Finger On the Pulse
CURRENT AFFAIRS TO TALK ABOUT…

Good morning.

We promised “no homework” for the holidays.

Oh well… I [Manning] cannot help myself but “lay a bunch of this stuff on you,” likely to send some to do some cool reading. At least I hope so…

THE WORLD WORKS AROUND GIANTS. WHEN GIANTS COLLIDE, THE WORLD FRACTURES.
Think: the Global Authoritarian Surge vs. Democratic Stability.

Just when you thought politics in the US could not get uglier, while the Dems. and Republicans are in their perpetual, entirely undignified/despicable fight for political power, 42 million people stopped receiving SNAP benefits. That is FOOD-STAMPS, people! 1.2 million people in the military among those. Imagine the indignity to families with a head of household serving in the military, getting in line at food-banks!

Bears repeating: Where does an 800 pounds Bengal tiger sleep? Anywhere it wants to! This is a comment on the mighty economic sledgehammer that is the U.S. economy. And the entire faux tariffs warfare waged by the E.U. and essentially all rest of the word.

Where does an 800 pounds Bengal tiger sleep? Anywhere it wants to! This is a comment on the mighty economic sledgehammer that is the U.S. economy. And the entire faux tariffs warfare waged by the EU and essentially all rest of the word. But for the massive value of all things traded—gained, given away, over-valued, de-valued—the whole affair would be amusing. Did anybody in the world—setting China aside for a moment—truly expect serious bargaining with the U.S.? How gracious was Trump to allow a bit of time (precious little) for self-serving serving, face-saving protests by many, with the EU leading that parade? Give honest consideration to the massive “win-win” outcome. As for China, that is a monumental

My mind is a cacophony of unanswered questions. So much on my mind that I need clarity on.

Someone explain all this to me. Some examples of intellectual juxtapositions I explore in my book, [Like] EXPLAINING BITCOIN TO BUDDHIST MONKS.

Jeans, jeans and more jeans. Not genes!

No, I am not getting paid to pitch this to you. If reading this, Phil, I really should be.

If this big (uncomfortably “small”) world of ours intrigues, challenges, puzzles, scares, inspires, confounds, amazes, infuriates (or whatever) you, I urge you add Phil Balboni’s very short and exceptional stuff to your daily read. For the price of a modest dinner out on any summer evening, forty-six US bucks, you get a one-year subscription to the GlobalPost. What a great daily read! Exceptional information, entirely to the point with no superfluous stuff nor word-salads. Gosh, I for one, get smarter with every read.

I (Manning) heard that Al Gore was spotted buying a heavy Irish wool sweater. Yes, this is a comment on the Antarctic ice cap NOT shrinking. On the contrary.

If every “AI machine” gets turned on simultaneously, your TV will dim, and your food will spoil in your refrigerator. The answer: China will put some 35 dirty coal plants online this year. The US, none. The US has clean burning coal AND Trump just green-lit the building of relevant sized nuclear plants. Finally.

Speaking of intellectually bankrupt, hardcore antisemite, committed/institutionalized anti-American, neo-….

“Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…” Great line associated with Steven Spielberg’s famous movie, JAWS.

Just when we think it is OK to go to sleep with the belief that the world will have changed for the better by the time we wake, the world, just like Spielberg’s mythical, menacing Jaws (“Bruce”), rears its ugly and scary head.

The world remains at war…

Likely many readers have seen the “Tesla Takedown” nationwide protests March 29th. Exceptionally well organized, displaying great planning and coordination, and very well executed violent actions by many “protesters.” Five hundred locations including four hundred Tesla dealerships were targeted. Numerous reports by law enforcement of individual Tesla drivers criminally attacked, again, across the entire country.

How wonderfully “spontaneous.” Except that those fine, socially incensed people were all wearing masks. That is part of the standard uniform for those people. I expect that is part of their employment agreement. Also good so that they can protest gasoline powered cars on a Monday and then EVs on a Tuesday.

Top of mind, in no particular order…

“So much stuff (So Little Time).” – John Noir Smith, 2021.

Keeping in mind the afore quoted, some “kinda” one-liners and one “multi-liner…”

Immigration crises in the Americas (watch out Canada), Europe and elsewhere continue to severely impact economic, social, political and even moral constructs.

The worldwide quest for domination fueled by ownership of rare earth minerals — now and forever —continues. People are dying. Glad to unearth a two hour interview I did on Ukraine TWO YEARS AGO. Corruption and greed continue to thrive while … people are dying.

Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams.

How many people recognize much less know those names? However central, actually, indispensable to this massive story, they have been relegated to occasionally mentioned “bit-players” in that “story.”

And will remain so until Elon Musk sends his intergalactic Tesla-taxi to fetch them from the space station where, at this publication, they have been stranded for 278 days.

“How can love so right go so wrong.” – The BeeGees.

Or has it? Or are we being gas-lighted just a touch?

The world, at least in the unconscionably massive US federal bureaucracy, stopped breathing for the past few days.