place here. More than one person has mentioned that Subarus are very popular in the Pacific Northwest. It might be the All-Wheel Drive or something else much subtle. But we have been quite happy with our purchase.

Nancy also talked to our Edward Jones rep early in the day. While we had a mortgage on our place in Tucson, there were no charges associated with her Chase account. Once we sold the house, they started charging $25 per month. She will need to move a big chunk of money to her savings account to stop the monthly charge. She wanted to check with Edward Jones about getting the funds transferred.

We headed out to Clearwater Park again for more walking on the Middle Fork Path from its east end. We made about a mile and a quarter before turning around, so there’s a bit more than a mile in the middle that we have not seen yet. Unless we do a lot more walking to get in shape for the whole four miles, we might have to wait until we get our bikes out there.

When we got back we had salad for lunch, with some cheese and chips on the side. For dinner it was chicken piccata leftovers, accompanied by green beans.

Then off to the Tuesday men’s recovery meeting with Henry along for the ride. A fellow named Matt was celebrating 14 years. The reading for the day was on service, and most shares touched on that or praised Matt for success in recovery.

The evening’s viewing included Colbert, who is in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention. Because we stream the show, we see him one day late. Hillary Clinton was the guest. Also a former “Veep,” Julia Louis Dreyfus.

Our next choice was to return to “Franklin,” the historical drama about Benjamin Franklin starring Michael Douglas and based on Stacy Schiff’s 2005 book A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. There is so much streaming available to us that “Franklin” had gotten lost for a while. This episode seemed to contain a lot of filler, but it is still fun to watch.

[newsource21]

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took the stage at the Democratic National Convention a little after 9:30 p.m. Monday, smack dab in the middle of primetime.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, was relegated to a speaking slot outside of the coveted broadcast window nearly two hours later.

The striking contrast of their scheduling said a lot — not just about Biden’s and AOC’s personal trajectories, but about the ideological course of the Democratic Party.

In the days since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced Biden as the Democrats’ presidential nominee, we’ve seen a concerted effort to recast Harris as the kind of candidate that moderates can unreservedly pull the lever for.

Within hours of Biden stepping aside and endorsing her, The New York Times published a puff piece explaining “How Kamala Harris Rose as a California Moderate.”

Harris’ communications team has been hard at work slowly recanting the radical platform she ran for the White House on back in 2019.

And her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has had his far-left record papered over by his Midwestern affect.

But the optics of Monday night betrayed the true nature of both the Democratic Party and its standard-bearer.

This is not a party trying to persuade moderate voters, appeal to them or make concessions to their values.

Instead, it’s trying to dupe them.

Ocasio-Cortez was treated to a hero’s welcome on the stage Monday, and her speech — which featured plenty of her signature economic demagoguery condemning “two-bit union busters” and lauding “working people,” but also saw her tout Harris’ “tireless” work toward a euphemistic “cease-fire” in Gaza — received rave reviews from the media chorus.

“Once an outsider, AOC now has the entire DNC hall chanting her name,” HuffPost’s Daniel Marans observed on X.

At The Nation, Jeet Heer declared that she had cemented herself as part of “the future of the Democratic Party.”

“I think the young congresswoman from New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, may have a prominent future in American politics,” submitted Matthew Yglesias in what was meant as a wry understatement.

“AOC is the closest thing to Obama level speechmaking talent in Democratic politics today,” gushed activist Armand Domalewski.

“Damn,” offered Obama alum and Pod Save America bro Jon Favreau, “AOC knows how to give a speech.”

Of course, the fact that Ocasio-Cortez is enjoying a coming-out party of sorts at a convention celebrating Harris’ ascension to the top of the Democratic ticket should come as no surprise.

Five years ago, Harris campaigned for the presidency as an AOC-style Democrat, endorsing Medicare-for-All and the Green New Deal, flirting with the Defund the Police and Abolish ICE movements, and showering Ocasio-Cortez herself with praise.

