07:52 – Front page article in the paper this morning about a former girls’ basketball coach at a local high school who faces prison for impregnating a student. She was 18 years old at the time, two years past the age of consent and legally an adult, but North Carolina’s bizarre laws make it a felony for a teacher to have sex with a student if the teacher is more than four years older than the student. The way the law is written, a 65 year old teacher would face felony charges for having sex with a 60 year old student.
Greece has officially announced that it will default as of 30 June unless the EU, ECB, and IMF gives Greece the money to pay the EU, ECB, and IMF. Nothing new there. Greece already defaulted for the umpteenth time earlier this month when it stiffed the IMF. Greece hasn’t actually made payments on its debts in living memory, unless you count making payments with the proceeds of additional loans from those same creditors. What’s wrong with that picture? A German spokesman called the Greek leadership a bunch of “clowns”, which is an insult to clowns.
If the German leader was trying to explain the Greek leaders to my daughter when she was two, clown is exactly the right word. To a two year old girl clowns are the scariest things she can imagine.
Greece should never have joined the euro. Having done so, they should have left the euro and returned to the drachma by 2008. The last seven years have only dug them in deeper. So-called “austerity” has been a joke. If the Greeks think they’ve suffered under that light-handed excuse for austerity, just wait until there’s no one left to subsidize their first-world lifestyles. They’ll return very quickly to a truly impoverished lifestyle, like a poor African country. Which is what they deserve. They produce something like half as much as they consume, if that. In a rational world, starvation would be rampant in Greece. They’d have no medical care to speak of. But wait, that’s how it is now. They think it can’t get any worse. They ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
According to the World Bank’s statistics, in 2013, Greek GDP PPP (per capita purchasing power indexed for cost of living) was US$ 25.7K. That’s close to Portugal ($26.7K) and above that of Poland, Hungary and several other formerly Soviet-bloc states.
If properly governed, Greeks should see a decent standard of living in a post-repudiation future, after the transient effects dampen out. However, given the long history of Greek governments convincing the public that there are no economic consequences to unlimited borrowing and spending, how it shakes out will be “interesting”
Substitute the word US for Greek in the above, or UK for Greek, or, well, it’s all of them, with few exceptions for the oil rich nations.
nick
Yes, but that PPP includes the gigantic subsidies that Greece has been receiving. In terms of productivity, which is ultimately all that matters, Greece falls far short of the other countries. Before the crisis began in 2008, Greeks actually worked more hours per week than most other EU countries. The problem is that with all that work they didn’t and don’t actually produce much.
Official statistics are very slimy. For example, they count a million do-nothing bureaucrats as employed, when in fact they’re not just unemployed but actually harm the efforts of those who are productively employed.
Incidentally, I have nothing against Greek people, other than that they’ve continued to elect horrible politicians. What was that Heinlein quote about calling it bad luck?
“Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as “bad luck.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
Sometimes I look at how well “poor” people in our country live, while the middle class struggles to afford the things they get because they are poor. “Poverty” is a growth industry. The Greeks have leveraged themselves into a better position, and some are jealous.
It is hard to elect better politicians when none will run.
Oh, and the US is an oil-rich nation. We just need to develop those resources.
We have white derps diagonally across the street from us in some kind of subsidized housing, with a very nice view of the lake, too. One of them on the second story is also clearly dealing dope and drives a nice red Beemer and we can see the giant tee-vee screen flickering up there into the wee hours every night. Almost everyone in the building smokes, too, which is a very expensive habit these days. Several of the women seem to go back and forth to jobs every day, and maybe one or two of the men.
I don’t mind giving a hand to deserving folks on a one-shot basis in this country but after that, they’ve lost me. And certainly not to drug dealers who drive better cars and have better tee-vees than us, not that we give a shit about that anyway.
It will indeed be sorta interesting to watch the Greek situation over there but I predict the Euros will kick the can down the road again, like we’re doing here.
It is hard to elect better politicians when none will run.
Hahahahahaha – oh….
As if better people would choose to do it. Even when they do they are quickly corrupted by money and power.
I can hardly think of a handfull of pols I would consider acceptable.
