Sunday, November 13

Gasoline in the USA


 

A little over 2 years ago, the US of A produced enough domestic petroleum crude oil so that they did not have to buy any oil from other countries and as a result our gasoline prices were right around $2/gallon and this varied depending upon where you lived and the taxes that were imposed by local and state governments.


For instance, gasoline is more expensive in Chattanooga, TN than it is 20 miles away in GA because of taxes.   I will pay less for gasoline where I live than I would be paying in another city less than 20 miles north of me.


When President Biden took office, his first action was to cancel the Keystone Pipeline and shut down oil leases so that the US of A was no longer able to produce the crude oil they needed and began buying oil from other countries.  As a result gasoline prices increased.


COVID worsened the issue.  The war in Ukraine worsened the issue.  Supply chain problems worsened the issue and government spending worsened the issue.  When OPEC reduced oil production using the ECONOMICS EDUCATION they received in the US of A, that also contributed to gasoline price increases.


Gas prices came down because PEOPLE STOPPED DRIVING as much, including my wife and I, driving only when we had to.  We also stopped mowing our lawn every week because of gasoline prices.


The Democrats want us to stop driving gasoline cars and switch to electric cars which cost more to buy even though they cost less to operate.  Most American do not have the upfront money to buy a more expensive vehicle.


As far as my wife and I are concerned, our age is dictating that we only have about 10 more years where we will be able to drive....  buying a $60,000+ electric vehicle offers us a very poor return on our investment, especially living on a fixed income.


CONSEQUENTLY...  regardless of what the Democrats want, and regardless of how much the price of gasoline increases, we will REFUSE to purchase an electric vehicle and take UBERS when we stop driving.

Two Lads?


 

Classic Sunday Morning Newspaper Cartoons











 

Ancient Water System


Archaeologists have uncovered a Roman water system during excavations in Stabiae, located near Pompeii in the Province of Naples, Italy.

Stabiae was largely buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, which released a deadly cloud of super-heated tephra and gases to a height of 33 km (21 mi), molten rock, pumice, and hot ash at a rate of 1.5 million tons per second. The resulting pyroclastic surges and heavy ashfall enveloped Pompeii and Herculanium, with large parts of Stabiae being buried in thick tephra and ash.

The Roman author, Pliny the Elder, records that Stabiae had several miles of luxury coastal villas along the edge of the headland, with notable figures such as Julius Caesar, the emperors Augustus and Tiberius, and the statesman-philosopher Cicero all owning properties there.

Excavations in a small peristyle (colonnaded garden) at the Villa Arianna have uncovered parts of an ancient water system during archaeological cleaning, revealing a decorated lead tank which was part of a water distribution system within the villa complex.  READ MORE...

Birds


 

Saturday, November 12

My Past Revisited

 

In 1972, I graduated from Elon College with a BA in English...  I should have graduated in 1970 but I took a couple of years off, to be a military man...

My first job after college was Director of Product Efficacy for a microbiological media manufacturer...  From there I went into the non-profit arena as Executive Director of a local arts council, that promoted all forms of "art" in the public school systems and to the general public...  that also including reporting to a board of directors, fund raising, all promotions, member group management, managing employees and volunteers.

During that time, I also explored my own artistic talents by involving myself with a local writers group, became a amateur photographer, and painter exploring with both water colors, oils, and acrylics.

I was with the arts council for 8 years and despite the fact that I had boards of directors who for the most part were assholes, I enjoyed the job, what I did, and who I worked with.

The caricature that I am using above was done for me by a local artist to use as my logo photo when I wrote articles on the "arts" that were published in the local newspaper or when I wrote articles for the monthly magazine that I started to earn revenues by selling advertisements.

The main reason I left the arts council was that I got tired of dealing with big fish in little ponds who never wanted to become little fish in big ponds.

While employed at the arts council, I went to Graduate School on the weekends and received an MBA after two years and passing 60 hours of college credits.  

