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wtg

Susie Wiles, care to explain this to the rest of the country?

Well now we know whose fault the speech was.

President Donald Trump claimed Susie Wiles, his chief of staff, made him deliver Wednesday’s primetime address.

The president gave an 18-minute address to the nation, in which he blamed former President Joe Biden for the current economic woes, rising housing costs, and what he called a “colossal border invasion.” Now, after 11 months of the second Trump White House, he claimed, the U.S. has become the “hottest country anywhere in the world.” Trump was mocked online for the address for its seeming lack of substance and for how he shouted through most of it.

Following the brief address, Trump told reporters that his chief of staff informed him he “had” to give the address. Pressed as to whether she would stay in the role, the president said: “Yes. She’s doing a great job.”

Wonder how long she'll last.

wtg

@steve-miller

Decided to do crumpets another time, maybe next week.

This week's experiment....sourdough bagels! Not very pretty but tasty as all get-out. The great thing is that you are encouraged to eat them when they are warm, unlike many breads that require cooling so as not to get gummy.

alt text

Recipe:

https://littlespoonfarm.com/sourdough-bagels-recipe/

I skipped feeding the starter and just used some pretty active starter that was in the refrigerator to make the dough. Seems to have worked fine. It rose nicely overnight and I made the bagels this morning.

NB: The author says "if your bagels stick". There is no "if". They stick. They were hard to peel off the parchment to put in the boiling water, and that's why they look a bit lumpy. I would do two things differently next time around. First, I would use a Silpat instead of parchment. Second, I would put a small amount of oil on the Silpat to prevent sticking.

This recipe is similar but has some additional tips for prep. Might try it next time around.

https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2021/06/easy-homemade-sourdough-bagels/

And....who knew? There's a bagel subreddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bagels/comments/1d2ctaz/gonna_need_to_give_this_up_unless_i_can_find_a/

wtg

@Steve-Miller said in The ‘Gary Bears’ has a nice ring to it:

Don’t let them fool you. Football stadiums operate at a huge loss and don’t generate much revenue

No kidding. Which is why I've been against the Bears moving here since they bought Arlington Park. But our Village Board has bought the story hook, line, and sinker.

I just want them to go anywhere else, preferably to another state.

wtg

In this heartwarming, nostalgic, and humorous program, WTTW’s Geoffrey Baer takes viewers on a fun exploration of the traditions of this joyous Jewish holiday as he shares the story of how it came to be, the significance of the season’s cherished foods and fun, and how families continue to celebrate together across generations.

https://www.wttw.com/celebration-of-hanukkah/watch

Not a comprehensive study, rather just a sweet look at this holiday and perhaps something to offset, if just for a moment, the heavy news we’ve been seeing during this year’s Hanukkah. Definitely Chicago-centric; it was produced by Chicago’s PBS station WTTW.

wtg

These ‘magic balls’ attach to power lines and make the grid far more efficient

The simple technology has gained traction in Europe, but not the United States—until now.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91069186/these-magic-balls-attach-to-power-lines-and-make-the-grid-far-more-efficient

wtg

wtg

Fingers crossed.

The Chicago Bears are considering a move to northwest Indiana amid growing concerns that Illinois lawmakers will not approve the financial incentives needed to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, a top team official told the Tribune.

In an exclusive interview, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren confirmed the possibility of crossing state lines, but said the organization also would consider sites in other parts of Illinois. A letter to season ticket holders Wednesday outlined plans to look elsewhere, too, adding more fodder to the ongoing political debate over the franchise’s future and renewing an old threat to leave the state if the team doesn’t get its needs met.

“We’re looking at opportunities that may exist in the Chicagoland area including northwest Indiana,” Warren said. “We still believe that Arlington Park is the most viable location in Cook County, but now we’re putting everything back on the table and exploring all options.”

The news comes after Indiana lawmakers earlier this year created the Northwest Indiana Professional Sports Development Commission to attract a major sports organization such as the Bears..

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/17/chicago-bears-stadium-northwest-indiana/

(Insert happydance here)

wtg

@Bernard said in 25th Amendment. Seriously.:

And in all these years, the republicans have accused the left of not loving their country, of being un-American and unpatriotic. Yet here we are. These *#&$%s are propping up and enabling the destruction of everything good about America, giving the green light to a trampling of the constitution, the likes of which this country has not seen, and which the founders, and those who ratified, sought to prevent.

You ain’t kidding.

After his speech ended and the video was no longer being broadcast, Trump turned to his gathered aides and asked them how his address to the nation went. The aides assured him it was great.

This AP analysis is crushing.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/12/17/trump-gives-a-partisan-prime-time-address-insisting-the-economy-is-stronger-than-many-voters-feel/

wtg

I didn’t watch the address to the nation this evening. I’m pretty sure I’m better off that I didn’t.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/12/17/trump-presidential-speech-angry-rant/87818778007/

And this paywalled piece in The Atlantic

I consider myself a connoisseur of Trump’s speeches. I’ve watched them and live-tweeted them for years because I think Americans need to see what kind of man sits in the Oval Office. But even by Trump’s standards, this was an unnerving display of fear. I can only imagine America’s enemies in Moscow and Beijing and Tehran smiling with pleasure as they watched a president losing his bearings, berating his own people, and demanding that they absolve him of any blame when things get worse.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/12/what-presidential-panic-looks-like/685307/

The comparison to Biden’s performance may be an apt one, the perils of age being demonstrated publicly. The difference for me is that Biden was surrounded by rational people in his administration who could keep the wheels on the government train. The lot in the Trump administration are incompetent and as loony as he is.

wtg

@Piano-Dad said in Candy store memories:

The smell of fresh, warm, roasted cashews!

Oh, boy. Do I ever remember those! Whenever my dad and I went to the Sears on Harlem and North we'd buy a little bag of those cashews. Years later as an adult I used to pop in to the State Street store during my lunch hour. One day I went in and was crushed to learn that they had eliminated the cashew roaster and there were no more to be had. A very sad day....

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