Hype in Mire Monday – Sketchy Week Ahead?

by

Why, looking at the early futures (Dow +200) you’d think that the skies were about to part and the rally into the close Friday might continue.

‘fraid not.

But, the good news for old day traders is that the markets always “swing” so there’s usually a lunch money trade, or two, lying around.  Still, it’s useful to play the general direction of markets, even if (like me) you are sometimes in a trade for less than a half-hour.

Swing trades, you see, are (sort of) like betting variations from a standard deviation, if that makes sense.  If the market is “trending higher,” say in a weekly chart, then while playing short-term trades, you MIGHT do a little better on the long side.  The opposite is true, as well.  The “sand in the Vaseline” is that trends do change and don’t send out invitations.

Still, we stood aside when a low-ball short price wasn’t hit at the close Friday in the manic few minutes ahead of the close.  So, our sense is we might continue drifting higher at least from the outset.”

Today threatens as a “nothing burger” unless a Dallas Fed report mid-morning turns your crank.  We’re still more concerned about the cratering of Imports from Asia because certain well-informed, um, defenders of America, might harbor concerns that China might be eyeing “slowing our supply chain.”

Offshore lefties (Asia and eastern Europe) are taking their toll on us: Americans Pull Back From Values That Once Defined U.S., WSJ-NORC Poll Finds – WSJ.

China Woes Grow

China is pissed on multiple fronts.  In addition to the U.S. Navy sailing international waters where the ChiComs claim dominance, China wants Taiwan for more than ‘historical value,’ could disrupt global power dynamic: experts.  And getting called out on their social/government platform dreams, China says U.S. presumption of guilt against TikTok is baseless.

Even as U.S. cargo from Asia craters, we are mindful that China has backup options like France (Credit Agricole launches China M&A and investment banking business | Reuters) even as the public side of the France-China relationship has been rocky.  (Though, no mention of Bullwinkle.)

Still, France is no lay-down for Beijing, because ((in part)) France bans all recreational apps from government devices.  Which is really interesting in that it emphasizes to us, what dullards are clustered in the Buy’ed ’em Administration.  From states to federal agencies, TikTok faces bans on government-issued devices.  When France is faster than America, it blows up the idea that (outside of software dev.) we may still be “agile.”

Sorry.  Data screams “No!!!”  We’ve lost it to woke bullshit.

Even so, China realizes “The Win” always comes from consistent play.  So, iuf France doesn’t fall in line pretty quickly, there’s always Honduras. Yes, that’s right: Honduras establishes diplomatic ties with China in blow to Taiwan.  Consistency counts with the CCP.

“Flying Chicane” Markets

Wisely, luckily turns out, our low-ball bid to short today from the close Friday did not clear.  Or, it might have been a loss at the open today with Dow Futures showing up 171 early.  Which makes our decline from the Nov. 2021 top look like this:

Remember the old game “Chicane!”  (Buddy the Major) and I both wanted the Gilbert “Fly-over Chicane” for Autorama.  (2 on eBay at press time). That’s how this market is shaping up this week.  Actually, more likely a “four-way Chicane.”

  1. One outcome could be a rally from the open to just under the more recent highs (in the yellow circle above).
  2. Another would be a rally continuing until the overhead trend line is kissed.
  3. “There he goes again!” (went the Gilbert TV ads…): We could even take out the old Wave 2 high and make a new high before collapse.
  4. And our present favorite:  The market rallies for the first 35-minutes then begins to sag and drops throughout the day…

Guiding our insanity (which is not market advice, more like a shrink-session confessional) is the situation in Europe (one percent gains generally) and the price of Bitcoin which was under $28,000 again when we looked.

Peoplenomics subscribers will appreciate the U.S. vs. RoW gap will widen on this kind of play, so either a real big bummer will impact Europe this week in news flow, or the U.S. market screams higher to the upper trend. Case-Shiller Housing report tomorrow may drive.

Here, Buy a Bank

“Such a deal I have for you!”  First Citizens to buy large chunk of failed Silicon Valley Bank (cnbc.com).  Well, we hear, basically buying everything.  In fact here is the deal point sales hype:

  • Transaction is structured to preserve First Citizens’ solid financial position.
  • Combined company remains resilient and secure with diverse loan portfolio and deposit base.
  • Combination builds on First Citizens’ significant expertise and renowned franchises to meet the needs of a broader customer base.
  • Allows First Citizens to build on its experience with innovation hubs by leveraging Silicon Valley Bank’s strength in serving the private equity, venture capital and technology sectors.
  • Transaction brings together complementary strengths of both banks’ middle market commercial banking and private banking capabilities and leverages common platforms, vendor partners and technologies.
  • Prudent risk management approach will continue to protect customers and stockholders through all economic cycles and market conditions.

