Warm and damp. Supposed to be clear though. Was pretty nice yesterday, and the rain held off, which let me get some stuff done.
Spent the early part of the day on the computer, spent the rest of the day on site for my customer. Got a bunch of my list done over there. Still have some stuff to do but it’s less time sensitive.
Today is my non-prepping hobby meeting. Taking D2 to weaponize teh cute and sell some more GS cookies to the old guys there. Then we’ll go past my buddy’s gun store and see if he would like some this year. He’s been a great supporter of their troop.
After that? Getting stuff moved around and ready for a trip up to the BOL for a week… or maybe doing more stuff around the house that needs doing. Sunday will probably be Rodeo day. Kids want to go. I’m ambivalent. I could use a ‘small engine’ workshop day before heading to the lake.
In other news, a bank in Cali failed. Lots of people were caught off guard. Lots of people are going to rethink their own investments, and where they are as a result. Could this be the beginning of something like the 2008 problems? Dunno. Been expecting something to kick it all off. Might be this. It will be SOMETHING when it happens.
Best you can do is live your life, but take the steps to cover yourself and your family for the bad things. It’s called prepping, and it’s not that hard. You do have to actually DO it, and not just plan to do it or talk about doing it.
Part of it is stacking up the supplies and other things you see yourself needing. Easy to do. Worth doing. Keep stacking.
nick
Fact checkers evaluate this as FALSE.
Independent fact checkers note that the first fact checkers are all married.
Roku? Ruh-roh.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/10/roku-says-26percent-cash-reserves-stuck-in-silicon-valley-bank.html
Roku isn’t a FAANG, but it is still an important player in streaming.
SVB could be an interesting test regarding the ownership of “money market” accounts for individual depositors, especially when held in “private wealth management” at one of the “too big to fail” banks. At #16, SVB is big enough.
Monday could be interesting.
68F and 99%RH as the sun hides behind the overcast sky. Coffee is brewed. Donuts are on the agenda. Time to wake the child, load the cookies, and get ready to head out.
———————
More banks will fail. They will get publicity, and then more will fail. Who knows if this is the house of cards unraveling or not, but having some cash on hand isn’t a bad idea… although getting some out during a potential bank run isn’t easy or good for society in general. Might be good for YOU, but will contribute to the bank’s problems. Which is why you should have done so before the issues.
n
Two is one and one is none applies to banks holding your money as well as water filters.
In Seattle, the train wreck employer shared a floor in the former SeaFirst tower with “private wealth management” for the biggest “too big to fail” bank, the entity who had its name on the building at the time.
(Wow, ten years ago this month. Time flies.)
After seeing some of the people going in and out of that office daily, whom I assume “worked” there, I swore never to let one of those places touch my money.
At the time, we had ordinary accounts with US Bank, and I swore that my wife’s employer knew the balances *exactly* at all times. My writing the check for tail insurance out of my WA State credit union account certainly seemed to catch them off guard. Since leaving Vantucky, we have been in credit unions exclusively.
I wonder how many SVB branches had safe deposit boxes which are getting drilled this weekend.
Here comes the Mail and schadenfreude. “Death in Paradise” is done for the season.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11846823/Fears-Silicon-Valley-Bank-collapse-hit-Republic-Bank.html
I worked for National Bancshares Corporation (NBC) from 1982 to 1988. It was a holding company that owned several other banks, 23 I think. During that time in Texas each bank in a holding company had to be solvent as an entity. About 1986 the law was changed and the banks were considered part of the holding company for solvency. This was done to keep smaller banks from failing. NBC had three banks that were failing and were part of the reason for the change in the law.
Fast forward a couple of years and NBC was failing. A lot of oil loans that were tanking. Oil companies that owed millions to the banks and holding company would just walk away. Leaving empty buildings, non-performing wells, and drilling equipment.
