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GVS: Global Values Shift Loom, Econ Data Distracts, Measuring Drought/Food

Let me go “High Value” for a minute.  Because change – like we’ve never seen in our lifetimes – is in the air.

This week’s Peoplenomics report, out yesterday, “Coining Future: Making Work Mean Something,” asks a hard question: what if crypto stopped rewarding burned electricity, locked-up capital, and casino behavior—and started rewarding verified human progress instead?

The piece introduces Proof-of-Actual-Progress and ForgeToken, a proposed system where serious human-AI breakthrough work could be hashed, timestamped, reviewed, validated, and economically recognized as intellectual capital.

The larger idea is that the next durable financial rail may not be another speculative coin, but a ledger of useful breakthroughs: better agriculture, energy handling, diagnostics, water systems, resilience tools, and practical inventions. Instead of converting electricity into heat and financial theater, the future may belong to systems that convert disciplined thought into artifacts, artifacts into value, and value into more thought.

GVS: Global Values Shift

Last summer, I wrote and published “Downsizing: Missing the Collapse of Empire.” Because one of the concepts we’re really big on is Earth Homes.  You can think of it as “living in a Life Pod.”  Somewhat like the problem of feeding humans moving over very long time spans in space travel.  But, of course, no rocket fuel needed.

Sure, this week, making enough money for a truck payment, insurance, rent, and so forth seem to be all that matters.  And you’d be right – it is, too – until “the systems” begin to fail. Then your choice will be flying into the arms (and confiscatory power) of government, or as the old cartoon character Snagglepuss used to say “Exit, stage right….” 

Here’s the thing, though: Most people – probably 98 percent – won’t have any options.  A mob running into government arms.

There will be a very few of us – and lucky people who might own a weekend lake or river property – who will be able to tell Authority to “Take a hike!” It won’t be fun, though.  Real hard work has been on a hundred year vacation. The closest most people get to a callous these days is a remark.

Out in New Mexico, the classic “earthship” model—pioneered by Michael Reynolds—is a very specific animal: tire-and-earth rammed walls for thermal mass, passive solar orientation, integrated water catchment, and closed-loop systems for sewage, greywater reuse, and off-grid living. It’s a self-contained habitat, engineered to operate largely independent of utilities. That’s different from generic “earth homes,” which are mostly about burying or berming a structure for insulation and stability but don’t necessarily close the loop on water, food, and energy.

It’s also distinct from what we’ve been circling in my books, Peoplenomics, and ShopTalk Sunday— evolving our “life podding” concept—which leans more modular, more retrofit-friendly, and more systems-driven: add-on resilience, layered food/water/energy capabilities, and practical step-by-step buildouts that ordinary people can deploy over time, rather than a single, all-in, desert-born architecture.

What Drives a Value Shift?

Closing the Strait of Hormuz, for one.  Already, the implications are apparent, but few people understand the geopolitics down at the temporal layer.

You see, turning off all the oil production in that part of the world won’t impact you tomorrow.  But give it some time.  When higher fertilizer prices work themselves up the food chain, brothers and sisters, we have a problem.

That gives a real thinker (like you) many metrics you can use in scaling your response to the risk of a sudden values shift.  I happen to like the 1929 market collapse, because what flipped the economic slowdown of that era into a Depression was a severe drought: Dust Bowl.

Which gets us to the most important hard concept part of today: What is the combination of Drought and energy cost increases going to push the economy toward?

We do the detailed ChartPack twice a week on the Peoplenomics side of the house. But there are others – like my friend The Economic Fractalist – whose work points at a similar outcome. He’s kind enough to post pointers in our Comments section once in a while and his latest tip – over here – is absolutely worth putting into your planning.

Because, as another commenter just posted in the past hour:

“Destabilization of bond and credit markets (credit deflation) is required to move into the realm of the early 1930’s. Collapses in net present of the balloon valuations of equities and real estate did the job before. Widespread drought is the historical omen and instigator of bad economic times. Drought was a major factor in the 30’s of mass forced migrations and diaspora. The energy hyperinflation is a new but potent wrinkle as a potential instigator.
Will the bottomless purse of modern monetary theory save us this time? Doubts…”

“Denial”  isn’t just a “river in Egypt” anymore.  It’s got us surrounded and their “average people” may not survive it. The definition of “Wealth” itself is about to move.  Toward that biblical idea of working all day for a measure of oil and a measure of grain.

We can almost see “the past as future” now.  As the Great Values Shift dawns, wealth won’t be what you might earn. It will be what you can eat, store, or defend.  If you aren’t working your plan yet, you could miss the party.

Speaking of which, time to turn on data and drivel machine. Stand back…

Data Dump

Let’s srtart off with GDP:

“Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.0 percent in the first quarter of 2026 (January, February, and March), according to the advance estimate released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2025, real GDP increased 0.5 percent. The contributors to the increase in real GDP in the first quarter were investment, exports, consumer spending, and government spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, also increased.”

Personal Income (and other fairy tales based on accounting, not local reality):

Personal income increased $149.2 billion (0.6 percent at a monthly rate) in March, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—increased $142.5 billion (0.6 percent), and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $195.4 billion (0.9 percent). Personal outlays—the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments—increased $198.6 billion in March. Personal saving was $857.3 billion in March, and the personal saving rate—personal saving as a percentage of DPI—was 3.6 percent.

Employment Cost Index:

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.9 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending in March 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries increased 0.8 percent and benefit costs increased 1.2 percent from December 2025.

