When I said the week would be a whirl, I wasn’t kidding. The work I do for a local nonprofit is coming to a crescendo, and I don’t have a lot of time to do anything. However, I gots me some links for you. I’ll be back on Tuesday.
So.
Did you think it was impossible for the state of Florida’s slurpy MAGA community to get even worse? It is not. Behold the case of the Pulse nightclub crosswalk. You may recall Pulse as the site of a particularly grisly mass shooting in 2016 — 49 killed, 53 injured. As a memorial, or part of one, a crosswalk near the club was painted in rainbow colors.
Can’t have that in Ron DeSantis’ Florida, not when you-know-who is president. So earlier this month, workers painted over the rainbow in black and white. The club’s partisans painted the rainbow back, and state of Florida workers re-painted it black, sometime after 11 p.m. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy decided the rainbow was a safety hazard, I guess. But wait, there’s more!
A Florida state trooper is now parked at the scene, making sure those colors don’t come back. Someone went into police work, and is paid a state police officer’s wages, to watch over a crosswalk.
Moving on. As per our discussion of Jon Carroll a while back, a poignant piece about his wife, Tracy Johnston, who has Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. He’s calling it a pre-obit, and it’s lovely:
We were backpacking in the Sierra, sometime in the late 1970s. The day had been spectacular, and the twilight was glorious, and fading fast. Here’s a great campsite, I said, about a lovely piece of flat earth right beside a lake. Tracy looked at it. Nope, she said. We trudged on. Two more times I found lovely campsites, with trees and views and birds twittering, and Tracy said, nope. And we finally, near total darkness, found a campsite near a stream and a lake. It was in fact the best campsite.
Tracy’s handling of cancer has been like that. There is always more life to be lived, more books to read, more people to hug. Here’s the good news: She ain’t dead yet.
Finally, one of those daffy McSweeney’s pieces that people pass around: I’m the abandoned new Cracker Barrel logo, and you can all go fuck yourselves:
Oh, I guess you’re also mad that they revamped the inside of the restaurants. Heaven forbid they rearrange their collection of Americana garbage to make it look less like the hoarder house you lost your virginity in. Jesus hates a coherent aesthetic, I suppose. A touch of care when placing items on a wall is a DEI dog-whistle, according to the bozos losing their minds on X. Not sure what it is about white space on a wall that makes you think a business hates white people, but okay. I hope they didn’t put all that stuff in the actual garbage, because with what they spent on this rebrand, they’re never gonna be able to buy it all again. On the other hand, if they just scrounged it back out of the trash, who’d know the difference?
Always good to end on a high note, eh?
Like I said, back after the weekend. Enjoy yours.
Mark P said on August 28, 2025 at 4:43 pm
My wife and I took one of our stray cats to a veterinary emergency clinic last night. It turns out that emergency vet clinics are a lot like human emergency rooms: you spend hours waiting in a room that’s too cold, and then pay a lot of money to get out. In this case, a little stray female cat that we feed was having problems walking. She would just fall over. They took her back (for hours), did some diagnostic testing, and found absolutely nothing. They suggested that we might want to take her to a speciality clinic for an MRI, which would cost thousands of dollars. We declined. But we were still $700 poorer when we left. We took home some liquid antibiotic and prednisone that we are supposed to give the cat. That’s going to be a struggle. But, hey, that’s a very valuable cat.
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Dave said on August 28, 2025 at 5:02 pm
Nothing to do with the topic but a real sign of what’s to come for more newspapers, I suspect, the Atlanta Journal Constitution will print its last newspaper on December 31 and will be entirely digital from then on.
The Cracker Barrel demographic is dying off and that was part of their reasoning. Why do we have an idiot in office who sticks his nose in everything that shouldn’t matter to him in the least and everything he does is so much foolishness.
