neona

I thought the two photos in the article were really poignant side-by-side on twitter, although Mrs B ca 1970(?) had much better taste in hats than Mika. I know and kinda understand why there are different opinions about Mika, and that's totally fair, but since she's an elderly lady who is maybe having a tough time right now, I just wanna take a moment and speak up for Mrs B, who, independently of all the drama, and all of her family members, including Mika and Dr B and the lil B's, is the actual real deal imo, in terms of actual talent. Just going off google and the stuff they've shown on MJ (I wanted to buy her book but it was too expensive 😭), her stuff basically ranges from smaller Brancusi-style pieces, to giant Giacometti figures on crucifixes, to these wholly intuitive, original large scale sculptures where you can tell she's basically communing with the wood and following natural lines and the results are so damn intuitive and powerful and impressive. And I mean, concentrating and following your intuition is a hell of a feat if it's f-ing noisy and you've got sawdust in your eyes and basically a deadly weapon in your hands... idk, she's a 90-year-old lady and I just think she deserves praise outside of the people she's related to. Also she sounds badass and crazy AF, and I'm here for it

I took one for the team and listened to Joe's podcast on my commute! Actually, there were two episodes about 40 min each, the first one was kinda bad but the second one was much better First of all, I was cracking up because Joe, I swear to god, named his podcast "The Joe Scarborough Podcast"...that's...that's the name! wtf, who the hell names their podcast "The *insert name* podcast" ?? only Joe. his colleagues: Hell and High Water! Sisters in Law! Bagman! The Oath! even the unimaginative dumbass right-wing dudes at least have names like "the Dan Bongino show". Also it's like five hundred syllables?? I mean he could've at least made it "*something*" - with Joe Scarborough. Outrage! - with Joe Scarborough. Dad Rock! with Joe Scarborough Meltdowns! - with Joe Scarborough etc etc lmao. Bless his heart. I like the intro music though. BUt OMG guys, the first episode It was Joe, all by himself, being Cicero!Joe, doing his rant from the dr pangloss school of foreign policy about how everything will be a-okay, which is a valid perspective but within 3 minutes he was *yelling* and I had to turn the volume down so as to avoid auditory injury then I put him on 2x speed, and actually Joe on 2x is so much better! Chipmunk!Joe gets to his point so much faster, it's not like on the tee-vee where his viewers arrive at the end of his thought process 5 minutes before he does then, and I'm not making this up, he used his Used Car Salesman voice to read out a cereal commercial, at which point i had to turn it off so as not to terrify fellow commuters with hysterical laughter, omg I skipped ahead to the second episode, and tbh it was so much better. David Byrne was on and they had a relaxed friendly conversation about music. i mean I don't really think i'm the target demographic for this thing, but it was nice, he (David) had some interesting insights about how his Asperger's affects his process, performance choices etc. idk exactly what Joe is going for but he's so much better at that kind of thing than the yelling imo, and he does actually come across as genuinely interested in & knowledgeable about music... Then Mika came on and told an awesome story about her mom cooking and her friend going into their bathroom and finding it freezing, with all windows open, and the bathtub filled with blood and a dead deer, like a scene from a Japanese Horror Movie. WHAT. mika's mom sounds crazy, I love her so much. that was honestly the best part. Also someone needs to explain to Joe that one of the points of having a second platform is to draw new audiences to your first one, lol. he's gotta introduce himself, explain who he is, explain to the people who Mika is and why she's in his house, oh and tell teh people he also has a show on the tee-vee! Because some people will end up there by doing a search for whatever musician he's talking to and tbh Joe is just not as famous as he thinks he is. I wish the 2x speed thingy was a function in real life

