Is Joe Biden Worth $100-Million On A Book Deal?

 I read a piece where Jill (his wife) is pushing for a book deal.  She wants some publisher to come up and put $100-million on the table for a complete book.

I pondered over this.

First, I doubt seriously that Joe himself....would write the book.  Jill would either hire some guy to write it, or write it herself.

Second, I can't see massive interest....maybe 100,000 copies would sell at best.

Third, actual offering?  I could see someone stepping up and putting $5-million on table....half now and half when you finish the book.

Fourth, but what exactly is 'juicy' to be included in the book?  Would Joe mention the 8 days he was on a secret CIA mission to Belize in the 1960s?  Would Joe mention some secret romance with some Hollywood gal in the 1970s?  Would Joe talk about some safari adventure where the tiger almost ate him?

Finally, I come to this odd problem....would you read a book that some guy with full-blown dementia wrote?  I think most people would be shaking their head because of the background of the guy.

So, when you hear about some book-deal.....that's the basic introduction.  

Fragile Discussion

 I read over a piece originating from the Interior Department this AM....where they got 'huffy' over the word-use of the term 'man-made'.  More or less.....you shouldn't utter man-made in front of people....because it trigger them to react.

If you asked over my 65 years....how many times I've uttered man-made....I'd likely draw out two shots of some good Kentucky whiskey and calculate this.....maybe admitting I've used the term about one-hundred times.  My use?  Mostly around canals, reservoirs, lakes, Indian-burial mounds, and ditches.  

Getting someone disturbed by use?  Well....my comeback would be....where exactly are you drawing the line?  

I would imagine there are at least forty terms now that normal people aren't supposed to use/utter....around sensitive or fragile people.  Once you've conveyed your status to me....instead of trimming my vocabulary....I'm more likely to disconnect and keep a 12-foot distance from the fragile person.....avoiding contact.

Ways to overcome man-made?  Well.....you could utter creature-made, human-made, or possibly non-act-of-God-made.  Making things more  complicated?  Well...yeah, there is that one issue.  Maybe it's best not to describe who or what made 'IT'....don't get too complicated....just utter you are thankful it got made.  

This Whole Public Camping Law Chat

 The Supreme Court came up late last week and said that Americans don't have a right to camp on public property (meaning on sidewalks, city parks, etc).  A city can displace the public campers.

When all this homeless 'hype' started up a decade ago....no one really envisioned 'druggies' being in the mix, and that long-term camping (say for 20 years) would be acceptable.

Having been on the end of military deployments and their vision of long-term camping.....there are three essential elements.

First, sanitation is a key factor.  You can't show me a single public camping situation in SF, Portland, Seattle, or LA.....where you don't have rats/mice.  Every single health agency ought to be doing their job and shutting down public camping. 

Second, safety is an absolute must.  You can't have a quarter of your 'tent-city' on some drug-rage and you worried about getting killed over some comment you made over the Power-Rangers, the pitching staff of the Detroit Tigers, or the best way to cook ribs.  

Third and final....when someone says long-term camping (at least to a Army or Air Force guy)....there's a limit.  Army folks might be agreeable to two or three months of this style of living....Air Force guy might have six weeks of patience....to live in 1-star $90 tent.  

For those cities who want to be 'helpful'?  Select a point at the end of town....50 acres of property, and add public toilets/showers, and some covered patio area for dispersal of food.  Register the guy at the gate, and have the police monitor the camp.  Drug-use?  Don't accept it....force rehab.

The point on this discussion that I shake my head on.....how can a guy go and find this healthy (mentally) for a mid-20s person to sign up for 40 years of camping lifestyle?  

Four Observations

 1.  Just odd...timing of Hillary Clinton's book (presently) and a month-long period of interviews across the nation to sell the book/brand.

You'd think she was competing for the VP slot under Gov Newsom.

2.  Pressure on VP Harris to 25th-Amendment Joe Biden because of dementia?  Well....I'd suggest by mid-July....the House will be putting pressure on her.  

If she did do something like this and become President.....Newsom's 'game' is crapped-out and Harris might be the one winning in the convention.

3.  Science study done....proving that if  you exercise a lot....you tend to see things in slow-motion (at least you think/believe that).  

If you do zero exercise....you see reality in 'real' time....no slow-mo.

Having hauled hay in my youth....I would agree....a 8-hour day hauling hay feels like 40-hours of work....bundled  in a short-time spell.

4.  McPlant burger at McDonalds done....consumer interest wasn't there.  Would be interesting to know how much they wasted in developing it, and trying to brand it.

Three Humble Thoughts Over The Biden-Trump Debate

 1.  Pretty shocking....CNN actually ran a pretty decent debate.  The two commercial breaks?  Total waste in my opinion.

2.  Blink rate of Biden at several points....one blink per 50-odd seconds.  He was on some simulant but he also seemed drained of energy.

3.  The necessity to dump Biden?  Existing....but there's six weeks before the Convention.  Joe might be convinced not to step down, and just continue on.  

Odds of a 2nd debate?  ZERO.

Ten Humble Thoughts

 1.  Odd podcast I watched this AM.....mid-30s gal....claims she wasn’t allowed to board a United flight with her baby.  Reason?  She “misgendered” a nonbinary counter-attendant. 

Half-a-million people will likely view the video, and stage their own non-use of United over this.  

