'Idiocracy' and Me

 The first time I watched the movie 'Idiocracy' (2006)....was around 2011.  Afterwards, I spent about an hour with the movie on my mind.

Describing it?  It's about a guy brought in for a military experiment....who was mostly just average.  The test revolves around putting the guy to sleep.....the doctor doesn't wake the guy up, and he just accidentally wakes up 500 years in the future. Society?  It has DEVOLVED....into a collection of  idiots/morons....mostly due to generations of intelligent people reproducing less than the dim-witted.  By this point....our 'hero'......the average guy.....is a Einstein-like character....surrounded by dimwits.

For five or six years....the movie would come up a couple of times a year.  Somewhere around 2017....because of society changes, it started to come up weekly.

Today?  Almost every single day, I think about 'Idiocracy'.  

I watch CNN, and I see experts who seem to be Idiocracy characters.

I watch the nightly news and see events which ought to be fitted into Idiocracy.

I watch scientists having talks, and think they'd easily fit into a Idiocracy movie.

I watched Joe Biden walk around in a daze for four years.....thinking he was simply a character in Idiocracy.

There's probably a rehab for this 'problem'....but the question is....if I'm entertained to this level daily....should I screw this up and get cured?

Seven Things I Believe Likely To Occur

 1.  Within 18 months, the WNBA collapses.  Out of the ruins....a midwest league (maybe 7 to 8 teams in a four state area) will come to exist, with NO connection to the NBA.

2. Hunter Biden stays permanently in South Africa....never returning to the US.

3.  Harvard opens up a 'annex-university' in Canada.....allowing Chinese students to attend the annex without visa-issues.

4.  The nomination letter signed by President Biden (Spring 2022)  to nominate Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court....will be found to be done by autopen, and become a problem because he doesn't remember this event.  The Supreme Court will eventually have to say it's NOT a problem.

5. Some college study will reveal that 40-percent of all kids have lost interest in school by the 8th grade.   

6.  AI-movie production will reach a level where sixteen different versions of True Grit exist.....with  AI-created Humphrey Bogart, AI-Gary Cooper, AI-Burt Reynolds, and  AI-created Donald Trump....are all playing John Wayne's role.

7.  One of the chief 'talks' given in 2028....to hype the Presidential campaign for the Democrats...will be 'we-support-gangs-from-El-Salvador/Venezuela'.  By late summer of 2028....the party leadership will admit it was a bold and fairly stupid move.

My Four Problems With CNN's Jake Trapper Book Tour ('Why I Was Fooled On Joe Biden's Condition')

 Over the past 10-odd days....I've followed this book tour....where CNN's Jake Trapper wants to confirm....Joe Biden was mentally unstable (out) for most (if not all) of the four years of presidency.

I have four problems (after watching about six of these interviews).

First,  he (Trapper) seems to want to confirm to me that he's a dumbass....over and over. With most folks I've  met in life....they usually will admit a dumbass moment maybe once or twice....but NEVER more than three times. If I count the six appearances....there's at least thirty occasions that he admits he's a dumbass.

Second, I'm now drawn to a 2nd issue...what else did Jake Trapper get wrong?  

Third, no one else from CNN seems to want to suggest Joe Biden was 'out'.  Just odd.

Fourth, this leaves twenty-odd people who were working on their own 'Joe Biden is mentally unfit' book in a screwed-up position.  Once you heard it from one guy....would you go and buy a book from the 2nd, 3rd or 4th guy?

After four years of watching weekly commentary by Jake Trapper...it's just an odd feeling that he got so much 'wrong' and now wants to sell you a book for 16-odd dollars....to make things right.   

Dumbass Story

 This AM....I read through a California  law news piece. There's a draft bill flowing....called the "Grading for Equity" program.

Basic landscape?  This program will eliminate homework assignments  by teachers....eliminate weekly test requirements.....allow an extra week for late assignment hand-in situations....let students skip class without affecting grade performance....anything above a '80-average' be an 'A', and finally allow students to pass with as grade as low as "21".

The problems here?

If it passes into law.....the university system would have to engage and find ways for dumbasses (more so than now) to get in, and somehow pass.  Then you  have to allow some type of system to allow both gifted and dumbasses to be at  the same level.

Why?  I paused over this....because the whole wording seems  to signal that half the kids in school today (in California) are not capable of doing their level of work required to graduate.

The odds in ten years that you might have 2,000 electrical engineers from California....who can only perform at the 6th-grade level of thinking, yet have a high school graduation slip, and a college degree?

The comical side of this?  This same group...probably will  borrow $100,000 to attend college, and need to make a minimum of $75,000 a year....to pay back the money....while giving you a 6th-grader perception of electrical engineering.    

Four Humble Thoughts

 1.  I read yesterday that NPR is moving up with a court-challenge...saying the federal  government HAS TO fund their operation.  The selling point of this?  For people in the 'sticks' (my term for rural Arkansas or Alabama)....NPR is the only way people get news.

I tried to imagine how this BS would come across.

If you sat in the most rural part of Alabama....off AM/FM....you can probably get 30 stations, with your choice of sports, gospel inspirations, country/western, 1980s tunes, and on the hour....get a five-minute update of news.

Added to this rural  scenario....you can subscribe to the local 16-page daily newspaper.  You can also subscribe to US News and World Report, a dozen monthly magazines, and the Sunday paper from Atlanta, Nashville, or Chicago.  

If that was not enough....you can get in this rural area....at least four TV stations.  

You can go into the most remote area of Oregon, and find the same situation....at least forty avenues of  news....if you had the time or inclination.

Sorry, I DON'T buy NPR's BS on this topic. What I see is  a propaganda-unit....built on federal funding, and now in a terminal stage...unable to reach tens of millions.

2.   Up until the Caitlan Clark era in NCAA basketball....I had not really watched much of women's basketball....maybe just highlight video.   In the past  year.....I've probably watched a hundred highlight video of  the WNBA, and probably four actual games.

