Word of the day: Marginalia and rocking chairs for KDAE’s porch

Posted By on April 8, 2025

A new word for me: Marginalia  it is also a word that reminded me of Mom Howard’s books, especially her well marked up Bible!

Marginalia
Notes written in the margin • The professor’s marginalia provided valuable insights into the text

New Rocking Chairs for the Oostra Front Porch

Also a shopping trip for the Oostra’s had them finding a couple of nice looking rocking chairs for the front porch on their new house. So nice … I can’t wait to relax in them.

(more…)

Music Monday: “R.O.C.K. in the USA” – John Mellencamp

Posted By on April 7, 2025

This week, I’m cranking up the volume with John Mellencamp’s 1985 hit “R.O.C.K. in the USA,” a spirited salute to the rock vibes of the 1960s.

The song was released as the third single from his album Scarecrow, this track climbed to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the Top Rock Tracks chart—proof it struck a chord with fans. It was subtitled “A Salute to 60’s Rock,” the song is “packed with nostalgic nods, including a clear riff reminiscent of The Troggs’ “Wild Thing.” Mellencamp laid it down at Belmont Mall in Belmont, Indiana, alongside his talented crew: Kenny Aronoff, Toby Myers, Mike Wanchic, Larry Crane, John Cascella, and Sarah Flint. Together, they crafted a sound that’s equal parts tribute and pure Mellencamp energy.” (according to Brave Leo AI). 😉 
 

  John Mellencamp – “R.O.C.K in the U.S.A.” | 1985

“R.O.C.K. in the USA” has since found a home on compilations like The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988 (1997) and Words & Music: John Mellencamp’s Greatest Hits (2004), cementing its status as a fan favorite. Fun fact: it even got a shoutout during World Cup USA ’94, hyping up the U.S. team’s qualification.

So, for this Music Monday, let’s tip our hats to Mellencamp’s rockin’ tribute to an era that still echoes through the airwaves.

Trump’s Tariffs: A Catalyst for America’s Manufacturing Revival

Posted By on April 6, 2025

Once again the request was out from TheHustings.news for a bit of a pro-tariffs and pro-Trump right-column commentary than others could muster (text below before the editor puts his pen to it).

The Hustings News

Truth be told, I struggled after the hammering investors took last week (including me). I had to work a little harder to stay positive. That aside, I know the path we have been on when it comes to debt spending, fiscal problems for Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security … and the loss of our industrial base … and that it is not sustainable for our country. Every American Hard Hatwho is a rational thinker knows that deep down outsourcing not only the lowest paying jobs, but also our steelmaking and heavy industry for decades hurts the U.S. These good jobs traditionally have been blue-collar careers and helped us win world wars, build a strong middle class and made families self-reliant through work, not through government welfare. Many in the heartland have nearly lost hope — therefore tariffs, as much as free/fair trade conservative Republicans hate them, might just bring back jobs and rekindle America’s working middle class. I’m hopeful it works … and before the mid-term elections!

Trump’s Tariffs: A Catalyst for America’s Manufacturing Revival

President Donald Trump’s tariff policies have sparked heated debate, but their potential to rebuild America’s manufacturing industry and drive an economic rebound deserves a closer look. By imposing tariffs on imported goods, particularly from nations like China, Trump aimed to level the playing field for American workers and businesses. The results? A resurgence of domestic production, increased business investment, and a renewed sense of economic optimism.

Tariffs are encouraging companies to bring manufacturing back to U.S. soil. For decades, cheap overseas labor and lax regulations lured corporations abroad, hollowing out America’s industrial base and capacity for our military to fight an extended war.. Trump’s tariffs flipped the script, making it costlier to import goods and incentivizing firms to reinvest in the United States. Take the steel industry, for example: after tariffs were slapped on foreign steel, domestic producers saw a boom, with companies like Nucor and U.S. Steel ramping up production and hiring American workers. This isn’t just about one sector — heavy equipment, automotive, textiles, electronics, and machinery are seeing similar shifts as businesses rethink their supply chains.

Business investment has surged as companies redirect capital to the U.S., spurred by tariff policies and a pro-growth agenda. Factories are expanding and even reopening, breathing life into communities long left behind. The National Association of Manufacturers reported record optimism among its members during Trump’s tenure, with capital spending hitting levels not seen in years. This isn’t just blind faith — lower corporate taxes and deregulation, paired with tariffs, have made the U.S. a magnet for investment once again.

