Davos

There has been riding.  We saw this the other day.  Here we have a pot with a saguaro skeleton in it.  The pot has a lizard attached to the outside.  It's really attractive.

This is the house next door.  I really like this paint color.  If you look at the shrubs that are up against the wall, they're almost the same color.  Those are Brittlebush.  They're very hardy, and self seed like crazy.

Other than that, we're completely and totally unexciting.  Maybe we should paint something.  Or not.

47 has been on a tear.  Monday he gave a three hour press conference in which he raised old grievances, complained about Greenland, and told lies.  Three hours is a long time to talk.   Then he got on a plane for Davos.  His first set back was a mechanical that caused the plane to have to return to base.  He ended up being three hours late upon arrival.  

This is an interesting photo of how the arrival went.  If I could embed the video you would see him walking down the red carpet with two members of his security walking behind him.  I think this may not be AI, Russia carried the video as well.  Even if it is AI, it's a nice image for him.

His speech was predictably obnoxious, he insulted NATO repeatedly saying they had given us nothing in 30 years.  I wonder how the families of the NATO soldiers who died in Afghanistan after 911 feel about that statement.  The good news is that he has backed down on invading Greenland.  There is supposed to be some sort of long term frame work put in place, which means nothing will happen.  

Other things that I have cut and pasted off twitter are here.

Prime Minister Carney received a standing ovation.  That has happened only three times, I think the other two were Mandela and Zelenskyy.  Here is a frequently quoted excerpt.

"American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security ... this bargain no longer works.  Let me be direct: we are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. Over the past two decades, a series of crises in finance, health, energy, and geopolitics laid bare the risks of extreme global integration. More recently, great powers began using economic integration as weapons. Tariffs as leverage. Financial infrastructure as coercion. Supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited. You cannot “live within the lie” of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination."  

Full text of speech is here. 

47 covered himself in glory when he said that Canada could not exist without the US.  "Canada lives because of the United States - remember that Mark, the next time you make your statements."

The EU realized that Trump will raise tariffs for any reason, a deal with him is worthless, so they terminated the deal they made last year. The European Parliament has decided to freeze the approval of a trade agreement with the United States. The decision was reported by the news agency AFP and the French newspaper Le Monde. The trade agreement between the European Union and the United States was concluded in July. On Saturday evening, leaders of the largest political groups in the European Parliament said they would not vote in favour of the EU’s trade deal with Washington. According to Le Monde, the leader of the Socialists and Democrats group, Iratxe García Pérez, said there is now a “broad majority” among the political groups in favor of freezing the agreement. 

Bessent was asked about these two events.  He blew them off, characterizing them as insignificant.

Danish pension fund AkademikerPension announces they will sell all US Treasuries by month-end, citing "rising credit risk" under President Trump. The fund's CIO says US finances are no longer "sustainable," due to weak fiscal discipline, a softer Dollar, and Trump’s push for Greenland.

Sweden’s pension fund Alecta has divested most of its U.S. Treasury holdings, citing increased risk and unpredictability in U.S. politics. The sell-off totaled roughly 70–80 billion SEK ($7.7–8.8B) - Reuters

Anyway, 47 has given up his plans for invasion.  So now we wonder where he is sending the two battalions of the 11th Airborne division.  Perhaps martial law is back on the table.  Who knows.

 

I swear the uncertainty is sucking the life out of me.  The financial talking heads have spent the last two days forecasting everything from economic slow down to runs on the banks.  The stock market has been whip-sawed as well.

 

So, that's what I know. 

 

There is a massive geo-magnetic storm in progress, it's a big one.  I don't remember where this was taken, it's impressive.

 

Today in Dementia

This was on the front page of the Washington Post this morning.  Apparently our president really has lost his mind.

Here is the message he sent.  This should be the first exhibit in a case for the 25th Amendment removal from office. 

Dear Ambassador:  
 President Trump has asked that the following message, shared with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, be forwarded to your [named head of government/state]

“Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. 

Thank you! President DJT”

As you no doubt recall, this is the history of when the US bought the Virgin Islands, and signed over Greenland to Denmark.  This issue really is closed.

The US bought the Danish West Indies during 1916. The two sides agreed to a sale price of $25,000,000. As part of the sale, the United States accepted a Danish demand for a declaration stating that they would "not object to the Danish Government extending their political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland". Although the US had a claim on northern Greenland based on explorations by Charles Francis Hall and Robert Peary, the United States decided that the purchase was more important, especially because of the nearby Panama Canal. Historian Bo Lidegaard questions the utility of such a declaration, as the country had never disputed Danish sovereignty.

Denmark is not going to Davos.  I guess they've had enough of 47, and are taking some time away from him. 

