April
1 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I had an 8:00 dentist cleaning appointment this morning that went well. The cleaning did not take long and the hygienist said my teeth looked very good.
So I left Sierra Vista by 9:00 and into the Horseshoe Cafe in Benson for breakfast before 9:30. Then went to the computer repair shop and picked up my Chromebook. The conversion to a Linux OS did not happen but the charging problem that I had was caused by a bad charger.The guy at the shop said that he was going to mail me a new charger — free of charge. Therefore I should have an operating Chromebook again when I get the charger. I can live with that; the Linux OS was just going to be an experiment.
I got Desperado’s cab windows washed yesterday. I’m now sitting here looking at a slobbery mess on the driver side window that Patches has left me in less than 24 hours. Maybe wash it again tomorrow.
I don’t plan on doing much of anything else today. The weather is nice with a gentle breeze blowing through Desperado for a change. I’ll just sit here, take advantage of it and read.
2 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: April 2, 1933
Isaw a lot of smoke coming from north of Benson yesterday. The wind had most of it pushed to the south and east which blanketed all the mountains. This morning I could see that the western mountains were becoming hazy as well and thought I could smell some smoke.
My neighbors on the west side are moving today. There is one space at the east end of our row that has a cement slab. The man of the house wanted to move to that space because it has the slab. The woman of the house did not seem all that excited about the slab (perhaps it is because she must do most of the work) but she said ‘if that is what he wants we are moving’.
I’ll stay in this same space until the end of this month. I even sent an email to the Park asking for reservations in this same space for my next stay. No reply, I’ll be sending it again.
More R & R today with nothing planned other than reading my latest novel. Maybe more cooking but probably not until tomorrow.
This is nothing that JHK has not said many times before but in the face of Biden’s push for electric cars it needed to be said. A good article.
…but the electric car thing ain’t a’gonna happen, not at the scale envisioned, not unless the government plans to buy the electric cars and give them away to everybody, and that’s rather a stretch. [However, giving them away to just some people is possible. Remember Obama’s cell phone give away.]
First, the whole mass motoring racket is falling apart more on its financial model than on whether the cars move by gasoline or electricity. Americans are used to buying cars on installment loans, and, with the middle-class withering away, there are ever-fewer credit-worthy borrowers for those loans (for ever more expensive cars). Soon, as the debt markets groan and wobble under the weight of massive new debt, there will also be even less hallucinated capital (“money”) to loan out to this shrinking pool of borrowers.
Second, the decrepit US electric grid can’t handle the charging needs of such a gigantic electric car fleet (and fixing the grid alone would be a trillion-dollar project). Third, the manufacturing of electric cars depends on scarce rare mineral resources that are not readily available in the US, but controlled by foreign nations. Fourth, car-making utterly depends on far-flung international supply lines for parts and electronics in a time when the integrated global economy is cracking up under the strain of desperate competition for dwindling resources and the ill-will generated by that. There are yet more kinks in the electric car scheme but those are enough.–Paradigm Failure, James Howard Kunstler
3 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
The Park is clearing out. A lot of empty spaces that were all filled when I arrived here. The snowbirds have taken wing and are migrating back to their permanent residences.
I have another batch of tapioca cooking in the Thermal Cooker today. That will be added to another experimental package of frozen fruit. Everything that I have tried so far has been good to eat but not always a good appearance.
I think I have arrived at the correct amount of oat milk for the amount of dry tapioca and the way to cook it using the Thermal Cooker. So overall the experiment is a success and I can have a dessert when non-dairy yogurt is not available.
I don’t plan on doing much today other than maybe finish reading the novel I have on Fire 8. Tomorrow is Easter and also my shopping day. Perhaps I’ll be lucky and get in and out of Fry’s before all the sunrise service folks get there.
4 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
There would have been a crowd inside Landmark or there would have been people waiting to be seated in the restricted seating. But, they had a great morning to be serving outside where there were a lot of people having breakfast.
That was good because there was not that much of a shopping crowd at Fry’s. The crowd there was all at the two checkout registers that were open. There must be a dozen or more checkout stations but I don’t think I have ever seen more than three open.
The neighbors that left on my westside did not leave the space empty for very long. There was a big Class ‘A’ pulling a utility trailer with all their toys filled it by noon. They look like they will be staying here until I’m gone.
Started distilling more water. That will add some unwanted heat inside Desperado with the expected high forecast for today to be 88° and the same tomorrow.
‘Once upon a time, in a land that was called Britain, these things happened … and I was there, and this is how it was.’ The Winter King , like the rest of the trilogy, is narrated by Derfel (which is pronounced Dervel), one of Arthur’s warriors. This first book tells how after the death of Uther, High King of Britain, the country falls into chaos. Uther’s heir is a child, Mordred, and Arthur, his uncle, is named one of the boy’s guardians. Arthur has to fight other British kingdoms and the dreadful “Sais” — the Saxons — who are invading Britain. Arthur is supposed to marry Ceinwyn, a princess of Powys, but falls disastrously in love with Guinevere — ‘There have been many more beautiful women, and thousands who were better, but since the world was weaned I doubt there have been many so unforgettable as Guinevere … and it would have been better, Merlin always said, had she been drowned at birth.’–Bernard Cornwell website book promoThis is what Cornwell has written about the series, which was written before the Saxon Stories series.
The Arthur Books
“Once upon a time, in a land that was called Britain, these things happened …” well, maybe. The Warlord Trilogy is my attempt to tell the story of Arthur, ‘Rex Quondam Rexque Futurus’, the Once and Future King, although I doubt he ever was a king. I suspect he was a great warlord of the sixth century. Nennius, who was one of the earliest historians to mention Arthur, calls him the ‘dux bellorum’ — leader of battles or warlord. I have to confess that of all the books I have written these three are my favourites. They have been translated into a score of languages and were best-sellers in a dozen countries.
