Open Thread

What’s on your mind?

Comments

[TwelveInchPianist]

Happy New Year!

[Mr. Bumble]

Ditto!

[Commenter_XY]

Happy New Year, TIP, and Happy New Year to the rest of the VC commentariat. My hope is that 2026 brings good things to all of you.

[hobie]

"L'Chaim to all! From the Hudson to the sea, I wish everyone a happy new Year!" - Zohran

[jay.tee]

lol, I have to admit I laughed at that one Hobie. Thanks for that!

[Frank Drackman]

Race-ist Phrases for $500 Alex,
"Arabs: They're what's for Dinner"

Frank

[Riva]

isn't the annihilation of the Jews f'ing hilarious? And all the more so since the antisemitism is real here.

[jay.tee]

Relax, Riva. I believe hobie’s post was tongue-in-cheek humor not some antisemitic wet dream.

[hobie]

riva_bot cannot violate its programming.

[Riva]

WTF? And I wasn't claiming the racist troll's post was "some antisemitic wet dream." I was pointing out it was a sick, tasteless "joke." And also that the there was a grain of truth, that being the antisemitism of the mayor.

I know the left are bastards, but do they have to be such stupid bastards?

[Commenter_XY]

That was pretty funny, heh.

[Frank Drackman]

Can't wait until the "Spring of Youth" gets here.

[Nelson]

To you as well. May this year be better than last year for all of you.

[Life of Brian]

Happy New Year to everyone!

[Kazinski]

I was musing about California's proposed billionaires tax, and I think I see a major flaw.

First of all its very likely the US government can't do a billionaires tax because they can only tax income not property under the constitution.

But States can tax properly and they can likely set tiers of property valuation and tax rates. So they can tax a billionaire's property.

But can states tax a billionaire's out of state property? I would think not.

So lets take the case of Mark Zuckerberg, who is a multi Billionaire who lives in California. His income can all be taxed, but his primary assets are Facebook stock. Facebook is a Delaware corporation. Certainly FB pays property taxes on its assets in California, but Zuckerberg doesn't own those assets, his primary asset is an out of state corporation. Under what theory can California tax Zuckerberg's Delaware properly?

[Michael P]

Under the theory that he's subject to California law, essentially.

There might be some argument if different states tried to tax the same wealth, but government ultimately acts as a stationary bandit.

[Brett Bellmore]

Under modern legal rationalizations, all they have to do is tax income and in state property in proportion to total wealth, wherever situated. If that turns out to be a rate over 100%, so be it.

Of all the powers the judiciary strains to rationalize, the power to make sure its paychecks do not bounce it strains most mightily. It's virtually impossible to convince the courts a tax is unconstitutional.

[Krayt]

I was musing about California's proposed billionaires tax, and I think I see a major flaw.

The 5th Amendment is kind of stupid if government can just verbally shift gears and take it anyway?

[Brett Bellmore]

The 5th amendment basically aims at preventing, "You! Yes, you! Sucks to be you, we're taking all your stuff."

Taxation, which is supposed to be for the general welfare, accordingly is supposed to fall generally, not in a targeted fashion.

But if your aim is to have a government of such a scale that most people couldn't possibly afford their share of it, and doing things that are a net loss to society, in a democracy targeted taxation is where it's at: Reduces the number of people feeling the pain enough that even if you're spending on insanely stupid things, most people won't care because somebody else is paying for it, and you can still win elections.

[Krayt]

Every person targeted has a name. Industrializing the scale does not absolve it. They are targeted by name because of a cruscade against them by government officials, the same reason for the 5th.

[ReaderY]

If you’re saying that what government spends the money on is detrimental to society, you’d compare that to what the billionaires spend it on. There are occassional philanthropic billionaire can usually get tax deductions for it anyway. But in general. I don’t see there’s any good argument that it’s worse.

But of course it’s a values question anyway. The state simply disagrees.

[bernard11]

his primary asset is an out of state corporation.

No it's not. The corporation is not his property. His property is a whole shitload of shares in the corporation.

Do you think that any owner of FB shares have property in DE as a result?

Really, it's sort of meaningless to say the shares are located anywhere, unless maybe you have actual share certificates, which would be located wherever they are physically.

[Armchair]

"No it's not"

Umm... Here's what Kaz said.

"but his primary assets are Facebook stock." "Facebook is a Delaware corporation." "his primary asset is an out of state corporation"

The "stock" represents ownership in part of the corporation.

[bernard11]

"but his primary assets are Facebook stock." "Facebook is a Delaware corporation." "his primary asset is an out of state corporation"

Well, which is his primary asset, the corporation, or shares in the corporation? Clearly, the shares. It's not a single proprietorship, like the local hardware store. In fact, he owns only about 14% of the outstanding shares.

And where are the shares "located?" Maybe nowhere, but the records of his ownership are on a number of computers and backup systems, which might be anywhere. OTOH, if he has the actual certificates, they are located wherever he keeps them.

[Armchair]

This isn't hard....

The shares represent the (partial) ownership of the corporation. It doesn't matter where the paper copies actually are. Because they're just the record of ownership.

It's like a deed to a house. The deed to the house says you own the house. If you move the deed between multiple states, it doesn't actually matter. The actual asset is the house. That's what you own. The location of the deed doesn't actually matter.

If you take the deed to the house, and split it up between two people, you own 1/2 the house. The house is still the asset. It doesn't move. You don't "own" the deed (or rather the piece of paper has virtually no value). You own the house (or 1/2 the house).

If you take the deed and separate it between 20 different owners, and it says you own 14% of the house...it's still the house you own. The deed just marks the legal technicalities.

[Kazinski]

I don't think that works.

For instance Larry Ellison owns 98% of the Hawaiian Island of Lanai, which is by itself worth several billion dollars. If Larry Ellison was still a California resident can California tax that property?

I don't think it can.