Asked about Ocasio-Cortez’s support for income tax rates of up to 80%, Harris gushed that the congresswoman was “challenging the status quo,” calling the effort “fantastic.”

Even after her own White House hopes had gone down in flames, Harris kept up the bit, urging Americans to send their hard-earned cash — in the midst of a pandemic — to a bail fund that later sprung murderers and rapists from prison.

It’s been this new Harris campaign’s operating theory that it can put all of the veep’s past leftist foolishness behind her by never letting her be pinned down about the kinds of policies she would implement from the Oval Office.

That’s why nearly a month after becoming the presumptive nominee, her website still says nothing about what she hopes to accomplish as president, and why she’s yet to sit down for a single major interview or stand for a single press conference. 

But AOC’s address — and Democrats’ celebration of it — has betrayed the party’s true direction with Harris at the helm.

That the proud socialist’s shining moment came at the expense of Biden was doubly symbolic.

In 2020, Biden was the only viable non-radical candidate to seek the Democratic nomination.

Four years later, his presidency and his legacy have been undone — in no small part because he embraced an unpopular progressive agenda that has produced chaos abroad and suffering at home.

And as a final indignity, Biden was kept off the stage until everyone but the true Dem diehards had turned off their TVs, so that his party could begin to lay the groundwork for their new, far-left wing to take the reins.

The only question that remains is whether Americans will heed the warning signs before their eyes — or let Democrats off the hook for hiding their radicalism behind a smokescreen of platitudes.

Isaac Schorr is a staff writer at Mediaite.

[murderousink23]

08/09/2023 is National Book Lovers Day 📚♥️🌏, National Rice Pudding Day 🇺🇲, National Veep Day 🇺🇲, Indigenous Day 🇺🇳

[alrederedmixedmedia]

Alredered is celebrating #NationalVeepDay

National Veep Day on August 9 recognizes the succession plan of the President of the United States.

[brookston]

Holidays 8.9

Holidays

Alban Day (Ilocos Norte, Philippines)

Battle of Gangut Day (Russia)

Betty Boop Day

Book Lovers Day [also 1st Saturday in Nov.]

Caper Day (French Republic)

Clean Out the Kitchen Cupboards Day

Cranham Feast (Gloucestershire, UK)

Dag der Inheemsen (Indigenous People’s Day; Suriname)

Defense Forces Day (Zimbabwe)

809 Day

Frank Zappa Day (Baltimore) [also 9.19]

Health Center Staff Appreciation Day

Indigenous People’s Day (Suriname)

International Art Appreciation Day

International Coworking Day

International Day of Solidarity with the Struggle of Women of South Africa & Namibia

International Day of the World's Indigenous People (UN)

International Linen & Uniform Service Day

International Pigtail Day

International Sundance (Lakota; Manitoba, Canada)

Jesse Owens Day

Laugh At Religion Day

Meyboom (Brussels and Leuven, Belgium)

Moment of Silence Day (Japan)

Moomin’s Day

Nagasaki Day

National Billiards & Pool Day

National Canine Companion Graduation Day

National Day (Ecuador)

National Day (Singapore)

National Hand Holding Day

National Hug Day (Japan)

National Peacekeepers Day (Canada)

National Polka Day

National Psychiatric Technician Appreciation Day

National Rebecca Day

National Women's Day (South Africa)

Nippy Day

Official Air Guitar Day (Kansas City, Missouri)

Patient Application Day

Quit India Movement Day (India)

Rain of Mussels Day (Germany)

Sean Astin Appreciation Day

Send An E-mail Day

Smokey the Bear Day

Tobacco Plant Day

Unicorn Day

Veep Day

World Adivasi Day (India)

World Baijiu Day

World Book Lover’s Day

World Tribal Day (Parts of India)

Food & Drink Celebrations

National Passion Fruit Day

Rice Pudding Day

Swiss Roll Day (Sweden)

Independence & Related Days

Bradonia (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Constitution Day (Anguilla)

Paris Commune (Established by Revolutionaries; France; 1792)

Singapore (from Malaysia, 1965)

2nd Friday in August

Flashback Friday [Every Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

Gals Night Out [2nd Friday]

Grey Cat Day [2nd Friday]

Hartjesdagen begins (Little Hearts Day; Netherlands) [Friday before 3rd Monday]

Lake Michigan Day [2nd Friday]

National Blood Book Awareness Day (UK) [2nd Friday]

National Kool-Aid Day [2nd Friday] (also 3rd Friday)

No Man's Land Celebration [2nd Friday]

Red Nose Day (Australia) [2nd Friday]

Shop Online for Groceries Day [2nd Friday]

World Cross Stitch Day [2nd Friday]

Worldwide Art Day [2nd Friday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 9 (1st Full Week of August)

Elvis Week (thru 8.17)

Kool-Aid Days [Hastings, Nebraska] (thru 8.11) [2nd Friday thru Sunday]

Festivals Beginning August 9, 2024

Best of the West Ribfest (Watford City, North Dakota)

Bloemencorso Rijnsburg [Rijnsburg Flower Parade] (Rijnsburg, Netherlands) [thru 8.11]

Bolton Fair (Lancaster, Massachusetts) [thru 8.11]

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta (Bristol, United Kingdom) [thru 8.11]

Cheeseburger in Caseville (Caseville, Michigan) [thru 8.18]

Cobden Peach Festival (Cobden, Illinois) [thru 8.10]

D23 Expo (Anaheim, California) [thru 8.11]

Edinburgh Art Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland) [thru 8.11]

Elephant Garlic Festival (North Plains, Oregon) [thru 8.11]

Flow Festival (Helsinki, Finland) [thru 8.11]

For the Funk of It (Beldon, California) [thru 8.11]

Gäubodenvolksfest (Straubing, Germany) [thru 8.10]

Germanfest Picnic (Dayton, Ohio) [thru 8.11]

Golden North Salmon Derby (Juneau, Alaska) [thru 8.11]

Huckleberry Days Arts Festival & Bake-Off Contest (Whitefish, Montana) [thru 8.11]

International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada) [thru 8.18]

Jersey Battle of Flowers (Saint Helier, Jersey) [thru 8.11]

Kielbasa Festival (Plymouth, Pennsylvania) [thru 8.10]

MontanaFair (Billings, Montana) [thru 8.17]

Montgomery County Agricultural Fair (Gaithersburg, Maryland) [thru 8.17]

Nišville International Jazz Festival (Niš, Serbia) [thru 8.18]

North Dakota Chokecherry Festival (Williston, North Dakota) [thru 8.10]

North Ridgeville Corn Festival (North Ridgeville, Ohio) [thru 8.11]

Outside Lands (San Francisco, California) [thru 8.11]

Port Oneida Fair (Port Oneida, Michigan) [thru 8.10]

San Jose Summer Jaz Fest (San Jose, California) [thru 8.11]

Serb Fest (Chicago, Illinois) [thru 8.11]

Singapore National Day Parade (Singapore)

St. Johns Mint Festival (St. Johns, Michigan) [thru 8.11]

Stockyard Days (New Brighton, Minnesota) [thru 8.11]

Summer Harvest Gourmet Gala (Tiffin, Ohio)

Sweet Corn Days (Lime Springs, Iowa) [thru 8.11]

Tall Corn Festival (Rossville, Kansas) [thru 8.11]

Taste Edmonds (Edmonds, Washington) [thru 8.11]

Telluride Jazz Festival (Telluride, Colorado) [thru 8.11]

Tomato Art Fest (East Nashville, Tennessee) [thru 8.10]

Truckee Music Fest (Truckee, California) [thru 8.10]

Washington Tuna Classic (Westport, Washington) [thru 8.10]

Feast Days

Candida Maria of Jesus (Christian; Saint)

