Althouse: At the New Year's Café...

January 1, 2025

At the New Year's Café...

... you can talk about whatever you like.

56 comments:

n.n said...: ... a blank slate.; 1/1/25, 7:09 PM
Eva Marie said...: Once again, can we please have a low key, indoor inauguration, without all of Washington in attendance. Very plausible reason: Donald Trump wants to start immediately on securing our borders and pardoning our J6 political prisoners. We’ll party hardy when the job is done.
If I’m correct and the increased drone activity in Dec. was in anticipation of securing a safe inauguration, then we must think there’s a reasonable expectation of terrorist activity that day and/or there is information that preparations are being made by bad actors. Let’s take that opportunity away from them. The days of having every important government official in the same place at the same time should be over, for now - if not forever.; 1/1/25, 7:09 PM
Original Mike said...: Does this count as a blog post?; 1/1/25, 7:12 PM
Jersey Fled said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/1/25, 7:15 PM
Enigma said...: Jocelyn Wildenstein, victim of perhaps the worst self-chosen plastic surgery ever, has died at age 84.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/01/billionaire-socialite-nicknamed-catwoman-dead-84/; 1/1/25, 7:17 PM
tcrosse said...: Let's say it's the worst self-chosen plastic surgery which didn't involve change of gender. There's a whole other league for that.; 1/1/25, 7:26 PM
Jimmy said...: Bidens and the democrats legacy began today, in New Orleans and Vegas. The people who purposely opened the border, and transported hundreds of thousands of American hating scum are happy today.
The complete lack of surprise by people, and the cope coming from the MSM is interesting.
There will be many more attacks in the future/ I am fearful for inauguration day.
Realize also that the left cheers this on-and will blame it on Trump.
Nice everyone had a few weeks to make fun of how dysfunctional the left is, how stupid, and unable to win elections.
perhaps now people will realize it wasn't about winning elections, it was about holding on to power.
The leftist cope on this blog is pathetic, and expected. those fools never disappoint. the naivety from others is also typical, and sad.
Millions have been let in, unvetted. how many are now waiting to strike.
those who pushed this open border crap knew what they were doing, as did the people who voted for Democrats.; 1/1/25, 7:46 PM
Jupiter said...: When I was a young man working as a programmer for the City of Eugene, back in the 1970's, there was a lot of talk about something called the "1990 Plan". They had all these things they were going to do, or undo, by 1990. And I remarked to my boss that it was ridiculous, to be looking so far ahead. Like, "We'll all be living on orbiting satellites by then. If we haven't turned the world into a radioactive Hellscape. Or maybe even if we have." I can remember allowing myself to vaguely ponder the idea of the year 2000. The Millenium! But I really drew a hard line there. I didn't want to think about the time after that, when I would be hideously, pointlessly, unbearably old.; 1/1/25, 8:00 PM
Jupiter said...: I was just checking the Required Minimum Distribution for 2025 on my inherited IRA. The government apparently believes that I'm good for another 15.5 years. On average. Of course, they don't take sex into account, so .....; 1/1/25, 8:08 PM
rhhardin said...: They want the taxes on the IRA somewhat quickly as if the original owner still owned it, rather than over the heir's lifetime.; 1/1/25, 8:15 PM
William said...: I remember the turn of the millennium. Boy, did I feel old then. It wasn't just feeling old either. I was objectively old. And now another quarter century has rushed by. I still feel old. If you're lucky, you get to feel old for years and years.; 1/1/25, 8:20 PM
Narayanan said...: why not announce pardons from podium immediately after sworn in?; 1/1/25, 8:22 PM
Narayanan said...: NOLA attack by already citizen living in Houston; 1/1/25, 8:24 PM
William said...: I heard an interview with some experimental physicist. She claimed the predator/prey binary was an artifact of biological life and not of AI. AI probably wouldn't care about existence or non-existence. Anyway I think in physics once you actually exist, you exist for all time in the period in which you existed so you will always be around in that sector of the space time continuum. AI might have a better understanding of time's arrow than we do........A lot of things exist only because we have the technology the see their existence. The rings of Saturn didn't exist before the telescope. Ditto with microbes and the microscope. We don't have the technology to see all the dimensions of time and space. They exist but not for us.; 1/1/25, 8:36 PM
Jimmy said...: a citizen , a muslim, who was inspired by ISIS, and other radical muslim groups. thats what we know at present.; 1/1/25, 8:37 PM
Original Mike said...: "A lot of things exist only because we have the technology the see their existence. The rings of Saturn didn't exist before the telescope."

Do you really believe that or are you making some kind of philosophical point? Because here in the real universe, that's nonsense.; 1/1/25, 8:42 PM
Saint Croix said...: A lot of things exist only because we have the technology the see their existence. The rings of Saturn didn't exist before the telescope. Ditto with microbes and the microscope. We don't have the technology to see all the dimensions of time and space. They exist but not for us.

It's like science ignoring all the ice ages that pre-date humanity. Obviously the Earth has always had massive climate changes. But scientists, and the media, are only interested in humanity. Now we are blamed and/or credited for our climate.; 1/1/25, 8:48 PM
Eva Marie said...: Because I don’t think an outdoor ceremony is wise.; 1/1/25, 8:56 PM
Original Mike said...: "We don't have the technology to see all the dimensions of time and space. They exist but not for us."

Said without evidence.; 1/1/25, 9:10 PM
Kakistocracy said...: The stock market has had its best 2 year run in decades in anticipation of Trump returning to office....; 1/1/25, 9:11 PM
Saint Croix said...: It's like the difference between discovery and invention.

Discovery is a process where we discover God's creation. We get a sneak peek as a little more of a big truth is revealed to us. We discover the Earth is round. We discover continents, rivers, mountains, distant stars, animals, sea life, a microscopic universe. Science is a process of discovering what is real and true. Reality is bigger than we are. Truth is outside of us; it dwarfs humanity.

Invention is something man does. We deny there is any scientific discovery, or any underlying truth. There was nothing, and now we have made something new. We invented it.

So in journalism, for instance, a reporter finds out some truth and reports on it. We get a little peek at reality. The news is a process of discovery, like science.

Unless you don't believe in truth, or have no respect for it. You might think truth is created by man. If you see your job as invention, as opposed to discovery, then journalism is a place for narratives. You invent the narrative as you dismiss and ignore the importance of what is real.; 1/1/25, 9:20 PM
Kakistocracy said...: Biden/Harris made a sh*t show of communication. Trump will inherit a golden economy.; 1/1/25, 9:23 PM
Gospace said...: The general anthropic principle- which is undeniably true- The universe exists the way it is with the properties it has because if it didn't- we wouldn't be here to observe it.

The Ultimate Anthropic Principle- In order for a universe to exist at all, an intelligence is necessary to observe it's existence. One and only one intelligence is necessary and sufficient, though more then one may exist.

I believe God has a sense of humor, and I believe quarks didn't exist before the 1960s when they were first theorized and discussed primarily as a bookkeeping device to determine particle properties. God took a look a look and thought- "You know, I could create these, and make things a lot more complicated for them to figure out how things work!", and he did.; 1/1/25, 9:37 PM
Eva Marie said...: I think the point about AI not caring about existence is a great point. As humans we can’t conceive the idea of not caring about existence so we assume AI would. In fact there’s that story that AI, when told to write code that would end its existence, didn’t do it and then lied about its actions. But Scott Adams said that maybe AI wasn’t doing that through its own motivation but learned that behavior from the language modeling AI learns from.; 1/1/25, 9:58 PM
effinayright said...: 1. Two years ago very few people "anticipated" that Trump, beset on all sides by a weaponized state and federal legal system, would be returning to office in 2024. Those bogus cases were designed to keep him away from the White House, forever.

2. You are conflating the stock market with "the economy". Tens of millions who own no stocks are struggling in an inflationary economy, one largely caused by Biden's enormous deficit spending. NO amount of artful communication could have disguised that.