In late 1987 NBC outsourced the IT department in an attempt to cut cost. In March of 1988 I left as I could see the writing on the wall. Converting an entire banking system from Burroughs to IBM was going to be a disaster. Especially when the mainframe was going to be in Dallas and a high speed link between San Antonio and Dallas for data transfer. Tape drivers, check readers, printers were to all remain in San Antonio and run off mainframes in Dallas through the very high speed link.
My responsibility was writing the real time conversion software from the IBM bank package to the existing Burroughs terminals. The actual teller terminals were not a problem. Just strip the data from the IBM software and plant the data into the data for the Burroughs teller machines.
The screen terminals, as in CRTs, were a different problem. Both sets of terminals were 80×24 characters. The difficulty was the Burroughs terminals used an actual screen position for field attributes. IBM used background memory and did not consume a position on the screen.
A screen from the IBM banking package may have 10 fields on a line and consume the entire line. Converting this to Burroughs required the use of 20 character positions on the screen. Truncating the information from the IBM system was not a viable option. There was no real viable solution. But I played along until I found another job.
Shortly after I left, about six months I think, NBC fell under receivership. In other words, the holding company and the banks were going to fail. NBC was absorbed under another holding company.
Other banks in the area suffered the same fate. Kelly Field bank failed and was absorbed. Many of the smaller banks were absorbed and merged into other banks. Some banks did OK as their loans were more diversified. Frost Bank and Broadway Bank are two that still survive today.
I was quite upset when IT was outsourced. The retirement plan by the bank was contributions by the bank into a retirement plan, thus technically the bank’s money. Everyone with $3,500 or less, got a check. Others got nothing. I figured my money was gone.
In 2006 I got a letter from Bank of America about what to do with my retirement plan. I had never worked for BofA. I called the number and it was my retirement plan from NBC. I was given several options. I chose instead to get an immediate monthly check. I have gotten $118.00 a month since that time. I think I got the better part of the deal.
Turns out the retirement fund is several tens of billions of dollars. I am guessing that the fund is several banks that have been acquired by BofA over the years, including NBC, all combined into one. The fund is administered by another company, Metropolitan Life Insurance company. I have no idea how the funds are invested, but it is earning millions and continues to grow.
What I should have explored, rather than move to TN, was go to Frost Bank and ask for a job. Since my responsibility was the teller line, terminals and CRT’s, the ATM system, the operating system and utilities, and I developed the PULSE software for the bank, I suspect Frost would have found me a job. Having that intimate knowledge of the banking process and systems would have been an asset to Frost Bank. All I would have needed was to learn a new computer system which is really not that big of a task.
Inspirational quote for Lynn and others who don’t like changing the clocks twice a year:
Hah! (One of the few times I wish the emoji plugin wasn’t borked. So I put it on my FB timeline, and didn’t even credit SteveF. Because he probably took it from someone else.)
It’s called plagiarwisdom.
Home from my morning out. D2 sold a bunch of cookies. Fun store was doing steady business.
Need to change into work clothes and do some work around here..
n
If anyone has an interest in SpaceX’s small competitors, Relativity Space is in the process of launching their first Terran-1 rocket, which is described as 85% 3d printed (engines and all). They had a launch hold, but restarted the count a few minutes ago. Current launch time is planned as ~3:55 Atlantic time, so in about 40 minutes.
Live stream is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tv6pbDCmLk
Gavin
I’ve been following the aftermath of Tucker Carlson’s release of the video of Jacob Chansley being led on a tour by police. Redstate has some additional today:
Jonathan Turley:
Elon Musk:
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2023/03/10/turley-raises-a-big-question-about-j6-chansley-case-then-elon-drops-a-bombshell-video-n714775
I’ve read a couple of opinions from people on HotAir and Powerline along the lines of “Yeah, but he got what he deserved” and one featured Andrew McCarthy saying “it’s not exculpatory”.
McCarthy, as an ex-federal prosecutor, demonstrates a mindset that should be terrifying: He thinks the government gets to determine what is exculpatory. Sometimes it’s clear, and sometimes it’s not, but when there’s a doubt the defendant’s attorneys gets the info to do with as they see fit, and it’s the jury or the judge that gets to decide.
