May
1 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Today was a very good day to travel. very little wind and I was lucky getting thru Tucson on I-10. The westbound traffic was moving along at 60-65 mph while the eastbound lanes were chock full and at a standstill.
I stopped at the Golden 9 restaurant near Casa Grande where I have had good breakfast while in the area back in Oct - Nov 2018. They still serve a good veggie omelet. The first part of my route this morning was the reverse of what I did on 1 December 2018. But that was only half of what I did today or a total of 280 miles. There are a few extra miles included because I missed a turn. The route: AZ82, AZ90, I-10 & I-8 (162 mi), Az 85, I-10 (9 mi), Hassayampa Rd/339th Ave, Indian School Rd, 356th Ave, Vulture Mine Rd, US93 & AZ 89.
The other thing that made today a great travel day was that the Sonoran Desert, aka the Green Desert, was putting on a show. It was green green, not grass but mesquite, greasewood, ironwood and palo verde. The palo verde were the ones that were putting on the biggest bloom show with their branches covered with bright yellow blossoms. The greasewood and ocotillo were also in bloom but paled beside the palo verde.
Sir Nigel is a historical novel set during the early phase of the Hundred Years' War, spanning the years 1350 to 1356, written in 1906. It is the background story to Doyle's earlier novel The White Company, and describes the early life of that book's hero Nigel Loring, a knight in the service of King Edward III in the first phase of the Hundred Years' War. The character is loosely based on the historical knight Neil Loring. - WikipediaI like Doyle's non-Holmes novels better. Since historical fiction is my prefered genre this was a treat. I seem to have stumbled on a England and England history theme the last few books that I have selected. It has been all random with no intent but has worked out well.
2 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
I made a good decision when I decided to use the WIFI at Quail Ridge. That allowed me to make it through the billing cycle without buying anymore Verizon data. Or it kept me from buying more data from North Ranch's WIFI. They claim to have WIFI but you must pay for it; I did not ask the price.
There are 111 RV spaces in this Park other than the owner lots. I would guess that there are 40 that have a RV in them. I have no neighbor in front or behind me and 8 open spaces on the north, or right side, but have a nextdoor neighbor to the south. I would have thought there could have been a space left open between me and that south neighbor.
During the time that I lived in Reno I was a regular visitor to the local library. They offered free interlibrary book lending service which made for very inexpensive book reading. During that time I was reading everything that the winners of a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction wrote. Among them was James Albert Michener known for his lengthy family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating solid history. The novel that I have now started on Paperwhite could be thought to be Micheneresque in style and length (912 pages in paperback).
3 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: May 3, 1931
During this self imposed News blackout I have been thinking. That can sometime lead to unforeseen consequences but you do what you have to do. In the category of News I include news combiners with news analyst and news commentators.
It has finally struck me that the News combiners are a part of the media. The Establishment bad mouths Drudge and Breitbart but those sites keep the media's narrative alive. They are counter voices but they 'talk' about what the media determines the narrative will be. They rarely start the narrative.
The same thing can be said about the media's position on president Trump's tweets. They complain but don't get really agitated until he posts something that initiates a new narrative. As long as he is simply posting defensive counter comments he is keeping the media narrative alive. But when he starts a new narrative they have lost control and that can not be.
All of this verbiage is simply my way of saying that I have done some purging of the News sites that I will read. At the same time I am looking for replacements that offer new narratives versus counters to The Establishment.
Patches and I set new walking records yesterday. Maybe not all time records since I don't keep track. My watch does however. Since it was last reset, we did a single walk of a league yesterday. The league was a measure of distance that varied from place to place but was generally defined as the distance a person can walk in an hour (approximately 3.5 miles). For the day we totaled 5.68 miles which is the first 5 mile day that we have done in a long time.
The long novel that I just started is going to take a long time to read compared to the short 'books' of Jerome K. Jerome and Arthur Conan Doyle. It is about twice as long as the Turtledove books which seemed long in comparison. The same can be said of the beach pixel art drawing. I have now finished the second of six pattern 'panels' that are 62x85 pixels or the size of many previous drawing. I'll finish both the book and the drawings but they are going to take some time. HA
4 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Ww did another total walks of over 5 miles yesterday but set no new records. There are a lot of ATV and hiking trails east, north and south from the Park that we will try to walk. There are a couple loops that may be too long for us to do in the afternoon heat so maybe will give them a go early in the morning. So far we have done our morning walks within the Park.
Everything else about my life remains the same just a different front and back yard. I have a great view of the Weaver Mountains with little chance that any new neighbors will block it.
Cooking some chick peas/garbanzos this morning to make up some daily salads. I'll add some pepper strips, chopped red onion, Greek olives and my buttermilk dressing each day.
The high temperature has been in the 80s since we arrived with it at 88 yesterday. The morning lows have been wonderful; in the 50s with a slight breeze. The extended forecast expects it to cool down into the 70s starting Monday with the lows still to be in the 50s. "How sweet it is" - Ralph Kramden
An honest appraisal of the economic conditions of the United States, in my judgement, would have to conclude that we are in a period of extreme difficulty that is marked, interestingly, by low unemployment, but a greater degree of economic squeeze on the mass of people coupled with a greater degree of inequality that should make any balanced appraisal of the American economy be very, very inclined to conclude what our politics shows us: we're a society in trouble. - Dr. Richard Wolff, economist and professor at the New School UniversityThe professor pointed out that in this period of extreme difficulty the mainstream media will hype any good news. However, they blow the trumpets for 236,000 increase in jobs but fail to mention that 281,000 were 'created' by the Birth/Death Model.
Instead of taking on the neocons directly, Trump embraces them – and we can see the knife go in as this whole scenario plays out. How did someone with no political experience, no party, and no real chance to win – under normal circumstances – become President of the United States? Watching Trump defy, outwit, and ultimately destroy his enemies is quite a sight to see, and surely the most entertainment we’ve had in a long time. - Justin Raimondo @ AntiWar.com
5 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Not much happening in my life today. This morning while on our walk Patches got to meet someone new and I got to listen to him talk. When I first saw him he had to have been a couple hundred yard in front of us.
He was walking much slower than we were but even at that distance I could see that he was so bowlegged he couldn’t catch a pig in a ditch. After we caught up to him he suddenly picked up his speed to match ours because he wanted to talk. Just another old lonesome geezer out for his morning walk without even a Patches to talk to.
For our afternoon walk we went to the northwest corner of the Park and crawled thru the fence. There is an abandoned housing development there that got as far a paving the streets and putting in water lines.
We walked to the northeast of that 'development' then crawled under the fence and did a bit of brush hopping back to an ATV trail that led back to the Park's 'back gate' which is a little over .5 mile from Desperado.
Sure. Let’s invade Venezuela. Another jolly little war. It’s full of commies and has a sea of oil. The only thing those Cuban-loving Venezuelans lack are weapons of mass destruction.
This week, leading US neocons openly threatened that if the CIA’s latest attempts to stage a coup to overthrow Venezuela’s Maduro government failed, Washington might send in the Marines.
Well, the coup was a big fiasco and the Venezuelan army didn’t overthrow President Maduro. The CIA also failed to overthrow governments in Moscow, Tehran and Damascus. Its only ‘success’ to date has been in overthrowing Ukraine’s pro-Moscow government and putting a bunch of corrupt clowns in its place at a cost near $10 billion.
