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Wednesday’s Forum
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26 responses to “Wednesday’s Forum”
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Tesla announced their Cybercab and have started running it, however their self certification that it meets all US mandatory safety requirements is highly questionable. Waymo, Zoox and a few other autonomous taxi services operate under an exemption granted by the NHTSA wherein they demonstrated the safety of their systems and then applied for exemptions for things like rear and side view mirrors, steering wheels, brake pedals, etc. The most important part of this was the demonstration of safety. They were then granted specific licenses to operate up to a designated number of vehicles in defined areas and conditions. Tesla just skipped all this and said, “We are self certifying and we are all good”, and started running a paid autonomous taxi service. The NHTSA has now ordered company officials to respond under oath by September 30 as to how they self certified given the lack of mandatory equipment. It’s expected that Tesla will simply state that those things don’t apply to self driving cars, but as recently as earlier this year the NHTSA has made it crystal clear that while changing the law might make sense and they encourage Congress to revisit the regulations, until they do those laws apply. Even to Musk.
I’ll lay even odds that the head of the NHTSA will be replaced before the deadline and Tesla will be granted an indefinite “extension” to respond. And the Vichy Republicans will, once again, do absolutely nothing.
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Canada-Ukraine 100-Year Partnership: What Does It Mean for Both Countries? (Ukraine Arms Monitor)
Last week, President Zelensky visited Canada and signed the Ukraine–Canada Declaration for a 100-Year Partnership. It is Ukraine’s second 100-year partnership framework, after the agreement signed with the UK in 2025.
….Canada’s support for Ukraine has remained consistent. There were no major policy swings like those in the US that directly affected the situation on the battlefield. Nor have there been major disappointments like those Ukraine experienced with some European partners that either refused to provide key weapons systems, or delayed their delivery for so long that those delays had negative consequences for Ukraine.
This can be partly explained by the fact that Canada has not been a major producer of many of the defence capabilities Ukraine urgently needed. Nevertheless, it has provided important equipment, including armoured vehicles and drones. Canada has also led the way in imposing sanctions on Russia… and has been one of the first and strongest advocates for using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.
The new 100-year partnership framework creates much broader opportunities for both Ukraine and Canada.
Canada now has a rapidly growing defence and security ecosystem…
Canadian companies often found it easier to access the US defence market than to sell to their own government. But during these two years of the Trump administration, Canada has changed.
…Trump’s annexation threats and economic pressure have shaped the country’s political debate… the realization that Canada might not be able to rely on its closest partner has been something of a cold shower.
…the realization that Canada might not be able to rely on its closest partner has been something of a cold shower.
…The most important policy development was the launch of Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy. The document places much greater emphasis on building sovereign defence capabilities and supporting domestic producers.
…Canada is highly unlikely to become completely militarily self-sufficient or independent from the United States in the foreseeable future. Nor would that be desirable. The two countries remain closely connected through NATO, NORAD, integrated supply chains, and decades of military cooperation. In the event of a major common threat, they would still have to respond together…
Our stupidity and incompetence, their gain. Good for them.
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Okay, made me look. I see that the market price for #2 heating oil in our area is $5.75/gallon. That is indeed out of whack—although heating oil and diesel are very similar, heating oil prices have, in my experience, tracked much lower than diesel (close to regular gas prices) due primarily to heating oil not having motor taxes.
I don’t expect the situation to be any better by the time we need a heating oil fill in perhaps mid-December. Maybe we can put it off until January with some serious energy-saving measures. Using less is better, of course, but it’s going to be expensive whenever we get the tank filled. I don’t see oil prices moderating much for the rest of this administration.
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Many more photos of the Iran disaster caused by Trump’s undeclared war:
New photos show widespread damage at US positions (besides Bahrain) caused by Iranian attacks
The images were sent to CBS News by active service members on condition of anonymity because of rigid media restrictions within the military.
