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Markets Roll Trounce of the Bounce – Thursday Admin Blues

This market has (trying to remember the old saying here…) “More up and downs than a bordello on Saturday night.”

I mean, think about it.  Dow was up Wednesday +305 points.  Early futures this morning? -316.

That’s a whole lot of action, but we’re not seeing much traction, Jackson.

News Flows and Other Woes

Grab the Kleenex, sport.  We roll!

Starting with the money side:

  • Bitcoin is under $70,000 – again.  No, we have never had a wallet. But, we do enjoy looking at BTC as lemming food.  When the lemmings come in, general prices go up (food’s in short supply, you know?).  Well, then the suckers tend to line up for paper products, too.
  • Gold and Silver are down, too.  This one’s a bit more perplexing: They should be up – especially on the Wednesday import prices dope. But, no.  Gold is under $4,500 and silver is under $70.  Not that it matters (air is still free) but since the world is slowly aging, the need to put on airs is evaporating.
  • Another depends where you’re standing when you look:  Brent crude was over $106 on the futures early. West Texas Intermediate was under $94. Maybe’s it’s like old Jumpin’ Jack Flash song, huh?  (“…it’s a gas, gas, gas…“) – if you’re a child under fiddy.  Just trying to be the geez to please.)

Speaking of oil: did someone slip Maduro some liberal Kool-Aid?  Venezuela’s Maduro to ask US to drop charges, alleging his legal defense is being hindered.  You have to love it when an anti-American drug-involved dictator (dick, if you prefer) is citing his Constitutional rights.  Here.   Um…VisGrips  to the forearm, stat!

Peeled of Fortune

And what of that once great country America?  You know, the one “Indivisible, under God, with liberty and justice for all”?  Indivisible is toast, God’s in the penalty box. and liberty and justice have been jacked by SJW lib-naz’s. So sad.  But here we go.  Scroll ’em, Danno:

Papieren, bitte:  ICE Agents at Some Airports Begin Checking IDs in Security Lines – The New York Times.

Mainstream media distractions are paying off: Iran War: Financial Markets Aren’t Prepared for Shocks – Bloomberg. The problems Bloomberg doesn’t address in the article, I’ve written two books about.  First is the planned obsolescence business model is blowing up as outlined in my book The 100-Year Toaster.  The second miss is that the mass over-consumption model is breaking, too.  Which we walk through in Downsizing: Missing the Collapse of Empire.  Though, as I mention, I am the most successful author of overlooked books in the world, presently.

Iran is “thinking about it.”  Ticktock – our Monday Mayhem outlook is unchanged as Iran says it is reviewing US proposal to end war,  If you believe it, I have this bridge you may be interested in…

Nikita’s shoe?  OK, been a news guy too long maybe.  You may not have watched back in 1960 was it? Nikita Khrushchev was banging his shoe at the UN. No disrespect to the President, but that goes through my head when I see headlines like ‘Trump Prepared to Unleash Hell’ if Iran Miscalculates ‘Again’, White House Says. Hand the man a shoe.

[Ure steps outside to clear his head for a second, as Country Joe and the Fish replays between his ears…]

The Missus T has Collaborators.  Since another one of my books is on human-AI collaboration (Co-Telligence: Another Intelligence has Joined Humans) we track such things closely.  Melania Trump envisions AI robots as personalized educators for US kids.  Yes, that’s exactly the kind of future visible at my AI research site, in articles like Can AI “Jailbreak” the Carbons? – Hidden Guild.  What’s harder to fathom is the hate-spew in White House graced by weird android devoid of human emotion—and a robot on The Daily...oh, they don’t matter.  I know – it’s about clicks, not truth, right?

