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Spokane Becomes Hell, Market Goes to Heaven, Sailboat Dreams

We have a planned power outage this morning, so the column is super short and to the point. I will update the trade numbers around 7:30 AM Central.

Markets Attempt Upside Breakout

Markets closed Monday with the Dow up more than 700 points to a record, S&P 500 and Nasdaq also strongly higher, as oil fell roughly 7% on Iran de-escalation hopes.

When we look at the Peoplenomics Aggregate Index, the case is still present for a strong rally to the Labor Day period.

In the early going today, the market was on the verge of breaking above the pennant area, but it will take a fallback (and maybe test of trend) to make it more likely.

This is not an “easy market” to play because the news flows are all over the place. When oil looks good, domestic fires look bad – that kind of trade-off.

  • Probability 45% that equity markets test or modestly exceed Monday’s highs in the next two sessions if oil remains subdued and no new Hormuz disruption occurs. Observable: closing levels of S&P 500 and oil futures. Matters for risk appetite heading into August data.

Watch for directional hints when the Labor JOLTS report pops at 10 AM Eastern.

Trade Figures

June exports were $314.7 billion, $2.9 billion less than May exports. June imports were $388.0 billion, $7.3 billion less than May imports.
The June decrease in the goods and services deficit reflected a decrease in the goods deficit of $3.9 billion to $102.1 billion and an increase in the services surplus of $0.5 billion to $28.8 billion.
Year-to-date, the goods and services deficit decreased $189.3 billion, or 33.8 percent, from the same period in 2025. Exports increased $198.3 billion or 11.7 percent. Imports increased $9.0 billion or 0.4 percent.

\Stock futures popped up more than 600 on the news but let’s see about the close…+

Spokane Becomes Hell

Popped right up to the top of today News Compressor AI intelligence run:

What has changed is the Spokane-area wildfire complex has produced higher confirmed destruction and an arson arrest while some evacuation orders eased under improved weather. Vector: Worse than expected / Escalating. At least 700 structures destroyed (some assessments 700–1,100), roughly 64,000–65,000 people under evacuation orders at peak, and more than 8,000 acres burned with 0% containment on the three main fires (Old Trails, Autumn Lane, Fairview). An arson suspect was arrested in connection with one of the fires.

Cooler conditions and lighter winds allowed some Level 3 orders to drop to Level 2. No confirmed fatalities at scan time, though officials noted search teams still assessing inaccessible areas. The baseline described ~60,000 evacuations and ~600 structures; the higher structure count and arson development establish a larger urban-edge disaster with longer housing, insurance, and recovery consequences for the Spokane region and Pacific Northwest air quality.

The U.S. is not alone in summer heat misery: Escalating — European heat alerts continue in multiple countries; Italy issued red alerts for a record number of cities in its fourth heatwave of the season.

We haven’t heard back from Elaine’s half-sister who lives in the north Spokane area, we have been following this closely.

  • Probability 30% that a state or federal emergency declaration expansion related to Western fires occurs inside 48 hours. Observable: watch for FEMA or gubernatorial announcements.

In the rest of the intel stack:

The second change overnight is the conditional Iran diplomatic track has shifted from announced Monday negotiations into open uncertainty after Tehran denied talks and a ship was struck in the Hormuz area. Vector: Delayed / Rumor-to-official mixed with Escalating risk. President Trump described new talks as Iran’s “last chance” focused first on fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz then denuclearization, while Iranian officials stated they were not negotiating with the United States and were only discussing a temporary route with Oman. A vessel was reported struck in the Hormuz vicinity, keeping oil markets sensitive. The baseline contained a newly scheduled meeting; the denial plus the strike turn the pause into a fragile hinge with immediate energy-price and military-risk implications for U.S. markets and Gulf shipping.

The third development is the Twin Falls, Idaho, In-N-Out mass shooting details solidified with three civilian deaths, seven injured, and the 24-year-old perpetrator dead by self-inflicted gunshot after armed civilians and an off-duty trooper engaged. Vector: Confirmed. The August 1 incident at the newly opened restaurant produced a multi-fatality event meeting domestic casualty thresholds; motive remains under investigation and the FBI is involved. This was outside the supplied baseline and qualifies under the mandatory domestic multi-fatality sweep.

The fourth material shift is the first reported deaths in the ongoing U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreak—two people in Michigan with significant underlying conditions. Vector: Escalating / Worse than expected. Michigan cases exceeded 11,200 with 193 hospitalizations; the deaths mark the first fatalities in what authorities describe as the largest U.S. outbreak on record, previously linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce. The baseline did not contain fatalities. Principal American consequence is heightened public-health scrutiny of produce supply chains and vulnerability of medically fragile populations.

Prediction-outcome coherence: The prior report’s de-escalation vector on Iran was directionally correct in that a meeting framework was advanced and oil prices fell sharply on hopes, but Iran’s public denial and the reported Hormuz ship strike prevent scoring it as fully confirmed.