Hot Water Tank and the Administration

We've been hearing the hot water heater popping when it's heating water.  That's a sign that sediment from our very hard water is precipitating out, covering the bottom of the tank.  When water gets hot, it boils underneath that layer and then bubbles up and pops.  It's not difficult to drain and flush, you just have to do it.  So today we did.  

Fifty feet of house were required to get the water down the driveway.  Here it is, water coming out of the tank.

There is sediment in the water.  It's really hard to see because it's in the water, the sun is really bright and the camera can't really focus on it.  See the white patches on the road - sediment. 

It looks like we'll be having some cactus death.  This part of the Mexican Fence Post is dying.  There is another arm that is leaning.

There are two more arms that are leaning, as well.  There is one that's still green on top, and one that is yellowed in front.  There is nothing to be done about this, eventually they'll fall down.  There is a dying arm in the middle of the plant, and another one in front of the tall leaner.  None of my photos are particularly good.

Well, this has been a very full week in the US government.  This is one of my favorites.

“One of ours, all of yours.” 
That was the slogan behind the 1942 annihilation of Lidice in the Nazi Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, in what is now the Czech Republic. Czech resistance fighters assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, a senior SS leader and one of the principal architects of the Holocaust. Hitler and Himmler ordered the complete destruction of Lidice as collective punishment and a warning. All men over 15 were executed. Women were deported to Ravensbrück. Children were either murdered in gas vans or taken from their families and placed with SS households for forced “Germanization.” The Nazis also systematically abused and tortured dogs, primarily as part of their racial ideology and military programs.  

Kristi Noem, Secretary of DHS thinks its appropriate to have this slogan printed on her podium when she's speaking.  Nice, really nice. 

Canadian Prime Minister Carney went to China.  Here is his synopsis. "We’re removing trade barriers to unlock billions of dollars in business for Canadian farmers, fish harvesters, and workers across agri-food sectors. By March 1, we expect that China will lower tariffs on Canadian canola from 84% to about 15%, and that Canadian canola meal, peas, lobster and crab will no longer be subject to the anti-discrimination tariffs." Canada is moving on without us.

Mr. Carney stopped in Qatar on the way back from China, and then on to Davos.  Busy Busy.

47 continues to demand ownership of Greenland.  If he invades, this will be the end of NATO.  It's hard to believe he's still going on about this.

-74% of all insulin used in America comes from Denmark. 
-100% of all Ozempic used in America comes from Denmark 
-15% of all shipping containers arriving in America come from a Danish company 
All 3 are being discussed within Denmark to halt. 

His current position is give us "Greenland or we will increase taxes on American citizens for things that they buy."  He thinks that he can tariff part of the EU if he doesn't get his way. It doesn't work that way.  EU is a trading block, tariff one you tariff them all.  The good citizens of the US actually pay the tariffs, he's shooting us in the head to try to get his way.  So, threatening tariffs is not the win that he thinks it is.

Minneapolis continues to be a misery.  He's now threatening to declare an insurrection and bring in 1,500 people from 11th Airborne who are currently based in Alaska.  One wonders how that will work out.

OK, I am now sufficiently depressed.  Enough.

Shocks and a Ride

This morning we were on the phone to the HVAC guy early.  It's cold and dry here, and the wearing of polar fleece pants makes static electricity.  Last night Jim got up to adjust the thermostat.  From down the hall I heard the zap of his finger touching a button.  He killed the thermostat.  So, if your house has an issue with static electricity, ground yourself prior to adjusting the temperature.  We're very happy they were able to get out here today and install a new one.

Today we were able to ride.  It was good, it's been really windy the last few days.  I suppose we could have ridden, but I would rather not.  Anyway this is what we saw today.  I believe it's a Cardon.  I could be wrong, there are many cacti with this general shape.  The cactus in the back is a Saguaro.

This is a deer who is not afraid of people.  I guess she spends enough time in the neighborhood that she knows no one will shoot her.  Out in Tucson Mountain Park they run, so they know the bow hunters might get them.

Yesterday we were out in the yard doing nothing, and I pulled the fruits off the red barrel cactus.  One of them had a hole in the bottom, and released all the seeds.  There are many.  I've always wondered what was inside, so now we know.  See all of the little black dots?  Seeds.  Those all came from the one fruit on the end. 

Today 47 flipped off an auto worker at the River Rouge Ford plant.  The worker called him a pedo protector.  He's right.  Such a classy move from a world leader.

That's it!  That's all I've got. 

 

Dogs and the Administration

Even during this time of the disintegration of our country, I can still find things that irk me.  Currently my dander is raised by my fellow neighbors who let their dogs poop in yards that are not their own.  I don't care if it's picked up, it leaves the scent and every dog that passes by will want to at least pee on it.  

