My latest book, published on Kindle and titled “The 100-Year Toaster” argues the world doesn’t have a population crisis. We have a quality crisis. Wrapped up in the book is an explanation of how shoddy goods are bad for the planet but great for the corporations who run the place.
Yes, population concerns may be a con.
It’s almost a riff off the wrong-headed “Climate Change” misdirection. We could solve “climate” at a stroke. By simply ending “useless industries” (take sports, please) and ensuring all product had to meet long-lasting use metrics.
Since this kind of “truth to power” doesn’t sell well (the first copy may have been sold by now, but damn few) we preview another “TTP” (truth to power) book this morning.
Titled “Farm School” it’s a text and workbook approach to Downscaling. Deciding what in your life is your Big Purpose and then focusing on that direction.
First, as always, a few mood-setting headlines and the ChartPack. As markets continue their “flying concrete” blast-off which is surely envied by NASA and Musk. This as BTC lives under $60,000. Not surprising in such a Doge eat Doge world, now, is it?
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“regulations are not for the good guys. And the bad guys simply don’t care.”
Short and sweet definition of crime.
Haven’t seen any headlines about coming concentration camps if Trump is elected but, sure have seen a lot of comments about it on social media. Seems liberals find the (thought/possibility?) somewhat disturbing.
Over on NewsBreak I read the headline;
“Ohio
President Orders the Military to Sieze Newspapers and Arrest Workers for Printing Fake News
12 hrs ago”
Seems Abraham Lincoln did some military style house cleaning. – I looked it up and sure enough, it’s true.
Found this …
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-arrest-and-imprisonment-irresponsible-newspaper-reporters-and-editors
I didn’t learn about it in History class but, I have learned that History repeats itself. – Get some people talking shit, which gets the vibe going in the collective consciousness and sooner or later, it pops up again in reality.
Interesting times ahead, I’m sure.
An old acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln, and co-counsel on some of Lincoln’s biggest cases before he became President, was Clement Vallandingham (Vallandingham was lead counsel and Lincoln was second seat in all of those big cases I seem to recall).
A US Congressman before the War and during it’s early years (through 1862), but a leader of the Anti War Democrats once the War got going, Lincoln ordered him ARRESTED and then he was Court Martialed by the Army, though he was NOT in the military, and upon conviction was exhiled to the Confederacy.
Vallandingham fled the Confederacy, sneaking through the Union states, and went to Canada where he remained for the balance of the War … though he did run as the Democratic Candidate for Governor of Ohio, from Canada, in 1863 during the War and losing. (also he was a good life long friend of Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s Secretary of War during the Civil War).
If not for his long time acquaintance with Lincoln and his strong friendship with Stanton it is conceivable that he would have been HUNG vs just banished to the South upon his Court Martial conviction.
Lincoln certainly did NOT respect the right of Freedom of Speech, nor a Free Press, during the Civil War. Many who tried to practice those during the War were like Vallandigham convicted of various crimes by military tribunals and the punishment for the unrepentent was reportedly BRUTAL.
Will history repeat? Not inconcievable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_Vallandigham
“Seems Abraham Lincoln did some military style house cleaning. – I looked it up and sure enough, it’s true.”
Yessir…
That action repeated itself 50-odd years later.
At the time of his Presidency, Lincoln was deeply unpopular. The nation was rather polarized, and Abe was the figurehead for a political party which was founded on abolition and equality, and [was] barely ten years old when he won the Presidency. It was not until Grant (an equality absolutist) came along that people extracted heads from unsunshiny regions and began to view Lincoln’s Presidency as a net, good thing.
Wilson was simply a protomarxist, with zero tolerance for dissent…
We are going to hear every possible “bad thing” WRT policy, and it will all be attributed to Trump. The Democrats have no candidate, no platform, and can’t possibly run straight-faced on their record. Therefore, the decision has been made that they will run a scare campaign. We will see the equivalent of Johnson’s “atom bomb” commercial, Apple Computer’s “1984” commercial, lots of Hitler and marching SS clips, kids in poverty and on the street, etc. There’ll be commentary about how Trump will end Social Insecurity and Medicare, send Blacks back to the plantation, and execute illegal aliens.
Democrat political animals don’t play fair, and haven’t for nearly 200 years. They use these deceptive memes every election, but it will be especially bad this time around, because there’s absolutely nothing else they can run on.
History books don’t mention it, and no-one remembers, but I can not think of a Presidential Election since Teddy Roosevelt in which all these types of attacks were not used by the Dems, save only Ike (to a degree.)
The first one’s already in the wild: “Trump is going to use Project 2025 as his guide, and Project 2025 wants to eliminate all overtime.” This is all over social media and millions of children (and other stupid and ignorant biddies) believe it.
Project 2025 is the latest edition of the Heritage Foundation’s Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise (which the Heritage Foundation publishes every 4 years.)
They all flip their shit over Page 592, and I’d bet money that not a single one has read it. Some of the Instagram and X posts even reference “Page 592” specifically, rather than making the generic trash post.
See Project 2025 info at:
https://www.heritage.org/press/project-2025-publishes-comprehensive-policy-guide-mandate-leadership-the-conservative-promise
This is only the first salvo. Democratic political strategy is “death by 1000 cuts.” The “cuts” will be particularly egregious this year, and by election time will be ‘way past the point where logic and reason reside. There will be thousands, perhaps millions of Dumbocrat voters who believe even these impossibly stupid claims.
Good morning LOOB. I did not understand this comment from yesterday. “before the usa stopped it.. someone living on social security could move to poland or another country and live like a king on their social security income.’
The SSA Admin has a list of countries that the USA will not send SS benefits to such as North Korea, Cuba, the Stans and so on but others are OK.
