Good morning. Have a blessed Palm Sunday! 37 when I first got up, 48 not, getting into the 50s and sunny.
Passover started at sundown Friday evening, The Dispatch Faith article at the mothership this morning features 3 reflections on the importance of Passover to Jews, but also for Muslims (as well as Christians of course).
The test is based on mitochondrial RNA, which makes sense, since some theories suggest Parkinson’s is partly a result of declining mitochondrial numbers and effectiveness. Aspects of this were covered in the book “Brain Energy” by Chris Palmer, a researcher and prof at some school in Boston.
Nothing has as yet been found that can reverse Parkinson’s, but some studies with dietary interventions show promise for various forms of carbohydrate reduced eating patterns.
Another preventive measure appears to be physical exercise, too, which spurs the cellular “recycling” and replacement of mitochondria.
Today's special animal friend is the piping plover, Charadrius melodus. These small shorebirds are found on the Atlantic coast from Virginia north to Canada (subspecies C. m. melodus) and to the western Great Lakes area and the northern Great Plains (subspecies C. m. circumcinctus). They are up to 7.5 inches long with a wingspan around 15 inches. Piping plovers have a pale brown back with white accents, white underside, and black around the neck and on the forehead. The sexes are nearly identical, but the black band on the chest of the male is wider during the breeding season.
Piping plovers live on beaches and sand flats near the Atlantic Ocean, lakes, or rivers. Scuttling across the beach near the high-water line, they forage by sight, eating insects, worms, and small crustaceans. They migrate to the Bahamas, Cuba, other islands, and the north coast of South America in winter, returning to their breeding range in late March to early April.
Males establish breeding territories on sandy ground above high tide or water lines. They run along their boundary lines to discourage other males and engage in defensive displays by fluffing and calling. A male will court a female with flight displays, feather-fluffing, and silly walks in a circle around her. They are monogamous during the breeding season. The male scrapes several shallow depressions in his territory. The couple does not mate until the female has chosen an acceptable hollow, where she will usually lay four eggs.
Both parents incubate the eggs for about 27 days and then feed and protect them for another 30 days. The young are considered "fledged" when they can fly 50 yards. Like the whip-poor-will, the parents will use the "broken wing display" to distract predators from the young.
Piping plovers are considered Near Threatened by IUCN. The population has been increasing during the 21st century and is estimated to be around 6,500 individuals, about equally divided between the two subspecies. Conservation efforts include habitat protection and expansion and control of predators, which include dogs, cats, foxes, raccoons, skunks, and other mammals.
A famous pair of plovers, Monty and Rose, nested at Montrose Beach (get it?) in Chicago in 2019. The pair hatched three chicks in July of 2019. Care of these plovers included cancelling a music festival scheduled for August 2019. The pair returned to Chicago and hatched chicks in 2020. They returned in April of 2021 and laid four eggs. Unfortunately, these eggs were eaten on Wednesday, June 2, by a skunk which reached into their fenced enclosure. The adults were unharmed, and they are very likely to produce more eggs this summer, although second or third nests usually have fewer than four eggs.
Environmental groups are active throughout the piping plover's range in both the United States and Canada, taking practical steps to rebuild the population of these cute little birds, one nest at a time.
Celebrated animals in public parks in Chicago tend to get nicknames like that, because they catch on with the public. The alligator in the Humboldt Park lagoon was dubbed "Chance the Snapper."
But since Monty and Rose's time, the naming authorities ("a panel of people representing various nature and environmental organizations in Chicago") have put in place protocols that result in giving plovers names that most people will not be able to pronounce or interpret. Nagamo means “he/she sings” in the Ojibwe language.
So fear not! Names of northern European derivation have been shown the door!
Thank you! To bring the Chicago part of the story up to date: Monty and Rose are no longer with us, though some of their descendants are living. Last summer, Imani (son of Monty and Rose) and his mate, Sea Rocket (a captive-reared chick released by the Great Lakes Piping Plovers Program) produced four eggs. All hatched, but three of the chicks became ill and died, despite the efforts of the Lincoln Park Zoo to save them. The fourth, named Nagamo, survived and fledged, and the local birding community hopes for his return this summer. There's a group of volunteers who help monitor and protect the plovers in their fenced-off area on the beach.
Piping plovers my patoot! These feathered imposters are really just run of the mill Killdeer who find the life of a beach bum more attractive than that of a hardworking plover perusing much more mundane midwestern habitat in pursuit of an honest living. The only thing endangered here is the plover work ethic.
Interesting. I would have imagined they were plentiful thanks to food availability.
They shouldn’t be confused with the squawking plovers reckless drivers might experience booming at them from behind: “You’re driving too fast! I’m gonna need you to plover!”
Well, we have Phil handing out door prizes, so why not start having Jay hand out a prize for effort. Call it a "Janney". Think of it as sort of a Grammy for those who may (or may not) be musically inclined but can't carry a pun in a bucket, no matter how hard they try.
Afternoon, all. Three girl Boy Scouts were there to shoot qualifying rounds for their archery merit badge. It only took about an hour and a half, and that was with some breaks. Nice time had by all.
Also, the Spanish church event was nice. Padre Fidel kept everyone interested for a two hour "tema" (lecture).
Was watching something involving fishermen the other day, and the one lady remarked that the females who do it are known to one and all as “girl fishermen”.
At some point in the next decade or so, some terminology will develop that distinguishes girls participating in the erstwhile Boy Scouts of America by some designation other than "girl Boy Scouts."
I went to walk the neighbor's dog and feed the gray cat, but there was no food for the gray cat, so I went to Walmart and bought some and then went back and fed the gray cat, who was super offended at the delay. I pointed out that it was only 7:00 a.m., and my daughter wouldn't have even been up yet, but he was still mad.
Given the high concentration of nerdy youth in Scouting and the fashionability of genderized silliness, there are Scouts who identify as trans- or "nonbinary." In my experience, it's dealt with by shrugging. Meanwhile, females and males have separate lodgings and so on.
I’m sure some fans will shrug at this and say, “Big whoop, I only take vacation trips in America.” But the fact is that much of diplomacy and international relations is based on a foundation of trust and reciprocity. Those other countries can turn a whole lot more inhospitable to Americans who want to travel for whatever reasons—personal, family, or business—which, it should be said, previous governments have seen as generally positive or with positive potential for long-term American interests.
Trump is leaving the indelible taint of “We’re facking arseholes and proud of it!” on all things American. In terms of marketing and branding, it’s something between a crying shame and a complete catastrophe.
I've heard stories off and on about for years about how ICE treats detainees roughly. But now they are mistreating First World visitors who can bring attention to their mistreatment.
There's been endless talk - and much praise - for Trump's M.O. of being "transactional", and he is indeed nothing if not that.
And that anyone other than a complete fool would think that these latest "transactions" with our friends, allies and trading partners won't come at a price that can't be measured strictly in dollars is a sign of the low-to-no-value they place on anything that *doesn't* involve *dollars*. Which will ultimately be their downfall, because they may well know the price of everything, but they know the *value* of nothing. And sooner or later, one way or another, they're gonna pay for that.
And however sadly or unfairly, it's odds-on that the rest of us who wanted absolutely no part of this will get caught up in *that* particular transaction as well.
I think that, if Trump were genuinely "transactional," he would make decisions that make more sense. It's sort of like our clergy, who go on about how the parish needs money money money, but, at the same time, don't want us to use the facility we own for events, causing us to have to spend money on renting venues, and don't want to encourage people to contribute by allowing the volunteers to explain why it would be of benefit to them, and so on.
If they just wanted us to have more money, there are rational ways to encourage that. The fact that they're not doing it is strong evidence that they have dementia. And the same with Trump, although I think he was always bonkers.