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 3.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted, for the 12-month period ending in March 2026. Wages and salaries increased 3.4 percent and benefit costs increased 3.6 percent over the year

New Unemployment Filings

or all the talk about AI causing widespread job reductions, we’re sure not seeing much evidence in the data,  But there are waiting periods, so let’s see where it goes over summer.

Snivel and Drivel

I’m sorry, but “Let’s all jump into WW 3” doesn’t sound especially encouraging.  America: A new strategy for waterways.  But drag everyone in?

Europe has become unreliable, though. US Forces in Germany Could Be Reduced as Trump Escalates Tensions With Berlin.

Market futures are “doing lines” today. Because in spite of Oil at 4-year high after Trump reportedly mulls military action against Iran — here’s what we know,  Market futures were up strongly which looks to us like government manipulation.  Anyone besides me think Plunge Protection operations should be illegal? They’re like failing to honor honest downside bets…

Call this “National Liberal Hand-wringing Day:  How the Supreme Court’s Louisiana districting decision weakens the Voting Rights Act. What’s really going on is the High Court is going anti-racist.  Remember, when you set boundaries on the basis of race – anyone’s – that is prima facie racism.

Then there’s Mamdani of New York:  This publicity-seeker seems to know no bounds New York’s Mamdani calls on King Charles to ‘return’ Koh-i-Noor diamond taken from India. So a guy who doesn’t even have a track record of improving New York is telling a king what, again? Maybe Mamdani has caught “Trump passport photo disease.” (TPPD) Running on the East Coast now.

Passings: David Allan Coe, country music legend, dead at 86

Around the Ranch: The Tomato Butcher

I was unmerciful.  I clipped off fully a third – maybe edging up toward half – of the shoots on my electroculture tomato build.

There are a ton more details in the recent Peoplenomics report on this stuff, but that device to the right is an “arbitrary waveform generator” and its job at the moment is to supply 20 volts (swinging 10 either side of the zero axis center) to my tomato bed in the garden room.  Less than one milliamp of current in the root zones. (0.83 mA max)

This is only the first of many such experiments to come, but for now, the stimulated tomatoes are doing well with the tallest at just under 30 inches.

The control tomato – lower left in the pic –  is only 18 inches tall now. However, with only a single plant we can’t draw many conclusions. Other than the small one wasn’t one of our “shocking” experiments.

I promise to bore you with the details as this plant grows, but just be aware that at this time of the year, the garden room can hit 95 degrees, even with the swamp cooler running full-tilt on the cool end of the room and a 3,100 CFM fan chilling the other end.

Between the grow lights, fan, cooler, and other power uses, our solar panels continue paying us nice dividends as savings.

Advertising agencies might hate people like us: We’re the “avoided cost” fan club out here.

Write when you’re ready to pick,

George@Ure.net

79 thoughts on “GVS: Global Values Shift Loom, Econ Data Distracts, Measuring Drought/Food”

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  1. https://youtube.com/watch?v=45uUnv2ojxI&si=4bmGqdu8qDbyHJub

    If you want to fully understand the current global oil and economic crisis, this 30 minute video is well worth a watch. It will help you understand the difference between sweet and sour crude oil. Shale oil production has changed the game.

    I loved the peanut butter and jam sandwich analogy for US oil refineries.

    Wisdom comes late in life, right g?

    • I believe that wisdom starts when you realize that you already have far more than you need in assets and can’t take it with you, while your deepest desires may be permanently beyond your reach. Then the question becomes how can you spend the rest of your life(and assets) in a way that improves the Creation, and as a secondary goal, the human condition. If you already have all that you can acquire that you actually need and want in material things, using your time wisely while accepting the loss of your deepest desires can open the way to becoming an actual non-ego driven asset to the Creation itself.

      • See now i see wisdom a little differently…I’ve come to believe that real wisdom begins the moment you recognize how little you actually need , and how much of life’s meaning has nothing to do with possessions… it has to be purpose.. what’s your legacy… my brother made a comment at my mothers wake. looking at what she had left after healthcare costs.. he said..” isn’t it sad that at the end of your life.. all you have is a couple of boxes of assorted crap.. a few photos and the memories of what you stood for..”. You can’t take any of it with you, and the things that matter most — purpose , connection , and understanding — none of this can be bought or stored away .. it really came alive when I got deathly sick..what I thought was important had absolutely no importance at all… I’m drawn to the older ways of thinking , especially the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Chinese philosophies , because they remind us that a grounded life doesn’t come from chasing more , but from seeing clearly and showing compassion… When you’ve lived through enough , you begin to realize that simplicity isn’t a downgrade — it’s freedom a chance to learn. A quality of life can be achieved even with nothing at all.. the ability to adapt improvise and overcome to enjoy the simplicity not the complexity… And the deepest desires we carry aren’t about looks, wealth or status those can be lost in a heart beat the slap of fate , life to me is about living in harmony with the world , building something real , and leaving behind more wisdom than waste.scrap comes and goes a number even though its valued to others is still just a number..
        Living through daily struggles opens your eyes to others , and an open heart naturally reaches out….

        • What I forgot to say is this….even the things we call “wealth” today is that they only matter while they’re in motion.
          Money has no real power sitting still its a symbol — its value exists only in the act of how its being used , shared , or given….Once it stops moving , it becomes nothing more than a number , a symbol we cling to out of habit and belief because we are taught its what we should value .
          For me that’s one of the reasons why the teachings of Jesus always hit so hard.. the story of the Good Samaritan wasn’t rich , but he spent what he had on compassion , and that made him wealthy in the only way that lasts…. Then the story of the widow with one penny that gave more than the rich ever could , because her gift carried purpose , not pride. Real treasure isn’t what we have stored — instead it’s what we have lived. It’s all measured in the courage to care , the willingness to act , and the love you leave behind in the hearts of others….