2.  After a while of accommodating things to accept a dementia guy in charge....it's not that hard to accept a bus-driver who has dementia, or a Waffle-House cook with dementia, or a bank-president with dementia, or even a doctor with dementia.

It took me a while to grasp this, but it makes perfect sense.

3.  One of the best ways to help achieve society’s collapse.....is to isolate people from your circle or refuse to recognize their opinion.  

4.  It's just odd....how people know all nine members of Supreme Court.....rather than remembering the starting line-up of the NY Yankees.

5.  I saw a video of Ashley Biden (Joe's daughter) speaking yesterday.  After about 30 seconds....I'm prone to suggest she was on medication.

6.  I think by 2025's conclusion....Disney will try to market 'Star Wars' for sale, and admit that they really screwed up the story.

7.  The minute I notice you having more than two tattoos.....I'm disengaged and likely thinking you have a 'problem'.

8.  Watching CNN for more than 10 minutes....I get this feeling of being in some cult-group.    

9.  There should be some kind of index used to determine how brainwashable people are, and certain job fields should be denied to those with a '7' or more on the index.  

10.  Just odd....Biden as a Senator....wrote a law to ban gays from the military.  This week, he hyped up the idea of a mass-pardon for all gays booted out from that law era.

I suspect, if President Biden wins in November....by 2029....he will have given every single American at least one to two pardons for something.  

How Joe Got Rich

 

I sat and contemplated this story.

Basically....Joe/Jill Bide used one single Delaware house....for refinancing 20 different times.

Original value of the house?  $350k.

What the loans added up to?  $4.2-million.

I've tried to make sense out of this.

The only way it makes sense?  

Each loan results in the house providing cash to the Bidens.....with the bank  holding the refinanced home.  Then some 'friend' steps in and pays cash for the mortgage deal from their pocket (not Joe/Jill's pocket), and the cash in Joe/Jill's pocket is thus gift-money and not really reported to IRS.

Legal?  Well....yeah, but most banks would say it's got an element of money-laundering attached....after you do this three or more times.

Did he report all  of this to the IRS?  I would imagine  yes.

My Three Thoughts On The Biden-Trump Debate

 Before we reach the debate:

1.  I think Russia will engage on their retribution gimmick (attacking some US target 12 to 24 hours prior to the debate.....with Biden backing out of the debate because of this event.

2.  If the debate does take place, I expect the CNN crew to be fairly biased but find that Trump is not really debating Biden.....he's going full-blast on CNN.  

3.  Biden has had seven continuous days of full up 'juicing'....so I'm curious if his body can handle a 8th day, and if the juicing wears off half-way through this debate.

My Thoughts On Oppenheimer (The Movie)

It's been two weeks since I watched the 3-hour 'saga'.   Four observations.

1.  The sound is crap. Between accents and low-quality recording....I'd say about 20-percent of movie is of poor quality.

2. To be honest, story-wise....there's probably material there for four different movies, and they led  you around to a complex story....which got you frustrated as time went by.  

3.  This Oppenheimer was a sex-nutcase-magnet....attracting a fair number of women (probably because of his brilliant mind).

4.  Toward the last hour.....I just wanted an ending (my patience had worn out).

My advice....if you really wanted to stay and view the whole thing....start off with three shots of whiskey, and down another shot every ten minutes.  For three hours?  It would 1.5 bottles to sustain a view (more if your wife is sitting there with you).

Relating To Heat

 The Saudis this past week....wrapped up the Hajj business....an open period (4 to 5 days) where folks are supposed to fly into Saudi Arabaia....do a walk around the holy site of Mecca, and then safely return home.

I sat and watched a Brit report on the conclusion (BBC)....learning that around 1,000 folks didn't make it (meaning the heat got to them, and they expired).

The Saudis did a fair amount of work....having mist machines out,  and passing out free water for folks.  It's just that you end up walking a couple of miles in the heat (110-plus)....with older folks likely getting stupid and dehydrated.

I paused over this....having lived four years in Arizona in the 1990s.

Being in direct sunlight for six to eight hours?  You can do this for roughly an hour...hydrating along the way.  But if you attempted a full eight hours of walking...without any shade....even a 12-year old kid would have issues.  

What Should Elon Musk Do With The $56-Billion?

 It's been on my mind for a week.  The compensation package from Tesla has been re-approved (after the Delaware judge tried to stop it).

First, I'd walk in and make a cash-offer to CNN's owners....$8-billion and assumption of current debt).   Once purchased....I'd terminate the top layer.  I'd make them purely a news group....with little to no politics (except after 10 PM).  

Second, I'd buy the Washington Post, with a cash offer of $1-billion.  Once purchased, I'd move the bulk of the management/journalists....forty miles outside of DC.  

Third, I'd take $10-billion and re-create American Public Radio (APR) to provide what NPR originally did in the 1970s.  Literature, poetry, jazz, blues, story-telling....with NO news.  I'd set up forty transmission sites around the US, and have it connected to Twitter/X.

Fourth, I'd offer a buy-out of the NY Times....$8.5-billion.  I'd turn around and forbid any journalist writing a story where the term anonymous source was used.

Fifth, I'd go to Newsweek and Time....asking they'd merge and allow me to buy duo for $2-billion. 

My Humble View Of This Hype Of Hillary Clinton For VP?