The US has not waged a major successful war since World War II – unless you count invading Grenada, Panama and Haiti, or bombing the hell out of Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Libya. That’s a sobering thought given the Pentagon’s recent announcement that it is cutting back on little colonial wars (aka ‘the war on terror’) to get ready for real big wars against Russia and China, or even North Korea. Another ‘Jolly Little War’?, Eric Margolis
6 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Today was a shopping day in a new to me store. That means it took twice as long as it would have taken me in Sierra Vista and included asking where something was four different times. Wanted some tamales and was sent to three different sections of the store and never did find any.
But across the street was Lydia's la Canasta restaurant where I went for breakfast. A so so Huevos con Chorizo but plenty of tortillas, some decent coffee and they had a dozen green corn tamales at a price that I would usually balk at. However, I wanted tamales and would have settled for pork or chicken and just can not pass up the chance to get some green corn.
This Park has made their 'street' between RV spaces about twice as wide as most RV parks. It so easy to back into my space because of that, I made it look easy when returned today. My southside neighbor was outside for one of her smoke breaks when I backed in and we said hello for the first time. Then had a short chat with her making the comment "I love your dog". She has only seen Patches when we go out for our walks or when Patches is sitting in Desperado's driver's seat survey her domain.
We did an out and back walk to the north along AZ89 yesterday afternoon. That will be one that we will do every few days. It is too bad there are not ATV trails that go south. It was slightly overcast with a breeze which was perfect for our walk. The prior couple of days were in the 80s and almost too hot for Patches, she complains more than I do when it gets over 80. I try to not complain too much until it get tom 90 and above.
7 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
We got rained out this morning. Or maybe I should say we got rained in, took Patches out for a very short potty walk. I had my umbrella and stayed dry and she got only a little wet and muddy. It will always rain on a car, or a dog, that you have just washed.
I woke up around 4:00 with a lot of lightning flashes in the southwest. Before I went back to sleep I could hear the rain starting. It was still raining too hard to go out at our usual time but as soon as it slacked off we went. There is a Weather Underground reporting station here in the Park that claims we have received 0.32" so far. It looks like there could be more although it is clearing in the southwest and the weather radar shows the storm moving to the northeast.
When we did our first long afternoon walk part of it was along the west side of AZ89 on the way back to the Park. No shoulder and the bar ditch was not good walking. Yesterday we tried the east side where there was the remnant of an ATV trail which has not been used for a long time. We went south to the Arizona Trust Land gate and back on that side which is not a bad route but certainly not as good as going to the north.
As I write, the stock markets have opened up in what looks like the beginning of a very bad week — apparently a reaction to Mr. Trump’s floundering trade deal talks. When these markets go emphatically south, both Wall Street and its hipsterdom subsidiary will find themselves reduced to their own special hell of deplorability. The realignment that emerges from that unholy mess will be the surprise of our lives. - Going South, James Howard Kunstler
"Getting offended by something posted on the internet is like choosing to step in dog shit instead of walking around it." - Unattributed
8 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
More rain this morning. Only a sprinkle but we did a potty walk and were getting wet. Stayed in the Park yesterday afternoon as well because it looked like it could rain although we did our usual distance. The extended forecast is for it to clear and we will have those upper 70s and lower 80s again starting tomorrow with one day of thunderstorms. Too early for the monsoon season but occasional afternoon thunderstorms are not uncommon.
My problem with Chrome Data Saver versus Verizon has been fixed. Google has killed Chrome Data Saver. It disappeared from my Chromebook yesterday. There does not seem to be any replacement for it although I expect someone will offer one soon. When/if they do I hope it is better than Chrome Data Saver.
I have nothing but my routine on the To Do List for today. Making progress reading the long novel on Paperwhite and drawing the big beach pixel art piece.
9 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
We went out the 'back gate' and did a loop walk from there to the north. This was similar to the one we did to the south, slightly shorter but still a league. There was some evidence of mud from the rain that we had but everything was dry yesterday.
The forecast for today is a high of near 80 but mostly cloudy. Maybe a good day to do the walk north along AZ89 again. Then cooler tomorrow so maybe a longer walk out the 'back gate' to the south will be possible.
I said that my Chrome Data Saver had been fixed. I noticed a few days ago that the error that I had been getting on my Toshiba with Ubuntu had also been fixed. I did a lot of 'stuff' last month trying to get rid of duplicate launch icons for Libreoffice where I think the problem was. Had no success in getting rid of the duplicates but the error message that previously showed up every time I used Ubuntu has gone away.
The Democrats sole intention over the next year and a half is to create such a chaotic national political landscape that the 2020 electoral pitch to the American people will be that the only way to end the chaos is to vote President Trump out of office. It would appear that Democrats have made the cold and calculated decision that they cannot effectively engage the President on policy. Understandably so...
The calculation appears to be that if the political scene becomes chaotic enough, a majority of likely voters will tune it all out and come to the conclusion that the only way to end the chaos is to change Presidents in much the same way that parents of screaming infants tend to give the infant what it wants.
There would appear to be two potential outcomes:
1. The American electorate sees through the smoke and punishes the Democrats at the ballot box for their conduct; or
2. The scheme works and Democrats get a pass on their complicity in the Obama Administration’s interference in the 2016 election.
The true beauty of democracy is in either scenario, we the American people get exactly what we deserve. - Chaos Is The Order Of The Day, J. Theodore Schatt
10 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: May 10, 1931
An eventful day or at least the morning. As soon as we finished our walk I went out and got holding tanks dumped and added water. Then had a cup of coffee while reading some of my News sites until a little before 8:00.
I was then off to Congress, AZ where I stopped at Nichols West for breakfast. Ordered what I thought would be a spinach omelet. What I got was a bed of spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes with a couple of small scrambled eggs laid on top. It was also garnished well but overall too foofoo for this old geezer. In fact Congress, AZ has become too foofoo since the first time I passed through it.
The primary reason for my going to Congress was to pick up a General Delivery package of Leapknot coffee that had arrived at the Post Office yesterday. The web site for this post office claimed that they provided General Delivery service and the Park provided information about how to address mail.
What neither of them said was that there would be a little handwritten note pasted to the front door that said "General Delivery pickup after 1:00". I went in and the clerk was good enough to give me my package but it is just another example of why General Delivery is so difficult to use.
This is why president Trump must be removed from office and/or NOT re-elected!
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared yesterday that we are in a constitutional crisis. You’re darn tootin’ we are, but it’s not coming from the flaccid threats of legal imbecile Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), who wants to prosecute the Attorney General, Mr. Barr, for refusing to make public grand jury records in the Mueller report — since the law requires Mr. Barr to not disclose the material. The crisis she mis-identifies is the coming indictment of so many supposedly untouchable and hallowed public figures, up to and including the former president, Mr. Obama, and the former heads of CIA, Mr. Brennan, and Director of National Security, Mr. Clapper, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the sainted Mr. Mueller, a whole posse of former Intel Community subalterns, and an unholy host of creeping, crawling, and flying swamp creatures from Glenn Simpson to the shyster lawyers at DNC law firm Perkins Coie, to the errand boys at the Cable News Networks, Wash-Po and The New York Times who trafficked in leaked perfidious documents — that the cumulative institutional damage will destroy public confidence in constitutional government per se. - Crisis? What Crisis?, James Howard Kunstler
11 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
I finished the third 62x85 pixel 'panel' of six in the beach pixel art drawing that I have been working on. I'm now drawing one of two that is only 39x85. When I finish this panel I'll have half of the drawing completed. That could be good news or bad but it looks like the second half will be easier to draw. Perhaps famous last words.
