We skipped the sunrise. The cloud cover was 100%, so we wouldn't have seen the sun (or the blood moon), and anyway, it was raining a little. We took the morning off, but we got out in the afternoon. It wasn't quite sunset, but the sun was low at 4:40. It's there in the photograph... behind that demonic profile.And here's Meade's view (from a little earlier in the walk):
Write about whatever you want in the comments.
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Wow.
https://www.newsweek.com/us-commander-said-trump-anointed-by-jesus-to-attack-iran-report-11615046
Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said the nonprofit group has received more than 200 complaints from roughly 50 military installations since Saturday involving reports of U.S. commanders linking Christianity to the "biblically sanctioned" war in Iran.
"This morning our commander opened up the combat readiness status briefing by urging us to not be 'afraid' as to what is happening with our combat operations in Iran right now," one complaint reads. "He urged us to tell our troops that this was 'all part of God’s divine plan' and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ. He said that 'President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.'"
well, something to look forward to
The US Army still sings "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkkIUsV36f4
Wasn't me, Inga did it.
They certainly are "trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored"
Sorry, it was me. I don’t know how to fix it, feel free.
Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before...
Buwaya, what’s your opinion on Spain not allowing the US to use its military bases and Trump’s response to them?
Ghouls in the comment section
Peter Savodnik on X: "The front runner for the Democratic nomination repackaging a medieval blood libel in the service of his presidential ambitions." / X https://share.google/72blOIAjiunz6mVQ9
A man who lets a city burn well he would havr no reservations about these words
Relevant: Spain recently naturalized over half a million illegal aliens as part of a program to replace ethnically Spanish citizenry. Guess what religion most of those illegal aliens are.
They are free-riding off the more responsible NATO counties while simultaneously undermining western civilization in order to increase power for the socialist parties.
Sanchez is a dead man walking. He is pleasing his base and the coalition partners of the far left, for as long as he can, which have been anti American since 1945. Or 1892. Or whenever communists decided they hated the US. Certainly since Franco reconciled with the US and let in the bases.
Basically trying to attract back the "splitters" like Podemos, back into the PSOE.
He is looking at disastrous regional elections this year and the same in next years general election, and they seem to be reconciled to that.
Yes this is a battle not merely against men but principalities and powers of the air
I remember the opening of barcelons ans the wave of attacjs which i thought were eta but it was their catalan analog
The Shape Store.
Fine they dont want to allow us rota among other bases, there is no jizda tribune great enough
About 80% of those illegals are Carholic Larin Americans. The common US meme about that, that they are Muslims, is deranged. The PSOE/coalition us trying a hail mary play, not to get these people as voters for 2027, but as a gesture to inspire their own base. It takes 2-5 years legal residency to be allowed to apply for naturalization and the ability to vote.
I thought only we Americans were Carholics.
Note the amnesty was a decree decided on by the cabinet, not a law passed by the Cortes (parliament), because they would have lost that as a vote of confidence, and forced an election.
Many more of you are Carholics than you realize, typing away on your phones.
'Always Money for War' Whines Senator Who Can’t Read a Budget—or a Bible – Twitchy https://share.google/vJslIUy9UoOOu4O15
As it was the original faith
I blame Iphone upgrade - never my fault.
One might think it has additional adornment to the Word
A favorite cartoon - variation on a theme
https://www.reddit.com/r/wholesomememes/comments/7tuqja/i_identify_with_colin/
Based on videos seems most are Cat-olics
Spain has no reason to get involved in America's wars on behalf of Israel. Spain was kept out of NATO while Franco was alive, and didn't join till 1982. Its silly to think Spain needs it. They could leave and be neutral, just like Ireland.
There were plenty of Liberal Americans who sided with Joe Stalin and wanted to force Franco from power after VE Day and give the the Spainish Government to the so-called "Republicans" aka Socialist/communists. Eleanor Roosevelt was one of them. It'd be interesting to speculate what would've happened to Spain had FDR been healthy and lived till 1948. I doubt anything good.
Is tonight's Boble study at the Learing Center?
Spain wanted to be in NATO and have US bases. It was a way to join the "free world" unambiguously, becoming a safe place for foreign investment. That among other things led to the Spanish "economic miracle" of the 1950s-70s.
And joining the EU gave it a couple of other economic miracles.
