And there was apparently a mermaid weather vane in the stash of scrap metal behind the secondary shed. Score!

Nice! I've been compiling a mental list of These Are the Weather Vanes In My Neighborhood. #1 is the Egret on Carl on the way to Matilda's school.

So taping was boring but I did it anyway and now the trim and windows in my office are all painted, and the hall downstairs is too except for really close to the top, plus I walked to the paint store twice to get them to match the chip. I'm looking forward to having my house back and the plastic gone, and I'm really excited to have an office that isn't horrifically ugly in about six different ways.

I still need to do q bunch of other things.

Very cool find , -t!

I am not getting off the couch. I have stuff to do. But I forgot to get elbow macaroni for my mac and cheese. If there is none in cupboard , it is time to walk to the neighborhood store.

I am resolved.

unless I get distracted

Sometimes it really feels like there is a concerted effort to create an uneducated underclass who can't question those in power.

I have a theory that this is the horrible legacy of the Reagan years. Regardless of the other pros and cons of that administration, I think there was a switch from policy to narrative. Cutting taxes increases revenue, welfare queens, the star wars defense shield is practical, government regulation is always bad. Governing on narrative alone ignores actual facts so we have stuff like people going apeshit about a 3% increase in the top tax rate while wealth is rapidly redistributing toward the top. Or people thinking because some guy on the radio says global warming isn't happening that 99.5% of climatologists must have gotten it wrong or want to destroy western civilization for some reason.

Did someone post this already and I just skipped and/or skimmed? Chicago, meet your new fucking mayor.

I have a theory that this is the horrible legacy of the Reagan years. Regardless of the other pros and cons of that administration, I think there was a switch from policy to narrative. Cutting taxes increases revenue, welfare queens, the star wars defense shield is practical, government regulation is always bad. Governing on narrative alone ignores actual facts so we have stuff like people going apeshit about a 3% increase in the top tax rate while wealth is rapidly redistributing toward the top. Or people thinking because some guy on the radio says global warming isn't happening that 99.5% of climatologists must have gotten it wrong or want to destroy western civilization for some reason.

ITA. Plus Reagan's scrapping of the Fairness Doctrine, which gave rise to conservative talk radio and Fox News. Also, the tremendous media consolidation which started back then (but that wasn't Reagan's fault, was it?)

But sometimes I think it all goes back to Edward Murrow taking on Senator McCarthy. That's generally considered a triumph of news reporting, but whatever the network that Murrow was on decided they'd never again allow their broadcasters to risk their entire company like that, so it resulted in TV news that was much less likely to take on difficult issues.

Sweet! Are you putting her on your roof?

Probably not on the house as such, I don't think there are any spots up there where she could be securely attached and I could see her. Maybe on one of the sheds, or just attached to a fence post.

Also, the tremendous media consolidation which started back then (but that wasn't Reagan's fault, was it?)

Clinton years, I think.

Clinton years, I think.

I think it started in the '80s and got much worse in the '90s.

Want some more proof on your theory? [link]

I went to a charter school, but it was a PUBLIC charter school and one of the best in the country even in Louisiana.