War is Not the Answer

My dad would have turned 92 today. His favorite swear word was "fudge." It's been 18 months but, yes memories of him are back today again.

I grew up with this poster on the wall. Of note, the artist is a Jewish woman.

Very cool. Latin was the first of five languages that I have studies (six if you count English).

Bingo.

Yup, from one such international trade economist. I have never been more pessimistic about near-term prospects for the U.S. economy.

It's also less than a month to the Ides of March.

From today's NYT, confirming my trade sources in Wash DC--

"If the Supreme Court strikes down President Trump’s tariffs, the Trump administration plans to begin replacing them almost immediately with other levies, Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative, said in an interview."

Trump Announces 10 Percent Tariff on European Countries in Standoff Over Greenland

With apologies to my decades-long friends in Denmark!

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/u...

Unpopular idea -- "Abolish ICE" is catchy but ICE is both "Immigration" and "Customs Enforcement," the latter serving a purpose re: weapons, drugs, other illegal imports. ICE operations should be limited to a narrow band on the border plus airports plus customs entry ports. But until then, fuck ICE.

The EU agreement is with the Mercosur group of countries, which have a sort of South American common market. It's been around maybe 25-30 years. Argentina is part of Mercosur so its now included in this new agreement. (Granted, Argentina has a host of economic issues.)

Important point. Decades of work to build alliances (including some by me) have been thrown away. Rebuilding those will take decades more -- while the EU, Mercosur, and Canada move on with the US. Why should companies with a global presence re-invest at home given bigger markets elsewhere. #econsky

E.U. and South America to Form Free-Trade Zone With 700 Million People

While the US walks away from long-time economic and strategic partners, the EU is forming a much larger trading block. Canada is also disengaging from the US, which turned its back on our closest and best ally.

#econsky

E.U. & South America Form Free-Trade Zone www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/b...

Several GOP reps each in PA, NY, and OH among those supporting passage. They are hearing from constituents.

Burned in my memory, at age 9. Kent State was an hour from my home. My parents loathed Nixon even more after that.

Foxglove flowers are so beautiful! And you never know when a poisonous plant might come in handy. :)

There are several options -- national security, health & safety, balance of payments crisis -- for imposing tariffs without Congressional approval. I doubt the expected SCOTUS ruling would rule these all out so avenues will remain open.

Vous n'avez pas tort mais c'est surtout Trump qui est le bandit.

TFG is trying to change regimes in Iran, Venezuela, and Gaza. Who's going to eliminate the regime in Washington, DC? Who's going to actually do something to save our Democracy? This is not a spectator event. Our government is absolutely worthless. Will McDonalds step up as the ONLY National Hero ??

My contacts in the trade bar opine that there are several options for keeping/extending the tariffs even if ruled unconstitutional by SCOTUS. Don't expect this Administration to back away from this economically and legally irrational policy in the near term.

Now taken down but I saw another version on YouTube. Crimes against humanity.

1) Learn about the dog food, exercise, & socialization needs in advance.

2) Give the dog space & be prepared for some initial anxiety (maybe take up your best rugs for a couple weeks),

3) Be prepared to fall in love all over again.

Andean Flamingo, Machuca Wetlands (north of San Pedro de Atacama), Chile. 14 Nov. 2025. #birds

This is so embarrassing. In Europe, the average person is at least functionally bilingual and often trilingual. It is the same in much of the world. I am functionally pentalingual but fluent in only three.

Ronald Reagan envisioned North American as stronger economically and strategically with free trade. I was NOT a fan, but he was right on this.

On this day in 1991 Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. Few believed her claims then, not enough people believed Hillary Clinton in 2016 and too few listened to Kamala Harris in 2024. See a pattern? Believe women, burn the patriarchy.

#BelieveWomen

Clearly AI so don't claim it is real.

I was at the University of Geneva in the fall of 1982 during a period of protests and martial law in Poland. One of my classes had a Polish emigre professor. A Russian "student?" crashed the class one day to argue against the Polish rebellion ... in fluent French. Malign actors plan for this.

The thought had occurred...

So sorry to hear this. I continue to send best wishes.