The problem in figuring all this out – in terms of impact – is understanding the “big levers” in finance,

  • First Citz’s deal hints banking crisis eases.
  • Gold panic buying eases (under $1,950 after kissing $2,000 last week)
  • This makes the U.S. Dollar stronger.
  • Which means (in time) it will take fewer dollars to “buy the indexes”

But then we get into the lookaheads for the week:

  • Case Housing and Int’l trade tomorrow. Could the rally last until then?
  • Michael Barr does FedSpeak Wednesday. He’s vice-chair for supervision.
  • GDP due Thursday.
  • And if you like fairytales, Personal Income allegations file Friday.

Jr. Reporter Merit Badge Work

Not holding (pardon this) “my shorts” going into today’s open, the mind was left to watch Political skirmishes.  Not Bevis and Butthead meets the Nobel Commitee, by any stretch.

We were waiting for the inevitable headlines following Trump’s Waco rally over the weekend.  The Drudge Report tagged it as a “Trump Davidians” event.  Which, in 1993, the (then democrat controlled) FedGov assaulted and totally screwed the pooch att5acking a cult in Waco. Although almost 30-years ago, the Wikipedia account of the Davidians’s Wco Seige led to this assessment:

Ramsey Clark—a former U.S. Attorney General, who represented several Branch Davidian survivors and relatives in a civil lawsuit—said that the report “failed to address the obvious”: “History will clearly record, I believe, that these assaults on the Mt. Carmel church center remain the greatest domestic law enforcement tragedy in the history of the United States.”

You may not be old enough to remember the trials that followed.  In one (1996) the government settled with media over mishandling – without having to admit anything.  And a $675-million lawsuit by survivors was lost in 2000.  Government is hard to beat is a useful takeaway. Especially when investigating itself.

Now the Merit Badge Work

So, Trump plays Waco, as much for shock value, we reckon.  Population of Waco is 138 thousand.  This leaves Waco out of the US Top 200 cities. (Denton, Texas and Rockford, Illinois, are bigger, to put it in perspective.  But they are not hot buttons/dog whistles politically.)

Where it got interesting (for me)) was the dems running Trump bash stories.  I found the story Former FBI Official Issues Dire Assessment About Possible Trump Indictment | Bellingham Herald a good starting point.  Because they cited a “former FBI Official.”

But, since the person widely quoted is no longer an “official” we decided to look (curiosity, right?) at his political contributions.  The notion?  Of course a non-office-holder might be inclined to warn of Trump IF a democrat.

The results (which you can see here and may be the source’s contribs) seemed to say “Well, ah…yeah, um…”

Interestingly, we noted the spelling mismatch of the three contributions listed.  But likely to the present head of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.  Dettelbach, who you’ll recall, ran for Attorney General in Ohio at the time of the interesting contributions. (2018).

Given that Dettelbach was confirmed as Biden’s head of ATF, and knowing U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan seeks ATF chief Steve Dettelbach’s testimony on new gun rule – cleveland.com, we find it “contextually useful” to notice the political party at work (magically) conducting this part of the anti-Trump orchestration/choreography and narrative.

No one has done anything “wrong.”  All totally above board.  But this is how the “subgame” is played in American politics.  Both sides do this kind of thing and it’s usefully learned to earn your Jr. Reporter Merit Badge.

Places any Trump-Waco slams somewhere along the dem’s anti-Second Amendment (and don’t mention Waco) agenda of the Biden admin to our thinking.

As a result, when another dem barks at Trump on command (Warner: FBI prepared for any violence over possible Trump indictment (axios.com)) you won’t be surprised in the least.  Don’t need to be exactly psychic to see things coming. Just hold the Jr. merit badge.

This n That’s

While we wait for Israel to “pop” Iran’s nuke facilities, notice Opposition to Netanyahu plan mounts as unions launch strike broad across Israel.

Source code of madness?  Twitter takes legal action as source code is leaked (proactiveinvestors.com)

Global News Shortage? Internews, Microsoft, USAID to develop Media Viability Accelerator. We find this new love of global indy journos of interest because when comes down to it, AI can do much of what so-called indy journos do – namely rewriting press releases.  But whatever, dudes.