2. Inside Pages

  1. Joint U.S.-Japan yen-buying intervention gains largely held; yen traded near 157–158 per dollar after touching ~155, remaining well above July’s 40-year low near 164. Officials signaled readiness for further action. Principal effect continues on Treasury yields, carry trades, and Asian equity sentiment. But the Nikkei was up 202 overnight. Hysteria fever breaking now?
  2. Unchanged but consequential — FBI and EPA continue to track water- and wastewater-system cyber intrusions across at least seven states with some operators forced into manual mode after password or configuration changes. Attribution remains under investigation; no widespread contamination confirmed.
  3. New — 25 Democrat-led states filed suit against the latest round of Trump administration tariffs, arguing they exceed legal authority and serve as a pretext for previously struck-down measures.
  4. Two Republican senators dropped opposition to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination after he formally rescinded a proposed $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”
  5. New — House Democrats are discussing possible expulsion proceedings involving Rep. Max Miller amid internal party friction.
  6. Unchanged but consequential — U.S. nonfarm payrolls and other economic data remain the near-term market focus after the intervention and oil-price moves.
  7. New — Space-weather and NWS products show no major geomagnetic or hurricane threats in the immediate window; convective outlooks remain marginal-to-slight for parts of the Plains, Midwest, and Southwest.
  8. Unchanged but consequential — CISA and sector advisories continue urging water utilities to remove vulnerable industrial controllers from direct internet exposure.
  9. New — Brazilian President Lula formally launched his reelection bid amid domestic political and external tariff friction.
  10. New — South Carolina Senate debate dynamics highlighted Trump-endorsed candidates as the race to succeed Lindsey Graham intensifies.

12–96 Hour News Outlook

  • Probability 55% that Iran-related shipping or oil-price volatility spikes again inside 48 hours if no verifiable Hormuz framework or reciprocal de-escalatory statement appears. Observable: tanker AIS patterns, official statements from Oman/U.S./Iran, or another vessel incident. Matters for gasoline, inflation expectations, and equity risk premium.
  • Probability 65% that Spokane Complex containment rises above 10–15% and additional Level 3 zones convert to Level 2 or lower within 72 hours under continued favorable weather. Observable: InciWeb/NIFC updates and local emergency maps. Matters for return-to-home timelines and insurance claims volume.
  • Probability 40% that further joint or unilateral yen support action is signaled or executed inside 96 hours if the currency weakens materially back toward 160. Observable: Finance Ministry or Treasury statements and intraday FX prints. Matters for global liquidity and Treasury market perception.
  • Probability 50% that additional cyclosporiasis-related hospitalizations or a third death is reported inside 72 hours as case counting continues. Observable: Michigan DHHS or CDC dashboard updates. Matters for produce recalls and food-service liability.
  • Probability 35% that a material domestic cyber incident involving critical infrastructure (water, power, or transport) surfaces with operational impact inside 96 hours. Observable: CISA, FBI, or state emergency declarations. Matters for small-utility preparedness.

Blink Lab Actionable List

  • Verify personal and organizational water-system contingency plans and offline operational procedures for any facility relying on internet-exposed industrial controllers; isolate where feasible within 48 hours.
  • Review home and business insurance coverage and documentation for wildfire smoke, evacuation, and structure loss if located in or near Western fire zones; photograph current conditions.
  • Check local air-quality indexes and limit outdoor exertion or use N95/respirator guidance if in smoke-impacted Pacific Northwest or Northern Rockies corridors over the next 72 hours.
  • Confirm backup power, fuel, and medication supplies for medically vulnerable household members given ongoing heat and potential grid stress.
  • Inventory and secure critical communications (ham radio, satellite, cellular) and test offline maps if rural or fire-adjacent.
  • Review produce-handling and food-service supplier statements; discard or avoid recalled iceberg lettuce lots linked to the cyclosporiasis investigation.
  • Monitor oil and gasoline price boards and delay non-essential long-distance driving decisions until Hormuz clarity improves inside 48–96 hours.
  • Back up critical data and verify multi-factor authentication on accounts given elevated cyber activity against utilities.

SIGINT: New Signals Rising

  • Pattern of opportunistic or state-linked probing of exposed U.S. water and wastewater industrial controls during active Middle East hostilities is broadening geographically. Evidence: multi-state reports and CISA/FBI advisories. Confidence 70%. Matters for under-resourced municipal utilities.
  • Western fire seasons are producing urban-interface losses at scales that stress regional housing stock and insurance capacity earlier and farther north than historical norms. Evidence: Spokane structure counts and Oregon acreage records. Confidence 65%.
  • Diplomatic signaling around Hormuz is increasingly decoupled between public U.S. statements and Iranian denials, raising the odds of miscalculation even while markets price de-escalation. Evidence: concurrent Trump remarks, Iranian MFA statements, and vessel incident reports. Confidence 60%.