 Eight points:

1.  I think the White House insiders  (not Joe Biden/Kam Harris) are ready to admit that the campaign is in 2nd gear....going nowhere, and they had figured this out a year ago...preparing Governor Newsom for the Convention step-in process.  They haven't been able to talk Biden into this idea.

2.  I think Doctor Jill (Joe's wife) figured this out in the last sixty days....without talking to the White House insiders (Obama's former team).  In her mind....dumping Harris makes perfect sense, and going to Hillary Clinton fixes the sagging numbers.  

For the record, I don't think Jill's team or the White House insiders talk much between themselves.

3.  I think Hillary Clinton is mostly giggling over the idea, and fully engaged....thinking that Joe is in bad shape and would be out by late 2025 (if they won), and she'd correct all the screwed-up stuff.

4. Hillary's health issues?  Nothing dementia related....mostly physical health that lingers from 8 years ago.  I don't she's up for a 50-hour-a-week type job or serious travel (nor was she eight years ago).

5.  VP Harris just accepting this?  Oh, she's going to be disgruntled big-time.  She would have been dumped anyway, as Newsom's introduction would have carved her from the ticket.

6.  The public overly excited with Hillary listed as VP?  Why?  I don't see any special group (even the LG-community, or blacks, or Hispanics) being that hyped-up.

7.  Would Obama come out in the final sixty days to speak in favor of the Joe-Hillary ticket?  I don't buy that idea either.  I think he'd take a pass and just say Joe deserves to lose.

8.  Why is the whole ticket process (like talking over Bernie, Joe, Hillary and RFK) handcuffed to old guys/gals?  Can't they find some dynamic guy in his 40s, who doesn't have a crappy leadership record?

Ten Personal Opinions

 1.  Arguing with stupid people....doesn't achieve much of anything but giving you high blood-pressure.

2.  I get the opinion that one out of ten people that I bump into....are  trying to be something that they cannot achieve.

3.  Given a choice of buying a $25k 1970s antique car or a brand new Ford at $75,000 vehicle....I'll take the old car.

4.  Anyone who says they want to help you get out of poverty-status....might not have your success as a top-goal.

5.  The minute someone utters 'carbon-footprint-blah-blah'.....I hit some mute status in my head and it doesn't matter what you say or relate it to....I'm just thinking of Elmer Fudd hunting some rabbit.

6.  How I remember the old days (1960s) with Governor chatter?  About once a month, the Governor would show up in the newspaper....at some  state-park, or in a photo-pic with some school-teacher.  Today?  You can go out to Oregon and note five or six media-events daily where the Governor is trying to convince you they actually work.

7.  At some point, I expect American Indians, American Indian-Indians (Bombay type), Hispanics, and Asians....to mount an effort to have their own holidays.  This recognition is going irk blacks a good bit, and trigger some outrage.   My suggestion....just have one massive single federal holiday....allowing all the folks to be recognized.  Even 'idiots' should be recognized in some fashion.  

8.  This BS about Hillary Clinton being dragged in to replace Harris on the Biden ticket?  I think the idea came from Doctor Jill, and she's reached the stage of believing that Joe/Kam can't win....but Joe/Hillary could.  

9.  TDS (Trump Delusionary Syndrome) now a problem?  Fair number of people now believe that they will be personally persecuted (like Jesus)...then sent off to some imaginary camp.  It's to the level that I think at least 10,000 people imagine this.

10.  'Cockpit' has gotten onto a list of 'bad-words', and likely to be non-existent within a decade.  No idea what would replace it (I'd suggest a vaginapit).  

Five Things I Expect Out Of The 27 June Biden-Trump Debate

 1.  As much as you think it's a Biden versus Trump debate....it's really to be a Trump versus CNN debate, and possibly the ending of any 'trust' with CNN and the general public.  CNN may not have come to grasp this yet....but they are on the outer limits of trust with most of the public presently.

2.  If Biden is heavily medicated (as a fair number of people believe)....I would expect him to show up heavily medicated and treated with another 'dose' of medication during the commercial break.  Trump (after the first commercial) will joke if Joe got 'enough' during the pause.

3.  If Biden pauses heavily at some question asked.....it's likely that this is a unrehearsed question and he's pausing....wondering why they went off-script.

4.  It's not enough to tie with Trump in this debate....Biden really needs to 'win'....to avoid some talk of dumping him at the convention.

5.  I'm interested in the theory that CNN's job here is to make Biden look bad enough....that he has to exit at the convention and allow a new person to enter.  The question to open this 'door'?  Make him explain Bidenomics.  

The Approaching Draft

 I'm one of those people who believe the Army/Air Force/Navy recruitment program is 'twisted-up' and will fail by 2030.  My meaning?  The services will have a empty 'hole' of approximately 100,000 to 150,000 billets.  It'll be to the point that every unit existing....is slicing tasks....manned to a max of 90-percent,  and some 100k contractors are hired to do particular tasks.

At some point between 2030 and 2035....a draft (I predict) will  occur.

Then you will come to discover five remarkable facts:

1.  Around 25-percent of drafted folks....age 18 to 27....will  be unwilling to take orders.   

2. Around 40-percent will be confessing that they use both legal and illegal drugs.....on a weekly basis.  They will also tell the judge in the middle of things....they have no desire to clean themselves up.

3.  At least 10-percent of the drafted will be tested and shown unable to meet even the idiot-level on IQ testing.  Some will only be able to read at the 4th grade level.

