July
1 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
I received my Acer Chromebook on 5 March 2017. At that time I could not add GIMP to it so uninstalled Windows from my Toshiba and made it a Linux computer with Ubuntu on 8 April 2017. Then had the Linux version of GIMP uploaded and working on 15 April 2017. That has been what I have been using ever since then.
Saturday night I found out that sometime in late 2018 my Acer Chromebook had been upgraded to support Linux apps. It 'cost' me about 1GB of data but I was able to install Linux and GIMP on my Acer Chromebook 14. It is a different version than the one I am using on the Toshiba but looks like it will do what I want in the way of photo editing. I thought I could add Calibre to the Acer also but failed to do so Saturday night. Failed again last night; not that important to have it on the Chromebook so think I'll forget it.
Our regular afternoon walk got rained out once more yesterday. We tried it again after I had 'linner' and did a long potty walk which could have been one of regular lengths but we had done enough. The only day that shows a chance of thunderstorms in the 10 day forecast is next Sunday. Hotter days starting today through Friday but all the mornings will be wonderful with temperatures in the 50s.
You know Mr. Hoover is sorter right about that “Dole.” He has seen what it has done for England, and he knows what it would do for this country. Of course, no country in its right mind would ever adopt the method that England did. That is just give people money that couldent work, and not make them do something for it—just let them sit and draw enough pay to live on. It’s got to be done by giving them something to do for that money. That’s what ruined the whole plan over there. - Will Rogers
2 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
Grocery gathering today plus other things. First there was breakfast at Trail Riders in Eagar where I tried their Relleno con Huevos. It was good but not as good as the one that I got in Prescott. Then the stop at Safeway where I had one thing on my shopping list that was not a usual purchase. I was looking for some clothespins or those metal binder clips to hold the coffee bags while drying in my shower; didn't find either.
The coffee bags were at the Post Office. When I got back to the Park I unpacked them and showed them to the Park Host that will do the stitching so she could determine what color of thread she needed to get. Then put the first one in the sink to be hand washed. Just got started washing my first one in the kitchen sink and it looks like it will take 3-4 changes of water. The drying process is also going to take a long time considering how much water the bag has soaked up.
Uhtred is starting to develop some 'character' in this second book. I was unsure of him on the first book. Then there is King Alfred, I just want to give him a swift kick!The Pale Horseman is the second historical novel in the Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, published in 2005. It is set in 9th Century [876-878] Wessex and Cornwall. Lord Uhtred of Bebbanburg arrives at King Alfred of Wessex's court to proclaim his victory over the Danish Chieftain, Ubba Lothbrokson, only to find that Ealdorman Odda the Younger of Defnascir has taken the glory for himself and been named leader of Alfred's bodyguard. - Wikipedia
A very good article Only Trump Could Go To North Korea by Tom Luongo. I doubt that Bolton got the message.
In the past ten days he’s called out National Security Advisor John Bolton publicly, called him a hawk and sent him to Mongolia while Trump made history. Say what you want about him, Trump is pretty good at this messaging thing.
Pat Buchanan has a good idea Memo to Trump: Trade Bolton for Tulsi.
“For too long our leaders have failed us, taking us into one regime change war after the next, leading us into a new Cold War and arms race, costing us trillions of our hard-earned tax payer dollars and countless lives. This insanity must end.” - Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
3 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
The coffee bag washing is moving right along. I have one done and only 5 more to go. It took five refills of the sink and the water still was discolored but I considered the bag clean enough. Put it in the shower and treaded on it for awhile and then hung it up in the shower and let it drip overnight. This morning I put it on Desperado's dash where it will get sun most of the day, maybe dry by tomorrow.
Have some cooking to do. There is a pot of red beans on the stove now that will be for some more salad. Then tomorrow I'll boil up another batch of hulled barley and oat groats for my future breakfasts. There is a salmon fillet in the freezer that will go in the roaster within the next few days. That and my usual reading will keep me entertained.
I knew that bellwether was a leading indicator of future trends but always thought the term originated from something to do with the weather. Not so, a bellwether is the castrated ram (a wether) that sports a bell on his kneck and leads the flock of sheep.
After a few months of 'pause' the US trade deficit has re-accelerated in May (the deficit rose from -$51.2bn to -$55.5bn), considerably more than expected. This is the highest trade deficit of 2019...with the May deficit with Mexico widened to $9.6b, the highest on record. If there ever was any doubt that President Trump's tariffs were going to 'fix' the trade deficit I think that doubt has been removed. They are not.
4 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
The Whiting Knoll fire is sending up a lot of smoke directly west of Round Valley. The fires incident report claims that it is 30 acres but there sure seems to be more smoke than that small of acreage would create. It isn't blowing into the valley - yet.
I now have a neighbor on both sides of me. The one on the west side came in late. I didn't know that I had a new neighbor on that side until I stepped outside for our morning walk. The Park Host told me that my previous neighbor on that side had a complaint filed about loud music; I never heard a thing. The Park is also about half full, 21 RVs here now.
Continuing to wash coffee bags, two down and only four to go. I don't like it that when washed it leaves them wrinkled. From what I have read that is not all bad, it gives them more 'character', although some people do iron them. I'll see what I think after hanging them.
I have selected one paragraph from a very long customer review. The reviewer goes on and on but this paragraph expresses my thoughts for the book. Brigadier Gerard makes an appearance in this story as well but he is only a lieutenant. He does meet his wife to be however.Though the novel is called Uncle Bernac, the title character is little seen and doesn’t figure very largely into the book’s plot. He functions merely as a device to get de Laval into the presence of Napoleon. In fact, the book’s main purpose is to provide an opportunity for Conan Doyle to give a character study of the great French Emperor. The author obviously harbors a healthy hero worship for his nation’s former nemesis. The Napoleon that Conan Doyle depicts in this novel is pretty much the stereotypical image that one would expect—part monomaniacal genius and part petulant child. Conan Doyle also provides accompanying sketches of the Empress Josephine, various members of the Imperial Court, and several heroes of the French military. He describes them all with loving enthusiasm, detailing their individual quirks of mannerism and the decorative details of their uniforms as if he were a child showing off the action figures in his toy box. While all these characters engage in protracted conversation, the reader is left to wonder what’s the point. When, if ever, will the book return to the story of de Laval? The young man ostensibly came to Napoleon to receive a commission, yet orders are not forthcoming, and the initial enchantment with the Emperor and his court soon fades into tedium. - Edited customer review @ Amazon
5 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: July 5, 1931
Springerville, July 4, 2019 – For Immediate Release - The Whiting Knoll Fire is located approximately 8 miles southeast of Vernon, Arizona. Fire managers are utilizing existing roads and natural features as fire line to create a box in which they plan to contain the fire. Utilizing ground and helicopter assisted ignition, crews successfully began burn outs within the planning area on Wednesday. Burn outs are a strategy employed by fire managers where crews set fire to fuels between the edge of the fire and the fire line to reduce fuel load in the fire’s path in order to slow and eventually stop the progress of the fire. Wednesday’s operations went as planned and without incident. While smoke will be visible from surrounding communities, prevailing winds are pushing the column away from densely populated areas.