I have had a couple of days with data usage of over 400MB. Chrome Data Saver, when I had it, would not have told me what used so much data. I have learned that Chrome is usually automatically updated for me around this time in the month and I determine when to update Ubuntu/Firefox and all the other software running on my Toshiba.
This quote was included in a posting Preparing for the Storm: The Perfect Storm by Doug “Uncola” Lynn. It is worth reading as well as the one which is quoted. I was VERY surprised to see that Karin McQuillan had been a Peace Corps Volunteer. My experience in the Peace Corps was that about 95% of the Volunteers were flaming Leftists. She seems to be far to the right of those that I knew.
The Democrats don’t believe in our two-party system anymore. They utterly reject American civic norms of treating the president with a modicum of respect and cooperation. They don’t want to alternate presidential power every four or eight years. They think theirs is the only party that deserves to be elected.
…Naked political power is the driving force behind our culture wars, and behind the weird war on President Trump. It has little to do with his specific policies, let alone his tweets and his pugnacious personality, except that Trump’s counterpunching and toughness have allowed him to survive. John McCain and Mitt Romney didn’t drive them crazy because they caved without a fight. Trump drives Democrats crazy because he won, and because he won’t give in or give up.
…It’s not derangement, it’s war. - It’s Not Trump Derangement Syndrome, Karin McQuillan
12 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Not much happening today. I even had a difficult time doing our usual 2 mile walk this morning. Just no enthusiasm. We did get it done but it was not a good walk.
A couple day ago I downloaded The Genesis of the World War: an introduction to the problem of war guilt by Harry Elmer Barnes in Kindle format from archives.org. Yesterday I opened it on my Paperwhite and the formatting was terrible. It could be read but with difficulty; a lot of the words were run together.
So I downloaded the PDF file and it is not great but is much better. The only problem is that I now must read it on my laptops which is not my first choice. I'll be reading it off and on when I want a break from my other books on the Paperwhite of from pixel art drawing.
After an exhausting two weeks, one is tempted to ask: How many quarrels, clashes and conflicts can even a superpower manage at one time? And is it not time for the United States, preoccupied with so many crises, to begin asking, “Why is this our problem?” - Are All the World’s Problems Ours?, Patrick J. Buchanan
13 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
The only thing new is a batch of pottage that I cooked up yesterday. This time the makings were a half bag of lentils, a bag of peas-n-carrots, 4-5 handfuls of cubed potatoes and a can of shredded chicken. This was all brought to a boil in chicken broth until the lentils were tender.
I has some for 'linner' yesterday and it was better than the first batch of lentils that I cooked. There is probably very little that can be done to improve the food presentation of this pottage but I think that is true of all pottages. They just don't look very appetizing.
We got a little wet yesterday afternoon and that was even with a curtailed walk. It looked like it was raining in the Weaver Mountains from around noon all through the afternoon but had not moved west. The wind was blowing from the west so I thought the rain was moving east. Wrong! We were about a half mile into our walk and it started to sprinkle. By the time we reached the mile mark it was a light rain and we started getting wet and continued to get wet for another half mile before gaining shelter in Desperado.
No rain in the forecast for the next 10 days. But it is going to be HOT today and the next two. Maybe over 90 on Wednesday then cooling down to the 70s again. We will be doing reduced distances for the next few days in the afternoon.
On July 4, 1821, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams delivered an historic address on U.S. foreign policy. I have quoted only two paragraphs from that address but the 'leaders' of this country need to read and heed what he had to say.
Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will recommend the general cause, by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example.
She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself, beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force. The frontlet upon her brows would no longer beam with the ineffable splendor of freedom and independence; but in its stead would soon be substituted an imperial diadem, flashing in false and tarnished lustre the murky radiance of dominion and power. She might become the dictatress of the world: she would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit.Source
14 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
The weather guessers got it right yesterday, it was HOT. The high was 89° which was a couple degrees above their guess. They have taken note and raised their guess for today to 90 but I think that may be too low because it is 72 at 6:45. They bumped up all their other guess for the high during the next 10 days by a degree or two also. I think the very pleasant weather here in Congress was during the first two weeks of May and it is now going to get HOT.
The only thing that I have on the agenda is try and stay cool. Probably finish the smaller 'panel' in the beach drawing today and get started on the second half. I'm also nearing the end of the long novel on Paperwhite. Will not finish it today but the finish is in sight.
I have quotes from two 'Doomers' that are singing from the same hymn. They have both been predicting the collapse of the United States economy and world hegemony for many years.
I think they have been right but like all predictors of doom they just can not tell us the date when it is going to happen. The reason for that is there is not a date certain; the collapse is a process not an event. The Roman Empire 'fall' took about 300 years, the USSR 'fell' in about 5 years and Venezuela has done so in about 20. So the United States may have some time remaining but I do think it is on the downside.
We’re moving into a summer of grave discontent. I don’t believe that China-US trade relationship can be repaired. The disturbances we have set in motion will surely unleash the wicked animus against the USA that has been building among other nations since before 9/11/01. Even the Europeans, our old pals, have soured on us. The war hawks are steering our ship-of-state into reefy waters. The dithering Federal Reserve (America’s central bank) has painted itself into a corner with years of interest rate suppression and market manipulations. Bad weather in the American breadbasket portends rising food prices for us, and less to export (or give away) to the really hungry corners of the world. Less food makes for belligerent nations. - The Trend is Not Your Friend, James Howard Kunstler
Unless someone backs down in a major way, this trade war is going to last for a very long time, and the Chinese have made it exceedingly clear that they are never going to back down on the core issues. So that means that the only way out is for President Trump to back down, and with an election looming in 2020, his advisers are telling him that now is the time to be very tough with China. Bernie Sanders and other top Democrats have staked out positions that are just as tough on China as Trump is being, and so if Trump backs down now he will be absolutely hammered by the other side for being weak. But if investors become fully convinced that a protracted trade war is in our future, that could be enough to set off a new financial crisis and throw the global economy into a tailspin. It definitely looked like we were headed for a major economic downturn anyway, and so this trade crisis could certainly be more than enough to push us over the edge.- Will NEVER Be A Trade Deal Until The U.S. Agrees To Their Demands, Michael Snyder
15 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
I planned on doing a shorter afternoon walk yesterday considering the forecast. Patches told me at about the half mile mark that it was too HOT. She was seeking shade and laid down twice, would have been more times but I kept her moving toward the cool comfort of Desperado. The high reached 93 while we were out there but it was not so much the air temperature as it was the ground. She has done walks in hotter temperatures but the surface she is walking on plays a big part in how well she can handle the heat.
I sure hope the weather gurus are right but don't believe they will be. They expect the high today to be only 88 with a high tomorrow of 80 then the rest of the 10 day forecast to be in the 70s. It was 82 at 9:00 this morning and even with the thin cloud cover I think it will be back above 90 again.
