I voted for this and I am happy with this, and I am not in a cult

Standing defiantly in their red, made in China hat, a MAGA political fanatic repeated some recently learned phrases about short/long term gainpain before rambling the following diatribe:

'I voted for new wars, higher prices, paying for tariffs and masked government officials shooting Americans. Trump said he was going to alienate us and undermine NATO, he said that, I voted for that, and now he is doing it. I really wanted a new war, really, really wanted billions of dollars spent on a new war and not spent on helping Americans. I really wanted that, I always said I did, Trump was always about new wars, Kar-marl-lah would have got us into World Peace Three by now. A new war in the Middle East is everything I wanted. I think he is always right all the time, and he can do nothing wrong, so how is that like a cult?

'No one said they’d lower prices, no one said that. That would be insane. Massive price increases on everything, then sometime in the future, he said he would lower prices. How can you not understand that? Are you stupid, piggy?

'I have always hated Canada so much that they need to be part of the USA. Trump campaigned on taking Greenland, I have said this for ages that we need Greenland, always a top priority. Even though Trump has stopped talking about that for a bit.

'Trump always said he was going to protect rich people from being investigated in the Epstein Files. He would not stop saying how much he was going to only release a few bits, and that we should be happy with that and move on. I wanted that and it has happened. Promises made and promise kept.

'Trump also said I that I don’t miss my family. He campaigned on that and I am happy with that. It's painful when your own family can't see the obvious truths. So, I've just been suffering the short term pain for ten years now….'

Image credit: perchance.org

The old English tradition of Mandy Thursday

Mandy Thursday, also known as the Festival of St. Peter, has been celebrated in England since 1985, when Peter Mandelson was first appointed to a government post.  That’s right – over 40 years ago!  Mandy comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning give me all your money.

The Holy day is usually celebrated in London by the distribution of Mandy Money.  Originally, Mandy Money was given out as special coins by the monarch, but more recently Mandy Money has been handed out as special payments by the government.  Over the years Mandy Money has been given out for many things, taken many forms, including bonuses, pay rises, redundancy payments, travel costs, promotions, bonuses, severance payments, expenses, and so forth.  In similar fashion, the amount of Mandy Money was originally to be determined by the monarch, but the current arrangements are that the recipient determines the amount for himself.  On the most important occasions Mandy Money is handed over in a ceremonial brown paper envelope.

In recent years the Mandy Money tradition has fallen into disrepute because of negative associations with the convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein.

Image credit: perchance.org

Oil drilled months ago suddenly got expensive

Molecules of oil sucked out of the ground last November, shipped over the Christmas weeks and converted into various grades of petroleum, diesel, aviation fuel, heating oil, tar and various other grades, all stored and paid for several weeks ago have suddenly become very expensive molecules of oil. The fuel in your car petrol tank and your heating oil storage tank, paid for at the pump or via your heating oil supplier won't be hit for additional cost because the industry hasn't worked out how to do that.  Yet.

An oil industry expert pointed out that the war started by the United States and Israel three weeks ago that has tied up twenty percent of oil capacity for the last three weeks is to blame because, well, oil industries that typically make billions of dollars profit a quarter probably won't make all those profits next quarter.  Well, not without raising the prices of oil molecules that have already been drilled, shipped, converted and paid for long before the war.

'There are bonuses at risk here,' pointed out an oil industry executive.  

Prices are not expected to drop until long after the current crisis is over.  Because future bonuses are also at risk.

Image credit: perchance.org