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Weather: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Monday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly cloudy, with a low around 77. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Daily weather briefing from the National Weather Service in Jacksonville here.
- Drought conditions here. (What is the Keetch-Byram drought index?).
- Check today’s tides in Daytona Beach (a few minutes off from Flagler Beach) here.
- Tropical cyclone activity here, and even more details here.
Today at a Glance:
The Flagler County Library Board of Trustees meets at 4:30 p.m. at the Flagler County Public Library, 2500 Palm Coast Pkwy NW, Palm Coast. The meeting of the seven-member board is open to the public, but is unlikely to include a discussion of the progeny of Kant and Madonna.
Nar-Anon Family Groups offers hope and help for families and friends of addicts through a 12-step program, 6 p.m. at St. Mark by the Sea Lutheran Church, 303 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast, Fellowship Hall Entrance. See the website, www.nar-anon.org, or call (800) 477-6291. Find virtual meetings here.
Notably: I asked ChatGPT: What sort of child would Madonna and Immanuel Kant produce? Here was the answer, which I found wittier than anything non-Cuff and non-Voltairean since I last ran into George Hanns a couple of weeks ago:
That’s quite the philosophical-pop culture mashup! If Madonna (the provocative, boundary-pushing pop icon) and Immanuel Kant (the meticulous, duty-bound philosopher of the Enlightenment) had somehow produced a child—metaphorically or hypothetically—the result would be… complex. Let’s break it down:
Personality-wise:
- Wild discipline: A child torn between instinctive rebellion (from Madonna) and a strict internal moral code (from Kant). Imagine someone who throws radical art parties but makes sure everyone recycles and abides by the categorical imperative.
- Deep introspection meets performative flair: They’d likely be reflective and brooding, analyzing the moral implications of everything they do—but also completely comfortable performing a 10-minute interpretive dance about it on stage.
- Sexual ethics essays at 13: They’d probably write treatises like “The Metaphysics of Desire: A Categorical Imperative for the Dance Floor.”
Interests:
- Pop philosophy: A scholar of aesthetics with a talent for turning complex moral theory into catchy lyrics.
- Fashion with a reason: Clothes would be bold but always symbolically justified. “Why the cone bra?” “Because it challenges social norms while affirming human autonomy.”
Likely career:
- A performance artist-professor, or maybe a theoretical ethicist with a Grammy.
- Possibly the first person to DJ and deliver a TED Talk on transcendental idealism at the same event.
Ultimate paradox:
They’d constantly battle the tension between “express yourself” and “act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.”
In short: a moral pop revolutionary with a killer sense of rhythm—and guilt.
—P.T.
Now this: including these fabulous lines from Kant to Ayn Rand in the second video: “I will admit you write a decent three-hour monologue but please stick to writing novels. Your philosophy’s crappy and much like Epstein you make 14-year-olds happy.” (Not that he did.)
The Live Calendar is a compendium of local and regional political, civic and cultural events. You can input your own calendar events directly onto the site as you wish them to appear (pending approval of course). To include your event in the Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
August 2025
ESL Bible Studies for Intermediate and Advanced Students
Grace Community Food Pantry on Education Way
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village
Al-Anon Family Groups
Overdose Awareness Day Walk Over Flagler Beach Bridge
September 2025
Flagler County Commission Morning Meeting
Workers Over Billionaires Demonstration at Palm Coast Parkway Overpass
Beverly Beach Town Commission meeting
Nar-Anon Family Group
For the full calendar, go here.
“I am no longer a slave, for I control myself; I am the author of my own conduct, and that is freedom. Kant’s profound notion is that what matters, the only thing which is a supreme value for us (and by value one means an end pursued for its own sake, not as a means to something else), the goal which itself justifies everything else and needs no justification in its turn, that for the sake of which we do what we do, and abstain as we abstain, that for the sake of which we act as we act, and, if need be, die such a sacred, ultimate principle, which governs our conduct, is ordained to us by ourselves. That is why we are free. Therefore, Kant says, the most sacred object in the universe, the only thing which is entirely good, is the good will, that is to say the free, moral, spiritual self within the body.
–From Isaiah Berlin’s Freedom and Its Betrayals: Six Enemies of Human Liberty (2002).
Pogo says
@And
Philosophers are adults who persist in asking childish questions.
— Isaiah Berlin
https://www.google.com/search?q=Isaiah+Berlin
Pogo says
@Anyone
… please, take heed:
The Permanent Stain
By Andrew Sullivan
https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-permanent-stain-360
Ed P says
School supplies that are made in America;
Crayola Crayons and Markers
USA Gold Pencils
5 Star notebooks
Pilot pens
Elmers Glue
Oxford index cards
Top Flight ruled filler paper
Riverside Construction paper
Scotch brand tape
Grainier binders
Ziplock sandwich bags
Duro brown paper bags
Even Kleenex is primarily made in the USA
How soon we forget and jump on anything even remotely appearing negative
Laurel says
…and it will cost more.
