Good afternoon. As is typical this time of year, the temperature here will be affected by lake-effect cooling. So instead of grilling, I'll make myself a nice burger indoors using the broiler. It's chilly inside too (they already turned off the boiler for the summer) but I have a space heater and a sweater, and cooking also puts out some BTUs.
And of course all that is a first-world problem anyway . . . which ties back in to the reason for this holiday, not taking for granted all that we have but understanding it takes sacrifice and gratitude and perhaps more intention than we are accustomed to giving it..
An elementary school chorus performed at the town's Memorial Day ceremony, drastically increasing the attendance of people under 60. They were good. Speakers included a representative of the VFW, a retired Air Force nurse who had served in Somalia; and the district chairman of the American Legion, an Army veteran of the Panama and Grenada campaigns. And the mayor, who is a cheerful guy.
I opened up photos I took of two "Pieta" statues (Michelangelo). When I think of devotion, I think of mothers as much as I think of veterans. Although I normally keep quiet about it among veterans. My father understood it (WW II, Korea vet).
I often share this photo on Memorial Day as a reminder of the meaning of the day. My Dad was a WWII vet who served in the Pacific, and he and my Mom are interred here at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetary. It's an incredibly moving place with many thousands of graves. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_MURXGrVpxF64HvDPIcEnzSU3fbJbkT8/view?usp=sharing
No rest for the weary when there’s a 10 mo old and two 2 yo’s in the house! Yesterday we had our third shrimp boil down by the lake. Delicious! The water is only 60 degrees so no swimming quite yet. The littles enjoyed riding in the kayak and we’ve taken one ride in the big boat. I’m hoping the hubs and I can get in a round of golf when everyone leaves early this afternoon.
I wish I had been present to witness this. My husband grabbed a piece of raw shrimp out of the bag and proceeded to peel it to snack on it. My daughter asked him what he was doing, that shrimp is raw. He said no all shrimp is cooked. 🤔
Good morning. On this Memorial Day, please take time to remember our honored dead whose sacrifice preserves our freedoms. 65 degrees here with highs in the 70s. An unusually cool Memorial Day but at least no rain.
The mothership published a shortened version only with news updates, including an update on the Iran ceasefire talks. The FP is also headline the state of the talks: “Deal or No Deal?”
This afternoon, the clouds went away, the sun came out and it was a pleasant mid-70s day. After paying our respects at the cemetery, we enjoyed our traditional Memorial day cookout on the deck.
The mothership noted the launch of Starship V3. There's much to dislike about Musk (and I do), but as a visionary and builder of the impossible, he stands alone.
The V3 is the largest and most powerful rocket ever. Its design allows for refueling in space, intended to make it possible for deep space trips to Mars and possibly other locations. The design is moving closer to rapid re-use - many years, a decade or more, ahead of the Chinese and Blue Origin. Those dismissing his "orbital data-centers" as fantasy will likely be proved wrong.
I wish people could separate Musk's genius and accomplishments from his personality and participation in politics. I see a ton of Teslas on the road. He did that. I wish he could learn to shut his mouth.
In just bro talk, a bunch of guys debating if they are interested in SpaceX when it goes public soon. My response is that it is highly unlikely I'd invest. It's a speculative company, with unpredictable vision/goals, with unchallenged control by an intermittently psychotic person that can't separate his personal ego from his fiduciary responsibilities, with 80% voting control. I 100% expect great things, but I'll watch from the sidelines.
Side note - one of the bros is the owner of the local fly fishing shop, always blasting Fox Business in the background, wanting to talk about shorting all the chip stocks - and getting margin calls. Me? "Hey man, are the caddis hatching yet?"
Definitely. Speaking of cars...I've been helping a student look for her new car, and have visited a half dozen showrooms of the big players and looked at a few dozen models.
In short...oh my. There is no way Chinese cars can be let into the American market. The entire American auto industry would evaporate. These cars aren't just nice; they're off the charts nice, with incredible choices at every price point, with comparable models going for 1/2-2/3 the cost of similar American cars...except there's no American car that's comparably similar. The Chinese cars have tech that no American model even comes close to. Tesla is going to have a hard time of it; all the Chinese cars beat the pants off Tesla. And, it's not just due to paying the workers peanuts. There are hardly any workers. Vast hundred acre factories with about 20 parking spots for employees. Most of these cars are built almost 100% with robots.
