This WaPo column addresses something that has been niggling me for a long time: Democrats should be shouting Trump’s trade failures from the rooftops [but aren’t] [Click] “Instead — with rare exceptions — Democrats have been muted or mealy-mouthed in their criticism. Perhaps this is because, when it comes to trade policy, most of them don’t have a leg to stand on.” Polls consistently show the public more free-trade than protectionist.
China May Have Miscalculated Trump’s Weak Spot [Click] Actually an interesting discussion of stock market performance, with comparisons to previous experience (e.g. the beginning of Hoover’s presidency)
Thanks, Alan. That's helpful. But it begs the question: How can any adult not living in a bunker have *no* position on foreign trade matters? One may be confused, one may hold contradictory views on different aspects of foreign trade, but to have, effectively, no opinion, especially if one is a U.S. senator, defies belief.
Yes, it does, Cat. The disputes about various aspects of the TPP were very murky for me; darned if I know the truth of the matters. There were reputable people on opposite sides. But the most asinine contention was Dear Leader's stated willingness to rejoin if a better deal could be had. But when the US pulled out, the other signatories ditched twenty-some provisions that the US had insisted on but no one else wanted--and made it clear that other countries could only join the revised agreement on the same terms as the existing signatories. And it certainly appeared that the TPP was intended to limit the commercial influence of China. Oh, and the Russians maintained that the TPP was a bad idea...
Okay, now I'm starting to scare myself. Last night I was frantically searching for my glasses. They were on my head. Today I had to make a pantry delivery. Hopped in the car.. Uh? I forgot the keys. Back in the house for the keys. Started driving. Oh no. I forgot to change my old glasses for my driving glasses, which is worse than it sounds because I can't read street signs with my old glasses. I really hope it is just the elevated levels of stress and that I'm not sliding into Alzheimers. Like the joke says, I bought some memory foam shoes and I still can't remember why I came into the kitchen.
Add me to the chorus of "Gee, that sounds all too normal"! And I think I can reassure you greatly in saying that I do such things all too often AND there is no Alzheimer's or Dementia in my family history. Genetics is 65% of it. I looked at the risk factors recently and I don't even get up to 10%. But on Tuesday I went to the store to get a graduation card for a loved one, hoping to mail it on the way home, then realised that I hadn't brought the address!
People become progressively more easily distracted from their mid-thirties, Susan. And the mind actively suppresses memory paths that are not often used, especially if they have similarities to ones that are favored--hence the increasing (and damned irritating!) difficulty of recalling things we know perfectly well--and know that we know perfectly well. And remember the old measure of whether it is Old Timers's Disease or Altzheimer's Disease: If you open the refrigerator and don't recall what you were looking for, that's OK; if you open the refrigerator and you don't know what a refrigerator is, that is not OK. Which reminds me of a story I shall attempt to recount adequately:
Bill, an old Wobbly, went to the doctor for his annual checkup, and the doctor asked him if he had any problem peeing in the night. No, said Bill; when I open the door God turns on the light, and when I'm finished, he turns it off. The doctor didn't comment, but made a note of it, and later talked with Amy, Bill's wife. He said "I'm a little worried about Bill; he says that when he gets up in the night to go to the bathroom God turns on the light, and when he's finished, God turns off the light. That just doesn't sound like Bill, him being an old Wobbly and all." Amy responds: "Has that old fool been pissing in the refrigerator again?"
I think I acquired the tendency to use the term "chowderheads" from Mr. Dithers; the corresponding denigration in my native vernacular was to say that someone had mush for brains.
A new Change Research poll in Nevada finds Joe Biden leading the Democratic presidential field with 29%, followed by Bernie Sanders at 24%, Pete Buttigieg at 13%, Elizabeth Warren at 12%, Kamala Harris at 11% and Beto O’Rourke at 4%.
Key finding: Among 18-34-year olds, Sanders is at 50% and Biden is in fifth place at only 6%.