The Fall of England – that’s something media ought to roll out front and center – but it’s buried.  But go look at Bail granted for 2 arrested in connection with London ambulance arson, police say.  Oh, those poor darlings, right?  If you haven’t noticed, the West lost the second Battle of Tours, England has fallen, and places like Denmark are barely holding on…

Oh, Denmark did he say?  (Cue the Heckle Fish).  Denmark’s ‘kingmaker’ could decide who will lead its next government after an inconclusive election. (We’ll give you voting rights and you give us Greenland, which you can’t afford, anyway…)

The S.T.R.M

(Stuff That Really Matters)

Unemployment filings – still stable, mostly:

But the Drought is Coming – just in time for Depression 2 – later this year or next – be patient, be planning:

Around here, the weather continues dry, the burn bans are on.  And forest fires are starting up early: Forest Service announces temporary closure of portions of Blue Ridge Parkway due to fire.  We’re so old, we can remember when March and April were what the wild land teams called “green up” – when it was almost impossible to burn anything in the woods.  Once upon a time, huh?

At the Ranch: System Admin Blues

Know what I’d like to do today?  The important stuff here in the woods.

  • Transplant from hydroponics into the lean-to greenhouse.
  • Put up the west side shade sail to keep cooling bills down this summer.
  • Mow the yard that defies science by growing in drought.

But no.  Not here.  Not when you live in the woods.

You see CenturyLink sold off their Internet services in the deep piney woods to Brightspeed.  And their service is horrible.  I mean on a good day.  For example, that backup network went down a weekly ago.  So after telling support what the problem was – a recurring card failure in the equipment cabinet up the road – they insisted on sending me a new modem.  Here’s how that worked out after refusing any speed measurement for 10 minutes:

This is a problem we have been fighting for years. We have gone from dial up 96– baud when we moved out here in 2004 to 2.1 mb at the peak of CenturyLink. But down it’s down to plain miserable.  There are groups popping up all over the web telling the same tale: Move to the woods and the copper will go away over time.

Fortunately, Elon Musk’s Starlink is preventing collapse out here.  Extremely reliable and yeah, we also have a backup “mini” now too.

I wouldn’t mind so much, but 2-factor security mania and AI replacing humans has led to a simple “fix it” call lasting an hour.  At 77, I’ve gotten pretty zealous about my time.  Never enough left.

But it’s not just being a network admin.  Then there are readers who are so convoluted in their use of language that it tears into my time deciphering what they really mean.

Some are clear:  “IsraHELL” lands one reader in the penalty box regularly.  Other notes, like trying to figure out what “…sbbad was land that the better half’s family…” means (and whether it’s just scam-fishing) also eats up the day.

This weekend? Time to work on the Texas Sales Tax report for the quarter.  It’s a push-button exercise – query database, copy numbers, multiply times the tax rate here (6.75% by the way), cut check, walk to mail box…but it’s all time on tasks that “Wasn’t automation going to remove overhead?”

That’s what they told us in Business School.  Automation will fix everything.  Here’s the reality:

  • Tax Foundation annual estimates (drawing directly from IRS/OMB data): Tax compliance alone costs the economy $536–546 billion per year (2024–2025 figures), including ~7.1 billion hours of time plus out-of-pocket expenses (software, preparers, etc.). This is equivalent to the full-time work of ~3.4 million people. Business tax forms (corporate, quarterly estimates, depreciation, etc.) make up a large share. Costs have grown steadily over decades despite computerization; complexity has outpaced efficiency gains.
  • CEI “Ten Thousand Commandments” annual report (2025 edition): Estimates total federal regulatory compliance costs at $2.155 trillion (a new record high, or ~7.3% of GDP). This includes labor, capital, and economic effects. The report also tracks raw regulatory output (3,248 new final rules in 2024; record Federal Register pages). Earlier editions showed similar growth.

I keep thinking about retirement – and if you’re in a small business, perhaps as an owner like many of our readers are – you have my deepest sympathies.

SSDD Thursday.

