"In a scattershot pattern that now extends from coast to coast, continental US states have been announcing new hotspots of chronic wasting disease (CWD).
The contagious and always-fatal neurodegenerative disorder infects the cervid family that includes deer, elk, moose and, in higher latitudes, reindeer. There is no vaccine or treatment.
Described by scientists as a “slow-motion disaster in the making”, the infection’s presence in the wild began quietly, with a few free-ranging deer in Colorado and Wyoming in 1981. However, it has now reached wild and domestic game animal herds in 36 US states as well as parts of Canada, wild and domestic reindeer in Scandinavia and farmed deer and elk in South Korea."
Tariff Econ 101
President Donald Trump is threatening steep tariffs on virtually all imports. But what is a tariff and what do economists know about their impact? A tariff is basically just a tax, but instead of applying to a particular type of product, it applies to all goods imported from a certain place, and the tax is paid by the consumer. Tariffs are meant to keep production at home. They artificially raise the price of imported products, allowing domestic manufacturers to charge higher prices.
What the evidence shows: Tariffs raise prices for consumers, reduce consumption, increase unemployment and inequality, and erode the gross domestic product, according to a range of economic studies on the policy. One analysis suggests that a 10-percent tariff on all international products and a 60-percent tariff on Chinese products could cut nearly $600 billion over four years from the U.S. gross domestic product. Even after existing tariffs levied by Trump during his first time and by Joe Biden, the federal government last year collected about 30 times more revenue from individual income taxes than through tariffs.
What the experts say: “Economists know that they are very inefficient; we know that they are very bad for consumers,” says Luisa Blanco, an economist at Pepperdine University in California. “Tariffs actually create a deadweight loss” in which the consumer loses more than the producer gains, she says. —Meghan Bartels, senior news writer
Good for the economy but the pills will likely cost more; a win/ lose game.i am taking a generic from India that costs me $30 for a three month supply. The brand name one costs $400 a month.
Saying you will impose a 25% tariff, then saying you will double it when threatened with reciprocal tariffs, then having the reciprocal tariff threat dropped, is a perect example of my point. Thanks Pete.
(Note: I am not saying I agree 100% with the tariffs, or that they won't or don't cause some of the problems in the clip Edward posted, just that they have been used effectively to gain desired actions on the past of Mexico and Canada.)
I just posted a link my man. I'm not trying to say you're wrong. But you were so quick to think I was you finished with a "Thanks Pete" which you know was a celebration of sorts. This is politics at its finest "I'm right!!! You're so wrong!!!" I guess..... Thanks Todd!
I read your link Pete. The term you used, "acquiesce", indicates compliance or passive submittal, which did not happen. Maybe you just used an inaccurate term. The general nature of my description of what happened is accurate. Dropping the 50% tariff back to the original 25% is not acquiescing. Your link supported my general statement, hence my thanks to you.
To "acquiesce" means to accept something, often reluctantly, or to agree to something without protest or argument. It implies giving in or submitting to something, often without enthusiasm
So then let me change what I said.
So we just look like a limp dïck making empty threats we never intended to follow through with? Better?
Can I tell you how little I actually care about this matter or any matter to do with politics at this point. I say up is down and down is up. You say left is right and right is left. I'm so right it's amazingly biggly. Then you say "No I'm the most correctester I've ever been!!" We get no where and end up exactly where we are. No point in making any more points as I will now totally dismiss them and insert my alternative facts and then be even more right as everything around goes to shít. I don't give a fück about Canada or a failing society. I don't care about whom ever on the ballot tickles you where you pee. You're the most correctest Todd. You win. I lost. You should never smoke anything other than Piloto Cubano tobacco and if I have a different thought in my head then you, I'm sorry. I apologize I honestly don't give the littlest fǔck anymore.
To summarize. You're the most correct and I was wrong. Piloto Cubano is enjoyed by everyone. Google is the only way to think. You won!
The threat wasn't empty though. The reason there isn't a 50% tariff, but only a 25% tariff, is because the threat achieved its purpose, which was to get Canada to drop it's threat of retaliatory tariffs. The 50% would have been followed through with (I believe) had Canada followed through with their tariff.
@TRayB said:
The threat wasn't empty though. The reason there isn't a 50% tariff, but only a 25% tariff, is because the threat achieved its purpose, which was to get Canada to drop it's threat of retaliatory tariffs. The 50% would have been followed through with (I believe) had Canada followed through with their tariff.
