Fascinating article. The headline caused me to read it: “ The Hormuz Hypothesis – What If the U.S. Navy Isn’t in a Hurry to Reopen the Strait?”. Why? Leverage, Trump’s favorite tool.
I have started re-reading Passage to Juneau, by Jonathan Raban. Its framework is the sailing of a small craft up the Inner Passage from Seattle to Juneau, as the framework of Moby Dick is killing a white whale. It's an excellent read which I let myself be so presumptuous to recommend.
I've been a fan of Raban's for a long time but haven't read the NW book. "Old Glory" about his Mississippi River venture, and "Hunting Mister Heartbreak" are well worth reading--perhaps even re-reading.
In the comment section of another post, someone mentioned convents. For years, I’ve donated to the retirement home of a religious order of nuns. Recently I received a letter stating they were no longer soliciting donations. Thanks to wise investments, they are now financially secure enough to meet their remaining needs. Today the convent consists of only 183 sisters, with just seven under the age of 75. My first thought was how remarkable it was for any charity to stop soliciting funds, but also how sad that what was once such a robust organization is now coming to an end. Changing times.
Humperdink: Fascinating article. The headline caused me to read it: “ The Hormuz Hypothesis – What If the U.S. Navy Isn’t in a Hurry to Reopen the Strait?”. Why? Leverage, Trump’s favorite tool.
Wild Speculation Dept: Here's how I think this ends. We do extensive battlefield prep on Qeshm Island, with the ostensible goal of opening the Strait. However, the plan is to take Kharg Island.
The Iranians can't attack it in force, because it is their economic lifeline. It is a fair distance from the coast, and probably isn't particularly fortified, since the Iranians didn't consider the possibility.
HALO drop forces onto Kharg, covered by AC-130s and A-10s.
Once opposition is suppressed, bring on the occupying force.
Then tell the Iranians that we will allow one LCC per week. If they shoot anything anywhere we don't want, then no LCCs for a month.
Which reminds me: Many years ago, when nuns still wore habits, we happened to be visiting Disneyland on the day they were hosting a convention of nuns from around the world. They were everywhere, laughing and giggling. Their joy infected everyone with Disneyland workers telling us they had never had so much fun. That was true for us as well.
I’ve been frustrated with getting a new side hustle off the ground so I’ve avoided commenting as I don’t wanna show my ass. Okay, I don’t wanna show it more than usual…
I’m dealing with a few government agencies and I’m always amazed at what a clusterfuck it is. To wit: one of the requirements for a license is an address verification for the business. Makes sense, I guess - no big deal.
Our city clerk said I had to go to the Emergency Management Agency to get the verification. I show up at their office and ask for such and they have no idea what I’m talking about. But they’re super nice and at one point three of them we’re trying to figure out what was going on.
They decided that I had to go to the ambulance dispatch office across town. Okay, no problem. I head over there and they’re confused, as well. Finally one of them said they probably meant Emergency Management Services, which, of course, is in a different city, same county.
I scoot up to Arab and find the office, only to be told I had to request the verification online, and that they only do it on Thursday mornings. It was Thursday afternoon at that moment. The next Friday I call the see if we’ve been verified and they said no, because I had to hang a sign on the front door displaying my name and address. I promise that wasn’t on the damned form…
Anyway, I tape a sign with my name and address by door and finally get my verification after two weeks. And it’s not like it’s a new building - it’s almost 100 years old - and there have businesses there for decades.
My business partner was equally frustrated and asked if these folks didn’t have Google maps. It pulls right up. Easy peasy. lol
The Iranian leadership has everything to lose, but total destruction is something that fits in with their theocratic objectives, that being, the end of the world and the appearance of the 12th mullah. They are not going to give in, or surrender militarily. It's very difficult to synthesize an offensive strategy that can be successful against such positions.
Aggie said... The Iranian leadership has everything to lose, but total destruction is something that fits in with their theocratic objectives, that being, the end of the world and the appearance of the 12th mullah. They are not going to give in, or surrender militarily. It's very difficult to synthesize an offensive strategy that can be successful against such positions.
I have to agree. Unless some country is willing to put troops into Iran. It should NOT be America or Israel. Why can't Saudis do the job? or one of the other countries in the area who are filthy rich, mostly because America protected them. and because they paid Iran a tax to avoid bombs. The bunkers they built, with money from oil, and the democrats, are huge, and deeper than munitions can reach. I don't know the answer , but I support Trump now that we are in it, and hope it works out for us. My friends, in 1974, went thru Afghanistan, and Iran and had a wonderful time. Kabul, Tehran were fascinating places then, before the imperialistic muslims invaded. Cheered on, of course, by communists on this blog, and at our finer universities.
