I just watched the first two episodes. Overall, I enjoy the insider peeks; I liked the Goff parts but not so much the Cousins parts. Plenty of coverage of Joe and while I really liked what I've seen this far, it's a little bittersweet to be reminded of all the shortfalls last season had. Thankfully, not much mention of the anemic defense, but still, it's a reminder.

Looking forward to seeing some more. Interested in what other people think.

A view from Europe:

Across Europe, the financial sector has pushed up house prices. It's a political timebomb

On 7/5/2025 at 11:47 PM, Shebengal said:

There’s a lot of reasons why this isn’t happening here.

First of all, zoning regulations now usually require a minimum square footage and lot size, and these homes would probably not meet the requirements.

...

You are starting to see houses being built with 3D printers that are really cool, cost efficient, and more durable than stick built homes.

Good points. Yet, what I was driving at was something underlying it all--political will and culture. After all, we decide what the zoning laws are, as well as the other requirements for ordering our society. In the link I posted, it wasn't only the housing parts that made me think it worth passing on, it was the little middle section where he listed all kinds of developments that the Chinese have undertaken in the past 30 years. It's fairly astounding, if you think on it. (And not unlike the post-Civil War industrial progress of the U.S.)

And the truth of it all is this: our culture is rotten. We've forgotten who we are and what we are capable of accomplishing. As T-Dub said, we prefer building Alcatraz Alley in a hurry to actually doing things motivated by the general welfare.

Related reading from earlier today:

BRICS in 2025

Managers and Clowns

What Can Zohran Accomplish?

The world's most affordable homebuilders?

Worth a watch (or a read) to see what is possible. The which of course begs the question--how come we aren't doing this sort of thing here in the U.S.?

Food for thought...

The Ascendance of Algorithmic Tyranny

Click through to listen to the conversation. It's disgusting. And people like this--whose day-to-day job is to deny claims on the most specious grounds--ought to be doxxed, ostracized, and generally treated like the shits that they are. I would say send them into exile, but if that happened, they would end up with better health care than you can get here in the good ole U.S.A.

‘Looking Backwards’ and Forward: How Democrats Who Voted for Iraq Cashed In and How It Ensured the Rise of the Imperial Uniparty

The Key Nuclear Allegation that started the Iran-Israeli War was Coaxed from a Palantir Counter-Intelligence Algorithm

The AI That Triggered a War: How Palantir and the IAEA Fueled Israel's Strike on Iran

6 hours ago, LostInDaJungle said:

I remember when I worked for a newspaper... I was coming back from lunch and there were like 15 Swat vans across the street. I thought, "I work for the local paper! I can just go ask!"

So I walked up to the city desk. We had a reporter whose job it was to monitor the police scanner. I'm like "Why are there a ton of police across the street?"

Dude goes "Where?" I can hear them all talking on the police radio about it. He grabbed his lil' notepad and ran.

Lol. That's funny. I also worked at a paper in the deep past. One of the memories that really sticks with me, even today, is this: I never saw a newsroom so shook up, jolted, discombobulated, as when the news broke about Stevie Ray Vaughn's death in that copter crash.

The Heresy of Americanism

Richard Murphy Gets ChatGPT to Describe How It Inherently Makes Shit Up

When the Dead Speak and the Living Refuse to Listen

I finally got around to watching "Conclave." It was a sumptuously-styled drama with a bunch of high powered actors. But it was also West Wing in the Sistine Chapel.

 

I was extremely disappointed, especially when something supposedly "high-cultured" has not one, but two bogus plot twists in it.

Devious US Intention and Incompetence Always Good for Genocide

 

"Possibly too cowardly, incompetent and impervious to stop genocide in Israel, fascist Trump is making up other genocides to blame people for."

Looking at this from a regular working stiff's perspective:

 

2025 Salary: $15,800,000.00

 

Equates to:

 

$303,846 per week, or,

 

$7,596.15 per hour for a 40 hour week.

 

Cry me a river.

3 hours ago, IKOTA said:

Not sure about being across from Bond Hill Elementary but I know it’s like half a block north from where Norwood Lateral exits onto Reading Rd. Huge building that’s apparently a school now per HighSchool Harry.  
 

I drove by there yesterday and the Ritchie’s is all boarded up and abandoned. Doesn’t look like renovations are in the plans. Every time I come to Cincy for a visit; short or prolonged, I see another place closed that was open previously. Sad when you think about it. 
 

And RIP Coach Kenny. 

Ah! I looked it up because I do remember the orphanage down by where the Twin Drive-in used to be. That's St. Aloysius. The church on California Rd across from Bond Hill Elementary was St. Agnes. And Kenny's full name was Ken Elam.

On 5/8/2025 at 7:33 PM, IKOTA said:

St Aloysius? 

 

That Ritchie’s on Reading and California corner (it’s actually on corner of Reading and Anita Place) is still there, just got renovated I believe.  Anita Place should be where all homeless people live….you know….because they need a place.

