impulse

So you're happy with the spendiest (by far) health care system with mediocre (at best) results that led the USA with 4% of the world's population to 16% of the world's reported Covid deaths? And satisfied with the "don't look here" attitude when the rates of childhood autism (and other chronic childhood maladies) are spiking astronomically? I'm sure not happy with it.

I'm still hoping for input from posters that may be happy they spent the $$$. I recently had a Thai friend ask me if I thought he should repair his older Apple phone for 8,000 baht, or buy a new one for (I think) 24,000 baht. I conceded he was asking the wrong guy. Reading today, it seems Samsung has released the newest S25 (?) line in Korea, and the pre-orders are mostly around the top of that line. That's what led me to wonder if I must be missing out on something?

I think the Grassy Knoll was the start of the downward spiral(s).

And try to cultivate a sense of humor.

I just wanted full HD screen resolution, a well known brand (for a stable OS) and dual SIM slots for traveling monthly between China and LOS. I passed on NFC, an OLED screen, kick ass gaming, waterproofing and 5G. I'm trying to figure out what else I may be missing out on. I'm looking at the Samsung A16 as a backup/next phone. But I'm hoping that the A05s will last as long as the S2 did. It's still working 13+ years later and I use it occasionally as a video player. It's the last one I bought with a removable battery. If the A05s lasts as long, they'll probably have holographic phones or brain implants before I need to replace it.

I think the most telling statistic would be the percent of GDP consumed by the gub'ment back then, before we were funding illegals in hotels, generations of welfare families, and drag queen events in Lower Slobovia.

But it's not unconstitutional. The president has emergency powers that allow it. Within 45 days, he has to report to Congress what he's done and why. Then they can override his EOs. Or not.

You should have hedged that by shorting Moderna.

I was doing my best to not go there. I'll just say that I see their current situation as "intractable".

Honest question. I'm a cheap phone guy. My current phone is a Samsung A05s, which seems to do everything I need. Around 5000 baht (+/-). I'm wondering whether other people have found the extra features and speed of the higher end phones to be worth it, in their personal experience. No wrong answers... I realize it's a personal choice. I'd just like some (preferably polite) input from people who aren't as cheap as me, and sprung for the higher end phones. In fact, my favorite smartphone was my first, a Samsung S2 from 2011 or so. I wish I could find a phone that size with today's tech. They all seem to be going the other way, getting bigger and bigger. (I'd add that the S2 cost me around 4x as much as the A05s, and that's before factoring in 10+ years of inflation)

That's why Israel is in an intractable situation, since the British cock-ups after WW1 and WW2. Israel will still be fighting their neighbors in another 75-100 years unless something different happens. Good luck settling on what that "something different" would be.

The low information voters thought that Harris was a viable candidate.

You mean it takes time to wipe their social media accounts?

The president can stop the programs, and then he has 45 days to report to Congress what he has done and why. Then Congress can act to rescind, or not. How long has Trump been in office? Has it already been 45 days? Time sure flies when you're winning bigly. Probably drags by if you're losing. Edit: But I suspect at the rate that DOGE is uncovering malfeasance, enough will be revealed in 45 days that it would be political suicide for Congress to resist.

So you don't figure that putting a stop to spending US taxpayer money on drag queen story hours in Lower Slobovia would free up more money for worthwhile programs?

I think they're afraid the DOGE AI audit will find out that the USAID money is being recycled back into campaign donations. Through donation mules. I wish it was just one party to blame. But it's both the Demicans and the Republicrats. 2025 is going to be a wild ride.

Thank goodness. 'Cause that would be a rather racist statement if there wasn't...

Rubio has weighed in... “Well, that was always the goal was to reform it, but now we have rank insubordination,” Rubio told Fox News, in comments just one day after President Trump announced that Rubio would serve as the acting head of USAID – which itself came after Elon Musk’s DOGE team descended upon the agency and revealed that “USAID is a ball of worms. There is no apple. And when there is no apple you just need to get rid of the whole thing. That’s why it’s got to go. It’s beyond repair.“ According to Rubio, “Now we have basically an active effort — their basic attitude is, ‘We don’t work for anyone, we work for ourselves, no agency of government can tell us what to do.”

De nada.

And even if it weren't true, they've gotten so much mileage out of it... If that were the case (it's not), all I'd accuse them of is taking a page out of the Dem playbook.

I'm forecasting a bunch of self deportations now that Rubio has a deal to warehouse violent illegals in El Salvador prisons for a nominal fee. Win win. US gets cheap prison space and El Salvador gets US cash.

Please tell me there's a senator actually named Coons...

I'm loving it. Last night, I took it out for my first night flight. I need to do some more digging into the manual to see if I can make the nav lights more visible. I lost sight of it almost immediately and it was cold and real windy so I cut the flight short. I'll try it again when my fingers don't freeze up. I downloaded a bunch of "how-to for beginners" videos when I was in BKK last month (and YouTube's not blocked like it is here). I watch one in the evening when it's quiet, then go out the next day and try some of the new features and settings. I can't believe how much tech they've implemented. It is amazing. Occasionally, one of the presenters will mention some features that the Mini 4 Pro has, and I think "wouldn't that be neat?". But that's 2x the cost of the Mini 3 (the Mini 3 Pro is discontinued) and I remind myself it's just a toy for me. I'd highly recommend the Mini 3 for the price (2388 RMB (Appx $325 USD), I think, with the cheaper controller that uses my smartphone screen). It's going to take me a lot of flights to get proficient, though I was zooming around happily right out of the box, first time outdoors. Just not presentation quality videos yet. But it is very cool to see what my area looks like from the air.

The most disturbing thing to me is the hours that they must have pored over and argued about each line in the pamphlet. They could have sent the participants around to clean the toilets instead of sitting in those meetings. You know, something that actually improves the work product and benefits the passengers...

Once again, if you knew what the markup is between the ex-works price and the retail price, you'd realize that, in general, increasing the tariffs will have a tiny effect on the retail price. They buy the stuff for pennies and sell them for dollars. The tariff is calculated on the pennies.