Mid to late summer optimism is high.

Around the Ranch: Practical Observations

There I was – talking to the power crew chief who’s running the pole replacement in front of our place.  We have 7200 volts and a pole pig (transformer) down to 240 for us and three other homes at this end of the string.

It was hot (98F) so I asked “Why don’t your guys move the work 20 feet west under that big oak tree so they can work in the shade?”

“You spend more time moving than getting the job done – and in the long run doesn’t pay off.”

They would know, I figure. I learn some new detail about summer, every year.

Tax Break Season

Keep an eye for sales tax breaks for BTS (back to school):  The Texas back-to-school sales tax-free weekend runs from this Friday, August 7, through midnight on Sunday, August 9, 2026.

Price Limit: Under $100 per qualifying item.  Qualifying Items: Most clothing and footwear, School supplies, Backpacks.  I would have hoped a food break, too, but that’s not a school supply (despite my stomach growling otherwise).

Disaster Planning

Long-time reader Stiks, an accomplished round-the-world sailor (now in northern Australia somewhere) posted overnight:

“It ALL screams get floating more and more every day. The wet desert is truly the safe zone.”

He is absolutely right – there’s a Peoplenomics piece I was just doing the research on and a bit goes back to my decade under sail along the West Coast.

As we get older – and the obviousness of world collapsing becomes ever more clear – I’m reminded that we are all “navigators of life.”  And, as captains in training, we always have the option to play life a different way.

We have big things ahead (like G2 moving back this winter) but at the same time, if something blows up (his plans, our health, and so forth) it’s always good to have a back-up plan prebuilt – so that if/when the SHTF you don’t have to waste time (under stress) making decisions. You’ll have thought it all out in advance.

So over the next week, or three, I expect to be looking up the cost and practicality of a fallback for Elaine and me to move back onto a boat and become migrants of the Intracoastal.  The idea of late spring and summers up in lobster land (the north-east) and winters on the Gulf of America between Corpus and NawLins, sure sounds like an interesting way to live.

No, not that we’re unhappy here…but in the worst case, it’s like scouting out landing zones ahead of time so you’ve always got a few teed up and ready. Just in case.

Helps reduce fear and expands optionality – all stress reducers.

Write when you get rich,

George@Ure.net

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60 thoughts on “Spokane Becomes Hell, Market Goes to Heaven, Sailboat Dreams”

Comments are reviewed by a human because the web is crawling with spammers. Submissions after 4 PM Central usually appear the following morning. After you click Post Comment, you’ll jump back to the top of this article, but your comment is queued up here. We’ve got a robust community and your participation is invited. Some commenters are brilliant. Read a few and judge for yourself. Imagine. You could be one.

    • Trump turned America into a sitting duck or implemented a 4D jobs plan? You decide.

      US has used ‘virtually all’ of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war

      The U.S. Army has burned through much of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during the five-month war with Iran, according to three people familiar with the data, raising concerns about readiness for future conflicts.

      The weapons are principally the Army’s surface-to-surface systems, ATACMS and the newer Precision Strike Missiles, and two of the sources said the U.S. has used virtually all of them. At more than $1 million each, the munitions let commanders strike accurately from a safe distance. The drawdown means Trump may have to lean on riskier piloted bombing missions if he relaunches large-scale attacks.

      • “according to three people familiar with the data
        two of the sources said the U.S. has used virtually all of them”

        So, what prison are they living in, now?

    • In what brig is Alexus Grynkewich imprisoned?

      Oh, he’s not?

      He’s an active duty full General.

      Do you really think he’d be giving aid and comfort (or classified strategic Intel) to the enemy? Even 4-star Generals get shot for that.

      Use your head, and if you have to listen to 3rd string agent provocateur wannabees, don’t take them seriously…

    • Not buying it.But it wouldnt surprise me to be able to see all corners in the bunker at Souda Bay, Crete now ……..

      • The Military says we haven’t begun to tap our on-the-shelf resources. This is (of course) propaganda, but I suspect the truth lies both somewhere in-between, and is moot at this point in time. Our conventional weapons stockpile is maintained at a level which would enable us to fight a pitched war against Russia or China for 180 days without resupply or fresh manufacture. I’m pretty sure we haven’t exhausted anything, in playing with the Arab invaders in Iran for two months (more or less…)

  2. Holy Snikies !

    G & E gonna be Great Loopers” ?

    Wonders never cease around these parts it seems. If when the time comes and youse 2 actually do pull up roots and start a new Wet Adventure, I will post the TBS location on the ICW in North Carolina coastal region, just southeast Southport, NC.
    Southport is where we go when feeling bougie and want to live it up a lil with Kids and Grandkids..dockside dining for da Boaters…seems like everyone in these parts is a Boater. You would never know just how unserious , and to what lenghts we go to have FUN, from viewing the “beach house” .
    In our case, appearances are very deceiving. Sure we play the “game” as needed, but generally speaking the family(Adopted=starts with Me) comes down thru the House of Water, Otters to be more specific..itsa way of living, a philosophy.