Trump Is Losing His Own Trade War by Veronique de Rugy
None of this is to say that China and other countries aren't hurting as a result of this trade war. A growing number of global firms are shifting production out of China in response to the U.S.-China trade war... Does this fact mean the Trump strategy is working? No. The Trump plan was that companies would leave China and move back to the United States. But that's not what's happening. Instead, they're moving production to other Asian countries, including Vietnam. That is probably why the president is suddenly threatening to impose hefty tariffs against Vietnam. If he does, the Europeans, with their new free trade relationship with Vietnam, will be the winners.
6 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
Springerville, July 5, 2019 – For Immediate Release – The 4th of July was an active day on the Whiting Knoll Fire east of Vernon. Crews continued with back fire operations, bringing the fire down to Forest Roads 117 and 65 fire line and Apache County Road 3123 fire line. Due to the heavy holiday traffic and active fire in direct proximity, fire managers and Apache County officials have closed these roads for firefighter and public safety.
Early in the day, the fire entered a sizeable pocket of heavy fuels consisting of mixed conifer with a heavy dead and down component resulting in a substantial smoke column through the day. A Navopache power line that runs through this heavy timber pocket has tripped off line, causing power outages to customers in the Greens Peak area. Due to the heavy fire activity yesterday, line crews were unable to access the area. Navopache anticipates accessing and assessing the distribution line this morning. Currently, the level of impact to the line is unknown and there is no estimate on when power will be restored to affected customers.
They have significantly increased personnel to 99. Reporting the fire to now be 1,546 acres with 5% of the perimeter contained. Without a good rain this is going to just get bigger. We had some smoke yesterday morning but have been lucky so far with the wind blowing in our favor.
Stepped outside yesterday afternoon for our walk and didn't take more than a dozen steps and we were getting wet. Tried it again after having my 'linner' and did a short potty walk within the Park. There were a few sprinkles as we finish the first lap so I decided not to do a second one. It was about 5 minutes later that we would have got much wetter. Made a good decision.
Solid cloud cover this morning. Felt a drop or two of rain as we walked to McDs but then got a little damp on the way back. It was a steady sprinkle or light rain for the entire 1.85 miles. Made a poor decision.
I'll continue to wash coffee bags but may have some difficulty getting them dry. The high temperatures for today and tomorrow are down in the 70s with a chance of rain both days. I have four that are washed and dry so that will be enough to see how they are going to look hung on the rods I pick up on Monday.
According to Gallup, while 76 percent of Republicans say they are “extremely proud” to be an American, only 22 percent of Democrats say the same, a sharp drop from last year. In 2013, the beginning of Obama’s second term, 56% of Democrats said they were “extremely proud” to be Americans... how does a party, 3 of 4 of whose adherents profess no pride in its political system, persuade the nation to put it in charge of that system? How does a party, not one-fourth of whom are “extremely proud” to be an American, persuade a majority of Americans to entrust it with the leadership of their nation?- Trump’s Patriotism Vs. The New Anti-Americanism, Patrick J. Buchanan
7 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
SSpringerville, July 6, 2019 – For Immediate Release – Yesterday crews continued with back fire operations around the fire’s perimeter, consuming unburned fuels between the main fire and the fire line, bringing the fire to 50% containment. Navopache Electric Cooperative was able to access the tripped powerline, make repairs, and restore power by mid-day.
Today all main roads in the fire area are re-opened. Crews will monitor the fire and begin mop-up along the fire lines. This will be the final update on the Whiting Fire unless significant events occur. [Total of 2,280 acres with a lot less smoke.]
I'll wash the last coffee bag soon after I get this posted. Then tomorrow pick up the curtain rods and maybe the Park Host can get measurements. I have a concern that her sewing machine is not going to be able to handle the four layers of burlap that I want her to stitch through. She saw the bags and acted like it was not going to be a problem so we will see.
But the thing about neocons and the rest of the increasingly indistinguishable proponents of American imperialism is that their underlying thesis is actually fundamentally correct: the US empire does depend on endless war in order to maintain its dominance over other nations. America doesn’t have the leverage to stay on top using economic prowess alone; it requires both the carrot of US military backing and the stick of US military aggression. War is the only adhesive holding the US-centralized empire together, and the more its economic dominance slips away in the face of China’s economic rise, the more ham-fisted and desperate its warmongering is necessarily going to get. - Caitlin Johnstone
The Panic of 1819: Reactions and Policies is Murray Rothbard's 1962 work about what he calls the first great economic crisis of the United States. The book is based on his doctoral dissertation in economics at Columbia University during the mid-1950s. - WikipediaThe book is not only based on his doctoral dissertation it reads like a dissertation as well. Complete with masses of footnotes that are prescribed for an academic publication. If you have an interest in the first United States depression then start by reading the Conclusion chapter in this book and move on from there. That was 200 years ago and we confront the same issues today.
The Panic of 1819 exerted a profound effect on American economic thought. As the first great financial depression, similar to a modern expansion-depression pattern, the panic heightened interest in economic problems, and particularly those problems related to the causes and cures of depressed conditions. Such important unsolved economic problems as monetary and banking policy, tariff protection, debt collection, internal improvements, all existed before the depression and all continued after it was gone. But the panic gave them new dimensions and aroused new speculations which were not to disappear with the return of prosperity.
8 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
Another trip into town with a lot of stops. Started with breakfast at Booga Red's where I wanted Chorizo con Huevos but they had no Chorizo. Settled for their Booga Red's Special which is my second choice from the menu. From there I went to the laundromat where I got the washer started as well as this posting.
With laundry done I went to the Post Office where I got my package that had the curtain rods and a couple LED bulbs for the wall light fixtures. I'll try to get before and after pictures of the change that those made.
Then a stop at Safeway where the grocery gathering went quickly. Next door was a Family Dollar that had a sign in the window that they were closing, Big Sales. There were three of us standing outside at 9:00 expecting them to open. An employee saw us and indicated it would be 5 more minutes. We all left. I stopped at General Dollar on the way to my dentist office and bought kitchen towels.
Wanted to confirm my dental appointment and give them a copy of my latest x rays but they were closed. No office hours posted on the door and their web site claims they open at 7:30. A couple blocks from there was a bank where I was able to get some cash. I use very little cash, buying almost everything with a Credit Card, but pay for small purchases with cash and was running low.
