Open Thread for the Ides of March, 2024 Anno Domini

OK, I’m cheating on this one. As I’m finishing this, it’s now Saturday, but I assembled all the pieces, including the picture, on Friday, and I didn’t want to change the headline, so as I finish it, I’m backdating it to last night:

  1. The Recent Glitch Threatening Voyager 1 — I’m leading with this because of the cosmic significance. Voyager is possibly the most amazing achievement of the space age — a vehicle that was supposed to cruise through part of the solar system for four or five years, but is now in interstellar space and still going, almost half a century later. Alas, it’s developed a problem. The “elderly spacecraft” has apparently developed dementia, and is just sending back babbling nonsense. Hey, I’m sure I’d do the same if somebody made me work nonstop for that long. We should let it rest for awhile. It’s done its job, and won’t reach another solar system for 40,000 years.
  2. Pee-cycling could help to solve Cape Cod’s wastewater problem — Just bringing things down to Earth. I thought it was interesting. And since it’s on NPR, you can read it, or listen to it, for free.
  3. See-Through Baseball Pants Have Fans, and Brands, Pointing Fingers — Last year, it was all the stupid new rules, like the pitching clock (shudder). Now this. Stop messing with baseball. As for unis, go back to the flannel outfits the guys wore back in Black Sox days. Those were cool — although not for the wearer, I suppose… In any case, these are ridiculous.
  4. Joe Biden’s Superfans Think the Rest of America Has Lost Its Mind — And we’re right. About time media paid some attention to the slice of America that has some sense.
  5. The Ides of March — Yeah, I know. I mention this nearly every year. But hey, it was a huge event in history, and this is the — oh, wait. I thought this would be an anniversary ending in a zero, because it happened in 44 B.C. and it’s now 2024. But it doesn’t work that way when you go back to B.C. So never mind that. But I was thinking about what happened — 60 or so senators ganging up to attack Caesar. And I was thinking how we’re lucky to live in a time when that doesn’t happen. But then I realized that today, if you’re a political leader, you have millions of people sniping at you via social media. So, progress. But is it better? Well, at least we don’t have violent mobs taking over our seat of government. No, wait…

Notice how there’s no actual breaking news? Well, there wasn’t. I may write a separate post about that. The only breaking national news Friday was about Fani Willis, and that wasn’t news, it was gossip — or rather, a court ruling that gossip won’t interfere with a prosecution. We have days like that from time to time.

Back when I was the editor in charge of the front page (at the two papers before I came here), that presented a problem. I had to put out a front page everyday, even with nothing happening. Now, I can just decide to do an Open Thread instead of a Virtual Front Page…

9 thoughts on “Open Thread for the Ides of March, 2024 Anno Domini”

  1. Ralph Hightower

    Regarding Voyager:
    1) I read a previous web article that Voyager 1 is now responding.
    2) For our forty-fifth wedding anniversary, rather than announcing of Facebook and LinkedIn (I’m on LI more than FB), using Wikipedia, I compiled a list of significant events that happened in 1977. Voyager 1 and 2 were two events of that year. There were two deaths of note, Werner von Brsun, and Elvis. There is only one start date that I remember, February 14, 1977. I didn’t realize that I’d meet my future wife at NCR.

  3. Doug Ross

    “— or rather, a court ruling that gossip won’t interfere with a prosecution”

    That’s about as partisan a spin you can put on a D.A. hiring her boyfriend so that he can earn $600K and take her on cruises and trips… even the judge said she was unprofessional and forced her to boot her boyfriend from the case.. and also dropped 6 of the charges against Trump. Just wait til this all falls apart in the trial if it ever happens.

    1. Brad Warthen Post author

      And that had what bearing on the charges?

      I’m not asking in order to argue with you because I didn’t read those stories. I figured if they had a bearing on the case, I’d find out eventually.

      So what was the relevance to the charges Trump was facing? I have no idea. I just know that no such connection came to my attention…

      1. Barry

        I didn’t keep up with it too much, but isn’t this involving some of the Georgia cases where Trump and his surrogates lied about the two election workers (some actually going to their home) which ended up with them getting death threats.

        I think the older lady had to move because of all the threats.

        1. Brad Warthen Post author

          But Doug says she “drummed up” those charges!

          You’d see that, but Doug can’t post anything without being all nasty and uncivil, so…

          1. Barry

            I don’t think any poll worker wants to be falsely accused of a crime by anyone, not to mention the President of the United States. Especially by a President that has a rabid cult members that have proven they willing to break the law on his behalf.

            From what I read, the 2 ladies turned over recordings of the death threats to the police.

            people even drove from out of state to the older woman’s home and confronted her at her door, including a so called elderly “pastor” who drove all the way from Ohio. I wouldn’t have been nearly as kind to such a person as those ladies were if they showed up at my door trying to get me to lie for a politician.

            And then the President kept publicly lying about her.

            Strange times indeed.

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