    If Im not around WATER most of my time, I tend to be “Suppressed” by… positive ions? What do I know ? The more I know, the more I know I dont know..dammit!

    • I lived in the area for 7 years (Bald Head Island & Southport). Great place. Had to return to CA because that’s where the grandkids arrived, & I had promised my wife to return when we retired.

  3. “… it’s always good to have a back-up plan prebuilt – so that if/when the SHTF you don’t have to waste time (under stress) making decisions. You’ll have thought it all out in advance.”

    I know people who don’t plan ahead at all. Then, when the SHTF, they are stressed out, they say “I wish I had… (done this or that) or” I wish I had known.” etc.

  4. Oh my..what….. IF….your tuna is taking on that tinny taste.. how to remove it ..and re process it..
    Step one….Drain the oil / water completely
    step two…Rinse in warm water
    step three….Blanch 30–45 seconds…( this will reset the flavor..no longer than the forty five seconds)
    step four….Lemon bath (½ cup per gallon) ( Two minutes drain completely)
    step five….Pack into jars Or Retort bags (no oil this time)Dry pack is best..
    step six…Add salt (optional)1/2 tsp.
    step seven…Pressure?can at 10–11 PSI (dial gauge) or 15 PSI (weighted Step eight….gauge)Let jars cool naturally
    With this process You’re doing two things:
    Removing the oxidized oil (source of tin taste)
    Re sterilizing the tuna in a fresh environment
    This will give you clean tasting, shelf stable tuna that’s safe long?term.
    fish is one of the highest risk foods to preserve, so the process must be exact….
    Tuna must be packed WITHOUT oil Oil slows heat penetration and increases botulism risk. Your cleaned tuna (drained, rinsed, blanched, lemon?bathed) is perfect for…water?pack dry pack (tuna makes its own juice) Both are safe…
    With retort bags..Fill pouches loosely
    Retort pouches heat from all sides, but fish is dense.
    Pack…no more than 1 inch thick..
    no more than 8 oz per pouch
    no air pockets (press gently)
    Seal with a proper heat sealer
    You need….
    a bar sealer 1/2 inch seal width…the magic sealer works great
    clean, dry sealing area
    A FoodSaver won’t work — wrong temperature and seal width.
    When packing the pressure canner…Cool pouches under weight
    Commercial retort uses racks to keep pouches flat…
    At home…place pouches between two cooling racks…in the canned they have to be packed tight to avoid expansion breaking the sides of the bags..
    add a light weight (1–2 lbs)
    cool naturally…This prevents swelling and keeps the seal tight….a couple videos on retort canning…
    https://youtu.be/lG_TrqcyYBc?si=T4S9W5A9ZXmY5hRM
    https://youtu.be/Mrbmgws2P-I?si=q_tUwMFaO7nEWKLj
    https://youtu.be/wqZhu4rEJM0?si=061uOflW3AXjZSTO
    https://youtu.be/_645NcAJ4yg?si=X2wYYPG_eyivZgIy

    why did I decide to post this process today… I had a lucid dream that I started to process can goods into retort pouches..for bacon I pack the bacon between two sheets of parchment paper fold in half the into a one pound retort bag..

      • Yes..A tinny or metallic taste in canned food doesn’t automatically mean the food is unsafe. Tin flavor comes from harmless chemical changes in the liquid — usually mild oxidation of the can liner or metal ions dissolving into the syrup or broth over time. Cooking, storage heat, and age can all cause this, but the food itself is still sterile as long as the can remains structurally sound. The key safety check is the container, not the flavor. A safe can will have normal seams, no swelling, no leaks, no rust-through, and no pressure when opened. An unsafe can shows biological activity — bulging, hissing gas release, spurting liquid, heavy rust, or a distorted shape. Tinny taste means the liquid picked up metal….. bulging means bacteria produced gas. One is cosmetic, the other is dangerous. If the can isn’t compromised, you can drain the liquid, rinse the food, and use a mild acid bath to remove the metallic flavor. If the can is swollen or leaking, discard it immediately.

        • “Oh my..what….. IF….your tuna is taking on that tinny taste.”

          The above should never happen..
          Dude Canned Food is dead give away you live somewhere in the middle of BFEgypt..Okla/Nebraska/Iowa/Dakotas. My better half is always telling me tales of living in Okla as a kid. They always had canned food stuffs.
          When you live on or near the Coast – there is whole other world of Food out there just waiting to be enjoyed..Fresh.
          How fresh ? Last fishing trip with Family (4) found us eating Sashimi dockside as crew cleaned and fileted our catch.