America has been stripped of its cultural consciousness. The US has become a Tower of Babel, a territory that has lost its identity and is disunited by the Identity Politics created by diversity and multiculturalism. Without unity there is no country. - Paul Craig Roberts
From the Earth to the Moon (1865) tells the story of the Baltimore Gun Club, a post-American Civil War society of weapons enthusiasts, and their attempts to build an enormous Columbiad space gun and launch three people—the Gun Club's president, his Philadelphian armor-making rival, and a French poet— in a projectile with the goal of a Moon landing.The story is also notable in that Verne attempted to do some rough calculations as to the requirements for the cannon and in that, considering the comparative lack of empirical data on the subject at the time, some of his figures are remarkably accurate. However, his scenario turned out to be impractical for safe manned space travel since a much longer barrel would have been required to reach escape velocity while limiting acceleration to survivable limits for the passengers.
The character of Michel Ardan, the French member of the party in the novel, was inspired by the real-life photographer Félix Nadar.
Round the Moon (1870), was a sequel to From the Earth to the Moon, which continues the trip to the Moon which was only partially described in the previous novel. It was later combined with From the Earth to the Moon to create A Trip to the Moon and Around It. - Edited Wikipedia
I downloaded one 'book' from Gutenberg that contained both of these books but was not the combined one that Wikipedia describes. Verne also built his 900' space gun on a 1,200' hill in Florida that does not exist. The highest elevation in the state is Britton Hill that reaches 345'.
9 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
I got the west side curtain rod installed yesterday and have two bags draped over it. The tighter weave bags provide more sun blocking than the old curtains did. The looser weave bags offer a little less. I'll have a better idea of how they are going to look when the pockets are sewn and the curtains hung.
India has joined China, Europe, Japan, South Korea and Mexico as being an enemy in president Trump's Trade Wars. Will there be any country that is NOT sanctioned soon because they do not do the bidding of the United States? What is going to happen when those countries that have been bullied turn on the bully?
Narendra Modi emboldened by his recent re-election, India has decided to move ahead with the purchase of a Russian missile defense system - which, by law, gives Washington the right to slap sanctions on India, which it has threatened to do - and it's also refused to yield to America's ban on Iranian oil exports. - Source
The authors are Rudyard Kipling, George Gissing, Arthur Morrison, Ella D'Arcy, and Arthur Conan Doyle. The one by Doyle was a Sherlock Holmes story that I had read before but it was the best of the lot. Didn't like the one by Kipling with the others being only so so.This is a selection of five short stories with the common theme of unhappy marriage. As they are all five written during the Victorian era, they give the reader a good picture of what was and was not considered tolerable by social mores in a marriage of that day. For that historical purpose alone, there is much value to reading this collection. Some of the stories are particularly well written as well, though, given the collection even more merit. - Edited customer review @ goodreads.com
10 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
All of the curtain rods are now up. I needed to have some pilot holes drilled for a few of the screws where I could not get them in - trying to screw into some of the metal studs. All curtains washed and dry. They are now in the hands of the Park Host to be stitched. Did not ask when they might be ready.
I sent an email to RV City a couple weeks ago asking them if they could do the interior remodeling that I want to have done. No reply. Sent the same request to a RV service shop in Tucson today. From what I read on their web site they can do everything that I want done. The biggest question is when can they do it and where will I stay while it is happening.
I have started reading Russka: The Novel of Russia by Edward Rutherfurd as a Kindle download. It is 960 pages in paperback which is not quite as long as War And Peace at 1,296 pages. It has all the same unpronounceable Russian names although Rutherfurd does not add to the confusion by using a lot of the patronymics as did Tolstoy. It will keep me busy.
I also finally got back to the pixel art drawing yesterday. Didn't get a lot drawn but did some after being away from it for over a month.
That is about all I have going for me. A little bit a cooking and lots of reading.
11 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
I said that I sent an email to a RV service shop in Tucson yesterday. Actually I sent the same email to two shops in Tucson. I got a robot email reply from one of them and both of them claim they will be responding 'soon'. I also sent an email to the Pima County Fairgrounds RV Park asking if I needed to contact them for a reservation when my date of arrival is known. The thought is that I may stay there while getting the redecorating work done in Tucson. No reply yet.
I did a reply from my dental office apologizing for being closed. I asked if they were going to be open on 19 July and they responded saying NO plus they would be closed on the 22nd as well. I wrote and asked if they were going to be open on the 26th or the 1st of August and most importantly will be open on 8 August when I have an appointment. No reply yet.
it turns out that endless war is an absolutely essential component of the globe-spanning alliance between oligarchs and government agencies which is sometimes referred to as the “deep state”. Exerting more and more control over world affairs is how the largest power structures on earth continue to expand their power, and this is impossible to do without using the carrot of US military/economic alliance and the stick of US military/economic punishment. US economic control isn’t hegemonic enough on its own to overcome the influence of growing economic powers like China, so the threat of military violence is absolutely essential for maintaining the power alliance. It’s the glue that holds the entire empire together.- Opposing War Is The Best Approach To Revolution, Caitlin Johnstone
Apparently the insistence that 'climate change' is caused by mankind burning fossil fuels, or maybe cows, is not the settled science that the true believers preach.
NOTE: GCM-models are General Circulation Models. Which are numerical models representing physical processes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and land surface which prove the adage 'garbage in, garbage out'. Anthropogenic climate change refers to the production of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity.
I have added the bold highlight to the report Conclusion. No Experimental Evidence For The Significant Anthropogenic Climate Change by J. Kauppinen and P. Malmi @ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku.
We have proven that the GCM-models used in the IPCC report AR5 cannot compute correctly the natural component included in the observed global temperature. The reason is that the models fail to derive the influences of low cloud cover fraction on the global temperature. A too small natural component results in a too large portion for the contribution of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. That is why IPCC represents the climate sensitivity more than one order of magnitude larger than our sensitivity 0.24°C. Because the anthropogenic portion in the increased CO2 is less than 10 %, we have practically no anthropogenic climate change. The low clouds control mainly the global temperature.
12 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: July 12, 1931
I managed to accomplish a lot yesterday. Finished a section of the beach pixel art drawing and now have only 22% remaining to be drawn.
The Park Host brought me the coffee bag curtains. She was able to stitch three of them but the other three were too thick for her machine. I'm going to go to Quilters Haven in Eagar later this morning, they open at 10:00. Hopefully they can get the other three stitched. Maybe even find my dentist office open, they are within a block.
I have also been able to install Calibre on my Chromebook. I first installed the Software Center which has a large number of Linux apps. Among them was Calibre which installed as easily as any of the extensions that I have added to the Acer Chromebook.
That probably used up a lot of data. However, on 10 July Verizon said that I used over 1GB during the afternoon when I use very little. I had a difficult time finding their Chat but when I got a representative the overcharge was promised to be reversed. The best interaction with Verizon that I have had, I dread having to deal with them but this encounter was painless.
Fred Reed has another good posting A Mid-Course Diagnosis that scores President Trump's accomplishments to date. Done in Fred's inimitable style.