From the arts council, I went to the Community College System and began custom designing training programs for industry, some of which I taught myself...  those course that revolved around quality management, team problem solving, and redesigning processes in increase throughput.

These years represented 1974 through 1989.  In 1990, I moved to East Tennessee from the piedmont of North Carolina.


Strictly Politics

 



Aftermath of the 2022 Midterms

 

Firstly...  President Joe Biden claims that the Democrats won victories because they did not lose as much as was anticipated...


That is a hell of a thing on which to hang one's political hopes...


However, since Biden believes that he PROUDLY ANNOUNCES THAT HE WILL CHANGE NOTHING...


Oh Boy!!!  This means:

  • More Inflation
    • higher gas prices
    • higher food prices
    • higher clothes prices
  • More Immigration
    • more illegals not tested for disease
    • more potential terrorists
    • more illegal drugs
  • More Government Spending
    • less employment
    • less goods and services
    • less debt reduction
I am not a democrat or a republican nor am I an independent or a socialist...  I believe in a small government that follows the US Constitutions, Bill of Rights, and the Rule of Law.  I believe in a strong military as a defensive posture but do not like wars.  I support the 2rd amendment but will never buy a gun.  I support abortions but will never encourage a female to get one.  I believe in a creator but not in insitutionalized religions.

The 2022 Midterms was a loud message given to politicians by the General Public...  until you find a solution, we are keeping the STATUS QUO no matter how bad it gets or how much we suffer in our global respect...

Maybe it will take the rapid growth of China and the decline of the US before politicians decide they need to do something for our future rather than their future.

Get In Line


 

Wasted Time


 

Yellow


 

Retiring on $2,300 each Month


Retirement is a time of frugality for many, since other than Social Security and pension payments, many folks don't have much money coming in. If you're not rooted to a specific location, you are free to move to where the living comes cheaply, like the 10 small towns on this list.

For this study, GOBankingRates considered small towns with populations of less than 30,000 where you can retire on a budget of $2,300 or less, using data from ApartmentList June 2022. 

We also used Sperling's Best to find the cost of living index for every city on the list and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2020 Consumer Expenditure Survey. 

We then added monthly housing, grocery and healthcare costs together to find where a person 65 and older could get by on the $2,300 budget.

Equally important was a city's livability score -- the cities on this list had to have a score of 65 or higher as sourced from AreaVibes. When all was said and done, three states dominated the list.   READ MORE...


Dog Mother


 

Friday, November 11

The Russia/Ukranian War

 

It would appear that Vladamir Putin is an incredibly incompetent, leader, dictator, and war monger...


Of course, this is a personal opinion based upon what I see and hear on the reported news...  which may or may not be the truth...  as a viewer, I have no real way of knowing...  so, I must trust the source.


If I were the dictator/leader of China, I think I would be reassessing my relationship with this impotent leader...  if Putin cannot defeat Ukraine, then how would his soldiers respond to a potential war with:  France, Spain, Italy, or Portugal???


Maybe Putin would do better if he declared war on one of the Greek Islands...


Just like a typical LOSER, Putin is now claiming that he is going to use nuclear weapons...  what a spoiled rotten dictator...


Can you imagine what Russia would do if NATO decided it was going to support Ukraine???


Putin is a joke, supported by CHINA which leads us to reassess China's ability to pick good partners in their economic war against the USA...


HOWEVER, tough man Joe Biden will fly in on the wings of a dove and save the day...  who is scared of Biden and his democratic socialists?

Veteran's Day

 

Today is Veteran's Day...  so, what does that actually mean?


It means we celebrate our Veterans...  thanking them for serving and protecting our country.


How do we do that?  We typically buy a veteran a meal...  like lunch or dinner...  and, sometimes breakfast...  of course that is hardly showing much gratitude for those veterans who are disabled.