It was shopping day again. The grocery gathering was done first today and it went a little faster than the first time. I didn't ask anyone where something was this time although I did some wandering around and some backtracking. The second stop was at Mavrick to fill Desperado's gas tank and we paid 28¢ more than the last fillup in Sierra Vista. That was after passing up the chance to pay 75¢ more at a Mobile station. Last stop was for breakfast at Lydia's where I had their Huevos con Chorizo again. This time the serving was larger and tastier, perhaps a different cook?
This is the third book that I have read by Edward Rutherfurd; London and Paris being the prior two. All of them have been historical fiction which I like but I think this is the best of the three. He gives rather short shift to the 20th Century but the book was a tome by the time he got there so I think I can understand why. Highly recommended.A masterpiece of breathtaking scope—a brilliantly conceived epic novel that traces the entire turbulent course of English history. This rich tapestry weaves a compelling saga of five families—the Wilsons, the Masons, the family of Porteus, the Shockleys, and the Godfreys—who reflect the changing character of Britain. As their fates and fortunes intertwine over the course of the centuries, their greater destinies offer a fascinating glimpse into the future. An absorbing historical chronicle, Sarum is a keen tale of struggle and adventure, a profound human drama, and a magnificent work of sheer storytelling. - Book promo @ Amazon
16 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
The weather guessers missed the high by four degrees; it reached a high of 92. We did a shorter afternoon walk on a different surface and Patches handled it just fine. This morning we did a longer walk than we have been doing and we will shorten the afternoon ones. That is more our summer routine and I think we are now in summer.
Have started a new Jerome K. Jerome book that I'll probably finish today. Also downloaded a couple Doyle books but the first one I opened is all poetry. I just can not 'get into' poetry so that one is going to get a miss. I suspect the the second one is the same judging it by the title, if it is it gets a miss also.
That is about all that is happening here today. I do have a pot of beans cooking that will be the base for salads this next week.
"Winter Is Coming"
Trump is in re-election mode now. And Venezuelan regime change is not a winning strategy, neither is letting RussiaGate go. The key for him now is to undo a lot of the damage that’s been done by his staff, disloyal cabinet members and recalcitrant bureaucracy who are all wedded deeply to the old way things are done.
Those old ways aren’t working anymore. And if any of these people want to remain in power and pass it along to the next generation they better start acting like the humanitarians they purport to be. That means giving the people what they want — Hillary Clinton’s head on a pike, Brexit, and an end to the creeping technocratic totalitarianism outsourced to Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple to get around the Constitution.The Old Political Order is Just Old, Tom Luongo
17 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: May 17, 1931
The high temperature yesterday was 84 which was very nice compared to what we had the past few days. The low this morning was 48 which felt cold compared to the upper 60 that we have had. The weather guessers think we are going to have high temperatures in the 70 for the next week with the lows in the upper 40s. I do hope they get it right.
I started reading The Nine Novels That Defined Steampunk per Johnathan Greyshade. The first three were written by the three authors (K. W. Jeter, Tim Powers, and James Blaylock) that are considered the founders of the genre. I liked Jeter, Blaylock somewhat and did not like Powers which had me undecided about reading any of the remaining six books. However of the six there were only two other authors so I selected The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling and so far a very glad that I did. This book has given me new hope for the genre and I'll read the other five in the nine.
Jerome K. Jerome discusses the joys and hardships of courtship, marriage and fatherhood with his usual wit coupled with a perspicuity and insight that is as heartbreaking as it is breathtaking. A must -read for any Jerome fan, as well as for anyone who would like to experience the world from the point of view of an insightful nineteenth century humorist with an understanding of his world. Outstanding. Edited customer review @ Amazon“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).” ― Mark Twain
The headline University of Michigan sentiment survey printed at its highest since January 2004 led by a spike in expectations:
Current economic conditions index rose to 112.4 vs. 112.3 last month.
Expectations index rose to 96.0 vs. 87.4 last month.
It is that expectations index that tells me the economy is going to get worse rather that better. The majority is almost always wrong.
18 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
The weather has been great these past couple of days. A wonderful 72 for the high yesterday with the low at 46 this morning. That low called for a windbreaker over my usual flannel shirt but with it on the walk was great.
I finished the first of the three 62x84 lower 'panels' in the beach pixel drawing and got started on the second one yesterday. That first one was relatively easy and it looks like about half of the second one will be easy also. The rest of the picture will then be as difficult as were the top panels.
The only thing even close to different that I plan on doing today is get a salmon fillet in the Roaster. I have a lot of the lentil pottage remaining and about nine tamales but like having the three choices that I can rotate.
19 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain, although it does not look like much of a chance. A better chance tomorrow with both days much cooler; today expected to be 69 and tomorrow with a high of 65. The lows are forecast to stay in the upper 40s then moving up into the 50s by the end of the week. I don't want to see the rain but the temperatures, if they happen, will be great.
Not planning on doing much today, but that is my usual day. Doing some online research to find LED fixtures to replace some, maybe all, of the existing lights in Desperado. I want more light in the kitchen for sure other areas are maybe with the closet and basement a very low priority for change.
Why is it that the mainstream media is not saying this? They are doing everything they can to convince the 'people' that another war is a good thing. Where are all the anti-war activist? Why is Cindy Sheehan no longer front page News and on all the TV talking head programs? Why is it that president Trump is taking out of both sides of his mouth and the Democrats are not calling him to task for it but would rather beat the Russiagate dead horse?
Trump is playing with fire by making threats against Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Libya, Cuba, North Korea and China. He appears well on the way to a major war by either plan or accident. He is provoking and trifling with two major, nuclear-armed world military powers, Russia and China. Instead of capable diplomats, Trump keeps consorting with men of low character and even lower knowledge. It’s like the hostess who will never invite to her party another woman who is younger and more attractive. -Fire The Nutcases Leading Us To War, Eric Margolis
20 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
I was wrong. We got a little damp while doing our afternoon walk. If we had been out there for another five minutes we would have got WET. There were scattered showers all around us when we started our walk but it looked like we could avoid them but a little black cloud targeted us. The chance of more rain today has been reduced to 10% or nearly no chance. The local station reports that yesterday we got 0.03" which was nearly no rain. But enough to get us wet if we had stayed out there.
If nothing else I have found a new term to replace my doomster self description. Henceforth I will think of myself as being someone that believes in catastrophist theory. I continue to enjoy this steampunk novel more than the prior three.
Catastrophist theory. It is a concatenation of synergistic interactions; the whole system is on the period-doubling route to Chaos!"
"What does that mean, pray?"
"Essentially," Mallory said, smiling behind his kerchief, "in layman's terms, it means that everything gets twice as bad, twice as fast, until everything falls completely apart!" - The Difference Engine, William Gibson & Bruce Sterling
21 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Shopping day. The grocery gathering at Safeway went much smoother this morning. I had a shorter want list and they were all items that I had found here in my last two trips. I still did a little backtracking but not much. By the time I leave I'll know where everything is that I buy.
Make slow but sure progress on the beach pixel art drawing. Started the first book that Doyle wrote that had Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as his main characters. This was also one of four novels, everything else was short stories.
