Seven Humble Thoughts

 1.  I never used the term 'FAFO' (Fu*k-Around-Find-Out) prior to Covid (2020).  Today....I'll probably observe five items minimum in the news daily....where some guy/gal has been irrational (without the use of drugs/booze), and gotten themselves into some serious consequences.

2.  I noticed in the news....15 Antifa folks (guys/gals from Minnesota) are identified for federal felony charges....conspiracy charges.  It's probably enough...where if convicted....you'd do minimum of two years of prison.  As confused, and mentally-challenged as they seem....they may think prison-life is pretty simple.

3. Just odd....there must be five or six National Guard 'patrols' around the clock....at the reflection poll in DC....ready to detain folks for the Capital Police.  Pro-algae folks....apparently not fearful of the detention or fed-charges.

4.   Weather gal (German in nature) says for my village...come Friday....37 C (99 F). Doubt if anyone much survives such heat.

5. If you feel oppressed.....you might want to ask who or what is holding you 'back'.

6.  Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson stood up yesterday and blocked the Trump order.....that was restricting SNAP benefits use for soda and candy.

Frankly....you just can't deny candy and Doritos....to the welfare folks. Same way....you can't dictate to folks to eat 'good' food.

This Reflection Pool 'Trap'

 With all the fix-it talk, algae BS, and TDS issues.....this AM....I noted that the cops in DC have gone to some storage unit....found a Antifa 'lab'....preparing quantities of Algae for release.

The problem I see growing here....domestic terror charges are probably going to occur, and some folks (intellectual dimwits) will end up in court facing 10 years of fed-jail.  I don't think they are capable of handling it.

The LE at the Reflection Pool?  I bet daily now.....they are handcuffing five or six folks. 

At some point.....I'll bet at least thirty LE people constantly on duty.

The 'Other' World?

 Over the weekend....I read through some science 'news', and some PhD group has   written up a new quantum theory concept.....suggesting that 'OTHER' versions of people....sitting in some alternate universe....are changing/effecting your life....your fate.

I paused over the idea.

The 'other' me....might have gone to Georgia Tech....developed a taste for Asian food...moved to Portland, and got radicalized.  The 'me' me...realizing the fate of getting to Portland....went in a opposite direction.

Proof of concept?  Well....that's the thing about quantum theory....you can say some BS....with zero proof.

The 'other' Donald Trump?  He probably lives a healthy lifestyle....weighs 160 pounds...avoids McDonalds, is fairly unsuccessful, lives in Rhode Island, and  is married to some Venezuelan gal for forty years with 16 kids.

To be honest....I'd pay money to venture into the 'other' world for a week or two....just to check things out. 

Movie Idea

 I'm thinking of writing a movie-script....entitled: 'Hobo-Man'.

The story would go this way....some down-and-out guy...mostly a loser throughout life, has gone to homeless status in California.

At some point....he's drawn to a testing-program for $300 in cash per month....to take a pill.  He's told over and over....it would stimulate the mind.  As part of the program, you  have to agree to a  hook-up for one hour per day after taking the pill.....to some AI-system...to fuse knowledge into his mind.

He gives a talk one day at the homeless camp hangout....saying something wittty/clever.  Some news team uses the sixty-second clip. 

Within hours....half-a-million people  have viewed the clip....thinking this is the guy who should be governor of California.

A political party begins to develop....the 'Hobo-Party'.  

Over the course of a year.....Californians buy into this guy's reality, and he's elected.   A year or two passes....the guy is running for President.

At  the peak....hours after being sworn in as President....the drug company comes out to admit the pill that this guy was continually given.....was just a Tic-Tac.

The question is....did he just need a boost?

Five Thoughts

 1.  All this reflecting pool/algae BS......if you get arrested for 'any' damage....it's felony charges in a fed-court,  with the Park Service on your 'ass'.

I'll predict.....as this matter continues into 2027 (probably 3,000 detained)....we reach a point where your mental stability is questioned, and the Park Service lawyers finally start requesting a mental exam.  By the end of 2027, I'll predict a minimum of fifty folks kept for 30 days of mental-hold.

2. Past day....Israeli forces say they have seized a strategic Iranian-built Hezbollah underground command center....up on the Ali Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon.

So, here's suggestion they put out....they think a couple of hundred terrorists are stuck there....unable to reach any of the exit-point. IDF strategy?  They intend to blow up the entry/exit points.  

3. If you perform a 'hate-Trump-act'.....with a consequence of two years of  fed-jail time.....do you have any mental 'control', or are you just doped-up around the clock?

4. Some Oregon school made the decision to drop the valedictorian honor....saying  it was removed to prevent other students from feeling bad about their performance.

Pondering it....you should just make all kids valedictorians....letting all of them speak for ten minutes....even if it amounts to six hours of BS-talking.   Give the idiots a chance to shine.