Like I was saying.... Piloto Cubano my friend. Piloto Cubano. Milkshakes bring ALL the boys to the yard.
Meet the fascinating Panda Ant (Euspinolia militaris), captured in stunning detail by Chris Lukhaup. Despite its name, this intriguing insect is actually a type of wingless wasp. Known for its distinctive black and white markings that resemble a panda, the Panda Ant is a marvel of nature’s creativity. Native to Chile, it’s a striking example of the incredible diversity found in the insect world.
For many systems, this flexibility is made possible because they’re built on large language models, which are unpredictable and prone to significant (and sometimes comical) errors. When an LLM generates text in a chat interface, any errors stay confined to that conversation. But when a system can act independently and with access to multiple applications, it may perform actions we didn’t intend, such as manipulating files, impersonating users, or making unauthorized transactions. The very feature being sold—reduced human oversight—is the primary vulnerability.
Honeybee deaths have hit record highs in the US, with the unprecedented loss of colonies pushing many beekeepers close to ruin as scientists scramble to identify the main cause of the huge declines.
Commercial beekeepers have reported losing more than 60% of their colonies, on average, over the winter, according to an ongoing Project Apis m. survey that covers more than two-thirds of America’s managed bees.
This enormous rate of decline is higher than record reductions seen last year and is on track to be the “biggest loss of honeybee colonies in US history”, according to Scott McArt, an associate professor of entomology at Cornell University
Every year, dozens of local boat owners in Wisconsin band together to move a giant floating island on Lake Chippewa, also known as the Chippewa Flowage. This floating island, known as the "Forty Acre Bog," is composed of peat, plant roots, mud, and even mature trees. These trees act as sails, catching the wind and moving the island around the lake. When the bog drifts and blocks a crucial bridge connecting the east and west sides of the lake, it requires a community effort to push it back into position using their boats.
The floating bogs formed over time as peat bogs from the lake's swampy bottom rose to the surface, creating a habitat rich in biodiversity. Moving the bog is a complex task that relies on favorable wind conditions, and it often requires multiple attempts to place it correctly, or it will drift back within days. This annual task, while challenging, highlights the community's dedication to preserving the natural environment and maintaining access across the lake. The floating bog is legally protected and cannot be broken apart, adding to the complexity of the task. Despite their best efforts, there are occasions when the bog gets stuck on obstacles like rocks, necessitating repeated efforts to clear the passage.
The Quantum Apocalypse Is Coming. Be Very Afraid
What happens when quantum computers can finally crack encryption and break into the world’s best-kept secrets? It’s called Q-Day—the worst holiday maybe ever.
One day soon, at a research lab near Santa Barbara or Seattle or a secret facility in the Chinese mountains, it will begin: the sudden unlocking of the world’s secrets. Your secrets.
Cybersecurity analysts call this Q-Day—the day someone builds a quantum computer that can crack the most widely used forms of encryption. These math problems have kept humanity’s intimate data safe for decades, but on Q-Day, everything could become vulnerable, for everyone: emails, text messages, anonymous posts, location histories, bitcoin wallets, police reports, hospital records, power stations, the entire global financial system.
“We’re kind of playing Russian roulette,” says Michele Mosca, who coauthored the most recent “Quantum Threat Timeline” report from the Global Risk Institute, which estimates how long we have left. “You’ll probably win if you only play once, but it’s not a good game to play.” When Mosca and his colleagues surveyed cybersecurity experts last year, the forecast was sobering: a one-in-three chance that Q-Day happens before 2035. And the chances it has already happened in secret? Some people I spoke to estimated 15 percent—about the same as you’d get from one spin of the revolver cylinder.
Comments
This and make your bed is pretty easy reads.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/20/chronic-wasting-disease-spread-zombie-deer-global-us-aoe
"In a scattershot pattern that now extends from coast to coast, continental US states have been announcing new hotspots of chronic wasting disease (CWD).
The contagious and always-fatal neurodegenerative disorder infects the cervid family that includes deer, elk, moose and, in higher latitudes, reindeer. There is no vaccine or treatment.
