Wisdom from Woody

  "More than at any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly."

   These days many who are religious see signs of the “End Times", while many more have good reason to believe we are living in the “Grim Times”. I suggest that our era could be characterized as the “Whim Times” since citizens all around the world are affected by the capriciousness of one unstable and powerful autocrat in one country. As Dylan might say, “The answers, my friend, are blowin’ in the whim.”
   “Weltschmerz” might be the word that the Germans or the more learned would use to describe the general consensus held, at least, by the non-MAGA people, that things are not good. Given that things are bad, one might think that the wisdom of Woody was revealed very recently. That is not the case.
   Woody’s thoughtful remark was written at the end of the 1970s, a decade which would not generally be defined, by even the most nostalgic, as one containing a large number of the good old days. Still, 1979, the year of the Woody quote, must have been better than any since, say the inauguration of 2017. While many of the religious are anxiously wondering “What Would Jesus Do?”, I think the much more interesting question is now “What Would Woody Say?”

Source:
(And much, much more since my wife insists you don’t look at this part.)

The quotation is found in, “My Speech to the Graduates,” by Woody Allen, The New York Times, Aug. 10, 1979.

   I wondered if a closer look at his speech and the entire issue of The New York Times on Aug.10, of 1979 might reveal why Woody was feeling so glum. Many of the headlines then were similar to ones found now. Israel was an issue even at that time: “Giving Up Sinai is Deeply Painful to Israelis There” and “Mideast Plan is Offered and Quickly Disclaimed in Bonn,” are examples. Some things were simpler in the summer of ‘79. When the 24,000-member American Academy of Pediatrics announced that “The Girl Athlete” was to be the subject of a seminar at their next meeting, no mention of gender (trans or all the others) was made and the discussions were to be about such matters as athletic injuries. Woody could have been upset about the athletic endeavours of the NY baseball teams since the Yankees lost to the Sox, 5-1 and the Mets to the Cardinals by 4-0.
   Some things were better back then. At least for that one day in August in 1979, there was no mention in the NYT of the crook from Queen's, who in the 80s was to be often referred to as the “short-fingered vulgarian", and in this century to be elected as President of the United States - twice!

   Like Woody, I was around in 1979, but in Canada where maybe things were better than they were for Woody in the U.S. But, I doubt that he ever thought the situation there would be as bad as it is now. He does offer us some additional wisdom at the end of the article which does make one feel better:
“Summing up, it is clear the future holds great opportunities. It also holds pitfalls. The trick will be to avoid the pitfalls, seize the opportunities, and get back home by six o’clock.”
 ----
                               "Making Light of Heavy Things Since 2016"

Lornado

    As you may have noticed, it has been too nice to blog and I am still not ready to do so since I can't think of an easy topic. But, I did run across a sentence in the New York Times on the weekend which began with these words: " I went down to Lornado..." Perhaps I can turn it into a post. 
   Lornado is a good word, I think, and I was unfamiliar with it and had no idea where it was. It sounds rather exotic and one is reminded of the Larry McMurtry novel, The Streets of Laredo.  It is in Ottawa, however, and if W.J. Fields had died there, he still might have said, "I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia." 
   Lornado is the official residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Canada who, this week, is Pete Hoekstra from close-by Michigan. The Time's reporter was on his way there because there is always a big party at Lornado on July 4th. He was curious about how big it would be and very cautious about suggesting that it was not as big as it usually is. You will know that things are not good between our two countries and consorting with the enemy generally frowned upon. It appears that the affair was rather subdued, and the Canadians attending were well behaved. No Bronx cheers were delivered during the Ambassador's remarks.

Lornado the House
   Like the structure on 24 Sussex Drive and many other mansions in Canada, Lornado was built by someone from the United States and the United States purchased the 32 room building and ten acres in 1935. It has been the site of many events and you may have recognized the name from other news stories out of Ottawa.

Lornado the Word
   Apparently the original owner of Lornado, Mr. Soper, was a fan of the novel by R.D. Blackmore. The 19th century work is Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor, and from that you will be able to figure out the derivation of the word, "Lornado."

Lorna Doone the Biscuit
   I was familiar with the words "Lorna Doone", but as a cookie or shortbread, and I am not sure why Nabisco chose the name. It does appear, however, that Nabisco is no longer an American company so it is okay to buy some Lorna Doone shortbreads if you wish. 

 

Source:

   We have learned a lot from this post and credit should be given to, Ian Austen, author of, "Celebrating the U.S. in Canada During Turmoil in the Two Countries' Relations," NYT, July 5, 2025. 
   "The annual Fourth of July party hosted by the U.S. ambassador to Canada on the park-size grounds of his official residence has long been one of Ottawa’s biggest social events.
   But after months of President Trump belittling Canada’s viability as a nation and threatening to use economic chaos to force its annexation as the 51st state, the idea of gathering to celebrate the United States in Canada’s capital was, well, a bit awkward this year....
   The turnout was decidedly smaller than in past years, and the seating and food stations were somewhat scaled down. Many guests who have attended in past years told me they estimated the crowd was about half the usual size, though there were nevertheless a substantial number of people." 
   An attempt at humour by the Ambassador, did not go over well and is not that funny, but it is telling: 

   "The ambassador told his guests that he had been going around saying that Mark Carney, the prime minister, was wrong.