Critics argue tariffs raise costs for consumers, and that’s not entirely wrong—prices for some goods are ticking up. On the other hand, some of us are old enough to remember when computers and televisions costs way more than they do today and costs the American family significantly more of their household incomes — and we survived. The trade-off is worth it: a stronger, self-reliant economy. The short-term pinch pales in comparison to the long-term gains of revitalized industries and millions of high-paying jobs. Plus, as manufacturing scales up domestically, competition will drive efficiency and innovation, softening those cost increases over time.

Trump’s tariffs aren’t just about economics—they’re about national pride. Bringing back “Made in America” isn’t a slogan; it’s a strategy to reclaim our industrial might and secure our future. The rebound is real: businesses are betting on the U.S. again, and that’s a win for every American worker.

Edit Add: Here’s the LINK to the published commentary after going live.

It was not a comfortable week as the US tariff impact takes hold

Posted By on April 5, 2025

The Trump tariffs that have been long in the making and took hold on April 2nd, “Liberation Day (he first talked about them in the 1980s). Not everyone is as sure or as comfortable with them as U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

President Donald Trump signs an Executive Order on the Administration’s tariff plans at a “Make America Wealthy Again” event, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in the White House Rose Garden. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

Still, most of us recognize that the industry that built this country in the 20th century, left for lower regulations, cheaper labor and the ability to export back to the U.S. during the last 50 years. Republicans, many who were tied to companies that profited by outsourcing, didn’t little to slow the export of blue-collar jobs … and Democrats who once fought for many of the union jobs in the rust belt, gave way to the progressive wing of their party. The American worker no longer had voices in government who listened to them … until Donald Trump.

Despite the pain being felt on Wall Street (over 6 Trillions in losses this week), the Trump administration continues to keep the tariffs in place. We’ve heard many countries are finally calling to negotiate lowering their countries tariffs, trade barriers, VAT taxes and regulations. Others are doubling down, like China announcing a 34% tariff on U.S. products.

China exports much more to the U.S. than it imports, making the value of trade affected by a blanket tariff smaller than what is hit by across-the-board U.S. tariffs. Still, China is the third-largest buyer of U.S. goods, purchasing about $143.5 billion worth of exports last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Soybeans, aircraft and petroleum are among the goods sold by the U.S. to China.

(more…)

Why in the world is our day divided into 24 hours?

Posted By on April 4, 2025

Have you ever wondered why a day has 24 hours?

The answer traces back to the ancient Egyptians, particularly during their New Kingdom period, from around 1550 BCE to 1069 BCE—about a thousand years after the Great Pyramids were built. They were the first to Egyptian Timekeeping by Grok3divide the day into 24 parts, though their approach differed from ours. The Egyptians separated daytime and nighttime, assigning 12 segments to each, measured with tools like sundials and water clocks. These segments, called temporal hours, varied in length depending on the season—daylight hours stretched longer in summer and shortened in winter, adjusting to the available light.

Why 12?

There are a couple of possibilities. Ancient records suggest they based the nighttime division on the movement of stars across the sky, perhaps tied to lunar cycles. Another theory points to the duodecimal system, built around the highly divisible number 12, which was common in early cultures. It wasn’t until the second century BCE that the Greek astronomer Hipparchus proposed 24 equal-length hours. This concept took hold in Europe during the Middle Ages and remains our standard today. It’s intriguing to think how those early Egyptian timekeepers, with their sundials and starry nights, shaped the way we measure our days. 

Check out these quotes about time. 😉 

The Trump Tariffs have rattled all of the financial markets

Posted By on April 3, 2025

Although I have a personal opinion on just how trade between countries “should” function (free trade), I also realize there’s really no such thing in the real world. There are those who believe companies in the United States end up holding the short straw when exporting their products overseas … due to a variety of tariffs, taxes, government subsidies and protective trade practices. In most cases, those protectionist practices are understandable as every country wants to be as self-sufficient as possible. 

Markets Trade balance

That said, all of us who live in the U.S. (especially midwest) recognize just how much of our industrial base and factories are now overseas. COVID shortages made this shockingly clear and yet little has been done to revitalize necessary industry. President Trump in part was elected by blue-collar Americans in the hope he would be able to restore and re-shore the jobs that have been off-shored for decades. His use of tariffs are of obviously controversial, but few opposing them have answers when it comes to bringing back vital industry and loss jobs. 

(more…)

Archive: What’s going on with our family?

Posted By on April 3, 2025

This content is restricted.

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog