Distracted boyfriend-Inverted yield curve meme

add a little Trump to it and, presto, a new meme.

You did it right.

TRUMP: „Angela, Angela, you have to pay your bill.“

Trump just delivers.

„Angela, Angela, you have to pay your bill.“ Donald #Trump unplugged – über sein Verhältnis zu den Deutschen. pic.twitter.com/T2JyV7GTR4

— Gabor Steingart (@gaborsteingart) July 19, 2019

Second term! GO!

Speaking of her, the bitch from the GDR distanced herself in front of the German cocksucker media from something Trump did NOT say.

He had said:

The precision: They said "her," limiting themselves to Ilhan Omar as Trump was talking about her. Trump's tweets were addressed at "'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all)." He didn't name anybody individually, but he used the plural, and it's been assumed that he was talking about the set of 4 Congresswomen who have grouped themselves together, the so-called "Squad" of Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley, and Tlaib. Once you make that assumption, Trump looks like he's made an assumption — that nonwhite people came from another country. 

"Some of you are extraordinary. I can't say everybody. No, but some of you are extraordinary. The crap you think of is unbelievable."

President Trump speaking at the Presidential Social Media Summit.

Can't argue.

"Darling, is the wind blowing today? I'd like to watch television, darling."

The funniest part in Trump's CPAC speech.

"The Green New Deal. Or whatever the hell they call it." Pause. Suppressing a little smile and glancing around. "The Green New Deal. Right? The Green New Deal. I encourage it. I think it's really something that they should promote." Pause. "They should work hard on. Something our country needs desperately." Dramatic rising tone and silent fist pound on "desperately." "They have to go out and get it, but I'll take the other side of that argument, only because I'm mandated to. But they should stay with that argument. Never change." Pause, then quietly: "Never change." Long pause. "No planes. No energy. When the wind stops blowing, that's the end of your electric. Let's hurry up. Darling? Darling, is the wind blowing today? I'd like to watch television, darling."


And he doubles down. "'Russia, please, if you can, get us Hillary Clinton's emails! Please, Russia, please! Please get us the emails! Please!'"

"If you tell a joke, if you are sarcastic, if you're having fun with the audience, if you're on live television with millions of people and 25,000 people in an arena, and if you say something like 'Russia, please, if you can, get us Hillary Clinton's emails! Please, Russia, please! Please get us the emails! Please!'" The plea is exaggerated. He pauses for a long time an looks around, then starts up again, waving his hands about: "Please! Get us the emails! Please!" Pauses. Laughs. Notices the crowd is reacting with a "Lock her up" chant, which isn't quite absorbing his point, but maybe that's how they have fun, how they irritate their antagonists. He stretches out his hand to quiet them. "So everybody's having a good time, laughing, we're all having fun, and then that fake CNN and others say, 'He asked Russia to go get the emails. Horrible.' I mean, I saw it like 2 weeks ago. I'm watching, and they're talking about, 'One of the points, he asked Russia for the emails.' These people are sick. And I'm telling you, they know the game. They know the game. And they play it dirty. Dirtier than anybody's ever played the game. Dirtier than it's ever been played."

H/T Althouse

Reading Lounge

1. Lost in the valley of Death

2. Skeleton Lake

3. The tortoise walker

4. Changing a Bulb

5. Anthony Blanche: “It’s like swallowing a sp-spectrum.”

6. How Trump Made War on Angela Merkel and Europe

Reading Lounge

1. The body politic

2. Ugliness in design

3. Declassified Photos of Atomic Tests in Colour

4. When Aldous Huxley, Dying of Cancer, Left This World Tripping on LSD, Experiencing “the Most Serene, the Most Beautiful Death” (1963)

5. The New Science of Seeing Around Corners

6. Dupe throat - about that book on Trump

7. Ten Years After the Crash, We’ve Learned Nothing

8. The Welfare Queen - it's looong

Reading Lounge

1. Trump stars

2. See Ancient Greek Music Accurately Reconstructed for the First Time

3. YOU ARE NOT ORIGINAL OR CREATIVE ON INSTAGRAM - kinda sucks, right?

4. It wasn’t just hate. Fascism offered robust social welfare

5. "Rozenberg wanted to find a way to highlight the gender biases embedded in architectural terms learned by technology, to make it easier to produce "post-gender architecture". - switch off your BS detector

6. The Chinese broadcaster quoted Turkish economist Emre Alkin: “Stability for the Turkish Lira will come from cooperation with valuable countries like China ..."

