…not adding up [DOT 12/5/20]

damned lives & statistics...

…so…I know I kind of went on about Boris a lot yesterday & that was maybe a bit boring to some of you…like looking at the curiosity tent out back when the whole three-ring circus was in full swing over in the big top…but for the record it wasn’t just me?

Bafflement Greets Boris Johnson’s Plan for Reopening Britain

…bafflement is a good word for it…but thanks to a friend who pointed them out to me…I’m happy to clear that up with some handy translations

the resemblance is uncanny…

…but the problem with sounding like Boris is that…well…most people can’t understand because they don’t speak fluent twatwaffle…don’t worry, though…the brits got your back

…wha’ blow?

…& let’s no’ be fergettin’ them feisty scottish lasses the now

lucky she didnae say next tuesday, ye wee pillock…

…also…in case the accent trips you up…that’s “Ah wouldnae sleep a wink” the lady said…which is a thing people say when the idea of something is so awful to imagine that the thought alone prevents you from sleeping

…mind you, Boris is a Prime Minister but lately recovered from a near terminal bout of COVID-19…& only recently collected the hat-trick of a new dog, a new wife & a newborn to go with his new job as the frothy bit of milk on the top of the latte where the clever brexit baristas can use a dusting of something sweet & tasty to make a little picture of something even sweeter to help distract from the god-awful taste of the underlying coffee that was burnt, scalded & stewed about three to five years before it might one day be served…so how much sleep he’s getting is anybody’s guess, I guess?

…anyway, before I get to today’s edition of “what fresh hell is this?” I figured I might throw this out there since I was reminded only yesterday that people who were already vulnerable in some senses are vastly more so at times like these is not only a thing that needs to be said but needs listening to

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/covid-19-vs-african-americans-like-me-our-uphill-battle-to-fight-coronavirus-while-grappling-with-underlying-conditions/2020/05/08/story.html

…& there are entirely too many already vulnerable & now more vulnerable kinds of folks out there than in good conscience any of us ought to be able to contemplate with any comfort…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/11/even-if-we-bring-justice-ahmaud-arbery-work-will-remain/

We’re All Casualties of Trump’s War on Science

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/virus-outbreak-among-white-house-staff-has-reporters-reassessing-their-risks/2020/05/11/story.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/unreleased-white-house-report-shows-coronavirus-rates-spiking-heartland-communities-n1204751

Fauci to Warn Senate of ‘Needless Suffering and Death’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/this-is-trumps-greatest-failure-of-the-pandemic/2020/05/11/story.html

How to Create a Pandemic Depression

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/11/farmers-hopes-respite-trump-era-struggles-fade-amid-pandemic/

Experts caution that even promising early results don’t guarantee that vaccines will be widely available anytime soon.

…& not to put too fine a point on it some folks don’t exactly have a track record of seeing things work out when they put their faith in government

Nearly 500 tribal casinos remain shut down during the pandemic, causing job losses to spike. The economic damage is spreading quickly, wreaking havoc on fragile tribal finances.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/south-dakota-tribes-defy-governor-maintain-checkpoints-coronavirus-fight-n1204496

An infectious outbreak can conclude in more ways than one, historians say. But for whom does it end, and who gets to decide?

…it’s not as though the assholes in charge are doing such a bang up job of leading by example, is it?

Washington, the Nation’s Capital, Moves to Reopen. Washington, the City, Is Not Ready.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/jared-kushner-backed-project-airbridge-be-largely-grounded-n1204646

White House Orders Staff to Wear Masks as Trump Misrepresents Testing Record

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fact-check-trump-falsely-claims-virus-numbers-are-going-down-n1204561

Officials are under pressure to restart the economy, but many states are moving too quickly, researchers say. The costs may be measured in lost lives.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/11/this-may-be-wrongest-thing-trump-has-ever-said-about-coronavirus/

G.O.P. Split Over State Aid That Could Mostly Go to Democratic Strongholds

…still…it could be worse?

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/deforestation-amazon-has-soared-under-cover-coronavirus-n1204451

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/dharavi-coronavirus-india-slums-mumbai/2020/05/11/story.html

…or just not what it seems

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/05/12/swedens-coronavirus-strategy-is-not-what-it-seems/

…some of this shit, though…some of it is exactly what it seems

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-narrowly-outraised-biden-in-april-but-maintains-significant-cash-lead/2020/05/11/story.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/secrecy-trump-s-taxes-financial-records-line-supreme-court-arguments-n1203951

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/2-000-former-doj-fbi-officials-call-barr-resign-over-n1204601

…so, anyway…if any of you were confused by that wha’blow caption earlier, this might help?

…& if that’s just more confusing…these might help you acclimatise to the accent…after all, they say sometimes the ends justify the means?

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3 Comments

  1. Totally ignoring the horror show of current events to say that the accent thing is fun. I am entranced by accents (UK and USA). I prefer listening to crisp enunciation and faster speech patterns, but do like hearing word rolled and stretched or even flattened by other folks.

    • …I’m with you, there…the whole language-is-dynamic thing is fascinating…a while back the BBC did a radio series called “The Routes of English” which was pretty great iirc?

      …it doesn’t seem to be available on iPlayer but they put it out as a book with the radio show on CDs tucked in the covers?

      …but there’s a good four volumes or so now & I think the audio downloads are still available without spending crazy money?

      https://www.amazon.com/Routes-English-Complete-Evolving/dp/B004SQ2K1E

  2. The Supreme Court is hearing cases right now on whether Trump can squash congressional investigations into his finances, and the right wingers are predictably saying Bill Clinton investigations? Nixon? Who?

    awhat will really drive me crazy is that the press will both-sides this, instead of pointing out that the liberals are the only ones with any principles here and the GOP — including Kavanugh, who worked for Ken Starr — are the hacks.

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