The Pope has finally defined what is causing Climate Change:
http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/pope-francis-climate-change-and-abortion-are-interrelated-20150618
per The Telegraph:
“Reuters reports that withdrawals from the country’s banks have surged for another day, as savers have pulled €2bn from lenders in just three days.”
I’m thinking of running for Dictator of the World in 2016. It’s a filthy job, but someone has to do it…
RBT, I just shipped using the USPS Click-n-Ship, or whatever they call it now. I remember reading your difficulties with this service using Linux, and how you may have dedicated a Windows computer to that task. Just curious how it is going lately.
I have had a Click-n-Ship account since the service started several years ago. Mostly, we used it to ship things to family members around the Christmas time, always inside the US. Around the same time, I also got accounts with FedEx and UPS. I used to compare rates, but lately I find that USPS Priority Mail beats the other services except for heavy packages going short distances. Since that is increasingly rare, I have only used the post office for the past few years.
About five years ago, I started using Linux for this, and the only problem I have had has been the constant changes to their process. I only do about a half dozen shipments a year, and every time I go there it seems that there is something changed that requires figuring out. It slows things down, but so far has not been a show stopper. I will admit that at first I didn’t try to print labels on Linux, because I didn’t have a printer connected. I just saved a PDF and printed it on another computer. For the past several months I have used Linux (Mint 17 KDE) exclusively, and even the javascript (?) print thingy seems to work fine.
I don’t think this matters, but I always use “own box,” which I find more convenient and occasionally cheaper than stocking the ever-multiplying flat rate boxes. I do use the flat rate envelopes, however, and do like these. Only use them around tax time, which seems to be quite often 🙂
I particularly dislike printing a SCAN form, which the letter carrier scans and leaves in our rural mailbox. I asked if the form was really necessary, and it wasn’t until about a year ago. On the rare occasions I take a package to the PO, I have been told they will not accept the package without the form. I can’t see the need for this redundant piece of paper, since each package is scanned.
Example of changes: last time I was able to print the label and SCAN form automatically as a two page print job. Today, after I printed the label, the SCAN form didn’t come out. I looked and saw a second step to print the SCAN form. Clicking that “Print” button opened a dialog to use Okular to open or save a PDF. Huh? So, I opened it and printed it. This is backwards progress.
Overall, however, the USPS site is quicker and less trouble than both FedEx and UPS. Anyway, just some thoughts.
“But why would anyone need to carry a gun in church?”
I carry everywhere I am not LEGALLY prohibited. You should too.
nick
added- the reporting implies that NO ONE ran, or attacked the shooter. They had time to URGE him, and engage in a conversation! And it puts paid to the idea that forcing a mass murderer to reload because of mag size restrictions will somehow help the victims (if anyone ever believed this.)
“I can hardly think of a handfull of pols I would consider acceptable.” Me2, but thankfully there are still some.
“I’m thinking of running for Dictator of the World in 2016. It’s a filthy job, but someone has to do it…” OK, but where can I vote?
@Jim B
I’ve been using Linux exclusively for USPS Click-N-Ship since we started. I’ve had no problems with Linux. The problem was with the USPS website, which periodically has gotten very hinky, to the point where I couldn’t print labels.
The reason I have a backup Windows system is that I signed up with Stamps.com, whose client software allegedly works with Linux, but actually doesn’t.
Greece has officially announced that it will default as of 30 June unless the EU, ECB, and IMF gives Greece the money to pay the EU, ECB, and IMF. Nothing new there.
Reminds me of that great scene in “Blazing Saddles” where the new sheriff holds himself hostage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_JOGmXpe5I
“Pope demands climate change action”
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2015/06/18/pope-issues-climate-change-warning/
This is why I belong to a church without an hierarchy. The Pope should be concerned about souls instead of being an SJW.
with few exceptions for the oil rich nations
Which ones? I know of only one, Kuwait. Saudi Arabia is an economic nightmare of unsustainability. So is the USA. So is Russia. So is Mexico. So is Brazil. So is Argentina. So is Venezuela. So is Iran, Iraq, UAE, etc.
