Trump proposal for ending government shutdown

Trump's speech is about border security and an offer to end government partial shutdown.

But first, Nancy Pelosi rejected the offer, having not heard the speech. So whatever Trump says Pelosi rejects it.

She's decided the safest way for her to deal with Trump is to not engage him at all. Rather, simply make demands and refuse everything else. No deal for you, Dealmaster.

Democrats were hopeful that @realDonaldTrump was finally willing to re-open government & proceed with a much-needed discussion to protect the border. Unfortunately, reports make clear that his proposal is a compilation of previously rejected initiatives. https://t.co/MFwebWSevG pic.twitter.com/yMTm4iP27h

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 19, 2019

Such patent nonsense that suits only the most rabid Democrats.

This allows Trump to present himself as the reasonable person contrasted with  Democrat intransigence. While media says the word "impeachment" 500 times each minute based on bogus debunked BuzzFeed reporting by Mueller no less. The wrongness of the reporting is irrelevant to the coordinated plan of "impeachment" dominating the national discussion. 

Trump had to have known Democrat leadership will reject any proposal. He's forcing media to cover him and his position and to cover Democrat responses. Apparently he's trusting over time people will see the nonsense on the Democrat side so far as he can force media to cover it. Hopefully he has a solid Plan B, C, and D. 

Smoothie from young coconut

I asked the woman, "What are those things?"

First woman, "I don't know."

Second woman, "I don't know."

Third woman, "I don't know."

Fourth woman,"Those are coconuts."

"How do you open them?"

     "I don't know."

So then, even to many Asians these things are a mystery.

Another video (too long for youz) explained in painstaking repetition of tremendous detail that these Thai young coconuts have a lot more water than the regular coconuts that you're used to seeing, and the white stuff inside is immature, just a thin layer, and easily scraped off with a spoon.

The old brown ones have less water and thicker harder white stuff inside with more flavor.

I told you about the old man in the tight outrageously colored bicycle clothing buying desiccated coconut from the bulk bins at Whole Food who explained how he makes coconut milk with the shredded white stuff blended with tap water. I think this way is a lot better because it uses the coconut water, delicious itself, blended with fresh coconut flesh.

I wonder why the woman uses extracts instead of fresh fruit and berries. It's another mystery. Health nut types are a little bit strange in their ways. Her Vitamix is a lot better than pathetic thing that I inherited from my parents, who actually never blended anything.

Recap Video of 24 hours in the fake news cycle

Care to hear a bunch of angry malevolent dopes?

Survival HT: milk ---> yogurt ---> cream cheese

I bought a container of lime-flavored yogurt and it sure is good. And I thought, I bet you can do even better at home. I'm always reading about using this mass produced yogurt as starter to make your own. But careful which one you buy. It must be live.

As a teenager I was with my friend Gary Hennigan working at the hotel run by mother. I did various odd jobs fit for a boy. She used me. Quality Inn in Shreveport, Louisiana. She was an impressive woman. The nearest famous comparison I can think of is Ann Richards, one-time governor of Texas. But that's not a great example because there is this thing about Louisiana vs. Texas that makes me think Mrs. Hennigan would not appreciate the comparison. But they do remind me of each other. Their personalities were similar. Mrs. Hennigan is the only woman I know who packed a large black gun in her oversized purse and made it known that she does have protection. And she would use it too, without any silly compunction. She lived way past the opposite side of town from the hotel, beyond Shreveport actually, way past Bossier City, farther out into farmland by a very long way. So it was a long drive to work everyday back and forth. During a period I stayed in a room at the hotel.

For a few weeks I ran room service. That meant going around and picking up all trays that people left outside their rooms. This day Gary and I were working together. One tray we picked up, the guy didn't even touch his milk. A full glass of milk was left with the dishes on a tray in the hallway. How wasteful. As I recall it, there was a problem with the air conditioning in that section, usually set to arctic temperature, but now quite warm throughout. The milk turned to solid. This puzzled us. How can milk do that overnight? Gary realized the airborne bacteria was enough to change the milk into yogurt. Wouldn't that make it sour? But it did not smell like sour milk does. None of us dared to taste it. It was just one of those weird science thing that happens. Naturally occurring yogurt.

One good thing about pulling your hair down in front of one of your eyes like a pirate wearing an eyepatch, and look through your hair like an English sheepdog, is you only have to do eye makeup on one eye.

Music notation has changed over the years

To wit - Louis Couperin wrote this prelude for harpsichord and I wouldn't know where to begin with it:

We had a nice sunset this evening:

That's it - the weather has been warm, it hasn't rained in couple of days and I was able to finish a maple bowl today:

Edit. Here are two bowls I turned out of some ColorWood I bought a long time ago. I turned these back in 2012 and they sold, eventually.

