The Thing About Podcasts

 Back in 2020....as Covid started up and I didn't go out traveling in central Germany....I started to listen/watch podcasts.  I probably averaged around six podcasts a week....some were for an hour....some for 90 minutes.  

It's a curious habit....it became more interesting than using Netflix or a streaming service, and I found that they started to substitute for what I'd consider regular news.  In fact....several were more competent or developed...than what CNN could offer.  

The added feature....I could get my knowledge level up on climate change, science in general, historical events, and understanding a lot of weird stuff (thanks to Joe Rogan).  

In the past six months?  I'm up to two to three hours a day.....I figure around 15 podcasts a week now.  

The thing that gets me.....cable or regular TV networks can't match up.  The TV networks have become like dinosaurs now, and on a lot of topics.....they just can't openly discuss matters.  You also can't have a product (a show) where some guy can spend three hours asking a lot of intense but insightful questions.  None of the networks will dare sign up to that.   

I'm not saying podcasts are going to destroy the networks.....but I've got a list of twenty-five podcast 'bosses' and I can find something almost daily....that one of them have done....that interests me.  I counted today....probably 4.5 hours spent on three podcasts.  

Brazil

 Back on 2 October....Brazil had an election.  You had two basic candidates.

You had a Trump-like character in Bolsonaro.  In opposition, you had a leftist guy by the name of da Silva.  

If the name da Silva sounds familiar?  He was the president of Brazil from 2003 to 2011.  When he left in 2011....this major corruption mess came up.  It's safe to say it involved literary dozens of big-name politicians.  Eventually, the court system cranked up a case and convicted da Silva on three significant charges...getting 9.5 years in jail.

So, oddly enough....while appealing....he decided to run again in 2018 for President.  This was hindered when the standing gov't said enough, and placed the guy in jail.  He sat there for roughly 500 days, and then the Brazilian Supreme Court system released him.  The chief reason?  The three convictions were from a district where they didn't have jurisdiction for the case.  

Yeah.....they didn't say he was innocent.....it was more of the case that you could have convicted him in the right district, but you failed to do that.

The difference in the vote?  Well....da Silva won, but with 1-percent of the vote (around 2-million votes).

Discrepancies?  The Supreme Court, and the bulk of journalists in the country say zero discrepancies.  If you look at some of the mentions for problems.....there's probably some crappy situations but the question would be.....is it amounting to more than a million votes?  

The military?  They had an opportunity, via the unique way the Constitution is written...to say it was a fraudulent election.  At the end of the review.....they stood to the side and refused to do anything.  Oddly enough, the vow by da Silva is that leadership within the military will be changed out once in office. 

So over the past weekend.....trouble started up.  It's safe to say anti-da Silva folks are aggravated and acting.  

Police to oppose them....like you saw on 6 Jan 2021 in the US....bringing the coup potential back down?  Well....if you go and look at what Brazilians on the street say.....the cops aren't that interested in getting into the middle of this. 

Military to oppose the protest crowd?  Again, if you view what Brazilians on the street say.....there's a limited group who seem to be pro-da Silva.

The attempt off CNN to say that the protest movement will be settled?  It's difficult to compare what occurred in the US to Brazil, or vice-versa.  

If the military reaches a stage where they think da Silva is unable to control things?  Oh, in that scenario.....I think they will just say stability (without da Silva) is the priority.....meaning he and the Supreme Court there.....exit, and a year of 'quietness' occurs....before another election occurs.  

My View On Term Limits

 First, if you want to apply this....across the board, fine.  Senators, House members, Supreme Court Justices, VP, and President.  I would even suggest that a cabinet member ought to be limited to one term  (max of four years).  

But then, what amount of years do you apply?  Two Senate terms (12 years)?  Six House terms (12 years)?  Supreme Court Justice (12 years)?

I'd even be willing to apply an age limit and say by age 68...you have to give your final notice and retire by age 69.  

Same view at state level?  Yeah.  Even for a city mayor or city council guy....twelve years max, and final notice of retirement in your 68th year of life.

The problem is....once you bring this up....more than 75-percent of Senators/House members....aren't that likely to vote for it, or will rig it to fail with the court system.

Five Observations

 1.  It's just odd....with the crypto folks at FTX in bankruptcy.....around 100 parties have lined up and want 'buy' them (I'm assuming for a ultra cheap price), and revamp them or re-invent things.  

What idiot customer would trust the group?  Unknown.

2.  Just amusing....at the El Paso area where President Biden did his walk....they spent around three days cleaning up the area (local authorities).  So Joe didn't get the view landscape view of homeless folks camped out.  

3.  I sat this morning watching Brit news early on....live camera team at a major bookstore in the downtown London area.  This was opening day for Prince Harry's new book.  

ONE single person at the door at 8 AM who was a non-journalist.  The other forty to fifty folks.....all journalists.  

There's just zero interest from the general public.