Laurel says
Ed P: Trump being close buddies, for 15 years, with a man, and his accomplice, who sex trafficked young girls is much more than “remotely appearing negative'” Do tell, how do you let that slide, yet set the rest of us straight on the origins of Crayola Crayons?
Ray W, says
Some eight months ago, Carscoops published an article devoted to the decline in demand for gasoline in China.
Here are some bullet points from the article:
– China is the fifth largest crude oil consumer in the world.
– 25% of China’s crude oil usage goes to produce gasoline. Today’s production of gasoline comes from refining 3.5 million barrels of crude oil per day.
– Sales of BEVs and PHEVs in China have tripled since 2023 and they have grown by a multiple of eight since 2020.
– In 2024, sales of BEVs and PHEVs crossed 50% of all light vehicle sales in China.
– Including used vehicles, 10% of China’s light vehicle class at the end of 2024 was either BEV or PHEV. At current BEV and PHEV sales rates, by 2030, 20% of China’s light vehicle class will be BEV and PHEV. At some point in the 2040s, 100% of the light vehicle class is anticipated to be electric.
– Analysts told the reporter that demand for gasoline in China is expected to drop by 4% to 5% each year until 2030. By 2024, today’s demand for crude oil in order to make gasoline will drop from 3.5 million barrels per day to 1 million barrels per day.
Make of this what you will.
Ray W, says
By 2040, not by 2024.
Please accept my apology for the flying fingers.
Ray W, says
Yesterday, Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, announced what he has long been describing as Ford’s next “Model T Moment.” According to Mr. Farley:
“It represents the most radical change on how we design and how we build vehicles at Ford since the Model T.”
Here are a few bullet points from the announcement, drawn from four news sources:
– Ford calls its new effort the “Universal EV Program.”
– On top of a previously announced plan to invest $3 billion in a new Michigan battery factory, under license from CATL to build a new form of “prismatic” lithium-ferrous-phosphate (LFP) battery, Ford will invest another $2 billion in retooling an existing Louisville, Kentucky, assembly plant. Floor space will be enlarged by 52,000 square feet.
– Between the two projects, Ford anticipates the creation of 4,000 new jobs. As an aside, there is no word yet on whether the Trump administration will claim all of the 4,000 jobs as its own when the battery factory build was announced during the Biden administration years, when the battery factory is almost fully built, and when Ford’s “skunk works” team has been working since 2022 on a pivot to produce a completely new and less expensive electric vehicle.
– Due to greater use of robotics, the Kentucky manufacturing plant, which according to a link on a Ford site used to employ 3000 workers as recently as April 2024, will soon employ 2,200 workers; it is anticipated that once the new assembly plant is “retooled”, the number of employees will drop by 600 workers to a total of 1600 workers.
– As for the retooled Kentucky assembly plant, it will use an “assembly tree” process, with three assembly branches, instead of a standard “moving” assembly line. Each branch will assemble one of three sub-assembly components: “front”, “rear”, and “structural battery with interior.” Each of the three assembly branches will meet at the trunk to mate each of the three components into the final product.
– According to a reporter, “it is the first fruit of a clean-sheet engineering initiative squarely focused on closing the cost gap with BYD and Tesla while redefining the game for building cars.”
– The complete redesign process yielded a new form of wiring harness that weighs 22 pounds less and has 4,000 feet fewer wires that that used by the Mustang Mach-E, due to a “zonal electrical architecture” that eliminates hundreds of “discrete control units” that are replaced by a “couple of high-speed domain controllers.”
– Larger “single-piece cast aluminum components eliminate scores of individual smaller components, reducing parts counts 20 percent, fasteners 25 percent, and workstations 40 percent.” Assembly time is down 15 percent.
– As for the battery factory product, Ford’s EV chief, Doug Field, says the design team has produced a lighter battery one-third smaller and at a lower cost than its first-generation EV battery; the new battery has the same range as the old battery, yet it is compact enough to lie flat under the cab floor, which reduces the center of gravity and enables better handling. One advantage of the new battery is that it uses no expensive cobalt or nickel and is less susceptible to “thermal runaway.” Another advantage is that the battery stores enough energy to power a home for six days, should a power interruption occur. According to Mr. Farley:
“You don’t need a generator. … You just need to buy this truck.”
– By 2027, Ford will introduce a $30,000 BEV four-door mid-sized pickup truck, perhaps named the Ranchero, as Ford recently applied to renew the trademark name of Ranchero, but the application covers a range of vehicles, from electric cars to trucks and vans and utility vehicles.
– After the announcement, Mr. Farley talked of Ford learning that the EVs it has been making were not what EV owners actually wanted. “People love their EVs if they have a duty cycle that fits. … A computer can have lot of lower costs — that’s why we redid this platform, the Ford Universal Electrical Platform, to bring costs way down. And for us to break even and make money, that’s the exact same thing.”