Daniel Keyes (Writerism)

Denys (Christian; Saint)

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Celtic Book of Days)

Edith Stein (a.k.a. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross; Christian; Saint)

Emygdius (Christian; Martyr)

Feast of the Fire Spirits (Everyday Wicca)

Fedlimid (a.k.a. Felimy) of Kilmore (Christian; Saint)

Fénélon (Positivist; Saint)

Festival for Sol (Ancient Rome)

Festival of Sol Indigis (Roman Sun God; Ancient Rome)

Firmus and Rusticus (Christian; Saint)

Frank Martínez (Artology)

Gene Luen Yang (Artology)

Goblin Ugly Contest (Shamanism)

Herman of Alaska (Russian Orthodox Church and related congregations; Episcopal Church (USA))

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Invisible Pixy Spotting/Swatting Day (Pastafarian)

John Vianney (1950s – currently 8.4; Christian; Saint)

Mary Sumner (Church of England)

Media Aestas I (Pagan)

Nag Panchami (Worship of Snakes Festival; India; Nepal)

Nath Í of Achonry (Christian; Saint)

Nathy and Felim (Christian; Saints)

Oswald of Northumbria (Christian; Martyr)

Pierre-Étienne Monnot (Artology)

P.L. Travers (Writerism)

Posy Simmonds (Artology)

Remembrance for Radbod, King of the Frisians (Asatru/Norse Pagan/The Troth)

Romanus Ostiarius (Christian; Saint)

Rosencranz & Gilderstern Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Secundian, Marcellian and Verian (Christian; Saints)

Talk to the Invisible Pixies Day (Pastafarian)

Tove Jansson (Artology)

Trevor (Muppetism)

Hebrew Calendar Holidays [Begins at Sundown Day Before]

Shabbat Chazon (Sabbath of Vision) [5-6 Av]

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [44 of 71]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

The Abyss (Film; 1989)

The Art of Racing in the Rain (Film; 2019)

Béatrice et Bénédict, by Hector Berlioz (Opera; 1862)

Billy Mouse’s Akwakade (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1940)

The Blue Lotus, by Hergé (Graphic Novel; 1934) [Tintin #5]

Chain Letters (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1935)

Come September (Film; 1961)

Dizzy Dishes, featuring Betty Boop (Fleischer Cartoon; 1930) [1st BB cartoon]

Donald’s Vacation (Disney Cartoon; 1940)

Dora and the Lost City of Gold (Film; 2019)

Elysium (Film; 2013)

Endangered Species, by Lynyrd Skynyrd (Album; 1994)

Escape from L.A. (Film; 1996)

The Glass Bead Game, by Hermann Hesse (Novel; 1943)

Hopp-Go-Lucky (WB LT Cartoon; 1952)

Hot Fun in the Summertime, by Sly and the Family Stone (Song; 1969)

In a World… (Film; 2013)

Jack (Film; 1996)

Jazz Mad, featuring Farmer Al Falfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1931)

Just to See You Smile, by Tim McGraw (Song; 1997)

Lovelace (Film; 2013)

Mary Poppins, by P.L. Travers (Novel; 1934)

The Moomins and the Great Flood, by Tove Jansson (Children’s Book; 1945)

My Science Project (Film; 1985)

Outlander (TV Series; 2014)

The Painted Bird, by Jerzy Kosiński (Novel; 1965)

The Peanut Butter Falcon (Film; 2019)

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (Film; 1985)

Pil’s Adventures (Animated Film; 2022)

Planes (Animated Film; 2013)

Ready! Steady! Go! (BBC TV Series; 1963)

Real Genius (Film; 1985)

Reservation Dogs (TV Series; 2021)

Rocket to Mars (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1946)

Ruben Brandt, Collector (Animated Film; 2018)

Saturday Night Fish Fry, recorded by Louis Jordan (Song; 1949)

September (Film; 1961)

Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, by Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians (Album; 1988)