[Michael P]

Well, yes, real property is different than personal property. Stocks are intangible personal property. And Hawaii taxes real property, at least in most cases. (I don't know how it treats Lanai specifically.)

[Commenter_XY]

I don't think it can, either. Imagine the exodus if it were ever applied, just once. Just try replacing the revenue loss from one billionaire leaving by taxing the middle class to make up for it.

[Brett Bellmore]

The grift is approaching its end, and this proposal signals that they know it, and just want one last big payoff to bank. If it actually goes through watching where the money ends up would probably be very educational.

[Randal]

"Approaching its end?" It never got started. There are no wealth taxes anywhere in the US.

Man you guys can kvetch about anything. Paranoid much?

[Kazinski]

I hope never gets started, but it is being pushed by a prominent congressman, and its not out of the question voters wouldn't pass it by initiative.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/29/silicon-valley-ro-khanna-faces-tech-backlash-over-wealth-tax.html

[Armchair]

"If Larry Ellison was still a California resident can California tax that property"

Potentially. One way to look at it is the California corporate income tax. If you've got a California-registered corporation, it pays income tax on its operations in California. But it ALSO pays income tax on all its operations outside of California.

If California can require corps to pay income tax on their out of state income, is there a reason it can't require individuals to pay a wealth tax on their out of state assets?

[wvattorney13]

I don't see why not. Of course it would be difficult to impossible for California to slap an enforceable lien on the property but why couldn't it compute a tax based on that property and use its sovereign powers to require Ellison to pay it that amount?

[Malika la Maize]

January 1, 2026 is Public Domain Day: Works from 1930 are open to all, as are sound recordings from 1925!

On January 1, 2026, thousands of copyrighted works from 1930 enter the US public domain, along with sound recordings from 1925. They will be free for all to copy, share, and build upon.[3] The literary highlights range from William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying to Agatha Christie’s The Murder at the Vicarage and the first four Nancy Drew novels. From cartoons and comic strips, the characters Betty Boop, Pluto (originally named Rover), and Blondie and Dagwood made their first appearances. Films from the year featured Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, the Marx Brothers, and John Wayne in his first leading role. Among the public domain compositions are I Got Rhythm, Georgia on My Mind, and Dream a Little Dream of Me. We are also celebrating paintings from Piet Mondrian and Paul Klee.

https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2026/

[Michael P]

It's worth noting that subsequent evolutions of characters are likely still covered by copyright.

https://reason.com/2026/01/01/betty-boop-enters-the-public-domain-but-only-as-a-dog/

[SRG2]

Apparently Winnie-the-Pooh is now in the public domain except for depictions of him wearing a red top (that's Disney).

[ReaderY]

I find myself curious what products or services, if any: Disney currently offers, or indeed ever offerec, to the public under the Steamboat Willie brand, using the Steamboat Willie mark as a means of source identification.

[Magister]

The iconic opening scene in which Mickey is piloting Steamboat Willie. This scene is occasionally featured in the Walt Disney Animation Studio production logo.

From https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Steamboat_Willie

That would seem to identify the source as Disney where it is used. I wonder how many distinct trademarks Disney could have, though.

[Krayt]

Nancy Drew I inherited an old copy of The Secret of the Old Clock from my mother. It would have been from about 1950 at the latest. My brother has it for his girls along with a lot of other family books.

Well, inherited misstates it. I read it as a kid along with the entire Tom Corbett and Thomas Swift seriziz one summer before 4th grade. Twice.

[Frank Drackman]

Don't tell anyone but I used to read my sister's Nancy Drew books, no Homo, they were a great read. Jeez, now I'm sounding like Larry King's old Column,
"For a Great Thriller that Nancy Drew is hard to beat...."
Anyone read those Hitchcock "The Three Investigators"?? Man, I wanted a Junkyard Clubhouse like they had.

Frank

[Drewski]

The Three Investigators was a great series. I devoured those books when I was a kid. Even though Hitchcock just slapped his name on the cover, wrote a generic intro, and called it a day, it made me a fan of his (by reason of being a kid). I still want a secret junkyard clubhouse.

Many years later, doing some historical work, I kept referring to January Jones as Jupiter Jones. (This being a January Jones who sold shares in dud gold mines in the 19th Century, not the actress.)

[David Nieporent]

Even though Hitchcock just slapped his name on the cover, wrote a generic intro, and called it a day,

I don't want to disillusion 10-year-old you, but I doubt Alfred Hitchcock personally got any nearer the introductions (and often conclusions, btw) than cashing the royalty checks.

Eventually — after I stopped reading them in the early 80s —  they lost the rights to his name or decided it didn't carry the cachet they wanted with a new generation or perhaps they just decided that it wasn't credible that a dead guy was still introducing the books, and he was replaced in his role with an utterly fictitious person. Google reminds me that it was "Hector Sebastian."

[MoreCurious]

I seem to recall that the Nancy Drew books and the Hardy Boys books were written by the same person. Is that true?

[David Nieporent]

written by the same person. Is that true?

Er, yes and no. The same people, plural. (And also the Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, and many others.) There was a company out there that contracted out with anonymous authors to write the books, to be published under the pseudonyms Franklin W. Dixon, Carolyn Keene, etc.

[Brett Bellmore]

If you want a REAL guy who pumped out an insane number of books under one of those house names, try Lester Dent. Author of almost all of the Doc Savage novels, but he only got his actual name on one of them by accident.

[Riva]

Yeah, Piet Mondrian. Would we be celebrating "New York City I"? The definition of great art is a painting you can hang upside down and no one notices.

[SRG2]

Matisse's Le Bateau holds the record for that, IIRC.

I am unsure how great an artist Mondrian is, but while I like many Old Master portraits, landscapes etc - would anyone really like to have Raft of the Medusa, or Flaying of Marsyas in their home? - I wouldn't necessarily want them on my walls , whereas I'd really like to have Broadway Boogie-Woogie.

[Ridgeway]

Mmmm ... if you told me I could move into the Frick as my private residence, on the condition that I must keep all the art, I think I could make that work.

