What would qualify for the term “brain quake?”  That’s a term that could describe what could happen if science (quite by accident) tripped over a discovery that could justify a whole new brand of Life.   Up until now, we’ve been a world full of “converters.”  Not very efficient ones at that; we eat food, convert it to the proteins and sugars we need and blithely assume that’s how all Life works.

Except, it ain’t.

A huge discovery this week has started a real brain quake.  And, as I’ll explain, this one could ripple beyond anyone’s imagination.

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As we have been reporting for months, the EU has its eyes on subjugating Russia and forming a super union which (as one EU official put it) would stretch from Lisbon to Vladivostok.

At the time, I told you this was dangerous talk and that the Russian people still had borders and no intentions of joining the EU particularly in the wake of the German siege in World War II.

But now fast forward to today’s tragedy over Ukraine where a(north) Malaysian airline has been involved in disaster – thing time a purported missile shootdown that claimed all 295 souls aboard the jet.

But here’s the rub:  The rebel forces in Eastern Ukraine/disputed territories, don’t have that kind of hardware.

And what’s more, Russia Today/RT reports that “President Putin’s plane might have been the target for Ukrainian missile – sources…”

If you’re a non-partisan analyst, with an eye to detail and a keen sense of inquiry, the Russian denial of Kiev’s move on Black Sea ports would be reason enough to attempt to kill Putin, but then toss on the flames of that fire, no more “freebies” on natural gas.

Now toss in Russia’s backing for a reopening of a Cold War era spy facility (regardless of how insignificant compared to the American mass recording/Studio Provo operations).

Then for a capper, toss in Putin’s efforts to end US Dollar hegemony via the BRICs summit and you have all the makings for an….er….accident.

It reads like a poor novel of political intrigue played out by fools.  Unable to aim, alright, and now it’s not an unreasonable stretch to call it a “Message in a missile.”

We shouldn’t have to wait more than a month, or two, for Putin to retaliate with a “message back” if indeed it was a missing message, so to speak.

Still, it may be an “accident” (or it may be sold after the fact as such.  It wouldn’t be the first time that Ukraine has knocked down an airliner, if it plays out that way.  Check the Wikipedia entry for Sibera Airliones Flight 1812:

Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 crashed over the Black Sea on 4 October 2001, en route from Tel Aviv, Israel to Novosibirsk, Russia. The plane, a Soviet-made Tupolev Tu-154, carried an estimated 66 passengers and 12 crew members. Most of the passengers were Israelis visiting relatives in Russia.

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….what you’ve always done, you’ll always get, what you always got.” 

The sage advice from an old friend applies (many times over) in politics.  While a Gallup poll out this morning shows that immigration has eclipsed the economy in most people’s minds, the results of recent elections continue to sting:

Overwhelmingly, the same idiots who got us into this mess have been winning their primaries…so the public expects those “who broke it” to now “fix it.”

If that isn’t the clearest example of national stupidity ever, I’ll eat my hat.  (I had a special chocolate one made, so it won’t be too bad if it comes down to it…)

It also begins to show the Northeast Liberals for what they really are, too:  Do as we say, not as we….

Maryland governor says don’t dump illegals here.

So too, Connecticut wants no part of housing illegal kids en masse.

What?  Two standards?  One for the border states and one for the land of liberals?

I know my N.E. liberal friends will be calling any minute – it will go to voicemail today.  But the point is that tearing down America’s border (let’s call it what it is….) is treasonous.  Both money-corrupted parties are elbow-deep in the scam including George Bush who pushed for Amnesty, something the right doesn’t like to bring us.  It’s a business model to have a “zone” and not border. 

Anyone who’s in favor of that is a scammer, in my book.  Border or merger with Mexico…there’s no “soft in-between.”  I’m prepared to leave Texas if the border continues to fall.  I’m willing to vote with my wallet.

