Day: August 21, 2026💾
🖼️ Photos
Spike in ‘Dark’ Oil Tankers in Gulf Raises Risk of Catastrophic Spills – The New York Times
The risk of a catastrophic oil spill in ecologically sensitive waters around the Strait of Hormuz has hung over the region since the start of the war in Iran. Now the threats are increasing, maritime experts say, as the conflict has widened and more tankers are navigating the region’s waterways with their tracking transponders turned off to dodge military strikes and drone attacks. The advent of transponders and more advanced navigation equipment has made modern shipping safer and cut down on collisions and spills. Turning them off, or going “dark,” is a perilous activity typically reserved for vessels under sanctions or carrying illicit loads. But since March 1, there have been an alarming 1,514 dark crossings in and out of the Persian Gulf, according to Kpler, a maritime data firm.
Well, ISIS Better Not Make Me Late for the Shuttle on Rainy Days 🚀
As I often like to note, most terrorists work for the government. I just don’t want to miss the shuttle cutting through the Capitol with my bag of bananas, rice, and beans as the rain is pouring down, just because a security screener wants to know what I’m eating for lunch, and why it’s so damn healthy.
I had to just pull the buff card for Jessica Bowen, do a quick Newsbank search and check See Through NY 📰 to see if she was a state employee, and if she regularly votes. Hasn’t voted since Primary 2009, not enrolled in a party. Had a kid in 2011 at Ellis Hospital, not a government employee. But yeah, I’m sure if I’m rushing to the shuttle now on a rainy day, they’ll want to inspect my container of kidney beans 🫘 extra carefully. Annoying a shit. 💩 But terrorists do that, make the government all the more obnoxious. I guess I still have the mind set of when I was in the Deputy in Research Services, but what was wondering how much an inconvience ISIS was about to make my life. At least this terrorist wasn’t colored, so the white supremists running the US government don’t have to dodge that bullet.
Made it in by 8 AM yesterday, 🕒 but ended up leaving earlier to head downtown to campaign committee due to the impending rain. 🌧️ Drizzling a bit as I rode downtown, and raining quite a bit harder all afternoon, ended up taking the yokel local, it so local bus that runs even less frequently come Monday, 🚌 back home. Fried up zucchuni and headed off to bed after some reading and watching stupid TikTok videos about farmers 🧑🏻🌾 doing farmer shit and slinging it. 🐷 Goal is to do the same at least to start out the day. Nicer day today, but yesterday would have been rather wet to head north last night. But I don’t know if I can get away for a three day weekend next weekend, but in two weekends at this time, I should be barreling in the SuperDuty for the Speculator so I can get my Labor Day Campsite 🏕️, and either work from the hammock or the Speculator Library by 9 AM. 📚
Watching the market shit in it’s bucket. 🔽 Maybe all the AI hype is getting knocked down a peg or two, but so are my investments and future owning my own land with that burn barrel 🛢️ for all that plastic crap out back and shitting in a bucket, and messing with batteries and eating venison I butchered myself. I actually have been holding back from the market a bit this year, 🤛 hoping to get some good end of the year deals, plus cheaper valuations now mean more chance for shit to grow in the out year. But I do think taxes are going up on everyone in the out years to pay for the federal debt and social security, probably the Democrats will get blamed for that 🐴 though look who is holding the federal credit card today. Whatever, days, weeks and even months are pretty meaningless things, what matters more is years and decades. Recessions come and go, good buying opportunities even if I will be a soldier 🪖 on the War on Poverty and only worth six digits in next few years. Well on that note, it’s time to get in the shower 🚿 and then on the mountain bike 🚵♂️ up to Enterprise, so I can bypass the ISIS-mandated security. As Country Joe and Fish says, 🦈 “The one that’s driving’s got a bowler hat, the other’s got a fez on his head.”
