2 Presidents and 2 Egos, Lisbon Rich and Poor, Argos Cookworks Kettle, White Lotus Quotes

2 Presidents, 2 Egos

Presidents Trump and Xi are engaged in a battle of the ego and their countries come second. 

I understand why Trump is imposing tariffs to try to address the massive US trade imbalance and unfair taxes placed on US imports. However, I fundamentally disagree with his approach to fixing it: create as much chaos and disruption as possible even if you screw the poorest countries who can't afford US goods.

So then he temporarily suspended tariffs above 10%, presumably to allow time to negotiate proper trade deals with dozens of countries, except for China.

As at mid April 2025

There has been a tit for tat set of retaliatory increases leading to the current situation of tariffs of over 100%. Many Chinese companies have suspended exports to the USA and are looking for alternative markets. It has become a battle of the egos - who will cede first - rather than a policy decision designed to promote the local economy.

Trump and team must know that a lack of Chinese imports will drive up inflation at home, so I imagine this is just a short term negotiating game. But they are playing with fire and wreaking havoc on the global economy and on many US and Chinese businesses. Real people are getting hurt in their game.

Lisbon, Europe's Poorest and Richest City

We recently went on a short break to Lisbon to discover a beautiful city that exceeded our expectations. The 'Age of Discoveries' in the 15th and 16th centuries was Lisbon's golden age. Portugal, with Lisbon at its heart, was a major global power due to its pioneering maritime explorations. The city became a central hub for the lucrative spice trade, gold, and other valuable goods flowing in from its vast overseas empire in Africa, Asia, and South America (especially Brazil). From 1808 to 1821, Rio was Portugal's capital!

The iconic Lisbon Trams

A massive earthquake registering 9.1 on the Richter scale struck the city on All Saints Day, 1st November 1755. One third of the city's population perished and most of the buildings were destroyed. We visited the only church that remains from before this period along with the world's oldest working bookshop.  On that morning, the pious and the wealthy were at the early morning church service, alongside vast amounts of gold which was stored in the churches. Most of these people died. Only one part of the city, the Alfama district, survived largely unscathed; it was the poor, red light district. The religious scholars debated the meaning of God's intervention long and hard. 

See the earthquake damage on the ONLY surviving church

The elegant Praça do Commercio

We stayed in a quiet hotel, just a few minutes from the main sights using the efficient and spotless metro. We also tried to use the trams and buses but they don't appear to run to  timetable - or at all - when we wanted them. The one Uber we used was very slow to arrive and got stuck in very bad traffic. There were plenty of places serving high quality gluten free food, even amazing ice cream with cones!

Praça das Armoreiras (Mulberry Trees)

We were most impressed with the quality of the city's architecture, the beautiful squares (Praças), the location where the river Tagus meets the Atlantic ocean, the hilly setting and the people! We plan to return and visit more of Portugal.

Argos Cockworks Kettle

We use our kettle a lot. Several times every day. Over the years I have bought some expensive ones such as Bosch, which typically break after a couple of years so I decided to buy a cheap one. I bought an Argos own brand Cockworks kettle about 3 years ago and it was well made and remarkably good value at £10. 

I wasn't surprised when the thermostat stopped working as it had outlasted the more expensive brands. So being a loyal customer, I decided to replace it with the same model, which had gone up by just £1 to £11.

All good? Well, no, unfortunately not. In order to keep the price rise modest, the kettle quality had been downgraded substantially:

1. It feels much more flimsy, rattling on its base

2. To fill it with water you need 3 hands: one to hold the lid (which flops down otherwise), one to hold the kettle (you don't want to put it down in a wet sink) and one to turn the tap on and off

3. When you pour the boiling water out, if you tip the kettle a little too far, the boiling water pours out all over you

So I suspect the excellent reviews on the Argos website refer to the former model. I took it back and they refunded me when I explained how dangerous it is. And I bought a Russell Hobbs Kettle for £25 on Amazon which seems to be very good quality and comes with a 3 year guarantee. Let's see how long it lasts.

Quotes from White Lotus

"These Gays, They’re Trying To Murder Me"

Tanya McQuoid S2

Tanya on the luxury boat in Taormina with her 'High End Gay' acquaintances

"The least we can do is enjoy it. If we don't it's offensive."  

Victoria Ratilff S2. She is explaining that the poor aspire to be like them, the ultra wealthy, and they need to enjoy their wealth so as not to disappoint the poor.

"Guesss who I am? Peppa Pig?" 

(Monica Viti actually) Valentina S2
https://www.tiktok.com/@warnerbrosirl/video/7295701727683071265?lang=fr

https://www.tiktok.com/@accesshollywood/video/7175361938463952171?lang=fr

Valentina is more abrasive than the other obsequious Hotel Managers in White Lotus

"We’re Living In The Best Time In The History Of The World, On The Best F---ing Planet. If You Can’t Be Satisfied Living Now, Here, You’re Never Gonna Be Satisfied."

Jack talking to Portia S2