Tag: Kelly Sedinger

Sept. rambling: Murdering 60 Minutes

Baseball Walk Up Song Database

Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian, at the Natural History Museum. Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post via Getty Images

UN rights chief Volker Türk raises alarm over AI’s ‘existential’ risk to humanity

What students lose when they stop writing

“Murdering 60 Minutes” is what it would look like if “60 Minutes” covered what happened to itself after Bari Weiss took over. The film is available to watch for free on YouTube and at www.murdering60minutes.com.

It’s Not Just Flock. Police Can’t Be Trusted With Our Data

Gloria Steinem Dies at 92. She challenged sexist assumptions, helping women develop self-worth and gain a measure of equality at work, at home, and in society at large. Somewhere in the attic is my copy of the premiere issue of Ms. magazine.
Americans Agree on Almost Nothing. Except Data Centers. Three-fourths of Americans oppose them.

As A Teen, I Wrote A Famous Musician A Fan Letter. 23 Years After His Death, I Finally Got A Response.

Bob Mackie, Designer Who Bedazzled Carol Burnett and Cher, Dies at 87

It’s One of Our Greatest and Most Controversial Novels. How Should “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” Be Taught?

He Was a Top Lawn Care Influencer on YouTube. Then Everything Went Haywire.

I Study Successful People. They Have One Habit in Common.  The habit is asking for help when you get stuck.

The Glare

The 92-Year-Old Mathematician and the Teenage Apprentice

Any Human Ever

To Protect and Swerve and All Price Tags Go To Heaven, and Denim Dresses Were the Old Black and How Hippos Swim:

Hmm…

‘Beware my power’: White House shares AI-generated video of FOTUS as Green Lantern

EPA Takes ‘Yet Another Sledgehammer’ to Clean Water Act

Vance lies through his teeth about regime’s military missteps

Hegseth vs. the Deep Pentagon

Dozens of Joint Staff members subject to polygraph tests in leak hunt

At $5.85 a Gallon, Diesel Price Hits All-Time High thanks to War on Iran

RFK Jr.’s vaccine lies finally catch up to him

Regime to rescind rule protecting old-growth forests. “The public has until 21 September to comment on the plan.”

Why did FOTUS order up 660 million pounds of mystery meat?

Russian Businessman Paid for DT Jr.’s Lavish Wedding After-Party

U.N. approves Equal Earth map in 164-1 vote as U.S. slams it as ideological

Lonnie G. Bunch III has announced his decision to depart as Smithsonian’s Secretary after 38 years of service to the institution. With a storied career dating back to the 1970s, Bunch leaves a remarkable legacy, most notably the founding of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which we visited in 2024. I heard him speak in 2019 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
MUSIC

Baseball Walk Up Song Database

You’re Not Alone – Mavis Staples

Canticle of Light by Akira Nishimura

Best Albums of 2026 (Third Quarter) Report

Brahms’ Academic Overture –  The Cleveland Orchestra

Coverville 1592: The Dolly Parton Tribute and 1593: The Bee Gees Cover Story V

Sunshine Boots – Johnson Mkhalali

Gumboots -Paul Simon featuring The Boyoyo Boys

Nightflyer – Alison Russell

Joan Osborne issued an album of 12 Bob Dylan covers circa 2017; she performed some of them live. Full Session – 8/31/2017 – Paste Studios – New York, NY

A Song For You – Donny Hathaway

Beautiful Dawn – The Wailin’ Jennys

Harvest Moon – Cassandra Wilson, jazz star, who died at 70, which reminds me of my late friend Donna

Peter Sprague Plays The Wind Cries Mary, featuring Lisa Hightower, and George, Tell It Like It Is, featuring Sinne Eeg

STAR TREK edition

Do You Miss Me Darlin’ – The Guess Who

This Time Tomorrow – Brandi Carlile

Higher Love – Steve Winwood

We Shall Be Known – MaMuse

Venus – Bananarama

Dopamine (Jamie xx Remix) – Robyn

Something To Love – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

August rambling: Guinnevere

A David Crosby song from the first CSN album

Maps and Images Show the Devastation in Nepal’s Flooding
What the Measles Betting Market Does Not Measure. Polymarket is currently running a $7.8 million betting option on the number of measles cases in the U.S. in 2026. It runs a detailed analysis of the bets. It does not measure the real impact of those numbers.
Texas became a powerful magnet for American Muslims seeking affordable homes, good schools, and thriving congregations before Islamophobia’s rise there.
Police Chief in Mississippi Regularly Used Racist Slurs, Private Texts  Reveal. Exchanges obtained by reporters show troubling messages sent by the chief of a Mississippi police department facing an uproar over the fatal shooting of a 1-year-old boy in June.
Flock Cameras. Canoodling Lawyers. How Much Surveillance Are We Comfortable With?
States Claim to Invest in “Humane” New Prisons — But Prisons Were Never Humane
A Manhattan-Sized Ice Island Just Broke Off Greenland
Fetal Personhood and Subscriptions: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The biggest home shutout in 141 years
NFL eliminating Pro Bowl Games, but will still name Pro Bowlers
Sartorial observations from the Erie County Fair
Don’t Use This “Random” Password
The regime