And if American’s aren’t bright enough to figure that out, then we would like to thank Common Core and its precedents that eroded once solid values-and-skills-based curriculum and stuffed the minds of America’s young with situational excusifications, all backed up by case law made up from the bench liberalista-stuffed Courts and promoted by the political correctness corps.

So enjoy your police state, your surveillance, and what the ACLU calls the Constitution-Free Zone –  and remembers those fine words of Pogo:  “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

I wish I could say “George is losing it.”  But no, you are:  The country.  You know, those things on maps indicated by borders?

Gaza Reloaded

So in the rest of what passes for news, we see how there’s what passes for a cease-fire in Gaza.  But based on historical data, the smartest bet in the house this morning is that this will just time time for resupply and reloading until the death festival comes back for an encore.

Hmmmm….another one of those hard questions to answer:  Where is that line between optimist and idiot, again?

Selling Terrorism

Say, this is choice:  The CBS affil in NYC headlines “Police: Al Qaeda magazine suggesting attack on US Open.”

I know, how is it with anti-terrorism budgets what they are, that AQ can publish a magazine that the NY PD  gets?

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As we were sitting here, splitting a bag of O’berto Teriyaki Beef Jerky for breakfast, Zeus the Cat was remarking on how what has saved America’s bacon in the past has been our sense of inventiveness.

“Ure kind of a sourpuss and too cynical, most times,” he told me.  “You didn’t mention the article on HackaDay about the Midwest Maker Faire up in Kansas City.  If you want to see where the future is going, and be able to invest in “the right stuff” you need to get out to precisely this kind of event.  More jerky?”

I didn’t find too many right off the bat, but a list of some of the major international technology fairs over here looked interesting, particularly the Smart Materials and Surfaces conference in Thailand.

“Wrong search terms, Fatso.  Try “inventor conventions” to improve your search results.”

And insulting cat who hogs the beef jerky….what could be worse?  I mean other than him being right all the time…

“Say, the Cat, there’s only one good one left on this list (close enough we could make it) – and it’s up in Chicago in November.”

“Try this one.”

“I don’t see anything good there….”

“I’d be a lot more up to speed if you’d give me back the big-screen you took away claiming I was watching kitty porn on it…”

“It wasn’t just the kitty porn, if the 976 numbers and not sharing your catnip,” I reminded him.

“Trivialities, biped.  You and I have both missed Everyday Edisons and a whole lot more.”

Hmmm…

Truth of the matter is that the Cat may be onto something.  Inventing is one of the coolest pursuits out there…and just having my name on three or four patents is a high-mark in life.

I didn’t pursue the conversation.  Original thinking is our stock-in-trade around here.  Besides, I already have an IP attorney, and I don’t want Zeus the Cat’s animal rights attorney crossing him.

But I thought I’d mention it: Who will be the next Ron Popeil  (perhaps the second best American inventor/marketer after Edison) and where do I buy shares in it?   Ever read the list of his (or should we count them as Ronco) products?

• Chop-O-Matic: a hand food processor. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to show you the greatest kitchen appliance ever made … All your onions chopped to perfection without shedding a single tear.”
• Dial-O-Matic: successor to the Veg-O-Matic (and very similar to a mandolin slicer). “Slice a tomato so thin it only has one side.” “When chopping onions with this machine, the only tears you will shed will be tears of joy.”
• Popeil Pocket Fisherman: a small fishing pole. “The biggest fishing invention since the hook … and still only $19.95!” (According to the program Biography, the original product was the invention of Popeil’s father and only marketed by Ronco, but as of 2006, Popeil had introduced a redesigned version of the product.)^[6]
• Mr. Microphone: a short-range hand-held radio transmitter that would broadcast over an FM radio. The nearby radio(s) would therefore amplify the sound coming from the Mr. Microphone.

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I don’t often begin with a bit of personal woo (and in WoWW) but I had one of those days Monday that only comes along every of often, and I thought I’d share it with you.

It almost feels like one of those scenes from the movie The Adjustment Bureau but obviously it’s not.  Still, here’s what happened:

Monday was “double lube, oil, and filter” day for me.