5.   Not much hope for Iran to survive as one-country.  I'll predict by early 2027....with no peace deal acceptable....it dissolves into 3 to 5 countries.  

Ten Humble Thoughts

 1.  This week....I probably wasted an hour thinking over the pro-algae folks in DC....with the reflecting pool....who desperately don't want 'Trump-success' in fixing the situation.

They appear so focused.....that they'd get arrested/detained....get dragged into fed-court, and maybe pay damages/fines....up into the $10,000 range.   It just seems like....they need a month or two in some farm-work to clear  up their mind, and get rational.

2.  Obama library.

I'll just say it.....within 20 years....there's  likely to be structural issues, and I'll predict safety issues cause a period of shut-down.

3.  I tried to make sense out of this....some sex offender (in the state of Georgia).....an Indian (Bombay-type).....got listed on the sex offender registry.  Issue?  Under the ethnic category....he's listed as a native American male.

4.  I noted this week.....CNN went out and asked Americans.....if they got their 'NEWS' from them....only 2-percent said 'yes'.

I have to be honest....about five minutes out of each month....I'll drift over to CNN for some hot-item....but that's typically my limit.

5. HUD Secretary Scott Turner says he will kick out any illegal aliens from Section 8 housing. They have to show proof of citizenship to get the deal.

How many?  Well.....25,000 roughly.

Legal challenges?  Yeah....I would imagine so. But here's the thing....you were an person....claiming to be American, but having no birth certificate.....yeah, you probably also get kicked out.

6.  From all this investigation-into-Gov Newsom BS....just odd....wire-taps done on his wife.   Just appears that she has some connection to 'crimes' and will also be dragged into a mess.

Some advice....if you are a shady character....always assume your phone is bugged.

7.   Amazon 'boss'....Jeff Bezos....said this week....while AI might eliminate some jobs in the beginning....the technology will generate massive demand for human workers.

Now, you notice....'workers' doesn't exactly mean white-collar management jobs paying $100,000 a year.

If I were looking at this....AI needs massive air conditioning support, and probably five-million Americans by 2035....would need to be AC-technicians.

8.  I asked AI (Grok)....to look over data and suggest how many college students have an IQ of 90 or less.  

Grok says...."approximately 21-percent of college students have an IQ below 90 (on average, across all undergraduates).  This estimate comes from a 2024 meta-analysis by Uttl, Violo, and Gibson."

100...on an IQ is considered average.....90 would be less-than-average.  

But here's the thing....from this 21-percent group.....how many drift down  to 80, and you end up with a college graduating a thousand students a year....who marginally can be educationally 'fit'.  Imagine if they end up as school-teachers.

9.  I read through a science piece this week....elevated levels of a highly abundant chemical messenger in the brain.....seem to be linked to a heightened sensitivity to making mistakes. 

Basically....this is a guy/gal....who makes a mistake....realizes it....then goes into a fit of anxiety/depression. 

The other guy/gal who does make a mistake.....goes to the logical step....learn from your mistake....avoids the fit of anxiety/depression.

Risk-takers?  They are forever learning from mistakes and lessening any waste of time on anxiety/depression.

10.  From the remaining guys in charge of Iran....I'd say they have one particular problem....a IQ level of 80-to-90.  Sadly.....they are the ones that Trump has to deal with.

The Birth Certificate Chatter

 I asked Grok/AI to assemble the data....how many Americans don't-got a birth certificate.

A 2023 national survey (Brennan Center for Justice, in partnership with the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement and others) asked around 2,386 U.S. citizens aged (age 18-plus).....the question.

Based on their numbers.....nationally, they figure around 3.8 million voting-age U.S. citizens currently LACK any form of documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) or US birth.

The details?  Well....concluding they were mostly lost, destroyed, stolen, or never obtained. 

I paused over this.

You can't join the military or get social security....so this really crimps-up the lifestyle of the 3.8-million.

So, part of this story....if you were born in the US prior to the 1950s.....in a lot of cases....the fed/state gov't was not involved, and thus no certificate awarded.  I don't argue about that.

What is obvious here.....how would you conduct banking/investing, report taxes, or get social security later in life?  No one talks about the 'details'.

The $50 An Hour Idea

 Barbara Lee is running for mayor of Oakland, Cal.

In a debate setting.....she made it clear....she wants a $50 federal minimum wage.

I sat for about 20 minutes....pondering this.

Pizza made by a kid making $50 an hour?  It'd probably cost near $75 (include tax nearing $90).

A beer at the sports bar?   Well....probably near $19 once the bar-keep  presents it.

McDonalds menu selection?  Nearing $50-to-$60.

How quick would businesses shut-down?  Probably within 60 days.....half of all businesses would close.  The path 'out'?  Well....you need to leave as quickly as possible.  

Amazing world we live in.

Explaining The DC Algae Problem

 Basically....the science is....green algae or cyanobacteria grows exponentially when three main factors align.

