Brisketexan

Not to put a big damper on things.....but it's not just the ruble. The dollar is on a solid run. Euro is down to 1.05, pound is down to 1.25 (I pay attention to both, as I send money to a kid on each currency). Yeah, the ruble is taking a bigger beating than most other currencies (precipitous drop in the last two weeks against ALL currencies), but some of what you're seeing in the charts above is a strong dollar. The ruble to euro chart is maybe more accurate (and it too shows a cliff the ruble fell off of).

Perfect post. It's entirely results-oriented Calvinball now. Bruen is the single worst-reasoned decision from SCOTUS I've ever read. It's a perfect mix of idiocy and jaw-dropping dishonesty, and it 100% means what it said -- Thomas reiterated that point. It elevated the Second Amendment above the entire rest of the Constitution, and formalized a method of "Constitutional Interpretation" that is complete nonsense, a recipe for disingenuous bullshit, and we've already seen that recipe followed. Rahimi didn't save shit. It's a band-aid on an era of SCOTUS that is going to make Dred Scott look like a work of genius in comparison. This is what the Federalist Society wants: a Court that does what it wants, whenever it wants, employing only the "guiding principles" that conveniently allow for the "whatever we want, whenever we want" outcome. If a court isn't regularly issuing rulings with a thought of "I really don't like this outcome, and really don't want to do this, but following the law and precedent, it's what I have to do," then it isn't a real court. The Supreme Court of the United States is no longer a real court. I've been a practicing attorney for decades....and I never thought I would say that, but here we are.

Of course there are multiple factors in suicide rates. Live in paradise, lower suicide rate. Live in Lubbock when the wind blows, higher suicide rate. Live in a society with more social cohesion and family connection, better outcomes than a society that fosters loneliness and isolation. But spending matters too. And you're correct that spending doesn't necessarily correlate to quality of care. The key is WHAT we are spending on. We spend a whole lot of money.....that does not go to care/delivering outcomes. We have a very inefficient system, skewed towards delivering profits instead of care. That's not to say that ANY system is perfect - care costs money, period. It has to come from somewhere. But we are an unhealthy society with unhealthy systems. And it bites us in the ass.

Perfect example. Consumers end up gaming the business's system because the business's system games them. It becomes a ratcheting upward game of fuckery. NEITHER side should start it. But here we are. Where "no, fuck you, HD" is the only rational response.

A very compact way of putting it. Nicely done. Also, it's why places like Facebook, Surly, and (once upon a time) Twitter have/had policies for user conduct. Once a turd slips into the punchbowl, then the whole thing is just shitpunch.

Yet it is. 100% intentionally. You're not obtuse, you're just an asshole. Wait.....you're probably both.

Had to log into my UK bank account yesterday to move some stuff around, and a pop up window informed me that "HSBC will no longer process any payments to or from Belarus or Russia. For payments involving those countries, you should make alternate arrangements." Was kinda surprised HSBC hadn't already cut that off, but then.....they're kind of an evil bank (I really didn't have a choice as to who I could open an account with from the US). That said....it's getting harder and harder for ordinary people and businesses to have anything to do with Russia. What a "cut of your nose to spite your face" move Russia has made.

Abbott has already wrapped his hands around the throat of public education and choked it for going on 6 years (no funding increases....despite significant inflation and increased population). He has shown, simply and directly, that public schools must do EXACTLY as he says (all Jesus, all the time, for example) or he will simply cut off their funding.

DING DING DING. The Trump Model for the Economy is super simple. It has only two elements: 1) punish disloyalty and 2) reward loyalty.

Somewhat Putin-esque in the outcome. Elon would benefit from a large glass of "be smart enough to know how dumb you are," but nope.....Elon is the world's leading expert on.....literally everything. According to Elon, at least.

He stated his conclusion. Yes, in a Tweet. Because he's as simple-minded as Tweet communication. Here's his conclusion, in his own fucking words, quoted: First point: not entirely "broken," although yes, the requirement of multiple roles did indeed make it too jack-of-all-trades. Most experts agree. Second point: agree on the jack-of-all-trades point. Current usage demonstrates that "success was never in the set of possible outcomes" is flat-out false. It is already being successfully used in battle. Third point: False. Someday, they WILL be obsolete. But as real-time wars being fought this very minute demonstrate, they are NOT obsolete at present. And they will not be obsolete for many years to come. Elon's military mindset is pretty fucking similar to this dude's: He is the textbook Dunning Kruger case of someone who knows a fair bit about subject A, and then extrapolates that to acting as if he's an expert in subjects B-Z. Elon isn't smart enough to know how dumb he is.

Both things are true. Yet his conclusion is still rubbish, because Elon speaks in absurd absolutes. There are numerous missions for which a larger, manned platform is the vastly superior approach, and that will remain the case for some time to come. And if you think that the advanced militaries of the world aren't the bleeding edge of the shift to larger drones performing more complex missions, you are a dipshit who knows only a little bit, but thinks he knows a lot. So....you're Elon.