Thomas Frank: "Trump is the human middle finger."

This is fairly old but still worth to listen to in full.

via JCA

Calling bullshit on calls for civility by German Justice Minister Barley #CivilityBullshit

Germany's socialist justice minister

Barley warns against language brutalization

in some small newspaper. No idea why the minister could not convince the FAZ or, oh my Lord, the den of journalistic excellence, Die Zeit, to publish it. Madame is concerned:

"Defamatory expressions that used to be spoken only by extreme right-wingers, for example, are obviously being used by bourgeois conservative politicians today," Barley complained without naming them. "The linguistic border crossing threatens to become normal," she said, referring to tweeting US President Donald Trump. "Here, too, a habituation has set in.When politicians comment in denigrating ways on us every day in the news or on Facebook on refugees or our rule of law, this is eventually accepted and taken as a given. We must not accept that".

Language is a seismograph for the state of a society, said the minister. "Many people are worried. Worried about job loss caused by outsourcing abroad, low interest rates, skyrocketing rents and the constant pressure to adapt due to new technological developments." This "comprehensible uncertainty" is used by many to make mood and stir up fears.

Oh, and who could that be? Politicians perhaps? No, can't be, she is one and she won't be pissing down her own leg. Ah, it is those people on the street who dare to voice an opinion and that not exactly in Goetheian rhymes or Haiku. To make things worse, a lot would never vote for her fucking party, the social democrats.

The article ends

"Politicians should never increase anxiety and uncertainty in order to take advantage of it," Barley demanded. "Who plays people against each other acts asocial." For representatives of the state, "respect, decency and honesty" should be a matter of course.

Honey, who would ever surmise that? Oh, paleease.

Let's paddle across the ocean to a US law professor, Ann Althouse.

Calling bullshit on calls for civility.

That's something I always do. That's what my tag "civility bullshit" means: Calls for civility are always bullshit, because the real motivation is political advantage. Usually, the civility-demander is trying to get opponents tone it down and not take advantage of whatever hot passion and energy they've got on their side.

Or as this commenter phrased it:

"Electing Trump was the language of the unheard. Do you hear them now?"

Weeks ago, the minister confessed on Twitter to have a "passion for the rule of law".

She better cool down her exuberance, it's getting awkward. The definition for 'passion' according to the Cambridge dictionary is:

- A very powerful feeling, for example of sexual attraction, love, hate, anger, or other emotion

As a lawyer that the minister is, one should be immune to such emotions.

Gee, as a man I can tell you passion turns high when it's about an 18 year old girl. Perhaps also a Panigale.

Trump understands this, Merkel certainly does not

Immigration and Redistribution

by Alberto Alesina, Armando Miano, Stefanie Stantcheva

First the expected biases and overestimates.

We find strikingly large biases in natives' perceptions of the number and characteristics of immigrants: in all countries, respondents greatly overestimate the total number of immigrants, think immigrants are culturally and religiously more distant from them, and are economically weaker – less educated, more unemployed, poorer, and more reliant on government transfers – than is the case.

Prevalence is where?

While all respondents have misperceptions, those with the largest ones are systematically the right-wing, the non-college educated, and the low-skilled working in immigration-intensive sectors.

It's not the numbers, it's who they are.

Support for redistribution is strongly correlated with the perceived composition of immigrants – their origin and economic contribution – rather than with the perceived share of immigrants per se. 

But then again just thinking about them ...

Given the very negative baseline views that respondents have of immigrants, simply making them think about immigration in a randomized manner makes them support less redistribution, including actual donations to charities. 

Even favorable traits get discounted quickly.