– He also told reporters:
“We knew that the Chinese would be a major player for us globally, companies like BYD, new startups from around the world, big technology has their ambition in the auto space. They’re all coming for us, legacy automotive makers. … We needed a radical approach and a really tough challenge to create an affordable vehicle.” Mr. Farley added that since the recession Ford is the only American company that has added jobs, some 13,000 over the five year span.
Make of this what you will.
Ed P says
Laurel,
Are you right? Who in their right mind would want secure borders, slowing the fentanyl scourge, making food healthier, removing criminals illegals, reducing human trafficking ,cleaning up DC, restoring the Kennedy Center to its glory, or resetting global trade to benefit Americans?
You obviously don’t like the following:
The lefts’ hope for economic doom hasn’t arrived yet, maybe Trumps right. Who knows?
Boys won’t compete against girls in sports. About 76 trillion $ has been pledged as new investments. 90 billion has come in as tariffs with little disruption in out lives. Stock market is reaching record highs-it didn’t tank. Military recruiting is reinvigorated. Drug cartels are on notice. Several foreign “hot spots” have been cooled. Murder rates continue to drop. The world leaders are not laughing. Economic deals are being used to effectively calm the world.
So what more could you want in the first 200 days. Results matter more to the majority more than the “character “ flaws you continue to clings to.
Are you willing to flush any successes over your personal dislike for the man?
If there is better ways to solve the “problems” why aren’t the left exposing the solution instead of obstructing?
Ask yourself who/what caused all these “man made challenges?”
Laurel says
Ed P: Everyone is responsible. However, your man is more than simply “flawed.” For starters you damn well know he’s enriching himself on hungry kids’ time. You know he has surrounded himself with incompetent clowns. The crime in Washington D.C. was already dropping before Trump sent in armed, war uniformed soldiers, some anonymous and masked, against the American people. He has canceled financing children’s problems that are working to save kids from violence.
Being a sex offender, may be a simple flaw to you, but to me, it is not leadership. I’m not going through the extremely long list, Sherry did that admirably.
Narcissism is not a healthy dose of confidence, it is a mental illness. They are often self centered, chronic liars, and manipulative people who don’t want us to know how hollow they are inside.
As for the Kennedy Center: Kennedy said “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Trump: “They’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats…”
Yeah, I don’t like him. He is displaying government overreach like we’ve never seen before, and it’s definitely not for you or me. Not for one minute. This is not a good thing.
Laurel says
Now, here’s a Republican viewpoint. From my husband: Trump wants 15% of Nvidia’s profit. What the f__k is Trump doing making the government a partner in private industry?
Where is free enterprise? If a company makes a good brand of coffee, let it stand on its own. If people like it, they will buy it. If they don’t, they won’t.
Why is Trump taking over the Kennedy Center? One man decides what performances are good, and you’ll like it. Republicans are buying the tickets. How does this benefit the general public? Free enterprise determines what people would like to see. Why, when the world is burning, is the President of the United States f__king around with theater tickets?
Why he’s (hubby) mad is because America has always been great. The whole world wants to come here because it has always been great. There was no need to make America great again. MAGAs, with a red baseball cap, have been suckered into an advertisement campaign. Got the hat, got the gold sneakers, got the T bible, got the gold watch, makes a person more American than everyone who disagrees.
Ed P says
Has truth devolved in modern times aligning more with fairness? Is truth viewed subjectively? Maybe people can’t view truth as absolute. Truth is actually unrecognizable. Fact checkers and Ai both rely on the internet or media that inherently leans and is infected with misinformation. Truth depends on one’s philosophies. Facts are no longer facts but biased opinions or theories. Spinning every detail is the norm.
Seek reality instead.
We don’t live in an absolute world where concepts can be viewed as if black or white. Yet everything is not gray.
The argument of who’s right or who’s wrong is usually based on misinformation and doesn’t actually matter. Why not focus on addressing problems/issues by presenting alternative common sense solutions based on the realities, isn’t that valuable?
Ps To all the Trump haters.
You’ve been tossed overboard in the middle of the ocean but you don’t want to die or be consumed by sharks. Would you care about your savior’s character, ethnicity, religion, pronouns, or political beliefs? Does it matter? That’s reality. It’s out of your control.
Not suggesting Trump is saving us, just that he is the President and the chronic complaining without any rational common sense solutions is an ongoing failed strategy.
PSs Its also glaringly disingenuous as the naysayers continue to deny or admit to any of Trump’s positive accomplishments. The staunchest Trump supporters don’t agree with him on many issues. Nor are they always silent either.
Even Hilary Clinton appears to be softening.
Laurel says
He is a sex offender, a bigot, a misogynist, an adjudicated rapist, a narcissist, a chronic liar, a multi-time felon, a grifter, and he doesn’t know what the f**k he’s doing. This is not “alternate common sense” or alternate facts. This is reality.
Throw him overboard.