No argument here. What's been happening with our government since J20 fits my understanding and definition of pointless, aimless, random insanity to a T. Except, of course, for the point and aim of gaining, concentrating and retaining power in the hands of the cooks, crooks, nutjobs and depraved individuals now with their hands on the levers of power.
I have a hard time understanding how so many people actually think this guy is successfully playing some kind of a multi-dimensional chess game with the safety and financial well-being of our country, not to mention its overall health and welfare.
This may sound crazy, but I'm beginning to think that maybe the downstream vaccine effect that needs to be investigated a la RFK Jr is not autism but rather a psychopathology of delusions and hallucinations.
AKA *insanity*.
Maybe he could get us an answer on that one by September as well...
That's a cool TSAF. Evolution is a fascinating thing—how creatures adapt in so many ways for optimum survival.
I have some interesting news...I have been invited to judge a 4H public speaking event ( something I am actually pretty good at) for the county 4H organization..sounds like fun...it is for two hours on a Monday night and my GF is also a judge so we are going together. They hold it at the local JVS...(Joint Vocational School), which is close to where I live.
Tomorrow I am going to go to the local Furniture Store ( they are having a sale) just to look and see what is available for my bedroom remodel.and then to to the local Lowe's for other things I will need..and then Rick and I are going to Texas Roadhouse for dinner where I can use my gift cards from the boss from Christmas.
My insurance company tells me my condo association has to replace the window in my bedroom ( the sill is rotting, due to a roof leak, and also the tracks are out of line, also some damage to the wall next to it...) The association has been ignoring me...
Cool, I understand it is going to be five different types of public speaking, debate being one...I can probably guess the others from my experience in HS taking a class in all the different forms
You might say that it's hard to judge the difference between the two. And I might question your judgement about this and a lot of other things, since you're the one who let me in here in the first place.
That said, I do appreciate your judgement in at least some instances, but if you ever start talkin' like this guy, I'm outta' here. However, if you ever start dressin' like him, well that's your business...
I am a sucker for volunteering to judge, run a committee, and be the treasurer of an organization, ( I really should have thought about going into politics when I was younger, I probably would have been good at it...and I kinda like being in front of people talking to be fair...lol)
It's the birthday anniversary of children's book author Beverly Cleary, author of my favorite kid's books, Henry Higgins, and the first girl I ever had a crush on (before Amelia Earhart), Romona Quimby. Romona The Pest...who can forget Romona...sigh...
Looking at her Wiki bio, I do remember "The Mouse and the Motorcycle," about a talking mouse who rides a toy motorcycle, and who once used a toy ambulance to deliver an aspirin pill to a sick boy who was his friend.
Well, it does speak at least a little bit in your favor that Ramona was a more age-appropriate object of your amorous ambitions than Amelia. But then who am I, who was once destined to marry my 30-something 5th grade teacher, to question what the heart of another wants?
The breaking news out of Chicago is that two piping plovers, the first of the season, have landed at Montrose Beach. These two are bachelors, each banded and known by name, and probably stopping by en route to some other upper Midwestern beaches to look for mates. Locals are hoping that at least one descendant of Monty and Rose returns, finds a mate, and successfully breeds.
This is good news for bachelor piping plovers. Now they can still afford to buy a phone with a dating app on it to help with their upper Midwestern amorous endeavors.
Ha!! And they say Donald Trump doesn't care about wildlife conservation issues!
I'll say it: Donald Trump doesn't care about wildlife conservation issues. And a great many other things as well, like the Constitution and the rule of law, which he wants to replace with the "Rule of Donald."
Well, Phil, one of the other things he obviously doesn't care much about is wrong numbers - phone numbers, not DOGE dollar savings numbers, though he's really shown no regard for Elon's incredible and, uh, numerous flubs in that area either.
I'm surprised this story didn't get a bit more press, if not right when it happened, then shortly afterward, considering the whole Signalgate thing.
BTW, I'm not sure yet what we should call this little faux pas...
McMastergate, maybe?
You have to admit... that does have a certain ring to it, no?
OK. You can give my door to Cynthia; I already have plenty, but she needs to stock up on 'em before any door tariffs (sound of strenuous throat clearing) um, kick in.
Also... an *exclusive* report, brought to you here at CSLF courtesy of yours truly, although exactly what relationship yours has to truly on most days might be suspect.
But I've just received the leaked audio of Donald's reaction on the phone when he was made aware he wasn't speaking to the right McMaster. This was barely covered in the press reports, beyond the President immediately F-bombing the recipient of his butt-dial and, of course, excoriating McMaster in a fashion befitting of the Donald.
But the details are all right here to hear for yourselves... if you're not offended by an angry quack going off halfcocked...
I'm reading the Western media accounts about the you know whats...with florid descriptions of "Xi having to inflict uncaring pain upon his citizens". Reporting from Ground Zero, I'm seeing pretty much nothing but staunch support and everyone hunkering down to give the big middle finger to DJT. No pain here that everyone isn't willing to bear to shove this one right up DJT's keester.
For future reference, the one thing that is the absolutely WORST possible thing to do when negotiating with Chinese is to openly put them in a position where they lose face. It doesn't matter if it's the shoe repair guy in the alley, the itinerant knife sharpener in the village, a vegetable seller in the market, or Big Daddy at the top...Chinese do NOT backdown if it's a matter of saving face. There's a reason that negotiation over here takes place behind closed doors; negotiations involve compromise, and when the doors are opened up and announcements made, both parties can appear to maintain face, even if someone takes a shellacking. When it's done out in the open, like our maggot brained Art Of The Deal moron has done it, it's only going to go bad.
Saving face is crucial across a range of Eastern cultures, not excepting the Chinese. (For that matter, it's important in the West as well). That just shows what a lackluster negotiator Donald Trump really is, relying on bluster more than savvy.
I'm actually not totally opposed to tariffs on PR China, with the goal of increasing US national security and disentangling American supply chains from CPC control. But of course, what Trump is doing has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with Trump's deeply flawed views about tariffs and "making America great again" by re-shoring low-skilled low-paying manufacturing jobs.
Yes. There are multiple major concerns involving trade with China, not the least being we need stuff China has. Need it bad. Looking further ahead than a moment in time and negotiating and stockpiling that stuff would be smart negotiating. What DJT is doing is wildly destructive for national security.
What I find amusing is that Trump appears to understand face saving with Putin, but not with Big Daddy.
My fear for Russia is that Putin's successors more likely to be worse than Putin, not better. Forcing him out might be regrettable. I don't worry about him using nukes, unless he feels cornered.
As for Ukraine, they've lost about 20% of their territory. They don't have the troops to regain it. Continuing to fight risks losing additional territory. It really appears to me to be escalation of commitment, on both sides. That's why I recommend peace now, not later. Now had we sent in armored troops 3 years ago, Ukraine would have won the war. Instead we snuck in advisors to help fire missiles into Russia (according to the NYT), which is a serious WTF moment.
Both Putin and Xi are dictators (sorry Kurt). But Trump's weird affinity for Putin is much greater. I don't really get that either. (The cheap answer is "racism" but I resist cheap answers).
Ukraine may not get their territory back. But it has other things to negotiate, most importantly, security guarantees from the West, then return of abducted Ukrainian children.
I don't think it will get meaningful security guarantees from the west. Ukraine joining NATO is a red Line for Putin. And other than Poland, no one else has much of a military that they can deploy sufficiently to scare off Putin.
I had hopes for the minerals deal, that it would be a face saving way to get military over to Ukraine. The idea was we'd put up a facility that we could use to safeguard our mineral interests. But, wink wink, the fact that US military were there didn't mean we were defending Ukraine, just our own interests. Again, a face saving way to defend Ukraine from a badly wounded Russia.
