Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[digitaldog]

No, not wrong: mWh is not MWh.

That said, I'm happy to report that in terms of electricity, I'm generating more clean, renewable electricity than I use thanks to lots of solar panels and a tracker. Last year, I sent THIS MUCH back to the grid for my neighbors.
What did you supply to your neighbors?

[digitaldog]

Will the war in Iran spur a green energy transition? Seems so. Oh, those cancerous windmills 
https://www.facebook.com/fareedzakaria/videos/will-the-iran-war-spur-a-green-energy-transition/1523356399254217/
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZZxBsZm2ILo

[Frans Waterlander]

Will the war in Iran spur a green energy transition? Seems so. Oh, those cancerous windmills 
https://www.facebook.com/fareedzakaria/videos/will-the-iran-war-spur-a-green-energy-transition/1523356399254217/
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZZxBsZm2ILo

Ah, Fareed again!

[digitaldog]

Ah, Fareed again!

Do post a URL that counters his findings.
Then answer a simple question asked. Did you generate from solar panels enough electricity to power an LED for an hour or so and provide that to the grid? What did you supply to your neighbors?

[digitaldog]

You can’t make this stuff up. What a wrap-up to an unnecessarily expensive** war where Iran shows Trump how they can control the Strait of Hormuz. Well played Donald, well played sir!

President Trump said Wednesday that Iran could have its own nuclear program.
“It is a little hard that when you say that somebody wants it, other people have it, other adjoining states have it, and you’re not letting them have it for purposes of electricity and things like that. It’s always a little tough. You have to use a little common sense,” Trump said at the G7 summit in France, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Excerpt From
“After Months of War, Trump Says Iran Has Right to Nuclear Program”
The New Republic
https://apple.news/AzAtsu8yNSCSj2xSK1TO_CA

** The Pentagon estimated that it had spent roughly $29 billion on the conflict by mid-May, but independent experts believe that it has spent tens of billions more. The U.S. military’s munitions supply has been depleted, putting at risk its ability to defend its interests in Asia and Europe.

[digitaldog]

The 'great builder' who only 'hires the best'!

One week after the president’s paint job wrapped up and the pool was refilled, the material is already coming loose from the concrete bottom of the Reflecting Pool.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/06/trump-reflecting-pool-renovation-algae.html

[Frans Waterlander]

One week after the president’s paint job wrapped up and the pool was refilled, the material is already coming loose from the concrete bottom of the Reflecting Pool.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/06/trump-reflecting-pool-renovation-algae.html

More schadenfreude: the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another person.

[digitaldog]

More schadenfreude: the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another person.

Pure joy pointing out the 'deal leaders' massive idiotic failures. Good to see, with the exception of his die-hard supporters in this forum, his voters are bailing on the 'dear leader' (his polling is in the toilet). Took long enough. 
How's that Iran peace offering coming from a war the deal leader started that cost the US billions for NADA?

[Rob C]

Didn't I read that the States are additionally stuck with a 300 billion dollar reconstruction "agreement"?

That would have gone a long way to a great US public health system.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, deal or no quarter-baked deal, Israel keeps right on bombing the shit out of poor old Lebanon. Men of peace, and the rest.

[digitaldog]

Didn't I read that the States are additionally stuck with a 300 billion dollar reconstruction "agreement"?

Unclear and subject to change anyway, like virtually everything Trump does.

According to the document: “The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least U.S.D. 300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The mechanism for the implementation of this plan will be finalized as part of a final deal within 60 days. All required licenses, waivers and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America.”

On Thursday, the president reiterated his stance lie on Truth Social: “There is no 300 Billion Dollar payment to Iran by the U.S. That’s Fake News! All there is for the U.S. is Success, Lower Oil Prices, and Victory. Check out the Stock Market. Dumocrat propaganda at play!”

Only the current blind sycophants are buying that nonsense:   
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in a statement Thursday that he has always supported Trump's efforts to end Iran's threat to the United States but was "concerned that the memorandum of understanding negotiates away the victories of Operation Epic Fury in ways that are completely out of step with the President's goals."