There are new people up the street from us who have two huskies and some sort of small dog.  She let her dogs go in the yard two houses down from us.  The lady who lives there asked the women to please not do that, and the new neighbor let loose with invective, yelling and finally flipping off the home owner.  The new people's huskies have been known to jump over their wall and go after leashed dogs in the street. 

A couple walked by our yard two days ago with their dog on an extendable leash.  Said dog went well into our front yard and pooped.  The lady followed the dog into our front yard with a poop bag.  Jim told them  that our yard is not a toilet for their dog.  She started yelling at us, her husband yelled out that maybe they wouldn't pick it up.  When did people get so entitled about trespassing, which she was.  The arrow indicates how far she was into the yard.

We have signs indicating our desire to not have this.  There are many common areas in the neighborhood where they could go.  There is a large expanse of waste land at the front gate.

So, the guy whose wife was verbally assaulted by the husky owner bought a solar powered animal repellent.  It has a motion sensor and emits a high frequency noise that people can't hear, but that dogs don't like.  Since he installed his, he's noticed that dogs are walking on the other side of the street from his house.  So, we got them, too.  If everyone on this street installed them, we could have a complete dog no-go zone.  Kidding, just kidding.

Here is Jim pounding a piece of rebar into the ground so we can put the stake in the dirt.

They look like little robots.

So, we'll see.  We also bought a gallon of 30% vinegar, which we will dilute and then spray on the perimeter.  I'm starting to feel like I have a role in the movie Caddy Shack.

We hiked today.  Look at this poor saguaro, he's not doing down without a fight.

Here is my collection of stuff from twitter.  As always, I wonder when the republicans are going to grow a spine. 

We evacuated our kids out of Minneapolis this weekend and my spouse reports that as she drove them out of town she saw "multiple freeway exits where people are being pulled over." It feels like the Twin Cities is being subjugated by a hostile occupying force.

Aaron Rupar

 

Trump is pissed that oil companies don’t want to take over Venezuela’s oil industry because of the cost of modernization, security concerns, political instability, and current low price of oil which would take decades to turn a profit, and now he looks like an idiot.

 

Sources report that 1.5-1.85 million #Iranians have taken to the streets tonight. They are battling security forces in more than 180 cities and 512 locations in all 31 provinces. The protests can now officially be called a revolution.  

 

If I wanted to permanently cripple NATO, divide the USA and help Russia and China, I could think of nothing better than the US using military force to seize Greenland.  Philips P Obrian 

 

After Donald Trump just tweeted out a trolling post that says he's the "Acting President of Venezuela," Venezuelan officials trolled him back by announcing they were indicting him for sex-trafficking and launching impeachment proceedings.

 

Federal agents in Minneapolis are presenting documents to arrest people in their homes, signed by immigration officers. The documents, unlike a warrant signed by a judge, do not authorize forced entry into a private residence. A warrant signed by an immigration officer only authorizes arrest in a public area.

BREAKING: US House Introduces Bill to Annex Greenland and Grant It Statehood The document authorizes the president to annex or purchase Greenland from Denmark to control the Arctic. If approved by both chambers and signed by the president, the bill will become law.   

 

One does wonder where all of this will end. 

 

Here is a Norwegian cartoon from ten years ago.

 

 

Cactus and the Administration

Posting has been a little light, as of late.  I'm annoyed with myself, this is my aide de memoir for when the details of the second coming of Satan fade from memory, so I should be more diligent.  But first there is the setting sun and baby cactus.

Jim took this on January 3.  It was quite impressive.  His phone camera is better than mine, because my phone is old.  Since I hate getting a new phone more than anything, I'm not moving on just yet.

We put some more rocks on the bank in the back yard.  While we were up there we found some volunteer cacti.  I think this is a saguaro growing under some sort of yucca.  Saguaro do best with a nurse plant, it gives them some shade.

The is a red hook cactus, growing amidst a lantana.  When they're large, their spine clusters can pierce a shoe.  

I think this is a prickly pear.  He's growing on the bank in the rocks, and so he will be removed.  There shall not be anything growing on the bank.

There was a walk in the desert Monday.  We both went in for dexa scans in the early afternoon, which took up prime bike riding time.  The light was really good.

