Originally I was going to call today’s post “A Toss-Up” and briefly write about the upcoming Presidential election. I decided, instead, to use the phrase “Monday Musings” or some derivative of it for the 114th time as a post title, but for the first time in a long time.
From this Why Evolution Is True (WEIT) post is this reference to another very biased piece in the New York so-called Times:
“This [the NYT’s account of why the peace deal between Israel and the so-called Palestinians collapsed in 2008] is basically a big sleazy lie. The Olmert deal fell apart because Arafat walked away from the table, as the Palestinians have walked away from the table many times before. Israel has never preferred war over diplomacy; it is the country that always offered deals to the Palestinians, who have expressed their intention to get rid of Israel. Finally, Israel has never attacked Palestine unless in retaliation for an attack or to forestall imminent violence. I detect the strong odor of mendacity.”
There are none so blind as those who will not see…too much of the world is very blind about the conflict(s) in the Middle East.
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I have lost the link to the CNBC piece where the following was published, but will share it anyway:
For example, passengers tend to worry about crashes and severe turbulence, but statistically they are much more likely to be injured by their own luggage, he said. “Over the years, more people have been hurt, by far, from their own duty-free bottles falling out of the overhead compartment and whacking them on the head … after they’ve landed, than any kind of turbulence,” he said.
The piece was sort of a semi-humorous look at airline travel as told by an insider. My wonderful wife and I do not fly as often as we used to. Flying, even in first class as is our custom, is not remotely as enjoyable as it was 10-15 years ago.
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As reported by Jake Novak and others, both Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) and Samsung are reportedly in talks with the United Arab Emirates to build megachip factories near Dubai. Taiwan Semi has already “committed” to building THREE manufacturing plants in Arizona.
I think TSMC’s moves to create manufacturing plants away from the potential reaches of the evil Chinese government is most prudent. The CCP keeps pounding the drums louder and louder about “re-unification.” Some of those who should know think that the Chinese dictator will make a military move to subjugate Taiwan by 2028.
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I guess Dodge is now accepting orders for its electric version of the 2025 Dodge Charger. Of course, I only have interest in the ICE-powered version, but–apparently–they cannot be ordered, yet.
I think this might be another example of a car company with US roots losing its way. EV sales in the US have plateaued and are probably declining, while hybrid sales continue to increase. Maybe Stellantis/Dodge think that people don’t associate hybrids with performance. I can tell you that the Corvette E-Ray, a hybrid vehicle, is not in great demand. For the 2024 model year through July, the production totals were: 28,244 Stingrays, 8,900 Z06s and 795 E-Rays, or just two percent of total production. As I have written before, some automotive journalists believe that GM/Chevrolet have quietly cancelled plans for an all-electric Corvette.
So, maybe in the context of a performance car Stellantis/Dodge are doing the “right” thing, after all. Then again, maybe not.
Of course, the car shown above is a 2025 Dodge Charger in EV form, I believe. I don’t know how much, if at all, the exterior design of the ICE-powered version will be different.
#MondayMusingsReturns
#IStandWithIsrael!