The $300 billion fund for Iran, Wicker said, "would make Iran's payoff under President Obama's 2015 deal look like a pittance by comparison."
GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who lost his primary in May to a Trump-backed challenger, wrote on X on Wednesday: “Reagan is rolling over in his grave. Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future. Now, Iran gets to build brand-new infrastructure under this deal.”

Like many lawmakers and analysts, Cassidy noted that the strait was open and Iran was suffering from debilitating U.S. sanctions prior to the war.
“This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” he wrote.

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/politics/2026/06/19/300-billion-mou-who-pays

So Iran will get money, but exactly where from is not transparent. What is clear is what Wicker said about Trump vs. Obama's deal. And Obama didn't waste at least $113 billion dollars or allow Iran the ability it now has: shutting down the Strait of Hormuz! Well played, Donald Deal leader, well played! 

[degrub]

Unfortunately, DJT is just the tip of the iceberg. What's underneath is a least as concerning.

[Rob C]

Unfortunately, DJT is just the tip of the iceberg. What's underneath is a least as concerning.

Yep, and in numbers sufficient to win two terms. That’s probably even more worrying; one man comes and goes, even twice, but that leaves millions of similar minds - that haven’t gone anywhere - still in place…

[Chris Kern]

. . .I'm generating more clean, renewable electricity than I use thanks to lots of solar panels and a tracker. Last year, I sent 3.1 [M]Wh back to the grid for my neighbors.

That is one impressive residential solar array.  Of course, you get a lot of sun in New Mexico.  That said, my late cousin was even able to eliminate most of his net electric utility charges with fixed roof-mounted solar panels on a relatively compact house in a suburb of Boston.

Do you know how many additional hours of exposure the arrays receive from having the tracking system compared to a fixed array?

[digitaldog]

Do you know how many additional hours of exposure the arrays receive from having the tracking system compared to a fixed array?

We installed the Array in 2012, then added nearly the same number of panels about 4 years ago on the roof.
The array is about 30% more effective than the same number of fixed panels. But few arrays are being installed these days; they are expensive and require maintenance of the two motors, etc. With panel prices going down so significantly, you can today just add more to the roof or the land to make up that 30% for less money. The 30% increase in the array is due to its ability to follow the sun and additional cooling. But as I said, at least here in NM, with 300 days of sunlight, companies are no longer installing units as I have.

[digitaldog]

What the Iran war cost the Pentagon, the economy — and Trump
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/21/politics/us-iran-war-cost-trump-vis

The sticker price of the war is around $40 billion, but the total price is much higher
The war put a strain on the US’ stockpile of weapons
Gas prices are still up - Diesel is up even more, which has a knock-on effect
The strategic petroleum reserve is at its lowest level since 1983
The world has lost 1.15 billion barrels of oil supply - The tanks in Cushing, Oklahoma, are running out of oil
Inflation is up - Consumer confidence is up a tick, but still near historic lows
Stocks are up -  Bonds are way down - Mortgage rates are way up
Trump’s approval rating is down. But it was already extremely low

As such, some DTC (Darranged Trump Comedy):

[Robert Roaldi]

Didn't I read that the States are additionally stuck with a 300 billion dollar reconstruction "agreement"?

That would have gone a long way to a great US public health system.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, deal or no quarter-baked deal, Israel keeps right on bombing the shit out of poor old Lebanon. Men of peace, and the rest.

I saw a cute post on FB this week about how Cuba wants the US to give them $300 B if they promise to stop their non-existent nuclear program.

Trump may have threatened Canada with something or other again last week, I'm not really sure. Trump's public pronouncements are increasingly incoherent and shambolic. He flips from saying that the US does not need Canada for anything to threatening to annex us. So which is it? But no matter, it's all smoke.