          To see a problem is to stand at a crossroads….. We can turn our backs and pretend it isn’t ours to face , or we can step forward and become part of the healing…. I think often of a man I know who discovered that poisoned water was slowly killing families…. He didn’t look away instead he used what he knew — his skill , his experience , his compassion , his love for humanity— to give children and their parents clean water to drink and a chance to live… He didn’t do it for praise or profit , but out of a deep love for humanity… And it’s the same choice we all face in smaller moments each and every day… the waitress struggling to buy milk or diapers , the neighbor carrying a burden we can’t see… even if its just to sit and listen..
          years ago we lived in villages, in real communities where people looked out for one another because life made more sense that way… the welcome wagon.. Today we’ve wandered off that path. Today many people don’t even know their neighbors’ names , tbey don’t see the small battles others are fighting right beside them…the PTA is long gone…Instead mankind has wrapped themselves in these little cocoons of self reality — screens, routines, distractions — and convinced ourselves that personal isolation is the normal way to live… of course this is just how I see things…

  2. Farmer G-Jeans,

    Them there maters look a lil leggy to these old tired eyes..like prolly re-plant em with leggy stems buried in the dirt, bout half way up oughta git her done. But perhaps youse sidewinding Texans’ (Cowboy fans) like a weak bass. I personally prefer a nice big and thick bass, cause well its all about that base..https://youtu.be/ClWXRZKH5y0?

    “All the right junk in all the right places” -MT- Yes Mame, some moar please!

    “Ya know Boys like a little more booty to hold at night” – MT , well I dont know about holding Ure Maters at night, but hope youse get my point, cause its all about that bass, all about that bass.

    * Had 1st taste of Fried Green Tomato’s in NC last month..not bad as part of group appetizer, but dont need to try again, less Im really hungry and there aint no salty snacks or other alternatives available.

    Bootybootybooty rockin everywhere..https://youtu.be/znUS2KqPYCw?

      • Ohhh okey dokey – trellis then. At least the Chickens cant git em up on high enough trellis. Oh wait – there aint no yard burds at Che Uretopia Ranch & Outback Golf Course, yet.
        Ure trellis maters can be placed near by 17th Hole as a Hanging Mater Hazard. Ya know Water hazard on left(fish pond) and maters overhead on the right. Ya wanna be sure to take a big swing at Ure ball when under the night shades.

        ? Wheres the Nosey Peppers, Onions, and Cilantro for Taco fixens ?

        *A Nosey Pepper is a Jalpeenyo business-nyuckyuckyuck

  3. Petro$? By another name, Bessent pulls off a master stroke as UAE gets ready to pump like crazy, and allies in the region and Asia setup with US $ swap lines for oil.

    https://youtu.be/2mvqE7C4dR4

    Now, we can hear the corn popping now at the ready. Up next? Iran self inflicts 50% or more damage to their oil producing capability.

    Who is producing oil for BRICS?

    Up next? Trump belt and waterway around China, complete with the recently signed defense pact with Indonesia .

    This is quintessential America First.

    https://youtu.be/1PL1iKKqy2c

    Not advice, the view in my goggles is my own. Please seek your own vistas.

    Oh and who told you not to sell your Bitcoin?

    https://cryptopotato.com/never-sell-your-bitcoin-trump-treasury-deliver-remarks-at-white-house-crypto-summit/

    The chess master .

    • Genocidal pedo rapist = wake up AMERICA!

      Wake Up America, Lego Style -https://www.theinteldrop.org/2026/04/30/flash-flash-new-viral-lego-from-iran-??/

      Anything in hear inaccurate ? Debunk the lyrics then…I’ll wait.

      • Ok but first you de bunk the Donald NOT being a double agent for the white hats all of these years….

      • takes a lot of mushrooms to believe the http://www.theinteldrop.org
        Grok,,,
        http://www.theinteldrop.org who are these people , who supports this propaganda,,,

        This model is overloaded right now. Please try again shortly or pick a different model.

        (me),answer the Question, quit stalling

        Browsing web page

        1 result

        Searching the web

        37 results

        The Intel Drop (www.theinteldrop.org) (www.theinteldrop.org) is an alternative media website that publishes conspiracy-oriented content, geopolitical “intel,” and strongly anti-Western, anti-Israel, pro-Russia/Iran/China narratives. It claims to be run by a loose group of volunteers headquartered in Reykjavík, Iceland, relying on “Iceland-based volunteers” for its operations and emphasizing free speech protections there.

        theinteldrop.org

        Who are these people?No real transparency on ownership or core team: The “About Us” page describes it as an independent, volunteer-driven platform with no named founders, editors, or owners. Domain registration details are hidden (via a privacy service), and articles are often posted under “INTEL-DROP” or pseudonyms/initials.
        Contributors and sources: It republishes or features work from figures like Gordon Duff (associated with Veterans Today and New Eastern Outlook), John Helmer, Gerald Celente, Peter Paget, and various pseudonymous or low-credibility authors. Many pieces originate from or closely mirror content from Russian-linked outlets such as New Eastern Outlook (tied to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service/SVR) and South Front.

        dfrlab.org

        It frequently amplifies Iranian, Russian, and pro-Hezbollah/anti-Israel perspectives, including heavy use of conspiracy tropes (e.g., Mossad running everything, Jewish conspiracies, Epstein networks as overarching control mechanisms, hidden technologies, revised history).