My chief attention to the game action?   There's so many crappy violations that I can note in a 3-minute period....between fouls...turning the ball over....'walking'....and poor play.

This past week, I watched a quarter of the Chicago women's team....counting around 16 total violations. Roughly ninety-percent were not called by the ref's.

3. I read this AM....the State Department is now reviewing all visa holders associated with Harvard, not just students.  

Professors?  Yeah.  I'm guessing here that a dozen non-American professors are on the payroll....here on a visa, and their behavior over the past four years will finally be evaluated.

4. Skittles says it will remove titanium dioxide from all products sold in the US.

So two questions. First, how did titanium dioxide get into Skittles in the first place?  Second, does the statement  mean in the EU....Skittles will continue to have titanium dioxide?

Is There Anything That President Biden Did During The Four Years....On His Own?

 Over the past month, I've come to the humble thought....that  all of the executive orders and pardons....with stately visits....were handled by a feeble old guy, and paperwork-wise...a few insiders and Jill Biden....ran the White House. In fact.....even in the election year (all of 2020)...he was probably half-witted/feeble.

The pick of VP Harris?  Intentional.  I suspect Jill picked her....knowing that no one wanted her in charge, and just accepted feeble-Joe...was the best situation.

The mess to clean up?  

You need a House committee to  take this own....establish facts, and if true....toss out all executive orders/pardons for the whole four years.   

The chief blame here?  I'd lay it on  news reporters.  If they had done their job....all of this would have come out in the summer of 2020.

Charges on Jill?  What charges?  How would you prosecute her?

Admitting all of this....that the nuke-button was really handled by Jill Biden?   No one wants to really ponder that.

Working-Class Guys?

 Yesterday, I read through some political 'gossip', and this story came up.  The Democratic Party is spending around $20-million to come up with ideas....on how to speak to American working-class MEN (not women).

The angle to this story?  Well...after adding up November 2024's numbers....they realize that while they had a great message for women, trans-people, crazies, environmentalists, blacks, Hispanics, broke college graduates, etc.....they don't seem to have anything to get working-class men to vote for them.

I paused over this.  For at least six to ten years....I generally got the impression that a working-class guy had to fit into the special categories (druggie, illegal, Antifa, black, or Hispanic)....to get the attention of any Democratic candidate (even for mayor or governor).

You can imagine this group sitting there at a luxury hotel....BSing with lobbyists and foundation people....blowing the $20-million over booze, hotel rooms, and 'perks'.

In the end, this discussion comes back around to this weird landscape.....you'd have to recapture this men's vote situation....by talking like Trump, and engaging upon a dozen 'wild' topics....like taxes, crime, and corruption in state and national politics.

So I come to this last observation....you basically have to let go of the nutcases, Trans folks, and special categories of people....to attract the working class guys into coming back.

It's amazing how we circled back around to this topic.

Observations

1.  Alex Thompson quote from the weekend: "Small Group Of People" Running The White House Was A Politburo."

Yeah, that's probably the only way to describe it.....Soviet-in-style....for the 'people'.

Oh, and there's NO success ever in the Soviet-in-style Politburo that you can comment upon.

2.  Over the weekend, there were two incidents where planes were diverted from landing at Reagan Int'l Airport in DC...due to Army Blackhawks off-track.

I would imagine there's going to be a meeting today....where Army crews are given a thrashing by the FAA.

3.  U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi now appears SET to investigate a 25-year history of mortgage fraud over New York Attorney General Letitia James.

I'm not a lawyer, but for each form submitted in a fraud for EACH year....there could be a charge.  It would be wild if combined (Virginia and NY)....if this got up to 100 charges and a fine of $5-million.  

Four Humble Thoughts

1.  My view on Joe Biden's 'decline'.

 I think in 2018/2019....Biden was under moderate early treatment for his cancer (with success).  Between Thanksgiving 2019 and Christmas 2019...the family doctor told him to move onto more aggressive treatment.  

He emerges in January 2020 for the primary period....fairly doped-up and reacting to stronger treatment.  A week or two of this....most of the news organizations go to brief video coverage pieces....cutting out all the whacked-up moments out.  

After the November 2020 election....he's still on the more intense treatment.  He's (probably Jill's push) selected VP Harris because she's so goofy....that the 'system' would agree to let him (the sick guy) carry on this act.

By early 2024....the four-year 'score' is crap, and unless you invent numbers out of thin air.....he can't win.  

Had he been a regular guy....he would not be capable of driving a car....handling his finances...or doing anything requiring mental capacity. But he was capable of portraying himself as a President.

2.  It's just odd....you could have sat down with 99-percent of  people in 1969....talking about baseball, gas station prices, NCAA football, pavement  renovation in the area, newest Ford truck model, a Mayberry R.F.D episode, how Adam leaving Bonanza made it better show, Apollo 11 landing on the moon.....and  had a friendly chat for 30 minutes.

Today....you can probably only sit down with around 50-to-60  percent of people,  and you have to be careful not to talk about 300 subjects.  Just talking about some  episode of Three's Company....might get intense.

3.  What Harvard ought to do....to get around Trump's 'rules'?

Just sit up a China-Harvard unit in Canada, and fly Harvard professors up a day or two each week....to teach classes there.

4.  Thinking over tourism and California.....I really can't think of a single reason why I would go to California to see literally 'anything'.  Between crime, drugs, nut-cases, homelessness, fire, and over-priced hotel rooms.....there's no reason to waste travel-time there.

The Thing About AI

 Just a humble belief....we are probably three years away from some colleges offering a 'lite-degree' program.....where 30-to-70 percent of the classes are taught by AI, with no professor involvement (even grading tests).

Where this is leading to?  I would say that tuition-wise....for a full-year of what was normally $20,000....you can't really charge more than $3,000 if it's full-up AI ChatGPT.