The scan results were interesting.  I'm slightly better in the spine and hip, but worse in the back.  Jim's T scores are similar to mine.  I think, given our ages, that we're not that bad off.  Our lifetime risk of fractures is about  8.8%.  However, the GP is advocating quite strenuously for Jim (but not me) to take Fosamax.  Fosamax has two terrible possible side effects, osteonecrosis in the jaw, and thigh fractures.  Apparently the radiologist is using the fact that Jim has already experienced a "low trauma fracture" as a criteria for medication.  From the report, we can't tell if they're talking about the acetabular fracture, or the compression fracture at L1.  The acetabular fracture is a bike accident from 2006 wherein Jim launched over the handle bars of his bicycle, somersaulted through the air, taking skin off the shoulder blades, then progressing to break two ribs and driving his femur through his acetabulum.  At the time he departed the bike, we were riding about 18-19 mph.  Does this sound like a low trauma fracture to you?  So, we need clarity on what fracture they're using for decision making.  There are physical therapists that specialize in bone building exercises, I think we're going that route first.  I should work on it, as well.  

47 is back on the topic of he wants Greenland.  Never mind the fact that Denmark first colonized Greenland in 1721.  Never mind the fact that the US renounced a claim to Greenland in 1917.

The US bought the Danish West Indies during 1916. The two sides agreed to a sale price of $25,000,000. As part of the sale, the United States accepted a Danish demand for a declaration stating that they would "not object to the Danish Government extending their political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland". Although the US had a claim on northern Greenland based on explorations by Charles Francis Hall and Robert Peary, the United States decided that the purchase was more important, especially because of the nearby Panama Canal. Historian Bo Lidegaard questions the utility of such a declaration, as the country had never disputed Danish sovereignty.

There are words on the subject in this Wiki.  

If the US invades Greenland with troops and guns, it will break NATO.  NATO will defend Denmark.  Denmark today said that if troops come on the island, they will shoot to kill and ask no questions.  

47 is now badgering the oil companies to go to Venezuela and upgrade their oil producing infrastructure.  They want the US to pay for it.  That would be the tax payers.  I'm linking to a substack about how the billionaire oligarchs will benefit from all of this.  Apparently there can never be enough money for these people.  Venezuela has continued to say no to any thought of the oil companies returning to their land.  They kicked us out last time for good reasons.

DHS and 47 both covered themselves with glory yesterday by immediately declaring that the ICE agent who murdered Renee Nicole Good acted to defend his life.  Video shows a completely different story.  No agent was hurt by the car.  The murderer in question was standing beside the car and shot through the driver's window.  These people are animals.  Schools are closed in Minneapolis due to an incident involving ICE attacking high school kids on school grounds.  Who does this?  There is an article here.

I used to think it could never happen here because I had faith the the military would uphold their oaths to the Constitution.  Never thought the military would follow illegal orders; yet here we are, performing extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean Sea, invading Venezuela and kidnapping the President and his wife, and now we're talking about invading Greenland.  I guess when 47 declares martial law, the military will take up arms against us, the citizens.  ICE, CBP and the other armed federal sub-groups will probably do so, as well.

Mike Franken put this up on twitter.  He's right. "His actions will only get worse. He wants domestic upheaval. He wants civil uprising. He wants martial law and no elections. He wants unbridled power. He wants his history. He doesn't think like us. He is abnormal. His ear grows back." 

This is from people who live in Minneapolis. 

I will close with this photo of a cyclocross race.  They don't stop for weather.

 

January 3rd Kidnapping

Happy third day of the new year.  Imagine my surprise this morning when Jim turned on his laptop and yelped What !?!  We kidnapped President Maduro and his wife.  The Attorney General plans to prosecute them in the Southern District of New York using a 1934 US law.  Basically it's a law that says you can't have a machine gun.  Maduro is the president of a country that has a standing army, and some of those people have machine guns.  How in the name of all that is holy does AG Bondi have any jurisdiction to prosecute Maduro?  Yes, he's a bad man, but we kidnapped him!  This is just stupid, he's not a US citizen and not subject to US laws.

This is from twitter, I forget who posted it.  "The United States invaded and bombed a foreign country and seized its leader, against international law, and with no stated rationale for it that passes muster. The stated rationales are all laden with hypocrisy. And Congress was not informed in advance. This is one whopper of a distraction from Epstein and bad polling, and one colossal infusion of narcissistic energy for a declining old man who had been weakened, diminished, and embarrassed by ill health."

So, 47 has said the US is going to run Venezuela, and the oil companies are going to improve oil extraction and sell the oil. Who is going to guarantee the security of the oil workers?  What could possibly go wrong?

This was in the paper this morning.  It's a story about bullets hitting the RV park where we used to spend winters, and then where we bought the park model that was a failed idea.  I think it was just dumb luck that we were never hit by bullets fired in to the air.

We rode today.  It was chilly when we left, but quickly warmed up a bunch, so we had to return to the house and off load clothing.  

This is humor from the internet.

So.... we shall stand by to be amazed by this latest development by the mad king.

This happened later.