Happy 4th of July Forum
Steven L. Taylor
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Thursday, July 4, 2024
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53 comments
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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Did not have this on my 2024 Headline Bingo card: Work on synthetic human embryos to get code of practice in UK
In reading Italian court upholds murder convictions of two Americans over death of police officer, I came across this:
My first read was, “the court of castration”.
Happy Fourth, everyone.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8yfexDO3ZL/?igsh=MXVmazBkYTRuZzV3Zg==
Since the Supremes (in the Chevron decision) apparently hinted that Congress has the first responsibility to determine what Federal regulations mean, I suggest that the Dems put together a bill stating in specific terms what are “official” Presidential acts and which ones are “unofficial.” And said bill should include clear and unambiguous language that evidence showing motive must be included in any particular case where a determination is required.
@SC_Birdflyte: Pretty certain they would say that the “separation of powers” bars that, logic be damned.
eta: not that congress shouldn’t do just exactly that, at the very least it would be educational.
I don’t know. Wasn’t the whole point of 1776 to get out from under the rule of a monarch who couldn’t be held to account for his actions? and didn’t the supreme court just rule the intent of the whole endeavor was, in fact, to make sure the country is ruled by someone who can’t be held accountable for his actions?
Sunday for reasons that are not relevant, I placed a bottle of diet coke in the freezer, then forgot about it. I relocated it to the fridge on Monday, and it took about 52 hours to fully thaw. I wanted to see what it would be like after all this.
Other at the office warned me it would be flat. I didn’t think so, as the bottle remained sealed and where would the CO2 go? Conceivably it might have left the solution and not re-dissolved in the liquid. If so, one would expect the contents of the bottle to exit explosively when it was opened.
Well, it opened like any regular soda bottle, with a bit of a hiss from escaping gas, and bubbles formed on the surface. I poured it and it did make some foam, albeit much less than a new bottle should. It tasted fine, but again not like freshly opened. More like a bottle one has left opened for 30 minutes before pouring or drinking from it. So, not terrible at all. I drank the whole thing.
I did investigate what happens. Much of the CO2, but not all, remains dissolved as the soda freezes. the rest doesn’t go anywhere if the bottle is sealed. Some does escape the soda and never dissolves again in it.
This lead me to believe a partially frozen soda, say to a state more like slush, should retain enough CO2 to taste and feel carbonated, much like an Icee (these get carbonated when they are served, much like restaurant soda dispensing machines do for non-slush drinks).
I may do some experiments with different kinds of soda as I find the time.
BTW, it’s not a good idea to freeze soda, or any water based drink, in a full bottle. Water expands as it cools, and the bottle can blow up from the pressure. It’s worse with soda than with plain water, because the undissolved CO2 adds pressure to the mix.
In fact, the last time I forgot a soda in the freezer, it was a can of diet coke and it did blow up. Of course it made a mess in the freezer. We had to thaw it to get it cleaned up (it blew before all the liquid froze). And there’s always the chance the chance it will blow when the door is opened and hurt you.
The modern plastic bottles seem to be able to contain it. In any case, I’ll experiment with partially filled bottles, to allow room for the liquid to expand in a non-explosive fashion.
“I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy, Yankee Doodle do or die
A real life nephew of my Uncle Sam
born on the fourth of July. (the amazing George M. Cohen)
James Cagney’s performance is one of the greatest in entertainment history
Happy fourth!
Kathy- Didnt you make dry ice bombs when you were young? Lots of fun.
I will be spending the day trying to get my new HP printer working. Worst printer ever. This is old tech. You would think it would be pretty problem free by now but older ones were much better.
Steve
Here’s a big question: can the US government nationalize a large, very important company that is absolutely essential for both domestic economic well being and national defense?
Naturally I’m talking about Boeing.
It’s not “too big to fail.” It’s so big, its failure would cause a major downturn. Think of all the employees, suppliers, suppliers for the suppliers (and several links in that chain), all those other employees, indirect jobs, jobs in the various communities, loss of exports, loss of half the total mainline commercial aircraft manufacturing, etc.
Boeing isn’t in imminent risk of failure, but it’s not doing well, either. Consider the losses due to the accidents and subsequent grounding of the MAX, plus latter MAX issues (door plug), plus ongoing issues with the 787, plus the five year and counting delay in putting the 777X into service, plus the delay in certifying the MAX 7 and 10, plus the Starliner officially not stranded at the ISS (narrator: it is soooo stranded there), and Boeing looks more like a horror show than an aerospace company.
I even wonder if there are major issues with Boeing’s defense contracts. You know, like the delays with the KC-46 tanker, or the VC-25B presidential 747…
If there’s one more major accident with a large loss of life due to Boeing’s negligence or carelessness, the firm might not survive.
Would the government do a better job running Boeing? At this point, it’s doubtful a box of rocks could do worse. The government, though, would do best to effect a change in ownership to persons more responsible.