...he [Trump] has succeeded in turning the world away from the United States. For example, he treats European countries openly as imperial domains. They are imperial domains, of course, but in the past it has been thought wiser not to make this obvious. He peremptorily tells Europe ban Huawei, block Nordstream, don’t trade with Iran, roll over, bark, beg. He seeks to cripple the economies of China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba,and any other country that doesn’t do as he likes...
When the aging tough guy in the local saloon says, “I can whip any man in this bar,” it may be that he still can–barely, since the young bad-asses get bigger while the old fellow gets slower. But when the aging champ says, “I can whip every man in this bar all at once,” it will likely be hair, teeth, and eyeballs on the barroom floor.
13 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
I went to Quilters Haven yesterday and they could not sew through the four layers of burlap either. They did suggest The Pack Shack which makes packs and bags for wildland firefighters. I stopped there and the woman thought she could do the stitching but now is their busy time of the year and she could not do it now.
Then went to Mountain Home Leather that makes gun holsters and belts. If he could sew leather then I thought he could sew burlap. He will probably be telling a story about the 'ol geezer that came to him wanting to have coffee bags stitched up as curtains. But we Got 'er Done!
Got them hung and took some pictures. Then for the first time I uploaded from the Cannon to Linux Gimp in the Chromebook where I did my minor editing. Easier than the convoluted way I have done it in the past.
The yellow bag and the darker one to the right of it on this left side are too thick to sew on a regular machine. I ended up going to the gun holster builder that sews leather and he was able to get them sewn with the pockets that I needed. From left to right: Samatra, Mexico & Mexico.
The yellow one in the center here on the right side is just a little short but not all that bad, it was also stitched by the holster builder. I may move them around some as time goes by but this is how they are hung for now. From left to right: Guatemala, Columbia (I think this is the one that I am drinking) & Brazil.How much more foreign imports will cost depends on how far the dollar goes down. But even if it plunges by 50 percent, even if the dollar were to become a junk currency like the Argentinian or other Latin American currencies, that cannot really increase American manufacturing exports, because not much American labor works in factories anymore. Workers drive cabs and work in the service industry or for medical insurance companies. Even if you give American workers in manufacturing companies all their clothing and food for nothing, they still can’t compete with foreign countries, because their housing costs are so high, their medical insurance is so high and their taxes are so high that they’re priced out of world markets. So it won’t help much if the dollar goes down by 1 percent, 10 percent or even 20 percent. If you don’t have factories going and if you don’t have a transportation system, a power supply, and if our public utilities and infrastructure are being run down, there’s nothing that currency manipulation can do to enable America to quickly rebuild its manufacturing export industries.
American parent companies have already moved their factories abroad. They have given up on America. As long as Trump or his successors refrain from changing that system – as long as he gives tax advantages for companies to move abroad – there’s nothing he can do that will restore industry here. But he’s picked up International Monetary Fund’s junk economics, the neolib patter talk that it’s given to Latin America pretending that if a country just lowers its exchange rate more, it will be able to lower its wages and living standards, paying labor less in hard-currency terms until at some point, when its poverty and austerity get deep enough, it will become more competitive. - Michael Hudson, from transcripts of audio inrerview @ GunsandButter.org Source
A good article by Doug “Uncola” Lynn, It Is What It Is. I have quoted his closing.
Like a flower, a nation was planted onto the fertile ground. It grew and blossomed under the midday sun but now wilts and dies. The seasons come and go. The sun rises and sets. We are born, we flourish and fade. Everything turns.
It is what is.
14 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
Shopping day that was taken care of very quickly today. Started with our walk as usual then breakfast at Trail Riders where I got the Tamale Plate which is also my usual. A stop at Safeway to stock up with groceries for the coming week; was back in the Park by 8:00 am.
Haven't received a reply from RV City in Huachuca City in answer to my email sent on 27 June. I may send them a second one but will wait some more and see if either of the two RV shops in Tucson reply. I have asked all three of them to plan on painting the walls in the 'living room'. However, I have changed my mind and contacted a painting contractor in Tucson about wallpapering that area.
The contractors web page list kitchen remodeling as something they do. That will not be done in the near term but is also on my list for redecorating. I can get some idea of what it will cost me and then start saving up to get it done.
Waiting for email replies is all that I have going on. I am waiting for another one from my Sierra Vista dentist also.
15 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
There has been a crowd here in the Park since last Friday. Most of them have been in the south row or the center row at the east end. I did get a neighbor in front of me in that center row about mid-week. Then yesterday I got two neighbors on my west side that had been open for almost a week. This will probably be the way it is going to be through Labor Day Weekend.
I wasted a lot of time last night trying to add Adobe Digital Edition (ADE) to Chromebook again. I thought that adding ADE from the Google Play Store would do it - but it does not. I was able to install it just fine but can not add books to it. I must have ADE installed on the Chromebook as well then when it opens there I can transfer it to the Google Play ADE which is designed to be used on phones.
A worthwhile article, Turkey calls Trump’s Bluff by Eric Margolis. It is not only Turkey but most of the NATO countries plus India have been showing signs of disobedience.
Turkey has just called Donald Trump’s bluff by going ahead with the purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles. The outrage in Washington is volcanic. Trump is vowing to rain fire and brimstone sanctions down on the disobedient Turks...
If the US reacts with even more anger, Turkey could threaten to withdraw from NATO and kick the US out of its highly strategic air base in southeast Turkey at Incirlik. It’s worth recalling that Turkey provided NATO’s second largest army after the US. Someone has to remind the deeply unknowing Trump that NATO without Turkey will be declawed. Equally important, that a Turkey unconstrained by NATO membership, will seek sources of oil which it lacks and desperately needs, and new alliances.
Only a century ago, Iraq’s rich oil fields used to be part of the Ottoman Empire until taken away by the British and French imperial powers. The days of a subservient, tame Turkey may be ending.
If you read nothing other than what The Establishment Media wants you to read and believe you would think that the extreme-left in the Democrate Party has a lock on the 2020 presidential election. Not true. There was a poll that was intended for internal Democrat Party consumption only that has been 'leaked'. Source
The group that took the poll shared the results with Axios on the condition that it not be named, because the group has to work with all parts of the party.
The findings:
Ocasio-Cortez was recognized by 74% of voters in the poll; 22% had a favorable view.
Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — another member of The Squad — was recognized by 53% of the voters; 9% (not a typo) had a favorable view.
Socialism was viewed favorably by 18% of the voters and unfavorably by 69%.
Capitalism was 56% favorable; 32% unfavorable.
"Socialism is toxic to these voters," said the top Democrat.
16 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
My Sierra Vista dentist emailed x ray copies to my Eagar, AZ dentist. I asked for a Cc and they did that also. I now have copies of the x rays that I can provide to future dental offices. The CD disk might be useful at the next office but then again it may not. I could not open it and the office here claimed they could not either.
No email replies from any of the RV service shops. I have received two junk emails from one of the shops trying to sell me stuff that I don't want - unsubscribed from that. They may piss me off and I'll not do business with them even if they reply to my email. No reply from the painting contractor either. Business must be great, no one has time to answer emails.