“He keeps saying that Canada’s going to be the fastest-growing economy in the G7,” Mr. Hoekstra said, referring to the Group of 7. “That’s not how this works. America and our president do not like being number two, so we will be the fastest-growing economy. We just passed a Big Beautiful Bill yesterday, which is going to energize our economy.”

   He did add his hope that Canada would become the second-fastest-growing economy within the group of industrialized nations."

"YELLOW-BELLIED"

 
Sapsucker, Woodpecker, Flycatcher and Other Assorted Critters...
  They are the names you may have thought of when you saw the title, "Yellow-Bellied." Long ago in England, the words are first found (1674) in a description of the belly of an eal (eel) and, in later years, in relation to various reptiles and some of the birds mentioned above. 
   In the United States, however, the words in the 19th century are attached to those who were determined to be "contemptible, low or mean." By the early 20th one, cowardice was implied and it is to those with no backbone that we now turn our attention.

"Yellow-bellied" As A Taunt
 When I recently saw the words, I thought of taunts rather than birds. "Yellow-belly" is what you were called if you were afraid to jump off the bridge or the barn roof, way back when "bullying" was expected and children not so easily traumatized. You may be surprised to learn that the words "yellow-bellied" were used last week in The New York Times in an article about large law firms lacking backbones, not one about birds. Some of them are pictured below, the ones that were bullied and which now are described as "yellow-bellied." Bullying may be generally frowned upon, but it apparently works well when done by a President. The current one has gone after the firms that went after him, or worked for the Dems, and many have agreed to do pro-bono work for the President if they want to get any work from the government. 
 

Sources:
  The OED is where the definitions of "yellow-bellied" are found.
   There are many recent articles about Trump's bullying of law firms and other entities and there will be more articles about the "yellow-bellied" and most of those won't be about birds.
   The impetus for this post is: "The Website Where Lawyers Mock ‘Yellow-Bellied’ Firms Bowing to Trump: Above the Law, a Legal Industry Website With a Long History of Skewering the Nation’s Most Elite Firms, Has Found a Moment and Plenty of Inside Tipsters,"  Elizabeth Williamson, NYT, May 18, 2025.
  For more mocking and skewering of law firms see, ABOVE THE LAW "which takes a behind-the-scenes look at the world of law. The site provides news and insights about the profession’s most colorful personalities and powerful institutions, as well as original commentary on breaking legal developments."
  "Fueled by a stream of inside-the-conference-room exclusives, Above the Law delivers a daily public spanking to what it calls “The Yellow-Bellied Nine.” Those are the elite firms who pledged a collective $1 billion in free legal work to Mr. Trump after he signed executive orders threatening to bar their lawyers from federal buildings, suspend their security clearances and cancel their government contracts. In the words of Above the Law, the firms “folded like a damp cocktail napkin” to the president’s demands for “pro bono payola.”...“I’ve always wondered,” he said, “when pressed, would rich liberal lawyers choose to stay rich or liberal? Now we know.”

A Tribute to Telnaes

    [Before I move back to the past, where I belong and where we all now wish to be, excuse me again for writing about the present and the THING many of us wish to avoid. But, as newspapers cease publishing and good journalists disappear to subterranean places like Substack, it is worth taking some time to tell you about Telnaes who now resides there.]

Democracy Dies in Darkness and Irony

   The Washington Post just won a couple of Pulitzers. Credit for one of them should go to Ann Telnaes who is no longer with The Post. She also won a Pulitzer in 2001 for editorial cartooning and this one is for "Illustrated Reporting and Commentary." The Pulitzer people say it was "For delivering piercing commentary on powerful people and institutions with deftness, creativity – and a fearlessness that led to her departure from the news organization after 17 years."
   While The Post still gets the credit for the Pulitzer which is based on her work, it should be noted that she felt it necessary to leave that paper after another of her editorial cartoons was 'spiked.' It "showed a group of media executives bowing before then President-elect Donald Trump while offering him bags of money, including Post owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos." She has indicated that it was not published because of what it portrayed. Her editor, David Shipley, said that it was not published because it was somewhat redundant, in that there had already been too many illustrating similar themes. Redundancy in Washington is hard to avoid these days.
   Mr. Shipley himself later resigned after Mr. Bezos indicated that subjects in the "Opinion Section" needed to be restricted in favour of those emphasizing free markets and personal liberties.
   Ruth Marcus left after "she said the newspaper’s management decided not to run her commentary critical of Bezos’ policy." Others left after Mr. Bezos would not allow the Post  to endorse Kamala Harris. Perhaps the Post's slogan, "Democracy Dies in Darkness" needs to be re-evaluated by the marketing folks at that publication. 
   I have kept my subscription because the Washington Post still produces good pieces and writers like Ron Charles need to be supported.
 