The way I see it Trump is carrying out a complex maneuver to end six forever wars. He knocks off Venezuela by apprehending a fugitive from justice, then that stops oil sales to Cuba, hasta la vista to the Commies. Two down. He gets rid of Iran's missiles and nuke attempts and stops sanction-busting oil sales which ends support for regional bullying and terrorism which ends the wars in Syria (already happened), Lebanon, Yemen and Gaza. 4 more. MAGA
The reconciliation of Francos Spain wirh the US/western Europe began in the 1940s. Truman was receptive, to a point, but the big change came with Eisenhower in 1953.
In 1950 the French government (with US encouragement) forced the Spanish communist party (in exile) to leave France. Also France and Germany opened their countries to Spanish guest workers. The reset of Spanish-global relations was a process.
YouTube: "Pursuit of Wonder" YouTuber sits in front of the camera for the first time
GW Bush's Iraq invasion was preceded by months of meticulous planning, and yet history regards it as a failure. Perhaps Donald Trump's loose, improvised approach to invading Iran will be the key to its success.
Re: forever wars
Also, India and Pakistan, Congo and Rwanda, Mexico and Cartels, ... Anyway, baby steps.
Black et al lives matter, unincorporated.
To me the top picture is evocative. It’s a portrait of the death of Winter.
With allies like Spain, who needs enemies?
’President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.’
I’m worried about the amount of CO2 Armageddon could release into the atmosphere. Is there a contingency plan for this?
We skipped the sunrise. The cloud cover was 100%, so we wouldn't have seen the sun (or the blood moon) ...
I woke up early enough this morning to see the blood moon, then took another look just before sunrise — the blood was gone, but what was left was a chunk gone from the moon, as in a waxing or waning crescent, but pointed in completely the wrong direction.
Next topic.
Today I listened to Ezra Klein interview Ben "Hamas" Rhodes regarding the war with Iran. Both of them are so blinkered that Jaq or RCOCEAN would seem deeply informed by comparison.
Kak: Perhaps Donald Trump's loose, improvised approach to invading Iran will be the key to its success.
You know this how?
Never mind there has been no invasion, and there is a striking lack of invasion capable forces in the region.
Sanchez is a cross between Mamdami and Ocasio Cortes. His parliamentary coalition is in that general area. He got elected mainly because of an act of bravery by the PP (like the US Republicans, the center-right party), that changed the retirement age to 67. That saved Spains finances, for a time anyway. Imagine if US Republicans increased the Social Security retirement to 67. It kept Spain out of the French fiscal trap, but at a cost, that of putting up with socialists for a while.
buwaya: Imagine if US Republicans increased the Social Security retirement to 67.
The social security retirement age is already 67 for those born after 1960.
Hey Skipper - you must be in error. buwaya is an expert on the US. Just ask him (hell, he'll tell you without asking).
He's lived here, ya know.
GW Bush's Iraq invasion was preceded by months of meticulous planning, and yet history regards it as a failure.
Your history is just as full of shit as you are.
Iraq - for all the mistakes made - was a stable, functioning democracy when Bush left office.
And then, your precious Barack Obama let it go to shit in order to appease the people we're bombing now.
I lived in the US for almost 40 years. We retired at age 65 a few years ago, yes we took a small hit. In Spain there is no retiring at 62.
We have been living in Spain since March 2020.
Bully for you.
Top pic - looks like a really huge bird skimming above tree line, searching for something to eat - or, just kill.
"The retirement age" in the US social security system is a misnomer. You can begin receiving much reduced benefits at 62, every year you wait to begin drawing benefits, your benefits are increased, up to the age of 70.
But I'm sure you knew that.
Israel, at least, has been planning this for many years.
It's great to have allies who can and will do things.
Israel was instrumental in the development of US air defense and SEAD, suppression of enemy air defense. That last, SEAD, is a critical capability of the USAF.
People are always complaining about US aid to Israel. From my POV the US has received much more value back from that relationship than it has ever cost.
Tell me again, why we should keep voting for Rinos who hate us?? There is one big UNIPARTY and we aren't in it....
Corey Inganamort 🪚🌴🪚
@TheBirdWords
Watch very carefully to see if you can spot the difference in how “Republican” Thom Tillis treats the DHS Secretary who allowed 15M unvetted illegal aliens in the U.S. versus the one who is trying to deport them
https://x.com/TheBirdWords/status/2028913740234518540?s=20
Tim Young
@TimRunsHisMouth
·
7h
Voting for Democrats is open in Dallas until 9pm...
But for Republicans it's 7pm???
