This one’s named Monica Barbaro (no, never heard of her either), but she plays Jan Baez in the Bob Dylan biopic.
That ol’ Commie Joan Baez can only dream of ever looking this good.
Month: January 2025
Reversing The Disgusting
Among the oh-so many idiocies perpetrated by FJB’s executive orders, was this one, which overturned one of Trump’s (45):
Biden Purges Non-Partisan US Commission On Fine Arts In Unprecedented Move Against Popular Classical Architecture
So one would hope that among the blizzard of new Executive Orders from Trump (47), one will be to reinstate the original, which mandated that new Federal buildings look more like this:
…than like this:
And so say all of us.
Jan 21 Real New Year ‘s Day Shoot (Reminder)
For those interested in joining me for the above, here are the details.
So far, about half a dozen people have expressed interest in said activity, so I’m going to reserve about four or five lanes when I go over there later today.
Please note the rules for the range, as per the above link.
Also, we may do a festive brunch / lunch afterwards, depending on interest.
Censorship By Algorithm
…or by A.I., the outcome is the same.
Seen SOTI:
Since when could we not say simple words like “racists” and “pedophiles”*?
Since “bad” words could be flagged by built-in website algorithms and cause the post and/or writer to be “flagged” or even “banned”, is when.
Which is why I don’t bowdlerize my writing here; if I want to say “rapist” I’ll fucking well say “RAPIST”, and if I want to say “porn” I’ll say that too, and not “p*rn” or its pathetic ilk.
It’s too bad, because the above statement lends itself to being quite funny, provided that you don’t encounter the linguistic roadblock of having to hunt for the substitute letters for the asterisks.
*(For my Brit Readers, “paedophiles” which would emerge as “p**dophiles”, which is doubleplusunreadable.)
Rip-Off Artists
Here’s a list of the top ten acts who charged the highest average ticket prices in 2024:
- U2 — £287
- Garth Brooks — £285
- Lady Gaga — £252
- The Eagles — £239
- Bad Bunny — £228
- George Strait — £227
- The Rolling Stones — £226
- Dead And Co — £225
- Los Bukis — £210
- Sting and Billy Joel — £191
And in case you were wondering, Taylor Swift came in 17th, with an average ticket price of £163.
I wouldn’t pay a single dollar to see any of them.
I have a couple of Eagles albums (Hotel California and The Long Run), and one Rolling Stones (Greatest Hits Vol 2), and not a single album of all the rest.
I have yet to listen all the way through a U2 album, but I did quite enjoy a couple of The Police ones (but never bothered to buy any).
And I’ve never even heard of Bad Bunny and Los Bukis.
Informed List
Iain Tyrell talks about his favorite cars. Unsurprisingly, cars that inspired him as a young man get on his list:
1. Lamborghini Miura
2. Ferrari Daytona
3. Fiat Dino Spider
4. Rolls Royce Camargue
5. W.O. Bentley 4.5-liter Supercharged “Blower”
6. 1983 Toyota Supra 2.8i
7. Chevy Corvette C3
8. 1914 Rolls Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost
9. Rover SD1
10. Jaguar XJC 5.3C
11. Lamborghini Espada
12. Fiat 130 Coupé,
13. Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3
14. Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9
15. 1965 BMC Mini Cooper S Mark 1
16. 1912 Stutz Bearcat 6.4-liter
17. Bristol 411/412
18-20. 1963 Citroen DS/CS/SM 2.5-liter
Even if you disagree with his choices — and there are some surprises — you can’t really take issue with his rationale for their inclusion.
I have to say that if some of the older ones were remade today, using better build quality, steel and electrics — hello Bristol 411 and Rover SD1, for instance — I’d grab one in a heartbeat.