I'm a lawdog, and here's the thing: you are not wrong. Which has actually been the primary point behind my the alarm bells I've been ringing for the past decade. The Rule of Law, for as much as we rely on it, describe this huge body of work, etc.....is incredibly fragile. Because it is nothing more than a compact, an agreement. You and I both agree that if we make a contract and one of us breaches it, the other party can go to court and get a judgment. Then, that party can take that judgment and file other papers, and end up owning some of your property to pay that judgment. It's all papers, and people moving stuff around based on an agreement that those processes mean something. Courts issue "writs" to make people do things. They don't show up with clubs and beat you into submission to make you do something. But when one party/side simply opts out of The Rule of Law.....it's over. It's done. Because the only option other than The Rule of Law is The Rule of Force/the Gun. The Rule of Law is ill-equipped to deal with someone who 1) opts out of The Rule of Law and 2) has enough power/backing to get away with it. Donald Trump has violated the law, and when The Rule of Law says "no, you have to obey the law," stood there defiantly with his hands on his hips and said "make me." And, importantly, he's had the backing of a shitload of powerful people -- and nearly half the country's voters -- in his stance. The thing is, those idiots think they have "won." No. What they have done is taken an incredibly dangerous step down the road of installing "Rule of the Gun" in place of The Rule of Law. And in this moment, they like it because they feel like they have the power. And in this moment, they may be right. But that's the problem with the Rule of the Gun....who the "prevailing party" will be changes with the wind, and with whoever has the most guns on a given day. The Rule of Law provides a measure of certainty and predictability. And certainty and predictability are the foundation of a functioning society and thriving economy. There is a world where, if you fail to pay me the $1 million you owe me, I can sue you and get a judgment, and collect on my judgment. Knowing that, both parties to our deal behave accordingly, and generally stick with the deal, providing predictability and a free flow of commerce. There is another world where, if you fail to pay me the $1 million you owe me, I tell you to pay me, and you stand there with your armed goons and tell me "fuck off, if you try to make me pay, I'll shoot you." That injects significant uncertainty into the process, and the free flow of commerce will take a huge hit. I'm not going to do deals with people if I can't assure that they will pay me. So either we have to find some other mechanism to ensure payment, or I need to hire more and better-armed goons than my contract counterparty has, which is a significant added cost, and its own wildcard. TLDR: by opting out of The Rule of Law, the American Right is taking a huge step towards crippling our society and economy as we know them. They think they're winning because they have this delicious roast goose in front of them and can taunt their opponent who has an empty table, when in reality, they are killing the golden goose that provides prosperity for everyone.

Probably better than a 50% chance of that path. His history of making outrageous threats if you don't do X....then you don't actually do X, but move some furniture around pointlessly and say "look, I did something," and he declares "the greatest victory in American history, at levels never seen before" is rather extensive. His entire persona and history is performative, not actually substantive. When he DOES veer into the substantive....he does shit like bankrupting a fucking casino.

So…I just saw this magnificent beast online. The Vaquero, from Vic’s in Albuquerque. CFS. Topped with chili gravy and cheese. Served on top of beans, potatoes, and two over easy eggs…served on top of a piece of fry bread. You would die, but die happy.

Whoa there….I ain’t gonna get crossways with the maple syrup cartels. Those mofos make the Zetas look like Boy Scouts.

“Durable 100% Nylon Velvet” is my pimp name.

Que? Trabajo. Y cerveza.

The only thing dumber than making a deal with Trump is expecting Trump to honor the deal. A rule utterly ignored by the idiots who voted for him, employing an incredible blend of "he's lying about doing all the stuff I don't like, and telling the truth about doing all the stuff I do like" rationalization that is breathtaking to behold....if it wasn't so absolutely fucking stupid.

Crooked politician who had to enter a deal to avoid trial on securities fraud stans for mechanisms of massive and unregulated securities fraud. Of all the things that check out, this is the checkoutingest.

Man, there used to be one in town, off of 183...it was my favorite pickup pizza place in town. I just ain't getting out to HPR to get a pizza now.

FIF accuracy. Women are expendable. Because they are secondary. Made from Adam's rib and all that. Not the Prime Being that is the only one that actually deserves human rights (the head of household, as decreed by the Lord God Jehovah).

WHY DID BIDEN MAKE MY AVOCADOS SO EXPENSIVE?!?!?!?!?!?!

I'm sure there will be a teeny tiny exemption, because, you know....

Also, if you want to inject a giant glass-studded billy club up the ass of the Texas economy, that's a great start. Ask the President and CEO of the Texas Association of Business: Also, this was a giant gift to Trump's co-president, Elon Musk. Much of the rest of the auto industry in the US has long had a bilateral relationship with Mexico, manufacturing and importing parts from there to plants in the US. Want to harm Elon's competitors? This is a great way to do that. Want to end up causing layoffs of UAW labor? Excellent step to doing that. Want to harm US exporters when Canada and Mexico do what they have to, and impose similar tariffs? Congrats, you did it. He's using tariffs as an idiotic blunt instrument. Because he's a fucking idiot. The leopards are about to feast.