4.  Those documents in Biden's think-tank?  Top Secret.  Now confirmed.  On a sh*t-scale....1 to 10....it's a '9'.  The place was not a TS vault.  So someone is going to have explain how they were held for six years....in this non-secure area.  On the crap system.....it's bad.

5.  It just begs questions as you gaze at FB/Meta/Twitter.....how did all these geeky guys/gals....get some moralistic and want to control free speech?  Were they that easily brain-washed?  It's almost like a cult group....focused on an agenda and not technology itself.   

The Problem With Biden's Secret Documents

 I have read through a dozen accounts of the secret documents found in his 'Biden-Center', and will suggest these five observations:

1.  It does not appear that the Biden-Center has a classified material storage area.

2.  As VP, he had zero authority to declassify any classified document.

3.  It's not clear if these are Secret or TS (Top Secret).  If they were TS.....there is gross violation of security.

4.  At this point, I'd have to order the National Achieve people to audit the JFK, Johnson, Carter, Nixon, Ford, Bush I/II, Reagan, Obama and Clinton collections.

5. Then I come to a weird issue....some element of the China contributed a fair amount of money to the Biden-Center.....did they get access to the document?  

Whichever idiot in the White House that suggested to raid Trump's place.....really didn't anticipate Biden's crew in 2016 was this stupid.  

This being enough to fire the guy?  I'm pretty sure he himself....didn't throw the document into the box.....so it begs the question....who did pack up the box?

Pilot Chatter

 American Airlines came this weekend to announce that they were cutting flights to Columbus, Georgia; Del Rio, Texas; and Long Beach, California.  Chief reason?  Well....it wasn't the passenger flow or lack of planes.  It was a lack of pilots.  There simply aren't enough around.

Back around 2012, I worked in the Arlington, VA region and had a 30 minute chat one day at a pub around the corner of my apartment building with a guy who was a 25-year old pilot.  

Around age 19....some relative had passed on and left him around $100,000....to which he used to get a pilot license for a particular type of plane (a 40-pax type).  

He found the employment not a big deal....but they weren't going to pay him anything substantial (even in his 3rd year of employment...he was still in the $32,000 level).  It marginally paid for his studio apartment, and marginalized lifestyle.

He had some deal with the airline....after five years of work, they'd pay for some upgrade on a bigger frame plane, and increased pay would come.  At the pace he was going?  He probably wouldn't be making the $80,000 a year rate until he got up around 40 years old.

He wasn't disgruntled but he wasn't thrilled over the limits.  

The problem is....all of these smaller airports have  a limited number of people who need to out to the 'hubs'.  So there's a lot of these 20 to 40 passenger planes out there, and most all of these pilots are making a pretty low wage.

Over the next decade....I suspect more than forty US airports operating today (the small operations) are going to get the message....flights will be curtailed or lessened.  What that means for the normal American?  Well...if you live in some small town of 40,000....your local airport with ten flights a day to Houston or St. Louis.....probably isn't going to be around.  You will add another hour to driving to the next bigger town and flying out from there.

That's the long term landscape to prepare for.  

Brain-Washing

 One of my more favorite podcast folks is Dr Peterson.....the Canadian who dumps out tons of logical advice.

In the past week, if you follow Peterson....he got a registered letter.  The Canadian College of Psychologists of Ontario (they hold his official license) has said he has a problem involving social media.....so he needs to come to a re-education camp to straighten out his 'bad-boy' behavior (mostly over critical comments of the Trudeau kid who is the President of Canada). 

What this re-education 'camp' is about?  Basically, the crew of psychologists of Canada figure that he (Peterson) needs straightening out.  Yeah.....some sort of lecture deal.  No one has said if it's a half-day deal....two or thee days....etc.

Scott Adams of Dilbert fame.....thought about the event, and made up a new cartoon.....officially to be released at the end of January.   Adams lays out the chief issue here....maybe the Ontario group of psychologists....might themselves have a mental disorder.

I thought about this from a military intelligence prospective, in the way that you'd brain-wash or counter-brain-wash a 'prisoner'. 

Typically, the guy who is the boss of the brain-wash session....is supposed to take the lead and not allow the prisoner to counter-process the session.  If you lose this prospective.....then the prisoner will counter-brain-wash you.  At this point, the crew (usually watching) has to call the guy into another room....get washer dude #2 prepped-up and send him into action.

My advice for the Ontario group of psychologists....if you did access to any of the Nazi guys left from 1945.....you might want to consult with them before you start things.  

Also, because of the vast amount of knowledge with Doc Peterson....you would be advised to figure a minimum of 15 days before he breaks down....with a minimum of five brain-wash 'bosses' necessary to keep the pressure on Peterson.

My advice?  I would suggest for the Ontario crew review five movies: Manchurian Candidate (1962), Sleeper (Woody Allen, 1973), Naked Gun (1988), Zoolander (2001), and the Bourne Identity (2002).  

I'd also crank up a plan 'B' if Peterson counter-brain-washes your crew, and you might need to look for North Korean experts.