4.  At least five-percent of those drafted....will tell the judge involved....they'd rather go to prison, than serve.

5.  Ten-percent of those drafted will  identify as animals or mentally unbalanced....thus getting them out of the draft status.  

In simple terms....just to reach 100,000 draftees...you probably will have to draft 250,000 folks.  

I worked with a NCO in 1978....he'd come in around 1968.  He brought up this airman in basic training....who after 4 weeks....the Air Force had decided they weren't going to waste any additional time on the guy.  His problem?  He was not going to take any order that he considered stupid.  The boot camp 'bosses' felt he'd come around after a week or two....well, it never did happen.  

I ponder upon this story, and just wonder how various officers will find the patience to handle future recruits in this landscape.

Harvard Study

 Couple of Harvard PhD guys/gals....sat down and did some thinking/calculating...then wrote a research paper (published by Harvard's Human Flourishing Program).  

Topic?  The guys said they think non-human/alien entities may be living among us, appearing as humans.

About two or three days after publishing....Harvard pulled the paper.  

I sat and looked over a copy of it before it was yanked.

So...there's zero factual evidence to back this up.  

The folks merely suggest that it's very likely that android-like 'entities' exist around and appear human-like....having some kind of lifestyle presence.  

I pondered upon this.  You could have 10,000 of them on  Earth....owning companies...operating social media....avoiding medical procedures or tests to identify them as non-human (meaning they aren't playing basketball or ice hockey).

Elon?  Well....yeah, he could be a non-human.  Trump?  No....he's had various health tests.  

I probably wasted an hour today thinking over this idea.

I settled on this one issue....WHY?

The only thing I could settle on....they had some instruction imbedded into their system....to guard over and bring mankind to a position.  

Good androids or bad androids?  The Harvard guys didn't seem to touch that topic.

Did the guests bring us Marvel, or design Amazon, or get jobs with CNN?   There's a thousand questions I would ask.

Counterfeit Part Story

 

I sat and pondered over this story today.  Both major airline companies in the world....both fooled in some way with fake titanium-looking metal sold to them for parts.

Problems?

You would have to go and look at every single plane made....test each part, and if fake....replace.

I would imagine purely from an audit experience....you'd be talking about three years from beginning to end.

I sat in a briefing within the Pentagon back  in the 2012 era....where they talked about fake Chinese-made components were being found in US-made desktop/laptop computers.  It could be a $100 graphics board....that sold as a fake copy for $25.  The middle guy?  Taking the $75 profit.  This guy would buy a thousand copies, and slip them into the manufacturing process.

If any of these Airbus or Boeing planes fail and the fake parts are identified as the cause?  Well....the court business would get into the billions.

But why stop there?  It's the same way with brake pads.....you could take the Ford F150 over to a garage....have the genuine pads installed....to grasp six weeks later, they failed because they were crappy Chinese-copies.

The AC unit you have in the house?  It might have five or six components which are not Japanese-made  as you thought....but cheap Chinese-copies.

It should worry people.

Just Six Observations

 1.  The NBA will 'give' the WNBA around $50-million this year....to cover losses.  So one would ask....what would help to make up the $50-million (allowing the NBA to keep their money)?  Pause here....some remarkable incoming star to hype TV viewing of games?

2.  After having watched about twenty-odd clips of President Biden at the G7 meeting.  

Yeah, I would agree....he needed someone to mostly lead or herd him to the proper standing/sitting  points.  So the question is....if nuke time came up....do they have someone ready to lead or point toward the nuke codes?

3.  I had to look up the word 'SYCOPHANT'.  Defining it?  Well...it's a guy/gal who says a bunch of BS...to get attention or recognition...strictly for his position (to gain or maintain).  Could you be one sycophant surrounded by additional sycophants (like 3 or 4 panel members on a CNN group)?  Well.....yeah, that's entirely possible.

In Alabama-lingo....'brown-noser' would be the same word.

4.  House passed a new law to automatically register guys for the draft at age 18 (up to 27).  

Reason?  If you notice....Army, Air Force, and Navy are all having problems (back in 2023, and here now in 2024).  I would assume even in 2025 and 2026....it'll continue.

At some point, my humble view...around 2028, they will have no choice but to draft around 100,000 18/19 year old young men.  

Will this work?  Probably around 70,000 will show up with serious weight issues (30 pounds over the max), drug issues, mental issues (obvious paranoid schizophrenia for example), or criminal records/members of some gang.  The first year of this draft will be a 5-star failure with one out of three stamped 'invalid'.  Another third will be released within 12 months of being drafted.

5.  Best Trump quote ever: "I have never seen a thin person drinking a Diet-Coke."

Given a choice of meal with a Diet-Coke, prune juice or fizzy water.....the Diet-Coke will always be last for me.

6.  My prediction of when Biden announces he's removing his name and giving the Convention a chance to select the replacement?  

The week after the 27 June debate with Trump.

I suspect that CNN's crew will  have pre-written questions for Biden, and along about the 2nd or 3rd question....they start to ask unknown questions....with Joe standing there confused and unable to recite what he memorized.   

The Biden crew over the next seven days will reflect upon the mess they have, and give up.  At the same time....questions will arise if VP Harris should take over.  Democrats will be in shock as half of the news media advocates that Biden has to be removed from his position, with Harris moving up, and some folks now discussing who the new VP  should be.