FWIW, the Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association conducted an informal on-line poll. I believe they got around 7,000 responses, with Bernie winning easily. Of course, on-line polls are hardly scientific.
Have been doing a lot of reading in the past several days. In the wee hours of this morning I finished Riders of the Purple Sage. Yep, the one by Zane Grey. Enjoyed it very much.
The Innertubes can be *really* obnoxious. For some months now it has been necessary for me to purchase Prevail disposable undergarments because of my ongoing, er, difficulties. So now, whatever web site I visit that carries advertising, large, obtrusive ads for Prevail, that cannot be closed, fill the screen. That has never happened with anything else I've bought...though, come to think of it, I do seem to remember sometimes seeing ads for Poise pads. But those did not follow me all over the damned Internet. It's really offensive and not a little disturbing.
I recall a parody called "Writers of the Purple Prose." Noticing how quickly the advertisers latch onto anything I might look at, I have toyed with the idea of looking up all sorts of items--an eclectic mixture that would not be consistent with any single person. In short, play with their algorithms.
Facebook shows me ads for charities I have donated to and occasionally for things I have purchased. Ads on the Chicago Tribune site -- the only other place I go that is advertising-supported -- aren't personalized.
NYT: Luring Refugees: N.Y. Cities Desperate for People Try a New Strategy [Click] “The Trump administration has cut the small but steady influx of refugees into the United States, leading some cities to woo the ones who are already here.”
ReplyDeleteWhy copying the populist right isn’t going to save the left [Click] A long read, and predominantly Eurocentric, but certainly applicable to the US.
ReplyDeleteThis WaPo column addresses something that has been niggling me for a long time: Democrats should be shouting Trump’s trade failures from the rooftops [but aren’t] [Click] “Instead — with rare exceptions — Democrats have been muted or mealy-mouthed in their criticism. Perhaps this is because, when it comes to trade policy, most of them don’t have a leg to stand on.” Polls consistently show the public more free-trade than protectionist.
ReplyDeleteTrump Tower Is Now One of NYC’s Least-Desirable Luxury Buildings [Click]
China May Have Miscalculated Trump’s Weak Spot [Click] Actually an interesting discussion of stock market performance, with comparisons to previous experience (e.g. the beginning of Hoover’s presidency)
Analysis: Where Do Democratic Presidential Candidates Stand on Trade? [Click]
DeleteThanks, Alan. That's helpful. But it begs the question: How can any adult not living in a bunker have *no* position on foreign trade matters? One may be confused, one may hold contradictory views on different aspects of foreign trade, but to have, effectively, no opinion, especially if one is a U.S. senator, defies belief.
DeleteYes, it does, Cat. The disputes about various aspects of the TPP were very murky for me; darned if I know the truth of the matters. There were reputable people on opposite sides. But the most asinine contention was Dear Leader's stated willingness to rejoin if a better deal could be had. But when the US pulled out, the other signatories ditched twenty-some provisions that the US had insisted on but no one else wanted--and made it clear that other countries could only join the revised agreement on the same terms as the existing signatories. And it certainly appeared that the TPP was intended to limit the commercial influence of China. Oh, and the Russians maintained that the TPP was a bad idea...
DeleteJohn Paul Stevens: The Supreme Court’s Worst Decision of My Tenure [Click] Hear, hear!
ReplyDeleteThe Swedish dream was always too good to be true. And now the far right is back [Click] Hardly unique, but certainly notable.
And now to get moving.
Okay, now I'm starting to scare myself. Last night I was frantically searching for my glasses. They were on my head. Today I had to make a pantry delivery. Hopped in the car.. Uh? I forgot the keys. Back in the house for the keys. Started driving. Oh no. I forgot to change my old glasses for my driving glasses, which is worse than it sounds because I can't read street signs with my old glasses. I really hope it is just the elevated levels of stress and that I'm not sliding into Alzheimers. Like the joke says, I bought some memory foam shoes and I still can't remember why I came into the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThat all sounds perfectly normal, Susan. Try not to freak out over such things, and raise your stress level even more. *hug*
DeleteYes, I often forget things when I'm in a rush, and sometimes when I'm not in a rush but just thinking about something else.
