They’ll be calling you radical, fanatical…

I heard Supertramp's "The Logical Song" recently and kind of got the feels from it. Who would have thought a song that came out 45 years ago would have significance today?

I was curious about the origin of the song and it's actual meaning, so I did little googling. And thought I'd share. 

https://youtu.be/kln_bIndDJg?si=O9gl37KGy0hwYQKA

https://medium.com/the-riff/supertramps-the-logical-song-explained-7a070dd0f4b7

I wonder if that’s intentional?

The BBC referred to the Secretary of State (a cabinet position) as an envoy, which I suppose is technically correct, but surely an insult to his pompous self. 

Another example of how things will go sideways under the current administration

Among all of the things Biden included in his American Rescue Plan was funding for gun violence prevention. 

…and in Detroit, it had great success. Gun related deaths reached a low that hasn't been seen in 60 years. 

But T-rump will not renew the funding and that means the program will shutter. 

The article notes that the state had allocated funds via a bill that passed the legislature, but never passed in the state senate, and thus no state money will be spent, either. 

Wow a program that worked that cost relatively little money. But those billionaires need another sports car I guess. So you gotta reduce spending.

And somehow the GOP seems to thrive off misery, so it's on brand. 

https://www.thetrace.org/2025/02/detroit-gun-violence-shotstoppers/

Disneyland sued for changes to the disability pass

Disney had a means of providing something to guests needing special assistance. Back before you had all the technology, guests who couldn't wait in line could get a pass book from guest relations that would allow them to visit attractions and be given a return time to avoid the wait. 

As the technology advanced, they still had the book but you had do a little pre-planning and couldn't just walk into guest relations and ask for it. 

Then the abuse started. People who didn't need it were using it to "skip the lines" and worse, local tour operators were directing their clients (for a fee) in how to game the system. 

Disney changed the system to one that more closely aligned with the technology; you could pre-register and then go through a sort of screening process (Disney was always very mindful about asking specific questions about disabilities, but wanted to know if waiting in line posed a problem, and wanted to see the person who would be using it). The guest would then be able to book some lightning lane attractions for their visit that would mostly avoid lines. 

Only…. These tour operators are not all good people. And they found more loopholes to exploit, thus giving their guests a means (once again) to cheat the system. 

Disney responded yet again by threatening these operators. But, social media spread the "how to" far and wide. 

So Disney had to change course and revisit the program. They further restricted who could use it and how many attractions it could be used on, etc. 

Which caused some people to cry foul. Right or wrong they are saying Disney is discriminating against them. And are suing in California (such a suit would go nowhere in Florida, and would face resistance on the national level). 

I suspect the endgame will be that Disney makes another change. What that will look like, who knows?

To me, a solution where one person waits in line and the guest with be disability catches up at the end may be the simplest one. Though I do see that using some technology may be helpful - perhaps you wait in a virtual queue, but it has to be nearby the attraction and the wait time is as though you stood in line and then you join the queue at the end. 

It eliminates more of the system abuse and levels it for everyone. You can still purchase the lightning lane if you choose. But this is a free option that changes the paradigm. 

https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/disney-sued-discrimination-disability-service-20168308.php

Even Disney realizes they are pricing people out of visits

The Wall Street journal recently ran a piece about the high cost of making a visit to Disney world. 

Disney seemingly responded by talking about value, the experience, and the "once in a lifetime" schtick. They also calculated their own cost for a stay, and essentially disputed the WSJ saying it might cost around $3800, by saying their figures were closer to $3100. Which is still a lot. 

Anyway, the article is behind a paywall. But you can find it excerpted here:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/even-disney-is-worried-about-the-high-cost-of-a-disney-vacation-wall-street-journal.1104477/

And if you're so inclined, fellow Disney enthusiast and acquaintance of mine Len Testa, breaks this down for us in a lot of detail. 

https://touringplans.com/blog/how-much-disney-can-americas-middle-class-afford-in-2025/

The one thing if add is that while this is all true, the cost of *everything* is going up to a point where most people can't afford much more than a staycation. 

Young inventors!

There's a group that encourages young deaf people to come up with a solution to one of their personal issues with their cochlear implants. 

Then this group reviews these ideas and invites some of the most innovative ones to Austria for a competition of sorts and helps develop these ideas further, helping others. 

I did notice this year had one entry from the US, a 12 year old from Florida. You can see her story in the YouTube below. 

Children really are the future. Never stop reaching for the stars, kids!

https://businessday.ng/bd-weekender/article/meet-12yr-old-nigerian-innovator-who-won-trip-to-austria-in-med-els-global-ideasforears-contest/

https://youtu.be/ikne3N9aPG0?si=rpcFfaY-hwy9a0OU

Its a kind of personal evolution, coupled with a comeuppance I guess

There's a thing trending on the socials called FAFO - essentially "F*ck Around and Find Out" which presents stories of buyers remorse in a way, as it relates to voting for T-rump in 2024.  

You have stories about the people who were happy to get the "bad illegals" deported, until it was someone they knew and cared about who got deported.  You have the people who are complaining prices are going up in spite of him saying he'd bring them down (and hearing dear leader say "your prices may go up" in recent days exacerbates this).  People who see this tariff thing hitting them in the wallet, even before it takes full effect because of the perhaps unintended consequences of reduced travel by people from other countries coming here and spending money.  There was a woman lamenting a change in the child tax credit on taxes *from her* to her ex-husband because he pays child support. 

And then there's the USAID money.  Its terrible that we won't be working to help with diseases in other places (which undoubtedly will lead to those diseases spreading farther and wider than they might otherwise).  And there's a kind of carrot and stick effect with other countries.  Offering them aid is a carrot for them to, say, stem the tide of illegal immigration.  As opposed to the stick of "do as we say or else"... but the more immediate problem is the threat to smaller farms.  Some amount of what they produce is bought by the US Government and used in subsidy programs and to ship overseas as part of a broader trade arrangement under USAID.

These small farms that were all in on the guy now see that the US isn't - and won't be - buying their goods anymore.  Which means they have a limited marketplace and it will drive them out of business.  Couple that with silly rules about how SNAP funds may be used (no sugary drinks!) and that means a reduction in corn production that's used in processing corn syrup.

And on and on.  Plus many more to come I am quite sure

Reading and seeing these is both amusing and sad.  But it is the consequence that comes with the decision to vote for him.  And no matter how much we warned them, here we are.