Hunyo 7, 2026

Live feed of the filling of the Reflecting Pool.

Can we all just say it looks beautiful? Pick the answer closest to what you think.
 
pollcode.com free polls

AND: I just made a tag for "Reflecting Pool" and added it to old posts in the archive. The oldest post is striking. It dates back to the Obama administration, September 26, 2012:
"Less than a month after reopening, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is full of algae, a sea of green overshadowing the nearly two-year, $34 million renovation of the famous site."

"This is a direct consequence of the fact that this is a green project,” said spokeswoman Carol Johnson. “The conditions are pretty good for algae, once it gets in there.”
Visitors to the pool described it as similar to “split pea soup,” “muddy,” like the “surface of the moon” and “icky-looking.”

“It doesn’t look like a $34 million circulation job,” Jim Carroll, 85, of Wisconsin said as he looked out over the pool....

“It doesn’t reflect well on the city at all,” Carolyn Rossinsky, 49, of Miami said as she sat near the pool.

“It looks like green fluff,” she added.
You wanted green... and you got it.

72 komento:

n.n ayon kay ...

The colloquial sense of "so miserable as to be ridiculous" is attested by 1937.
- etymonline.com

Emphasis on pathetic.

n.n ayon kay ...

Blue sheen.

Wilbur ayon kay ...

If being empathetic means having the ability to understand, share, and resonate with another person's emotions from their point of view, that's beyond difficult, at least for me. Too much water under the bridge.

Freder Frederson ayon kay ...

Why the rush to judgement? The pertinent question is: what will it look like in a year or so? Will the sealant stop the leaks or not, and for how long?

The fact remains that a no-bid contract was awarded on dubious, if not outright fraudulent, grounds. There was no emergency that justified circumventing the normal contracting process. You all used to be so concerned about corruption, yet you are letting Trump and his family get away with massive corruption.

rehajm ayon kay ...

…demanding the universe and expecting compromise will get you the world is no way to negotiate..

Leland ayon kay ...

Looks great, and the price was great. People complaining about the price are mad because they can’t grift off the American people.

Eric the Fruit Bat ayon kay ...

The internet informs me that there is no official rule or restriction against skipping stones in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. The pool is a public water feature, and visitors are generally free to play in it, including skipping stones, as long as they follow basic safety and etiquette rules.

Mr. D ayon kay ...

There was no emergency that justified circumventing the normal contracting process.

Based on what we've learned in recent years, normal contracting processes in the government would have delivered a Quality Learing Reflecting Pool.

n.n ayon kay ...
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...

I honestly did not expect this much presidential focus on the reflecting pool.

Trump spends a lot more time talking about the things he's "fixing," like the reflecting pool and the ballroom, than the critical things he has broken, like the flow of petroleum products to the world.

planetgeo ayon kay ...

No Freder, it's not the "rush to judgment" that bothers you and your team, it's the rush to completion for a reasonable price that used to be how this country was run before your team took over. If your team was still in charge, it would be 2029 before they even got around to the bidding process and the concocted conditions that would only award to a firm majority owned by albino Muslim wymyn.

narciso ayon kay ...

They like 'rage and ruin" murders and rapes, is what they crave

Ann Althouse ayon kay ...

"Why the rush to judgement? The pertinent question is: what will it look like in a year or so? Will the sealant stop the leaks or not, and for how long?"

Read the September 25, 2012 Washington post article linked in the updated post. The Obama administration spent $34 million to deal with the ugly green algae and the refurbished pool had just reopened on August 31st, and "Visitors to the pool described it as similar to “split pea soup,” “muddy,” like the “surface of the moon” and “icky-looking.”"

That sets a low bar! But Trump must do far more than just do better than Obama before you will ever approve of anything he does.

You're stressing the leakage, which has been a problem for the entire 100 years of the pool's existence. That's so you can distract from the improvement in the look of the water, which was the focus of this cheap fix and was also Obama's focus.

n.n ayon kay ...

Albinos are rainbow equivalent but coherent.