   So do the people who have left. The work of Ann Telnaes, along with an archive of her cartoons is found at "Open Windows"(https://anntelnaes.com/") which offers  "A view into an uncertain time of isolation and frustrations, but also one of the resiliency of the human spirit."
   Among the writings on her Substack one finds an article which illustrates that cartoons are important and that one can be even more severely punished for publishing them. Remember Charlie Hebdo? She published a story about that atrocity in the Washington Post and she deserves the credit for it, not the Post. Here is a portion from, "Charlie Hebdo, One Year Later," Jan. 7, 2016:

  "One year ago today two masked gunman entered the Paris offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and gunned down twelve people, including five cartoonists. The murderers claimed they were avenging the prophet Muhammed and by the end of two days of terror, five more people were dead.
   In the days immediately after the attack I did hold on to one hope. Surely now that people had been brutally murdered the world would finally and unequivocally support the universal right to freedom of expression, including cartoonists. But it didn’t happen. Support and solidarity quickly turned to questioning the motives of the attacked cartoonists....
   So attacks continued on cartoonists and bloggers who dare to criticize governments, challenge institutions and traditional thinking. It seems like the quantified support for Charlie Hebdo has only allowed for repressive governments and humorless dictators to establish their own list of offensive images, mainly any criticism which ridicules them and threatens their power....
   The only protection these brave cartoonists have is for the world to speak loudly for their right to freely express themselves....
   Banning offensive images either officially or through intimidation will only end up allowing intolerant individuals and institutions to change drawing a red line for cartoonists into drawing an enclosure for them."

   That the cartoonists were criticized more than the killers was surprising as I noted in this post: The Delicate Subject of Cartoons.

Sources: 
  The Post can be given a little credit for reporting this story about a journalist who chose to leave the paper after being censored. See: 
" Ann Telnaes, Who Quit Washington Post in Protest, Wins Pulitzer for 'fearlessness' in Commentary: A longtime editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post who quit in protest after editors killed her sketch of the newspaper’s owner and other media executives bowing before President Donald Trump, has won the Pulitzer Prize for illustrated reporting and commentary," Lisa Baumann, May 5, 2025. 
  "A longtime editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post who quit in protest early this year after editors killed her sketch criticizing the Post owner and other media chief executives working to curry favor with Trump has won the Pulitzer Prize for illustrated reporting and commentary."

"What Hath God Wrought?"

 This should surely be a short post. One subject in it I am completely ignorant of and the other I have promised not to think or talk about. To display my ignorance and break my promises here is something brief about CRYPTO and TRUMP.  This is the prompt for this post and I hope it does not ruin your day as it has mine.
"Trump's 100 days of Profit: Crypto Coin Rakes in Millions, Raises Ethics Alarms: Trump returned to the White House days after launching a cryptocurrency meme coin that analysts say is now worth a fortune," Josh Meyer, USA Today, May 4, 2025.
WASHINGTON – On his second day in office, President Donald Trump was asked if he would continue selling products that benefited him personally, after sales of a new Trump "meme coin" had soared to as much as $20 billion in value.
“I don't know much about it, other than I launched it. I heard it was very successful,” Trump replied. “I haven't checked it. Where is it today?”
“You made a lot of money, sir,” a reporter replied. “Several billion dollars, it seems like, in the last several days.”
“Several billion? That's peanuts for these guys,” Trump said gesturing toward a group of tech billionaires at the White House event."

The Side Bets

Purchasing Power

  

Global Real Estate Deals
   The President of the United States is ridiculing some countries and is, in turn, being ridiculed for his ridiculous idea of simply buying some places he wants. It may be, however, that he was a better student of history than he was a businessman.  Such deals have been done. Louisiana and Florida were purchased, as was Alaska, and the Danes sold to the Americans their much warmer properties in the Caribbean. 

  It is generally thought these days that areas were simply possessed (mainly by Europeans), rather than purchased. That was not aways the case. For examples see the Wikipedia entry for: "List of Territory Purchased by a Sovereign Nation From Another Sovereign Nation." 
Post Script:
  When Wikipedia first appeared it was also the subject of ridicule and feared, particularly by those who answered questions in libraries. It seems, however, that it works well and I doubt if AI alone would have come up with a list such as the one provided above. If you don't have enough money to buy even a bungalow, perhaps a donation to Wikipedia would make you feel better. Then, to make sure it is still around for a while, send some money to the Internet Archive since you may have noticed that some things that you used to look at on the Internet are now found only on the Internet Archive. Both are provided free from non-profit organizations that exist mainly because of volunteers. 