5 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
It was hot yesterday. The high was 88.2°, just what the weather gurus said it would be. They are forecasting that the high today will be the same. I had the A/C on after we finished our afternoon walk and will probably have it on again today. Maybe a little cooler tomorrow but still over 80.
There is hulled barley and oat groats in the Thermal Cooker this morning. They will be cooked by noon and I’ll then put some garbonzos in the pot to soak overnight. They will get cooked tomorrow and form the base of another potage for ‘liners’.
That is all I have going on for the day other than the nonfiction book I’m reading of Fire 8. I also have a book on archive.org that I can borrow for only one hour at a time that I am reading with their reader online with the Fire 10.
… it is crucial to bear in mind that neoliberalism and neoconservativism in the United States are not ideological opposites. In fact, they represent variations on the same ideological theme; their similarities often outweigh their differences. … In general, neoconservatives agree with neoliberals on the importance of free markets and free trade, but they are much more inclined than the latter to combine their hands-off attitude toward big business with intrusive government action for the regulation of the ordinary citizenry in the name of public security and traditional values. In foreign affairs, neoconservatives advocate a more assertive and expansive use of both economic and military power than neoliberals, ostensibly for the purpose of promoting freedom and democracy around the world.–Globalisms The Great Ideological Struggle of the Twenty-First Century, Manfred B. Steger
As a geographical location, the US, not necessarily under that name, can exist for a long time. But as a nation the US no longer exists. A nation requires a homogeneous population, which the US does not have, and far more unity than exists today in the US.… Today the US is a Tower of Babel.…The United States is the Constitution. Devoid of the Constitution it is some other country.–How Much Longer Will the United States Exist?, Paul Craig Roberts
I like this meme a lot.
They said that a mask and gloves were enough to go into the grocery store.
They lied, everyone else had clothes on.
6 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
The high yesterday didn’t quite reach the forecast; it was only 87.3°. There was also a breeze which gave me some cross ventilation so no A/C. Today is expected to be cooler at 82 with high winds.
The garbonzos are now in the Thermal Cooker. Maybe they will be done by the end of the day. If not I’ll heat them up again and back into the Cooker overnight. The distiller is still hard at work, maybe finished tomorrow.
I got off on a tangent yesterday and found a single-board computer (SBC) that can serve as a desktop. A SBC is a complete computer built on a single circuit board that is inexpensive; most of the cost is for the screen, keyboard, mouse and cables. It would have a Linux OS and could replace my Chromebook which is not working now although I do have it back.
I need a power adaptor and cables. The guy in Benson said he would give them to me but I have not received them yet. The SBC is not something I’m going to do soon but I think I’ll do it as an experiment.
Everyone knows that what PCR says in this article is true but the show trial must go on. The best outcome that I can hope for is a hung jury but that is very doubtful as well. Any juror that would have the courage to cause a hung jury would soon be a dead juror.
If Chauvin is found innocent, which is impossible as no American jury has that courage, America would still have a shot at law and order. He will be found guilty, and all the dumbshits will celebrate as they are ignorant of the consequences, which are that the police will cease to police black criminals.
Chauvin’s conviction will endow black criminals with immunity. An invaded white home owner could not resist robbery or rape without being gulty of “racial violence.” Your carry permit will be worthless as you don’t dare to defend yourself unless your attacker is white.–No Fair Trial for Officer Chauvin, Paul Craig Roberts
7 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I went out there and dumped holding tanks and added water early this morning. The wind was picking up and I wanted to get that done before it got stronger.
I also added mixed vegetables to the garbonzos and heated that up. Put it in the Thermal Cooker to finish cooking during the rest of the day. That pottage will make more ‘liners’ when I reheat each serving with added potatoes, napa cabbage, avocado and jalapaño.
I’m still reading about single board computers and putting together a list of the components that I would need to make it look/work like a computer as we usually think of one. I have tentatively decided on this:
Raspberry Pi 4 4GB
Raspberry Pi 4 official red/white case
User guide
Raspberry Pi official red/white keyboard & mouse
Raspberry Pi power supply
2 x micro-HDMI to HDMI-A (male) cable
16GB NOOBS with Raspbian microSD card
This is a ‘packaged’ kit that gives me everything I will need, except for the display screen and screen mount, which is not very expensive. It is the screen and screen mount that can increase the total cost. I could save money by going with a small screen but want one about the size of my Chrombook and that costs twice as much. In for a penny, in for a pound — total cost ~ $100 less than cheapest Chromebook.
This is probably as good an explanation of why the sheeple are all wearing ‘face dippers’ as you will find.
A new thing in costume appears — the flaring hoopskirt, for example — and the passers-by are shocked, and the irreverent laugh. Six months later everybody is reconciled; the fashion has established itself; it is admired, now, and no one laughs. Public opinion resented it before, public opinion accepts it now, and is happy in it. Why? Was the resentment reasoned out? Was the acceptance reasoned out? No. The instinct that moves to conformity did the work. It is our nature to conform; it is a force which not many can successfully resist.–Corn Pone Opinions, Mark Twain
8 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
Finally received my $1,400 Biden Bucks. I was among the last to get them via direct deposit because of a screwup by SSA or IRS or Congress. Who knows who was responsible, everyone is pointing their finger at someone other than themselves.
I promptly ordered the Raspberry Pi 4 kit that I described yesterday. It is not going to stimulate the economy much because I think all those components were manufactured outside the USA. I know the computer board was. I also ordered a 13.3'' Portable Monitor Screen for the Raspberry Pi 4. This I know is made in China so not much stimulus there either. I guess I could have spent the Bucks on infrastructure.
