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In an interview on Russian state television on Sunday, Mr. Lavrov listed the ills that Europe — not America — had brought upon the world. The United States, in his telling, had gone from evil mastermind to innocent bystander.

“Colonization, wars, crusaders, the Crimean War, Napoleon, World War I, Hitler,” Mr. Lavrov said. “If we look at history i…[Read more]

Reg,

Well if I was a “real” farmer I might sweat a little. It is the immediate cut-off of all USAID that is the problem. There was no sliding scale to zero over a few years to allow contingency plans to be put in place. Given that USAID constituted about 0.7% of the total U.S. federal budget or 0.15% of GDP, I think the long term damage will not…

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5% have 2/3 of the wealth in the US. They want volatility, they want disruption, they want recessions…huge buying opportunity. The have trillions of dollars of dry powder just waiting…..right now. They will get granny’s farm for pennies on a buck.

When the top 5% has 95%, will they stop then? LOL.

@Jakelafort – Once upon a midnight dreary, when your mind is bright and cheery, I shall wait to hear your musings—ponder well and share them more.

However, I wouldn’t sweat over loss of USAID to American farmers and agricultural research.

Well if I was a “real” farmer I might sweat a little. It is the immediate cut-off of all USAID that is the problem.  There was no sliding scale to zero over a few years to allow contingency plans to be put in place. Given that USAID constituted about 0.…[Read more]

Is Trump a functional illiterate?

Reg, when i have concluded my readings and pondered weak and weary i shall add my thoughts.

Enco,

Math for sure requires reasoning and more reasoning. Music or the arts in general can be an aptitude seemingly divorced from general intelligence. Witness the musical or artistic savants who may appear in other regards dumb as a rock. Although i suppose great composers are a different case. And someone like DaVinci in his art demonstrated…[Read more]

Reg,

Trump’s tarriffs and the reaction of both domestic and foreign markets to them are definitely a problem. They don’t even make sense from Trump’s own brain salad/word salad pseudo-thinking (e.g. he’s wanting high tariffs of, if I recall, 25 percent on Canada and Mexico over allowing Fentanyl to cross the border, yet Trump only wants to tax…[Read more]

Jake,

It is so natural to lash out at the morons. lately i have been feeling that for the lefty’s. I just don’t know other than a coterie of thinkers who is not stupid. To me intelligence is critical thinking. Math, music, mechanical aptitudes are talents. Not same as general intelligence. Beliefs interfere with reason. Beliefs are the death of…

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@jakelafort – Feel free to add to this post, if you want.

Looks interesting.

Thanks Reg.

I have recently read both of these books and I would recommend them:

The Knowledge Machine – Michael Strevens. Link.

and

Free Thinking – Simon McCarthy Jones. Link.

Second act of Trump is even more chaotic and mind bending than i would have thought. As things unravel i am very curious to find out whether hard core Trump cultists alter their position from at his feet to at his throat.

It is so natural to lash out at the morons. lately i have been feeling that for the lefty’s. I just don’t know other than a…[Read more]

Recent cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have significantly affected American farmers. In January 2025, the Trump administration ordered a near-total freeze on foreign aid, leading to a halt in USAID’s procurement of U.S.-grown crops for international food assistance programs. This abrupt cessation has disrupted a vital…[Read more]

I shall continue to watch Tesla in silence.

Unseen wrote:
Focusing on the economy (“It’s the economy, stupid”) wouldn’t have worked because The Orange One’s attack on the Democrats’ economy was only one of several potent tools he had: immigrants raping and murdering, immigrants bringing in fentanyl, immigrants stealing jobs in the country while Dems were allowing jobs to migrate out…

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Focusing on the economy (“It’s the economy, stupid”) wouldn’t have worked because The Orange One’s attack on the Democrats’ economy was only one of several potent tools he had: immigrants raping and murdering, immigrants bringing in fentanyl, immigrants stealing jobs in the country while Dems were allowing jobs to migrate outside the country, Dem…[Read more]

Reg,

I misspoke too. The Neisei were second-generation Japanese-Americans. Which made their internment all the more nonsensical.