TGIF! [DOT 9/5/25]

9/5/25 MegMegMcGee 32
"I've only had half of four bottles of wine."

Hope everyone had a good week so far. Mine was really busy!

Ope, a Midwestern Pope!

Robert Prevost elected as first American Pope Leo XIV
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/05/08/conclave-vote-pope-news-results

Trump tells Congress to raise taxes on the rich in ‘big, beautiful bill’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/05/08/trump-tax-millionaires-republicans

Trump and Starmer confirm ‘breakthrough’ US-UK trade deal
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/08/trump-and-starmer-confirm-breakthrough-us-uk-trade-deal

Boy Accidentally Orders 70,000 Lollipops on Amazon. Panic Ensues.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/business/dum-dums-amazon-order-kentucky.html

Have a great weekend!

avataravataravataravataravataravataravataravataravataravataravataravatar

32 Comments

  2. The UK trade deal is not even remotely a “breakthrough,” but everyone knew that already because Trump lies.

    Trade deal with Great Britain. Vaporware.

    First—and you’ll remember this from his holy highness’s greatest hits collection out in the summer—this is not a deal.  It is the concept of a deal.   “More of a framework than a full trade deal,” according to the Times.  There are no details, no binding language, no agreements except in principle, no terms agreed upon in ink, and no guarantees it will actually come to pass.  Months of arduous talks still lie ahead before anything can be implemented.

    So, functionally, we are right where we were before today’s announcement.

    Uncertainty still rules the day, because the president, unfettered by actual signed agreement, can feel free to ignore anything he cares to.  (As if that wasn’t the case with actual signed agreements.)

    Second, it leaves in place the 10% tariffs earlier levied.  Ten percent is not insignificant.  This should concern those relief-sighing markets.  The trade war is still fully on, just as it was this morning before this brouhaha.

    Third, although Britain is the US’s 11th largest trading partner, it is the only one in the top ten with whom the US has a trade surplus.  We already sell 17% more to them than we buy.  No protectionist relief there.  Additionally, most of the trade is in services, which were not subject to tariffs.

    This “trade deal,” in other words, is more obscuring smoke.  It is vaporware.

    And the ships are still showing up empty.  The administration is still unable to articulate a coherent trade policy.  And the clock is still ticking.

  5. Round 2!

     

    It seems that my hated coworker decided that instead of waiting, he would come to the molehill (me). FYI, our work locations are far apart.

    He came to my work room to allegedly speak to my coworker, but spent his time insulting me with variations of “lazy, motherfucker, asshole, stupid, fuck.”

    I fumed but ignored him. I shrugged my shoulders at him. I guess this pissed him off more. Nothing happened.

    An hour later, he comes storming back to my room. A man with purpose. “Oh shit” was my initial thought. He claims he wants to talk to my work partner, but starts yelling at me in my face. I insult him back and we start yelling, he tries to tower over me to intimidate me. Finally I had enough and threw the best punch of my life. Right cross to the jaw.

    He’s stunned.

    My coworkers try to jump in between us.

    He finally starts punching back as  I close in. I take one in the eye, another in the nose and another on the lip. He kicks me in the nuts twice with steel toed boots. Somehow I didn’t get hit…  otherwise I’m shrieking. I jab him in the face and snake my left arm around his neck. Then I give three or four shots to the face then suddenly we get pulled apart. A slender 60  year old Indian man is shoving him down the hallway (shithead is 6’2″ 230 pounds and I’m 5’6″ 175 pounds for body reference) while shithead is threatening to kill me (demands we fight after work.) My also similarly aged and sized Chinese coworker is keeping me from chasing shithead. I say bring it! It’s probably more bravado than reality as my right hand is already swollen, I can barely see out of my left eye and my nose is bleeding onto my work uniform.

    I decide to end this. Can’t hide my battered face. Gonna get fired anyway. Went to the control room. Everyone stops and stares at the bloody mess entering.

    I enter the supervisor’s office and mention that shithead and I got into a fight. He’s confused and shocked. Can’t blame him.

    They take me to the first aid room and an hour later I’m being interviewed by a supervisor.

    I explain the story from the beginning. The falling out over a year ago. The verbal abuse. The fight in Dec. The constant stream of abuse since (in front of witnesses too). He was “smart” in the beginning to only insult me with no witnesses around but as he got more desperate, I think he decided that he didn’t care.

    I get the “Why didn’t you go to management?”

    1 What the fuck are they really going to do?

    2 I threw the first fucking punch,

    3 I figure that a personal spat isn’t something worth crying to management over with.

    I’m getting pilloried over that one. Main reason I will be fired,

    No matter what now, he’s gone. I’m certain I’m gone.

    Went to the hospital yesterday after I went first to the walk in clinic. The doc saw me and said GO TO THE HOSPITAL!

    Spent 5 Hrs in ER getting CT scanned (found nothing in my head except a broken orbital bone) and my hand xrayed (one broken small bone).

    I have my right hand in a cast and my left eye is tearing out blood (once the swelling went down, I can see out of my eye… seeing Ophthalmologist next week.)

    Suspended and probably fired. Don’t care. I guess I got my “blaze of glory.” Now workplace “legend” as in DON’T BE THIS FUCKING GUY!’

    Have appointments with employment and criminal lawyers (just in case) next week.

    • Wow. I’m not sure what to say here. I mean, I’m sorry this happened but damn, that clearly was a serious punch so props for that? I hope you can clear all this up and move on.

      • Me too.

        I was sick and tired of taking abuse most days we were on shift.

        I took home the abuse calendar I kept in my locker when I left.

        He pretty much destroyed whatever he has against me. Despite the fact I threw the first punch TWICE, he’s the goddamned instigator.

      • I know… the last time I took a beating this bad I was 12.

        But that’s the problem with dealing with a narcissistic abuser  (he claims he’s married, if he is I feel sorry for his wife.)

    • …it’s probably not helpful to admit that I can recall pretty clearly the latent resentment provoked by the provocation getting subordinated to the who swung first binary…or that I can’t help hoping the other guy loses their job but lacks your one-foot-out-the-door jump on being ok with that part

      …but…I guess I just did…& I do…so…there’s that, I suppose…but I’m pretty sure it’s much better advice to listen to a lawyer with your interests at heart than to me about almost anything…so…that part sounds prudent

      …if I’m honest, though, I’d be tempted to ask the lawyer what kind of problem your employers would have if you suggested that it was their failure in a duty of care sense to have had the other guy putting you in a position that ultimately came with personal injuries?

      …my guess is not all the attached liabilities land at your feet…so accepting responsibility for your part in the thing is all well & good…but folks have a tendency to view acceptance of any of that as an excuse to load it all on starting with the bits that might belong to them…& I’ve never knowingly reacted well to that

      …so…sincerely…good luck with that?

      • The problem (why he’s probably fired) is that he went out of his way to go after me. The team lead said he had no reason to be anywhere near my work place.

        The way it looks to me is he wanted a provocation (he got it) but did not expect

        1) I’d be willing enough to take a beating (holy shit did I)

        2) I’d go right to management

        There is nothing management could have done in my mind. This was an explosion bound to happen.

    • Goddamn, friend. Glad you got some good hits in. Unfortunately I agree with you that it’s not like management would have made a difference given the caliber of management you have there.

      • I wish, but even a shift change or department move would have gone poorly.

        I also didn’t think I got into the loser’s head that bad, but I did.

        He’s obsessed with me.

Leave a Reply