Michael Joner

Statistician encouraging innovation, quality, engineering, consumer research, and visualization. I also follow sports, Ukraine, and other topics.

[Michael Joner @mdjoner]

@grok @guanzhi8 @rshereme @grok So are Witkoff and Kushner making measurable progress toward the stated goal of improving communication? Why do they think their approach is likely to succeed? Do the UA/RU parties agree that progress is being made?

[Michael Joner @mdjoner]

@Big12Conference 🎮

[Church News @the_churchnews]

From the historic Kirtland temple to the future Cincinnati Ohio Temple, youth in Ohio received witnesses of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as they visited three temples in three days.
https://t.co/YXJSLMauY7

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace.

None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.

We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same. Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.

We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this.

Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.

Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.

[Seth Abramson @SethAbramson]

This is what ardent NYT _conservative_ Bret Stephens is saying.

Anyone with any sense knows that today was an absolute disaster and disgrace for the United States.

[Senator John Curtis @SenJohnCurtis]

Diplomacy and statesmanship seem to have been checked at the door of the Oval Office today. Ukraine is an ally in pursuit of free markets, free speech, and free people—Western values that align with our own. A win for Putin, on the other hand, does not. I am hopeful that our countries can get back to the table and advance the prospects of a just and lasting peace.

[Dave Hale - Concerned Republican @CountryFirstRep]

Ronald Reagan would have armed Ukraine to the hilt.

[Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 @IAPonomarenko]

Well, sure—Zelensky could have found a better way to tiptoe around Trump and Vance.

Of course, he made mistakes. And naturally, every single one of us on Twitter would have handled the situation far bettter.

But the real problem is this: when you're subjected to a setup like this—when every step you take is met with a grenade contemptuously tossed at your feet—one of them is bound to knock you down. And the moment it does, they’ll rush in, shovels in hand, eager to finish you off.

Everything could have proceeded normally—both sides issuing standard statements from their respective viewpoints, signing an agreement, and then going their separate ways.

I don't recall Macron ever facing such obstruction simply because, in his remarkable audacity, he dared to point out that Europe is providing more assistance and that it's given without any compensation.

This was never about a fair, reasonable bilateral meeting or the signing of agreements. It was about engineering a scandal at the first convenient opportunity, deliberately derailing the talks, and publicly humiliating Zelensky in front of the cameras.

[Garry Kasparov @Kasparov63]

🔥 "If Zelensky wanted to surrender to Putin, he would have gone to Moscow, not Washington."

[Stephen Hayes @stephenfhayes]

Trump says he can't say "really terrible things about Putin" and then attempt to lead diplomatic talks. Last week, Trump said Zelenskyy was "a dictator without elections."

Pro-Putin, Pro-Russia.

[Michael McFaul @McFaul]

Trump said that the U.S. aid helped Zelensky and Ukraine (He used a little less diplomatic language); that is true. But Trump did not. He & his GOP held up a new aid package for 6 months (which cost many Ukrainian lives). His VP voted against it. Trump has offered no new aid.

[Stephen Hayes @stephenfhayes]

Really? 
Trump takes a question about why he's aligned with Putin. He answers by saying he's not aligned with either party -- he's for the US. Trump says he can’t say bad things about Putin and then pick up the phone and say, “Hey Vladimir, how’s the deal?” Says Trump: “That’s not how it works!” (Yes, this is the same Trump who twice called Zelensky a dictator in recent days.) Trump then effectively blames Zelenskyy for the failure of diplomacy. "You see the hatred he's got for Putin," Trump says mockingly. "It's very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate - he's got tremendous hate."

Vance trashes Biden, arguing that Biden's "chest-thumping" was the reason diplomacy failed.

Zelenskyy, after saying "God bless now President Trump will stop him" -- offers, to my ears, a remarkably dispassionate recap of the history, pointing out that diplomacy didn't fail because of anything the victims have done but because Putin ordered an invasion, has broken ceasefires and and has killed many Ukrainians.

Then Vance -- the same guy who said "I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other" -- picks a fight with Zelenskyy, WWE style. 

Truly disgraceful.

[Jeff Jacoby @Jeff_Jacoby]

The accusation by Trump and Vance that Zelensky isn't grateful to America for its assistance is just — insane. “You’re not acting all that thankful,” Trump barked. Vance demanded to know whether Zelensky has said "thank you" once.

Are they out of their minds? Zelensky has thanked the United States, the US government, and the American people again and again and again.

In his address to Congress in December 2022, Zelensky began with the words "Thank you," he repeated his thanks nearly 20 times, and he ended with "May God forever bless the United States of America." When Trump & Vance libel Zelensky as ungrateful, what they really mean is that he hasn't groveled sufficiently to them.
https://t.co/56P2HuRw9V

[Michael Joner @mdjoner]

@MartinKulldorff @NateSilver538 I'm not sure age-adjustment is basic statistics. Far too many people don't understand how this is computed or what it means. I think these calcs may work for experts but not sure we can expect politicians or citizens to not take this the wrong way...

[OptaJack⚽️ @OptaJack]

10 - @fccincinnati has more wins in its last 11 home MLS games (10) than it did in its first 57 (9). Maturation.

[Michael Joner @mdjoner]

@clairevparrish @TMobile Following. Glad to hear an engineering team is working on it

[Michael Joner @mdjoner]

@rohrbachertyler Yes! All three of my lines in Cincinnati are useless unless on wifi

[Michael Joner @mdjoner]

@RageMichelle @TMobileHelp @TMobile Three more lines here too

[Michael Joner @mdjoner]

@arteyp513 @TMobile Same issue 3 different lines in Cincinnati. Can't seem to find the T-Mo network

[Michael Joner @mdjoner]

@religiongal Missions are stressful but likely won't be the most stress these adults will experience. We need to learn. So leaders, parents, friends all should offer tools (incl. counseling) needed to handle stress in life. I sure had stress on my mission. But life post-mission is hard too!