[David Nieporent]

move into the Frick as my private residence

Which reminds me, since we were talking about children's books above, of the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

[SRG2]

I could do that provided they removed their Bouchers...

FWIW people often overlook the furniture there - some of the pieces are extraordinary.

[Ridgeway]

I'm with you on the Rococo stuff, but if I have to take it as a package deal, I'm willing to be flexible.

BTW, have you been since they reopened? It is better than it was before, ands it was fantastic then. It is the inverse of the new-ish MOMA.

[SRG2]

I've not been yet - waiting to take a date there. MOMA keeps trying to reinvent itself, for god knows what reasons. BTW Rousseau's "The Dream" would be my first choice to hang on the wall at home, of all Western art. I do not pretend it is the finest painting ever - far from it - but as a piece one could have and enjoy at home, it's splendid.

[Riva]

Nope. New York City I was 75 years upside down. So long that it can't safely be righted. Matisse was 47 days. Not a fan of Matisse but the error here was understandable. The Mondrian is just WTF is it.

[SRG2]

Thank you!

[Bored Lawyer]

Some claim trademark rights, which do not expire so long as they are used. Disney did so for Mickey Mouse in a recent dispute.

You can read about it here:
https://koffskyschwalb.com/recent-disney-trademark-case-highlights-difference-between-copyright-and-trademark-rights/

[DDHarriman]

This is probably the first post by you that I am grateful for.

Great share.

[Malika la Maize]

Mr. Trump re-entered the White House without agreeing, as he did in his first term, not to start any new international business deals. As his sons have shifted the focus of the family business from real estate to financial deals that monetize the Trump name, questions about conflicts of interest have multiplied. This visualization of those deals and projects is based on the past year of New York Times reporting on the subject.

Mr. Trump, once a skeptic of cryptocurrency, is now its champion. He has rolled back Biden-era restrictions, promoted crypto investments from the Oval Office and signed a bill to advance crypto priorities.

But Mr. Trump is also an industry player who stands to gain from these policies. His family’s crypto empire is now its most lucrative venture. And the Trump crypto firms have given private enterprise and governments unprecedented access to the president’s sphere….

For example, Mr. Trump and his partners launched a type of cryptocurrency known as a memecoin just before his second inauguration. Sales of the coin, $TRUMP, have led to hefty trading fees.

Mr. Trump offered top $TRUMP buyers a private dinner. One guest was Justin Sun, the founder of Tron. His firm is one of many with financial ties to Mr. Trump that have gained from a more lenient Securities and Exchange Commission.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/31/us/trump-deals-policy-conflicts-web.html

[Riva]

Did Nancy Pelosi ever promise not engage in insider trading? Did Omar ever promise not engage in fraud? Her husband's companies (not her brother, another guy) sure experienced a rapid increase in wealth. All perfectly legit I'm sure, in a strange alternate reality operating under different ethics rules that some call Somalia. Still puts Hillary's cattle futures to shame,

[hobie]

'insider trading'
'Her...companies...sure experienced a rapid increase in wealth.'

[Riva]

In the context of my comment, the insider trading is owned by Pelosi (although of course, we're spoiled for choice among democrats who seem to reap millions in public service). The companies referred above little racist troll were the companies of the non-brother husband to Omar. Again, I know you're bastard, but do you have to be such a stupid bastard.

[Riva]

Sorry if I upset the third string parrot troll Maliky the whatever, He (she or whatever) hates typos. Alow me to correct:

Again, I know you're a bastard, but do you have to be such a stupid bastard?

[Malika la Maize]

“Did Nancy Pelosi ever promise not engage in insider trading? Did Omar ever promise not engage in fraud?”

Promise not engage? Leaning into that while robot thing. And the whole whatabout thing.

[Michael P]

"that while robot thing"? Muphry's Law strikes again!

Typos aside, Riva making a very human mistake undercuts rather than supports your delusion about a robot.

[Riva]

Grammar nazis are the among the worst third string parrot troll. But I admit that, as a child, I didn't have the benefit of a learing center.

[hobie]

riva_bot: living proof of homeschooling.

[Michael P]

Spend less time with your hallucinating robots and more time paying attention to the news, chief. Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learing?

[hobie]

'Is our children learing?'

sigh

[Michael P]

I beat you over the head with the allusion Riva made, and it still escapes you.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/daycare-center-at-heart-minnesota-fraud-investigation-fixes-sign-after-viral-mockery

[Magister]

Turns out that normal people are not as steeped in the right wing outrage centers as you are, so we don't recognize the trivialities that have enraged you.

[TwelveInchPianist]

No, but you get "enraged" by them anew.

[Magister]

Usually just confused, not "enraged"; ignoring these conservative shibboleths is what enrages Michael P. I am indifferent to spelling mistakes in the sign of a daycare. Apparently the theory is that a misspelling on a sign (apparently put up by Tim Walz, to judge from the outrage) indicates rampant fraud? The first Trump administration was notorious for such errors, and the second Trump administration has had similar issues, so can we conclude that Trump and fraud go together like lightning and thunder? (Rhetorical question; he was convicted of 34 counts of fraud, found civilly liable for massive fraud, and has operated various fraudulent businesses.)

[Michael P]

Magister is vice signaling that invincible ignorance. Ironic.

[Magister]

No vice to be ignorant of insignificant things, no matter how much they enrage people like Michael P.

[TwelveInchPianist]

Hey baby, you must be a Somialian day care, cuz I been learing at you all night.

[DDHarriman]

hobie: living proof of government schools

[SRG2]

Whatabout

[Riva]

No, true.

[Michael P]

"Whatabout" is merely a shorthand confession to recognizing that their hypocrisy is indefensible.

[David Nieporent]

No. This is a stupid retort on your part under the best of circumstances, but it's pathetic when there was no hypocrisy to begin with. It would be hypocrisy if (a) someone on the other side of the aisle did the same thing as Trump; and (b) someone here excused or defended it. But since neither (a) nor (b) is applicable here, there was no "hypocrisy."