We have lived in Costa Rica for over 10 years on our combined SS benefits. What do we have/get?
A two BR, two Bath house with very large garage and workshop. Adjoining property with the wife’s craft facility and large garden (corn, beans, etc) and numerous fruit trees.
Gardener 3 times a week.
House Cleaner 2 times a week.
Eating out at least 2 times a week.
Mini vacations to the beach or else were in country.
Visits to the USofA to see kids and grands kids when we wish.
As I have passed 80 health becomes more important. We, as permanent residents, pay into the Social Medical care here. About $60 a month but we use Private Doctors and hospitals for better service. Costa Rica has at least 4 world class hospitals. Medical tourism is a biggie.
If we need live in heath care it will run us about $1500 a month. Doable on our income.
The wife receives her SS benefits directly here at the local bank. No problem at all. Mine is in the USofA.
The USD is used very often. Many countries such as Panama and El Salvador use the USD as their currency so no changing of USD into the local currency.
What happens when the internet goes down? Same as up there everything stops and Cash Is King. One guy I know has a years worth of living expenses in cash in his house.
So do we “live like kings”? Not really but very comfortable.
Looking at the world I feel that time is extremely short if someone is going to make the move. The window on the shit show is closing so all should prepare for the “troubles” to increase.
Remember the 6 P’s, Proper Planing Prevent Piss Poor Performance.
Cheers
Dam I thought they had closed that loop.. I took care of a woman who escaped from the NAZI in ww2.. they were NAZI party member jewish.. anyway they were sucked in by Hitler.. and had to escape hid in drainage ditches etc..
anyway.. the kids.. two of their children had moved to Austria.. so they would be close to any realatives in europe.. the one daughter was a professor of a number one college.. they would try to convince me to move to Austria to live the cost of living almost nothing to the cost of living in the USA..I thought they had made it so you cannot move to there.. I knew someone that moved to Costa Rica for school and they loved it…. the reason the cost of living is so much better than in the states.. the problem I have is age and means.. having gotten stung by the medical industry and the high costs..they take it all..they don’t care either it is the business model.. But Austria.. beautiful country beautiful people.. great chocolate.. ( really great chocolate and coffee.. ) I had thought of moving closer to home in canada to.. its convincing the wife to move.. the kids and grand kids are actually down there now on the beach..
Aaa, Chocolate is a wonderful thing. We have our own caco trees for chocolate. Not Milk Chocolate but Dark Chocolate. We also have our own coffee trees which yield a coffee that has a ‘hint’ of chocolate in it. We are truly ‘blessed’ and the cost of living is very good.
People? I have lived from Rio de Janeiro to Europe. The Ticos are wonderful friendly people. Best I have found in any country overall. One of the reasons we settled here. Cheers
Ok…you sold me coffee trees and cacao trees… that must be heaven ..
have you ever roasted cacao to make like coffee… yumm…
Austria is very doable, wonderfully low rents compared to U.S. housing, but loob, you are stuck in half empty glass thinking, sky is falling, addicted to misery (even if imagined), and it all can conveniently be blamed on Democrats!! Especially their progeny!
https://smartasset.com/retirement/retire-in-austria
No the good samaritan programs are good..IF used for what they were made for.. the problem lies in making them what people have to depend on.. and the sky isn’t falling.. I do think we have some pretty morally and ethically shitty people running the shit show.. and if you cannot see the events unfolding around us.. wow you need to see and optometrist and get your eyes in focus..
the other thing is IT ISN”T DEMOCRATS.. its the whole bunch of them.. left right and in between.. is it their fault.. NOPE… with a mountain of evidence.. not one has done a thing.. they are just using it as the passionate dead horse issue in a campaign pony show.. it didn’t stop them from taking off for the summer did it.. the war in ukraine and open borders didn’t stop them from taking juneteenth off or the summer work period.. and if this is the poison pawn trap some have built taller useless walls.. but you haven’t seen them shore up to secure their families safety..
it is what it is.. It has been said.. the demise of civilization is the corruption of those that lead and the acceptance from those that they lead..
They needed to make laws to guarantee everyone access to health insurance..and opening the borders would be great.. putting price regulations back on another good thing..
I blame bailouts using money that was set aside and endless wars .. outsourcing industry.. from those I have visited young women are suckered into being trafficked by the cost of living.. the minimum wage for one hour is equivalent to a months income so the mental image is they make a years income a day..the figures and thought..I will be rich..so they get involved with the very ones going to traffic them ..
fast money.. deregulation of essentials did the same thing.. to those in industries.. I can get fast money I will be rich.. in the process the economy, the laborers, their local infrastructure, everything is affected..
programs designed for helping people temporarily turned into programs used by those chasing more to equalizer..where before industrialists were the ones to create the feeling of security for their employees..
I interviewed for a position at a fortune 500 company.. the wages offered were ridiculously low..the interviewer got this excited look and said you will qualify for food stamps.. I looked at him and must have chuckled a little cause he got a puzzled look..I said seriously young man..that’s not a benefit to be proud of. to use the resources of government as the equalizing element is wrong..if so why not just let government take over that industry if they are the ones putting the burden on the backs of everyone.
that’s why from 1980 till now you see the quality of medical care..patients told go to the ER ( so they can pay more rent ) its a vicious circle.. when if we had a managed health care system is good.. no wait differences than here now
Lets zoom out and look at the view from 10,000 feet today shall we?
https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/bitcoin-extends-gains-us-etf-inflows-battle-german-govt-selling-overhang
Whats this? Are banksters at the soveriegn gov levels washing and bathing in the same tub? LOL.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/07/07/german-lawmaker-demands-strategic-overhaul-amid-bitcoin-sell-off-chaos/
LOL. It’s getting hard to hide the intent here LOL. regardless the fundementals [use case], I’m leaning toward Cliff’s Bitcoin impossible call for all parties
Looks like Larry is doing a great job at buying up Bitcoin whilst keeping it in the prescribed accumulation range. LOL
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-spot-bitcoin-etfs-see-082503087.html
There are also other alt coins with US legal clarity that havent even started on their intended design pattern yet. xlation: opportunity.