For quite some time I have watching social media channels of different industries, stuff I know of but not about. Some examples: Cash crop farmers like wheat or corn/soybean. In all cases they were father/son operations. Crazy how hard they work but the most amazing is how the deal with hardship like weather and broken equipment. With all that, they love what they do. And seem very happy.
Some other forays include dairy farming, homesteading, guys who seek out and dive rivers ponds and lakes to close missing people cases, and lately a guy who buys and sells expensive watches like Rolexes. How long I'll stay with a subject is dependent on if it holds my interest.
At this point, I expect the operation in Iran to go on longer than advertised with boots on the ground to some extent. Although I want to avoid foreign entanglements as much as possible, ignoring the relentless threat of the fanatical religious Iranian regime is just much more risky than acting. After watching decades of appeasement backfire over and over, war with them was inevitable because of their murderous unacceptable goals, which do not just threaten Israel, but threaten the lives of millions in the future. If it had to be done, now is the time of maximum opportunity for success at the lowest cost. It's that simple for me. Acting is smarter than not. Both parties have repeatedly advocated for it, because the threat is clear, but until now none had the resolve to do what they said was absolutely necessary. I simply see no better alternative, and now the point is mute anyway, and accomplishing our goals is the only path forward. I hope our leaders do not accept anything less than final and complete victory over the regime and freedom and peace for the Iranian people. The time is now to put this behind us for good.
The 30 year treasury yield is gonna fly past 5% tomorrow and it will stay there ... the check engine light has been on for a while ... now black smoke will be coming out from under the hood.
Who remembers this; "Tenderly I kissed her goodbye, picked up my clothes (they were finally dry). But I won't forget your love, Oh Leader of the Laundromat!"
""There is only one commentator worth following -- the oil price."
Hold that thought for a while, and while you do that, ponder that oil was 40% higher under Obama than now, and 20% higher under Biden, and that was for nothing. That sacrifice was not part of any great effort at world peace. It was just stupidity. Nothing was gained from it.
"Hold that thought for a while, and while you do that, ponder that oil was 40% higher under Obama than now, and 20% higher under Biden, and that was for nothing. That sacrifice was not part of any great effort at world peace. It was just stupidity. Nothing was gained from it."
Actually, the market cares more about the ten-year treasury rate; even 30-year home mortgage rates are based off of it. At 4.40% it is elevated, but well within its 3 year range.
Dog that didn't bark in the night: US oil companies are coining huge profits in the current market. Almost all their production is outside of the Hormuz bottleneck, and with fixed production costs, the surge in global oil prices has resulted in big gains. Oddly, the usual demagogues (Massachusetts congressional delegation, I mean you), have yet to call for a windfall profits tax.
Fan account “I have nothing against artists. I had a rock band myself. My problem is that if you need a government subsidy to make art, you’re no longer an artist—you’re a public employee.”
Stock market performance during the Iran conflict: The market has been on a tear since the Bidenflation of 2021 to 2022 tailed off. Some sectors have been up 20%, 30% or more per year. They've only gone down 5% or 7% with Iran -- so far this is a routine correction and an opportunity to reposition.
One might argue that Iran has had a trivial impact, as tech was getting weak before it started.
Oddly, the usual demagogues (Massachusetts congressional delegation, I mean you), have yet to call for a windfall profits tax
They’re in a bit of a pickle. At the state level the state auditor has found an avenue to political fame and fortune by…actually trying to do her job. Normally everyone in the state legislature is on the same team and so the auditor doesn’t cause trouble but this one is ambitious and so is suing to compel the legislature to comply with a ballot question voters past to audit the legislature. It’s at the Supreme Judicial Court, which in MA is not above corruption. If the auditor wins it would compel the legislature to comply with an audit which would expose the billions Massachusetts spends on illegal immigrant fraud, something the Federal corruptocrats don’t want at the moment. Best Warren and the rest of em lay low while MN and CA do the heavy lifting..:
All of the small crude oil producers in our area are shipping crude like crazy. I got a load ready for pick up last week and called it in to get March pricing. Usually they pick up in a few days. Not this time. I am number 183 for pick up.
I figure we won't be able to afford a war with Iran in 5-10 years, so we'd better settle things now. It appears China has discovered much of their military stuff ain't good enough. Whether that will have the same effect on them that Desert Storm had on the Red Army remains to be seen.
