Samuel Johnson: “Being on a ship is like being in jail – with the chance of drowning.”
Not exactly words to live by for a sailor. Here’s a mate’s saying from my time:
“A collision at sea can ruin your whole day.”
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Useless “This Week in History” fact: The first roller coaster in American opened on Coney Island, New York, in 1884.
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In the wake of the attacks (Minnesota politician shootings), prominent right-wing social media commentators and conspiracy theorists were quick to falsely lay blame at the feet of victims and Democrats. – Wait, does Hillary own a gun, and where was she then?
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Why I think that the Arizona State Retirement System is one of the best: ASRS total fund returns (net of fees) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024 were 9.0%.
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The head of technology and innovation at Britain’s MI6 foreign intelligence agency — the real-life equivalent of James Bond’s gadget-master Q — has been promoted to the country’s top spy job. And for the first time in the agency’s 116-year history, the MI6 chief — codename C — will be a woman. – This happened in some James Bond movies, but now in real life. Note: their MI6 is foreign, like our CIA, while their MI5 is domestic, like our FBI.
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“We should be able to make progress now that the Americans are at the kids’ table.”
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Trump’s chaotic immigration crackdown, which is starting to have an effect on certain industries, and which Trump is openly saying he’ll use to target cities run by Democrats. – Well, hell, there might be some Republican businesses that need cheap labor! Blast from the past; the Barry Goldwater family owned a large orange grove that employed illegal immigrants, and some of them lived in squalor in the grove . . . well, he understood this: Undocumented immigrants make up 4% to 5% of the total US workforce, but 15% to 20% or more in industries such as crop production, food processing and construction, according to Goldman Sachs.
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Similarly, and with no surprise: The Environmental Protection Agency has told staff overseeing the country’s industrialized Midwest — a region plagued by a legacy of pollution — to stop enforcing violations against fossil fuel companies, multiple sources told CNN.
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From Robert Reich, one of my writer heroes: “America has tried so-called “trickle-down” economics before — under Reagan, George W. Bush, and the first Trump administration — but nothing trickled down. The rich got richer and almost everyone else fell behind. Meanwhile, the federal budget deficit and national debt soared.”
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The Trump administration canceled a deal, signed under President Joe Biden, that would have enabled the removal of four hydroelectric dams along the Columbia River that are considered harmful to salmon.
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In all, close to 100 Americans have died in dozens of tornadoes, straight-line windstorms, floods and wildfires since Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. None has merited a presidential visit. – silly, did you think he can steal time from golf?
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Tuesday: So, Trump says “we” control the skies over Iran; and “we” know where their leader is but will not kill him for now, and he wants “unconditional surrender.” — Wait, when did Congress declare war on Iran? How do you demand surrender of a country you are not at war with?
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Posted online:
My wife says I can be an idiot sometimes.
It’s nice of her to give me permission.
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pardons for more than 1,500 criminal offenders could save the group more than $1 billion in fines and restitution payments they’d been sentenced to pay. – Well, Trump doesn’t usually pay up when he loses either. How much does he still own that woman he attacked?
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Arkansas accounts for an incredible 40% of U.S. rice cultivation. Arkansas’ annual output is more than double that of California, which ranks second among U.S. states, followed by Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas. — I would have guessed La. would be first.
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Trump finally said something truthful: “I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters at the White House. “I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.” – including himself!
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On Juneteenth, Trump complained about workers having too many holidays. On that particular holiday, of course. His core, racist supporters understand that. It reminds me of Reagan talking a lot about “states rights.” He also said apartheid wasn’t all bad. They got that, too.
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I can’t resist this:
A cat walks into a bar. The bartender says, “What do you want?” The cat says, “A glass of whiskey.” The bartender puts in on the bar. The cat knocks it onto the floor, and says, “Gimme another one!”
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In sports, I gotta root for Coastal Carolina in the college men’s world series of baseball. They are not exactly a Cinderella team as they are ranked #13, but, c’mon . . .
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This: Pakistan nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize, praising ‘stellar statesmanship’ – what has gotten into the water in Pakistan? – Of course, you know that almost anyone can nominate anyone for this . . .
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Historic Figures Who Were Actually Photographed
See, the word “actually,” actually adds no meaning and should not be there. This is almost up there with a headline I have seen numerous times: “See Photos of Real Vikings!”
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And, in a small victory, from Huffpost: “The federal government can continue to limit domestic abusers’ gun rights, according to a landmark ruling issued by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday that helps clarify the conservative-majority court’s thinking on firearm restrictions.” – of course, Clarence Thomas dissented. . .
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If Trump attacks Iran, an act of war, without congress, he should be impeached and found guilty. The chances of the Republican Congress to do that are about the same as me being hit by lightning while riding my skateboard.
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Something I just learned: there is a women’s tackle football league!
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Saturday update: U.S. Has Struck Three Iranian Nuclear Sites, Trump Says, Joining Israeli Air Campaign – While I don’t want Iran to have nukes, Trump pulled us out of deal that seemed to be working to prevent that, in his first term (5 other countries were a part of it). Oh, wait, that was an Obama thing, so of course we should cancel it! So, we’ll see how this goes. It does answer one question – what would our military do if Trump gave an illegal order — they will carry it out. No surprise.
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Enough for now.
All take care,
Kevin
Blog: If I understand this 
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