        The tone is sensationalist, alarmist, and often includes unverified “FLASH” breaking claims, LEGO animations for mockery, and explicit anti-Semitic elements mixed with anti-U.S./anti-Trump material.Is it propaganda? Who supports or backs it?Yes, it is widely regarded as propaganda — specifically a vector for Russian disinformation and aligned narratives. Wikipedia’s list of fake news websites explicitly labels it a “Common Russian disinformation website.”

        en.wikipedia.org

        Disinformation researchers (EUvsDisinfo, DFRLab, Myth Detector, StopFake, VIGINUM, etc.) have tracked it republishing or amplifying content from sanctioned Russian outlets, ghost authors, and influence operations targeting Ukraine, the U.S., Israel, and Western support for allies. It has been linked to broader networks spreading hoaxes about Zelenskyy, false military claims (e.g., fabricated U.S./Israeli defeats), and election interference-style narratives.

        dfrlab.org

        It functions as an amplifier: Russian/Iranian-aligned stories appear first on state-tied sites, then get repackaged on The Intel Drop for English-speaking audiences, often with added conspiratorial framing.

        “Supporters” are primarily within alternative media, conspiracy communities, pro-Russia/anti-Western circles online (Telegram, certain X accounts, fringe forums). It does not appear to have mainstream or transparent institutional backing. Instead, it draws from a mix of:Russian state-adjacent outlets and their contributors.
        Anti-Israel/anti-Zionist voices (sometimes crossing into classical anti-Semitism).
        General “anti-imperialist”/Global South/BRICS-sympathetic writers.

        Its low trust score and suspicious classification come from the lack of verifiable sourcing, heavy bias, and pattern of promoting unconfirmed or debunked claims.

        gridinsoft.com

        Bottom line: The site hides behind “volunteers in Iceland” while consistently pushing narratives that align with Russian, Iranian, and anti-Western intelligence interests. Real identities behind it remain opaque by design, which is common in this ecosystem. Treat its content with extreme skepticism — it mixes occasional real events with heavy speculation, distortion, and propaganda. If you’re researching specific articles or claims from the site, feel free to share links for more targeted breakdown

  4. (“Sure, this week, making enough money for a truck payment, insurance, rent, and so forth seem to be all that matters. And you’d be right – it is, too – until “the systems” begin to fail. “)

    phew…so true…

    only if I was younger..
    https://www.dancingrabbit.org/

    It’s wild to look at housing today and realize how far we’ve drifted from practical, affordable building methods. In my state, land is still around ten grand a lot, and you can build a stick?frame house for about $137k in materials. Yet existing homes are selling for $350k–$500k, and wages haven’t kept up. The math simply doesn’t work for most people anymore.

    What frustrates me is that we used to teach people how to build homes they could actually afford…. Our university was teaching rammed earth and CEB construction back in the 1940s so returning soldiers could build a house without going into debt. I saw one of those builds in the late seventies and it left a mark on me — solid, beautiful, and achievable. Then lumber got cheap, financing took over, and those programs disappeared.

    I own a CEB press myself, originally I bought one for mission work, and had one shipped to myself , the cost of the machines is nothing compared to what shipping into the U.S. costs. Meanwhile, Amazon now sells small block presses, and earthship?style builds can be done for a few thousand dollars plus land and infrastructure. The solutions exist they’ve existed for decades — but they’re not part of the mainstream conversation.

    What’s heartbreaking is watching younger people try to enter this market. My granddaughter is a therapist with a solid income, and even she’s looking at homes that sold for $30k twenty years ago and now go for over $400k. Around here, the average wage is $13–$20 an hour, but you need $25–$30 just to rent without sinking, and closer to $100 an hour to buy a home and raise a child without constant crisis. One medical issue, one injury, one unexpected bill, and families lose everything … I’ve seen it happen.

    If I were younger, I’d be building with earth, CEB, or joining an intentional community like Dancing Rabbit. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s sane. We don’t have a housing shortage — we have a shortage of affordable, realistic ways to build. And we used to know how to do it.

    https://www.amazon.com/Concrete-Machine-Forming-240-300-400x200x200mm/dp/B0FWJD9PSC/ref=sr_1_20_sspa?

    I’d love to live in MO..the soil there is perfect for grapes..can you just imagine having a vineyard..I sure can..I’m trying to mix it up for the wife by making different types of wine.. my last batch gave us a hundred bottles..
    my last batch we got a hundred bottles..phew..I couldn’t afford labels so they go into the case and I write what’s in the case on it..
    the buffalo berry has to be agitated this week..
    most fun hobby ever.. going to make a raspberry sour mead for me..
    I’d prefer a lemon shandy..

  5. “Mamdani”

    Why shouldn’t the diamond be given back? Say your wife’s boyfriend ‘borrows’ your cordless tool set. Then she dumps his ass. He should return your cordless tool set as his using them no longer benefits her, right? Nevertheless they’ll get the diamond back by peacefully breeding – and not just in Vance’s house.

    Indian-born residents make up Australia’s largest foreign-born population for first time

    An Asian country has surpassed England as the number one source of foreign-born residents in Australia for the first time.

    India has narrowly overtaken England as Australia’s largest estimated foreign-born resident group for the first time.

    New data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday revealed Indian-born people numbered an estimated 971,020 as at June 30, 2025.