…that’s awesome. I stopped watching baseball just a few years ago, before shot clocks and tennis elc systems. The current form kind of looks like baseball until the video rolls more than a few seconds…
No need to worry, that’s already built in. Anyone in the industry will tell you that the price is best about $80. After that, the government take goes up more than the profit gain. Sure, more money is made for everyone, but there is incentive to get it back down.
"La Flor de Manila" aka "Sampaguita"(the Philippine jasmine) may as well be the Philipppine musical theme. Or, at least, it is certainly the theme of the nations haute-bourgeois, the great and the good. Imagine dark wood, white tablecloths, puffy sleeves and lots of silk. Its competitor is the anonymous folk tune, the "Cariñosa" (the affectionate). It was written in 1879 by a haute-bourgeois Chinese Mestiza lady, Dolores Paterno. In form it is either a habanera or a danza, the difference is literally academic. It is of course a relic of the late Spanish empire. Over the years it has been played in a thousand ways and sung with many lyrics in several languages - the first, in Spanish, by Paternos brother. But the original was composed for piano, as one would expect of a wealthy lady composing in her drawing-room. A really good rendition, perhaps ironically recorded in Madrid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38oLCtDbNfs#menu
“ I’m dealing with a few government agencies and I’m always amazed at what a clusterfuck it is.” Beasts of England you distilled the drip-drip-drip of the wheels of Bureaucracy very well. I am dealing with medical issues with my Mom. Same enormous gears turning ever so slowly with no result. Because the soul of a bureaucrat possesses no agency, discretion or initiative.
So I caught a little blurb about a company called World View Enterprises formed in 2012 in Tucson, AZ..Sen Mark Kelly (D-Commie) was one of the founders. “ Chinese company Tencent invested millions into World View between 2013 and 2016” (see: Sen. Mark Kelly, wiki).
I am certain Kelly didn’t sell us out, why he was an astronaut.
The Twins manager (holy cow, did Tim Walz design that hat?) claims his complaint was that the Orioles pitcher took to long to challenge, that it should be within 3 seconds. Well, let’s look at the video (see Mezzrow’s link)… yep, it was within 3 seconds and it was a strike.
A musical curiosity, a leftover of the old Philippine vaudeville tradition, thats somehow become a part of the ethnic heritage of the Visayan people. Visayans do this skit A LOT. Visayan is a language group, and an ethnicity, that in fact constitutes the majority of Filipinos, if one considers native speakers. Yeah, there is complex stuff there beneath the surface. "Pasayawa ko Day" (I'll dance with you miss) is a humorous skit; the miss in question being ... reluctant, the humor being in the many ways she fends off the persistent fellow. Visayan (Cebuano flavor in this case) is related to Tagalog, to about the same degree as Portuguese is to Spanish. I am fluent in Tagalog, and without practice (say living for a few months in Cebu or Davao), I still "get" about 50% of this flavor of Visayan. These are some of the people at immediate risk, the front line, of the next world war. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-917KJtZm9g
"Madrid has closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in the war in Iran. We do not permit the use of our bases or airspace for operations related to the Iran conflict." ————————————— “Spain doesn’t have the will or the means to lead or even follow. Now they won’t even get out of the way.”
That is the policy of the PSOE, the socialists, that currently have a minority government. They face desperate odds in upcoming elections and a lot of this (other than just being anti-American commies) is an attempt to excite their base. It worked for the Canadian liberals after all, in similarly desperate straits in 2025.
Beasts @ 9:42 They are government employees. They aren't paid to think. They are paid to fulfill a template and repeat the doctrine. Anything else gets them in trouble. They spend their careers avoiding responsibility. This is how you know that the majority of usual suspects are getting a public pay check.
A extended quote from the John Hinderaker post that Lone Juicebox called out (link here)
My own feelings are mixed. The real takeaway from what we have seen so far is that we waited far too long to confront the Iranian regime. They have fanatically and assiduously been assembling military force far beyond what most of us understood. If we had waited another five or ten years, it likely would have been too late to take on the single biggest threat to our security. The mullahs would have been too strong.
Then, too, we have the question of regime change. President Trump and his representatives have always been careful to articulate our goals in terms of degrading Iran’s military capabilities, not overthrowing the theocracy, although that is of course a desired end. I, for one, actually care about the 90 million Iranians who are forced to live under one of the most diabolical tyrannies of the modern era. I would be willing to expend considerable force and take substantial losses to consign the mullahs to history’s garbage dump. But that is a minority view, and the forces that are now being sent to the Gulf are, I think, far short of what it would take to achieve that goal.
On balance, I think the best thing the administration can do is continue to bomb Iran’s military infrastructure, as well as other targets, for a few weeks more.