          Raw Conch Penis ? its a rite of passage..close Ure eyes, open mouth, and swallow…its a looong thin slippery thing. Yeah its a Guy thing – the Ladies wanted nothing to do with Conch Penis. But razor thin slices of Dorado and Tuna in some Xtra virgin Olive Oil….YUUUUM!

          * Now if wise and wonderful Grand Poobah/G would be so kind as to explain to this challenged writer, just exactly is Extra Virgin ?

        • (“Dude Canned Food is dead give away you live somewhere in the middle of BFEgypt..Okla/Nebraska/Iowa/Dakotas. My better half is always telling me tales of living in Okla as a kid. They always had canned food stuffs.”)

          the big thing is we opened our spare bedrooms to give others a place to sleep and feel human..the best way was getting social workers involved..having been a glorified butt wiper most of my life..they like garbage men see everything nothing is left to the imagination.I won’t say I have seen everything every time I think I have something new comes up and shocks the hell out of me..what I can say is it takes a lot to shock me..seen amazing things disgusting things and shocking things…A lot of people I know wonder why I have such a strong faith..because of what I have seen that was nothing short of inspirational..absolutely nothing..when I worked as trash scowl driver..it was common to see people in government going through other peoples garbage..that’s when I bought a shredder.. seen those ass holes reading personal letters going through tras literally mapping out peoples lives and activities and making rude comments on other people by going through their letters and making disgusting comments on their sexual activities and what they would like to do….for us deciding to take in others was that the best way was getting someone that is directed to the social workers any and everyone is profiled by the medical system..like the can man..tossed away after the Korean war with PTSD.. he lived in a dumpster.. because of his health the social worker got involved or the engineer that designs deep water oil drilling platforms.. one two punch of fate and he was living in his car.. then I would go and have coffee..
          the federal guidelines and requirements since they are involved and psych evaluation. we had to follow the federal guidelines….
          which put huge requirements on food water etc… when it started to become a situation is when we decided to back away and take care of ourselves..
          canned fish.. I love tuna and at Sams club they have it cheap..Nancy turned me onto where to buy crab its at Costco..
          now I have the huge job of retort canning it..
          Thom is a really nice guy..
          https://vacupack.com/shop/r106-retort-8-oz-canning-pouches-1000-ct/
          he will guide anyone on how to do it..here’s a retort pie mix recipe

          2 cups peeled apple slices (firm varieties: Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala)
          1/2 cup water
          2–3 tbsp sugar or brown sugar
          1 tbsp lemon juice
          1/4 tsp cinnamon
          1–2 tsp caramel syrup OR 1 tbsp sugar cooked to light caramel (optional but safe)
          Pinch of salt
          pressure can for 100 minutes

      • What I am seeing now..is because of the rough times I always made sure the pantry had enough..the year we went without a paycheck because I was an expense on the healthcare insurance..medical facilities are notorious about it..thats the only flexible thing they can budget..the top dog still wants his million plus a year..my doctor and I are friends.. he makes just shy a million at the VA and has 26 weeks vacation..along with every federal holiday he seriously only has to work one day a week…maybe two….we had more than enough food..I would trade cheese for milk..and eggs from the store..
        then when we decided that because of what we went through we would open our two spare bedrooms to others that were basically homeless or needed assistance..we got social services involved.. guidelines were you had to have three months worth of food..three weeks worth of water for each person a backup power system and monitored security..the wanted us to have wander guards for the doors..Alzheimer’s patients at a later stage wander..especially if they aren’t at home..
        did you know toilet paper has an expiration date…I didn’t until then…
        the medical system is totally broke…the insurance industry dictates what they can do..hospitals and clinic frequently turn people away ..its about the dollar bill..clinics send those without funds to the ER the ER has to see them.. and are frequently over loaded..extremely long wait periods and many physicians refuse to see those on Medicare.. because of how little they pay….there are really good doctors..its important to check their infection rate..and with their nursing staff..I knew one doctor Beck we had coffee all the time..then when I went to work in a department opposite his side found out everyone hated him…doctors often berate nursing staff if the y get an urgent call throw a fit and often make nursing staff cry..one picked up the chart and threw it at the nurse..I got kissed and said hey you should chunk that chart at me once I’m TBE one that brought up the issje..he was smarter than he looked …he refused to see the patient and the died..no one else would see them all because of his doctors orders..I tell each of my doctors to add in the case of after hours emergency on call can treat..at the VA hospital that’s standard..
        one of my daughters best friends her dad was number two at a major hospital in the late eighties..they downsized his position..we were having an adult beverage war thing the kids play and he felt offended because the only offer he got was for a half mil a year..I laughed and said for that kind of coin they could insult me every hour of every day lol..I made three bucks an hour..I make four times that now..so seriously wages haven’t kept up with inflation..

        • Turn then other Cheek Loob !

          Have Faith..its gonna get better, someday.. : D

          Blue Collar Man -https://youtu.be/ASYITWvBV-4?