Write when you get rich,

George@Ure.net

27 thoughts on “Markets Roll Trounce of the Bounce – Thursday Admin Blues”

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  1. “I am” doesn’t exist in us. The “I” is asleep, covered over, undeveloped, unawakened. Instead it thinks, it likes, it dislikes, it moves, and we imagine I am doing it. This imagining that “I am,” when in fact it’s all happening through me, is one of the main aspects of what is meant by “man is asleep.” It’s a hypnotic sleep, it’s something which the world, the society, has bred into us. It’s mechanical, Gurdjieff says. We can’t do anything, we can’t be anything like we’re meant to be until we begin to realize the condition that we’re in.

    That’s one of the first startling things about this teaching. It’s very hard to think we’re that far from where we’re meant to be.

    https://www.gurdjieff.org/needleman3.htm

    • Don Juan Matus said that the assemblage point in humanity is pretty much agreed upon and locked in place so that agrees with us all essentially being ‘asleep’ and utilizing only a very small percentage of our natural gift of consciousness. To escape the sleep we-need to shift that point and ‘see’ from the new perspective. See that we are all simply energy with no beginning or end. There is always ‘time’ for everything whether in this skin suit or simply in the realm of the dream world. The temptation is always to live the dream rather than dream the life.
      Being at sea always shifts whatever is required for the moment.
      Gas is getting costly, still not rare down here … yet.
      Stiks

  2. I concur on the Starlink platform.
    Recently with Diana’s recent heart attack(s) I have had to lower the shields on my phone so as not to miss any calls from Dr’s and such. I stopped counting the bullshit spam calls that vastly outnumbered all the other ones and like you my time is infinitely more valuable than them. It appears that most of the calls began once my phone information went into the hospitals patient portal. Thanks a lot. In the past I would simply leave the damn phone on the kitchen table and we relied on the radios, mesh network, and the dogs around the ranch. Shields went back up Monday.
    Diana is doing well. The incident shook us both since neither of us want to think about going on without the other.
    Best to you, Elaine and all. Stay safe. 73

    • My total sympathies to you both! I wish the best for you. I get where you’re coming from and I’m glad you have each other and are smart enough to recognize the value you have in each other’s lives. Live long and prosper together in health and happiness!

    • not just there..last April I woke up to some pretty horrendous text messages..the phone was showing that I was viewing them…all while I slept…scared the hell out of me..blocked them and they would come through from a generated phone number.. I finally dumped that number..now phone goes off.. what I discovered is once the hospitals upload your information everything is done and the reach out and touch someone sites are more than willing to use it..the ones threatening had everything..I figured out which one they got the info from ..when they got my information the one reach out and touch someone verification site had someone that isn’t anywhere in my family..
      on mother’s Day my granddaughter asked..why did you change your number.. I showed her the only one I kept .and she said so that’s what’s been going on..at the pharmacy retail store she works at..they get five to ten coming in for gift cards..they target the poor elderly and disabled..the spam callers . in the past it was the county courthouse..people walk in do a search pick up delinquent properties for back taxes.. one person in our small community would go and put a lien on people’s farms and homes .then when they’d go to sell or someone died it would be a mess… when I got the new number I asked if there was anyway to keep it unlisted..nope all of it is uploaded.. similarly..what you buy only be promotes ads..all they do is a general search..
      when I reported the threatening text messages. the officer said yeah his mom got that one to..just delete it and block it .it’s the new normal..