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Sherri said on August 28, 2025 at 5:10 pm
I doubt those people complaining about the Cracker Barrel logo have eaten in a Cracker Barrel in years. If they had, they would have already noticed that the menu had changed to be less Southern traditional, to try to appeal to new people. When we were in Tennessee earlier this summer, we took my husband’s aunt out to eat at Cracker Barrel, and to my husband’s dismay, country ham was no longer available. Beans and greens, a longtime favorite of mine, also gone from the menu, though you at least still can get turnip greens as a side.
Once upon a time, there was always a wait for a table at Cracker Barrel, but that hasn’t been true for some time. If the people trying to turn the logo into a culture war had actually been eating there, the logo wouldn’t have changed.
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Sherri said on August 28, 2025 at 5:17 pm
This administration thinks that arresting possible undocumented people is more important than fighting wildfires.
At least, wildfires in a blue state.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/federal-agents-arrest-firefighters-working-on-wa-wildfire/
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basset said on August 28, 2025 at 6:28 pm
We probably eat at CB more often than most, and it sure seems to us that the quality of the food has gone down. Not only do we agree with Sherri’s take on the menu selections, selling beer and wine, as much as I consume of both, at CB just doesn’t feel right. Haven’t been in a remodeled one yet, just going by pics we’ve seen that’s no improvement either.
Last time we were in a CB one of the featured menu items was pot roast and vegetables cooked in a plastic bag. Now, that’s country.
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Julie Robinson said on August 28, 2025 at 6:39 pm
Good to know, Sherri. I’ve never crossed the threshhold of a Cracker Barrel, but sometimes travel makes you desperate.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the shooting in Minneapolis yesterday. I can’t say that I have any new thoughts or ideas, but it’s been preoccupying me all day.
CVS says they have the new Covid shots available, but not yet in Orlando. It wouldn’t hurt to check where you live.
The state of Florida is a jackass, who runs contests for school children to design bike lane art in the spring, and paints it over in the late summer. The Pulse crosswalk is being rechalked everyday and repainted every night. Too bad we don’t have any real issues here.
One cynically might think it’s an effort to draw attention away from the legal morass created by building the so-called Alligator Alcatrez. If one was cynical, that is.
In the meantime, rainbows are appearing all over town, and a local restaurant owner is turning her parking lot over to artists. Each one will paint a space in honor of one of our angels, 49 in all. Sunday night our church will join in the search for the missing rainbows, and create a few new ones around the property. We’re not going quietly.
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Mark P said on August 28, 2025 at 7:26 pm
I can’t believe the AJC is stopping print publication. My parents took the Constitution for years, along with the local paper, the Rome News-Tribune. About 15 years ago we tried to get the AJC at home just outside town, but there was no home delivery out here. I wonder how many will lose their jobs, and I wonder if the “paper” will make a go of it online.
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Sherri said on August 28, 2025 at 8:30 pm
I usually end up at a Cracker Barrel when I travel in the South, because they’re convenient. By design, they are located on interstate exits, they have large parking lots, clean bath rooms, and breakfast all day. That makes them perfect for meeting up with people who are driving to meet me halfway. The biscuits aren’t as good as they once were, but I like grits, and it’s hard to mess up eggs. Like Waffle House, it serves a purpose.
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Pam H said on August 28, 2025 at 9:13 pm
In Columbus, someone defaced a federal safety project. A crosswalk located in the University district was painted with colors as part of a study to determine if a colored crosswalk was safer, I guess because it’s more noticeable. A perp painted over it in black so now Columbus is looking at how to restore it.
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2025/08/26/vandalzed-rainbow-crosswalk-in-columbus-is-part-of-a-federal-safety-study-here-and-in-other-cities/85821153007/
It is assumed by most people that Idiots painted it over.
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Suzanne said on August 28, 2025 at 9:15 pm
We ate at Cracker Barrel sometimes when our kids were young. Our daughter in her younger years was quite picky and she liked the chicken and dumplings. We would stop occasionally when traveling which we rarely did. We stopped for breakfast several years ago when we were on the road to somewhere assuming that even a bad restaurant can’t really screw up breakfast. Reader, they screwed up breakfast. No memory what we ordered but do remember it was bad. Last year we were heading to the east coast and had a gift card for CB so stopped again. It was edible but barely and the place looked grimy, the clientele creepy.