I finished writing my column at precisely 8 AM (as always) and then headed over to the house, took a shower and got dressed.  Leisurely, too. 

I departed the house at exactly 8:33 and it takes 25-minutes to get into town for my first appointment – a fresh set of labs for my doc since we keep an eye on cholesterol and so on. 

I’d walked into the office at 9 AM and when I walked out I noticed the time on the clock in the car:  9:17 AM.  Hmmm…people never get out of a doctor’s office in less than 20 minutes, and that includes not only the blood draw but a fair amount of screw-around time because the veins in my left arm were on vacation.  That meant giving up on that one and doing the right arm.

Done in less than 20- minutes?  Not bloody likely, but a check of the cell phone confirmed “cell time” was also 9:17.

On to the next stop then:  The lube joint on the loop.  Showed up, and there was an empty bay so my car went right in.  Dang! 

I settled in, repaired to wait a good while and started to read on my Kindle.  Just after only three pages, the lady at the counter called me up, gave me the amount and I’m sure thought I was a nutter as I muttered  “Done already?”

Even more curious, I’d had a cup of coffee while I was reading, so I didn’t think to check the clock at this point.

OK, on to the next task:  Get the car washed and have the inside windows cleaned. 

Again, first in line, but a bit of screwing around because the detailing part (windows) had to be wrung up  on a different machine, and there was some confabbing about how much to charge.  Turned out to be $5-bucks, by the way.  Even with a very generous tip, that is a deal.

The car washed and detailed, clean windows and all, my next stop was Lowes for some molding that I’d run short on.  And I tried to get an LED dimmer – a long story, but I bought one – and tossed it in the car.

OK:  Get in the car and it’s only 5-minutes before 10.  What!!???

I went through a mental checklist:  Doctor’s appointment, oil change, car wash, detail, tripe to Lowes and less than an hour?  (I’m good and efficient, but this was verging on ridiculous.

Next stop was J.C. Penny’s where I picked up two pairs of pants, a shirt, some socks and figured I’d killed enough time that surely my favorite Chinese joint would be open for the lunch buffet.

But as I pulled into the parking lot, that wasn’t the case:  It was only 10:30!  So I went to the place next door (Cavender’s Boot City) to buy a shirt and some knickknacks for the kids on our upcoming trip.

Finally, I got to the Chinese buffet and ate and returned home.  Elaine looked a bit surprised to see me to early, too:  Doc’s appointment, oil change, car wash/detail, Lowes, Penny’s, Cavender’s, and lunch – and the half-hour drive home – all in less than 3-hours.

Any other day the doctor would have been 40-minutes.  The oil change would have been half an hour.  The car wash and detail another 20-minutes.  Lowes is a half-hour almost without fail, and getting into Penny’s and Cavenders?  Maybe 20 minutes each.  Lunch out to have been a half-hour and time in between for driving…Don’t forget we’re an honest 25-30 minutes of driving to get back out to the ranch.

To to get home at 10-minutes before noon was, to put it mildly, unexpected.

I don’t hold that anything Woo’ish happened, but what I do know is that Monday I was completely “in the groove” in terms of personal productivity.

Either that, or as you age things really do seem to go by faster.

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Lexdysia may have set in early, but according to my calculations, worked out with a piece of sharp bone on a fresh animal skin, along with several cups of herb tea leaves, the market should be ready to bounce this morning at the open.

I’ve been telling you for a while now that market experts (like Robin Landry) always keep an eye on August 26th because somewhere in there (plus or minute a week, or so) the market usually hit a peak for the “summer rally.”  The high before the Crash in 1929 came on a September 3rd.

So we look at the news flow this week with some suspicion, while still planning to blow out of my long position (options) in a month, or so, and hopefully with a profit (for a change.)

News-wise, this morning is a yawner:  With the possible exception of those immigrant kids being dumped far away from the border now, something which has gotten the attention of the Christian Science Monitor.