Factors?

1.   Excess nutrients (especially nitrogen and phosphorus)....acting like fertilizer. Phosphorus is often the key limiting nutrient in freshwater systems.

2.  Sunlight....for photosynthesis and energy.  If you had 3 to  6 days of clouds....it would be slow in  appearing.

3.   Warm temperatures.....warmer speeds the process...cooler lessens the speed.

If you replaced the water hour by hour, or cooled it....algae would marginally appear.  If you 'flushed' it every twelve hours....that might help.

It's NOT rocket science.

Note: you could fool folks into believing that global warming triggers this, and most would readily buy into it.

Six Things I Now Believe

 1. Starbucks premium coffee ($4-plus dollars)....is sip-by-sip.....same as McDonalds coffee ($1.69 to $2.29).

2.  Whenever you utter 'consenting-adults'....I get the humble feeling that 100 folks would have 100 differing consents....making things hard to define.

3.  I have this 'lecture-alarm' in my head.   Oddly, about twenty times a day....it goes 'off' and alerts me.  I hit my mute-button  (in the head) and the lecture dissolves into thin-air.

4.  It's painfully obvious now...that there must be over 50,000 sexual fetishes.....with some folks hyped  up to sex-up with people in McDonald uniforms, or dressed to appear like Nancy Pelosi.

5. There are seven and eight year old kids being introduced to Alexa and Grok, and half of their knowledge base by age twelve....will have come from the two....NOT from schools or their buddies.

6.  Cultures are different. When a rainbow appears in Japan....folks see seven colors.  In Germany, they see five colors. England....six colors.   They all see the same thing but perceive it differently. 

Emergency Thinking

Yesterday....I noted that the city of Annapolis, Maryland....put out an emergency preparedness guide....that was designed primarily (only) for LGBTQ people.

The hint I got....via the city folks running this program....that LGTBQ folks are 'more-likely' to be affected by some natural disaster (I assume they mean hurricanes, earth-quakes, floods, wild-bear-attacks, etc).

I probably spent 30 minutes this AM....thinking about this.

Having been in the military for 22 years.....it was embedded in some way....you needed to think about emergencies, and that the Air Force always had a plan-A, plan-B, plan-C.   I guess  if you never did any military time....you don't think about disaster much.

But then it came to me....is it possible that LGTBQ folks are so much in a 'bubble'....that anything....even a hail-storm....could set them off into a chaotic mentality?

Living in Germany....I'm understanding the German mentality....that a funnel-type cloud (dark as hell) might be approaching the valley, and the German quietly gazes at the cloud.  Not really fearful  or reacting....mostly sipping a beer slowly, and simply observing things. Henrick....as the wind picks up....might ask: 'you reckon we should move to the basement?'....not really feeling stressed about things.

Thinking over this Maryland/LGTBQ problem....it's obvious....you as a city need to hire 'helpers'....say one for each four LGTBQ folks....to personally guide the poor folks to safety when chaos sets in.  Obviously, they probably should not be LGTBQ themselves....otherwise, the helpers will need helpers.

Sheltering separately away from non-LGTBQ folks?  Well....that's something else that I'm pondering upon.   

Vance and the View?

 Vice President JD Vance will be appearing on The View today, Tuesday (16 June) at 11:00 AM (ET).

It should be an interesting Q-and-A....where hundreds of thousands of women....are lined up to get their dose of anti-Vance/anti-Trump, and find their 'strength' diminished.

Framing....de-framing....re-framing....etc.

I don't think the View-ladies are in the level of debate required for this situation.

Why Did The US Step In And Sponsor Bio Labs in Eastern Europe In The 1990s?

 Evidence presented in the past week...says the US had 46 labs just in Ukraine alone....maybe around 120 total.

Reason?  Fear.

As the Cold War ended....all this expertise sitting....formerly Soviet-run.  So...rather than let some crazy guy enter the picture....the  US entered and gave the folks tasks....paying them.

I  won't  say it's legal or ethical....but at the time, it made sense.

Elon's Space-X Stock Opens Monday At $160.95

 So, there's positive and negative chatter. Negative?  It's not worth the money and over-priced.

My take?  You just don't know where the company will 'march-off-to'.  It might develop into a dozen products/services....each with profit.

If  I had  the cash....I'd buy 40 shares at $6,400 roughly, and sit. End of 2026....it's probably at $300 a share and  be happy with doubling your money.

If you held the stock ten years?   It'd probably reach $4,000 a share ($160,000) minimum.

The one prospect here.....first man on Mars....will not be a Russian or NASA employee.....it'll be a Space-X employee. 

Five Things That AI Over The Next Decade Will Give Us

 1.  Within a couple of years....AI will be used by singles to assess through various questions (probably over 2,000)....where successful relationships can occur.  Your scores, preferences, spending habits, education.....will be matched to the perfect-partner.