I've been away and have been catching up on last! weeks! shows! on DVR, so feel free to scroll past this if y'all have (hopefully) moved on with your lives since then, I just have some thoughts also I watched some of these shows with insomnia and literally drafted another post, and then the draft weirdly disappeared, so this will be the less rambly version, I am sure you are all grateful they were actually in studio last week?? FOR TWO WHOLE DAYS?? I literally screamed. This hasn't happened for like three months. I kinda see what you guys were saying about it not really being a 100% the same as the old days, but at the same time, it is SO SO much better. everyone is making eye contact! Joe is actually turning and looking at Mika when she's talking, as though she's a real human being, instead of staring catatonically into space like he usually does. he's engaging with the guests and he was even actually cute and funny and understanding with the teacher's union lady instead of all angry-ass and belligerent. Barnicle was there, in his blue suit. Willie had awesome weird diamond-patterned socks. All was good then on Friday's show for some reason Joe turned up in his Florida! Box, using his fake-ass Used Car Salesman Funeral Director Voice that he inexplicably also used to announce the election. Ugh, whyyy? Willie and Mika literally carried that show, they actually showed up on location when it mattered, and tbh I wasn't planning on crying but when Willie told the story about his pregnant sister-in-law and his stoic lil face crumpled i totally lost it. and then I composed myself and everything and then Mika did her "the sky was blue! the firemen knew they were gonna die!" thingy and I lost it again, damn them, i wasn't planning on crying, but okay, they made me cry. idk why everyone was hating on her blouse, it was nice and sorta hopeful? ymmv. Oh and that lady and her twenty-year old kid made me tear up as well. Also our Khaleesi Katty Kay was there, always a plus. but again, what even was the point of used car salesman! remote! Joe! in between all that actually authentic emotion. Mika and Willie literally carried that show, i was so moved and proud of them Then on Monday back to the Florida boxes again! but at least they were in good spirits and Joe was being less of an ass. we got a tour of Donny's American Psycho Dentist's Office!!! don't worry, hon, an Andy Warhol does not make you an asshole, and next time turn your camera so we can see it dumbass. You are only an asshole if your house is filled with Jeff Koons trash and you have a shark in formaldehyde in your living room. but also, PLEASE WEAR PANTS WHEN YOU ARE ON THE TEE-VEE I was laughing my ass off at AWOL! Mika going: "It's nice to *see* you Jeff!" and in studio! Jeff goddamn Daniels!, looking the camera, going: "it's nice to be *seen*" uh huh...some IN-STUDIO SHADE right there i'm with Mika though, Dumb and Dumber is awful is it true Jeff Daniels's character in the Newsroom is actually based on Joe? I did hear it was Lawrence O'Donnell, but also this character yelled a lot. he was a republican. he was in love with his co-worker. he played guitar! was this real or just a rumor? it's not as good as the West Wing i never made it to this week's yesterday & today shows, are they worth it? I was all hyper and insomniac when watching but I actually enjoyed these other shows, i don't wanna be let down if it's gonna be all boring again did anyone take one for the team and actually listen to joe's podcast?? I'm kinda curious but also concerned it will be like being yelled at incredibly close

well this didn't happen because wtf even is this f-ing weather, what even *cries* at least our flight was canceled before we even stepped outside but omg for once I'm not gonna snark on Willie for being in the hellscape in his covid!tie bc at least he's safe and dry in there I thought the Afghanistan coverage was better and more honest today... but man oh man it's all so heartbreaking at least Rattner brought some good news I guess? also the castle thingy he lives in is very beautifully lit where in the world is Jonathan Lemire ---> this should be a game show did you guys catch Jacob Soboroff on Way too Early. Thoughts?? I kinda think he's really good but but he really also needs to be on the road, his on the ground reporting is kinda indispensable. I think this is the problem with that show, all the best people already have other commitments that are also kind of important. Like I would love to see Katty or Elise take over but they have other stuff to do. *small voice* tbh I don't really get why we can't just have Yasmin back...i mean she was great and they never really explained why they moved her to weekends... ETA: update! we've been rebooked, so vacation is back on, yay. while waiting I caught a lot of the MSNBC daytime coverage, including Yasmin doing a thoughtful and interesting report on Andrea Mitchell's show... honestly Yasmin is so underrated as a field reporter. She talked to this family all empathetic and smart and interesting. She asked the mom of the family about difficulties storing breast milk bc of defunct fridges because of power shortages, like only Yasmin would even think of a question like that, she is so damn thoughtful and thorough. Then she kinda interviewed a baby, it was really funny and cute. But also she captured the seriousness of the situation, gave background facts etc. And she was walking thru a flood-damaged house, she kept telling her cameraman (PJ?) on-air, to look out, be careful, watch his step etc, basically being awesome and looking out for her team, Rashida plz wake tf up and give this woman a damn promotion, that is all