I don't doubt that a second. The American car companies are "dead man walking". It's a lot of things. Cronyism, unions, regulations, lack of vision, alarming complacency. Many things the Chinese don't have problems with.
Would I worry about a Chinese car sharing my data with the motherland? I dunno. What would they do with knowing I went to the dentist today. OTOH... doesn't sound like a good idea.
Of course it doesn't sound like a good idea because we've all been fed a nonstop pile of nonsense to make us think it's not a good idea while folks have no idea whatsoever about the actualities of the matter....just like Chinese are force fed piles of nonsense about America and only the dumbest of them believe it without question.
Meanwhile, anyone in here familiar with Susan Strange's Theory of Structural Power? Everyone should be, because China is working it in exactly the manner she recommended if one wants to control things. America had it but utterly fumbled the ball with boneheaded stupid antics. China has put 3 of the 4 necessary components in place. They don't need to do all the dumbshit stuff American commentators convince people are the critical concerns. China is doing the smart stuff.
Kill switches in cars? China collecting data on where we drive? Folks are actually concerned about that?!?
You are aware...aren't you?...that we are being tracked right now, and when you go to the store, you're monitored for how long you might stand in front of a particular product, and then that information is bundled and sold on the international data market so that some criminal in Bulgaria can know exactly where you were and what you did....you do know that, don't you?
sounds good, but... & Kurt, this has been documented by other countries:
Chinese-made buses in Europe were found to be remotely disable‑able
Multiple investigations in Norway and Denmark discovered that Yutong electric buses had systems allowing the manufacturer to remotely deactivate them through software, diagnostics modules, and battery/power controls.
Norway confirmed the buses could be remotely disabled and removed SIM cards to block access.
Denmark found similar vulnerabilities and launched a security review.
AP News confirmed the manufacturer had direct digital access for updates and diagnostics.
Reports described this as a potential “kill switch.”
These cases involve public buses, not private consumer cars, but they show the technical feasibility.
What about consumer cars built in China?
No confirmed cases of remote shutdown in exported Chinese cars
A major review of allegations found:
No documented cases of Chinese EVs secretly spying on or disabling Western buyers.
However, credible concerns exist because modern connected cars collect extensive data, and Chinese law can require companies to cooperate with government requests.
This means:
The capability could exist in theory (as with buses).
But no evidence shows the Chinese government has used it on private cars.
Why the capability exists at all Modern vehicles—Chinese or not—often include:
Over‑the‑air updates (OTA)
Remote diagnostics
Telematics modules with SIM cards
Battery management systems with remote access
These features are common in Tesla, GM, Ford, VW, and others. The risk is not unique to China, but Chinese electronics and data laws raise additional geopolitical concerns
Oh for Pete's sake...That's a long comment that says...essentially...nothing. The Denmark and Norway concerns... duh.... of course an electric digitally controlled vehicle has all manner of control systems that link back to the mfg. Is this news?
Are we really going for the big "they can turn us off and then sneak attack" sort of argument? I suppose they could, just like any mfg. of any component of any digitally based tech can do from anywhere, including all of our computer equipment, our operating systems that are the defacto standard throughout the world, and I could go on, but I hope you're getting the point.
Just as a thought experiment....what's the data that China is going to collect? That I drove to Popeye's?
But, it doesn't matter. Chinese cars will never be let into America because they're so much better at half the price. You don't have to believe me, the CEO of Ford said so.
The monsoon season here continues apace. In light of that, we'll spend part of a rainy mid-day seeing an early release of the movie "Pressure" (trailer, approved for all audiences, 2:16): https://youtu.be/xcPgrKoXe_c
Our family has observed a traditional Decoration Day ever since I was young, visiting famiily graves in western Ohio during the Memorial day weekend That includes my parents. My dad was a WWII vet.
we're all supposed to take a moment of silence at 3:00 pm... Wonder if everyone across the nation is getting that message? Will this be something like the 'wave' going across the nation?
There will be a Memorial Day Service this morning. Guest speaker Major General Patrick Hamilton, U.S. Army (Retired). I don't think he lives in our compound.
But also I remember that there's a similar moment on Veterans Day in November. I first observed that when I was a kid and my mom and I were at a mall shopping, and everyone stopped for a minute of silence at 11:00 a.m. (which is the eleventh hour of othe eleventh day of the eleventh month.) My mom explained it to me and we joined in. I think some people sitll do it.