Added to this....will the AI come up at the 4th week....analyzing  your attendance and attention-span....saying you need to find 'other' studies or leave the school?

Professor chaos coming?  Within ten years....why would I hire 400 useless humans when I can do the same job with AI?  

White Robot Chatter

 

Yeah, it is odd....all robots are mostly white.

This leading to color-robots....like gray, green, orange and pink?  

Does it even matter?  

Then I wonder....who does color research like this?  Do you go to Texas Tech or University of Iowa....to learn color racism crap?

Also....what pronoun should you use....are robots 'him' or 'her'?  

Will there be trans-robots in the future? 

This South African Chatter

 President Trump had a face-to-face meeting yesterday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa....where Trump presented a fair amount of details over white genocide going on in South Africa.

So  I'm going to tell this story....which relates around to the farm property seizure going on in South Africa.  For over 20 years, there's been a plan around....where  x-amount of farms/orchards/vineyards....would simply be taken....with no payment for the property.  

Yeah, it was kinda like Zimbabwe's plan (total failure)...but had one key difference.  Instead of breaking up a 1,000 acre farm into 2-acre plots and handing it to 500 former soldiers...it would be handed to one person.  Who would be the receiver of the 1,000 acre plot?  It was never openly discussed....what most expected was someone within the ANC Party had a list of people to 'gift' the farm property.

In 2019....I went to South Africa on a 3-week trip.  

One day on this trip....my wife went to the pool, and I stayed to watch local Cape Town TV news, and they were featuring a live piece....where the South African 'Senate' were getting a bank presentation.

The bank guy was explaining  the problem of seizing the farms....from a economic standpoint....where you weren't going compensate for the property taken.

So he explained how farm owners had loans via the banking sector. If you took property....with no compensation....the loans were still 'laying' there, and the farmers would just up-and-leave South Africa.  The banks would go into chaos.

The chief  response by two of the 'Senators' (ANC members)?  More or less....it's none of our responsibility.

The bank guy then explained that if you handed  the farms to unqualified people....the banks probably would refuse to grant future loans.  To which....the response by the two ANC Senators were.....more or less...it's none of our business.

The bank guy then explained that if you had unqualified folks running the farms....they probably would not produce the current level of food....to stock shelves for the people of South Africa....causing a national crisis.    To which....the response by the two ANC Senators were.....more or less...it's none of our business.

The wife came back at this point, and I turned off the TV.  I pondered over this  for several hours.

The two ANC Senators?  They were either totally stupid.....or they were consumed in passion to deliver this chaos....even if it destroyed the economy, or triggered a civil war.

Since six years have passed....nothing has improved.....white farmers are killed weekly, and the best remedy for everyone at this  point....is either a old fashioned regular civil war, or you open up the migration door to 4-million folks to enter the US. 

My 'Indexes'

 My wife made a point that I seem to have a lot of 1-to-10 'indexes'.  This AM....I counted ten of them:

1  Dumbass/low IQ index.  Yeah, I seem to measure folks upon meeting them....even at the gas station, the airport, or coffee shop.  The higher up on my index you  make it....the less likely I'll trust you to get the job done.  So if you were given a '7' by me....I'm expecting you to screw things up.  A '4' would mean you did the task forty times, and fail just once.

2. BS index.  This index I use for news....whether it's propaganda, BS, or just fake news.  

3.  GOP/Fake Republican index.  Mitch McConnell rates near a '9' on this index.

4.  Sports index.  This index I use to decide upon my viewership.....the higher you rank (like '8' or '9')....it's unlikely I'll  watch your sport (like WNBA).  

5.  Conspiracy index.  This is the index I use to rate conspiracies....like bigfoot, 9-11, 5-G health risks, Covid vaccinations,  Malaysian Flight MH370, etc.  The higher I rank you (like '7' or '8')....the more likely it's bogus.  If I give you a '1' (like in the RFK/JFK killings)....the more likely that the conspiracy is non-existent.  Bigfoot, for example, is a '9'....so is Nessie.

6. Shady-Bank index.   This will involve banks and credit institutions....usually where I think you are readily engaged in fraud.

7.   Knightrider index.  This index is used to measure new TV programs....if I give you a '7' or '8'....you won't make it past the first season.  

8. Tramp/Whore index.  This is a risky index where I assess ladies and the higher (like '8' or '9') the number....the more likely you probably shouldn't get too serious with the gal.  

9.  The Expert index.  This is where I simply view your expert nature.  A '1' or '2' means that you probably know what you are talking about. A '8' or '9'....you probably work on CNN, and should not be trusted.

10.  Gin index. Since I have a preference for gin....this is usually where I've ordered a cocktail with gin....observed the brand that you used, and grade it.  Hendricks and Gray Whale usually rate at '1' or '2'.  Mr Tom gin, and Burnetts....usually rate at a '7'. 

Was Joe Biden Nothing More Than A Figurehead?

 Over the past couple of days....I've come to this thought-process....that maybe in 2019 as the debates carried on that summer/fall....they system could NOT deliver a five-star or even a four-star candidate for the 2020 Democratic primary system.  

So....in this whacked political system....the 'insiders' (probably in the range of a thousand who own a piece of the political system)....went to Joe Biden. 

Through four years....I suspect that Biden already in 2019....was given some medical words  of cancer....given a minimum of five years, and had treatment already at that point (before the primary). 

The figurehead 'play'? Jill and Hunter both figure into this.....at least five or six White House aides, and maybe twenty-odd journalists. 

All of this now giving the public a serious negative view of the Democratic Party and journalism? I'd suggest that.

Four Humble Thoughts

1.   Down through the years....I've probably watched 20-odd episodes of CBS's Meet the Press yearly.  Most of them....I lost interest by the 20th minute and flipped the channel.  The last four years?  I'd say it's mostly a political analysis show....of low-IQ politicians....designed for the public to 'get-stupid'.