that's fair, I agree it's not clear cut, and I absolutely believe State employees etc have done and are still doing everything they can I think my main gripe is with some of the media coverage. I've heard and seen all over social media this whole "why should we care about these people when they could have just left sooner?" thing and it's insane to me. a lot of these people weren't based in Kabul, which means more likely than not they *couldn't* get out due to shitty roads, non-existent transport options, Taliban checkpoints, risk of rape, murder, kidnapping on the way, etc, etc. Some were probably also scared to leave behind loved ones and family members with no visas. I just don't understand why some media coverage is making this is out to be a normal place where you can just jump on a plane anytime. In addition to this, there's this thing, when you live in a conflict zone, your perception of *risk* changes... warnings are not interpreted in the same way because everything is dangerous, and there are warnings all the time. And despite the embassy's e-mail blasts or whatever, there's no denying that the public messaging about what was going to happen post-withdrawal was pretty contradictory and sometimes even misleading. adding to this people seem to forget that the social media disinformation/fake news shitshow is also a thing in other languages, in other countries, and sometimes even worse because there are zero guardrails. i mean... we make fun of the anti-vaxxers but no serious human with a conscience would ever suggest that doctors turn them away when they are deathly ill, because it was "their choice" to get sick. there's this undertone I hear in some media coverage of...."why should we risk more of *our guys* go save *them*" when talking about actual US citizens.... and the answer is, according to the same definition, they are also "our guys", that's the whole point, and the implication that they're not the right kind of our guys is creepy and depressing. and the whole reframing of the conversation to whether or not to evacuate remaining US citizens is also exhausting. They are not even the majority of people needing or deserving to get out right now. and there's a humanitarian shitshow about to go down for women and girls that's inexcusable and at least partially preventable imo. anyhoo, officially going on vacation now, god this stuff is so depressing, praying for everyone affected

this is both profoundly inaccurate and a misrepresentation of the motives and circumstances of desperate human beings to whom a huge debt of gratitude is owed. And the fact that dual citizenship should be raised as an issue here, given what these people have sacrificed and what is at stake is, well, pretty depressing imo. 100% agree with you about Trump. There is more than enough blame to go around here, sadly ooof. wasn't 2021 the year where we were all gonna be alive and happy again? *twiddles thumbs*

THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID (someone had to do it!!! heh) Dude this is not a viable title for 90% of the English speaking world, just saying I actually think Willie did a really great job, he is smart and funny and coherent but why tf was he in the hellscape and not in studio?? Dude isn't the point of having *three* actual hosts that at least one of them might actually show up? I can't complain too much bc he was actually awesome but come oooooooon. Again if there's no longer any difference between the tee-vee and podcasts I'm just gonna listen to podcasts instead. I don't think they realize the extent to which they are all visually erasing themselves and their craft, for most of these still-pandemic shows images aren't even necessary anymore Elise Jordan made this show for me, she's awesome, even in her remote library, which looks like it's filled with books she's actually read yeah I also had the impression the people on Mediaite don't actually watch the show, they just read second-hand info from Twitter, forums, Instagram etc. It's alwasy some ill-informed summary and sometimes their shit is so out of context it's embarrassing, yikes sorry for excessive over-excited stream-of-consciousness music clips above, yikes 😳. Going on the big roadtrip tomorrow, pray for me to not drive of cliffs etc Guys, is it bad to be weirdly attracted to Adam Kinzinger. He's a Republican, I know, but but but, *hellooo*... i mean....