Described by scientists as a “slow-motion disaster in the making”, the infection’s presence in the wild began quietly, with a few free-ranging deer in Colorado and Wyoming in 1981. However, it has now reached wild and domestic game animal herds in 36 US states as well as parts of Canada, wild and domestic reindeer in Scandinavia and farmed deer and elk in South Korea."
https://www.kurepetfood.com/can-goats-eat-carrots/
from Scientific American magazine:
Tariff Econ 101
President Donald Trump is threatening steep tariffs on virtually all imports. But what is a tariff and what do economists know about their impact? A tariff is basically just a tax, but instead of applying to a particular type of product, it applies to all goods imported from a certain place, and the tax is paid by the consumer. Tariffs are meant to keep production at home. They artificially raise the price of imported products, allowing domestic manufacturers to charge higher prices.
What the evidence shows: Tariffs raise prices for consumers, reduce consumption, increase unemployment and inequality, and erode the gross domestic product, according to a range of economic studies on the policy. One analysis suggests that a 10-percent tariff on all international products and a 60-percent tariff on Chinese products could cut nearly $600 billion over four years from the U.S. gross domestic product. Even after existing tariffs levied by Trump during his first time and by Joe Biden, the federal government last year collected about 30 times more revenue from individual income taxes than through tariffs.
What the experts say: “Economists know that they are very inefficient; we know that they are very bad for consumers,” says Luisa Blanco, an economist at Pepperdine University in California. “Tariffs actually create a deadweight loss” in which the consumer loses more than the producer gains, she says. —Meghan Bartels, senior news writer
They can be effective as short-term bargaining chips (or bludgeons), as recently shown.
Evidence?
One of the big pharma companies has already announced they are opening 4 (iirc) pill plants in the us because of tariffs on imported drugs.
Trapped in the People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts.
Good for the economy but the pills will likely cost more; a win/ lose game.i am taking a generic from India that costs me $30 for a three month supply. The brand name one costs $400 a month.
See : Mexico and Canada. Despite their strong rhetoric, they have essentially given what was desired.
I was under the assumption that we also had to acquiesce.
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-tariffs-canada-steel-aluminum/
Saying you will impose a 25% tariff, then saying you will double it when threatened with reciprocal tariffs, then having the reciprocal tariff threat dropped, is a perect example of my point. Thanks Pete.
(Note: I am not saying I agree 100% with the tariffs, or that they won't or don't cause some of the problems in the clip Edward posted, just that they have been used effectively to gain desired actions on the past of Mexico and Canada.)
I just posted a link my man. I'm not trying to say you're wrong. But you were so quick to think I was you finished with a "Thanks Pete" which you know was a celebration of sorts. This is politics at its finest "I'm right!!! You're so wrong!!!" I guess..... Thanks Todd!
I read your link Pete. The term you used, "acquiesce", indicates compliance or passive submittal, which did not happen. Maybe you just used an inaccurate term. The general nature of my description of what happened is accurate. Dropping the 50% tariff back to the original 25% is not acquiescing. Your link supported my general statement, hence my thanks to you.
To "acquiesce" means to accept something, often reluctantly, or to agree to something without protest or argument. It implies giving in or submitting to something, often without enthusiasm
So then let me change what I said.
So we just look like a limp dïck making empty threats we never intended to follow through with? Better?
Can I tell you how little I actually care about this matter or any matter to do with politics at this point. I say up is down and down is up. You say left is right and right is left. I'm so right it's amazingly biggly. Then you say "No I'm the most correctester I've ever been!!" We get no where and end up exactly where we are. No point in making any more points as I will now totally dismiss them and insert my alternative facts and then be even more right as everything around goes to shít. I don't give a fück about Canada or a failing society. I don't care about whom ever on the ballot tickles you where you pee. You're the most correctest Todd. You win. I lost. You should never smoke anything other than Piloto Cubano tobacco and if I have a different thought in my head then you, I'm sorry. I apologize I honestly don't give the littlest fǔck anymore.
To summarize. You're the most correct and I was wrong. Piloto Cubano is enjoyed by everyone. Google is the only way to think. You won!
The threat wasn't empty though. The reason there isn't a 50% tariff, but only a 25% tariff, is because the threat achieved its purpose, which was to get Canada to drop it's threat of retaliatory tariffs. The 50% would have been followed through with (I believe) had Canada followed through with their tariff.
Like I was saying.... Piloto Cubano my friend. Piloto Cubano. Milkshakes bring ALL the boys to the yard.
I'm so d*** strong 😂
The Panda Ant: Nature’s Furry Enigma!