You ought to be running for POTUS, imho.
Right you are with your views on most!
it wouldn’t matter.. so.eone starts tossing bags of monet, goods, trips, sexual experiences deviant or not..isolated from the real world.. back in the 90’s there was a story going around that if you started a group that followed certain billionaires guidelines they would pay x dollars a year.. I have to say my friend and I talked about it..opulence and power are very corrupting..lulls you into doing something you wouldn’t normally agree to..
Main reason 99% of all “Masters” fall/fail.,,usually the young honey/trap, but riches also play a role in their eventual demise.
Aware of only 1 Living today, he has sworn he is 100% Human at last big public- Private IYXQA Conf. In Vancouver. I have made life journey in search of em, E. Panti in Guatemala being last one I studied ,his last live in Student (old friend) being a mature Female, jewish Doctor – she is last of the “line”. Though Govt of Belize did Dedicate a huge national park/botanical garden to him. Same folks who took US scientist/doctors into jungle and found the natural source of Cortisone..
“quality crisis”
I could go either way on product longevity.
Do any of you still have your black marble end tables from the 1980’s? Have you ever been in a 1950’s house and noticed the kitchen/bath tile color choices – blue/yellow or pink. Those original 1950’s kitchen counters are pretty much indestructible made of tile over concrete with an embedded steel mesh. But tastes change and laminate can be swapped as desired. In fact entire cities are swapped. If you are ever in an old city like Detroit or Baltimore go into one of the pre=1950’s houses and notice the construction materials & methods Vs today.
I posted the link to the 1977 Lincoln Town Car and it doesn’t have airbags or anti-lock brakes. Should cars be up-gradable for future techs unknown or remain static? Anyone still use a wringer washing machine? A wringer lasts forever but people wanted change.
Good, long lasting stuff is out there but expensive. A Kirby vacuum will last a long time but the one purchased 40 years ago isn’t cordless. A well engineered Zwilling knife set, Made in Germany will outlast marriages but costs 10x anything found at… Walmart.
lol lol ..a bar made from cardboard boxes has now outlasted similar products made and sold lol
(“We have a quality crisis. Wrapped up in the book is an explanation of how shoddy goods are bad for the planet but great for the corporations who run the place.”)
this conversation actually came up yesterday.. the guy comes this afternoon to repair that dishwasher.. since it is the board.. they will come out and then the company will say.. replace it..
anyway we were sitting out having coffee and someone said.. dam.. I wonder why.. I said.. its the business model..
back when I grew up.. everyone wanted to work at the plant where dad worked.. you felt at home.. they had picknics and pot lucks.. and the boss looked at you as if he was a father figure.. the employees trusted him to look out for their best interests.. then deregulation and deployment of industry.. my fathers boss.. hell I knew him.. met him at five he gave me a box of product for my birthday.. I seen him as a teenager unloading a semi.. ( I couldn’t work for the company because dad did ) then years later he was showing the new owners how products were displayed on the shelves.. he seen me.. stopped took his suit coat off and he sacked groceries with me for a half hour all the time asking me about my siblings and how they were doing and to congratulate my mom and dad on their extended anniversary.. dad worked for them for what almost forty five or fifty years..after the company was sold.. it changed.. no one would leave before it was sold.. they were dedicated to the man that owned it.. he took care of mom and dad and after dad died.. he took care of the remaining spouses.. she never paid more than two hundred dollars a year in medical expenses. similar to military retirement health insurance..
then nafta deregulation and outsourcing.. products were produced out of the USA.. and so benefits were cut down.. what once was a valued employee is now just a toss away.. if they have over thirty percent movement in employees.. there is a problem in management.. if your over fifty percent movement .. its just a temp job till you find another..products made in an industry in another country.. they have quantity requirements.. not quality.. pop it together get it out the door..
People don’t feel as if they are valued.. bonuses go to the ten percent that get benefits for the top ten percent life is grand.. that is why medical facilities put carpet in.. looks decent.. and they can cut floor cleaning staff and cooking staff to justify the wages of the ball stroker in the office.. I can go to see me what forty years ago in age.. on the windows that still havent been washed since I put the face prints on them.. in 94 LOL.. well they buy whole city blocks and build.. build build.. but the people in and out the door.. It would be better to get pride back.. years ago.. I was one of the ten guys that worked on the bar to the game room of an A listed entertainer.. ( got a funny story about the entertainers pool to ) afterwards.. we hand picked the wood that went in the bar.. matched it all.. then when we built it.. come to stain they wanted it painted white.. LOL anyway we all signed the bar.. in places that no one will ever notice until it is taken down.. we had pride in what we did.. now the pride of an employer is gone he doesn’t treat his employees with it it isn’t in the working model..
like someone told me about Sam Walton of walmart fame.. she was being targeted by the manager.. the little old guy stocking shelves next to her asked her what was wrong when she started to cry.. she told him and his response was.. OH MY hes definately walmart quality.. and then he told her who she was… he took care of it and she just retired from walmart.. today most employers don’t even know the name of the one that dumps their trash..
Not Wal-Mart quality..