well tbh those are both very boring and disappointing explanations!! in that case I like "cup of java" better since it pays homage to an actual Indonesian island where they grow actual coffee beans! my google search landed me on this article https://www.huffpost.com/entry/famous-coffee-drinkers_n_5358495 actually really interesting. Astoundingly no mention of Joe S among teh famous people... hmmm 😂 the Youtube algorithm, which is creepily following me around, then took me to the Coffee Cantata by Bach sung by my goddess Sumi Jo, reposted here because we all need this gorgeousness in our lives, that is all https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDafQr3SkAo ETA: omg I fell way, way down the Youtube Rabbit Hole, but this shit is awesome Basically, Bach wrote an entire miniature opera in 1735 all about his addiction to coffee Here's the lyrics to Sumi Jo's cantata above in German with English translations and it's basically brilliant https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV211-Eng3P.htm ETA 2: from Wikipedia "The cantata's libretto features lines like "If I couldn't, three times a day, be allowed to drink my little cup of coffee, in my anguish I will turn into a shriveled-up roast goat" tbh I know the EXACT FEELING OF turning into a "shriveled-up roast goat" without coffee ETA 3: Omg also Sumi Jo's Nulla in mundo pax sincera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvYTsedw7H0 the best part is the last 60 sixty seconds starting at 5 min 22 in Also, Sumi Jo's Que Sera Sera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEfd6AQ_FeU Aaaand Ave Maria by Caccini, skip ahead to 2 min 50 for the most beautiful part https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk7-hH-SBhM ok ok I'll stop now but but but Sumi Jo is so awesome and needs to be more famous than she is, and there can never be enough beauty in this miserable world, that is all!

yes i agree meowmommy, so true!!! It's all happening in this ridiculous and inflated parallel universe lol at the same time there are these reports out there of Sean Hannity making like $40+ million... and if Rachel really was at $7 million, no way was Hannity worth like 6 times as much as Rachel, ugh. So i'm glad she's getting hers, financially...but also disappointed she's kinda checking out prematurely while everything is still a shitshow and we really need her.

tbh I'm a bit disappointed by the Rachel Maddow situation obviously she was ridiculously underpaid and massively deserves the raise but idk, it feels a bit to me like she's giving up? She always seemed like the kind of person who lived and breathed her job and didn't give a f about the glamour and fame aspects etc and actually genuinely felt that this was a vocation rather than a job and that she had a duty to dig and fight and spread light... and it very much feels to me like she wasn't *done* with that... again, she deserves the extra money for sure, but for some reason this deal feels very much like a premature retirement, and I don't like it. I mean I don't know the backstory but.... no no no. She's a relatively young person, she had a genuinely influential platform, she was actually making a difference to actual humans, and though she may be tired, she's got miles miles to go before she sleeps *cries* I don't like it at all.

I love Chris Jansing Everytime she comes on, she says "good morning, I *am* Chris Jansing" in this authoritative voice, not just in the usual way of introducing herself, but she makes it sound like she's done extensive genealogical research, verified it with five corroborating sources and eventually arrived at the conclusion, that YES, yes, it is now safe to confirm, that she *is* indeed.... Chris Jansing. It's just her name but basically all of that is in her tone of voice and it's so badass and hilarious and professional. idk. I'm where a lot of you guys are, in that by all means, do remote shows, change locations etc, but still put some heart and effort into it!! Joe and Mika used to travel all the time and we would get weirdo creative on-location shows sitting on deck chairs, talking to locals, visiting weird places like being warm and treating different parts of the country and different people with curiosity and humor and open-mindedness, not doing a remote isolated thing in a basement thingy...it's honestly a waste of their social talents and people skills....if they don't wanna go to NYC or DC why can't we have that at least, from wherever they are...I'm sure they're surrounded by tons of interesting people without even realizing it....