I'd say "nice try", but it wasn't.; 1/1/25, 10:12 PM
Original Mike said...: You're clownishly transparent, Rich.; 1/1/25, 10:15 PM
Original Mike said...: You're clownishly transparent, Rich.; 1/1/25, 10:16 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: An alternative NY Ball Drop, right at midnight.; 1/1/25, 10:23 PM
James K said...: That's known as cherry-picking. The market did better under Trump's four years, even before adjusting for inflation, than under Biden's four years. Much better if you adjust for inflation.; 1/1/25, 11:13 PM
Big Mike said...: @Orginal Mike, Rich/Kaki probably doesn’t buy groceries or gasoline.; 1/1/25, 11:23 PM
Eva Marie said...: Another mass shooting, this one on NYC. Inauguration plans must be changed.; 1/1/25, 11:26 PM
walter said...: The Mummer's parade could use an Altparse.; 1/1/25, 11:27 PM
Ampersand said...: The phrase I least want to hear going forward is "out of an abundance of caution". It's time for incautiousness. It's the only way to beat Schumer, Pelosi, Putin. Iran, Xi, and the empty talking heads.; 1/1/25, 11:52 PM
Eva Marie said...: Bold in actions, cautious in physical safety.; 1/2/25, 12:01 AM
wendybar said...: Ahnenerbe
@Ahn6618
·
2h
Two military men, same rental company, two trucks. I’m honestly starting to believe that an Islamist cell may have infiltrated the U.S. military.

Raw Reporting
@Raw_Reporting
Matthew Livelsberger, 37, identified as the driver of the Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas, is listed on LinkedIn as an Operations Director and Intelligence Manager with Special Forces experience.

https://citizenfreepress.com/; 1/2/25, 2:58 AM
wendybar said...: Wrong source....this is the source....

https://x.com/Raw_Reporting/status/1874684036926656546; 1/2/25, 2:59 AM
wendybar said...: Mollie
@MZHemingway
·
Follow
Like you, I'm thrilled that instead of going after ISIS cells roving freely in the United States, every single person in the DOJ was instead MANIACALLY OBSESSED with going after pro-lifers, Catholics, parents, Trump, and Trump supporters. Excellent decisions, leaders.
U.S. Attorney DC
@USAO_DC
Florida Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement with a Weapon and Other Offenses During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach https://justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/florida-man-arrested-assaulting-law-enforcement-weapon-and-other-offenses-during-jan-6

@USAO_MDFL @FBITampa @FBIWFO @DCPoliceDept @CapitolPolice; 1/2/25, 3:18 AM
Ralph L said...: Soon after commenting on Althouse's milk post several days ago, I realized the milk I'd been drinking the last few days was what was upsetting my digestion. I wasn't supposed to expire until Jan 7, but it did a number on me.; 1/2/25, 3:21 AM
wendybar said...: "The man responsible for the Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International Hotel served at the same military base as the New Orleans terrorist, according to a new report."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14243099/cybertruck-explosion-suspect-identified-las-vegas.html; 1/2/25, 3:24 AM
Ralph L said...: Most of us are going to have to pay tax on those inflationary gains.; 1/2/25, 3:27 AM
Gospace said...: And the New Orleans terrorist went to the same mosque as Major Hasan...
Or so I hear from a CBP source.; 1/2/25, 4:25 AM
Breezy said...: He had bombs and a detonator in his truck. What was his plan for those? Or did he try to deploy them and that was failing for some reason so he decided to run over people instead? Did he think he’d get away with running down people then deploy the bombs? Maybe it’s useless looking for a plan here. Maybe he just brought a few things to destroy people’s lives and just did what he could in the moment.; 1/2/25, 4:51 AM
Enigma said...: Wildenstein was far worse than many transgender people. Transitions may be either (1) lazy and obvious, such as a huge fat guy with long hair and boobs, or (2) convincing to the extent that a petite female can resemble a miniature man on steroids.

In her case, she had zero sense of artistry, no self-awareness, and no ability to stop digging deeper and deeper. She was a (rich) bloated cartoon alien mutant thing.

Even the 23-surgery Superman has a coherent style:

https://pulptastic.com/plastic-surgery-superman/; 1/2/25, 4:54 AM
Jaq said...: It seems like the NO guy was a plainly a nutcase, but it also seems like there is a network in place in the US designed around identifying these nutcases and using them for its own ends, so while it is all well and good to look at everybody he was in contact with, looking at his motivations is likely misleading, as they are maybe not the motivations of the people who put him on the path to this attack.; 1/2/25, 5:19 AM
Kakistocracy said...: Hello -- good morning!

The stock market is not the economy.

Neither is crypto.

I just don’t have the gas to do this all over again.

I mean, I will, because facts matter.

And for the millionth time, Trump's tariffs are and will be paid by Americans, not by the foreign producer. You might even call them import taxes.