The Difference Engine is an alternative history novel that is widely regarded as a book that helped establish the steampunk genre.It posits a Victorian Britain in which great technological and social change has occurred after entrepreneurial inventor Charles Babbage succeeded in his ambition to build a mechanical computer (actually his Analytical Engine rather than the difference engine). - Edited Wikipedia
I think I liked this book the best of the nine novels that defined steampunk that I have read so far because it was an alternative history. I like Harry Turtledove's books for that same reason although he does blend it with science fiction.
22 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
After getting groceries yesterday I went across the street to a laundromat that is next door to Lydia's restaurant. On my way back to Desperado a fellow pulled up in a Fiat 500C, the first one of those that I have seen. It is a convertible in the classic 1950s - 60s Citroen style where the top rolls back leaving a big open top with solid sides.
He was admiring Desperado and wanted to know where I got the great paint job because his RV was covered with all those swirls and looked like crap. I was admiring his Fiat 500C. He was joining a group that was to have a men's breakfast at Lydia's and invited me to join them. But a few minutes later he came by and told me that Lydia's is now closed on Tuesday starting 21 May 2019 - yesterday.
So, when I finished my laundry I went to Nichols West in Congress. This time I got their Tamales and Eggs which were very good. Much more expensive than my usual breakfast but I was in a restaurant that caters to the retired that now make up the majority of the residents in Congress. I am only guessing but they are probably snowbirds that have migrated after spending a couple winters in the Phoenix area.
Yesterday morning Patches and I had a very strange encounter with two javelina. This is not the first time that we have come upon javelina but always in the past they acted like javelina. They would spook and run away. This pair spooked but did not run very far and then walked TOWARD us like a couple of dogs.
When the were about 20' from us Patches gave one bark. That caused them to jump back but they approached once more. I yelled at them like I would yell at an approaching dog off leash and they jumped back again. We then walked away and they followed along behind us for about 100 yards before finally deciding there were more interesting things to check up on. Very strange behavior.
A Study in Scarlet is a detective novel written in 1886. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in popular fiction. The book's title derives from a speech given by Holmes, a consulting detective, to his friend and chronicler Watson on the nature of his work, in which he describes the story's murder investigation as his "study in scarlet": "There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."The story, and its main characters, attracted little public interest when it first appeared. Only 11 complete copies of the magazine in which the story first appeared, Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887, are known to exist now and they have considerable value. Although Conan Doyle wrote 56 short stories featuring Holmes, A Study in Scarlet is one of only four full-length novels in the original canon. The novel was followed by The Sign of the Four, published in 1890. A Study in Scarlet was the first work of detective fiction to incorporate the magnifying glass as an investigative tool. - Edited Wikipedia
23 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
The rains came last night starting around 11:00. The local Weather Underground station reports that we got 0.15" total with most of it coming after midnight. The low temperature this morning was 46 and it felt cold again. I am going to be whining about being cold for sure at my next camp. The forecast there expects it to freeze tomorrow morning and then warm up to what we have been having here by the time I get there.
I haven't felt like doing any pixel art drawing for the past couple of days so no progress on the beach picture. Doing a lot of reading. I now have two books in progress on my Paperwhite and a PDF book on my Toshiba laptop. These plus the web sites that I read. I'll get back to drawing when the mood strikes me.
The only positive thing I can say about this book is that it is short. I certainly can not recommend it and think it is probably the worst of all the Jerome K. Jerome books that I have read. It gets a lot of favorable customer reviews at goodreads.com but is just not my cup of tea.Tea-table Talk is an imaginary conversation between the writer and a number of unnamed characters at the afternoon tea table. The Woman of the World, the Old Maid, the Girton Girl, the Philosopher and the Minor Poet wax lyrical on subjects like marriage, art, society and politics. - Book promo @ goodreads.com
I have copied the text of Senator Hawley's speech from his web page and will be posting it in series over the next few days. The Establishment is obsessed with destroying Trump but what are they going to do about Mr. Hawley? Or, about others that hold similar views? I believe the populace genii is out of the bottle and it is going to be very difficult to put him/her back in.
Today [15 May 2019] Senator Josh Hawley delivered his maiden speech on the floor of the United States Senate. The maiden speech is a Senate tradition where new Senators set the tone for their term by taking to the floor to deliver their first major address.
Mr. President [of the Senate], it is an honor to rise today to speak in this chamber on behalf of the people of Missouri. When I think of those who have served my state here before me, I am humbled. And when I think of the true and strong Missourians who have sent me here, I am sobered. Because to represent them will be a great responsibility indeed. I pledge to my fellow Missourians that I will work at this task with all the strength that God can give me. And I will serve without fear and without favor to any man.
To be Continued
24 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: May 24, 1931
I used a lot of data yesterday while online shopping. I needed to replace my Carhartt cargo pants that have developed a couple of large holes where my legs rub together. I went to the Carhartt web page and found that they did not have my size in any color, then tried Tractor Supply and none my size there either tried to find my size any place other than Amazon and had no luck. Finally ordered from Amazon which had my size in one color of the five that Carhartt claims to offer.
The pants are made in China. In fact I think everything I wear is probably made in China. I know my shoes are which will be the next thing that I need to replace. The brand that I have bought the past 3-4 times does offer a similar shoe that is made in the USA but if ordered today would cost me about 50% more. With the latest tariffs that President Trump announced my next purchase of shoes is going to cost me more no matter what I buy. The vast majority of shoes sold in this country are made in China and I don't see any evidence that the tariffs are creating more USA shoe manufacturing.
The same two javelina were at the same place this morning. This time we walked past them within 30' and they did nothing. They seemed to be intent on eating bird seed that was spilled on the ground from a bird feeder. They looked up when we went past but then got their snout back in the ground.
The only other thing of note is the receipt of my bill for Desperado's insurance. Surprise, surprise the annual premium remained the same as last year. Paid today with a lot of trial and error at their online web site.
Senator Hawley's speech - Continued:
We Missourians are known for our frankness, and today I will be frank. Because this is a moment of great need for my state and for our nation. For this nation was born in a revolution by We the People, and premised on a revolutionary faith: that it is the people, the common man and woman, who make democracy work. And it is the calling of every generation to renew that revolution for their day. But in our time, our revolutionary faith is faltering. And in the heartland of this country, the great challenge of our age is unfolding. I come from a town called Lexington, Missouri. It’s a small place, but a proud one. It’s a place where people wake early and work late to make a life for themselves and their children. It’s a place where people value honesty and gumption and life’s simple pleasures: a fine morning in a deer stand, reading to the kids before bed, Sunday dinner at Mom’s. And though it is humble, it’s a place that reflects the dignity and quiet greatness of the working man and woman. These are the people who explored a continent, who built the railroads, who opened the West. These are the workers whose labor launched the Industrial Revolution and whose ingenuity made the American economy the marvel of the world. These are the families who have rallied to this country’s flag in every hour of danger and who bear the burden of defending our nation even now. These are the patriots who man the re department and coach the Little League. These are the generous who give $25 a month out of their gas money to assist people halfway around the globe they will never meet just because they believe in helping others.
