Matt Blaze

By the way, this photo really pushes the limits of what you can do with 35mm format lenses, but I leaned in to the limitations and it worked out OK. I ended up switching to the (medium format) Phase One system a few months later, which is much more flexible when you need view camera movements.

The Inquirer building also housed (until a few years before they moved) their printing plant, making it one of the last major dailies where it was at least theoretically possible for an editor to run downstairs and yell "stop the presses!" if a major story came in. But I'll bet that didn't […]

This was captured with a DSLR and a 19mm shifting lens. There's a bit of barrel distortion from the lens, but I decided this image looked better less corrected.

The Inquirer building, completed in 1924, to me evokes a cigar-chomping editor who calls everyone "kid" and who says things like […]

An early 20th century office building, with setbacks and a clock tower, at night.

Philadelphia Inquirer Building, Philadelphia, PA, 2017.

All the pixels, each trying to find a sustainable business model under the current news economy, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/32309131520

#photography

The world may suck, but it sucks less as long as anonymous weirdos are sending obscure niche art out into the ether.

Radio nerditry: it’s been a little while since I’ve checked on the shortwave pirate broacasters, but they seem to still be going strong. Good signal right now on 6956 AM in DC.

By the way, this photo really pushes the limits of what you can do with 35mm format lenses, but I leaned in to the limitations and it worked out OK. I ended up switching to the (medium format) Phase One system a few months later, which is much more flexible when you need view camera movements.

The Inquirer building also housed (until a few years before they moved) their printing plant, making it one of the last major dailies where it was at least theoretically possible for an editor to run downstairs and yell "stop the presses!" if a major story came in. But I'll bet that didn't […]

This was captured with a DSLR and a 19mm shifting lens. There's a bit of barrel distortion from the lens, but I decided this image looked better less corrected.

The Inquirer building, completed in 1924, to me evokes a cigar-chomping editor who calls everyone "kid" and who says things like […]

An early 20th century office building, with setbacks and a clock tower, at night.

Philadelphia Inquirer Building, Philadelphia, PA, 2017.

All the pixels, each trying to find a sustainable business model under the current news economy, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/32309131520

#photography

@SteveBellovin My point is that Trump can’t fire or supervise the VP in his (few) constitutional roles, as Pence demonstrated. And the other jobs the president assigns are essentially volunteer activities, which don’t actually require them to be VP.

If Vance one day senses the winds are […]

@BunnyMama @cazabon The presence of Agnew in the VP seat probably was Nixon's best bet for staying president.

DC's Spanish steps, shown here, aren't actually in Spain or in any way Spanish. They're named for the more famous, larger Spanish steps in Rome, which is also not in Spain. Once again, our nation's capital is built on a foundation of deception and lies, or at least on a deep misunderstanding of […]

Captured with the Rodenstock 23mm/5.6 HR-Digaron-S lens and Phase One IQ4-150 Achromatic Back, polarizer+590nm (red) filter.

Washington DC is not a city of many notable inclines, and so lacks the proliferation of "step streets" found in places like Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and The Bronx. Most […]

A pedestrian "step street", seen from the bottom, flanked by trees on either side.

Spanish Steps, Kalorama, Washington, DC, 2023.

All the pixels, each approved by a local zoning commission after several public hearings, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/53335651417

#photography

@grwster @SteveBellovin And access to very accurate time.

@SteveBellovin Hmmm. But interestingly, the President and VP can't decline protection (though other protectees can).

@SteveBellovin It's kind of a perfect slacker job. Nice house, secret service protection, VIP travel, can sleep until noon most days unless there a tie in the Senate

@SteveBellovin It's kind of a perfect slacker job. Nice house, secret service protection, VIP travel, can sleep until noon most days unless there a tie in the Senate

And this has even been demonstrated with Trump's previous VP, who, you may recall, defied Trump's demand that he not certify the election on January 6.

Pedantic pet peeve: Trump is not Vance's "boss". The VP is a separate constitutional office with (a small number of) specific duties (in both the executive and legislative branches) that the president can't direct except as suggestions. The president also can't fire the VP.

If Trump invites Kristi Noem to inspect the gravel pit behind the White House, she should probably decline.

How do states fill vacancies in the U.S. Senate? It depends on the state In the event that a Senate seat becomes vacant, governors in 45 states have the power to appoint a temporary replacement.

@mattblaze @heidilifeldman Found this a useful review of how senate seats get filled across the US:
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/08/06/how-do-states-fill-vacancies-in-the-us-senate-it-depends-on-the-state/

And of course each state has subtle differences

And none of this has anything to do with the rules for filling vacant seats in STATE legislatures, which, of course, vary by state with no general rule.

Quick background on (federal) congressional vacancies:

Vacant House seats are always filled by election, though the rules for the timing of the election vary by state law. Seats can sometimes sit vacant for quite a while.

Vacant Senate seats are filled according to state law, and vary widely […]

RE: https://federate.social/@mattblaze/116178290400173886

Here is the clearest description I have seen of the relationship between OK governor’s power to appoint and the timetable for election of a replacement. https://okpolicy.org/special-election/

@lawyerjsd @heidilifeldman There is: https://law.justia.com/codes/oklahoma/title-51/section-51-10/

Interestingly, the governor's appointment can't be a candidate in the upcoming election.

@lawyerjsd @heidilifeldman I don't think so in this case, since the election for that senate seat already occurs this year and it's after March 1st. Lots of conditions!

@blainecross @heidilifeldman Ah, it looks as if the fact that it's after March 1 of an election year makes this essentially a gubernatorial appointment.

@blainecross @heidilifeldman Ah, it looks as if the fact that it's after March 1 of an election year makes this essentially a gubernatorial appointment.