ATR: Deeply Troubling

More than anything this weekend, I found my “brain nag” was out the cratering SoCal trade figures story which the “asleep at the wheel” (again, still, always) media aren’t seeing – yet.

Call me paranoid, but I’m starting to worry about sourcing issues related to the downturn that could impact virtually all inorganic aspects of life out here in the woods.

Got taking a look at the Baltic Dry Index over time here (Baltic Exchange Dry Index – 2023 Data – 1985-2022 Historical – 2024 Forecast – Price (tradingeconomics.com)) and backed out the time scale to the 2021 area.  You’ll see the month before the market ATH, we were in the 5,700 range.  As of the latest data that index is down in 1490 country.

I may not be the brightest bulb in economics, but my skills at “seeing ahead” have been pretty damn good.  Baltic Dry is a shade over 26 percent of its all-time high.  Globalism is showing worrying signs of being past its “use by” date.

This is further amplified in the latest Railtime Indicators from the Association of American Railroads.

“For the first 11 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,523,553 carloads, down 0.3 percent from the same point last year; and 2,556,114 intermodal units, down 9.6 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 11 weeks of 2023 was 5,079,667 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 5.2 percent compared to last year.”

The drop of 9.6 percent in intermodal (TEU containers) is especially worrying.

Sure everyone talks about “prepping” and this leads to inevitably putting back food, trying to have some local energy stores and some renewables.

But the Chinese are patient.  They could drive America’s future into a clone of Venezuela by simply dialing-back our Asian sourced supply chains quickly. Moving Chinese focus to Europe – which we’ve already mentioned – would set up a sequence where China could strip out some of the best companies in Europe and “part them out to China” just as they have done with America.

Politically, living beyond our means, it was too much for America’s (hack) political “leaders” to avoid.  Leaving us where we are now:  Buried in Debt and devoid of new tech that’s 100 percent home-grown.

America was sucker-punched into squandering our technological lead.  Chinese strategists, little doubt, plan to have Taiwan reunified before the end of 2024.  In the process, we’ve been looking both at Taiwanese made resources as well as South Korean.  I mean down to the point of getting major home appliances while supply chains are still at reasonable levels.

To wait?  I see risk.

At our ages, we don’t need much but big -ticket items do wear out.  Furniture, major household appliances, and what-have-you.

Cans of beans are fine, and all.  But it’s the window-mount air conditioner for the shop – it’s that kind of prepping (along with the grid still being up) that’s starting to nag most.

Serious times ahead.  You can’t buy happiness maybe, but it will surely buy minimal comforts in life on which happiness may be more stable going forward.

Write when you get rich,

George@Ure.net

60 thoughts on “Hype in Mire Monday – Sketchy Week Ahead?”

  1. “(Though, no mention of Bullwinkle.)” Congrats George, you’ve been on a real roll lately!

  4. I don’t what kind of assets SVB had but they weren’t quality since the bank had to be bailed out.

    First Citizens gets a deal.

    “The deal includes the purchase of approximately $72 billion of SVB assets at a discount of $16.5 billion, but around $90 billion in securities and other assets will remain “in receivership for disposition by the FDIC.””

    And what do we get:

    “…even if your lender goes bankrupt, you still have to pay your mortgage.”

    I could run a bank. You could run a bank. Even you could run a bank. Banking is like scratch-offs surfing from bailout to bailout if you don’t hit. Maybe it’s always been that way.

    If .gov follows the same sequence as last time next up for bailouts is the manufacturing base.

    • Bailouts of the manufacturing base? Is there one? It would help if we had a manufacturing base for useful products, but that would require a commitment to our country. The regulations are so stifling(along with taxes) that few people want to play that game manufacturing anything, unless it’s one person or a family operation with no other employees. Somehow people do it in China – perhaps they have better social skills, but I honestly believe that China is a relatively cohesive society and most folks are on the same team. We can’t even keep our police departments in place, and there are active rabble rousers out to destroy any sort of cohesiveness. We used to have a problem with two sexes, but now we have 200 of them with non-pronouncable pronouns for each. Same thing for races, ethnicities, ages, religions, and every other way of splitting society into separate groups. What’s next – eye color? Social media, including youtube doesn’t help at all. This is multifaceted and far deeper than can fit into one post. The Bidetistas are the most economically incompetent idiots I’ve ever been blessed to never meet. Build your specialty manufacturing or service operation close to home, think for yourself, secure your own borders, and good luck to us all.

