TODAY'S RAMBLINGS
It's not all rock bands and parties. Today, I'm going to stake out middle ground on the headlines. I've included links to some supporting information for those of you that would like to go deeper.
(I've probably touched on one or more of these in other writings. My apologies. Of course, you could always be reading something else, like a book.)
Inflation
It's not all rock bands and parties. Today, I'm going to stake out middle ground on the headlines. I've included links to some supporting information for those of you that would like to go deeper.
(I've probably touched on one or more of these in other writings. My apologies. Of course, you could always be reading something else, like a book.)
Inflation
- It's a thing
- It is in the EU, too
- A whole lot of it is a function of the pandemic
- Hard to blame Biden if you agree with the last two points
- Why isn't The Federal Reserve raising interest rates?
- Why won't The Federal Reserve stop buying its own bonds?
- Why won't The Federal Reserve stop buying corporate bonds?(???)
Crime
- A whole lot of it is also a function of the pandemic
- We have far too many guns on the streets
- Police are already on edge because of the guns; BLM has made them even touchier
- "Defund the Police" is moronic
- Reform the police, instead, and stop asking police to do things for which they're not trained
- Drastically increase the training they do receive; did you know the average US cop gets drastically less training than their Canadian and EU counterparts?
- Eliminating the War on Drugs would end a lot of crime and incarceration
The Pandemic and The Variants
- Wishing won't make it disappear
- Stop fighting science
- Wear a mask when it's appropriate
- Get vaccinated or go away
- Why don't we have free or very cheap at-home tests? Why doesn't Amazon have a government contract to distribute them?
- I wish they would have listened to me and my hero, Scott Galloway
Taiwan
- Some say the next war will be fought over chips, not oil or general geopolitics
- Many thus say Taiwan is the next battlefield
- No - China is on the brink of joining the US as a global superpower, at least economically and militarily; invading Taiwan would ruin much of that, and Xi Jingping knows it
Ukraine
- This is the opposite; I believe Russia will invade Ukraine in the relative near term
- Putin and Russia are relative nobodies on the world stage now, apart from their energy oligarchs and nukes
- They have little to lose, really, and I'm not sure how much America should do if it were to occur, beyond sanctions and condemnations?
Biden
- Yep, he's old
- Yep, he's not Trump
- You're welcome
- But for fuck's sake, could we have vibrant, relevant, and intelligent people as candidates for a change, from both parties, in 2024?
- Republican Ticket: Joe Scarborough and John McWhorter
- Democratic Ticket: Mark Cuban and Kara Swisher
- Frankly, at this point, I'd be thrilled to have Jeb Bush be the next president
- If I stipulate VP Kamala Harris isn't that wonderful, will you at least grant me that people like Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz are not only not wonderful, but literally dangerous?
Abortion
- It's settled law; if Roe v. Wade is fair game, then is the Second Amendment and "Citizen's United"?
- No woman wants an abortion
- Isn't the government interfering with a person's relationship with their doctor the ultimate in tyranny?
- So why is this even a conversation?
This is how I see it, but what do you think? You don't even have to reply, but I hope you'll consider these important subjects and stay informed.
As always when I cover topics like these, I'll publish without comment any observations you'd like to add.
FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES
A loyal reader of this newsletter was her typically efficient self in her reply to my review of "Get Back":
"Thanks for your assessment of the documentary. I will not waste my time watching it now."
She was kind enough to sign it "Lauren Ryder (in case you're wondering)", but I'll just have to let the prehistoric "pacbell.net" address thing go. Of course, Lauren and I have always bonded over our shared Bell System roots, but that's a story for another time.
Another reader wanted to go deeper - much deeper. In fact, the Tiburon socialite Andre Aurich went straight into my kitchen, what with all the talk of drugs and the like:
"I am so amazed that you were able to sit through all 8 hours of 'Get Back' in one long weekend. I really wanted to watch the whole thing, but I barely made it through 1.5 hours before I had to take a break.
As you say, it is indeed thrilling to see them all together, and there are some great gems as they they work on their songs . . . but the thought of almost 7 more hours of this (and wondering what the hell Yoko is doing there) is daunting, and now based on your review, I am not sure I will be able to finish it.
Should I try? How many sittings did it take to get through the whole thing? What drugs helped you get through all 8 hours? Did you make a drinking/smoking game out of it to keep it interesting (every time Yoko is seen scowling, you partake - that might be too much indulging!)."
What a great reply - thanks, Andre! And he's right - even one with a voracious intoxicant appetite could not partake each time Yoko's vibe is bad - you'd die. I will say here what I said to Mr. Aurich: if you're a big Beatles fan, it's worth watching one time. But I won't bother again.
And what to make of the burgeoning road nomad Hunter Deuce? First he came in strong and hot with the VW California mini RV, and now he's got what looks to be an even better option than even my beloved Interstate 24GT. Wow.
OK, then I found this, by accident, I assure you. Guys: you're welcome. And can she be ordered as an option on the van build-out?
Who knew van living porn was a thing?
Thank you to any one that is reading this newsletter.
KLUF
I mentioned this in passing recently, but it's perfect for today's topic and I want to highlight what a great song a very old band has just put out. Here is The Fixx and their Killer song "Wake Up".
Fun fact: here's a shot I snapped from our perch essentially backstage at SF's Independent, on August 27, 2016. Yep, that is The Fixx onstage and they kicked ass.
