The Long Road Out

Well, here we are.  I'm increasingly beginning to feel like Anne Franck, reporting in from the attic.  I'm actually in business class on a United flight back from London…but you get the point.  The noose is tightening in the US, and I'm not sure whose throat the fingers are encircling.  We are indeed a small boat lost at sea, to paraphrase the Chinese assessment.  The poor Taiwanese.  More friends cast over the sideboard.   So what joy has the world experienced thanks to our tiny rabid mob? The insults are over for Zelenskyy if he's still alive---The US forced him into a contract he couldn't refuse (think of the great outcome we got from this extortion in Turkey—now they have Erdogan!).  The Trump organization gets exclusive benefit of the sale of rare earth minerals (turns out we don't care about the scarce resources after all!  We just want the cash!  More $TRUMP.).  Furthermore, only the Trump organization can do re...

Mike Meyers, fresh on SNL, apparently referred to graffiti he'd seen in a Conservative riding in Winnipeg. It said "there's no pain worse than being betrayed by a friend." In context it was referring to Trump's rude insensitivity to our neighbor. I would be hurt if someone trash talked me as Trump has done. It's little solace to know that he's just a bully and a bore, and that he does it to every one else. True. He does. True. He's a pig. But: what he's saying is "you're just like everyone else. Meaningless to me." That hurts me just typing it. My ex-wife, who happens to be Canadian, went out of her way to tell me the same thing—that I'm meaningless to her. That hurts even more. Until Trump gets us all killed, I just ignore the guy. Such a tool. But I can't ignore my ex life partner. That's not the way I'm built. Even though, like Trump, I'm just like everyone else in her eyes too. I was never specia...

Can you believe this craven shit?  If you're so embarrassed by your own policy that you get pissed off at friends for highlighting it—you shouldn't be doing it.  Shame on our government. And look how quickly Amazon bent over!   Hopefully higher quality retailers will stick to their guns with honest pricing on their websites. No more lies, Jeff and Don.   Begin forwarded message: From: The New York Times   Breaking news: White House attacks Amazon over idea of showing tariffs' cost A report said Amazon would highlight tariff-related price increases. The company said it was "not going to happen." View in browser | nytimes.com April 29, 2025 BREAKING NEWS Justin Sullivan/Getty Images White House Attacks Amazon Over Idea of Showing Tariffs' Cost The White House press secretary...

As world leaders join together to exclude the US from their future planning, I have to ask the simple question:  what moral standing do we have?   The US, when it gets serious about locking down its borders, has to realize that:   It does not recognize international law It is not a party to any UN or other covenants on human, civil, or economic rights It finances global investment in a way that displaces huge populations and puts many at risk of quasi-governments or outright militias It possesses the world's largest military, which is employs randomly, and generally with oppressive zeal (we're spending more under Trump who has, on the 50 th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, just approved an increase in both military and covert resources) It does not have a single friend who trusts us (including both of our most immediate neighbors) because we don't do what we say. It is covered in the blood of innocents.   We lost our moral standing at some point—...

  The Kübler-Ross five stages of grief, also known as the Five Stages of Dying, were introduced by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book On Death and Dying. These stages describe a common range of emotional responses experienced by individuals facing terminal illness, loss, or significant life changes: Denial – Refusing to believe the reality of the loss or diagnosis (“This can’t be happening”). Anger – Frustration and helplessness may turn into anger (“Why is this happening to me?”). Bargaining – Attempting to make deals to postpone or reverse the loss (“If I do this, can I live longer?”). Depression – Deep sadness as the person begins to understand the loss’s impact (“What’s the point of going on?”). Acceptance – Coming to terms with the reality of the situation (“It’s going to be okay”). These stages aren’t always experienced in order, and not everyone goes through all of them.  But, for me, in my recent trauma, I experienced 1-3 as a group, very mixed...

That’s how the Chinese government outlets described the US this morning.  Of course, China had a good day yesterday: - Qwen3 AI released, likely to surpass Chat - major tech upgrades for Chinese EVs to outperform Tesla and Lucid cars - Canada, which has bilateral trade deals with China, elected an anti-Trump liberal government - China’s two biggest retailers (Temu and Alibaba) simply added tariff prices to all their products (as much as a 142% increase) for US purchases. They don’t need our consumers.  - Putin and Trump, the two aging brontosaurus’s, had to call a three day rest period in their current proxy war. Get out your plastic oars, America. The Titanic isn’t coming back to save you, thanks to Don.  

Justin’s party won—with Mark Carney at the helm. And Australia and the EU and the UK locked by his side.  (Is there a single country that would not root for Canada over Trump-land?  Name one, Don.  jD?)   The Liberals thought they might lose badly to the Conservatives, and perhaps even drop behind the NDP with 20% of the vote in January. Then Don came along. As of now, Justin's party is closing in on a pure majority. Too early to tell but they may not even need the Bloc or the defeated NDP to form a government.  Mike Meyers referred to graffiti he saw in Winnipeg. It said "there is no greater pain than being betrayed by a friend." This graffiti could easily be in Kiev, or London. It could be in Saigon (today is the 50th anniversary of that wonderful collapse as mobs stormed the gates of the US embassy, btw) or Warsaw. But, it’s in Alberta—a center of conservative support.  Betrayed by the US leader and his mob of assholes. Don't I know the debilitat...

