Open Thread - Thurs 05 Mar 2026 - A Few Snippets and Some Music
A Few Snippets and Some Music
It’s just a few days past the first year anniversary of my father’s death. So I’m kinda sad and out of it. And then there’s all the crap Trump and his gang of a&&holes are doing towards WWIII. Good distraction from the Epstein stuff, right?
Ron Placone wrote a bit about this:
So, not only is WWIII a possibility, but now would probably be the easiest time, at least in all of the moments I’ve occupied this earth, for them to get away with such a thing. I just don’t see the country that can’t even have unanimous agreement that pedophilia is bad, and as of the writing of this has made zero arrests via the Epstein Files, somehow unite to stop a war.
Speaking of the Epstein Files, keep speaking of the Epstein Files, because that’s what they’re trying to distract you from.
Stuff is still happening with respect to the Epstein files, it’s just that so many have turned away from learning, reporting, thinking about them. But still… Really American notes that ‘Republicans Joined Democrats to Subpeona Pam Bondi in the Epstein Case’ . So there’s that, at least.
Reed Galen wrote a piece which I found very true: The Trumpian Doom-Loop: The Administration's Actions Are Snowballing Beyond Their Control - We Will Suffer For It
Here’s the opening:
A few weeks ago I wrote that Donald Trump and his administration had opened Pandora’s Box one too many times and the furies were loose. Over the weekend, the Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio decided to be wagged by Israel’s tail into an open-ended, poorly planned war with Iran.
In the process, the US kicked over yet another hornet’s nest in the Middle East; a habit we haven’t unlearned as a result of two-decades’ worth of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, we have six dead Americans, thousands of dead civilians across the region, dwindling armaments stocks, the Strait of Hormuz closed, and countries in the region shutting down energy extraction facilities for lack of transport for their products.
The effects of the Trump Administration’s weakness, feckless, and incompetence have set what I call the Trumpian Doomloop spinning. Uncertainty drives lower productivity, higher inflation, lower consumer spending, and dampens hiring as companies hold off until they have a better sense of the world. These will continue.
Galen goes into some of the monetary costs of the war. I had no idea, but am not surprised, that every Tomahawk missile fired by the Navy would pay for the entire primary and secondary education of 15 kids. They’ve fired 400 of them already. Gads!
SO, some good - interesting tunes, here’s some music from 2Cellos. Yep, we’re on the Highway to Hell, but we can listen and dance as we go down.
And we all have Demons.
Here’s 2Cellos version:
And the original version by Imagine Dragons. Dedicating this song to their late fan, Tyler Robinson, who died from cancer at 17, is so appropriate and full of feeling.
And, here's the open thread! What's up, whatcha doing? Reading? Thinking? Listening to? Remember, everything is interesting if you dive deep enough, so tell us about where you're diving!
Comments
Thursday!
Hope it's a good day for everyone. Yesterday we got almost an inch of rain, so it's gonna be a bit slippery outside. Still it's got all the frogs calling, and I love that sound. What you doing? What you up to? Whatcha thinking? Let us know! And have a great Thursday and a good weekend too!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Ah morning Sima et.al
.
Thanks for mapping the Hell Highway onramp. Good to recognize it as such.
Wonder if I can locate it on my non-existent GPS unit? Doesn't really matter.
Wish you healing energy with the anniversary of your Dad's passing. Know
that to be a tough tattoo on your spirit for the rest of your days here. Have
quite a few myself as a matter of fact.
Herding headlines this AM ..
Hormuz choke point
AUMF
War powers act
Gang of 8 in congress
Immenent threat
JCPOA
Epstein files exposure
Christain vs. Muslim
Dwindling interceptor supplies
Heather Cox Richerdson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9TUa1Rwd6U
US abandomembent of service members
India faux pas with Israel
Sinking ships in international waters
Each deserve some sorting out but I can only observe from afar.
Birthday anniversary of Tom Russell. Originally from 1947.
The title of this album Mesabi took me down another rabbit hole. It is also an iron-rich range in northern
Minnesota with a rich history of US industrial development with actors such as Rockefeller, Carnegie and JP Morgan
involved with the
developmentextraction of resources bound for the steel mills of Pittsburgh. They wentso far as to build ore ships from MN to Cleveland on the Great Lakes with associated connecting rail lines.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesabi_Range
Zionism is a social disease
Interesting Rabbit Hole
and a good distraction from what's going on. US sinking ships in international waters? And on and on. It's so humiliating to be an American right now. I was ashamed of being American when I lived overseas in the Reagan era, can't imagine how it would be now. Ohh well, have a good weekend if possible.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Now you get it that in all of the 76 plus
foreign countries I have visited, I always identified as a Texan. Obama, Bush, Reagan, Clinton, Trump...