Patches has me worried. She did our morning walk normally but refused to eat any breakfast. She ate her dinner last night but did not want to eat this morning. I hope it is just a temporary issue.
This new edition of Manfred Steger’s award-winning book explores the three principal ideologies of our time: the dominant “market globalism” based on a neoliberal vision of the world as a single marketplace, the “justice globalism” developed over the last decade by a transnational coalition of global civil society forces, and the “jihadist globalism” of radical Islamists seeking to galvanize their global community of believers into violent action. Market globalism has responded to these challengers by turning into “imperial globalism”—a political belief system that marries the capitalist language of the 1990s with the security concerns of our post-9/11 world. A great article by The Hardscrabble Farmer that does not write an essay very often but when he does they are almost always great.
…in fact the signature of the CDC over the past year has been to completely and totally ignore the promotion of healthy lifestyle, but replace it with a pharmaceutical treatment while allowing the individual to continue with their maladaptive behaviors, and even engage in increasingly bizarre and destructive responses such as avoiding human contact with loved ones, hiding indoors out of the Sunlight, and retarding their ability to breathe fresh air. It would appear, to someone standing at a distance, to be a formula to guarantee the spread of sickness among a population that would ordinarily walk it off without so much as a symptom even if exposed to it.–Herd Immunity, The Hardscrabble Farmer
9 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: April 9, 1933
Patches seems to be better. She did our afternoon walk yesterday just like any other day. When we finished the walk I offered the Glucosamine treat that she gets every morning.
Yesterday morning she did not want it but took it haltingly in the afternoon. For her dinner she got a half ration and ate it all. This morning she gobbled down her Glucosamine and breakfast just like her usual self. Thank goodness.
If I were a gardener I would be out there today and this weekend transplanting from the cold frame into the garden. The mesquite have leafed out which means that there is no chance of another freeze. The mesquite are almost a week later to leaf this year compared to last year. A sign of increased global warming? Not here per the mesquites which I trust more than the ‘consensus’.
Do I need another reason for not getting “The Jab” — I think not, it is not working.
Amid a raging second wave of COVID infections, frontline workers of Indian hospitals have been reporting infection with coronavirus. These cases have been reported from the country’s top hospitals and these dozens of doctors had been inoculated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in January this year.
At least 37 doctors at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi have tested positive for Covid-19 this month.
Speaking with Sputnik, the hospital authorities said, “32 of them have mild symptoms and are in home isolation, while five are under treatment at the hospital.”
Caitlin has another posting that is right on.
As Gregory Shupak documented in a 2018 Fair.org article titled “A ‘Regime’ Is a Government at Odds With the US Empire”, this label is seldom affixed to US allies—even US allies with extremely oppressive governments like Saudi Arabia—while it is used constantly on empire-targeted governments like Venezuela and Syria. Shupak notes that we even see this label abandoned after a targeted government is toppled, with nations like Iraq and Honduras magically transforming from “regimes” to “governments” after they are successfully absorbed into the imperial blob.–“Regime” And “CCP”: Propaganda Tools For Dissociating A Targeted Nation From Its Government, Caitlin Johnstone
No quote, just a link to a very good article. Strong recommendation.
10 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
My day in town started with breakfast at Café Olé where I got my usual. From there it was a grocery gathering at Fry’s where everything went quickly. Not much of a crowd and very short wait at the checkout register. But I then had a wait for my UPS Store to open.
Picked up more coffee from Old Bisbee Coffee Roasters and Aeropress filters from a company in Canada that mails from NY. The third package was the power charger for my Chromebook that the shop in Benson sent me — free of charge.
It seems to be working. I also have the battery icon back so I can see how much power I have remaining. That was the first indication that something was wrong with the Chromebook those many months ago.
That is about all I’ll do today other than read the book that I have been checking out an hour at a time on archive.org. I may even finish it today, tomorrow for sure.
11 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I am relearning how to use Chromebook since not having it for almost five months. I didn’t miss the bigger screen but certainly glad to get it back. I’m also glad that I spent the extra money for a bigger screen as part of my Raspberry Pi 4 experiment. I think the Raspberry Kit has been delivered to my UPS Store and I’ll pick it up on Tuesday. The monitor will take another week.
I did not keep a close watch on what was happening with the Chromebook charging yesterday but within an hour or slightly more the battery icon was showing 100%. I then discharged the battery twice to about 70-75% and recharged to Full in about a half hour. So the power supply seems to be working just fine.
I also installed Linux (Beta) that was on the Chromebook before but I never liked the way it opened. I'm giving it another try and hope they have improved it. The install of GIMP and Caliber went far easier than I remember them before so maybe there have been improvements. I'll be toying with both of these during the next few weeks.
The Mississippi River has intrigued the footloose for centuries. Here, for the first time in paperback, are briskly told biographies of the chief protagonists in the drama, with Old Man River as the constant and invincible antagonist.A random thought to ponder.
We do not need to be rational and scientific when it comes to the details of our daily life—only in those that can harm us and threaten our survival. Modern life seems to invite us to do the exact opposite; become extremely realistic and intellectual when it comes to such matters as religion and personal behavior, yet as irrational as possible when it comes to matters ruled by randomness (say, portfolio or real estate investments).–Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Caitlin gets it right sometimes, this article is one of those times.
The only way to argue with logical coherence that the US should militarily occupy a nation to uphold liberal values is to also argue that the US should invade and occupy all other nations in the world with illiberal cultural values and force them all to change at gunpoint. Unless you uphold this argument with logical consistency in this way (and almost nobody does this because that would be insane), it looks like you’re simply making up arguments to justify invading and occupying geostrategically crucial regions with great military and resource value. And, of course, this is exactly what you are doing.–Media Concern Trolling About Afghanistan Withdrawal Again, Caitlin Johnstone
12 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I spent a lot of time yesterday learning/relearning how to draw pixel art in GIMP. The version that I now have on my Chromebook, running in Linux (Beta), is different from what I have always used on my Toshiba. Then there is also the problem of my not doing any drawing for over a year — I forget how to do stuff.