R C Belaire ayon kay ...

That pool needs some sort of sprinkler/aeration system -- maybe one that runs at night so that the pool remains calm/reflecting during the day.

wildswan ayon kay ...

A Reflecting Pool. Some see how beautifully it reflects the sky and the historic monuments. Some see their own reflected fear and anger.

n.n ayon kay ...

Abort! Abort! Wait, it's a viable and beautiful feature with that newborn blue sheen.

wild chicken ayon kay ...

See, Trump is not Hitler. At heart he's Napoleon III, a builder and improver. Now he even has his own war debacle that should end his reign.

n.n ayon kay ...

Obama was our first green precedent.

john mosby ayon kay ...

So we sailed up to the sun,
Till we found the sea of green,
And we live off all the grift
In Obama’s submarine.
CC, JSM

Ann Althouse ayon kay ...

From the 2012 WaPo article: "Less than a month after reopening, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is full of algae, a sea of green overshadowing the nearly two-year, $34 million renovation of the famous site.... Officials are working to remove the algae by increasing the level of ozone in the water to treat what is there and prevent more from growing. The agency plans a one-time removal of the algae, but first the ozone level needs to be fine-tuned...."

Jamie ayon kay ...

There was no emergency that justified circumventing the normal contracting process.

I would be interested to know what constitutes a reflecting pool emergency.

I'd say the 250th anniversary of our nation constitutes a matter of some urgency, even though, no, nobody would have been in danger from a gross reflecting pool. And remember the cost estimates given by the Proper Authorities? Were the Properly Vetted Reflecting Pool Contractors going to beat the cost for which this project has actually been done?

Ann Althouse ayon kay ...

"... full of algae, a sea of green overshadowing the nearly two-year, $34 million renovation..."

As we live a life of ease (a life of ease)
Every one of us (every one of us)
Has all we need (has all we need)
Sky of blue (sky of blue)
And sea of green (sea of green)
In our yellow (in our yellow)
Submarine (submarine, aha)

gspencer ayon kay ...

Empathetic to those with TDS?

NEVER.

Freder Frederson ayon kay ...

That's so you can distract from the improvement in the look of the water, which was the focus of this cheap fix and was also Obama's focus.

I forget where I said that Obama's project was successful and a wise use of government funds. Can you provide a link where I lauded Obama's renovations?

I'm glad you think $13 million (seven times the price Trump claimed when the project started) is a "cheap fix". You are using a pretty scene to cover up the administration's corruption in awarding these contracts.

Quayle ayon kay ...

Obama never built a in his life before becoming President. He was all talk.

But FF see every reason to doubt the builder president. “ The fact remains that a no-bid contract was awarded on dubious, if not outright fraudulent, grounds…”.

It’s a fact, says FF. A fact. A FACT!

Freder Frederson ayon kay ...

Were the Properly Vetted Reflecting Pool Contractors going to beat the cost for which this project has actually been done?

Which is the whole point of having a public, open, bidding process? Not the president calling some pool contractors in Florida.

Not an oldster. ayon kay ...

I still wish they had cleaned it up, painted the bottom, treated the water, installed lane lines, and let visitors buy a daily swim pass to swim laps outdoors, weathe r permitting... MAHA.

Freder Frederson ayon kay ...

It’s a fact, says FF. A fact. A FACT!

Rather than just whinge, why don't you explain what is untrue about my statement?

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
Maynard ayon kay ...

I flew home from DC on Thursday morning. We just missed the completion of the Reflecting Pool project.

I guess the blue (rather than black) base still makes the pool reflecting. Democrats are still upset, of course.

Freder Frederson ayon kay ...

So even by the standards you arbitrarily set for Obama, we should wait a month before lauding Trump.

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...

Wage growth is at 3.4%, while last month’s inflation came in at 3.8%—with next month’s figure expected to rise to 4.2%.

This is what ultimately killed support for Biden: a sustained net loss in living standards. Even though inflation has eased over the past year and a half, slightly reversing some of the damage, voters never forgave the earlier erosion of their purchasing power.