That even got me a tiny bit of respect from snobby Parisians.
Glad you found that article interesting. I was drinking my morning coffee, trying to wake up, and it got my caffeine all jacked up.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning, sima!
This fairly long article assessing the non-war in Iran has eye-popping news and assessment in every paragraph. I am running a bit late for work, and this article is why.
Thanks for the ot, chica!
https://no01.substack.com/p/march-4-paint-by-missiles
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Just diving into the article now...
It's very good. My husband is getting is news from Al Jazeera right now. So depressing, but, I think it's probably more correct that our news is going to be. Painting F-14s on the ground at the Iranian airport? And our 'experts' think they hit something? Wow! I have no words. And that's just one part of the article!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Another not-so-random list
.
Turkey
Kurds
Japan
London
Korea losing armament
Empire weakening
Modi embarrassment
Hegseth, Rubio, Huckabee, Haggie (CA) zealots
Rapture
Endless munitions
Chaos & Havoc
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon
Mexico and Canada
Witkoff and Kushner
Propaganda
Drones
NATO
Petro dollar demise
Renminbi 人民币
Zionism is a social disease
Good morning Sima y todos los otros. Haven't had time
to enjoy the musica or read linked items but decided to post a couple of items of interest that I have previously forgot to post.
Syngenta has stated that it will cease producing Paraquat by the end of June 2026. I recall mucho controversy over paraquat going back to the sixties. It is now alleged to be linked to parkinson's, but, per my recollection, it has historically been linked to much, much more in terms of ecosystem damage and damage or death to assorted animal species.
FUN: The supremes failed to review (and hence defacto supported) lower court decisions that works produced by ai cannot be copyrighted. The case in question was of something that was being alleged to be "art" by somebody, presumably the peerson for whom the ai created it. That's all well and good, but I foresee a deluge of cases to follow on written works. Consider- sally newsperson wants to throw an ap article up on her newsletter or blog and runs it thru her favorite ai so as to render it a "new work", avoiding royalties to ap. Her article is now not subject to copyright. If she uses an ai driven layout editor to arrange the articles on said newsletter is the whole thing no longer subject to copyright? If an ai writes 30% of the verbiage in an article is the whole article up for grabs, or only the ai generated content? Thanks to human susceptibility to fads and such, "ai" has become a marketing gimmick. The world is being inundated with "ai features", all across the landscape I see promotions for "NEW - Your favorite editor, writing software, spreadsheet now has ai!! Upgrade today" Even simple note taking aps, let alone collaboration aps now have embedded ai or ai features. What then of the work product generated by the users of these packages??
OK, that's the background, now for the blockbuster - hey Google, does Grammerly use ai?
Bwahahahaha
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Really do not get it
.
If you deign to consider yourself a writer, why would you subcontract
your brain to a computer machine? Replacing creative expression with
some 'super intelligence' doesn't seem worthy of the craft. Imperfect as
it may be, it is mine and mine alone. If you want to copy write those words
or thoughts for financial benefit - go to town. I will not sue for compensation.
The reward is individual in nature AFAIK.
Zionism is a social disease
Hola Cap'n. Sounds like a bull roarer and dijeridoo with
percussion. Here's Zappa playing a bicycle:
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Paraquat?
Man, I thought that was gone long ago, but I guess not. DANG.
As for AI... Maybe it/they should have to do citations like academics do when writing papers quoting and using others' research. Heh. Imagine that!?
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Breaking news
Trump fires Kristi Noem
https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/is-trump-about-to-fire-kri...
MAGA
Morons
Are
Governing
America
...But is her replacement any improvement? n/t
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
Doesn't look like it. n/t
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Mullin, a Republican Senator,
is hard-core MAGA. With Fetterman's help, he will be confirmed.
Good times!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
The Shield of the Americas
Sounds like another layer of bullsh*t
which she will excel at. 'Special envoy'
is double speak for puppet.
Why can't these bureaucrats.
just disappear? Moving them around
doesn't change anything. They only exist
to enact policy imagined by the orange satan.
Zionism is a social disease
So long, farewell,
auf weidersehen, goodbye... Go away, dog killer Kirsti! But you'll have to stick around somewhere so Trump can 'look' at you, right?
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
Trump fired Noem
and has nominated Markywayne Mullin to replace her. Fetterman couldn't wait to say he would vote to confirm him.
Fetterman is one strange dude...
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Fetterman...
A right wing guy who pretended to be left wing so he can get elected... I hope his voters throw him out when re-election time comes around, but I bet they can't.
Depressing, depressing. Ohh well, have as good a weekend as possible, my friend!
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so