“This is major damage to our bases that hasn’t been communicated to the American public,” one deployed service member told CBS News. “We’re standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.”
Photos from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
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In the words of Maria Bartiromo back in July:
I don’t understand how it’s possible that Iran has the capabilities to fight this way and continue to try to lash out at Gulf countries and U.S. military bases…. Because the U.S. has obliterated Iran’s military, and the president continues to reiterate that.
Maybe this is the real reason she was let go by Fox. Accidentally almost stumbling into the truth has to count as a breach of contract.
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On the Kennedy Center thread I posted something about Trump’s complete incompetence at management, but it reminded me of a small mystery lurking in his truly abysmal record of stewarding companies: Why do his golf courses still exist? Yes, they lose money and seem suspiciously like laundering operations, but despite Trump they do seem to exist for decades with a real customer base. Someday we will probably find out why that’s an exception.
My guess is that like Trump Tower, he only nominally owns them and someone else is actively in control. I guess we will find out during the inevitable court battles over his estate when he dies
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I’m a golfer. I golf alot. Like alot alot.
Some of the courses Trump owns are spectacular. But most of them were better before Trump purchased them. Doral in Miami is a perfect example. It was an amazing course. Trump purchased it and suddenly there were waterfalls, statues, and gold fucking leaf everywhere. As soon as he’s not president, it will go into bankruptcy again.
Why? Because too many golfers like me, and many others, will never set foot on a Trump course because of his ownership. I took a golfing trip to Scotland in April 2024, and played The Old Course, Kingsbarn, Carnoustie, The Jubilee Course, and The Castle Course. I was offered a free round at Turnberry (I’ll never call it Trump Turnberry), and turned it down, despite Turnberry being one of the truly great courses of the world. My three playing partners also passed on the free round.
I’ll spend my money elsewhere.
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Mitch McConnell looked like a life-sized Muppet being moved from place to place yesterday. Glassy-eyed and staring off into space, with one of those smiles you see on people who have no idea what is going on around them.
The phrase in German that popped into my head was “Nicht alle Tassen im Shrank haben.” Translated to “not all of the cups in the cupboard.”
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I don’t think the story of the billionaire canceling the protest singer is going away. If what Macklemore said during his pre-song speech at MetLife stadium is enough to get you banned from large venues across the country, then we’re f***ed. Ed Sheeran didn’t need Macklemore as an opening act, but now that Macklemore’s been cut from the tour and other supporting acts and Sheeran’s own backing band have bowed out, Sheeran needs to decide what he’s going to do about the rest of his stadium tour.
And Robert Kraft should count his lucky stars and show a little humility as a guy who got caught up in a human trafficking and prostitution raid a few years ago and was charged with two counts of solicitation (charges were dropped after video evidence was found inadmissible, but he did apologize at that time). There shouldn’t be much patience for billionaires who feel empowered to tell everyone else what can and cannot be said in public, especially when it happens at stadiums built using $10s to $100s of millions each of public money. Anyone interested in this should listen to Macklemore’s full remarks, which lasted more than two minutes.
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In interesting news, Thomas Massie (R-nothing to lose) submitted a resolution in the House to impeach Hegseth. And, of course, the House was sent home a bit early to avoid voting on that or other irritating issues like Epstein-related matters. Maybe when they get back… in two months. (Note to self: run for office, so cushy.)
I lumped Massie in with all the crazies awhile back, but at least he seems like an honorable crazy.
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What’s notable: it was a unanimous decision.
Given that some economist have been arguing the economic case for a rise now is a bit 50/50, that seems like the political case has overcome the doubters.
Namely, that it is necessary for the FED to tell Trump to butt out and shut up.
Particularly in view of the continued upward pressures on bond rates.
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Annie Dillard has died
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/books/annie-dillard-dead.html -
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The Dept. of Defense IG has filed its report to congress on the cost of Donnie’s excellent Iran adventure. So much winning! Link
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