        • bieve it or not..I would feel safer walking down the street in Beijing than I would in any major city in the usa.
          and everyone I have ever met from china has the same outlook, fears and hopes of anyone I have ever met..
          a young woman asked me if I would be afraid to visit..heck no I’d live to see the many wonderful sites and cultures..I was taught there are crappy people everywhere.. the rule of thumb is be the blind man.. avoid rotten and mean people..and cherish those who cherish those that are good .

        • that’s a real good article..and I won’t write a book ..
          our values were changed..it started out simply enough..but we changed from personal values to those of a number..where the number became more important than humanity..

        • entire wsj article without the subscription:
          https://nypost.com/2023/03/27/values-like-patriotism-religion-falling-out-of-favor-among-americans-poll/

          Right wingers can be comforted to know their biggest supporter (Theil) has a gay lover who just committed suicide, being a ‘kept’ doll just wasn’t fun! (Thiel bought him a $13 million house, etc.) Gotta luv those patriotic and religious ideals of the top right wingers!
          https://www.businessinsider.com/male-model-kept-peter-thiel-relationship-dead-possible-suicide-2023-3

        • C- people on that level of society are, by definition, out of touch with the real world. Witness your bosom buddy Walking Buzzard.

        • “C- people on that level of society are, by definition, out of touch with the real world. Witness your bosom buddy Walking Buzzard.”

          you are right Bill… walking buzzard hasn’t ever had a real world job.. he doesn’t have a clue..
          if you haven’t ever lived it..it’s hard to see.. they look at what mass media says as their resources

        • Very, VERY few people can make and have access to wealth like that and remain sane. The more people have the more they tend to separate themselves from others. But if you can’t/don’t have the wealth and still want your solitude you can always be a rancher! You’ll never be rich (unless you’ve got some of that Texas Tea under your boots) but anyone climbing over your fence is opening themselves up to be on the receiving end for target practice.

        • C-
          Same thing happened in our town between a doctor who was just about to open his own office and a lover who rejected him. The doc was married but in this other “relationship” anyway. When he was rejected by the other guy he committed suicide and the newly constructed office remained vacant for several years. As Tucker said yesterday – “People who think they are God can’t stand to be reminded that they aren’t.”.

          There is WAY too much mental instability associated with the LGBTQRSTUVXYZ and whatever community for there NOT to be something to it. The guys kill themselves over nothing and the women, well, we’ve just seen how that has turned out tragically for some. The only exception I know of was a former cousin who went the other direction with her “orientation” and became a successful engineer and has done some very inspiring things for our troops. Heck, she ever LOOKS like the Tennessee shooter when she was that age (which really isn’t bad at all!) but her mind is a very keen instrument she put to good use. All this happened, though, well before our government started weaponizing this particular group so she’s a lucky one in that regard.

      • F says they are bleeding billions from their EV unit, as example. F will need a bailout. That manufacturing base.

        “America has to have a car company.” That cycle.

        • America does have a car company! It’s called “Tesla”.

          Just imagine if they came up with a super-efficient, reliable, and innovative ICE engine.

    • Experienced a dream two nights ago. Prominent was 184, in my dream twice, not sure of the context but it was #. Also twenty to 6 on clock in my dream. European might be dates April 18 to the time June 20.
      1 + 8 + 4 = 13

  7. Re: An American in Accra
    feat. LoveWorld

    Folks,

    Ghana’s Ministry of Information has posted its hour long videostream leading up to the arrival of VP Harris in Ghana on Air Force Two. The tv commentators interviewed a pair of US Christ Embassy schoolchildren along with their American-Ghananian school principal(?). Throngs of classmates attired in ngo “B.a.s.i.c.s International” t-shirts later greeted the VP following her deplanement. Basics Intl’s US charity hq is anchored in the African-American enclave of South Jamaica, Queens, New York.

    • Re: “Sketchy Week Ahead”
      feat. minor problems

      Folks,

      By coinkydoink a press secretary apparently attended pentecostal church during formative years growing up in South Queens. The global Christ Embassy brand has proven resilient. His Majesty’s Charity Commission for England and Wales report on the multi-million £ misappropriations from the UK churches to Nigerian headquarters made nary a ripple in western msm.

      https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-board-addresses-governance-failings-at-christ-embassy-following-regulators-inquiry

      Nigerian and South African media detail the younger brother of the current church leader being dispatched with haste to head the Houston, USA flock. This allegedly followed having planted seed in the new South African diocese that was bearing fruit. Meanwhile the divorced leader himself, a self-styled “Man of God”, has made multiple appearances in the African media for parties featuring young virgins.

