Today …
… I’ve been struggling with internet connectivity for hours. I think it’s finally resolved. Post coming up in a moment.
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Open thread 2/19/2026
The British elites want to make the British countryside more diverse
At the moment, they’re not talking about “diverse” people moving to the countryside. They’re talking about tourism: National Landscapes, a charity mostly funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), has 46 landscapes, previously called areas of … Continue reading →
US military buildup near Iran
Show of force: President Trump is sending the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest warship, to the Middle East, along with a huge fleet of aerial refueling tankers and F-22 and F-35 strike fighters, according to reports. The massive … Continue reading →
Mamdani to Hochul: fork over the money or the kulaks get hurt
Economics 101, according to Mamdani: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani introduced his $127 billion preliminary budget plan on Tuesday. … Mamdani threatened to raise property taxes by 9.5% and raid the rainy day fund if Gov. Kathy Hochul does … Continue reading →
Open thread 2/18/2026
It’s a long long way to November of 2028, so don’t count AOC out …
… despite her abominable performance at the Munich Security Conference, her first big appearance on a foreign policy stage. From Ace, who does not pull his punches: If you took the day off yesterday, unlike me, you may have missed … Continue reading →
Roundup
(1) RIP Jesse Jackson, 84. Here’s an article that goes into the many facets of Jackson’s life: He was a con artist and a “race pimp.” He was an opportunist, a race hustler, and a corporate shakedown expert who enriched … Continue reading →
RIP Robert Duvall, 95
Duvall was the character actor par excellence. For a while there, it seemed he was in every movie, usually as some sort of tough guy. The list of his works is long, and most people would cite The Godfather as … Continue reading →
Open thread 2/17/2026
President’s Day poetry
[NOTE: Today is Presidents’ Day or Washington’s Birthday – or both – and this is a repeat of a previous post.] I’m not that old, but pedagogical practices in my youth seem absolutely archaic compared to whatever passes for education … Continue reading →
Deregulating climate change policy and the war on cars
Trump deregulates climate change policy: This last week, the Trump administration reversed a 2009, Obama-era finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, thus effectively ending the federal government’s legal authority to control the pollution that, so the … Continue reading →