So the “uniter” has spoken about this tragedy, calling for gun control and LYING outright.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/06/barack-obama-pushes-new-gun-laws-bashes-republicans-during-press-conference-on-charleston-shooting-video/
Don’t watch it if yelling at the screen will get you in trouble or affect you medically.
nick
@lynn, norway was the one outside the middle east that I’m most familiar with. I was specifically thinking about deficit spending, not particularly unsustainable policies like spending all your money on subsidies to your population, or vanity construction projects.
nick
We have three police officers roaming around in our church on Sunday mornings. Don’t know about Wednesday night services, I have not been in a while (backsliding Christian, I know!). I suspect that we have at least one officer then also.
Not sure if the officers could stop someone until the first mag is gone.
Never let a crisis go to waste…. Le Sigh
Norway is in a world of hurt. They will probably run out of excess crude oil to export by 2020 at the latest. All of their reservoirs are converting to natural gas since they have not been able to keep the reservoir pressures up in the super-critical range. Norway now has ten LNG liquefaction trains of one bcf/day each. They are slowly converting their entire infrastructure to natural gas, mostly LNG, but it is going slow.
Norway only has a population of five million people. The social experiments there have been interesting. Some claim that we can scale their experiments to the USA but I doubt it.
Oh, stamps.com. Sorry, I forgot. A mind is a terrible thing to lose.
Bummer and his top cop Loretta both jumped right into it, trying to make political hay over a terrible event. So what’s new?
I do wish Obama had chosen that moment to attend services there.
Yes, because then there would have been several armed people there to stop the shooter?
Of course. But then the shooter might have gotten him first.
. Some claim that we can scale their experiments to the USA but I doubt it.
Yup, and they are importing the muslim virus too. When I was there, the only working age men just standing around were muslims. They had a mosque in the alley behind one of the places I went. Standing and sitting around, smoking and looking surly, while everyone else worked. There were NO men out and about during the week. It was a little strange. Most of the working women were imported from baltic states and nearby countries too, while the natives seemed to stay home raising babies or go out working the rigs. (as an aside, gasoline was the equivalent of $18US / gallon.)
Lots of social policies work for small homogenous, wealthy populations. Most Europeans forget the size of the US. California has the population of Canada. All of Europe fits in the south eastern and mid-south part of the US. They also tend to forget that they can only afford the social policies they mock us for not having because WE are paying the costs of their national defense. We have selfish reasons for having our bases there, but they undeniably get the better part of that deal.
nick
@dkreck,
Well. I have a rifle to sell but prices have been severely low. Every time OB squawks prices go up. Maybe it will be time to re-list it for sale….
nick
I hope not. Once we get this move out of the way, I’m thinking about buying three dozen Ruger AR-556 rifles, three gross of OEM magazines, 75,000 rounds of 5.56mm ball, and a couple thousand rounds of 5.56mm tracer.
Maybe I should apply for an FFL and get the dealer discount.
In economic news, Bloomberg accidentally publishes the truth.
“Three rounds of Fed bond purchases and borrowing costs near zero have propelled the S&P 500 up by more than 200 percent during the six-year bull market.”
That would be instead of fundamental strength of the economy or the underlying value and prospects of the listed companies.
In other words, the much cited economic recovery is nothing but financial engineering, ie. smoke and mirrors.
nick
As an exercise for the reader, if that’s what caused the increase, what will likely happen when that stops?
@RBT, I’m certain that it would attract reporting and scrutiny. I’d also be surprised if you could actually do that in one purchase from one company, inventory isn’t THAT overbuilt and dealers get alotted by their existing relationships with manf and distributors. Also there are some inspection and security requirements that make being an FFL less attractive.
Interesting question though, I’ll ask my dealer. Existing dealers would probably line up to help with that purchase at very attractive terms.
nick
Honestly, I figure that once we get moved I’ll mention this to Barbara as a goal and then settle (initially) for 10% of what I originally mentioned.
The truth is, I would consider us to be well enough armed already if I hadn’t accidentally dropped all our guns and ammunition into a deep lake.
@RBT, I thought this was tied back to your previous discussion of buying the package of SKS rifles as a retirement plan/ store of value.
My dealer says it would be possible to do the deal as an FFL, IF you could get the rifles. (Implication being even for him 36 at once would be hard.) He’d be happy to try!
nick
And this is beautiful.