        • (“Turn then other Cheek Loob !

          Have Faith..its gonna get better, someday.. : D”)

          yes we you had to maintain institution?level reserves. Now it’s just you and your wife, and the stockpile is aging faster than you can use it. Reprocessing is the logical, responsible move.Where Retort pouches take less space heat evenly eliminate cold spots
          and it gives us commercial grade sterilization reset the shelf life
          and lets us salvage food we worked hard to acquire…it dawned on me..following the federal regulations of social services to have a social worker keeping tabs..has us with more than a thousand cans of vegetables all hovering at the exploration dates..not willing to just dump and toss or donate to the homeless shelters..( I have been giving care packages to some that can’t afford to buy groceries) I have to start reprocessing the canned goods.. retort canning takes up less space..I had an MRE from the military..we swore they would last forever..I ate the one I had after it was forty years old.. so.. its time to go to work…
          the whole system is strained… Long term care, social services, federal assistance, insurance structures… they push costs onto the people who still have resources and neglect the operations of the facilities that end up working short staffed over working the employees causing long wait periods just to maintain operating expenses.. brick and mortar costs have no flexibility.. the only flex area is wages.

        • And the only groceries we have bought in the past two years since backing away from opening our extra bedrooms
          has been fresh produce eggs and milk..the rest we have..two months till cow processing means I have to retort can beef chicken etc.

  6. George, for all your supposed systems analysis, I often wonder at the complete lack of connectivity in your daily work.
    See, up top we get background on the markets going wild with the seeming drop in the price of oil soon followed by the living hell from the fires in Spokane. Nary a nod to the connections of the events. Reductionism at its finest.
    The fires and heat around the world are driven by global heating which in turn, is driven by our collective addiction to burning fossil fuels. Cheaper fuels, more heat and fires.
    Yup, your part of the country will be getting hotter and hotter. Poetic justice for a region what is grounded in the fossil fuel economy, I guess.
    So lets bankrupt the country going to war to make make Israel the undisputed ruler of the middle east, and return the free flow of oil from the Gulf. Poetic justice indeed!

    • Fossil Fuels ?????????????????????????????????????????????????

      Wakey wakey here, got news regards Oil.

      Not from Fossils .

      Nice try though , “Puny Human.”

      Size matters in this Galaxy and Might is always Right, or always Wins .

    • The Midnight Sun (The Twilight Zone) – 1961

      Rod Serling: The word that Mrs. Bronson is unable to put into the hot, still, sodden air is ‘doomed,’ because the people you’ve just seen have been handed a death sentence. One month ago, the Earth suddenly changed its elliptical orbit and in doing so began to follow a path which gradually, moment by moment, day by day, took it closer to the Sun. And all of man’s little devices to stir up the air are now no longer luxuries—they happen to be pitiful and panicky keys to survival. The time is five minutes to twelve, midnight. There is no more darkness. The place is New York City and this is the eve of the end, because even at midnight it’s high noon, the hottest day in history, and you’re about to spend it – in the Twilight Zone.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Midnight_Sun_(The_Twilight_Zone)

    • I’m in Vienna right now. Came here mainly to avoid the beastly and yearly increasing Florida summer heat. It was 101°F here today. Tell me again that climate change is just a commie hoax.

      • ‘Not a hoax and not political.

        It IS however, normal, natural, and CYCLICAL

        We are in the second Millennium A.D. and will be until January 1st 2101. For more than half this millennia if you lived in Paris or Prague or Vienna or Warsaw or Kiev or any of the other cultural hubs of Europe and you wanted a glass of fine wine you got British wine. You got British wine because the continent from Vienna to Minsk and Amsterdam to Belgrade was too hot for grapevines to produce except in high Alpine meadows.

        Vienna has about another six degrees (fahrenheit) to go before it is back to normal.

        If our climate cycles didn’t occur, Earth would be a cinder and none of us would exist…

    • if you’re interested Nasa said the SUN is getting hotter and the other planets as well. it can’t be fossil fuels. They knew this in 2000 but was not reported.

  8. The rooftop sprinklers – checkout Amazon- that you can just use a regular garden hose with look like good investments…

    Having something to look forward to is always good, watching what happened in Spokane had been heart wrenching, praying for them and other living near wildland urban interfaces…

  9. Moving to a boat. My first thought was that it would be disorienting for Elaine. Consistency is better for people with memory problems. She is not used to alot of new people and new experiences. It might be overwhelming. I did a 36 day silent retreat once and it was difficult for me to transition to normal, fast pace, noisy life.

    My second thought was that you now own a large amount of stuff accumulated over many years including tools, long term food storage, and special interests. Those things won’t fit on a boat.

    My third thought was that a boat wouldn’t be necessarily close to a hospital or medical help which older people rely on.

    But I have to admit that moving to a boat sounds like a grand adventure and probably safer if war, riots, or plague occur. Grand adventures add spice to life and you are definitely living a life of grand adventures.