Canadian-American Relations

Put A Tariff on Trump Tweets 

  Trump has recently suggested such things as making Canada a state, of which Wayne Gretzky could be governor. I also recently made an old post about "Canadian American Relations" a 'featured' one since it seemed timely. While looking at it again, I noticed these headlines from over 60 years ago.

"U.S. Owns Too Much of Canada Says Professor," Leonard Lerner, Boston Globe, Nov. 17, 1963.
   "Prof. Richard W. Sterling of the government department at Dartmouth College, has told the McGill Conference on World Affairs in Montreal that the United States is "the arch interventionist power of all time" and that the United States owns "too _______ much of Canada." [I assume the blank space may indicate a word too crude for the times was used.]
   However, Prof. Sterling said that Canadians must take some of the blame for allowing the United States to control so much of their economy because it takes two to make a deal.
   Current examples of U.S. intervention in Canada, he said, were the auto parts row, the wheat deal with communist nations, the waterfront labor dispute and the nuclear warheads issue.
   "We are hopelessly arrogant," Prof. Sterling told the Canadians. "It should be U.S. policy to stop owning as much of Canada as it does. But on the other hand, you asked for it, and you got it."

In the spring of that year there was another diplomatic spat when the U.S. contended that the Gulf of St. Lawrence was part of the "high seas and open to anyone." The Canadian government did not agree. "Trouble is Brewing Over Who Owns the Gulf of St. Lawrence," Leonard Lerner, Boston Globe, Mar. 17, 1963.

Bonus: The Long Border

  The one separating us is the longest land border and it includes the bit of border in the far north between Alaska and Canada.

Source: During the 1950s and '60s The Boston Globe had a column dedicated to "Canadian American News." For more detail see, "Canadian American Relations."

Beyond the Palewall (14)

 

   Apart from the description above, I will add that this series allows me to note some items I found to be of interest, without doing much work. Besides, you probably missed most of the items in the news, that I point out, because you spent all of your time reading about Trump and/or Taylor, the two defining personalities of our time, perhaps of all time, forever. If the news doesn't get better next year I will start grabbing headlines from years when it was, or focus only on the bright side as Monty Python suggested. 

Bullets "R" US
  There has been some talk lately about Canada becoming a state in the United States. If so, Christmas shopping would sure be easier. Here in Ontario we have only recently and reluctantly allowed some alcohol to be sold in convenience stores. There, you can pick up a 6-pack and some ammo from a vending machine if you have forgotten to buy any presents. The story:

"Start-up Putting Ammo Vending Machines in Grocery Stores Plans to Grow: Dallas-based American Rounds says it makes selling ammo safer and more convenient, but some public officials and health experts worry about impulse bullet buying,", Jackson Barton, The Washington Post, Dec. 15, 2024.

Barred from Bar Harbor

  If you have purchased a cruise package you might want to check your destinations. People appear to be getting tired of tourists.
"In Some Port Towns, It's Residents vs. Cruises: 'We're Going to Eradicate Them:   "From Alaska to Maine to Virginia, Residents Are Using Their Voices and the Law to Preserve Their Communities," Andre Sachs, The Washington Post, Dec. 15, 2024.

"Around the world, from Venice to Juneau, Alaska, to Bar Harbor, Maine, residents are rising up against what they consider a scourge on their communities. They fear the vessels that they say pollute their air and water, drain the local economy and dispatch overwhelming crowds that diminish their quality of life. In Bar Harbor, for example, locals have described chaotic cruise days as packed as Times Square."

Suit Settling and the Decline of the Fourth Estate
   Even in MM Trump news cannot be escaped, but my excuse is that I wanted to display a quotation that is important. It is in an article reporting that ABC News is going to give the Trump Foundation $15 million, plus another $1 million for legal fees, because George Stephanopoulos said something that is not quite true, but mostly is. Here is the quote:

“What we might be seeing here is an attitudinal shift,” she added. “Compared to the mainstream American press of a decade ago, today’s press is far less financially robust, far more politically threatened, and exponentially less confident that a given jury will value press freedom, rather than embrace a vilification of it.”
("ABC to Pay $15 Million to Settle a Defamation Suit Brought by Trump:

The outcome of the lawsuit marks an unusual victory for President-elect Donald J. Trump in his ongoing legal campaign against national news organizations,"

By Michael M. Grynbaum and Alan Feuer, NYT Dec. 14, 2024.)

Update: MM can provide "BREAKING NEWS" with the best of 'em: 
"Trump Sues Des Moines Register and Iowa Pollster, Escalating Attacks on the Media: The Action is the Latest in a Series of Lawsuits Targeting News Media Companies," By Elahe Izadi, Laura Wagner and Meryl Kornfield, The Washington Post, Dec. 17, 2024.