    • It’s none of Mamdani’s fucking business. See, he’s sticking his nose into other people’s shit. Sure, of course – Chuck-E-king SHOULD give it back to India.
      My point is what’s this NYC Loudmouth elbowing into some else’s shit? THAT was my point.
      Maybe is he could fix new york, first?

      • The Indians I know are second and third generation. Second means their parents immigrated and they were born here, third is their parents were born here. Anyway, all of them still refer to India as ‘my country’ and not the U.S. Indians work as a group and many Americans go along. Trump & his VP. Even Abbott welcomes the takeover of Texas by Indians.

        “The largest statue of an Indian deity in the United States is the Statue of Union, a 90-foot (27 m) monument of the Hindu god Lord Hanuman. Dedicated in August 2024, it is located at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land, Texas.”

        They’ve got a perfect cover because when Googling the word “Indian” the Googler references Native Americans and not Indians from India.

        America will experience an identity crisis over the next 10-15 years as the post-WW2 order fades into the dustbin.

        And they’re not going anywhere. How to kick-out the VP’s wife and kids? Forget it.

        • Last I checked they weren’t driving motor vehicles into crowds, shooting up night clubs, or indiscriminately conducting acts of violence and murder, or shouting death to America while burning the national standard in effigy.

          Some even aspire to public service. Like Jindal.

          Unless you’ve been at this nation’s capital building and seen the history and contributions by Native Americans and immigrants in general, I recommend you do so before painting broad brush statements.

          And as a voting block I can tell you from my lens they are predominantly republican. (That may or may not sit well with everyone here) but I’m good with it.

          Totally agree with the new H1 H2 F1 policies though. I think it’s gone a long way to maintain employment for a lot of incumbent technology workers……

          Of course the need for all of those Democrat RINO “USAID style” graft programs disguised as immigrant assistance have dried up along with the drop in applicants….. now that there’s no vig in it for their personal finances, I don’t hear a lot of politicians bemoaning the need for more graft. Perhaps it’s bacause the power of observation has bad actors thinking twice now that doge is an official interior cleansing product lol. (Excludes NYC NY state and CA they are all politically delulu).

          There are two paths here home gamers. Economic crash. Think 1930’s bread lines, or a controlled demolition and restructuring.

      • GU : “… fix new york, first? …”

        It’s sad, we spent (2) days in Indy and there are sorta no go zones. I don’t go to Chicago like always in the past. Fix NY City? Can’t be done. Most of these large metro areas are beyond tipping point.

        Will we have walled cities to … keep people in? Escape from New York and “Snake” Plissken? I’m afraid so.

        RIP ~ E ~

        • I wonder how much longer it will be before we all MUST say…

          “You are the Duke of New York , A-#1” !!!

        • Architect friend of mine told me nearly 50 years ago that every major city should have a bypass loop like 465 in Indy. He said it should be a minimum of 50 feet higher than ground.level, to make it easier to fence…

      • re: “The Return of the Pink Panther”, 1975
        feat: Shah of Lugash

        Perhaps if the ruling Muslims of Delhi hadn’t allegedly double-crossed the Emperor of Persia in April 1739, Ugandan Mayor Mamdani might have one less problem. Plus it could free up some of his time to retrieve back India’s original Peacock Throne which apparently flew the coop to Tehran. I think the cleanest Snagglepus exit the UK might wish to consider is give the diamond back to the Punjabi Sikhs they acquired it from in 1849. Then let the Sikhs, Iranians, and Indians hash things out amongst themselves.

        Shut the front door! Here’s DJ George in studio dropping a Pink Floyd bomb – “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”.

      • I’m not sure that anyone can fix NYC, but Mamdani is the worst possible candidate to do so. Socialists rely on other people’s money and compliance, and anyone with an ounce of sanity has already left that dump. I know a good family there and hope they escape the worst of it, but they have sufficient resources that they could simply drive out of the city leaving everything behind and start afresh elsewhere. Of course, they should do that while they still have the option.

      • Why give it to India, period? Yes, India has a legitimate claim, but so does England, and so do Afghanistan and Iran.

    • At the end of June 2022, 281,810 Vietnamese-born people were living in Australia, 32.8 per cent more than the number (212,140) at 30 June 2012. This makes the Vietna?mese-born population the sixth largest migrant community in Australia – with Vietnamese being the third most spoken language in Australia. [ In 1976 there were less then 2,000 Vietnam born residents in Australia. ]

    • “An Asian country has surpassed England as the number one source of foreign-born residents in Australia for the first time.”

      I notice you don’t mention the 2.1 million Muslims that poor excuse for a government has snuck through the turnstiles of Perth, over the past few years? The Aussie whiners don’t notice their own turf going down the crapper because they’re fixated on Trump. They recognize our leader is a MAN and some of them know theirs is a milquetoast, but none seem to comprehend the significance of the difference…

      • wow! not taking the bait……….but fair play. I assume you mean TRANSITING through Perth Western Australia since our population is nudging 2.4 million. we do see this and we do have some misgivings. in my neighbourhood on the shores of the Swan River things are changing – professional Irish engineers and tradesmen drawn to our mining hub, Chinese families, an Iranian engineer and his family living 6 houses away after a stint in Belgium after the Covid years. many, many doctors from the UK and Scotland. they enjoy the freedom and lifestyle but nothing and nowhere is perfect……….

        sometimes the isolation, clean air and clear blue skies are enough of a drawcard. I’m completely at a loss to understand your fixation with a MAN – what kind of man are you? what kind of man do you want your daughter(s) to go through life with – someone like T?