It is the act of whatabouting, not the calling out of the act, that is sleazy and dishonest. Particularly the naked whatabouting that doesn't even nod to acknowledging the original criticism. E.g., "Okay, what Trump did is bad, but whatabout these people…" The Rivabot — and you — don't even have the minimal consciences necessary to say the first part.

[SRG2]

Nope - sometimes it may point to hypocrisy, but it assumes that the initial poster had not previously criticised the other offender. For example, if I say, Trump's in serious mental decline, and you respond, "Biden was gone 2 years into his term", that's whatabouting, for sure, but if I'd previously posted that Biden was losing it and should step down, I would not be a hypocrite.

Further, a whatabout is a kind of ad hominem. It doesn't address the actual claim - instead it says that because the original poster is a hypocrite therefore we can ignore the substance of what he's saying. Indeed, a whatabout - as with a conventional ad hominem - is almost invariably a concession that the original statement is true.
"

[not guilty]

"Indeed, a whatabout - as with a conventional ad hominem - is almost invariably a concession that the original statement is true."

Exactly. Whataboutism as a retort indicates that one has no defense or justification as to the conduct at issue.

[Riva]

Nope again. I'm noting real democrat self-enrichment and fraud to contrast with a TDS deranged rant attacking perfectly legitimate business ventures associated with the Trump brand. But I concede that President Trump never married a sibling.

[SRG2]

Trump U was not a perfectly legitimate venture and his charity was an exercise in self-dealing - both as found to be the case in a court of law, not mere opinion.

[Riva]

Is this whataboutism? asking for a friend.

[SRG2]

Nope. You claimed that Trump's ventures were "perfectly legitimate business ventures associated with the Trump brand". I merely cited exampls of where your claim was an outright lie,.

[Riva]

Try and be honest for the new year, you're embarrassing yourself with a deranged TDS whataboutism, but a whataboutism all the same.

[SRG2]

You make a claim about Trump. I counter the specific claim - I don't respond by saying, "but Biden" or "but Obama". So it's not a whataboutism.

[David Nieporent]

But I concede that President Trump never married a sibling.

Yup; he was too busy carrying a torch for his daughter.

[ThePublius]

O.K., you win the prize for the first disgusting comment here for the new year.

[Riva]

Would it be also be whataboutism to point out that you're expressing a deranged TDS fantasy whereas Omar actually (that would be in the real world) married her brother? To be fair we could note that she was engaged in immigration fraud that involved a marriage to her brother, but still, we have a marriage to her brother.

[David Nieporent]

Trump has expressed sexual interest in Ivanka on multiple occasions. In contrast, it is just a malicious lie that Ilhan Omar's husband was her brother.

[Riva]

I'm sure crazy Dave can back up his delusion with links to facts and he's not just relaying a fantasy that he employs in, shall we say, private moments. Anytime you're ready crazy Dave.

[jb]

Omar's situation mostly seems like innuendo at this point, but yes it is also bad that Pelosi and many other Congress folks seem to routinely trade on insider information to become wealthy.

Of course, most of that is penny ante compared to what Trump is up to this term. Why settle for a few million when you can get some oil money involved?

[David Nieporent]

Is the Pelosi situation more than innuendo? (This is a sincere question.) Has anyone established any insider trading (legal or otherwise) or is it just "She got rich, so she must've done that"? Anyway, regardless of whether she did it, members of Congress should not be allowed to trade stocks.

[jb]

Right. I think it's true that in most cases (including Pelosi's) that there's not hard evidence of insider trading. But there's a fair number of suspicious trades that her husband has engaged in and quite strong overall evidence that Congressional leaders in general benefit from their positions in their trading. See, e.g. https://www.nber.org/papers/w34524

[DDHarriman]

Good. Every Democrat and foreigner in the world is ripping us off. It's about time some of the Heritage Americans made out.

[Magister]

Corruption is good, says DDHarriman. Somebody spent too long gazing into an abyss.

[jb]

This basically captures the essence of MAGA. We have to defend everything Trump does, even if it comes to standing up for overt corruption.

And then they have the gall to accuse Trump's critics of TDS. The derangement is real, but basically pure projection at this point.

[ReaderY]

I wuppose people are entitled to ask any questions they want about anything, but I don’t see any conflicts of interest here.

As Louis XIV famously put it, “L’Etat, c’est moi!” So understood, everything Mr. Trump does benefits the United States. The whole concept of a conflict of interest requires a difference of interest, which in turn requires a difference of identity.Alter egos simply cannot have a conflict of interest. That which conflicts with Mr. Trump’s interests necessarily conflicts with the United States’. As Louis XIV’s brilliant civics lesson about how strongman regimes operate explains, they are one and the same.

[Commenter_XY]

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-tankers-still-arriving-venezuela-despite-us-blockade-data-shows-2025-12-30/

My question. How do we determine what oil is seize-able under US sanctions and what oil is not seize-able? My understanding it is driven by being on a list of ships under sanction.

Two oil tankers from CHN are en route to VEN. Presumably, neither CHN ship has been identified in the US sanctions (neither ship listed as under sanctions). Does the US simply let them load and leave, no questions asked?

To me, the answer is 'Yes'. Ship not on sanctions list, no action to be taken. What is wrong about that?

[hobie]

As long as they don't blow up the tanker and murder all the crew, sounds reasonable to me.

[bloocow2]

But there might be drugs on them! You just can't take that chance.

[hobie]

Pete Hegseth - "The tanker's dispensary had enough Tylenol to make the rest of Arkansas autistic. You see in this clip the ship's nurse - the bastard! - bobbing next to Kate and Leonardo? Well, I had the broads in the steno pool set up a run of 10,000 dominoes. When the last one falls and strikes the kill switch...BOOM!...no more nurse!"