I did finally make a start on a relatively small drawing that has only four colors. Maybe by the time I finish this drawing I’ll know what I am doing. One very nice feature that I found on the Chromebook that is going to make drawing easier, once I get better at using it, is the “Enable docked magnifier”. Which ‘blows up’ the one pixel grid that I am using to a size that I can see and work with.
I’m cooking more hominy in the Thermal Cooker today and maybe tonight. When it is done I’ll soak some beans and then get them cooking to make some more succotash. That is about all I have going on today. There is a VA appointment tomorrow and I think my Raspberry Pi 4 is waiting for pickup at the UPS Store. I also want to stop at my bank and get some information. So a busy day tomorrow. HA
13 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I was prepared for my face-to-face VA appointment today but received a Secure Message that said no. I could have a televideo appointment but not a personal meeting. I don’t think I will ever see a ‘VA doctor’ again - that is the New Normal. The practice of medicine without every laying hands on the patient. Even surgery will be done by robots.
I went to town anyway. If for no other reason just to pick up my packages at the UPS Store.
When I got back to the Park and opened my email messages I had one from my ‘VA Doctor’ saying that she was looking forward to our face-to-face appointment today. I sent a reply that asked her to read the Secure Message I received from her VA Team Member and then talk to her. The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.
I did pick up my Raspberry Pi 4 Kit at the UPS Store. HA
It is not like Lavrov has not said this before but the US ‘regime’ does not want to listen.
The main problem, as we see it, is Washington’s persistent unwillingness to abandon its flawed course towards upholding the US’s global dominance, which was adopted in the early 1990’s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today, it is obvious to everyone that such a policy is entirely counterproductive, particularly given that the objective process of shaping a fairer, more democratic and therefore more sustainable multipolar world order is gaining momentum right before our eyes,… [Despite this, the US, backed by its European allies] has been taking aggressive steps aimed at destroying the UN-centered international legal architecture and substituting it with the so-called ‘rule-based order’.–Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, interview with IRNA news agency
14 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I had to relearn how to use Filezilla to transfer pictures from the Cromebook to my host yesterday. Have only been away from it for 5-6 months and forgot everything. Getting Filezilla set up again was the first problem, haven’t had to do that in years. Then I couldn’t find any place to click to start the transfer. Filezilla is NOT intuitive.
I have also started reading about and attempting to learn Python. This seems to be “THE” programming language to learn. It comes installed on Raspberry PI 4 and is also part of the Linux (Beta) I installed on the Chromebook. So far I have been able to get “Hello, World” to print in a Text Editor. In the programming world that is on the same level as “Mr. Watson come here, I want you.” was on the telephone.
I’ll be taking Patches to the vet later this afternoon for her annual shots. That plus reading various books and tinkering with computer programming is all I have planned for today.
The author says right at the beginning in his 20+ page preface that the book is intentionally left unstructured so that it may resemble the flow of his thoughts as and when they popped up. And that I believe is the problem. Iran getting ‘the bomb’ is a red herring – it is all about oil.
For now, Iran is the absolutely crucial node of the proposed Asian Energy Security Grid, which includes China, Russia and India. This Grid would do nothing less than bypass Western—especially American—control of energy supplies in the Middle East/Central Asia arc and fuel a real 21st Century industrial revolution all across Asia. It’s no wonder that scores of independent analysts in Iran, Pakistan, China, India and Russia view the U.S. war on Iran as essentially a war of the West against Asia. A surefire way to engender a coming conflict with China is to put its energy supply under threat. David Harvey from New York University and author of The New Imperialism, goes straight to the point: “Whoever controls the Middle East will control the global oil spigot, and who controls the global oil spigot will control the global economy, at least in the near future.”–Globalistan How the Globalized World is Dissolving Into Liquid War by Pepe Escobar
15 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I don’t know how long it took me to make this happen but it was a long time. However, this is what I have accomplished so far in learning how to code a program using Python.
I don’t plan on doing much today. Tomorrow I’ll go to town for my regular shopping day plus go to get the molding installed in Desperado. I have no idea how long the install is going to take but anticipate it will take longer than I want to be sitting waiting for it to be completed.
We [Russia] will never reach an agreement with them [USA] because we cannot agree to collapse. We will never reach an agreement with them because we cannot agree to become paupers. We will never reach an agreement with them because we cannot agree to give up our nuclear weapons. We will never reach an agreement with them because we cannot agree to forsake all our national interests and we cannot agree to only do that which they tell us to do (including to the detriment of our own interests). We will never reach an agreement with them because we will never agree to forget our history and we won’t agree to have our next generations consider themselves as a totally different nation. We will never reach an agreement with them because we will never agree to any of that, and they will never accept anything less!–Margarita Simonian, the head of Russia Today @ Biden calls the “killer”, The Saker
Where possible, the United States will also seek opportunities for cooperation with Russia, with the goal of building a more stable and predictable relationship consistent with US interests.–Secretary of State Antony BlinkenBlinken made this statement after the United States expelled 10 Russian diplomats and impossed more sanctions. After Biden made a telephone call and invited Putin for talks – not going to happen. It is nothing more than diplomat speak for “The beatings will continue until morale improves.”
