Grist has outlined who exactly is advising #45 on his environmental policies. It isn't pretty. I recently saw some side-by-side photos of major cities in the 1950s and today showing the effect of efforts to clean up air pollution. Stark contrasts. And the administration is trying so hard to "Make America Great Again." In too many ways the "good old days" were only old, not good.

This is good for a smile.

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Not much to say for the last couple of days. I have been trying to understand my lethargy (for lack of a better description) in blogging on what had been my usual subjects. My interest in news/politics/current events isn't flagging but I find myself ignoring the majority of what comes through in my feeds--reading the headlines and nothing much else. Something clicked over the weekend and I think I have found the answer. I never had any interest in "reality" shows. I never watched even one episode of Survivor or Big Brother or Dancing With the Stars, or The Apprentice, or whatever. Thanks to #45 and the Repthuglicans (for the most part) politics is now a damned (un)reality show. I am not just not interested but am actively annoyed. I am annoyed because I can't ignore the Washington (faux)reality show: its consequences are potentially too serious. I also never had any interest in the "infotainment" shows--the ones that focus on celebrities about whom I know little and want to know less. But the news has become overwhelmingly infotainment. And, again, I am not just not interested but annoyed. To get what few gems of information exist in the news I have to find out more than I want to about people in whom I am totally  uninterested. And while the programs focus on inconsequential personalities, real news gets ignored.

Every now and then I do find some interesting gems like this commentary. I did almost that in 2016. The only Republican I voted for is our mayor who has done a lot of good here. I didn't vote for any presidential candidate but almost wish I had voted for Clinton. Charles Blow has a nice companion piece in the NY Times.  The whole political scene is insane and brings to my mind the ancient saying "those the gods want to destroy they first make mad." I wonder if that holds for nations or societies as for individuals.

Crabby Old Lady (a.k.a., Ronni Bennett) says what we have been saying about drug commercials on TV and a good bit more about advertising aimed at older folks. We don't watch much TV any more but the little time we do watch is saturated with political ads and pharma ads. Another annoyance to deal with. One thing she didn't mention is how often the conditions for which the drug is prescribed are among the "horrendous side effects" recited "at auctioneer's speed." Really??? You want us to take a pill for a condition that gives us the condition we are being treated for?? Crap!!