    • “Ghana’s Ministry of Information has posted its hour long videostream leading up to the arrival of VP Harris in Ghana on Air Force Two. ”

      here I thought she was trying …NOT… to be associated with the looney bin

    • Folks,

      The US online Summit for Democracy begins Tuesday. The event kicks off at 9:00am with Mr. Blinken and Mr. Zelensky. Mr. Biden will be otherwise engaged with receiving the daily WH briefing at 9:30 am.

      Co-host Zambia will be holding Wednesday day 2 panel discussions on various topics. The millionaire president and Panama Papers inductee will open the discussions.

  9. George,

    Regarding Sylvester Stallone diet and coffee consumption during Rocky III, he knew it was dangerous, see below.

    George Ure
    March 27, 2023 at 10:30
    I’d love to see his QRS complex for that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QRS_complex
    A little metoprolol with your naturally arising steroids, chum?
    Afib’s a bitch. And then you…er…

    The star once revealed in an Instagram post (via Men’s Health) in 2017 that to achieve his ripped look for Rocky 3 – which changed the franchise in many ways – he undertook a “very high protein” diet which consisted of small portions of oatmeal cookies made up of brown rice and around 20 cups of coffee a day. There was also some tuna fish added into the mix, but while the visual results were very impressive – as the movie itself proves – it took something of a toll on his health during production.

    According to Stallone, this diet did not provide “much physical or mental energy,” and it took his body fat down to 2.9. As he admits, this is a “really dangerous level,” as anything below 5% for men can lead to cardiovascular problems and sharp dips in energy. For Stallone, it resulted in a type of brain fog and mental exhaustion, which was especially trying while filming the boxing sequences with Mr. T’s Clubber Lang. In the aforementioned Instagram post, Stallone be seen standing on his head, and this wasn’t to show off – it was so he could restore some blood to his head to help him recall the complicated fight choreography.

    https://screenrant.com/rocky-3-movie-stallone-workout-diet-dangerous/

    • The raw eggwhite drinks for protein were always a gagger for me. But if you add fresh orange juice and whip it in a blender…. mmmm. Foamy orange.

        • There was an Orange Julius across the street from my high school in Huntington Beach, mid 70s. loved the Orange drinks after school. Their hot dogs were awesome as well. Only good drive-thru around here anymore is In an Out, the rest will kill you slowly.

        • Oh. I thought ALL the egg went into the drink. It tasted rich enough and I sure did love ’em when I could get one.

    • “to achieve his ripped look for Rocky 3 ”

      I totally get his concer over his ripped look… most ripped muscular gents and women are .ore vulnerable to various chemical embalances and great harm to the muscle itself..

      I took this into account with my muscles..and decided I wouldn’t want to. pass out from a chemical imbalance or see it damaged in any way shape or form..what would the best method to protect it.. and it came to me.. I would make sure that I kept a great protective layer wrapped around the mass of …ROCK HARD RIPPED MUSCLES…
      keeping them safe from harm or chemical imbalance..
      now after years of checking out other people that have not considered this method of protection while younger..I see now as these people age that they see the same form of protecting their rock hard muscles .. with age comes insight and learning lol

  10. A time is clearly coming of shortages of many things as well as simple unavailability — at all. (Cuba, Venezuela, etc.)

    Personal tool skills and ability will be more important than in recent years, as broken things can’t easily be replaced. They’ll need to be fixed, “patched,” or somehow kludged back to usefulness. People who do not fear the mechanisms on the insides of things, and who Know How Things Work will be especially useful to help get us all back to NormalWorld after sanity takes hold again.

    7299 by day 3999 by night. Share the knowledge.

    • “as well as simple unavailability”

      This is the thing no one around me can grasp. You say “shortage” and people shrug. They cannot even comprehend “unavailable at any price” because nothing in their world has EVER been “unavailable, at any price…”

    • Which is why I went off a few weeks ago when the general consensus here seemed to be leaning toward not wanting to live through the coming chaos. Nothing like being the only person, or at least being one of the few, who knows how to do stuff after TSHTF.

