Saturday’s Forun
Steven L. Taylor
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Saturday, December 6, 2025
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15 comments
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
Follow Steven on
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BlueSky.
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TIL Talking Heads released an official music video for their 1977 song “Psycho Killer” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their first show at CBGB.
It stars Saoirse Ronan. Worth a watch.
It’s mister becca’s birthday. He’s not doing so good and it’s breaking my heart. We have been together since 1974. I was nineteen and he was 27. He has a Mensa IQ and still looks like Paul MacCartney and Al Pacino had a baby together. Still can take my breath away. Most fascinating and challenging man I have ever known.
I just want that memorialized some way.
@becca:
Huge fan of both, but the mental image made me chuckle and recoil simultaneously. Now I am left with unanswerable questions about the courtship.
I’m sorry to hear Mr. Becca is not doing well.
@Kurtz: maybe I should just say he’s still knee-buckling gorgeous.
@becca:
Sounds like it.
Spend as much quality time with him as you can. Stay in the moment. I’ll be thinking of you.
@becca: Sorry to hear this. It is always a tough time. You have 50 years together. Lean on that.
The cult and racism continues:
National parks cut free entry for MLK Day, add Trump’s birthday
This is Mao-level cult of personality.
@becca:
I’m sad for both of you. Rejoice in the love you’ve been gifted
So very sorry, becca. I hope you have some IRL friends helping during this difficult time.
Oxford comma was mentioned yesterday, and I am of the belief is should be used or not used as appropriate for clarity, unless the opposite would be hilarious.
The Guardian had a similar suggestion, but don’t include the hilarious exception, and then immediately undermine their position.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/04/oxford-comma-common-sense
I loved it when a government service exceeds my expectation. I renewed my passport online on Nov 25th. Took my own headshot, uploaded to the site, paid the fee by credit card. Just received the new passport yesterday. Just 10 days.
@Scott:
Granting that one needs to go physically to a passport office, but clear back to the 70s I’ve always received my passport the same day. It used to be a matter of going in early in the morning and receiving the passport around 5 pm or so. but most offices these days issue the passport in minutes.
Also, the photo gets taken in the premises now. before one had to bring printed photos of a certain size.
On the other hand, the last time I got a US visa, I had to fill out a lengthy form online, go get photographed and fingerprinted at one location one day, and go for an interview a different day elsewhere. And I had to pick up the visa, and the passport (it’s glued on a page) days later at a DHL branch.
My non government pension deposit into my checking account arrives on the last business day of the month. Without fail for at least 13 years.
The November deposit was on time the day after Thanksgiving November 28.
Yesterday, seven days later, when I looked at my checking account there was another payment from the pension fund in the exact total of my benefit amount.
I called the pension fund office and I was told it was a bonus for pensioners and that I would receive my regular payment on the last business day of December.
“Thank you. Happy Holidays!” I said.
A bonus for doing nothing!
Right up my alley!
@becca:
My sympathies, and my best wishes to you both.
I literally asked Gemini for an image of an impeachment season pass. It came up with this.
I wonder if the misspellings are on purpose or by accident, and either way why. Especially the smaller text near the bottom (you might need to open the image in a separate tab and enlarge it).
Also, notice El Taco for some reason holding a broken gavel on the lower left. I did not specify a Taco impeachment, after all. And not only is he smiling, but he looks more human than in most pictures.