Here is the final paragraph of William Styron's heroic book Darkness Visible, from back in the 80's. He starts with Dante in a dark wood, where I have also lived, but he ends with something that offers hope that dashes the false pretensions of life coaches and self-help gurus. This is the real thing, and a voice that can carry you through, no matter how low your current journey. "But one need not sound the false or inspirational note to stress the truth that depression is not the soul's annihilation; men and women who have recovered from the disease—and they are countless—bear witness to what is probably its only saving grace: it is conquerable. "For those who have dwelt in depression's dark wood, and known its inexplicable agony, their return from the abyss is not unlike the ascent of the poet, trudging upward and upward out of hell's black depths and at last emerging into what he saw as "the shining world." There, whoever has been rest...

I possessed a fair amount of pride until recently. I had many communities of friends who all seemed to like, respect, care about, and enjoy me. I had reasonable and not ostentatious business success. I had made very independent decisions and they generally made me happy and offered success. I had a wife/life partner who was selfish but seemed to be on my side. That's all over. I'm not embarrassed by my current life, I don't think. It's not that. It's more like I don't care. I apparently was behaving well the whole time in order to get the approval of the woman closest to me. This is a bad hangover from my family constellation contract with my mom. Now I don't have a single person in my non-work life I strive to "please." There is no source of approval available to me of which I would be "proud." And I live in this disrespectful and dishonorable country and its self-destructive leadership. The result: given my choice ...

Sitting in a pub in London watching Liverpool, in their record season, dismantle Tottenham. I start the next, and more or less final, stage of paying my ex-wife off for all the love, care, and kindness she contributed to my life.  Or, what is more commonly known as "50%." I've settled about $3.6 million so far (she's a financial idiot savant—I hope she's not been scammed already, like my brother). Perhaps that's my fate as a chronic provider. I needed resources similar to what I created to keep helpless folks keep their heads above water. I have five years, unless I sell my company beforehand, to pay off the final $900,000. I'm paying 6% interest on this balance until I pay it off. $3800 plus a month. I'm 70. Still working to support an ex-life partner who won't text or reply or share. No wonder I'm sitting in a pub by myself in Fitzrovia, content alone, and sadder than shit. Really, why was I put here?  My ex is getting what’s f...

Roosevelt on Poland. Silent during the Warsaw uprising. Two months of death for our allies to appease Stalin. Never mind Auschwitz. Kennedy in Cuba, secretly dismantling our illegal Jupiter nuclear warheads in Turkey and Italy (though at least he got his public quid pro quo with the total fabrication that "Khrushchev blinked"). Kissinger and Nixon and the Allende murder and the endless proxy wars (and so much more—one of our first official war criminals). Trump on Truth Social, blathering like a wounded goose. Why do our allies keep pandering to fraudulent narcissistic leaders like this? It's never worked, once. These are not trustworthy humans. We are not worthy partners. You cannot trust us, and the entire world knows it. Who are we friends with at this moment? Who will be enemies in 15 minutes? What's the difference between the two groups, from their points of view?  Do you know where they stand?  Do they?  I think all of them just see Trump, and the U...

It seemed impossible that entry to the Uk from the US would be restricted. We have such a long history of colluding against smaller nations—let's discuss Poland or "Czechoslovakia" as examples. Among many others. Yuck. Anyway now it seems plausible. The Brits must be sick of all our childish bullying and sulking. And appeasing other bullies and global toddlers. I am entering alone, on my US passport. Full of embarrassment. Even though my dad was a Brit. The US seems so pathetic now, from Heathrow. And, terrifyingly malignant…

I did number 1 in Kashmir! Rank Pass Name Country Elevation (m) Elevation (ft) 1 Gondogoro La Pakistan 5,585 18,323 2 Cho La Nepal 5,420 17,782 3 Thorong La Nepal 5,416 17,769 4 Renjo La Nepal 5,360 17,585 5 Kang La Pass Nepal 5,306 17,408 6 Larkya La Nepal 5,106 16,752 7 Gyazo La Tibet ~5,200 ~17,060

Freed from the belief that Trump will have any impact on anything, the markets scored a three day rally with the S&P500 up almost 6% during the period. The Dow and NASDAQ also continued their recovery. Exactly the stocks you'd expect led the rally. "There's not a single country that will do business with us with tariffs," said David Foster, an expert commentator. "China's response to all this nonsense is the most articulate—they refuse to talk to bullies." Trump, in an a breathtaking conflict of interest that has to be illegal, is meeting with the top 220 investors of his meme coin today. As a result, nearly $80B was withdrawn from the crypto market. "Donald stopped paying attention to the fiat markets this week causing the rally," Foster said. "Unfortunately he showed interest in crypto, causing the big bitcoin fish to hide behind rocks and bushes in fear." "Many of these people have biggish bank accounts and...

Trump's a bully. You can see how well that plays with adults. They laugh at him and ignore him. If he was in your kid's class he'd bully them. Verbal harassment. Telling all your kid's friends that your child is an asshole. Shaking your kid down for an iPhone. Laughing at your kid on social media. So why the fuck did you vote for this guy? This is the person you hated in your class. Maybe it was you? I can't help you but I can help your children by telling you: bullies are losers. Voting for one tells your kids that you support the sniveling fat kid at their school who waits for them in the parking lot. Shame on you. Thanks to the leaders of China, the EU, the Ukraine, Greenland, Mexico, Israel, Russia, and elsewhere who are ignoring him. That's how you overcome petulant children. You block them. You ignore them. You lock arms with your clique and turn your back. Imagine if Donald sat next to your kid at school. The ineffective tool you voted for. T...