Useless fact of the day: It Took 23 Years to Decipher the Rosetta Stone – talk about fortitude! And this was mostly the work of two men, one English and one French. The stone is on display in England; seems to me like it belongs in Egypt. Then again, recall how many of the world’s antiquities end up at the home of the former British Empire.
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So, 30 or more people died in bad weather, mainly tornadoes in Missouri, etc. But Musk wants Trump to fire thousands of NOAA workers, some of whom predict such things! And didja know the NOAA also monitors avalanche conditions?
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Didja know that Trump said this: Media organizations that report negative things about him “are really no different than a highly paid political operative,” insisting, “it has to stop, it has to be illegal” because “it’s influencing judges and it’s really, eh, changing law, and it just cannot be legal.” – He specifically mentioned MSNBC and CNN. So, in his mind, there is no such thing as freedom of the press or speech, and the first amendment does not count.
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I might have mentioned before that one of the first things I do every day is look at some comics. Here’s someone else’s take on humor: “Aside from merely making us feel better, it stands to reason that learning to look for levity in difficult or frustrating situations can help promote a more optimistic perspective overall.” Also, partly why I read the LA Times (comics) and not the NY Times (no comics).
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Note to the Democratic Party: Determine what Trump wants, and, like McConnell did to Obama, do the opposite – every damn time!
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President Donald Trump has pardoned Brian Kelsey, a former Tennessee lawmaker who pleaded guilty to a campaign finance scheme in 2022, after the Republican served just two weeks of his 21-month prison sentence.
Kelsey said on social media after his release Tuesday that he believed “God used Donald Trump to save me from the weaponized Biden DOJ.”
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Basketball fans: Something I believe, especially with the 3-point shot, (something I did not grow up with) — Good defense wins close games – hot shooting wins all games.
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Every day, some new attack. Today, Sunday the 16th, this: All full-time employees with the government-funded Voice of America, the nation’s largest international broadcaster, were informed Saturday that they have been placed on administrative leave, multiple sources confirmed to CBS News.
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Tee shirt I saw: “I married my wife for her looks, but not the ones she’s been giving me lately.”
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Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin announced dozens of regulations on polluting businesses that will be rolled back. – Just great. We don’t need clean air or water, do we?
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ABC News: Following the Department of Education’s gutting of nearly 50% of its workforce Tuesday evening, educators have expressed deep concern — not only for students’ futures but for their own as well. – and at Johns Hopkins U.: “Because of these funding terminations, we are in the process of winding down USAID grant-related activities … including impactful work to provide maternal and infant care, prevent the spread of diseases, and provide clean drinking water,” he wrote. Many years ago, I took some courses at Johns Hopkins.
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During its construction, the Great Wall of China was called “the longest cemetery on earth” because so many people died building it. Reportedly, it cost the lives of more than one million people. Provided by FactRetriever.com
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Donald Trump doesn’t have the authority to invalidate Joe Biden’s pardons. The Republican is apparently simply asserting the right anyway. – For the first time in American history, a sitting president is asserting the right to invalidate a predecessor’s pardons.
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Will American-made goods get cheaper if imports go up in price? A: In fact, tariffs generally lead to price increases for imported and domestic goods, because the latter face less foreign-price competition. And: Overall, studies conservatively estimate that American households save thousands of dollars a year from the lower prices, increased variety, and global competition fomented by international trade. – The Atlantic
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Some Republicans say that they are now “the party of workers.” Then why this? President Donald Trump has revoked an executive order from his predecessor that increased the minimum wage for federal contractors, a move that could end up stripping low-wage workers of a pay raise. But, the party of workers???!! Them?
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President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, suggested in a Monday Fox News appearance that the nation’s justice system would not keep the Trump administration from fulfilling its mission to deport any immigrants it deems dangerous. “We’re not stopping. I don’t care what the judges think.” – So, lessee, the judicial branch of the government no longer matters?
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From Robert Reich on 3/17: “Trump has openly violated numerous laws and constitutional provisions — such ending birthright citizenship; giving associates of Elon Musk’s government-slashing effort access to a sensitive Treasury Department system; transferring transgender female inmates to male prisons; placing thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development employees on leave; and effectively dismantling U.S.A.I.D. In response, federal judges have temporarily barred a slew of Trump orders from taking effect.
But not until today has Trump or his regime openly and blatantly refused to follow a judge’s order.” Update: I think this will happen more and more.
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College Sports: The NCAA has agreed to permanently drop its rule prohibiting athletes from negotiating the terms of name, image and likeness (NIL) payments until after they enroll in school. And, despite efforts to keep money from becoming an inducement, many coaches have publicly stated that NIL packages are a major factor in the decision-making process of recruits.
This effectively ends the charade of purely amateur college sports.
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One of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) most critical roles is to observe the oceans, which are undergoing rapid and largely unexplained change. President Donald Trump just fired the scientists who monitor them — and experts say it comes at the worst possible time. – per CNN
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In a story about a research station in Antarctica: The current team were expected to be at the Sanae IV base until December. Again, “team” is singular, whereas “were” is plural. It’s a collective noun, like “herd,” or “group” and gets an “is” or “was.” You could say “the team members,” and then it would be plural.
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Some of you know my history of publishing four books on Amazon. I don’t look at the stats often, but my best seller, The Bucko Mate: Twenty Years in the Merchant Marine, has now sold over 3,300 copies, and has 230 ratings, with a 4.2 average out of five stars.
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Headline I saw online: “Why do the US have military bases all over the world?” Is this like that Southern expression, “How do?” which I guess is short for “How do you do?” Do?
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Per Ali Bustamante, director of worker power and economic security at Roosevelt Institute: “. . . . The Trump administration’s vision is clear: force a recession, break the public sector and weaken social protections, all hoping that something better will emerge on the other side. But history has shown us what actually happens — higher inequality, lower wages and an economy rigged even further in favor of the ultrawealthy. Economic downturns don’t just disappear once the pain subsides; they leave behind long-term damage.” – He knows more than I do, so I’ll leave it here. I am reminded of a quote from one of my favorite movies, The Monuments Men, in which a character says of Hitler: “He wanted it all.”
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Enough for today. A little longer than normal, sorry. Nice day here. Sun is out and our fix it guys are taking the old fireplace out!
All take care,
Kevin
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