I'm not saying it'll fix things....but you will end up with person that best fits your chaos/mess.

2.  AI will start to assess dependability of cars....to the point that some brands will dissolve away (they were developed and marketed.....as CRAP).

AI will start to tell you when each issue starts to decline....getting you into a shop earlier.

3.  AI will start to score teachers/college-instructors....to the point that the crappy ones are dismissed by the 2nd year.

4. A AI-scoring service will start up....giving 'scores'.....to TV journalists....to show 'slant'.  

5.  AI will begin to monitor voting registrations....actual existing people....fake people, and voting patterns. It will assess some US cities with 30-percent 'Casper-voters/non-existent people)......forcing courts to throw out election results entirely.

AOC-Reverse-Index-IQ-Scoring

 This week....AOC said: "Elon is one of the most unintelligent billionaires I've met or seen."

I pause over it, and realized that we need a opposite-approach to IQ.....where ZERO is Elon-range....and '10' is AOC-range.

The lower the score.....the more intelligent you  are.

Five Things That Have Reached A Failure Mode

1.  Car loans for $75,000.

The idiot who decided that cars would be sold at $60k to $90k on the lot....getting banks to agree to a 8-year loan payment plan.....has a mostly failure state in existence. 

2.  A Vegas weekend (3 days)  costing  in the $4k range for a couple.

After Covid....room prices, beverage/food costs....all escalated to such a degree....that it'd be actually half this $4k cost to go off to some Turkish 5-star resort for 10 days.

3.   Mailing a letter to a business establishment 10 miles away....requiring a 600 mile trip.

Once you pop the letter into the box....it has to be picked up and carried to state distribution point, then rerouted back.

4.  Kennedy Center.

Attitude developing....lot of folks suggesting that 'it' fund it's own renovation/repairs....let the fed-dollars just stop.

Look.....the cost of BS-work in DC is such...you would have to charge $500 for crappy seats, and $1,000 for a great seat....for the place to have a income level to pay for stuff.  

This is probably the literal end of the Center.

5.  High-speed rail in California.

Getting obvious....it'll take 70-plus years to build a 700-mile track.  Even if you hire Mexicans....I doubt that you can improve the outcome.

Five Things I Now Believe

 1.  The ongoing level of economic illiteracy....with regular folks and politicians....simply makes matters worse.  In some cases....it's like they never advanced past the 3rd grade.

2.  Some day....the gov't will attempt to tax imaginary/invisible digital game pieces/ponies/swords.

3.  The most important button on a remote control.....is 'MUTE'.

4. Somewhere in the statistical world.....there is a 'number' for 'idiots', and once you discover it.....you will always approach a building or work-place....with the attitude that 1-percent, or 3-percent, or 5-percent of people there....are idiots.  It will forever change you.

5.  Something designed to be a failure....can never be made into a success....no matter how much money or time  you put into it.

Vote Story

 California this week.....some gal...who had worked as a signature collector for ballot initiatives....got dragged into court.

She'd been in the 'job-field'....for at least a decade.

Deal time?  Well....yeah....she basically pleaded guilty to paying homeless people in Los Angeles’ Skid Row....$2 to $3....to register to vote.

Sentencing?  Yet to occur....based on the charge....max is five years in prison.  My guess....depending on how many were paid....it could go pretty light (three months in jail is my guess).

Where her cash 'purse' came from?  Unknown, and it does not appear that they will be asking about that.

Did any of the new registered voters actually vote?  Another unknown.

So each guy/gal....got enough to pay for a McDonald's sausage biscuit and coffee (if you had a discount coupon)?  Yeah.

Jobs Chatter

 I asked Grok (AI) to list the top ten states for new employment in 2026:

Texas (energy, tech, manufacturing, and population-driven demand).

Nevada (tourism, logistics, and business expansion).  

Florida (population influx, tourism, finance).

North Carolina (banking/finance, tech/biotech, and manufacturing).  

Arizona  (semiconductors, tech, aerospace, and migration from higher-cost states).  

Vermont (High ranking in overall employment strength and steady job gains).  

Oklahoma (Energy sector strength and business-friendly environment).  

Idaho (Tech, manufacturing, and population growth driving gains).  

Michigan  (Auto industry recovery, manufacturing, and diversification supporting job additions).  

Virginia (Government contracting, tech, and professional services in the D.C. metro area).

Grok also listed the three bottom states (W-Virginia,  Maine, and New Hampshire).

I'll make three observations:

First,  it used to take three to five years to see a downward/upward job trend....I'd go and suggest we've reached a stage where it's 12 to 18 months to see a trend.

Second, states with a upward trend....means they are collecting income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes. These are states with tax revenue flowing (not stagnant).  

Third, fifteen years ago....I remember the odd Obama quote.....it went along the lines of 'those-jobs-are-gone....you-just-to-accept-that'.  