I think he either was let go or relocated in another area like floor sweeper..
employers cherished their help. there are still a few around harder than hell to find them..just look at their employees the turn over ratio.. sit for a half hour with employees in the break room or where they hang out..you’ll know everything..
the retail store I worked..the owner picked one store and did exactly what Sam did..he would show up help you finish the have coffee with us..I was family there..his son..not as nice as the old man..could care less..
I’m 71 years old and have worked for little “mom and pop” type companies all the way up to big multinational corporations. One thing they all had in common is that they insist on 100% loyalty from the employees, but only see that loyalty as a one way street. Employees are seen as disposable, just as you pointed out.
Today I am happily retired and can’t think of an amount of money that could make me consider going back to the kind of work environments that I have known.
I hear ya.. the good ones are still out there..just hard to find..like a surgeon.. their infection rate is logged and available..easy to find out who’s in the business to help and whose in it for the business model.
https://www.bible.com/bible/compare/LUK.12.16-34
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
my fathers boss multi national thousands of employees.. he made his fortune and took care of his business and his employees.
a window and door manufacturer same thing.. the workers called him dad..they loved him and everyone 66 6 to him and his Ysuccess..
and
in all the ancient zw6
Everyone strived to make sure of the quality and his success..
like most industries..the cheap products and deregulation fueled the ambitions of those industrial leaders..as their success soared they found they could gain more by doing less..their employees and their communities the country all suffers and became the victims of over indulgence..
as tax revenue goes down.. expenses go up..people become dependent on social programs to survive..its all in Adolph second secret book.. get the mass of the citizens dependent for their daily bread and you gain their support to take the wealth of the 29% of the top 39% that way the 1% can soar to new heights with the blessings of the people..
I don’t twist..is while what is it 60% are dependent on a social program or two and run away inflation t by EU opened the borders putting more stress on the 60%..
the inflation has effectively stolen what 30% of the wealth in store houses and the Cloward / piven effect along with the Bric’s selling off treasury notes..phew.. to big to contemplate this late at night.. along with pushing the lets go towards issue..
I think I’m going to have an egg sandwich and forget about this twilight zone saga we are stuck in..
what does someone value..the test…
you have an alarm going off……you have sixty seconds to react .. get what you have that’s most important to you to safety….
what did you grab?
absence Madoff gave sheets of papers once a month with numbers on it..
that is what was important to them..in the end it wasn’t what they should have cherished..
the bible says.. the rules are simple man changes what they see as cherish able..
In the last sixty seconds and having to grab their most cherished items.. what did they grab..
when a person has a life threatening diagnosis.. their whole perspective on life changes in a heart beat..what they were taught is thrown away.. a grandchild of someone I know..volunteered to drive across the country to pick up the grandchildren in distress.. they did it..the grandpa gave them 250.00 for gas and food..the daughter of his convinced him that it wouldn’t cost them the entire 250 and he should get it back.. he went after the grandchild that went out of their way to do this.. it caused a rip in the relationship.. I asked the grandfather..even if it didn’t cost them that much..is losing a grand child worth 250.00 his response was yes.. that was in 87.. the grand mother asked me why her grandkids never see them.. it was money rather than family.. 250 was nothing to the grandpa.. why throw it away..he valued coin..
I always tried to fix things first on my own.
The parts and pieces suddenly stopped. I was told that ( GE ? ) paid over $100 million for a parts distributor/supplier. They ” threw out” all of the parts. Closed the company. You can order a “new part” at four times the previous cost. Or , you could simply just buy a new unit. ( uh huh…)
Had a hot water heater replaced. No more 12 year units to be found. All 6 and 8 year units. Had a company replace it. “We are replacing 30-35 year old units with shit that wont last anywhere near that long ”
The manufacturer and everybody in the chain wins with people buying units so much more often. And lets not forget the biggest winner of all ! The government who also receives taxes on a more continual basis.
Constantly reminded of Georges famous saying….
I hear ya… from 80 to 2000 the quality slowly went downhill as they outsourced parts suppliers.. in 2008 when we did the huge bail out they threw a fit over Mexican factory the employees wanted a raise to a dollar an hour . told them if they was going to rob them blind they would have the parts made elsewhere where they valued their wages and job.. now the dealer can’t even get parts for a car ten years old or older..
they was able to fix the dishwasher..so no pan storage lol.. he was saying the cove is a beast hard to beat..the wife and i talked and decided to get rid of the dishwasher if this quits and put in pan storage…why waste the money..
I think the extended warranty on all the appliances at Lowes is 7 yrs – guess when the stuff breaks? almost exactly 7 yrs and a day …… regardless of brand.
ours usually lasts from two to five years.. the extended warranty from Lowes and other hardware stores is good but they don’t have local repair reps.. we bought the expensive dishwasher from one of the major outlets.. they had to get a service rep almost four hundred miles away.. then the second time it broke down.. was almost six hundred miles away.. they gave me the money back.. used it less than a month in a year..
I buy locally with a dealer that has a repair team.. the warranties don’t even pay for them to check.. the guy that came over yesterday.. his service repair bill was almost a hundred more than the cost of the machine and delivery.. the next time it fails.. they will just replace.. or give us store credit.. which is what we will do.. take the store credit and just not replace it.. I will make a pan or kitchen gadget storage ..
I am considering something on this order.. the appliance garage.. with a double shelf.. the top shelf that can be folded flat to even make more counter space.. still in the planning mode and for weight bearing I would need fold down legs to for stability.. the problem with that is the hardware to make the fold out appliance garage.. takes up a little more than an inch.. add the leg option and your looking at almost four inches.. leaving only twenty inches of appliance shelving.. which isn’t to bad about the same size as a counter space…. I got a few months till it breaks down again to think about it….
https://www.amazon.com/Wood-Technology-Kitchen-Appliance-White/dp/B00MGVAHI6/ref=sr_1_8?