I also suspect Trump is friendly to Putin in hopes of separating Russia from China.
I hear that, but a cease fire without security guarantees (other than Putin's word, which is worthless) is nothing but a delayed surrender. for Putin to cash in, in the future. Those guarantees may or nay not be NATO membership but it has to involve the West. Britain and France, maybe Germany can add their militaries to Poland's, perhaps with troops on the ground in Ukraine. They seem willing to step up. If that gets Putin's shorts in a wad, that's his problem.
Trump's relationship with Putin I view as personal, not strategic in any way. Trump doesn't think in terms of strategy.
Don't be sorry. When I have no actual knowledge or understanding of complex conditions, I say silly stuff too.
To be clear, China has governance structures that smart people study, they write books on the topic, and intelligent people read them and then they understand stuff.
I have no doubt PR China has efficient administration that could serve as a model. That's separate from the overall character of its government. For most of its history, the Roman Empire had efficient administration as well as despotism.
Everyone loves this old woman. She sees the problems very clearly and is widely quoted for saying what she thinks.
There's plenty of awful stuff if you want to focus on awful stuff. Trying to wrap it all up into a sentence or two insisting it's all evil is simply insisting on being right, which is the most dangerous thing.
I'm not sure why you continue to insist on things you don't understand. You do not understand the "overall characteristic of its government" because I know people that live in it and have spent their lives studying it that don't understand all the intricacies and weirdness. Making such a sweeping statement about an extremely complicated topic tells me you don't understand it.
I would never make any all-inclusive statement about China's government. If you want to pick out specific instances, events, facts, or whatever, you may have something to say that's incisive. There's plenty of stuff that's awful; noting awful stuff is a target rich environment. But...
Making such broad statements tells me you don't know what you're talking about. I don't say that pejoratively or snarky. I mean you don't have fundamental understanding about the complexities of Chinese governance models. It's like someone describing America as all one thing. It's not.
Maybe you could reference one or more books or authors you've read on the topic. There's hundreds, on every side of the topic. Or, an author on Substack, where there's (probably) thousands. Give me which side of the topic to pick on, I can find everything from China's imminent collapse to China owning the entire world and having us all under their thumbs, from China being the actual Christian birthplace to China as devil incarnate.
Actually, don't give me a side to argue. It's counterproductive. I see different sides of the government on a daily basis. It's all over the map. If you want to talk about specifics, I can say the reporting in America is biased in ways I would have never believed until I lived here and knew people that have lived it....and lived some of it myself.
Cm'on, Kurt. No need to argue or be defensive on this subject. As I said before, I think we agree more than we disagree. I respect the observations you have relayed. At the same time, I'm far from certain that your criticisms of my views are warranted. It's clear that this is a "seeing the forest" versus "seeing the trees" issue.
It's also clear you have a trust of the China you know, far more than I trust the China that is a strategic competitor to the US and our allies.
I listened to latest The All-In Pod today. I used to enjoy the show quite a bit, but in recent months have very much grown to dislike most of them. David Friedberg still has valuable insights I think. But over time these tech bros decided they know all the right answers for Ukraine, and US economic policy, US crypto (uggh), DOGE, the good side of RFKjr, etc, etc. It became more and more apparent that they're drinking their own kool-aid.
Anyway, the guest list was promising - with David Sacks (part of the Trump admin), Larry Summers, Ezra Klein and then the rest of the regulars. Summers did a fantastic job keeping his cool and being very disciplined while taking measure of the tariffs. But Sacks was belligerent and angry, engaging in bullying populist rants rather than honest dialogue. In the past he could be argumentative, but now he's just ugly and shouts lies.
My thought was that's what happens to you when you're arguments suck and you have to defend Trump and your fateful decision to be one of his lackeys.
Ezra Klein in fact did a good job saying even if all the populist talk is defensible, the chaotic and incoherent / inconsistent way the admin is going about it makes it more likely to be a terrible outcome.
I think I'll trust Summers over the Masters of the Universe.
This illustrates one of the most damaging aspects of Trump's tariff tirades that I don't believe are fully appreciated within the US. It's one thing to decide that a trade relationship needs to be revised and steps need to be taken to force negotiations. It's quite another though, when he makes it personal. Speaking from a Canadian perspective, it was bad enough when he decided he was going to impose a 25% tariff over a made-up fentanyl issue, but it made things a thousand times worse when he started calling us the "51st State". The result is that there are no American products in our liquor stores and all of our grocery stores now show country-of-origin signs for every product to make it easier to boycott products made in the US. Tesla dealerships are not doing very well right now.
In a recent article, The Economist noted that Trump's recent behavior had made any potential negotiations much more difficult:
"Any gains China won through talks might then be whittled away over time. The country’s leaders also have a lot to lose if discussions go awry. No adviser to Xi Jinping, China’s ruler, would risk exposing him to the kind of public humiliation meted out to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, in February. A trade war is bearable. An Oval Office circus is not."
I suspect that many Europeans have taken note of recent derogatory comments about them by Trump and other members of his administration. The upshot of all of this is that even if new trade agreements are worked out, American exporters may find it difficult to regain traction in a lot of foreign markets.
Regarding face-saving: I’m hard pressed to think of anywhere the method of being exceptionally rude and boorish while making maximum demands actually works out beneficially. The only people he’s apt to kiss up to in order to preserve face reside within the Kremlin walls…
Wait a minute. I don't recall anything about mata matas floating, either from the waist up or otherwise. Cynthia clearly stated, "They sit on the bottom, looking like random debris".
She had what we thought Christy had until we learned Christy had something more severe (a rare venous angioma). I'm praying for Lucy's family, this is tough on them.
*************
I'm writing my next letter to Christy's parents, for her birthday (early May), then her Mom has a milestone birthday in early June. I don't plan to use this story, at least not now.
I've sat on this story for a few months about Christy's ex-BF, the jerk. He broke off with her when she shared her formal diagnosis with him. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of the jerk. What made it worse was that his family was friends with her, and they had socialized together; until the jerk made his jerk move.
Back in January, I learned more about him. LSS an organization I’m in had an opportunity to work with him, but declined. Someone else in the organization had had a bad experience with him, describing him as a jerk. I spoke to that person after the meeting. His family knew of Christy's family, knew of the tragedy, so I shared the story of the jerk being her ex-BF, and how he broke off with her when she told him about her illness. He hadn't heard that part of the story, but was both surprised and not surprised. Not surprised because his being a jerk appears to manifest itself in his work. But surprised because Christy is a female. And the jerk is now out.
Seeing the surprised look on my face, the guy pulled up some social media and yup, he is either out or has been hacked pretty severely. He never married, has no kids, and is active with a leadership role in an LGBTQ organization. Professionally he’s doing well, but he didn’t achieve the goals he had when he dated Christy, when he would brag about himself. I won't share this with her family now, although I suspect they don’t know (they moved away 2 years after Christy’s death).
I remember the funeral, he and his parents got in line about 2 minutes from me. Christy’s mom is a gracious host, civil, polite. I love it when her eyes twinkle as I share a story. At the funeral she hugged me, kissing my cheek while thanking me for my care of her daughter. 2 minutes later when the jerk's family came through she greeted them civilly, politely. But she made Ilsa seem hot in comparison, it felt like the room temperature declined 20 degrees.🥶 If it weren’t for the fact that he was a jerk, I’d have felt sorry for him. But, he was a jerk. And apparently still is.