I will note that Hinderaker quotes no military authority to justify his somewhat pessimistic posting, and the title of the piece is a question, not a statement.
Bandar Abbas is in the Straits of Hormuz. Quite far from anywhere really, this is a major logistical problem for Iran. It is their major container port, because its shallow water all the way north to Abadan. There is no Kharg island workaround for containers.
Jennie Taer on X: "NEW: President Trump has spoken w/ the family of Sheridan Gorman, the Loyola University student who was killed by an illegal immigrant earlier this month, a White House official tells me. @realDailyWire" / X https://share.google/vXjgrv7nK6zMALKLe
Private Credit Is Reeling, But New Rule May Allow It Into 401(k)s ~ WSJ 'Labor Department intends to help employers avoid lawsuits stemming from the alternative investments they offer employees in retirement plans. A process-based safe harbor when selecting alternative investment options for ordinary savers so long as they considered factors to safeguard investors."
Offloading only the best assets to the Retail I imagine.
You know, one can “consider” not committing a crime, yet commit one anyway.
Please use the comments forum to respond to the post. Don't fight with each other. Be substantive... or interesting... or funny. Comments should go up immediately... unless you're commenting on a post older than 2 days. Then you have to wait for us to moderate you through. It's also possible to get shunted into spam by the machine. We try to keep an eye on that and release the miscaught good stuff. We do delete some comments, but not for viewpoint... for bad faith.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Encourage Althouse by making a donation:
Make a 1-time donation or set up a monthly donation of any amount you choose:
১০০টি মন্তব্য:
Third one
https://x.com/catturd2/status/2038270550678646879
TDS Is a Helluva Drug: Obama Prosecutor Joyce Vance Falls for Fake Trump Post About Tiger Woods – Twitchy https://share.google/Xs7kzrAFkfMjoWhfX
First one.
Fascinating article. The headline caused me to read it: “ The Hormuz Hypothesis – What If the U.S. Navy Isn’t in a Hurry to Reopen the Strait?”. Why? Leverage, Trump’s favorite tool.
https://gcaptain.com/the-hormuz-hypothesis-what-if-the-u-s-navy-isnt-in-a-hurry-to-reopen-the-strait/
Since hes an actual expert on shipping hes worth considering
I'm with narciso--#3.
Its close between 3 and 4
https://x.com/spencerguard/status/2038110363749872014?s=46
De gustibus....
I think of these more like a landscape picture on canvas
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEWS - Don Surber https://share.google/WUl3QcOZhSXwARufC
How Math Can Kill You - American Thinker https://share.google/GOHzX74Fmvx1CtB3B
I have started re-reading Passage to Juneau, by Jonathan Raban. Its framework is the sailing of a small craft up the Inner Passage from Seattle to Juneau, as the framework of Moby Dick is killing a white whale. It's an excellent read which I let myself be so presumptuous to recommend.
I've been a fan of Raban's for a long time but haven't read the NW book. "Old Glory" about his Mississippi River venture, and "Hunting Mister Heartbreak" are well worth reading--perhaps even re-reading.
https://x.com/GodandCountryy/status/2038041944626958728/photo/1
I see a face in #2
You know what compliment each other very well?
Pumpkin pie and strawberry ice cream.
Ymmv
In the comment section of another post, someone mentioned convents. For years, I’ve donated to the retirement home of a religious order of nuns. Recently I received a letter stating they were no longer soliciting donations. Thanks to wise investments, they are now financially secure enough to meet their remaining needs. Today the convent consists of only 183 sisters, with just seven under the age of 75.
My first thought was how remarkable it was for any charity to stop soliciting funds, but also how sad that what was once such a robust organization is now coming to an end.
Changing times.
https://babylonbee.com/news/pope-leo-explains-god-does-not-listen-to-people-who-make-war-so-long-as-you-dont-count-david-joshua-elijah-saul-josiah-gideon-samson-or-anyone-else-in-bible
Humperdink: Fascinating article. The headline caused me to read it: “ The Hormuz Hypothesis – What If the U.S. Navy Isn’t in a Hurry to Reopen the Strait?”. Why? Leverage, Trump’s favorite tool.
Wild Speculation Dept: Here's how I think this ends. We do extensive battlefield prep on Qeshm Island, with the ostensible goal of opening the Strait. However, the plan is to take Kharg Island.
The Iranians can't attack it in force, because it is their economic lifeline. It is a fair distance from the coast, and probably isn't particularly fortified, since the Iranians didn't consider the possibility.
HALO drop forces onto Kharg, covered by AC-130s and A-10s.
Once opposition is suppressed, bring on the occupying force.