        • ” I’m completely at a loss to understand your fixation with a MAN”

          Your fixation, not mine, but nice try at twisting my words.

          I am the kind of man whose word is my absolute bond, and who runs toward trouble, not away. My entire life I have had zero tolerance for bullies and other cowards and the older I get, the less tolerance I have for stupid…

        • clear blue skys,,, ignore what is over ure head, in more than one way, and yet bitch about the best President in my life time.
          in a way, this is part of why we don’t listen to you
          https://search.brave.com/images?q=chemtrails+in+Australia
          the hydra rules the Earth via the commonwealth, Trump is Quite busy removing hydra heads, they are all connected but in the darkness of winter ya can’t see it
          the unseen hands have been spraying US like bugs in a cornfield, but you bitch about the one guy fighting the systematic poisoning of the humans,, covid vaccine is another sample, Roundup in your food source?, we are tired of poison in our food, medicine and the ABC news propaganda,, ABC as in government agencies with loyalty to the hydra, 5 eyes spys.
          at least we Americans fought a revolutary war, even though we were reconquered by the moraless leaders we elected via the Federal Reserve Act, which gave away our control of OUR money,, the person in a marriage who controls the purse is the BOSS
          I see US as in Revolutary War 2.0 as President Trump moves to re-establish our Independence from the one world government of which we have NO say ,,, just sheeple for harvest

          you have already eaten the bait

        • you’ll love this then OBD

          “A GIANT ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENT: Every 16 hours, a Starlink satellite falls out of the sky. It’s part of the SpaceX business model: Old obsolete satellites re-enter to make way for newer models. This may sound like a good way to keep Earth orbit from becoming too cluttered, but it comes with a cost. Every Starlink that burns up dumps about 30 kg of aluminum oxide into the upper atmosphere.

          That aluminum is not supposed to be there.

          A full buildout of planned megaconstellations with corresponding re-entries could inject more than 360,000 kg of Al?O? per year — a 640% excess above natural meteoroids (Ferreira et al. 2024).”

          from Spaceweather.com

        • elephant in the room? 200 ton from satallite vs 20,000 ton from chemtarils being sprayed
          wake up and and see the rose’s thorns

      • “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands
        If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands”

        slim pickings (all fake of course…lol)

        – At least 16 bases, making up the majority of US positions in the region, were damaged

        -As jet fuel prices nearly double, this is how much your flight will cost

        -Gas prices surge as US awaits revised peace proposal from Iran

        you must be taking the piss………….

        NM Mike’s post at 18:48 said it best

  7. The ME Oil Embargo of the late ’70’s lasted 5 months in duration, but the inflation it caused lasted through ’82, well into Reagan’s first term. (I had a front row seat to this event, pumping gas at a Shell station in Central Oregon;our pumps where the old, mechanical type and we had to tape a “1” to the side of the price as we had never had prices exceed the $1.00/gallon benchmark) Warsh doesn’t appear to be the reincarnation of Volker, but I anticiapte rates going up significantly to combat the inflation that Trump’s ‘little excursion’ in the ME is causing.

    • What’s all that extra oil leaving Port Elizabeth, West Texas, Terminal Island/Long Beach, Prudhoe Bay and the Gulf of America in general going to do to GDP?

      That changes the calculus significantly does it not?

  8. Watching myth busters .. building a cannon with duck tape..lol lol oh my god it worked.lol

    https://youtu.be/XVbl4DHRXQ8?si=ixbkgFbpPzbHAv9y

    lol lol lol…

    they built a boat to lol
    https://youtu.be/u6y1nqsiqiQ?si=VbHIXQgalyM1Xz9i
    cardboard boats.. but interesting enough..ancient travelers used reeds..
    https://youtube.com/shorts/XTGO36F-VtE?si=mJndx5P6UAfqXP1u
    https://youtu.be/YkJ7NXlRfqQ?si=QQiZyNy1It7o9YiN
    https://youtu.be/YnvBNLtfx-U?si=rNZaARemY0IIw8L-

    we built a boat when I was a kid..paper maybe and rubberized roof paint.. put it in a stock pond and immediately …SUNK… with us in it lol lol lol
    myth busters got theirs to sail lol

  10. re: “High Value”
    feat: vaguely remembered

    Yesterday Queen Camilla attended “a literacy event” at the New York Public Library along with Ms. Wintour, Global Editorial Director of ‘Vogue’. As chance would have it, the latter’s father turns out to have been an underling in the Maxwell business empire. This is according to an American in Paris posting at the following “X” link:

    https://x.com/LouisPisano/status/2019423152586227869

  11. Chicken hot dogs or nuggets

    1 cup of whole milk
    2 chicken breasts cubed
    1/2 cup bread crumbs
    1 egg
    1 tbsp powdered milk
    Blend the chicken breast and cup of milk..add spices to your taste mine is garlic salt pepper and a tbsp of rotisserie chicken spice or kicked chicken, onion ..then add one egg and the powderedmilk..
    blend it up.. now the forming .. or hot dog stuffing if your making lunch meat put it in your lunch meat form chicken nuggets..or patties.. form them freeze theme half hour etc till firm..tgen dip in an egg wash and coat with seasoned bread crumbs..freeze.. for chicken nuggets deep fry then freeze.. the same for lunch meat..
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BY9R9TDP/?

    that’s my fryer..