Chow Hall Story

 I sat and read a peculiar story today....over how the Pentagon is seeking some kind of 'approval'  to feed American troops ‘experimental’ lab-grown meat in order to reduce CO2 footprint.

They seem to want some gov't agency to say it's 'OK'.

I paused over this.

For the better part of seven years.....in my Air Force years....I ate chow-hall food.  For breakfast, I learned quickly that they could screw up and give you some spoiled food....which could lead to a ambulance call (1977, at the tech school in Texas....they had to pick up three guys over an hour with awful bad stomach cramps).

Would military folks eat fake-meat?  If you said the word 'experimental'....then I'm pretty sure that 98-percent would say 'NO thanks'.  If you leave out 'experimental'....you might get up to 5-percent willing to try it.

Cheaper than meat?  Well...this is the interesting part of the story.   Back in 2021....some analysis was done, and the experts said per pound....lab-grown meat would cost a minimum of $17 (possibly getting up to $23).....while regular meat was around $6. 

So cost is going to be an issue for the funds-limited chow hall folks.

My belief?  It'll come in....be served to a small number of folks....some kind of stomach cramp problem will come up as a mystery health issue, and quietly be retired after 18 months.  

Four Things I Don't Understand About Hunter Biden

 1.  Why buy a gun?

Did someone in the drug-business make a threat?  It just doesn't make much sense....you go through life and after age 40.....then you buy a pistol.

2.  If you are a regular (daily) user of cocaine....is it that bright to have a pistol around in your possession?

3.  With all the stuff on the laptop now analyzed.....with 300-odd charges that you could rack up....it's a paperwork drill that you screw up on?

4.  Then finally, why did the sister-in-law of Hunter's....need to be told/updated that he had a gun....then why did she react by taking the gun away and tossing it into a dumpster?  

Viewing the Basketball Player....Caitlin Clark And The WNBA

 To be honest, I've almost quit viewing major league baseball, and NFL football...because of all the woke-gimmicks and crappy sports-chatter.

Over the past year....I've started to watch some NBA action (strictly the Denver Nuggets), and all this hyped-up NCAA ladies basketball....with Caitlin Clark.

Clark wrapped up her college years, and in the past 2 months....started WNBA action.  

So I'll make three observations:

1.  Clark as far as I'm concerned is probably the best overall college basketball gal to come out of the system in the past decade...maybe even ever.

2.  The WNBA needs some 'lift'....because nothing over the past 20 years has pumped up fans.

3. This keeping her off  the Olympic ladies team?  Well...this afternoon, I read that NBC has offered Clark a analyst job at the games.  Peeving the ladies even more?  Oh yeah.....every critical play that they screw up on....Clark will identify it and how they could have done better. 

Amazing how this whole thing has turned into a circus.

Time Blindness?

 I sat and watched a video where a young lady (I'd suggest she was 20)....confessed that she had something called “time blindness” which meant she was continually late to work.

At first, I thought she was just 100-percent bluffing.  Well....no, she indicated that she had a problem and the boss let her go because of the continuing trend of being late.

At my first job in the Air Force....the boss  (Sarge) let it be known....work started at 7:30 AM, and you could be two minutes late without a harsh reaction.  Beyond 5 minutes late....Sarge would let you get the full 'dump'.  Anything beyond 15 minutes late...had better have a good explanation....like a car accident or snowfall.

I started to notice with airmen after 2000....this lateness thing was becoming a big issue.  This often went hand-in-hand with people who refused to wear a watch.  For these people....time didn't matter.

Selling The Gavin Newsom Brand As Biden's Replacement?

 I'll make three observations here.

First, in California....it just seems like that three-quarters of the state is pretty much finished over Newsom.....as governor, and it makes it hard to see how he'd sell himself as a Presidential candidate.

I noticed last week....some podcast where the moderator talked to a dozen Compton, California blacks....who were ALL fairly negative.  I think  the general black population has a chance to review the situation....most all will be anti-Newsom and thus gear the state for a Trump-win.

Second, Newsom has an odd history....constant travel.  Someone remarked last year....that a data collection was mounted over the previous 365 days of Newsom as Governor, and he was on the road around 250-plus days out of 365.  They compared this to his period as mayor of SF....finding basically the same story....he's on the road a great deal of time.

Third, his push of the $20-an-hour for employees of burger-joints has dissolved 10,000 jobs in California this year (2024).  Imagine him at work in DC...getting a chance to repeat the strategy.  

Five Things I Think Will Happen By 1 January 2025

 1. I think Elon Musk will realize that Tesla's board will not pay him the promised $5-billion 'bonus'....start selling his stock (all of it), and exit Tesla as the CEO.  The company will go into a spiral in 2025....finding that Elon-hype ended as he left the company.

2.  Over forty mid-sized banks....heavily into commercial mortgage loans....will be in failure-mode, with the FDIC unable to save them.  Throughout October,  Congress....who should be in full election mode....will instead stand there in a crisis and realize that FDIC is no longer capable of doing their mission.

3.  At least two teams (Dallas and Atlanta) of the WNBA will be discussing a 'collapse' due to the attendance issues (averaging between 3,500 and 4,500 fans a game).