Law and Disorder
   This new news is so bad, I have to include it: 

"Confidence in U.S. Courts Plummets to Rate Far Below Peer Nations:

Very few countries have experienced similar declines, typically in the wake of wrenching turmoil. Experts called the data, from a new Gallup poll, stunning and worrisome." Adam Liptak, NYT, Dec. 17, 2024.

   "Public confidence in the American legal system has plunged over the past four years, a new Gallup poll found, putting it in the company of nations like Myanmar, Syria and Venezuela.

“These data on the U.S. courts are stunning,” said Tom Ginsburg, an authority on comparative and international law at the University of Chicago.

  After the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the several prosecutions of Donald J. Trump, Professor Ginsburg said, “there is a perception that the judiciary has become inexorably politicized.”

2000 Mules Disappeared
   A couple of years ago the film, 2000 Mules,  produced by Dinesh D'Souza, spread the message that the 2020 U.S. election was affected by 2000 "mules" hired to deposit multiple ballots to benefit the Democrats. The tagline on the theatre poster was: "They Thought We'd Never Find Out. They Were Wrong."
   That tagline now can be turned around and used against Mr. D'Sousa, who admits mistakes were made, but apparently still believes the election was stolen. Even the WSJ reported this story:
"Dinesh D'Souza Says Sorry for '2000 Mules', Wall Street Journal, Dec. 5, 2024.
"Indulging Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen has ruined many reputations. The latest is the unraveling of the MAGA mockumentary "2000 Mules." This week the movie's narrator, Dinesh D'Souza, issued an apology for misleading viewers....One voter featured by the movie, a Georgia man named Mark Andrews, was cleared of wrongdoing by state investigators more than two years ago, before "2000 Mules" hit movie theaters. He has sued for defamation, and motions for summary judgment are due shortly. "I owe this individual, Mark Andrews, an apology," Mr. D'Souza now says."
If you missed the film and the news about "2000 Mules" see the Wikipedia entry. 

You Need a Phone to Sit on the Throne
   This very clever headline caught my attention: "Can't Afford a Smartphone? That's Going to Cost You," Marc Fisher, Washington Post, Dec. 4, 2024. 
The District of Columbia signed a contract to have the company,Throne, supply "convenient, clean and free toilets for people who find themselves in urgent need. To use them, you need a phone (unless you are homeless and can get an access card from a library.) The author concludes:
"Too often now, in matters meaningful and meaningless, the good stuff is reserved for people who have smartphones or other digital tools. From parking garages to airplane movie offerings, it pays to be digitally equipped. More to the point, it hurts to be in the technological slow lane."

(As an older gent, I still think the idea is a good one and that there should be more public toilets, even ones only accessible by phone.)

Chikungunya (Something Else To Worry About)

  This is a deadly and costly mosquito-borne disease I was unaware of and I don't recall ever seeing the word --- "Chikungunya." A new report was released and then reported on in The Washington Post: "Mosquito-borne Disease Has Cost the World Billions, Researchers Say: Scientists Say There Were 18.7 million Chikungunya Cases That Exacted a Total Cost of Nearly $50 Billion Over a Decade," Erin Blakemore, Dec. 7, 2024. This is from the study from BMJ Global Health:

"Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne arboviral disease posing an emerging global public health threat. Understanding the global burden of chikungunya is critical for designing effective prevention and control strategies. However, current estimates of the economic and health impact of chikungunya remain limited and are potentially underestimated. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the chikungunya burden worldwide."

The Lamprey (Some Good News for a Change)
  This title is from the National Geographic: "How Scientists Claimed Victory Over an Invasive Great Lakes Bloodsucker." 

 "In order to combat the highly predatory sea lamprey, which arrived in the region more than a century ago and immediately began to gobble up native species, scientists developed a new type of lampricide that has now killed off between 90-95% of the sea lampreys in the Great Lakes without harming the native species. 

"There is no doubt that this is an unprecedented victory anywhere on the planet, where you have a species this destructive, this widespread geographically, and yet still able to be controlled using a selective technique," said Great Lakes Fishery Commission's executive secretary Marc Gaden. "It saved the Great Lakes fishery." 
(As reported by Jeremiah Budin in TCD, Dec. 4, 2024.)

    Hold on - the good news was just reduced by this breaking news. Apparently covid even had an affect on the cold Great Lakes. 

"The Great Lakes Fishery Commission has announced the annual sea lamprey abundances for each Great Lake in 2024. In it, the commission noted that populations of non-native predatory sea lampreys are above targets in all five of the Great Lakes.

The sea lamprey, a highly noxious fish, spiked in numbers when field crews were constrained in their ability to conduct sea lamprey control in 2020 and 2021. Because of the sea lamprey’s life cycle, scientists are now seeing the ramifications of those reduced control seasons. Recent levels of sea lamprey control give the commission reason to believe that sea lamprey numbers are now on the way back down.
This was just reported by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. See:"See Lamprey Populations Jump in All Five Great Lakes: Controls Were Relaxed in 2020 and 2021 Because of the Pandemic," SooLeader Staff, SOOTODAY, Dec. 17, 2024

Wave Power (More potentially good news, from Newport, Oregon.)