Four Opinions

 First, this post office threat by Trump.....that they will refuse to handle absentee ballots if you (as a state) don't hand over the voter-rolls....will have a massive  affect.

I suspect more than 20-million imaginary, dead, or non-Americans are listed as voters.

Once this is laid out....a lot of people will lose respect in democracy.

Second, once the smoke clears on the DoJ subpoena of banks in the political bias inquiry (debanking).....it'll be hefty damage for the banks in terms of lawsuits (into the tens of billions I would  suggest).

Third, this Bill Gates-the-Victim claim......that Epstein used his personal infidelities as blackmail?  Prepare for a hundred other VIPs (even Bill Clinton) to utter the threat.

Fourth and final.....I finally sat down and started watching 'The Middle'.....have to admit....it's  not a bad comedy series. 

How I Think The Iranian Uranium Saga Will Go?

First, if you weren't  aware....uranium has a 'fingerprint'....so you know where it originally came from.

In the early Obama years....a Canadian company sold uranium to a Russian nuke-plant.  There is zero evidence that Hillary Clinton was in the deal (in case you wonder).

There were two Kazakh companies involved in this deal (not really Russian companies, but you might assume some 'ownership').

Around 2013....the two Kazakh companies bought the Canadian operation.  $1.3-billion is involved.  Where did the cash come from?  No one really says much.

Could Iran have funneled money to make the deal possible?  Maybe.  But it'd have to be in cash....which is oddly....what Obama delivered to Iran around 2013.

What is odd....right around 2013....the Clinton Charity Foundation....ends up getting around $145-million....from the Kazakh company ownership. 

If the Iranian uranium comes up identified to the Canada/US 'pile'?  Well....it probably can only come from the Kazakh company operation, or it was simply stolen from the US  (I'm willing to believe this).  

The odds of several Kazakh company folks disappearing shortly?  50-50 odds.

The US-Brazil Women's Soccer Game

 If you have twenty minutes.....look up on YouTube for the highlight film from yesterday. (Video here).

All total on yellow/red flags?  21.

In a normal game....usually, three to five are expected.  In a fairly rough game (with fake injuries)....you might see seven to ten flags.

At some point....the Brazil coach/assistant coaches....are red-flagged....sent off.

US win?  Yeah....1-0.

My Thoughts On This Karmelo Anthony Case

 Karmelo Anthony in my humble thoughts....was drugged-up enough to think he could out-run anyone, and in failing....went to the knife as a 'solution'.

His parents knowing this? I doubt it.

His lawyer knowing?  Probably, but it doesn't help the case.

Thirty-five years of prison?  I doubt that he survives more than five years.

Things To Avoid Discussing

 I've devoted some time this past year...subjects you should avoid discussing in the holiday period with family affairs.  I pondered over topics that should be avoided in a conversation....because they get people riled-up.  It got up to around forty items, and I finally asked Grok/AI for help. So the list is up to about 100 things that I probably won't talk to you....unless you hint you might be 'normal':