4.  Hunter Biden will be convicted on one of the three charges (the one where he possesses a new gun and yet went though the next 11 days of continued cocaine use).  My prediction?  He gets a hefty fine, and has to show 90 days of drug  testing 'clean' to avoid one year in prison. He fails the drug test requirement and spends some time in prison with Trump pardoning him by the end of January 2025.

5.  The top three financial advisers to President Biden will each be asked  three basic questions over economics (before the election)....questions that a 2nd year college kid could answer.  The three advisers will fail  all three questions.  CNN will repeat the test to three of their 'experts'....finding they also fail the test.  

Trump Chatter

 I sat and pondered over this Trump-talk.  First, he's saying that he is open to the idea.....not that he'd fully sign on.

In general, you can do three things to get a problem-alien back to their  country:

1.  You can deny any US funding/grants to that country.

2.  You can deny entry to any tourists from that country.

3.  You can tariff countries who are uncooperative....meaning you (the US consumer) will pay more for that product.

On this tariff....who is in the worst spot?  Well....I'd say China is at the top.   Countries like Afghanistan are near the bottom.

Would the House/Senate agree?  The Democrats would say absolutely no to the idea.

But I think the key issue here....if you said it MIGHT happen....it'd scare the crap out of five-million aliens, and off they'd go to Canada real quick. Canada would turn and say you got papers for the US....the US needs to accept them back, and the US would yank on the Canadian trade situation by forcing a tariff on their products.  Yeah, this could get real messy.

The Disappeared

 This week.....former FBI Deputy 'boss',,,,Andrew McCabe....did a interview and said that there are some FBI employees now worried that Trump investigate and jail them if elected president.  Then he commented....this is triggering them to consider the crazy idea of leaving the US (Trump were to win).

I sat and pondered over it.

The only safe non-extradition countries?  Vietnam, China,  UAE, Columbia, Iran, Morocco, Moldova, Brunei, Belarus, Cuba, and Cambodia.  To be honest, Russia probably wouldn't honor any request of the US, and I'm guessing that the EU might be stupid enough to crank up a quick no-extradite situation just for FBI agents.

The problem is....you have a particular skill and a limited number of places to apply for a job.  If the banking industry were given a order by the government to ban you....there's not many places left to hire you.

Maybe China might hire you but I'd be asking what kind of propaganda status am I stuck in.

Just how many folks is McCabe talking about?  He doesn't say.  I would be guessing around 500 folks who hold some problem, but that's purely a guess on my part.

Just escaping?  Well...if this were me....I'd be putting my DC property up for sale....even though it's a crappy time to sell, and cash in all the loot I could gather, and just secretly/quietly....move to Panama.  I would not say much or advertise anything...just to plan on being 'gone' by December.

As for my life after disappearing?  Well....I'd probably write some kind crime novel about evil right-wing agenda people....hoping that left-wing readers would  buy it and sustain my lifestyle.  

Yeah, I'd call it a phase of American history, where weird events went on for a decade, and led back to the FBI....then they just all suddenly disappeared.

Four Humble Observations

 1.  The Miss Alabama contest was settled this past week.  If you google it....it's a gal in the 250 to 270 pound range.  And no....she's not like 6'2" tall.

We do crazy stuff like this in Alabama.  I even think that she's got a fair chance in the Miss America pageant.

2.  From Maryland, they also completed their state pageant.....with a Transwoman winning....'wife' of a Marine.  

Yeah, it'll be a unusual contest that folks will watch at the Miss America pageant.   

3.  Someone noticed that the judge in this Hunter Biden gun case.....had an identical episode in the past year, and gave that guy 12 months in prison. Will be a harsh thing for Hunter....if in a no-cocaine year.  Probably the first time in his life since age 16 that he went a whole day or two without cocaine.

4.  If you use eBay....you probably noticed this week....they dropped American Express as a pay-option....so they are crazy on the fees.

The Vetting of Trump's Choices for VP?

The list?  

-Doug Burgum

-Marco Rubio

-J.D. Vance

-Tim Scott

-Byron Donalds

-Elise Stefanik

-Ben Carson

The truth of the matter is that you are selecting a person who would likely run in 2028, and be around until 2036.  

The least controversial of the group?  Probably Ben Carson and Tim Scott. 

Rubio?  Well....if you were talking about attracting the Hispanic/Latino vote....he's the guy.  

If you wanted someone to be the thug/hard-ass?  Well....that's Byron Donalds.  The black communality in the US would go positive over him.

The remaining five months before the election?  It's going to get interesting.

What Made The Andy Griffith Show Different?

 1.  Of the 249 episodes....I would imagine at least forty of them have some type of parable in the story-line where Andy is making a point and relates things in a way that a 10-year old kid or a 40-year old adult would understand.

2.  Behind Andy and Barney....if you started counting the secondary characters and their value....there's probably 40-odd people who were telling their story on occasion.

3.  People developed an attitude in life....having watched Mayberry....they wanted to live there.

4.  Eventually, you came to this odd fact....the only married guy in Mayberry...was Otis.  Everyone else was either divorced, widowed, or single.

5.  Everyone has a favorite episode of the show, and if you were sitting on some porch with a dozen people.....this would be an engaging conversation for an hour .

6. If you tried to re-invent it today....no studio would touch it unless it had some really serious topics and whacked-out-crazy characters.

7.  My favorite episode?  The one where the boys felt the goat had eaten dynamite.  The haunted house comes in a close second.