Meet the fascinating Panda Ant (Euspinolia militaris), captured in stunning detail by Chris Lukhaup. Despite its name, this intriguing insect is actually a type of wingless wasp. Known for its distinctive black and white markings that resemble a panda, the Panda Ant is a marvel of nature’s creativity. Native to Chile, it’s a striking example of the incredible diversity found in the insect world.
📸: Chris Lukhaup
https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/24/1113647/why-handing-over-total-control-to-ai-agents-would-be-a-huge-mistake/
For many systems, this flexibility is made possible because they’re built on large language models, which are unpredictable and prone to significant (and sometimes comical) errors. When an LLM generates text in a chat interface, any errors stay confined to that conversation. But when a system can act independently and with access to multiple applications, it may perform actions we didn’t intend, such as manipulating files, impersonating users, or making unauthorized transactions. The very feature being sold—reduced human oversight—is the primary vulnerability.
Great potoo
https://www.livescience.com/animals/birds/great-potoo-the-tree-stump-bird-with-a-haunting-growl-and-can-see-with-its-eyes-closed
Honeybee deaths have hit record highs in the US, with the unprecedented loss of colonies pushing many beekeepers close to ruin as scientists scramble to identify the main cause of the huge declines.
Commercial beekeepers have reported losing more than 60% of their colonies, on average, over the winter, according to an ongoing Project Apis m. survey that covers more than two-thirds of America’s managed bees.
This enormous rate of decline is higher than record reductions seen last year and is on track to be the “biggest loss of honeybee colonies in US history”, according to Scott McArt, an associate professor of entomology at Cornell University
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/25/honeybees-deaths-record-high
Every year, dozens of local boat owners in Wisconsin band together to move a giant floating island on Lake Chippewa, also known as the Chippewa Flowage. This floating island, known as the "Forty Acre Bog," is composed of peat, plant roots, mud, and even mature trees. These trees act as sails, catching the wind and moving the island around the lake. When the bog drifts and blocks a crucial bridge connecting the east and west sides of the lake, it requires a community effort to push it back into position using their boats.
The floating bogs formed over time as peat bogs from the lake's swampy bottom rose to the surface, creating a habitat rich in biodiversity. Moving the bog is a complex task that relies on favorable wind conditions, and it often requires multiple attempts to place it correctly, or it will drift back within days. This annual task, while challenging, highlights the community's dedication to preserving the natural environment and maintaining access across the lake. The floating bog is legally protected and cannot be broken apart, adding to the complexity of the task. Despite their best efforts, there are occasions when the bog gets stuck on obstacles like rocks, necessitating repeated efforts to clear the passage.
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/uranium-waste-powered-rechargeable-battery
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/denmark-salt-battery-could-power-100000-homes?group=test_b
Very interesting concept. I read how they store the energy and where it comes from, I’m just curious what they use to reach the temps of 600° C.
Gas powered heater...
Trapped in the People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts.
it's for storing excess wind or solar electricity
The Quantum Apocalypse Is Coming. Be Very Afraid
What happens when quantum computers can finally crack encryption and break into the world’s best-kept secrets? It’s called Q-Day—the worst holiday maybe ever.
One day soon, at a research lab near Santa Barbara or Seattle or a secret facility in the Chinese mountains, it will begin: the sudden unlocking of the world’s secrets. Your secrets.
Cybersecurity analysts call this Q-Day—the day someone builds a quantum computer that can crack the most widely used forms of encryption. These math problems have kept humanity’s intimate data safe for decades, but on Q-Day, everything could become vulnerable, for everyone: emails, text messages, anonymous posts, location histories, bitcoin wallets, police reports, hospital records, power stations, the entire global financial system.
“We’re kind of playing Russian roulette,” says Michele Mosca, who coauthored the most recent “Quantum Threat Timeline” report from the Global Risk Institute, which estimates how long we have left. “You’ll probably win if you only play once, but it’s not a good game to play.” When Mosca and his colleagues surveyed cybersecurity experts last year, the forecast was sobering: a one-in-three chance that Q-Day happens before 2035. And the chances it has already happened in secret? Some people I spoke to estimated 15 percent—about the same as you’d get from one spin of the revolver cylinder.
More:
https://www.wired.com/story/q-day-apocalypse-quantum-computers-encryption/
The stagnation of physics
Physicists today need to jettison the all-too-attractive myth that they are uncovering the hidden reality of our Universe
https://aeon.co/essays/why-the-hunt-for-reality-is-an-impossible-burden-for-physics