They were rebranding because they need a rebrand.
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Deborah Beckett said on August 28, 2025 at 10:57 pm
Oh we’ve been to Cracker Barrel before, the last time we stopped there on a road trip LB and I stopped for a much needed breakfast, this was maybe a decade or more ago. The time before we had been was maybe a decade before that. For some reason LB was craving their breakfast links or patties that she remembered from when she was a kid. But of course the breakfast sausage turned out to taste like a really, really bad hotdog, we never stopped after that and we won’t ever be stopping there again.
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Brandon said on August 29, 2025 at 1:02 am
Both logos are bad.
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Jeff Gill said on August 29, 2025 at 8:27 am
Fascinating to me: the Dispatch & their media partners at 10TV did pieces Monday on how much Les Wexner & New Albany, Ohio came up in the Maxwell interview transcripts, and then . . . nothing.
Then yesterday the WaPo does a pretty devastating piece on Jim Irsay, which the Indy Star has to follow up on from behind, and defensively so. Then . . . nothing. And I don’t think it’s about an unfair probe into private matters, it’s about how many official persons & agencies had to work together to protect Irsay from consequences, while others end up with punishments from license revocation to incarceration. Not to mention the nurse Irsay fired for trying to prevent an overdose, which happened almost immediately after the nurse left in police escort. How did that person get back to Indy, I wonder?
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Julie Robinson said on August 29, 2025 at 9:26 am
The state put new signs at the Pulse crosswalk: Defacing Roadway Prohibited and No Impeding Traffic. And our governor’s newest moniker is DeStalin. He wishes.
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Dexter Friend said on August 29, 2025 at 10:20 am
Today’s entry sparked a memory of cop watching over a place which was once famous, now faded in the public conscience.
I used to drive to Chicago ,many times , for many years. I read the history, I studied the politics, I followed the restaurant openings and the new exhibits at the Art Institute, and of course went to many Sox and Cub games.
One fine day I wanted to show my buddies and my brothers the home of then-dead Mayor Richard J. Daley, 3536 South Lowe Avenue in Bridgeport. We walked south from 35th down to the house. Brother Bob foolishly was carrying a tall-boy in a paper bag. The security , a uniformed Chicago policeman, quickly emerged from the cruiser parked in front and firmly told Bob, “you don’t have a beer in that bag, do you? Because if you do I have to arrest you for open container in public. So just dump your bottle in that drain and turn around and walk.” We did a full about face, the beer can was dumped down the drain, and we walked back north.
I fucking hate Cracker Barrel food, unless I am in the American South. Up here, and since my wife liked the place, we ate there way too much. Frequent cold food that was supposed to be hot, unappetizing food that was horrible. Rotten service, the ambience always reminded my of a nursing home dining room. I fucking hate Cracker Barrel…oh, am I repeating myself? Well this senior citizen knows enough to know Cracker Barrel sucks.
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Icarus said on August 29, 2025 at 11:05 am
Oh to go back to when this was our biggest concern:
“As much as I despised George Bush eight years ago, if you told me that by 2008 we’d be embroiled in a no-win war, torturing prisoners, practicing extraordinary rendition — I’d never have believed you. Not even George Bush is capable of that, I’d say. No, but the delegator-in-chief found someone who is.” — http://nancynall.com/2008/08/29/whew-i-need-a-cigarette/
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Deborah said on August 29, 2025 at 4:53 pm
Tonight is the infamous Zozobra event in Santa Fe. We hightailed it out of town and are at the cabin in Abiquiu. On the way we got caught in a micro burst as we went through the Espanola Valley. Nickel sized hail beating down on our car and piling up like snow on the ground around us. Pretty scary but no car damage, surprisingly.