The thing about Christy was, if he had come out to her as the reason for the breakup she’d have understood, she’d have worried for him, and tried to watch over him. She had a good heart, she'd have been his friend. If he had simply told her long distance wasn’t working, I think she’d have been fine with that too. She and I had talked about that challenge as they dated, she knew it was tough. I shared my experiences of dating a woman who lived two hours away; we dated two years, but couldn't make it work. It’d have still hurt her, but not as bad and she wouldn’t have blamed herself for the breakup. But he chose to blame the breakup on her illness, and it messed with her emotions and confidence.
Had the breakup been amicable, Christy’s parents would also support him now, defend him. But he was a jerk so they dislike him as a result. I don’t wish him any harm, I just don’t respect him either.
So sad....my husband's good friend from residency lost his boy to an AVM. He died suddenly while at high school at age 16. Devastating. Good call to sit on the ex-BF story.
I remember when she told me: "Unless I hemorrhage again, it's likely not short term fatal". She was composed, calm, dealing with it. I had to take a deep breath. But she lived 9-10 months knowing any given day could be her last.
What she hated most was that we treated her with kid gloves after that. She got annoyed when I gave her some bubble wrap as a present. But I was bound and determined not to injure her, knowing it could kill her. Her Mom knew that, and was appreciative, while also slightly amused by it.
Yesterday the popo was at the neighbor's house. Then I saw a couple other unknown cars drive up with official-like people exiting. I thought to myself, "oh no, Bernie has died." Bernie was the ninety-something mom to neighbor Ann who lived with her and her husband. She passed peacefully in her sleep.
This morning I had to 'fess up to my husband and tell him I really didn't think he'd notice the new paint color. He responded with, "there was nothing on the walls and I could smell it."
I would love Kurt's take on the Chinese people's take on the tariff fiasco. Perhaps a guest post soon? I have a friend who works for a retailer that buys a boatload of merchandise from China and one of her vendor invoices included a 111% markup which needed supervisor approval. Needless to say she had a week from hell.
I put something up already further up the line. Reporting from Ground Zero...I'm seeing and hearing nothing but everyone is already giving DJT big double middle fingers and are ready and willing to take on whatever pain is necessary in order to shove this one right up DJT's big fat....
I have friends and acquaintances that are deeply involved in supply chain manufacturing, wherein they do ultra high tech ceramic castings that are shipped to China for assembly into highly complex parts that are then shipped back to America for use in the routine shut down and parts change out maintenance for oil refineries and some other high tech operations. Those refineries are now due for their Spring maintenance. The tariffs have frozen/stopped all trade; no one can do the deals at 145% markups. Containers full of very expensive parts are sitting on both sides of the Pacific. So, guess what comes next? The refineries shut down. They have to. Absent the scheduled maintenance, it's too dangerous to operate. So, we're already so far behind the 8 ball on refinery operations...you can guess what happens next.
I also just read our maggot brain deal maker has exempted iPhones various Apple products and...I think...some chips or something. He just understood he was going to literally bankrupt Apple in a matter of days.
If you do, I’d say you should try to get non-ethanol gas in the hopes of avoiding deterioration. You can also try a fuel stabilizer to help some. But ethanol eventually separates from petroleum, draws water moisture from the air, and introduces water into engine systems where it promotes corrosion…
I don't know about that, C C. But I do know someone we could ask. In fact, I myself would particularly like to hear her answer that question 'cause, like, you know... inquiring minds want to know...
Now, in this age of A1 deep fakes, I feel somewhat obliged to present evidence of the authenticity of the above, so no one can claim I'm biased against the woman Trump hired to close the U.S. Dept. of Education and that I'm trying to use A1 to pull a fast one here...
Don't get me wrong... I love me some A1. And I wish they'd have had it for us back in my school lunch days as it would have been a great alternative to the semi-congealed no-name tomato paste that sometimes passed for ketchup back then. And it's readily available in sizes appropriate for pre-K right up through famished-high-school-senior-who-eats-everything-in-sight-and-goes-looking-for-more...
Now, as to Trump's pick for Education Secretary, I'm hard pressed to see how he could have made a much better choice, since her lack of background in education (or maybe just a lack of education?) not quite being offset by her concern for kids' lunchtime nutrition - is A1 now a school lunch vegetable as ketchup was proposed to be back in the Regan era? If so, I'd think Heinz 57 perhaps a better choice, it being the V-8 Vegetable Juice of brown sauces... but that's just my opinion - I'm thinking maybe with her in charge the kids would all be a whole lot better off if the whole darned shootin' match really was just closed up anyway.
Edit: I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I kinda miss Betsy DeVos.
There would probably be a complete ban on them if not for the fact that Trump and his administration need a steady supply to use in their dealings with the courts and to express their respect for the Constitution and the rule of law.
Good morning. Have a blessed Palm Sunday! 37 when I first got up, 48 not, getting into the 50s and sunny.
Passover started at sundown Friday evening, The Dispatch Faith article at the mothership this morning features 3 reflections on the importance of Passover to Jews, but also for Muslims (as well as Christians of course).
We had 1,500 people at the Spanish Mass, in a building that's supposed to seat 850. Good thing the fire marshal wasn't watching.
Cheap blood test *may* (magic word alert) prove an early diagnostic tool for Parkinson’s before symptoms become obvious:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/12/blood-test-could-detect-parkinsons-disease-before-symptoms-emerge
The test is based on mitochondrial RNA, which makes sense, since some theories suggest Parkinson’s is partly a result of declining mitochondrial numbers and effectiveness. Aspects of this were covered in the book “Brain Energy” by Chris Palmer, a researcher and prof at some school in Boston.
Nothing has as yet been found that can reverse Parkinson’s, but some studies with dietary interventions show promise for various forms of carbohydrate reduced eating patterns.
Another preventive measure appears to be physical exercise, too, which spurs the cellular “recycling” and replacement of mitochondria.
Today's special animal friend is the piping plover, Charadrius melodus. These small shorebirds are found on the Atlantic coast from Virginia north to Canada (subspecies C. m. melodus) and to the western Great Lakes area and the northern Great Plains (subspecies C. m. circumcinctus). They are up to 7.5 inches long with a wingspan around 15 inches. Piping plovers have a pale brown back with white accents, white underside, and black around the neck and on the forehead. The sexes are nearly identical, but the black band on the chest of the male is wider during the breeding season.
Piping plovers live on beaches and sand flats near the Atlantic Ocean, lakes, or rivers. Scuttling across the beach near the high-water line, they forage by sight, eating insects, worms, and small crustaceans. They migrate to the Bahamas, Cuba, other islands, and the north coast of South America in winter, returning to their breeding range in late March to early April.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp2v-mwecFM
Males establish breeding territories on sandy ground above high tide or water lines. They run along their boundary lines to discourage other males and engage in defensive displays by fluffing and calling. A male will court a female with flight displays, feather-fluffing, and silly walks in a circle around her. They are monogamous during the breeding season. The male scrapes several shallow depressions in his territory. The couple does not mate until the female has chosen an acceptable hollow, where she will usually lay four eggs.
Both parents incubate the eggs for about 27 days and then feed and protect them for another 30 days. The young are considered "fledged" when they can fly 50 yards. Like the whip-poor-will, the parents will use the "broken wing display" to distract predators from the young.
Piping plovers are considered Near Threatened by IUCN. The population has been increasing during the 21st century and is estimated to be around 6,500 individuals, about equally divided between the two subspecies. Conservation efforts include habitat protection and expansion and control of predators, which include dogs, cats, foxes, raccoons, skunks, and other mammals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG1wcOckawU
A famous pair of plovers, Monty and Rose, nested at Montrose Beach (get it?) in Chicago in 2019. The pair hatched three chicks in July of 2019. Care of these plovers included cancelling a music festival scheduled for August 2019. The pair returned to Chicago and hatched chicks in 2020. They returned in April of 2021 and laid four eggs. Unfortunately, these eggs were eaten on Wednesday, June 2, by a skunk which reached into their fenced enclosure. The adults were unharmed, and they are very likely to produce more eggs this summer, although second or third nests usually have fewer than four eggs.
https://www.chicagopipingplovers.org/
Environmental groups are active throughout the piping plover's range in both the United States and Canada, taking practical steps to rebuild the population of these cute little birds, one nest at a time.