Then tell the Iranians that we will allow one LCC per week. If they shoot anything anywhere we don't want, then no LCCs for a month.
Non-negotiable.
Forgot: If they [including any of their proxies] shoot anything anywhere we don't want, then no LCCs for a month
Ciso, or what about Augustine and just war theory? Leo is an Augustinian, ffs! CC, JSM
So he says (its the bee) so its a hesdline from the near future
Which reminds me: Many years ago, when nuns still wore habits, we happened to be visiting Disneyland on the day they were hosting a convention of nuns from around the world. They were everywhere, laughing and giggling. Their joy infected everyone with Disneyland workers telling us they had never had so much fun. That was true for us as well.
I’ve been frustrated with getting a new side hustle off the ground so I’ve avoided commenting as I don’t wanna show my ass. Okay, I don’t wanna show it more than usual…
I’m dealing with a few government agencies and I’m always amazed at what a clusterfuck it is. To wit: one of the requirements for a license is an address verification for the business. Makes sense, I guess - no big deal.
Our city clerk said I had to go to the Emergency Management Agency to get the verification. I show up at their office and ask for such and they have no idea what I’m talking about. But they’re super nice and at one point three of them we’re trying to figure out what was going on.
They decided that I had to go to the ambulance dispatch office across town. Okay, no problem. I head over there and they’re confused, as well. Finally one of them said they probably meant Emergency Management Services, which, of course, is in a different city, same county.
I scoot up to Arab and find the office, only to be told I had to request the verification online, and that they only do it on Thursday mornings. It was Thursday afternoon at that moment. The next Friday I call the see if we’ve been verified and they said no, because I had to hang a sign on the front door displaying my name and address. I promise that wasn’t on the damned form…
Anyway, I tape a sign with my name and address by door and finally get my verification after two weeks. And it’s not like it’s a new building - it’s almost 100 years old - and there have businesses there for decades.
My business partner was equally frustrated and asked if these folks didn’t have Google maps. It pulls right up. Easy peasy. lol
The Iranian leadership has everything to lose, but total destruction is something that fits in with their theocratic objectives, that being, the end of the world and the appearance of the 12th mullah. They are not going to give in, or surrender militarily. It's very difficult to synthesize an offensive strategy that can be successful against such positions.
It seem illogical as spock would say
Is there something dept of business and professional regulations
For the mullahs perhaps but the irgc are somewhat more practical perhaps not zolgadr who is doing the baghdad bob impression
What does emergency services have to do with a business livense
As hawkeye puts it ' none of this makes any sense'
Aggie said...
The Iranian leadership has everything to lose, but total destruction is something that fits in with their theocratic objectives, that being, the end of the world and the appearance of the 12th mullah. They are not going to give in, or surrender militarily. It's very difficult to synthesize an offensive strategy that can be successful against such positions.
I have to agree. Unless some country is willing to put troops into Iran. It should NOT be America or Israel.
Why can't Saudis do the job? or one of the other countries in the area who are filthy rich, mostly because America protected them. and because they paid Iran a tax to avoid bombs.
The bunkers they built, with money from oil, and the democrats, are huge, and deeper than munitions can reach.
I don't know the answer , but I support Trump now that we are in it, and hope it works out for us.
My friends, in 1974, went thru Afghanistan, and Iran and had a wonderful time. Kabul, Tehran were fascinating places then, before the imperialistic muslims invaded. Cheered on, of course, by communists on this blog, and at our finer universities.
Yes either the emir or the crown prince have to show their cards
For quite some time I have watching social media channels of different industries, stuff I know of but not about. Some examples: Cash crop farmers like wheat or corn/soybean. In all cases they were father/son operations. Crazy how hard they work but the most amazing is how the deal with hardship like weather and broken equipment. With all that, they love what they do. And seem very happy.
Some other forays include dairy farming, homesteading, guys who seek out and dive rivers ponds and lakes to close missing people cases, and lately a guy who buys and sells expensive watches like Rolexes. How long I'll stay with a subject is dependent on if it holds my interest.
Why did Iran put something so valuable on an island well off their coast?
At this point, I expect the operation in Iran to go on longer than advertised with boots on the ground to some extent. Although I want to avoid foreign entanglements as much as possible, ignoring the relentless threat of the fanatical religious Iranian regime is just much more risky than acting. After watching decades of appeasement backfire over and over, war with them was inevitable because of their murderous unacceptable goals, which do not just threaten Israel, but threaten the lives of millions in the future. If it had to be done, now is the time of maximum opportunity for success at the lowest cost. It's that simple for me. Acting is smarter than not. Both parties have repeatedly advocated for it, because the threat is clear, but until now none had the resolve to do what they said was absolutely necessary. I simply see no better alternative, and now the point is mute anyway, and accomplishing our goals is the only path forward. I hope our leaders do not accept anything less than final and complete victory over the regime and freedom and peace for the Iranian people. The time is now to put this behind us for good.
bagoh20: ✅
It is always entertaining to read what President Trump says, but the factual information value is less than zero.