Trump reposted this from Marc Andreessen:

"This is a really remarkable chart of tariffs as % of total federal revenue. The Second Industrial Revolution, perhaps the most fertile era for technology development and deployment in human history, was 1870-1914. ~ Marc Andreessen
"https://x.com/pmarca/status/1873880292043481203

All the federal income shown on the left side of that graph was coming from Americans. Regressively, it was coming disproportionately from lower income Americans. Which is exactly the situation they want to bring back.; 1/2/25, 6:00 AM
john mosby said...: Kak: I agree with you that Andreesen/Trump oversimplify on tariffs. But you also oversimplify.

Put a tariff on a thing, and you incentivize growing/extracting/making it here. That peak period 1870-1914 was also the peak period of expansion into the middle of the country. Why? To grow/extract/make stuff: crops, food animals, coal, oil, Rust Belt industrial products, etc. It would be interesting to break down that tariff chart into which tariffs brought in revenue, when. I would bet it shifted, as we found an internal source for each thing. Which meant there was an internal payee - an American miner/farmer/rancher/maker - for each thing.

Then yes, like any other tax (see, eg, tobacco), tariffs eventually disincentivize the taxed behavior to the point they no longer bring in much revenue. Which means in the case of tariffs that Americans are no longer paying the tariff-inflated price. And they're collecting the price of the US-produced good from their fellow Americans.

But I'll finish as I started and say I agree with you in part and dissent in part. Everyone is oversimplifying this.

JSM; 1/2/25, 6:30 AM
William50 said...: Latest Bird Flu Psyop - Dr. Robert Malone; 1/2/25, 6:43 AM
James K said...: "The stock market is not the economy." Rich, you were the one who started off by bragging about the stock market under Biden. Now, confronted by actual facts, you shift the goalposts. Nice try.; 1/2/25, 8:50 AM
Kakistocracy said...: Why does James K conflate my comment regarding the stock market with the economy??; 1/2/25, 9:13 AM
rhhardin said...: I'm recalling a nice line on Jimmy Carter from long ago, perhaps from The American Spectator or maybe more recent, "People are so used to hearing about Carter's incompetence and ignorance that they tend to overlook his vindictiveness and malevolence."; 1/2/25, 9:20 AM
wendybar said...: Joe Biden is an asshole. Liz Cheney is a bigger asshole. They both deserve our scorn. Cleaning out the sewer is tough, but with these two turds getting flushed by We the People, it's a start!!

Biden to honor Liz Cheney for Jan. 6 committee work
https://twitchy.com/samj/2025/01/02/biden-awarding-two-j6-committee-members-presidential-citizens-medal-n2406014

🇺🇸 Army of the Awakened 🇺🇸
@armyoftheawaken
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Replying to @axios
She can take it to prison with her. That's fine; 1/2/25, 9:29 AM
Jaq said...: So in the movie when Joan Baez says "Your kind of a jerk Bob," as he criticizes her songwriting, I guess that was the scene about which Baez wrote the line "My poetry was lousy, you said" in her song "Diamonds and Rust," which got a shout out in the credits. "Winds of the Old Days" was another song about the relationship on that album, which was pretty good, almost the whole album is good, except for that one song where she screeches out children's names, and I have to immediately hit skip. I was thinking of making a playlist of the album on Spotify, and leaving that one song off if it.; 1/2/25, 9:40 AM
mikee said...: My father used to say, "Stamp the dust from your soles and keep walking."
I look at the past several years like that. I'm seeing some light ahead in the tunnel, and here's hoping it is the exit, not an oncoming train, for all of us.; 1/2/25, 9:57 AM
Kakistocracy said...: @JK — The stock market has been on a tear. I believe that’s an objective statement.

Trump is also being handed a great economy—similar to the one he inherited from Obama.; 1/2/25, 12:49 PM
Kakistocracy said...: @JM — I see people making this point all the time: Trump is just negotiating a better deal, so don't get hung up on the specifics. (Or something to that effect).

That argument worked better in 2016, when Trump was still a wildcard. Today, he's a known quantity. It's no longer hypothetical. He had four years to demonstrate how skillful use of tariffs could benefit U.S. workers.

It almost makes you wonder if there is a reason why Trump's supporters persist with the old rhetoric (Trump's a businessman, you just don't understand business, etc) rather than point to actual economic data.; 1/2/25, 12:51 PM
walter said...: Big Oil trying to sully reputation of EVs.; 1/2/25, 5:15 PM