Trump is unlikely to gain popularity from the current situation either. Meanwhile, JD Vance is intervening in British politics—presumably because he’d rather not focus on U.S. domestic issues or the foreign policy problems in the Middle East created by the Trump administration.

I wonder how high inflation must rise to change this. If a short military excursion can be extended to four months, why not even longer?

n.n ayon kay ...

It could have been worse. It could have been contracted with dark reasons and DEIst (e.g. racist, sexist, etc) provisions.

Breezy ayon kay ...

Curious why a well-executed repair garners so much angst by some while they are silent on the massive Medicaid and Medicare fraud going on all across the country.

planetgeo ayon kay ...

If the Belagio in Las Vegas can manage to have their reflecting pool look beautiful indefinitely AND also put on spectacular water-spraying shows that not only aerate the water but also attract people from all over the world to come and watch, why can't the national reflecting pool? President Trump, please call your buds in Vegas and make it so. And keep Freder whining.

n.n ayon kay ...

Obama was a community organizer, not builder.

Freder Frederson ayon kay ...

If the Belagio in Las Vegas can manage to have their reflecting pool look beautiful indefinitely AND also put on spectacular water-spraying shows that not only aerate the water but also attract people from all over the world to come and watch, why can't the national reflecting pool?

Because the reflecting pool is 2000X200 feet and only 18 to 30 inches deep. It is practically begging for algae blooms.

Ann Althouse ayon kay ...

"So even by the standards you arbitrarily set for Obama, we should wait a month before lauding Trump."

Your question contains an assumption: I did not laud Trump. I only asked a question: "Can we all just say it looks beautiful?" You tell me: Here it is, in the present, can you not say it looks beautiful? It's a question about how it looks now. It doesn't presume that it won't go bad soon (or later). It doesn't mention Trump. It's a test of your level of Trump derangement.

Ann Althouse ayon kay ...

How did you vote on the poll?

n.n ayon kay ...

Medicaid and Medicare fraud

40 trillion dollars in indefinite extractions.

Curious George ayon kay ...

Freder Frederson said...
There was no emergency that justified circumventing the normal contracting process. "

He wanted it done before the 250th Anniversary so it would look nice for the celebration. You know the same actions reserved for Chicomms by the left.

narciso ayon kay ...

Its a rorschach test and freder losf

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...

Never mind, Trump still has the FIFA World Peace Prize.

Achilles ayon kay ...

Freder Frederson said...

I forget where I said that Obama's project was successful and a wise use of government funds. Can you provide a link where I lauded Obama's renovations?

Democrats are just dishonest pieces of shit and they can do nothing in good faith.

boatbuilder ayon kay ...

I thought that #2 was just snarky, until Freder showed up. Get help, man.

Quaestor ayon kay ...

Sometimes I think Althouse is conducting an anthropological field study when she offers one of her multiple choice polls.

We math majors used to sit around in what we deemed was our "student lounge" playing bridge or D&D or just killing time, which made us a convenient stationary target for roving psych majors armed with their obnoxious questionnaires. One or two would breeze in every day using copious flattery to get several of us to agree to take a questionnaire and return it completed in a few days. The psychs had their fun by getting us to supply them with data to plot on a graph, and we had ours by answering the questions in the persona of some odious figure from history or legend to skew the psychs' analytics strongly toward one end of the curve or the other. Shits and giggles all 'round.

So what are Althouse's shits and giggles? To shoehorn her respondents into categories occupied by psychotics on the one hand and imbeciles on the other?

Leland ayon kay ...

Billions spent in California for a couple of miles of train track completed over a decade, but they complain about a few million spent on a beautification project that was identified and completed within a year. This isn’t a case of sweating the small stuff to avoid big problems. It is about who benefits, and it isn’t Democrats; therefore they hate it.

TosaGuy ayon kay ...

Spiffing up the capital for the 250th, while not an emergency, is a significant event that justifies such high-impact projects.

