Monday’s Theme Music — Memory
Ashland, southern Oregon — Monday, October 19, 2026.
I don’t know about everyone else but October is running a fast pace. Today is busy with appointments and contractors coming by. My wife completed her mail-in ballot yesterday, and I need to do mine this week.
A cool day, with clouds hiding the sun and filtering its light and warmth. Rain threatens. Right now, it’s 52 F and we might make it to 60.
Nothing from Mom or my sisters yesterday or today, both a relief and a worry. I’ll take relief for 100, Alex.
As I’m push for time, this is short. Nothing about Trump. I have a song stuck in the morning mental music stream. Titled “Expressway to Your Heart”, the song was released by the Soul Survivors in 1967. I honestly enjoy this song. Nice rhythm is embedded in it, and it’s easy to sing along. I also like little flourishes they use — changes in tempo, the organ, the piano, the use of traffic sounds, the electric guitar. Loved hearing all of that when it came out when I was 11, and I still like it.
For a bonus, this is video from early days of “American Bandstand” and a young Dick Clark. I didn’t watch the show consistently but had many friends, especially females, who set their schedule around it. They liked hearing the music but also seeing the clothes and make up being worn, and the latest dance moves. Watching it makes me smile. It’s terrific, when you think about it, that we have a technology that allows us to revisit moments like this from our past.
Watching this video from 1967, we have no sense of all the drama going on in the world. These are just young people enjoying music. No sense of the demonstrations taking place, the social change being pursued. During that era, we had the cold war boiling along with Vietnam, and still stood in the shadows of WW I, WW II, and Korea — and that was only the wars overtly involving the US. Many other wars and conflicts rage.
Comparing this time to now, we can how far we’ve come but how much further we have to go. We also see how some things haven’t changed much.
Back in 1967, voters were standing up for equal rights for women and minorities. The nation was trying to move away from ‘separate but equal’. Integration was replacing segregation.
And now, almost sixty years later, it feels like Trump is trying to drag us into the 1950s. Donald Trump and his administration are moving against equality, rewriting history to downplay the parts of anyone except white men, even trying to downplay the role of anyone but Republicans. Trump a war that he promised he wouldn’t, a shadow that won’t go away.
Then we have the Epstein and the disgusting revelations in it.
Long sigh.
On to other things momentarily. May good things happen to you today.
Cheers
The Donald Trump GOP Paradox
Donald Trump made headlines with a new steel manufacturing complex in Iowa.
In it is a tale about the Republican party.
In 2008, Essar Steel Minnesota planned to build a taconite mine, a direct-reduction-grade iron ore pellet plant, and a steel mill in Minnesota. The project suffered from repeated delays and over $1 billion in debt. In 2015, Essar withdrew its financial pledge, and the project collapsed into bankruptcy. From the bankruptcy emerged Mesabi Metallics.
Mesabi Metallics is Iowa’s new partner in the $15B steel mill complex.
Trump didn’t mention that Iowa could build this new steel plant because of windmills. Iowa is the top state in the nation for wind dependency, generating roughly 63% of its total electricity from wind power. Wind leads coal by far. A Republican governor began Iowa’s wind turbine electricity project waaayyyy back in 1983.
The project succeeded in part because Senator Chuck Grassley sponsored Wind Energy Incentives Act of 1992, which created the Production Tax Credit (PTC).
It’s hilarious in a not-funny way. Trump disparages wind energy. Donald Trump blames them for cancer, talks about how ugly they are, and bellows about how dangerous they are to birds. Yet, thanks to windmills, Donald Trump is in Iowa, trumpeting about a new manufacturing plant. Trump fights against the sort of incentives which Senator Grassley championed, the incentives which make Iowa’s new projects possible.
Trump’s hypocrisy and ignorance remain appalling.
On the other hand…
Because of all that flat farmland in Iowa, Iowa is currently at a critical energy crossroads. It ranks among the top five states per capita for data center density—with 4 massive centers under active construction and 17 more in planning in counties like Linn—meaning the Mesabi plant is landing right in the middle of a pre-existing technology boom.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? The problem is the climate, and the chance of flooding.