LB is still in Santa Fe but not going anywhere because drunk people are going to be everywhere. Last year, the hundredth anniversary of Zozobra there were 70,000 people in attendance. The entire population of Santa Fe is a bit over 80,000. It’s popular but I’ve never wanted to go and it’s only about a mile away from our condo.
For those who may not know, Zozobra is this giant effigy that they stuff with people’s notes of doom and gloom that they set on fire. It groans and writhes in misery. We can clearly hear the groans from our place. It’s creepy and weird, but people seem to love it and go year after year. No thanks.
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Jeff Gill said on August 30, 2025 at 9:29 am
BUT . . . if you want to see Zozobra in 1946 and views of Santa Fe & Fiesta & the La Fonda lobby & restaurant, in an interesting desert noir film of 1947, here you go:
https://archive.org/details/ride-the-pink-horse-1947
Or cued up so you can see it burn last night in about sixty seconds:
https://youtu.be/0dhzT_aDk1M?si=TlnTucjOhb0yO6Nl&t=132
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Jeff Borden said on August 30, 2025 at 10:39 am
My eatery of choice for down home food is Bob Evans, which we hit often during our frequent back and forth from Chicago to my ailing sister’s bed in Northeast Ohio last year. I know it’s unhealthy as hell, but I love the chain’s sausage gravy and biscuits.
Next week Chicago is expected to see an invasion of some 200 federal officers looking for those nefarious Hispanic day laborers, landscapers, cooks and nannies who, in reality, are clearly doing human trafficking, drug smuggling and driving while brown. They may house them in Great Lakes Naval Base in Waukegan –Waukegan has a huge immigrant population– so maybe they’ll get their quota without entering our city limits. But that wouldn’t generate the video they all want. CPD is prohibited from helping them in any roundups, but will be present to keep order. My hope is that the intruders face quiet, polite hostility as this isn’t a city that accepts being pushed around by brownshirts, but of course, I worry that a confrontation will ensue and Lumpy and his Gestapo will use it as an excuse for more ugliness. We’re an ugly nation right now and it’s going to be awhile before that changes. Assuming it does change. Who knows with these mopes and that corrupt SCOTUS to back them up?
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tajalli said on August 30, 2025 at 3:38 pm
It’s possible that ICE incursions can be dealt with on the state level by arresting agents on criminal charges. Of course, they’re armed so local law enforcement might have to disarm them. Wage war locally.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN5tRj1kmOe/
“Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has made a bold statement regarding the potential legal actions against ICE agents or even military personnel who might overstep their authority in Philadelphia. Krasner emphasized that if these agents commit crimes such as illegal assaults, homicides, or kidnappings, they can be prosecuted in state court. He stated, ‘If you have people coming in, military ICE whoever it is acting beyond their legal authority, they can be prosecuted.’ ”
“Krasner’s comments highlight the tension between federal and local authorities, especially in sanctuary cities like Philadelphia. This stance could resonate with voters who are concerned about federal overreach and the protection of local jurisdictional authority. Philadelphia, a city with a rich history of advocating for civil rights, may see this as a reaffirmation of its independence and commitment to justice.”
“Philly DA Larry Krasner: So, if what you have is a group of ICE agents, or even the military, coming into Philadelphia and committing crimes—assaults that are illegal, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, obstruction of the administration of justice—they can be prosecuted assuming they commit crimes… ”
FaceBook has a more extensive quote
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1307412847767471
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Deborah said on August 30, 2025 at 3:58 pm
Jeff B, Waukegan is a huge Hispanic success, I’m sorry to hear that might be obliterated. Such a shame.
We leave NM for Chicago, next Sunday. Yikes, what are we in for?
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tajalli said on August 30, 2025 at 5:35 pm
Here’s a rather lengthy podcast on Pivot with Gavin Newsom regarding his trolling and overall strategy to reposition the Democratic party to effectively counteract the drive/dive into deep fascism. Incidentally, he addresses why California hasn’t pushed back on the use of military in LA, the illegal aspect of it.
