rjshae

Loni Anderson of WKRP fame, age 79.

At one time there was a hope that states might start to move past Gerrymandering, but then Trump won. Texas Republicans aim to redraw House districts at Trump’s urging, but there’s a risk On DJT's behest, the Pubs are trying to gerrymander Texas to gain 5 seats in the House. What do the Dems do in response? How California draws congressional districts, and why it might change in a proxy war with Trump Texas has 38 seats, of which 13 or so are Democrat California has 52 seats, of which 9 are Republican.

Penny Dreadful is quite well done. It's like watching a Masterpiece Theater series, except it's 19th century horror. Eva Green remains a particularly good actor who is perfect for her role, and the cast is marvelous.

Trump removes official overseeing jobs data after dismal employment report Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that the type of action only a rather stupid person would take? "Speak not into the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of your words.”

I present to you, the very first meeting of this administration's economic team: Et voilà, the plan for world-crushing tariffs is born.

Weirdly, I find this song cleanses my musical palette. Maybe it's the contrast between the guitar distortion and Kim Deal's haunting background melody? But, where is my mind?

Canada is the largest exporter of energy goods to the USA, and that is the sole cause of the trade deficit between the two nations. DJT seems to view trade as a zero-sum game, so he's looking to zero out our trade deficit with Canada. Well just stop importing oil from Canada then. Sure, sure, the price at the pump will go way up.

Yes, this may be currently driven by the stockpiling that took place during the early period of DJT's tarrif threats. Eventually these will run out and the increased cost of imports will need to be absorbed. It's already hitting the Auto industry in the form of billions in losses that the companies have had to absorb.

Countries keep holding out recognition as if it is an incentive to settle on peace. But that just isn't happening. Just recognize the palestinians already and move on. Recognition is no guarantee of survival. But perhaps it'll get them talking to each other.

To stay where nobody has stayed before...

The way I read it, this is a "framework" for a trade deal. The details have yet to be worked out, and those may balance the equation depending on the particular classes of goods. I suspect Germany supports it because of their energy needs (per Russia embargoes); France, naturally, does not. The revenue differences may instead be balanced out with digital taxes, &c. Then again, DJT is known for his negotiating flakiness, so who knows how long it will last?

Professor Tom Lehrer at age 97, the author of so many fine satirical songs. Many youngsters probably don't know him.

Man down...

Yeah, but for every Foxconn there are dozens of US businesses that are hurt by Tariffs. It's going to be a two-way street, and in the end it's a gamble how it will all turn out. They also destabilize the market, reducing incentives to invest in the short term, and make the US less competitive.

I'm starting to view the tariffs as a form of gambling, a tactic that DJT seems to enjoy. They don't really generate significant wealth on the whole, but they can be used as a type of shell game with presumably DJT being the only one who knows where the marker is hidden. The real victim of the tariffs will be the public, through higher prices and more limited good selection.

Scientists are developing artificial blood that could save lives in emergencies If it works in humans, this could be an amazing advance. Good to see.

Maybe it's like that story of the UNIX server that got buried behind a wall and just kept running? Hopefully he's still patching the server for security flaws. Missing Novell server discovered after four years

At first I wasn't all that interested in D. Trump's connection with Epstein; after all, you can say similar things about W. Clinton. But DJT is putting so much effort into distracting from Epstein, that I'm starting to wonder if there's more to it. Heh. This thing could backfire. Wouldn't that be fun? Meanwhile: Johnson sending House home early amid push to force Epstein files vote and: House Republicans propose naming Kennedy Center's opera house after Melania Trump Amusing.

Picard gets an 89 rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but a fan rating of 57. Either it's been review bombed, or this is one of those shows where the critics differ significantly from the fans. ... I do wonder though how the crew smell the odorless deuterium gas... maybe there's an additive, like we do with methane?

RIP Ozzy

I'm trying hard to avoid noticing, but Stewart's age issues with his voice just break my sense of immersion. It's unfortunate. There are some likeable characters in the series though, so I've enjoyed it.

It feels like they are trying to introduce a horror vibe. Watching the Gorn youth skitter about is a strong Alien trope.

A drinking song... sort of.