"This Seaside Town Will Power Thousands of Homes With Waves:

Wave Energy Has Been Untapped So Far, But an Experiment Could Unlock its Potential in the United States," Sarah Raza, The Washington Post, Nov.19, 2024.

   "At a moment when large offshore wind projects are encountering public resistance, a nascent ocean industry is showing promise: wave energy.

It’s coming to life in Newport, a rainy coastal town of nearly 10,500 people located a couple of hours south of Portland. Home to fishing operators and researchers, Newport attracts tourists and retirees with its famous aquarium, sprawling beaches and noisy sea lions. If you ask anyone at the lively bayfront about a wave energy project, they probably won’t know much about it.

   And yet, right off the coast, a $100 million effort with funding from the Energy Department aims to convert the power of waves into energy, and help catch up to Europe in developing this new technology. The buoy-like contraptions, located several miles offshore, will deliver up to 20 megawatts of energy — enough to power thousands of homes and businesses....
There is enough energy in the waves off America’s coasts to power one-third of all the nation’s homes, said Matthew Grosso, the Energy Department’s director of the water power technologies office.

We shall see. 

Disappearing Osprey and Complicated Supply Chains
   I will end this batch with some CANCON. It has been reported that the over- harvesting of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay near where I grew up is having a devastating impact on the ospreys in the Md./Va. area. Oddly enough, the menhaden catch is being used to feed fish, where I now live. 

"Mystery of Disappearing Ospreys Might Have Controversial Explanation:

A new study suggests osprey chicks are starving in parts of the Chesapeake Bay because of a lack of menhaden, a primary source of food but also a major industry," Gregory S. Schneider, The Washington Post, Sept. 22,2024. 

"The company at the center of the battle is Omega Protein, which operates out of Reedville on Virginia’s Northern Neck. It’s a waterman town, named after a menhaden fisherman named Captain Elijah Reed who came down from New England in the 1870s. Boats run in and out of Reedville bringing menhaden to a processing plant that grinds the fish into meal and oil — partly to feed farm-raised fish in Canada."

TAXING TIMES

  I am not sure where I saw this, but I will pass it along as a public service. Although soon-to-be-again President Trump has promised to cut taxes (at least for the very wealthy), that may not include you and you might have other reasons for wishing to emigrate from the U.S. If so, you might want to attend this tax seminar offered by Moodys on Dec. 14. They will answer the following question.

TRUMPUGEES
  When Trump was elected last time, there was reportedly a surge in Google searches relating to moving to Canada. The immigration law firm, LARLEE ROSENBERG, noticed this and they will assist you with the migration process if you visit, trumpugees.ca. You might want to attend the Moody's webinar first if your motivation relates more to a concern about taxes than Trump. The folks at LAREE ROSENBERG have indicated that there has indeed been a spike in immigration queries:

"How are the inquiries you’re getting today different from Trump’s first win?"
"The volume of requests is much higher. For the first couple of weeks after the election, it was three or four an hour round the clock. Trump has moved much farther right on the political spectrum since 2016, which has broadened the playing field in terms of people looking to escape his second term. We have received inquiries from people on the far left, as well as from Republicans who are still left of Trump. There are U.S.-based companies interested in shoring up their Canadian operations to give their employees an opportunity to work here. That’s mostly in tech—video games and software development companies. And then we’re also hearing from Americans who are already living in Canada and are now worried about what a Trump presidency might mean for their permanent residency applications. We’re calling those people sur place Trumpugees."

   Although I came from the United States to Canada and stayed, I am skeptical about any surge in trumpugees at this time. The Moody's tax seminar will deter some and the weather, others. On the other hand, if mass deportations are ordered in the U.S., there may be a dramatic increase in trumpugees of a different kind.
   It is also the case that are many instances reported in Canada where people are trying illegally to get into the United States, a destination for those who think that it is still preferable to living here. 
   Most Canadians I know have very strong feelings about Trump, (negative ones), but I predict that it will take a much weaker loonie to deter their visits when the "March Break" days appear on the calendar.  For more about this see: "The Trump Slump" which was written when school trips to the U.S. were cancelled and there were calls to boycott U.S. vacations. And, "Trump and Travel" which I did back in 2019. 

Source: The question above was asked by a Maclean's reporter. See, "Can Trumpugees Move to Canada," Courtney Shea, Nov. 28, 2024.