Huxley and Orwell could not conceive of a society, be it happy or unhappy, without managers, planners and supervisors which in group would write the script that others should follow… they could not imagine a world without towers and control rooms. We’re already there—perhaps one step beyond. The post–Panopticon society is actually Sinopticon, where many observe just a few, everyone is disciplined and regimented by spectacle and discipline works by temptation and seduction, not by coercion.–Globalistan How the Globalized World is Dissolving Into Liquid War by Pepe Escobar
16 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: April 16, 1933
I was right when I expected the molding install to take longer than I would want. Five hours I sat on a hard wooden bench. Then when I looked at what had been done I overlooked two pieces that had not been installed. Had to go back and spend another half hour getting them put in.
The day started with shopping at Fry’s which went quickly. I was there even earlier than usual so not much of a crowd. Only one register was open but there was no waiting. From there I drove toward the molding install appointment. I say that because I stopped at Country House for breakfast along the way.
After I got the molding installed I stopped at D & J RV Center to get Desperado’s propane tank filled. It was there that I saw the two pieces of molding were missing and went back. Then stopped at Fry’s to fill Desperado’s gas tank.
That got me back into the Park just in time for us to do our afternoon walk. I had shortened the morning walk so I could get to the molding appointment on time. We did the same shortened walk in the afternoon as well because I was beat from that hard bench.
I don’t know what the guys did while putting up the molding but the fuse for all my ceiling lights was blown. The new converter is great when this happens; it has a red led that shows me which fuse needs replacing.
A little bit of work but not bad. Then made sure all the switches were in their proper place for the ceiling lights, outside light and steps. The guys had messed with them and did not put them back where they found them.
So that was my day. I need the weekend to recover.
The mainstream media is spinning the ban on buying Russia sovereign debt by US banks in the ‘primary market’ as being a big deal. This article says that it is not.
…perhaps just labouring the point, but why are US public sector pension funds still allowed to invest in Russian sovereign debt? Why are pension funds of teachers, firefighters, police, State department, defence department employees able to invest in Russian sovereign debt, and fund the Russian budget … Why is nothing done about this? Seventh, further sanctioning Russian sovereign debt, likely by sanctioning primary ruble debt as the next step, will impose a cost on Russia but will not crash the Russian economy. By reducing the investor base for ruble debt it will push up borrowing costs, but Russia has other options, including tapping ample domestic liquidity in the banking sector and drawing down liquidity in the National Welfare Fund (NWF). Higher borrowing costs will further crimp real GDP growth, which actually has been the main impact of sanctions imposed already…Is sanctioning Russian sovereign debt such a big deal?, Tim Ash
17 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I have more hulled barley and oat groats cooking in the Thermal Cooker today. I think the cooking, more pixel art drawing and more reading will be all I do today. The new version of GIMP learning curve has steepened. I’m making progress on the picture that I chose to draw.
The Chromebook stopped recognizing my Garmin watch yesterday. Not sure what is going on other than the Chromebook has problems. Just something else for me to try and fix; although I can enter my walk data manually.
The U.S. learned nothing from the Vietnam experience. Insane — doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.
The U.S. went into Vietnam, among other factors, to flex its symbolic credibility and to show off its military technology: in Iraq, the theatrical demonstration was certainly awesome, but early on it was already possible to preview the symbolic credibility collapsing. In Vietnam, the U.S. wanted to write the textbook on how to smash a nationalist Revolution in the still dismissively denominated Third World. It failed. In Iraq, the U.S. wanted to show off how to “correct” former client regimes that deviated from the righteous path. It was also failing—as the conditions became ripe for a popular war ultimately leading to perhaps a revolutionary but certainly nationalist regime.–Globalistan How the Globalized World is Dissolving Into Liquid War by Pepe Escobar
18 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
The problem with Google not recognizing my Garmin watch is probably a watch issue. This morning it would not turn on after charging almost all night. I managed to get it to turn on and it is now charging but Chromebook would still not recognize it when I plugged into its USB port.
However, the Chromebook has the same problem of a disappearing battery icon and dicy battery charging with the new power source as it had with the old one. I’m going to take it back to the shop in Benson in May.
I also just found that none of my map pages are showing. It has something to do with the password change that I made. I have a Help request submitted to my host to give me my maps back. I have received an answer from host Support but now more confused than before and still no maps.
I drained the battery in my Fire 8 yesterday and it automatically shut down. Gave me about a two second warning and then a black screen. It did charge back to full overnight so that is a piece of electronic gear that is working as well. I also successfully dumped tanks and added water this morning so everything is not working.
Another good pun.
I caught my son chewing on electrical cords.
So l had to ground him.
He’s doing better currently.
And conducting himself properly …
19 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I fixed the missing maps problem after many email exchanges with my server Support. They provided very little help but at least they were responsive. I don’t know why the maps were missing when I had three other pages that also drew data from MySQL and they were working with a password that had nothing to do with the change that I made. I guess as long as they all work I should not worry anymore about why.
My Garmin watch charged up after being connected to the charger all night and most of yesterday morning. It was not fully charged even then but when I plugged it into the Chromebook USB Port it was recognized. When I did our afternoon walk I think it was maybe 80% charged and was maybe 20% by the time we finished. That is just too fast of a discharge; a sign that the watch is getting very tired.
I would like to have another Garmin but their cheapest GPS watch is now twice what the Forerunner 10 cost me. I have ordered a Timex GPS watch that costs about 60% what Garmin wants. Spending some more of those Biden Bucks. HA
I did holding tank dumps and added water yesterday. That chore was taken care of once more. The water distillation one is almost complete, probably by tomorrow morning.
The main event for today is a wash and wax for Desperado. This will be done by a mobile unit coming from Benson. That is assuming that they show up for the appointment. You never know in this New Normal. There was a time that when you had an appointment it was kept barring some extraordinary reason — that is no longer true.