There is only one commentator worth following -- the oil price. See the eloquence of its response so far.
The 30 year treasury yield is gonna fly past 5% tomorrow and it will stay there ... the check engine light has been on for a while ... now black smoke will be coming out from under the hood.
"It is always entertaining to read what President Trump says, but the factual information value is less than zero."
So- the difference between what you say and what he says is that what you say isn't entertaining.
"There is only one commentator worth following -- the oil price."
"The oil price"? Something leftists studiously avoided discussing during president Autopen's administration.
Factual information like “the border is secure”?
It is always entertaining to read what President Trump says, but the factual information value is less than zero.
In other words, you ... without the entertainment value.
Who remembers this; "Tenderly I kissed her goodbye, picked up my clothes (they were finally dry). But I won't forget your love, Oh Leader of the Laundromat!"
I had forgotten just how great this was! You get the picture?
Yes, we see.
Check it out! At 1:26, isn't that a Sheen?
"Well, theah she is. Let's ask-uh."
""There is only one commentator worth following -- the oil price."
Hold that thought for a while, and while you do that, ponder that oil was 40% higher under Obama than now, and 20% higher under Biden, and that was for nothing. That sacrifice was not part of any great effort at world peace. It was just stupidity. Nothing was gained from it.
Historic Chart - WTI Crude Oil
https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/USOIL/?timeframe=ALL
Tiny Elvis® says future things such as these will happen to you in the future.
Kak by any other name, is still kak.
Has Bich once again called the bottom in something accidentally?
bagoh20 said..."Historic Chart - WTI Crude Oil"
And that's not even adjusted for inflation.
"Hold that thought for a while, and while you do that, ponder that oil was 40% higher under Obama than now, and 20% higher under Biden, and that was for nothing. That sacrifice was not part of any great effort at world peace. It was just stupidity. Nothing was gained from it."
Yep.
These are the protests Rich told us were "peaceful".
30 year treasury yield that Chicken Little is squawking about: Historical Chart
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow—
“Shadow,” said he,
“Where can it be—
This land of Eldorado?”
“Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,”
The shade replied,—
“If you seek for Eldorado!”
Actually, the market cares more about the ten-year treasury rate; even 30-year home mortgage rates are based off of it. At 4.40% it is elevated, but well within its 3 year range.
Mike Netter
@nettermike
·
4h
NO KINGS Financials Released!
The Financers:
- Arabella: $79M
- Warren Buffet: $16M
- Ford: $51M
- Rockefeller: $26M
- Soros: $72M
- Tides: $45M
$294,487,641 MILLION
Source realannapaulina
https://x.com/nettermike/status/2038467808653394053?s=20
Dog that didn't bark in the night:
US oil companies are coining huge profits in the current market. Almost all their production is outside of the Hormuz bottleneck, and with fixed production costs, the surge in global oil prices has resulted in big gains. Oddly, the usual demagogues (Massachusetts congressional delegation, I mean you), have yet to call for a windfall profits tax.
I supposed I shouldn't give them any ideas.
Javier Milei Quotes (Fan)
@MileiSays
·
Mar 28
Fan account
“I have nothing against artists. I had a rock band myself. My problem is that if you need a government subsidy to make art, you’re no longer an artist—you’re a public employee.”
— Javier Milei
https://x.com/MileiSays/status/2037928702911099246?s=20
Vince Langman
@LangmanVince
·
8h
Back when SNL was funny! 😂
Imagine the snowflake meltdown if this aired today!
https://x.com/LangmanVince/status/2038420175595147704?s=20
Stock market performance during the Iran conflict: The market has been on a tear since the Bidenflation of 2021 to 2022 tailed off. Some sectors have been up 20%, 30% or more per year. They've only gone down 5% or 7% with Iran -- so far this is a routine correction and an opportunity to reposition.
One might argue that Iran has had a trivial impact, as tech was getting weak before it started.