The millstone of $40 trillion in national debt is a major contributor to the national affordability crisis. Economists Blame It on GOP Ineptitude and Tax Cuts for the Rich

The Average ACA Marketplace Deductible Grew by About $1,000 Per Person in 2026, With More Enrollees Shifting to Higher-Deductible Plans as Enhanced Tax Credits Expired. Marketplace Enrollment Could Fall to About 17.5 Million in 2026

The Pentagon Fired the Editor and Publisher of Stars and Stripes, which also claimed a Middle East correspondent. They are the Pentagon’s latest effort to diminish the news outlet’s editorial independence.
The regime is planning to remove the name of an aircraft carrier meant to honor a pioneering Black military hero, a report from CNN revealed.  The USS Doris Miller is currently under construction, but Navy leadership is reportedly discussing removing the name and possibly using FOTUS’s name on the ship instead.
Purge of Top Generals Leaves the Army Rudderless. The leadership vacuum comes as the Army is trying to adapt to a new kind of war dominated by deadly drones.
Tacky Superstore closes because the economy sucks for MAGA too
New album by Peter Sprague features Rebecca Jade

Peter Sprague Plays Guinnvere. The title track of the new album features Rebecca Jade, the first niece. Sprague: “In learning to play Guinnevere, I got a closer look into how they came up with such a unique sonic vibe. The main guitar part is played in a special ‘tuning’ that delivers gorgeous chords that aren’t available in standard tuning. I call them ‘magic chords,’ and it happens when most of the strings are not fretted and instead are ringing free. Mix that in with a few fretted notes that rub against the other notes in a good way — cluster chords as they’re known, and the whole sum sparkles in the air.  The Guinnevere recording is available at all of the streaming services, including: Spotify, Apple Music,  PS Online Store, and YouTube Music 

MORE MUSIC

I Do The Rock – Tim Curry. Tim Curry, Star of ‘Rocky Horror’ and Much More, Dies at 80

Johnny Angel – Shelley Fabares. Shelley Fabares, ‘Donna Reed Show’ Actress, Dies at 82. She also starred in Elvis Presley movies and the sitcom “Coach.”

Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top.  Frank Beard, Beardless Drummer for ZZ Top, Dies at 77
That’s All I Want From You – Jaye P. Morgan (1954). Mutual Admiration Society – Eddy Arnold & Jaye P. Morgan (a song from 1956 that I actually remember). Jaye P. Morgan, a Jack-Of-All-Trades Entertainer Who Was a Pop and TV Star, Dies at 94.
Favorite Songs By Favorite Artists (Series Four) #10: Camper Van Beethoven
Concerto for Marimba ”The Crossed Sonar of Dolphins” by Takatomi Nobunaga (b. 1971) 
Coverville 1590: The Ben Gibbard Cover Story II and 1591: The Tanya Donelly Cover Story
Japanese Festival Dances by Yasuji Kiyose
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – DEVO
K-Chuck Radio: Rare Pop Music from Western Australia
Until the Last Moment – Yanni, Live At The Acropolis, 25th Anniversary
Stairway To Heaven – Dolly Parton

August rambling: dowfart

Waiting for a Library Book?

Catbird: “When I viewed it again, it looked like a heart that had been run over by a tire, which reflected my yet-unrealized reaction to what doge had just started. My conscious mind didn’t know yet, but my hand did. What a revelation!”

Dowfart – Meaning: 1. A dimwit. 2. A coward.

Digital sewer socialism: Mamdani’s Public Interest Technologists are what DOGE should have been.

Talarico Explains Infamous ‘Powell Memo’ to Texas Voters. The top 1% put the American Dream behind a paywall,” said the Texas Democrat as he unveiled a framework for his economic vision.

History Wars: The Declaration of Independence

First Came the Flock Cameras. Now Local Cops Want Autonomous Drones. Hundreds of local police departments have received waivers to fly surveillance drones that navigate with AI. Also, are Flock cameras in your neighborhood?