Washer – 1987 Kenmore
Dryer – 1984 Speed Queen
Water heater – 2002 Richmond
Refrigerator – 2004 GE
Range – 1984 Jenn-Air
Toaster – 1950 Sunbeam :-)
Zero maintenance over the past 15 years — They all just keep working. Even the water heater, which has been drowned four times by failed sump pumps (I fixed that by going to a real plumbing supply place and buying a Gould pump {Made in Indianapolis, USA}. The box store pumps would last two years, regardless of brand, construction materials, warranty, or capacity/power ratings, and always shit themselves during Spring thaw. BTW, the Gould was cheaper than most, maybe all of the 14 pumps which came before it.)
If y’all NEED that shiny new toy, you’re old enough to know what you’re buying and how long it’s likely to last.
If you’re under 45 you don’t know any better and you damn’ well better be buying George’s “100 Year Toaster” book, like yesterday.
I can’t sympathize with actual geezers who totally lack an attention span.
YOU DO KNOW BETTER.
Lose the “insanity gene” and quit expecting a different result from the same action.
I did it myself; I learned.
Then I bought a used $35 washing machine off eBay and overhauled it before installing it in place of my $1300 Maytag, with its “self-destructs every 10-months,” $450 circuit board.
I don’t preach “Made in U.S.A.” because I hate Chinese stuff. I don’t. I buy Chinese stuff, just like I buy German and Swedish stuff, when appropriate. Chinese stuff has its place. The things I don’t like about Chinese goods are most of them are junk, and whether they’re excellent or junk, greedy bastards in this country charge American prices for them.
I buy American to support people who work here, and because the stuff most of them make is genuinely better. (Do your own research.) I can’t see whining about the U.S. export of jobs overseas, without doing what I can to ensure no more are exported. Virtually everything a body could ever need is still made here, so get off your duff and find it, or kwitcherbitchin…
Wow, George, what a fabulous column today! Many topics were explored and commented upon in depth. I agree with you about how our lives change from a very young age into adulthood. What we regard as important in life changes with age as we mature and discover the world around us. The wisdom gained through adversity in jobs and relationships hopefully gives us fresh insights into what really matters to us. The evolution of our health issues plays a large part in what we can do in youth and what we can do as we age. Life is full of surprises, both good and bad. However, the good and the bad may appear as such but might not be what we had originally thought as things roll out.
Thank you for a truly great column and also for including your son’s comments. These are all very insightful. Our physical abilities evolve from the strength of youth that knows no bounds to a more careful attitude in regard to what our bodies can do.
Amen Nancy Amen..
we are all directed to the numbers is what matters.. in reality it’s a shill. the pea under the cup to what truly matters..the total misdirection
thank you for this. it also speaks to me.
“I agree with you about how our lives change from a very young age into adulthood. What we regard as important in life changes with age as we mature and discover the world around us. The wisdom gained through adversity in jobs and relationships hopefully gives us fresh insights into what really matters to us. The evolution of our health issues plays a large part in what we can do in youth and what we can do as we age. Life is full of surprises, both good and bad. However, the good and the bad may appear as such but might not be what we had originally thought as things roll out.”
i had a calander event to tell me to go to urban survival today and look to see what i see.
lots of changes in my life. some if ya told me 4 years ago, you will be doing this. id would have never believed you. an amazing opertunity fell in my lap recently.
i sat out on the deck (the temple of the moon), in the my place on the ranch (an unintentional replica of – The City of The Gods -) and smoked, drank coffee in quiet contemplation. and relized everything i have done in the last 5 years has prepared me for this oportunity.
this part
“The evolution of our health issues plays a large part in what we can do in youth and what we can do as we age.”
is a non issue for me. i dont degrade as i get older like most people do.. i get healthier and healthier. I am stronger than country Hoss. im just wired different than other people. im good with it. i accept that about myself.
we had 2 fentanyl addicts baracade themselves in a bathroom at the Northgate station for an hour and not let anyone else in the bathroom. King County Sherrif showed up and couldnt get in either. my Boss called me down. i told the sherrif, you just turn that handle on the door to open, and i will get ya in there.
i texted my boss and said i got them in there. they are all naked and doing drugs. he said Fuck yea, You are as strong 10 men.
i am.
im trying to get back in better shape for my new chapter. which is alot of bullet proof super hero shit.
i can still do 300 push ups and 200 sit ups in under an hour. i do 50 push ups, 50 sit ups, rest a minute, then do 50 more pushups and 50 more sit ups. repeat. at age 53, i have never felt so strong and healthy.
i dont know why i had a calender event to come on here. it dinged first thing this morning.
lots of good stuff going on. hope all is well.
except we got a fucking donkey at the ranch and nobody told me. i was up at 3am getting ready for work this donkey is loud. fucking loud. start going off. i damn near ran down there and knocked him out. hahahaha. too early in the morning for that shit. im trying to meditate here. hahahahaa.
thanks Nancy, for what ya wrote. i appreciate you.
~ La Dolce Vita ~
que: ~ Good Feeling ~
https://youtu.be/3OnnDqH6Wj8?si=tu2Z1_uR6Qa33Zob
Flo Rida
Ranchers put donkeys in with cattle for alarm and protection against predators. Donkey kicks are lethal. Keep your distance.
Thanks, LOOB and Andy. You guys rock!
a Jimmy Deen morning….
a favorite is what we call hidden toast or frogs eye toast.
cut the inside of the bread out.. now you can scramble the egg or over easy..
scrambled take Jimmy Deen sausage ( bacon to ) add it to the eggs.. pour it in the center of the bread in a hot frying pan..lay the removed piece of bread on top buttered.. once browned flip brown on the other side. ( toss some cheese on top if you want ) enjoy..
