Christopher Weeks

Elanor Gardner wrote: [Trudeau] would make odd statements over the past few years, such as this one: "Canadians do not have an inherent right to own property."  

Just to clear up the facts of this: Canada's Justice Minister and Attorney General David Lametti made the news by saying, as a matter of constitutional fact, that Canadian citizens do not have an “absolute right to own private property”. It’s just a point of law and it wasn’t Trudeau.

It was -28F when I got up this morning. On a day like this, I'm just glad it's not -38! But honestly, I'm useless if it's above 75F outside, so I guess we each live where we belong. :)

I think the new administration's party is generally hostile to anything that can be perceived as "green". Trump mentioned in his inauguration speech yesterday that he would end the electric vehicle mandate and we could buy whatever cars we wanted. I was wondering what that referred to and then today I noticed this piece from Politifact (https://www.politifact.com/article/2025/jan/20/fact-checking-president-donald-trumps-inauguration/)

Trump misled when he said, "With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal, and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate."

No "Green New Deal" is in effect. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., introduced a 2019 resolution that offered a broad vision for responding to climate change, but it never became law. After Biden became president, Congress passed legislation, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, that advanced some climate policy goals. Trump cannot undo laws by executive order.

As of the evening of Jan. 20, we had not yet seen what Trump’s executive actions will bring. In 2024, Biden’s administration, building on a target set in its first year, issued a rule that 56% of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. to be electric or hybrids by 2032.

I don't know if or how that will affect people who own such cars. I'd guess minimally.

Yeah, I see what you're saying. Accounting for mileage seems like the way to go, but I'm not sure how those data would be collected. In AR, do you have to take the car for annual safety/emissions inspection? Maybe the recorded mileage at the time of inspection could play into the annual fees.

I mean...the public roadways do have to be maintained. And historically, our entire system was built around funding that with a tax on gasoline. I don't drive a hybrid or electric car yet, so I didn't realize that was a thing until you wrote about it, but it seems like an OK idea to me.

Thanks for the info, both of you -- and welcome to Permies!

I think the primary harm with using too much water is that you have to heat all that mass which costs more energy. And I think the secondary risk is: if you had enough water infiltrate a jar, it could eliminate the head-space and cause your food-stuff to exit, which leaves a trace at the rim between the glass and the sealing lid, which increases the chance of a failed seal. In your position, I would just be sure to test the seals before opening to make sure they're not compromised.

(And oh yeah, like John said, welcome to Permies! )

Judith Browning wrote:I really don't understand how tariffs are going to bring the cost of things down in the US.

I think that's because it is literally impossible.

When I'm coaching my kids (and even myself) through this loss, I always remind them that as much as this hurts right now, the beloved pet brought us so many years of love and joy, and that's what makes the grief worth it.

I'm sorry that you and your family have to go through this now, Michael.

In 1997 I was working as a help desk manager and the enterprise sent us all to a two-day management training that was primarily focused on negotiation. It has informed my view of negotiation ever since.

The world is made incrementally better every time a negotiation happens where all parties leave satisfied. The most likely way to achieve that is for everyone to lay all their cards on the table -- openly sharing information, goals, and priorities and then to look for an outcome that satisfies the preferences of as many people as possible. This approach does sometimes mean I don't get the absolutely best outcome for me, but a rising tide lifts all boats. I wish everyone felt about negotiation the way I do.