The question at hand is how much longer this crazy script will be allowed to run. It appears that the country is about evenly split between those in favor of promoting black hostility and those disinclined to further submission. It’s up to American political leadership to decide, and for now the liberals are the party holding the levers of power — government, in essence, representing the blunt force that determines which way things go. And, at the head of this government sits the inert and tractable Joe Biden, who seems to have had it decided for him.–The Movie Follows the Script, James Howard Kunstler
20 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
Desperado looks spiffy. The wash and wax was pricey but they came to me to do it and it does look good. So more of those Biden Bucks going into circulation. I’m going to put this ailing US economy back on its feet.
The Chromebook charging issue has not improved so I thought I would do what they call a Powerwash. This is a last ditch effort before taking it back to the shop for repairs. It did nothing but make me install Linux (Beta) and GIMP again. I did put the Linux files on a thumbdrive so didn't lose the pixel art drawing that is three fourths complete.
I'm going to have to spend some more money to get the Chromebook back in good health but I like it and the Linux (Beta) is working well for what I want to do.
I didn’t plan on going to town today but late yesterday when I tried to turn my Fire 10 on it would not. A black screen. So I went online and tried to bring it back to life using the fixes that were offered. Nothing. So went Best Buy to see if they could help. They wanted to set an appointment to talk about the problem. I said no thanks and left them the old Verizon MIFI to be recycled.
Stopped at my UPS Store and picked up a package. Then when back at the Park I contacted Amazon Support (someone somewhere in India) and had a long Chat. That ended with a Warranty submission. So my next trip into town I’ll mail the Fire 10 to them and see what happens.
I had a woman approach me in Best Buy’s parking lot and asked about Desperado and RV’s in general. Nothing unique about that. What was different was she asked “Are you Amish?” I guess it’s the beard. HA
21 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I have been carrying on an email conversation this morning with Amazon Customer Service. The problem is they keep giving me a link to a web page that has a prepaid shipping label for me to return the Fire 10 for a warranty adjudication — the linked page has no label on it. They have me doing the insanity thing; making me do the same thing over and over expecting different results.
In between emails I have been working on the pixel art drawing that has been done using GIMP 2.10 in Linux (Beta) on my sickly Chromebook. Just about finished with it. I want to save the .png file with a transparent background which I have to relearn how to create.
The weather for the past 10 days is about as good as I’m going to get. High temperatures all in the 70s and lows almost all in the 40s. There is the wind of course but the maximum speeds have been in the teens so not bad at all.
I’ll be going back to town again tomorrow with regular shopping to be done. There is a bath appointment for Patches and maybe get the Fire 10 mailed to Amazon. I also have an appointment with my banker to talk about transferring the brokerage account.
22 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
T he trip into town took forever today. The stop at Sunny D’s for breakfast went quickly enough. The dog groomer was open at 8:30 as promised but for a 9:00 appointment they would not have Patches finished from her bath until 11:00. So I changed my schedule around a little.
Went to Fry’s and got groceries which didn’t take very long. Then to the UPS Store where I was expecting a package but it came in after I got back to the Park. The time consuming part of this stop was having them check for the prepaid mailing label that Amazon said they provided. They could not find one either.
They did print the page with a barcode on it that may help Amazon sort out what they have received. Because I mailed the Fire 10 to the address that found for returning PC’s and electronic ‘stuff’. Let them sort it out.
Then the most time consuming part of my morning was just talking about moving my brokerage account to my bank. I still have to try and complete all the paperwork online. I suspect I’ll be back at the bank for another meeting. At least the rep there was helpful and understood my problem with telephones.
This is the pixel art I have been drawing in GIMP 2.10 in Linux (Beta) on Chromebook. GIMP will not load/run on Chrome OS but works great in Linux (Beta). My previous pixel art drawings were done using GIMP 2.8 in Ubuntu on the Toshiba. Some differences but mostly just not doing any drawing for so long that I forgot a lot of what I once knew.This drawing is 113x128 which is a good size for normal web viewing. I’m now drawing one that is 28x28 which will be about the size of an emoji. I’m hoping to have it done by this weekend and see what it will look like on a web page.
23 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: April 23, 1933
I was able to read through the massive amount of paperwork required to open a brokerage account online. Most importantly I was able to electronically sign those documents. The same thing with the form to transfer my funds at the old brokerage to the new. However, that was the vanilla account. If you wish to do anything other than what is offered in the vanilla version that requires another form(s) which need to be on paper and signed with a pen.
So, I was able to download the form and email it to the bank rep that I talked to yesterday. She has printed it and I will go to town again this afternoon, fill out the form, sign it and she will then fax it to whomever. That may be the last step in the transfer process but I would not bet on it.
The Chromebook continues to have charging problems if I can rely on the battery icon. I’m now convinced that the problem lies with the power jack in the Chromebook that the AC power converter plugs into. It is loose and needs to be is just the ‘right’ position to charge.
It was plugged in all of last night and did not charge. This morning and moved the charger around in the jack and within an hour or two the battery icon was showing Full. Maybe get it fixed in Benson during May.
This is more bad News for AstraZeneca, however it is only Norway that holds this opinion - so far.
Norwegians run a greater risk of dying from being inoculated with AstraZeneca's vaccine than from COVID-19, the National Institute of Public Health (FHI) concluded in its analysis, and does not recommend the vaccine, previously linked to serious complications in the form of rare blood clotting and haemorrhage amid low platelet counts.
More bad News for the United States, however it is only about half of the serfs in the country that hold that opinion.
No need to argue anymore about defunding the police. The police across America have been successfully disarmed and castrated. Why would any cop with a sense of self-preservation interfere in the commission of a crime now? Just assume that the social contract is cancelled. You’re on your own.–Peak National Dysfunction, James Howard Kunstler
A great analogy, I wish I had been the first to write it.