Politics – Political affiliations and ideologies.  Religion – Beliefs, doctrines, or critiques of faiths.  Abortion – Views on pro-choice vs. pro-life.  Gun control – Firearm laws and rights.  Climate change – Debates on causes or solutions.  Vaccinations – Efficacy, mandates, or skepticism.  Capital punishment – Death penalty morality or application. Immigration policies – Borders, deportation, or asylum.  Taxation – Tax rates or fairness of systems.  Healthcare systems – Single-payer vs. private healthcare.  Euthanasia – Right to die or assisted suicide.  Same-sex marriage – Legal or moral stances.  Gender identity – Transgender rights or definitions.  Racial issues – Systemic racism or affirmative action.  Police reform – Defunding or supporting law enforcement.  Free speech – Limits or extent of expression rights.  Censorship – Social media or government regulation.  Conspiracy theories – UFOs, 9/11, or other events (note: this covers about 18,000 separate stories).  Evolution vs. creationism – Origins of life (but does not concern drop-off theories where aliens just planted life).  Wealth inequality – Redistribution or capitalism critiques.  Foreign policy – Interventions or isolationism.  Military spending – Budgets or global presence.  Education reform – School choice or curriculum debates. Animal rights – Veganism or animal testing.  Genetic engineering – GMOs or human modification.  Drug legalization – Marijuana or harder substances.  Pornography – Morality or regulation (but if discussed as art, it's ok).  Sex education – Curriculum content or age appropriateness.  Parenting styles – Discipline or child-rearing methods.  Divorce – Personal opinions on marriage dissolution.  Polygamy – Cultural or legal acceptance.  Feminism – Definitions or critiques of movements.  Patriarchy – Existence or impact debates.  Cultural appropriation – Fashion, music, or traditions.  Reparations – Historical injustices or compensation.  Nationalism – Patriotism vs. globalism.  Monarchy – Relevance or critiques of royal systems. Socialism vs. capitalism – Economic system preferences.  Privacy rights – Surveillance or data collection.  Artificial intelligence – Ethics or job displacement. Cryptocurrency – Legitimacy or regulation.  Labor unions – Benefits or drawbacks.  Welfare programs – Scope or dependency concerns. Minimum wage – Increases or economic impact. Corporate greed – CEO pay or business practices.  Globalization – Trade or cultural impacts.  Historical revisionism – Rewriting or interpreting history.  Colonialism – Legacy or modern implications.  War crimes – Accountability or specific conflicts. Terrorism – Causes or responses.  Death penalty – Justice or ethical concerns. Surrogacy – Ethics or commercialization.  Adoption – Open vs. closed or interracial issues. Mental health stigma – Treatment or societal views.  Addiction – Personal responsibility vs. disease model. Obesity – Health or body positivity debates.  Diet fads – Keto, vegan, or other trends.  Cosmetic surgery – Vanity or empowerment.  Ageism – Discrimination or generational conflicts.  Retirement age – Policies or fairness. Inheritance – Wealth transfer or taxes.  Gambling – Legalization or addiction concerns. Prostitution – Legal or moral perspectives.  Poverty – Causes or solutions.  Homelessness – Policies or personal responsibility.  Education costs – Student loans or free college.  Standardized testing – Fairness or efficacy.  Homeschooling – Benefits or drawbacks. Charity – Effectiveness or motivations.  Organ donation – Ethics or mandates.  Cloning – Human or animal ethics.  Space exploration – Funding or priorities. Nuclear energy – Safety or necessity. Fossil fuels – Use or environmental impact.  Renewable energy – Practicality or costs.  Overpopulation – Control measures or concerns.  Urban vs. rural living – Lifestyle critiques.  Public transportation – Funding or efficiency.  Monuments – Removal or preservation debates.  Statues – Historical figures or symbolism. Cancel culture – Accountability or overreach.  Social media – Impact on society or mental health.  Influencers – Authenticity or cultural impact.  Celebrity culture – Worship or criticism.  Sports salaries – Fairness or market dynamics.  Esports – Legitimacy as a sport.  Tipping culture – Fairness or expectations. Work-from-home – Productivity or fairness.  Four-day workweek – Feasibility or impact.  Automation – Job loss or progress.  Universal basic income – Viability or effects. Intellectual property – Piracy or creator rights.  Advertising – Ethics or manipulation.  Fashion industry – Sustainability or labor practices. Beauty standards – Media or societal pressure.  Reality TV – Cultural value or harm.  Video games – Violence or addiction concerns.  Astrology – Belief or skepticism.  Superstitions – Cultural or personal beliefs.  Personal finances - Too much debt  or stupid spending.

Note:  I'm also working on a list to go-to-subjects (things you can readily discuss  without problems): Space-Ghost cartoons, zombie movies, discussions over gin, quality of roller-coaster-thrills, county fairs (in-general), hatred of NCAA football decisions/schedules, Hee-Haw humor, any Steinbeck novel, slutty nature of women who wear tube-tops, why the 'L' and 'G' crowd should leave LGTBQ, incompetence of Governor Newsom of California, pro-wrestling, the decline of CNN, stupid people, the Matrix movies, hauling hay in July,  Old Testament verses, Civil War battles, crazy relative stories, screwed-up Star Trek stories, and stock investment strategies.

Movie Review: Disclosure Day

 I was yesterday at a German theater....presenting Disclosure Day....in English.  Six comments:

1.  Sound quality (1-to-10)....maybe a '7'.  Don't know if I should  blame the production people or the theater management.

2.  EMPATHY is the key pitch of the whole movie.

3.  One key and serious discussion about 60-percent into the movie about the 'threat' to religion and belief in God.   Interesting discussion.

4. Worth watching?  Yeah....but it's mostly motivating you to think a lot about things as the movie concludes.

5.  Oddly, you only see the alien toward the last 10 minutes of the movie.

6.  In the middle of the week....2 PM....it was mostly deserted in the theater....Germans don't usually show up for movie at this time.

Braves Chatter

 This year....I've watched highlights of all 65 games....watching four entire games (streaming).

This is not a normal year, or a normal team.....it's some fantasy group of characters like a DC-Marvel 'team'.

Presently at 41-24?  At the current pace, yeah....they will easily pass 100 wins (probably around game 140).  Yeah, it's possible they might even pass the 120 win threshold.  If you were wondering....the record was the 1906 Cubs....116 wins in a season.

So....what are the odd five factors?

First, if you ask about a 'ace'.....they have only one. They have six starters....who can hold earned-runs to a minimum.  Sale at the end of season?  Likely to be near 25 wins.

Behind Sale?  Elder, Holmes, Strider, and Perez.  The four are likely to have 15-plus wins each.

If you knocked out any of these five early?  They've got five guys ready to go and save the game.

Second, Olsen will have a 100-RBI season, but they've got five additional players who are likely to produce 80-plus RBIs.  