I wasted a lot of time and data yesterday trying to add Adobe Digital Edition (ADE) to the Toshiba. I read some new to me stuff while trying to add it to Chrome so thought I would give it another try on the Toshiba. Failed one more time!
From the interview transcript at Guns and Butter with Bonnie Faulkner and Michael Hudson. A highly recommended read.
Bonnie Faulkner: How does today’s monetary imperialism – super imperialism – differ from the imperialism of the past?
Michael Hudson: It’s a higher stage of imperialism. The old imperialism was colonialism. You would come in and use military power to install a client ruling class. But each country would have its own currency. What has made imperialism “super” is that America doesn’t have to colonize another country. It doesn’t have to invade a country or actually go to war with it. All it needs is to have the country invest its savings, its export earnings in loans to the United States Government. This enables the United States to keep its interest rates low and enable American investors to borrow from American banks at a low rate to buy up foreign industry and agriculture that’s yielding 10 percent, 15 percent or more. So American investors realize that despite the balance-of-payments deficit, they can borrow back these dollars at such a low rate from foreign countries – paying only 1 percent to 3 percent on the Treasury bonds they hold – while pumping dollars into foreign economies by buying up their industry and agriculture and infrastructure and public utilities, making large capital gains. The hope is that and soon, we’ll earn our way out of debt by this free ride arrangement.
Imperialism is getting something for nothing. It is a strategy to obtain other countries’ surplus without playing a productive role, but by creating an extractive rentier system. An imperialist power obliges other countries to pay tribute. Of course, America doesn’t come right out and tell other countries, “You have to pay us tribute,” like Roman emperors told the provinces they governed. U.S. diplomats simply insist that other countries invest their balance-of-payments inflows and official central-bank savings in US dollars, especially U.S. Treasury IOUs. This Treasury-bill standard turns the global monetary and financial system into a tributary system.
That is what pays the costs of U.S. military spending, including its 800 military bases throughout the world, and its foreign legion of Isis, Al Qaeda fighters and “color revolutions” to destabilize countries that don’t adhere to the dollar-centered global economic system. - Source
17 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
The two spaces on my west side were open for a day. Yesterday I got what I think will be an overnight stay with a Winnebago Travato Class 'B'. I think this is the first one of these that I have seen up close and personal. They were first available in 2014 and now sell used for $55,000 - 65,000. I'll just remodel Desperado, thank you.
I sent a second email to RV City but this time I cut out a lot of what I asked if they could do.
I also sent a Cc to Sales with this second email saying that I could not find an email address for Service. Got a reply from Service yesterday that said they can do the flooring replacement. They need to see it before they can say when they can do it and how long it will take. That is fine all I wanted from them now was an answer that they could do it.
We got what I consider to be the first monsoon rain yesterday. The monsoons never provide as much rain here in the upper elevations having usually rained their hardest in the lower desert of Arizona. We did get .14" and had some lightning and thunder to go along with it. The best thing about it was that it happened before we did our walk. It was very humid when we did go out and we got some road spray but didn't get rained on.
Nothing much on my To Do List. I'll be reading more of the long novel on my Paperwhite. Probably get a little bit more of the beach pixel art piece drawn.
18 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
I tried and failed to install Wine and Adobe Digital Editions some more. Broke down and sought help at LinuxQuestions.org - where Linux users come for help. It has now been about 12 hours since I posted my introduction and ask for help. Have had well over 100 viewers but only two replies that attempted to be helpful. We will see what the future might hold but I'm not very optimistic. I have had poor results with Stack Overflow that claims to help get answers to your toughest coding questions.
The only thing that have on my 'list' for today is to dump holding tanks and add water. I will follow up on one of the Wine/ADE problem replies. There will be more reading on my Paperwhite and maybe some pixel drawing (didn't get to that yesterday).
Japan has very strict gun controls and therefore has had a problem with mass knifings in the past but they are inventive people. Outlaw guns and people that want to kill people will find a way! It is not the gun that is the problem.
Thursday, 18 July, after breaking into the company’s offices in Kyoto and spraying an inflammable liquid, which he then set on fire, causing a huge explosion. At least 33 people died and many more are missing after the attack at Kyoto Animation, a famous brand in Japan often referred to as KyoAni.
19 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: July 19, 1931
Today was a easy shopping day. In my usual scheme of things I would have gone tomorrow but I am going to shoot in Show Low on Sunday and didn't want to be unhooking and hooking up two days in a row. Not that it makes that much difference, I have done it before, but just another one of my eccentricities.
Breakfast at Booga Red's where I wanted their Chorizo and Eggs but they were out of Chorizo again. The waitress said that it was very popular and they were ordering more. I would hope so if they are selling out of it.
Getting groceries at Safeway was no problem. It was at the checkout that things went awry. I allowed a fellow behind me to go ahead while I was unloading my cart onto the conveyor belt. 'No good deed goes unpunished', the cashier's computer froze while checking out the woman in front of us both. Had to put everything back in the cart and move to another checkout computer.
Yesterday I spent almost all morning and most of the afternoon up until time for our walk trying to get Adobe Digital Edition (ADE) installed and working.
I think I have now achieved - SUCCESS! I got ADE 1.7.2 installed and have downloaded two books.It may be too soon to claim SUCCESS but this is by far the best that I have been able to do. I thought I had installed Wine 1.9.16 as well but when in use the command wine --version I get 4.0.1. I don't care as long as it is making ADE work.
A had a lot of false starts during the day so I don't really know what I did and probably could not do it again without a lot of the same errors and false starts.
The next step is to add software to Calibre that will strip the Digital Rights Management (DRM) for the ePub format books that I can now read in ADE. With the epub format in Calibre I can easily convert to MOBI and be able to read the book on my Paperwhite. I first started trying to install ADE in January 2019 but read that the DRM stripping tool I wanted would not work on borrowed books.
So I gave up on the ADE install until April when I tried, failed and gave up again. How I have done it and the DRM issue is the next hurdle; now in the research stage.
20 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
The DRM removal issue research is completed. I found four websites that offer the software to do it. Only one of them offer software that runs on Linux/Ubuntu and they say that it is not designed to strip DRM from 'borrowed' books.
The other three have software for Windows and Mac with one of the three saying that their software is not for 'borrowed' books. I have sent emails to the other two asking two questions:
Will their Windows software run in Linux with Wine installed?
Will their Windows software remove DRM from 'borrowed' books?
I have received one reply "I'm not sure...download the trial version to make a full test". This was from their Support which gives me a good idea of what kind of help I might receive.
When I think about it I realize that you as the buyer of a book made from "dead trees' have the right to do what you want with it i.e. loan it, sell it, give it away, write in the margins. You don't have those rights with a DRM protected ebook so stripping away the DRM for purchased books makes sense. That is not true of 'borrowed' books so you should not be able to do so.