Every now and then I'm interested in a new movie I read about, but almost never interested enough to go to a theater to see it. Then by the time the movie gets to Netflix I will have forgotten I was ever interested in it!
"Bogie, a Chihuahua dressed as the British singer-songwriter Sam Smith, poses during the 2026 Pet Gala at Cineplay in New York, on May 18, 2026. The annual canine-fashion event, created by the pet couturier Anthony Rubio, showcases dogs in elaborate, custom-made outfits inspired by the year’s Met Gala."
I tend to anthropomorphize dogs in these situations for some reason. Says the chihuahua, "What is this human doing to me? I'm half dire wolf, on my mother's side, ya know. I could bite someone."
Good afternoon. As is typical this time of year, the temperature here will be affected by lake-effect cooling. So instead of grilling, I'll make myself a nice burger indoors using the broiler. It's chilly inside too (they already turned off the boiler for the summer) but I have a space heater and a sweater, and cooking also puts out some BTUs.
And of course all that is a first-world problem anyway . . . which ties back in to the reason for this holiday, not taking for granted all that we have but understanding it takes sacrifice and gratitude and perhaps more intention than we are accustomed to giving it..
An elementary school chorus performed at the town's Memorial Day ceremony, drastically increasing the attendance of people under 60. They were good. Speakers included a representative of the VFW, a retired Air Force nurse who had served in Somalia; and the district chairman of the American Legion, an Army veteran of the Panama and Grenada campaigns. And the mayor, who is a cheerful guy.
Very apt approach to the day’s post, C.
I opened up photos I took of two "Pieta" statues (Michelangelo). When I think of devotion, I think of mothers as much as I think of veterans. Although I normally keep quiet about it among veterans. My father understood it (WW II, Korea vet).
BTW, no whining today, cause it's National Wine Day. Cheers! 🍷
I'll drink to that . . . but maybe with a beer.
I often share this photo on Memorial Day as a reminder of the meaning of the day. My Dad was a WWII vet who served in the Pacific, and he and my Mom are interred here at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetary. It's an incredibly moving place with many thousands of graves. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_MURXGrVpxF64HvDPIcEnzSU3fbJbkT8/view?usp=sharing
Thanks for sharing. Beautiful, thoughtful, restful.
Excellent picture. My parents are in the National Ceremony in Gainesville, FL.
It's a beautiful picture.
No rest for the weary when there’s a 10 mo old and two 2 yo’s in the house! Yesterday we had our third shrimp boil down by the lake. Delicious! The water is only 60 degrees so no swimming quite yet. The littles enjoyed riding in the kayak and we’ve taken one ride in the big boat. I’m hoping the hubs and I can get in a round of golf when everyone leaves early this afternoon.
ohhh, shrimp boil - with an 's' added - yummo!!!
Good times w/ the littles will make you appreciate the time afterwards, too. Enjoy!
I wish I had been present to witness this. My husband grabbed a piece of raw shrimp out of the bag and proceeded to peel it to snack on it. My daughter asked him what he was doing, that shrimp is raw. He said no all shrimp is cooked. 🤔
sushi
I hope the golfing works out for you. Our forecast has rain on and off all day. There's talk that Thor may appear, because he wants new hiking boots.
Well done. Thank you.
You're welcome. I felt like the day speaks for itself, so I didn't need to add much.
Good morning. On this Memorial Day, please take time to remember our honored dead whose sacrifice preserves our freedoms. 65 degrees here with highs in the 70s. An unusually cool Memorial Day but at least no rain.
The mothership published a shortened version only with news updates, including an update on the Iran ceasefire talks. The FP is also headline the state of the talks: “Deal or No Deal?”
This afternoon, the clouds went away, the sun came out and it was a pleasant mid-70s day. After paying our respects at the cemetery, we enjoyed our traditional Memorial day cookout on the deck.
Not a bad end to the day.
Very pleased for you! We had rain at intervals all day. My husband made shrimp and grits.
The quintessential Southern dish. (Not necessarily Cajun, though, or my wife would fix it).
The mothership noted the launch of Starship V3. There's much to dislike about Musk (and I do), but as a visionary and builder of the impossible, he stands alone.
The V3 is the largest and most powerful rocket ever. Its design allows for refueling in space, intended to make it possible for deep space trips to Mars and possibly other locations. The design is moving closer to rapid re-use - many years, a decade or more, ahead of the Chinese and Blue Origin. Those dismissing his "orbital data-centers" as fantasy will likely be proved wrong.