They don’t ask for much, and they live by a simple creed: give the best of yourself to your family, your community, and your fellow man. And America is a place of promise, because in these hearts, honor lives. But these working men and women are confronting crisis today. And as they do, so does our democracy. After years of sacrifice, the great American middle is being pushed aside by a new, arrogant aristocracy. The new aristocrats seek to remake society in their own image: to engineer an economy that works for the elite but few else, to fashion a culture that is dominated by their own preferences. When they think of helping their fellow citizens, they think of making everyone else more like themselves. And Washington – Washington has just gone along. This town has embraced a politics of elite values and elite ambition rather than building opportunities to thrive in the great and broad American middle. This has left middle America—the great American middle class—under siege: battling the loss of respect and work, the decline of home and family, an epidemic of loneliness and despair. This is the crisis of our time. I’m afraid you wouldn’t know it to listen to the talk of this town much of the time. As the crisis deepens, the political establishment looks the other way, rehearsing and rehashing the political debates of thirty or forty years ago. But there is no time for that any longer. The twenty-first century is upon us. And the great struggle of this century can no longer wait. The crisis that we face goes to the heart of our revolution.
They don’t ask for much, and they live by a simple creed: give the best of yourself to your family, your community, and your fellow man. And America is a place of promise, because in these hearts, honor lives. But these working men and women are confronting crisis today. And as they do, so does our democracy. After years of sacrifice, the great American middle is being pushed aside by a new, arrogant aristocracy. The new aristocrats seek to remake society in their own image: to engineer an economy that works for the elite but few else, to fashion a culture that is dominated by their own preferences. When they think of helping their fellow citizens, they think of making everyone else more like themselves. And Washington – Washington has just gone along. This town has embraced a politics of elite values and elite ambition rather than building opportunities to thrive in the great and broad American middle. This has left middle America—the great American middle class—under siege: battling the loss of respect and work, the decline of home and family, an epidemic of loneliness and despair. This is the crisis of our time. I’m afraid you wouldn’t know it to listen to the talk of this town much of the time. As the crisis deepens, the political establishment looks the other way, rehearsing and rehashing the political debates of thirty or forty years ago. But there is no time for that any longer. The twenty-first century is upon us. And the great struggle of this century can no longer wait. The crisis that we face goes to the heart of our revolution.
To be Continued
25 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Yesterday was the day to dump holding tanks and take on water. I think the water pressure here is the weakest that I have experienced. It takes forever to fill my water tank.
Today will be the day that I copy and format another month's of Will Rogers weekly articles. Doing it a little earlier this month so I don't get caught at month end trying to to everything in the last couple of days.
I have not quoted from this article Trump’s Nuclear Trade Tactics Won’t Level Playing Field, by Tom Luongo. I just recommend it be read to get a point of view on president Trump's tariff policy. It is not working.
I will quote from this article Why Do We Fight? How Do We Fight?, by (Ret.) Colonel Douglas Macgregor however. He is just one of many that believe war with Russia, China or Iran singularly is ill advised but to take them on collectively would be suicide. The United States military is not the great force that the propagandist claim; it is a paper tiger made from very thin paper.
President Donald Trump must overrule his generals and abandon the financially destructive spending strategy that Congress, industry, and the Four Stars want. If the president does not act, the dismal record of post–World War II U.S. military fiascos in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with Vietnam and Korea, will persist into the future with far more serious strategic consequences than anything seen since the first battle of Bull Run.
Senator Hawley's speech - Continued:
The United States is unique in history as a republic governed not by a select elite, but by the working man and woman—because we believe it is through the working man and woman that God chooses to change the world. And that change comes not through spectacular feats of daring or glory, but through everyday work and everyday sacrifice and everyday acts of courage and love. And so it has been the proud working people, our farmers and mechanics and teachers and tradesmen, who have defined the character of this country. But for too long now, neither our economy nor our culture has lent them much support. Instead, our policy makers have entrenched the new elites and undermined the way of life that once bound this country together. It’s time to face the facts. Over the last forty years, our economy has worked best for those at the top: the wealthy, the well-educated. If you have a job in Silicon Valley or an expensive and prestigious degree, this economy has worked for you. And Washington has focused on how to get more people to join this elite. But if you want a life built around the place where you grew up, if your ambition is not to start a tech business but to join the family business, to serve in the PTA or in your local church, well, you’re told that you’re not a success. And you’re told that you’re on your own. This is no accident. The people who make the rules now, who run our large corporations, who set the tone for our popular culture, all belong to the same class. This economy has been their economy. They made it for themselves. But in places like the one where I grew up, in middle Missouri, good-paying jobs that you can raise a family on are going away.
The jobs go overseas or south of the border or to cities on the coasts. And once vibrant towns decline, taking with them the network of schools and neighborhoods and churches that make up middle class life. Rural America has been particularly hard hit. Rural Americans’ life expectancy has not just leveled off, it's actually dropped, and for women without a high school degree, that drop has been staggering. In some rural places, residents struggle with outright deprivation. My home state contains some of the poorest counties in America, all in rural places that once boasted thriving small towns. As those communities struggle, want sets in. But the crisis reaches well beyond economics. The message that Washington has sent our whole society is loud and clear: our elites are the people who matter— and those who aspire to join them. Everyone else is unimportant or backwards. And millions of Americans are left with the sense that the people who run this country view them with nothing but contempt and value them as nothing but consumers. These trends tear at our country’s social fabric, and they undermine our common ethic of citizenship. Because being a free person, being an American, isn’t just about what you can buy. It’s about the pride that comes in supporting a family. It’s about contributing something of worth to your community. It’s about being able to look a neighbor in the eye and know that you’re his equal. It’s about respect. And too many Americans haven’t been getting it. They’re certainly not getting it from our cultural elite. The media, Hollywood, academia relentlessly press their values and their priorities on the rest of us.
The jobs go overseas or south of the border or to cities on the coasts. And once vibrant towns decline, taking with them the network of schools and neighborhoods and churches that make up middle class life. Rural America has been particularly hard hit. Rural Americans’ life expectancy has not just leveled off, it's actually dropped, and for women without a high school degree, that drop has been staggering. In some rural places, residents struggle with outright deprivation. My home state contains some of the poorest counties in America, all in rural places that once boasted thriving small towns. As those communities struggle, want sets in. But the crisis reaches well beyond economics. The message that Washington has sent our whole society is loud and clear: our elites are the people who matter— and those who aspire to join them. Everyone else is unimportant or backwards. And millions of Americans are left with the sense that the people who run this country view them with nothing but contempt and value them as nothing but consumers. These trends tear at our country’s social fabric, and they undermine our common ethic of citizenship. Because being a free person, being an American, isn’t just about what you can buy. It’s about the pride that comes in supporting a family. It’s about contributing something of worth to your community. It’s about being able to look a neighbor in the eye and know that you’re his equal. It’s about respect. And too many Americans haven’t been getting it. They’re certainly not getting it from our cultural elite. The media, Hollywood, academia relentlessly press their values and their priorities on the rest of us.
To be Continued
26 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
I have started another long novel, The Plains of Passage on Paperwhite. This is book #4 in the Earth's Children series of historical fiction novels by Jean Marie Auel. I read the first three some years ago as dead tree books and recently found a source for the ebook download. It now shares time and space with a moderately long nonfiction book that I have had on there and been reading off and on for the past few days.
Then there is the PDF book that I have been reading on my Toshiba that has taken precedence over pixel art drawing. It is also a nonfiction book that has not been very good but I keep hoping that it will improve as I close in on the end.
Reading, daily walks, sleeping and eating comprise my activities. Speaking of eating. I was going to buy another dozen green corn tamales before I left here but have been disappointed with those that I got from Lydia's restaurant.
