Trump's approval on economy falls in AP-NORC poll, showing new warning signs for president A new AP-NORC poll finds that President Donald Trump’s approval rating on the economy has slumped over the past month as the Iran war drives prices higher.

BREAKING: Trump's approval rating drops to 33% in a new AP-NORC poll

32% approval on Iran
30% approval on the economy

apnews.com/article/trum...

But I also only get to listen to LPs a couple times a week, usually, so I'm not in a huge hurry. But I would like to have something a little more reliable.

I think I'm going to save up for a turntable upgrade. The one I have now is mostly OK but sometimes skips on the first track of an album, which according to my research, is possibly a tracking force issue. The one I have doesn't allow me to adjust that.

Now playing:

Peter Murphy: Deep (1989)

I remember getting this on cassette shortly after first hearing “Cuts You Up” and loving it. Sounds just as good now as when I first heard it!

#PeterMurphy

Now playing:

Green Carnation: A Dark Poem Part II: Sanguis (2026)

I have been loving this trilogy so far! This middle chapter has some fairly dark and heavy themes, as one might expect.

#GreenCarnation

I also did my annual treadmil stress test and it was a LOT easier without all that weight.

Did my latest weigh-in today and I'm about 47-48 lbs down from where I started last January! Still have a way to go but my doctor is happy with the pace and progress. Still wants me to do more exercise but losing weight at 52 is a challenge so every pound lost is a good thing!

Review: Revisiting Babylon 5 5x08: “Day of the Dead” Written by Neil Gaiman Directed by Doug Lefler

Babylon 5 5x08: “Day of the Dead”

"The episode is polarizing for many Babylon 5 fans. Depending on who you talk to, this is either the end of the early fifth season skid, the beginning of the recovery, or a little bit of both."

#Babylon5

medium.com/critical-myt...

Waiting For The Night YouTube video by Ghost - Topic

Of all the interstitial EPs from the band, this one is my least favorite. But this cover of a Depeche Mode classic is more interesting than, say, the ABBA cover.

#Ghost

Review: Revisiting The X-Files 3x03: “D.P.O.” Written by Howard Gordon Directed by Kim Manners

The X-Files 3x03: “D.P.O.”

"While this may be a fairly standard episodic entry for The X-Files, this was the period for the series where everything was a well-oiled machine."

#TheXFiles

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On the right is someone NFL doctors say is 6’3, 230 lbs with 5% body fat

On the left is someone White House doctors say is 6’3, 224 lbs with 4.8% body fat

If the White House is THAT dishonest about something so clear, why should we believe anything they say about anything?

Today's commuting pick:

Yes: The Yes Album: Deluxe Edition: Rarities

Mostly radio edits and mono mixes, but I'm slowly going through the extras in my Yes box sets, finally.

#Yes

Now playing:

Rush: Vapor Trails (2002)

The remixed version from the recent Rhino vinyl collection. I don’t listen to this one often but it’s still got some solid tracks.

#Rush

It's also the kind of episode that forces characters to be idiots to allow any of it to happen.

Stargate SG-1 1x14: "Hathor": This is one I don't feel compelled to do a full review on. It's probably the worst episode of the first season. I suppose there are some interesting revelations about the Goa'uld, but not enough to overcome some terrible writing and sexist tropes. #StargateSG1

Trump called every reporter in the observable universe, who all dutifully repeated his updates about Iran, and all those updates have fallen apart in fewer than 36 hours.

How long will legacy media keep doing this?

Review: Revisiting Supernatural 8x23: “Sacrifice” Written by Jeremy Carver Directed by Phil Sgriccia

Supernatural 8x23: “Sacrifice”

"While overall I like this episode, it suffers a bit from some odd plot choices."

#Supernatural

medium.com/critical-myt...

GOOD NEWS! Researchers have made a HUGE breakthrough towards a UNIVERSAL antiviral. By targeting sugar molecules found on the surface of many viruses that SHARE structural similarities, they identified FOUR compounds that successfully BLOCKED infections from SEVEN different viruses.

Gee, I wonder how many of the men who deny there is such a thing as "rape culture" were the ones visiting that "rape academy" website.

62 million. In just one month.

What. The. Actual. FUCK.

Stuck waiting for one of our cars to be serviced. It's been almost four hours so far. Hopefully they are done soon because I have errands to run this afternoon. And I've getting tired of sitting here, even if I've been fairly productive.

Health care costs go up? Republicans don’t care.

Trump starts an illegal war with Iran? Republicans don’t care.

Gas prices go up? Republicans don’t care.

All they seem to care about is tax breaks for billionaires and inflicting pain on the American people.

Review: Revisiting Fringe 5x03: “The Recordist” Written by Graham Roland Directed by Jeff T. Thomas

Fringe 5x03: “The Recordist”

"An element I always appreciate about any dystopian (or post-apocalyptic) narrative is the preservation of the past. How exactly is the past treated? How is it viewed or preserved in relation to the challenges of the 'present'?"

#Fringe

medium.com/critical-myt...

Review: For All Mankind 5x04: “Open Source” Written by Sabrina Almeida Directed by Meera Menon

For All Mankind 5x04: “Open Source”

"How do you follow up on an emotional episode like 'Home'? Thankfully, there are already plenty of threads for the writers to explore, and on top of that, they added a new one."

#ForAllMankind

medium.com/critical-myt...

Clarence Thomas ruled in favor of Citizens United.

Harlan Crow's political contributions then went up 862%.

Then we later find out Thomas let Crow take him on lavish trips, buy his mom's house, and help fund his wife's conservative nonprofit.

But go on about how "progressivism" is a problem...

Trump: "Millions of American small businesses, including corner stores. What is a corner store? I've never heard that term. I know what a corner store is but I've never heard it described-- a corner store. Who the hell wrote that?"

NEW: Associated Press projects Democrat wins special election for New Jersey 11th district U.S. House seat.

It's a very unusual direction to go with the middle book of a trilogy, but I think it works well for that reason. I actually liked this more than the first book. I hope that's a good sign for the endgame.

Shift by Hugh Howey: I wasn't sure what to expect with the second book of this trilogy, but I was pleasantly surprised. It actually answered many of my pressing questions (even some I didn't think to ask) and raised many more. #Silo