"Pretend I didn't say that. Please. Please. Please, media, disregard that statement. Thank you very much."

"Back To The Future 1, 2 and 3 but it's only Stricklands' lines."

Posted by my son John, at Facebook, on the occasion of the death, at 94, of James Tolkan, who played Principal Strickland.

"5 things society makes a big deal about that don't have to be that important" and "21 more things I love about being single and living alone."

It might be dangerous — especially for the young — to consume these 2 lists in sequence. It might be what "they" don't want you to know.... 

ADDED: These are Tiktok videos and I'm having trouble embedding them. So: the first one is here and the second one is here.

"Stench of 20 Tons of Spilled Tofu Hits Missouri Town 'Like a Brick Wall.'"

That's the Headline of the Day for me.

It's in the NYT: 

The tofu and the truck languished in the ravine for three weeks while the private towing companies that had been hired to clean up the mess tried to confirm that the trucking company had enough insurance to pay for the job....

The Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District has referred to the mess on its Facebook page as “the infamous Jerome Tofu Monster” and the cleanup as “the Great Battle of Jerome.”...

A painting for the elderly and confused.

"He's very sensitive to his surroundings."

“When it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused, and so he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test in the crash."

Said Sheriff John Budensiek, quoted in "Tiger Woods’ mugshot released after his arrest/Golf player charged with driving under the influence after a crash near his home in Florida. Police said he appeared to be on 'some type of medication or drug'" (London Times).

That also shows Woods's mugshot from his 2017 arrest "after he was found asleep in his car blocking a stationary line of traffic with his engine running."

This time around, we're told, "Woods was not injured but was 'lethargic' on the scene and was alone in the car before he crawled out of the passenger door." And: "Under Florida law, he had to remain in jail for at least eight hours before being released on bond." That's harsh for such an eminent man. 8 hours!

Why does he go out driving alone? It must be very important to him to keep taking an obvious and known risk. Those who are failing to stop him share responsibility.

"Mr. Crofts and Mr. Seals, who as adherents of the Baha’i faith imbued their music with religious themes, started as a duo in 1969..."

"... and stayed together until 1980. They produced the jazzy, upbeat 'Diamond Girl,' the quirky, naturalistic 'Hummingbird,' the feathery, soulful 'Get Closer' and the wistful 'We May Never Pass This Way Again' — all reaching the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. But it was 'Summer Breeze,' which peaked at No. 6, that proved the most lasting, with its memorable opening guitar lick, gentle melody and simple, reassuring refrain: 'Summer breeze makes me feel fine / Blowing through the jasmine in my mind.'... In a 2022 ranking of the greatest summer songs of all time, Rolling Stone magazine listed 'Summer Breeze' at No. 20. It described Seals & Crofts as one of the 'signature soft-rock groups' of the early 1970s...."

From "Dash Crofts, of the Soft-Rock Duo That Sang ‘Summer Breeze,’ Dies at 87/Seals & Crofts had a number of Billboard Top 20 songs in the 1970s before their chart topper brought them global fame" (NYT).

What were the Baha'i elements in this music? I hope it is not disrespectful to use A.I. to sketch out the beginning of an answer. Oh! It's much more extensive and explicit than I realized.

Senator Elissa Slotkin, last night on Bill Maher's show, said that what people want is "more alpha energy."

Elissa Slotkin: You're not going to get me to defend democratic messaging. We can have a whole autopsy about that.

Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, the American people want something different out of their government. Can we have a little bit more alpha energy? pic.twitter.com/h8li6EAbmq

— Blue Georgia (@BlueGeorgia) March 28, 2026

"You're not going to get me to defend Democratic messaging. That's not going to be ever something that I'm going to defend. That's part of the problem and why we lost the last election. We can have a whole autopsy about that. I think, for me, what is important, going forward, whether you're a Democrat or Republican, is like: the American people, they're telling us something, they want something different out of their government. They want, they want some alpha energy from their leaders. And they certainly — whether you agree with him or not — are getting that from some of the Republicans. And my plea to my own party is, like, can we have a little bit more alpha energy? Punch and believe in what we believe in. Show people that we give a shit, and be simple about addressing the needs that they care about the most. And that has been a struggle to be a part of that change."