2   The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over non-Americans....ONLY if they are in the country lawfully (my humble belief).  

If they didn't enter lawfully.....I don't see much work necessary for them to perform.

3. I'm reaching a point where just about everything I see....seems to be like some sketch from Saturday Night Live.

4.   I noted an interesting 'switch'......an airport gave a 'do-not-enter' paperwork order to a passenger who was disrupting operations within the terminal....the order goes 'forever'.  They weren't clear how this would work....if the person flew in.

Looking Back: This Biden Cancer Topic

 As we advance today on knowing Joe Biden is in stage four of prostate cancer....there's probably forty question...NONE of which will ever be answered.

So, who knew?  Unknown....probably Jill, Hunter, and maybe three or four of the top insiders.

Since when?  Well....you can get a good five years if found in stage 1 and treatment occurs.  In decent health....you can stretch five years into seven to ten years.  I'm guessing here, but he probably knew somewhere between 2016 and 2019....with treatment starting up (hence the disappearing act in early 2020).

Did he have the energy for the job?   Hell no....but that's just part of the whole 'comedy' at this point.

Is it possible that this is a fake story, and he really has dementia instead?  As crazy as it sounds....you might give this idea some potential talk.

And the nuke codes....in the hands of a guy who really couldn't be fully focused?  Yeah.

The idea of running....in 2024, and dying  in office in 2025....giving Kamala the job?  This is a likely idea to play out now and wonder about.

Did the news people know about this situation and just refuse to discuss?  Well....that's likely to be true.  So it'll anger a few folks....just thinking over the idea.

Final word?  This will be discussed for the next fifty years.....how the secret lasted and no one asked questions.

The New Majority Minority?

 It has not really unfolded enough yet for Americans to grasp....but the Hispanic population is now figured (with all of the Biden illegals)...to be up around 66-million across the US.

The black population, who were the big-minority or almost all of the previous history in America?  Near 48-million.

To  sum the scene up.....the 'old' Hispanics mixed with the 'new' Hispanics....now have political  power to play out....with different priorities. 

At some point...a split here in the Democratic Party will occur, with the party unable to play at the same 'poker-table'....with both ethnic groups.

Hostility brewing?  I would suggest that within a decade....these two groups will be unable to work together politically within the Democratic Party. It'll be a remarkable split....with things in turmoil.  

Starbucks and The New Dress Code

 There are appears to be a barista rebellion going on...since Starbucks started a new dress code.

So I was curious....how this worked.  First....it's ONLY for North American shops.  Why?   Unknown.

Rules?  You have to wear solid black short or long-sleeved tops (crewneck, collared, or button-up) and bottoms in khaki, black, or blue denim. 

This rule didn't really bother me....of course, I might be stuck on red-shirts, or green-shirts.

Then the policy emphasized the iconic green apron.

On the positive side....Starbucks provides two free company-branded black t-shirts to employees. 

Then came the harsh rule....ONLY one facial piercing, no larger than a dime, is allowed, and shoes must be closed-toe with flat heels (no flip-flops or barefeet).

I paused over this. Back around 2019....I was in NY City for a week.....stopping briefly at Starbucks on two occasions....with young ladies who had at least a dozen facial piercings.  It was enough that I knew I was staring, and had to force myself to gaze away.  In one case....she had some tongue piercing....where her accent and language ability made it for a problem for me to understand her.  I hated to seem confused but this slurring of words was a stupid problem.

People staging strikes over the rules?  Yeah.

Resolving this?  Well....I guess just let the folks go, and find a new and better job.

Two Predictions

 1.  The prosecution (fed-level) will do such a crappy case on Diddy....that  he's declared innocent, and they can ever go back to prosecute again.  Public  anger?  It will be openly discussed for twenty years....how Biden's crew screwed up.  Some will say a cash-payout.

2.  NY AG James will be dragged into a grand jury....sent onto a court,  and end up getting a deal....where she resigns from her office....pays around $500k in fines and cost, and agrees to surrender her law license.  Within two years....she will run for office of some type.

The Unblocked Way Of Finishing School Without Math Or English Skills

 Somewhere along the 7th grade for me....I had this 'vision' of four groups in my class....one being IQ-levels of 70-to-89, who aren't that bright.....one being pretty average or better IQ folks (90 to 115)....one being rocket-science smart....and one being kids bored out of their mind (the type that should be stocking shelves or shoveling asphalt).  

Two of these groups....probably never advanced much after the 8th grade, and it was a waste of time or resources to think  otherwise.

I don't seem shocked over how various PhD folks came to recognize that a bunch of 18-year old kids are tested, and they seem (at best) to read at the 5th to 7th grade  level or unable to handle 90-percent of math skills.

If you'd done serious testing in 1969 or 1977....you would have figured out the poor skills situation.

What does bother me....we seem to want the low-IQ folks to 'march' on and get into college....lessening entry requirements and dumbing down college enough....to graduate dumbasses with fake degrees, and in some cases...attempting  to be dumbass teachers, or dumbass politicians, or dumbass Senators/Presidents.

Getting people to admit this 'crisis'?  That's the chief problem we should focus upon.

The $30 Chat

 The Los Angeles City Council voted yesterday....12–3 vote to raise the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour by 2028.

I pondered over this.

Basically, these are jobs were you could be non-school graduates or barely out of high school. 

It would bring you to a $4,800 minimum monthly salary by 2030. 

However, if you figure in state taxes, fed taxes, health insurance, and social security....taking out the deductions....you'd go home with maybe $2,000 a month.

A one-bedroom place?  Within the city limits.....it's a minimum of $2,000 a month.

On one hand.....you are pricing a $100 hotel room (almost impossible to find these days)  at $150, and airline tickets would have to escalate by $30 minimum....making tourism a  tricky business. On the other hand, staying in LA....makes no sense....even if you were a low IQ guy working at the airport....making $30 an hour.