The launch is around the 31 minute mark.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-12
I wish people could separate Musk's genius and accomplishments from his personality and participation in politics. I see a ton of Teslas on the road. He did that. I wish he could learn to shut his mouth.
In just bro talk, a bunch of guys debating if they are interested in SpaceX when it goes public soon. My response is that it is highly unlikely I'd invest. It's a speculative company, with unpredictable vision/goals, with unchallenged control by an intermittently psychotic person that can't separate his personal ego from his fiduciary responsibilities, with 80% voting control. I 100% expect great things, but I'll watch from the sidelines.
Side note - one of the bros is the owner of the local fly fishing shop, always blasting Fox Business in the background, wanting to talk about shorting all the chip stocks - and getting margin calls. Me? "Hey man, are the caddis hatching yet?"
Definitely. Speaking of cars...I've been helping a student look for her new car, and have visited a half dozen showrooms of the big players and looked at a few dozen models.
In short...oh my. There is no way Chinese cars can be let into the American market. The entire American auto industry would evaporate. These cars aren't just nice; they're off the charts nice, with incredible choices at every price point, with comparable models going for 1/2-2/3 the cost of similar American cars...except there's no American car that's comparably similar. The Chinese cars have tech that no American model even comes close to. Tesla is going to have a hard time of it; all the Chinese cars beat the pants off Tesla. And, it's not just due to paying the workers peanuts. There are hardly any workers. Vast hundred acre factories with about 20 parking spots for employees. Most of these cars are built almost 100% with robots.
I don't doubt that a second. The American car companies are "dead man walking". It's a lot of things. Cronyism, unions, regulations, lack of vision, alarming complacency. Many things the Chinese don't have problems with.
Would I worry about a Chinese car sharing my data with the motherland? I dunno. What would they do with knowing I went to the dentist today. OTOH... doesn't sound like a good idea.
Of course it doesn't sound like a good idea because we've all been fed a nonstop pile of nonsense to make us think it's not a good idea while folks have no idea whatsoever about the actualities of the matter....just like Chinese are force fed piles of nonsense about America and only the dumbest of them believe it without question.
Meanwhile, anyone in here familiar with Susan Strange's Theory of Structural Power? Everyone should be, because China is working it in exactly the manner she recommended if one wants to control things. America had it but utterly fumbled the ball with boneheaded stupid antics. China has put 3 of the 4 necessary components in place. They don't need to do all the dumbshit stuff American commentators convince people are the critical concerns. China is doing the smart stuff.
Kill switches in cars? China collecting data on where we drive? Folks are actually concerned about that?!?
You are aware...aren't you?...that we are being tracked right now, and when you go to the store, you're monitored for how long you might stand in front of a particular product, and then that information is bundled and sold on the international data market so that some criminal in Bulgaria can know exactly where you were and what you did....you do know that, don't you?
sounds good, but... & Kurt, this has been documented by other countries:
Chinese-made buses in Europe were found to be remotely disable‑able
Multiple investigations in Norway and Denmark discovered that Yutong electric buses had systems allowing the manufacturer to remotely deactivate them through software, diagnostics modules, and battery/power controls.
Norway confirmed the buses could be remotely disabled and removed SIM cards to block access.
Denmark found similar vulnerabilities and launched a security review.
AP News confirmed the manufacturer had direct digital access for updates and diagnostics.
Reports described this as a potential “kill switch.”
These cases involve public buses, not private consumer cars, but they show the technical feasibility.
What about consumer cars built in China?
No confirmed cases of remote shutdown in exported Chinese cars
A major review of allegations found:
No documented cases of Chinese EVs secretly spying on or disabling Western buyers.
However, credible concerns exist because modern connected cars collect extensive data, and Chinese law can require companies to cooperate with government requests.
This means:
The capability could exist in theory (as with buses).
But no evidence shows the Chinese government has used it on private cars.
Why the capability exists at all Modern vehicles—Chinese or not—often include:
Over‑the‑air updates (OTA)
Remote diagnostics
Telematics modules with SIM cards
Battery management systems with remote access
These features are common in Tesla, GM, Ford, VW, and others. The risk is not unique to China, but Chinese electronics and data laws raise additional geopolitical concerns
Now, I'm curious. What are all those additional geopolitical concerns?
