Thank you Mr. President

[Chap]

Great news!!! Trump has gone!!!!!

Well, at least his name is gone from the Kennedy Centre -and it is good to see the evidence with one's own eyes. This photo was obtained by the Washington Post.

New photos show first look at Kennedy Center facade without Trump’s name
The images were taken from inside the tarp-covered scaffolding that has blocked the public’s view for more than a week.
Today at 11:02 p.m. EDT

You are looking inside the tarpaulin barrier that is still in place - presumably so as not to make Trump cry? You can see three rows of marble slabs. The lowest one, level with the working platform, is the row where Trump's name used to be. Below that you can just see the lettering of the original inscription in honour of Kennedy.

[Res Ipsa]

Pardon my ignorance, but what was wrong with the original Reflecting Pool that required an overhaul? And what was the overhaul supposed to change?

The original Reflecting Pool was built in the 1920s on unstable marshland. By the time of Obama's presidency, it was sinking into the ground and was losing 500,000 gallons a day of D.C.'s municipal water supply through leaks. The Obama administration reconstructed the pool, giving it a proper foundation on load bearing soil. It also switched the water supply to the Potomac River. The new pool grew algae after it was originally filled, but adjusting the ozone calibration in the filtration system basically fixed that. (There are a couple of photos since that show some algae, but many others that show the pool looking just fine. Beautiful, even.

Trump's renovation appeared motivated by the fact that he didn't like the gray tint of the concrete, which was designed to enhance the reflective property of the pool. He first wanted a light blue, like a swimming pool. Then he decided on a deep "American Flag" blue. Neither color would enhance the fundamental purpose of the pool -- reflecting. https://www.history.com/articles/lincol ... on-sinking

Trump's story about the pool is a delusion. He says that Obama and Biden spent $147 million to "fix" the algae problem. That's false. He's off by $100 million. And the purpose was not the algae problem -- it was the sinking and resulting loss of massive amounts of water through leaks. He describes the decision to use river water (rather than burden the D.C. municipal water system) as a "disaster," yet the water has been fine over the years after the filtration system was adjusted. It's cleaned twice a year because geese crap and some people are pigs. But it was doing its job -- reflecting the images of the Washington monument and Lincoln Memorial, as well as the trees and sky, just fine before Trump's aesthetic meddling.

[Gunnar]

Pardon my ignorance, but what was wrong with the original Reflecting Pool that required an overhaul? And what was the overhaul supposed to change?

The original Reflecting Pool was built in the 1920s on unstable marshland. By the time of Obama's presidency, it was sinking into the ground and was losing 500,000 gallons a day of D.C.'s municipal water supply through leaks. The Obama administration reconstructed the pool, giving it a proper foundation on load bearing soil. It also switched the water supply to the Potomac River. The new pool grew algae after it was originally filled, but adjusting the ozone calibration in the filtration system basically fixed that. (There are a couple of photos since that show some algae, but many others that show the pool looking just fine. Beautiful, even.

Trump's renovation appeared motivated by the fact that he didn't like the gray tint of the concrete, which was designed to enhance the reflective property of the pool. He first wanted a light blue, like a swimming pool. Then he decided on a deep "American Flag" blue. Neither color would enhance the fundamental purpose of the pool -- reflecting. https://www.history.com/articles/lincol ... on-sinking

Trump's story about the pool is a delusion. He says that Obama and Biden spent $147 million to "fix" the algae problem. That's false. He's off by $100 million. And the purpose was not the algae problem -- it was the sinking and resulting loss of massive amounts of water through leaks. He describes the decision to use river water (rather than burden the D.C. municipal water system) as a "disaster," yet the water has been fine over the years after the filtration system was adjusted. It's cleaned twice a year because geese crap and some people are pigs. But it was doing its job -- reflecting the images of the Washington monument and Lincoln Memorial, as well as the trees and sky, just fine before Trump's aesthetic meddling.

Among other reasons for Trump's obsession with the reflecting pool appears to be Trump's jealousy of Obama's continuing popularity and a vindictive obsession to undo anything Obama ever had to do with for which he deserved credit and praise.

[I Have Questions]

I’d like to thank President Trump for the reflecting pool. I haven’t laughed so much in ages. What an absolute balloon he is. And now he’s spending more money on it to seal it off from public viewing. Hilarious!

[Jersey Girl]

Pakman merch. The Reflection Pool (Algae Green) Collection.

[Gunnar]

Pakman merch. The Reflection Pool (Algae Green) Collection.

Maybe, instead of cleaning up the algae, we should take advantage of it by using the reflecting pool to generate environmentally benign biofuels.

Algae biofuels have emerged as a promising solution in the quest for renewable energy. With the world’s growing energy demands and increasing concerns about climate change, finding sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels is crucial. Algae biofuels offer a unique approach by utilizing the power of photosynthesis and the natural lipid content of algae to produce clean and efficient biofuels. In this article, we will explore the importance and potential benefits of algae biofuels and delve into their historical background, key concepts, main discussion points, case studies, current trends, challenges, controversies, future outlook, and the significance of algae biofuels in achieving sustainable energy.

What a great way to make America and the world greater again! No?

[Dwight]

Trump not only lost to Iran, but he has lost to a single celled organism.

[Gadianton]

The reflecting pool situation, silly as it seems at first glance, may have some profound implications. Why is it even an issue? At a time of record unaffordability for the average person, who cares if the reflecting pool has algae? Who cares about the beatification of government buildings? A true mark of capitalism is the state always appears a bit rundown and broke. But that's the problem. Securing that next level of power means turning DC into Ashgabat Turkmenistan as the voters cheer it on to the their own demise. Unfortunately, the laws of nature don't care about the feelings of dictators.

Keeping the water still and unobstructed such that it "reflects" properly for stunning photography around the clock is a serious engineering challenge. That "single celled organism" is no joke as anyone who has ever fought it knows. And on top of that, painting it properly to deepen the effect is next-level. It's just enough of a technical challenge to bite the kind of person in the ass who solves every problem by "throwing money" at it. Twenty million for a pool, a few hundred billion for Iran -- the problem is the same. There is nobody steering the ship who has the requisite competency, hunger for results, or the accountability to fix a problem.

Accountability: The only accountability is saying "yes" to the guy in charge.
hunger for results: Most are in it for the LARPing, to promote their own social media brands, if not promoting their own personal power by the path of least resistance.
Competency: Nothing to say that isn't transparently obvious.

[Doctor Steuss]

Reflecting pools do tend to be a roadblock for a certain type of person.


Narcissus, by Jan Cossiers