Your Trump Quote of the Day:
Donald Trump dismisses climate change as a con job. The new Iowa Mesabi Metallics plant sits close to the Mississippi River, which is needed as part of the plant’s supply chain. The iron pellets needed for the new steel production facility comes from Minnesota via barges on the Mississippi and railroad routes along river basins. The mining and iron pellets in Minnesota are part of that original, failed Essar Steel project that began in 2008.
Analysts cite a 15% chance that the area where the steel plant is being built will experience a major flood. That percentage might become worse, thanks to climate change and the extreme weather changes it causes, such as the super El Nino forecast for this winter.
The new steel plant is being built to survive a flood. The problem with a flood is that the plant would need to be shut down and restarted, a long and complicated process. Also, flooding will affect workers’ ability to reach the plant.
Flooding will also affect the power sources. Not the windmills, but the infrastructure needed to deliver the power.
Yet, Trump — and the GOP — are focused only on the construction and manufacturing aspects. Not the climate, weather, or other threats.
It’s funny, again, in a sad, I’m not laughing way. Back in 1983, Republicans had the vision to see these problems and forge productive viable paths forward.
Now, under Trump, they close their eyes, trying to pretend like they don’t exist.
Unfortunately, Iowans are pushing back against windmills. It again takes us to another crossoad of challenges and history. Blades have broken off and fallen in cornfields. There was also the Greenfield disaster, where a tornado hit and destroyed windmills.
Climate scientists are expecting more tornados in Iowa due to climate change. Fewer ‘tornado days’ are projected, but more tornado clusters are expected. Windmills falling apart rightly scare people. Their reaction is to build fewer windmills and even remove those which already exist. But to do that, they must shift energy production back to fossil fuels, which will accelerate climate change.
The Iowa steel and energy story is a microcosm of the global climate challenge we face. The hardest part of transitioning to clean energy isn’t the engineering or the math; it’s the political and human friction.
When Donald Trump attacks wind projects, he is speaking directly to the anxieties of older, core conservative voters who view rapid green mandates as costly and unreliable. Yet, those are now the Republicans pushing back against wind power.
It’s an interesting dichotomy. Part of that can be traced to how windmills changed from those early years into what they are now.
Part of the battle now can also be viewed as the difference between how the issue used to be framed — as a business initiative to improve costs — vice a political football to address climate change.
The good news is that young Republicans view the problem much differently than old Republicans. So, there might be hope in the future.
Once Donald Trump is gone.
A Trump Threefer
We were the beneficiaries of a Trump threefer in yesterday’s news spillage.
A twofer is when you get two for one; with a threefer, well, you can do the math.
Donald Trump is known for telling lies. It’s been hugely documented. This week alone brought evidence of lying a few more times.
‘Like he’s just lying’: Trump supporters in deep-red state have regrets
Trump claims South Korea will invest $50B in Alaska gas pipeline. Not so fast, Korean officials say
He’s also known for trying to bribe people to curry favor. That’s also historically demonstrated.
Finally, Donald Trump is a master of distraction. His attempts to change the narrative via have been ongoing but largely unsuccessful, thanks to modern technology. To Donald Trump’s surprise, modern technology is able to show videos and transcripts with the exact words, date, time, and context when he blustered or lied. I like to file these attempts under the umbrella, Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!
As a sign of how desperate Donald Trump is, he gave us three for one yesterday — a lie, a bribe, and a distraction.
For background, the 2026 midterms are coming up in the United States. Democrats are expected to win, largely based on people disapproving of the job Donald Trump is doing and the direction the nation is going.
Donald Trump is desperately aware that’s he doing terrible. Claiming that he’s doing great, Trump grows angry and throws tantrums whenever someone asks about one of the many things not going well. That would include releasing the Epstein files, rising gas and food prices that Trump hasn’t been able to lower, the war in Iran Trump started, the many lies he’s been caught making, and his disastrous attempts to fix the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The other things going terribly under Donald Trump was his attempt to add his name to the Kennedy Center, rising measles outbreaks and measles deaths in the United States, and the surging federal debt.
Besides those things, the other things going poorly for Donald Trump is the growing backlash to AI/data center backlash, multiple court rulings against his plans and tariffs, reported munitions shortages due to Trump’s Iran war, the debacle with the USS Abraham Lincoln, and his poorly attended midterm convention, Trumpapalooza.