  3. the hubbard squash…. and the cracker….
    I prefer Nabisco crackers..mostly because they use a little more flour..
    now I prefer homemade crackers… but it’s just more convenient to simply buy them..
    Now what about the reason the hubbard squash and history..in the 1800’s the seeds were introduced.. the huge squash was a favorite due to its longevity..
    now the crackers…. squash has a great deal of vitamins and is an excellent.. during the civil war a flour salt cracker hard tack was a favorite..
    take your squash or pumpkin.. your choice take the seeds out of it.. then cut it into segments.. bake it for an hour..then cut the flesh out..( what I do is either steam it or boil it then skin it with a potato peeler) mash it like potatoes until it is completely mashed and without lumps..
    spread it on parchment paper and dehydrate the mixture untill it is crispy dry..then blend it into a flour..
    sift it..keep the pieces to big..
    taking equal amounts of powdered squash flour and wheat flour.. 2 cups one of squash flour and one cup of wheat flour.. one cup of water..at this point you can ferment it.. yup.. to the water add one tsp of yeast.. let it set up in a cool darkened area for a about a day or overnight..
    then add
    1/4 cup of lard
    1 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp baking soda
    ( you can add spices .. )
    kneed it roll it fold it then roll it out really thin hit with a docker..
    or take a fork and poke holes in it..fold it over and cut it with a pizza cutter to your desired size..and place your crackers on parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees..about ten minutes untill they are golden brown..
    for a hard tack cracker.. it’s the flour and salt water and put in your dehydrator.. now the pieces of squash that were to big.. and salt.. mix it fifty fifty and sprinkle this on top of your crackers or hardtack..before baking or dehydrating..
    the baked crackers that were fermented..will be flaky the ones with just the water and salt will be hard as a rock..the way to eat them is cooking them in bacon grease or adding them to a soup..or broth..

  4. Unfortunatly, the commies will find a judge to throw out the charges against maduro. They protect criminals and ILLEGALS and shit on American citizens.

  5. GU : “… We’ll give you voting rights and you give us Greenland, which you can’t afford, anyway… ”

    And Mexico will pay for it :0)
    E ~ /)/) ~~~

    • I just enjoy the histrionics of the TDS MSM ideologues freaking out over Greenland. Says here,,, the treaty that allows the US presence on a base in Greenland never went away.

      https://www.history.com/articles/1951-agreement-that-allows-us-military-presence-in-greenland

      “Although the U.S. greatly reduced its military presence in Greenland after the end of the Cold War, the 1951 defense agreement remains in effect. The pact was last amended in 2004 to recognize Greenland’s Home Rule government (established in 1979) but not to restrict U.S. military operations on the island.”

      And of course thats buried at the end of the article (in the hopes people aren’t paying attention)?

      If I was playing the home(land) game and wanted to find the TDS radicals, I’d use their media to troll them too, and see who rises to the surface. Game theory 101.

      Got game theory?

  6. Hahaha, OMG, this one almost had me spitting out my coffee, great one!

    …as I mention, I am the most successful author of overlooked books in the world, presently.

      • Consider the lost libraries of history.. It’s funny — we joke about being “the most successful overlooked authors,” but sometimes I think the overlooked part isn’t the books itself… But the libraries themselves and their value to mankind.

        Every civilization that rose and fell left behind the same ghost story …shelves of knowledge slowly forgotten while people got too busy in their daily life routines,People get too distracted by daily events, or simply too exhausted to care.

        My parents used to sit at the dinner table after supper, reading the newspaper and talking through the day’s events. That was its own little library a place where ideas were passed down, where kids learned how adults thought, where the world made a bit more sense.

        Now everything is digital. Money is just numbers flickering on a screen. News is a headline you scroll past. Books are rarer than quiet moments. And families eat in front of a TV or a phone instead of around a table. It’s not hard to see how ancient libraries were lost — not because they burned, but because people simply stopped going to them.

        Civilizations don’t collapse because of one big event. They fade when the center stops holding — when the habits that kept knowledge alive get replaced by noise and speed. Maybe that’s why our overlooked books matter more than we think. Someone has to keep the lights on in the library, even if the world forgets it’s there.