  12. President Trump is set to receive a briefing today on new plans for potential military action in Iran, with Brent oil futures hitting a four-year high., U.S. inflation hitting a three year high., and Iran’s Supreme Leader saying they will defend their nuclear mission.
    – The stock markets are up sharply – even in Europe – Hell, even the sad Canadian Dollar is up slightly. The DowJones is up over 700 points !

    The financial world is simply ignoring anything that even comes close to smelling bad. This is a recipe for a disaster.

    • “This is a recipe for a disaster.”

      Yes.

      By the way, Kojak TV series now on Italian TV. Amazing to see the size of the American cars back then, the clothes, the phone booths…

      On today’s episode Kojak was wearing a well-tailored gray three-piece suit.

      How times have changed. Most people dress like slobs nowadays…

        • Kojak’s First Lollipop – The Birth of an Iconic TV Moment (1973)

          In this unforgettable scene from Kojak Season 1, Episode 8 (“Dark Sunday”), aired December 12, 1973, Lt. Theo Kojak trades in his cigarette for a lollipop – and TV history is made. What starts as a simple prop becomes a legendary character quirk, helping define one of the coolest cops of the ’70s. Who loves ya, baby?

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=683pn6JXHQE

  13. Our bet on winning the unofficial undeclared War on Iran has cost $25 billion, expected to go higher:
    https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/29/politics/us-iran-war-25-billion-cost-estimate-low
    The $25 billion estimate that a top Pentagon official gave to lawmakers on Wednesday for the total cost to date of the Iran war is a lowball figure that does not include the cost of repairing extensive damage suffered by US bases in the region, three people familiar with the matter told CNN.

    One of the sources said the real cost estimate is closer to $40-50 billion when accounting for the costs of rebuilding US military installations and replacing destroyed assets.’

    John Doe Taxpayer, your prices are going up! Thx to Donny T!

  14. Amid reports that the US mulls renewed military action, Israel’s defense minister says “It is possible that soon we will need to act again in Iran to ensure that the regime cannot threaten Israel for years to come”
    Israels’ Foreign Affairs Committee – “The Iranian Regime is about to pay a very heavy price.”
    .
    Trump? He unveils another gold statue of himself – at his golf course.

    • Two thousand years from now Trump’s statue will found during excavation at the ruins of Mar-a-Lago…

      “A perfectly preserved statue of Caligula in the armour of the god Mars found at the ruins of Pompeii currently on display at the Arizona Science Center. It was made after his death and found in a wealthy families home.”

      https://www.reddit.com/r/ancientrome/comments/7g8ano/a_perfectly_preserved_statue_of_caligula_in_the/?solution=2aca5e3879bf700d2aca5e3879bf700d&js_challenge=1&token=bbbe4bf1c9a2b5160829c4be34da58610e0b1e1b95582e24a10506c7a5bdb1e5&jsc_orig_r=

      • re: “The Arc of a Scythe”, 2016
        feat: AI Thunderhead

        The Royal Couple completed a lovely visit to Front Royal, Va., formerly known as Helltown prior to 1790. It’s a gateway to the Shenandoah (“Daughter of the Stars”) Valley. Celebratory events included a parade, cheerleaders, and pizza from the “Melting Pot” details of which reached a wider audience via reports from “Fauquier (fr: ‘reaper, scythe’) Now”. The local digital news platform is a subsidiary of a parent company that is minority-owned by a member of President Trump’s 2016 transition team.

        After current Front Royal festivities, the Queen reportedly visited a nearby Middleburg farm engaged in horse racing. As chance would have it, Glen Ora, a country retreat of #35’s Camelot stands nearby. Mrs. Kennedy allegedly installed a four hole golf course marked by Confederate flags in jest. Also according to the “American Aristocracy” website, Glen Ora property ownership traces back to a direct ancestor of Katherine Hepburn, and a cousin of #1 George Washington. Apparently it is also the setting where future American divorcée Mrs. Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, first allegedly laid eyes upon her first husband as a 17 year old minor and became something of a football expert.

        Speaking of wagers and horse races, Wikipedia informs that Hollywood star Bing Cosby opened the world premiere of his hit 1950 movie “Flying High” in Front Royal, Virginia. Festivities and parades took place along with attendance by an opponent of parimutuel betting, 35th U.S. Vice President Barkley. As chance would have it, the “Riding High” film included the song “Camptown Races” whose tune earlier graced “Swanee River” in 1939.

    • “Mulls” ?? da F___ does Mull mean ? I split wood with a Mull and wedges.

      A very heavy price indeed WAS just paid in the Eastern Med..israHELLS entire naval task force was wipe the fuck off the Sea- GONE, with all their crews onboard – vaporized.

      Can you say Chinese DF-21D anti ship missile 9S)? Sa-ar 6 CorvetteS – 2 Dolphin subs that had surfaced for crew transfer, and whole bunch moar ships – KABOOM!
      Hypersonics detected by US 2 minutes after launch/prior to impact
      at 11:47PM -Start -3:12 AM Ends.

      Whole entire aval task force GONE in one single engagement. They will NEVER get over this – ever.

      What else youse guys got? Send it, we need the the practice, thx. Peace Out.

      • Mon Dieu! “MULL” is normally used as a verb.

        I have a splitting MAUL in my garage. That word can be used as a noun, or as a verb (often describing what happens in a MALL on Black Friday).