We also experimentally show respondents information about the true i) number, ii) origin, and iii) “hard work” of immigrants in their country. On its own, information on the “hard work” of immigrants generates more support for redistribution. However, if people are also prompted to think in detail about immigrants' characteristics, then none of these favorable information treatments manages to counteract their negative priors that generate lower support for redistribution.

Which will show up in election results and compound the political landscape

via MR

Reading Lounge

1. Islam's clean bill of mental health

2. Exploring The Digital Ruins Of 'Second Life'

3. A very British desease

4. Why are there so many different scripts in East Asia?

5. Hey Boss, You Don’t Want Your Employees to Meditate

6. Ridiculed three years ago

Meanwhile at the G7 Summit

Twitter

The Iran deal and Merkel's empty threats

The Streetwise Professor nails it in this post.

Merkel Seems Intent on Proving Churchill (“Germany Is Either At Your Feet or At Your Throat”) Right

Excerpt:

This whole episode also demonstrates the irrelevance of the Europeans to the process from its beginning.  What is happening now demonstrates that German, French, and British participation was utterly irrelevant to imposing economic hardship on the mullahs.  The US could have–as it is doing now–unilaterally deterred the Europeans from offering Iran aid and comfort.  Including them only led to a more Iran-friendly deal.  (Actually, it just basically cheer-led for Obama’s Iran friendly deal, because he was about as friendly as could be imagined to the mullahs.)

It must also be noted that the German posture towards Iran is beyond unseemly, given Germany’s history.  The moral obtuseness of Germany, of all nations, panting after the business of a nation that has vowed to destroy Israel is mind boggling.

It is especially mind boggling given the German predilection for moral preening, and their tendency to lecture all about their moral superiority.

If you think this is too harsh, consider the fact that Germany’s Incitement to Hatred law (i.e., its Holocaust Denial law) makes it a felony punishable by five years imprisonment for those who:

1. incites hatred against a national, racial, religious group or a group defined by their ethnic origins, against segments of the population or individuals because of their belonging to one of the aforementioned groups or segments of the population or calls for violent or arbitrary measures against them; or
2. assaults the human dignity of others by insulting, maliciously maligning an aforementioned group, segments of the population or individuals because of their belonging to one of the aforementioned groups or segments of the population, or defaming segments of the population,

So, if the mullahs did in Germany what they do in Iran on a daily basis, they’d be in the slammer for a nickel.  But they’re OK to do business with, even though they have far more power to act on their threats than some skinhead in Leipzig. AfD is beyond the pale, but the mullahs–now there’s somebody to do business with!

Got it.

As for Merkel’s threats to show her displeasure–who’s stopping you? Go ahead.  Act like any respectable Resistance member. Stomp your feet.  Roll around on the floor screaming.  Hold your breath until your face turns blue.

I won’t say that it won’t have any effect on me–because I’ll genuinely enjoy the spectacle, primarily because it just makes all the more clear your impotence.

As Putin is fond of saying: the dog barks, but the caravan moves on.

As for Trump’s “demand” regarding defense spending.  Um, this was a commitment that Germany voluntarily made to Nato, on more than one occasion long before Trump came to office.  So I guess it’s utterly outrageous for the US to walk away from a deal with the mullahs that did not involve the imprimatur of America’s designated representative body (the Senate), but it’s totally OK for Germany to stiff the US and other Nato allies–all European, mind you–because they are just too fucking cheap (despite having the healthiest fiscal condition of any large nation).  (I further note that Germany is more than happy to “stitch up” (Tim Newman’s phrase) its European confreres when there’s money to be made, kumbaya rhetoric notwithstanding.)

Churchill came close to the truth when he said that the Germans were either at your feet or at your throat.  They certainly go for the throat of the weaker members of the EU, and now at the UK for having the audacity to leave. These days, however, they don’t have the might to tear at the US’s throat, their presumptions notwithstanding.  So while they practice proskynesis at Persian feet, the best they can muster is to nip at Donald Trump’s ankles.