The Manosphere and MAHA Have Merged. I Worry for My Pre-Teen Son

FDA Approves First mRNA Flu Vaccine — Approval is for people 50 years or older

 

‘The Good Maharaja’: How an Indian Prince Saved Hundreds of Polish Children During WWII. When the world looked away, Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Jadeja stepped forward to provide refuge and hope to young castaways

A High Schooler Invents a Plant-Based Plastic That Removes Microplastics From the Environment as It Biodegrades.

Waiting for a Library Book? This Man Makes Sure You Get It

Sydney Towle, who chronicled her cancer on TikTok, dies at 26

Tommy John, Dodgers pitcher and medical pioneer, dies at 83. After tearing an elbow ligament, he underwent a risky procedure and returned at his best, changing baseball and giving new hope to injured players.

Why Gen Z and millennials are embracing “grandma hobbies”

When His Church Goes Dark, They Talk to His Digital Twin

Can Robots Save an Aging Japan?

Ireland (The Words)

Memories of Goldmine

The Reality TV Show That Wasn’t Out of This World and The Driver That Can’t Give the Cops the Split and When Astronauts Smuggled Mail into Space and The Worst 2.6% of the Planet? and The Baseball Steroid Testing Loophole of 2003 and Jeopardy! is Full of Lies

FOTUS

Treasury Confirms $1.4 Trillion FY 2026 Deficit So Far, Higher Than 2025

& the DOJ: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Inside the New York court where children face deportation without access to attorneys

Draft dodger sure loves big battleships and military cosplay

Helicopter hiccup shows air traffic control is still a mess

Proposed arch could obstruct views of Washington’s historic sites

MUSIC

Funk music is as unapologetically Black as the musicians who pioneered it

The Enduring Power Of Stevie Wonder’s “As,” R&B’s Greatest Song Ever, and you could make a strong case for it being the greatest song ever recorded, period.

Claustrophobia – Bee Gees

Andy Warhol – David Bowie

Vienna — Billy Joel

Black Coffee In Bed  – Squeeze

Under A Violet Moon  -Blackmore’s Night

Radar Love – Golden Earring

That’s The Way I Always Heard It Should Be – Carly Simon

Coverville 1588: Queen’s Final 1986 Concert and 1589: The Glen Hansard Tribute

Glen Hansard edition

Grand March from the opera La reine de Saba by Charles Gounod

July rambling: Lord of Misrule

Code for the People is a new documentary short about the fight for the open web.

April 13, 2025

Workplace “flexibility” isn’t

As Data Centers Sidestep Tribal Consultations, Tribal Nations Are Fighting Back

A gripping documentary about the most courageous, legendary clean water activist anywhere: Texas’ own ‘Hellcat’ Diane Wilson

The Disappearing Las Vegas Buffets Hold a Mirror to the American Soul

Civil war erupts between Disabled American Veterans and its local chapter over $39k bequest

Hiker trekked 10 miles to safety after immpaling himself on pole

Some of the US aid money which left Afghanistan over the peaks of the Hindu Kush would eventually return to the UK, finding an unlikely safe haven on the streets of London.

The case for year-round Standard Time

The Pan Am Clipper Endeavor Is Found After Over 70 Years

Students at the University of Florida Discovered a 400-Year-Old Intact Pot That Reveals Conflict Among Indigenous, Spanish and English Powers

The Oatmeal: Oracle Scars

Ray

Cheryl Bentyne shines a new light

The Fugitive: The greatest ending to a serialized TV drama

What @ Meant Before Email

The Salt Shaker

“I just enjoy the moment I’m in. For me, life is a whole experience, not just a series of isolated moments. It’s like submerging yourself into a warm bath rather than sticking your toe under the faucet.” – Alex Trebek

A Date with Destiny and A Hateful Glass of Wine and Wheel of Fortune… or Divorce? and The Pokémon That Got Banned for Something It Didn’t Do

Internet

The internet can belong to all of us. Code for the People is a new documentary short about the fight for the open web. Who built it, who’s trying to close it, and what you can do about it.

Directed by Bao Nguyen (Be Water, The Greatest Night in Pop, BTS: The Return) and featuring Matt Mullenweg, Linus Torvalds, Jensen Huang, and builders from around the world, the film is now streaming free at codeforthepeople.com.

Why everything seems to be getting worse

Google Is Censoring Reviews of ICE Detention Centers

The government at “work”

What blind Lord of Misrule keeps showing he can’t avoid wrack and ruin, leans hard on dumb Big Lies, and expects different outcomes?

Officials admit to canceling grants to states that did not vote for FOTUS

These Americans say they’d be disenfranchised by SAVE Act

What if he gave an election fraud speech and nobody came?

His version of sex ed: More teen pregnancies, please.