Third, Jurickson Profar was worthless for 2025....disqualified for drugs for 2026, and questionable for 2027.  Hasn't affected the team whatsoever.

Fourth....there's probably ten players who've been injured for 2026 so far....yet the team has not suffered.

Fifth and final....there's probably 10 players on the bench who could step up...start....and deliver.  

Yeah, they might be better than even the 1927 Yankees (I'll say it).

Four Opinions

 1.  Bears Leaving Chicago?

I'll just say it....it was about $$$$ in the end.  Chicago and the state of Illinois went through a process where they could not play in a capitalistic 'game'.  

But I'll also say this....there's at least twenty sports 'teams' (baseball, NBA, NFL)....that will review how this was done, and over the next decade....they probably will exit from states like Washington, California, Minnesota, and Illinois.

I believe it's possible that both the White Sox and Bulls....might entertain leaving Illinois as well.

2.  I see a long 2027 baseball strike coming....consuming most all of the season.

3. It'll reach a point in the 2030s....where California colleges are restructured, and mostly set at the 9th-grade level upon entry,  and 12th-grade level upon graduation....with no major companies in the US hiring their college graduates.   No one from California will seem to grasp this, and know what to do with 1-million college dimwits.

4.  By the end of 2027....several mental health clinics in the US (I Believe)....will offer a one-month rehab.....where they transit you from TDS.....to accepting Trump.  Cost?  $8,000. 

How The 'Bubble-People' Will Evolve?

 By 'bubble-people'....I mean the people who only read WaPo/NY Times, or watch CNN/MSNBC.

At some point....around July/August....a subpoena will be handed several folks (to include former President Obama)....to appear before a Florida grand  jury within two weeks. A couple of folks will appear to exit the US within 24 hours (particularly former President Obama).  He flees into London, and is given some type of protected status.

The grand jury project continues.

CNN and CBS....unhooked from former ownership/management....lay out tons of criminal behavior problems, and coup-like actions.

The bubble-people start to collapse....realizing they lived in a faked-up-world, and were deceived for almost 20 years.

President Trump orders massive 'controls' for the November election....voter ID is mandated.  

In the UK....questions now arise over how long Starmer knew the whole story and who else is involved.  Quietly, someone notices about three weeks into this mess....that both Hillary and Bill Clinton are residing in some estate.....hidden from public view.

By the end of 2026....half of the bubble-people are seeking mental health care...not able to handle reality.

The 'Grooming' Problem

I sat this AM...watching about 15 minutes of Fox News.  It was mostly over this Maine situation with Platner.....the Democratic candidate. 

Graham Cunningham Platner....for those not following the state contest....is an American oyster farmer and former Marine Corps member....who is a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Maine, to replace Republican senator Susan Collins.

It apparently got noticed that he has a Nazi tatto on his chest, and some former girlfriends have come out to say he's a bit weird.

So Fox folks went to Maine voters, and asked one guy to explain things.  His comment: "If we want folks that are representing us from the working class, they're not necessarily going to have a groomed and perfect political record."

Being from Alabama....I can understand this  belief.  You want a guy who might binge-drink once in a while....who is on his 3rd marriage....did six months of duty in the National Guard before being discharged for rage-issues....is a on-and-off member of the Klan....has six non-felony charges in Fort Lauderdale for bad-boy behavior.....fakes some Baptist religion commitment but has been baptized eight different times by eight different churches, and claims to have Bigfoot evidence.

The problem....if you think about it....working-class people have a unlimited amount of 'FUN'....without worrying about being  a candidate for something. Then one day, you cross the line....coming off a binge-drinking episode....realizing you announced you are running for mayor or senator.  

Four Observations

 1.  If you asked a hundred democratic-voters.....to name a agenda on the list to accomplish...other than opposing Trump....most have some dazed-look, and a majority can't list anything much.

2.  All this BS/wasting of time/crap chatter of fixing the reflective pool by the Lincoln Memorial.....for fifteen-odd years.....finally done.  It looks great.

3.  Some chatter out of Russia....shortage of manpower.  Discussion going on....to bring the work-age down to 12.

4.  I have this gut-feeling.....three out of five Seattle adults....enjoy watching chaos with the city and the mayor.

The End Of MLB (Major League Baseball)?

 Around December of this year....the current players/owners contract ends.

The owners....over the past decade....have come to a reality....around a dozen clubs are anchored down  and not in a position to get quality players.  At the top level....there's around ten clubs who have the cash flow to hire top-level players. In the middle....around eight clubs have enough cash flow....to occasionally challenge top clubs.

The owners have wised-up....they want a pay-cap. The players? They refuse to consider the idea.

So I'll just say it....by early 2027....a strike is likely to occur, and I  doubt that any games are played in 2027.

By the summer of 2027.....with no 'rescue' in sight....some folks start talking of a rival-league....eight teams....mostly in the south.  