Spooky Swabs (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1957)

To Ride Pegasus, by Anne McCaffrey (Novel; 1973)

The Tortoise Wins Again (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1946)

Walden, by Henry David Thoreau (Short Story; 1854)

Wet Paint (Disney Cartoon; 1946)

xXx (Film; 2002)

Today’s Name Days

Edith (Austria)

Firmin, Roman, Terezija, Tvrtko (Croatia)

Roman (Czech Republic)

Rosmanus (Denmark)

Deboora, Imma, Melita, Mesike (Estonia)

Eira, Erja, Nadja (Finland)

Amour (France)

Altmann, Edith, Roman (Germany)

Triantafilia, Triantafilos Triantafyllos (Greece)

Emőd (Hungary)

Fermo, Maria, Romano, Rustico (Italy)

Ģedimins, Genoveva, Madara, Tautgodis (Latvia)

Mintartas, Rolandas, Romanas, Tarvilė (Lithuania)

Ronald, Ronny (Norway)

Jan, Klarysa, Miłorad, Roland, Roman, Romuald (Poland)

Ľubomíra (Slovakia)

Román, Teresa (Spain)

Roland (Sweden)

Mark, Markian (Ukraine)

Felim, Ledell, Phelan, Phelim, Phelps (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 222 of 2024; 144 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of Week 32 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Coll (Hazel) [Day 7 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 6 (Yi-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 5 Av 5784

Islamic: 3 Safar 1446

J Cal: 12 Purple; Fryday [12 of 30]

Julian: 27 July 2024

Moon: 23%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 25 Dante (8th Month) [Fénélon]

Runic Half Month: As (Gods) [Day 2 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 51 of 94)

Week: 1st Full Week of August

Zodiac: Leo (Day 19 of 31)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 8.9

Holidays

Alban Day (Ilocos Norte, Philippines)

Battle of Gangut Day (Russia)

Betty Boop Day

Book Lovers Day [also 1st Saturday in Nov.]

Caper Day (French Republic)

Clean Out the Kitchen Cupboards Day

Cranham Feast (Gloucestershire, UK)

Dag der Inheemsen (Indigenous People’s Day; Suriname)

Defense Forces Day (Zimbabwe)

809 Day

Frank Zappa Day (Baltimore) [also 9.19]

Health Center Staff Appreciation Day

Indigenous People’s Day (Suriname)

International Art Appreciation Day

International Coworking Day

International Day of Solidarity with the Struggle of Women of South Africa & Namibia

International Day of the World's Indigenous People (UN)

International Linen & Uniform Service Day

International Pigtail Day

International Sundance (Lakota; Manitoba, Canada)

Jesse Owens Day

Laugh At Religion Day

Meyboom (Brussels and Leuven, Belgium)

Moment of Silence Day (Japan)

Moomin’s Day

Nagasaki Day

National Billiards & Pool Day

National Canine Companion Graduation Day

National Day (Ecuador)

National Day (Singapore)

National Hand Holding Day

National Hug Day (Japan)

National Peacekeepers Day (Canada)

National Polka Day

National Psychiatric Technician Appreciation Day

National Rebecca Day

National Women's Day (South Africa)

Nippy Day

Official Air Guitar Day (Kansas City, Missouri)

Patient Application Day

Quit India Movement Day (India)

Rain of Mussels Day (Germany)

Sean Astin Appreciation Day

Send An E-mail Day

Smokey the Bear Day

Tobacco Plant Day

Unicorn Day

Veep Day

World Adivasi Day (India)

World Baijiu Day

World Book Lover’s Day

World Tribal Day (Parts of India)

Food & Drink Celebrations

National Passion Fruit Day

Rice Pudding Day

Swiss Roll Day (Sweden)

Independence & Related Days

Bradonia (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Constitution Day (Anguilla)

Paris Commune (Established by Revolutionaries; France; 1792)

Singapore (from Malaysia, 1965)

