Open Thread
The Weekly Watch
Submitted by Lookout on Sun, 04/26/2026 - 6:14am
"War is Our Business, and Business is Good"

We've been waiting for more war this week. Everyone seems to think it is coming in the near term. The ceasefire has been used by all sides to prepare for the next round of destruction in western Asia. What a foolish, destructive, unpopular, war of choice, but the Emperor is mad and the empire is destined to fall. Meanwhile the EU managed to finagle it's $90B "loan" (which doesn't have to be repaid) to Ukraine to keep that war going. The object of wars today is NOT to win, but just to keep the grift machine going on the spin cycle, and don't forget the 10% for the big guy. Lots of people in positions of power are making lots of money off our wars betting on the market and directly.

Album of the Week 4-25-26
Submitted by joe shikspack on Sat, 04/25/2026 - 3:00pmAfternoon folks!
It's a triple scoop of blues this week, starting off with an album from Chicago blues piano player Pinetop Perkins, followed by a real toe-tapper of an album from John Lee Hooker and then a compilation album of lesser known but quite talented artists from a California record label. Then it's on to some blues rock from a group composed of members from The Pretty Things, The Yardbirds and Canned Heat along with Chicago harmonica and guitar player Studebaker John. Finishing off the week is an album of prog rock from Gentle Giant.
Enjoy the tunes and have a great weekend!
Saturday Open Thread - 4/25/26: Odds and Ends
Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 04/25/2026 - 7:00am
Good morning, good people! I hope this OT finds you all in fine fettle!
So, my client had been accused of grabbing his wife's arm, although no red marks or bruises were visible. They are in the midst of a divorce, and would it have been great for her to blame him for the split?
The DA wanted to dismiss it, as I did, but the Judge would not unless the woman said ok. She announced she didn't care. The Judge then said while looking at Facebook to see a video of his g'daughter hitting a home run in a play off game, he saw posts from folks in our county saying the justice system here was soft on crime. Because the posts were so nasty, he said he was gonna get tough because he didn't want to get slammed on Face Book.
I can't count how many judicial conduct rules he broke, and folks, I can't make this shit up.
The Evening Blues - 4-24-26
Submitted by joe shikspack on Fri, 04/24/2026 - 3:10pm
Open Thread - 4-23-2026 - Deeper Understanding
Submitted by studentofearth on Fri, 04/24/2026 - 3:19am
Morning
The week certainly passed quickly. A few bits of informaton to ponder.
The Evening Blues - 4-23-26
Submitted by joe shikspack on Thu, 04/23/2026 - 4:10pm
Open Thread - 23 Apr 2026 - Erosion of our Institutions?
Submitted by Sima on Thu, 04/23/2026 - 5:00am
Erosion of our Institutions?
Ron Placone wrote a recent piece about the erosion of many of the institutions we need and use. His title centers on the tsa and air travel (‘The Destruction of the TSA and Air Travel’), and his subtitle is ‘The Latest Fascist Casualty’. I think his article is pretty good, and goes into far more than just the TSA.
He writes:
One of the elements of fascism is the complete erosion of all institutions. Air travel is the latest one in the US. Donald Trump successfully sent in his nazi infantry to patrol airports and the situation keeps getting worse. This is all part of a more elaborate plan in Project 2025 to privatize the TSA. But, let’s start at the beginning, shall we? My claim is that this is just the latest casualty in a fascist coup, is that’s what’s happening? Are our institutions being eroded?
Definitely.
The Evening Blues - 4-22-26
Submitted by joe shikspack on Wed, 04/22/2026 - 3:36pm
OT WE 22 APR 26 ~ Going down?
Submitted by QMS on Wed, 04/22/2026 - 5:00am