Near as I can tell, the American public will sleep through this, until the Mexican government is escorting “refugees” all the way to the Canadian border.

Other than that, the doomsayers don’t have much to talk about other than the Obama administration saying (via A.G. Eric Holder) that to oppose the imperial presidency is driven by racial “animus.”  Playing that card again, huh?  (Couldn’t be that policies are F/U’ed could it?)

Elsewhere in our morning survey of guilt, we notice that borders also don’t mean as much in Israel, where the death toll in Gaza keeps rising and now the Israelis say that have shot down a drone.

If you’re trying to make sense out of the world (and we were talking about rule sets as one of the three major approached to artificial intelligence applications to make scads of money in the markets for Peoplenomics readers this weekend) we can now proudly present the following Monday Morning Truth Table:

• If you lob rockets into a country, the offended country will respond with an invasion and killing those who did the lobbing.
• If, on the other hand, you lob children into a country,  the offended country will not be offended at all, and will go out of its way to reward the lobbers so that the flood increases.

And since both major political parties in America have gotten elbow-deep into the payoff pocket of the K-Street Mafia, we can’t help but notice that the issue is no longer about whether we have borders.  We know those are gone, at least if you’re under 18 and from S.A.  They will still apply to older people, in order to shim up the sagging foreign threat reason to submit to the biggest tax increases in history coming down the pike.  (*Obamacare is a tax don’t forget, as opined not by me but by a Chief Justice.  The good news is that the number of people without healthcare insurance is quickly dropping.  But if government mandates healthcare and it’s a tax, how come government-mandated car insurance isn’t a write-off, hmmm???)

Against this cynical background, though, (no change from last week) the ascent of gold has stalled and been reversed, along with silver which has slowed.

If you can stay awake through work today, the retail sales figures come out tomorrow and we’ll get to see if the overpriced autos are still keeping America on life support.  The Empire (state) manufacturing report from the NY Fed is closely watched, too.

Wednesday morning we get to consumer prices but already we have been collecting a few tidbits on  recent price action to set expectations:

• The price of used cars is dropping but demand is strong.  Best resale deal?  Honda Civics.
• Gasoline Prices are coming down in some areas, like Florida.  Still over $4-bucks in the PNW and SoCal, though.
• If you’re looking for travel deals, consider Orlando due to low prices.
• Dropping (as in “like a hot potato”)  Idaho potato prices.
• Oh, and gun and ammunition prices are coming down a bit on the gun show circuit.

All of which gets us around to suggesting that ain’t gonna be much happening today. Other than the Dow heading back to the 17,000 levels and the S&P st8ill 30 points from the 2,000 barrier.

More after this…

(*Geez…that time already?)

The Climate Change Scam

At last!  Someone else is seeing the climate change scam for what it is!  Go read “On Global Warming, Follow the Money…”

Climate has been changing since humans began to walk upright and we managed to get this far without a global carbon scam, did we not?

Record low temps this weekend in Slidell, LA.

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Funny how the name “Vern” has cropped up in my life this weekend:  Note only was Peoplenomics about computational wealth (which circles around to Jules Verne) but in came this interesting “me too, I heard it” from a reader named Vern who heard those same odd voices we talked about a week or so back…

George, I’ve written to you before about a single event. Other things have happened since; chiefly a phenomenon which started in 2011 where as I would just descend into sleep and a bright light that seemed to be aimed at my eyes from very close would awaken me. The very instant that I would open my eyes the light would go out. I have since moved from that residence but the same thing happened to me here in my current residence which would rule out anything tied to that location, with an easy explanation. These occurrences increased through 2012 and into 2013 but have faded since and have not happened this year.

I was compelled to write you after reading the account of the woman who heard conversations close by as she was falling asleep. I too have been experiencing something similar for perhaps the last six months. I often awaken at night due to insomnia. I keep an MP3 player next to my bed and listen to audio books until I get sleepy again. If my neck is bothering me as it often does, I get up, go to the living room and sit in the easy chair so to get the pressure off of my neck for a while.

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