Day: February 19, 2024

The Brand That Just Keeps Giving

That brand would be the Trump brand….we have had Trump steaks, water, vodka, wine, university and on and on and now we have….wait for it….sneakers!

As he closes in on the Republican nomination, former President Trump made a highly unusual stop Saturday, hawking new Trump-branded sneakers at “Sneaker Con,” a gathering that bills itself as the “The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth.” Trump was met with cheers as well as boos at the Philadelphia Convention Center as he introduced what he called the first official Trump footwear, per the AP. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” he told the crowd, per NBC News. Details:

  • The shoes, gold lamé high-tops with an American flag detail on the back, are being sold as “Never Surrender High-Tops” for $399 on a new website—GetTrumpSneakers.com—that also sells Trump-branded “Victory47” cologne and perfume for $99 a bottle. He’d be the 47th president if elected again.
  • The website says it is run by CIC Ventures LLC, a company that Trump reported owning in his 2023 financial disclosure. A similarly named company, CIC Digital LLC, owns Trump’s digital trading card NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. The website states the new venture “is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign.”
  • Need a sneaker review? “Trump’s shoe is more Hulk Hogan than (Michael) Jordan, with gold paneling all the way around and an American flag hugging the upper heel,” writes Jacob Gallagher at the Wall Street Journal. “It is adorned on the side with a gigundo T,” he notes. “A poised Nike this sneaker is not.”
  • This isn’t the first money-making venture Trump has announced since launching his third campaign for the White House in 2022. Trump last year reported making between $100,000 and $1 million for a series of digital trading cards that portrayed him, through photo editing, in a series of cartoon-like images, including an astronaut, a cowboy, and a superhero.

I guess this is a good time to offer these after all he, Trump, just got nailed with a with a $350 million ruling in a civil fraud case.

“There’s a sucker born every minute”

How many suckers will buy the sneakers?  (Kinda sounds like a country song)

Any griping thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo” or should it be “cognito ergo conturbo”

To Save Democracy

It is election time and both sides seem to think that they are the savior of our beloved Constitution…..both are silly in my world….but I read a blog post the other day that I feel needs to be shared.

The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederation)’s Law of Peace and Seventh Generation Principle Can Save our Democracy and Climate

An interesting read and very well thought out…

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Starlink Goes Russian

Surely you have heard of Elon Musk’s SpaceX….did you know the SpaceX also makes and sells the Starlink satellite dish system?

I bring this up because even with Western sanctions on technology the Russia soldier is buying up Starlink systems.

It’s not just a few Russian soldiers using SpaceX’s Starlink system here and there, according to the Ukrainian government. Instead, the country’s military intelligence chief claims that Russian military units are using “thousands” of Starlink dishes in occupied areas of Ukraine.  

The allegation comes from Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, who spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the threat of Russian troops using Starlink to communicate on the battlefield. 

The SpaceX technology was once exclusive to Ukraine, including the country’s military, becoming a vital way for the country to supply broadband on the frontlines. But according to Budanov, “Russian army units down to company level” have been buying Starlink dishes from Russian private vendors, who source the satellite technology from intermediaries. 

Budanov made the statements as Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has been releasing audio recordings intercepted from Russian soldiers talking about using Starlink. In one recording, a Russian occupier mentions a convoy acquiring the Starlink hardware from Arab suppliers. In addition, a number of Russian vendors have been spotted openly selling Starlink units online, often for around $3,000 per dish. 

https://www.pcmag.com/news/ukraine-russian-soldiers-are-using-thousands-of-starlink-dishes

I have questions….like where is the Russian soldier getting that extra $3000 from….or is this a propaganda ploy by Ukraine to punish Musk for his half-ass comments about Russia?  Does Musk know about this or does the cash mean more to him? (Do not answer it is the later)

This is just another example of why I say sanctions are a worthless endeavor….there will always be someone that will get the sanctioned country the stuff they need……maybe Musk is doing just that.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”