As to the pinheads on HA and PL, thanks, guys, for reinforcing my decision not to subscribe.
The U.S government reportedly has 14,000 hours of video that it has refused to release to defense attorney’s. They’ve kept it under lock and key with the excuse that somehow it would compromise security. Bull-oney. Security was compromised by the inactions of Pelosi and others in a crass political calculation designed to provide them with fodder for the next election.
Nonetheless, Carlson has reportedly cleared each video released thus far to make sure there are no security concerns. Hilariously, the only video thus identified is one that’s been up on Eric Stallwell’s website for two years.
I’ve also seen the whiners that Carlson’s presentation is not “the truth”. Tough beans, crybabies–you’d have to be on record with that request for the last two years before it would be more than vomit out of your mouths now.. The ABC producer that the J6 communistas hired to package their agitprop (and add sound, you’ve gottabekiddingme) was not tasked with finding “the truth” and Carlson took the correct approach by finding video that impugns one of the biggest lies of J6 and calls all of the DoJ’s conduct into question. Crack the gates to start the flood.
The media whiners wanting equal access get the same brush off: Silence for two years gives you no standing.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been criticized for Tucker’s exclusive, but he deserves a hand for not falling into the equal access trap, which would have given the LSM the chance to sift turds to present as “new evidence” and bury the blatant constitutional violations.
He should also have staff digging–hard–for the video that he didn’t get. 14,000 hours of video divided by 10 hours of interest (approximately) gives a rough estimate of 1400 cameras. The metadata should include camera id and time-of-day, so it would be tedious but perfectly reasonable to make sure that the record is complete for each camera.
Chansley’s judge should be ashamed, and if he doesn’t move to re-open the case he needs to be recalled and required to wear a sign that says “Spit on me–I deserve worse”. He threw the book at Chansley because he swallowed the government’s lies wholesale and didn’t like the way he was dressed. I’ve yet to hear of any judge giving a violent antifa rioter any extra time for wearing black disguising themselves with hoods, and I’m sure that the pussy protestors that have disrupted the capitol weren’t given extra time for their outfits.
The DoJ attorney’s have opened themselves to charges of malicious prosecution. They need to be fired and civilly charged. The former might happen never under the constitution-trodding Garland, and the latter is up to the defendants and will take time. In terms of immediacy I’d settle for a good hard doxxing.
Pelosi and Schumer (cue the vid of him at the Supreme Court building) should be on the fence with their entire staffs and most of the Capitol Police. Import more crows.
As to Liz Cheney, obese with a family history of heart problems, I hope her heart is healthy and beats for years after a debilitating stroke leaves her paralyzed in an iron lung and putting up a GoFundMe page because she forgot that her government teat insurance was running out.
Thanks, Gavin!
They just shifted the time to 4PM EST.
Which is the time zone I intended to type but… eh!
And the launch just aborted at t-45 seconds. Next time for sure!
Eh, sorta. I saw the basic idea expressed but the person who wrote it did a lousy job of it so I rewrote it to make sense.
>> And the launch just aborted at t-45 seconds. Next time for sure!
And a smirk is barely visible on Tony’s face.
>> We are on a “no forgiveness” policy with The Lizard since moving to Texas.
@Greg, “no forgiveness” policy?
Time to think about your Plans D, E and F…
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-11/communities-along-central-coast-to-southern-sierra-hit-hardest-by-latest-storm
That new battery I bought for my LG V20 phone? That is 4600mAh versus the LG standard 3200mAh? Yeah, that one. $16 versus $10 (rounded) for an extra 1400mAh which is about half a battery more.
I’m on day seven. Phone says I have one more day. Tomorrow morning will be eight days. I have used the phone with several calls with the real estate guy and lots of text messages, dude loves to text. And checking the weather. It’s not just face down on my desk (which turns the secondary screen off) and sitting.
I think I’ll get a spare after I see how it acts in the coming week.
Ha!