"Montrose". I should show whoever hatched that stinker the 🚪 (I don't blame Cynthia, who was merely relating the story).
Montrose is a major street in Chicago, with a beach named after it. What is it about the name Montrose that you disapprove of?
I think he's remarking on the pun situation of naming the plovers Monty and Rose, rather than about the concept of "Montrose" itself.
Celebrated animals in public parks in Chicago tend to get nicknames like that, because they catch on with the public. The alligator in the Humboldt Park lagoon was dubbed "Chance the Snapper."
But since Monty and Rose's time, the naming authorities ("a panel of people representing various nature and environmental organizations in Chicago") have put in place protocols that result in giving plovers names that most people will not be able to pronounce or interpret. Nagamo means “he/she sings” in the Ojibwe language.
So fear not! Names of northern European derivation have been shown the door!
Oh, that's a big improvement. (Gah.) I figured Nagamo was Japanese, like Admiral Nagumo in the Battle of Midway.
Thank you! To bring the Chicago part of the story up to date: Monty and Rose are no longer with us, though some of their descendants are living. Last summer, Imani (son of Monty and Rose) and his mate, Sea Rocket (a captive-reared chick released by the Great Lakes Piping Plovers Program) produced four eggs. All hatched, but three of the chicks became ill and died, despite the efforts of the Lincoln Park Zoo to save them. The fourth, named Nagamo, survived and fledged, and the local birding community hopes for his return this summer. There's a group of volunteers who help monitor and protect the plovers in their fenced-off area on the beach.
Thank you for the current information.
Piping plovers my patoot! These feathered imposters are really just run of the mill Killdeer who find the life of a beach bum more attractive than that of a hardworking plover perusing much more mundane midwestern habitat in pursuit of an honest living. The only thing endangered here is the plover work ethic.
Creative rant.
Interesting. I would have imagined they were plentiful thanks to food availability.
They shouldn’t be confused with the squawking plovers reckless drivers might experience booming at them from behind: “You’re driving too fast! I’m gonna need you to plover!”
Pull over and out the 🚪 with you.
But first, open a 🪟 to air out that stinker.
Sounds like it's time to pay the piping plover!
That was a Jay Janney-level effort.
There is plenty of food, but the countervailing pressures of predation and habitat loss are strong.
Well, we have Phil handing out door prizes, so why not start having Jay hand out a prize for effort. Call it a "Janney". Think of it as sort of a Grammy for those who may (or may not) be musically inclined but can't carry a pun in a bucket, no matter how hard they try.
Afternoon, all. Three girl Boy Scouts were there to shoot qualifying rounds for their archery merit badge. It only took about an hour and a half, and that was with some breaks. Nice time had by all.
Also, the Spanish church event was nice. Padre Fidel kept everyone interested for a two hour "tema" (lecture).
Three girl Boy Scouts. 🤣
Was watching something involving fishermen the other day, and the one lady remarked that the females who do it are known to one and all as “girl fishermen”.
At some point in the next decade or so, some terminology will develop that distinguishes girls participating in the erstwhile Boy Scouts of America by some designation other than "girl Boy Scouts."
I went to walk the neighbor's dog and feed the gray cat, but there was no food for the gray cat, so I went to Walmart and bought some and then went back and fed the gray cat, who was super offended at the delay. I pointed out that it was only 7:00 a.m., and my daughter wouldn't have even been up yet, but he was still mad.
RE: 'girl Boy Scouts'
I'm surprised some wingnut hasn't already proposed Non-Binary Scouts.
I was wondering if there are distinguishing terms between girls in the Boy Scouts that identify as girls, and those that identify as boys.
Oh, boy. Here we go...
Given the high concentration of nerdy youth in Scouting and the fashionability of genderized silliness, there are Scouts who identify as trans- or "nonbinary." In my experience, it's dealt with by shrugging. Meanwhile, females and males have separate lodgings and so on.
This corrupt and incompetent administration is also squandering the U.S.A. brand image and reputation by mistreating visitors for no obvious reason.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/04/12/ice-tourist-detention-border-trump-immigration/82740260007/
I’m sure some fans will shrug at this and say, “Big whoop, I only take vacation trips in America.” But the fact is that much of diplomacy and international relations is based on a foundation of trust and reciprocity. Those other countries can turn a whole lot more inhospitable to Americans who want to travel for whatever reasons—personal, family, or business—which, it should be said, previous governments have seen as generally positive or with positive potential for long-term American interests.
Trump is leaving the indelible taint of “We’re facking arseholes and proud of it!” on all things American. In terms of marketing and branding, it’s something between a crying shame and a complete catastrophe.
I've heard stories off and on about for years about how ICE treats detainees roughly. But now they are mistreating First World visitors who can bring attention to their mistreatment.
There's been endless talk - and much praise - for Trump's M.O. of being "transactional", and he is indeed nothing if not that.
And that anyone other than a complete fool would think that these latest "transactions" with our friends, allies and trading partners won't come at a price that can't be measured strictly in dollars is a sign of the low-to-no-value they place on anything that *doesn't* involve *dollars*. Which will ultimately be their downfall, because they may well know the price of everything, but they know the *value* of nothing. And sooner or later, one way or another, they're gonna pay for that.
And however sadly or unfairly, it's odds-on that the rest of us who wanted absolutely no part of this will get caught up in *that* particular transaction as well.
I think that, if Trump were genuinely "transactional," he would make decisions that make more sense. It's sort of like our clergy, who go on about how the parish needs money money money, but, at the same time, don't want us to use the facility we own for events, causing us to have to spend money on renting venues, and don't want to encourage people to contribute by allowing the volunteers to explain why it would be of benefit to them, and so on.
If they just wanted us to have more money, there are rational ways to encourage that. The fact that they're not doing it is strong evidence that they have dementia. And the same with Trump, although I think he was always bonkers.
No argument here. What's been happening with our government since J20 fits my understanding and definition of pointless, aimless, random insanity to a T. Except, of course, for the point and aim of gaining, concentrating and retaining power in the hands of the cooks, crooks, nutjobs and depraved individuals now with their hands on the levers of power.
I have a hard time understanding how so many people actually think this guy is successfully playing some kind of a multi-dimensional chess game with the safety and financial well-being of our country, not to mention its overall health and welfare.
This may sound crazy, but I'm beginning to think that maybe the downstream vaccine effect that needs to be investigated a la RFK Jr is not autism but rather a psychopathology of delusions and hallucinations.
AKA *insanity*.
Maybe he could get us an answer on that one by September as well...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/rfk-jr-says-hhs-will-determine-the-cause-of-autism-by-september/ar-AA1CH29A?ocid=BingNewsSerp
That's a cool TSAF. Evolution is a fascinating thing—how creatures adapt in so many ways for optimum survival.
I have some interesting news...I have been invited to judge a 4H public speaking event ( something I am actually pretty good at) for the county 4H organization..sounds like fun...it is for two hours on a Monday night and my GF is also a judge so we are going together. They hold it at the local JVS...(Joint Vocational School), which is close to where I live.
Tomorrow I am going to go to the local Furniture Store ( they are having a sale) just to look and see what is available for my bedroom remodel.and then to to the local Lowe's for other things I will need..and then Rick and I are going to Texas Roadhouse for dinner where I can use my gift cards from the boss from Christmas.