    • “Personal tool skills and ability will be more important than in recent years, as broken things can’t easily be replaced. They’ll need to be fixed, “patched,” or somehow kludged back to usefulness.”

      exactly.. a friendship with cuba that has been doing just that since the 60’s could prove useful..
      food..we did everything we could to starve north Korea with our sanctions .they are threading authorities on hydroponics.. as for myself.. because of my life events I learned how to do many things. I see each of my dramatic life changes as learning experiences.
      to improve one’s quality of life from the dramatic downside of life events youlearn to adapt and overcome..

  11. According to the President of Kenya, things are about to change for the USD … and not in a good way …

    https://theblogginghounds.com/2023/03/26/president-of-kenya-urges-citizens-to-get-rid-of-u-s-dollars-soon-operation-sandman/

    And I read that Xi and Putin have their own ideas about a New World Order. Would love to know their details about that. I don’t like the NWO that H.W. Bush preached, and I doubt I’ll like the one these two have in mind … but it would be good to know what’s on their minds.

    Been reading up on Tartaria. Fascinating and intriguing. Like this little piece from 1744 …

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CqF2LOSuudo/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

    When electricity was (invented?) in the 1700’s …

    https://www.twinkl.com/teaching-wiki/the-history-of-electricity

    And the Light Bulb wasn’t invented until 1879.

    https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/incandescent-light-bulb.html

    Doing the math doesn’t add up per the events we were taught in school.

    Then ya got that Mud Flood thing …

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqLXv97OHvz/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

    Which if there are “mud floods” it would explain how those plants and animals got fossilized in rocks. Things got buried in the mud, the mud hardened to stone and there ya go. Fossils.

    Man, I’m questioning EVERYTHING !!

    • “According to the President of Kenya, things are about to change for the USD … and not in a good way …”

      Doesn’t this indicate Kenya is going to be bombed for some made up reason?

      Or, will the President of Kenya end up like Gaddafi?

    • You and my friend; flat earther, vegan, Tartaria believer, non vaxxed, retired teacher, you get my drift, would have hours of stuff to talk about. He stops by couple times a week to discuss things. He does question everything! too.

      • Which proves that people on both sides are “questioning” I’d love to talk with your friend, even though from your description, we have our differences. – I love steak and I haven’t been sold on flat earth.

  15. George,

    On Germany Pre WWII/Post WWI.

    You wrote that the inflation created resolved their problems in Weinmar I. Would that not be what needs to happen here. We need inflation to maintain the markets to maintain pension liquidity. We need it to right our Current account balance. If the dollar declines in value, the markets rise as you know. While there are similarities to 1929, there are many facets that will lead to a rising market (mainly the falling dollar), also the fact that governments need a rising market for their pension funds. Yup all kinds of things will still go awry. Yup container shipments are down, is that because China is intentionally shipping less or because the US consumer is largely tapped out. Fence posts that were to take 10 weeks to deliver took 4. I was told windows are about a third the delivery time line today. The greenhouse ships upon payment not a 12 week wait as last year.

    Yup the economy is coming unhinged, but we will likely see need inflation as we can no longer import food like we did and it is used to settle our current account debt, just like energy, likely why Prez shut it down.

    • The same goes for the gas line part and the vacuum filter I just ordered last week and paid with PayPal. They shipped on receipt of good digits and I’ve already received one of the items and installed it. Commerce at the speed of computers. But what was actually exchanged?

      From some of the earliest days that I began thinking about it I thought fiat currency has always been a numbers game wholly apart from actual values exchanged for goods and services. People have never noticed this fact as long as paper notes and digits could be exchanged for what they need to pay for. It’s been a pretty neat trick by the banks and officialdom but I wonder how it was pulled off before electronic transmission between banks and after physical specie was no longer used? “The check’s in the mail” but what happens when it was actually deposited? Keeping up with all the transactions back then on ledgers around the country and the World must have been a daunting task. And yet here we are now on the verge of giving up any kind of physical representation of “money” – as well as any thought of personal freedom to do what we wish with funds we believe to be our own. I don’t think it’s “evolution”. It’s “DE-volution”.

