Sean Duffy Reprise

Yesterday I featured Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Administration's skillful use of sleight of hand to take credit for transportation improvements and gains for which they didn't have any skin in the game.  They're good at it.  Same goes for this...

The Great American Road Trip was unveiled earlier this year as part and parcel of the further celebration of America's Semiquincentennial by inspiring the people to hit the road and travel America to join in the celebration.  Previous administrations and Secretaries have produced similar puff pieces and on paper I would not disagree with this conceptually.  Who doesn't like a good road trip and fun celebration?

Filmed beforehand and announced after Mr. Trump made his unilateral decision to go to war the timing was somewhat fraught.  Considering the impulsive nature of the president, the lack of planning and poor timing shouldn't come as any surprise.  With gasoline and diesel north of $4 and $5 a gallon the notion of a road trip was stunningly inopportune and tone deaf.  Working-class middle America was priced out of the road trip market.

So the administration held it back.  Planned for release three months ago it was put on ice ostensibly for additional editing to comply with government ethics rules.  Which is the second problematic issue; Road Trip was underwritten through the generous support of sponsors.  Namely the corporate entities that Duffy's Department is supposed to regulate - including $1 Million Platinum Level sponsors including names like Boeing, Toyota, Royal Caribbean,United Airlines and Shell.

Naturally, considering the Trump administration has its hand out for any opportunity to take money from any any well-heeled contributor that might have business before the federal government; with the exception of Presidential Pardons I'm unwilling to characterize this a bribery.  All previous administrations have done this at some level; however, considering the level of Trump's personal level of fiscal self-aggrandizement and the brazenness of the Trump organization's efforts this is nothing less than art form. But I digress.

I'll likely catch some flack because I'm a cultural philistine and not a fan of 1990's-style saccharine reality television programming.  Even so, if your viewing tastes match the target audience you might want to give it a look.  Its family friendly and the advertising is muted; and because it never rose to the interest of network or cable television you can find it over on YouTube.  And it can use the viewership.

Happy motoring.

You can learn more about the production here. 

Lord Of The Flies

I read this book as a youngster. 

Written in the midst of the Cold War the power struggle on the island was an allegorical microcosm of the ideological divide between liberal democracy and the totalitarianism of communism.  

I suppose nowadays if parents allowed a preteen access to such literature they’d be turned-in to county social services.   Or it might already have been banned in your community as it has in others. 

Anyway, this is a riveting redo of a very dark tale of stranded schoolboys attempt to build a democratic society on a deserted island. 

Order quickly dissolves into tribal savagery and murder as they succumb to their primal instincts and a terrifying imaginary beast.

We got hooked after the first of four episodes.  Like I said; it’s dark.  View it at your own peril. 

British novelist William Golding’s Lord of the Flies….

 

Booyah

Some of you reading this may already know that actor Tony Shalhoub has deep, lifelong roots in northeast Wisconsin.  Specifically, Green Bay, where he was raised as the ninth of ten children in a Lebanese-American family.

Tony's mom is a Seroogy and if you're from around here you know all about Seroogy's Chocolates in De Pere.  Tony's father, 'Big Joe' Shalhoub was known as a distributor of meat and sausages to local groceries throughout the region.

Tony, himself, is a graduate of Green Bay East High School and was an extra in the school's production of the King and I which coincidentally led him to the Yale School of Drama and eventually to his acting career and resulting fandom in our northeast Wisconsin household.

This past winter Shalhoub released a documentary series titled: Breaking Bread; an episode of which eventually led to this stop.  

The Booyah Shed.

Returning home at the end of last week following a trip to the Naked City I asked The Missus if she was interested in lunch.

Almost immediately she mentioned the joint introduced in Shalhoub's documentary and the onboard navigation indicated we were only 17 miles outbound.  So we checked it out.

For anyone unacquainted with booyah it is hearty chicken and vegetable stew of Belgian origin and is ubiquitous to northeast Wisconsin and happens to be a signature dish during Belgian Days in my hometown.  Booyah at the Shed is first rate.

They also serve-up an extensive menu of specialty burgers, sandwiches, hand-cut fries, adult beverages and more.  Fast and friendly.

 

Enter the shed, go to the window and squeeze the rubber chicken to summon the cheerful lady to place your order.

With only a couple of four-top tables and six two-tops, in-door seating is limited, but turnover is quick with patrons bussing their own tables.  Carryout business is brisk.

If you find yourself in Green Bay and want some local comfort food; this joint comes highly recommended.

Hat- tip to Tony....    

At The Movies

In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton embarked on a voyage to cross the Antarctic.  In 2022, the wreck of the Endurance was finally discovered.

Combining masterfully-restored archival footage from that voyage juxtaposing it with the modern-day quest for the remains, Endurance brings one of history's amazing stories of survival to life like never before.

Its from the people over at The National Geographic Society; so what's not to like.

If you have streaming service you'll find it on Hulu and Disney....