Mezza cartuccia and Foreign Min. Heiko Maas full of hypocritic shit

"The moral obtuseness of German firms panting after sales to a state whose official policy is destruction of Israel is striking, especially combined with German moral preening about pretty much everything." - Streetwiseprof

Mezza cartuccia and Foreign Min. Heiko Maas about Germany's trade interest with Iran:

"I do not see a simple solution to shield companies from all risks of American sanctions," Maas told Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

Germany wants to help its companies continue doing business in Iran after the U.S. decision to reimpose sanctions against Tehran, but it could be difficult to shield them from any fallout, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Sunday.

The ridiculous douchebag who can not even address the UN in English easily switches position because Israel/Jews/Holocaust have always been a political and moral hypocritic prop for Germany.

The German foreign ministry said Saturday that Israel’s decision to withdraw its candidacy “is a further incentive for us to stand up for the interests and safety of our Israeli friends” if Germany wins a Security Council seat.

Let's hope them Germans get blocked.

What is the difference between negating gravity and negating the Holocaust? Or, being Heiko Maas.

Reading Lounge

1. Framing a Job Guarantee - an excellent rebuttal

The second strategy is more difficult, but will pay bigger dividends, by far, if it can be successfully implemented: Teach the American public how modern, sovereign fiat-money actually works. Because if they learn that, not only does the Job Guarantee program become a logical and viable opportunity, many other public goods and services—which previously no one could imagine how to collect enough tax-dollars to pay for—become viable opportunities as well. Ms. McArdle can call this “socialism”—and consign it, as she does, to the “ash heap of history.” I would call it the modern future of sovereign democracy, assuming sovereign democracy is to have any future at all.

2. Why the Left Should Embrace Brexit

3. Logos That Subtly Reveal the Meaning of Words

4. Royal weddings not anymore what they used to be

5. The redistrubution of sex

6. Roy Cohn was The Original Donald Trump

"In the bipartisan New York political culture that nurtured Cohn and Trump, the statute of limitations for nearly every crime or outrage lasts about 48 hours."

"He got what he’d paid for. He had written his checks knowing that the Clintons could be counted on not to bite the small hand that fed them — at least not until their own self-interest was threatened in 2016."

"Had Cohn not been struck down by AIDS, Trump might have arrived in Washington far faster."

Reading Lounge

1. A new TOR attack

2. The Federal Job Guarantee Is Not Just “Better” Than a Universal Basic Income. It’s the Only Reasonable Option. Universal Basic Income Is Sinister

3. Similar to the trend in the US, sexual activity and sexual desire have declined considerably among young and middle aged men in Germany. 

4. Trump’s Path to the Nobel Prize

5. The Media Narrative Around Amazon Is Out of Control

Indeed. A market cap of $814 billion compares to net income, over the past 12 months, of $3.9 billion.

Merkel's talks with Trump went like a breeze until ...

During the joint presser Americans were dazzled as Merkel spoke in fluent German, unlike that Frenchman who spoke in English. That shows provincial Uckermarkian class. Can't beat that.

Trump, ever the caring charmeur, sent Dear German Leader on her way back home with a doggy bag of last Saturday's state dinner with Sun King Macron.

In summary, a total success for Stasi Bush.

The wreck called Hillary

H /T Wirecutter

Reading Lounge

1. Inside the Secret Workshop of the Louvre

2. What if Trump wins the China IP dispute?

3. Last Fall This Scholar Defended Colonialism. Now He’s Defending Himself. - Recommended reading.

4. TWEETING ECONOMISTS ARE LESS EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS THAN SCIENTISTS - via Marginal Revolution

5. He’s Back - John B, that is.

Reading Lounge

1. I Want My ChessTV

“You might see chairs thrown amid a torrent of f-bombs, freestyle rapping mid-game, and a never-ending barrage of trash talk. This is the new, online era of chess.”

2. On Writer’s Block: Advice from Twelve Writers

"I have three rules to live by. One, get your work done. If that doesn’t work, shut up and drink your gin. And when all else fails, run like hell!” — Ray Bradbury

3. Don’t believe the hype about AI in business

4. The iPhone alone accounts for $15.7 billion of the US trade deficit with China

5. Death in the snow - Story from 2003 but still thrilling.

6. The euro area’s deepening political divide

7. In a trade war Germany is the weakest link