Additionally, the things going bad for Donald Trump include anemic job growth, especially when compared to the success which Presidents Biden and Obama had with job growth. Donald Trump is increasingly shown injured, sleeping during meetings, or confused about what’s going on, a bad, bad image for Trump after he pummeled President Biden for being old and sleepy.
Aware of these things, Donald Trump presented his threefer.
Trump promises ‘nearly $100’ to 20M seniors in latest cash giveaway
Yes, another cash giveaway, or shall we call it a bribe?
Donald Trump promised cash giveways before.
- DOGE Dividend (Early 2025): Trump and Elon Musk floated sending 20% of federal budget cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency back to taxpayers as a $5,000 dividend. Never happened.
- Tariff Refund (Late 2025): Donald Trump proposed using incoming import tax revenue to fund direct payments or $2,000 checks for the public. Never happened.
- Repeated Tariff Dividend (2026): Trump again promoted sending cash directly to Americans using projected tariff revenues ahead of formal policy announcements. Never happened.
- The “Trump Dividend” (September 2026): Trump officially unveiled a $5,000 cash payment for adult citizens, conditioned on Republicans maintaining control of Congress in the midterms. Hasn’t happened, and has gained a lot of negative press.
Trump’s announcement about this $100 senior giveaway is another obvious bribe and distraction. But he also lied when he made the announcement. That gives us the threefer!
Donald Trump said the giveaway would, “…help pay for their Medicare Part B premiums, which we have already reduced by significant amounts.”
And there’s the lie. Trump Medicare Part B premiums have not been reduced. They’ve gone up, up, up. Anyone paying Part B premiums know this. And it’s easily verifiable by using a search engine on the Internet.
As an aside, that $100 would pay less than half of one month’s Part B premiums.
And BTW, Donald Trump said ‘he’ would be sending ‘nearly $100’ but the White House Fact Sheet puts it at $90.
Donald Trump had Trump lied again.
Those who still believe Trump after this threefer remain the hateful, the ignorant, or the ones who just don’t care about what Donald Trump is doing to this nation.
I guess they share the same values as him.
Friday’s Theme Music — Gigantic
Ashland, southern Oregon — October 2, 2026.
It’s a summery fall day with a spring feel in our area. A thin, waning moon hides behind a screen of nebulous clouds in a bright blue sky. Sunshine splashes off the autumn foliage with eye-watering vividness. We’re at 68 F, on our way to 85.
October always means birthdays in my family. Too many of the people we’d fete have gone through the secret door. But I set up reminders to buy cards during the digital dawn. The reminders come up, reminding me that I need to take them down.
It amuses me that the reminders have survived a succession of computers, laptops, and software updates, yet my regular processes are often maligned or broken. As Laura put it in a comment on my current WordPress issues, “In order to serve us better… (worst phrase in the English language!) …”
Yes, when they tell us, they’re often putting icing on a turd.
No, my WordPress tags do not work today. Hearing that Laura was also a comfort in the ‘it’s-not-just-me’ sense.
As I went through the news headline progressions today, I thought, what a gigantic friggin’ mess the world is becoming. I modified my appraisal a few times. The world has always been a gigantic mess. Usually, though, if we found out we were making the world worse, we would try to fix things. With Donald Trump on the scene, our government actively works to make the gigantic mess an even larger mess.
Which led to my conclusion, Donald Trump is a gigantic jackass.
This headline helped cement that conclusion:
Third aircraft carrier and thousands of troops head to Mideast as Trump weighs new Iran strikes
Most striking here are, well, so many thoughts. Like, it’s Trump weighing new strikes. Said he was a peacemaker. Unifier. Said the war was over. Said it wouldn’t last more than a few weeks. Yes, that Trump.
SMFH
Verifying Trump remains a gigantic liar and ignorant buffoon, I read the story following this headline:
When Trump boasts about donating his presidential salary, be sure to read the fine print
- Trump inflates is salary from $400K to $550K.
- Trump is not the first or only to donate is salary.
- All of this is easily found and verified via the Internet so, WTF is he making these claims?