2nd Friday in August

Flashback Friday [Every Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

Gals Night Out [2nd Friday]

Grey Cat Day [2nd Friday]

Hartjesdagen begins (Little Hearts Day; Netherlands) [Friday before 3rd Monday]

Lake Michigan Day [2nd Friday]

National Blood Book Awareness Day (UK) [2nd Friday]

National Kool-Aid Day [2nd Friday] (also 3rd Friday)

No Man's Land Celebration [2nd Friday]

Red Nose Day (Australia) [2nd Friday]

Shop Online for Groceries Day [2nd Friday]

World Cross Stitch Day [2nd Friday]

Worldwide Art Day [2nd Friday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 9 (1st Full Week of August)

Elvis Week (thru 8.17)

Kool-Aid Days [Hastings, Nebraska] (thru 8.11) [2nd Friday thru Sunday]

Festivals Beginning August 9, 2024

Best of the West Ribfest (Watford City, North Dakota)

Bloemencorso Rijnsburg [Rijnsburg Flower Parade] (Rijnsburg, Netherlands) [thru 8.11]

Bolton Fair (Lancaster, Massachusetts) [thru 8.11]

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta (Bristol, United Kingdom) [thru 8.11]

Cheeseburger in Caseville (Caseville, Michigan) [thru 8.18]

Cobden Peach Festival (Cobden, Illinois) [thru 8.10]

D23 Expo (Anaheim, California) [thru 8.11]

Edinburgh Art Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland) [thru 8.11]

Elephant Garlic Festival (North Plains, Oregon) [thru 8.11]

Flow Festival (Helsinki, Finland) [thru 8.11]

For the Funk of It (Beldon, California) [thru 8.11]

Gäubodenvolksfest (Straubing, Germany) [thru 8.10]

Germanfest Picnic (Dayton, Ohio) [thru 8.11]

Golden North Salmon Derby (Juneau, Alaska) [thru 8.11]

Huckleberry Days Arts Festival & Bake-Off Contest (Whitefish, Montana) [thru 8.11]

International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada) [thru 8.18]

Jersey Battle of Flowers (Saint Helier, Jersey) [thru 8.11]

Kielbasa Festival (Plymouth, Pennsylvania) [thru 8.10]

MontanaFair (Billings, Montana) [thru 8.17]

Montgomery County Agricultural Fair (Gaithersburg, Maryland) [thru 8.17]

Nišville International Jazz Festival (Niš, Serbia) [thru 8.18]

North Dakota Chokecherry Festival (Williston, North Dakota) [thru 8.10]

North Ridgeville Corn Festival (North Ridgeville, Ohio) [thru 8.11]

Outside Lands (San Francisco, California) [thru 8.11]

Port Oneida Fair (Port Oneida, Michigan) [thru 8.10]

San Jose Summer Jaz Fest (San Jose, California) [thru 8.11]

Serb Fest (Chicago, Illinois) [thru 8.11]

Singapore National Day Parade (Singapore)

St. Johns Mint Festival (St. Johns, Michigan) [thru 8.11]

Stockyard Days (New Brighton, Minnesota) [thru 8.11]

Summer Harvest Gourmet Gala (Tiffin, Ohio)

Sweet Corn Days (Lime Springs, Iowa) [thru 8.11]

Tall Corn Festival (Rossville, Kansas) [thru 8.11]

Taste Edmonds (Edmonds, Washington) [thru 8.11]

Telluride Jazz Festival (Telluride, Colorado) [thru 8.11]

Tomato Art Fest (East Nashville, Tennessee) [thru 8.10]

Truckee Music Fest (Truckee, California) [thru 8.10]

Washington Tuna Classic (Westport, Washington) [thru 8.10]

Feast Days

Candida Maria of Jesus (Christian; Saint)

Daniel Keyes (Writerism)

Denys (Christian; Saint)

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Celtic Book of Days)

Edith Stein (a.k.a. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross; Christian; Saint)