It doesn't take a deep thinker to know that's illegal AF.
https://x.com/TimRunsHisMouth/status/2029012064845361329?s=20
It does suck to have Christianity or any religion shoved down your throat as a military member. But on the bright side, it is heartening in a way to see that a commander with everything professional to lose feels confident making an explicit Christian statement in public. Either he knows he won't be too badly punished, or he's brave enough not to care. Both good things if you're trying to encourage war fighters to defend our civilization. CC, JSM
Remember general Boykin who got in trouble under W for making a Christian statement, in a sermon, in church! CC, JSM
Didn’t take long for the hippo to ruin the pool.
Rumor, so far -
On March 1st 4 Iranian antiship ballistic missiles were launched at the USS Abraham Lincoln. To no effect. The US isnt going to say how the carrier was defended of course. These were allegedly Chinese DF21D "carrier killers" that China has been using to scare the USN away from Taiwan.
Client states usually don’t get the deluxe model of military products. Viktor Suvorov called the export version the monkey model. CC, JSM
Russian shadow fleet tanker on fire off Malta, allegedly attacked by Ukrainian drones. Drone warfare creates a completely new strategic dynamic. This all is going to get much more complex, with a real "Mouse that Roared" vibe.
Whenever I hear ‘shadow fleet.’ I think of Babylon 5. CC, JSM
Choosing to become a Christian is just that, a choice. To suggest otherwise is incorrect. It reflects ignorance. We, as Christians, are to share the gospel, not order anyone to get on board.
Jazzy Croquet says we wuz robbed!!! Makes my day.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/03/election-denier-jasmine-crockett-suggests-cheating-senate-primary/
I used to be a Carholic American, but these days I'm a SUVholic American.
Regarding drawing Social Security at 62, 65, 67, or 70. If you have enough cash or 401k savings to bridge the gap, it often makes $en$e to wait until later. This is because SS benefits increase every year and because the SS tax rules are absurd. Sometimes a couple will split the payouts, with the lower income spouse drawing early and the higher income spouse waiting to age 70 (i.e., to have a better payout with widowhood). If retiring without substantial savings, many people must draw SS at 62 or 65.
Also, many people with large 401k (or pre-tax IRA) balances fail to understand the tax danger ("tax b0mb") of waiting for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) -- it was 73 and now 75 years old. If you don't transfer it out or spend it before RMDs hit, the government will take it back. One common strategy is to artifically reduce your 'income' for a few years as you convert pre-tax in lower tax brackets to Roth accounts.
USA retirement planning is very much a game of Frogger or a sliding tile puzzle.
I took SS at 62. The math people use to say "wait" until 65 for higher payments is off the mark. 1. You could die first. (I did not) 2. The higher amount of monthly payments takes many years to match and then exceed the total cash received by taking it at 62. YMMV. That doesn't even take into consideration the income potential via investments and interest on the early money. Of course, Biden's inflation did a number on earning potential.
The four Aegis destroyers that have been based in Rota since 2013 are specifically dedicated to protection against Iranian ICBMs, with one on stationed in the Eastern Med at all times. The AF also uses Rota as a logistic steppingstone to the ME and Africa. Although Rota is a Spanish base the tenant US commands are of course independent commands. The Spanish-US treaty requires the US support facilities to be composed of a large percentage of Spanish citizens and shipyards in nearby Cadiz do much of the depot level maintenance on the US ships homeported there. The point being that if the Iranian ICBM threat goes away, the Rota base becomes redundant as regards ship basing. Sanchez has been ratcheting up the pain as regards operating out of Rota since he has been in office, but he knows the local economy of Cadiz province will collapse if the US leaves, just as the regional economy was in total collapse until the US ships arrived.
Bottom line is the Spanish are not good allies because there are too many commies in the government, including the current leader, and the US should take this opportunity to just GTFO.
The ideal SS age is entirely personal. It follows from your cashflow needs, and the size of your non-SS accounts. For a conservative investor, yes, drawing early is likely to offset the probable returns from a conventional stock/bond account. Also, one can never be certain of investment returns during critical retirement periods (sequence of returns risk).
Everyone must roll the dice and accept the outcome.
It was reported by Nick Sortor (insty) that Jazzy Croquet had to relinquish her house campaign to run for Senate. So she’s out after this term. I, for one, will miss her. Really.
Crockett’s district was redistricted and she had no hope of winning the general. She would have been out anyway, which is why she bet on winning the Senate. More Democrats campaigned against her, making racist claims that Republicans wanted her on the ticket for an easy win. Instead, a socialist running as a “moderate Democrat” won the ticket with the tacit support of Joe Rogan.