Again from bloomberg, in the article about passing the Fast track trade authority, or the Selling out the American worker authority.
They were going to fund the attached TAA by stealing from Medicare!
“Democrats obtained an agreement from Republicans to cancel plans to finance some of the worker assistance by cutting about $700 million from Medicare.”
Pretty sure that is the same Medicare that has had to pick up the slack after obummercare moved thousands onto it instead of private insurance. And the same Medicare that had it’s funding cut to PAY FOR obummercare.
the mind boggles.
nick
Actually, as value store, I wouldn’t go with stuff as high profile as AR-pattern rifles. I’d be much more likely to buy a bunch of lever-action carbines in .357 or .44, civilian type shotguns, etc., and a lot of what I’d use as a value store would be non-weapon items.
Obola on the mass shooting:
“We as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries.”
Do people just believe lies like this? How stupid can the genpop be? The left side of the Bell Curve must not be symmetrical, more like a nose dive log.
Start countering:
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/06/wrong-again-obama-says-this-kind-of-mass-violence-does-not-happen-in-other-advanced-countries/
nick
Oh, and —
pretty fucking stupid.
nick
I do wish someone would behead him with a chainsaw, starting at his feet and working his way up.
I don’t know, what could be worse for a raging narcissist than to live out one’s life in increasing opprobrium and obscurity.
nick
Now add in Sharpless, Jackwagon and Fartinacan (he wants to be King after the war) to really get a Race War going. What the Blacks don’t seem to realize is the Hispanics hate Blacks. Sad, but true. I still travel with my with into Hispanic dominated schools and communities. There is no love lost. I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire.
I don’t think it’s about race or ethnicity. Middle-class blacks typically have no animosity toward middle-class Hispanics, and vice versa. Both of them despise low-class/underclass people of whatever race or ethnicity. The underclass, conversely, whatever their race or ethnicity, hates anyone who is not just like them, and they don’t care much for others who are.
I don’t think we’re looking at a coming race war. I think we’re looking at a coming class war.
It’s really about shared values, or the lack thereof.
Which, thanks to Teddy “Hic” Kennedy, ending in the ’60’s.
WTF, over!?
Last month, the Federal Communications Commission announced plans to subsidize broadband internet service for low-income households.
The FCC can just give away tax money without Congressional approval? Well, I guess the poor need internet porn, also.
I think it’s probably not technically tax money. I haven’t read the article, but I’m guessing it’s funded from the Universal Service fee that all of us rich people pay our providers to give access to poor people. Aren’t we just sweethearts?
Am I the only one who thinks that poor people should live in grinding, African-level poverty unless they’re smart enough and hard-working enough to get themselves out of it?
And the Brazos River is coming back up again.
http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=HGX&gage=RMOT2
Reminds one of a great Led Zeppelin song, “When The Levee Breaks”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NaQZojWi6U
My friends place down in the river just dried out. They are going to get islanded again this weekend. They have a small levee just for their house but another foot or so of water, look out!
We’ll call it ObolaNet to go along with ObamaPhones.
Am I the only one who thinks that poor people should live in grinding, African-level poverty unless they’re smart enough and hard-working enough to get themselves out of it?
Yup. That is how most of my family lived while I was growing up.
It will come back again after the financial collapse of the USA. Maybe 10 years, maybe 20 years. Maybe gonna make the Great Depression look like good times.
Regarding class vs. race animosity:
Two black families, one directly across the street, in neighboring area. I have no issues with either and enjoy chatting with them. They both appear to be financially similar to the rest of us and college graduates. I might add when talking with them I ain’t hear no double negative.
I had an extended power loss to my office building last night about 9pm. I need some emergency lighting! Took me a while to find my Fenix E21 flashlight in the dark (not total dark as the computer screens in my office were still on). So, what are people using for emergency lighting (if anything)?
I would like something to plug into the electrical outlets that comes on automatically.
Since we turn the inside lights off when the last person leaves, I suspect that these lights will run all night long. So I need something durable and cheap XXXXX frugal. Maybe something like:
http://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-Tools-RL435-Plug-In-Rechargeable/dp/B00ETW7C24/
At home, our emergency lighting is many flashlights and six Coleman Rugged LED personal lanterns. But they are not automatic at all. I have two at the office, somewhere. I finally found one a little while ago.