    • Thanks for the wellconsider3ed reality check. My framing was this was a “back pocket if it all blows up” kind of thing – and (sigh) won’t be boat shopping…airplane ads do catch our attention once in a while in trade-a-plane, too.
      Careers at concert piano players may not come around this time and we did get most of the west coast sailed…

      • My God George thinking about flying a plane is even a worse idea considering your eyesight. Boat idea is bad enough.

        Quote I saw yesterday:
        “My brain thinks I’m 25 years old but my body thinks my brain is an idiot”.

      • plus, you abandon or simply retain the tree ranch
        don’t buy a boat. Just lease a total doll
        SHTF? Who is around to collect?

        go yachting either way
        E ~ ___|__ ~~

  10. ‘As we get older – and the obviousness of world collapsing becomes ever more clear…’

    Your grandparents probably said similar. ‘The world is topsy-turvy’ thinking probably has something to do with the amount of change one sees across their lifetime.

    It’s likely when you bought your first new car your parents indicated it cost more than their first house. You said something then zoomed off into the wild future.

    Warmongering Republicans are today’s problem. Perhaps after the Iranian loss Trump will focus LE on the Epstein Alliance. Right?

  12. yeah pretty good !!! thanks !!! lots of short shopping today . thanks for the big shindig hoedown G . G fires em up the guru playin the fiddle and the washboard in those big size 14 can kickers !!! bootleggers party

  13. song for the trump organization and da boyz rally !!!! party likes its 1999 . nasdaq baby !!! tech and AI dem bears . aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

  14. the great ray dalio says its depression time !!! betcha yah dont bag him like yah bag me !!!!!

    • Len, it’s been “depression time” since 1999. Somehow, some way, we keep dodging the bullet and avoiding a reckoning. It WILL come and the longer we delay it the worse it’ll be. Dodging the depression after the dot-com crash is the thing that brought me here. I would listen to Dalio but I wouldn’t put any money on his opinions…

  15. The Seattle Times explicitly described the 2026 Spokane event as “one of the most destructive in Washington’s history” with over 60,000 people evacuated . Multiple outlets confirm the same scale: USA Today reported 65,000 evacuees , AccuWeather reported 60,000 , and NBC News reported 65,000
    This a record for Washington State and second only to Hurricane Katrina is number of people evacuated.
    One section of the fires around Spokane has destroyed 700 homes. [Arsonist arrested – ex-con., you guessed it – for arson.]
    Two days ago, the Governor officially asked for Federal Assistance. The Fed has still not responded – as of this morning.

    My local fire. , resources have been pouring for two days
    [ after we were told that none were available.]

    LITTLE GIANT FIRE
    INCIDENT UPDATE
    Tuesday, August 4, 2026 – Morning
    Location: 22 miles NW of Leavenworth, WA
    Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
    Entiat-Chelan Ranger District
    Wenatchee River Ranger District
    Acres Burned: 59,345 per Infrared Mapping
    Containment: 0%
    Start Date: July 15, 2026
    Cause: Lightning
    Residents Evacuated: 0
    Structures Threatened: 1,814
    Structures Destroyed: 0
    Injuries: 1
    Incident Website:
    https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/inci…/waowf-little-giant-fire
    Facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/…/Little-Giant…/61588771411612/
    Public Information: 509-776-6953
    Hours: 8 AM – 8 PM
    Email: 2026.littlegiant@firenet.gov

    Personnel: 1,432
    Hand Crews: 31
    Dozers: 17
    Engines: 65
    Helicopters: 4
    Masticators: 35
    Water Tenders: 30
    NEW – An Air Quality Alert has been issued

    25 Mile Creek Camp Ground – State run / Forest Service / has been turned into one incredible staging area. Whoa ! An entire City has been established.

    We are doing well enough – the smoke is rather brutal – but nothing new – has happened a few times before,

    “Stay Frosty !”

  16. Thanks for the links – I will peruse and check

    I load nothing into memory until I go over it.

    I did copy and paste your extensive list of news sources. Thanks for that !
    It should prove to be most interesting !