My insurance company tells me my condo association has to replace the window in my bedroom ( the sill is rotting, due to a roof leak, and also the tracks are out of line, also some damage to the wall next to it...) The association has been ignoring me...
It is still way too cold here...lol
I've done debate competition judging. It is fun.
Cool, I understand it is going to be five different types of public speaking, debate being one...I can probably guess the others from my experience in HS taking a class in all the different forms
I hope it goes well for everyone.
Me too, I will certainly let you guys know how it went...it is on May 5th
So, since the outcome apparently isn't a foregone conclusion, one might say that the outcome is up for debate, mightn't one?
Misfire. Not a pun.
Ha, yes...lol
Woohoo! Have fun with the judging.
The only things I’ve been asked to judge are barroom soliloquies and Trosino’s rants. Or vice-versa, I can’t recall exactly.
You might say that it's hard to judge the difference between the two. And I might question your judgement about this and a lot of other things, since you're the one who let me in here in the first place.
That said, I do appreciate your judgement in at least some instances, but if you ever start talkin' like this guy, I'm outta' here. However, if you ever start dressin' like him, well that's your business...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvJiYrRcfQo
This made me laugh out loud, thanks...
I am a sucker for volunteering to judge, run a committee, and be the treasurer of an organization, ( I really should have thought about going into politics when I was younger, I probably would have been good at it...and I kinda like being in front of people talking to be fair...lol)
It's the birthday anniversary of children's book author Beverly Cleary, author of my favorite kid's books, Henry Higgins, and the first girl I ever had a crush on (before Amelia Earhart), Romona Quimby. Romona The Pest...who can forget Romona...sigh...
Romona always wondered why they sang about the Danzer, which gave off a lee light.
I read so many of Cleary's books as a kid.
I remember that.
"Would you like me to turn on the dawnzer?"
I very much remember the name, but not any of her books. However, I did not read "Ramona the Pest".
Looking at her Wiki bio, I do remember "The Mouse and the Motorcycle," about a talking mouse who rides a toy motorcycle, and who once used a toy ambulance to deliver an aspirin pill to a sick boy who was his friend.
I loved Romona too, though probably in a different way...lol
Also Nancy Drew
I liked Nancy, but Romona inspired me...sigh...
Well, it does speak at least a little bit in your favor that Ramona was a more age-appropriate object of your amorous ambitions than Amelia. But then who am I, who was once destined to marry my 30-something 5th grade teacher, to question what the heart of another wants?
I always knew it could never work with Amelia, but Romona...Romona...sigh...
The breaking news out of Chicago is that two piping plovers, the first of the season, have landed at Montrose Beach. These two are bachelors, each banded and known by name, and probably stopping by en route to some other upper Midwestern beaches to look for mates. Locals are hoping that at least one descendant of Monty and Rose returns, finds a mate, and successfully breeds.
I have an article on the piping plovers. I'll put it in the comments tomorrow.
And in other breaking news, Trump has now exempted phones, computers and other electronics from his "reciprocal" tariffs...
https://thehill.com/business/5246072-trump-tariffs-exemptions-phone-semiconductor-chips-computers/
This is good news for bachelor piping plovers. Now they can still afford to buy a phone with a dating app on it to help with their upper Midwestern amorous endeavors.
Ha!! And they say Donald Trump doesn't care about wildlife conservation issues!
I'll say it: Donald Trump doesn't care about wildlife conservation issues. And a great many other things as well, like the Constitution and the rule of law, which he wants to replace with the "Rule of Donald."
Well, Phil, one of the other things he obviously doesn't care much about is wrong numbers - phone numbers, not DOGE dollar savings numbers, though he's really shown no regard for Elon's incredible and, uh, numerous flubs in that area either.
I'm surprised this story didn't get a bit more press, if not right when it happened, then shortly afterward, considering the whole Signalgate thing.
BTW, I'm not sure yet what we should call this little faux pas...
McMastergate, maybe?
You have to admit... that does have a certain ring to it, no?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-mcmaster-call-wrong-number-b2730657.html
OK. You can give my door to Cynthia; I already have plenty, but she needs to stock up on 'em before any door tariffs (sound of strenuous throat clearing) um, kick in.
Also... an *exclusive* report, brought to you here at CSLF courtesy of yours truly, although exactly what relationship yours has to truly on most days might be suspect.
But I've just received the leaked audio of Donald's reaction on the phone when he was made aware he wasn't speaking to the right McMaster. This was barely covered in the press reports, beyond the President immediately F-bombing the recipient of his butt-dial and, of course, excoriating McMaster in a fashion befitting of the Donald.
But the details are all right here to hear for yourselves... if you're not offended by an angry quack going off halfcocked...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoLdlmr-v2w
So on those days where nothing seems to be going your way and you wonder, "Geez, what else could possibly go wrong?"
And then the phone rings ...
🤣
An informative report, so I'll ignore the lame pun buried deep within. . .
Why, thank you, Phil. I was going for informative and lame. But Cynthia's probably going to be disappointed.
Sorry, Cynthia. I tried.
If something terrible gets in here because I don't have enough doors, it's going to be Phil's fault.
I'm happy to add lame to informative. 🙂
At this point I'd settle for Donald Duck.
Your wish is my command, C C. C above...
Thank you. But Mr. Duck himself is clearly making more sense than the other one usually does.
HUh, not surprising as he has the Tech guys asking for this most likely
Cool. Two guys...they might have been looking for Belmont, got lost, and ended up a little too far north.
Not a cat. A piece of trash--wait, no, it's a turtle.
I'm reading the Western media accounts about the you know whats...with florid descriptions of "Xi having to inflict uncaring pain upon his citizens". Reporting from Ground Zero, I'm seeing pretty much nothing but staunch support and everyone hunkering down to give the big middle finger to DJT. No pain here that everyone isn't willing to bear to shove this one right up DJT's keester.
For future reference, the one thing that is the absolutely WORST possible thing to do when negotiating with Chinese is to openly put them in a position where they lose face. It doesn't matter if it's the shoe repair guy in the alley, the itinerant knife sharpener in the village, a vegetable seller in the market, or Big Daddy at the top...Chinese do NOT backdown if it's a matter of saving face. There's a reason that negotiation over here takes place behind closed doors; negotiations involve compromise, and when the doors are opened up and announcements made, both parties can appear to maintain face, even if someone takes a shellacking. When it's done out in the open, like our maggot brained Art Of The Deal moron has done it, it's only going to go bad.
Saving face is crucial across a range of Eastern cultures, not excepting the Chinese. (For that matter, it's important in the West as well). That just shows what a lackluster negotiator Donald Trump really is, relying on bluster more than savvy.
I'm actually not totally opposed to tariffs on PR China, with the goal of increasing US national security and disentangling American supply chains from CPC control. But of course, what Trump is doing has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with Trump's deeply flawed views about tariffs and "making America great again" by re-shoring low-skilled low-paying manufacturing jobs.
Yes. There are multiple major concerns involving trade with China, not the least being we need stuff China has. Need it bad. Looking further ahead than a moment in time and negotiating and stockpiling that stuff would be smart negotiating. What DJT is doing is wildly destructive for national security.
What I find amusing is that Trump appears to understand face saving with Putin, but not with Big Daddy.
My fear for Russia is that Putin's successors more likely to be worse than Putin, not better. Forcing him out might be regrettable. I don't worry about him using nukes, unless he feels cornered.
As for Ukraine, they've lost about 20% of their territory. They don't have the troops to regain it. Continuing to fight risks losing additional territory. It really appears to me to be escalation of commitment, on both sides. That's why I recommend peace now, not later. Now had we sent in armored troops 3 years ago, Ukraine would have won the war. Instead we snuck in advisors to help fire missiles into Russia (according to the NYT), which is a serious WTF moment.
