Classic Sunday Morning Newspaper Cartoons

 

Downsizing Progress

 We (my wife and I) are closing on a house on June 2, 2023, as part of our downsizing plan.  This plan was not scheduled to be implemented for another 5 years.  However, we found the perfect house and yard, so within 12 hours of this house going on the market, we put in an offer, and it was accepted.  I think we were the only ones to visit the house, thanks to a neighbor who told us about it.

For two weeks we have been packing a little bit each day and have about 80-90% of the house ready to go except for movers who will move our beds, televisions, chest of drawers, and one refrigerator that we will keep out in the garage.

Our living room furniture, dining room table and chairs were sold.  All our other furniture like a love seat, entertainment center, exercise equipment, cedar chest, and an antique desk along with 10+ garbage bags of clothes were given to Habitat for Humanity.  Our kitchen appliances are staying or are being sold.

The house that we are purchasing is about the same size as our old house but the yard is a fifth the size.  What took us 3 hours to mow and weed eat will now take us 30 minutes to mow and about 15 minutes to weed eat.  This new house does not need anything done to it, however, we are going to invest another $30,000 to make it like new or change it a little.

We are putting down laminate flooring through the house and vinyl flooring in the bathrooms and laundry room.  We have purchased new kitchen appliances, new living room furniture, and a new dining table with chairs.  We are also going to expand the 8X10 deck to twice its size and screen it all in.

The only thing that I will really miss is my hot tub...

The Gap

 

Americans Not Paying Off Their Debt

Credit-card balances hit $986 billion in the fourth quarter last year and remained largely unchanged in the first quarter of this year, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its most recent quarterly report on household debt. It looks increasingly likely that credit-card debt is on track to hit the $1 trillion mark this year, and experts say that this number could be an indicator of a looming economic downturn.

This has raised eyebrows among some observers, because people typically pay off their debts from the holiday season in the first quarter of the year. That did not happen this year. This was the first time credit-card debt did not make its customary dip between the fourth and first quarters since the end of 2000 and the beginning of 2001, New York Fed researchers said. That was a recession marked by the end of the dotcom bubble.

“Although inflation is slowing and wages are starting to rise, inflation is still squeezing people’s budgets,” said Mary Eschelbach Hansen, a professor of economics at the American University in Washington, D.C., and author of “Bankrupt in America: A History of Debtors, Their Creditors, and the Law in the Twentieth Century.”

But she said she doubts that the biggest problem is people splurging on gifts over the holidays or postpandemic “revenge travel” that they are now unable to pay off. “It seems likely that part of the fourth-quarter run-up in balances went towards groceries and other everyday bills rather than holiday expenditures, and folks are having a harder time paying that back,” she said.

Others shared her concerns. “I see several worrying trends here,” said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate.com. “Credit-card debt is something that’s easy to get into and hard to get out of. More people carrying balances at higher rates for longer periods of time is definitely a bad combination. We’re seeing more people financing day-to-day essentials on credit cards.”  READ MORE...

Cooking Fish

 

Brain Tease

 

World's Largest Fuel Cell Vehicle

The proof-of-concept hydrogen powered ultra-class mine haul truck at Anglo American's Mogalakwena Platinum Group Metals mine in South Africa. The truck has successfully completed its mission to demonstrate the potential 

of zero emission haulage after one full year of operational trials. Image courtesy of Anglo American.

LONDON and SEATTLE, May 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's largest zero-emission haul truck, designed and built by First Mode in partnership with Anglo American, has successfully completed its mission to demonstrate the potential of zero emission haulage after one full year of operational trials. The proof-of-concept mining truck is a critical technology in heavy industry's efforts to reduce its reliance on diesel and other fossil fuels.

"In May 2022, First Mode achieved what many thought impossible with the world's first and world's largest hydrogen-fueled haul truck," said Julian Soles, CEO of First Mode. "The truck's tremendous success is undisputed, having exceeded performance on all significant tests, including travel speed and payload. We are also extremely proud to report zero safety incidents or downtime associated with the program. Our proof-of-concept demonstrates not only the feasibility, but also the urgent need to scale our nuGen™ Haulage Solution to help the mining industry reduce its reliance on diesel."