WAIT WAIT WAIT what even, is this real, did this happen???? how did I miss this?? I want this SO much, it's all i've ever wanted from teh tee-vee gods!!!! i'd literally get up one hour early just for Katty. I would learn how to poach eggs and make blueberry pancakes and run on a treadmill without falling the fuck off just to have an excuse to wake up early and watch our queen katty, Msnbc make it happeeeeeeen, plz thankyou I also don't get the point of Joe and Willie when Mika and Katty are in studio. Like if its only once a year cant we have the Mika and Katty show, with real life human flesh and bones breathing guest persons!!! When that miracle happens Willie and Joe doing bizarro remote appearances are totaly unnecessary imo. The real star of this show is always and will always be the actual TABLE and its ability to make the ppl sitting around it blurt out crazy and interesting shit. No one star is ever bigger than that. omg we do lmao ❤️❤️😂

yassss!! thank you Lowcountry Snark, I appreciate this primer. Now all I gotta do is 1) not accidentally drive off any cliffs 2) not die from dehydration in the desert etc. 🥴 I wanna say thank you thank you a thousand times to ebk57 for this advice bc we had to try several different companies to book a rental car and it was actually really really hard, but we managed in the end yay. But unless I had read this it would never have occurred to me it might've been a problem and I would definitely have left it to the last minute! I guess a lot of ppl are going on roadtrips rn because of covid etc? Also hilariously, I have actually been to Cooperstown a couple of times because the Fenimore museum is amazing and they have a really great research library. I haven't been to the Baseball hall of fame but it's on the list, I just have to learn more about baseball first!! But the village is adorable and everyone should go there

Rachel won't leave. i'm guessing she's playing hardball, and if she is, good for her. i can never find any reliable reports about what the msnbc ppl are actually making, every article has different figures, but if Rachel is at 7 mill that's definitely not enough and if they can't pay up she should just tell them to f off and go fishing. well, it turns out my friend really really wants to go to the Grand Canyon so the current plan has been changed to actually flying to vegas and then driving from there, which google says should be fairly straightforward. And then possibly afterwards driving somewhere else, my friend wants to drive to LA but I really wanna go to Utah, because it looks beautiful and and unusual and I wanna see the spiral jetty. But i am a bit worried if the driving there is thru really remote areas it might be dangerous? on the plus side we've booked the tickets to vegas and I've been standing in front of the mirror rehearsing the correct pronunciation of Nevada, so EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE 😂

yeah, I apologize Brownbear I didn't mean to snark on you above, those are totally valid points. And I absolutely agree with you about Fox News personalities, ugh it's just that I sometimes feel people don't really understand what the UN is or how it works. It's not really a unified thing that could convene a meeting, it's a collection of various bodies with different functions. The UN High Commission for Refugees are deeply involved in the refugee crisis in Afghanistan and Pakistan and are on the ground and sending out urgent appeals for financial assistance etc etc but ultimately their ability to resettle refugees is dependent on what quotas member states agree to take in...which again is politically contingent, and like you pointed out, there's obviously an element of racism The UN High Commission for Human Rights leads the human rights effort, but is again limited to gathering evidence and reporting - that's an important function but there is no power to compel change The actual power to take action, impose sanctions etc lies with the Security Council, where states including the US, China and Russia can basically veto resolutions that could actually have a meaningful impact. And militarily speaking, there's also NATO, and well, NATO allies have already made their feelings clear on what's happening right now. I am so grateful to Biden for ending the horrific DJT era etc etc but I still find this decision so unforgivably poorly conceived, frightening, callous, inexplicable, that I really can't wrap my head around it right now. And that is *not* to say I don't fully recognize the two former dudes were infinitely worse gaaah