Both Putin and Xi are dictators (sorry Kurt). But Trump's weird affinity for Putin is much greater. I don't really get that either. (The cheap answer is "racism" but I resist cheap answers).
Ukraine may not get their territory back. But it has other things to negotiate, most importantly, security guarantees from the West, then return of abducted Ukrainian children.
I don't think it will get meaningful security guarantees from the west. Ukraine joining NATO is a red Line for Putin. And other than Poland, no one else has much of a military that they can deploy sufficiently to scare off Putin.
I had hopes for the minerals deal, that it would be a face saving way to get military over to Ukraine. The idea was we'd put up a facility that we could use to safeguard our mineral interests. But, wink wink, the fact that US military were there didn't mean we were defending Ukraine, just our own interests. Again, a face saving way to defend Ukraine from a badly wounded Russia.
I also suspect Trump is friendly to Putin in hopes of separating Russia from China.
I hear that, but a cease fire without security guarantees (other than Putin's word, which is worthless) is nothing but a delayed surrender. for Putin to cash in, in the future. Those guarantees may or nay not be NATO membership but it has to involve the West. Britain and France, maybe Germany can add their militaries to Poland's, perhaps with troops on the ground in Ukraine. They seem willing to step up. If that gets Putin's shorts in a wad, that's his problem.
Trump's relationship with Putin I view as personal, not strategic in any way. Trump doesn't think in terms of strategy.
Don't be sorry. When I have no actual knowledge or understanding of complex conditions, I say silly stuff too.
To be clear, China has governance structures that smart people study, they write books on the topic, and intelligent people read them and then they understand stuff.
I have no doubt PR China has efficient administration that could serve as a model. That's separate from the overall character of its government. For most of its history, the Roman Empire had efficient administration as well as despotism.
Here....read this...
https://open.substack.com/pub/ctexp/p/ms-zi-zhongyuns-six-proposals-to?r=286fkw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Everyone loves this old woman. She sees the problems very clearly and is widely quoted for saying what she thinks.
There's plenty of awful stuff if you want to focus on awful stuff. Trying to wrap it all up into a sentence or two insisting it's all evil is simply insisting on being right, which is the most dangerous thing.
I'm not sure why you continue to insist on things you don't understand. You do not understand the "overall characteristic of its government" because I know people that live in it and have spent their lives studying it that don't understand all the intricacies and weirdness. Making such a sweeping statement about an extremely complicated topic tells me you don't understand it.
I would never make any all-inclusive statement about China's government. If you want to pick out specific instances, events, facts, or whatever, you may have something to say that's incisive. There's plenty of stuff that's awful; noting awful stuff is a target rich environment. But...
Making such broad statements tells me you don't know what you're talking about. I don't say that pejoratively or snarky. I mean you don't have fundamental understanding about the complexities of Chinese governance models. It's like someone describing America as all one thing. It's not.
Maybe you could reference one or more books or authors you've read on the topic. There's hundreds, on every side of the topic. Or, an author on Substack, where there's (probably) thousands. Give me which side of the topic to pick on, I can find everything from China's imminent collapse to China owning the entire world and having us all under their thumbs, from China being the actual Christian birthplace to China as devil incarnate.
Actually, don't give me a side to argue. It's counterproductive. I see different sides of the government on a daily basis. It's all over the map. If you want to talk about specifics, I can say the reporting in America is biased in ways I would have never believed until I lived here and knew people that have lived it....and lived some of it myself.
Cm'on, Kurt. No need to argue or be defensive on this subject. As I said before, I think we agree more than we disagree. I respect the observations you have relayed. At the same time, I'm far from certain that your criticisms of my views are warranted. It's clear that this is a "seeing the forest" versus "seeing the trees" issue.
It's also clear you have a trust of the China you know, far more than I trust the China that is a strategic competitor to the US and our allies.
Let's acknowledge our different perspectives.
I listened to latest The All-In Pod today. I used to enjoy the show quite a bit, but in recent months have very much grown to dislike most of them. David Friedberg still has valuable insights I think. But over time these tech bros decided they know all the right answers for Ukraine, and US economic policy, US crypto (uggh), DOGE, the good side of RFKjr, etc, etc. It became more and more apparent that they're drinking their own kool-aid.
Anyway, the guest list was promising - with David Sacks (part of the Trump admin), Larry Summers, Ezra Klein and then the rest of the regulars. Summers did a fantastic job keeping his cool and being very disciplined while taking measure of the tariffs. But Sacks was belligerent and angry, engaging in bullying populist rants rather than honest dialogue. In the past he could be argumentative, but now he's just ugly and shouts lies.
My thought was that's what happens to you when you're arguments suck and you have to defend Trump and your fateful decision to be one of his lackeys.
Ezra Klein in fact did a good job saying even if all the populist talk is defensible, the chaotic and incoherent / inconsistent way the admin is going about it makes it more likely to be a terrible outcome.
I think I'll trust Summers over the Masters of the Universe.
It’s everything I expected of Trump and his clown car. We're only at the very beginning of seeing the damage this moron is doing.
This illustrates one of the most damaging aspects of Trump's tariff tirades that I don't believe are fully appreciated within the US. It's one thing to decide that a trade relationship needs to be revised and steps need to be taken to force negotiations. It's quite another though, when he makes it personal. Speaking from a Canadian perspective, it was bad enough when he decided he was going to impose a 25% tariff over a made-up fentanyl issue, but it made things a thousand times worse when he started calling us the "51st State". The result is that there are no American products in our liquor stores and all of our grocery stores now show country-of-origin signs for every product to make it easier to boycott products made in the US. Tesla dealerships are not doing very well right now.
In a recent article, The Economist noted that Trump's recent behavior had made any potential negotiations much more difficult:
"Any gains China won through talks might then be whittled away over time. The country’s leaders also have a lot to lose if discussions go awry. No adviser to Xi Jinping, China’s ruler, would risk exposing him to the kind of public humiliation meted out to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, in February. A trade war is bearable. An Oval Office circus is not."
I suspect that many Europeans have taken note of recent derogatory comments about them by Trump and other members of his administration. The upshot of all of this is that even if new trade agreements are worked out, American exporters may find it difficult to regain traction in a lot of foreign markets.
Mr. Art Of The Deal is every bit the shyster I knew him to be. The damage he’s doing is immeasurable.
Regarding face-saving: I’m hard pressed to think of anywhere the method of being exceptionally rude and boorish while making maximum demands actually works out beneficially. The only people he’s apt to kiss up to in order to preserve face reside within the Kremlin walls…
Exactly right.
Tango Vals for Mata Mata:
🎵Oh, mata mata,
I long to embrace
(my mata mata)
your half-yard long carapace.🎵
🎵I stretch my neck and flap my skin flaps at you.🎵
https://www.ultimatetango.com/blog/tango-vals-on-viennese-waltz-and-argentine-tango
That was really cool.
Amazing dancing. It’s like they’re floating from the waist up.
Wait a minute. I don't recall anything about mata matas floating, either from the waist up or otherwise. Cynthia clearly stated, "They sit on the bottom, looking like random debris".
Maybe I was thinking of a hovering sombrero.
https://youtu.be/waRnqxWNJ2Q?si=p1Yvr2op-Yr2Kfv5
Yeah, it is. I am a pretty decent dancer, but, not this good, though if I had decided to work on it, I might have been...lol
I have a troubled relationship with turtles.
Because it's hard for you to come out of your shell with them, maybe?
The first date is always a turtle disaster.
Do tell?
I have some friends who always have turtles
I read that Lucy Markovic, an Aussie 27yo model just died.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/lucy-markovic-star-of-australia-s-next-top-model-dies-age-27/ar-AA1CIymj?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=60e0714b687a498aba1db33142526dc7&ei=62
She had what we thought Christy had until we learned Christy had something more severe (a rare venous angioma). I'm praying for Lucy's family, this is tough on them.