I'm starting to read all of Jules Verne books that I can download to my Paperwhite. This time I am going to try and read them in their chronological order versus alphabetical by title as I have done with other books from Gutenberg. I bought this one at Amazon with a price of $0.00. If I can not get them at that price from Amazon I'll try Gutenberg.Five Weeks in a Balloon, or, Journeys and Discoveries in Africa by Three Englishmen (French: Cinq semaines en ballon) is an adventure novel by Jules Verne, published in 1863. It is the first novel in which he perfected the "ingredients" of his later work, skillfully mixing a plot full of adventure and twists that hold the reader's interest with passages of technical, geographic, and historic description. The book gives readers a glimpse of the exploration of Africa, which was still not completely known to Europeans of the time, with explorers traveling all over the continent in search of its secrets.
Public interest in fanciful tales of African exploration was at its height, and the book was an instant hit; it made Verne financially independent and got him a contract with Jules Hetzel's publishing house, which put out several dozen more works of his for over forty years afterward. - Wikipedia
Senator Hawley's speech - Continued:
They advocate liberation from the duties of family and tradition. They look down on the plain virtues of patriotism, self-giving, and faith. They idealize fame and preach self-realization through consuming more stuff. And as they do, they assault the foundations of the great American middle. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, then, at the epidemic of loneliness and despair that is spreading across working communities. Fewer young people are getting married or starting families. Drug addiction is surging. The opioid menace has ravaged every sector, every age group, every geography of working people. And it’s not only pills. Heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, meth, and of course marijuana, have flooded our streets and our homes. And everywhere, deaths of despair are mounting—among farmers, among the young. Most shockingly, the young are the hope of our society, but in America today they are taking their lives in numbers never seen in our history. The well-off frequently note that our nation has never been richer, but the tragedy of youth suicide betrays a profound poverty of hope. And is that really so surprising? Today’s youth must make their way in a society increasingly denied not by the genuine and personal love of family and church, but by the cold and judgmental world of social media. The typical young person is bombarded by video games and violence and the relentless status-seeking imposed and modeled by our cultural elite. There is no more shocking illustration of our cultural poverty, no more damning indictment of our cultural leaders, than these lost lives.
And the sum of it all is that too many Americans are losing their standing as citizens. They are losing their voice in the life of this nation. And with that, they are losing their liberty. Because to be free is to have a voice, it is to have a say, it is to have the power of self-government. The chattering class often tells us that all of this—the jobs, the despair, the loss of standing—is the result of forces beyond anyone’s control. As if that’s an excuse to do nothing. But in fact, it’s not true. Today’s society benefits those who shaped it, and it has been shaped not by working men and women, but by the new aristocratic elite. Big banks, big tech, big multinational corporations, along with their allies in the academy and the media—these are the aristocrats of our age. They live in the United States, but they consider themselves citizens of the world. They operate businesses or run universities here, but their primary loyalty is to their own agenda for a more unified, progressive—and profitable—global order. These modern aristocrats often claim to be a meritocracy. And many of them truly believe they are. What they don’t see, or won’t acknowledge, is that the society they have built works mainly for themselves. They’ve effectively run this country for decades. And their legacy is national division and national decline.
And the sum of it all is that too many Americans are losing their standing as citizens. They are losing their voice in the life of this nation. And with that, they are losing their liberty. Because to be free is to have a voice, it is to have a say, it is to have the power of self-government. The chattering class often tells us that all of this—the jobs, the despair, the loss of standing—is the result of forces beyond anyone’s control. As if that’s an excuse to do nothing. But in fact, it’s not true. Today’s society benefits those who shaped it, and it has been shaped not by working men and women, but by the new aristocratic elite. Big banks, big tech, big multinational corporations, along with their allies in the academy and the media—these are the aristocrats of our age. They live in the United States, but they consider themselves citizens of the world. They operate businesses or run universities here, but their primary loyalty is to their own agenda for a more unified, progressive—and profitable—global order. These modern aristocrats often claim to be a meritocracy. And many of them truly believe they are. What they don’t see, or won’t acknowledge, is that the society they have built works mainly for themselves. They’ve effectively run this country for decades. And their legacy is national division and national decline.
To be Continued
27 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Today was my last shopping trip in Wickenburg during this stop. When I say Wickenburg that is only partially correct. My trips into 'town' have all been on the very far western edge of the city limits. I have not desire to go into downtown and have avoided doing so.
The shopping was easier now that I know where everything is that I usually buy. Only had to ask where something was located and that was for something that I rarely buy. Then went across the street to Lydia's expecting the restaurant to be open at 7:00 per the web page. But they are now not only closed on Tuesday they have also changed their hours to open during the week days to 8:00. However, I could see the cook inside and she let me in, provided me with coffee and then took my order at about 7:45.
Partly cloudy is the forecast and it looks mostly cloudy this morning. It also felt colder at 53° this morning than it did yesterday at 51. The high for today is forecast to be 68 with a wind which will make it feel colder almost all day. We will be inside except for our afternoon walk so that will be just fine.
Senator Hawley's speech - Continued:
Mr. President [of the Senate], it is time to reclaim our revolutionary heritage and reassert the democracy of We the People. To those who despair at the task ahead, I say the hour is not too late, the crisis is not too deep for the determined effort of a great people. And to those who feel forgotten and unheard, I say this is your time. Now we must stand together to renew the promise of our enduring revolution. We must put aside the tired orthodoxies of years past, and forge a new politics of national renewal. We must begin by acknowledging that GDP growth alone cannot be the measure of this nation’s greatness. And so, it cannot be the only aim of this nation’s policy. Because our purpose is not to make a few people wealthy, but to sustain a great democracy. And so, we need not just a bigger economy, but a better society. We need a society that offers rewarding work for every worker who wants it, wherever she is from, whatever degree he might have, whether their ambition is to start a business or to start a family. We need a society that will allow towns and neighborhoods to flourish across the great heartland of this country, not just in the megacities of the coasts. We need a society that puts American workers first, that prioritizes them over cheap goods from abroad, and offers them the chance to better their station. All this we must fight for and more. We need to repair the torn fabric of our common life. We need a politics that prioritizes strong marriages and encourages strong families, where children can know their parents and be nurtured by their love.
We need strong schools and churches and co-ops. Because these are the things that make liberty possible. For liberty is more than selling or buying or the right to be left alone. Liberty is the ability to master our own fate and as a free people, to set our own course. That’s the promise of the American revolution. And we will renew it for our day. Washington has ignored the need for this renewal for too long. It has rested easy with the priorities of an earlier age. Now it must wake up and face the facts of this day. Now we must ask new questions, force new debates, articulate new priorities and find new solutions to make the great American middle thrive again. This is not the work of a day or a season. It is the work of a generation. We will make it the work of this generation, and so do our part to see the success of liberty in our time.
We need strong schools and churches and co-ops. Because these are the things that make liberty possible. For liberty is more than selling or buying or the right to be left alone. Liberty is the ability to master our own fate and as a free people, to set our own course. That’s the promise of the American revolution. And we will renew it for our day. Washington has ignored the need for this renewal for too long. It has rested easy with the priorities of an earlier age. Now it must wake up and face the facts of this day. Now we must ask new questions, force new debates, articulate new priorities and find new solutions to make the great American middle thrive again. This is not the work of a day or a season. It is the work of a generation. We will make it the work of this generation, and so do our part to see the success of liberty in our time.