My guess  at 2040 rates (just 15 years away)?  We will be paying burger-flippers near $60 an hour....for a burger-menu lunch that costs $38, while living in a rental unit that costs $3,000 for ghetto-like 1-bedroom apartment.

Me and No-Go Situations

 In the  late 1970s....I didn't have an issue walking around Frankfurt, Amsterdam, or Tacoma (Washington) at 10 PM.  The concept of no-go (where you admit there's potential stupidity for violence or death) didn't even occur to me. 

I probably made it to the 2004-to-2008 period....where I started to notice certain little things.  There would be people 'zonked-out' on drugs....streets trashed-up....people starting to talk about no-go in a strategic way (how to walk around this part of town).

By 2010...with my three-year period in DC....I got various impressions to be vigilante and plan trips/walks.  I wanted to go over to Baltimore, and after asking a co-worker who knew the city....about where to venture....he gave me this map of downtown Baltimore....using a red-pen....he crossed off approximately two-thirds of the city map....saying it's best you don't go here.

My local town of Wiesbaden?  Ten years ago...it existed without a no-go area.  Today?  We have a 'Waffenverbotszone'.....it's a zone where after 7 PM...cops are free to stop you....force an ID-check, and frisk you (got a knife....it could be several thousand Euro in a fine).  

You want drugs....I can pinpoint  three areas of Wiesbaden where you can  get  anything you desire. 

The act of putting drugs, crazy-violent behavior and public safety into a mix?  You go to a logical mindset....always looking over your shoulder and asking....what's the max threat you can accept?

The old stomping grounds of Tacoma and Seattle?  If you ask locals in Tacoma....they will rattle off North End, South Tacoma, Hilltop, Central Tacoma, Eastside, and Northeast Tacoma...as places to generally avoid after dark.

Seattle?  They now have two phrases often used....safe areas (meaning a serious police presence) or no-go (where there's a active drug scene). The Belltown area?  Day or night....it's suggested to just avoid this area.

New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Birmingham, Memphis, St Louis.....they all have no-go areas. If you ask why....the answer always revolves  around drugs, gang action, addicts on the loose,  and crazies looking for a 'friend'.

Just a US thing?  No.

There are various parts of Hamburg, Koln, Berlin, Frankfurt, or Dresden....that I'd suggest asking for local advice on safe places/no-go areas.   There's one entire city park in Berlin....that I'd tell you to avoid....day or night.

Authorities just letting this go?  That's the million-dollar question....just how much are you willing to spend....to impress upon people....no-go activity is unacceptable?

The landscape ahead?  Just odd....where you see 'Escape From New York' as a true story....where you are skeptical of law-and-order.

On The Afrikaner Topic

 The total Afrikaner population in South Africa (best guess) is around approximately 4.5 million, or 7.2% of the total population of 63 million.  This is the 'white'  population of the  country....that Trump  has given a 'pass' to....that can get US papers.

The scenario playing out?  I would suggest that by the end of 2025....around 4,000 will have entered the US.   

The trend?  My best guess is that the trend will escalate in 2026....probably up around 150,000 (go figure two jumbo jets per day with 350-odd people....minimum).

I'm also of the mind that 2027 will escalate to around 300,000.

So here's the thing....of the ten big deals for the mid-terms in 2026....this will end up being one the ten.

Where would I put the bulk?  I'd probably think about farming communities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Oregon, and Washington. 

Attempts to  'pick' on them? I'd make it a blunt statement....you get a firm warning on the first act of stupidity....then fed-jail-time for the 2nd event.

This ending up as a topic for Alberta/Saskatchewan (the nation)?  Yeah, I suspect that Trump would see some massive farm program growing up in that region.

By 2030....all 4.5-million relocated?  Yeah, and you might as well ask....will South Africa create a negative spiral by this event?   

A hundred-odd Trump accomplishments playing out, and this doesn't even make the top twenty....that's the remarkable thing.

Five Things Likely To Unfold/Occur

 1. Most  of the paperwork/voting required...to separate Alberta/Saskatchewan from Canada will be done.  Some North American Indian-name will be given to the two, and a US trade deal will be wrapped up by spring of 2026. 

2.  Pardon of Derek Chauvin before October?  The cop with the George Floyd 'problem'?

Yeah, there's to be some type of pardon, and long list of issues with the conviction.  

Will new BLM riots occur?  Absolutely, and probably more than 1,000 individuals will be facing federal charges, with serious federal time in prison (more than three years). 

3.  Pete Rose (now deceased)....will get some type of pardon, and a nomination to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

4.  Kamala Harris to be the candidate for California governor?  No.

5.  AI-managed robots are likely to take over 75-percent of airport jobs done by humans today....within a decade.

Four Observations

 1.  I watch a lot of Twitter dialogs....it's just odd....the folks with extreme TDS  (Trump Derangement Syndrome)....now appear to have a A-TDS problem (openly discussing the 'other' people who have anti-Trump Derangement  Syndrome).

They seem to believe these pro-Trump people now require mental health counseling.

The only path ahead....double-down (or triple-down) on Trump chatter....pushing the TDS people to the extreme.

2.  Pete Buttigieg gave a talk in the past couple of days....discussing facts on the criminal illegal alien wife beating gang member (Kilmar Abrego Garcia) from Baltimore: “They're saying he's a criminal! No one person gets to decide that you are a criminal!”

I paused over this.....pretty much 90-percent of people are capable of looking over a 'resume' and accomplishments...to determine if you are a nutcase, criminal, or simply have a low IQ.

3.  When did I note Joe Biden's decline?

Early in 2020....probably by the 2nd week of January.  It would have been enough to convince  me to put the guy into a retiree-home.

4.  The minute someone says such-and-such is 'FREE'.....I tend  to crank up my skeptical nature to the 9th degree.  It gets worse as I age. 

