wp:Peter Navarro#Fake expert “Ron Vara”

(my bold)

In six of his books about China, Navarro quotes a purported trade expert named “Ron Vara”, whom he describes as a China hawk and former Harvard PhD doctoral student in economics. Vara makes Sinophobic remarks about China and the Chinese, such as “you’ve got to be nuts to eat Chinese food” and “only the Chinese can turn a leather sofa into an acid bath, a baby crib into a lethal weapon, and a cellphone battery into heart-piercing shrapnel”.[227] However, a 2019 investigation by the Chronicle of Higher Education found that no such person existed, and that “Ron Vara” (an anagram of Navarro) appeared to represent views that Navarro himself held.[227][228] When he was asked about Vara by The Chronicle, Navarro admitted to making up the character, an author surrogate, and quoting him in his books.[228]

Supposed interference probably isn’t necessary: lots of Americans are fed up with the cost of Trump’s tariffs and mismanagement.

What’s inaccurate about the cartoon?

If you clicked the link:

Pronoun

thon (third-person singular, gender-neutral, possessive thons, reflexive thonself)

1. (nonstandard, rare, see usage notes) they (singular). Gender-neutral third-person singular subject pronoun, coordinate with gendered pronouns he and she.

2. (nonstandard, rare, see usage notes) them (singular). Gender-neutral third-person singular object pronoun, coordinate with gendered pronouns him and her.

Which would be true.

Where is wt:thon labeled a bot?

Once in a while he gets it right.

FWIW,

They seem to be partially correct.

wp:Gasoline and diesel usage and pricing#United States

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wp:List of governors of California

wp:Steve Hilton#2026 California gubernatorial election

Xavier Becerra

Steve Hilton

Hilton has pledged to make significant changes to California’s economy, including reducing gas prices to just $3 per gallon, lowering utility bills, and abolishing income taxes for individuals earning less than $150,000 per year.

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It ain’t like it was 40 years ago when a Republican like Reagan won California twice, including the election where he won 49 states back when he was 73 years old, whereas weak Trump couldn’t even win 40%.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_United_States_presidential_election#Results_by_state

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_United_States_presidential_election#Results_by_state

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election#Results_by_state

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_presidential_election#Results_by_state

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So sad.

I’m thinking that they fought for their independence.

The thing is, Finland, while also having a coast, is a lot bigger than my country, as is Switzerland: Switzerland being big enough to have 5 neighbours.

One possibility might be is that its immediate neighbours are bigger but they themselves are small by world examples, with an even bigger country nearby, but not connected, often having an interest in its survival.

I’m already thinking of making it if not mountainous (like Switzerland) then at least hilly, and the land from the coast, to a few 10s of km inland, to be flat, marshy, and swampy. Like Finland, it conquered a lot of territory, or at least defended it, and then bargained much of it off for a treaty: in its case the swamp or marsh, except for a corridor, or corridor-of-sorts; because its visionary leader(s) figured that while it wasn’t good for navigation, airplanes could fly over it from the sea and provide an additional connection to the world; but I’m unsure if there is marshland or swamp that’s, say, 10 km x 40 km in area.

As I’m sure as many others have, I’ve spent a lot of time with background too.

What I might do is release a version that’s for a typical reader, i.e. one who’s not as interested in my story as I am; and then release a background to it later for the few who might be interested.

Maybe just tell the readers what Al Banian does or did, and if they’re interested, they can read up about him in your notes.

There’s also the possibility that if you don’t explain, others might come up with their own, and a few of those might be interesting.

That’s pretty much the case.

wt:retouch

Verb

retouch (third-person singular simple present retouches, present participle retouching, simple past and past participle retouched)

1. (transitive) To improve something (especially a photograph), by adding or correcting details, or by removing flaws.

a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “Epistle the Fourteenth. To Sir Godfrey Kneller, Principal Painter to His Majesty.”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume II, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 201:

For time ſhall with his ready pencil ſtand;

Retouch your figures with his ripening hand;

Mellow your colors, and imbrown the teint;

Add every grace, which time alone can grant;

To future ages ſhall your fame convey,

And give more beauties than he takes away.

Roger Waters is a bloody genius!

_(/s)

IIUC, he denies there’s a genocide against the Uighurs.

According to WP, he had his 83rd birthday this month.

China entered 2026 with about 309,000 plant-protection drones, and those aircraft performed roughly 203 million hectare-treatments during 2025

203 million hectare-treatments ÷ 309,000 plant-protection drones ≈ 1 drone per 6.5 sq km

Who said that I’d vote for Democrats?

That said, in the past 50 years, things seem to simmer down when they’re in power;

though they tend to have some foul-ups:

Carter: Iran loses the Shah and gains theocracy

Obama: the failed Arab Spring and rise of Islamic State, Russia invades and occupies Crimea

Biden: Fall of Kabul; Russia tries to take out Ukraine after, IIRC, trying to assure us that Russia wouldn’t

Your cynicism is warranted: I have it too.

However, if they get in power, Trump will spend more of his time getting ready for impeachment, and they’ll control the purse strings (or more of them at least).

If half of the eligible voters in the US, perhaps 30%, did what I did and not voted for him, he wouldn’t have become President.

I’m hoping that the GOP loses both Houses in 45 days: such could save lives in Iran.

20% isn’t many. I know, because I was getting tear gassed on the streets.

Kudos to you for being out on the streets.

20% x >280 million people x >60% adults = 33.6 million

33.6 million is many.

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Meanwhile, the rest of you are . . . . what? Going along with your war criminals showing up for hugs.

Nope: I haven’t hugged any war criminals, nor have many Americans.

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https://lemmy.world/post/51348178/25740217

So I guess neither the Germans in the 1940s were in any position to criticize the Soviets over Holodomor, nor the Russians in the 1930s were in any position to criticize Ukraine.

Yes, I think you spend lots of time doing that.

I guess you aren’t going to answer the question.

I guess it’s because you don’t have a good answer.

I already have. See above.

So I guess we (including you and me) all shut up until the countries we’re living in are perfect or near-perfect.

So, are optical implants going to be vilified the same way smart glasses have been?

You can remember things (somewhat) without a recording device.

and yet since 1972 (IIUC) no one’s walked the Moon again.