I haven't heard anything about Panama for a while. I did see a headline about a Colombian politician having Trump's backing in their current elections. I didn't go down the rabbit hole but what does it mean to the average Colombian for one of their politicians to have Trump's backing anyway. Do they care? Does Trump actually think he's the boss of everyone? It's farcical.

That other megalomaniac Putin is having a hard time these days. Quite the revelation that the megapower militaries aren't so invincible. They might have been better off not attacking anyone and exposing the myth. The stories I hear of million dollar missiles being used by the US to intercept $20,000 Iranian drones are not encouraging news for Golden Dome contractors.

There was a sad news story last week about a police officer opening fire on a customer leaving a Walmart who was believed to be stealing a box of diapers. The one year child was killed. https://abcnews.com/US/officer-involved-shooting-walmart-killed-1-year-boy/story?id=133965022. Of course people should not be stealing stuff from stores but was open gunfire the best way to handle the situation?

This hilarious tidbit is making the rounds online https://www.reddit.com/r/kstreetconfidential/comments/1u7r9m7/on_camera_don_jr_pulls_out_a_little_baggie_with/. I hope that sinking those "drug" boats isn't causing any inventory issues.

[Rob C]

Well, back in the lost empire, Starmer has bitten the dust. Poor man, the rewards of falling onto personal swords includes a forever pension of around a hundred thousand pounds per year for having held the position of PM; entrance to the upper, after-dinner talks circuit; probable directorships in private industry and, in his case, accidental advertising for his professional services if he reverts to being a legal eagle.

I'm surprised he waited so long before reaping the benfits!

Meanwhile, for we older British, State Pensioners, treatment on agist terms is apparently okay! Below, the deal.

Full new rate is £ 241.30 a week. HOWEVER: for those on the older state pension system, as am I, the rate is £ 184.90 a week.

The new rate came in for those who reached pensionable age on or after April 6, 2016.

So, an arbitrary decision was made to pay the older, more vulnerable pensioner £ 56.4 less - for no logical reason other than that they can get away with doing that.

So much for fairness. The shops don't give me or any other antique amongst us special discounts, any different set of prices. We older ones paid everything we were asked to pay in full. Now they screw us. Did any socialist government help us on this? Silly me for asking - of course not!

[Robert Roaldi]

Well, back in the lost empire, Starmer has bitten the dust. Poor man, the rewards of falling onto personal swords includes a forever pension of around a hundred thousand pounds per year for having held the position of PM; entrance to the upper, after-dinner talks circuit; probable directorships in private industry and, in his case, accidental advertising for his professional services if he reverts to being a legal eagle.

I'm surprised he waited so long before reaping the benfits!

Meanwhile, for we older British, State Pensioners, treatment on agist terms is apparently okay! Below, the deal.

Full new rate is £ 241.30 a week. HOWEVER: for those on the older state pension system, as am I, the rate is £ 184.90 a week.

The new rate came in for those who reached pensionable age on or after April 6, 2016.

So, an arbitrary decision was made to pay the older, more vulnerable pensioner £ 56.4 less - for no logical reason other than that they can get away with doing that.

So much for fairness. The shops don't give me or any other antique amongst us special discounts, any different set of prices. We older ones paid everything we were asked to pay in full. Now they screw us. Did any socialist government help us on this? Silly me for asking - of course not!

Maybe the thinking is that since you're that bit older, you're just that bit wiser about living frugally. It's a vote of confidence!

[Rob C]

Maybe the thinking is that since you're that bit older, you're just that bit wiser about living frugally. It's a vote of confidence!

Heysoos, Robert, you almost sounded like a politician for a moment there! It’s one line of vote I could well do without. ;-)

[Rhossydd]

You talk some nonsense.

Full new rate is £ 241.30 a week. HOWEVER: for those on the older state pension system, as am I, the rate is £ 184.90 a week.

Except you're eligible for SERPS which can increase your pension to the same or even better than the new one.

We older ones paid everything we were asked to pay in full.

More rubbish; You get free prescriptions, free bus travel, discounted rail travel, discounts at many places....