Oddly, the usual demagogues (Massachusetts congressional delegation, I mean you), have yet to call for a windfall profits tax
They’re in a bit of a pickle. At the state level the state auditor has found an avenue to political fame and fortune by…actually trying to do her job. Normally everyone in the state legislature is on the same team and so the auditor doesn’t cause trouble but this one is ambitious and so is suing to compel the legislature to comply with a ballot question voters past to audit the legislature. It’s at the Supreme Judicial Court, which in MA is not above corruption. If the auditor wins it would compel the legislature to comply with an audit which would expose the billions Massachusetts spends on illegal immigrant fraud, something the Federal corruptocrats don’t want at the moment. Best Warren and the rest of em lay low while MN and CA do the heavy lifting..:
Baseball history yesterday - don't argue with the robot:
WE HAVE OUR FIRST EVER ABS RAGE BAIT EJECTION
…so all those typos we use here to demonstrate how dumb our political opponents are were probably not all typos. Apple autocorrect was broken
…I gotta say I do have to work a bit harder to make sure each post has a typo or misspelling
Vivid.🇮🇱
@VividProwess
·
11h
This is WILD!! An 11-minute time-lapse video showing TENS OF THOUSANDS of Iranians gathering in Washington, DC.
"THANK YOU, TRUMP & NETANYAHU!"
"USA! USA! USA!"
"LONG LIVE IRAN"
Iranian flags 🇮🇷
American flags 🇺🇸
Israeli flags 🇮🇱
https://x.com/VividProwess/status/2038388200410841360?s=20
All of the small crude oil producers in our area are shipping crude like crazy. I got a load ready for pick up last week and called it in to get March pricing. Usually they pick up in a few days. Not this time. I am number 183 for pick up.
Drea Humphrey
@DreaHumphrey
·
Mar 29
EVIL: “He has sold me to an old man.”
Who needs an Epstein island when this is legal for $2K?
https://x.com/DreaHumphrey/status/2038106890861961629?s=20
I figure we won't be able to afford a war with Iran in 5-10 years, so we'd better settle things now. It appears China has discovered much of their military stuff ain't good enough. Whether that will have the same effect on them that Desert Storm had on the Red Army remains to be seen.
…that’s awesome. I stopped watching baseball just a few years ago, before shot clocks and tennis elc systems. The current form kind of looks like baseball until the video rolls more than a few seconds…
have yet to call for a windfall profits tax.
I supposed I shouldn't give them any ideas.
No need to worry, that’s already built in. Anyone in the industry will tell you that the price is best about $80. After that, the government take goes up more than the profit gain. Sure, more money is made for everyone, but there is incentive to get it back down.
"La Flor de Manila" aka "Sampaguita"(the Philippine jasmine) may as well be the Philipppine musical theme. Or, at least, it is certainly the theme of the nations haute-bourgeois, the great and the good. Imagine dark wood, white tablecloths, puffy sleeves and lots of silk. Its competitor is the anonymous folk tune, the "Cariñosa" (the affectionate). It was written in 1879 by a haute-bourgeois Chinese Mestiza lady, Dolores Paterno. In form it is either a habanera or a danza, the difference is literally academic. It is of course a relic of the late Spanish empire.
Over the years it has been played in a thousand ways and sung with many lyrics in several languages - the first, in Spanish, by Paternos brother. But the original was composed for piano, as one would expect of a wealthy lady composing in her drawing-room.
A really good rendition, perhaps ironically recorded in Madrid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38oLCtDbNfs#menu
"mezzrow said...
Baseball history yesterday - don't argue with the robot:
WE HAVE OUR FIRST EVER ABS RAGE BAIT EJECTION"
Should be ejected for the stupid hat change.
“ I’m dealing with a few government agencies and I’m always amazed at what a clusterfuck it is.” Beasts of England you distilled the drip-drip-drip of the wheels of Bureaucracy very well. I am dealing with medical issues with my Mom. Same enormous gears turning ever so slowly with no result. Because the soul of a bureaucrat possesses no agency, discretion or initiative.
So I caught a little blurb about a company called World View Enterprises formed in 2012 in Tucson, AZ..Sen Mark Kelly (D-Commie) was one of the founders. “ Chinese company Tencent invested millions into World View between 2013 and 2016” (see: Sen. Mark Kelly, wiki).
I am certain Kelly didn’t sell us out, why he was an astronaut.
From Powerline Blog: Cruising Toward Disaster in the Gulf --
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/03/cruising-toward-disaster-in-the-gulf.php
The Twins manager (holy cow, did Tim Walz design that hat?) claims his complaint was that the Orioles pitcher took to long to challenge, that it should be within 3 seconds. Well, let’s look at the video (see Mezzrow’s link)… yep, it was within 3 seconds and it was a strike.