Emygdius (Christian; Martyr)

Feast of the Fire Spirits (Everyday Wicca)

Fedlimid (a.k.a. Felimy) of Kilmore (Christian; Saint)

Fénélon (Positivist; Saint)

Festival for Sol (Ancient Rome)

Festival of Sol Indigis (Roman Sun God; Ancient Rome)

Firmus and Rusticus (Christian; Saint)

Frank Martínez (Artology)

Gene Luen Yang (Artology)

Goblin Ugly Contest (Shamanism)

Herman of Alaska (Russian Orthodox Church and related congregations; Episcopal Church (USA))

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Invisible Pixy Spotting/Swatting Day (Pastafarian)

John Vianney (1950s – currently 8.4; Christian; Saint)

Mary Sumner (Church of England)

Media Aestas I (Pagan)

Nag Panchami (Worship of Snakes Festival; India; Nepal)

Nath Í of Achonry (Christian; Saint)

Nathy and Felim (Christian; Saints)

Oswald of Northumbria (Christian; Martyr)

Pierre-Étienne Monnot (Artology)

P.L. Travers (Writerism)

Posy Simmonds (Artology)

Remembrance for Radbod, King of the Frisians (Asatru/Norse Pagan/The Troth)

Romanus Ostiarius (Christian; Saint)

Rosencranz & Gilderstern Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Secundian, Marcellian and Verian (Christian; Saints)

Talk to the Invisible Pixies Day (Pastafarian)

Tove Jansson (Artology)

Trevor (Muppetism)

Hebrew Calendar Holidays [Begins at Sundown Day Before]

Shabbat Chazon (Sabbath of Vision) [5-6 Av]

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [44 of 71]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

The Abyss (Film; 1989)

The Art of Racing in the Rain (Film; 2019)

Béatrice et Bénédict, by Hector Berlioz (Opera; 1862)

Billy Mouse’s Akwakade (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1940)

The Blue Lotus, by Hergé (Graphic Novel; 1934) [Tintin #5]

Chain Letters (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1935)

Come September (Film; 1961)

Dizzy Dishes, featuring Betty Boop (Fleischer Cartoon; 1930) [1st BB cartoon]

Donald’s Vacation (Disney Cartoon; 1940)

Dora and the Lost City of Gold (Film; 2019)

Elysium (Film; 2013)

Endangered Species, by Lynyrd Skynyrd (Album; 1994)

Escape from L.A. (Film; 1996)

The Glass Bead Game, by Hermann Hesse (Novel; 1943)

Hopp-Go-Lucky (WB LT Cartoon; 1952)

Hot Fun in the Summertime, by Sly and the Family Stone (Song; 1969)

In a World… (Film; 2013)

Jack (Film; 1996)

Jazz Mad, featuring Farmer Al Falfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1931)

Just to See You Smile, by Tim McGraw (Song; 1997)

Lovelace (Film; 2013)

Mary Poppins, by P.L. Travers (Novel; 1934)

The Moomins and the Great Flood, by Tove Jansson (Children’s Book; 1945)

My Science Project (Film; 1985)

Outlander (TV Series; 2014)

The Painted Bird, by Jerzy Kosiński (Novel; 1965)

The Peanut Butter Falcon (Film; 2019)

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (Film; 1985)

Pil’s Adventures (Animated Film; 2022)

Planes (Animated Film; 2013)

Ready! Steady! Go! (BBC TV Series; 1963)

Real Genius (Film; 1985)

Reservation Dogs (TV Series; 2021)

Rocket to Mars (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1946)

Ruben Brandt, Collector (Animated Film; 2018)

Saturday Night Fish Fry, recorded by Louis Jordan (Song; 1949)

September (Film; 1961)

Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, by Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians (Album; 1988)

Spooky Swabs (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1957)

To Ride Pegasus, by Anne McCaffrey (Novel; 1973)

The Tortoise Wins Again (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1946)