Crenshaw lost his primary. I’m sure Trump’s comments about insider trading wasn’t the decider, but I’ll take it.
Svetlana Lokhova
@RealSLokhova
·
7h
Huma Abedin, Hillary's top aide now married to Alex Soros, used to be married to Anthony Weiner. Bill Clinton officiated the wedding. What is known as the Weiner Laptop, because of Weiner's inappropriate messages with a minor, was also Huma Abedin's laptop. The laptop contained copies of classified US Government emails, stored on Hillary's unsecured private server. The discovery of the Weiner laptop shortly before the 2016 presidential election forced the FBI to reopen the Hillary email investigation, the MidYear Exam. However, Comey, Andy McCabe and Peter Strzok quickly shut it down to help Hillary.
https://x.com/RealSLokhova/status/2028668161336234171?s=20
My wife’s stepdad rolled the dice on SS. He wanted to wait until 65. In late January, he got his first diagnosis of cancer, already at stage 4. He’s been going down fast since. He got his SS approval last week and is waiting to hear about SSDI, as he was working until the treatments began after diagnosis. It seems doubtful he will make it to that decision.
After getting new phone I was texting like mushmouth. Fat fingering the letter b and spacebar at the end of each word.
Always take the money as soon as you can. It never makes fiscal sense to wait for a higher payout. (When was the last time you heard of a lottery winner choosing the payments over the lump sum?)
First, you don't know how long you'll live. Second, if you really want the higher payments later, you could invest the lower payments and by the time the higher payments would have kicked in, it'll be generating more income than the difference in payments. plus you'll have the nest egg.
@Leland:
I've known others with major medical issues when relatively young, those who died out of the blue a few months after retiring, and those who died during their working years. Still, the average person must consider the risk of living to 90 or 95 -- as then one needs to consider long and costly living expenses with later medical costs. It's always personal and case-by-case.
Per the other retirement funds available, such as those with $1M or $2M in savings, the relatively small impact of SS (e.g., $30K/year if taken younger or $50K if waiting) is not too meaningful.
When facing certain death, one may make the case to wait for SS until in hospice too. The widow would then get the max possible. If single, then certainly take it to cover medical bills.
Crockett’s response is a good demonstration of why she shouldn’t be the candidate in the general. With 91% of the votes counted, she’s behind by more or less 7%, or 160,000 votes. Does she really think she will magically find 160,000 votes? A gracious candidate would have A gracious candidate would have conceded and asked for an investigation into the polling instructions. An attention seeker would do what she did.
@tim maguire --
Stated as one unaware of or unlikely to face rising tax rates between 65 and 75 years of age. SS taxes generally push one into the 22%+ bracket, and then RMDs can push one into the 35% bracket.
Examine the total retirement portfolio (pre-tax, post-tax, brokerage) before saying "it never makes fiscal sense."
From everything I've heard and read the total Social Security payout over your expected lifespan is roughly equal regardless of when you start (The Social Security Admin employs actuaries who can math.) The monthly check amount might increase but the payments obviously end sooner. There are certainly reasons for making each decision but thinking you are going to get more money in total by waiting, which I think is unfortunately what a lot of people hear, is a red herring.
Now I see it. I couldn't make it out last night.
@Christopher B:
Yes indeed. The lifetime SS crossover point is generally pegged to the late 70s or early 80s -- about the same no matter when you start. Still, if one has big pre-tax (401K) accounts, what matters MUCH more are the tax rates before and after drawing SS and after RMDs start.
SS payouts may be relative peanuts, but they can screw up one's tax brackets.
I suspect that these differing views follow from generational differences in how retirement is funded. Baby Boomers and prior generations often had pensions but never had 401ks. Generation X and later rely heavily on 401ks and their distinct tax rules.
Abedin also apprenticed for al queda financier her family long time indian salafis also involved in coordinating the operations against libya
My spouse and I split the difference on the SS payout. She took SS at 62 and I waited until 67.
It is my understanding that if you screw up by taking SS early, you can pay it back.
If you expect to live past your early 80's, then deferring SS until you're 70 can be justified for 2 reasons: Every year you delay is a guaranteed 7% increase in your monthly check, not including COLA increases, and these increases mean that your spouse will end up with a bigger monthly check if you die first, assuming you are the primary earner. Anybody can do the math, and there is plenty of free help out there for guidance, to come to the right conclusion for your own particular case.