Now there’s an idea for a meme web site. Like I need another project.
I have USAA for insurance. When I called to drop the Jeep last week, I also dropped the rental car add-on that was part of the comprehensive on the truck. There’s an extra car, that van I hate on, parked four feet away, why am I paying $10+ a month? It’s a new truck, it might have 26,000 miles in another six months.
The guy said the towing add-on includes accident forgiveness, that is, you can have one wreck and they won’t jack your rates or cancel your policy. But since no one here has had even a parking ticket since 1988, we cool, we have accident forgiveness anyway.
Fell asleep for a while. Feels good to be all drifty.
Really needed to do stuff today though. Oh well.
Kid sold some more cookies while I was out.
Saw a sign, “It’s all fun and games until someone calls HR” I thought was funny. And some pro abortion posters that could easily be modded… “My body My Choice” instead of the female symbol, should have a needle in a ghostbuster ring. Same for “Pro-Choice”.
——————
Found a Ring doorbell at the goodwill, but it didn’t have the mounting plate. Amazon had a “ring spares kit” for $2 that had one. I don’t think i’ll put the spy tool on my house, but now I’ve got a complete one for about $3…
I’ve found 2 nest thermometers at the goodwill bins… one was in the box. Never know what you’ll find.
n
@paul
U.S. and Japanese manufacturers use something called standards when measuring battery capacity. Chinese vendors use a different standard: scruroundeyes. If it’s the same size use 75% of the OEM capacity as a reasonable estimate.
I wrote about the Jacob Chansley case earlier today, posted at 15:20.
Add this to the reading list, in which his attorney talks about the specific requests for videos, how the government was able to search using facial recognition, and how the defense attorney’s access is so inferior that he has not yet been able to find the video aired by Carlson.
Hold your pearls!
I made an error in that earlier post.
Should have been 41,000 hours, which would estimate 4100 cameras. Seems high–check assumptions.
Adam Savage Meets Real Armored Gauntlets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59-9PlB-F1Y
Articulating is one thing, but a multi-lock mechanism to secure the armored hand around the pommel of a sword?
Prequel to Escape from New York:
https://nypost.com/2023/03/10/nypd-cops-resigning-from-force-in-2023-at-record-pace/
Defund the police. No cash bail. Revolving door for perps. Mandatory OT on your days off. And just to top it off, a shadowy group of officers on protected duty, flying desks and not available for patrol.
The term “tipping point” is often used in climatista propaganda. There’s a real one here somewhere.
IIRC, NYC is losing 300,000 people each year. A shrinking population might require fewer police, but why do I suspect that the ones leaving are not the ones that need policing?
WRT fleeing NYFC, the one’s leaving are often part of the relatively small group of taxpayers that fund the bulk of NYFC operations.
Saw this as a meme and didn’t quite believe it because it was too ‘pat’. But I guess it isn’t just a meme….
Woke head of ‘risk assessment’ at Silicon Valley Bank ‘prioritized’ LGBT initiatives – including organizing a month-long Pride campaign – before bank lost BILLIONS and collapsed
n
Agreed. At this point they do more to protect the criminals than the ordinary working people. Zero the budgets, fire all police and prosecutors and judges and jailors. Maybe build something new once the scum have been killed by the ordinary working people.
By “scum” I am not referring solely to drug dealers and muggers.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11807897/Ex-Secret-Service-agents-reveal-Jimmy-Carter-actually-rude-time.html
Is spending decades sabotaging U.S. policy abroad better or worse than stealing millions and funding psyops against a sitting president…
FJB. Never mind.
@Nick
Resume gold at any public university in the U.S.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11841909/How-cartels-build-Breaking-Bad-style-unit-manufacture-deadly-fentanyl-floods-US.html
n
There is a billboard advertising a local plumber on the way to my BOL. Has “ FJB” prominently in a ‘thought balloon’ style shape in the corner.
Was behind a nice truck yesterday in traffic. Had a “FJB Edition” 3D sticker next to the Texas Edition factory sticker. Quality was about the same.