…at best statistics resemble bikinis, for what they reveal is suggestive but what they conceal is vital.—Jimmie Moglia
So my 28x28 pixel art does look about the size of an emoji when placed in a web page. I may do some more of them if I can find patterns that fit my mood and what I want to say.
“A butterfly can flutter its wings over a flower in China and cause a hurricane in the Caribbean.”
—Robert Redford, playing the role of Jack Weil in the movie Havana24 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I’m reasonably sure that what I wrote for this day was not very important and think it was operator error that caused it to be missing. This is a re-constructed posting.
This is what my Raspbey Pi 4 looked like before I tried puting it togather as a working computer. (Note: Open in a seperate tab to get a bigger view.) The ‘computer’ is in the frefront center with the case or what for desktops would br called the tower is lefft of that. The black square next to the Single Board Compute is a SIM Card that has Debian Linux which will be the OS. To the right of that is a mouse and above that are a couple of cables (there are a lot more that I’m not showing). The keyboard and monitor/screen completes the desktop.I know that this first dog in the small pixel art series that I planned to draw was included in the posting for this day.
25 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
This is what my Raspberry Desktop looks like after it has been put together. (Note: Open in a seperate tab to get a bigger view.) I need to do some cable rerouting but it is together and working.I started putting the Raspberry together yesterday and after a couple of steps it was time to insert the microSD Card. What I had was too big to insert. My only guess was that I had been provided with the wrong card. This computer ‘stuff’ is never simple.
I did some online research and found that the microSD Card was inside a SD Adapter. It was this Adapter that was too big. Once I got the microSD Card out of that it was then a bit of a problem getting it into the Single Board Computer but it did fit. This computer ‘stuff’ is never simple.
Then I started cabling up. The mouse had a built in tail and the end of it plugged into the Single Board just like the instructions said. I then had two other cables; one of them plugged into the Single Board and the monitor just like the instructions said. But the other cable was for another monitor — there was no cable to connect the keyboard to the monitor. I spent at least an hour before that finally sunk in and I tried the cable that I had to charge the Bluetooth keyboard that I had been using with the Fire 10. It plugged in just fine; however it didn’ work. This computer ‘stuff’ is never simple.
I messed with that problem for about an hour and then decided that I would sleep on it. In the process of gathering up all the boxes and wrappings that the Raspberry parts came in what did I find? The cable that went from the keyboard to the Single Board. Made the connections and then had a working keyboard. That made me stay up past my bedtime trying to get a WIFI connection. Finally managed to do that and went to bed. I’ll continue this saga tomorrow.
Patches was not her exuberant self when she got up yesterday morning. She did our walk fine but had a slight problem getting up Desperado’s stairs. She took her goclosomine treat hesitantly but ate all her breakfast. I gave her a baby aspirin because she was showing signs of hip pains. She was about the same this morning, maybe a little better.
The laundry trip into town was the same-o-same-o. The breakfast stop at Café Olé was also about the same but they had the biggest crowd I have seen since a year ago Match. There were even people waiting outside as I was leaving. Was like an “Old Normal”.
26 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
The address bar in Chrome and Chromium is very small with Chromium seeming even smaller. There are a lot of complaints online about this, and have been for years, with no fix made or even promised. I think a different browser for the Raspberry may be required.
I also installed FileZilla on the Raspberry and it did not work. It works great in Linux (Beta) which is Debian Linux the same as what the Raspberry is running - a mystery. Something else to work out.
Patches is still not up to par. She does the walks as usual but has a problem getting up the stairs and does not want me touching her hips. Another day of baby aspirin and then stop that for a few days before giving her any more.
Globalistan weaves three parallel and intersecting themes: globalization, energy wars and the Long War. It shows how globalization is not proceeding according to the myth of “everyone profits”: instead, it is fragmenting the world into even more explosive inequality, into “stans” – some stans configured as fortresses, some stans at war with others. There are already complaints coming from black neighborhoods that they are not getting police protection. It is going to get worse, a lot worse.
The blacks have learned that they are unaccountable and police are accountable. Violence works for blacks, but not for police. The police have seen that there was far more public support for the black criminal Floyd than for the white police officer Chauvin. If police are rational, they are going to protect themselves. That will mean reluctance and refusal to respond to black crime. Everyone is going to suffer, but black neighborhoods will suffer the most. They will be without police protection.–The Fate of the Peoples of the World, Paul Craig Roberts
27 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I think Patches is a little better today. She went up Desperado’s steps a lot easier this morning than the past few days.
I got started preparing next month’s Will Rogers weekly articles yesterday. Maybe finish them today. I was also wasting a lot of time trying to add FileZilla to my Raspberry. I did install it, in fact installed it four times, but it does not appear the same way as all the other installs that I have done. It may work but it is going to be more difficult to work with.
I then also wasted some time setting up ES File Explorer on my Fire 8. This is also a FTP that I like a lot that I used on the Fire 10. I may end up using it more than FileZilla.
Overall the set up of the Raspberry is coming along really well. I have most of the Bookmarks that I need for everyday now set. In fact I did all my usual morning web reading using the Raspberry this morning. Also typed most of the posting for today on it.
I’ll be trying to put the posting on my web server this morning also. If that does not work out the typed posting is saved in Google Drive and I can still use the Chromebook to do it. I’m liking the Raspberry more and more, especially the mouse for scrolling. Still learning what combination of keys to press to go to the top and bottom of a page.
This is just one quote from an article that has many of them available. A recommended read.