Five Observations

 1.  If you asked a hundred American adults to define Oligarch....fewer than five would  be able to do so.  Same problem with intersectionality.  

2.  Some media chatter....a minimum of 50-odd Hollywood personalities (mostly all  guys) to be held by fed LE...related to sex with underage girls at Diddy parties.  My humble guess....they will all offer to 'rat' on others,  and this leads to 500 other personalities.

3. Those DOGE folks  have apparently submitted a list of 163 Congress members to the IRS for an “immediate audit.” 

The majority (156) were Democrats.

Hidden income?  Well....this apparently relates to USAID money that quietly funneled back to campaign efforts.  If true?  It means IRS combing through a lot more than just gov't funds.

4.  It bothers me greatly to view President Biden public statements from 2023/2024....knowing full-well that he was 'out'.  Like watching 'Being There' with Peter Sellers.

5.  For decades....Syria has been an Iranian/Russian proxy.  They only survived  because of cash-flow from the Soviets/Russians and Iran.  Now that both are in a money-pit with no cash flow....Syria finally has to write a fix-it policy. 

NPR Chatter

 Over the weekend.....the former NPR CEO....Vivian Schiller....gave a talk.  So in the middle of this....she said.....'people in rural areas rely on public radio and TV to get their information'.

I paused over this. I grew up in a pretty rural region (NW Ala) in the 1960s/1970s.  Yeah, we had four channels (ABC, NBC, CBS and public-TV) and just one local paper (usually not more than 24 pages). But radio-wise, there were probably sixteen FM channels, and on a clear evening....I had probably 200 AM channels....some as far away as St Louis.   

The perception of Schiller?  It's a mystery to me.  Even in the 1930s....folks had newspapers and AM radio.

By the 1980s....you had talk radio and extended news features  by channels beyond NPR or pubic-TV.

It's like Schiller never got into a car and drove around the country.

Greenland Story

 Denmark's PM said yesterday....'you cannot spy against an ally.' This came up after some reports of the US starting to spy on Greenland.

So I dug into the story.

Apparently, the comment got people bothered....so Denmark summoned the top American diplomat in for a talk...after reading a Wall Street Journal piece about several high-ranking officials under the U.S. director of national intelligence (Tulsi Gabbard) giving directions to the intelligence folks to collect information on Greenland’s independence movement. Key chatter?  Just how the independence movements sees things.

So I went to polls of Greenland folks.

2016? A survey found that 64-percent of Greenlanders supported full independence (Denmark out).

2017?  This poll asked a carefully phrased question....if independence meant a lower standard of living.  In this case....78-percent said 'NO WAY'.

2019? This poll showed 68-percent of Greenlanders supported independence from Denmark.

2025? A general poll revealed that 84-perent of Greenland folks....supported independence from Denmark.....however once you put the lesser standard into play....roughly half the folks polled were totally against the independence.  They added a question here....about US statehood....to which only 6-percent were agreeable to that idea.

So to save Tulsi time, and wasting 15,000 man-hours on conducting intelligence collection....I'll do the assessment for you.

Three observations:

1.  Probably around three-quarters of Greenland folks just don't get a happy feeling from years of Danish 'management'.  You could say it was incompetence....probably a bit of intellectual stupidity...or simply too many rules.

2.  This Greenland idea of 'freedom'?  They simply want a country....run only by Greenlanders, and some 'deal' on the table where better economic conditions would be guaranteed in some way.  If you asked about limiting 'entry', and keeping the population near the current 55,000....I would imagine the vast majority would readily agree....they don't want 2,000 refugees arriving yearly and seeing a 'boom' to occur.

3.  Finally, you can absolutely forget about statehood. Maybe you could get a independent nation status, with a 100-year economic treaty with the US.....where every single resident (the 55,000) would get a yearly check of $5,000....for 100 years....for mineral rights.  But this would have to stipulate limits.

As for the spy efforts?  I would imagine some James Bond-like character coming in as a tourist....asking sixty people stupid questions, and then some 400-page study gets produced.

Maybe Denmark ought to do counter-spy work....sending their spies into the US....to ask stupid questions.

Final note?  No one yet says why Greenland is that important....which is just odd to be this far into a chaotic mess.

Basement Trip Yesterday

 This week, I lugged out of the basement....my last duffle-bag from the military years.  Containing?  Well....my two fatigue-jackets (1977 and 1994). 

I put them through the washer, and will sell them at a flea-market in July.

When the Air Force issued my first fatigue-jacket....boot-camp (1977)....I looked at it and asked how it'd keep you warm.  It wasn't that thick, and it was mostly heavy-duty green cloth.   Sarge said I'd get a 'liner' at the first duty-station.  The 'liner'?  Mostly a cheap-made vest that you'd button into the fatigue-jacket.  

Eventually, someone led me around to high-quality non-military vest-liners, and I'd get a lecture about this article of the uniform not being military-issue.  

Eventually in the mid-1990s.....the Gore-Tex jacket came out....I ended up spending $140 for it, and it literally filled every possible need in winter months. 

So I'm disposing of that 'era'.   Anyone bidding 5 Euro gets one (of the two).  At that point, other than a 1980s helmet....I'm done with uniform items.

Prehistoric Chatter

I sat and read through this story yesterday, and it's been on my mind.

First, there is no real evidence to say this.

Second, I tried to imagine this from a tactical stand-point....believing yes...if you had eight hunters and at least 2 of them were female....they probably got 'smart' and strongly recommended the safest way to hunt (ensuring survival).

But then I came to the issue....what if the team were seven women out of the team of eight....how much arguing would have taken place....with 'Larry' simply shaking his head over the level of debate going on.

What I expect here?  Within a year....the question will drift over....what if 3 members of the eight were transmen or lesbians?  Or if four of the eight were gay men?

Personally, it's all indicators of too many scientists existing.
 