What would really help in commercial aviation, would be to have one more major manufacturer. Looking back, the Boeing-McDD merger/assimilation should have never been allowed. It’s true McDD was on the verge of dissolution, but it would have been better if it had been taken over by another aerospace company. Like Lockheed or Grumman, who would have kept producing existing models, and developed new ones.
@Kathy:
Except for banks, I can’t think of a governmental process that would allow the Federal government to assume the management of a company. Even in the case of a bank, the appointed receiver’s sole objective is to move the assets of the bank into the private sector as quickly as possible and dissolve the liabilities through bankruptcy proceedings.
Happy Fourth of July; happy birthday to the United States of America.
God bless her, and all who sail in her.
Also: Election Day in the UK!
I have voted!
Polls close 10pm BST.
(Current time is 17:01 BST)
First results will start coming in from 11 to 12.
@steve:
Dry ice was never easy to get.
My best printer ever, in terms of it always worked as intended and rarely gave me any trouble, was a large Star Micronics dot matrix with “near letter quality.”
I’ve never really done much printing for personal use, at least not since I left school.
I’ve never liked inkjet printers. They produce good results, and have become faster, but the price of ink is ridiculously expensive and produces too much waste.
@JohnSF:
Keep us posted with your perspective. The U.K. election is big news here, too.
And thanks for the birthday wishes.
A German city is temporarily re-naming itself after Taylor Swift in acknowledgment of her Eras Tour. Gelsenkirchen will now be known as Swiftkirchen.
This strikes me as going a trifle overboard.
@Tyrell: Tyrell!!!! How have you been? It’s good to hear from you! I hope you’re doing well and wish you a happy 4th, too!
@CSK:
Well, I’ll post about the early stuff.
The exit poll will come in just after 10, and that’s usually pretty accurate. Also indications of turnout.
The early results (11:30 till 12:30) will be from safe seats where counting is easy; that will give indications as to “swings”.
But the first contested seats will only start coming in after midnight, which will pretty much confirm the early indicators.
By that point, as I’m at work tomorrow and have to get up around 6:30, bed will be beckoning. 🙂
The floodgates will open about about 2 am; by 5 am the actual result will be obvious.
All seats will be in by about 8 am Friday; unless there are some that need multiple recounts.
@Sleeping Dog:
Precisely why I ask.
I’ve been looking for more info, and it seems there ave been other nationalizations, but out of wartime necessity and long, long ago.
@JohnSF:
This translates for me as exit polls around 3 pm, and the early results between 4 and 5 pm.
A happy and safe Fourth to all. Today day I’ll eat a Brat with sauerkraut and horseradish mustard and an oil, vinegar and salt dressed dill pickle potato salad and drink a couple of very cold American Lagers. Then, like Pogo, quietly shout Hooray.
@Tyrell: Long time no read, hope the God’s have been kind to you.
@CSK: IMHO, the whole Swift phenomenon is more than a little over the top.
@CSK:
Strikes me a money grab. Why not?
I keep wondering when my luck will run out.
The last couple weeks I’ve been somewhat distracted by an MRI that found a mass in my prostate. Prostate cancer doesn’t tend to kill you as much nowadays, but still it would have meant buying Depends, at least for a while, and I wasn’t looking forward to that. But on a worry scale of 1 to 10, I was at maybe a five. I’m good in a crisis, it’s the other 98% of life I struggle with. (May be why I keep precipitating crises. Hmmm.)
My wife and eldest daughter were more worried than I was. The two of them are compulsive researchers, so every conceivable therapy or situation has been as war-gamed as D-Day. Want a detailed comparison of the urology departments at UCLA vs. Cedars vs. Mayo vs. Hopkins? I got the girls for you.
Then last night the news pops up on the portal. Benign, all across the board. I was happy for several minutes before falling asleep. Today, as is my wont, I’m in a moderate cringe, waiting for the next shoe to drop. Because, you know, something’s gotta kill me. And now, rather than being able to focus on one threat, I have to go back to a broad spectrum worry about all threats. Which leaves me still at a 5 on the worry-meter.
We many years ago devised the Pez Theory of Worry. Pop one Pez, there’s another right behind it, forever. So maintain an even strain, as the astronauts used to say.
I realized something about old age, and in particular why it repels people. Life is a marathon, you’re trying to stay alive, and guess what the pay-off is if you succeed? Life is a marathon where you have to keep running until you finally get the bad biopsy. Running to death. Old people are the horribly visible reminder that your existence is measured in units of Planck time.
Which I find funny.
@Kathy:
The short answer is no. I doubt anyone who has worked for the US government would disagree. It’s a load of unfathomable bureaucracy not intended for running a business. Boeing would not be improved by Jim Jordan’s oversight, for example.
@DK:
Gelsenkirchen is reportedly one of the poorest countries in Germany, so maybe this is their chance to grab a few Euros.
@OzarkHillbilly:
I don’t get Swift’s huge appeal for 4 and 5 year old girls
@Kathy: Short answer is no. In 1952 President Truman nationalized the steel industry in an attempt to break a industry wide strike by the United Steelworkers. The Supreme Court ruled that he did not have the power.
@Mr. Prosser:
All sounds markedly German to me, lol.