Walden, by Henry David Thoreau (Short Story; 1854)

Wet Paint (Disney Cartoon; 1946)

xXx (Film; 2002)

Today’s Name Days

Edith (Austria)

Firmin, Roman, Terezija, Tvrtko (Croatia)

Roman (Czech Republic)

Rosmanus (Denmark)

Deboora, Imma, Melita, Mesike (Estonia)

Eira, Erja, Nadja (Finland)

Amour (France)

Altmann, Edith, Roman (Germany)

Triantafilia, Triantafilos Triantafyllos (Greece)

Emőd (Hungary)

Fermo, Maria, Romano, Rustico (Italy)

Ģedimins, Genoveva, Madara, Tautgodis (Latvia)

Mintartas, Rolandas, Romanas, Tarvilė (Lithuania)

Ronald, Ronny (Norway)

Jan, Klarysa, Miłorad, Roland, Roman, Romuald (Poland)

Ľubomíra (Slovakia)

Román, Teresa (Spain)

Roland (Sweden)

Mark, Markian (Ukraine)

Felim, Ledell, Phelan, Phelim, Phelps (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 222 of 2024; 144 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of Week 32 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Coll (Hazel) [Day 7 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 6 (Yi-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 5 Av 5784

Islamic: 3 Safar 1446

J Cal: 12 Purple; Fryday [12 of 30]

Julian: 27 July 2024

Moon: 23%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 25 Dante (8th Month) [Fénélon]

Runic Half Month: As (Gods) [Day 2 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 51 of 94)

Week: 1st Full Week of August

Zodiac: Leo (Day 19 of 31)

[worldofwardcraft]

Is he headed for the Trump dump?

August 8, 2024

With the Democratic Party's recent surge in enthusiasm and the rise of its presumptive nominee in the polls, Republicans are starting to wonder if Donald Trump made a horrendous mistake listening to his idiot offspring, Don Jr., and Russian agent Tucker Carlson in choosing Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (pictured above with attention-seeking ear martyr) to be his running mate.

Partly this is because Vance (who changed his name from Hamel) brings absolutely nothing to the ticket, not even the state of Ohio. In his 2022 senatorial race, he badly underperformed every other statewide Republican on the ballot. Putting it politely, Vance is not particularly well liked in his home state. Moreover, as a vice presidential candidate, he embarrassingly crashed and burned right out of the gate.

Given the slew of internet memes ridiculing him, his disparaging remarks about women without children (calling them "cat ladies" and "sociopaths") and his sleep-inducing speaking style, it's little wonder that many GOPers are experiencing buyer's remorse over their party's prospective veep. One anonymous House Republican told news outlet Axios, "He was the only pick that wasn't the safe pick. And I think everyone has now realized that."

Even worse, Vance's fake folksiness and unrelenting weirdness compare unfavorably with the "everyman" persona and "midwestern dad" likeability of Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz. In fact, Vance is the least-liked running mate in at least 44 years, as data analyst Harry Enten commented on CNN last week,

I have gone all the way back since 1980. He is the first guy immediately following a convention — a VP pick — who actually had a net negative favorable rating, that is, underwater.

Added Enten, “In this case, he’s dragging Trump down.” So, will Vance get thrown over the side? Trump, with a history of backing losers, insists he's sticking with this one. Still, the Republican National Committee's Rule 9 does allow for filling a vice-presidential vacancy "which may occur as the result of death, declination, or otherwise" by reconvening its national convention. However, there's less than three months left to do so.

As Kenneth Mayer, retired political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, points out, impending state deadlines pose a significant issue. And the complications would only multiply once ballots were printed. It would be, he says, "extraordinarily disruptive" both logistically and politically to replace Vance as the vice-presidential nominee.

Yet, in 1972, Democrat George McGovern dropped his vice-presidential nominee, Missouri Senator Thomas Eagleton, after only 18 days on the ticket. Trump, on the other hand, may find it's too late to consign Vance to the scrapheap.