[Frank Drackman]

More suicides are committed with Tylenol than with Fent-a-nol

[ducksalad]

Theory: We list things under sanction, and then seize or sink them regardless.

Practice: We decide who we can realistically mess with, and then adjust the sanctions or selectively enforce them to match.

We aren't going to blow up or take anything the Chinese government has a direct interest in, no matter what country they are dealing with, and no matter what's in the cargo.

[hobie]

And painting a Russian flag on the hull is smart as well. Is like a maritime pardon/love letter to Donny. Better would would be a Turning Point flag. The MAGAs will dutifully melt and all would be forgiven.

[ReaderY]

If US forces were able to seize it, it was seizable. If rhey couldn’t or wouldn’t, it wasn’t seizable.

[darkknight9]

I was greeted with news this new year of a 10 day fix it or be evicted notice.

It stems from signing and returning a document that they screwed up calculations and the rent is going up. But that's not the issue. I got the paper @ 5pm on the 23rd. I signed it and returned it to the office 9 hours later @2am on the 24th. I am treated to this fix it or get the hell out because I did not stuff it into the rent payment/documents box and instead slid it under the office door.

You didn't submit it correctly, so now I get to wait. If they are gone today and tomorrow and not back until Monday I'll get treated to not being able to sleep until then. Then I can sign a new form because the last one wasn't properly submitted.

I'm just bitching because I got a notification that this post was open and I wanted to gripe to someone. Happy New Year.

[ThePublius]

I can't say I know what's going on here, about what they are citing you for, or what needs to be fixed, but I feel for you. Don't worry: they're not going to forcibly throw you out anytime soon.

[ThePublius]

We got snow last night in New Bedford, about 2 1/2". It looks beautiful outside now. But, then, I will have to shovel my sidewalk by 11:00 a.m., and I don't really feel like getting out of my PJ's today. 🙂

I'd rather make another fire in the fireplace and finish the champagne from last night. Oh, well!

I laid in two 40lb. bags of calcium chloride ice melt Monday. I found I use 20 lb. just to treat my sidewalk and front entrance way, not including the driveway. It adds up! It's pet safe, which is intentional, since most of the foot traffic by my place is folks walking their dogs to the park across the street.

My lot is so small, and flat, that this would be an excellent application for a robotic snow removal device. Maybe someday. 'Though iRobot is declaring bankruptcy. I have a well-off friend with a heated walk and driveway. I can only imagine the energy costs for that! I should just suck it up and decide the exercise is good for me. It's really not that much, it takes less than 1/2 hour to get it done (not counting the driveway, which I rarely do anyway; I just drive over the snow).

[hobie]

I see in my future this morning, the parting of $10 to the little entrepreneur with the shovel.

[ThePublius]

Lucky you! I have no one at this time, and my gardener has disappeared, too. I have to start seeking new ones. A nice young man shoveling my neighbor's walk helped me out last week, very kind of him. I should have gotten his number.

BTW, $10 seems kinda stingy these days, no? You can barely buy a pack of smokes with that. 🙂

[hobie]

10ft of sidewalk. 10 minutes. $10. I'll sleep easy.

[ThePublius]

Gotcha. That's not a lot of sidewalk. Mine's about 60', I think.

[hobie]

60ft! You'll need a slew of little neegroes.

[jay.tee]

Ugh. Way to taint a fairly anodyne thread with your racism.

[hobie]

On the VC, you have speak the language to be understood.

[SRG2]

We got a light dusting here in Nassau County.- an inch or so

[ducksalad]

Weather here: 81F predicted high, light dusting of spent fireworks on the ground.

[Brett Bellmore]

Sunny, high of 61. A bit too warm to use our fireplace, it wouldn't draft properly when the fire dies down in the night. We can only use it on nights when the temperature when the fire dies is cold enough that the chimney drafts even with a negligible fire. (Didn't have that problem in Michigan, but there I had a basement fireplace in a tri-level house, and the chimney was double walled pipe, not ancient masonry.)

This is the year I need to install an outside air supply and glass windows, so that problem goes away.

[ducksalad]

I always thought waking up smelling like I'm a Hickory Farms product was a pleasant part of experience. The cough not so much but it's a small price to pay.

[Longtobefree]

I have central heat, A/C, and an automatic thermostat.
No worries.
(except it whines every three months I haven't let it into my Wi-Fi)

[ducksalad]

OpenAI knows what is good for you. Just connect and set all those permissions to yes.

[Frank Drackman]

Duluth MN 6F, Snowing, but it's an Icy Windy Snowy Cold.
Wait, that was a few hours ago, now it's "1" (HT N. Page)

[Jmaie]

Fairbanks, Alaska, a toasty -32F

[not guilty]

Happy New Year, people!

[jb]

And to Riva too!

[hobie]

Your charity rivals (<-Riva!) even Jeebus/Zohran.

[not guilty]

Actually, I did have Riva in mind when I chose the word "people". I wondered whether anyone would pick up on the exclusion there.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Happy New Year. How many have broken a resolution already?

I guess the best approach is not to make any.

[loki13]

Recognizing you have a problem is the first step toward ignoring the problem

[ducksalad]

Resolved to be more civil in the Open Thread. Still hanging on but it's a struggle.

[bernard11]

Resolved to start waking up earlier, rather than lazing around in bed.

Fell at the first hurdle.

[hobie]

"Trump’s Tangled Web of Deal-Making, Policy and Riches
"Since his return to office, President Trump and his family have engaged in a moneymaking campaign like none in modern American history."

Free article for the shlubs:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/31/us/trump-deals-policy-conflicts-web.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BFA.Msx3.KdVwSod6UnI1&smid=url-share

[ReaderY]

Trump promised to be nothing at all like past American Presidents, whom he generally regards with contempt.

At least he’a kept his word on that point.

[loki13]

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone’s 2026 is filled with joy, mangoes, love, family, and community. But not in that order. Mangoes come first (there is no joy without them).

