Author: DOuG pRATt

Two From the Failing NYTimes

The New York Times, which apparently isn’t failing, has a couple of guest essays from smart, thoughtful Massachusetts people. They reinforce how pointless all of the fabricated culture war nonsense is, when there are real problems to confront and manage. I’m using my Times subscription to share these without the paywall getting in the way.

It’s already been a couple of years since I read Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder, about homelessness in Boston.

Today, Kidder writes about food banks and the limits of what they can do under Trump II.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/opinion/america-safety-net.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WU8.lwph.6Jnq91N4LnYs&smid=url-share

Republican leaders who dislike Harvard and MIT know-it-alls will ignore this piece about China’s economy at their own peril.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/opinion/china-shock-economy-manufacturing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WU8.MUwY.h8BkD6JUR5cm&smid=url-share

A Mighty Marvel Mish-Mash

Yesterday, I thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the unique and very worthwhile Museum of Printing in Haverhill, MA.

https://www.museumofprinting.org/

I went there not knowing that a couple of years ago the museum hosted a comic book event. The computer voice in this brief video mispronounces Haverhill. The “have” should sound like “cave,” and the second “h” is mostly silent.

The museum’s library has a nice selection of comic book related items, including the gigantic volume “The Stan Lee Story” that was published by Tashen shortly after Stan’s death in 2018.

This is the original art for that cover, owned by some fortunate and presumably well-heeled person.

Cover to Fantastic Four #59, 1966, by Kirby/Sinnott

A member of the Comic Book Historians group on Facebook posted this excellent article about the production of the 1966 Marvel Super-Heroes cartoons. It was published in the short-lived “The World of Comic Art.”



Station Wagon Schedule

Will you hear my request from the back of the station wagon in the Playtone Records parking lot? Tune in to TuneIn to find out!

  • Tuesday: 1 PM, 5 PM, 9 PM
  • Wednesday: 1 AM, 5 AM, 9 AM, 4 PM, 11 PM
  • Thursday: 6 AM, 11 AM, 8 PM
  • Friday: 3 AM, 9 AM, 5 PM
  • Saturday: 12 AM, 7 AM, 2 PM, 9 PM
  • Sunday: 5 AM, 10 AM, 6 PM

Update: They played my request! It’s the last song before Tom says goodbye and introduces the closing requested song.

Edict Bunker

For all of Trump’s success domestically, he can’t force other nations to do what he wants with a wave of his Sharpie. If Trump’s actual goal is to bring manufacturing back to the United States, why bother with all of this tariff nonsense? He should issue an executive order requiring American companies to bring the jobs back, while prohibiting them from sending their profits overseas.