20 year old refrigerator dropped dead. New one came with sticker about its low energy usage. Last month’s electric bill was $37. (No solar panels) Lowest that I have ever seen especially since the electric co. raised rates 18% this year and 7% last year.
Wow – what brand and model because there’s enough readers here someone is always looking…
“The farmer will point to a pail of milk about now. “What is the surest fact we see from that?””
The first thing that popped into my head was: “If you want the cream, you have to do the work…”
Someone has to tend the cow. Make her happy as possible.
“A group of farmers down at the feed store have one tribal speed. A cluster of entrepreneurs over muffins and coffee in San Jose will act at a much different speed.”
I notice this every time I go out “picking.”
I live mostly laid-back but I hate being forced into a slow pace. The Sunday driver in front of me, sightseeing at 12mph in town is intolerable. I’m neither aggressive nor impatient, I simply detest inefficiency. Now, when I go to the Big City (ANY big city) I have to go through a 10-15 minute mental exercise (my “personal detox” from “laidbackishness”), where I remember how to drive in the big city, then remember how to drive in THIS Big City (’cause every one is different — NYC driving in Chicago will get you killed, and vice versa.) When this “detox” is complete, it’s like someone flipped a switch in my brain, and I drive exactly like the nutjobs in Detroit or the crazies in Saint Looie, because it’s the way in which one is least likely to have an accident in that place. It is weird to note though, the different speeds at which folks in different locales, move…
Some might call that a ‘Multiple Personality Disorder’. ;-)
Same personality — multiple channels.
Just like cable TV… ;-)
Thanks for the start on the new book. Thoroughly enjoyable and should be on every homesteader’s bookshelf.
45 years ago when my wife and I bailed out of Dallas for the wilds of northeast Texas, we sold our 3-yr-old house in Dallas that we just had to have 3 years earlier. Things change. We used the house money to buy 35 wooded acres and put a well-used (or abused) mobile home on it. We then paid for a septic tank and a shallow (60′) well and had electricity run to the place. That was a good starting point.
As things rocked on, 14 years later we bought a new double-wide and had a local contractor pour concrete runners for it to sit on. Still solid as a rock to this day other than having to replace a bunch of broken concrete blocks the house is sitting on.
The impending arrival of a new century threw some things into question, aka Y2K when the fear mongers told us all sorts of things were going to quit working. That prompted me to build a water tower from used oil field pipe and a new 500 gallon concrete septic tank. The tank was special ordered from a local well outfit. I had them put two pieces of 1 1/4″ PVC pipe through the bottom so I could pump water into the tank and provide a breathing hole to allow it to drain easier. My wife and I raised the 24′ tower with a winch (put the wench on the winch) and a tractor with front loader. $100 went to a guy who had a crane truck sitting idle in his front yard, and he hoisted the tank and lid onto the top of the tower. When the year 2000 arrived with a whimper, I took a little heat from my wife for all that ‘wasted’ time and money. “Nope!” said I, because that was an investment in the future. Christmas day of 2000 we got an ice storm of epic proportions, and the electric lines were the first victims. The temperature dropped to near zero and stayed there for most of a week, then we got an 8″ snowfall on top of the ice. We were hearing large trees breaking all day and night as they surrendered to the weight. But because of our investment in the water tower, we had hot and cold running water for the duration. Our woodburning stove kept us comfy cozy the whole time, and propane provided heat for cooking and water heating. Only had to run the generator once to refill the tower and do a couple of loads of laundry. The power came back on 12 days after it had quit.
Last year I decided to replace the 230v well pump with a 24v pump and two 24v 200 watt solar panels. No batteries, as the water tower stores 500 gallons. We can survive a week of cloudy days with 500 gallons.
So yep, changes happen. Some for the better, a few for the worst. But with planning, most are for the better.
Short interest on the NASDAQ drops 1.6% as it sets a new record high along with the S&P500 closing above 5,600 for the first time., all before CPI data due tomorrow.
https://youtu.be/ChKdypRt4p8?si=C_7cwgkmD7psIewh
wow Lisa haven on YouTube has a bombshell report today…
kewl, i will check out Ure book. i know ya worked hard on it. i will look for it on amazon.
working out, outside today.
now, dont let the 20 inch arms and sausage fingers fool ya.
https://x.com/ore_train_11/status/1811158604302667856?t=DvJkiDLDwsAeNKY6kpAemA&s=19
God is my super power.
yes sir.
God is my Super Power.
heading to the lake, for a splash. :)
hmmmmmm. right after i posted that comment. my bedroom door opend on its own. i looked out, nobody there.
i laid back on the bed for a moment then the sexy hispanic bikini barista, comes in wearing a tube top and thong bikini bottom and says, senior andy, are we going to the lake or what? i said yes Mam!
she quit fucking around on your phone. i made you an iced coffee at work, its in the car. i already have a beach towl for ya in the car.
uhem. yes mam!
i will, set another calender event for the future, and come back see how ya all are doing then. haha.
see ya in the future!
:)
Biden has now repeatedly stated that he will not drop out of the Presidential race.
The DNC has stated that nothing has changed in the line-up, or timing of the upcoming Convention.
There is not enough movement within the Democrat Party to ‘force’ Biden out of the running. And seemingly, not enough hardball being played behind the curtain by the billionaire supporters., even after boasting that he “.,doesn’t care what the elites think!”
Right now., it appears that Biden is going to be the nominee. [ Much to Trump’s delight.]