I am now researching the various ereaders that I can use with Adobe Digital Editions. The two contenders are Fire 8 and Kobo Clara HD with the nod going to the Fire because of price and to Kobo because it runs a Linux OS and works right out of the box. I'll make up my mind when I finish reading the DRM PDF format book that I now have in Adobe Digital Editions on my Toshiba.
The Park was almost full to capacity this morning when we went out for our walk. I had an overnighter in the westside space that left before 8:00 this morning but I suspect I'll have someone else in there before the day is done. The only open spaces were in the center row pull-thrus which could also fill up today.
...the trade mechanism which was proposed last summer - designed to circumvent both SWIFT as well as US sanctions banning trade with Iran - called Instex, is now operational.
And while we await for the White House to threaten Europe with even greater tariffs unless it ends this special purpose vehicle - it already did once back in May when it warned that anyone associated with the SPV could be barred from the U.S. financial system if it goes into effect - a response from the US is now assured, because in the biggest attack on the dollar as a reserve currency to date, on Thursday, Russia signaled its willingness to join the controversial payments channel, and has called on Brussels to expand the new mechanism to cover oil exports, the FT reported. Source
21 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
I have made a decision and ordered a Kobo Clara HD. This is how that happened. I was doing more comparison shopping by searching for comparison reviews online and found "Kobo Sale Alert: Kobo Clara HD $99" at the-eBook-Reader.com. The latest update was at the end of April but when I check Walmart they were still selling for $99.96. Expected delivery is by next Wednesday.
I was partially right about how the Park was going to fill up by last night. I did get what I think will be a new overnighter, they are in a Cruise America rental. But was surprised when the west end of the center row all left and there were no replacements. The east end of that row has been full of ATVers that I think are leaving today. Maybe get some replacements or maybe not.
I'm making progress and can see the finish of the long novel that I have been reading on my Paperwhite. I also made a good start on the Adobe Digital Editions book that I have installed on the Toshiba. Don't like reading books on it much therefore the purchase of the Kobo.
"Creativity is a very strange thing. The enjoyment one gets from it seems to have no relationship to the quality of the finished product...
Evidently there is somebody, somewhere, who will buy almost anything." - Going Back To Bisbee, Richard Shelton
Won't get much reading done this afternoon. I'll be shooting at the Show Low range with the Defensive League.
22 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
There is not much I can say about my shooting yesterday. Not bad but certainly not very good. That is acceptable however, I just need to be good enough. There was a woman there that had come over from Eagar just to observe but she then could not resist shooting. She had a 9mm 'pocket pistol' that she was shooting well.
The Walmart sale price for the Kobo surprised me but the more I read about Kobo I think I now understand. Walmart is competing with Amazon to sell books. Amazon developed the Kindle ereader to lock in buyers of their books that use a format read only by Kindle. Walmart selected the Kobo and Adobe Digital Editions to do the same thing for their books.
The customer review expresses my opinion well. I am so glad that I have found Rutherfurd. If you like Michener then you're going to like him also. That is the obverse, the reverse is you will hate them both.It's unavoidable that Rutherfurd be compared to Michener; their styles are similar, their books tend to be EPIC NOVELS and they both like one-word place-name titles. In a world without Michener, I'm especially glad there's Rutherfurd. Ignore the Russophiles; this book wasn't written for them. It is a novel, meant to entertain - dissecting it as if Rutherfurd had marketed it as a textbook is a ridiculous sort of snobbery. - Edited customer review @ goodreads.com
23 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
Patches and I got attacked by another off leash dog here in the Park yesterday afternoon. Usually we are not walking in the Park but it had been raining and looked like we could get more so I wanted to stay close to Desperado. It was only a little dashboard ankle biter but Patches does not apply judgement she just understands that it is a dog and that it is threatening us.
I was off balance and she pulled me down into the gravel road where it was me that got hurt this time. The last time she got bit. I laid there cursing and moaning while some guy was hovering over me wanted to get me up. Then after I sat up another guy wanted to take Patches. No one was offering an apology so it must have been our fault.
The Park Host came in their ATV to take me back to either their place of mine. I went to theirs and she got the bleeding stopped, applied some spray and said she was going to have a talk with the dog owners about using a leash. Well the talk must not have gone well because soon I saw two sheriff vehicles show up and three deputies got out. There was a lot of talk with them I guess and then maybe half an hour later they came over and asked me if I needed medical attention. I thought not and they soon left. The dog owners are also leaving today.
With all that excitement I think I'll stay on the couch as much as possible today. I know I'll not be walking Patches in the Park rain or no rain.
A couple more countries have dared to not do what President Trump wants them to do. More sanctions, more sanctions - I don't think they are working as planned.
The US is not just “frustrated” with New Delhi on troubled defence ties, but it is also planning sanctions on India under CAATSA (Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) legislation, a top American government official told ThePrint.
“Not just Turkey, the Trump administration is closely monitoring India also. India’s decision to purchase the S-400 system and its recent plans for more defence purchases from Moscow has become a serious cause of concern…India is now being considered for sanctions under the CAATSA legislation,” said the official who did not wish to be named. Source
U.S. President Donald Trump said he is now considering a “ban,” tariffs and remittance fees after Guatemala decided to not move forward with a safe third country agreement that would have required the Central American country to take in more asylum seekers.
“Guatemala ... has decided to break the deal they had with us on signing a necessary Safe Third Agreement. We were ready to go,” Trump tweeted.
“Now we are looking at the ‘BAN,’ Tariffs, Remittance Fees, or all of the above. Guatemala has not been good,” Trump wrote. Source
24 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
We won't be doing much today, sort of like most of our days. I could finish reading the book that I have in Adobe Digital Editions on my Toshiba. Make some more progress on the one that I have on my Paperwhite which is a bit of a slog. We did our weekly walk through downtown to McD's this morning and I had my usual latte. The afternoon walks are now becoming iffy. There are afternoon thunderstorms forecast for 8 out of the next 10 days. That might mean we get wet but I am not going to stay in the Park to try and stay dry. The dog, and owner, that caused the last problem are gone but I'm sure there are plenty more willing to take their place.
A good blog posting America: An Us vs. Them Country by Patrick J. Buchanan. I have quoted his closing paragraph
Will the deplorables, who number in the scores of millions, accept a future where they and their children and children’s children are to submit to permanent rule by people who visibly detest them and see them as racists, sexists and fascists? Will Middle America go gentle into that good night?
This is only one industry that is experiencing the blowback from president Trump's tariff wars. It is only going to get worse as he keeps ratching them up against China and adds India and the EU to the mix.
The [RV] industry has taken hits from U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum and other duties on scores of Chinese-made RV parts, from plumbing fixtures to electronic components to vinyl seat covers.
Shipments of RVs to dealers have fallen 22% percent in the first five months of this year, compared to the same period last year, after slipping 4% in 2018, according to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association.