@a country lawyer: In America we don’t put industry under national control. We put the nation under industrial control.
@JohnSF: Danish actually, family from Bornholm
Two thoughts on this one (warning of possible triggers to JKB)
First, maybe we should have let Angela and Huey burn this sucka to the ground
Second, don’t know about all you other limp-wristed libtards, but I know where to find weapons, and I know how to use them
https://itself.blog/2024/07/02/what-do-they-think-is-going-to-happen/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0bjZr2pj-0zSfX3HdBxr_JQ6ijhsDwNwpO6wtBk7P_2DIPhcSnX69DWYs_aem_4qKO31x10rFtkP7ExOQDmQ
@CSK: Someone attractive and successful to aspire to?
@dazedandconfused:
@a country lawyer:
@Slugger:
Overall, I think it’s not a good idea to have government run the actual businesses that make up the bulk of the economy. These tend to get used for political ends.
But if a crucially important company’s management and board can’t or won’t produce the crucially needed products or services, it might not be the worst idea to nationalize it and let a different management and board take charge of it.
@just nutha:
There have been scads of attractive and successful female singers before Swift. I can’t even begin to list them, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t have vast hordes of pre-school fans.
I read somewhere that a desperately ill -year-old girl’s greatest wish was a visit from Taylor Swift. To her great credit, Swift visited.
@Flat Earth Luddite: Interesting link, zeebah neighbah!
@CSK: The earliest one I remember from my earliest days as a teacher was Mariah Carey fans in kindergarten. So no, not completely foreign for me.
@CSK: It does seem strange, since although she might speak to a generation of women, she doesn’t seem to speak to 4 and 5 year olds. Maybe they see her as an almost real life unicorn. Her life seems cartoonish in a good way, and I’m guessing she may be the most famous person in the world. Maybe even 4 and 5 year olds can sense that. Also, she seems to be a genuinely good person, and I definitely think 4 and 5 year olds can sense that. If there were a pre-k vote, I think Trump would lose it bigly.
@JohnSF: Danish, actually. Family from the island of Bornholm
@Flat Earth Luddite:
Take this part: ” The Republicans really have engineered a situation where the only way to be sure that constitutional democracy will endure is if certain named individuals were dead and buried. ”
It’s complete hogwash. They don’t have to be buried.
@SenyorDave:
“…an almost real life unicorn.” That makes sense. Or a real live Disney princess. The next 4 year old I chat with, I’ll ask.
@CSK:
I only have a small sample — three granddaughters. Granddaughter #3 (age two) worships the ground that granddaughter #1 (age 10) walks on. When granddaughter #3 is five, she will be a fan of whichever musical artists 13-year-old granddaughter #1 likes.
UK election update:
Polls have closed and initial exit poll has been released.
Prediction from that:
Labour 410 seats,
Conservatives 131,
Lib Dem 61,
Reform 13 (the turd in the punchbowl),
SNP 10
Hammered.
Into the ground.
Like tent-pegs.
🙂
@Flat Earth Luddite: from da link:
The usual problem with real life trolley problems is a lack of trolleys.
Donald Trump vs four asylum seekers… pretty clear.
Donald Trump vs. that thing growing in the back of the refrigerator? Also clear.
This exit poll may be rather more iffy than previous ones; a three to four way fight in a lot of seats, likely to be a lot of very close contests. And exit polls tend to less accuracy re smaller parties for statistical reasons.
Dammit, I wish I didn’t have to got in to work tomorrow. 🙁
@JohnSF:
The NYT says Labour is “poised for a landslide victory.”
@Flat Earth Luddite:
More seriously, this is something I argue quite a bit when discussing immigration.
When a country makes legal immigration difficult and expensive, and also requires a larger workforce than it can muster domestically, then what do you expect but people coming into the country without observing the legal formalities?
This is something, too, that happens a lot in authoritarian countries. If getting licenses, or goods, or permits, or services, etc. becomes hard to impossible, what else can you expect but bribes and black markets?
@CSK:
Certainly look that way.
The more doubtful thing is how well Reform and LibDems have done, and thus the Conservative residual total.
2 results now in, both safe Labour seats, both held; turnout 52% and Tories down about 20% in both. Indications Lab up around 5%, other 15% going to Reform.
Bedtime.
From The Guardian, What happens after polling day, three’s this:
Now imagine a Wannabehitler-like figure who really doesn’t want to give up the office he lost. Could he simply refuse to tender his resignation and try to carry on governing? Who’d stop him? Can the Queen call out troops to remove him?
@Kathy: I don’t know for sure but would guess that Camilla has no authority to call out troops.
@Flat Earth Luddite:
Thank you for this.
Well, as Bridgeport gears up for its final annual bombing campaign, I’m sitting on my porch. I’m three edibles deep and I’m listening to a mix of Talking Heads and the Police. I wish I had hope.
@Slugger:
Saving capitalism both from and for the capitalists since 1776!
Mick Jagger, 2024. He turns 81 – same age as Biden – in a couple weeks. He’s my ‘famous person who shares your birthday.’