  17. George… kudos for letting your thought process run wild to water.

    You, above all understand what life aboard entails and Eleanore imagines total relocation of ‘stuff’. Obviously it can’t be that. As a float hole you stock it up, take what you feel you truly need if forced offshore by circumstances and find a slip in a marina. A friend just told me he could live aboard in a slip somewhere near Corpus (he contemplates land shipping his 40′ sloop from SF-Corpus to save the wear and tear, months of sailing, and the canal fees). He said the cost for liveaboard would be 425& a month. Less if only storage. That’s 1/3 of Cali cost, if you can get a slip.
    I see reasonable boats 30-45′ being sold super cheap, or given away all the time. Aging out and getting out from under slip fees, insurance, and maintenance and a boat market that is collapsing for many reasons makes this possible. With modern nav apps and gear you can safely get around with a good phone. Anywhere. Global. Four months of freeze dried food fits in a decent size locker on board. None of this is rocket science but it is about thinking wet instead of dirt. The dirt grabs at you every day in every way. Ease, comfort, illusion of certainty, taxes, fees, crime threats, too many humans.
    Everything is possible. What we shifted ashore to make it possible to live on land (bedding, pillows, cookware, dishes, utensils, some clothing, some electronics), would fit in the Hyundai I30 we borrow. Two trips and we’re totally renewed. Half of what was gone from aboard is now heading back. The furnishings we got from the giveaway pile at the OpShop will just be left behind, we’ll deal with the landlord regarding the refrigerator we got cheap in a moving sale to cover final rent. Two weeks is already covered.
    Slip fees are prepaid until October. Maybe we will want to come back? Lots of land complications that we haven’t lived with for years. Assessing the tensions from that is a daily grind. At 80 and 77 there is little comfort from the dirt. We miss our true freedom.
    You can’t have everything, but you can wake up more worried about the holding ground or the shift in wind and weather. Dry bilge, no leaks, some food, catch a fish. Sounds better every day.
    We don’t have to leave country to get offshore. Lots oof small islands. Friends who are already doing the same. Certainly some envy now.
    George knows. Would he ever do it? Nevah know.
    Stiks

  18. Box Fan with Hepa filters deployed – working very well.

    Kind of amazing what you can learn just by hanging around !

    “Stay Frosty ! “

      • option 3 that ya missed,,,
        HEPA filtering,,,sometimes it is just to circulate and clean

    • It will, for several months. This is one of my tricks, but LOOB’s build comments from some days back offer serious improvements over my “slap this shit together in an hour” build. I have a Hathaspace air filtration unit. It takes a stack of filters. The HEPA filter fouls over time, the charcoal filter never does, so when I change the stack I save the charcoal filters — never know when a body might need some really clean air…

  19. .., and speaking of sailboats
    Been talking with “The Mrs” about buying a live-aboard and sailing the lake. Not quite the Intercoastal- but with 54 miles – it could be a lot of fun. Nice, quiet life-style…,

    I gave her all the rough points at first.., then the good.

    She is actually considering it.

    I doubt it .., but – we’ll see….,

    “Stay Frosty !”

  20. re: “Where’s the Beef?”
    feat: Hawaiian Style

    A hopeful for this weekend’s democrat primary in Hawaii has been temporarily rehomed in a secure facility by law enforcement following a kerfuffle on da’ beach. The main event’s one punch knockout video gone viral on msm offers a last second glimpse of the perp’s carrybag logo – “The Apocalypse Will Be Televised”. Here’s a link to the congress hopeful’s website:

    https://kirill4congress.com

    I perused the site’s pages and gained an impression that presently incarcerated Mr. Basin is a Ukrainian who reached America during covid. However his public Instagram account begs to differ.

    His IG stream commences 10 years ago in Greenwich Village, New York. New Jersey follows, and mention along the way that his mother emigrated with him from the former Soviet Union (or Ukraine?) as a child around 1990. Hawaii beckoned in the 2020’s featuring a modest mansion on 20 acres. Mr. Basin is understood to be a lawyer perhaps in the style of Mr. Oliver W. Douglas of “Green Acres” fame. He also appears to be an ordained minister in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

    Apparently his bid for congressional consideration commenced last May shortly before an alleged episode of his waving a firearm about in the environs of a Maui county office. A daytime campaign launch took place at a nightclub which towards month’s end will be welcoming a restricted to ages 21+ drag queen show. As soon as this Saturday however, the venue is scheduled to welcome the Sons of Zion.

    Expect the lads to be a tad cranky as their prior gig took place only last Saturday in Sydney, Australia. The Down Under leg of the tour began on July 4th in Perth. Goodness knows what kind of crowds they had to put up with! “Bless them”, as the late Dame Edna Everage might have said.

    Precious little tour video material has surfaced from Oz thus far. Fortunately for fans of DJ George, a recent “One Night” show opening sample has not stayed in Vegas as appears in the following Youtube link:

    https://youtu.be/4jP6n0v0m-s

    ‘Urban’s sage windup line today of “got a few teed up and ready” hits a sweet spot on the news compressor. Look at #47 and that impressive golf victory at his club last weekend. Let’s face it; the winning just doesn’t stop!

    • “got a few teed up and ready”

      Yo Jester ,

      Youse being facetious here ?

      News Compressor is GURE shorthand for “bumps of cocaine”

      At least now youse know who is driving that “Train”, and it aint KC Jones..https://youtu.be/CxCfnq7A56M?

  21. Iran hasn’t indicated they’ll be turning off the blockade. This means Turncoat Trump is turning tail. Surrendering to Turbans of Terror! *tch*

    “Trump says deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz could come as early as Wednesday”

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