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Boycott? Twitter, World Cup

Qatar

boycottAs someone who appreciates a good boycott, I feel rather meh about Twitter. The truth is that, after all of this time, I’m not sure I GET Twitter. I used to retweet work-related items but have rarely gone there since I retired almost two and a half years ago.

Actually, I’ve been rather irritable about Twitter’s societal impact for a long time. I stopped watching ABC World News Tonight back when Diane Sawyer was the anchor when they added a daily report about what was trending on Twitter. If I wanted to know that, I’d go to the site. So I learn about what’s on Twitter from the mainstream media – “Joe Blow tweeted…” – without actually having to interact with the site.

Frankly, I think Twitter will implode. This article suggests that #RIPTwitter will take place sooner or later. Now, if Twitter’s demise is freaking you out, you may be somewhat relieved to know how to save all of your tweets.

I know that several of my friends and acquaintances have moved to Mastodon such as Chuck and Kelly, and I totally respect that. Its site indicates that its Monthly Active Users are now 2.3M, up 545%. But I haven’t moved there yet because, in an extremely cursory look, I don’t quite grok it. Maybe next year.

I’m more taken by this piece in Vanity Fair. Specifically, the subtitle spoke to me. “As Twitter spirals out of favor—and closer to some inevitable end—maybe, instead of Discord or Mastodon, it’s time to consider a digital DNR.”

World Cup

Truth to tell, I’m much more concerned about the World Cup in Qatar. While I’m not heavily invested in it – and think the beer ban and the reaction to it is hysterically funny – this year’s event still unsettles me.

As PBS notes, “The first World Cup to take place in a Middle Eastern and Muslim country remains dogged by more than a decade’s worth of questions and controversies. Among them: a global corruption scandal, the astronomical price tag of building the necessary facilities, serious human rights concerns about the country’s treatment of migrant workers, and outrage over Qatar’s treatment of women and LGBTQI+ people.” I read some 6,500 died building the venues.

But as Bloomberg suggests, the World Cup is “Too Big for Brands to Boycott.” What does me not watching Games do, really? Probably nothing. I’ll pass on them anyway.

“Calling all Christians” (GA runoff)

Rev. Raphael Warnock or Herschel Walker

GA runoffI got an email addressed to “Calling all Christians.” Ooo, I’m a Christian! I had better read this!

“Right now, we must pour every ounce of our energy into Georgia’s runoff election on December 6th.” Okay, the GA runoff is important.

“A 50-50 Senate is very different from a 51-49 Senate because, as we’ve seen time and again, just a single vote can be the deciding factor on issues that matter deeply to Christians.” Sure!

“And that includes stacking our federal courts with far-Left radicals who will serve for life…” Wait, what?

“Over these next couple weeks, My Faith Votes will be mobilizing pastors and their congregations to vote, blanketing all 159 counties with handwritten letters to Christian voters, covering the entire state of Georgia with prayer from across the nation, and more.”

Oh, “Christians” are supposed to vote for the guy who lies about his position on abortion and his status as a law enforcement officer, among many other things. And muse when he rambles, “I don’t want to be a vampire anymore. I want to be a werewolf.” I can see praying for him, though.

And Christian voters are NOT supposed to choose the actual Georgia pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, once home to the great civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

But there is more of the email I TOTALLY agree with. “Our country is in a different place than it was just a few years ago, and we can no longer laugh off such radicalism.”

Meanwhile

Another email notes: “Roger — Raphael Warnock DESPERATELY needs your help to win the Georgia Runoff Election and protect the Senate Majority.”

Wow, what a dilemma. Should I support the candidate that My Faith Votes supports, even though the football player’s bona fides in the areas of character and competence are…. somewhat lacking? Or should I back the minister who has, in his two years, “served the Peach State with integrity, honor, and dignity”?

How to decide… how to decide…

Another Hodgepodge from Sunday Stealing

Music and books: how predictable

amy hodgepodge.lost and foundHodgepodge is such a strange word. hodge·​podge ˈhäj-ˌpäj: a heterogeneous mixture: JUMBLE. “A hodgepodge of styles.” So here’s another hodgepodge from Sunday Stealing.

-What’s your favourite childhood memory?

Too tough! Here’s A favorite memory here.

-Do you sing in the shower?

Yes, often in harmony with the vocals I hear in my head.

-What is the best gift you’ve ever received?

I don’t think there’s a single item. The wealth of music and books that many people have given me over the years.

-Do you prefer being indoors or outdoors?

Indoors. Outdoors is hot and sticky in the summer, and I get wary of sunburn because of my vitiligo. Or it’s cold, as it is now, and I have difficulty getting warm enough. I like May and September outdoors, in general.

-Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?

My ex-girlfriend’s sister.

-What do you keep in your bag or handbag?

When I used my backpack more often, it often had my bus pass, masks, spare pair of sunglasses (because I tend to misplace them), a spare hat (ditto), and my bicycle lock.

-Can you knit?

No, and I can’t really sew. I’ve done it rarely, and usually, someone will look at my work and say, “Let me fix that.” So I’ve stopped even trying.

-How many hours do you sleep each night?

Seven. Usually three, then I wake up, play Wordle, and go back to bed.

Role models

-Who is your role model?

I have LOTS of role models for different aspects of life. The problem with having role models is that they are human. So someone could denigrate that choice for their human foibles. But I’ll pick Nelson Mandela after he was released from prison as A role model.

-Who was your first-ever pen pal?

I need to define what a pen pal is. Are we talking about someone I did not know before? Maybe I’ve never had one. But starting with going to college, I wrote many letters to my friends.

-What has been your favourite job so far?

No doubt, working at FantaCo, the comic book store I worked at from May of 1980 to November of 1988. 

-What is your favourite go-to recipe for mid-week meals?

I don’t think I have one that doesn’t involve a microwave. I like making lasagna, for instance, but it’s not quick and easy.

-How often do you eat in a restaurant?

Pre-COVID, 20 times a year. Now, maybe eight times a year.

-Are you close to your family?

It’s a small tribe. My wife, my daughter…

-Do you have any siblings?

I have two sisters who I talk with weekly on ZOOM. They each have one daughter.

-Which phone app could you not live without?

I’m an extremely late adopter. So I know that I could live without a cell phone altogether; I did it for years. On the other hand, OTHER people couldn’t cope; I was nagged about it repeatedly before I had a decent phone. Entities such as medical facilities practically require them to let them know you are coming or that you are there. My need is dealing with what the external world demands of me, not my internal need always to be connected.

Volunteer

-If you could afford to volunteer full-time for a charity, which would it be?

“Afford” is an interesting concept here. When I was working, I felt as though I didn’t have enough time to do all the things I wanted to do. Now that I’m retired, I spend some time doing tasks for the Friends and Foundation of the Albany Public Library (FFAPL). Also, I do some things for my church.

But here’s the thing: I don’t WANT to volunteer full-time for ANYTHING. I want to spend time reading, writing blog posts, seeing movies, working on genealogy, traveling, taking naps, et al. I don’t WANT to volunteer full-time for ANYTHING, despite how worthy, say, the programs of the FOCUS Churches are.

-Who is your favourite YouTuber?

It’s the Vlogbrothers, John and Hank Green (no relation), who are the ONLY YouTubers I can actually name.

-Have you ever been a bridesmaid or a groomsman?

Yes, at least four times. On successive weekends in October 1976 in two different upstate New York cities, in 1979 or 1980 and 2002.

Thanks songs, for Thanksgiving

from Beatles to Boyz II Men

Thanksgiving is coming, so I thought I’d link to some thanks songs. All cuts are in my physical music collection.

Thank You Girl – The Beatles, #35 pop in 1964, as the B-side to Do You Want To Know A Secret (#2 pop). Written by Lennon and McCartney, “eyeball to eyeball.”

Thank The Lord For The Night Time – Neil Diamond, #13 pop in 1967. Written by Neil and arguably my favorite song by him.

I Thank You – Sam and Dave, #4 RB, #9 pop in 1968. Sam says, “I want everybody to get off your seat. And get your arms together, and your hands together, and give me some of that OLD SOUL CLAPPING.” Written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter.

Thank You – Led Zeppelin, from the group’s second album (1969). Written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

Sylvester Stewart

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – Sly and the Family Stone, #1 pop, #1 RB for five weeks in 1969. Written by Sly Stone. Its first album appearance is on the greatest collection along with Everybody Is A Star (the B-side of Thank You) and Hot Fun In The Summertime. It namechecks other songs by the group.
Dance to the music
All night long
Everyday people
Sing a simple song
Mama’s so happy
Mama start to cry
Papa still singin’
We can make it if we try

Thank You For Talkin’ To Me, Africa – Sly and the Family Stone. A reworking of the previous song, also written by Sly Stone, appears on the 1971 album There’s A Riot Goin’ On.

Thank God I’m A Country Boy  – John Denver, #1 pop and country in 1975. Written by John Martin Sommers.

Thank You For Being A Friend – Andrew Gold, #25 pop in 1978. Written by Gold and Brock Walsh. It was also used as the theme for The Golden Girls, sung by Cynthia Fee in 1985.

Thank You – Boyz II Men, #17 RB, #21 pop in 1995. Written by Dallas Austin and the group, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, and Shawn Stockman.

Me in the autumn of 1979

Artisans Arcade, still

I’m reading about me in the autumn of 1979. It’s kind of weird that much of it I do not remember. Living with Shazrak, I recall.

I do know I was going to grad school at UAlbany in Public Administration. But I’m reading the names of professors and classmates who are unfamiliar.

In 1978, as part of my job at the Schenectady Arts Council, I was in charge of the Artisans Arcade in the Proctor’s Theatre arcade. That job ended abruptly in January 1979 when the federal funding suddenly disappeared. So I was surprised that I was again working with the SAC on the Artisans Arcade with a woman named Irma Hamilton.

I had an internship at the Albany Housing Authority. The thin, older guy named Frank, I remember, but others, not so much. I remember inputting data about potential residents. One of my presumed improvements was the merging of the maintenance crews, some of whom were paid by state funds and others with federal money. A unified unit ended unnecessary overtime; indeed, one of the units I observed stalling some tasks until 5 p.m. They knew I was RIGHT THERE frequently but didn’t think I would report it.

But other tasks – me going out with staff during evictions, collecting money for some function I cannot ascertain – no idea about these things.

Here’s Johnny!

One of the things I wrote down were two Johnny Carson jokes on the Tonight Show from around New Year’s Day 1980.
There’s a drive-in confessional on Long Island where you drive over the rubber hose, then the priest comes out and says, “Check your soul?”

How to get drunk and cure a hangover at the same time: drink vodka and Milk of Magnesia. It’s a Phillips’ screwdriver.
(How many of you have no idea about the reference to the rubber hose or Milk of Magnesia?)

It’s weird reading about your own life in your own hand but having no recollection. In many ways, I remember 1972 better than 1979. So why did I abandon the 1972 reportage? Because there are no diaries between the autumn of 1972 and the autumn of 1979 that survived my apartment flooding in the 1990s.

So no tales of the disintegration of the marriage between the Okie and me, or 1977, the lost year, or 1978, the found year. I remember SOME of that, of course.

The good news for ADD is I’ll get to the FantaCo years, which start in 1980.

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