- Donald Trump is a gigantic jackass.
Which brings us to Your Trump Quote of the Day:
It’s another Trump broken promise, as Trump reported making over $1B while being in office in 2025. That doesn’t include his golf and travel scams.
That brings me to a song by The Pixies, “Gigantic”. The Neurons plugged the song into my morning mental music stream but the song doesn’t really fit. It only connects with my thinking via that one word, gigantic.
Sample Lyrics
[Chorus: Kim Deal & Frank Black]
Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic
A big, big love
Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic
A big, big love
[Verse 2: Kim Deal]
Lovely legs, they’re a…
What a big black mess, what a hunk of love
He’d walk her every day into a shady place
He’s like the dark, but I’d want him
Nevertheless, I like the song — especially Kim’s voice.
May your day be full of gigantic good news and good times
Cheers
WordPress Issues
I don’t know about others, but I’m having WordPress issues today. The long and short: I can’t add tags. They just get swallowed and disappeared. I closed it, rebooted, tried it in other browsers, etc.
A laundry list of things to try to fix the problem was uncovered but I have a busy day planned and would rather complain about it and wait for them to fix it, rather than going through the tedium of throwing everything against the wall to see what fixes it. I did shift to classic editor to see if that fixed it: nope.
It vexes me because I ask, why write, post, and publish if there are no tags? Well, I went ahead and did that with a dream post, “The Festival Dream”, but until adding tags works again, there’s a good chance I won’t post.
It’s worth noting that this issue was also reported in November of 2024 by others. I saw no reports on how anyone fixed it back then.
Wednesday’s Theme Music — Right Now
Ashland, southern Oregon. Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
Gonna be a warm autumn day here — 85 F at its hottest — with springlike ambiance among the fall foliage.
Had one of those sighing but I must laugh moments today. Reading politics (of course, sigh). And about a Trump administration announcement by the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth was announcing Project Meridian. Looking to the United States’ future needs, Hegseth is tapping Trump’s favored billionaire — Elon Musk — along with Newt Gingrich, an 83-year-old politician, and Palmer Luckey, a weapons manufacturer.
Yeah, that sounds like an effective group. *eye roll* Perfect for looking forward to protect America’s future.
As Newt Gingrich once said, “You can’t trust anybody with power.” I certainly don’t Hegseth and this triumvirate, or Donald Trump.
Then, oh Lordy, we had the spectacle of a GOP senator attempting to trap Jack Smith in his testimony, only for Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt to reveal himself as a buffoon. It’s another one of those situations which would be funny — certainly worth of a Saturday Night Live skit — except this is a US senator, an elected official who is supposed to be capable of deciding our nation’s laws and solving its problems, which makes this painfully, painfully sad.
Both of these stories echo with the stupidity of Pizzagate and other QAnon insanity.
Then there’s a ‘this-is-so-expected’ headline about Meta using AI to cheat on its Federal taxes.
How Meta Uses A.I. Data Centers to Avoid Billions in Federal Taxes
That about seems up my morning view of things. It ended up leaving me thinking, right now, I could use some good news, and moved on to other needs.
Hearing that, though, The Neurons introduced the Van Halen song, “Right Now” to my morning mental music stream. It’s a good song to carry me through the day, strong sound, solid vocals. Hope you find something in it.
May some good news find you right now and carry you forward on its shoulders for a couple days at least.
Cheers
Thanks for the Broken Promises, Donald Trump
Today ends the ninth month of 2026.
Just a little month than a month and a few days remain until the November midterm elections. It’s a good time to reflect on what Donald Trump promised and what Donald Trump delivered.
Back in 2024, Donald Trump promised no new wars. At the end of Feb, just seven months ago, Trump started a new war with Iran. Donald Trump has since claimed we won the war or that it’s over or that it’s almost over over 30 times.
How can anyone still believe anything Donald Trump says about the war with Iran after that?
Donald Trump’s story about his relationship with Epstein and the Epstein files shifts just as much.
From that quote, Trump drifting into telling us that he barely knew Epstein.
““Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach,” Trump said in 2019 soon after Epstein was charged. “I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don’t think I’ve spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn’t a fan.”
