My jazz guitar teacher in college had some real insight about...

...beginner and semi-pro instruments. He said that the guitar was one of the only examples of an instrument where the cheaper, novice-grade models were much harder to play than the professional models. Gibsons, Paul Reed Smiths, Charvels, etc. come with nearly perfect setups, low action, play like butter, and cost big $$$. Whereas most beginner instruments are a struggle to play well, even for experienced players. This is especially true where it comes to the filing of the nut slots, which is a real pet peeve with me. Many beginner guitars are nearly unplayable because of bad setups.

My teacher was also a woodwind player (flute, primarily), and he explained that beginner woodwinds are designed to be really easy to play, with valves that seal (not very well) with minimal finger strength, etc. They are not known for outstanding tone, however. As one trades up to better, more professional instruments, they become harder and harder to play, requiring exceptional finger strength and dexterity in order to work the valves (which seal extremely tightly). It takes many years of practice to develop the chops to play an instrument designed for professional orchestra performers. The tone of these professional woodwinds is superlative, with a price to match, of course.

BTW, the pictures of those cheesy Italian guitars reminded me of that really bizarre instrument played by Warren Cuccurullo during his tenure with Missing Persons; IIRC, it was a Vox wah pedal with a Vox neck somehow attached to it. The wah pedal electronics had been gutted and replaced with all sorts of other devices: a preamp, a couple different fuzztones, EQ, etc. Cuccurullo eventually had several replica models made by Performance Guitar in L.A.

I think they all caved on the "shrinkflation" thing...

...particularly when it comes to coffee. The size of bags has been shrinking for a while now (they were 16 ounces, then 12, now it's often 10.5). More recently, they started shipping K-Cups in packages of ten instead of a dozen. There were a few holdouts, including Eight o Clock (IIRC), but it looks like everyone is shrinking their package sizes now. Because of this, I'm only buying coffee from Costco.

Unfortunately, 30% of the electorate, or rather 30% of Trump's electorate...

...are MAGA dead-enders. I imagine that only about half of them are actually willing to follow Trump over the proverbial cliff, so let's call it 15%. But that's just a guess. And that 15% is still a hell of a lot of people. It's a truly scary mass movement.

Oh, snap!!!

i can't wait to see how Fox "News" et al. will twist themselves...

...into pretzels attempting to rationalize this latest round of self-dealing by the Trump regime.

I call it the "conspicuous cross", which ironically becomes...

...more conspicuous by its frequent absence these days. Leavitt seems to have taken to heart the critiques of the Catholic radtrad "worship police", who questioned why she was always wearing a plain, unadorned Protestant cross despite her (self-proclaimed) Catholic bona fides. She recently changed it to a somewhat understated crucifix, more properly in line with her professed faith.

LOL, it does appear that Leavitt's wearing a crucifix, after a year or so of wearing an unadorned Protestant-style cross; I call it the "conspicuous cross", as it's completely oversized when compared to former press secretary McEnany's much more understated cross. (Leavitt's also appears to be covered in diamonds). I've wondered for some time if Leavitt got any backtalk from the radtrad "worship police" at EWTN for wearing a Protestant-style cross despite her Catholic bona fides.

The basic idea is formalized in "Wilhoit's Law".

Here it is, Trump's "standing dinner order" on AF1...

...courtesy of Corey Lewandowski.

https://democraticunderground.com/100220959588#post41

He's done this before. Anyone remember this one?

Here's a Tweet from 2019, before Trump had his moronic "Truth" web-shite. Trump's de rigueur misspelling ( "Waming" ) is the additional cherry on top.

Here ya go...

Don't forget the chocolate shake and the second Filet-O-Fish (which Trump calls a "Fish Delight" for some bizarre reason).

He also recently berated McDonald's executives for being too skimpy with his "Fish Delights" when it comes to the tartar sauce!