– However, there are weeks ’til the Convention and Biden could very easily blow his own foot off between now and then. Just one angry moment on-stage., and that will change the game. [ or, a deliberate, yet ‘accidental’ sabotage by Harris ?]
– Lots of distracting news on who the “other” choices will be., but the Dem’s still have to make it through the Convention – and right now – it’s Biden., and he knows it.
If President Biden is confirmed as the nominee at the Democrat National Convention and becomes the candidate for President – the Democrats will lose the House., the Democrats will lose the Senate and the Democrats will lose the Presidency. It will become, for at least two years, a Republican mandate.
Multiple States will also feel the fall-out in their Govenor and Senate races.
You know as well as I that the Dems’ best way out would be for someone to wipe President Houseplant a few weeks before the Election, and make sure the trail led back to an individual or group that’re Trump supporters.
Were this to happen, Harris would win and the Dems would easily capture both Houses.
You probably also know that this idea has been tossed around on Martha’s Vineyard, where there are a number of political types who’ve the ‘nads, the access, and the lack of conscience required to work such a plan.
Ah yes the ancient time curse, May you live in interesting times is in play, in other words, may you have constant turmoil in your life,
Folks,
Visiting Indian PM Modi was treated to a spectacle yesterday at the Moscow amusement and exhibition center, VDNh. President Putin toured his invited guest to the Rosatom Pavilion. There PM Modi was entertained by a performance of “Atomic Symphony” celebrating the ongoing construction of third to sixth Russian VVER-1000 nuclear reactors at Kudankulam, India. Apparently each reactor boasts a containment structure and missile shield within a single building.
The VDNh website separately offers an image of The Stone Flower Fountain situated in front of the Ukrainian Pavilion, and commemorated in music by the late composer from St. Petersburg, Dmitri Shostakovich. It seems one really can squeeze water out of a stone.
https://vdnh.ru/upload/resize_cache/iblock/dad/1000_424_1/dad3b9c9ba735cb7b3cd2d766c66781f.jpg
Subsequently the dear friend of the President of Russia ventured on to a welcome in Vienna, Österreich. He was received at the seat of government Bundeskanzleramt dating to 1742. The edifice saw the alleged richest man in the Austro-Hungarian Empire design a 10 point ultimatum to Serbia leading to a declaration of war on July 28, 1914.
Today the Federal Chancellor of Austria welcomed PM Modi. Perhaps he commuted from his next door official residence of Hofburg Palace dating to 1279 and main abode of the Habsburg dynasty from 1438 to 1918. “Deutsche Welle” quoted PM Modi that “this is not an age of war” along with expressed sentiments of Buddha.
Speaking of peace, here’s C-SPAN in America serving up sippy toasts from the NATO Summit in Washington.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?536918-1/pres-biden-hosts-dinner-nato-allies-white-house
hmmmm. there is alot of Hitler chatter in humanity landscape.
even on here
even a joke was made at dinner about it and not by me. i noticed it the other day. having not been on any neww stuff much other than zerohedge, and only ocassionaly.
we are still playing out my post on glp from 04/19/2016. after the election things should start moving forward.
you know where i said there is a reason Joe Biden didnt run. all that is still being played out.
i do believe that Elon Musk is the front runner in the competion to be the 3rd anti christ. he is by far the lead runner.
remember Hitler was ultra charasmatic, in the begining he stood for the people and it was until after he came to power he became all that he became.
which also doesnt concern me at all.
i did notice that the deagle report removed their forcast made in 2014 for the population reduction of 212 million in the United States alone. you can still find it in the internet archives.
perhaps, they decided to change their minds.
lol
anywho. good to know about the book george. and dont worry. i get it. i only sold 214 copies of the first zero report and i had over 112 predictions come true.
that is why i dont predict the future anymore. i just use what i see to navigate it personnaly.
and my life is grand. i am a very rich man.
okay then. see ya in the future. :)
being one of the 214, I had a co-in-ci-dence yesterday, as
I was reviewing my files for a schematic to help out a fellow air-gunner and ran across the Zero Report, I did not open it, but there it was in my attention zone, the same day as you posted this. Now I am going to find some time and re-read it.
re: phases of melanation
feat: bustles in hedgerows
Andy,
0hedge seems to have its followers widely embedded in the landscape. Pseudonym publisher/writer Tyler D. perhaps would have remained a perpetual all-American were it not for various litigations, one of which was pursued by a Mr. Rudy Giuliani a dozen years ago. However a Boston businessperson bore the brunt of proceedings along the way. He can currently be reached via a federal detention site situated at the entrance to LA Harbour, Ca. The facility boasts being a prior address in the many years past to Al Capone as well as a Gambino Family member.
Wikipedia offers a helpful connect-the-dots series of pages. Tyler’s Bulgarian father Mr. Krassimir is said to author a newsletter, “Top Secret”. He supposedly honed his journalism chops at the Prague-based IOJ (International Organization of Journalists). The organization allegedly was operated by KGB agents and used as a Soviet propaganda tool according to the CIA.
-³0-
Giuliani owes Georgia election workers $148 mill for defamation, disbarred due to his election lies, and facing criminal charges in GA and AZ in his efforts to overturn election…Trump ain’t gonna help him out!
https://abcnews.go.com/US/rudy-giulianis-bankruptcy-case-appears-dismissed-judge/story?id=111825753
p.s. when i sat after having dinner withe veautiful and very sexy hispanic bikini barista. she cooked me a steak and made me lunch for tommorrow. i have to get up at 303am. she gets up at 202 am. we are just like that. i spose.
i sat out on my deck, had a couple smokes and thought about ure book. the 100 year old toaster.
one thing springs to the mind is, if ya would have named it Hawk Thuey, it would have sold like gangnam style.
the other thing that came to mind is, G has the big picture.
so that is my review before i buy it and read it.
the big picture make me wanna read it. i can get Hawk Thuey any time i like. :)
the future then. we will meet there.