Factlet (16)

The Canadian Dollar
   I don't have much time this morning, but I will attempt two things. The first is to provide the image above which will haunt us for a long time. It is from the cover of the Atlantic, which was published during the month of halloween in 2024. 
   The coach arrived in Washington, Canadians are spooked and the loonie is sinking. For some perspective on how low it can go, here is the Factlet:
The Canadian $
Jan. 21, 2002: 61.79 cents
"The dollar fell to its all-time low on Jan. 21, 2002, according to the Bank of Canada, hitting 61.79 cents US. (Over the next several years, the dollar climbed upwards until it reached its all-time high of $1.103 US on Nov. 7, 2007."
This Factlet is a few years old, but the numbers for the low and high Canadian dollars are likely correct.
  As for the word "Factlet", new readers can see the origin of the term in the post that revealed what a Gee-Gee is. The most recent one is about Maurice Maeterlinck, but, after re-reading it, I am not sure what the actual Factlet is. It may be that Maurice wrote The Life of Termites. I was clearer in the one about Balzac, he loved pears. Perhaps a more useful Factlet is #3, which is depressing to read at this time of year since it revealed in 2019 that "90,000 Packages Disappear Daily in N.Y.C." 

BEARDS (again)

 Scruffy Stubble

While attempting to avoid reading anything about the two most important people of our time (if not of all time), I ran across two pieces concerning beards. You may have noticed we are surrounded by them. Most men either sport one or are raising a crop of facial hair, which, while looking unkempt, appears to be carefully tended. 

Having coincidentally stumbled upon a subject which would offer readers a distraction from anything relating to those two people, I was prepared to go full monty on hirsuteness when I discovered that beards have been fully covered in MM. Back in the spring of 2023 I conducted a poll involving bearded golfers, who probably learned beard growing from hockey players. Of course, much more about hairiness was provided, including a reference to Pogonologia; or, A Philosophical and Historical Essay on Beards, as well as a picture of William Empson’s “neck beard.” (While it is unlikely you missed that good essay, you may have forgotten it, as I did, so here it is, “Beard Poll.” I also have done one about Empson, but it was not about his “neck beard” - “William Empson’s Memory”.) 

Let’s Play “Beaver”

About the two new beard pieces you are probably very curious so I will begin now with the one that is not very new, but shows that beards have always been fashionable – or not. This observation indicates that by the mid-1920s, beards were becoming unpopular and that, before the Internet, people looked at something other than screens when walking.

   “The men usually affected beards, until the sudden craze for ‘Beaver’ made them return to the razor. Two or more people walking down a street would play a twenty-point game of beaver-counting. The first to cry ‘Beaver’ at the sight of a beard won a point, but white beards (known as ‘polar beavers’) and other distinguished sorts had higher values. When the growing scarcity of beards ended the game in 1924 King George, distinguished foreigners, and a few Chelsea pensioners were for some years almost the only bearded men left in Great Britain. Beards came in again, chiefly among the Leftists, in the middle Thirties.” (The Long Week-End: A Social History of Great Britain 1918-1939, by Robert Graves & Alan Hodge. Norton Library, 1963, p.49) Being unshorn became popular again in the ‘60s and ‘70s, but after the hippies, the yuppies wanted to look clean so they could be successful. Although there are now many beards and “Beaver” could be played, we have the Internet. 

Beards Fad or Fetish?

    The second piece is a current one and it shows that the pressure to be bearded is intense and the fad a global one. The young man featured in this article flew to Turkey to get a beard transplant. Since you may not believe me, here is the information directly from the source:

“French Man Dies by Suicide After Failed Beard Transplant by 'estate agent’,” National Post, Oct. 28, 2024.
“A French student died by suicide after receiving a failed beard transplant in Istanbul from someone allegedly pretending to be a surgeon.

“In March 2024, 24-year-old Mathieu Vigier Latour travelled to Istanbul for a beard transplant. He was studying business in Paris at the time.

According to the Daily Mail, the cost of the transplant was around $1,950, only a fifth of the price it would be if getting the procedure done in France….

The plan was to remove 4,000 hair grafts from the back of his head and move them to his face. Jacques said the surgery caused his son's hair to grow and be shaped unnaturally…

After the procedure, Latour's beard was reportedly oddly shaped and grew at an unnatural angle, like a "hedgehog."....

He said Latour was suffering both mentally and physically.

"He was in pain, suffered from burns, and he couldn't sleep," he said in French.

The family tried to find a qualified expert in France to help correct the failed transplant. After being unsuccessful, they found Dr. Jean Devroye, a hair transplant specialist based in Belgium.

Devroye examined Latour and found that 1,000 out of the 4,000 hair grafts that were removed from his scalp would not grow back. He also concluded that Latour would have permanent scarring….

My advice here is that, unless you are from the very large cohort of males who are required by some higher authority to have a beard, you should avoid getting a beard transplant, at least one done in Turkey.