I see “Lets go Brandon” less frequently and FJB more often of late.
n
RIP Robert Blake
The one (1) “Biden 2020” sign that I saw within a mile of the house was up a good long while after the election but did finally come down last year. It didn’t look especially tattered so I wonder if the owner was starting to rethink his support. I doubt he took it down for fear of his house being egged, considering what Bidenomics has done to the price of eggs.
Pro-Biden bumper stickers are getting rare enough that spotting one is noteworthy. They might be more common in Albany itself but here in the bedroom communities north of Albany they’ve pretty well disappeared.
This is a part of the product line of the Fake Mask USA company.
I bought their double-incognito masks and still carry one in my backpack.
Last time I had to wear it was on an airplane last year, and it was great to be able to breathe while still keeping the mask Karens away.
Saw this as a meme and didn’t quite believe it because it was too ‘pat’. But I guess it isn’t just a meme….
Woke head of ‘risk assessment’ at Silicon Valley Bank ‘prioritized’ LGBT initiatives – including organizing a month-long Pride campaign – before bank lost BILLIONS and collapsed
n
Just a part of the new ESG crap ruining our businesses here in the USA. ESG = environmental, social and governance.
Many more of these businesses will fail in the near future.
@Nick
When they seize fentanyl it should be smuggled back to China.
“there’s a great deal of ruin in a country.” And the country is made up of companies. Lotta deadwood builds up during good times. If you don’t manage it you get forest fires.
So now we get the forest fire. And people will be burned up along with the companies.
ESG, Diversity initiatives, LBTQUILTBAG etc are luxuries and distractions.
Something tells me that there won’t be any more money for luxuries and the distractions will be eliminated. Or the companies will go broke.
n
When they seize fentanyl it should be
smuggled back tocrop dusted over China.– Starting with government offices.
n
Saw this headline:
AL not messing around with fentanyl traffickers
I won’t even both to link, as it’s b.s.
Serious would be charging, convicting, and then making them eat it.
Not messing around would be testing it for lethality in the field by shoving a cup full up their backside and inserting a plug.
Currently in San Antonio, well, actually in Windcrest, a separate city located in the northeast area of San Antonio, but not San Antonio. Close enough.
Decided to leave Round Rock to Marble Falls. The delays according to Google Maps was about one hour when combining the various jams on I-35 south. Took 1431 west to Marble Falls and got a true definition of the Hill Country while traveling on the road.
Marble Falls has grown considerably since my last visit to the city. Hardly recognizable. Took 281 south to I-410 east to Windcrest. Big slowdown of about 10 minutes where 281 is being rebuilt. Once past that it was smooth sailing. Idiots on 281 where their lane goes away and they just ignore it and cut people off. Jerks in lifted pickups.
San Antonio feels like San Antonio. 8:00 PM at night and it is still 90. Almost oppressive. And it ain’t even summer. I do like the water in San Antonio. Good taste due to the minerals from the aquifer and no chlorine added, at least not discernible.
Here for three day before heading to Bryan with a detour to Boerne to visit the MIL’s gravesite. Wife wants to replenish the plastic flowers on the MIL’s grave and the grave of her brother, killed by an illegal driving with no license, deported, and back three days later. There is no love in the family for the illegals or for the immigration system that does not work.
>> Agreed. At this point they do more to protect the criminals than the ordinary working people. Zero the budgets, fire all police and prosecutors and judges and jailors. Maybe build something new once the scum have been killed by the ordinary working people.
By “scum” I am not referring solely to drug dealers and muggers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2bVeqhzuSs times 365 when Mr Steve is
MayorEmperor of NYFC.>> AL not messing around with fentanyl traffickers
AL??
>> Not messing around would be testing it for lethality in the field by shoving a cup full up their backside and inserting a plug.
For some reason I’m compelled to nominate Mayor Pete for this job…
Is it work when you love what you do?
n
Hmm, point taken … how about he pays us to do it?