What Is This Pakistan and India 'War' About?

 Well....tensions arose between India and Pakistan, escalating on 22 April2025....in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir.  26 civilians dead.  

It's a tourist area....so most of these dead folks  are simply Indians on vacation.

The attackers? India says....linked to The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. 

Pakistan says no-way....simply saying the attack was a "false flag" operation by India. 

So the nuke side of this?  India and Pakistan  has roughly 340 total (pretty equal) nuke warheads.

There is a pretty solid belief (by non-Indians and non-Pakistanis)....that this is going to be a nuke solution episode in the end.  Military analysts lean this way, and both sides seem to be hyped-up to the max.

As for a 24-hour nuke war?  I could see both testing each other....with two or three nukes launched, and a 2-to-3 nuke counter-response.  I don't think either wants to launch all 340 nukes.   

The interesting thing.....I've seen video of this Pahalgam area  of Kasmir....very similar  in nature to western Oregon....loaded with pines and snow-covered mountains off in the distance.

I Have This Idea

 I want an AI-program called 'DUE-PROCESS'....where it's programmed to handle a 8-minute session.  You allow the illegal-guy to talk...let DUE-PROCESS evaluate in 3 seconds, and then print-out a sheet.  The guy has a deputy there who reads the paper, and routes you to the bus, or to a holding cell.

I figure DUE-PROCESS should be able to handle 200k people a day.  

This Diddy Court Case

The jury-portion of the Diddy-case opens today.  I sat and pondered over this.

 If you just stand and look at things....a number of these folks are simply demonic or  satanic...pure and simple....psychopaths. 

I'd be looking at things (if called upon for jury duty) and say to the judge....this isn't  going to be something I sit down for weeks and week...digesting.

From this crowd selected....I would take a wild guess that at least three will be affected in such a way....that require mental help for years.

Recession Chatter (Or Not)

 I sat this AM and reviewed the landscape of the US for a recession.  Officially, with existing data....as of 1 May....we are NOT in a recession. I know that the Business Channel folks keep talking of such, and CNN keeps chatting on the topic.  

However:

1.  Goldman Sachs lowered its first quarter 2025 GDP forecast....to negative growth...mostly because of weak housing data. There's a lumber sales podcast guy that I follow....that says lumber for new home construction is mostly stalled and flat (past 60 days of customers).

2.  The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s GDP model estimates a -2.8-percent annualized GDP growth rate for first quarter of 2025.

3.  Corporate CFOs are reporting 'pessimism'....with 95-percent saying policy uncertainty exists.....so they are leaning toward to reduced spending and hiring.  If you were looking for a job....it's probably a bad time for mid-2025.

4.   Oddly, the unemployment rate was 4.1-percent  in February 2025, up a .1 in January.....but still historically low.  Another positive?  Employers added 151,000 jobs in March.

5. So, for mid-summer....I'd watch for two things: if unemployment got to 4.5-percent or higher, OR some kind of tariff-effect (meaning a negative trend of serious nature).

So a word about commercial property problems....Approximately $1.2–$1.5 trillion in commercial real estate loans are due to mature by the end of 2025.  Banks aren't saying much, and there's bound to be some refinancing efforts to occur....but no one is saying a halt to commercial loans occurring (yet).

Also....a National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study (early 2025) found that 14-percent of all commercial real estate loans and 44-percent  of office loans are in negative equity.  Hint....this is where the loan balance exceeds the property’s value. If you were looking for a RED-blinking light for default risks....this is it.

Delinquent commercial real estate loans (meaning they are behind but haven't declared bankruptcy yet) doubled from $11.2 billion in 2022 to $24.3 billion in 2023.  It's around $38 billion in office buildings that are (in 2025) at risk of default or foreclosure.  Yeah, not a good sign.

Bank failure on the horizon?  It's spotty at this point.  Still nothing to scare the crap out of people. 

How Did The Podcast People Replace Journalists?

 At some point in the Bush II era....I sat watching a White House press conference....with Dana Perino.  Question variety started to be obvious....like 5th grade kids taking two minutes for details....then asking a 9-word question.  Then they'd piece together this for the nightly CBS, NBC, CNN or ABC news piece. You can call it a narrative or connect-the-dots propaganda piece.

This lead into the 2008-to-2016 era, where journalists weren't really journalists anymore.

Somewhere around 2017/2018....I started to view podcast programs.  By 2020....I was pretty much 'stuck' on podcasts being the main form of news for me.

If you asked me what happened?  There was a evolution....where 'talking-dogs' (journalists) accepted their lower status in life, and podcasters came to fill the void.

Anger building up?  Well....yeah, the journalists are saying you need to dump the podcast crowd....get yourself back to the right narrative/connect-the-dots mentality.  You sit there for a minute....asking why, and it just sounds like a 5th-grade kid talking.

I sat yesterday watching Margaret Brennan of CBS's Face The Nation episode from the weekend.  The segment just didn't work....on various levels....you felt like some propaganda piece was the goal.  

Bold new world we live in.

Four Things I've Come To Notice

1.  President Trump seems to be doing a full-up interview almost daily....something that President Biden did....maybe once every six months....under 'conditions'.

2.  A hundred-and-five days so far for President Trump, and it's just odd....no vacation days.  At this point four years ago....I think President Biden had used at least 15 days of vacation time.

3.  I'm starting to watch more of the White House press briefings (than normal), and it's just odd....after mid-April, it seems like most of the journalists are asking dumbass questions....like stuff you'd expect from a 8th-grade kid.

4.  I've come to wonder.....if you were a transwoman, but attracted to women (physically)....are you still a transwoman, or a lesbian, or something else? 

Five Things On My Mind

 1.  Basically.....to qualify as 'informed'....you can read over 6 hours, and through 30 different sources....or 30 minutes and 5 sources.....to get the same 'informed' status. It doesn't seem to convince folks....unless you read the 'right' sources.  They never seem to realize that qualification.