The RV industry’s woes illustrate how even the most “American” of manufacturers, the kind of industries Trump has vowed to protect, can be heavily exposed to tariffs in a world of globalized supply chains. - Source
We now see, thanks to Rothbard’s insights, that the Hoover– Roosevelt period was really a continuum, that most of the “innovations” of the New Deal were in fact expansions or intensifications of Hoover solutions, or pseudo-solutions, and that Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration differed from Herbert Hoover’s in only two important respects—it was infinitely more successful in managing its public relations, and it spent rather more taxpayers’ money. And, in Rothbard’s argument, the net effect of the Hoover–Roosevelt continuum of policy was to make the slump more severe and to prolong it virtually to the end of the 1930s. The Great Depression was a failure not of capitalism but of the hyperactive state. I will not spoil the reader’s pleasure by entering more deeply into Rothbard’s arguments. - America's Great Depression, Murray N. Rothbard - Introduction to the Fifth Edition, by Paul Johnson
...there has been a great deal of discussion of government “investment.” There can be no such investment, however. “Investment” is defined as expenditures made not for the direct satisfaction of those who make it, but for other, ultimate consumers. Machines are produced not to serve the entrepreneur, but to serve the ultimate consumers, who in turn remunerate the entrepreneurs. But government acquires its funds by seizing them from private individuals; the spending of the funds, therefore, gratifies the desires of government officials. Government officials have forcibly shifted production from satisfying private consumers to satisfying themselves; their spending is therefore pure consumption and can by no stretch of the term be called “investment.” (Of course, to the extent that government officials do not realize this, their “consumption” is really waste-spending.) - America's Great Depression - Part I, Government depression policy: laissez-faire, Murray N. Rothbard
25 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
I got to meet the owner of this RV Park yesterday afternoon. Even more importantly Patches got to meet her as well as a lot of other people. Not only did she meet them all but she displayed what a 'sweetheart' she is. The aggressive dog myth was put to rest during our 10 minute visit with everyone.
I even had the opportunity to express my dissatisfaction with the Park's web page Contact Form - I never get a reply. She said there was a problem with it sending messages to Junk and if not read within a few days it goes to cyberspace. She wrote down my email address and maybe will send me a message so that I will then have her direct email address versus the Contact Form.
There was a gathering at the building that will maybe someday house the laundry and a shower. It was a potluck, I think, that had to find someplace with cover because it was raining. I ate 'linner' when we usually would be walking and then went out later. Got just a little road spray but stayed dry from any additional rain. There was a bit more fall during the night with the total only being 0.19" but for Arizona that is a good rain.
One of America's most distinguished poets now shares his fascination with a distinctive corner of our country. Richard Shelton first came to southeastern Arizona in the 1950s as a soldier stationed at Fort Huachuca. He soon fell in love with the region and upon his discharge found a job as a schoolteacher in nearby Bisbee. Now a university professor and respected poet living in Tucson, still in love with the Southwestern deserts, Shelton sets off for Bisbee on a not-uncommon day trip. Along the way, he reflects on the history of the area, on the beauty of the landscape, and on his own life.Couched within the narrative of his journey are passages revealing Shelton's deep familiarity with the region's natural and human history. Whether conveying the mystique of tarantulas or describing the mountain-studded topography, he brings a poet's eye to this seemingly desolate country. His observations on human habitation touch on Tombstone, "the town too tough to die," on ghost towns that perhaps weren't as tough, and on Bisbee itself, a once prosperous mining town now an outpost for the arts and a destination for tourists. What he finds there is both a broad view of his past and a glimpse of that city's possible future.
Going Back to Bisbee explores a part of America with which many readers may not be familiar. A rich store of information embedded in splendid prose, it shows that there are more than miles on the road to Bisbee.
- Book promo by The University of Arizona Press
26 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: July 26, 1931
Shopping day with a first stop at Circle K to fill Desperado's tank with gas. There were two of the four pumps out of service and the one that I selected would not accept my Zip code. Went inside and the clerk was able to turn the pump on and I filled up.
Breakfast was at Trail Riders restaurant where I got their Relleno plate. It is pretty good, not as good as the Tamale plate but it is a change. The stop at Safeway went much better than last week and I was soon at the Post Office where I picked up three packages. There was an order at Amazon for GoPo that was shipped from England with no tracking that I was not sure if it had arrived or not. A package of mail forwarding from my UPS Store in Sierra Vista and the Kobo from Walmart. I'll be trying to set that up later today.
Went to Allreds, a clothing store, to get another pair of Carhartt pants and found that they were out of business. There is a lot of that here in Springerville, closed up businesses. Then had to wait for Verizon to open and when they did the store manager could not access my account with just my name he had to have the device numbers and a pin number. Went back to Desperado and got my laptop to show him my account.
By then there were other customers ahead of me. Finally he got my account open and we talked about my options and I changed my plan from 8GB per billing cycle to Unlimited. I think it will cost me about the same as the old plan plus a $15 charge for every time I need to go over the 8GB which is becoming more frequent. We will see how it works out.
America's Great Depression is a 1963 formal and systematic written discourse on the 1930s Great Depression and its root causes. Rothbard devotes the first half of the book explaining the Austrian theory of the business cycle, which holds that government manipulation of the money supply sets the stage for the familiar "boom-bust" phases of the modern market. The second half then explains how the Hoover administration made the Depression worse with New Deal policies.I do not recommend the book. The second half would be good for reference if you really, really want to know who was for or against the different policies during Hoover's term. He was the goat and Roosevelt was the savior in the popular mythology but the New Deal started with Hoover and Roosevelt continued the same policies, only with more money, which did not get the United States out of the Depression - WWII did.
This quote is from a Pluto Press Release for the 2nd Edition of Super Imperialism - American Empire by Michael Hudson. I have downloaded an unprotected DRM PDF file to Adobe Digital Editions just to see how it handles it. I will next try to transfer it to the Kobo ereader that I picked up today. More on that later.
This book was the first to explain how America has obliged other countries to finance its payments deficit, including its foreign military spending and its corporate buyouts of European and asian companies. In effect, America has devised a new means to tax Europe and Asia via their central banks' obligation to accept unlimited sums of dollars. The burden on Europe and Asia is not felt directly as a tax, however, but indirectly through their payments surpluses with the United States.
The Treasury-bill standard has enabled the USA to import goods far beyond its ability to export. The upshot is to provide America with a unique form of affluence, achieved by getting a free ride from Europe, Asia and other regions. When british exporters (or the owners of companies or real estate being sold for dollars) receive more dollars, the recipient of these payments turn them over to the Bank of England for sterling. The Bank of England in turn invests these dollars in U. S. treasury bonds, receiving a relatively small interest rate. Now that the gold option has been closed there is no alternative for how to spend these dollars. America has found a way to make the rest of the world pay for its imports, and indeed pay for its takeover of foreign companies, and most imminently to pay for its new war in the Middle East.