That came at the end of her interview with Maher and felt prepared and tacked on. There was no time left to explore the term "alpha energy," which just felt ridiculous. Was she saying Democrats need to talk and act more like Trump because they need to get elected and the voters are pretty damned stupid and self-interested?

I see Elissa Slotkin was saying "alpha energy" last summer. There's this interview, in the NYT, from July: "Elissa Slotkin Wants Democrats to Reclaim Their 'Alpha Energy'/In a wide-ranging interview, the junior senator from Michigan took stock of her party’s deep-seated woes, warning Democrats not to be 'so damn scared.'" 

You often talk about the need for Democrats to bring back “alpha energy,” along the lines of Michigan sports coaches. What is something Democrats do that is the opposite of alpha energy?

In the Midwest, alpha energy is about emotion. Whether you’re a coach and you know what your team has put into the game, or you’re frustrated that they didn’t give it their all, you’re not speaking from wonky details. You’re speaking about your gut and your emotion. I think Democrats have lost that.

We respond to people’s pain with a long list of wonky policies.

Alpha energy is synonymous with being bold. Call the tough play, take a risk, be bold. And don’t be so damn scared of your own shadow.

Yeah, my first guess was right: She's saying Democrats need to talk and act more like Trump because they need to get elected. 

Did she answer the question "What is something Democrats do that is the opposite of alpha energy?" Only vaguely. They're "speaking from wonky details" and not "speaking about your gut and your emotion." Her statement of the problem is, ironically, lacking in the quality she's saying they need. 

And what is that quality again? And frankly, I think the idea is based on gender stereotypes but mixes up the male and the female up so we're served an unwholesome stew.

At the Sunrise Café...

... you can talk all night.

"Holy f---, how about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f---ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?"

So wrote Graham Platner, the man who's leading in the polls to become the Democratic Party candidate to run against Susan Collins for the Senate seat for Maine.

I'm reading "Janet Mills and Graham Platner battle for female voters in Maine's key Senate race" (NBC News).

Platner’s online Reddit posts, which resurfaced last fall, included a slew of controversial comments, including calling himself a communist; saying white, rural Americans were racist and stupid; and writing that “all” police officers are “bastards” after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in 2020.

"Mr. Hegseth has said repeatedly that he is determined to change a culture corrupted by 'foolish,' 'reckless' and 'woke' leaders from previous administrations."

"But his heavy scrutiny, especially of female and minority officers, is eroding confidence in a promotion system that is supposed to be apolitical and merit based, his critics have said.... In his 2024 book, 'The War on Warriors,' Mr. Hegseth disparaged many of the senior officers who rose up under Mr. Austin’s tenure as 'cowards hiding under stars' and 'whores to wokesters.' 'The Left captured the military quickly, and we must reclaim it at a faster pace,' he wrote. 'We must wage a frontal assault. A swift counterattack, in broad daylight.'..."

From "Hegseth Strikes Two Black and Two Female Officers From Promotion List/Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s highly unusual decision to remove officers from a one-star promotion list has spurred allegations of racial and gender bias" (NYT). The sources for this article are anonymous current and former military and administration officials.

Note that the language purports to know why one person was targeted:

We were talking about raspberries.

We were talking about the level of pain and sacrifice Americans are willing to endure to make it through these perilous war weeks.

The New York Times brings harrowing forebodings: "Where Might the Iran War Hit Your Wallet? Start With Raspberries. It takes a lot of fuel to produce this delicate fruit, which can be a sensitive barometer as oil costs rise."