How To Fix The California Count-The-Votes Problem?

 Two fixes:

1.  Mandate all non-voting (absentee/mail-in) ballots to be done and dropped off four weeks prior to election day....guarded and protected by Nat'l Guardsmen with machine-guns.

2.  Bring in Florida vote-counters....to count the California ballots.

Divert Hit Piece?

I sat this AM....reading a WaPo piece....troubling news....the Trump administration is diverting at least $90 million from entry fees to national parks to fund a $1.6 million fireworks display and $76 million to repair fountains in the  DC area....of which the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is such an asset.

The piece....carried on....like a hit-piece....against Trump.

So I went Grok  and asked....what are the other facts?

National Park Service policy (for over 20 years) allows up to 20-perecent of entrance fees for system-wide projects rather than keeping all revenue at the collecting park.

This D.C. monuments stuff?   Well....they are under the Nat'l Park system, and in a mess with $24 billion in deferred maintenance backlog.

So?  It's all legit.

WaPo missing half of the story?  More or less.

Stargate Drama

 So...for about a year....Amazon (who owns the rights to the Stargate series).....had a crew of writers working on season one of a 'reboot'. In the past week....Amazon bosses met...discussed the matter, and decided that whatever the writers were attempting.....would ONLY old normal fans to view it...NOT new fans. So the 'reboot' was cancelled.

All hell broke loose after this announcement

Five observations:

1.  It's not clear what Amazon executives expected.  Maybe they wanted BOLD drama.  Maybe they wanted a all-female team.  Maybe half the team had to be gay or trans. Maybe the bad guys had to resemble Trump in some way.

2.  Maybe the Stargate had to be in some Russian bunker instead of being in Cheyenne Mountain.

3. Is it possible that none of the Amazon executives have ever  watched the series?

4. Maybe the Hammond-character has to be trans?

5.   Maybe Amazon would be better off selling this project to Paramount?

Talking Animals

 I  sat yesterday....reading this short article.

So....what the PhD guys/scientists say....AI has decoded some communication patterns in mice, dolphins, apes, birds, whales, & cuttlefish....where they think....it could eventually lead to humans communicating directly with animals.

In six months or a year?  No....I seriously doubt it.  It's probably five to ten years away...where a 500-word AI-system could convey what 'Rufus' (your Border Collie) is complaining about. 

It may not be a pleasant conversation. Rufus might be demanding twelve-hour walks....wanting wider menu selection....wants bottled-water....and wants a $700 mattress.

Cows chatting? Well....they may ask what happen to 'Larry', 'Erwin' and 'Dale'.....they seemed to have been taken somewhere.

I'm not buying into this chatter being a good thing.

Service Time And Dealing With Mentally Ill Folks

 At some point in the late 1990s....before I retired,  the topic of mental illness popped up.  We had some guy in the organization either was faking mental issues,  or was fully blown walking around with mental illnesses.  In the vault, we got into this discussion.

I was nearing age 40, and over a 22-year period....I'd observed probably a dozen folks who had issues, or worked with folks who were in the middle of 'chaos'.

One of my co-workers had been forced into instructor-status, and had some young female airman who had a imaginary 'friend'....to the point that she talked to 'Jessica' (the invisible friend).  She'd made it through basic training and around six weeks of technical training....when the friendship came to be known.  For some reason, the Air Force couldn't deal with Airman 'Jessica' (the invisible airman).  Took the mental health folks about a week to validate the situation and ease both the real person and the invisible gal out.

I had another co-worker who had a young airman arrive at the base (in Germany) and over a 6-month period....the kid got heavily into BDSM (to the point that he was very open and wanted to profess his 'religion'). I asked how he got so deep into this kinky stuff, and the response was some relationship-deal (Air Force female dental hygienist).  His boss spent several  months trying to get him to some neutral point (just don't make it so obvious)....with that failing.  Commander came up....requested a mental fitness exam....the guy failed....a week later, he was 'out'.  Oddly, the female dental hygienist wasn't kicked out or treated to a mental fitness exam. Yeah, it's possible that she lasted 20 years.

The problem is....most folks (probably in the 60-percent range)....don't want to hang around, or put 'trust' into folks they consider mentally ill or unstable. I also would agree...maybe two folks out of ten....like to view stuff like this as a theater-situation and allow it to go to the maximum crazy-level. 

Asking people to accept mentally ill folks?  If you were just asking a gal/guy to accept working around someone who says they are 100-percent Cherokee-Mexican....but are plain regular white dude....I think most folks would go and sign  off...without any mental therapy forced upon them.

Maybe it'd be the same with some female who only wants to wear male-like clothing and 'pretend'  she's mostly a guy....without any surgical stuff or forced pronoun mandating.

But eventually.....you reach a point where you don't want to participate in 'theater-operations' and keep reminding yourself of something that seems crazy.