27 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
I put in a good 8 hours effort trying to make the newly purchased Kobo work with what I have. First, it will not connect to the Internet using my Verizon Jetpack MIFI. I had a long Chat with a Kobo support person, probably in India, that said I had to set my WiFi network to a 2.4 Ghz signal The Jetpack transmits 802.11ac Wi-Fi simultaneously on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, without forcing you to switch between them so it should have connected but it didn't.
I was able to connect using the RV Park WIFI and got the Kobo set up. This was after a couple of tries and with the help of the Park Host. Then the majority of my time was spent trying to get the Kobo 'authorized' by Adobe which requires Adobe Digital Editions to recognize the Kobo device. I was never able to do that. The final straw was when I was able to open an unprotected PDF book in Kobo but there is no way to change the font size.
I then had more Chats with various people, again I think they were probably all in India. However, I was promised a refund and was email a postage paid return address label. Now all I have to do it get that printed somehow, box up the Kobo and ship it back. A learning opportunity!
The Korean War seemed to resolve this set of problems by shifting the U.S. balance of payments into deficit. Confrontation with Communism became a catalyst for U.S. military and aid programs abroad. Congress was much more willing to provide countries with dollars via anti-Communist or national defense programs than by outright gifts or loans, and after the Korean War America’s military spending in the NATO and SEATO countries seemed to be a relatively bloodless form of international monetary support. In country after country, military spending and aid programs provided a reflux of some of the foreign gold that the United States had absorbed during the late 1940s.- Super Imperialism The Economic Strategy of American Empire - Introduction, Michael Hudson
Within a decade, however, what at first seemed to be a stabilizing economic dynamic became destabilizing. The United States, the only nation capable of financing a worldwide military program, began to sink into the mire that had bankrupted every European power that experimented with colonialism. America’s Cold War strategists failed to perceive that whereas private investment tends to be flexible in cutting its losses, being committed to relatively autonomous projects on the basis of securing a satisfactory rate of return year after year, this is not the case with government spending programs, especially in the case of national security programs that created vested interests. Such programs are by no means as readily reversible as those of private industry, for military spending abroad, once initiated, tends to take on a momentum of its own. The government cannot simply say that national security programs have become economically disadvantageous and therefore must be curtailed.
That would imply they were pursued in the first place only because they were economically remunerative – something involving the sacrifice of human lives for the narrow motives of economic gain, even if national gain. What began as pretense became a new reality.
28 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
Getting the return label printed was only a slight problem. The Park Host printed it for me but it took a couple of tries before she could download the image that I attached to the email. Then my nextdoor neighbor on the eastside heard the conversation about my needing to return the Kobo and she offered the tape that I needed. The Kobo is packed, labeled and ready for the Post Office - I hope.
I'm now researching Plan 'B'. So far I like the Kindle Fire 8 because of its price but I am almost certain that it will not work with the Verizon MIFI that I use. It would be the same issue that I had with the Kobo. So now I am strongly considering the Lenovo Tab 4 8" Plus which has integrated Mobile Broadband LTE (which means it should work with the MIFI). Another plus is because the tablet is sold on its own there are no carrier apps or bloated, branded services which you get with all the Fire tablets. The downside to all of this is the increased cost but it is very competitive with Samsung and seems to get better reviews.
29 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
More research. What I now think I need is the Lenovo 4 8" Plus which has WIFI + LTE capabilities. The Verizon MIFI that I have is an LTE network device. The Lenovo Plus claims to be compatible to all the cellular networks except Sprint. That is more expensive of course.
It also needs to have an app added that will then be able to read Adobe DRM protected books or I'm wasting my time and money. The apps available were very limited and have become even more so leaving Adobe Digital Editions with a virtual monopoly. As with all monopolies they don't have much concern for customer service so you are on your own getting their app to work. That seems to be true of almost all app providers from what I have been reading.
The customer review says what I wanted to say. Other than I can not recommend the book unless you are reading everything that Doyle wrote. Fortunately he did not let his Spiritualism creep into his other books as Socialism did with Wells.The Vital Message is more of a sequel to 1918's The New Revelation, a first, short book on the subject of Spiritualism and the afterlife, and this following book (1919) focused his thoughts as shared on the religions (i.e., the Bible), the psychic phenomena, hypnotism, and even the subject of Jesus. This short book contains only five chapters with four appendices. It's a fairly good non-fiction book on the subject as I've enjoyed his style of writing, but I'm not too crazy about some of the topics. Customer review @ Amazon
Seems we constantly hear about how Social Security is going to run out of money, but we never hear about welfare or food stamps running out of money?
What's interesting is Social Security recipients worked for their money, but welfare and food stamps don't require work.
Am I the only one missing something?
30 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
The more I read the more confused I become. I don't think the Lenovo Tab 4 is going to be my choice. A lot of customer review problems plus I found a Verizon web page that lists devices that they support - Lenovo is not on the list. The Kindle Fire is on the list which was good news. However, when I went to the Verizon page that checks device compatibility it requires the device ID.
That means I must buy the Fire FIRST so I can get the ID. I tried their Chat and the chat representative told me the same thing and found it perfectly reasonable that I should buy the device before knowing if it was compatible. Am I the unreasonable one thinking this is ass backwards? I ordered the Kindle Fire HD 8 (with Dual-band Wi-Fi) last night, should be here next week when I go to town. I'll then find out if it is compatible with the Verizon MIFI that I have.
I got started doing my month end chores yesterday. Cleaned up the bathroom, kitchen and living room all except stove top. I also dumped holding tanks and took on water. Today I'll get Desperado's cab cleaned up and give Patches some clean windows to work with. She is a slobber artist.
The rest of my time will be spent reading the two books that I have on my Paperwhite. I switch back and forth between Jules Verne and a long economic theme book that was originally in PDF format on my Toshiba. Converted it through Calibre to MOBI so I could read it on the Paperwhite.
br>
31 July
Springerville RV
Springerville, AZ
Today I'll be getting another month of Will Rogers weekly articles prepared. Not all that difficult but it is time consuming. That plus my usual month end blog preparations for next month will complete my month end chores.
The past couple of days our afternoon walks have been disrupted by rain. Both days it has started raining at 3:00 so I have had 'linner' and then tried to do the walk when I thought it had stopped. Two days ago we got just a little damp with a few sprinkles. Yesterday we got wet, the first half of the walk was with a few sprinkles that became a light rain. Every day in the 10 Day Forecast expects scattered thunderstorms which means we could get wet again.
Some years ago I read about how bloggers could create ebooks. At that time I knew virtually nothing about ebooks and since I do not use WordPress or Blogger I thought no more about it. Last year I installed Calibre as an ebook manager plus it also downloads the ebooks to my Paperwhite. What I discovered is that it can also be used to create ebooks. That is what an ebook is: a website in a box - another project!