In 2019, First Mode partnered with Anglo American to study potential pathways to decarbonizing the mining company's existing fleet of ultra-class haul trucks. The resulting nuGen™ Haulage Solution replaces all diesel components of the haulage ecosystem, including vehicle powerplant, refueling system, fuel storage infrastructure, and fuel production. The proof-of-concept truck made its debut May 6, 2022 at Anglo American's Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) mine site in Mogalakwena, South Africa.

Natascha Viljoen, CEO of Anglo American's PGMs business, commented, "We are proud to have played host to this world-first technology. We recognise that replacing our diesel haul trucks with a zero-emission alternative is central to our ability to deliver carbon neutral mining, with the potential to also offer broader operating performance benefits. We look forward to seeing the next generation model in action."   READ MORE...https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/worlds-largest-fuel-cell-electric-vehicle-completes-successful-year-of-trials-301826795.html#:~:text=LONDON%20and%20SEATTLE%2C%20May%2017,full%20year%20of%20operational%20trials.

People

 

USA in Transition

 From 1776 until 2000, the USA was firmly entrenched in a Democratic Republic form of government.  There were a few communists and socialists lurking about but nothing to worry about.  However, after WWII, the USA has been gradually moving towards socialism with its:

1. Public Education (K-12)
2. Public Transportation
3. Public Fire Departments
4. Public Police Departments
5. Public Water Systems
6. Public Infrastructure (highways and bridges)
7. Public Parks and Recreation
8. Social Security System
9. Unemployment Insurance System
10. Medicare and Medicaid
11. Semi-Public Healthcare (obamacare)
12. Postal Service

Anything that is considered public is a form of socialism and it is paid for by Taxes...

Now the idea about taxes is that everyone is supposed to pay their fair share for these services; however, the wealthy don't want to pay taxes so they hide their money in off shore bank accounts like in the Cayman Islands...   When taxes go UP, it does not really bother them because their money is sheltered.

Increasing taxes impacts he middle classes mainly...

Now there is talk about the government offering more services to the public which is going to come from TAXES but only on the wealthy.  How is that going to happen, if the wealthy shelters their money away from taxes?

In addition to these services, there is a movement to push for green energy and do away with fossil fuels...  SOUNDS WONDERFUL...

1. The infrastructure is not there to support EVs
2. Jet Fuel (fossil fuels) is still needed for commercial aircraft and the military
3. EV batteries come from China (China is not doing away with fossil fuels as it is too expensive to switch over)
4. EVs are too expensive for the general public to purchase
5. When wages increase, the costs of all goods increase proportionally putting us right back to square one

There is really nothing wrong with moving in this direction as long as the infrastructure is there to support the transition....  without the infrastructure it is like putting the cart before the horse. Not really a smart move.

When the USA makes this transition, it is going to make them economically weak at first while the transition is taking place.  With our economy weakened, China could easily surpass us in GDP.  This is not something that we really want to happen as it will remove the USA from the top of the global pyramid on which it now sits.

Traitors

 

Never Seen Before Diamonds

The extreme temperatures and pressures produced when a space rock slams into the Earth can create distinctive materials, such as the shocked quartz used to identify the remains of such events. Arizona's Canyon Diablo contains diamonds with unusual structures, but scientists have been misinterpreting what makes them special.

Very different processes can lead to the same minerals. Although diamonds can be made by various terrestrial forces, they can also be produced from the shock wave when an asteroid runs into the Earth with only a small portion of its energy dissipated in the atmosphere.

However, when scientists used advanced imaging techniques to look at diamonds from the Canyon Diablo meteorite, they found these were no ordinary gemstones. The Canyon Diablo meteorite fell around 50,000 years ago, creating Meteor Crater – one of the most intact impact craters in the world.

In a 2022 study, the researchers reported that these stones share diamonds' proverbial hardness, but are also unusually malleable. Moreover, they have electronic properties that can be tuned, making them potentially useful for electronics.  READ MORE...