        I’m pretty sure I have more books and academic studies on the ebook reader than there are books at the local library..if..in an emp or hemp event those books like bitcoin or even the dollar would be lost .. it isn’t that your a successful author of unread books..books are no longer the after dinner conversational piece.. people no longer have that luxury.. at one time.. people spent Sundays as a day of rest..no work..stores closed..then deregulation mom had to work rising cost of living with wages not even near being competitive to the yearly cost of living increase.. minimum wage of the seventies if it had kept up with the cost of living increase would be Almost double what it is..
        wages are now just a tad higher..( I make a dollar higher than what minimum wage would be if it had kept up with the cost of living)
        when I met my wife nurses made under five dollars an hour..now look at the wages today..houses that sold for twenty grand now almost a half million..and wages not keeping up for the bottom tiers.. there’s no time for books or reading..

  7. Should the S&P 500 extend losses this week, it would likely move toward 6,200. [ Currently at 6,530 ] The next potential support after that would come in at 5,980, which marks not only the 50% Fibonacci retracement but also the gauge’s mid-June low.
    And I believe that is where we are heading.

    • Yeah I heard the same stories about the Ukraine Azov army..one gent I k we was there and witnessed the Above army that crucified a four year old boy in the center of town square this is back when Obama was pres.. then set him on fire while was alive to get his parents that spoke Russian to come out to save their child..
      the guy shared a news story with photos at the time of these atrocities.. so I totally believe what this guy was saying..I worked in film library for the govt..and seen similar things being done in Vietnam by American soldiers..
      war what is it good for..

      https://youtu.be/GmNXzMw69zI?si=UJGTd-yjTUzHv1P_

  9. “The Iran war ends in one of two extremes: Abundance, growth, and oil at $40 a barrel—or global recession, wars and years of oil at $150.”
    .
    I jumped in yesterday – options/puts on the NASDAQ and S&P500 – when I heard that Iran has rejected Trumps’ 15 point peace deal. [ He didn’t really think they would accept that., did he ? Have you read it ? Wow! ] ., and Iran submitted an equally outrageous 5 Point plan.
    I thought that Trump would start blasting away – immediately. He hasn’t., he has actually given Iran yet another pass and threaten them once again., “to get serious”.
    Either way – I have done pretty good this morning.., moved my stops up very close and am just watching for now. NASDAQ down over 300 and S&P down over 60 [ as I write/type. ]
    .
    I just realized that I am using close to 800 year old math formulas for modern day computer driven stock trading. I guess there are some universal truths. [ Leonardo Bonacci died in 1240.]

  10. “I keep thinking about retirement – and if you’re in a small business, perhaps as an owner like many of our readers are – you have my deepest sympathies.”

    …you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave! -Eagles

  11. re: “The Servant of Two Masters”
    feat: Carlo Goldoni, 1743

    The President of the Ukraine has publicly released a short video clip of his “surprise visit” to Saudi Arabia. “Reuters” separately offered word that the President and his entourage were welcomed to Jeddah by the Deputy Governor of Makkah (Mecca) Region, His Highness Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz.

    The prior most recently publicized public duty of the Prince took place five weeks ago. Then he conducted a “Field Inspection” of the Grand Mosque in Mecca prior to its welcoming of pilgrims during the holy month of Ramadan.

  13. I am still a little perplexed on why the precious metals / all of them / are selling off. To my limited way of thinking – it should be just the opposite. Hold steady., or slightly rising. A bit on the ‘odd’ side.
    .
    .., and in case you haven’t been paying attention:
    The 10 year Treasury interest has closed above the 4.4% mark.

  14. As of January, some 878,000 home loans were more than 90 days past due or in foreclosure, according to ICE Mortgage Technology, a figure that’s risen 25% in the last four months. and the highest level since 2022. Much of the increase comes from FHA loans, which are most often used by homebuyers with moderate credit scores and limited down payment savings.
    While mortgage delinquencies are on the rise, they remain far lower than during the financial crisis, which at its peak saw over 8% of borrowers land in seriously delinquent status.
    This is still an area to keep an eye on going forward., a good indicator of the national financial health.

  15. The NASDAQ closed down 521 points and the S&P500 dropped 114 points.
    .
    I done did good !

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