DeleteAdd me to the chorus of "Gee, that sounds all too normal"! And I think I can reassure you greatly in saying that I do such things all too often AND there is no Alzheimer's or Dementia in my family history. Genetics is 65% of it. I looked at the risk factors recently and I don't even get up to 10%. But on Tuesday I went to the store to get a graduation card for a loved one, hoping to mail it on the way home, then realised that I hadn't brought the address!
DeletePeople become progressively more easily distracted from their mid-thirties, Susan. And the mind actively suppresses memory paths that are not often used, especially if they have similarities to ones that are favored--hence the increasing (and damned irritating!) difficulty of recalling things we know perfectly well--and know that we know perfectly well. And remember the old measure of whether it is Old Timers's Disease or Altzheimer's Disease: If you open the refrigerator and don't recall what you were looking for, that's OK; if you open the refrigerator and you don't know what a refrigerator is, that is not OK. Which reminds me of a story I shall attempt to recount adequately:
ReplyDeleteBill, an old Wobbly, went to the doctor for his annual checkup, and the doctor asked him if he had any problem peeing in the night. No, said Bill; when I open the door God turns on the light, and when I'm finished, he turns it off. The doctor didn't comment, but made a note of it, and later talked with Amy, Bill's wife. He said "I'm a little worried about Bill; he says that when he gets up in the night to go to the bathroom God turns on the light, and when he's finished, God turns off the light. That just doesn't sound like Bill, him being an old Wobbly and all." Amy responds: "Has that old fool been pissing in the refrigerator again?"
LOL
DeleteHave you guys seen this? It is most disturbing!
ReplyDeletePoll: Sanders support among young voters drops sharply - Click
I saw it, Cat; I figure it's early days and the significance of polls is questionable. Of course it is possible the kids might be chowderheads.
DeleteIndeed. That's my personal opinion. BTW 'chowderheads' is a classy way to put it.
DeleteI think I acquired the tendency to use the term "chowderheads" from Mr. Dithers; the corresponding denigration in my native vernacular was to say that someone had mush for brains.
DeleteThis just in:
DeleteA new Change Research poll in Nevada finds Joe Biden leading the Democratic presidential field with 29%, followed by Bernie Sanders at 24%, Pete Buttigieg at 13%, Elizabeth Warren at 12%, Kamala Harris at 11% and Beto O’Rourke at 4%.
Key finding: Among 18-34-year olds, Sanders is at 50% and Biden is in fifth place at only 6%.
Ah! That's better.
DeleteFWIW, the Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association conducted an informal on-line poll. I believe they got around 7,000 responses, with Bernie winning easily. Of course, on-line polls are hardly scientific.
DeleteHave been doing a lot of reading in the past several days. In the wee hours of this morning I finished Riders of the Purple Sage. Yep, the one by Zane Grey. Enjoyed it very much.
ReplyDeleteThe Innertubes can be *really* obnoxious. For some months now it has been necessary for me to purchase Prevail disposable undergarments because of my ongoing, er, difficulties. So now, whatever web site I visit that carries advertising, large, obtrusive ads for Prevail, that cannot be closed, fill the screen. That has never happened with anything else I've bought...though, come to think of it, I do seem to remember sometimes seeing ads for Poise pads. But those did not follow me all over the damned Internet. It's really offensive and not a little disturbing.
I recall a parody called "Writers of the Purple Prose." Noticing how quickly the advertisers latch onto anything I might look at, I have toyed with the idea of looking up all sorts of items--an eclectic mixture that would not be consistent with any single person. In short, play with their algorithms.
DeleteThat's a good idear.
DeleteFacebook shows me ads for charities I have donated to and occasionally for things I have purchased. Ads on the Chicago Tribune site -- the only other place I go that is advertising-supported -- aren't personalized.
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky!
DeleteAt least in Facebook you can get into the settings and turn off all the advertiser paths!
Delete