And that at some point we get back to treating politics as the boring but necessary method to achieve policies through societal consensus, and not as a daily reality TV show.

But since that seems unlikely… at least have some mangoes.

[SRG2]

One of TJ's great products, sadly vanished, was their chocolate covered chili-spiced mango. Indian mango pickle is also very fine.

And fresh mangoes, yes indeed, particularly the flatter yellow ones with a texture like soft butter.

[ducksalad]

We haven't had a good snow here in like ten years, and people are getting nostalgic. So I'm thinking to plant another expensive and delicate mango sapling, as a service to the community. It worked last time....

[hobie]

Dear AI, how many vacations has JD Vance taken since the 2025 inauguration?

"Since the January 2025 inauguration, Vice President JD Vance has reportedly taken numerous vacations, with media reports in August 2025 citing eight vacations in seven months, including trips to Vermont (skiing), Greenland, Italy (Colosseum visit), Disneyland, Nantucket, the UK (Cotswolds/Scotland), India (Taj Mahal), and Ohio, often sparking criticism for their frequency and use of taxpayer funds."

[ducksalad]

Greenland was a legitimate military recon mission, and we even got Usha's services for free.

The rest, yeah.

[Frank Drackman]

Sleepy Joe's entire Term was a Vacation.

[Michael P]

Besides overseeing the opening of the border and abrogation of related law enforcement as Border Czar, did Kamala Harris even do anything as veep?

[David Nieporent]

Not only another whatabout, but a pathetically incorrect one, as was explained in the campaign: "Border Czar" was GOP fiction. She was not tasked with anything at all to do with border enforcement. She was tasked to negotiate with various Central American countries to stem the flow of migrants.

[TwelveInchPianist]

Why were Axios and other news outlets reporting GOP fiction?

"Harris, appointed by Biden as border czar, said she would be looking at the "root causes" that drive migration."

[Magister]

You only just now noticed that media often adopt GOP fiction?

[Brett Bellmore]

We long ago noticed that perfectly ordinary facts get labeled "GOP fictions".

[Magister]

We long ago noticed that GOP fictions get labeled "perfectly ordinary facts".

[Randal]

"The root causes that drive migration" equals "negotiate with various Central American countries to stem the flow of migrants" you numbnutz.

[David Nieporent]

Your link is broken, but in any case, Axios is for people who found USA Today infographics to be too long-form journalism. I would be as surprised to find inaccurate shorthand in Axios as I would be to find polysorbate 80 in salad dressing.

[TwelveInchPianist]

OK, but there's not the GOP, are they?

In any event, here's a before and after of the media referring to her as the border czar, then denying that they'd done so. Whoever's fiction it was, it wasn't' the GOP's.

[Michael P]

So she did nothing, and the most you have is a pathetic lie -- and a pedantic one at that -- about the name of her role to try to distract.

[Magister]

She did cast more deciding votes in the Senate than any vice president in history. That's the one power that the vice president has that isn't overshadowed by the president.

[David Nieporent]

You understand the vice presidents don't have any powers, other than breaking ties in the Senate (and presiding over the Senate, I guess), right? With that exception, they can't do anything, other than act as an emissary for the president if the president wants them to.

[Michael P]

You remember that you jumped into this thread all pissy about whether the last VP was officially designated as the border czar or only unofficially called that to describe what she was delegated to do, right?

[Magister]

act as an emissary for the president if the president wants them to

what she was delegated to do

Same thing, but neither is being a czar.

[ReaderY]

Ignorance is really empowering isn’t it? When you have no clue what she did, you can truthfully say she did nothing you know of.

But here, you know nothing at all, That makes “nothing I know of” redundant. so you can just drop it and shorten to “she did nothing.”

[Bored Lawyer]

Vacation implies a break from work. Stupor is more like it.

[Brett Bellmore]

Stupor would have been a step up for me. Unidentified respiratory infection for two weeks. Thank goodness it responded to antibiotics.

[Armchair]

Remind me why we care?

Is the VP doing his job duties...which are extremely minimal...?

If the answer is yes, I see no reason why he can't see parts of the world that he wants to.

[Brett Bellmore]

He's got two real duties as I understand it: Breaking Senate ties, and still being alive if the President dies. The latter actually is aided by his staying far away from the President.

[Commenter_XY]

He is also getting OJT for his next promotion. He has to win, first.

[Brett Bellmore]

If Republicans don't require him to win a competitive primary election, they're absolute fools. You can make a weak case for not requiring a first term President to have to compete in primaries, (He's presumably busy, and has already conclusively demonstrated his party supports him.) but no such argument supports VPs getting handed the nomination.

[bernard11]

I see no reason why he can't see parts of the world that he wants to.

Me neither, but not at government expense. If he wants to visit the Taj Mahal, or the Colosseum, let him pay his own air fare and hotel bill.

[David Nieporent]

His air fare and hotel bill are a small portion of the taxpayer expense. It's the entourage that comes with him where the real spending comes in.

[Randal]

Remind me why we care?

"use of taxpayer funds"

I hereby diagnose you with short-term memory loss and refer you to Trump's dementia doctor.

[David Nieporent]

If the answer is yes, I see no reason why he can't see parts of the world that he wants to.

Well, he's spending our money to do it. In the grand scheme of things it's an infinitesimal fraction of the federal budget, but still not sure why we should pay for him to galavant around the world for fun. (If it's an official visit somewhere that's a different story.)

[Michael P]

People are posting year-in-review lists, and some things I am amazed to have missed, like bouncers checking your smile at the door to a comedy club. https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/comedy/news/botox-ban-comedy-club-london-b2710893.html

And a reduction in cash use has led to 31% fewer emergency surgeries to remove foreign items from kids' noses in the UK. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/28/decline-of-cash-credited-for-drop-in-nhs-surgery-for-children-swallowing-objects

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Zohran Mamdani paid the required $9 and took his oath of office.

Congrats Mayor Mamdani.