Hey! Send me you phone # again – people want to know if you get called to Santa Anna and about orange Dodge Demons
good morning.
well, im on to some other shit old dude. things have change. i think. not sure yet.
i see these fentanyl zombies every day riding the light rail. holy cow, i have had to do cpr and bring a couple back. the new fentanyl is synthetic, so narcan doesnt work on it. its called carfentanyl. narcan is an opiod blocker. it doesnt work on the carfentanyl because that shit doesnt have opiots in it. im in damn fight every day here. guy pulled a 10 inch knife on me a couple weeks ago and said im going to killll youuuuuu!
im said dude, i just got on my shift. can ya atleast let me finish my coffee first. go down stairs and kill some pidgens for a warm up. i will be with ya in 15 minutes. he ran away.
i said DUDE we need to so something about this.
DUDE replied, and
as it is now, im on the fast track to being dressed in green and gold, holding my M4 and fixing bidens souther policies.
wonder whats going to happen when Andy shows up with his 20 inch arms, giant hands, dressed in green and gold. holding my 4. you know Andy. the guy who doesnt die. only gets stronger in adversity, finds bullets 30 days before they go missing and My super power is God. sometimes its just about presence to bring the matter to conclusion.
everything fell into place. i got an age waver because of my military record and education waver because i was a Gaming agent for 8 years. which is considered law enforcement.
i said okay dude. from hanging out back stage with paul mcartney and elton john, to driving trains in star valley wyoming to dressing up in green and gold and hunting people. whoohoo!
coming to a neighborhood near you. hahah.
ok DUDE, sounds good to me.
this is the best workout song.
its like M$M said.
this looks like a job for me.
https://youtu.be/byKCXUUISjM?si=CaflAm4PZkACKMVP
i mean it all could change. God has a plan. i have a plan. God knows the stuff i dont. i want Gods plan.
as it is, dressed in green and gold, catching bad guys is my currrent trajectory.
which makes sence. since im not the bad and not even remotely the ugly. hahaha
im not giving out my number right now. lol
see ya in the future.
I wonder if light rail experience will count toward a cushy Texas tunnel rat job.
“Hooked on ‘Ponics”
Lotsa fancy farming techniques, lotsa potential.
Except for one thing:
What happens when you can no longer get fertilizer, micronutrients, sugar, spice, and everything else that’s required for these boutique hobby farming methods?
If you can’t grow whatever it is you’re growing, in a strictly organic manner, using just the fertilizer and composting elements available on your property, combined with only the techniques you can master for utilizing the available materials, you’re only pissing money away to waste time on an exercise in fancy. When the SHTF, you’ll be just as dead. You’ll simply live a few weeks or months longer than most others.
When the trucks stop delivering food, they will also stop delivering fertilizer and growth medium.
If it goes in the ground, it needs to be able to survive in the ground, using nothing more than water for irrigation. If it goes in the water, you’d damn’ well better be raising fish (and something local, to feed them.) If it goes in a greenhouse, you’d better have natural means of both making and venting off of heat, and an irrigation system built on rainwater capture.
IMO the first step toward survivability would be to get some chickens (and/or guinea hens, in places like Texas.) Guinea hens are the best possible intruder alarm, and ticks are their most-favored dietary delicacy. Fowl, if raised and run correctly, give you a never-ending supply of high-end fertilizer — and eggs to furnish your (and your neighbors’) tables with high protein eats that’ll be higher in quality than you can buy in any supermarket in the U.S., and which will keep on a pantry shelf for months, even without waterglass.
It can’t just be about growing stuff. It has to also be about finding a way to grow stuff in one’s specific climate and soil, using only local growth aids. You learn how to make potash, charcoal, sterile urea, how to compost manure and yard waste into phosphorus, etc.
Someone who hasn’t read enough Urban and Peoplenomics to KNOW that for critical items, you “load the boat for three years” on all critical goods. Why, just today I laid in an order for another 1.1 gallon batch water distilled and another 10 lbs of citric acid to keep it clean.
Same is true of the tubs of MaxiGro and MaxiBloom
While I appreciate the concern, when the lights go out, people who don’t have enough for three growing seasons to figure out what works (and all the time in the world with no other competing work) will have an empty row to hoe, so to speak.
We have to assume people here are an IQ point or three above the mass media churn./..
Lumen is the product name sold by Pure One to clean their distillers but it is a little pricey.
It has ‘sulfamic acid, citric acid’ as ingredients listed in that order. I, of course, have ordered both from other sources and found that the more expensive Lumen worked faster, but my cheaper purchase works ok for me
Sorry… That is not a critique, but a suggestion on the direction you might want to take with your next book.
“IMO the first step toward survivability would be to get some chickens”
Goats will also make some quality milk from nothing more than grass and leaves. When they get too old to milk, the meat’s not bad, either.
Some homesteaders think they need a cow to make milk, but a cow produces so much milk it can be a problem to store. A couple of milk goats (Mini-Nubian or Nigerian Dwarf) will produce enough milk for a small family’s daily needs.
Over-population is less a problem in a trailer in the piney woods than it is closer to the townies. Historically, overpopulation has resolved itself by plague, famine and war. No reason to believe this cycle will be any different.
It has been too long since you have walked the streets in a high population density area. Take a drive over to Harris County and refresh your memory of urban sprawl.
that is right.
you are now talking to federal agent Andy. working for the department of homeland security.
well, sooon enough.
have a wonderful day. mind ure p’s and q’s mister.