It was such a pleasure to listen to a rational, articulate, and self-deprecating politician; that other guy just drives me nuts on the visceral level with the dust storm of lies. This was like clear, cool water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynVFmrY8Un8
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David C said on August 31, 2025 at 5:55 am
A good bit of of what Newsome is doing is what Tim Walz was doing when he was running for VP, before the Obama boys got ahold of the campaign. It seemed like it was working then, too. So then we get be nice, treat the couch fucker like a serious candidate and not the weirdo that he is, don’t mention that Trump is crazy as a shithouse rat, point out the policy differences, and more Liz Cheney. They surrendered when they should have doubled down.
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Dexter Friend said on August 31, 2025 at 2:22 pm
Mister Borden , does Bob Evans still serve that yellow gravy on the biscuits? In the ill-fated Bob Evans in Auburn, the stuff was very yellow and like 10x too salty. And I love biscuits & gravy, even though I am on hiatus until I can lose these damn stubborn last 7 pounds to make my December goal of 208. The birthday pool party for my 14 year old granddaughter, with ice cream cake after a grilled lunch didn’t help me attain my wanted new figure.
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Dexter Friend said on August 31, 2025 at 2:22 pm
Mister Borden , does Bob Evans still serve that yellow gravy on the biscuits? In the ill-fated Bob Evans in Auburn, the stuff was very yellow and like 10x too salty. And I love biscuits & gravy, even though I am on hiatus until I can lose these damn stubborn last 7 pounds to make my December goal of 208. The birthday pool party for my 14 year old granddaughter, with ice cream cake after a grilled lunch didn’t help me attain my wanted new figure.
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Dave said on August 31, 2025 at 3:52 pm
Nothing like a little B&G, although I don’t dare have it very often. Dexter, the old RR dormitory that used to be off Route 4 in Bellevue had some outstanding B&G, as we always called it. Better than some of the other food.
That place is gone, demolished, there’s now huge diesel fuel tanks there.
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Dexter Friend said on September 1, 2025 at 8:20 am
Another Bridge Walk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_0rSFgw_b0
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David C said on September 1, 2025 at 4:39 pm
As a dedicated acrophobe (except flying, strange, right?), you could never get me to walk across the Mackinac Bridge. I only barely tolerate driving over it.
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Suzanne said on September 1, 2025 at 5:11 pm
David C: you and my husband. I tried to get him to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and he just couldn’t do it. I did later by myself and it was so cool.
That said, the only way I can drive across the Chicago Skyway is to get in the middle lane, go the speed limit or less, and keep my eyes glued to the road directly in front of me.
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alex said on September 1, 2025 at 9:22 pm
So the internet is rife with speculation that Captain Combover has stroked out because he hasn’t run his mouth in a couple of days and has been avoiding the limelight instead of trying to hog it. So fucking praying.
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JodiP said on September 2, 2025 at 3:42 pm
Alex, do not get my hopes up!
Julie, thanks for thinking of the school here in Minneapolis. It was a horrible week because we also had 3 deaths over 13 hours by GSW before the school shootings. We also had a scary work situation regarding one of our clients. Thankfully he is back in custody before he did anything. My staff are pretty crispy as we head into the 4th and last month of being down half the team.
I am taking a training next Sunday on how to be a constitutional observer if ICE kidnap anyone. I got connected with an activist group that actually does stuff.
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JodiP said on September 2, 2025 at 3:53 pm
Alex, do not get my hopes up!
Julie, thanks for thinking of the school here in Minneapolis. It was a horrible week because we also had 3 deaths over 13 hours by GSW before the school shootings. We also had a scary work situation regarding one of our clients. Thankfully he is back in custody before he did anything.
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alex said on September 2, 2025 at 7:53 pm
If I have my hopes up about anything, it’s that the asshole now knows just how well the news will be received by the world one day. I just hope that day comes after he’s been tried for and convicted of treason.
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