When asked in 2024 while he was running for office, Donald Trump said that he would release the Epstein files if elected. Almost two years into his second term, they still haven’t been fully released, and Trump’s DOJ continues to avoid doing so, despite a law saying he would.
While campaigning in 2024, Donald Trump assured voters he would lower prices, vilifying President Biden’s economy as he did.
Now AAA national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $4.43. By comparison, the national average in September 2024 hovered between $3.06 and $3.24, meaning drivers are paying roughly $1.20 to $1.37 more per gallon today than they did two years ago.
Many food prices are higher this year than they were in 2024, especially beef, coffee, chicken, and fruit and vegetables.
Thanks, Donald Trump, for breaking all of these promises and assurances.
Thanks to Donald Trump’s arrogance, Americans can no longer see the White House’s East Wing. Donald Trump demolished it to build a new ballroom. Donald Trump claimed that balloom would cost Americans nothing because donors were paying for it all. Now Trump insists that the ballroom is being build for ‘national security’.
We the People will pay about $1B for a project we didn’t ask for and Congress never approved.
It’s like renting your house to someone. While they’re living there, they tear down part of it because they’re living there, so they assume they have the right to change it as they want.
These things are not even the top of the mountain, and Trump has brought a mountain of disaster to the United States and the world. Today’s headlines will help keep us focused on what a disaster Trump is in his second term of office.
The Government Rolled Back Fuel Economy Standards. Here’s How Many Lives It Will Cost
Only Trump Would Spell United States Wrong in an Executive Order
Donald Trump embarrassed as NFL ratings claim is contradicted
Trump Used to Be Good at Attacking the Press. Things Have Changed.
From the horse’s mouth: Trump’s comment on his presidency becomes accidental self-own
That last headline leads us to your Trump Quote of the Day:
Renaming AI to something else is Donald Trump’s latest effort in the Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! playbook. As with many other things, Donald Trump, arrogant and ignorant, thinks that just because he thinks of something and says it aloud, it’s so.
Desperate to make something out of nothing because 2026 has been such a horrible year for Donald Trump, he tried to make it look like he was being praised for being great.
Instead, he stupidly confessed that he’s doing a shitty job.
Couldn’t have said it better, Donald Trump.
Couldn’t have said it better.
Monday’s Theme Music – Blues
Ashland, southern Oregon. Monday, September 28, 2026.
Lovely fall day with bold white billowy clouds and small, scattered negligee clouds hanging against a blue sky. Temperature crept out of the forties into the mid 70s F.
I got the first world blues this morning. Internet went out at 11:15 last night. I rebooted our system and went to bed. All looked good this morning but ‘lo, no Internet. I called our ISP, Ashland Home Net (HSN), to see what they could tell me. First tech said, “Reboot your router for me.” Pretty damn imperial about it, too. I did and we agreed I’d call back in ten minutes if it didn’t work.
Fifteen minutes later, I called HSN again. This tech was not the same as the first tech. He told me, “Oh, there’s an outage in the city. They’re working on it. Should be fixed in an hour. If you still don’t have a connection then, call back.”
Hour later, no connection, call back. Get the first tech who told me again, “I told you to just reset your router.”
I blew up on him and channeled my pissed-off senior NCO genes, which greatly changed his attitude. Anyway, to make this long story a little shorter, I decided I needed a new modem.
In parallel to this happening, my sister, Gina, took Mom to a doctor’s appointment as a follow up to the UTI that sent her to the hospital, keeping us up to date via texts. Mom has also been complaining of chest pains. EKG showed no issues with Mom’s heart or pace maker, but other test showed that yes, she still had a UTI. So, there’s more antibiotics scheduled, and an appointment with another doctor.
Gina took Mom clothes shopping, too, which was very nice of her.
Back here at home, it was our day to do Food & Friends delivery. However, my wife didn’t put it on the official house calendar, so we were double booked. We had noticed some slight leaking around the bathroom skylight. I’d scheduled a consultation for today for 11, which directly conflicted with the F&F timing. A friend volunteered to replace me so my wife could do the route and deliveries while I stayed home with the skylight folks.