Oh for Pete's sake...That's a long comment that says...essentially...nothing. The Denmark and Norway concerns... duh.... of course an electric digitally controlled vehicle has all manner of control systems that link back to the mfg. Is this news?
Are we really going for the big "they can turn us off and then sneak attack" sort of argument? I suppose they could, just like any mfg. of any component of any digitally based tech can do from anywhere, including all of our computer equipment, our operating systems that are the defacto standard throughout the world, and I could go on, but I hope you're getting the point.
Just as a thought experiment....what's the data that China is going to collect? That I drove to Popeye's?
But, it doesn't matter. Chinese cars will never be let into America because they're so much better at half the price. You don't have to believe me, the CEO of Ford said so.
🙋♀️agree 💯%
Happy Memorial Day.
The monsoon season here continues apace. In light of that, we'll spend part of a rainy mid-day seeing an early release of the movie "Pressure" (trailer, approved for all audiences, 2:16): https://youtu.be/xcPgrKoXe_c
I'll probably go to the town's Memorial Day observance. It's indoors at the VFW Hall.
Our family has observed a traditional Decoration Day ever since I was young, visiting famiily graves in western Ohio during the Memorial day weekend That includes my parents. My dad was a WWII vet.
we're all supposed to take a moment of silence at 3:00 pm... Wonder if everyone across the nation is getting that message? Will this be something like the 'wave' going across the nation?
There will be a Memorial Day Service this morning. Guest speaker Major General Patrick Hamilton, U.S. Army (Retired). I don't think he lives in our compound.
I'll try and remember.
But also I remember that there's a similar moment on Veterans Day in November. I first observed that when I was a kid and my mom and I were at a mall shopping, and everyone stopped for a minute of silence at 11:00 a.m. (which is the eleventh hour of othe eleventh day of the eleventh month.) My mom explained it to me and we joined in. I think some people sitll do it.
I'm not good at remembering these scheduled "moment of silence" type things.
I'll enjoy that when it arrives to a streaming screen in my home.
Every now and then I'm interested in a new movie I read about, but almost never interested enough to go to a theater to see it. Then by the time the movie gets to Netflix I will have forgotten I was ever interested in it!
THOUSAND WORDS: Photos of the week from The Atlantic magazine: https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/2026/05/photos-week-chief-mouser-pet-gala-soapbox-race/687250/?gift=GJ8BttuoXrtu1ZXQn6tAiSoBQfz44gPU5WiqPrJGuuY&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share AP’s red carpet photos from Cannes, just because: https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/photo-highlights-cannes-2026-0a0758e6a83b413693ab24f5153b5506
Ending on the conga line to Everest: 😚👌
always, Thanks!! Many I liked, but I'll give a big smile to the man standing under a roadside water tap to cool himself
Thanks, Wilhelm. Did you catch the prairie dog labeled as a 'ground squirrel?
You're most welcome, John.
That didn't register. Honestly, I had to look up the difference. I've seen prairie dogs. I don't know that I've ever seen a ground squirrel.
how about singing mice? - from GlobalPost
https://globalpost.com/stories/singing-mice-help-scientists-probe-the-origins-of-vocal-communication/?_bhlid=ad6dd1bbaaadec35b33e0ef3e7441c30fff78439&gp_reload=1779705025894
"Bogie, a Chihuahua dressed as the British singer-songwriter Sam Smith, poses during the 2026 Pet Gala at Cineplay in New York, on May 18, 2026. The annual canine-fashion event, created by the pet couturier Anthony Rubio, showcases dogs in elaborate, custom-made outfits inspired by the year’s Met Gala."
https://anthonyrubiodesigns.com/
This exists.
People always dress their babies up
My granddaughter had brown bear pajama outfits during the winter.
I posted during Halloween when my granddaughter made her cat costume, then made a bat costume for her frog stuffie.
Teengirl was a bat for Hallowe'en one year, maybe when she was 3.
And is amusing.
I tend to anthropomorphize dogs in these situations for some reason. Says the chihuahua, "What is this human doing to me? I'm half dire wolf, on my mother's side, ya know. I could bite someone."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCMwJff3TBA
Content starts at :30, and I recommend using the mute button.
As a people we’ve clearly got too much time on our hands…
well, I watched several, actually liked most of the dresses, the 1st guy w/ the dog - the dog's outfit made me laugh! First cat made me smile...