Fucking Moron (tm)

Japanese officials are scrambling to work out the details for a Group of Seven meeting spontaneously revived by U.S. President Donald Trump, including dealing with quarantine laws for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his entourage.

The logistical headaches started when, in signature Trumpian fashion, the president casually announced a major decision involving global leaders in a single tweet sprinkled with unnecessary capital letters--catching governments around the world by surprise, including his own.

“Now that our Country is ‘Transitioning back to Greatness,’ I am considering rescheduling the G-7, on the same or similar date, in Washington, D.C., at the legendary Camp David,” Trump tweeted minutes before midnight in Japan time on May 20. “The other members are also beginning their COMEBACK. It would be a great sign to all--normalization!”

It contradicted the U.S. government’s previous announcement that the G-7 meeting would be a teleconference session, instead of an in-person one, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Japanese government officials rushed to fact-check the statement, only to find that their counterparts in Washington were just as dumbfounded as they were.

Within a few days, U.S. officials told them the G-7 Summit would be rescheduled to June 25 and 26, Japanese government sources said.

“I would like to attend, if various circumstances permit,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a news conference on May 25.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13413413

(no subject)

Later this year, when professional sports resume in the US many more prominent athletes will be taking a knee during the national anthem. They will openly defy rules imposed on them through Trump's incessant bullying last year. It will be a constant reminder that we don't have a solution to the race relations problem in this country and there's no chance that our so-called president can help finding a solution. He should be gone.



https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/098uixfv4a/20200531_yahoo_race_and_justice_toplines.pdf

Quote of the Day

About the stock market crash of May 28, 1962

“Remember that this happened at the end of about twelve years of generally rising stock prices. After more than a decade of more or less constant profits to yourself and your customers, you get to think you’re pretty good. You’re on top of it. You can make money, and that’s that. This break exposed a weakness. It subjected one to a certain loss of self-confidence, from which one was not likely to recover quickly.” The whole thing was enough, apparently, to make a broker wish that he were in a position to adhere to de la Vega’s cardinal rule: “Never give anyone the advice to buy or sell shares, because, where perspicacity is weakened, the most benevolent piece of advice can turn out badly."

John Brooks. “Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street.”

( Read more... )

Expressive writing

It really helps. Here's how to try:

Expressive writing is a specific technique, and it’s different from just writing in a journal. People need to reflect honestly and thoughtfully on a particular trauma or challenge, and do it in short sessions—15 to 20 minutes for a minimum of three days is a good place to start.

... Expressive writing works because it allows you to take a painful experience, identify it as a problem and make meaning out of it, experts say. Recognizing that something is bothering you is an important first step. Translating that experience into language forces you to organize your thoughts. And creating a narrative gives you a sense of control.

Now, a new website, part of a research endeavor called the Pandemic Project, gives people an opportunity to try expressive writing about the coronavirus. On the site, which was created by a research team led by Dr. Pennebaker, people are prompted to write about how the coronavirus is affecting them. A text analysis program then provides feedback. (This is not an expressive writing study, but the researchers will be analyzing the samples to look for themes around trauma and the coronavirus.)

/www.wsj.com/articles/feeling-upset-try-this-special-writing-technique-11590930000