2.   Every week that passes....some crew of 'experts' arrive to make you an 'expert'.  I felt that way last week with the Pope dying.  To be honest, we probably need Popes to die every six months....to get 'smart' on Jesus, God, and the church.

3.   The minute I'm channel-flipping and Gladiator comes on (with Russel Crowe).....I stop and watch the remainder of the movie.   It has a strange effect on me.

4.  Maybe it's just me....but I have this feeling that in every single thing that Trump lays down his 'support'....he's arranging things for the weaker-guy to come to the White House and make a 'deal'.

5. You can sit and write down 100,000 questions for Trump and figure there's no way he's prepared for that amount.....then he shocks you by talking about the Yankee's shortstop problem, the negatives of E-cars, Elon's woman's problem, and Wall Street.  

Six Humble Thoughts

1.  Apparently, Adam Kinzinger says now....that he simply didn’t know helping an illegal immigrant/migrant avoid ICE deportation is a crime (actual felony).

I suspect if you asked 1,000 Americans....more than 30-percent would say the same thing.

Where things went wrong?  Hard to say....maybe schools just went to a goofy list of topics in the 1990s.

2. “Look, we had the most qualified person who'd run for president in the country's history at the top of the ticket. That in itself should have got this thing won.”

Quote by Tim Walz yesterday.

I'll just say....from all candidates (including primaries)...Harris was probably the least capable person for the past sixty years.

3. People aren't as stupid as they used to be....they are more stupid.

4.  What really happens when driverless cars are accepted?  Well....you can drink to excess, and let the car hopefully get you home.

5.  If district judges want 'responsibility'.....let them run for the office of President.  The trouble here....if you line up 1,000 voters and the guy's whole resume....mostly reads of law school, two decades of law practice and a dozen years as judge....I doubt if more than 10-percent of voters would feel he's up for the 'job'.

6.  Finally....I read this week....less than 5-percent of light bulbs sold in America....are MADE in America. 

Where NPR Lost Me

 I was a fairly regular listener to NPR...from the early 90s to around 2005/2006.  Even while stationed overseas....AFN often used their  news segments and re-aired them in the Ramstein region.

So one day....science-Friday came up (their normal Friday show).  This segment dealt with global warming/climate change/global cooling/carbon crap. The expert came up for a 30-minute talk/interview.

Caller came on and challenged the expert....saying solar winds/sun spots could contribute to 'change'.  'NO' was the response from the expert. 'Not possible' came up once or twice....to reassure the public.

Later, I took note of the guy's name and looked up his educational  background.....bachelors in X (related to climate change degree) and masters in Y (related to  climate change degree).  I noted the two colleges....then browsed to see the total catalog of courses offered.

Oddly....neither college offered a course in solar studies.  So I was left to wonder....he probably has no background in solar studies, but why take a 'not possible' position?

Over the weekend, I made the decision....I was finished with NPR. I saw it as a propaganda unit (at best).  

As for what happens to NPR without gov't funding?  I'm pretty sure at least ten Republican Senators will drag this 'dead-horse' out and try to save funding.   But I see it as a failed effort.

NPR, with some foundation help, and commercials....probably will survive....mostly by cutting the expensive staff, and relocating to a midwest state.   Money to keep state stations operational?   That will be the key problem....especially if colleges don't cover the cost factor. If you live in a highly rural state (like Iowa)....then there's likely to only be one single  repeater-station in the whole state....around the capital city.  Streaming?  Yeah, there  will be alot  of that....but the radio-traffic will doom the effort.

What Happens To NPR, Without Funding?

 As of yesterday....funding  from the feds...is cut-off (an EO).

My belief?  There's money in the pot to probably carry NPR for at least three to five months.

Shifting things around and getting foundation funds? There will be an effort, but I'd  suggest that this is the wrong year to approach this idea.

So  I'm guessing around January of 2026....they go to a new format....mostly jazz/classical music, some poetry, with just three hours of news per day.

A Covid Discussion

 I sat in early 2022....watching a interview with a African female doctor (in her 40s), and she went on for about three minutes....talking about not having any Covid patients.  

The journalist wanted some angle.  There must be deaths.  No, responded the doctor.  

So he went onto living conditions...that maybe diet, or herb, or some lifestyle thing was at work.

All the doctor could point at....was that folks seemed to be out-of-doors a good bit, and in the sunshine.

I saw this Haiti news item today....from 2 years ago.

Same kind of discussion....ought to be plenty of dead folks.  But there weren't many to speak of.

At some point in 2023....Germany had a bunch of doses left over from it's program and expiring in six months. They tried to offer up the doses (millions) to Africa, and didn't really get any 'takers'.

My theory? I think the Haiti folks, the Africa folks, and the majority of Latin America folks...got an abundance of Vitamin D....daily, and built up a fairly healthy sum of the stuff.  

The odd thing?  You'd think the science guys would want to review this....but they show little interest.

Five Humble Thoughts

 1.  Defining 'Net-Zero' to a 5th grade kid.

You got some bad farts building up (you had eggs and bacon, with buttered toast for breakfast).  You need to release it.

Rather than release in the classroom.....you pay someone to distract the teacher, while you step outside the door, and fart (heavily) in the hallway, then slip back in.

Because you paid the $1 to the kid for distraction acts....you did a noble thing for everyone in the class. At break-time, other kids note your courage and wisdom....in not dumping farts in the classroom.

2.  I've reached a point where I consider 75-percent of journalists unqualified for their job. 

3.  Maybe  it's just me....but I estimate at least 10-percent of the American population are possessed by demons.

4. Saw this in the AM: RFK Jr comment: "Anderson Cooper gets a salary of something like $20 million a year, but probably 75% of that is coming indirectly through pharmaceutical companies."

5.  I would be willing to wager within 12 months....some Chinese brand will have purchased Germany's VW.