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Family-Sized-Rugged-Lantern/dp/B006OW5GDE/
Hey, Cowboy Slim! Howdy, podner!
Good to see ya back; hope all is well.
Now where the fuck is Mister Chuck?
@lynn, we’ve got some random name branded flashlights that plug into the wall and light up on power failure. They wear out. Don’t remember where they came from but I should probably swap them out.
Don’t you have some code required exit light illumination?
http://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Light-Combo-Battery-Backup/dp/B00L4E7ZRM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1434671639&sr=8-4&keywords=emergency+exit+lights
http://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Light-Battery-Back-up-White/dp/B00EKYQ2FY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1434671660&sr=8-6&keywords=emergency+exit+lights
Being a business and all…..
nick
Something to lighten the mood.
Don’t you have some code required exit light illumination?
Nope. 5,244 ft2 office building outside of the Land of Sugar and in Fort Bend County. No rule of law other than common law. My insurance requires smoke detectors, alligator warning signs, and no swimming signs. I would have thought that the signs are redundant but, whatever.
https://www.winsim.com/contact.html
If the building was 7,000 ft2 then Fort Bend County would have required a fire sprinkler system. Same thing with the 3,750 ft2 warehouse.
Who knew it could be sensible?
Still, these battery lights are great and with LEDs should work even longer.
Since you don’t have a legal requirement, you could just add a cord and hang them on the wall….
nick
” My insurance requires smoke detectors, alligator warning signs, and no swimming signs.”
Now that’s some funny chit right there. Tx for the laff, Mr. Lynn.
Up here I’m gonna put in Champ warning signs and ditto no swimming.
The “no handouts” sign should be redundant with the “warning – alligators” sign, but sadly, it’s not:
“Drunk tourist cheats death after scaling fence surrounding crocodile enclosure and being bitten by its inhabitants”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3130347/Drunk-tourist-cheats-death-scaling-fence-bitten-crocodiles-Cancun.html
nick
(and in answer to an earlier question, pretty fucking stupid!)
Tx for that link, Mr. medium wave; that was cool. I needed it after today’s combat group meeting this afternoon. Outstanding!
” My insurance requires smoke detectors, alligator warning signs, and no swimming signs.”
I wish I was kidding. The insurance company has mentioned it would not hurt their feelings if I were to drain both ponds (one half acre each). I’m not sure how the EPA would feel about that.
When I add another office/warehouse (5,000 ft2 with four stalls), Fort Bend County is going to require me to convert one of the ponds to a retention pond with a slow flow pump to the Brazos River. About $50K.
BTW, both of those three foot gators that we had a month ago hit the river, I guess. I suspect that the previous gators cleaned out the ponds. I just wish they would eat the turtles. Some of the larger turtles are approaching a foot in diameter. I’m betting that there are several hundred turtles and bullfrogs in the ponds. Not many fish.
That must be funny as chit, having to keep one’s eyes peeled for gators in a modern residential landscape; I’d been to Florider once and saw the signs but forgot or never knew about them being in TX. When I was stacking time for Uncle in TX our big worries out in the field training were the snakes, of course; rattlers, copperheads, coral and moccasins. I saw a coral snake once about three feet in front of me out there; thought I’d been through the mill with venomous snakes and then I was sent to SEA.
Regarding emergency power failure flashlights, I have a couple of these http://amzn.to/1StOI1c . Have had similar ones for years. LEDs, works well, gives enough light to find things. Has a flashing, on, and off mode. Plugs into a wall socket, turns on automatically when power fails.
@lynn, turtles are good eatin’
just sayin’
bullfrogs too.
nick
ho-ho-ho…
…IIRC, I mentioned that I was wondering what our ruling asswipes were doing while we all focused on the rotten little piece of shit in Charleston…
http://ncrenegade.com/editorial/head-fake-house-passes-obama-fast-track-trade-bill-while-all-eyes-on-charleston/
Yeah.
Now I wonder what ELSE these snaking rat bastard fucks are doing while Murka sees this nooz in the AM and forgets it immediately…