What Time Is It OnThe Moon?

Inside Super Yachts

 

Eyes

 

Ditching the US Dollar

BRICS countries are looking to sideline the U.S. dollar by launching a new currency to settle international trade. The development challenges the dollar’s supremacy and could dethrone it from the global reserve status. The move is inspiring other developing Eastern countries to ditch the dollar and promote their native currencies for global trade. If the momentum continues, many more Eastern nations could join hands and end reliance on the U.S. dollar completely.

The leaders of 10 Southeast nations and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to promote their native currencies for cross-border transactions. The 10 countries will reduce settling payments with the U.S. dollar and use their local currencies for transactions.

The group of nations wants to “encourage the use of local currencies for economic and financial transactions.” The 10 nations that have decided to ditch the U.S. dollar are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The move will help these countries to end their dependency on the U.S. dollar and significantly boost their native currencies. The declaration accepted by the ASEAN nations said that their goal is to strengthen bilateral and multilateral payment activities. Trading in local currencies would be faster, cheaper, and easier to close deals than the usage of the U.S. dollar.

The official declaration accepted by these 10 developing Eastern countries read, “We adopted the ASEAN Leaders Declaration on advancing regional payment connectivity and promoting local currency transaction to foster bilateral and multilateral payment connectivity arrangements to strengthen economic integration by enabling fast, seamless, and more affordable cross-border payments across the region.”

In conclusion, apart from BRICS countries, now ASEAN nations will move away from the U.S. dollar. It is reported that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is also planning to move in the same direction. Read here to know more details on why the oil-rich Gulf countries want to end the U.S. dollar’s dominance.

Investments

 

Medicare for Seniors

 If I remember correctly, my monthly Medicare premium is right around $500 per month or $6,000 annually.  What is interesting here is that my annual Medicare payouts exceeds $300,000...  and includes the following:

1. $150,000 monthly Opdivo infusion (Melanoma)
2. $150,000 Daily Calquence (Non Hodgkins Lymphoma) Immunotherapy pills
3. Monthly Oncology Visits/Blood Work
4. $20,000 Quarterly CT scans
5. Quarterly Dermatology (Full Body Scan - potential Melanoma)
6. Quarterly visits with the Urologist - Cancer conditions present
7. Semi-annual Cardiologist visits (heart disease)

From my perspective, paying $6,000 to avoid paying over $300,000 is a great deal for me and should be for others who are 67 and over and are suffering from disease.

But, what is amazing is the $300,000 for two drugs to fight two cancers:  Lymphoma and Melanoma...  I cannot imagine why medicine costs that much money and wonder how much the pharmaceutical companies a jacking up the costs in order to make a decent ROI for their investors...  this has little to do with the people that are sick and could die without those drugs.

Maybe we should just let old people die when they get sick rather than try and prolong their lives...

In The Garden

 

Reading Art of War Correctly

In the mid-1990s, I picked up the military classic “Art of War” hoping to find insight into my new career as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

I was not the only one looking for insights from the sage Sunzi, also known as Sun Tzu, who died over 2,500 years ago. “Art of War” has long been mined for an understanding of China’s strategic tradition and universal military truths. The book’s maxims, such as “know the enemy and know yourself,” are routinely quoted in military texts, as well as business and management books.

Initially, I was disappointed. It seemed Sunzi’s advice was either common sense or in agreement with Western military classics. However, a few years later the Marine Corps trained me as a China scholar, and I spent much of my career working on U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific region. This deepened my desire to understand how leaders in the People’s Republic of China see the world and choose strategies. Looking for insight, I turned to classical Chinese philosophy and finally encountered concepts that helped illuminate the unique perspective of Sunzi’s “Art of War.”

Today, I am an academic researching how Chinese philosophy and foreign policy intersect. To comprehend “Art of War,” it helps readers to approach the text from the worldview of its author. That means reading Sunzi’s advice through the prism of classical Chinese metaphysics, which is deeply shaped by the philosophy of Daoism.  READ MORE...

Rain

 

Harlem Globetrotters