[Bored Lawyer]

What $ 9?

[TwelveInchPianist]

Head. Same as in town.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

A fee charged for city officials who take an oath.

[jb]

https://www.cityclerk.nyc.gov/content/oath-of-office

[hobie]

Yes, congrats. But Mamdani needs to temper all that Christ-like talk of charity, homeless and feeding. It infuriates the white Christian nationalists

[Brett Bellmore]

Honestly, I don't recall Christ's sermon about routing all your charity through government so that you can compel other people to pay for it in your place.

[Michael P]

It is ever so much easier to be charitable with other people's money.

[hobie]

Psalm 72 describing the "righteous king" (the government):

"May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;"

[TwelveInchPianist]

No Kings!

[hobie]

HaHa! Suddenly now you're on the No Kings bandwagon.

[jb]

I think it was right after the one where he talked about sending all the brown people back to oppressive regimes and lives of poverty.

[Randal]

All the brown Christians, no less.

[not guilty]

"Honestly, I don't recall Christ's sermon about routing all your charity through government so that you can compel other people to pay for it in your place."

I doubt that the Roman government would have paid much attention to an itinerant rabbi in one of its remote provinces.

That having been said, if Acts of Apostles is correct, the Christian disciples in Jerusalem did practice socialism. At chapter 2, verses 44-47 (RSV):

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common;
45 and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

At chapter 4, verses 32=35 (RSV):

32 Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.
33 And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold
35 and laid it at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need.

For some reason I don't recall too many sermons about these passages when I was growing up in Churches of Christ. Although some preachers did talk about the story of Ananias and Sapphira from chapter 5, emphasizing the consequences of greed and deception.

[John 4]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ2L-R8NgrA

[not guilty]

Good catch!

[bernard11]

I don't recall the one where Jesus said to kick out all the foreigners ASAP.

[Bored Lawyer]

Iranian protests expand beyond the economy as students demand freedom, end to regime rule

University students in different cities in Iran joined protests against the regime Tuesday by chanting slogans that included “student, be the voice of your people,” and “death to Islamic Republic.”
The protests began Sunday in downtown Tehran as the Iranian currency hit a new low, but they have since expanded in size and scope, moving beyond the narrower cause of the economy to "freedom and equality" and an end to the regime, evident in the slogans protesters are chanting.

Please God, this year the mullahs who rule Iran will be gone, and that country will instead have rulers who focus on their country's well being, rather than spreading mayhem throughout the Middle East and trying to destroy Israel.

[ducksalad]

It's a nice wish. But we've seen this cycle of students protesting a dozen or more times since the 1980 revolution. The result is always about the same: a combination of the ringleaders getting arrested and everyone else getting appeased with some minor token reforms and a temporary let-up in the social restrictions.

And if things get too shaky they can always arrange* with you-know-who to be on the receiving end of an air raid or assassination, which causes everyone to rally behind the flag.

----
*Maybe arrange is too strong a word. But I think it has to be admitted that all the recent exchanges between US/Israel and Iran have a curiously calibrated feel to them.

[Bored Lawyer]

I don't know what you mean by "curiously calibrated." Iran has attacked Israel directly and indirectly.

As for rallying around the flag, my impression is that many Iranians are sick and tired of the regime, and feel that its obsession with destroying Israel only harms them. If I were an Iranian suffering from drought and economic turmoil, I might wonder why our leaders spend so much money and energy on foreign issues, rather than helping their own country. How about trying to build water systems rather than missiles and nuclear weapons?

As you say, this has happened before, and there are no guarantees. We will see.

[Commenter_XY]

I'm with you; I'd like to see a different Iran emerge from the turmoil with new leadership.

[hobie]

It would be ironic that a revolution started by students would end by students.

[ThePublius]

Today it's going to be Tikki Masala, chicken thighs as the protein, basmati rice and naan. I have one last Patak's meal kit for this. I think they are really good, nice set of spices. Since I don't eat much, it will be probably four meals for me. But, it will be good!

[hobie]

Pataks is a good gateway. I've introduced my neighbors to its jars and to basmati...and they love it!

[Ridgeway]

Tikka masala (and most Indian/Anglo-Indian curries) is usually cooked only for a short while (30 minutes or so).

That amount of time is not optimal for cooking chicken thighs. Because of all the connective tissue they have, slow cooking works best for them.

If you want to use thighs, I'd suggest slow roasting them at 300 or so until the internal temp gets to 190 or so. Then take them out of the oven, cut them up, and pop into your sauce for the last 10 minutes or so of cooking.

[ThePublius]

Thank you. I just followed the directions. THey said to cook the chicken in the 'paste' and water for 5 minutes, then add the sauce and simmer for 15 minutes. Came out O.K. by my judgement. I might try what you suggest next time.

[bernard11]

Doesn't an internal temp of 190 turn them into leather?

[Ridgeway]

Chicken thighs stand up really well to low/slow cooking -- all the connective tissue turns to gelatin and moisturizes the meat.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Roberts closed his report with a quote from President Calvin Coolidge for the country’s 150th anniversary in 1926. “Amid all the clash of conflicting interests, amid all the welter of partisan politics,” Coolidge said, “every American can turn for solace and consolation to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States with the assurance and confidence that those two great charters of freedom and justice remain firm and unshaken.” Coolidge’s statement, Roberts emphasized, was “[t]rue then” and remains “true now.”

https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/12/chief-justices-year-end-report-goes-back-to-basics/

The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, a date later celebrated as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.

Suitably, David Souter was born on September 17. He was later especially concerned about the teaching of civics. Souter died last year at the age of 85.

[Archibald Tuttle]

The declaration said that we have the right and duty to overthrow the government when we have grievances. Where does that stand in 2026, in Robert's opinion?

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Summarizing it as "grievances" skips over some stuff.

[not guilty]

Civil disobedience is always an option. Those who practice it, however, should be willing to live with the consequences thereof, like the founders, backed by the Continental Army, in the 1770s and the advocates of desegregation in the 1960s.