8.  No matter how things went....no character ever reached a point of getting 'cancelled' by the routine of the show.  

9.  If you tried to explain Otis to today's society....it'd just go pretty negative after the 2nd minute.

10.  The bullet-in-the-shirt-pocket for Barney.....is always remarkable in a way to think about today.

Q-and-A

 1.  Bird flu serious?

Well....I sat and read through some Mexican chatter over the first guy there who has died from bird flu.  What they say about the poor guy?  He had type 2 diabetes already, and had some type of "chronic kidney disease."

So it's already walking down the Covid-avenue....if you had a weakened immune system....you were in trouble.  If you had a decent health situation...you were not in trouble.

2.  With all these new illegals in the US....under the age of 18....is there space in the school systems for them (particularly in NY City, Chicago, and Denver)?

Well....this question is going to come up in August, and you will discover that these three particular cities are not capable of supporting several thousand new juveniles in the current school system.

So prepare....it's going to get pretty messy in August and September.

3.  If you asked most Americans.....is urbanized America in decay....what would they say?

I suspect roughly half the generally public would say 'yes' and question the survival rate of the top twenty cities in the nation.

4.  Can I handle five minutes of chatter from VP Harris?

Well....NO.  I'm in the mindset if I see a piece starting up on the news with Harris....I mute the sound.  I'd rather not have to hear some juvenile-like 'child' speak.

5.  If Joe Biden slips out of the race in August, and a 'sub' (Gov Newsom) is inserted....won't most people ask how and why?

Well....most people will say Joe is in mental decay, but then suggest that if this is true....shouldn't VP Kam appear and become President?  

This is the odd part of the discussion.  I've run down twenty-odd scenarios, and every single one of them would result in President Kam in charge.  And with that....you would expect President Kam to be the nominee...NOT Gov Newsom.

6.  If you had around 15-million people who were deemed illegally in the US and suddenly woke up in November to realize Trump won and might be deporting you in 2025....what would probably happen?

I suspect most all of them would leave in January for Canada.  This would turn into a monumental crisis period, and trigger a total collapse of confidence for the Canadian gov't.  

If you thought things were crazy now.....oh, it gets really wild in January.

7.  What makes India really unique?

They have a 'free' national ID card.....the Aadhaar card.  You bank with it....you register to vote with it.

No one ever talks about bogus voting in India.

8.  Weren't all of the folks who signed the Declaration of Independence....felons?

Well...yeah, if the war hadn't gone well (with French help)....all of them would have been arrested eventually, and sent off to prison. It's like the Tea-Party folks.....all of them were guilty of felony charges as well.  That Washington-guy?  Yeah, probably over 100 charges with felony status for him.

9.  Has Star Wars developed into a soap opera?

Yeah, but folks are hyped-up to see sexual situations between humans and aliens. 

10.  The chief theme for bank failures for the remainder of 2024?

If you have a bank deep into commercial real estate loans...it's guaranteed to be on a failure list.  FDIC might be able to handle the five or six failures, but eventually, if your bank comes up on the failed-list....you will be asked to limit your removal of funds from your bank (like no more than $1k per month to withdraw).  

All of this will trigger Congress to re-invent FDIC....some new 'critter'....taxing you $20 a month for some 'special' bank insurance to have $100k ensured.  

Work Discussion

 I noticed this slide come up for a news report in the AM on job interviews, and impressions by HR folks (on recent college graduates).

I worked with a guy who'd spent two years as a hiring 'guru' for his company and he'd interviewed around 200 people in that period.....with about 30-percent being new college graduates (this was in the 2005/2006 period).  He wasn't that impressed with the college kids he had (even in that era).

So I looked at the listing here.  Dressed inappropriately?  For me, that would mean he showed up in jeans or without a tie.  If a woman?  This means she wore slutly clothing or had three buttons undone on the blouse.  On this question....for me, it's a no-hire situation and I'd wrap up the interview in 5 minutes.

The statement....brought a parent to the interview?  Who the hell would do that?

Using inappropriate language?  Who would be that crazy?

I paused at this point, and thought of my brother....the electrical engineer guy.  Yeah, he might actually show up in a white shirt, dockers pants, and Red Wing boots.  If asked how to handle a situation...yeah, he'd probably say 'Andy would pause here and tell some parable' (referring to the Andy Griffith Show).    On profanity?  Well....he might utter some Amish/Mennonite phrases on occasion.  

The truth is....we do need some 'characters' at the office to freshen up prospective, and adding a few weird folks isn't that big of a deal.  But you probably don't want Wanda's momma at the office helping to keep Wanda focused on work, and you don't want Steve to show up in Hawaii shirts and shorts as normal dress/attire.

Footnote: On the unreasonable compensation thing.....the kid probably owes $120,000 and is desperate to pay it off in ten years. 

Four Humble Thoughts

 1.  I sat and read a piece this morning over the Washington Post publisher and CEO William Lewis.

Basically, he had a meeting yesterday with his staff, and it got to a blunt point. He's terminating the executive editor Sally Buzbee.

Reason?  Over the 3 years that Buzbee has been there....readership has lessened (profits are down).

Then he says something to the reporters that consumers aren't reading their product.

The fact that the majority of the hired journalists lean left on politics?  I don't see them getting a solution, and this is one of those publications that probably will not be around when you get to 2030.