A musical curiosity, a leftover of the old Philippine vaudeville tradition, thats somehow become a part of the ethnic heritage of the Visayan people. Visayans do this skit A LOT. Visayan is a language group, and an ethnicity, that in fact constitutes the majority of Filipinos, if one considers native speakers. Yeah, there is complex stuff there beneath the surface.
"Pasayawa ko Day" (I'll dance with you miss) is a humorous skit; the miss in question being ... reluctant, the humor being in the many ways she fends off the persistent fellow.
Visayan (Cebuano flavor in this case) is related to Tagalog, to about the same degree as Portuguese is to Spanish. I am fluent in Tagalog, and without practice (say living for a few months in Cebu or Davao), I still "get" about 50% of this flavor of Visayan.
These are some of the people at immediate risk, the front line, of the next world war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-917KJtZm9g
Otto misunderstands something again film at eleven
What an ally!
BREAKING 🔴
Spain’s Defense Minister:
"Madrid has closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in the war in Iran. We do not permit the use of our bases or airspace for operations related to the Iran conflict."
—————————————
“Spain doesn’t have the will or the means to lead or even follow. Now they won’t even get out of the way.”
—— Stephen Green
I call him otto from a fish called wanda
There are some choice words that sanchez suggests to me
That is the policy of the PSOE, the socialists, that currently have a minority government. They face desperate odds in upcoming elections and a lot of this (other than just being anti-American commies) is an attempt to excite their base. It worked for the Canadian liberals after all, in similarly desperate straits in 2025.
And look at the Canadian bacon they got stuck with
Beasts @ 9:42
They are government employees. They aren't paid to think. They are paid to fulfill a template and repeat the doctrine. Anything else gets them in trouble. They spend their careers avoiding responsibility.
This is how you know that the majority of usual suspects are getting a public pay check.
A extended quote from the John Hinderaker post that Lone Juicebox called out (link here)
My own feelings are mixed. The real takeaway from what we have seen so far is that we waited far too long to confront the Iranian regime. They have fanatically and assiduously been assembling military force far beyond what most of us understood. If we had waited another five or ten years, it likely would have been too late to take on the single biggest threat to our security. The mullahs would have been too strong.
Then, too, we have the question of regime change. President Trump and his representatives have always been careful to articulate our goals in terms of degrading Iran’s military capabilities, not overthrowing the theocracy, although that is of course a desired end. I, for one, actually care about the 90 million Iranians who are forced to live under one of the most diabolical tyrannies of the modern era. I would be willing to expend considerable force and take substantial losses to consign the mullahs to history’s garbage dump. But that is a minority view, and the forces that are now being sent to the Gulf are, I think, far short of what it would take to achieve that goal.
On balance, I think the best thing the administration can do is continue to bomb Iran’s military infrastructure, as well as other targets, for a few weeks more.
I will note that Hinderaker quotes no military authority to justify his somewhat pessimistic posting, and the title of the piece is a question, not a statement.
Ralph L said...
"Why did Iran put something so valuable on an island well off their coast?"
Shipping access. For VLCCs there must be deep water close to port.
Bandar abbas is their major port, on the shatt al arab
Bandar Abbas is in the Straits of Hormuz.
Quite far from anywhere really, this is a major logistical problem for Iran.
It is their major container port, because its shallow water all the way north to Abadan. There is no Kharg island workaround for containers.
"Why did Iran put something so valuable on an island well off their coast?"
I know Hank Johnson would disagree, but Islands are hard to move.
Kharg Island has deep water ports suitable for huge oil tankers. This is apparently the main reason.
It also keeps the stinky and dangerous process far, far away from the mainland.
Correction i meant abadan
Jennie Taer on X: "NEW: President Trump has spoken w/ the family of Sheridan Gorman, the Loyola University student who was killed by an illegal immigrant earlier this month, a White House official tells me. @realDailyWire" / X https://share.google/vXjgrv7nK6zMALKLe
Private Credit Is Reeling, But New Rule May Allow It Into 401(k)s ~ WSJ
'Labor Department intends to help employers avoid lawsuits stemming from the alternative investments they offer employees in retirement plans. A process-based safe harbor when selecting alternative investment options for ordinary savers so long as they considered factors to safeguard investors."
Offloading only the best assets to the Retail I imagine.
You know, one can “consider” not committing a crime, yet commit one anyway.
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন
Please use the comments forum to respond to the post. Don't fight with each other. Be substantive... or interesting... or funny. Comments should go up immediately... unless you're commenting on a post older than 2 days. Then you have to wait for us to moderate you through. It's also possible to get shunted into spam by the machine. We try to keep an eye on that and release the miscaught good stuff. We do delete some comments, but not for viewpoint... for bad faith.