This was senator Hawley's maiden floor speech but he has been very active as a freshman, and youngest, senator now in Congress. I think he is going to be heard from more and more during his six years on 'The Hill'.
"Hawley, who in just a few months in the Senate has already carved out a space for himself as a prominent conservative critic of big tech and social-media censorship, said in the letter that his request was prompted by Twitter’s recent confusing treatment of the account affiliated with the new movie Unplanned." - Alexandra DeSanctis of National Review
28 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Today will be one for doing domestic duties. I have some red kidney beans cooking for salad. When they are ready I'll then use the pot to get my breakfast hulled barley and oat groats cooked. While that is happening I'll be busy cleaning. Probably will not get all the cleaning done today but by tomorrow that will be done.
Yesterday afternoon I saw the owners of the lot where the javelina have been eating. Stopped and had a few minutes chat with them. This same pair have been coming there for some time and may have also been visiting another lot on the north side of the Park. They said that usually the javelin just ignore people as they walk by like they did with us the second time.
...wage growth has been stagnant. And it is only just now approaching something close to sustainable. This speaks to a labor market completely out of phase with the needs of the society. You can laud Trump for fixing some of this, certainly, but it’s not going to fix the underlying structural problem of malinvestment.
This is not China’s fault. This is our fault. It’s our fault for diverting trillions upon trillions to uneconomic and wasteful projects and staggering amounts of bureaucracy to administer them over the past two generations.
It’s our fault that a cultural malaise of self-indulgence begun by the Baby Boomers has had the downstream effects of growing nihilism among their children and grandchildren who face a lifetime of debt slavery and poor mate-choice selections.
It’s our fault that we fueled an empire with cheap debt and cheaper attitudes towards life and are now angry that many Americans don’t have a viable future as the wealth of the nation was sucked up into the ruling class and its quislings.- Tariffs on China Do Not Solve Lack of U.S. Competitiveness, Tom Luongo
Note:In 2012 the U.S. ranked 4th in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business. We’ve since fallen to 8th. In 2012 Russia ranked #111 while today they rank 31st, which is better than that of China at #46.
“Walk toward the fire. Don’t worry about what they call you. All those things are said against you because they want to stop you in your tracks. But if you keep going, you’re sending a message to people who are rooting for you, who are agreeing with you. The message is that they can do it, too.”- Andrew Breitbart
Donald Trump is getting close to the fire. That’s why he’s hated beyond anything we have ever seen. That’s the real issue with his presidency. Not the Deep State, not “follow the money”, and all the rest. Of course those are part of it, with the career people who make their money off government and politics. But there are plenty of ordinary, non-political people who HATE President Donald Trump. And they hate you and I for voting for him. It’s because they don’t want to be told that their contradictions and errors constitute the fire. They want to feel good. They don’t want anyone who makes them NOT feel good.Walk Toward the Fire, Michael J. Hurd
29 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
I have written about this before but it only going to get worse or better depending on how you view it. The Amazon 'marketplace' generated more than half of the site's e-commerce sales last year. The 'marketplace' is where vendor products are shown on the Amazon web site but when ordered they are shipped from the vendor rather than from Amazon. The agreement is similar to a consignment arrangement with Amazon doing nothing but taking the order and forwarding it to the vendor.
Example. I ordered 4 items from the Amazon web site all at the same time. Two of the item are from the same vendor and are scheduled to arrive 30 May from that 'marketplace' vendor. The other two items are to arrive sometime between 31 May and 6 Jun from two other 'marketplace' vendors. None of the items were held in a warehouse by Amazon.
Amazon has announced that they are going to drop some of the vendors that they have previously bought from at wholesale and enter into more 'marketplace' agreements with them. So Amazon will hold even less in there warehouses except for those items that now carry the Amazon brand which are knockoffs of other vendors products. This is just another reason for me to try and order direct from the 'marketplace' vendors when I can.
This was true of England prior to World War I and is now true of the United States. The more things change the more they remain the same.
"It must be recognized that it is easy to be for peace when a country has attained to the 'lordship of the world,' and merely desires to be maintained securely in this position."
"Grey [Foreign Secretary] is also an example for all posterity of the evil effects of bad company upon a diplomat, and of the pernicious influence of the permanent staff of foreign offices." - The Genesis Of The World War, Harry Elmer Barnes
30 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Almost finished with my pre-moving chores. I'll dump holding tanks and add water today. Will also get my 3x5 route card and map prepared, should have done that a few days ago but did not remember that I had not done it. I probably don't need the card but it is better if I have it.
I might finish the PDF book that I have been reading on my Toshiba. If not today then tomorrow. The long novel that I'm reading on the Paperwhite is moving along nicely as is the non-fiction book that I have on there also. I switch back and forth between them.
Have we, as Americans, changed all that much in the last 100 years? Or does what Northcliffe say about us still hold true?
"Much as I like the Americans, for a people who have boasted of their freedom and democracy, I had never expected to behold on their part so craven a spirit of submission. So far as exercising real independence of judgment and action with respect to the war is concerned, I can think of only one people with whom to compare the Americans, namely, the Chinese." - Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
31 May
North Ranch
Congress, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: May 31, 1931
The price of all the produce that I buy has just gone up and will continue to escalate because illegal immigration will not STOP.
"On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied,at which time the Tariffs will be removed. Details from the White House to follow." — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019
The Trump administration released their annual report to Congress on White House Office Personnel. It includes the name, status, salary and position title of all 377 White House employees. The report also said that Trump decided not to take a dime of his salary; instead he donated it to an amazing cause. The report also showed that President Trump is far better at saving money. The total annual White House salaries under Trump are $35.8 million vs. $40.9 million under Obama, a savings of $5.1 million.
Here are some other key findings: There are 140 fewer employees on White House staff under Trump than under Obama during his last year. Seventeen fewer staffers are dedicated to The First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS). Currently, there are only five staffers dedicated to Melanie Trump vs. twenty two staffers who served Michelle Obama (FY2009). [The FLOTUS numbers are debatable]
However, it's what the report said Trump did with this salary. Instead of taking his salary, Trump donated all $400,000 to the Department of the Interior where it will be used for construction and repair needs at military cemeteries. [This is not]
Oh, and where's the media coverage of this? That's right, they don't cover anything decent that the President does. Source 1 and Source 2
While every honest friend of peace should desire to see the League of Nations grow not only membership, it is complete folly to expect that the mere union of a number of selfish, corrupt and war-like states can in itself create a world organization entirely divorced from selfish aims, and exuding a sentiment of Christ-like sweetness. The banding together of in strength but also in a safe-blower, a forger, a pickpocket, a "stick-up man," a "house-prowler," a blackmailer, a "con" man, a mail-order crook and a "bunko artist" would scarcely constitute an organization for the elimination of crime, even though they incorporated and adopted the by-laws of the National Society for the Prevention of Crime. It will not be necessary to stress the fact, before an intelligent group of readers, that the League of Nations will function as an organ and agency of peace only so far as we bring about a change of heart upon the part of the constituent governments. No league of nations can ever go forward to become a great world force unless a pacific and constructive spirit dominates the foreign offices and public opinion of these same nations. - The Genesis Of The World War, Harry Elmer Barnes