Slashing CDC food safety efforts

HHS Changes Two Vaccine Committee Charters

The number of measles cases in the U.S. has surpassed the record-breaking tally for all of 2025, with five more months of 2026 still to come; the worst year since 1991

He Orders Warnings Placed at ‘Inaccurate’ Smithsonian History Museum

Army scales back legal services for soldiers in disability evaluation process

Regime narrows Endangered Species Act protections by removing habitat destruction rule

Regime Taps Climate Science Critic to Oversee Flagship Report

Republicans Are Trying to Give Big Oil Immunity for Causing Climate Chaos

FOTUS BOMBS at WH DINNER as CROWD GOES SILENT!!!

VS.

The impacts of the 2021 expanded child tax credit on family employment, nutrition, and financial well-being

MUSIC

Fantasy for organ and orchestra by Atsutada Otaka

When You Wish Upon A Star– Voctave

WHCL’s reggae past: Dead At The Controls, circa 1983-1985

Home To Us -Paul McCartney with Ringo Starr

Chinese Satellite – Phoebe Bridgers

Chromatic Symphony “Maria-Magdalena” by Kosaku Yomada

Circling The Sun – Peter Sprague, featuring Allison Adams Tucker

Les Cactus – Jacques Dutronc

Holding Back The Years – Simply Red

Come On – the Rolling Stones

Blue Bayou – Linda Ronstadt

Build Me Up, Buttercup – Cynthia Lin and her All-Ukulele Band

Gloria – The Shadows Of Knight

There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry) – Billy Ocean

Invisible Touch – Genesis

Heatwave – Phil Collins 

Is Binghamton the ‘weirdest’ town in Upstate NY?

Rumble Ponies

Visiting the Forgotten Stars page recently, I see HEY ROGER!!! The post, based on a YouTube video, asks, Is Binghamton the ‘weirdest’ town in Upstate NY? Kelly knows that I originally hail from Binghamton, so he’s going to let me weigh in.

Okay then.

Gab Small posted the piece on July 8, 2026, and had already gotten over 50,000 views in two days.

Let me get some minor stuff out of the way. While she refers to Binghamton proper, she really means the city metro. This doesn’t bother me much. She noted that the Whittman Dam is “normal.”

She’s right to appreciate the MLK Park promenade that runs along the Chenango, as well as the bridge near the confluence of it with the Susquehanna, a place I used to hang out as a teen. However, Chenango, one of two rivers that converge in Binghamton proper, is pronounced as though it started with Sh.  NOT WEIRD.

The area having the largest Dick’s Sporting Goods in the world is NOT WEIRD, since, as she notes, the store opened  in the area, and I had been there several times growing up, long before the expansion. A full-turf running track.is unusual, to be sure.

The Lost Dog Cafe, where I have I have eaten, is a nice place but NOT WEIRD.

A great sandwich

Gab says, “They are weirdly obsessed with a local sandwich called the spiedie.” It’s delicious when made correctly. I’ve had sandwiches that purported to be spiedies, but they didn’t do the marinade right (2019 NYS Fair in Syracuse; dreadful!). NOT WEIRD, though her have a vegetarian one, instead of chicken or lamb, is a little weird; I did not know that was a thing.  

There are six carousels in Broome County, completely free to ride. NOT WEIRD. As a result of these, the minor league baseball team (Double A, Mets affiliate) is called the Rumble Ponies, which is SLIGHTLY WEIRD. 

I’ll admit that I had never heard of Binghamton Jellystone Park, which is in Endicott. It is a themed campground based on Yogi Bear. But there are Jellystone Parks in about 30 states and four Canadian provinces. So can’t be that weird.

The stinky corpse flowers at Binghamton University. Okay, SOMEWHAT WEIRD.

TZ

Of course, Binghamton is weird because Rod Serling, the creator of The Twilight Zone, lived there. There is no doubt of that in my mind. The first time I saw the episode Mirror Image (Season 1, Episode 21), I KNEW that the bus station where a young woman was waiting had to be the Greyhound station downtown. And I was only six. The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street (Season 1, episode 22) featured streets similar to those near Rod’s home on the West Side of the city.

Serling’s inspiration for The After Hours (Season 1, episode 34), when a store mannequin came to life, was inspired by the old Fowler’s department store. I frequented the place as a child; it had the first escalator I can remember! I wish that Gab Small, when mentioning the current store, Boscov’s, had given a touch more history.

And of course,  Walking Distance (Season 1, Episode 5) has an overworked New York executive inexplicably transported back to his idyllic 1934 hometown, coming face-to-face with his younger self. I didn’t know that at the time, as I was more prone to go to the carousel at Ross Park than Recreation Park, which was very close to Serling’s home when he grew up  in the city. The statue of him is is in Rec Park.

(I suppose I should mention, yet again, that I sort of introduced Rod Serling in 1970.)

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