Lou Dobbs with Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova

Kind of interesting. But one thing they do not actually say is up to now the people questioned by joint House Judiciary and Oversight committees that include Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Bill Priestap and James Baker are all from the FBI while Bruce Ohr is from Department of Justice, as you know, FBI is a part. I think Lisa Page went from DOJ to FBI and that's where her testimony centers.

The FBI had their lawyers intervening heavily disallowing responses to questions. By comparison Bruce Ohr's responses are much more direct with virtually no interference from his legal representation or from DOJ lawyers. And what's so odd about what he says is he's talking about the activities of his own wife. He's telling the committee that he told the FBI people doing all this that the work that his wife did was unreliable and financed by Trump opposition.

Imgur: mixing sauces

Doesn't this make you want to try it?

Trump's letter to Pelosi

Armatel mentioned this in comments today. The letter is posted on WhiteHouse.gov. Pelosi should know better than to troll a toll. He's going to cause wrinkles she can't stretch or spackle over.  We're seeing her completely outclassed, downward. She keeps mistaking Trump for a Republican and she keeps thinking her little reindeer games work on Santa Claus.

Dear Madame Speaker: 

Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the Shutdown. Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative. 

I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding, and security it so desperately deserves!

Petty. Childish. Ridiculous. And perfectly so.

Draw Hasher Jallal Taleb

Very bad young man. Reported as having been radicalized and watched for a year by authorities, Taleb was arrested for planning to attack the White House using an anti-tank missile along with other acts of extreme violence. Inspired by the religion of pieces that inculcates a duty to wreak havoc among people who do not believe as they do. He originally wanted to travel abroad to be at the center of inspiration and action but was denied the chance so he decided to fulfill his duty right here.

More at Washington Times.

Africa, by Toto

Max Siedentopf, a German-Namibian artist based in London, set up a sound installation titled "Toto Forever" somewhere in the Namib Desert.

Why did he do that? Because, that's why. Whatzamatter don't you understand art? This here is art!

More, if you'd like to read more about this, at UPI.

Ryan Fournier, Twitter

He's got an interesting account.

Imagine if Trump fined everyone who didn't want the wall. Kinda like what Obama did with Obamacare. 🤔

— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) January 16, 2019

Again with the tidying!

As I was throwing out papers I found the following on a calendar page dated Sunday, May 18th, 2003:

"Forgive us for frantic buying and selling; for advertising the unnecessary and coveting the extravagant, and calling it good business when it is not good for you"

--Presbyterian Litany for Holy Communion

*How is doing too much related to materialism and consumerism? There's freedom in reflection

There you have it. Clearly this is a concept that has been rattling around with me for a while. And what did I do today? Too much, that's what.

Small white oak bowl:

Large white pine bowl:

Go for baroque.

Edit - I just noticed that this is post number 14,400 on this blog. How gross is that?

Welcome to Shutdown Theater

Pelosi demands Trump postpone State of the Union address citing security concerns. Problem is, there aren't any real security concerns and Pelosi didn't bother contacting the agencies responsible for that. Her letter is sufficiently dramatic to capture national attention. Even as readers are thinking, "you open the government, by showing a fraction of genuine concern for national security as Trump does."

Message fail.

Because we don't care if you attend the SOTU address or not. In fact we'd prefer not seeing your ugly faces and your ridiculous resistance antics, your choreographed not clapping, your scowls and so on. Your presence is irrelevant.

People smarter than me say it differently. Here's William Jacobson for Legal Insurrection.

Call her bluff. Hold an event elsewhere attended by Angel Families, police officers, Border Patrol agents, and all the other people Democrats hate, and invite whoever from Congress wants to attend.

Legal Insurrection has more of Pelosi's babbling. Commenters over there are very good. They could charge a dollar and a half just to see 'em.

Ptahhotep Maxims, Conclusion 6 of 7

This segment is easy and short. Only ten lines.

So I drew a snake for you. The snake does S curves up the page then turns the corner and continues down the page and turns the corner again to go back up. At this point all of the frames are copy/pasted and dragged across so the beginning of the second set connects to the end of the first set. Then again and again and again to fill the page with the snake crawling up and down the page like PacMan.

This is the second to last of the Maxim segments. The final segment is longer than this one.

This one says:

* Submerge your mind, order your mouth
* then your advice will be among the officials.
* Be completely exact with your master,
* act so that he is told, "He is that one's son,"
* and so that those who will hear it are told,
* "Moreover, blessed is he to whom he was born."
* Set your mind during the time of your speaking
* and say things of distinction:
* then the officials who hear will say,
* "How good is the issue of his mouth."