NPR, Son House, and Brünnhilde

NPR, a few minutes ago:

President Trump falsely claimed that he won the 2020 election. That is wrong.

Millions of votes are still being counted, and races in six key states remain too close to call.

Elaine went to sleep at nine-something last night, after one glass of wine. As she said, it wasn’t a drinker-y night. I followed at ten — I thought it was midnight — after two ounces of Scotch. When I woke up and checked my phone for more news, I guessed it was close to morning. It was midnight.

I know what Son House meant when he sang that the minutes seem like hours, hours seem like days.

So that’s one singer. But with Griffy and Zippy, I am waiting for Brünnhilde.

[I did some arithmetic before reading anyone else’s: 227 + 6 + 11 + 10 + 16 = 270. Nevada + Arizona + Wisconsin + Michigan = Biden.]

Today’s Zippy

[Zippy, November 3, 2020.]

Today’s Zippy is titled “Not a Praying Man . . . Until Today.” That pose suggests George Bailey, doesn’t it? “Dear Father in Heaven, I’m not a praying man,” he whispers in Martini’s.

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“Yes, Nancy”

Today’s Nancy is sweet. “Yes, Nancy” is the perfect touch.

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Even Dr. Birx has her limit, sort of

From The Washington Post:

A top White House coronavirus adviser sounded alarms Monday about a new and deadly phase in the health crisis, pleading with top administration officials for “much more aggressive action,” even as President Trump continues to assure rallygoers the nation is “rounding the turn” on the pandemic.

“We are entering the most concerning and most deadly phase of this pandemic . . . leading to increasing mortality,” said the Nov. 2 report from Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force. “This is not about lockdowns — It hasn’t been about lockdowns since March or April. It’s about an aggressive balanced approach that is not being implemented.”

Birx’s internal report, shared with top White House and agency officials, contradicts Trump on numerous points: While the president holds large campaign events with hundreds of attendees, most without masks, she explicitly warns against them. While the president blames rising cases on more testing, she says testing is “flat or declining” in many areas where cases are rising. And while Trump says the country is “rounding the turn,” Birx notes the country is entering its most dangerous period yet and will see more than 100,000 new cases a day this week.

But then comes this sentence: “Through a spokesperson, Birx did not respond to a request for comment.”

I hope you, too, remember Dr. Birx’s transparently ridiculous praise of Donald Trump* in late March: “He’s been so attentive to the scientific literature and the details and the data.” “Intellectual prostration,” I called it, borrowing a phrase from a historian. If only Birx would be willing to respond now to a request for comment. Silence is complicity. Tomorrow is Election Day.

“Free Letters”

On a recent foggy morning, Brandon Woolf was sitting on a foldable chair, in front of a foldable table, next to a Brooklyn mailbox, writing letters on a 1940s-vintage portable Royal typewriter. He was dressed in a navy blue T-shirt emblazoned with the U.S. Postal Service logo. A chalkboard sign in front of him explained the project to passers-by: “Free Letters for Friends Feeling Blue.”

The New York Times reports on a theater professor’s COVID-era letter-writing service.

Mystery actor

[Click for a larger view.]

Recognize her? Leave your best guess in a comment. I’ll drop a hint if necessary.

*

Here’s a hint: She’s best known for her work on television, but not as an actor.

*

I thought this one would be easy. Oh well. Here’s another clue: This actor was half of an odd couple.

*

One last hint: She spent much of her career filling in blanks.

*

The answer is now in the comments.

More mystery actors (Collect them all!)
? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ? : ?

[Garner’s Modern English Usage notes that “support for actress seems to be eroding.” I use actor.]

Good Reports

Mark Hurst, who wrote the excellent book Bit Literacy, has a new website, Good Reports, with recommendations for online products and services that are “viable alternatives to exploitative Big Tech services.” The recommendations start with the DuckDuckGo search engine. Worth a careful look.

Nancy in the wind

[Nancy, March 7, 1953.]

Today, winds from the nothwest, 25 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph. And Elaine and I are about to join Nancy on a walk.

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To read today

Heather Cox Richardson’s latest installment of Letters from an American might be just the thing you, too, need to read today.

“Nancy 11/1/2020 strip”

Today’s Nancy is a winner. Olivia Jaimes once again expands the possibilities of what’s possible in panels.

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