Prepping note: The battery on the old Kubota is on its last legs. It’s a 51-R series, and they ain’t cheap. So, I was trying to get the maximum possible service life out of it. Put it on an 8-amp charger and then got into some pulse charging on top of that… Even after 2 … Read More
China has been building relationships while the U.S. relies on “positional power.” Which, in an age of changing resources, amounts to resting on our laurels while a challenger moves ahead. At once, we have three (or more) potential war fronts along with a fall from grace for the U.S. dollar. In our effort to handicap … Read More
Yes, the stock market is closed. Good Friday, don’tcha know. But this warms me to our first Agenda Item. What’s so “Good” about “Good Friday?” To cite from Wikipedia (Etymology entry): “‘Good Friday’ comes from the sense ‘pious, holy’ of the word “good”.[13] Less common examples of expressions based on this obsolete sense of “good” include … Read More
Ure has turned over a new leaf: shorter reports. Just not today. Job Cuts First Second horse pick in the weekly financial trifecta: Challenger Job Cuts: “Job Cuts Rise 15% in March 2023, Up 319% from Same Month Last Year, Highest Q1 Since 2020 | Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. (challengergray.com) Which then continues with … Read More
Another adventure in our (partially) fictional Directorate 153 series of “fictionalized governmental speculations.” We began to use this metaphorical framework when it became apparent to many “sources” that it could be personally hazardous to come right out publicly and explain what’s really going on in background. Things most people are not aware of. Subscribers are … Read More
Scrying Future ain’t easy work. Some fellows use language shifts on social media streams, others refer to oddly Greek-named computers, More press sound effects buttons on TV. And, sure enough, as you’d expect (since much of the future comes down to close – nearly 50-50 chances anyway) everyone will either be right. Or, have a ready … Read More
Let’s face it, were it not for Trump’s planned arraignment tomorrow, most of the news media could shut down for a week and no one would be the wiser. Even with an arraignment, this will likely be a “slow roller” because Donald Trump may delay his jury trial for a YEAR despite showing up for an … Read More
Our usual Sunday commentary on the non-news, non-financial aspects of Life nearly didn’t happen this morning. Due to a chance encounter with the Marquis de Yard. Unlike the Marquis de Sade, whose works are horny, sketchy, and mean at some levels, the Marquis de Yard was supposed to provide a good time. A few hours with … Read More
Was Friday’s run up into the close the end of a blow-off top? Or, only the beginning of a mass hyperinflation? Because signs are pointing in both directions. If it happens, we will have to blame the Powell Expedient Fed. Because an odd thing happens in America: Squeakiest wheels get the most “grease.” And we … Read More
American Justice no longer works. It leaks. And the indictment reports about Donald Trump speak directly to this point. If you’re just onboarding, the NY Post reported Donald Trump indicted in Stormy Daniels hush money probe by Manhattan grand jury. Other media have some differences in the charges. The Post is over two dozen, CNN … Read More
Say, there’s a symbiotic relationship for you. Let’s roll the Gross Domestic Product out first. Because you have already suspected what the real agenda of higher prices has been. Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022 (table 1), according to the “third” estimate released … Read More
Old Man Labs here is planning another project. This one gets into the realms of the really weird. But trust me, it will sound like fun (interesting?) when I walk you through it. For those who haven’t been around as long as this site – which will be 25-years in September (basis UrbanSurvival.com web domain) … Read More
Latest Case-Shiller/S&P report just out: “Data released today for January 2023 show that the trend of declining home price gains continued across the United States with declining prices reported in the San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, and Seattle markets. YEAR-OVER-YEAR The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census … Read More