Without degree, mimetic emulation of “one’s betters” turns into mimetic rivalry among equals, and the social order turns violent and chaotic. Without belief in a myth that lets those with less know why those with more deserve it—whether because of the Divine Right of Kings, or because of an unbroken chain of Lockean just acquisition, or as an expression of the survival of the fittest, or as the vanguard of the proletariat—those with less will, with increasing violence, demand their share of the pie. Their demands have an element of justice in them, but they are hopeless in terms of fixing the problem. In the world of mimetic rivalry, no one is ever satisfied with just evening the playing field; no, the oppressed will never stop demanding more until they become the oppressors in turn.–American Scapegoat, Gene Callahan
28 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
Today was my last trip into Sierra Vista from Huachuca City this spring. I know I’ll be back in October and might have to come back in May to pick up a package.
When I got to Sunny D’s this morning the parking lot was almost empty and I thought they might be closed. They were open but I was the only customer. They got a few more before I left but I think that is the first time I have been their only customer for a short time.
Got groceries at Fry’s and back to the Park before it rains. The forecast has very little chance of any rain but it is clouded up and looks like it might. Yesterday was very cool with a high of 65° which is also the forecast high for today. The low this morning was 37 much lower than forecast and typical Cochise County weather in what passes for spring.
I tried installing the Vivaldi browser on Raspberry last night - tried 4-5 times and finally got it installed and working. The reviews have high praise for it but the native install sure does not look like I have made much of an improvement. Maybe when I get into the Setting I can turn it into something I like. Right now the Address Bar is just as small as it is in Chromium — not good.
All this computer stuff has cut into my reading time. I need to do some more of that and give the computer a rest. I also need to get busy doing house cleaning before the move on Saturday.
This is the second in the series of small dogs drawn with pixel art. Only five colors and the two sides are symmetrical so it was a very easy draw.
29 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
I toyed with the Vivaldi browser in Raspberry more yesterday than necessary but have managed to make some worthwhile changes. At first Vivaldi was toying with me because I could not find the Setting icon that all the web pages that I found for using Search directed me to use.
Once I was able to find that repeatedly, making changes were possible. I now have Vivaldi as the default browser and DuckDuckGo as the default Search. I was also able to import some of the Bookmarks that I had in Chromium into Vivaldi, after a couple tries, and get them to appear in the Bookmark Bar.
Unfortunately that Bar was hidden behind the Address Bar but with my new found Settings ability I was able to move it so that they were visible and available. I’m making some progress but doing it at a pace of two steps forward and one step back.
I did add GIMP and it installed just the same as what I have been using in Linux (Beta) on the Chromebook.
Even more importantly, I found how to increase the size of the font in the Linux Terminal. The default size was set at 10 which I could not see very well at all – a lot of people have complained about the size. I wish I could find a way to increase the font size in the Address Bar when in Chromium. A very good reason to use Vivaldi.
Last night just before bed time I got the bathroom cleaned up. I’ll get all the floors moped down this morning. I also need to get holding tanks dumped and more importantly need to add water. Will finish up the household chores tomorrow.
I need to get started doing my month end computer file set ups as well. That does not take as long as the Will Rogers weekly articles but will probably take longer when I try to do it on the Raspberry.
Patches is almost back to her usual self. However she is getting up in years and her usual self is changing. The same might be said for my Garmin watch. It is still recording the walking distance but I can’t get it to download to any of my computers — getting old just like the rest of us in this household.
30 April 2021
Quail Ridge RV Resort
Huachuca City, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: April 30, 1933
I was able to transfer an image from the Raspberry to my web host using FileZilla but it was a trial. Went looking for an alternative and found Cross FTP. The install did not go like the web instructions seemed to be telling me. I followed the screen instructions that Raspberry gave me and the installation went in on the first try.
To do a transfer was almost the same as with FileZilla with enough differences that I stumbled around until I got a transfer to work. It is FAST, you blink and it is done. I like it more than FileZilla already.
I did all my usual daily computer stuff on the Raspberry yesterday without any major problems. I think in a week or two it will all be routine. I already like the Vivaldi browser better than Chromium and Chrome although Vivaldi used Chromium as its base as did Chrome. The Address Bar is small but it has a large Search box that I’m using and don’t use the Address/Search Bar.
I was able to draw another small dog pixel art piece yesterday. This time using GIMP on the Raspberry which was just as easy, or difficult, as using GIMP on the Chromebook.
The author of this article makes a good point. Well worth reading.
In the United States, our idea of political tyranny has been shaped far too much by the Cold War. We assume that an American dictatorship will take the form of suffocating Slavic totalitarianism. In fact, we are far more likely to slide into a Latin American type of dysfunction, which is shambolic, not claustrophobic. Opposition is ineffectual but tolerated; no one accomplishes anything by grumbling about the ruling elite, but no one goes to prison for it either. The government doesn’t go out of its way to oppress its enemies, unless it feels threatened. Otherwise it just enjoys its monopoly on power, rewards its friends with favors, and gets less and less effective at basic service delivery. That isn’t a dystopia, just typical Third World crappiness.–Our Latin American Future, Helen Andrews
JHK is known more for his writing about Peak Oil but he has written a lot about New Urbanism as well. This is one of his articles on that subject.
When you’re in a ditch, you don’t call the President of the United States. You need a handful of friends and neighbors with a come-along.
That’s how it’s going to work to bring our small towns back to life. When the chain stores choke on their broken supply chains, some attentive persons will see an advantage in figuring out how to get and sell necessities by rebuilding local networks of supply and retail. Farming will be rescued from its artificially induced senility when the trucks stop delivering pallets of frozen pizza and Captain Crunch as dependably as they used to. And then the need for many other businesses that support farming and value-added production will find willing, earnest go-getters. Hellip; And after a while, you’ll have a fully functioning town again, built on social and economic roles that give people a reason to think that life is worth living. Wait for it.–The Answer Is The Coming Small-Town Revival, James Howard Kunstler