Raspberries are the divas of fresh produce.... They do best stacked lightly in refrigerated trucks cooled and powered with diesel fuel. Even on a plane, the berries must be refrigerated. All this makes them one of the most fuel-intensive items in the produce aisle. And they bear a message from the near future: The Iran war is likely to grow your grocery bill. Raspberries were already expensive, but the wholesale price of fresh berries has doubled since January, according to federal Agricultural Marketing Service reports. At a Whole Foods Market in Atlanta on Tuesday, a six-ounce plastic container of organic raspberries cost nearly $8. That’s about 20 cents a berry....

You know what you could do in support of the war effort? If the price of fresh raspberries doubles, eat half as many raspberries. Or don't buy fresh raspberries when they are out of season. Be more of a locavore and pick something that is in season or buy frozen berries. They're fine in a smoothie. I mean this war with Iran has been going on since the Carter administration and we're currently very heavily committed to forcing it to end decisively. Can't you handle this insanely minuscule raspberry problem? Who is this out-of-season-berry-munching Whole-Foods-shopping lady who won't contribute?

Remember when women dug in and helped:

"Among my friends, getting private healthcare insurance through your company is seen as the best work perk there is. I have paid £70 for a private appointment...."

"Even for the friends who don’t get private healthcare for free through work, paying close to £100 for a private GP appointment is seen as worth it, a small price to pay for peace of mind about health.... As one [friend] says: 'The anxiety of waiting so long to get something fixed just isn’t worth it.... With the NHS, I feel like you have to start with a doctor who is tired, stressed and doesn’t have much time for you.' Another friend tells me she has noticed that private doctors are more likely to prescribe antibiotics than NHS ones. So when she thinks she has tonsillitis, she goes private to make sure she gets the medicine. Yet another goes private when she has 'big scares,' she says. 'Because of the NHS wait times, if I have something that I’m really worried about and that is affecting my mental health, that’s when I go private.'..."

From "I’m 30 and I avoid the NHS if I can. Here’s why/The latest survey shows that most people my age feel the same, says Georgina Roberts" (London Times).

Fires in the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma polluted the Madison, Wisconsin sunrise.

It was quite lovely:

Write about whatever you want in the comments.

"Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents..."

"... in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports. It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it! I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports. I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Trump writes, at Truth Social.

Question: How is he doing this? Answer: It's not easy! But he's going to do it. Perhaps he means: Go ahead and sue me and at least the workers willbe paid until the courts stop me... if they dare.

In other news from the edge of executive power: Trump is putting his signature on U.S. currency.

UPDATE: Trump gets results: "The Senate voted early Friday to fund the Department of Homeland Security except for its immigration enforcement and deportation operations.... The measure, which passed the Senate by a voice vote at around 2:20 a.m., does not include funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Border Patrol..." (NYT).

Trump answers the question "Did the CIA tell you that Ayatollah Jr. is gay?"

"They did say that. I think a lot of people are saying that, which puts him off to a bad start in that particular country. I sort of have to smile to myself when I see people trying to defend the Palestinian regime for women — women for Palestine — but they kill women if... you don't wear a certain cloth all over your face, you have no chance of living. When I look at gays for Palestine  — but they kill gays. The kill 'em instantly. They throw 'em off buildings. And I'm saying, who are the gays for Palestine? They have a significant amount of gays for Palestine. Now... you know, I did very well with the gay vote, okay? I even played the gay national anthem as my walk-off, okay? And I think it probably helped me, but I did great. No Republican has ever gotten the gay vote like I did and I'm very proud of it, I think it's great. Perhaps it is because I'm from New York City, I don't know. But the gay national anthem was my walk-off and I think it probably — but think of it, gays for Palestine, but they kill gays in Palestine. So when they hear that I think probably we can talk about it but it shouldn't be too hard."

If you like Trump answers that contain miscellaneous material, this episode of "The Five" is a feast. If Trump's weave makes you anxious/angry/insane, buckle in.