Photo Credit It is extremely difficult to avoid articles about one of the most important people in the world and that is why I noticed the picture of his underling which is featured above. He may have grown that bit of stubble because of the social pressure or to honour his Appalachian ancestors who couldn’t afford razors. (The photograph by Mark Peterson is found in the New Yorker.) Mr. Vance will be the first VP with facial hair since Charles Curtis who had only a moustache. Benjamin Harrison was the last fully bearded president. The stance which the new president may adopt regarding facial hair appears to have changed and will likely do so again since he is consistent when it comes to stance changing. The other most important person in the world appears to approve of beards because she is dating a guy who has one. Sources: You now know about Charles Curtis because of the following article. The cleverness of the title reveals why it is hidden behind a paywall. One should have to pay for such things: “Hair Apparent: J.D. Vance Could Bring Beards Back to the White House,” Will Pavia, The Times, July 18, 2024. More proof of the ubiquitousness of beards is found not just on faces but also in the many articles about them: “Women in India Protest Against Men Having Beards - To Stop Chafing,” Sophie Thompson, Independent Online, Oct. 21, 2024. For an increasing number of young men arriving on this continent it appears that beards are mandatory. They would not be welcome in Turkmenistan: “The Country Where Beards Are Forbidden For People Under 40 Years of Age and Only White Cars Can Be Driven,” CE Noticias Financieras, Sept. 20, 2024. “In addition, men under the age of 40 are not allowed to grow beards, a measure that seeks to homogenize the image of citizens and prevent what the government considers "personal carelessness". These rules reflect the authoritarian control in the country, where individual freedoms are limited by rules that often seem incomprehensible from the outside.”

Time Out For Trump

 "The Dangers of Donald Trump, From Those Who Know Him"
  If you are like me, you may be disillusioned and reading less and less about the American election. No matter the outcome, there will be a massive amount of regret about the enormous amount of time everyone wasted on a man like Trump. Still, it is worth taking a look at what follows.
  The quotation above is the title of an "Opinion" piece by the Editorial Board of the New York Times (Sept. 26, 2024.) Do not discount it for that reason if you are a Trump supporter since they present the opinions of those who know and worked with Trump and who also have a low opinion of him.
   Ninety-one of them are provided and the quotations are arranged in five categories.  A half-dozen are offered here and they were not chosen because they contain the worst things said about him. Look at the paper itself, if you can, since an array of such awfulness is very impressive. 

1.  Administration Leaders 

BILL BARR

BETSY DEVOS

2. The Trumps & Trump INC.

FRED TRUMP

3. Republican Politicians

LINDSAY GRAHAM

4. Conservative Voices

GEORGE WILL

5. World Leaders (even some CANCON)

JUSTIN TRUDEAU

Going To Hell In A Handbasket

    While constructing my last post about Trump and the never ending American electioneering, I thought of the figure of speech noted above since, to me, it implies that things are not going well and I think they are not. I didn't use it, however, because I knew that, once again, the post was likely to be too long and it was.
   I looked up the phrase I didn't use and if you do, you will probably be satisfied with the Wikipedia entry, which is a good one. One possible origin has been traced "to the baskets used to catch guillotined heads in the eighteenth century." The Bosch painting above was also found in the Wikipedia essay and it supposedly illustrates a large cart of hay being drawn by "infernal beings that drag everyone to hell."
  I also found a handbasket column by William Safire and you know that has to be worth reading. It was written back in 1990 and apparently things weren't going well back then either. The wife of Harry Reasoner, who you will remember from 60 Minutes, asked Safire about "going to hell in a handbasket" which they had heard "in conversation five times in the past few months."
   The Safire piece is not mentioned among the Wikipedia sources, so I will offer a portion of it here:

   "Lexicographers call this ''old slang'' - a figure of speech used by people who stopped picking up the latest slang about two generations ago. To hell in a handbasket means either ''to one's doom'' or -if used mockingly to describe a small dissipation - merely ''mildly indulgent.''
   The origin is believed to be to heaven in a handbasket, a locution that Dialect Notes spotted in 1913 in Kansas, where it was taken to mean ''to have a sinecure.'' One who was nicely ensconced in an untouchable job was said to be on the way to heaven in a handbasket. When used in Wisconsin a decade later, the term was defined as ''to do something easily.''
   Then the direction changed. The alliteration remained the same, but the first stage of this rocket dropped off and was lost in the sea of archaic phrases; the second stage, with hell substituted for heaven, took us to where we are today: the meaning is ''to degenerate rapidly; to fall apart suddenly.'' The final stage? We cannot tell; down the tubes in a handbasket uses modern surfers' lingo but lacks the alliterative zing.
   What is it about a handbasket - a word rarely used now outside the hellish phrase - that makes it so useful in talk of decadence, degeneration, declension and downfall?
The key quality is portability; the basket is small enough to be carried in one hand, and anything in it is little or light."

Source:
   If you look this up, you will also learn about, "long in the tooth" and "dressed to the nines." "On Language: To Wherever in a Handbasket," William Safire, New York Times, April 29, 1990.
   It was also from Safire that I learned and posted about Genug Shoyn, which is a fitting way to end.