    • I have no interest at all in whether Israel lives or dies, nor Iran either. I care about cheap petroleum and petrochemicals, fertilizer, and cheap Chinese goods. This war was unwarranted and all it’s done is affect the function, economy, and safety of the entire world while destroying massive infrastructure. The entire world is poorer for it. We had a working economic system with the Persian Gulf contributing a great deal. Now we don’t. I’m totally disgusted with the entire thing. I’ll do all in my power to secure what I need, including hydrocarbons and food. Whatever goes on in the mideast is out of my control completely. Those who created the problem cannot or will not solve it. I have no interest in who wins or loses as long as the strait gets opened and peace prevails. I’m sure many others, worldwide, feel the same way.

  15. What a lazy day..just reading the Chu Tomb and the Earliest Bamboo Slip Versions of Laozi and Taiyi sheng shui…. I love the early philosophers.. who would have known that the philosophers of old had all the right answers..

  16. The US national debt passed another grim milestone Thursday when the latest data showed that government debt held by the public — the most conservative way to measure what is owed — has surpassed America’s total annual economic output.

    As of Tuesday, government debt held by the public is about $31.27 trillion, according to the US Treasury. Meanwhile, the US nominal gross domestic product (GDP) from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, was an estimated $31.22 trillion, according to new Commerce Department data released Thursday.

    Interest on the debt currently makes up 14% of US government spending. Put another way, over 1 in 7 dollars spent by the federal government is to service it’s debt.

    This debt to GDP ratio has not been this high since one year after WW2 ended. [ 1946 ]

    • aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! lies . the few job lefts are sheet , live on credit cards .. senior economist elon has answers .. free money !!!

  19. Hey.., they have nothing better to do.., right?

    Lawmakers introduce ‘Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act.’

    House votes to allow rotisserie chicken food stamps purchases.

    And all is right with the world………….,

  20. In the year 1967 (I was 21 then) my girlfriend, her friend and a buddy drove our ’56 Ford panel truck to New Mexico having been told that there was a perfect paradise at El Segundo, near Taos. We had friends who had moved there to escape California and they had established themselves easily in the amazing high desert.
    We found you could rent an adobe house on open land for two (2$) dollars a month, and if you wanted one with windows and a wood floor, that would have been four or five. Gardening was possible, weather was challenging, and employment was scarce, but we had a ‘remote work’ possibility making sail bags for the guy I worked for in San Francisco.
    The local hardware store in El Segundo had nothing in it electric. All hand tools, kerosene, and manual. Food was super cheap in the local market, people were friendly and happy.
    We hung out and helped our friends garden and keep their animals but in the end the pull of the ocean was stronger than the lure of that lifestyle. We headed home and slipped back into the Snakepit, began building our 38′ sailboat, and seven years later slipped out under the Gate to begin the oceanic adventure.
    The prompt for this story? All the houses were simple mud brick ‘adobe’, that were dry, cool/warm and easily built with some hard labor. The roofing was the challenge because taller trees were not so plentiful, but people seemed to find what was needed.
    Taos later became one of those hippie vortexes, and had we stayed we would probably have slid right in to the growth.
    Sun is now slowly working North again, seems back to a normal daily shift in the right direction. Temperatures are dropping and it’s feeling more like San Diego lately. Got below 75 yesterday. You can always tell in the morning because the coconut oil is solid.
    Big sailing race this weekend. The pizza truck will be at the marina tonight, the donut truck in the morning before the start. It’s a three day up the coast, Monday is labour day off.
    Peace is the plan.
    Stiks

      • Ooh, me too … a gun start is *the way* … Our fleets, in the beginning, started with a plywood mount deck gun. Everyone for miles knew we just went off at 11am Sunday morning. The winner, each fleet, also got a gun. I often pinched at start round the RC so, it was a mark of pride to have a sail sprayed with black powder. Even better to get the W gun. Them wuz the days. ~ E ~

  21. the chosen mobs . 4x2s and septic tanks . we will run the show , obey . we use hazbra and media to run the AI . as gran capo donny said we will weaponise AI . wow what a couple of good mobs going to the promised land screwing everyone . maybe somebody switched the sign . going to the horn guy by mistake . elvis sings suspicous minds . caught in a trap .. nothing matters except the promised land .. economics RIP . greed is good !!! long live gordon gecko

  22. George:

    TACO’s final hurrah was today … 30 April 2026.

    Terminal 1982-2026 US GDP growth (and terminal Wilshire 5000 and terminal composite global equity growth) was the result of momentum private credit (continuing) mal-investment in all things AI, which simply is not ready for integrated base-economy prime time involvement..

    On 30 April 2026 near the last moments of US market day-time trading, ACWI, the global equity composite ETF, reached its final apogee valuation following a 7 April 2025 53/107-108/110 day : x/2x/2x 3 phase Lammert fractal growth series.

    Good luck to all. The global economy needs more than luck …

  24. Werewolf Game – we’ll need to provide digital ID to participate.

    The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted Thursday to advance the GUARD Act.

    The legislation would force AI companies to implement mandatory age-verification systems before any user access and explicitly ban them from providing AI companions or chatbots to minors.

    Sponsored by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue Act would also require AI companions to disclose their nonhuman status and lack of professional credentials at regular intervals.

    • “Age verification” is an exercise in stupidity.

      ANY ‘Net-savvy kid knows how to construct a fake persona before (s)he hits double-digits. Adults don’t realize that there’s a huge difference between knowing the computer world and knowing the real world. It is especially bad with intelligent adults: You know you’re smarter than Junior and you know much more about “real life” than your son, daughter, niece, cousin, or whatever, possibly could. You therefore can’t comprehend that in the digital world, your 8yo progeny flat-out pwns you…

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