I was fifteen when my friend Kathei Logue told me how, a mere seven years before then, she had met the Beatles.
You’ve read the blog post, now see the movie! 😉
Kat Claws Her Way In
Author: DOuG pRATt
‘Apeeling’ Bunch of Bananas
As someone who is disinclined to follow major league sports, I rely on friends to tell me what’s what. If my buddy Bismo hadn’t clued me into the Savannah Bananas two years ago, I wouldn’t have known about this wacky baseball-ish team until last Friday’s PBS Newshour.
Propaganda in My In Box
The subject of this e-mail from the Social Security Administration made me stop and double-check to be sure that it’s legitimate. It is. So now Trump wants propaganda sent directly to seniors.
Social Security Applauds Passage of Legislation Providing Historic Tax Relief for Seniors
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is celebrating the passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill, a landmark piece of legislation that delivers long-awaited tax relief to millions of older Americans.
The bill ensures that nearly 90% of Social Security beneficiaries will no longer pay federal income taxes on their benefits, providing meaningful and immediate relief to seniors who have spent a lifetime contributing to our nation’s economy.
“This is a historic step forward for America’s seniors,” said Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano. “For nearly 90 years, Social Security has been a cornerstone of economic security for older Americans. By significantly reducing the tax burden on benefits, this legislation reaffirms President Trump’s promise to protect Social Security and helps ensure that seniors can better enjoy the retirement they’ve earned.”
The new law includes a provision that eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries, providing relief to individuals and couples. Additionally, it provides an enhanced deduction for taxpayers aged 65 and older, ensuring that retirees can keep more of what they have earned.
Social Security remains committed to providing timely, accurate information to the public and will continue working closely with federal partners to ensure beneficiaries understand how this legislation may affect them.
The problem with propaganda is that sticky thing called reality. You can convince others of a falsehood that’s about someone else, but trying to convince those who are directly affected by something is a fool’s pursuit. Bisignano isn’t addressing the millions of us who are now collecting Social Security benefits, his message is intended to please Trump.
“Unbelievable” and “unconscionable”
Shooter’s Secret War
Out of nowhere on Monday, it was announced that comic book writer/editor/publisher Jim Shooter had died.
On May 7, Shooter’s summer convention schedule was posted on Facebook…
Jim will be appearing at the following shows!
Big Lick Comic Con – NOVA – May 31-June 1
Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find – June 20-22
GalaxyCon Raleigh – July 24-27
Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of FarleyCon Pop Culture & Comic Book Expo! – August 2-3
TerrifiCon ™ – Connecticut’s Terrific Comic Con at Mohegan Sun – August 8-10
Dragon Con – August 28-31
See you there!
… but after missing a couple of those dates, this appeared on June 18.
Shooter had said nothing that I’d seen about him battling cancer, and considering his optimistic convention schedule I have to assume his condition must have declined very rapidly. I waited to post something about his death until the NYTimes had an obit. It’s shared here paywall-free.
I met Shooter only once, at a Terrificon in Connecticut. Joe Sinnott was going to be on a panel when we heard one of the other panelists was a no-show. I forget who it was, but he was a writer. I’d chatted with Shooter earlier that day, and when I heard of the vacancy I asked him if he would be willing to fill in. I told Jim that Joe would be there, he immediately agreed, and he was great.
FOMC Defies MAGA!
Trump demands that Jay Powell quit immediately as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmv4ldv923o
The reason why is revealed in this leaked video, taken at a remote clandestine meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee.
There’s Powell at the table, a puppet of the Deep State that doesn’t want Trump to know about their secret project!
Welcome, Doug Pratt!
I was contemplating becoming a paying subscriber to Paul Krugman on Substack. Instead, I am very pleased to be a Substack paid subscriber to none other than Doug Pratt. For years, whenever I posted something online about LaserDisc video, people would assume I was that Doug Pratt, but I’m not him, and here he is.