I served in the military from 1969 to 1975 and when I was in the airports wearing my military uniform, I was spit upon and had trash thrown at me.  My service was during the Vietnam War and most of the country was against the war and assumed that because you were in the military, you must be supporting the war.


By putting up with that shit, I received the GI bill for education and had college and grad school paid for...  NO STUDENT LOANS...


I would make that same decision again in a HEART BEAT or in a NEW YORK MINUTE.


All I can say about Veterans is that be thankful that this country does not still have the draft nor is the kind of country that mandates every citizen serve 2 years in the military...


What Americans no long understand or appreciate is that it is the military that allows you to live the life you do...  drinking your beers, fornicating, and smoking marijuana...  and cocaine for those who are wealthy or stupid.

Chill Out Bro...

RELAX 
and
ENJOY.... 
All the
INFLATION
PRICE INCREASES
REDUCED 401Ks
GASOLINE PRICES
FOOD PRICES
SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES
CRIME AND VIOLENCE
RETIRING POLICE OFFICERS
SHORTAGES IN CRITICAL ITEMS
COVID MANDATES
GLOBAL LOSS OF RESPECT FOR USA

 

US of A Immigration

 

Most people in East TN don't give a rat's ass about legal or illegal immigration...  as migrants have been flocking into this area to work the farms for the last 30 years that I have been living here.  So much so, that many of the retail stores have directions in both English and Spanish and the local cable companies have numerous Spanish speaking stations.


You can always tell where the immigrants are living because the house has a dozen or more cars parked out in front of it...  the grass is seldom mowed...  there are no bushes, plants, or trees in the yards...  and, trash it littered all around the house...  


This is not to say that the inside of the house is just like the outside, but with all those cars out front, there is a good possibility that multiple families are living inside.  The water and sewer is not set up to handle that many occupants...  but, local law enforcement does not do anything...


Other than that, my wife and I very seldom see migrants except maybe inside Walmart...  but, they very seldom eat in any of the local restuarants that are not fast food places.


In addition to working the farms, immigrants work in the home construction industry and their primary focus is dywall, painting, brick or cinder block layers, roof installation and repair.  There are very few electricians, plumbers, or carpenters.


Outside of those observations, immigration is never on the minds of people in this area.  If they are here, they are ignored as they ignore us.


Everyone here that I have spoken with is against all the illegal immigration at our southern border, but since it is not in our back yards, we don't really give a shit about it.


We are concerned that these immigrants are bringing in diseases with them and probably none of them have had all the childhood shots that Americans are required to get...  but, until their is an outbreak of something, that is of no concern as well.


LIVE AND LET LIVE

Stay Positive

 


Going Through Memories

 

For the last couple of days, I have been going through our storage areas, tossing out what I have not needed for years and rearranging what is left...  


We have filled the back end and second seat of my Venza 5 times so far that we have taken to the land fill to be thrown away, not to mention the numerous trips we have made to the other side of our street laying out stuff for the county to pick up.  


We are not permitted to that area of the landfill were wood is tossed out, so we are forced to wait for the county to pick it up which could take weeks or months.


We started this cleaning under the guise that we were going to be looking for a smaller home that required less maintenance, so there was a need to downsize.  However, when we looked at the available homes, either the home was not suited to our needs or the price was too high.  It is looking increasingly doubtful that we will ever move.


Throwing away stuff that you no longer need or once used is like throwing away part of your life.  For 8 years I worked at this organization back in the late 70s early 80s and kept a scrapbook of my accomplishments.  Not sure why I did this unless it is just ego building.  Those 8 years will be thrown away tomorrow.  I did not look through it to remind me of anything as I just want that part of my life to be gone.


Then there is stuff my parents gave me or that I took from their home to remind me of them after they died, but that's been 10 years ago, and there is really no reason to hang onto that because when we die, it is all going to thrown away anyway.


It makes you wonder, why we spend to many years collecting shit when we are ultimately just going to throw it away.

It's Just China