Skylight folks, Andy and James, arrived at 11 and left at 11:30. Just flashing, Andy assured me. I’m waiting or the estimate to get that done. He says it’s minor work and can schedule it and do it done soon as I say go.
So, that was my morning. As I say, first world blues.
Later that day…(which is, yes, today…)
Went to the coffee shop. Researched routers. Went out and bought a new one. Came home, installed it. Everything except my Ooma VOIP linked up. I’m working on it.
My wife’s Food & Friends deliveries with her friend went fantastic! Everyone was home, and many were already at the door when she arrived. My wife said it was much better than when I go with her… *smile*
Later that same day…(which is, yes, still today..)
I was focused on software, settings for the new router, etc. Modem, cell phones, computers, and Roku all seamlessly connected. Terrific!
Our Ooma VOIP wouldn’t connect.
I’ve been an Ooma customer since 2008, and the unit I have is now ten years old. I thought that maybe its card had gone. No matter what I tried, I could not connect between the router and the Ooma telos. Lo, turned out to be the old ethernet cable was failing. With that replaced, all is up and running. Took hours of trying different paths, though. But, yes, done.
So ends my first world blues.
Today’s song is “Roadhouse Blues”. The Neurons began playing this 1970 song by The Doors when I rolled out of bed and told myself, “Let’s get this day rolling.” Bang, the song rolled through my morning mental music stream.
I hope your day treated you well, and you were able to avoid all kinds of blues, whether they were just simple first world complaints like mine today, or more serious blues.
Cheers
Trump’s Backwards Thinking
It’s more of here we go again, the same damn thing after another.
Today’s political headlines are about Trump rolling back CAFE regulations to lower car prices.
Trump approves new fuel economy rules, says car prices will fall
Trump says he approved new fuel economy standards ending Biden-era electric vehicle mandate
Yes, let’s pause to consider the logic of this. Gas prices are high and will probably go up more with current global variables, so let’s gut the mileage requirements for new cars.
It’s not a surprise that this comes from the same Trump logic that declared that prescription drug prices would be reduced 100% or more, the same fine intelligence that claims elections are stolen without presenting evidence, the same weak thinking that pushes raising tariffs on products won’t affect prices because other countries, companies, manufacturers will pay for them.
Right.
Let’s file this under Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!
It’s another Trump attempt to distract people from how poorly things are going for them under Trump. Previous Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! actions include demolishing the White House East Wing to build the ballroom and distract people from Trump’s relationship with Epstein. Trump then tried distracting We the People with a summer of celebrations, much as Hitler used the 1936 Olympics and Rome used games in the coliseum.
This phase of Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! specifically targets several favorite MAGA and Republican areas: regulations, electric cars (and ‘green’ initiatives’), and car prices, specifically how manufacturers wring their hands and declare, “Woe is me, we could make much cheaper cars if it wasn’t for those darn regulations!”
From what I read, these regulations will require three to seven years to get merged into the design, manufacturing, and sales of cars. So these are no immediate savings as Trump is insinuating.
Meanwhile, Trump claims it will save people buying new cars about $810M. But industry experts say that high gas prices will cost more than double that in the meantime.
As a result, Trump is trying for cheap headlines and distractions from the affordability crisis and the war with Iran. Trump’s war with Iran goes on; oil, gas, and diesel prices remain high because of that war. Trump has no clearcut objectives or timelines, and no exit strategy.
Hence, a distraction.
Ultimately, these Trump moves will move the United States further out of step with the rest of the world. As EPA standards for clean air and water are dropped, our air, water, and land quality will decline, affecting the tourism industry. Respiratory illness will probably increase, causing a decline in student and worker health, lower productivity, higher healthcare costs, higher insurance costs, and increased absenteeism.
We know these things will likely happen because we experienced it before. By paying attention to history and facts, we can predict the outcome of these actions. Or, equally effectively, we can look at other nations who lack these regulations, and how it affects them.
We know that’s not what will happen. Trump is taking the United States back in time. As the US pivots back to fossil fuels in its power plants and internal combustion engines, led by China and Europe, the rest of the world will race forward with electric cars and green power initiatives.
And Trump and the oligarchs will grow wealthier.
That’s why voting blue in the 2026 midterms matter.
