The wildflowers in the Columbia River Gorge are at least two weeks ahead of where they were last year. I went to the same place, and there was just a couple patches of bloomed out balsamroot left, unlike last year. [image: 1747007176709-img_1437.jpeg] [image: 1747007205837-img_1439.jpeg] Bitterroot is always pretty, too.

@AndyD said in He’s gone off the deep end: Is he at all serious? That's going to cost a bob or two I think this is part of his new reality show called The Potemkin Presidency. But he's still directing people to look at it, which is a waste of time and resources.

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

I watched the movie "Watch the Skies." In English, presumably lip synced with this AI technology. Even forgetting about the AI stuff, it's actually a very good movie on its own right. It's not one that emphasizes great cinematography, so you don't necessarily need to watch it on a big screen. But it tells a good story with a lot of heart. So I highly recommend it.

Joe, thanks. I expect the recommendations will be very specific. I remember something about a paste from a video. I compartmentalize tasks like this and just haven't found the right time to figure it out yet. I bought an adult tricycle. It's 24", 1 speed, and folds in half. It has a basket in the back of course and I plan to use it to get exercise, go the mailboxes, haul garbage to the dumpsters, and I've decided I'll ride on the sidewalks to my nearest CVS and Publix a little more than a mile away when I get lights and reflectors to make it safe. It's not assembled yet. I made a deal with housemate to assemble it. The bike shops balked at doing it and offered me prices of $240 and $250. I couldn't pay that. That would be ridiculous. I haven't had a bike in forever. I'm looking forward to it.

@Mik said in The future as imagined in the 1950s: Fallingwater writ large. No kidding! This came up in my feed this morning. From a house on the French Riviera that Sean Connery owned back in the 1970s: [image: im-12141289?width=784&size=1.3333333333333333&pixel_ratio=1.5] https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/sean-connerys-bond-villa-on-the-french-riviera-hits-the-market-for-23-5-million-4ba02d7a?mod=article_inline

The court isn't going to buy the whole invasion/AEA thing, period. Anywhere from 7-2 to 9-0.

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This is the perfect opportunity for a little malicious obedience. Start with burying that guy in paperwork.

Is there anyone left at Fox News?

I'll miss it. I thought it was good information to know when buying an appliance

@wtg I look forward to your verdict. I've been meaning to try it out.

Wow. Those are amazing results. Will Linda McMahon be known as the person who killed it? When Mississippi lawmakers in 2013 approved legislation to improve students’ basic reading skills, it fell to State Superintendent Carey Wright to make it happen. She ensured that all K-3 teachers were trained in the “Science of Reading” and hired literacy coaches at schools that had the highest percentage of low-achievers. guide the effort, Wright turned to the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast, based at Florida State University, one of 10 federally funded labs nationwide. Little-known even among many educators, the labs, created by Congress in 1965, work with states and school districts to implement research-based practices.​ By 2019, Wright and her colleagues had pulled off what is now known as the “Mississippi Miracle,” with students in this deep red state making greater literacy gains than in any other. Fourth-graders in Mississippi rose from 49th in the nation to 29th — adjusting for demographics, it now ranks near the top of the U.S. in both fourth-grade reading and math, behind just Florida and Texas, according to the Urban Institute. “They were huge partners with us,” Wright said of the lab in an interview this week. “It’s just this amazing group of researchers and content-area specialists.” But that distinction wasn’t enough to save the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast — or the nine other RELs, as they’re called. On Thursday, the U.S. Education Department announced that it had terminated $336 million in contracts with the labs, saying auditors had uncovered “wasteful and ideologically driven spending not in the interest of students and taxpayers.” The move has left researchers and literacy advocates shaking their heads. A director at a top research firm with many federal contracts, who asked not to be identified to avoid retaliation, said she got the sense from the sudden, broad cuts that “no one went in and took a really careful look at where the RELs were being helpful.” While some lab projects likely haven’t led to improvements in practices or student outcomes, she’s doubtful that department officials even pored over such data. “Someone decided that this whole program needed to go.” https://www.the74million.org/article/trump-cuts-research-lab-that-helped-nurture-mississippi-miracle/

Bonne Maman is yummy. I try not to eat too much of their cherry preserves.