2.  Trump says in an interview.....he's now fixated on releasing ALL files on 9-11, JFK, and Epstein.

I sat and pondered over this.  Just on 9-11....there's probably 10,000 pages of material that go and link various Saudi key players to the act, and it'll make everyone doubt the nature of the Saudi government.  

On JFK?  The CIA would desperately fight this.

Finally, on Epstein?  You'd basically come to find various elements of the CIA connected to Epstein.

3.  I was reading over a financial piece yesterday, which got into the long talk about past recessions.

There is this odd factor on recessions.  I'd call it the 'long wag'.

In past 6 recessions, announcement of the official recession started on average about 234 days after the GDP data was released.  

The fact that we are talking about a recession currently underway, but failing to meet the past six history?  Well....it is a curious thing.  

4.  Over the past two or three months, I've seen various discussions on Twitter.....where someone has offered up the idea....if you want to take off weight....you need a diet-plan and exercise.  To which....some  people claiming medical status....say that with some people it's not enough.  Yeah, they are hinting toward the medical options as the gimmick to use.

I will attest to the fact that if you limit your calorie intake (to say 1,400 calories a day) and increase your calorie-burn (exercise)....to which I mean two work-outs a day of 60 minutes each....you can take off five to seven pounds a month...guaranteed.  

This BS of a medical solution?  It only works....while you continue to use it...and it has a cost factor.  

The 6-Foot Covid Rule

 Back early in the Covid era (2020)....someone came up and suggested that when around people....you need to establish a 6-foot distance.  This came out of the US originally....then even here in Germany....they generally accepted the same distance....but saying 1-meter (3.3 feet).

I sat for a week, and researched at the time.....where this 1-meter distance thing had been determeined.

Well....the only point you could find was the US standard of 6-feet.  No one had done any logical research.

This past week, I read through some medical commentary, and here was Doctor Fauci.....admitting they just picked 6-feet at random....never involving any science.

The German interpretation of 1-meter?  Well....it just leads back to Fauci and 6-foot rule.  Again, no science.

This just begs the question for me....what else is bogus science?

My Trump-Crystal Ball

 How I see this episode unfolding for the rest of 2024?

1.  About a week prior to the sentencing episode....a digital nomination episode will unfold, with Trump nominated by the delegates.

2. VP?  Byron Daniels.  Trump will pick him to be the 'stick' of the situation for the campaign.  

3. Trump will get a one-year sentence and be taken immediately off to jail.  'Political prisoner status'?  Yeah, this will be a hot theme for the next four months. 

4.  Blacks overwhelmingly for Trump?  By the end of August....polls will indicate 60-percent of blacks are pro-Trump now.  Biden's campaign crew are freaking out.

5.  Election result?  Trump/Daniels win with over 320 EC votes.  In Chicago....Trump easily wins over Biden.

6.  Trump on inauguration day?  Still in jail.  Daniels is there to swear in as temp-President, with the House-Speaker as temp VP. 

7.  As Daniels wraps up his oath.....he lays  into Biden and Obama on the stage....telling both that they are now under investigation.  He turns to the FBI director....telling him he's fired.  The top level of the Justice Department?  Suspended for the next 60 days.  All within a 5-minute period. 

Daniels then sends Air Force One to NY, and to have Trump released.  100,000 New Yorkers line the streets as Trump is brought to the airport.

8.  News media in absolute freaked-up status.  Daniels cancels activities for the remainder of the day, and has ordered an investigation into House/Senate members over insider trading.

Radical prediction?  Yeah....but I think Trump sees a vast landscape where it take a gangsta-like character like Daniels to be the clean-up guy. 

Seven Humble Thoughts

 1.  I think Trump will already have a nomination process in July, instead of the Convention itself, with the VP choice announced at the same time. 

2.  WNBA (women's league NBA)?  I don't think they will be around by 2030.  I would suggest a ABA-like replacement league existing shortly....most 6 to 8 clubs in the midwest....UNCONNECTED to the NBA, and without all the LGTBQ stuff of the WNBA.  These clubs will be able to get 15,000 fans nightly into the arenas, and have a streaming video contract.  

3.  A housing sales crisis in the DC area will start to exist in mid-2025....where a ton of people need to sell property, and they can't find buyers or banks willing to cover the loans. DC banks will take possession of the homes by early 2026....with over 10,000 homes in the middle of this 'mess'.

4.  A California draft law be presented in 2025....saying you can't sell a Coke or Pepsi (any sugar drink) to anyone under the age of 12.

5.  At least one-million Gaza people will reside in the US by the end of 2024.  A classified FBI report will suggest that at least 500 Hamas terrorists are within this group.

6.  Some shock poll will be released by late summer showing two out of three black voters in Chicago are now Trump-voters.

7.  Some journalists will uncover evidence of twenty-five Senators having paid out 'hush-money' to staff members since 2000.  

Next Worry? DBF?

 I sat and read through this NY Post story today.

Basically, they are saying that there is some kind of 'dead-bird-flu' existing, and that if you were getting the 'DBF....50-50 chances of you dying.

But here's the thing, it's a scientists saying this.  

So after Covid and all the BS....if a scientist stood up and said something like this....I suspect that a large portion of society would just start laughing.

It is an odd occurrence....where some idiot went off for a PhD, got some level of education, and then launched into a 'wave' where people doubt whatever he says.

Scientists now rated at the same level as used-car dealers or Wall Street bankers?  Yeah, that's jest of what I see now.