While their cause was wicked and evil, even the Confederates in the 1860s were willing to bear horrible consequences is service of human chattel slavery.

[Frank Drackman]

Anyone here do the "Blackeyed Peas" for New Years?? I think it's a Southern Thang, supposed to give you good Financial Luck for the New Year, Stuck in Snowy Minn-a-Soda I'm doing Pizza and Wings.

Frank

[Michael P]

We usually do Hoppin' John here -- courtesy of my Denver-raised wife, and I don't remember it being a tradition when I was growing up in NC and FL, although I think it is more of a southern thing. Fresh black-eyed peas seem to have a shelf life measured in hours; several years I've had to go back to the grocery store because the first tub went moldy.

[hobie]

I've done the king of all southern peas: purple hull peas. With ham hock and cornbread.

[not guilty]

Yes. I'm having hoppin' john along with turnip and mustard greens, all cooked with ham hocks, and I will fry some cornbread in a cast iron skillet.

[Frank Drackman]

I Feel Old Dept:
Third Eye Blind doing "Semi-Charmed Life"
at 1/2 time of the Oregon/Texas Tech game,
released 2-18-1997, when I'm pretty sure none of the players were even a twinge in their Father's Loins.
Was sort of "Risque" for the time, with lyrics about his chick going down on him, he's "holding" (What? like Furs??)
"Doin Crystal Meth until you break"
Ahh, the good old days, I remember a Surgery Resident, would grind his Adderall with a Pestal, mix it with his (Black) Coffee....

Frank

Frank

[Commenter_XY]

The data are in; The Donald is off to a slower start, using the S&P 500 as the measure. That seems a good proxy for American business, overall. In 2017, it was up ~22%; in 2025, it is up ~16%. A decent real return, but The Donald needs to do better in 2026, and not replicate 2018 in terms of S&P 500 returns.

I see a few immediate issues: PPACA subsidies, debt ceiling, gov't funding. That is just January.

Could Congress axe the subsidies, and if so, what happens to the insurance marketplace?

[hobie]

During 2020 I watched in disbelief as everyone was out of work and businesses across the world were going bankrupt, yet the stock market kept rising. It was like nothing bad was happening.

It was at that point that I said to myself: 'As crazy as Bernie Sanders may have sounded to me...I think he was correct.'

I have no idea what the stock market represents anymore, but it is definitely not fiscal health. To be honest...it seems like a Ponzi scheme. When the crash eventually happens, a few elites will be on top and everyone else is fucked.

[Frank Drackman]

Market was doing fine until Friday March 13, 2020 when 45 Shut down Amurica for 6 Months, at the time seemed like the thing to do, looking back not so much.
Doesn't really explain the collapse in 2022
Frank

[Frank Drackman]

how did the market do in 2022%??

[Goju]

I can remember 2025 like it was yesterday.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Mayor Mamdani:

And while only action can change minds, I promise you this: If you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor. Regardless of whether we agree, I will protect you, celebrate with you, mourn alongside you, and never, not for a second, hide from you.

https://archive.ph/14LDW

A general ideal should be that elected officials remember they represent everyone in the area they cover, not just those who agree with them or who voted for them. The others are not "leftist scum" or whatever. They are their constituents.

[Randal]

Are Americans just bored? We're so listless as a nation that politics has become our primary form of entertainment.

We need a new national pastime.

"Hide from the AI" most likely.

[ThePublius]

:HOW IT STARTED: “If the question is when markets will recover, a first-pass answer is no.”

—Paul Krugman, the New York Times, Election Night 2016.

How it’s going: S&P 500 closes lower Wednesday, but wraps 2025 with a 16% gain.

—CNBC, yesterday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed on Election Night 2016 at 18,332.74. It closed yesterday at 48,063.29. That’s a gain of almost 30,000 points. For 2025, those zany right-wing Tory-loving capitalist “greed is good” Gordon Gekko types at the Grauniad reported yesterday that “The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 13.4% during 2025. The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite rallied 20.5%.”"

Has Krugman, Nobel prize winning economist, ever been right about anything?

[Frank Drackman]

I still remember in the late 1970's when serious Financial Advisors recommended emptying every coin changer to get the rare Silver Dime/Quarter that was worth the current Silver price.
And though it wasn't obvious at the time, I've put most of my Shekels in Vanguards S&P500, $117/share 20 yrs ago, $631 today, and thats with 20 yrs of "W" Barry Hussein, '45' and Sleepy.
Don't mis-underestimate the strenghth of the Amurican Economy, not far from where I live, there's a Ferrari Dealership, not an Autoshop that works on Ferrari's, a regular Dealership where you can buy one like a Corolla,
THAT's where Amurica's at

Frank

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Interesting WSJ interview [https://archive.ph/cxuLP] with Curtis Sliwa. To cover something addressed in a past thread:

[Q:] Mamdani has taken flak for his choice of Fire Department commissioner Lillian Bonsignore. Elon Musk Tweeted that “people will die because of this.”

[A:] I see Musk is at it again. The Masters of the Universe. They like to get out of their lane. People’s lives are going to be under threat? Really? She, Bonsignore, ran EMS at the FDNY, has been in EMS for 31 years. EMS is probably the second most difficult job in the city. Elon Musk retweets what some other person tweeted. Everyone’s in danger now because she never put out a fire. Well, hold on a second. Let’s go way back to Ed Koch. Charles Hynes was his fire commissioner for two years. Charlie Hynes never put out a fire. Mayor Bloomberg appointed Nicholas Scoppetta. He never put out a fire. Elon Musk knows nothing about putting out fires. Let the guy make his appointments. He got the votes. He’ll put his agenda into effect. And then after a while, if you’re not happy, then you begin to do what everybody does in America, which is protest, complain. But why wouldn’t you extend the same courtesy to Mamdani that was extended to every other mayor coming into office?