I'm going back the the mid-60s here, so my memory is a little foggy. Is St. Aloysius the Catholic church that was across the street from Bond Hill Elementary? What I remember is that church sponsored one helluva good Knothole team. Coach later went on to be a scout for the Expos, until he was murdered by his wife. Kenny something?

 

The church I went to was a small Episcopalian joint on Dale Rd - St. Matthews. And the two things I really remember about the corner of Reading and California is that there was a White Castle and a Chili Time right there. I remember buying white castles at 12 cents, and I really liked Chili Time (though I mostly went to the one in Roselawn.)

I think the essence of this entire saga lies within the Katie quote of not too long ago, where she said (I paraphrase): "At some point, Trey has got to quit complaining and stop moving the goalposts."

 

How many people here have been part of a group (work or otherwise) in which there is one pretty talented asshole who is always griping about something? And at what point does the whining offset the talent? IMO, it's when this starts to effect the locker room. As for myself, I don't care what happens to the guy because it seems like he is never going to be happy, ever.

13 minutes ago, claptonrocks said:

I'm so done with you .

 

Of course you are. But I haven't forgotten your response to the genocide in Gaza, you murderous bastard. Unforgivable. That people even talk to you like you are a normal human being is because they haven't thought of holding you accountable for your views. I do.

1 hour ago, Jamie_B said:

Personally I love this about the new "moderate" Pope.

I was baptized and raised as an Episcopalian. Altar boy, all that stuff. Over time, I've since changed my theological views to something more akin to Platonism: I consider myself a hylozoic monist who does not believe that there is an anthropomorphic aspect to divinity. In other words, I don't believe there is a "Being in the Sky" who pays any attention to human affairs--collectively or individually-- and hence, all attempts to propitiate such a divine being are futile, juvenile, and essentially pagan. As Shakespeare said: "The fault, Dear Brutus..." But then again, Cassius was an oligarch. So, he identifies the problem, but misses the point.

 

My mother is 91 this month. Feeble, frail, I'm now (and have been for some years) taking care of her. Her mind is pretty gone, sadly. She is but a shadow of the woman who instilled in me the desire to learn, to improve my understanding, and whom is responsible for much of that within me is good (and it's my fault alone for the bad.) She is still a pretty devout Episcopalian and I take her to church as often as she feels like going. It's a nice church, the people are mostly honorable and fine folks, some of whom are my friends. So I occasionally take part when my Mom goes to church dinners, etc... .But I do not attend the services. Every once in a while someones asks me why. So I tell them it is a matter of principle. The Anglican Church renounced the filioque within the Nicene Creed in the 70s, although it did allow for individual churches to keep it. But if you look in the Episcopalian Book of Common Prayer, you'll find brackets around this part of the Nicene Creed.

 

It is my belief that the concept of the filioque is an essential element of any form of Christianity for philosophical reasons. There is a long history of debate on this, going back to the early days of Christianity. After a lot of research and thought, I chose my side long ago.

 

Now Jamie is right, new Popes often select a name which gives some indication of their philosophical leanings and in this case, it's pretty interesting. I'll be reading through Leo XIII's papal bulls in the coming weeks, but I already know of this letter from my earlier consideration of the filioque: It is Apostolicae curae and it has many of the same objections about Anglicanism that I do.

 

Are you a human, or not? And what does that mean? As Socrates said; "The unexamined life is not worth leading."

8 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

Our Great President Trump gave his approval to this moderate thinking Pope..

Hope all works out for the Catholics after suffering this last evil Pope.

Work on pedofilia under a new regimen instead of the weak nonsense rhetoric the last idiot preached or served to.

Sure wasn't Christianity...

 

Lookit, you don't know shit about shit. I'm gonna say it plainly: You Are A Fascist. Not in the doctrinal sense, but in the fawning, illiterate, and immoral sense. You are not the guy who thought up the SS, you are the type of bestial excuse for a human that joins the SS. You think your voice matters. It does not. You are an enemy of the human species.

Martin Wolf’s “The old global economic order is dead”

 

Smith's commentary: After the crisis, Wolf was also pumping for serious reforms, promoting the campaign by Mervyn King, Paul Tucker, and Andrew Haldane at the Bank of England. One of their big agenda items amounted to a modern version of Glass Steagall, of separating capital markets trading from traditional banking. They lost after a hard fight to Treasury, which ‘natch was all in for the banksters.

I'm mildly surprised as American Catholics tend to be out of step with the rest of the world's congregation. Be interesting to see how this shakes out.

On 5/6/2025 at 6:02 PM, T-Dub said:

 

Man.. Used to be a Richie's down there at I think around 7th & Winchester iirc.. Run by 2 fine sisters from the islands. That place was off the charts.

 

Grimes is a terrible name for a restaurant chain.

It's down on New Circle. It's good, too. Grimes's is the brother in the family or something. I live closer to that version, but they are basically the same.

 

There is a Ritchie's in Bond Hill, near Reading and California I think, not far away from where i went to school and church as a kid.

 

In any case, they're my "official" chicken of the Bengals on some Sundays.