The last administration should have had all of this in place…but didn’t.

boatbuilder ayon kay ...

Trump spends a lot more time talking about the things he's "fixing," like the reflecting pool and the ballroom, than the critical things he has broken, like the flow of petroleum products to the world.

Remember a month ago when you were absolutely certain that Trump had fucked up the reflecting pool and it was going to look like a giant swimming pool?

Does it ever occur to you that there may be things going on that you neither know nor understand?

Achilles ayon kay ...

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...

Wage growth is at 3.4%, while last month’s inflation came in at 3.8%—with next month’s figure expected to rise to 4.2%.

I love the "expected to rise" stuff.

You are a retarded clown who hasn't been right about anything.

You are just here to use numbers that don't exist and pretend we aren't laughing at you.

Original Mike ayon kay ...

Freder is incapable of saying it looks good.

narciso ayon kay ...

His hallucinations grow more vivid

rehajm ayon kay ...

…since the fuel at the pump price is falling…quickly and deeply, they can’t use the ‘gas prices are bankrupting families’ bludgeon anymore…

Bob Boyd ayon kay ...

Prior to Trump's intervention, the Park Service was considering spending in the range of "over $100 million" to "over $300 million" dollars to do a renovation that was expected to take years.
Trump's project include specific measures for mitigating algae growth including upgraded filtration and ozone treatment.
Seems like it's worth a try to do it Trump's way.

Mark ayon kay ...

Achilles, we are overdue the starvation riots in China you so confidently predicted would be happening by now.

Perhaps you should pay attention to your own clear predictions before throwing shade at others.

Breezy ayon kay ...

Some people are immune to reflection.

Bob Boyd ayon kay ...

A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having thought it was Trump's fault.

Randomizer ayon kay ...

Is it productive to try empathizing with someone who is proudly irrational? There is nothing to be gained by someone with a train of logic like:

(I hate Hitler) + (Hitler loved dogs) = I hate dogs.

The reflecting pool needed work, so President Trump went to a company that uses sophisticated materials and techniques to renovate the reflecting pool. The project was quick and inexpensive. None of that is crazy.

A wait-and-see attitude is sensible. A let's-not-maintain-our-stuff attitude is not.

rehajm ayon kay ...

Seems like it's worth a try to do it Trump's way.

They can’t. Even the dumbest businessman in the world is a threat to expose their incompetence and to their phony baloney jobs…

Freder Frederson ayon kay ...

It doesn't mention Trump. It's a test of your level of Trump derangement.

And yet you have two Trump tags on this post.

How did you vote on the poll?

I didn't. I don't participate in any of your surveys.

rehajm ayon kay ...

I'm glad you think $13 million (seven times the price Trump claimed when the project started) is a "cheap fix"

…to these people billions to stop government from cutting off trillions in corruption? a-okay!! $13 million to renovate an historic American landmark? Waste! Corruption!

boatbuilder ayon kay ...

I don't know the details, but a salt-water chlorinating recirculation system with skimmers at reasonable intervals would take care of the algae concerns. I suspect that Trump and the pool contractor know that and have installed something like that.
Ah ha!
Google AI tells me that Green Water Solutions was awarded a $1.7 million contract to install a "recirculating system" using "nano-bubble" technology.
Google AI also says of "nano-bubbles" that:
Aquaculture & Ponds: They are heavily utilized to maintain high dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in aquaculture tanks and natural water bodies, reducing harmful algal blooms and preventing the buildup of bottom muck.

This is not rocket science. Even WaPo reporters can find this information quite easily.

rcommal ayon kay ...

It's very pretty. I reserve "beautiful" only because I haven't seen it in the flesh.

I do have concerns about no-bid contracts (if indeed this is one) and I do think they should be absolutely transparent and easily accessible to the public, on general principle. And I do think that President Trump spend sa bit too much public time talking about non-core responsibilities such as this. I'd like him to focus a bit more. I am a bit concerned about that, though decidedly not obsessed or all het up about it.