Also, it's good to remember that we have a progressive tax scheme. If your income bumps you up into the next bracket, you're only paying the higher rate on that portion that's actually in the next bracket. And there are always charitable deductions and other considerations.
Iranian frigate Dena sunk off Sri Lanka.
Hegseth says it was torpedoed by a USN submarine.
Guys, there's no one-size-fits-all answer to whether a person should start collecting SS early or late. It depends on how long you think you'll live and how much you need, or think you'd benefit from (through investments, or by buying the cabin in the woods you've always wanted, for example), starting to take the money now vs. later. In case you don't know, the difference in the monthly payment amount at various starting points is pretty substantial. At 64, someone I know would get $2,800. At 67 it'd be $3,700. At 70, it'd be $4,500.
If you want to learn about retirement planning and wealth management from videos rather than dry reading, here are some Youtube channels to start.
They all say basically the same things over and over, and they either get money from ads or solicit 1% assets under management (AUM) clients. AUM clients are typically not DIY people and willing to spend $10K+ per year for help.
Rachel Camp CFP -- she's kind of cute
Erin Talks Money -- she's kind of cute
Root Financial -- two guys / separate channels
Peak Financial Investing -- young bald guy
Holy Schmidt - average channel, funny name
Etc.
I read text for serious facts, I watch for fun, I use planning software and spreadsheets too.
buwaya said...
"Many more of you are Carholics than you realize, typing away on your phones."
My moniker is MadTownGuy, and I'm a carholic.
Kak: “Does she really think she will magically find 160,000 votes? “
Of course she does. Her years of experience in the Dem party fully support such an expectation. CC, JSM
Russian "shadow" ship hit by Ukrainian drones near Malta turns out to be a LNG Tanker. Its now aground on the Libyan coast, after the LNG blew out explosively. Huge holes in the hull.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTaL9ktFGuc
Info on Iranian Frigate torpedoed near Sri Lanka. Only 30 crew rescued out of @180. Suchmimus figures it might have been sent to bombard Diego Garcia.
’Iranian frigate Dena sunk off Sri Lanka.’
The frigate formerly known as Dena. ;)
People have been talking about Texas flipping back into the Democratic column for years. Beto came close in 2018, but it wouldn't surprise me if it actually happened this year. A lot of tailwinds for Democrats this year.
The contentious GOP primary with a more establishment Republican (Cornyn) matched up against a MAGA to the Nth Degree candidate (Paxton), will probably fragment the Republican Party to a sufficient degree in the general election. e.g. even if we are only talking about 5% of the GOP base staying home this year out of spite against the loser of the primary that might be enough to tilt the balance this year.
"The math people use to say "wait" until 65 for higher payments is off the mark. 1. You could die first. (I did not)"
Pro tip: If you die, you won't care if you made the "wrong" choice.
“Russian shadow fleet tanker on fire off Malta, allegedly attacked by Ukrainian drones. Drone warfare creates a completely new strategic dynamic. This all is going to get much more complex, with a real "Mouse that Roared" vibe.”
The DOW is now, finally, taking the drone threat seriously. They fast tracked drone procurement, going from bid to delivery in under a year (under Hegseth). Contrast that with the 5 years or so for previous drone contracts. And we’re firing Iran developed drones against them recently, drone designs coming from Ukraine, sold to them by Iran. And the US producing them at a significantly lower cost. Expect to soon see small disposable drones down at the platoon level as standard issue.
This is a big change. Good friend of my daughter’s (since 3rd grade) has a degree in robotics engineering from a very good engineering school. Later he joined the Marine Reserves. His primary duty there was counting (or expending, which he greatly prefers) ammunition after training. He worked some with an active duty unit, in the area of drones and robots, when he had time away from counting ammunition. It was fun. But the Marines never bothered to reassign him, so when his commitment was up, he got out. When I talked to him at my daughter’s wedding, he was totally underwhelmed by the Marines’ interest in this rapidly evolving technology. But he did get to shoot an amazing quantity of rounds, while he was in, ranging from 9 mm up to .50 BMG.
It’s actually a fairly easy spreadsheet to set up. Specify the payouts at the critical places (62, 67, 72 when I did it). Then sum the total payouts for all three columns, each year, and watch where the three lines crossed. Which at the time, for me was 75.
Of course being a software type, I generalized the spreadsheet to have six inputs: the three payouts, and the three ages. You just report a payout of $0 for each year before the start date for each column.
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