    • yes.. I can oder something on aliexpress and get it faster than if I ordered the same item in a nearby town.. I always thought that the speed is because it is coming directly from the manufacturer.. when getting it from a store in a nearby town would mean they have the item drop shipped directly to them.. then repackage it and ship it to me…half to two thirds of the time..
      I am a big individual serving person.. and buy stuff prepackaged into individual servings.. the golden oreo’s is a favorite of a family member.. NOW.. to get them in the wastelands.. you have to order them from NYC who orders them from MEXICO.. you cannot buy them at the local store.. I have talked to guys that deliver and they say it isn’t even available at the ware house..
      the price difference because of that is three to one..
      Lately because of this..
      https://www.amazon.com/Oreo-Golden-Sandwich-Cookies-Snack/dp/B00AJ2T46K/ref=sr_1_7?

      I go to the local market and buy a three dollar package of golden oreo’s then make my own snack pack..I believe that the only reason for the big cost is that it is only sold in one place and since they no longer make them in the USA.. the combined shipping costs make it to costly.. if you go to another company that has even more shipping on top of it.. then the price elevates accordingly to shipping costs..
      https://www.lowes.com/pd/Oreo-Oreo-Golden-Sandwich-Cookie-48-2-4oz/5001499671
      same product.. I can’t find the direct line to Mexico plant its in my shopping folder someplace but it is about four dollars plus shipping if you buy a case.. you get them for about five fifty a package.. its the shipping.. and delivery.. expedite it order it from the factory and have it drop shipped its faster more convenient.. shipping because it comes from out of the country.. NOW shipping to another country compared to the nearby town.. that is double to tripple to.. which it would be nice if we still manufactured in the USA but we don’t..
      the bed set I bought.. phew made in china shipped to cali then trucked into the wastelands.. the cost of it and they made a thousand percent profit.. was less than I could buy the knobs on the drawers.. so .. what was the actual cost of the item.. on my face masks.. at the local store before covid they were almost sixteen plus tax.. I could buy a whole case with free shipping for five bucks.. which is why we shipped jobs overseas.. I talked with someone on the phone customer care it was painfully obvious that I was not talking to someone in the USA.. but someone in an asian country..we need to bring jobs back home.. or tax all incoming goods and services..

      • tax the shizt out of companies that outsource jobs and services.. and give tax breaks to those that manufacture in the USA.. simple solution.. make it more profitable to have it made by larry down the street.. like lightning or electricity.. the manufacturing will follow the path with the greatest profit margins..

        • Except that companies and corporations don’t pay taxes — EVER!

          That cost is ALWAYS surcharged and passed through to the customer. This is how governments tax the poor and indigent. The only time a pass-through tax affects the entity being taxed, is when their cost of goods, plus the pass-through tax, makes them noncompetitive in a market, and I’m not sure that would work here, because there’s nothing to keep the American manufacturers from raising their price to match that of the taxed foreign manufacturer…

  16. The IRS Makes a Strange House Call on Matt Taibbi

    Democrats are denouncing the House GOP investigation into the weaponization of government, but maybe that’s because Republicans are getting somewhere. That includes new evidence that the Internal Revenue Service may be targeting a journalist who testified before the weaponization committee.

    https://archive.fo/pwMZp#selection-279.0-279.291

  17. Bishop Chastises Notre Dame for Event With Transgender ‘Abortion Doula’

    The University of Notre Dame hosted a pro-abortion event on Monday titled “Trans Care + Abortion Care: Intersections and Questions.” Less than 24 hours after the event, the local Catholic bishop weighed in. Kevin Rhoades, bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, published a condemnation of the event in the diocesan newspaper Today’s Catholic.

    https://spectator.org/bishop-chastises-notre-dame-for-event-with-transgender-abortion-doula/

    The level of convolution involved in this whole mess defies description…

  18. ‘Holy Grail’ health test to ID cancer a YEAR before tumours grow

    EXCLUSIVE: A new blood test is designed to pick up specific markers which show changes in the behaviour of stem cells that are a precursor to cancer mutations. A blood test that identifies signs of cancer up to a year before tumours have even formed has been ­developed by scientists. Trial results have proved 100 percent accurate, even detecting cancers in the “control group” of patients who were believed to be cancer-free.

    https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1750930/cancer-blood-test-breakthrough-tumours-hrc

  19. Wow! Auroras in Florida. I didn’t think they’d see one short of the mini-nova that scheduled some decade soon but they said on Space Weather it’s been 20 years or so since they’ve seen one. We’ve had nothing here but cloud cover for several days now, with spotty rain 20 miles North yesterday but nothing for the ranch, so no way we could have seen this display if it appeared around here.

    https://spaceweather.com/

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