If something, at least in a video or picture, looks pretty and appropriate to its setting and purpose, why not just be able to say so? Not everything has to be a stepping stone to political commentary or grievances.

And it's great that a fix has been applied to deal with the blooming algae and whatever other issues. Overdue, in fact. I say let's be patient and see how it goes. Give credit where credit is due, and if something changes, deal with it then.

Just my several cents.

Original Mike ayon kay ...

"How did you vote on the poll?"
"I didn't."

Told ya. He can't do it.

Rocco ayon kay ...

A leftist goes to a retired law professor’s blog. The professor thinks xir might be obsessed with Trump. She posts a picture of the Reflecting Pool during renovation and asks “What do you see?”

“I see Trump destroying the Reflecting Pool.”

“And this” she asks as she posts a photo of the completed Pool.

“I see Trump corruption.”

“And finally this one” she says posting a third.

“I see Trump. Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump!”

“I think you might be obsessed with Trump,” the professor says calmly.

“Why?” Xir asks. “You’re the one who keeps posting pictures of Trump!”

Original Mike ayon kay ...

"Prior to Trump's intervention, the Park Service was considering spending in the range of "over $100 million" to "over $300 million" dollars to do a renovation that was expected to take years."

$13M is a bargin.

Freder Frederson ayon kay ...

Told ya. He can't do it.

"Can't" and "didn't" are two different things. "Won't" would be closer, but still inaccurate.

Achilles ayon kay ...

Mark said...

Achilles, we are overdue the starvation riots in China you so confidently predicted would be happening by now.

Perhaps you should pay attention to your own clear predictions before throwing shade at others.


China already surrendered retard. Trump is letting them play in their lane.

Russia is consolidating in Ukraine and hasn't lifted a finger in Iran.

Everything happened just as I said it would.

The only holdouts are in Britain France and Germany. And that isn't looking good for your globalist masters is it?

You are just too stupid to understand what is going on.

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...

Historians will say it was a reflection unlike any other reflection.

The project does not address the failing underground pipes that supply and circulate water to/from the treatment system. These pipes frequently crack, forcing disconnections from the filtration plant for weeks at a time. This leaves the root causes of poor water quality and algae largely unresolved, potentially limiting the long-term effectiveness of the new waterproofing and coatings.

Reports (including a detailed NYT overview) note that broader plans to replace the pipes exist and were hoped to start in fall 2026, but they were not part of this urgent renovation. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/05/31/us/trump-reflecting-pool-problems.html

The current work targets visible leaks and appearance but leaves the plumbing issues unaddressed, which will likely allow ongoing water quality problems.

bagoh20 ayon kay ...

I have a 2000 gallon pond in my back yard with live plants, fish, turtles frogs, etc. It's fully exposed to the Las Vegas sun, and in summer the water is about 90 degrees. Unaddressed it would, in just a few days, turn into one large green blob of death. I have no filtration other than a screen to protect the fountain pump from debris. The pump runs 24/7 and the bucket where the pump sits has a 36 watt UV light on continuously. I have no algae problem year round. Cost = about $14/ month. This includes having a contiguous 1800 gal/hr fountain of water. They should install UV lights. It would look cool at night too.

Achilles ayon kay ...

Freder Frederson said...

Told ya. He can't do it.

"Can't" and "didn't" are two different things. "Won't" would be closer, but still inaccurate.

Freder is just a dishonest piece of shit. He builds a completely delusional view of the world because at his core he knows he is no better than any fascist foot soldier in any of the regimes of leftist murder muppets that parade through history.

Freder dances when Charlie Kirk is killed.

Freder celebrates when Trump is removed from social media.

Freder cheers when peaceful J6 protestors are jailed and persecuted.

Freder nods in approval when BLM thugs rape inner cities and burn down small businesses.

Freder silently shuffles to the back when Trump gets shot and curses his bad fortune that Trump survived.

Put Freder in China and he is a red guard. He is a black shirt in italy. He is a brown shirt in germany.

He can't be honest about anything because the truth is so ugly.

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