*************
I'm writing my next letter to Christy's parents, for her birthday (early May), then her Mom has a milestone birthday in early June. I don't plan to use this story, at least not now.
I've sat on this story for a few months about Christy's ex-BF, the jerk. He broke off with her when she shared her formal diagnosis with him. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of the jerk. What made it worse was that his family was friends with her, and they had socialized together; until the jerk made his jerk move.
Back in January, I learned more about him. LSS an organization I’m in had an opportunity to work with him, but declined. Someone else in the organization had had a bad experience with him, describing him as a jerk. I spoke to that person after the meeting. His family knew of Christy's family, knew of the tragedy, so I shared the story of the jerk being her ex-BF, and how he broke off with her when she told him about her illness. He hadn't heard that part of the story, but was both surprised and not surprised. Not surprised because his being a jerk appears to manifest itself in his work. But surprised because Christy is a female. And the jerk is now out.
Seeing the surprised look on my face, the guy pulled up some social media and yup, he is either out or has been hacked pretty severely. He never married, has no kids, and is active with a leadership role in an LGBTQ organization. Professionally he’s doing well, but he didn’t achieve the goals he had when he dated Christy, when he would brag about himself. I won't share this with her family now, although I suspect they don’t know (they moved away 2 years after Christy’s death).
I remember the funeral, he and his parents got in line about 2 minutes from me. Christy’s mom is a gracious host, civil, polite. I love it when her eyes twinkle as I share a story. At the funeral she hugged me, kissing my cheek while thanking me for my care of her daughter. 2 minutes later when the jerk's family came through she greeted them civilly, politely. But she made Ilsa seem hot in comparison, it felt like the room temperature declined 20 degrees.🥶 If it weren’t for the fact that he was a jerk, I’d have felt sorry for him. But, he was a jerk. And apparently still is.
The thing about Christy was, if he had come out to her as the reason for the breakup she’d have understood, she’d have worried for him, and tried to watch over him. She had a good heart, she'd have been his friend. If he had simply told her long distance wasn’t working, I think she’d have been fine with that too. She and I had talked about that challenge as they dated, she knew it was tough. I shared my experiences of dating a woman who lived two hours away; we dated two years, but couldn't make it work. It’d have still hurt her, but not as bad and she wouldn’t have blamed herself for the breakup. But he chose to blame the breakup on her illness, and it messed with her emotions and confidence.
Had the breakup been amicable, Christy’s parents would also support him now, defend him. But he was a jerk so they dislike him as a result. I don’t wish him any harm, I just don’t respect him either.
So sad....my husband's good friend from residency lost his boy to an AVM. He died suddenly while at high school at age 16. Devastating. Good call to sit on the ex-BF story.
I remember when she told me: "Unless I hemorrhage again, it's likely not short term fatal". She was composed, calm, dealing with it. I had to take a deep breath. But she lived 9-10 months knowing any given day could be her last.
What she hated most was that we treated her with kid gloves after that. She got annoyed when I gave her some bubble wrap as a present. But I was bound and determined not to injure her, knowing it could kill her. Her Mom knew that, and was appreciative, while also slightly amused by it.
Yesterday the popo was at the neighbor's house. Then I saw a couple other unknown cars drive up with official-like people exiting. I thought to myself, "oh no, Bernie has died." Bernie was the ninety-something mom to neighbor Ann who lived with her and her husband. She passed peacefully in her sleep.
This morning I had to 'fess up to my husband and tell him I really didn't think he'd notice the new paint color. He responded with, "there was nothing on the walls and I could smell it."
Taupe.
There's a fine line between taupe and gray.
Also between taupe and dirt.
Hey now!
Wasn't that a song by The Persuaders...(?)
Today’s post should have included some recipe suggestions from Kurt, tbqh.
Don't do it.
I would love Kurt's take on the Chinese people's take on the tariff fiasco. Perhaps a guest post soon? I have a friend who works for a retailer that buys a boatload of merchandise from China and one of her vendor invoices included a 111% markup which needed supervisor approval. Needless to say she had a week from hell.
I put something up already further up the line. Reporting from Ground Zero...I'm seeing and hearing nothing but everyone is already giving DJT big double middle fingers and are ready and willing to take on whatever pain is necessary in order to shove this one right up DJT's big fat....
I have friends and acquaintances that are deeply involved in supply chain manufacturing, wherein they do ultra high tech ceramic castings that are shipped to China for assembly into highly complex parts that are then shipped back to America for use in the routine shut down and parts change out maintenance for oil refineries and some other high tech operations. Those refineries are now due for their Spring maintenance. The tariffs have frozen/stopped all trade; no one can do the deals at 145% markups. Containers full of very expensive parts are sitting on both sides of the Pacific. So, guess what comes next? The refineries shut down. They have to. Absent the scheduled maintenance, it's too dangerous to operate. So, we're already so far behind the 8 ball on refinery operations...you can guess what happens next.
I also just read our maggot brain deal maker has exempted iPhones various Apple products and...I think...some chips or something. He just understood he was going to literally bankrupt Apple in a matter of days.
Are you saying I need to fill those 3 gas cans I bought during Covid? That’s insane!
If you do, I’d say you should try to get non-ethanol gas in the hopes of avoiding deterioration. You can also try a fuel stabilizer to help some. But ethanol eventually separates from petroleum, draws water moisture from the air, and introduces water into engine systems where it promotes corrosion…
I'm not saying anything about what anyone should do. I'm as confused as everyone else.
RE: giving DJT middle fingers
I'm wondering where the U.S. might start importing those from when demand here starts outstripping supply.
Wait. What am I thinking? Never gonna happen.
But it should. And it would, if a lot more of us knew what's good for us than obviously do.
Doesn't AI have a supply of extra fingers?
I don't know about that, C C. But I do know someone we could ask. In fact, I myself would particularly like to hear her answer that question 'cause, like, you know... inquiring minds want to know...
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6QL0c5BbCR4
Now, in this age of A1 deep fakes, I feel somewhat obliged to present evidence of the authenticity of the above, so no one can claim I'm biased against the woman Trump hired to close the U.S. Dept. of Education and that I'm trying to use A1 to pull a fast one here...
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ai-education-linda-mcmahon/
Don't get me wrong... I love me some A1. And I wish they'd have had it for us back in my school lunch days as it would have been a great alternative to the semi-congealed no-name tomato paste that sometimes passed for ketchup back then. And it's readily available in sizes appropriate for pre-K right up through famished-high-school-senior-who-eats-everything-in-sight-and-goes-looking-for-more...
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/vendor/a-1-sauce.html?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=DSA%20%7C%20Text%20%7C%20Vendor%20%7C%20Purchaser&utm_term=Vendor&utm_content=Vendor%20Label
Now, as to Trump's pick for Education Secretary, I'm hard pressed to see how he could have made a much better choice, since her lack of background in education (or maybe just a lack of education?) not quite being offset by her concern for kids' lunchtime nutrition - is A1 now a school lunch vegetable as ketchup was proposed to be back in the Regan era? If so, I'd think Heinz 57 perhaps a better choice, it being the V-8 Vegetable Juice of brown sauces... but that's just my opinion - I'm thinking maybe with her in charge the kids would all be a whole lot better off if the whole darned shootin' match really was just closed up anyway.
Edit: I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I kinda miss Betsy DeVos.
Isn't there a 25% tariff on giant middle fingers?
There would probably be a complete ban on them if not for the fact that Trump and his administration need a steady supply to use in their dealings with the courts and to express their respect for the Constitution and the rule of law.